Alphaville Films (USA): 12

Pet Sematary (2019) is an American horror film directed by Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer. Based on Stephen King’s 1983 novel of the same name, it is the second adaptation of the story. Louis Creed, an ER doctor from Boston, Massachusetts, relocates to Ludlow, Maine with his family after losing their home. With his wife Rachel, their two children, Ellie and Gage, and their cat Church in tow, they settle into small-town life. During an exploration of the nearby woods, Rachel and Ellie come across a group of children ...

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008), an American action adventure fantasy film directed by Rob Cohen, is a story about a warlord who becomes the Dragon Emperor and unites China’s kingdoms to form an empire. The warlord then leads a civil war to establish the Qin dynasty and burns books and scrolls in the process. He also orders the construction of the Great Wall of China and buries his enemies’ remains underneath it. In addition, he discovers how to control fire, water, earth, wood, and metal using traditional Chinese elements known as Wuxing. However, fearing that his death will undo all he has ...

Intolerable Cruelty (2003), an American romantic comedy directed by the Coen brothers, follows Donovan Donaly, a TV soap opera producer who discovers his wife Bonnie with an ex-boyfriend. After filing for divorce, Bonnie hires Miles Massey, a renowned divorce attorney known for his ‘Massey pre-nup’ which guarantees airtight prenuptial agreements. As Donaly is left bankrupt from the settlement, private investigator Gus Petch captures wealthy and married Rex Rexroth in a drunken affair with a blonde. When Gus presents the video to Marylin Rexroth, a woman infamous for marrying for money, she demands a hefty ...

Dark Blue (2002) is an American crime thriller film, directed by Ron Shelton and written by David Ayer, based on a story by novelist James Ellroy. The setting is Los Angeles in 1992. We are immediately introduced to LAPD Sergeant Eldon Perry who is seen pacing nervously with a shotgun and pistol in a motel room. The scene then shifts back five days earlier when two men, Darryl Orchard and Gary Sidwell, rob a convenience store and commit murder in the process. These events trigger an internal hearing for Detective Bobby ...

The Scorpion King (2002), an action adventure film directed by Chuck Russell, features Dwayne Johnson in the lead role. Set before the time of the pyramids, it tells the story of a powerful conqueror named Memnon who terrorizes local tribes with his sorcerer’s foresight. Only three true Akkadians, Mathayus, Jesup, and Rama, are left to face the threat and are hired by King Pheron to kill Memnon’s sorcerer for twenty blood rubies. Sneaking into Memnon’s camp, they are ambushed by guards who were warned by Pheron’s son Takmet, a traitor who kills his ...

The Mummy Returns (2001) is an American adventure horror film written and directed by Stephen Sommers. Set in 3067 B.C., the movie tells the story of the Scorpion King, a formidable warrior who leads an army in an attempt to conquer the world. After their defeat, they are banished to the desert of Ahm Shere where the Scorpion King makes a desperate deal with Anubis – exchanging his soul for power to defeat his enemies. In return, Anubis conjures up an oasis and golden pyramid, along with an army of jackal-like warriors to help him conquer Egypt. However, once his purpose is served, Anubis claims his soul and sends the ...

The Gift (2000) is the American paranormal thriller film, directed by Sam Raimi and written by Billy Bob Thornton and Tom Epperson, centers around widow Annie Wilson, a clairvoyant in Brixton, Georgia. She has visions of her grandmother and uses her abilities to help others. After Jessica King, the fiancée of the school principal Wayne Collins, goes missing, Annie receives a vision that she has been killed and thrown into the pond. Despite initial skepticism from local sheriff Pearl Johnson, Annie informs him of her vision ...

The Mummy (1999), an American action-adventure film written and directed by Stephen Sommers, is a remake of the 1932 film with the same title. In ancient Egypt, high priest Imhotep engages in an illicit affair with Anck-su-Namun, the mistress of Pharaoh Seti. Despite strict rules forbidding any other men from touching her, their romance is discovered by the Pharaoh. To cover their tracks, Imhotep and Anck-su-Namun murder him and flee before his guards can find them. Tragically, Anck-su-Namun commits suicide with the hope of being resurrected by Imhotep. However, their plans are foiled when Seti’s guards catch them ...

The American comedy fantasy film, Michael (1996), was directed by Nora Ephron. The National Mirror is a tabloid publication known for its coverage of unexplainable phenomena. Upon receiving a story tip about a woman coexisting with an angel in Iowa, editor Vartan Malt selects three staff members to investigate: Frank Quinlan, Huey Driscoll (photographer and owner of the Mirror star Sparky the Wonder Dog), and Dorothy Winters (hired to replace Driscoll). During their visit to the small town’s boarding house of Pansy Milbank, they meet Michael – a winged and cookie-scented being with a surprising fondness for ...

Mallrats (1995), an American buddy comedy written and directed by Kevin Smith, follows college student T.S. Quint as he plans a trip to Universal Studios Florida with his girlfriend Brandi Svenning. Unfortunately, things take a turn when Brandi reveals she cannot join him due to filling in on her father’s dating game show, Truth or Date. This was after the original contestant tragically passed away while swimming at the local Y.M.C.A following T.S.’s hurtful comment about her weight. The couple argues and ultimately splits up. In need of support, T.S. turns to his friend Brodie Bruce, who is also dealing ...

Heart and Souls (1993) is an American fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Ron Underwood. Set in San Francisco in 1959, four individuals board the same night trolleybus. Penny, a single mother, regrets leaving her three children at home to work the night shift. Harrison, a wannabe singer, has backed out of an important audition due to stage fright. Meanwhile, Julia leaves her job as a waitress to visit her boyfriend John, who had proposed to her but was rejected. Milo, a small-time thief, also joins them after failing to retrieve valuable stamps that he had swindled off a young boy. The trolleybus driver is Hal, who ...

Dazed and Confused (1993), an American coming-of-age comedy film, takes place on the last day of school at Lee High School in Austin, Texas. As is tradition, the upcoming senior class plans to haze the incoming freshmen on May 28, 1976. In preparation for their championship season, Randall ‘Pink’ Floyd, the star football player, is asked to sign a pledge promising to abstain from drugs and any behavior that could jeopardize their success. Meanwhile, as classes come to an end, the new boys are pursued by seniors armed with paddles while the girls are corralled in the parking lot by Darla and her fellow senior girls. There they are doused with mustard, ...