Dana Brunetti Movies

Channing Tatum stars as daredevil Evel Knievel in this biopic from Columbia Pictures and screenwriter Reid Carolin. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Director Bob Balaban's fictional drama presents a speculative exploration of the relationship shared between wealthy tobacco heiress Doris Duke (Susan Sarandon) and her Irish butler Bernard Lafferty (Ralph Finnes) who, after just six years working as Duke's servant, was posthumously awarded complete control of his former boss' multi-million dollar fortune. Serendipitously showing up on Duke's doorstep just after the temperamental grand dame has dismissed her previous butler, Lafferty immediately lands a job tending to her vast estate. Penniless and openly homosexual, Lafferty immediately began to ingratiate himself into every area of his new boss' life. And while outward appearances would suggest that the two had little in common, the butler's unwavering loyalty continually found Duke seeking his judgment despite frequent warnings from her friends and closest advisers. Later, when Duke died, her friends, family, and lawyers were shocked to discover that she had left Lafferty the lion's share of her vast fortune. While few but Duke and Lafferty will ever know what truly went on behind closed doors, Balaban and screenwriter Hugh Costello use the facts of their relationship as a springboard to exploring the bond between the woman who had it all, and the man who eventually inherited it from her. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Narrated by actor Kevin Spacey, this PBS documentary -- billed as an "intimate diary" -- chronicles the long and painstaking recovery, demolition, and stabilization activities on the site where the twin towers of the World Trade Center once stood. In the nine months following the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, 2,300 workers labored night and day to clean and clear the area in the safest and most efficient manner possible. At the end of it all, the personnel pondered aloud what the next steps would be in restoring normalcy to the area. With more and greater access to Ground Zero than any other filmmakers, the producers of the special were able to come up with a story that was at once compelling, honest, utterly bereft of false sentiment, and chock full of basic, no-frills courage. America Rebuilds: A Year at Ground Zero was originally telecast during PBS's coverage of the first anniversary of 9/11. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Self-professed "super-lobbyist" and double-dealing high roller Jack Abramoff (Academy Award-winner Kevin Spacey) watches in vain as his highly lucrative empire starts to crumble thanks to one fateful mistake in this high-energy comedy inspired by real events from director George Hickenlooper (The Man from Elysian Fields, Factory Girl). When Jack and resourceful businessman Michael Scanlon (Barry Pepper) team up to exert their influence over some the biggest players in Washington, D.C., their bid to strike it rich pays off, big time. But somewhere between the high-profile deals, high-roller hotel suites, and million-dollar yachts, the profit-loving pair makes the mistake of recruiting a motor-mouthed mob flunky (Jon Lovitz) to earn some extra income under the table. At first the cash is rolling in, but when word gets out that Jack and Michael have ties to the Mob, the resulting scandal turns their life of luxury into a living hell. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A thief seeks to get back together with his ex-wife while working to keep a young boy out of harm's way in this action thriller starring Val Kilmer. John Cologne (Kilmer) has just pulled off the heist of a lifetime, and now he's got exactly one hour to make the ultimate deal. He's convinced that he can win back his ex-wife now that he's soon-to-be rich, but after meeting a young boy in the park the deal starts to unravel. With time running out, John must protect his young friend, outsmart the police, and avoid the wrath of a seriously unhinged gangster while finding a way to meet up with his family in Florida. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Nick Guthe's darkly comic Mini's First Time stars Nikki Reed as the title character, a manipulative, highly sexualized teenager with parents who fail to offer much structure or guidance. Her stepfather (Alec Baldwin) is rich and dim, and her mother (Carrie-Anne Moss) leads a hard-partying lifestyle. As the relationship between Mini and her stepfather grows more twisted, criminal activity occurs. Luke Wilson appears as a detective investigating the situation, and Jeff Goldblum plays their wealthy neighbor. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Director David Fincher (Fight Club, Seven) teams with screenwriter Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing) to explore the meaning of success in the early 21st century from the perspectives of the technological innovators who revolutionized the way we all communicate. The year was 2003. As prohibitively expensive technology became affordable to the masses and the Internet made it easy to stay in touch with people who were halfway across the world, Harvard undergrad and computer programming wizard Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) launched a website with the potential to alter the very fabric of our society. At the time, Zuckerberg was just six years away from making his first million. But his hearty payday would come at a high price, because despite all of Zuckerberg's wealth and success, his personal life began to suffer as he became mired in legal disputes, and discovered that many of the 500 million people he had friended during his rise to the top were eager to see him fall. Chief among that growing list of detractors was Zuckerberg's former college friend Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield), whose generous financial contributions to Facebook served as the seed that helped the company to sprout. And some might argue that Zuckerberg's bold venture wouldn't have evolved into the cultural juggernaut that it ultimately became had Napster founder Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake) not spread the word about Facebook to the venture capitalists from Silicon Valley. Meanwhile, the Winklevoss twins (Armie Hammer and Josh Pence) engage Zuckerberg in a fierce courtroom battle for ownership of Facebook that left many suspecting the young entrepreneur might have let his greed eclipse his better judgment. The Social Network was based on the book The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A fanatical group of Star Wars devotees travel across the country on a mission to steal a print of Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace from Skywalker Ranch and become the first fans to see the film in a rowdy, sci-fi-flavored road comedy starring Sam Huntington, Chris Marquette, Dan Fogler, Jay Baruchel, and Kristen Bell. Carrie Fisher, William Shatner, and Ray Park turn up for cameos in the one comedy that truly understands the fanboy mindset. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Kevin Spacey serves as both director and star for this biopic based on the life and career of legendary entertainer Bobby Darin, which moves back and forth between his childhood and adult selves to tell the tale of his remarkable life. Born Bobby Cassotto and raised in the Bronx, young Bobby (played as a child by William Ullrich) was raised by his mother, Polly (Brenda Blethyn), his brother-in-law, Charlie (Bob Hoskins), and his sister, Nina (Caroline Aaron). At the age of 15, Bobby contracted a severe case of rheumatic fever, which was expected to take his life; while it left him with a weak heart, Bobby beat the odds and survived. Buoyed by a love of music passed along by his mother, Bobby learned to play several instruments and began singing as he recovered. Displaying a confidence and drive which stopped just short of arrogance, he adopted the stage name Bobby Darin and set his sights on becoming a star. After a string of hits as a rock & roll singer, Darin (played as an adult by Kevin Spacey) takes another gamble, and with the help of manager Steve Blauner (John Goodman) he reinvents himself as a supper-club vocalist in the manner of Frank Sinatra. All the more remarkably, he succeeds, and his swinging version of "Mack the Knife" tops the charts. Now a major singing star, Darin decides to take up acting; on the set of his first movie, he woos his female co-star Sandra Dee (Kate Bosworth), and despite the stern objections of her mother (Greta Scacchi), Bobby and Sandra wed. But after a string of successful movies for Dee and hit records and an Oscar nomination for Darin, the shifting tastes of the 1960s throw their careers off-track. Bobby cautiously embraces the new sounds of the day, but his old fans don't want to hear him cover Bob Dylan or the Rolling Stones, while the younger audience isn't interested in his new sound, leaving Darin in a difficult place to make his way back to stardom. Kevin Spacey did his own singing for Beyond the Sea, recreating Bobby Darin's vocal style with uncanny accuracy. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi