“Thirteen Days” opens with stock footage of fired missiles and mushroom-shaped clouds. These menacing images remind us of what could have happened if the Cuban Missile Crisis had concluded differently.
Based on the book “The Kennedy Tapes: Inside the White House During the Cuban Missile Crisis,” “Thirteen Days” chronicles the events as they unfolded during those [...]

Nevada detective Jerry Black (Jack Nicholson) is just six hours from retirement when he learns of a horrible crime.
An officer for more than 20 years and a military man before that, he is pulled more strongly by the call of duty than by the need for relaxation.
So, leaving his farewell party, he accompanies another agent [...]

In episodic fashion, “Traffic” shows every side of the war on drugs and reveals why the United States may be losing it.
In this offering based on the BBC miniseries, “Traffik,” screenwriter Stephen Gaghan moves the action from Pakistan and Great Britain to Mexico and the United States.
The effect is mesmerizing.
Through five main characters, we see [...]

Sara Johnson (Julia Stiles) begins “Save the Last Dance” on the edge of the precipice of excellence.
An aspiring ballet dancer, she finally has an audition with Julliard. But her mother, who runs a flower shop, is swamped at work and can’t make it.
Sara throws a fit. Her mother acquiesces and makes a promise to attend. [...]

Loquacious, pomade-wearing Everett Ulysses McGill (George Clooney) convinces chain gang partners Pete (John Turturro) and Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson) that he has more than $1 million stashed away.
If they will help him collect the money before the area it’s in gets flooded, he’ll share the riches.
But McGill proves a liar.
His real quest, they soon discover, [...]