Scott Steindorff Movies

Created by Gary Scott Thompson, NBC's Las Vegas was the sort of flamboyant ensemble series in which important plot points and details of character motivation were cunningly revealed slowly, with each succeeding episode, on a "need to know" basis. James Caan headed the cast as "Big Ed" Deline, a former CIA undercover agent, latterly head of security at a fashionable Vegas casino. Deline's right-hand man was ex-Marine Danny McCoy (Josh Duhamel), who had reluctantly accepted the job only after being caught in bed with Big Ed's daughter Delinda (Molly Sims) and subsequently received an offer that would have been unhealthy to refuse. Other members of Deline's team included Vanessa Marcil as Samantha Jane Harper, Nikki Cox as Mary Connell, Marsha Thomason as Nessa Holt, and James Lesure as Mike Cannon. Las Vegas rolled into town September 22, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Ed Deline (James Caan), smooth-talking and fast-acting head of security at the Montecito Resort & Casino, continues commandeering his highly efficient staff of subordinates throughout season two of the NBC dramatic series Las Vegas. Things get under way with a happy reunion, as team member Danny McCoy (Josh Duhamel) returns after a year's military service in the Iraq war -- but happiness turns to concern and doubt on the part of Danny's lover, Mary Connell (Nikki Cox), and very close friend Sam Marquez (Vanessa Marcil) due to his erratic behavior. In addition, Sam is on the outs with Ed's daughter, Delinda (Molly Sims), who in turn has developed a more than professional interest with new security-team member Leo (Eric Dane) -- who, incidentally, may not last the season. Also, Nessa Holt (Marsha Thomason) once again finds herself the reluctant object of suicidal billionaire Fred Puterbaugh's (Jon Lovitz) attention, and later receives word that her father might be alive and that Ed has known this all along. Ed himself is framed for murder early on, with Danny and Mike Cannon (James Lesure) working overtime to clear himself; and when in a later episode Ed is kidnapped, it's the same two guys to the rescue again. Geoff Stults shows up as the childhood sweetheart of Delinda, who claims to have terminal cancer -- and whose "dying wish" is to sleep with his former flame. Sam, Nessa, Delinda, and Mary become roommates, a situation fraught with imminent disaster. And Danny is stuck with caring for the infant daughter of a fellow Marine.

Plus, when Danny and Mary slip off for a weekend vacation, rumors fly that they've become man and wife. Sam sets her sights on a handsome billionaire (Dean Cain) -- only to find out that her dream lover is her highly unreliable "ex." To keep his staff from getting too big for their britches, Ed switches everyone's jobs around so that they can see what it's like to walk in someone else's designer shoes. Sam is scrutinized by the FBI when she becomes innocently involved in a drug cartel. And in a crossover episode with the NBC "procedural" drama Crossing Jordan, Jordan Cavanaugh (Jill Hennessy) and Woody Hoyt (Jerry O'Connell) arrive in Vegas to investigate a gambler's murder. Given the series' locale, it is no surprise that there is a full complement of guest stars during season two. Among these are Clint Black, Michael Bublé, Snoop Dogg, Duran Duran, Paul Anka, Sylvester Stallone, Joe Rogan, Don Knotts, Ashanti, Jon Bon Jovi, and John Elway. The second season of Vegas ends as the Montecito is purchased by a new, mysterious owner -- an event that promises a major shakeup of personnel (and, possibly, the series' premise) when season three rolls around. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A kindly aristocrat suffering from an unsightly curse breaks free from her extravagant, prison-like estate to seek adventure and discover her true self in a romantic, modern-day fairy tale directed by Mark Palansky and starring Christina Ricci, James McAvoy, Peter Dinklage, and Reese Witherspoon. Generations ago, a witch placed a curse on the Wilhelm family that would result in the next girl being born into the clan having a porcine snout -- and now young Penelope (Ricci) has fallen victim to the vengeful hag's unsightly grudge. When tabloid reporter Lemon (Dinklage) runs a misleadingly frightening photograph of the kind-hearted Penelope, her parents, Jessica (Catherine O'Hara) and Franklin (Richard E. Grant), lock the girl away in a sprawling mansion. Though it is said that the curse can be lifted if a man of Penelope's status takes her hand in marriage, every man who lays eyes on the girl takes flight at first sight, never to return -- until the arrival of Max (McAvoy), that is. An unrepentant gambler with a heavy heart and an ulterior motive for meeting Penelope, Max is unexpectedly caught off guard by the pig-nosed girl's disarming charm, and suddenly flees before carrying out his nefarious plan. Now determined to throw caution to the wind and explore the world on her own terms, Penelope makes the acquaintance of independent-minded delivery girl Annie (Witherspoon), who fast agrees to join her newfound friend on the ultimate journey of self-discovery. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Based on Nobel Prize-winning author Gabriel García Márquez's novel of the same name, director Mike Newell's Love in the Time of Cholera details a passionate love triangle that unfolds in turn-of-the-century South America. Oscar-winning Pianist scribe Ronald Harwood adapts the story of two young lovers who bide their time for years while anxiously awaiting the day they can finally be together. Through marriages, affairs, careers, and deaths, the couple never loses hope that destiny will unite them in the end. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Matthew McConaughey stars in this legal thriller as a low-rent defense attorney named Mickey Haller. Most of the time, Mickey barely keeps his head above water, representing low-life clients and working out of the back of his car. He thinks he's landed the case of a lifetime when he's hired to defend a rich playboy (Ryan Phillippe) who stands accused of rape and attempted murder, and eagerly accepts his new client and the massive payoff that's sure to come with him. But Mickey soon discovers that he's become ensnared in a twisted plot where no fee in the world is high enough to pay for the deadly workload, and his only hope of survival may just lay in his own skills as a long-practiced double-crosser. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi