Mark Boone, Jr. Movies

A young man raised in a polygamous cult struggles to escape with his childhood love. Victor (Mark L. Young) may have been raised in a hippie commune, but he never bought into the philosophy laid out by shady guru Insley (Rutger Hauer), who uses a technique called "running" to entrance and seduce his devoted female followers. Becky (Hanna Hall) was fortunate enough to get out of the cult while she was still young, but now her father is terminally ill and she must return to care for him. Victor has always loved Becky, and now he's being haunted by psychic visions of her untimely death. Meanwhile, the adults in the community remain blind to the damage that exposure to sex and drugs has had on their self-destructive offspring. Now Victor wants out, and he wants to take Becky with him. In order to finance their flight, he starts selling pot. When that plan backfires and Becky falls into a downward spiral, Victor resorts to desperate measures in a last-ditch effort to save her life. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A desperate single mother living in upstate New York resorts to smuggling illegal immigrants into the United States as a means of making ends meet in first-time feature director/screenwriter Courtney Hunt's emotionally wrenching drama, winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Best Dramatic Feature at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. Ray Eddy is in an impossible position; it's two days before Christmas and her husband has suddenly disappeared with all of the family savings. Now, as the newly single mother of two realizes the futility of attempting to cover the house payments on her meager Yankee One Dollar Store wages, her children are forced to exist on a nutritionally devoid diet of popcorn and Tang. Deciding that her only hope for survival is to find a man who will support her and her children, Ray sets out to find a husband but instead makes the acquaintance of street-smart Mohawk Lila Littlewolf. Lila, too, has been struggling to keep her head above water amidst economic despair, and has recently stumbled across a rather unconventional solution to her dire financial situation. Lately, Lila has been earning a living by smuggling illegal immigrants into the U.S., but her tribal elders vehemently disapprove of the scheme and have recently attempted to stop it by forbidding the local auto dealers from selling her a car. As fate would have it, Ray's Dodge Spirit may just be the only thing the destitute mother can count on anymore, and as this unlikely pair gas up the tank for a daring dash across the iced-over St. Lawrence River, their fates become forever intertwined in ways that neither could have ever anticipated. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Hard Candy director David Slade took the helm for this adaptation of Steve Niles' terrifying comic-book series of the same name. In Barrow, AK, one night can last an eternity. One month every year, this town is plunged into darkness for 30 days due to its location far north of the Arctic Circle. While extended periods of darkness are something that the locals have become accustomed to, this year something sinister is about to emerge from the long and unforgiving night. As a maniacal horde of vampires assumes control of the city streets and begins to feast freely upon the terrified citizens, the local sheriff (Josh Hartnett), his wife (Melissa George), and a small but resilient band of survivors will be forced to choose between saving themselves or helping the few remaining members of their community survive the blood-soaked siege. Original comic creator Niles collaborated with screenwriters Stuart Beattie and Brian Nelson to pen the film, which was produced under Sam Raimi's Ghost House Pictures banner. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The origins of the Caped Crusader of Gotham City are finally brought to the big screen in this new adaptation of the perennially popular comic-book series. The young Bruce Wayne (Gus Lewis) leads a privileged life as the son of wealthy, philanthropist parents, both of whom stress their commitment to improving the lives of the citizens of crime-ridden Gotham City. After his mother and father are murdered by a mugger, however, Wayne grows into an impudent young man (Christian Bale), full of rage and bent on retribution until encouraged by his childhood sweetheart, Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes), to search for answers beyond his own personal vendettas. Wayne eventually finds discipline in the Far East under the tutelage of Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson), a member of the mysterious League of Shadows who guides him in the study of martial arts -- and the ways in which an ordinary man can hone his senses to an almost superhuman acuity. After seven years away from Gotham, Wayne returns, determined to bring peace and safety back to the city. With the help of his faithful manservant, Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Caine), and Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), a scientist at his late father's corporation, Wayne develops a secret identity as Batman, a masked fighter for justice. But when a shady psychiatrist (Cillian Murphy) joins forces with the criminal underworld, Wayne realizes that putting an end to their nefarious plans will be very difficult indeed. Batman Begins also features Gary Oldman as Lt. James Gordon and Tom Wilkinson as the crime boss Carmine Falcone. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A less than auspicious homecoming for an introspective artist sets the stage for this low-key comedy drama directed by Steve Buscemi. Jim (Casey Affleck) is a chronically glum aspiring novelist who, after a failed two-year sojourn in New York City, has returned home to his parents' home in Goshen, IN. Jim's folks, Don (Seymour Cassel) and Sally (Mary Kay Place), run a ladder factory, a family business Jim wants nothing to do with. His older brother, Tim (Kevin Corrigan), is also living at home, and has problems of his own after his marriage ended in divorce and his business went broke. When Tim makes the latest of a number of suicide attempts by driving into a tree, Jim is reintroduced to Anika (Liv Tyler), a nurse who had a one-night fling with Jim a while ago. Jim and Anika strike up a conversation and start seeing one another again, though she seems to have feelings for Tim as well. With Tim in the hospital, Jim is persuaded against his better judgment to take on some of his brother's responsibilities, including doing some work at the ladder factory. At work, he bonds with his uncle Stacy (Mark Boone Jr.), who prefers to use the nickname "Evil" and deals drugs on the job. Jim's attempts to help Uncle Stacy with his side business backfire and implicate his parents, with Sally ending up in jail. But between his budding relationship with Anika and coaching a kids' basketball team that includes Tim's daughters, Jim begins to cautiously consider the notion that life might be worth all the trouble. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A handful of thieves discover they have more to worry about than the law in this independent horror story, set during the Civil War. William (Henry Thomas) is the leader of a group of runaway Confederate soldiers who, with the help of an escaped slave and an Army nurse, stage a daring robbery at a bank holding a cache of rebel gold. The heist does not go smoothly, and William's associates soon fall into in-fighting as they head toward Mexico with their stolen fortune. Needing a place to rest for the night, the criminals set up camp in a mansion overlooking an abandoned plantation, but it soon becomes obvious that the old house is not as empty as they thought, as a handful of angry ghosts make their presence known while William and his cohorts fight over the gold. Also featuring Isaiah Washington, Patrick Fugit, and Michael Shannon, Dead Birds was the first feature film from director Alex Turner. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Vin Diesel opted to not appear in the sequel to the film the shot him to stardom in the first place, The Fast and the Furious. With the character of Dominic Toretto out of the picture, 2 Fast 2 Furious concentrates exclusively on the latest exploits of undercover agent Brian O'Connor, played by Paul Walker. In addition, with director Rob Cohen passing, producers have added a dash of credibility to the sequel by hiring John Singleton to helm. What does completely remain from the first film is the presence of fast-living underground street-racing gangs. Moving from Los Angeles to Miami, O'Connor is looking to redeem himself after the events of the first movie, so he again goes undercover to infiltrate another group of thuggish car enthusiasts. This time around he's enlisted the help of ex-con Roman Pierce (Tyrese) and fellow agent Monica Celemente (Eva Mendes) to bring down Carter Verone (Cole Hauser), an importer/exporter who heads up a massive drug trafficking operation. Heading up the supporting cast are hip-hop stars Ludacris and Fabolous. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

A Los Angeles cafe is the setting for this ensemble piece performed largely by a group of San Francisco stage actors. Mark (Mark Boone Jr.) is the cafe's reigning caffeine king, churning out lattes for a group of customers that includes bag lady Ma (Tsai Chin), portly Jerry (Michael McShane), widowed mathematician Jack (Jim Haynie), and on-again, off-again lovers Maria (Regina Byrd Smith) and Hank (Richmond Arquette). Another regular is Clayton (Wood Harris), a part-time delivery man who has abandoned a promising career as an artist. One day, while on his delivery rounds, Clayton discovers a strange young woman cowering in a mud puddle; stopping to help her, he learns that she has been residing there since getting dumped from a car by a callous boyfriend. After getting herself cleaned up, the woman, named Precious (Sarah Lassez), takes up with Clayton, and the two start living together. Meanwhile, back at the cafe, other unlikely romances form, Ma tosses off holy-fool wisdom, and Hank and Maria wallow in lusty indecisiveness. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi

Bernardo Gigliotti directs this indie psychodrama. Looking to launch a career as a blues guitarist, Bobby (Ron Carlson) moves to L.A. and promptly gets both a gig and a girlfriend at low-rent bar. He finds board with femme fatale Faye (Denise Gentile), who keeps her paralyzed husband up in the attic. Things go well until Bobby realizes that Faye is a murderous loonball. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

Boyd Hale and Wendy Hopkins co-direct this light comedy about the profound emptiness of existence and suicidal depression. Harley Henson (Mark Boone, Jr.) had his moment of glory 20 years ago when he broke the state football rushing record. A knee injury killed any chances at furthering his football career. Since then, he passes his days drinking and talking about the old days with his buddies, but his life has not gotten any better. His wife wants a divorce, and his teenaged son hates him. Moreover, a Korean-born athlete from a rival school threatens to break his record. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

A murder on a military base unearths a netherworld of corruption in this thriller based on the novel by Nelson DeMille. General Joe Campbell (James Cromwell) is a respected military leader with a flawless reputation; he's due to retire from the Army soon and is headed for a Vice-Presidential nomination. However, Campbell finds himself in both a personal and political crisis when his daughter is brutally murdered. Captain Elizabeth Campbell (Leslie Stefanson) was beautiful, intelligent, disciplined, and well-regarded, the very model of an ideal female officer; she was also stationed at the same base as her father. Paul Brenner (John Travolta), a warrant officer of the Army's Criminal Investigation Division, is assigned to look into the case alongside CID officer Sara Sunhill (Madeleine Stowe). Brenner and Sunhill were once romantically involved, complicating an assignment that soon offers more than enough complications of its own. Brenner and Sunhill come to realize that, for all her accomplishments, Elizabeth carried a lifetime of emotional scars from emotional abuse and sexual harassment, and that, despite the General's reputation, his relationship with his daughter was not always a happy or healthy one. It also seems possible that the General's second-in-command, General George Fowler (Clarence Williams III), a likely candidate for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, may also be implicated in the crime. The General's Daughter was the second feature film for director Simon West; his full-length debut was Con Air (1997), after a long string of successful television commercials and music videos. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi