Alexander Siddig

Three decades after a major country is quarantined in hopes of containing a lethal and highly contagious virus nicknamed "Reaper," signs that the super-bug has resurfaced in a major city prompt desperate specialists to race back into the infected zone to find a cure in director Neil Marshall's (The Descent) miasmic speculative sci-fi thriller. Few could have foreseen the terror that the microorganism known as "Reaper" would unleash upon the unsuspecting population, and when terrified authorities quarantined the entire country in hopes of saving the human race, the streets immediately descended into chaos. Thirty years later, the inhabitants of planet Earth think that they've seen the last of the merciless killer disease, but they couldn't be more wrong. When "Reaper" reappears more powerful than ever in a major city, an elite group of professionals led by Eden Sinclair (Rhona Mitra) are forced to travel back into the sealed-off country where the virus first broke out in order to create a cure and save humankind from certain doom. Now, as the rest of the world anxiously awaits word of their ultimate fate, Eden and her brave team are about to find out that there is indeed a hell, and they are about to journey directly into its black, envenomed heart. Also in the cast are Bob Hoskins and Malcolm McDowell, as well as a host of veterans from Marshall's past productions, including Sean Pertwee, MyAnna Buring, Craig Conway, and Nora-Jane Noone. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Inspired by the photographic travels of Antione d'Agata, Danielle Arbid's worldly drama follows a French photographer who travels the globe to seek out the most extreme experiences imaginable. Thomas Koyré is a fearless shutterbug who's always willing to put his life on the line for the sake of a good shot. Upon falling under the spell of an enigmatic old man named Fouad Saleh, the photographer travels to the Far East in hopes of uncovering the secrets of the man who can no longer recall his own past. As the photographer soon finds out, it's often the most innocent endeavors that yield the most profound and transformative results. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Oil drives greed in Oscar-winning Traffic screenwriter Stephen Gaghan's labyrinthine sophomore directorial effort that traces the corruption of the global oil industry from the backrooms of Washington, D.C., to the petroleum-rich fields of the Middle East. Based in part on the writings of former CIA case officer Robert Baer, Syriana combines multiple storylines to explore the complexities that befall a proposed merger between two U.S. oil giants. Reform-minded Gulf country prince Nasir (Alexander Siddig) is in favor of making his nation more self-sufficient rather than U.S.-reliant, and his money-minded Western connections couldn't be less pleased. Before settling into a cushy desk job for the remainder of his career, CIA agent Bob Barnes (George Clooney) is sent on one last assignment -- to assassinate Prince Nasir and reinstate U.S. ties in the oil-rich region. Though his loyalty dictates that Barnes carry out his current mission despite lingering doubts of a previous blunder, his mission goes horribly awry when his field contact goes turncoat and Barnes becomes a CIA scapegoat. Meanwhile, up-and-coming Washington attorney Bennett Holiday (Jeffrey Wright) attempts to walk a fine line in overseeing a tenuous merger between two oil giants that's plagued with shady business dealings. Hotshot energy analyst Bryan Woodman (Matt Damon) is in talks to form a lucrative partnership with Prince Nasir, though the death of his son during a party at the prince's estate makes him question his loyalty to business over family. Back in Washington, D.C., Bennet's boss Dean Whiting attempts to undermine Prince Nasir's attempts to make his country less reliant on the U.S. dollar by planting the seeds of dissonance between the progressive prince and his money-minded younger brother Prince Meshal (Akbar Kurtha). ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

British film director Antonia Bird offers a chilling examination of the roots of extremism with this intensely-researched dramatization of the events leading up to the tragedy of September 11, 2001. Ziad Jarrah was perhaps the most secular and reluctant member of the Al Qaeda cell that would forever change the way the world views terrorism. In this film, viewers are invited to follow along with every history-making step as Jarrah and his fanatical group of religious extremists prepares to overtake United Flight 93, and strike terror into the hearts of those who would dare oppose their radical views. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Family differences and personal grudges add drama to an already tense situation as the lives of a team of mountain climbers hang in the balance in this action drama. Peter Garrett (Chris O'Donnell) and his sister Annie (Robin Tunney) are the children of Royce Garrett (Stuart Wilson), an avid outdoorsman and climbing enthusiast who died when an accident left all three hanging from a single rope; Royce ordered Peter to cut him loose to save the lives of his kids, even though he knew it would mean his death. Years later, Peter has given up climbing and become a respected nature photographer, while Annie, who holds Peter responsible for her father's death, is a famous world-class mountain climber who is hired by Elliot Vaughn (Bill Paxton), a self-made billionaire, to help him scale K2, a mountain in the Himalayas that's the second-highest peak in the world. In the midst of the climb, dangerous weather strikes, and Elliot, Annie, and their crew find themselves trapped in a cavern that's been sealed tight by an avalanche. Peter, who is near K2 working on an assignment, quickly organizes a crew of expert climbers to save Annie and the other mountaineers, who must work under a tight deadline before the trapped climbers run out of air. Peter's partners in the rescue include beautiful medic Monique (Izabella Scorupco), radical climbers Cyril (Steve Le Marquand) and Malcolm (Ben Mendelsohn), disciplined Pakistani crewman Kareem (Alexander Siddig), and Montgomery (Scott Glenn), an eccentric outdoorsman who has a score to settle with Elliot. While backgrounds were shot on location in Pakistan, most of the climbing sequences in Vertical Limit were actually filmed on mountain ranges in New Zealand. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This box set contains the complete sixth season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine on DVD from Paramount. Originally produced in 1997, the 26 original broadcast episodes are available on seven discs. Presented in a standard full-frame transfer with Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, subtitles and closed captions are available in English. The special features include four exclusive featurettes: "Mission Inquiry: Far Beyond the Stars" is an in-depth look at the episode "Far Beyond the Stars" and features cast and crew interviews; "24th Century Wedding" is a cast and crew discussion about the Klingon wedding between Worf and Dax; "The Crew Dossier" section profiles the characters of Julian Bashir and Quark; and Star Trek illustrator John Eaves provides a look at the production design in "DS9 Sketchbook." A photo gallery is also included. With more than 20 hours of material, this exhaustive DVD box set is in keeping with Paramount's other fine releases of the series. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

This special box set collects the 26 episodes from the fifth season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. All the material on this set has been transferred to disc in its original full-frame aspect ratio of 1.33:1, and the audio has been mastered in Dolby Digital 5.1. The dialogue is in English, with no multiple language options; the episodes are closed captioned in English for the hearing impaired. Along with the 26 episodes, the disc includes five short bonus features -- two on the episode "Trials and Tribble-ations," which explore how the story came about and how special effects technology merged the original Star Trek cast with the Deep Space Nine ensemble; a visit with makeup artist Michael Westmore; a tour of the set with art director Michael Okuda and a healthy side portion of gags; and a profile of Chief of Operations Miles O'Brien, played on the show by Colm Meaney. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This boxed set contains the complete fourth season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine on DVD from Paramount. Originally produced from 1995-1996, the 25 original broadcast episodes are available on seven discs. Presented in a standard full-frame transfer with Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. Subtitles are available in English. The special features include four exclusive featurettes. "Charting New Territory: Deep Space Nine Season Four" explores the major highlights of season four from the two-part season opener, "The Way of the Warrior," to the season finale, "Broken Link." Includes interviews with executive producer Ira Steven Behr, director Avery Brooks, and writer Ronald D. Moore. "Crew Dossier: Worf" is an exclusive interview with actor Michael Dorn about his decision to join the cast. "Michael Westmore's Aliens: Season Four" examines the creations of the creatures on the show. "Deep Space Nine Sketchbook: John Eaves" features the preliminary illustrations for a few episodes. With over 20 hours of material, this exhaustive DVD box set is in keeping with Paramount's other fine releases of the series. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

This six-disc set collects the entire first season of the ambitious science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, which has been given a presentation certain to please fans. The episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine included on this set have been transferred to disc in their original full-frame aspect ratio of 1.33:1, and the audio has been mastered in two formats, Dolby Digital Surround and Dolby Digital 5.1. The dialogue is in English, with optional English subtitles but no multiple language options. Bonus materials include a profile of actress Kira Nerys, who plays Kira; a short documentary on the creation of the Deep Space Nine series; a visit with makeup Michael Westmore as he discusses his alien designs for the show; an interview with designer Rick Sternbach, who talks about the design of the spacecraft on the series; two features on the unusual props used on Deep Space Nine; and a gallery of production photos. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide