Rena Owen Movies
Two lost souls find meaning in a world of chaos in this independent drama directed by Alejandro Chomski and adapted from the play by Wendy Hammond. Desperate teen Maggie (Angela Sarafayan) is on the run from her abusive father, and young immigrant David (Jesse Garcia) is scouring the streets of L.A. for his missing mother. When David and Maggie meet, their fractured lives finally start to make sense. A Beautiful Life also features Dana Delany and Debi Mazar. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Angela Sarafayan, Jesse Garcia, (more)
- 2007
- PG13
A man who moves between two worlds but belongs to neither discovers that in order to find peace he will first have to achieve his own singular identity in this introspective drama from director Sarab S. Neelam. Amrit Singh is a turban-wearing Sikh who lives in North America. Lately Amrit has begun to feel as if his religion and his surroundings are completely at odds. But while this ambitious misfit knows that he possesses the drive to be a success, he must first strike a peaceful balance between Eastern philosophy and Western lifestyle. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Omid Abtahi, Heather McComb, (more)
- 2007
- R
When a regular guy decides to reinvent himself, his life changes in ways he never could have imagined. Director Alex Nam takes the helm for this cheeky comedy that isn't afraid to get down and dirty. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Nathan Bexton, Kathryn Fiore, (more)
- 2005
- PG13
- Add Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith to Queue Add Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith to top of Queue
George Lucas draws the Star Wars film series to a close with this dark sci-fi adventure which sets the stage for the events of the first film and brings the saga full circle. After a fierce battle in which Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) and Anakin (Hayden Christensen) join Republic forces to help free Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) from the evil Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) and his minions, Anakin is drawn into Palpatine's confidence. Palpatine has designs on expanding his rule, and with this in mind he plants seeds of doubt in Anakin's mind about the strength and wisdom of the Jedis. Anakin is already in a quandary about how to reveal to others the news of his secret marriage to Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman) now that she is pregnant, and visions which foretell her death in childbirth weigh heavy on his mind. As Anakin finds himself used by both the Jedis and the Republic for their own purposes -- particularly after Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson) expresses his distrust of the young Jedi -- he turns more and more to the Force for help, but begins to succumb to the temptations of its dark side. Many of the Star Wars series regulars returned for Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith, including Frank Oz as the voice of Yoda, Anthony Daniels as C-3PO, Kenny Baker as R2-D2, and Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Hayden Christensen, Ewan McGregor, (more)
- 2005
- PG
After many aborted attempts, Sean Campbell (Bruce Greenwood) has finally cleared his relentlessly busy schedule to take his son, Mac (Daniel Magder), on an oft-delayed trip to Disney World. Unfortunately, his bosses at Arctic Oil have other ideas. It seems that a helicopter carrying an extremely valuable drill bit has crashed into a remote Canadian lake and that Sean is the only person who can recover it. Mac, who believes his father places more importance on his work than on his son, is very unhappy about trading in Mickey and Goofy for a backwoods town with little to offer a young boy. Things change dramatically, however, when Mac not only hears tales of a mysterious lake monster named Mee-Shee but actually stumbles upon his hiding place in a secluded cavern. Mac is enormously excited, but none of the adults take him seriously. This includes his father, whose attempt to retrieve the equipment is being foiled by the evil Watkins (Charles Mesure) and his henchman, Mr. Snead (Joel Tobeck), who work for a rival oil company and will stop at nothing to retrieve the drill bit for themselves. Things don't look good for Sean on either a personal or professional level -- until Mee-Shee manages to change all that. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bruce Greenwood, Daniel Magder, (more)
College student Sara Novak (Carly Pope) becomes involved in a mysterious game involving riddles and elaborate mind games. As she roams the city seeking -- and finding -- answers to each question, she finds herself deeper in a conspiracy that leads to the murder of a classmate (Jay Baruchel). Refusing the help of her detective father (Ian McShane), Sara turns to a New Age-minded comic book shop owner (Adrian Paul) for help. Big mistake? ~ Buzz McClain, Rovi
- 2002
- PG
- Add Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones to Queue Add Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones to top of Queue
The second prequel to the original Star Wars trilogy takes place ten years after the events depicted in Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace. Now 20, young Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) is an apprentice to respected Jedi knight Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor). Unusually powerful in the Force, Anakin is also impatient, arrogant, and headstrong -- causing his mentor a great deal of concern. The pair are ordered to protect Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman), the former queen of the planet Naboo, now representing her world in the Galactic Senate. Someone is trying to assassinate her on the eve of a vote enabling Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) to build a military force that will safeguard against a growing separatist movement led by mysterious former Jedi Count Dooku (Christopher Lee). After another attempt on Padme's life, Obi-Wan and Anakin separate. The young Jedi and Padme fall in love as he escorts her first to the security of Naboo and then to his home world of Tatooine, where the fate of his mother leads him to commit an ominous atrocity. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan travels to the secretive planet Kamino and the asteroid-ringed world of Geonosis, following bounty hunter Jango Fett (Temuera Morrison) and his son, Boba (Daniel Logan), who are involved in an operation to create a massive army of clones. A vicious battle ensues between the clones and Jedi on one side and Dooku's droids on the other, but who is really pulling the strings in this galactic conflict? In late 2002, the movie was released in IMAX theaters as Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones: The IMAX Experience, with a pared-down running time of 120 minutes in order to meet the technical requirements of the large-screen format. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, (more)
- 2001
- PG13
- Add A.I.: Artificial Intelligence to Queue Add A.I.: Artificial Intelligence to top of Queue
Based on the 1969 short story Super-Toys Last All Summer Long, by Brian Aldiss, this science fiction fantasy bears similarities to Pinocchio (1940) and originated as a long-gestating project of director Stanley Kubrick that passed to his friend Steven Spielberg after Kubrick's death. Haley Joel Osment stars as David, a "mecha" or robot of the future, when the polar ice caps have melted and submerged many coastal cities, causing worldwide starvation and human dependence upon robotic assistance. The first mecha designed to experience love, David is the "son" of Henry (Sam Robards), an employee of the company that built the boy, and the grief-stricken Monica (Frances O'Connor). David is meant to replace the couple's hopelessly comatose son, but when their natural child recovers, David is abandoned and sets out to become "a real boy" worthy of his mother's affection. Along the way, David is mentored by a pleasure-providing mecha named Gigolo Joe (Jude Law) and a talking "super toy" bear named Teddy. His adventures take him to the Roman Circus-style "Flesh Fair," where mechas are destroyed for the amusement of humans; Rouge City, where Gigolo Joe narrowly avoids capture by police; and finally a submerged New York City, where David's creator, Professor Hobby (William Hurt) reveals the secrets of the boy's creation. Brendan Gleeson and narrator Ben Kingsley co-star in A.I., which was adapted from Kubrick's treatment by Spielberg, in his first crack at screenwriting since Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Starring:
- Haley Joel Osment, Jude Law, (more)
Soul Assassin is an action movie from The Netherlands made by music video director Laurence Malkin. Skeet Ulrich plays Kevin Burke, a recently promoted young executive at Jorgensen Financial in Rotterdam. After a hit man murders his girlfriend Rosalind (Katherine Lang), he goes off in search of the killers. Eventually, he gets his boss Karl Jorgensen (Derek de Lint) and the entire security division of the company on the investigation. This makes Karl's son Junior (Antonie Kamerling) jealous. Kristy Swanson plays the mysterious mobster Tessa. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
- 2000
This made-for-cable docudrama stars Penelope Ann Miller as the infamous Mary Kay Letourneau, the married-with-children Seattle schoolteacher who made national headlines when she had an affair with one of her sixth-grade students, 13-year-old Vili Fualaau (Omar Anguiano). Landing in jail on a statutory rape charge, and ultimately bearing Fualaau's baby, Letourneau is released with a warning to stay away from her youthful inamorta. But she is unable to do so, and the result is another out-of-wedlock baby by the same young man. The teleplay, by Julie Herbert, suggests that Letourneau's inability to control her emotions and impules stemeed from her relationship with her mother, a woman who regarded any sign of affection as a form of weakness. Ultimately, however, Mary Kay Letourneau remains an enigma, and it is up to the viewer to determine whether her behavior was motivated by true love or by a psychotic need for "approval". The Mary Kay Letourneau Story: All American Girl debuted over the USA network on January 18, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Penelope Ann Miller, Omar Anguiano, (more)
- 1999
- NR
The 1994 drama Once Were Warriors told a sad but compelling tale of violence and alcoholism in New Zealand's Maori community, and What Becomes of the Broken Hearted? picks up the story several years later, though the focus is less on an individual family than the spread of gang warfare among the modern-day Maori. Jake and Beth Heke (Temuera Morrison and Rena Owen), the combative couple in the first film, have now split up, Beth having lost her patience with Jake's alcoholism and violent temper. Beth has moved on and lives with her new boyfriend, and while Jake also has a new relationship, his binge drinking and violence have continued unabated. Jake's eldest son, Nig (Julian Arahanga) has fared little better in life, and dies in a fight with a member of a rival gang. At Nig's funeral, Jake is confronted by Beth and his younger son, Sonny (Clint Eruera), who feels Jake abandoned his family and doesn't mind telling him so. Sonny decides he must avenge Nig's death and joins forces with Nig's girlfriend Tania (Nancy Brunning) and his pal Mookie (Tammy Davis) to exact their own kind of justice. However, an unpleasant run-in with the Black Snakes gang only earns them more enemies. Jake, meanwhile, is dropped by his girlfriend and sinks even deeper into the abyss of his demons. What Becomes of the Broken Hearted? was directed by Ian Mune, continuing the story begun by filmmaker Lee Tamahori. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Temuera Morrison, Clint Eruera, (more)
Garth Maxwell directed this pansexual drama that intertwines the stories of three very different love affairs. Katie Keen (Rena Owen) returns to New Zealand with her one-woman show, moving in with her homosexual friend Stephen (Simon Prast). Meanwhile, Stephen is in love with lyricist Mark (Dean O'Gorman), and aspiring punk rockers Sally (Sophia Hawthorne) and Fig (Nancy Brunning) become involved with one another. This psychological ping-ponging soon results in cries, whispers and recriminations. Shown at the 1998 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rena Owen, Dean O'Gorman, (more)
This powerful drama was a major hit in its native New Zealand, outgrossing Jurassic Park in Kiwi cinemas. Jake and Beth Heke (Temurea Morrison and Rena Owen) are a couple of Maori descent who are living in a slum in Aukland. While it's obvious that they still love each other, Jake's alcoholism has driven a wedge into their relationship and has left their children emotionally scarred. Jake is charming while sober, but when drunk, he's a violent psychopath given to blink-of-an-eye mood changes and terrible cruelty against his loved ones. Liquor has also made it difficult for Jake to hold onto a job, leaving him dependent on the dole to feed his family. Nig (Julian Arahanga), Jake's oldest son, has turned his back on his father and joined a gang of Maori youths whose initiation rituals include tattooing and torture. Jake's 13-year-old daughter Grace (Mamaengaroa Kerr-Bell) prefers to spend her time with her drug-addicted boyfriend -- rather than stay home and fight off the advances of her father's friends. And Boogie (Taungaroa Emile) ends up in juvenile hall when Jake's drinking prevents him from going to court to speak on Boogie's behalf. Once Were Warriors was based on an acclaimed novel by Alan Duff. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rena Owen, Temuera Morrison, (more)
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