Director's Cuts

From the folks behind the hit pay-per-view special Introduction to Street Bike Insanity comes a cringe-inducing collection of motorized stunts and pranks that makes Jackass look like Candid Camera. If it's got two wheels, it's fair game to these gasoline-fueled pranksters, and between the girls, the fights, the wipeouts, and the hilarious skits, this is one release that doesn't slow down once the pavement stops. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A missing persons case leads a psychic policeman down a twisted trail of drug abuse and sexual obsession in this independent, gay-themed thriller. Cameron is a police officer whose sixth sense gives him an added advantage in the field. Interviewing a teenage suspect in hopes of locating the mysterious adolescent's missing gay lover, Cameron enters into a dark world of depravity inhabited by the handsome but deadly "Siren" - a seeker of the lost and lonely. As the investigation unfolds, Cameron discovers that even his own unique abilities may not be enough to protect him from the lure of this powerful predator. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Steampunk aesthetics inform this story of a dystopic future in which humankind wages an explosive last stand against the demonic NecroMutants, who would see the entire human race brutally annihilated. Thomas Jane, Ron Perlman, Devon Aoki, and John Malkovich star in this effects-heavy sci-fi action thriller from director Simon Hunter (Dead of Night). ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A masked killer stalks the cast and crew of a low-budget slasher film in this gory meta-shocker featuring Tim Sullivan and Debbie Rochon. The production of Amy Lynn Parker's (director Amy Lynn Best) latest film "Tesseract" is getting under way as a documentary film crew begins interviewing the filmmakers and the cast. But the bloodletting on camera can't hold a candle to the carnage that's unfolding behind-the-scenes, and before long it's obvious that the director wasn't kidding when she said she wanted the final cut. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Inspired by the epic Old English poem of the same name, director Robert Zemeckis's digitally rendered film follows the Scandinavian hero Beowulf (Ray Winstone) as he fights to protect the Danes from a ferocious beast named Grendel (Crispin Glover). Though at first Grendel seems invincible, Beowulf eventually manages to defeat him in a desperate battle to the death. Devastated by her son's violent demise at the hands of Beowulf, Grendel's mother (Angelina Jolie) sets out in search of revenge. Later, Beowulf faces the biggest challenge of his life when he attempts to slay a powerful dragon. Anthony Hopkins, Robin Wright Penn, Alison Lohman, John Malkovich, and Brendan Gleeson co-star in an epic fantasy adventure penned by Roger Avary and Neil Gaiman. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

When a group of popular high school students cross the path of a deranged serial killer, the bloody aftermath causes the local residents to lock their doors and cower in fear. Slaughter has come to a small town America, but who could be responsible for such a horrific atrocity? As two detectives attempt to catch a madman responsible for the mayhem, suspicions quickly begin to fall on the school recluse. When the teenage misfit is seen wandering the streets after dark, the locals become convinced that he's the killer. Now, as darkness falls over these suburban streets, the sound of fear is a gentle knock at the front door. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The story of fictional18th Century serial killer Sweeny Todd has frightened theater-goers for over a century, and now the BBC brings this blood-soaked story to the small screen in a ghastly production starring Ray Winstone as the razor-wielding Demon Barber of Fleet Street. In addition to exploring the various heinous acts attributed to the London-based butcher, this production also takes a look back at the events that fueled Sweeny Todd's murderous rampage. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The fourth film to chronicle the life of fourth-century B.C. ruler Alexander the Great, Oliver Stone's Alexander stars Colin Farrell as the titular Macedonian conqueror. The film follows the young king as he leads his forces on a bloody empirical conquest across the known world, taking large parts of Asia and the Middle East to amass a giant empire, all by the time he turned 25. Anthony Hopkins co-stars as Ptolemy I along with Rosario Dawson as Roxane, Angelina Jolie as Olympias, Jared Leto as Hephaistion, Val Kilmer as King Philip II, and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers as Cassander. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Season Four of Degrassi: The Next Generation opens with the two-part "Ghost in the Machine", in which, among other things, Paige (Lauren Collins) has a breakdown after her rapist Dean (Shawn Roberts) walks out of the courtroom a free man; Paige's gay brother Dylan (John Bregar) heads off to college; and several of the relationships forged during the previous season are shown to be null and void, notably the romance between Chris (Daniel Morrison) and Emma (Miriam McDonald). In subsequent episodes, Dylan's former lover Marco (Adamo Ruggiero) overcomes anti-gay hostility to be elected Degrassi class president; Sean (Daniel Clark) takes time out from trying to gain re-admittance to school in order to provide moral support for Ellie (Stacey Farber) after her drunken mother nearly burns down their house; and Spinner (Shane Kippel) gives Paige a hard time as she labors to pay off a debt accrued during the previous season (but it isn't all moans-and-growns for Paige, as she inaugurates a romance with youthful teaching assistant Matt Oleander [Christopher Jacot]). Elsewhere, the mercurial Rick (Ephraim Ellis) hopes to be re-admitted to Degrassi, but his efforts are blocked by Emma, who hasn't forgotten that Rick nearly beat her friend Terri (Christina Schmidt) into a permanent coma. The season's most shocking episode--and one of the most powerful episodes in the entire "Degrassi" saga-- is the two-parter "Time Stands Still." Mercilessly bullied by the other students because of his atrocious behavior and publicly humiliated at a trivia competition, Rick returns to school with a gun and begins methodically mowing down his tormentors, shooting Jimmy (Aubrey Graham) in the spine and nearly "offing" Emma before she is saved by Sean. Understandably, the surviving cast members spend the remainder of the season trying to put the pieces back together and return to normal. Paralyzed from the waist down, Jimmy survives the ordeal of rehab with the help of his friends; Spinner is consumed with guilt, certain that he and he alone had triggered Rick's violent outburst; and in the wake of the tragedy, Principal Raditch is transferred to a different school (an ignominious exit for actor Dan Woods, who'd been part of the "Degrassi" franchise since 1986!) and Ms. Hatzilakos (Melisa DeMarco) is promoted in his place. Also, Craig's (Jake Epstein) behavior becomes increasingly erratic, resulting in a number of appalling displays of temper and a brief stay at a mental hospital, where he is diagnosed with a bipolar disorder. Emma and resident "bad-boy" Jay (Mike Lobel) experiment with oral sex, the result being a bad case of gonnorhea. And Manny (Cassie Steele) causes her rival Paige to break her leg, whereupon Paige formulates a diabolical scheme which culminates in an outrageous display of cruel vengeance on Prom Night. The season concludes with the two-part "Goin' Down the Road", wherein Craig agonizes over the fact that his girlfriend Ashley (Melissa McIntyre) is planning to go London--while another of the grown-up DeGrassi High veterans, Caitlin Ryan (Stacy Mystysyn), is ardently wooed by visiting film director Kevin Smith of Clerks fame! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A female detective on the trail of a psychotic killer discovers love in a dangerous time in this thriller, based on the novel by Michael Pye. Illeana Scott (Angelina Jolie) is a special agent with the FBI who has a reputation for using offbeat methods, but also boasts a strong record as a criminal profiler. Scott is called in by a former Quantico colleague (Tcheky Karyo) to assist two Canadian police detectives, Paquette (Olivier Martinez) and Duval (Jean-Hugues Anglade), who are on the trail of a serial killer who has been doing business in and around Montreal for close to two decades. The murderer has a history of assimilating many aspects of the lives of his victims after he kills them, but there's been a witness to his most recent crime. Art gallery owner James Costa (Ethan Hawke) saw the killer during an assault, and now finds himself working as an only marginally willing decoy for Scott. As Scott and Costa follow the killer's trail, they find themselves becoming attracted to one another, which is not necessarily a comfort to Scott as she finds her quarry moving closer and closer. Taking Lives also stars Kiefer Sutherland and Gena Rowlands. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Weary of the masks he wears and the lies he tells, an unscrupulous used car salesman resolves to win back his wife, become a better role model for his son, and stop ripping off his unsuspecting customers in the inspirational feature directorial debut of Facing the Giants director Alex Kendrick. Jay Austin (Kendrik) is the kind of used car salesman that customers fears most - dishonest, manipulative, and constantly smiling as he sends another lemon driving off the lot. Eventually Austin's deceptive ways catch up with him, prompting him to take serious stock of his life from the ground up. Now, as Austin begins working to get his classic convertible back on the road, the repairs he performs under the hood begin to reflect the personal transformation that he is going through at home and at work. Determined to turn his life around for good this time, Austin soon finds out just how good things can get when he begins applying the philosophy of Jesus Christ to everyday life. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide