Drama

Academy Award nominee Will Smith reunites with the director and producers of The Pursuit of Happyness for this emotional drama concerning an IRS agent whose quest for redemption is unexpectedly complicated after he inadvertently falls in love. Ben Thomas is an IRS agent with a fateful secret. Assuming the identity of his younger brother, Ben sets out in search of redemption. Instead, Ben discovers true love while forever changing the lives of seven complete strangers. Woody Harrelson, Rosario Dawson, Michael Ealy, and Barry Pepper co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

When her roommate is brutally murdered, a Beverly Hills singer posts a "roommate wanted" ad in hopes of keeping up payments on her sprawling mansion in this thriller starring Destiny's Child's Farrah Franklin. Karma (Franklin)'s roommate is dead, and in order to remain up on her mortgage payments she'll have to find someone that can move in fast. Though an ad in the paper gets many replies, most of the applicants range from exceptionally quirky to outright insane. Eventually Karma selects the beautiful Sky (Kelle Cantwell) as her new roommate. But Karma's manager Wesley (Charlie Adams) can't help but feeling that something very strange is happening in his client's lavish, and he's about to discover that even the rich and famous can harbor some seriously dark secrets. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A college-educated African-American schoolteacher frustrated by his inability to find a job repairs an abandoned recreational pool hall in hopes of starting Philadelphia's first African-American swim team in this inspirational drama that takes its cue from the true-life story of charismatic 1970s-era schoolteacher Jim Ellis. The year is 1973 and the job market is tight. Jim Ellis (Terrence Howard) may have a college diploma, but despite his education he still can't seem to find a job. An aspiring teacher with a lifelong love of competitive swimming, Ellis determines to take his future into his own hands when he discovers a deserted recreational pool hall in the slums of the city. Though he and kindly local janitor Elston (Bernie Mac) do their best to get the crumbling pool hall in working order, the pair find their benevolent efforts thwarted when the building is targeted for demolition. Little do the forces that be know that Jim isn't a man to quietly lie down and admit defeat; despite the racism, violence, and threats made by an unsympathetic city official that all threaten to destroy his vivid new dream, the man who was once without purpose boldly resolves to recruit troubled street teens and transform them into capable swimmers in time for the upcoming state championships. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Actor/comedian Chris Rock directs and stars in this American remake of Eric Rohmer' s classic French comedy Chloe in the Afternoon. Richard Cooper (Rock) is a high-powered investment banker with a beautiful wife and two wonderful children. Though on the surface it would appear that Richard could want nothing more out of life, his thoughts always seem to drift toward sex. Whether it's during his daily commute into the city, his endless barrage of meetings, or even his downtime changing diapers at home, Richard's mind is constantly preoccupied by fantasies about the women he sees on the commuter train, on the city streets, and in the boardroom. Richard's daily life has gradually devolved into a blur of mind-numbing banality, and these days sexual fantasy has become his sole means of escaping the constant pressures of work and fatherhood. Though Richard never had any real intention of cheating on his faithful but preoccupied wife Brenda (Gina Torres), a chance run-in with his old friend Nikki (Kerry Washington) -- a drop-dead gorgeous stunner who appears at his office door one day seeking career advice from the successful banker -- finds his steely resolve fast turning flimsy. It's not long before the smitten Richard and the smoldering Nikki are meeting for clandestine lunches, and temptation begins to turn Richard's once-predictable life upside down. As his uncontrollable fantasies begin to lead him down the dangerous path of infidelity, the man who once kept his libido safely in check finds it increasingly difficult to refrain from acting on his impulses. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A naïve group of National Guard trainees embark on a routine training mission in the New Mexico desert, only to find themselves face to face with a murderous band of cannibalistic mutants in prolific music video director Martin Weisz's sequel to the successful 2006 remake. An isolated desert research camp has been mysteriously abandoned, and now it's up to an elite unit of soldiers to uncover the truth about the scientists who vanished without a trace. Their attention soon diverted by a distress signal emitting from a distant mountain range, the squadron quickly regroups and sets out to investigate. Unbeknownst to the soldiers, however, is the fact that these are the very same hills where the Carter family recently fell prey to a flesh-eating pack of hideously deformed mutants. As the ranks of the cavalry unit steadily begin to dwindle, it soon becomes obvious that their guns provide little defense from an evil driven by hunger to commit the ultimate crime against humanity. Original Hills Have Eyes and Hills Have Eyes, Part 2 writer/director Wes Craven teams with son Jonathan to script this grim and unforgiving tale of man versus mutant. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director Ridley Scott spins this yarn concerning a Harlem drug kingpin (Denzel Washington) who smuggles heroin into the country by hiding it in the bodies of U.S. soldiers killed during battle in Vietnam. There was a time when no one noticed reserved driver Frank Lucas (Washington), but when the criminal kingpin he was charged with transporting through the city streets suddenly dies, Lucas seizes the opportunity to build his own criminal empire. In the following months, Lucas solidifies his status as Harlem's most innovative drug dealer by delivering a product that is purer than the competitors' and cheaper, as well. When innovative businessman Lukas attempts to go semi-legit by becoming one of the Manhattan borough's biggest civil supporters, however, street-savvy outcast cop Ritchie Roberts (Russell Crowe) begins to sense a sizable shift in the hierarchy of the drug underworld. But Roberts is one of the few honest detectives operating within a corrupt system, and as he sets out to investigate the case, crooked detective Trupo (Josh Brolin) does everything in his power to compromise the integrity of his idealistic counterpart. Upon clearing all of the usual Mafia-connected suspects, Roberts begins to believe that a previously unknown black power player has come out of the woodwork to dominate the local drug trade. While Roberts and Lucas may be operating on opposite sides of the law, the one thing that both men have in common is a strict code of ethics that separates them from their opportunistic colleagues. Now, as a confrontation between the two men becomes inevitable and the fate of each becomes inexorably tied to the other, it gradually becomes apparent that only one of them will emerge from the conflict victorious. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

When a man who specializes in cleaning crime scenes washes away the evidence of a murder before the crime is reported, he soon becomes drawn into a deadly mystery in this thriller directed by Renny Harlin, and starring Samuel L. Jackson. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

An aspiring stand-up comic realizes precisely how precious the developmentally disabled brother he so frequently took for granted truly is in writer/director Anthony Lover's sensitive family drama. Poetically told by his terminally ill mother L'Tisha Morton (Vanessa Williams) that he and his developmentally disabled brother James (Christopher Scott) share a single soul despite having separate bodies, resentful thirty year-old Isaiah (Nashawn Kearse) longs to explore his stifled independence by testing his meddle on the comedy club circuit. When his dreams go up in smoke, Isaiah falls back on a courier job - initially assigned the task of delivering a mysterious package for an intimidating gang of Middle Eastern thugs. Later, when the package goes missing, the goons who hired Isaiah arrive at his apartment to rough up the frightened courier and his unsuspecting sibling. It's only then, when faced with the prospect of their own mortality, that Isaiah truly begins to comprehend the true depth of his brotherly bond with James. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Upon gathering together under one roof for the first time in seven years, an estranged family celebrating Christmas rediscovers long-forgotten bonds in this holiday family reuniondrama starring Delroy Lindo, Regina King, and Mekhi Phifer. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A couple (Tyler Perry and Janet Jackson) that goes on a therapeutic annual winter vacation designed to help couples work through their marital problems in a group setting finds the usual routine thrown into chaos when one of the wives arrives with a sexy young temptress in tow. Now, as the Colorado snow falls gently outside of their window, one couple will experience a bout with infidelity that will cause the entire group to question the validity of their own respective marriages. Diary of a Mad Black Woman mastermind Tyler Perry writes, produces, directs, and stars in this comedy drama that explores the complexities of modern marriage. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Drawing inspiration from the true story of a temperamental debate coach who molded the students of a small East Texas college into a formidable team that gave even Harvard's elite squad a run for their money, Denzel Washington's The Great Debaters features the director himself as the ambitious educator, and Forest Whitaker as the resentful father of a student whose loyalties now lie almost exclusively with his coach. Melvin B. Tolson (Washington) is the kind of educator who truly recognizes the remarkable power of knowledge. An outspoken Wiley College professor who boldly challenged the discriminatory Jim Crow laws of the 1930s, Tolson's recognizes that his young debate students possess the spark of a new generation. Convinced that they could invoke great change if given the confidence and tools needed to do so, the tireless educator implores his students to take responsibility for the future while furtively attempting to protect them from his clandestine role as an organizer for the Southern Tenant Farmers Union. Chief among Tolson's promising young students is a 14-year-old prodigy named James Farmer, Jr. (Denzel Whitaker). Farmer's father, James Sr. (Forest Whitaker), is a renowned scholar and an important presence in the emerging student's life. Yet despite his formidable reputation, James Sr. has not yet learned how to truly harness the power of knowledge through action and assertion. James Jr. has seen the raving effects of racism all around him, and longs to live in a future where no one must be in fear simply because of the color of their skin. Other talented debaters on Tolson's team include fiercely independent student Henry Lowe (Nate Parker), and Samantha Brooke (Jurnee Smollett) -- the first ever female ever to join the Wiley College debate team. While most educators may not have recognized the remarkable potential of assembling such a disparate team, Tolson's unique vision truly set him apart from the pack as the team begins to experience a series of consecutive victories on their road to challenging Harvard at the National Championships. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The direct-to-video urban drama 4 Life opens on Ty (Page Kennedy) and Dayvon (Wood Harris) two street chums who formerly controlled all sub-rosa drug operations on the west side of Baltimore, as heads of the collective called 'DFL' (Dogs for Life). When Ty gets picked up by the authorities on suspicion of drug involvement, he fingers Dayvon as potentially responsible for the incarceration, and concocts an ugly vengeance scheme against his former pal and business partner. Meanwhile, two DFL subordinates, Stink (Kwame Patterson) and Lil' Jay (Miguel Gaetan) gear up for a takeover of the organization. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi