Denzel Washington and Clive Owen deliver first-rate performances in director Spike Lee’s “Inside Man,” a clever, engaging film that’s considerably better than the average heist movie.

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William Friedkin’s gritty police drama portrays two tough New York City cops trying to intercept a huge heroin shipment coming from France. An interesting contrast is established between ‘Popeye’ Doyle, a short-tempered alcoholic bigot who is nevertheless a hard-working and dedicated police officer, and his nemesis Alain Charnier, a suave and urbane gentleman who is nevertheless a criminal and one of the largest drug suppliers of pure heroin to North America. During the surveillance and eventual bust, Friedkin provides one of the most gripping and memorable car chase sequences ever filmed. Written by Tad Dibbern {DIBBERN_D@a1.mscf.upenn.edu}

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1950’s Los Angeles is the seedy backdrop for this intricate noir-ish tale of police corruption and Hollywood sleaze. Three very different cops are all after the truth, each in their own style: Ed Exley, the golden boy of the police force, willing to do almost anything to get ahead, except sell out; Bud White, ready to break the rules to seek justice, but barely able to keep his raging violence under control; and Jack Vincennes, always looking for celebrity and a quick buck until his conscience drives him to join Exley and White down the one-way path to find the truth behind the dark world of L.A. crime. Written by Greg Bole {bole@life.bio.sunysb.edu}

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A film about two homicide detectives’ desperate hunt for a serial killer who justifies his crimes as absolution for the world’s ignorance of the Seven Deadly Sins. The movie takes us from the tortured remains of one victim to the next as the sociopathic “John Doe” sermonizes to Detectives Sommerset and Mills — one sin at a time. The sin of Gluttony comes first and the murderer’s terrible capacity is graphically demonstrated in the dark and subdued tones characteristic of film noir. The seasoned and cultured Sommerset researches the Seven Deadly Sins in an effort to understand the killer’s modus operandi while green Detective Mills scoffs at his efforts to get inside the mind of a killer… Written by Mark Fleetwood {mfleetwo@mail.coin.missouri.edu}

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There’s an eerie, otherworldly feel to the way director Michael Mann (“The Insider,” “Heat”) has portrayed the City of Angels in “Collateral.” Los Angeles at night is a whole different beast and in Mann’s hands, the city itself becomes a living, breathing character. Dark and brooding, the LA depicted in “Collateral” provides the perfect backdrop to this intense action thriller.

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Michael is a recovering alcoholic/drug user. Back on the wagon, he’s now responsible for a young, beautiful, and pregnant wife. He’s working the graveyard shift at a gas station to support his new family, but the job drives him crazy. Then a wealthy stranger, Stuart, enters Michael’s life, taking Michael through a tour of the seediest and slimiest parts of L.A. underbelly. Is Stuart leading Michael to hell, or salvation? Written by Martin Lewison {milst1@yahoo.com}

Lemony Snicket narra las peripecias de los pequeños Baudelaire, que recien han quedado huerfanos tras ser quemada su elegante mansion, herederos de una gran fortuna, de pronto sus vidas se ven envueltas en grave peligro debido a la codicia del Conde Olaf, quien intenta por todos los medios, quedarse con la jugosa herencia. Asi los niños pasan a caer bajo la custodia de excentricos parientes que van siendo eliminados por el malvado Conde Olaf, que termina siendo desenmascarado tras el fallido intento de casarse con la pequeña Violet. (Lemony Snicket narrates the incidents of small children Baudelaire that newly have been orphan after being burnt its elegant mansion, heirs of a great fortune, suddenly its lives are wrapped in serious danger due to the Count’s greed who attempts by all possible means, to keep the great inheritance. The children pass this way to fall under the custody of kindred eccentrics relatives who are being eliminated by the evil Count Olaf that finishes being exposed after the bankrupt intent of marrying small Violet.) Written by ruvarjoel

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All Tess Trueheart wants is to settle down to a quiet life with her boyfriend, detective Dick Tracy. But there’s something pretty rotten going on in town, with someone pretty rotten behind it, and Tracy has his hands full with the likes of villain Big Boy Caprice and with the almost irresistable Breathless Mahoney. Written by Jeremy Perkins {jwp@aber.ac.uk}

Jackie Chan’s bread and butter has always been his otherworldly ability to take any prop, use it as a fighting weapon, and make the subsequent action sequence look like poetry in motion. Chan strays from that tried and true formula in “The Medallion,” a mish-mash of styles and genres that never feels comfortable with itself for more than a scene or two.

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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.