Andrew Howard Movies

Director Woody Allen continued to work in the dark mold of his 2005 thriller Match Point with this suspenseful tale of two brothers (Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor) transformed into mortal enemies after scheming to alleviate their financial difficulties by turning to crime. Ian (McGregor) and Terry Blaine (Farrell) are two Cockney siblings whose lives seem to have simply fallen apart. While hard-drinking auto mechanic Terry lives with his girlfriend, Kate (Sally Hawkins), and suffers all the financial hardships that go with being a chronic gambler, his slightly more respectable sibling Ian helps their father maintain the family restaurant. Thanks to the steady income that the restaurant provides and the occasional help of their wealthy uncle Howard (Tom Wilkinson) the family has always managed to scrape by, but when Ian learns of a potentially lucrative California real estate deal, he can't help but dream about moving on to bigger and better things. One day, Terry wins big at the tracks by betting on a speedy greyhound named "Cassandra's Dream," and promptly uses his winnings to purchase a small yacht that he names after the winning dog. Right around the same time, things also start looking up for Ian -- who falls under the seductive spell of ambitious actress Angela (Hayley Atwell). But the brothers' good-luck spell doesn't last long, because when Terry winds up owing a tidy sum to some violent local loan sharks, he's given the option of promptly paying up or suffering some particularly painful consequences. Just then, Uncle Howard shows up in London looking to settle the score with a whistle-blowing business associate. While agreeing to take part in Uncle Howard's diabolical revenge scheme could easily earn Terry the cash needed to pay off his substantial debt, the consequences -- should he get caught -- will be far greater than those of any small-time scam he has ever resorted to in the past. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

In the midst of a bold military strike designed to end World War II before Christmas, a skilled team of special operatives are assigned the task of locating a hidden cache of Nazi gold in this tense wartime adventure starring Michael Madsen and Billy Zane. With 35,000 United States troops dropped behind enemy lines in German-occupied Holland, the top-secret team, code-named "Matchbox," sets out to claim the valuable booty and bring it back to aid the U.S. war effort. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Twenty-two-year-old Tommy Matisse (Dan Spielman) is a student at the Royal Academy of Music in London who dreams of writing an opera that will speak truth in the chaos of the contemporary world. Consumed by his unrelenting search for inspiration and his powerful love for girlfriend Alysse (Leeanna Walsman), Tommy remains deaf to the desperate cries of his younger sister Emma (Abbie Cornish). When Emma and Alysse go out for a night of partying and Emma suffers a fatal overdose, Alysse's burden of guilt becomes too weighty to bear and she soon seeks to tell Tommy the truth about his sister's death. Subsequently torn apart by Tommy's anger and Alyssa's sorrow, the pair both embark on solitary journeys that find Tommy making a name for himself in the Melbourne club scene, and self-destructive Alyssa falling under the drug-addled influence of powerful music producer and nightclub owner Hector Lee (Andrew Lee). Though Tommy and Alyssa are later reunited when their paths intersect at the club where Tommy is DJ'ing, the resulting rage of jealous Hector threatens to spell tragedy for all involved. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

An elderly king must come to terms with his past as he plots his nation's future in this historical drama. In 1183, aging monarch King Henry II (Patrick Stewart) decides it is time to pick an heir to his throne, and he must choose one of his three sons -- John (Rafe Spall), Geoffrey (John Light), or Richard (Andrew Howard) -- to rule the British empire. Henry wants to announce his successor at a Christmas gathering of his court a few weeks hence, and in time for the event, he has decided to free his headstrong wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine (Glenn Close), who has been held in captivity for attempting to overthrow her husband's rule and expressing her displeasure with his mistress, Alais (Yuliya Vysotskaya). As Henry and Eleanor become re-acquainted, they are reminded of the love they share as well as the strife that drives them apart, and while Henry finds himself favoring his youngest son, John, for his post, Eleanor makes a strong case for her first-born, Richard, with Geoffrey attempting to consolidate influence in a bid for power. However, as the king looks back at his long past and short future, he comes to the sad realization that none of his sons are truly fit to rule. James Goldman wrote the screenplay for this, the second screen adaptation of his award-winning play, which finally came to fruition 5 years after Goldman's death. Peter O'Toole and Katharine Hepburn starred in the Oscar-winning 1968 version. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Reflecting studio executives' taste for material that crosses genres, this film from director David Twohy and co-screenwriter Darren Aronofsky mixes the war movie and supernatural thriller genres. After they rescue a trio of survivors that includes a nurse, Claire Page (Olivia Williams), from a British hospital ship sunk by the Nazis, the crew of the American submarine U.S.S. Tiger Shark comes to believe that their vessel is haunted. The unexpected death of their commander forces first officer Lt. Brice (Bruce Greenwood) to take command, trying to avoid a German destroyer on the hunt for his ship, while investigating the series of mysterious incidents that are terrifying his crew. Is the Tiger Shark haunted, or is there something otherworldly inhabiting the waters where the sailors are currently trapped? Originally entitled "Proteus," this project was slated to be Aronofsky's follow-up to Pi (1998), but the writer/director opted to helm Requiem for a Dream (2000) instead. Below co-stars Scott Foley, Zach Galifianakis, Dexter Fletcher, and Holt McCallany. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Noted for shooting such films as Exotica, Affliction and X-Men, cinematographer Paul Sarossy makes his directorial debut with this existential crime thriller about a killer struggling to reclaim his soul. Jon is a quiet, nice, and seemingly conventional character who no one would suspect is a hired killer. When he makes such a confession to his mates one drunken evening at the local pub, no one believes him. But a hired killed he is, working for a mysterious figured named The Tattooed Man, whose proclivity for philosophy is match only by his lust for cruelty. When Jon runs into his old high school chum Andy, who is happily married to Jon's first love Cathy, he begins to awaken from his emotional and spiritual torpor. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

Joseph Fiennes and Rhys Ifans star in this wacky British comedy-thriller. Hard luck case Pete (Ifans), who is unable to impregnate his hot-to-trot wife Sarah (Sadie Frost), learns that his father's business, which he recently inherited, is saddled with a huge tax debt. At his wits' end, he consults his coke-snorting buddy Sean (Fiennes), who recommends a monetary infusion from local Russian loan shark Mr. Kant (Steven Berkoff) and his over-sexed daughter Masha (Tara Fitzgerald). When Pete and the mobster meet, Masha starts aggressively seducing him. Meanwhile, Sean double-crosses everyone while Sarah just whines. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi