Amy Smart

Kiefer Sutherland stars as an NYPD detective-turned-security guard who discovers something sinister lurking in the mirrors of a fire-damaged department store in Haute Tension writer/director Alexandre Aja's menacing study in the origins of evil. It's been just about a year since mercurial police detective Ben Carson (Sutherland) was suspended from the NYPD for the fatal shooting of an undercover officer, and ever since that fateful day he's been locked in a self-destructive spiral of anger and alcoholism. Increasingly isolated from his wife and kids, Ben spends most nights crashed-out at his sister Angela's (Amy Smart) apartment in Queens. But Ben hasn't given up hope just yet, and in order to get his life back together and prove that he's still capable of supporting his family he takes a job as the night watchman at the Mayflower department store. The Mayflower used to be a lavish symbol of inner-city prosperity, that is, until a raging inferno gutted the building while claiming numerous lives in the process. These days, the Mayflower is a scorched reminder of human misery, the ornate mirrors therein reflecting a suffering so profound that it begins to wear on Ben's already-fragile psyche. Not only that, but whatever force dwells behind the shimmering glass seems to have gained the power to alter reality as well.

After Ben gazes into the mirrors and sees a vision of himself being relentlessly tortured, he is horrified to experience violent convulsions, spontaneous bleeding, and frightening asphyxiation. And while his sister is always willing to lend a sympathetic ear, she chalks the anomalies up to an unusually potent mix of stress and anxiety. Unfortunately for Ben, his estranged wife, Amy (Paula Patton), isn't nearly as forgiving. A prosaic NYPD medical examiner who has seen her fair share of tragedy, Amy fears that Ben's erratic behavior could be placing their children in danger. Later, as Ben begins to draw connections between his increasingly gruesome visions and a former Mayflower security guard who vanished without a trace, he begins to suspect that an unimaginable evil is using the mirrors as a gateway into the real world, and that his family is in mortal danger from forces beyond their realm of understanding. Perhaps if he Ben can manage to convince Amy that their children's lives are at risk, he can summon the courage to face the greatest evil he has ever known. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A lovelorn man setting out to find his way in life finds his heart captured by the striking, soon-to-be-bride that he senses is his true soul-mate in this romantic comedy starring Stuart Townsend, Seth Green, and Amy Smart. Soon after causing some ripples in the publishing world with his first novel, emerging writer Olly Pickering (Townsend) wanders wayward and is forced to accept a dead-end position as a lowly assistant. Though it initially appears as if he has entered into a downward spiral from which he isn't likely to emerge anytime soon, Olly finds his luck taking a turn for the better upon meeting the lovely Sarah (Smart) at the engagement party of a close friend. After discovering that Sarah is in fact the fiancée of his philandering friend and the pair have requested that Olly serve as the best man in the upcoming wedding, the dejected writer determines to convince the unsuspecting Sarah that she is about to marry the wrong man. With a little help from his wacky roommate Murray (Green), Olly may be able to put the breaks on the impending nuptials and prove his undying love for Sarah before she makes a mistake she is likely to regret for the rest of her life. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Executive-produced by ER and West Wing veteran John Wells, the weekly serialized drama series Smith focused on a group of highly skilled professional thieves, who covered their tracks by living normal, above-suspicion lives between heists. There was actually no character named "Smith"; this was the designation given by the Feds to the mysterious leader of the criminals, whom the audience knew to be Bobby Stevens (Ray Liotta), who maintained a respectable veneer as a sales representative for a paper-cup company. Ever so often, Bobby would make up an alibi for his dental-assistant wife Hope (Virginia Madsen) and his family, travel to another city, don new clothes and a new identity, and mastermind a high-profile theft with his accomplices, all of whom resided in different, far-flung cities. Bobby's "team" included womanizing hit man Jeff (Simon Baker), Vegas showgirl Annie (Amy Smart), parolee Tom (Johnny Lee Miller), and versatile utility man Joe (Franky G.). Dogging the thieves' trail with Javert-like diligence was the ruthless and sometimes unscrupulous federal agent Dodd (Chris Bauer). Debuting September 19, 2006 on CBS, Smith was among the first casualties of the 2006-2007 season, lasting only three episodes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A hotshot thirtysomething record executive tries to win over the girl who once liked him only "as a friend" in this slapstick comedy. In high school, Chris Brander (Ryan Reynolds) was an overweight, maladroit teen who spent every waking moment with his co-ed pal Jamie Palamino (Amy Smart). On the verge of graduation, Chris is humiliated when his yearbook confession to Jamie -- that he wants to be more than "just friends" -- is read aloud. Jamie is flattered, but rebuffs his advances, and Chris spends the next decade transforming himself into a buff, callous ladies' man. Assigned by his boss to sign his pop star ex-girlfriend Samantha James (Anna Faris), Chris finds himself stranded in New Jersey for the holidays, where he promptly sets out to find Jamie. But winning back the love of his life proves difficult, as Chris not only has to get back in touch with the sensitive teen he once was, but also fend off competition from another former geek, the guitar-playing Dusty (Chris Klein). ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide

A man with no memory struggles to make sense of the troubling details that are still stuck in his mind in this psychological thriller. Frank (Val Kilmer) wakes up in a small town in the New Mexico desert with a severe head wound and most of his memory wiped away. However, Frank is somehow convinced that someone is planning to assassinate the President of the United States, and that Chloe (Neve Campbell), the woman who is claiming to be his girlfriend, is some sort of imposter. When Frank learns that the president is indeed passing through town that day, he tries to warn Sheriff Kolb (Sam Shepard) that something sinister if afoot; as it happens, Kolb believes him, though he's more than a bit busy dealing with a hard-fought election campaign against former Deputy Cash (Noble Willingham). Blind Horizon was screened at the 2004 South by Southwest Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Starring Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson in the title roles, this kitschy tongue-in cheek action comedy is based on the popular 1970s cop show of the same name. Ken "Hutch" Hutchinson (Wilson) and Dave Starsky (Stiller) are a tough pair of plain-clothes cops who drive a red and white Ford Torino and solve cases with the assistance of their informant, Huggy Bear (Snoop Dogg). While investigating their latest case, the duo realize that the culprit is none other than Reese Feldman (Vince Vaughn), the criminal involved in their first bust. Starsky & Hutch also features appearance by Juliette Lewis, Will Ferrell, and Matt Walsh, who, along with Snoop Dogg and Vaughn, all had roles in director Todd Phillips' last film, Old School. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

At the beginning of Interstate 60, Neal Oliver (James Mardsen) has more questions about his future than answers. Though he would rather pursue a career in art, Neal debates whether or not he should set his goals towards a law degree, as his father would greatly prefer. He has a girlfriend, but he wonders if he should search for the mysterious woman (Amy Smart) who visits his nightly dreams and inspires his artwork. By the time his 23rd birthday roles around, Neal is no closer to choosing his life's path. He feels empty and unsatisfied, despite lavish birthday gifts, and wishes only for clarity as he blows out the candles on his cake. Rather than instant answers, Neal is given the opportunity to take a journey on a highway that doesn't exist on any map; a highway where the past, present, and future converge. Alongside him is One Wish Grant (Gary Oldman), the immortal offspring of a leprechaun and Cheyenne Indian, who has the unique ability to grant wishes to those he believes deserve them. Thus begins Neal's surreal road trip through the uncharted territories of his own potential destiny. Interstate 60 features a stellar cast with supporting performances and cameos from Kurt Russell, Michael J. Fox, Liv Tyler, and Christopher Lloyd. Bob Gale, co-writer/producer of Used Cars, I Wanna Hold Your Hand, and, most notably, the Back to the Future trilogy, directs. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

What happens if you take one of William Shakespeare's darkest tragedies and move it to a burger joint in the early 1970s? The answer can be found in the satiric comedy Scotland, PA, the first feature from writer and director Billy Morrissette. Mac McBeth (James LeGros) is a hard-working but unambitious doofus who toils at a hamburger stand alongside his wife Pat (Maura Tierney), who has a significant edge in the brains department. Pat is convinced she could do a lot better with the place than their boss Norm Duncan (James Rebhorn) is doing, so she works up a plan to usurp Norm, convincing Mac to rob the restaurant's safe and then murder Norm, using the robbery as a way of throwing the police off their trail. Though two stoners (Andy Dick and Timothy Speed Levitch) and a would-be fortune teller (Amy Smart) warn Mac that bad luck awaits him, he gathers his courage and goes through with his wife's scheme. At first, things seem to have gone just as Pat hoped, and after Norm's sons (Geoff Dunsworth and Tom Guiry) sell the restaurant to the McBeths (they pay for it with the money they stole from Norm), business takes off. But vegetarian police detective McDuff (Christopher Walken) is convinced there's foul play at the new center of the fast food universe, and when the McBeths fear that fry cook Banco (Kevin Corrigan) knows more than he's letting on, Pat decides another murder is on the menu. Scotland, PA premiered at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival; incidentally, Shakespeare does receive screen credit for his contribution to the story. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Four friends struggle to find themselves in the decade that brought us disco, platform shoes, and those smiley-face buttons in this miniseries, which first aired in April of 2000 on NBC. Byron Shaw (Brad Rowe), his girlfriend Eileen (Vinessa Shaw), and his sister Christie (Amy Smart) are all at Kent State University on May 4, 1970, when National Guardsmen open fire on students protesting the war in Vietnam, leaving four people dead. Byron's high-school buddy Dexter Johnson (Guy Torry) is also there -- but as a Guardsman rather than a student. Dexter quits the Guard in disgust and moves to Watts, where he opens a movie theater and becomes a key figure in the Black Power movement. Byron quits law school and takes a job with Richard Nixon's re-election campaign -- just as the Watergate scandal begins to break, Byron becomes an informant to the Justice Department and is nearly killed by a sniper. Eileen embraces the feminist movement and later seeks a career in the advertising industry, where she discovers that women's rights have not advanced terribly far. And Christie becomes a successful model, but fame and fortune do not bring her happiness as she's lured into a religious cult known as "The Path." The 70's soundtrack is loaded with period-appropriate hits, including classic tunes by Stevie Wonder, Jefferson Starship, Marvin Gaye, and Three Dog Night. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In his first feature following the success of television's Dawson's Creek, James Van Der Beek stars as Jonathan Moxon, the back-up quarterback on his high-school football team, the West Canaan Coyotes. In West Canaan, the only thing that matters is football, and the man who matters is the one with 22 divisional championships, coach Bud Kilmer (Jon Voight). Mox, as the young "A" student is called, is wrapping up his senior year on his way to Brown University in the shadow of his childhood friend, star quarterback Lance Harbor (Paul Walker). With only five games until the end of the season, Kilmer pushes his players too hard, and Lance suffers a career-ending injury, forcing Mox to play and win the game. Now the starter, Mox must deal with his newfound celebrity; the attentions of Lance's girlfriend, head-cheerleader Darcy (Ali Larter); prevent his friends and fellow players Billy Bob (Ron Lester) and Tweeder (Scott Caan) from self-destructing; prevent Coach Kilmer from crushing everybody; and hold on to his own girlfriend, Lance's sister Jules (Amy Smart). Oh, and Mox must also win the championship and prove himself the hero. ~ Ron Wells, All Movie Guide

Dee Snider, of the Twisted Sister heavy metal music group, made his debut as a screenwriter and producer with this horror film, directed by John Pieplow. A psycho on the Internet uses the handle, "Captain Howdy" (Snider), an obvious reference to the unseen Ouija board spirit in The Exorcist (1973). After the abduction of his daughter Genevieve (Linda Cardellini), detective Mike Gage (Kevin Gage) is on the case, joined by detective Christian (Brett Harrelson). Kidnapper Captain Howdy is eventually captured and sent off to the asylum. Released four years later, Howdy is hanged by a vigilante mob led by redneck Jackson Roth (Robert Englund). Reborn as Carleton Hendricks (Snider), Howdy turns against the vigilantes, kidnaps Genevieve a second time, and once again confronts Gage. Snider also contributes an original heavy-metal tune for the closing credits. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide