Art Malik Movies

Edgar Rice Burroughs' classic tale of interplanetary adventure arrives on the big screen in this sweeping sci-fi spectacle marking the live-action debut of Oscar-winning director Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo, WALL-E). Civil War veteran John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) was still haunted by the violence he witnessed on the battlefield when he inexplicably awoke on the distant planet of Barsoom (Mars). Upon learning that the inhabitants of Barsoom are bracing for a major conflict and that war appears inevitable, John finds out that love is a rare commodity on the Red Planet, and summons the courage to be the hero the Martians have been hoping for. Meanwhile, John falls under the spell of the enchanting Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins), who struggles to suppress her compassion in a society known for its warlike ways. Willem Dafoe, Samantha Morton, and Mark Strong co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Universal Studios resurrects the classic lycanthrope with this tale of a man who experiences an unsettling transformation after he returns to his ancestral home in Victorian-era Great Britain and gets attacked by a rampaging werewolf. When Ben Talbot (Simon Merrells) vanishes into thin air, his brother Lawrence (Benicio Del Toro) returns to his family estate to investigate. Upon reuniting with his estranged father, Sir John Talbot (Anthony Hopkins), however, he discovers a destiny far darker than his blackest nightmares. Ben is dead; the victim of a savage attack by a beast that keeps the superstitious locals cowering in fear every time the moon shines bright in the sky. Shortly after discovering his brother's true fate, Lawrence swears to Ben's wife, Gwen (Emily Blunt), that he will bring her late husband's killer to justice. As a young boy, the untimely death of his mother caused Lawrence to grow up before his time. Though Lawrence had previously attempted to bury his pain in the past by leaving the quiet Victorian hamlet of Blackmoor behind, he discovers that you can't outrun fate when he's attacked by the very same nocturnal beast that claimed his brother. Not even recently arrived Scotland Yard inspector Aberline (Hugo Weaving) can dream up a rational explanation for the gruesome spell cast over Blackmoor, yet rumors of an ancient curse persist. According to legend, the afflicted will experience a horrific transformation by the light of the full moon. Now, the woman Talbot loves is in mortal danger, and in order to protect her he must venture into the moonlit woods and destroy the beast before it destroys her. But this isn't a typical hunt, because before the beast can be slain, a simple man will uncover a primal side of himself that he never knew existed. Screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker pens a film directed by Joe Johnston and featuring creature effects by special-effects makeup legend Rick Baker. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Multiple Oscar nominee Peter O'Toole adds yet another offbeat role to his long resume with the mystical comedy-drama Dean Spanley. Adapted from Lord Dunsany's popular novella My Talks with Dean Spanley and helmed by Toa Fraser, the film stars O'Toole as Horatio Fisk, an irascible, cantankerous septuagenarian living out his final days at the turn of the 20th Century. Despite his distant and slightly strained relationship with his son Henslowe (Jeremy Northam), Horatio willfully joins the young man on regular outings; the tedium and monotony of these routines eventually grow so overwhelming, however, that the two decide to attend a lecture on the Transmigration of Souls by a visiting Hindu Swami. At the meeting, their paths intersect with the eccentric Dean Spanley (Sam Neill), and a friendship blossoms between Spanley and Henslowe. When Spanley joins Henslowe for a private dinner, and accepts his invitation to sample a rare Hungarian wine known as the Imperial Tokay, Spanley instinctively brings forth reminiscences of a prior life lived out as a canine - and his recollections hold a rather bizarre connection to Horatio's familial past. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

An intimate portrait of six young Muslims and the exquisite mosques they worship in. Muslim architecture has yielded breathtaking buildings that inspire faith in followers, and wonder in others. By following a group of young Muslims on their pilgrimage to Mecca, we are invited into their world to explore their houses of worship. These stunning mosques aren't just located in Saudi Arabia, but Iran, Spain, and Turkey as well. Our journey culminates during a trip to Mecca, where the faithful worship against the backdrop of The Grand Mosque. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Love and larceny cross paths in an unexpected way in this direct-to-video thriller. Sarah (Melanie Griffith) is a U.S. expatriate living in Paris, where she makes a good living as a courier on the black market, smuggling for several clients including art collector Walter Shrenger (Malcolm McDowell). She is involved in a May-December romance with American Jack, but he betrays her by falling in love with Jenny (Rachael Leigh Cook), a beautiful American woman who works for an upscale jewelry store and knows how to access their safe. Jack begins an affair Jenny, setting up a dangerous and potentially explosive love triangle between the three; meanwhile, one of Sarah's smuggling jobs goes horribly wrong. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Not a religious program, the British mystery miniseries Messiah nonetheless contained Biblical elements, albeit sinister ones. London Detective Red Metcalfe (Ken Stott) and his crack team of investigators tackled the case of a serial killer who removed the victims' tongues and replaced them with silver spoons. It didn't take Metcalfe long to realize that the victims all had names that were strikingly similar to the names of Jesus' 12 disciples. Racing against time, Metcalfe attempted to prevent further killings, but the fanatical murderer always seemed to be a step or two ahead of him -- almost as if someone in Metcalfe's own circle of acquaintances was providing "inside information." Adapted from a novel by Boris Starling, the two-part Messiah was seen over the BBC's Northern Ireland service beginning May 26, 2001. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The epic saga of the Queen of Egypt gets yet another retelling in Cleopatra, a four-hour, two-part spectacular produced for television. Leonor Varela plays Cleopatra, the Egyptian monarch who uses her wisdom, charm, ruthlessness, and seductive powers to work her way into the heart (and bed) of Roman leader Julius Caesar (Timothy Dalton). But Cleopatra shifts her romantic alliances to Marc Anthony (Billy Zane) just in time for Caesar's death and Anthony's rise to the throne. When Rome goes to war, however, Cleopatra realizes that she can only remain in power for so long, eventually making a late date with an asp when things get especially grim. This is at least the 12th film based on Cleopatra's life (the best-known being the infamously expensive 1962 version starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton). Produced by Hallmark for NBC television, this version first aired as a two-part miniseries in May 1999. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

It's 3 a.m. -- do you know where your condoms are? That's one of the dilemmas befalling the characters in this raunchy comedy. Rushon (Tommy Davidson) is a mild-mannered Buppie who has been going out with his girlfriend Nikki (Tamala Jones) for about seven weeks; they seem to like each other well enough, but the relationship has been mainly platonic, and Nikki isn't so sure that she wants that to change. Rushon asks Nikki out to dinner, but Nikki wants to bring along her tart-tongued friend Lysterine (Viveca A. Fox). Rushon has to find a date for her, and he comes up with his rude-boy buddy Bunz (Jamie Foxx). Lysterine and Bunz soon hit it off, and, to Rushon's surprise, Nikki decides it's time for their relationship to move to the physical level. Only one problem: this is the '90s, and all parties involved want to be sure they're practicing safe sex. Which means Rushon and Bunz have to find some condoms fast, before the evening's mood evaporates. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This comedy offers yet another sanitized and very loose adaptation of Mark Twain's dark satire A Yankee in King Arthur's Court. This time, the story centers on Calvin Fuller, a nerdy young adolescent living in Reseda. The gangly, unsure youth is first seen standing at bat, ready for yet another strike out. Suddenly a terrible earthquake hits and as the others run for safety, the hapless Calvin is swallowed up in a gaping chasm. He falls and falls until he finds himself landing on the head of a 6th-century black knight. Upon hearing of his miraculous appearance, the elderly King Arthur, seeing him as the savior Merlin predicted would appear, dubs the boy Calvin of Reseda and invites him to dine with the court. Calvin then begins his knightly training. When the earthquake hit, lucky Calvin managed to grab his knapsack and is therefore able to wow the Arthurians with his futuristic magic that includes an introduction to rock & roll via CD-player, and a wonderful Swiss Army knife. The young wizard also shows them how to make rollerblades. His work wins him adulation and renown, but it also rouses the jealousy of the wicked Lord Belasco who will use any means to take over the throne. Meanwhile, Calvin finds himself falling for young-princess Katey. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Borrowing liberally from the French film La Totale, this is an action picture, domestic comedy, and political thriller rolled into a crowd-pleasing ball of entertainment. Producer James Cameron wrote and directed the film. Henry Tasker (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is a workaholic computer salesman neglecting his mousy wife Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis), a legal secretary. Simon (Bill Paxton) seduces Helen with the lie that he is a secret agent; he's really a used car salesman. Harry suspects that Helen is cheating on him, and he sends a few colleagues to kidnap them. Helen then discovers that Harry is a secret agent by night, working for a shadowy group called the Omega Sector. Harry and his partner Gib (Tom Arnold) are trying to find four nuclear warheads that have disappeared from a former Soviet republic. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide

Julia (Kate Beckinsale) has been busy about her job, doing painstaking restoration work on a fifteenth-century painting. As good restoration work is at least as much about doing good research and detective work as it is about the physical process of restoration, when her cleanup of the Flemish painting reveals a hitherto undiscovered Latin phrase which translates as "Who killed the knight?" she goes to the art authorities she knows to find out what it might mean. Oddly, at the same time a series of murders begin to rock her small world of art experts, patrons and restorers, and she finds that the mystery of the painting is interwoven with the mystery of the deaths around her. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

In this grim docu-drama an Australian photojournalist leaves her children to cover the story of Vietnamese boat people in a Malaysian refugee camp. There she becomes friends with a Vietnamese streetwalker who has married a diplomat and together they try to do something about shocking conditions suffered by the people there. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi