Total Number of Movies in Joel’s Collection: 1,338 Page Number: 22 / 27
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U-571

Director: Jonathan Mostow
Starring: Bill Paxton, Matthew McConaughey, Harvey Keitel, Tom Guiry, Thomas Kretschmann
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
Studio: Universal Studios
My Rating:
Rated: PG-13
Rating: 6.5 (48,514 votes)
Release: Apr 2000
Summary: Taut and gripping, "U-571" follows the exploits of a fictional team of World War II U.S. submariners who undertake a secret mission to capture a German Enigma machine to decode German documents. Writer-director Jonathan Mostow ("Breakdown") tells an intense, economical tale, reminiscent of the best classic war films, while infusing it with modern sentiments.
Spring 1942: A crew of young submarine sailors are on a much-needed 48-hour liberty when they're suddenly called together and engaged in an expedition. At the helm are Lieutenant Commander Mike Dahlgren (Bill Paxton), Lieutenant Andrew Tyler (Matthew McConaughey), and Chief Klough (Harvey Keitel). Other pivotal crew members include Tyler's Annapolis pal Lieutenant Pete Emmett (Jon Bon Jovi, proving his acting mettle) and Lieutenant Hirsch (Jake Weber), who, along with Marine Major Coonan (David Keith), organizes the mission. As much of the movie takes place in a submarine during WWII, there are inevitable comparisons with the technical masterpiece "Das Boot", but Mostow's masterfully shot tale can hold its own.
McConaughey's Tyler is believably earnest as he comes to grips with the reality, tragedy, and consequence of being in command. While this explosion-filled film consistently maintains its tense pace (as did the underrated "Breakdown"), it also presents with surprising restraint a genuine human story--and the remarkable journey of an unexpected hero. "--N.F. Mendoza"
 

Ultraviolet

Director: Kurt Wimmer
Starring: Milla Jovovich, Cameron Bright, Nick Chinlund, William Fichtner, Ida Martin, Sebastien Andrieu, Digger Mesch, David Collier, Ricardo Mamood-Vega, Ryan Martin, Kieran O'Rorke, Steven Calcote, Jennifer Caputo, Clay Cullen, Jack Murphy, Diego Swing, Mike Smith, Theodore Thomas, Abraham Boyd, Matthew Sturgess
Genre: Science Fiction, Action, Thriller
Studio: Screen Gems
My Rating:
Rated: PG-13
Rating: 4.3 (53,435 votes)
Release: Mar 2006
Summary: A beautiful hemophage infected with a virus that gives her superhuman powers has to protect a boy in a futuristic world, who is thought to be carrying antigens that would destroy all hemophages.
 

Unbreakable

Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Starring: Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Robin Wright, Spencer Treat Clark, Charlayne Woodard
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
Studio: Touchstone Pictures
My Rating:
Rated: PG-13
Rating: 7.2 (168,211 votes)
Release: Nov 2000
Summary: Willis plays a Philadelphia security guard whose marriage is on the verge of failing when he becomes the sole, unscathed survivor of a devastating train wreck. When prompted by a mysterious, brittle-boned connoisseur of comic books (Samuel L. Jackson), he realizes that he's been free of illness and injury his entire life, lending credence to Jackson's theory that superheroes--and villains--exist in reality, and that Willis himself possesses extraordinary powers. Shyamalan presents these revelations with matter-of-fact gravity, and he draws performances (including those of Robin Wright Penn and Spencer Treat Clark, as Willis's wife and son) that are uniformly superb. The film's climactic revelation may strike some as ultimately silly and trivial, but if you're on Shyamalan's wavelength, the entire film will assume a greater degree of success and achievement. "--Jeff Shannon"
 

Uncle Buck

Director: John Hughes
Starring: John Candy
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Family
Studio: NBC Universal
My Rating:
Rated: PG
Rating: 6.8 (42,597 votes)
Release: Apr 2008
Summary: John Candy has one of his finest opportunities in this film by John Hughes ("The Breakfast Club") about a perpetual screw-up (Candy) who gets his act together enough to watch over his brother's kids effectively. The late actor scores big points resurrecting elements of his more decadent persona from "SCTV" days, but he also has some persuasively touching, sentimental moments. Hughes's direction is not as focused as it was only a few years before, but there's no mistaking his touch. "--Tom Keogh"
 

Undefeated

Director: Daniel Lindsay, T.J. Martin
Starring: O.C. Brown, Bill Courtney, Montrail 'Money' Brown, Chavis Daniels
Genre: Documentary, Sport
Studio: ANCHOR BAY
My Rating:
Rated: PG-13
Rating: 7.3 (2,507 votes)
Release: Feb 2011
Summary: A documentary that follows the Manassas Tigers football team, a severely underfunded and underprivileged football team -- who were even hired out as a practice team for more successful schools -- as they reverse their fortunes, thanks to coach Bill Courtney.
 

Under Siege

Director: Andrew Davis
Starring: Steven Seagal, Gary Busey, Tommy Lee Jones, Erika Eleniak, Colm Meaney
Genre: Action, Adventure
Studio: American Broadcasting Company (ABC)
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 6.3 (43,467 votes)
Release: Oct 1992
Summary: Steven Seagal can consider himself lucky if he ever makes a better movie than this one, which was appropriately dubbed ""Die Hard" on a battleship" when released in 1992. Seagal handles the heroic duties with his usual wooden efficiency, but the movie's greatest assets are a punchy script and the scene-stealing performances of Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey. The two play leaders of a terrorist group who take over the venerable battleship USS "Missouri" during its final commissioned voyage. They're crazed psychotics who seize control of the ship's nuclear arsenal, but they don't know that Seagal--as the ship's cook, no less--is a former Navy hero, lurking in the shadows and waiting to spoil their nefarious scheme. Director Andrew Davis ("The Fugitive") helms the action with skillful style, and as the cheesecake stripper who proves handy with a hand grenade, "Playboy" Playmate-turned-actress Erika Eleniak gives Seagal another reason to strut his macho stuff. "Under Siege" is hormonal hokum for gun-happy viewers, but as action movies go, this one's a definite guilty pleasure. "--Jeff Shannon"
 

Under the Bed

Director: Steven C. Miller
Starring: Jonny Weston, Gattlin Griffith, Peter Holden, Musetta Vander, Kelcie Stranahan, Bryan Rasmussen, Nikki Griffin, Tyler Steelman, Sam Kindseth, Ron Roggé, Griffin Kohout, Garrett Jones, Walter Miranda, Mario E. Garcia, Sarmarie Klein
Genre: Horror
Studio: Site B
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 4.2 (454 votes)
Release: Jul 2013
Summary: Two brothers team up to battle a creature under the bed, in what is being described as a "suburban nightmare" tale.
 

Underworld

Director: Len Wiseman
Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Michael Sheen, Bill Nighy
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Thriller
Studio: Screen Gems
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 6.9 (139,276 votes)
Release: Sep 2003
Summary: A war has been raging between the Vampires and Lycan for centuries, Selene (Beckinsale) is a death dealer, assigned to hunt down and eradicate the last of the Lycan. When she comes across Michael Corvin(Speedman)who holds the key to end the war she must decide where her alligances will lie.
 

Underworld: Awakening

Director: Måns Mårlind, Björn Stein
Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Stephen Rea, Michael Ealy, Theo James, India Eisley
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Horror
Studio: Screen Gems
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 6.8 (20,171 votes)
Release: Jan 2012
Summary: Mankind discover the existence of the Vampire and Lycan species and they begin a war to annihilate the races. When Selene meets with Michael in the harbor, they are hit by a grenade and Selene passes out. Twelve years later, Selene awakes from a cryogenic sleep in the Antigen laboratory and meets the Vampire David. She learns that she had been the subject of the scientist Dr. Jacob Lane and the Vampire and Lycan species have been practically eradicated from Earth. But Selene is still connected to Michael and has visions that she believes that belongs to Michael's sight. However she has a surprise and finds that she has a powerful daughter named Eve that has been raised in the laboratory. Now Selene and David have to protect Eve against the Lycans that intend to use her to inoculate their species against silver.
 

Underworld: Evolution

Director: Len Wiseman
Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Tony Curran, Shane Brolly, Steven Mackintosh
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Studio: Screen Gems
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 6.7 (103,820 votes)
Release: Jan 2006
Summary: Underworld: Evolution continues the saga of war between the vampires and the Lycans. The film goes back to the beginnings of the ancient feud between the two tribes as Selene, the beautiful vampire heroine, and Michael, the lycan hybrid, try to unlock the secrets of their bloodlines. This will be a modern tale of action, intrigue and forbidden love, which takes them into the battle to end all wars as the immortals must finally face their retribution.
 

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans

Director: Patrick Tatopoulos
Starring: Michael Sheen, Bill Nighy, Rhona Mitra, Steven Mackintosh, Kevin Grevioux
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 6.5 (74,020 votes)
Release: Jan 2009
Summary: The prequel story traces the origins of the centuries-old blood feud between the aristocratic vampires and their onetime slaves, the Lycans. In the Dark Ages, a young Lycan named Lucian emerges as a powerful leader who rallies the werewolves to rise up against Viktor, the cruel vampire king who has enslaved them. Lucian is joined by his secret lover, Sonja, in his battle against the Vampire army and his struggle for Lycan freedom.
 

Unicorn City

Director: Bryan Lefler
Starring: Devin McGinn, Jaclyn Hales, Jon Gries, Matt Mattson
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Studio: Gravitas Ventures LLC
My Rating:
Rated: PG
Rating: 5.6 (529 votes)
Release: Jul 2012
Summary: Voss is a gamer who is unemployed and looking for work. When a management position opens up at a gaming company, he interviews but lacks evidence of leadership abilities necessary to land the job. Given a week to prove himself, Voss does the only thing rational adult would do; create a Utopian society for gamers. Voss convinces his gaming guild to follow him into the mountains and has Marsha, his best friend, document his abilities. However things get complicated when Shadow Hawk, his gaming nemesis, arrives to over throw Voss' kingdom.
 

United 93

Director: Paul Greengrass
Starring: J.J. Johnson, Gary Commock, Polly Adams (II), Opal Alladin, Starla Benford
Genre: Drama
Studio: Universal Studios
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 4.5 (196 votes)
Release: Sep 2006
Summary: One of the most shocking events in modern American history gets a skilled and respectful treatment in "United 93". The movie begins by following the four terrorists who hijacked the plane that never reached its target on 9/11/2001, tracking them as they enter the airport and wait for their flight, surrounded by the people who will die from their actions. From there, it cuts to and fro among air traffic controllers and the military as, gradually, it becomes clear that planes are being hijacked and crashed into buildings. As the focus turns to the captive United Flight 93, the passengers discover, due to cell phone connections with family, that they're on a suicide mission and--almost paralyzed by stress and anxiety--decide to fight back. Most movies create tension by implying what "might" happen, but with "United 93" the audience knows "exactly" what happened: Every person on that plane died. As a result, the movie is more relentlessly gut-wrenching than suspenseful (though the dawning realization of the air traffic controllers has an effective creeping dread). But writer/director Paul Greengrass ("The Bourne Supremacy") manages to keep the scale of the events human; there are no glamorous heroics, only terrifying confusion and desperate, hopeless bravery. One can only hope the movie brings some peace to the families of the passengers, as "United 93" is the cinematic equivalent of a war memorial, commemorating lives lost in a moment of horrible, harrowing conflict. "--Bret Fetzer"
 

Universal Soldier

Director: Roland Emmerich
Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, Ally Walker, Ed O'Ross, Jerry Orbach
Genre: Action, Adventure
Studio: Live / Artisan
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 5.8 (46,871 votes)
Release: Jul 1992
Summary: Director Roland Emmerich ("Independence Day")fortunately brings some crackle to this otherwise unexciting sci-fi drama about two once-dead, biologically-regenerated soldiers (Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren) who turn against one another when Van Damme's character has memories of his previous life. Emmerich is typically only as good as his scripts, and this one is pretty flat. The two stars do exactly what you'd expect them to do and nothing more. "--Tom Keogh"
 

Unknown

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Starring: Liam Neeson, January Jones
Genre: Television
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
My Rating:
Rated: PG-13
Rating: 6.9 (133,559 votes)
Release: Jun 2011
Summary: The surprise hit "Taken", from 2008, contained a number of red meat pleasures, but chief among them was Liam Neeson's reinvention as an action hero, turning his trademark wounded brusqueness and gentle-giant physique towards new, head-clunking avenues. Despite an ad campaign that makes it appear to be a direct action-packed continuation of that earlier film, "Unknown" proves to be a somewhat different creature--a sleek mystery that occasionally gives in to temptation and lets its hulking star call down the righteous thunder. Based on a novel by Didier Van Cauwelaert, the story follows a mild-mannered botanist in Berlin with his wife ("Mad Men"'s January Jones) for a mysterious scientific conference. After a freak car accident, he wakes up in the hospital with scrambled memories, missing identification, and--most ominously--someone else claiming to be him. Director Jaume Collet-Serra, previously responsible for the admirably berserko "Orphan", handles the early paranoiac cloak-and-dagger passages with aplomb (and delivers one quick beaut of a car chase), but proves less sure-footed when the story drifts towards more conventional "Bourne"-style punch-ups. Thankfully, Neeson does a fine job keeping things grounded whenever the narrative starts to wander, with able support from Diane Kruger as a cab driver unwillingly along for the ride. There's the germ of a genuinely intriguing, thoughtful thriller inside "Unknown"--particularly during a superbly minimalist scene between supporting cast members Frank Langella and Bruno Ganz--but it mostly seems content to stay within the realm of a high-pedigreed, reasonably taut action film. Which isn't all that bad of a thing, really. "--Andrew Wright"
 

The Untouchables

Director: Brian De Palma
Starring: Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Robert De Niro, Charles Martin Smith, Andy Garcia
Genre: Action, Adventure
Studio: Paramount
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 8.0 (150,489 votes)
Release: Oct 2004
Summary: As noted critic Pauline Kael wrote, the 1987 box-office hit "The Untouchables" is "like an attempt to visualize the public's collective dream of Chicago gangsters." In other words, this lavish reworking of the vintage TV series is a rousing potboiler from a bygone era, so beautifully designed and photographed--and so craftily directed by Brian De Palma--that the historical reality of Prohibition-era Chicago could only pale in comparison. From a script by David Mamet, the movie pits four underdog heroes (the maverick lawmen known as the Untouchables) against a singular villain in Al Capone, played by Robert De Niro as a dapper caesar holding court (and a baseball bat) against any and all challengers. Kevin Costner is the naive federal agent Eliot Ness, whose lack of experience is tempered by the streetwise alliance of a seasoned Chicago cop (Sean Connery, in an Oscar-winning performance), a rookie marksman (Andy Garcia), and an accountant (Charles Martin Smith) who holds the key to Capone's potential downfall. The movie approaches greatness on the strength of its set pieces, such as the siege near the Canadian border, the venal ambush at Connery's apartment, and the train-station shootout partially modeled after the "Odessa steps" sequences of the Russian classic Battleship Potemkin. It's thrilling stuff, fueled by Ennio Morricone's dynamic score, but it's also manipulative and obvious. If you're inclined to be critical, the movie gives you reason to complain. If you'd rather sit back and enjoy a first-rate production with an all-star cast, The Untouchables may very well strike you as a classic. "--Jeff Shannon"
 

Up

Director: Bob Peterson, Pete Docter
Starring: Edward Asner, Jordan Nagai, John Ratzenberger, Christopher Plummer, Bob Peterson
Genre: Animation
Studio: Disney*Pixar
My Rating:
Rated: PG
Rating: 8.3 (330,439 votes)
Release: Nov 2009
Summary: At a time when too many animated films consist of anthropomorphized animals cracking sitcom one-liners and flatulence jokes, the warmth, originality, humor, and unflagging imagination of Up feel as welcome as rain in a desert. Carl Fredericksen (voice by Ed Asner) ranks among the most unlikely heroes in recent animation history. A 78- year-old curmudgeon, he enjoyed his modest life as a balloon seller because he shared it with his adventurous wife Ellie (Ellie Docter). But she died, leaving him with memories and the awareness that they never made their dream journey to Paradise Falls in South America. When well-meaning officials consign Carl to Shady Oaks Retirement Home, he rigs thousands of helium balloons to his house and floats to South America. The journey's scarcely begun when he discovers a stowaway: Russell (Jordan Nagai), a chubby, maladroit Wilderness Explorer Scout who's out to earn his Elderly Assistance Badge. In the tropical jungle, Carl and Russell find more than they bargained for: Charles Muntz (Christopher Plummer), a crazed explorer whose newsreels once inspired Carl and Ellie; Kevin, an exotic bird with a weakness for chocolate; and Dug (Bob Peterson), an endearingly dim golden retriever fitted with a voice box. More importantly, the travelers discover they need each other: Russell needs a (grand)father figure; Carl needs someone to enliven his life without Ellie. Together, they learn that sharing ice-cream cones and counting the passing cars can be more meaningful than feats of daring-do and distant horizons. Pete Docter (Monsters, Inc. ) and Bob Peterson direct the film with consummate skill and taste, allowing the poignant moments to unfold without dialogue to Michael Giacchnio's vibrant score. Building on their work in The Incredibles and Ratatouille, the Pixar crew offers nuanced animation of the stylized characters. Even by Pixar's elevated standards, Up is an exceptional film that will appeal of audiences of all ages. Rated PG for some peril and action. --Charles Solomon
 

Up in the Air

Director: Jason Reitman
Starring: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick
Genre: Drama, Romance
Studio: Paramount
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 7.5 (179,792 votes)
Release: Dec 2009
Summary: Ryan Bingham is a corporate downsizing expert whose cherished life on the road is threatened just as he is on the cusp of reaching ten million frequent flyer miles and just after he's met the frequent-traveler woman of his dreams.
 

Upside Down

Director: Juan Solanas
Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Jim Sturgess, Timothy Spall, Agnieshka Wnorowska, Jayne Heitmeyer
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance, Sci-Fi
Studio: Jouror Productions
My Rating:
Rated: PG-13
Rating: 6.4 (10,302 votes)
Release: Mar 2013
Summary: Adam is a seemingly ordinary guy in a very extraordinary universe. He lives humbly trying to make ends meet, but his romantic spirit holds on to the memory of a girl he loved once upon a time from another world, an inverted affluent world with its own gravity, directly above but beyond reach... a girl named Eden. Their childhood flirtation becomes an impossible love. But when he catches a glimpse of grownup Eden on television, nothing will get in the way of getting her back... Not even the law or science!
 

Upstream Color

Director: Shane Carruth
Starring: Andrew Sensenig, Shane Carruth, Amy Seimetz, Brina Palencia, Mollie Milligan
Genre: Sci-Fi
Studio: erbp
My Rating:
Rated: Unrated
Release: Apr 2013
Summary: A man and woman are drawn together, entangled in the life cycle of an ageless organism. Identity becomes an illusion as they struggle to assemble the loose fragments of wrecked lives.
 

The Usual Suspects

Director: Bryan Singer
Starring: Gabriel Byrne, Kevin Spacey, Chazz Palminteri
Genre: Action, Adventure
Studio: Mgm/Ua Studios
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 4.5 (469 votes)
Release: Dec 1999
Summary: The Usual Suspects is one of those movies I've heard legendary tales of for years but that I never got around to watching. The DVD I watched was the original disc (not the fancy new one), and since this movie came out ten years ago the audio and visual quality were pretty bad. But since this is an old-fashioned movie in the sense that it wants to entertain by telling a real story with interesting characters instead of putting all its hopes in flashy special effects, the bad quality of the technology didn't actually matter. The plot is rather confusing, involving the complex lives of five career criminals, strange underground crime deals, and an unseen, mysterious crime boss hovering over all the action. In one sense the film is a traditional whodunit, but as the viewer gets deeper into the story, you not only begin to wonder who did it but what it actually was that he did, since the main story is being told by one of the criminals, and you are never quite sure if he is telling the truth. The screenwriter obviously put a lot of thought into the story, as this is one of the smartest crime films I've ever seen, and it contains surprises for the viewer on a Shyamalanesque scale. It's a joy to watch filmmaking of this caliber, and now I know why the X-Men series has done so well in Singer's capable hands.