The Rock
- 2008
Gridiron Gang star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson picks up the pigskin once again for this sports-themed family comedy concerning a football superstar who abandons the gridiron to answer the call of fatherhood. Joe Kingman (Johnson) was a star quarterback destined for greatness; not only is the Boston-based team he plays for well on their way to the championships, but he's got all the money and fame that a man could want out of life. A perpetual bachelor whose one brief marriage ended many moons ago, Kingman is stunned to learn that a long-forgotten youthful fling had more permanent consequences than he ever anticipated. Now, just as his career is set to blow up bigger than ever, this perpetual bachelor learns that he has a seven-year-old daughter named Peyton (Madison Pettis). So how does a lifelong jock who's used to partying all night and dropping 20-yard bombs all day adjust to a life of ballet classes, Barbie dolls, and afternoon play dates? Whatever road he chooses to take, it certainly won't be easy, especially since his ruthless, goal-oriented agent, Stella (Kyra Sedgwick), would rather see her client scoring touchdowns than cementing familial bonds. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- The Rock, Madison Pettis, (more)
- 2007
- AddWWE: The Legacy of Stone Cold Steve Austinto QueueAddWWE: The Legacy of Stone Cold Steve Austinto top of Queue
WWE: The Legacy of Stone Cold Steve Austin documents the career of the popular professional wrestler. In addition to footage from many of his most memorable matches, this program offers clips of him when he was just a young up-and-coming beginner trying to establish a name for himself on the pro wrestling circuit. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
- 2007
Professional wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson narrates this look at two Samoan athletes who transcended their island roots to make headlines across the globe. From Pisa Tonoisamoa's successful stint with the St. Louis Rams to Isaac Sopoaga run with the San Francisco 49ers, these are two athletes who never stopped believing in their childhood dreams. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- The Rock
The true story of the football team that proved sometimes second chances can make a difference comes to the screen in director Phil Joanou's tale of self-respect and social responsibility on the gridiron. Sean Porter (The Rock) is a detention camp probation officer who oversees the inmates at Camp Kilpatrick in Los Angeles and isn't willing to simply write off the violent offenders who have been placed in his care. Though their prospects for the future are decidedly bleak, Porter is convinced that if he can just get through to his adolescent inmates they may finally be able to turn their lives around and make amends for the mistakes of their past. When Porter's proposal of forming a high-school-level football team at Camp Kilpatrick meets with skepticism and resistance in the highest ranks, the determined coach puts his career on the line to prove that even convicted criminals can acquire the tools needed to build a brighter future when given the proper motivation and the means of doing so. Inspired by filmmaker Jac Flanders' 1993 documentary of the same name, Gridiron Gang features a screenplay penned by In the Line of Fire scribe Jeff Maguire, and features a supporting cast that includes Leon Rippy, Kevin Dunn, and Detroit-born rapper-turned-actor Xzibit. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- The Rock, Jade Yorker, (more)
One of the most popular and influential video games ever makes its way to the big screen in this sci-fi thriller. A coalition of Earth's scientific and military interests have established a research colony called Olduvai on the planet Mars, but one day all communication from the outpost stops and no one can tell what has happened -- though the final messages suggest it's not good. Believing foul play may have overtaken Olduvai's crew, the Rapid Response Tactical Squad, a team of specially trained military personnel, are deployed to investigate the situation and, if necessary, eliminate the invaders. But Sarge (Dwayne Johnson, aka The Rock) and Reaper (Karl Urban), leaders of the RRTS team, soon discover the situation is far more grim than they could have imagined. An experiment on Olduvai has very literally opened a portal to Hades, and a variety of savage and demonic creatures have overtaken the colony. Now the RRTS must seal off Olduvai, close off any access to Earth, and exterminate the satanic beasts before they can kill again. Doom also stars Rosamund Pike (as Dr. Grimm), Dexter Fletcher, Ben Daniels, and Deobia Oparei. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Karl Urban, Rosamund Pike, (more)
Underworld hipster Chili Palmer is back in the entertainment business in this sequel to the 1995 hit Get Shorty, which like the first film is based on a novel by Elmore Leonard. Gangster-turned-movie producer Chili (once again played by John Travolta) has grown tired of the screen trade, especially after his latest project turned out to be a box-office flop. Chili is looking for new horizons and thinks he may have found his niche when his close friend Tommy Athens (James Woods), a fellow mobster who runs an independent record label, is murdered by Russian gangsters. Chili takes over Athens' record company, Nothing to Lose Records, and begins courting Tommy's girlfriend, Edie (Uma Thurman). Edie is an experienced hand in record production, and together she and Chili spot what would seem to be the ideal act for their label -- Linda Moon (Christina Milian), a beautiful young woman with a powerhouse voice. Linda is stuck, however, in a going-nowhere R&B trio managed by the monumentally sleazy Raji (Vince Vaughn). Chili isn't much concerned about Linda's contract with Raji, but Raji certainly is, and the manager soon takes out a contract on Chili with the same Russian hoods who killed Tommy. Soon Chili is facing all the action he can handle between the Russian gunmen, a music mogul named Nick Carr (Harvey Keitel) who wants Chili to stay out of the business, and Sin LaSalle (Cedric the Entertainer), a successful hip-hop producer who wants Chili to pay him the 300,000 dollars he is owed by Tommy. Be Cool also features appearances by The Rock as a gay Samoan bodyguard, Andre Benjamin (aka Andre 3000 from the hip-hop duo Outkast) as a rapper who isn't very good with a gun, and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler as himself. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Travolta, Uma Thurman, (more)
A man fights to bring decency and the rule of law back to his hometown in this action drama. Chris Vaughn (The Rock) left his home in Washington State's timber country to join the Army, where he distinguished himself as a member of the Special Forces. When his hitch is over, Vaughn decides to return home to help run the family business, a sawmill, but he soon makes the unpleasant discovery that things aren't what they once were. Vaughn learns that the town's lumber industry has all but dried up, and an old high school buddy, Jay Hamilton (Neal McDonough), has turned the city into a den of vice, running a large gambling casino and strip club while selling drugs and women on the side. Angry at this turn of events, and frustrated by local law enforcement officials who are willing to ignore Hamilton's crimes in exchange for kickbacks, Vaughn decides to run for sheriff, and with the help of another old friend, Ray Templeton (Johnny Knoxville), he wins the election. But Hamilton doesn't take kindly to Vaughn's attempts to clean up the town, and Vaughn discovers Hamilton's henchmen are willing to target his friends, his family, and the woman he loves (Ashley Scott) in order to have their way. Walking Tall was based on Phil Karlson's 1973 action hit of the same name, which was in turn inspired by the true story of Buford Pusser, who was sheriff of Tennessee's McNairy County between 1964 and 1970 and gained fame for his tough tactics against the local criminal element. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- The Rock, Johnny Knoxville, (more)
Beck (The Rock) is a "retrieval specialist" in hock to a powerful and not particularly nice gentleman named Walker (William Lucking). Beck is anxious to retire from his dangerous work and open a small restaurant. Walker tells Beck he'll be free and clear with enough cash to fulfill his dream if he does one more job. He sends Beck into the Brazilian rainforest to bring back his wayward son, Travis (Seann William Scott). Travis is down there looking for a legendary idol, El Gato Diablo, which he could sell for millions if he found it. A pretty local, Mariana (Rosario Dawson), offers Travis the use of her boat in exchange for a cut of the take on the statue. But the powerful Hatcher (Christopher Walken) owns the area's huge mine, where locals work for slave wages, and feels that anything found in the area is his property. He refuses to let Beck take Travis back to the U.S. until the statue is in his hands. Using his estimable fighting prowess (he doesn't like guns), Beck manages to get Travis out of town, but Travis doesn't want to go home, and he ends up getting them stranded in the jungle, where they're confronted with horny monkeys and angry guerrillas. To make matters worse, Hatcher and his thugs are hot on their trail, and Mariana turns out to have her own motives for getting involved. The Rundown, the second film directed by actor Peter Berg (Very Bad Things), features a brief, uncredited cameo by Arnold Schwarzenegger. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- The Rock, Seann William Scott, (more)
- 2003
- AddWWE: Backlash - The Rock vs. Goldbergto QueueAddWWE: Backlash - The Rock vs. Goldbergto top of Queue
The centerpiece of this professional wrestling video is a bout between The Rock and Goldberg. Also included are tussles between Brock Lesner and John Cena, Rikishi and Sean O'Haire, Rey Mysterio and Big Show, as well as two tag team championship matches. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- The Rock, Bill Goldberg, (more)
Originally aired on pay-per-view, WWE: No Way Out contains over a dozen wrestling matches, including tag team, heavyweight, and cruiserweight championships. Features the return of Stone Cold Steve Austin to the WWE and a match between The Rock and Hulk Hogan. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- 2002
This 2002 episode of Saturday Night Live is hosted by The Rock and features musical guest Andrew W.K. ~ Skyler Miller, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- The Rock, Andrew W.K., (more)
- 2002
WWF: The Rock - Know Your Role illustrates why The Rock is considered the most electrifying man in sports entertainment. Narrated by The Rock himself from the set of his Chef Boyardee commercial, the program features special interview footage and more. Viewers relive The Rock's family feud with Mankind via clips from the "I Quit" match at the Royal Rumble and others. The documentary also chronicles The Rock's journey through the 14-man Deadly Game tournament at the WWF: Survivor Series 1998 and looks at matches with Triple H and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. The Rock is also shown addressing millions of fans and conducting a sing-along. ~ Betsy Boyd, All Movie Guide
The Rock has his first starring role in this prequel to The Mummy films, which was developed while The Mummy Returns was still in production. The film takes place in ancient times, when a mighty swordsman, Memnon (Steven Brand, making his film debut) ruled over nearly all the known world. Memnon, a brutal tyrant, defeats his enemies in battle with the help of a beautiful sorceress, Cassandra (Kelly Hu), who can predict the future. The last of the "free tribes" form a fragile alliance to fight Memnon, and hire a trio of Akkadian assassins, led by Mathayus (pro wrestler The Rock, who made his big-screen debut as this character in The Mummy Returns), to kill the sorceress and thus remove Memnon's advantage. Balthazar (Michael Clarke Duncan of The Green Mile), the powerful leader of the Nubians, objects to hiring mercenaries, but the plan goes forward. The assassins are betrayed by Takmet (Peter Facinelli), the son of one of the tribal leaders, and Mathayus finds himself unable to kill Cassandra. Thanks to the unlikely machinations of Cassandra, and the aid of a horse thief, Arpid (Grant Heslov of True Lies), Mathayus escapes to the desert. He eventually abducts Cassandra, who explains that Memnon was holding her against her will. Mathayus thwarts Memnon's efforts to re-capture Cassandra, then uses his newfound sense of justice to convince the surviving tribal leaders to join forces again to defeat Memnon. The Scorpion King was directed by Chuck Russell. Jonathan Hales (Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones) was credited with the story, and WWF owner Vince McMahon has an executive producer credit. The film, which was shot in the U.S. (very unusual for a big action film), reportedly underwent extensive re-shoots when the first cut came in with a running time of 70 minutes. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- The Rock, Steven Brand, (more)
This big-budget sequel from writer/director Stephen Sommers navigates much of the same cliffhanger territory as George Lucas and Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones franchise. It is 1933, eight years after the events of The Mummy (1999). Legionnaire Rick O'Connell Brendan Fraser has married his Egyptologist girlfriend Evelyn Carnahan (Rachel Weisz) and the couple has settled in London, where they're raising their young son Alex (Freddie Boath). The family's domestic tranquility is shattered when the 3,000-year-old mummified corpse of Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo), which has been shipped to the British Museum, is resurrected once again to resume his evil quest for immortality. In the meantime, another ancient threat emerges in the form of the Scorpion King (professional wrestler Dwayne Johnson, aka. the Rock), a mighty warrior frozen in time with his supernatural army. In order to save his family, Rick is forced to seek a mythical pyramid of gold, facing marauding bands of pygmy skeletons, among other hazards. The Mummy Returns co-stars John Hannah, Oded Fehr, and Patricia Velasquez. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, (more)
- 2000
WWF Home Video presents WWF: King of the Ring '00, an annual program originally broadcast on pay-per-view in the summer of 2000. Fought at Boston's Fleet Center, the matchups feature WWF superstars such as Kurt Angle and tag-team duo the Dudley Boyz in everything from regular one-on-one action to a "dumpster match." The final match of the night is an all-out brawl between Triple H, the Undertaker, the Rock, Kane, Vince McMahon, and Shane McMahon. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- 2000
This video is an unabridged release of the World Wrestling Federation's pay-per-view event Insurrextion. This event boasts a unique three-way match for the heavyweight championship between Shane McMahon, The Rock and Triple H. Eddie Guerrero faces off against Chris Jericho in a match for the European Title and the Hardy Boyz square off against Edge and Christian for the Tag Team Belt. Crash Holly meets the British Bulldog for the Hardcore championship and female wrestlers Kat and Terri round out the card with a brutal arm wrestling match. Parental guidance is advised. ~ Ed Atkinson, All Movie Guide
- 2000
Professional wrestler the Rock guest stars as the Champion, a holographic warrior. While Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) is touring a neighboring solar system, the crew of Voyager takes a shore leave on the Norcadian Homeworld. But Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) is given precious little time for R and R; she is captured by a band of hostile Norcadians, who force her to fight in a deadly competition called Tsunkatse. If she refuses to battle the dreaded Champion to the death (most likely her death), fellow crew member Tuvok (Tim Russ) will be allowed to die of injuries sustained in a crash. "Tsunkatse" was first broadcast on February 9, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roxann Dawson
- 2000
World Wrestling Federation fans will enjoy these nine face-offs originally broadcast as a pay-per-view event. The Intercontinental Match features Chris Benoit versus Chris Jericho, the European Title Match is a battle between Eddie Guerrero with Cyna and Essa Rios and Lita, while the Rock dukes it out with HHH. WWF Hardcore Title Match starts with the champion Crash Holly versus Tazz, then goes on from there with Perry Saturn, Hardcore Holly, and the Hardy Boyz. Stone Cold Steve Austin returns (much to everyone's surprise) because he's still the guy who draws in the crowds. Lots of guys (and gals) fly through the air with the greatest of ease in battles for titles as the men and women of the WWF put on a great show.
~ Leslie Birdwell, All Movie Guide
~ Leslie Birdwell, All Movie Guide
- 2000
- 2000
One in a long line of videos from the World Wrestling Foundation, WWF: Judgement Day is a full length version of the pay-per-view event Judgment Day. The events include a 60-minute Iron Man match pitting The Rock against Triple H for the WWF Heavyweight Championship, with Shawn Michaels as a guest referee. WWF founder and president Vince McMahon's son Shane McMahon faces The Big Show in a no-holds-barred match. Also inlcuded is a tag team table match between Road Dogg and X-Pac, with special escorts Tori and the Dudley Boyz. Parental guidance is advised. ~ Ed Atkinson, All Movie Guide
In a rare foray into documentary filmmaking, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer's Imagine Entertainment produced this behind-the-scenes look at professional wrestling, shot on digital video by director (Barry W. Blaustein), screenwriter of several hit Eddie Murphy comedies. An unabashed wrestling fan since childhood, Blaustein nevertheless takes an unflinching look at the dark underbelly of the "sport," as he shadows a trio of wrestlers representing three very different aspects of the profession. Mick Foley is a superstar shown to be the complete opposite of "Mankind," his successful wrestling character. At work, Mankind is a bloodthirsty animal, but when his mask is off, he's a loving, doting father clearly worshipped by his two young kids, who are traumatized when they witness Foley being bloodied at an Anaheim, California, event. Terry Funk is a portrait of what Foley could become, a former legend now at the end of his career and in desperate need of knee surgery, but continuing to perform dangerous stunts in the ring. Jake "The Snake" Roberts, on the other hand, travels in second-class wrestling circles, a recovering drug addict who has a painful reconciliation with his daughter. Blaustein also interviews the World Wrestling Federation's boastful bigwig Vince McMahon. McMahon later tried to block the release and promotion of the film. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barry W. Blaustein, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, (more)
