Hunters and their prey–Neil and his professional criminal crew hunt to score big money targets (banks, vaults, armored cars) and are, in turn, hunted by Lt. Vincent Hanna and his team of cops in the Robbery/Homicide police division. A botched job puts Hanna onto their trail while they regroup and try to put together one last big ‘retirement’ score. Neil and Vincent are similar in many ways, including their troubled personal lives. At a crucial moment in his life, Neil disobeys the dictum taught to him long ago by his criminal mentor–’Never have anything in your life that you can’t walk out on in thirty seconds flat, if you spot the heat coming around the corner’–as he falls in love. Thus the stage is set for the suspenseful ending…. Written by Tad Dibbern {DIBBERN_D@a1.mscf.upenn.edu}

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Young FBI agent Clarice Starling is assigned to help find a missing woman to save her from a psychopathic serial killer who skins his victims. Clarice attempts to gain a better insight into the twisted mind of the killer by talking to another psychopath Hannibal Lecter, who used to be a respected psychiatrist. FBI agent Jack Crawford believes that Lecter who is also a very powerful and clever mind manipulator have the answers to their questions to help locate the killer. Clarice must first try and gain Lecter’s confidence before he is to give away any information. Written by Sami Al-Taher {staher2000@yahoo.com}

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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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Julia Roberts is one lucky woman. In “Ocean’s Eleven,” she’s the only female in a cast consisting of handsome - and talented - hunks, including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Andy Garcia. It must have been quite a sacrifice on her part to put up with such tough working conditions.

Award-winning director Steven Soderbergh did not rely heavily on the original Rat Pack version of the film while shooting his updated “Ocean’s Eleven.” Soderbergh states, “The original ‘Ocean’s Eleven‘ is probably more notorious than it is good. It was the first time that the Rat Pack appeared en masse in a film. They were the epitome of cool and none of us felt like we wanted to compare ourselves to them or to what they were up to. You can’t beat that. We took a completely different tack.”

George Clooney notes, “The truth is, most people never saw the original ‘Ocean’s Eleven.’ They just think they have because those guys were the coolest. Nobody touches Frank and Sammy and Dean, and we won’t ever be that cool. But we do have a really great story.”

Romance plays a major role in Soderbergh’s version of “Ocean’s Eleven.” Danny Ocean (Clooney) gets out of jail and immediately hooks up with old buddies in Las Vegas. Far from being rehabilitated, Danny hatches a plot to break into the supposedly impregnable vaults of Vegas’ three largest casinos. And why does he select these particular casinos? In large part because of the fact that Terry Benedict (Garcia) owns them, and Terry just happens to be involved with Danny’s ex-wife, Tess (Roberts). It’s amazing what some men will do to win back the heart of a woman. Danny still loves and desires Tess, but she’s tired of his choice of career. Danny confronts Tess as he tries to manipulate his way back into her life, while shoving Terry out of it. Danny and Tess’ fast-paced, sharp exchanges of dialogue are exquisite, highlighting the chemistry between the two characters, and between the actors themselves.

Roberts recalls, “When I read the script, I was even more pleased because my part was such great fun. Danny and Tess are so precise in the way that they speak to each other that you can see all the levels and emotions that go on between the two of them.”

Roberts describes her character as “more than just the girl. There’s intrigue and she has some difficult crosses to bear. Tess and Terry are supposed to be boyfriend-girlfriend, but then Tess has to keep evaluating her relationship with her ex-husband. So nothing is as it seems really.”

Does “Ocean’s Eleven” work in 2001? It does in that it succeeds in being entertaining, fast-paced, and just plain fun. “Ocean’s Eleven” serves up some of Hollywood’s biggest stars in a film that’s as enjoyable to watch as it evidently was to film. Clooney may believe this cast isn’t as cool as the original Rat Pack, but the onscreen antics of Clooney, Pitt, Damon, Garcia, and the rest of this talented ensemble, come close to the epitome of movie coolness.

Rebecca Murray
Hollywood Movies Guide

Jeff Talley, a former LAPD hostage negotiator, has moved himself away from his failed career outside of Los Angeles, and away from his wife and daughter. When a convenience store robbery goes wrong in his turf, the three perpetrators move in on an unsuspecting family. But the family’s father has a secret which might compromise his kin, and one of the criminals is about to jump over the edge. Jeff Talley has to get everybody to survive the night……if he can. Written by Jay Cohen (chefjaybc@gtctelecom.com)

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When his daughter is kidnapped and held in exchange for priceless diamonds, the leader of a crew of highly skilled urban thieves (DMX) forges an unlikely alliance with a Taiwanese Intelligence officer (Jet Li) to rescue her. Their race against the clock to find the precious stones ultimately unravels a plot to distribute a deadly new weapon of war. Written by PhatBleek

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Narcotics cops Mike Lowrey (Smith) and Marcus Bennett (Lawrence) head up a task force investigating the flow of ecstasy into Miami. Their search leads to a dangerous kingpin, whose plan to control the city’s drug traffic has touched off an underground war. Meanwhile, things get sexy between Mike and Syd (Union), Marcus’s sister. Written by Anonymous

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Fate deals young orphan Matt Murdock a strange hand when he is doused with hazardous waste. The accident leaves Matt blind but also gives him a heightened “radar sense” that allows him to “see” far better than any man. Years later Murdock has grown into a man and becomes a respected criminal attorney. But after he’s done his “day job” Matt takes on a secret identity as “The Man Without Fear,” Daredevil, the masked avenger that patrols the neighborhood of Hell’s Kitchen and New York City to combat the injustice that he cannot tackle in the courtroom. Written by Anonymous

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Roper, a hostage negotiator catches a murderous bank robber after a blown heist. The bank robber escapes and immediately goes after the man who put him behind bars. The ending is played out with Roper and his partner McCall attempting to rescue Roper’s kidnapped girlfriend. A major element in the plot is the relationship between Roper and his girlfriend. Written by P.Wong {pwong@nt.net}

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After the terrifying events in LA, John McClane (Willis) is about to go through it all again. A team of terrorists, led by Col. Stuart (Sadler) is holding the entire airport hostage. The terrorists are planning to rescue a drug lord from justice. In order to do so, they have seized control of all electrical equipment affecting all planes. With no runway lights available, all aircraft have to remain in the air, with fuel running low, McClane will need to be fast. Written by Film_Fan

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