Stephen Margolis Movies

American law student Alice (Maggie Grace) is studying in London when she's run down by a black cab and transported to a strange and shady underworld. With time-obsessed cabbie Whitey (Danny Dyer) to help her navigate this sordid new reality, Alice soon realizes that her only hope for getting back home is to fight her way through the pimps, gangsters, and violent drug dealers who are tracking her every move. Can Alice turn the tables on her pursuers long enough to make a clean getaway, or is she doomed to spend all eternity on the run from the tyrannical crime kingpin who controls the entire city? Malice in Wonderland presents a dark and twisted take on author Lewis Carroll's timeless children's tale. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

An American astronaut believing himself to be the first person ever to set foot on Planet 51 gets the shock of his life in this animated adventure comedy featuring the voices of Dwayne Johnson, Jessica Biel, John Cleese, and Gary Oldman. Captain Charles "Chuck" Baker (voice of Johnson) was on a mission to boldly go where no man had gone before, a remote celestial body dubbed Planet 51. The scientific community had surmised that Planet 51 was uninhabited, so when Captain Baker steps out of his spacecraft to discover a race of tiny green people living in quaint communities reminiscent of 1950s America, he can't quite believe his eyes. Unfortunately, the tiny extraterrestrials suffer from a universal fear that their utopian community will one day be overrun by alien invaders...just like the extra-large astronaut who now stands before them. As General Grawl (voice of Gary Oldman) and Professor Kipple (voice of John Cleese) attempt to capture the peaceful visitor so they can dissect him and learn more about his anatomy, Captain Baker must count on his robot companion, "Rover," and his new friend, Lem, in order to navigate this strange new world and find a way back home before it's too late. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Danny Glover, Angela Bassett, Julia Stiles, and Samuel L. Jackson headline actor-turned-director Giancarlo Esposito's ensemble drama about a small southern town still haunted by a racially motivated murder that occurred there thirty years prior. Civil rights activist Peter Malcolm (Jackson) was at the peak of his popularity when he was ruthlessly gunned down in the streets of Gospel Hill. Thirty years later, no one has ever been accused of the crime, and Peter's brother John (Glover) has withdrawn from the community to ponder the full weight of his brother's unfulfilled mission in solitude. As John sinks ever deeper into a bottomless sea of despair, his wife Sarah (Bassett), an outspoken community activist, campaigns tirelessly against a ruthless band of developers seeking to transform Gospel Hill into a golfer's paradise. Realizing the futility of convincing her listless husband to help fight such an arduous battle, Sarah instead turns to newly arrived Gospel Hill schoolteacher Rosie (Stiles) for support. Later, as Rosie's budding romance with the son of Gospel Hill's notoriously bigoted sheriff thrusts her right into the middle of the town's long-running dispute, the developer's plan to pave over the past forces the locals to finally confront the ghosts that have haunted them for the past three decades. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A group of returning vacationers boards a late-night shuttle bound for home, but soon finds their journey taking a dark turn in this tale of terror from writer/director Edward Anderson. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Michael Radford (Il Postino and The Merchant of Venice) directs screenwriter Edward Anderson's script about an aging janitor and an American executive who form an unlikely alliance in order to carry out an elaborate jewel heist. Set in 1960s-era London, the tense crime thriller stars Michael Caine as the scheming maintenance man who longs to relieve his employers at the London Diamond Corporation of their valuable inventory, and Demi Moore as the savvy executive who is completely perplexed by the wealthy diamond magnates. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Bille August's inspirational docudrama Goodbye Bafana begins in 1968, with South Africa buried neck-deep in the horrors of apartheid and Nelson Mandela (Dennis Haysbert) -- then an underground leader of the African National Congress -- imprisoned on Robben Island for sedition. As the story opens, the native African population of the country -- 25 million in number -- buckles beneath the crippling weight of the racist white minority, who control the Nationalist Party Government. The film follows the spiritual and psychological journey of James Gregory (Joseph Fiennes), a Caucasian Afrikaner who came of age on a farm in the Transkei and initially views all blacks as subhuman. Gregory also speaks Mandela's native language of Xhosa with perfect fluency, which makes him an ideal candidate to serve as warden of the Robben Island Prison and eavesdrop on Mandela and his inmates. What he fails to anticipate is the most unlikely and special of friendships (one of history's greatest) that burgeons between himself and Mandela -- and helps him evolve from a narrow-minded bigot with limited self-awareness to a sensitive, humane critic of social injustice with a heightened awareness of humankind's ill treatment of one another and a genuine love for his fellow man. As the friendship between Gregory and Mandela grows and matures, it symbolizes Africa's transition from the oppressiveness of apartheid to the freedom of multiracial democracy. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

A man with the power to glimpse the future in dreams seeks the aid of an amateur sleuth in discovering the secret of his power and preventing an approaching tragedy in this quirky romantic comedy starring Dexter Fletcher and Linda Hamilton. When Albert Ross (Fletcher) lies down to dream, the future appears before his eyes. If Dexter's visions are correct, a sexy bombshell will soon appear to liberate him from his boring life while fulfilling his every sexual fantasy. But recently, Dexter has been dreaming of death, and in order to keep that vision from becoming a reality the sleepy clairvoyant seeks out the help of an investigator (Hamilton) who may have the power to change the future. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

An adopted girl returns to her homeland of Russia to explore the dilapidated mountain farm she has recently inherited, only to discover that it harbors a deadly secret in the feature debut from Aftermath director Nacho Cerdà. Shortly after the mysterious death of her birth mother, young Marie was adopted and brought to live in the United States. When Marie receives word that she has inherited an isolated farm in her native Russia, she soon sets out to explore the vast estate and peel away the thick gauze obscuring her secret-shrouded past. Confounded by the local's refusal to show her to the "damned" locale and determined not to give up after coming this far, Marie convinces a man to take her there only to discover that he has inexplicably vanished shortly after arrival. As Marie sets out to explore the ominous and expansive property alone, a surprise encounter with a man named Boris, who claims to have been lured to the house under similar circumstances, sets into motion a chilling series of events in which the ghosts of the past -- as well as deceased doppelgangers of both Marie and Boris -- prevent the frightened pair from leaving. In the terrifying hours that follow, both of these tormented lost souls will find that sometimes the past is best left forgotten. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director Antonio Banderas's reflective sophomore drama follows nascent poet Miguelito (Alberto Amarilla) and his best friends, Paco (Félix Gómez) and Babirusa (Raúl Arévalo), as they confront their pasts and ponder their futures while coming of age in 1970s-era southern Spain. Based on the novel by author Antonio Soler, the story centers largely on Miguelito's relationship with the beautiful Luli (María Ruiz) and his struggle to move beyond his youthful indiscretions. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Four Jewish women juggle love, sex, new relationships, work and parenthood in this romantic comedy from France. Isa (Michele Laroque) has split with her husband, and is busy looking after their three children while running her business, a beauty salon. While Isa has precious little spare time, she's trying to make room in her life for a British businessman who has struck her fancy. Alice (Valerie Benguigui) is Isa's sister, and has come to envy her sister's single status after a few years with her husband Gilles (Alexandre Astier), who appears to hate personal grooming as much as he loves golf. Alice's misgivings about her marriage grow stronger when she becomes friends with a handsome and charming divorced dad. Lea (Aure Atika) has recently parted ways with her husband, and devotes her days to pampering herself when she isn't taking care of her child. And Nina (Geraldine Nakache) has never been married and is looking for a man to settle down with, but she lacks confidence about her appearance even though she's young and pretty. Comme T'y es Belle (aka Hey Good Looking) was the second feature from director Lisa Azuelos, and was a major box office success in France. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A malevolent supernatural force besets a dilapidated children's hospital on the Isle of Man, terrifying the young patients and breaking their bones in this supernatural thriller from Spanish horror specialist Jaume Balagueró (The Nameless, [REC]). Mercy Falls Hospital has been in operation for nearly a hundred years, but now the authorities have declared it unfit for human inhabitation. As a result, the time has come for the hospital to close. But just as the helicopters arrive to transport the children to a new facility, bad weather forces them to remain grounded. Later, as Nurse Amy (Calista Flockhart) tends to her young charges, the children's bones begin to fracture for no apparent reason. Though the doctors remain baffled by the inexplicable injuries, the children sense something that the grown-ups do not. Somewhere in these crumbling corridors lurks a force of darkness consumed by pain, and filled with hatred. The children have dubbed it "The Mechanical Girl," and they claim to have stolen glimpses of it sobbing in the shadows. In order to banish the spirit and save the children, one brave soul will have to summon the courage to face a force powerful enough to cause physical damage, yet so fragile it might be completely destroyed by the slightest touch. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

U.K. filmmaker John Deery makes his writing and directing feature debut with the religious drama Conspiracy of Silence, dealing with the controversial topic of reforming the Catholic Church. At an Irish seminary school, student Daniel McLaughlin (Jonathan Forbes) is caught in a compromising position with fellow male student Noel (Owen McDonnell). He is subsequently kicked out of school and considers marrying his ex-girlfriend Sinead (Catherine Walker). Meanwhile, reporter David Foley (Jason Barry) investigates the suicide of HIV-positive priest Father Sweeney (Patrick Casey). Foley learns that Sweeney was romantically involved with former priest Matthew Francis (John Lynch), but Monsignor Thomas (Fintan McKeown) resorts to unjust tactics in order to cover up the story. Brenda Fricker also appears as Daniel's mother. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

Renee Fleming: A Film by Tony Palmer documents the life of one of the most respected American sopranos of her time. The film includes many clips of the artist performing many well-known works. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi