Todd McFarlane Movies

The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys brings Chris Fuhrman's well-received, posthumously published teen novel to the screen. Set in the 1970s, the film concerns two rebellious Catholic schoolboys -- bashful, pensive Francis (Emile Hirsch) and whip-smart, impulsive Tim (Kieran Culkin) -- who spend their free time pulling elaborate pranks and creating a comic book featuring themselves and their friends, Wade (Jake Richardson) and Joey (Tyler Long), as superheroes. Their alter egos are brought to life in animated sequences by Spawn creator Todd McFarlane. Their grim, strict, one-legged teacher, Sister Assumpta (Jodie Foster), is drawn as a motorcycle-riding supervillain. Vincent D'Onofrio plays the more easygoing Father Casey. Egged on by Tim, Francis admits that he has a crush on Margie Flynn (Jena Malone). Tim encourages Francis to pursue Margie, at one point even sending her a mash note and signing his friend's name. Francis and Margie eventually begin seeing each other. But when Margie reveals a terrible, painful secret to Francis, it sets off a chain of events that leads to tragedy. The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys marks the feature debut of director Peter Care. It was screened at several festivals, including the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. The film sparked a small controversy at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival, where it was rejected, allegedly in retaliation for producer Foster's decision to forego heading up the fest's jury in order to replace Nicole Kidman in Panic Room. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Todd McFarlane's infernal anti-hero rises up from the depths of Hell to battle the forces of evil, discover the truth about his identity, and fulfill his destiny in this dark animated series inspired by the hit comic book. Instilled with mysterious powers that give him a supernatural advantage over his human adversaries, Spawn wages a brutal war on the powers of darkness while constantly wrestling the inner-evil that dwells deep within his soul. As the series gets underway, a ruthless pair of mob henchmen guns down two reporters on the trail of a groundbreaking story. A witness to the brutal double homicide, Spawn dispenses with the murderous mobsters with a vengeance that would make his dark master proud. In the aftermath of the violent slaughter, Spawn meets Clown - a sadistic imp charged with helping the Hellspawn become a full-fledged demonic warrior. Meanwhile, a mysterious derelict named Cogliostro will aid Spawn in making his transition back into the realm of the living. A conversation with his own corpse reveals that Spawn was once a government assassin named Al Simmons who had struck a deal with one of Hell's masters in order to see his beloved wife Wanda once again, though it appears that Wanda has started over again by marrying Al's best friend Terry Fitzgerald and mothering a baby named Cyan. As Spawn struggles to comprehend his profound situation, the situation with the mobsters becomes even more deadly when powerful crime kingpin Antonio Twistelli determines to find out who killed his top men, and it's revealed that the thugs had been working for Jason Wynn - who has vowed to protect the interests of child killing Senator McMillian, even if it means claiming a few innocent lives. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi