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Since Netflix's Time Cut seems to borrow many sci-fi and horror tropes and themes from other renowned films, viewers who enjoyed watching it should have many other movies on their watch lists. Unfolding through several different timelines, Time Cut is among the many flicks that use time travel as a narrative device to walk viewers through the complexities of fate, grief, and the consequences of changing the past. However, despite being driven by a complex sci-fi concept, Time Cut does not take itself too seriously and focuses less on getting time travel "right."

Apart from featuring characters who travel through time, Netflix's Time Cut also presents a slasher element, allowing it to blend its sci-fi with horror. Although Time Cut is not as violent as one would expect a slasher horror flick to be, it features a fair share of brutal killing scenes that add some intense thrills to its otherwise familiar narrative.

Quick Links Gone in 60 Seconds Initially Received a Mixed Critical Reception Gone in 60 Seconds Is a Fun Though Flawed Remake

One of Nicolas Cage's early films has gotten a bad reputation. Slammed by critics but embraced by audiences, Gone in 60 Seconds has become a classic among action fans and car lovers alike and has even been called a likely predecessor to one of today's more exuberant film series, The Fast and the Furious. A loose remake of the 1974 H. B. Halicki film of the same name, Gone in 60 Seconds was directed by Dominic Sena and written by Scott Rosenberg. Released in June 2000, the film received a mixed critical reception but remains an entertaining film worth a watch. And now, it's available on streaming.

Gone in 60 Seconds stars Nicolas Cage as Memphis Raines, a reformed car thief who is pulled back into the world of crime when...

Josh Hartnett reflects positively on working with Michael Bay in Pearl Harbor. Bay has a reputation of being difficult to work with. Even though Hartnett's experience on Pearl Harbor was positive, the actor admitted that Bay may have taken it easy on him.

Pearl Harbor star Josh Hartnett reflects on his experience working with Michael Bay. Hartnett played Danny Walker in the epic period drama, which also starred a supporting cast including Ben Affleck, Kate Beckinsale, William Lee Scott, Ewen Bremner, Michael Shannon, Jaime King, Jennifer Garner, Jon Voight, and Cuba Gooding Jr. Pearl Harbor was one of Bay's early directorial efforts, before he took on the Transformers series.

Speaking with Vanity Fair, Hartnett details his experience working with Bay on Pearl Harbor.

According to the actor, he was "trepidatious" about working on a film as big as Pearl Harbor, and people were warning him about how difficult a director Bay was to work with.

Stars: Tony Todd, David Gridley, Vince Hill-Bedford, Steffani Brass, Eric Etebari, William Lee Scott, Tyler Clark, John Beasley | Written by Jonah Kuehner | Directed by Benjamin Louis

Stoker Hills gets down to business early, starting with a lecture on film by Professor Smith. That gets the film’s celebrity cameo out of the way in the film’s first five minutes. It also uses those scenes to introduce the three of his students who will be the film’s leads, aspiring filmmakers Ryan, Jake (Vince Hill-Bedford; American Fighter) and Erica.

While shooting their class project, a zombie hooker film entitled Streetwalkers, which was also Stoker Hills’ original title, a car drives by and stops just long enough to drag Erica in before racing off with Ryan and Jake in pursuit with their camera still running.

They don’t return but the camera is found and two of the town’s cops...

Fathom Events presents Betty White: A Celebration in 1,529 locations nationwide, a one-day-only special event on Monday honoring the actress who died Dec. 31 just a few weeks shy of her 100th birthday. The star-studded reflection on White’s life and career, which had already been set by filmmakers Steven Boettcher and Mike Trinklein to celebrate her centennial Jan. 17, will run three showtimes at 1 pm, 4 pm and 7 pm.

As for weekend openings, a pair of solid documentaries and two dramas — about memory loss and global apocalypse by pink gas — debut in a frame where there isn’t much new. Distributors are carefully weighing expansion for award hopefuls already out amid the ongoing surge in Omicron and ahead of Oscar nods Feb. 8.

Newcomers include Magnolia Pictures’ drama Italian Studies in seven theaters including New York and LA, and on demand. Directed by Adam Leon it stars Vanessa Kirby, Simon Brickner,...

"He's on the move!" Screen Media has revealed the first official trailer for an indie horror film titled Stoker Hills, arriving in theaters and on VOD in January after first premiering last year. The film takes place in the secluded town of Stoker Hills where three college students filming a horror movie find themselves trapped in their own worst nightmare when they are kidnapped by a serial killer. "Their only hope for survival is two detectives who find the camera they left behind in the woods." Another meta concept involving friends making a horror movie and encountering real horror. The film stars David Gridley, Vince Hill-Bedford, Eric Etebari, William Lee Scott, Steffani Brass, Tyler Clark, and Jason Sweat; as well as Danny Nucci, John Beasley and Tony Todd. It looks like there's much more going on than just this serial killer. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Benjamin Louis' Stoker Hills,...

Exclusive: Screen Media has acquired U.S. rights to Benjamin Louis’ found footage horror film Stoker Hills, starring William Lee Scott (The Butterfly Effect), Danny Nucci (Titanic), Steffani Brass (Six Feet Under) and Tony Todd (Candyman), with plans to release it in theaters and on demand in January.

The film penned by Jonah Kuehner (Good Luck Charlie) is set in the secluded town of Stoker Hills, watching as three college students filming a horror movie find themselves trapped in their own worst nightmare. Their only hope for survival is two detectives who find the camera they left behind in the woods.

Louis, Rab Butler, Timothy Christian and Jonah Kuehner produced through Streetwalkers Productions.

“After several years of hard work and dedication our team is thrilled to partner with Screen Media for our domestic release,” said Louis. “We are excited to share the film with the US audience.”

“We’re always on the hunt for new,...

Available to play for only two weeks — the Ghostbusters live event for PikPok's Into the Dead 2 is going on right now. Continue reading for more details. Also in today's highlights: Hi-Death trailer and poster released, Streetwalkers first production details, and Daughters of Dismay teaser trailer revealed.

Two-Week Only Ghostbusters Live Event for Into the Dead 2: "Leading games publisher PikPok today announced an all-new Ghostbusters live event for the hit videogame Into the Dead 2 will be coming to the App Store and Google Play on February 21, 2019 (Est). An officially licensed event developed in collaboration with Sony Pictures Consumer Products and Ghost Corps, the event will feature the beloved characters of the original Ghostbusters movies and will be available for the limited time of two weeks only.

The Ghostbusters event in Into the Dead 2 is the most ambitious event yet for the game, and for the first time will take place...

Marilyn Manson is mostly known for the music that he produces, but he stars in a new film coming out called Let Me Mak You A Martyr. Apparently, he gives a great performance. The movie is described as a "cerebral revenge film about two adopted siblings who fall in love, and hatch a plan to kill their abusive father." Manson plays a hitman in the film, who is hired to kill the sibling's father.

Let Me Make You a Martyr is co-directed by filmmakers Corey Asraf and John Swab, making their feature directorial debut. The cast of the film also includes Mark Boone Junior, Sam Quartin, Niko Nicotera, Michael Potts, William Lee Scott, and Slaine. Check out the trailer and let us know if this is a film you might want to check out. ...

"My daddy used to sing me a song..." FilmRise has debuted the first official trailer for a small town indie thriller titled Let Me Make You a Martyr, from filmmakers Corey Asraf & John Swab. This is sort of a continuation of their 2014 short film Judas' Chariot. The film stars Marilyn Manson as a hitman hired by two adopted siblings who devise a plan to kill their abusive father. The cast includes Mark Boone Junior, Sam Quartin, Niko Nicotera, Michael Potts, William Lee Scott, and Slaine. This is an intriguing trailer that uses one chilling scene with Manson to introduce us to the film, and it's very effective. See below. Here's the first trailer (+ poster) for Corey Asraf & John Swab's Let Me Make You a Martyr, on Vimeo: A cerebral revenge film about two adopted siblings who fall in love, and hatch a plan to kill their abusive father. Let Me Make You a Martyr...

“Let Me Make You a Martyr” follows Larry Glass (Mark Boone Junior), an abusive father, drug dealer, and pimp who hires hit man Pope (Marilyn Manson) to kill his rebellious adopted son Drew (Niko Nicotera) and his lover and adopted sister June Glass (Sam Quartin). The film also stars Michael Potts (“Conspiracy Theory”), Slaine (“The Town”), William Lee Scott (“Pearl Harbor’), Michael Shamus Wiles (“Fight Club”), and more. Watch the exclusive new trailer above.

Read More: 19th Fantasia International Film Festival Announces 2015 Winners

Marilyn Manson is best known as the frontman of the Marilyn Manson band, whose music garnered much controversy from politicians and the public for their nihilistic lyrics, graphic imagery, and provocative statements. Manson got tied up in the aftermath of the deadly Columbine shooting when he was blamed by politicians and the media for inciting the violence with his music. Manson has appeared in many films including David Lynch’s “Lost Highway,” Michael Moore’s “Bowling For Columbine,” in which he discussed the media’s interest in scapegoating rather than focusing on broader societal issues, and a recurring role on FX’s “Sons of Anarchy.”

Mark Boone Junior is best known for his role on “Sons of Anarchy,” along with his performances in Christopher Nolan’s “Memento” and “Batman Begins,” Terrence Malick’s “The Thin Red Line,” and David Fincher’s “Seven.” He will soon appear in Nate Parker’s “The Birth of a Nation,” about Nat Turner, the leader of a slave rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia in 1831.

“Let Me Make You a Martyr” will premiere at Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal next month. Manson will be in attendance.

Read More: Marilyn Manson Confirmed As Star Of Quentin Dupieux’s Cannes Short Film ‘Wrong Cops’

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Related storiesFirst Reviews: 'The Birth of a Nation' Electrifies SundanceWatch: Footage From "Sick," Unreleased Marilyn Manson Video, Directed By Eli Roth & Featuring Lana Del ReyMarilyn Manson Heads To 'Californication'; Kristin Schaal Voices 'Cloudy 2'; Cobie Smulders Finds 'Safe Haven' & Christopher Meloni Joins 'They Came Together'...

They have been trained to meet danger head-on, to execute vital strategic maneuvers while flying at breathtaking speeds. But after a series of fatal accidents, a close-knit squadron of male Navy pilots begins to splinter and becomes the focus of a criminal investigation. As a government agent digs to uncover the cause of the accidents, two of the pilots engage in a secret, forbidden relationship. Their affair is exposed...and the squadron is engulfed by an incendiary scandal that will challenge each pilot's notions of friendship, love, honor and courage. Check out our exclusive clip before seeing Burning Blue, in select theaters and on VOD starting today.

Burning Blue was released June 6th, 2014 and stars Trent Ford, Tammy Blanchard, Morgan Spector, Rob Mayes, William Lee Scott, Cotter Smith, Michael Cumpsty, Michael Sirow. The film is directed by D.M.W. Greer.

These days, the number of indies premiering on a weekly basis can be both thrilling and intimidating. To help sift through the number of new releases (independent or otherwise), we've created the Weekly Film Guide. Below you'll find basic plot, personnel and cinema information for today's fresh offerings.  Happy viewing! Here are the films opening theatrically in the U.S. the week of Friday, June 6th. (Synopses provided by distributor unless listed otherwise.) Anna Director: Jorge Dorado Cast: Mark Strong, Taissa Farmiga, Brian Cox, Indira Varma, Noah Taylor Synopsis: "A man with the ability to enter peoples' memories takes on the case of a brilliant, troubled sixteen-year-old girl to determine whether she is a sociopath or a victim of trauma." Theatrical Release: Los Angeles Burning Blue Director: D.M.W. Greer Cast: Trent Ford, Tammy Blanchard, Morgan Spector, Rob Mayes, William Lee Scott, Cotter Smith, Michael Cumpsty, Michael Sirow, Mark Doherty, Chris.

The Navy is governed by a string of stringent rules, codes of conduct and tradition. But what happens when you break those bonds to pursue something personal, intimate and passionate? The upcoming drama "Burning Blue" dives right into that question, and today we have an exclusive clip from the film. Co-written and directed by D.M.W. Greer, making his directorial debut, the film stars Trent Ford, Morgan Spector, Rob Mayes, William Lee Scott, Cotter Smith and more and follows a Navy squadron torn apart after an investigation is launched following a string of accidents. And things get more heated when an affair between two of the pilots is exposed, with this scene highlighting the fragility of the situation. "Burning Blue" opens in limited release and hits VOD on June 6th. Watch below.

The 2004 time-bending sci-fi thriller The Butterfly Effect is getting a reboot from FilmEngine and BenderSpink. Eric Bress, who co-wrote and co-directed the original with J. Mackye Gruber, has signed on to write the remake, although no director is attached at this time.

Ashton Kutcher and Amy Smart starred in the original, which centered on a man who uses his gift of time travel to change events from his past that will alter his present life, although he discovers there are grave consequences for such actions. Melora Walters, Elden Henson, and Logan Lerman also starred in the first film, which grossed $96 million worldwide from a $13 million budget, and spawned the straight-to-dvd sequels The Butterfly Effect 2 in 2006 and The Butterfly Effect 3 in 2009.

Anthony Rhulen, Chris Bender and J.C. Spink are producing alongside FilmEngine president Navid McIlhargey. No production schedule was given.

The Butterfly Effect was released January 23rd, 2004 and stars Ashton Kutcher,...

Did you know Jake Gyllenhaal began his movie career playing Billy Crystal's son in "City Slickers"? Here's some great movie moments from the "Love and Other Drugs" star's career!

Favorite Jake Gyllenhaal Movie Moments"City Slickers"(1991)

Character: Danny Robbins

Danny:“We saw a picture of you in a newspaper in your underwear.”

Kim (Walker Brandt): “Oh, well that was an advertisement. I sometimes model ladies' underwear.”

Barbara (Patricia Wettig): “You looked great.

Did you know Jake Gyllenhaal began his movie career playing Billy Crystal's son in "City Slickers"? Here's some great movie moments from the "Prince of Persia" star's career!

Favorite Jake Gyllenhaal Movie Moments"City Slickers"(1991)

Character: Danny Robbins

Danny:“We saw a picture of you in a newspaper in your underwear.”

Kim (Walker Brandt): “Oh, well that was an advertisement. I sometimes model ladies' underwear.”

Barbara (Patricia Wettig): “You looked great.

The new thriller from director Chris Shadley, Nine Dead, hits stores next week courtesy of Image Entertainment, and though this news is a little late in the game, we're still very happy to bring it to you.

An all-star cast including Melissa Joan Hart (“Sabrina: The Teenage Witch”), John Terry (TV’s “Lost,” “24”), and William Lee Scott (The Butterfly Effect) triggers top-notch suspense in this gruesome tale of a masked gunman on the prowl. With hoods over their heads, nine handcuffed strangers are about to learn their kidnapper’s game. They must work together to answer one question: Why have they been targeted? One of them will die every 10 minutes unless they can strip away each other’s secrets to solve this dangerous, twisted puzzle that could leave “Nine Dead.”

Check out the artwork below.

- Uncle Creepy

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If you frequent the world wide web you've probably noticed The Hills Run Red reviews running rampant across countless sites. While it's a pretty kick ass flick I think it's important to remember it's not the only kick ass flick to hit shelves this week. Rather, this past Tuesday was a very significant day for the genre, as a whole load of quality flicks were unleashed on the public. So I took it upon myself to shed light on a few you may have missed.

First off, we'll take a look at the George Bessudo directed mind bender Farmhouse (see Scott Licina's lengthy review here), which totes a bit of a Dante's Inferno vibe. The story sees a young troubled couple (Scarlet, played by Jamie Anne Allman and Chad played by William Lee Scott) crash their car in the middle of a hardly inhabited countryside. The two are fortunate to find a farmhouse nearby,...

As reported earlier this month "Nine Dead," from director Chris Shadley and starring Melissa Joan Hart as Kelley, is moving towards a release date once North American and international distribution is secured. In the meantime, Shadley has forwarded several never before seen photos for fans and the pictures show, for the first time, Shooter played by John Terry forefront and in action while the cameras were rolling. For those interested in the film there are several websites below for "Nine Dead," that if given a little more fan support might move this picture into the hands of horror enthusiasts a lot sooner. Have a look at all six photos past the break as this anonymous villain delights in torturing his prey all while behind darkened hood and mask.

* For full view click on each still.

Chip Bent as Sully with Melissa Joan Hart in an unknown location.

Shooter holding a gun to the camera.

Opened: Friday, June 6 (Peace Arch Entertainment).A road movie that rambles even more than its wandering protagonist, "The Go-Getter" is the sort of quirky independent comedy that strives for hipness but ultimately just feels contrived and derivative.

While its appealing performances, sun-dappled cinematography and occasional witty dialogue provide some com--pensation along the way, the trip feels far longer than it actually is.

The central character is Mercer Lou Taylor Pucci, "Thumbsucker"), a 19-year-old still grieving for his recently deceased mother. One day he impulsively steals a car and goes off in search of his older, estranged half brother (Jsu Garcia). Driving through the open ranges of the Southwest, he soon begins a teasing cell phone relationship with the car's surprisingly not angry owner, Kate (Zooey Deschanel).

Along the way, he encounters a series of oddballs, including a pornographer who goes by the name Sergio Leone Julio Oscar Mechoso), a liquor-supply salesman (Bill Duke) who offers self-defense tips and a former classmate (Jena Malone) who introduces him to the pleasure of Ecstasy-enhanced sex.

Writer-director Martin Hynes seems all too eager to reveal the influence of the French New Wave and other genres as evidenced by examples like a dance sequence that directly quotes Godard's "Band of Outsiders".

Eventually, after an amusing montage in which Mercer imagines numerous possibilities for the face of the disembodied voice with whom he's been speaking, he and Kate finally meet, though the encounter doesn't live up to the nearly feature-length buildup.Cast: Lou Taylor Pucci, Zooey Deschanel, Jena Malone, William Lee Scott, Nick Offerman, Maura Tierney, Judy Greer, Julio Oscar Mechoso, Bill Duke, Colin Fickes, Jsu Garcia. Director-Screenwriter: Martin Hynes. Producers: Lucy Barzun Donnelly, Lori Christopher, Larry Furlong. Rated R, 93 minutes.

Opens

Friday, Jan. 23

PARK CITY -- Latching on to an absolutely preposterous premise about alternate realities and mysterious mental maladies, the writing-directing team of Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber manufacture an entertaining piece of supernatural nonsense whose sheer audacity disarms all (well, nearly all) skepticism. The only downside to the outrageous story line is the filmmakers' exploitation of extreme criminal behavior, ranging from kiddie porn and pedophilia to animal torture and beatings with baseball bats.

The presence of Ashton Kutcher, who exec produces, ensures solid opening-weekend grosses, but what his fan base will make of this weird melodrama is hard to predict. Certainly, "The Butterfly Effect" goes in the opposite direction of his first two film vehicles, "Dude, Where's My Car?" and "Just Married".

Kutcher's Evan Treborn has many missing gaps in his past, blackouts he experiences from an early age where he is unable to recall traumatic events. While brain scans show no abnormalities, his mother (Melora Walters) worries desperately because his father, long ago locked up in a loony bin, experienced similar mental black holes.

A psychologist (Nathaniel Deveaux) suggests that he keep a diary detailing his daily life. In college years later, he happens upon these notebooks and reads a passage. Suddenly, Evan is thrust back in time, reliving an event his mind refused to record. Back in the present and with a nosebleed to show for his time travel, Evan realizes that these blackouts are a kind of bookmark to which he can travel back whenever he reads a passage leading up to an unremembered event.

Inhabiting his childhood body, Evan finds he is able to alter these terrible events and thereby undo the damage done not only to himself but to his childhood sweetheart Kayleigh (Amy Smart), her brother Tommy William Lee Scott) and a neighborhood buddy, Lenny (Elden Henson). The root of all evil here is Kayleigh and Tommy's abusive father (Eric Stoltz). By altering these past incidents, however, Evan returns to a vastly changed present. And each time he thinks he has altered everyone's life for the better, he discovers that he has made some things worse.

There is sly comedy in the idea that altering one event will transform Kayleigh from a bubbly sorority girl to a drug-addicted whore. Or change Tommy from a psycho ex-con to a heroic frat boy. Or transfigure Lenny from a fat, institutionalized killer to a slim and bright student.

Evan himself doesn't change that much other than his choice in wardrobe and roommates. He remains a guy driving himself crazy by trying to create a happy ending but getting outsmarted by uncontrollable chains of events.

Kutcher makes the incredible credible by approaching each of his altered roles with realistic acting. Ditto the rest of the cast, who anchor the wacky transformations with thoroughly believable and engaging performances. Just as the best comedy is delivered with a straight face, the best melodrama is executed with passion and conviction.

In their second feature effect, Bress and Gruber show a flair for the dramatic and the smarts to make the preposterous provocative. Their production team goes for horror-film flourishes such as Michael Suby's nerve-jangling score and Matthew F. Leonetti's dynamic cinematography. Production and costume designers Douglas Higgins and Carla Hetland have a field day creating alternate realities utilizing the same basic locations and sets.

THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT

New Line Cinema

A Benderspink/FilmEngine productionin association with Katalyst

Credits:

Writer-directors: Eric Bress, J. Mackye Gruber

Producers: Chris Bender, A.J. Dix, Anthony Rhulen, JC Spink

Executive producers: Toby Emmerich, Richard Brener, Cale Boyter, William Shively, David Krintzman, Jason Goldberg, Ashton Kutcher

Director of photography: Matthew F. Leonetti

Production designer: Douglas Higgins

Music: Michael Suby

Co-producer: Lisa Richardson

Costume designer: Carla Hetland

Editor: Peter Amundson

Cast:

Evan Treborn: Ashton Kutcher

Kayleigh Miller: Amy Smart

George Miller: Eric Stoltz

Tommy Miller: William Lee Scott

Lenny Kagan: Elden Henson

Thumper: Ethan Suplee

Andrea Treborn: Melora Walters

Dr. Renfield: Nathaniel Deveaux

Running time 113 -- minutes

MPAA rating: R...

HBO has assembled the casts of two comedy pilots, Mark Wahlberg's The Entourage and Richard Linklater's $5.15/Hr. Adrian Grenier and Jeremy Piven have been tapped to star in Entourage, which Emmy winner David Frankel (HBO's Band of Brothers) has come on board to direct. The pilot also will feature a cameo by Wahlberg. William Lee Scott and America Ferrera lead the ensemble cast of $5.15/Hr., which Linklater is set to direct.

Despite the nondescript title, Universal has a potential sleeper hit in "October Sky", an unapologetically formulaic but rousing period piece based on the childhood memoir, "Rocket Boys", by NASA science engineer Homer H. Hickam Jr.

Boasting a terrific cast, the Eisenhower-era, space-race story about a coal miner's son whose head is truly in the clouds taps into some universal truths about family dynamics that remain stubbornly unaffected by time and place.

While it would have taken no less than the presence of Robin Williams with a pocket protector and brandishing a slide ruler to guarantee the studio another "Patch Adams"-sized success, favorable reviews and strong word-of-mouth should propel "October Sky" to respectable heights.

Young Jake Gyllenhaal puts in a winning performance as Homer Hickam, a rural West Virginia high school student circa 1957 who lives in the shadow of his football-playing brother and under the tough but well-meaning hand of his miner superintendent father (Chris Cooper).

Although it's all but a given that the young men of Coalwood will become miners with the exception of those few -- like his brother -- who earn football scholarships, Homer discovers his destiny one October night when he sees the Soviet satellite Sputnik twinkling across the sky.

The next morning he proudly announces at breakfast that he's going to build rockets for a living. Undaunted by his family's unenthusiastic response -- his mom (Natalie Canerday) offers a that's-nice-dear smile accompanied by the motherly advice, "Don't blow yourself up!" -- Homer perseveres with the help of his friends, Roy Lee William Lee Scott), O'Dell (Chad Lindberg) and Quentin (Chris Owen), the high school nerd who's more than happy to offer him a primer in rocket science.

Their first batch of prototypes go south, but after constant refinement, the rocket boys, boosted by their inspiring teacher, Miss Riley (Laura Dern) are ready to enter a national science fair. But fate would appear to conspire against them. The authorities effectively shut down their launch site when one of their unaccounted-for, wayward rockets is alleged to have sparked a forest fire.

Worse, Homer has to put his dreams on hold and starts shoveling coal to help make ends meet after his father is seriously injured in a mining accident.

Of course, everything will turn out just fine in the end, and while the route getting there is filled with some very familiar obstacles, it's still a very satisfying trip.

Much of the credit goes to the exceptional cast, headed by Gyllenhaal, whose sweet, sensitive but stubbornly determined portrayal of a young man intent on making his own destiny fuels much of the picture's crowd-pleasing power.

Cooper, meanwhile, is excellent as his hardened, uncomprehending but ultimately caring father. It's a complex, thoughtfully layered performance.

Good, too, is Canerday as Homer's no-nonsense mom who's willing to play the part of the supportive '50s housewife only up to a point, and Dern, who always ignites every screen she appears on, this time as Homer's encouraging teacher.

Director Joe Johnston ("Jumanji") did another jet-propelled period piece called "The Rocketeer", but this one really flies, dispensing of the array of big-budget special effects in favor of effective, good old-fashioned storytelling and sturdy characterizations.

While Lewis Colick's script doesn't try to break any ground in its safe approach to the material, it manages to get the job done in a tidy and affecting manner.

It's all framed by Fred Murphy's warm-toned camera work and Barry Robison's period-appropriate but respectfully unkitschy production design.

Meanwhile, Mark Isham's inventive score goes for something beyond the usual string-heavy arrangements, blending in nicely with the rock 'n' roll samplings of Elvis, Buddy Holly and Fats Domino, which, like the emerging space program, signaled a society on the cusp of unprecedented change.

OCTOBER SKY

Universal Pictures

A Charles Gordon production

A Joe Johnston film

Director: Joe Johnston

Screenwriter: Lewis Colick

Based on the book "Rocket Boys"by: Homer H. Hickam Jr.

Producers: Charles Gordon, Larry Franco

Executive producers: Marc Sternberg, Peter Cramer

Director of photography: Fred Murphy

Production designer: Barry Robison

Editor: Robert Dalva

Costume designer: Betsy Cox

Music: Mark Isham

Casting: Nancy Foy

Color/stereo

Cast:

Homer: Jake Gyllenhaal

John Hickam: Chris Cooper

Roy Lee: William Lee Scott

Quentin: Chris Owen

O'Dell: Chad Lindberg

Elsie Hickam: Natalie Canerday

Miss Riley: Laura Dern

Running time -- 108 minutes

MPAA rating: PG...

In the near future, racial, sexual and social discrimination will be out -- that's the good news.

In the near future, genetic evaluation will rule -- that's the bad news in this cautionary glimpse into a future time when your genetic code will be your resume.

Stylishly scoped with ice-blue hues and smartly visualized with a forbiddingly cold design, "Gattaca" is an intelligently-conceived sci-fi chiller starring Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman. Sony will find strong appeal among college students. Unfortunately, like many of this species, the characters are an icy-veined and largely unemotional species that ultimately squander this provocative premise, reducing it to the status of visual essay rather than full-blooded human story.

Splicing together notions of a master race and the generic story form of man's arrogance in messing with divine planning, screenwriter and director Andrew Niccol has concocted a zesty story potion.

Catalyzing the yarn is the rivalry of two brothers, Vincent (Hawke) and Anton William Lee Scott). Vincent's future is limited, based on his inferior genetic code, while Anton's is dazzling. Indeed, in this futuristic society, one's future is determined seconds after birth, when a single blood sample can foretell everything from IQ to approximate time and cause of death. It's a predetermined world, where those with inferior genetics are referred to as "de-generates," classified as invalids, and, essentially, sentenced to a life of low-level drudgery.

What of the human spirit, what of hope? That is the beguiling core of Niccol's drama. In his scenario, Vincent dreams of being a deep-space navigator but with his makeup it will never come to be. But there are ways get around this unalterable fact; happily, there is a black market for the right genetic stuff. Vincent deals to get the essence of a brilliant young man, Jerome (Jude Law) who has been crippled in an accident.

With the help of Jerome's perfection genes, Vincent takes on Jerome's identity, winning the navigational job he has long sought.

While Niccol's theme is a winning one, and his premise perceptively brainy, "Gattaca" is of inferior stock in its narrative backbone. Once past its razzle-dazzle procedurals of Vincent getting a new genetic identity, it degenerates into a mid-section of lethargic tedium: essentially, the second half of the film is mired in the flat dramatic dynamic question of whether or not Vincent/Jerome will be found out.

Unfortunately, given his stoic, almost autonomic nature, we don't really care. While Niccol makes calculated and perfunctory expositional references to "hope," there is no passion in the characterizations. You'd have to watch "Star Trek" reruns to encounter a more soul-less gaggle of stiffs, or view documentaries on Hitler Youth to see such mechanical arrogance.

While the narrative decomposes, the visuals are altogether superior. Admittedly, former commercials director Niccol is terrific at composing looks; however, an assemblage of glossy, gelid sequences does not necessarily add up to a satisfying cohesive film.

Still, the technical team is undeniably elite. Cinematographer Slawomir Idziak's stylishly cold scopings are magnificent, heightened by composer Michael Nyman's unsettling sounds. Jan Roelfs' production design is sensational -- it's as if Albert Speer commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to create the physical universe. It's human-unfriendly, to say the least.

Given the constraints of the writing, Hawke is fine as the ambitious Vincent/Jerome. As the uber-girl, Thurman is shrewdly chosen; alas, her portrayal is confined to mannequin dimension. Fortunately, the minor characters have more human blood in them: Alan Arkin is entertaining as a Columbo-ish investigator, while Gore Vidal is well-cast as a haughty man of science.

The most full-blooded performance is served up by Law, the young man whose promising life was shattered by an accident and who has chosen to give his genetic code to Vincent: we feel his anguish and exult in his vicarious joys.

 

GATTACA

Sony Pictures Releasing

Columbia Pictures Presents

A Jersey Films Prod.

A film by Andrew Niccol

Producers	Danny DeVito,

Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher

Screenwriter-director	Andrew Niccol

Director of photography	Slawomir Idziak

Produciton designer	Jan Roelfs

Editor	:Lisa Zeno Churgin

Costume designer	Colleen Atwood

Music	Michael Nyman

Co-producer:	Gail Lyon

Sound mixer	Stephan Von Hase-Mihalik

Color/stereo

Cast:

Vincent/Jerome	Ethan Hawke

Irene	Uma Thurman

Director Josef	Gore Vidal

Lamar	Xander Berkeley

Antonio	Elias Kotas

Delivery nurse	Maya Rudolph

Head nurse	Una Damon

Pre-school teacher	Elizabeth Dennehy

Geneticist	Blair Underwood

Jerome/Eugene	Jude Law

Detective Hugo	Alan Arkin

Anton	William Lee Scott

Running time -- 112 minutes

MPAA rating: PG-13...