2009 Shop Movies

A winemaker is coached by a wise spirit in this fantasy set in the early 19th century, based on a novel by Elizabeth Knox. Sobran Jodeau (Jérémie Renier) is a poor but hard-working man who helps the Comte de Vully (Patrice Valota) grow grapes but hopes to someday oversee his own vineyard and make world-class wine. Sobran is also deeply in love with Celeste (Keisha Castle-Hughes), a lovely women whose family has been touched by emotional instability. One night, Sobran is visited by Xas (Gaspard Ulliel), a guardian angel who offers to help him with his dream of becoming a vintner; Xas pledges to visit Sobran one day every year to sample his wine and give him advice. However, Xas warns Sobran that like great art, great wine often is the product of sacrifice and suffering, and with the passage of time Sobran is visited by both kind and cruel fate. Sobran and Celeste are wed, and after the death of the Comte de Vully, his heir, Baroness Aurora de Valday (Vera Farmiga), puts Sobran in charge of the winery. But Sobran's skill alone doesn't produce exceptional wine, and it's not until he's touched by tragedy that he is able to produce a vintage that speaks of a full life. The Vintner's Luck received its world premiere at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

When evil aliens pose as harmless pumpkins in a bid to take over planet Earth on Halloween night, it's up to Susan (voice of Reese Witherspoon), B.O.B. (voice of Seth Rogen), Dr. Cockroach (voice of Hugh Laurie), and the Missing Link (voice of Will Arnett) to thwart the invasion and save the day. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

In the devastating aftermath of WWIII, a small group of female survivors use their brains, their martial arts skills, and a steady supply of heavy artillery to reach the city, and search for survivors. Fighting killer mutants and lone psychos along the way, the determined women soon discover that the city has fallen into the grip of ruthless tyrant Rollins (Debby D), and that she's dispatched a team of ruthless killers to exterminate all survivors. Now, the girls' only hope for escaping certain death and putting Rollins in her place is Harris - a former captive who has lost all fear of death, and seeks bloody revenge for the brutal slaughter of his family. As the Rollins' henchmen close in, the lethal ladies and their new companion prepare to fight for the very future of humanity. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A day of high-spirited fun takes a turn into darkness as a game becomes all too real in this comedy drama from Canada. Erik (Ricky Mabe) and his girlfriend, Lyn (Tiio Horn), are both interested in Live Action Role Playing games, in which teams of players assume the guise of particular characters and act out mock battles as part of a fantasy scenario. However, Lyn begins developing a stronger interest in the game than Erik, and runs off for a weekend of play without bringing him along. Depressed, Erik and his brother Bjorn (Mark A. Krupa) set out to catch up with her as their friends impersonate a horde of Viking warriors. Bjorn brings along his "Hammer of Thor" as well as Murtagh (Trevor Hayes), who takes his role as a shaman more than a bit seriously. As the day wears on, Erik's frustration is reflected in his mates, and what began as an afternoon of fantasy and adventure turns into a battle where the blood and wrath are very real. The Wild Hunt was the first feature film from writer and director Alexandre Franchi, who co-wrote the screenplay with actor and writer Mark A. Krupa, who plays Bjorn. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

When the peaceful villagers of a remote community come under attack by an vicious predator, they quickly blame the killings on the feared Beast (Victor Parascos), who lives deep in the forest. But the true culprit is an evil troll under the spell of a powerful witch. Later, with the Beast by her side, beautiful villager Belle (Estella Warren) sets out to stop the witch before she can strike again. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A colony on Mars comes under attack from a gang of humanoids and a murderous alien in this witty, low-budget sci-fi comedy. The saga takes place years in the future, when bureaucratic workers comprise the base of the planet's work force. Stranded millions of miles from home and bored to tears by their corporate jobs, the nine hapless office drones discover a mysterious fossil that leads them to believe their once may have been life on Mars. Before they have time to study the artifact, however, their base is invaded by a horde of rampaging outsiders and a powerful extraterrestrial intent on wiping everyone out. Meanwhile, as their employees fight for survival, Interplanetary Corporation attempts to suppress word of the attack from reaching consumers for fear that their stock prices will take a heavy hit. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

An adolescent math wiz unintentionally plunges the virtual world into chaos by solving a numerological riddle that makes the global network vulnerable to attack in this animated sci-fi adventure comedy. When Natsuki asks Kenji to pose as her boyfriend at her grandmother's upcoming birthday party, the smitten young numbers man jumps at the opportunity. But his summer of romance takes an unexpected turn when Kenji receives a complex math riddle on his cell phone, and solves it without a second thought. In the process, however, Kenji breaches the security of Oz, an extensive virtual realm containing everything from online shopping records to sensitive government documents and even the codes to launch nuclear weapons. Later, when a malicious AI program dubbed Love Machine begins gathering all of this data and threatens to bring the entire information infrastructure to its knees, Kenji, Natsuki, and her family must figure out a way to clear up the mess before it plunges the planet into chaos. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Tough-as-nails outlaw biker Lady (Stacey Dash) and her gang the Chrome Angels are making a run for the Mexican border when they take a detour into a small town overrun with killer cyborgs. Later, when Lady realizes that the diabolical Elliot (Paul Le Mat) has outfitted his androids with bombs in a bid to spark total anarchy, the villainous machines kidnap members of the motorcycle club. With her friends in danger and the law closing in, Lady and the rest of the Chrome Angels race to rescue their fellow bikers in time to skate across the border scot free. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A man who hears voices in his head discovers he's not crazy, but something far worse is going on in this animated sci-fi drama from director Tarik Saleh. It's the year 2024, and the global oil supply ha finally bottomed out; poverty is widespread, and with automobiles no longer practical, a system of underground trains links most of the cities of Europe. Roger Olafsson (voice of Vincent Gallo) is a low-level office worker who spends his days toiling away in a telephone center and his night cooped up in a tiny flat. One day, Roger begins hearing a voice in his head; the voice tells Roger that it is his conscience, and that he should take a chance and approach Nina (voice of Juliette Lewis), a beautiful woman he's seen while riding the train. Roger decides to take the voice's advice, but it turns out that he's actually been hearing messages from Stefan (voice of Alexander Skarsgard), a functionary of the all-powerful Trexx Corporation, and he's not trying to start a romance by pairing Roger and Nina, but tie the unsuspecting telephone worker into a plot involving a gang of terrorists. Also featuring the voice talents of Udo Kier and Stellan Skarsgard, Metropia was screened as part of the "Critics' Week" program at the 2009 Venice International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Two beautiful sisters become mechanized killing machines in this over-the-top Japanese horror-comedy. Yoshie (Aya Kiguchi) is a lovely but shy girl who has spent all her life playing second fiddle to her big sister Kikue (Hitomi Hasebe). Kikue has become the most popular hostess at a local geisha house, while Yoshie is stuck doing the cleaning and suffering unflattering comparisons to her sister. Both Yoshie and Kikue fall under the sway of Hikaru Kageno (Saitoh Takumi), heir to a valuable metal foundry who has developed an insane but ingenious secret plan to turn geishas into high-tech robotic assassins in a bid to take over the world. The sisters leave a bloody trail in their wake as they do Kageno's bidding, but the long-simmering rivalry between the sisters comes to a boil when Yoshie refuses to kill a handful of senior citizens and turns on her master, as well as her sister who remains loyal to Kageno. RoboGeisha was directed by Noboru Iguchi, who previously pondered the plight of females turned into robots in 2008's The Mechanical Girl. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The producers of Machine Girl and Tokyo Gore Police team with the special effects wizard behind Uzumaki and Gamera 3 to deliver a spirited kaiju romp about a mischievous yokai that threatens to decimate Tokyo. Kanako left for Tokyo with dreams of success. When those dreams fail to materialize, she returns to her village in shame and moves in with her elderly grandmother, the caretaker for the local river spirit. Before long, Kanako has taken over her grandmother's responsibilities, dutifully feeding the kappa a steady diet of cucumbers and regularly cleaning its shrine. Trouble starts to brew, however, when a team of World War II scientists attempt to transform the kappa into a weapon of war, and instead unleash a devastating force of destruction on the unsuspecting citizens of Japan. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi