Set in the 1970s in a metropolis called “Bay City,” this is the tale of two police detective partners, Ken “Hutch” Hutchinson (Wilson), and Dave Starsky (Stiller), who always seem to get the toughest cases from their boss, Captain Dobey, rely on omniscient street informer Huggy Bear (Dogg) and race to the scene of the crimes in their souped-up 1974 Ford Torino hot rod, telling the story of their first big case (as a prequel to the TV show), which involved a former college campus drug dealer (Vaughn) who went on to become a white collar criminal (Electra plays Hutch’s girlfriend). Written by Austin4577@aol.com

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“One Hour Photo” is one of those films that springs from an interesting, original premise and then doesn’t know what to do with itself once it’s halfway complete. The thought of a lonely guy behind the photo counter at a convenience store watching one particular family as they progress from newlyweds to young parents, imagining himself as a beloved uncle, carrying on a twisted secret life wrapped around his make-believe involvement in their lives, is an incredibly chilling prospect and the set-up for what should have been a captivating, suspenseful movie. Unfortunately, what’s on the screen isn’t nearly as riveting as expected.

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If “The Passion of the Christ” didn’t have the backing of a Hollywood player such as Mel Gibson, it’s extremely likely this movie would have been shown in a handful of art house theaters or gone straight to video. With someone as powerful and connected as Gibson behind it, “The Passion of The Christ” is finding wide release throughout the United States, with some theaters showing the film on multiple screens, and many showings bought out well in advance.

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When not solving murders in Tinseltown, Detective Joe Gavilan and his rookie partner Kasey Calden both moonlight in other fields: Gavilan sells real estate (poorly), and Calden aspires to become an actor (Brando, namely). Assigned to the vicious in-club slaying of a promising young rap act, the two detective delve into the recording industry where they hope to find answers - ideally ones that also come with property buyers or auditions.

Sydney Pollack returns to the land of thrillers with “The Interpreter,” a timely, thought-provoking drama with a superb cast and an interesting premise. A little long-winded and sometimes confusing, “The Interpreter” benefits from solid performances by Nicole Kidman, Sean Penn, and Catherine Keener.

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Remake of the 1932 film, which follows the rise of Tony Montana, a Cuban emigre who, with his friend Manny Ray, builds a strong criminal empire in early 1980’s Miami. Written by Stephen Currence {billyc@erols.com}

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Barr is a psychiatrist who falls in love with the sister of one of his clients. She’s beautiful and married (to a gangster). She hates her husband but is unable to escape from him. To avoid spoilers, someone dies, but who did what and why ? Written by Rob Hartill

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The career of a disillusioned producer, who is desperate for a hit, is endangered when his star walks off the film set. Forced to think fast, the producer decides to digitally create an actress “Simone” to sub for the star–the first totally believable synthetic actress. The “actress” becomes an overnight sensation, with a major singing career as well, and everyone thinks she’s a real person. However, as Simone’s fame skyrockets, he cannot bear to admit his fraud to himself or the world. Written by Sujit R. Varma

When Sam Merrick (Rory Culkin) is beaten up by local bully George Tooney (Josh Peck), Sam’s older brother Rocky (Trevor Morgan) and his friends Clyde (Ryan Kelley) and Marty (Scott Mechlowicz) plan to pretend it’s Sam’s birthday to “invite” George on a boat trip in which they would dare him to strip naked, jump in the lake, and run home naked. But when Sam, his girlfriend Millie (Carly Schroeder), Rocky, and Clyde see George as not much of a bad guy, they want to call off the plan, but Marty refuses. Will the plan go ahead as planned? Written by Seth Waters *AshTFrankFurter2*

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