Matt Battaglia Movies

Jim Sheridan's film, adapted from Susanne Bier's 2004 movie, concerns Captain Sam Cahill (Tobey Maguire), a Marine who receives orders to ship out for yet another tour of duty in Afghanistan. But before he leaves his supportive wife, Grace (Natalie Portman), and his two elementary-school-age daughters, Sam picks up his black sheep brother, Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal), who has finished a prison stretch for robbing a bank. While overseas, Sam's aircraft gets shot down and he's thought dead. Back home, irresponsible Tommy gets his act together in order to be an anchor for Grace and the girls, and the two grow emotionally -- though not physically -- close. As the family finally begins to make peace with their grief, soldiers rescue POW Sam and he returns home. Sam's experiences overseas have caused him such emotional turmoil, he has a difficult time adjusting to civilian life, and soon his fear and paranoia manifest themselves in the form of jealousy for his brother's relationship with his wife. Sam Shepard and Mare Winningham co-star as the brothers' father and stepmother. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Action hero Steven Seagal goes behind bars -- though don't worry, he isn't really a bad guy -- in this action thriller. Sascha Petrosevitch (Seagal) is an FBI agent working undercover to infiltrate a gangland kingpin's operations. While Petrosevitch is able to gain the trust of one of the gangster's lieutenants, Nick Frazier (Ja Rule), things go haywire during an FBI raid, and Petrosevitch takes several slugs in the back as he struggles to maintain his cover. Eight months later, Petrosevitch and Frazier are serving time together in the newly refurbished Alcatraz Penitentiary, as Petrosevitch secretly continues his investigation. Prison warden Hubbard (Stephen J. Cannell) is arranging for the execution of convicted killer and thief Lester (Bruce Weitz), and U.S. Supreme Court justice Jane McPherson (Linda Thorson) has announced she will attend as a witness. But Hubbard's assistant Donny (Morris Chestnut) has devised a secret plan -- it seems Lester stole and stashed away 200 million dollars in gold before he was arrested, and Donny, along with an underground SWAT team, takes control of the prison and takes Hubbard, McPherson, and the other assembled dignitaries hostage, demanding to be told where Lester has hidden his fortune. Now Petrosevitch must drop his cover and persuade his allies within the prison -- including Frazier and Little Joe (Michael "Bear" Taliferro) -- to join him in a desperate bid to foil Donny and free the hostages. Half Past Dead also features Nia Peeples, Kurupt, Tony Plana, and Claudia Christian. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

In this suspense thriller, Mariel Hemingway plays Nova, a television gossip reporter. During a broadcast, she jokingly says that every good-looking man in Los Angeles is gay; a few days later, she's attending a concert by her mother, an aging rock star, and meets an attractive man named Nathan who wants to prove her theory incorrect. Nova and Nathan have a one-night stand, but he mysteriously disappears afterward -- which is particularly upsetting when Nova discovers she's pregnant. Nova decides to keep the baby, but while this would give her plenty to think about by itself, she soon has a lot more on her mind when a mysterious stranger begins murdering her friends, and a stalker begins following her, making her wonder if she could be next to die. Kiss of a Stranger also features Dyan Cannon, David Carradine, and Corbin Bernsen. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Originally made for and aired on the Movie Channel, but then released to video, this action thriller features Burt Reynolds as a mercenary who gets revenge upon the quartet of corrupt government officials who send him and his squad on a mission to Bosnia and then plan to kill him. Originally, these high-ranking politicos told Jerome "Raven" Katz (Reynolds) that his mission was to go to the war-torn country to steal a Soviet gadget designed to commandeer control of any of the world's computer defense networks. Katz succeeds, but only he and one other, Martin Grant, survive. Realizing that his was meant to be a suicide mission so that the crooks could sell the invention to Iran, he keeps the machine and tries to sell it himself. Grant protests, and a fearsome fight erupts. After that, word is passed that both men are dead and that each of them carries one half of the invaluable device. But both men are very much alive. Years pass and Grant gives up the mercenary business to settle down to a peaceful California lifestyle with his lover Cali. Raven has not changed and stalks Grant in hopes of getting the second half of the decoder. While slowly closing in on Grant, Raven is also methodically murdering the four crooks who betrayed him. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Exiled to Earth after his arrogance fans the flames of an ancient conflict, The Mighty Thor (Chris Hemsworth) of Asgard discovers the meaning of humility when a powerful old foe dispatches a destructive force to crush humanity. Only when the banished prince has defeated an opponent capable of crushing him in battle will he learn what it takes to be a true leader. Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgård, and Tadanobu Asano co-star in a comic-book adventure from acclaimed director Kenneth Branagh. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi