Actors (Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent) take on multiple roles
in an epic that spans five centuries. An attorney harbors a fleeing
slave on a voyage from the Pacific Islands in 1849; a poor composer in
pre-World War II Britain struggles to finish his magnum opus before a
past act catches up with him; a genetically engineered worker in 2144
feels the forbidden stirring of human consciousness, and so on. As souls
are born and reborn, they renew their bonds to one another throughout
time
.
2. Watchmen
In an alternate 1985 America, costumed superheroes are part of
everyday life. When one of his former comrades is murdered, masked
vigilante Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) uncovers a plot to kill and
discredit all past and present superheroes. As he reconnects with his
retired associates, only one of which has true powers, Rorschach
glimpses a far-reaching conspiracy involving their shared past and
catastrophic consequences for the world's future.
3. Dune
In the year 10191, a spice called melange is the most valuable
substance known in the universe, and its only source is the desert
planet Arrakis. A royal decree awards Arrakis to Duke Leto Atreides and
ousts his bitter enemies, the Harkonnens. However, when the Harkonnens
violently seize back their fiefdom, it is up to Paul (Kyle MacLachlan),
Leto's son, to lead the Fremen, the natives of Arrakis, in a battle for
control of the planet and its spice. Based on Frank Herbert's epic
novel.
4. Ulysses
Attempting to return to Ithaca from the Trojan War, Ulysses
encounters years of numerous adventures and tribulation. As he finally
arrives home, he finds his beloved faithful wife, Penelope anxiously
awaiting his return.
5. Atlas Shrugged Trilogy
The films take place in a dystopian United States, wherein many of
society's most prominent and successful industrialists abandon their
fortunes and the nation itself, in response to aggressive new
regulations, whereupon most vital industries collapse.
In Part I, railroad executive Dagny Taggart (Taylor Schilling) and
steel mogul Henry Rearden (Grant Bowler) form an alliance to fight the
increasingly authoritarian government of the United States. In Part II,
Taggart (Samantha Mathis) and Rearden (Jason Beghe) search desperately
for the inventor of a revolutionary motor as the U.S. government
continues to spread its control over the national economy. In Part III,
Taggart (Laura Regan) and Rearden (Rob Morrow) come into contact with
the man responsible for the strike which much of the series focuses on
the effects of.
6. Orlando
In 1600, nobleman Orlando (Tilda Swinton) inherits his parents'
house, thanks to Queen Elizabeth I (Quentin Crisp), who commands the
young man to never change. After a disastrous affair with Russian
princess Sasha (Charlotte Valandrey), Orlando looks for solace in the
arts before being appointed ambassador to Constantinople in 1700, where
war is raging. One morning, Orlando is shocked to wake up as a woman and
returns home, struggling as a female to retain her property as the
centuries roll by.
