Joel Tobeck Movies

When a motorcycle-riding stuntman offers his soul to Mephistopheles in order to save the life of the one he loves most, he is forced to play host to a powerful supernatural entity whose flaming skull visage strikes fear into the heart of his enemies in this feature-film version of the long-running comic series. By day, Johnny Blaze (actor and comic-book devotee Nicolas Cage) is one of the world's best-known stuntmen, but when the sun goes down and he is in the presence of evil, the death-defying daredevil bursts into flames to become the indestructible, motorcycle-riding antihero known to the world as the Ghost Rider. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A lonely young boy vows to protect the rapidly growing hatchling that emerges from a mysterious egg found on the shores of a Scottish loch in My Dog Skip and Tuck Everlasting director Jay Russell's screen adaptation of writer Dick King-Smith's popular children's novel. Angus MacMorrow (Alex Etel) has made a most unusual discovery, and he's about to find out just how one innocent boy's greatest fantasy can also be a frightened adult population's greatest threat. Unable to identify the egg that he found while walking the sandy shores, Angus is even more perplexed about the discovery and the creature that emerges resembles what comes to be known as a Water Horse, which Angus names Crusoe. As the bizarre new life form begins to grow at an alarming rate, it soon becomes obvious that Angus will not be able to keep it a secret for very long, and the young boy will have to do some seriously quick thinking if he is to keep his new friend safe. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

After many aborted attempts, Sean Campbell (Bruce Greenwood) has finally cleared his relentlessly busy schedule to take his son, Mac (Daniel Magder), on an oft-delayed trip to Disney World. Unfortunately, his bosses at Arctic Oil have other ideas. It seems that a helicopter carrying an extremely valuable drill bit has crashed into a remote Canadian lake and that Sean is the only person who can recover it. Mac, who believes his father places more importance on his work than on his son, is very unhappy about trading in Mickey and Goofy for a backwoods town with little to offer a young boy. Things change dramatically, however, when Mac not only hears tales of a mysterious lake monster named Mee-Shee but actually stumbles upon his hiding place in a secluded cavern. Mac is enormously excited, but none of the adults take him seriously. This includes his father, whose attempt to retrieve the equipment is being foiled by the evil Watkins (Charles Mesure) and his henchman, Mr. Snead (Joel Tobeck), who work for a rival oil company and will stop at nothing to retrieve the drill bit for themselves. Things don't look good for Sean on either a personal or professional level -- until Mee-Shee manages to change all that. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King brings Peter Jackson's mammoth adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic to a close in suitably epic fashion. Instead of starting just where the previous film left off, however, it goes far back in time to the moment the tormented creature Gollum first came to possess the One Ring. In this flashback, actor Andy Serkis (who voiced Gollum and performed his movements onset prior to the final CGI effects) finally gets to appear onscreen, portraying Gollum's former self, Sméagol. This disturbing scene serves as a potent reminder that the Ring seeks to corrupt even the well-intentioned Frodo (Elijah Wood), who is increasingly struggling with the dark power of the Ring himself. Thus, the film returns to the present, following Frodo, Sam (Sean Astin), and Gollum as they journey ever closer to the foreboding land of Mordor. They pass by the terrifying dark city of Minas Morgul, watching as the dreadful army of the Witch King sets out for the human strongholds in Gondor, and move on to the rocky stairs to Cirith Ungol, where an even darker enemy lies in wait. Meanwhile, the rest of the Fellowship reunites in Rohan, having defeated the wizard Saruman on two different fronts, at Helm's Deep and Isengard. They are not together for long, though, since the hobbit Pippin (Billy Boyd) gets into trouble, making it necessary for him and Gandalf (Ian McKellen) to hastily depart for Minas Tirith, capital of Gondor. Once there, they find the steward of Gondor, Denethor (John Noble), in an unstable mental state and the city preparing for battle against the amassing forces of Sauron. Denethor unwisely sends his only remaining son, Faramir (David Wenham), back into bloody battle to prove himself. He returns nearly dead, sending Denethor over the edge of sanity.

In another realm, elf Arwen (Liv Tyler) begins her journey to immortal life in the Grey Havens, on her way to leave Middle-earth -- and Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) -- forever, but has a vision that causes her to once again reconsider her decision. Back in Rohan, the men are preparing to ride to Gondor's aide. Éowyn (Miranda Otto) desperately wants to join the men in battle, but her uncle, King Théoden (Bernard Hill), orders her to stay and defend Rohan if necessary. The hobbit Merry (Dominic Monaghan) also desires to ride with the men, but is denied due to his small size and inexperience. Aragorn is met there by the elf Elrond (Hugo Weaving), who brings him the re-forged Sword that was Broken (in the ancient battle with Sauron) and urges him to take a different route to Gondor. Heeding Elrond's advice, Aragorn, along with elf Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and dwarf Gimli (John Rhys-Davies), takes a cavernous path through the mountains, where they meet ghoulish ghosts who betrayed Aragorn's ancestors and are doomed to eternal unrest unless they fulfill their broken oaths by aiding him. All but Frodo, Sam, and Gollum will meet on the massive battlefield of the Pelennor before the gates of Minas Tirith. The former three instead engage in a battle of wills between each other and the One Ring as they head toward the fires of Mount Doom to destroy it. Released in December 2003, The Return of the King topped even its massively successful trilogy predecessors at the box office, and went on to garner a whopping 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture -- winning in all the categories in which it was nominated and tying the record of total awards won with Ben-Hur and Titanic. ~ Dana Rowader, All Movie Guide

Xena (Lucy Lawless) squares off against the Olympian gods in a battle to the death, with the survival of both sides in the balance. At the same time, Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor) swears to avenge the death of Joxer (Ted Raimi) at the hands of Xena's daughter, Eve, and never mind that Eve has cast off her evil former identity as Livia, the Bitch of Rome. And Gabrielle's own departed daughter, Hope, makes an appearance -- in a manner of speaking. This was the final episode of Xena: Warrior Princess' fifth season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A woman who turns to a psychic to find out what happened to her daughter discovers more than she expected when she's reunited with her estranged husband. Bunnie (Danielle Cormack) was a member of New Zealand's hippie counterculture in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and in 1971 she went blind after staring into the sun during an eclipse while under the influence of drugs. One of the last things she saw before her eyes gave out was a soldier named Geoff (Kevin Smith), soon to ship out for Vietnam. When Geoff returns home wounded, he ends up in the same hospital as Bunnie; they fall in love and eventually marry. They have a daughter, but Geoff's stability and Bunnie's free-spirited nature prove a poor match, and one day Geoff leaves her, taking the child with him. Bunnie is soon convinced that both Geoff and the baby have died, and she sinks into a sea of sorrow and regret. After two decades, Bunnie encounters Cassandra (Amber Sainsbury), who claims to have psychic powers to put her in touch with her child. Her abilities as a medium notwithstanding, Cassandra and her brother Tony (Joel Tobeck) are able to track down Geoff, and they invite him to a seance, where a variety of stories emerge about what could have happened to Bunnie's child. Leading actress Danielle Cormack is a popular favorite in her native New Zealand, thanks to her role on the television series Xena. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In present-day Hollywood, the staff of Renaissance Productions, the people responsible for the TV series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, are in a panic. An earthquake has struck Tinseltown, and the series' titular star, Kevin Sorbo, is missing. In order to save their jobs, the series' producers and writers (all of whom bear startling resemblances to other Hercules characters) are forced to audition new actors for the role of Hercules -- and failing that, they desperately improvise new "Hercules-less" story concepts. The tension results in open hostility amongst the staffers -- much to the delight of perennial Hercules villains Ares (Kevin Smith) and Strife (Joel Tobeck), who behave as if they're responsible for the whole mess. Fortunately, salvation is at hand in the form of...well, best not give too much of the story away. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of a three-part story, Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) has given up his super-strength so he can marry Serena (Sam Jenkins), a demigod who has likewise relinquished her immortality. Meanwhile, war god Ares (Kevin Smith) and his nephew, Strife (Joel Tobeck), step up their efforts to destroy Hercules -- beginning with the murder of Serena. Accused of the crime, Hercules is targeted by a lynch mob. Will his loyal friends (including Xena the Warrior Princess Lucy Lawless) be able to rescue Hercules in time -- and will he ever regain his godlike strength? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the first episode of a three-part story, Prince Nestor (Steve Hall) schemes to kill Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) with an arrow dipped in the blood of the Golden Hind, a half-woman, half-deer who also goes by the name of the demigod Serena (Sam Jenkins). Nestor also intends to increase his power by appropriating the Hind's horns and hooves. War god Ares (Kevin Smith) conspires to aid Nestor in his sinister mission -- but unexpected circumstances alter the outcome. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Ramina (Josephine Davison), the future bride of King Bereaus (Joel Tobeck), is abducted by the warrior Tarlus (Marton Csokas) on the eve of her wedding. Knowing full well that Tarlus is not a villain by nature, Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) nonetheless promises Bereaus that he will bring Ramina back. Though the love-smitten girl refuses to leave Tarlus' side, Hercules is determined to fulfill his promise -- until he learns the whole truth behind the impending marriage. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide