Michael Wandmacher Movies

A young family move into a rural Georgia home situated on the old Underground Railroad, and they experience true terror when the ghosts of the past refuse to rest in peace. Andy (Chad Michael Murray) and his wife Lisa (Abigail Spencer) thought they had found the perfect place to raise their young daughter Heidi. But almost immediately after settling into their quaint, historic home, Heidi experiences a series of troubling supernatural encounters. Later, when Lisa's easygoing sister Joyce (Katee Sackhoff) shows up for a visit, the restless spirits inhabiting the house begin to make their presence known. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A young man joins forces with a team of fearless werewolf hunters to defend a 19th Century European village from a beast that hunts by the light of the full moon in this tale of nocturnal terror starring Stephen Rea and Guy Wilson. Daniel (Wilson is determined to protect his family from the terrible creature that stalks the shadows of the forest surrounding his village. But as Daniel hunts the beast alongside a team of men who refuse to live in fear, each night brings a new horror, and the victims of the lycanthrope become the very monster that they once feared most. Now, Daniel must identify the source of the scourge, and put an end to the nightmare once and for all. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Kirsten Dunst, Isla Fisher, and Lizzy Caplan star in this comedy about three dysfunctional friends who attempt to leave the past behind while serving as bridesmaids at the wedding of a woman they mocked mercilessly back in high school. As teenagers, Regan (Dunst), Gena (Caplan), and Katie (Fisher) used to call Becky (Rebel Wilson) "Pig Face." Years later, Becky is about to tie the knot and asks her taunting former classmates to join the wedding party. And though Regan is determined to give Becky the ultimate bachelorette bash, tart-tongued Gena has already started partying hard well before the big night, and capricious Katie seems to have her head stuck in the clouds. Later, as the ladies cut loose and the booze begins to flow, a mishap with the wedding dress sends the entire event spiraling out of control, leading to a wild night of debauchery that nobody will ever forget. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Inspired by authors Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner wildly popular best-seller Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything, this documentary teams such acclaimed filmmakers as Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me), Alex Gibney (Taxi to the Dark Side), and Seth Gordon (The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters) to look at human behavior from a perspective of incentives and statistics. Conventional wisdom gets caught in the crosshairs when Jesus Camp co-directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady explore how underachieving kids respond when they're rewarded for hard work with greenbacks; Gibney throws open the curtain on sumo wrestling; Spurlock examines how baby names can affect a child's development; and Why We Fight director Eugene Jarecki offers a troubling hypothesis on why the early-'90s saw some of the lowest crime rates of the latter 20th century. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A psychopathic miner terrorizes the town of Harmony in this retelling of one of the most underrated slasher films of the early '80s with My Bloody Valentine 3-D. 10-years ago, the lone survivor of an accident deep in the mines awoke from a coma and slashed his way through the town in a bloody, vengeance-fueled rampage. Though shot and apparently killed, the memories of Harry Warden still haunt both the town and Tom Hanniger (Jensen Ackles), the heir to the mine and one of the last people to see Harry before his disappearance. Just as Tom heads back to his hometown after a long time away, so do the killings ramp up again. While he mends his torn relationship with his ex-girlfriend Sarah (Jaime King) and her husband Axl (Kerr Smith), citizens are knocked off one by one in spectacularly gruesome fashion (all presented in 3-D). Has Harry come from beyond the grave or is there a new killer donning the suit and mask? Scream franchise editor Patrick Lussier helms from a script by Zane Smith and Jason X scribe Todd Farmer. Genre veteran Tom Atkins lends his B-movie chops to a supporting character in the Lionsgate production. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

An outsider teen acclimating to a new school finds a home in a reclusive teenaged fight club in this drama from Cry_Wolf director Jeff Wadlow. Jake Tyler (Sean Faris) has just moved with his family to Orlando, FL. While Jake isn't exactly comfortable being the new kid in town, his younger brother, Charlie (Wyatt Smith), is an aspiring professional tennis star who might just have what it takes to break big. But Charlie isn't the only talented athlete in the family, because Jake used to be something of a hotshot on the gridiron -- at least back home. Here in Orlando, Jake is considered something of a hothead thanks to his penchant for brawling. In an attempt to better fit in with his new classmates, Jake accepts flirtatious classmate Baja's (Amber Heard) invitation to a raucous party. There, the short-fused newcomer is lured into a fight and badly beaten by local bully Ryan McCarthy (Cam Gigandet). But a beam of hope shines through the humiliation when a classmate who sees potential in the defeated fighter informs Jake of a local MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) program run by Jean Roqua (Djimon Hounsou). Despite Jake's preconceived notions regarding MMA, he quickly discovers that it's not just another form of street fighting but a rich new art form that he longs to master. As Roqua takes Jake under his tutelage, it soon becomes apparent that in order to become a true MMA champion, Jake will have to learn patience, discipline, willingness, and reason. This isn't just a quest for revenge, but an opportunity for Jake to finally find out what kind of man he truly is. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Characterized by many observers as a somewhat down-and-dirtier The O.C., the weekly, hour-long drama series South Beach starred Marcus Coloma as Matt and Chris Johnson as Vincent, two Brooklyn buddies who relocated to South Beach, Miami in hopes of bettering their prospects. Matt was running away from family problems, while Vince seemed to be running away from life itself. Through the auspices of Matt's ruthlessly ambitious former girlfriend Arielle (Odette Yustman), our two heroes get themselves enmeshed in the cutthroat world of professional modeling. Much of the action took place in the upscale Hotel Soleil, owned by Elizabeth Bauer (Vanessa L. Williams), the somewhat contentious mother of Alex Bauer (Lee Thompson Young), who ran the trendy Nocturnal club where Matt and Vincent hung out. Also oiling his way through the proceedings was Robert Fuentes (Giancarlo Esposito), a self-styled "venture capitalist" with strong mob ties. South Beach premiered January 11, 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Characterized by many observers as a somewhat down-and-dirtier The O.C., the weekly, hour-long drama series South Beach starred Marcus Coloma as Matt and Chris Johnson as Vincent, two Brooklyn buddies who relocated to South Beach, Miami in hopes of bettering their prospects. Matt was running away from family problems, while Vince seemed to be running away from life itself. Through the auspices of Matt's ruthlessly ambitious former girlfriend Arielle (Odette Yustman), our two heroes get themselves enmeshed in the cutthroat world of professional modeling. Much of the action took place in the upscale Hotel Soleil, owned by Elizabeth Bauer (Vanessa L. Williams), the somewhat contentious mother of Alex Bauer (Lee Thompson Young), who ran the trendy Nocturnal club where Matt and Vincent hung out. Also oiling his way through the proceedings was Robert Fuentes (Giancarlo Esposito), a self-styled "venture capitalist" with strong mob ties. South Beach premiered January 11, 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The ABC sci-fi/horror/thriller series Night Stalker was not so much a remake of the cult 1974 series Kolchak: The Night Stalker as it was a "reimagining" of the earlier show -- at least according to the series' producer, X-Files alumnus Frank Spotnitz. Stuart Townsend stepped into the old Darren McGavin role as maverick journalist Carl Kolchak, whose mission in life was to alert the world of various and sundry paranormal, supernatural, and extraterrestrial activities -- only to be made the fool each week when evidence substantiating his stories of ghost, monsters, spacemen, etc. mysteriously disappeared. Instead of answering to an acerbic, disbelieving editor (the role played by Simon Oakland in the original show), Kolchak verbally sparred, "Mulder and Scully" fashion, with his erstwhile partner, doubting reporter Perri Reed (Gabrielle Union). And whereas the "old" Kolchak was merely trying to make a living and restore his journalistic reputation, the "new" Kolchak was motivated by the unsolved murder of his wife -- which he claimed was at the hands of supernatural forces, but which the authorities suspected was his own handiwork (a dash of Fugitive there). The weekly, 60-minute Night Stalker premiered September 29, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

From the producer and writer of Spice World and the director of She's All That comes this musical comedy inspired by and featuring the stars of Fox's hit reality show American Idol. Starring the winner and runner-up of the show's first season, Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini, as slightly fictionalized versions of themselves, From Justin to Kelly attempts to recreate the atmosphere of the fun-loving beach musicals of the 1960s. When Kelly (Clarkson) and Justin (Guarini) embark on a vacation in search of some fun in the sun with their respective groups of friends, the two meet and fall for each other at first sight. Unfortunately, a series of comedic mishaps and hijinks gets in the way of them getting together. Several song-and-dance numbers ensue. In addition to Clarkson and Guarini, the film stars Greg Siff, Brian Dietzen, and Katherine Bailess. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

Legendary American wrestler Dan Gable is the subject of this documentary portrait. Using early footage of his life combined with contemporary behind-the-scenes shots at the University of Iowa, Gable allows a privileged view of a powerful man. Often called "the Babe Ruth" of wrestling, Gable went to the 1972 Olympics with the determination to win and did so. After his many successes in competitions, Gable went on to be one of the best loved and most eminent wrestling coaches. This is an inspiring and rare view of one of America's best athletes. ~ Cara Saposnik, Rovi

International action star Jackie Chan stars opposite knockabout comedy sensation Jackie Chan in this story about identical twins separated in childhood who are unexpectedly reunited years later. While on the run from a Hong Kong hospital, an escaped convict takes an infant hostage, leaving the baby's identical twin brother behind. While the criminal is soon back behind bars, the police can't find the baby, who was hidden in the woods. The child is found by a well-meaning but hard-drinking woman who raises him on her own, while his brother moves to the United States with his parents. Years later, the brother raised in America, John (Jackie Chan), is a world-renowned classical musician, while the other, Boomer (Chan again), is a rough-and-tumble auto mechanic who likes to race cars and start fights. When Boomer's best friend hatches a dubious scheme to win the freedom of a nightclub singer (Maggie Cheung) in dutch with gangsters, he finds himself involved and in danger, just in time for John to arrive in Hong Kong for a concert appearance. The two brothers soon meet by accident, and suddenly finds themselves mistaken for each other. On one hand, both are pleased with the romantic possibilities, as John takes a shine to the nightclub chanteuse and Boomer discovers John's girlfriend is turned on by his more physical personality. On the other hand, John finds people are shooting at him, while Boomer is now expected to conduct an orchestra. Two of Hong Kong's leading directors, Ringo Lam and Tsui Hark, teamed for this action comedy, which was a major hit in Hong Kong in 1992, but didn't receive a wide theatrical release in the United States until seven years later. The 1999 American release was dubbed into English (with Chan doing his own voice) and trimmed to 89 minutes from the original running time of 100 minutes. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi