Frank Marshall Movies

The fourth installment of the highly successful Bourne series sees the return of the franchise's screenwriter, Tony Gilroy, this time stepping into the director's seat for an entry which sidelines main character Jason Bourne in order to focus on a fellow estranged assassin (Jeremy Renner). Edward Norton and Rachel Weisz co-star, with Joan Allen and Albert Finney reprising their roles from the previous films. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Director Clint Eastwood delves into the mysterious world of the hereafter with this ensemble supernatural drama starring Matt Damon, Cécile De France, Jay Mohr, and Bryce Dallas Howard. In the wake of a near-death experience during a powerful tsunami, French television reporter Marie (De France) takes her married lover's advice to pen the political book she has always talked about writing. As hard as Marie tries to stay focused on the task at hand, however, she repeatedly finds her attention diverted to scientists who have been stigmatized for investigating the afterlife. Meanwhile, in America, reluctant psychic George (Matt Damon) struggles in vain to cease using his powers for profit while falling for a gorgeous stranger (Bryce Dallas Howard). All the while, his greedy brother (Jay Mohr) prods him to milk his ability for all it's worth. Over in London, a pair of inseparable twins is forcibly parted by tragedy when one of them dies suddenly. The harder the more introverted surviving twin (Frankie McLaren) attempts to reach out to his deceased brother in the afterlife, the deeper his mom sinks into heroin addiction. When his mother goes into rehab, the grieving boy is placed in foster care, and begins succumbing to his corrosive ennui. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Screenwriter Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon, The Queen) explores the complex relationship that developed between former American President Bill Clinton and former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Tony Blair as the two progressive statesmen strived to unite their countries toward a common goal. The growing bond between President Clinton and Prime Minister Blair is later solidified by the fact that their wives, Hillary Clinton and Cherie Blair, seem to have just as much in common as their powerful husbands. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Suspense auteur M. Night Shyamalan takes a break from crafting original screenplays to tell this tale of a 12-year-old boy (Noah Ringer) who provides the last hope for restoring harmony to a land consumed by chaos. In a world balanced on the four nations of Water, Earth, Fire, and Air, people known as the Waterbenders, Earthbenders, Firebenders, and Airbenders have mastered their native elements. Though the masters can each manipulate their native elements, the only one with the power to manipulate all four elements is a young boy known as the Avatar. When the Avatar subsequently appears to die while still mastering his powers, the Fire nation launches a global war with the ultimate goal of global domination. One hundred years later, two teens discover that the Avatar and his flying bison have in fact been locked in suspended animation. Upon being freed from his prison, the Avatar embarks on an arduous quest to restore harmony among the four war-ravaged nations. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

David Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's story, re-teams the director with Brad Pitt, who takes on the title role. What makes Button such a curious case is that when he is born in New Orleans just after World War I, he is already in his eighties, and proceeds to live his life aging in reverse. This sweeping film follows the character's unusual life into the 21st century as he experiences joy and sadness, loves lost and found, and the meaning of timelessness. Cate Blanchett co-stars along with Tilda Swinton, Elias Koteas, and Julia Ormond. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Acclaimed anime master Hayao Miyazaki returns for his ninth animated feature with Ponyo, which deals with a friendship between a five-year-old boy and a goldfish princess who yearns to be human. The daughter of the king of the ocean, Ponyo is no ordinary goldfish -- she has all the magic of the sea at her disposal. But when five-year-old Sosuke befriends the spunky little fish near the seaside home he shares with his mother and father, a special connection sparks between the two children, and Ponyo becomes determined to become human. Transforming into a little girl, Ponyo shows up at Sosuke's doorstep, delighted to make herself at home with her new land-dwelling family. But having a magical fish princess walking around on dry land begins setting the mystical balance of the world off kilter, and even though the innocent love Ponyo feels for her dear friend is strong, it will take some help from the greatest powers in the ocean to make things right again. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Three kids have an unexpected adventure as they try to protect some rare birds in this comedy drama based on a book for young adults by Carl Hiaasen. Roy Eberhardt (Logan Lerman) is a 14-year-old boy whose family has moved so often he's literally lost count of the number of times he's changed schools in the last ten years. Roy ought to be used to being the new kid at school by now, but making the switch from the big sky of Montana to the Gulf Coast of Florida proves to be a major challenge. While Roy quickly becomes the target of school bully Dana Matherson (Eric Phillips), he's befriended by Beatrice Leep (Brie Larson), a spunky girl with enough nerve to stand up to Dana, and her brother Mullet Fingers (Cody Linley). Beatrice and Mullet share their big secret with Roy -- they have a hidden hideaway where they look after a flock of wild owls. The owls in question are on the endangered species list, but that's of little concern to Chuck Muckle (Clark Gregg), a top executive from the Mother Paula's All-American Pancake House chain, who is planning to build a new restaurant in the hollow where the owls nest. Roy, Beatrice, and Mullet are determined to find a way to save the owls, but Muckle and his right-hand man, Curly Brannitt (Tim Blake Nelson), are less interested in saving the birds than in turning a profit. The kids have a plan, however, and they uncover some evidence of interest to David Delinko (Luke Wilson), a well-meaning but slow-witted policeman investigating some dirty doings tied in to the pancake house. Hoot features a handful of new recordings from popular Florida musician Jimmy Buffett, who also helped produce the film. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Mars is Earth's closest planetary neighbor, and for decades scientists have been curious about the so-called "Red Planet," wondering if it's possible that life exists there, how its soil and terrain differs from our own, and if water can be found. While sending a manned space mission to Mars has been considered beyond the reach of America's space program, in 2001 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration approved a mission to send two "rovers" to Mars -- wheeled robots that would send images and data back to Earth. A two-year crash program resulted in two robotic rovers (dubbed "Spirit" and "Opportunity") being sent to Mars, which have given scientists and researchers on Earth a brand new vision of what the planet is really like. Roving Mars is a documentary which offers a detailed look at the people behind the Mars rover program, how the machines were built and what they can do, and what has been learned since they reached their target. Roving Mars was shot and originally exhibited in the high-definition IMAX film format. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Croatian father-and-son filmmakers Jakov and Dominik Sedlar explore the genius of Citizen Kane director Orson Welles through the examination of lost footage from unfinished projects and interviews with the friends, family, and colleagues who knew him best in this documentary, which delves deeper into the public persona of the actor, director, writer, and editor than ever before. An extensively researched oral and visual examination of the legendary entertainer, Searching for Orson also includes interviews with such filmmakers as Steven Spielberg and Peter Bogdanovich, exploring just how the mastermind of the notorious 1938 "War of the Worlds" broadcast continues to influence future generations of filmmakers even decades after his death. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The second chapter in the "Bourne Trilogy," based on Robert Ludlum's best-selling espionage novels, reaches the screen in this sequel to the 2002 thriller The Bourne Identity. Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) has abandoned his life as a CIA assassin and has been traveling beneath the agency's radar, eventually reconnecting with Marie Kreutz (Franka Potente), the woman he loves. But Bourne is haunted by vivid dreams and troubling memories of his days as a killer, and he's not certain how much really happened and how much is a product of his imagination. When Bourne is led out of hiding by circumstances beyond his control, he must reconcile his past and present as he struggles to keep Marie out of harm's way and foil an international incident with dangerous consequences. The Bourne Supremacy also features Joan Allen as one of Bourne's superiors, while Julia Stiles and Brian Cox reprise their roles as intelligence agents from the first film. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

For his sophomore effort, director Gary Ross re-teams with Tobey Maguire and William H. Macy, stars of his directorial debut Pleasantville, for this depression-era sports drama about the legendary racehorse, Seabiscuit. Unlike 1949's fictionalized The Story of Seabiscuit starring Shirley Temple, this version attempts to present a factual account of the story, which centers around the three men who saw the famed horse to victory. Jeff Bridges stars as Charles Howard, an entrepreneur who owns the unlikely racehorse. Howard teams with partially blind boxer-turned-jockey Red Pollard (Maguire in his first performance since annihilating the 2002 box-office in Spider-Man) and horse trainer Tom Smith (Chris Cooper fresh off his best-supporting actor Oscar for Adaptation). Together, the three work to help the famed horse to several symbolic victories that helped to inspire a downtrodden 1930s America. The supporting cast, headed by Macy, includes Elizabeth Banks (Spider-Man) and real-life jockeys Gary Stevens and Chris McCarron. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi