“Norma and Arthur Lewis, a suburban couple with a young child, receive a simple wooden box as a gift, which bears fatal and irrevocable consequences. A mysterious stranger, delivers the message that the box promises to bestow upon its owner $1 million with the press of a button. But, pressing this button will simultaneously cause the death of another human being somewhere in the world; someone they don’t know. With just 24 hours to have the box in their possession, Norma and Arthur find themselves in the cross-hairs of a startling moral dilemma and must face the true nature of their humanity. Written by Warner Bros. Pictures”

• Director: Richard Kelly
• Release Date:
  6 November 2009 (USA)
• Run Time:
  115 min
• Country: USA
• Genre: Drama , Horror , Mystery , Sci-Fi , Thriller
• MPAA:
  Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, some violence and disturbing images.

Tagline: You Are The Experiment

Trivia: On the commentary of Tony Scott’s Domino (2005), Richard Kelly outright dismissed shooting a 1970s period piece with a digital camera. But after seeing David Fincher’s Zodiac (2007/I), Kelly’s position quickly changed and he was quoted saying, “It can be done.”

Goofs: Anachronisms: When footage is shown of the Langley Research Center we can see a fuselage of an A-320, an aircraft not built until 1989.

“In 1972, a scale of measurement was established for alien encounters. When a UFO is sighted, it is called an encounter of the first kind. When evidence is collected, it is known as an encounter of the second kind. When contact is made with extraterrestrials, it is the third kind. The next level, abduction, is the fourth kind. Modern-day, Alaska, where-mysteriously since the 1960s-a disproportionate number of the population has been reported missing every year. Despite multiple FBI investigations of the region, the truth has never been discovered. Here in this remote region, psychologist Dr. Abigail Tyler began videotaping sessions with traumatized patients and unwittingly discovered some of the most disturbing evidence of alien abduction ever documented. The Fourth Kind exposes the terrified revelations of multiple witnesses. Their accounts of being visited by alien figures all share disturbingly identical details, the validity of which is investigated throughout the film. Written by Anonymous”

• Director: Olatunde Osunsanmi
• Release Date:
  6 November 2009 (USA)
• Run Time:
  98 min
• Country: USA
• Genre: Horror , Mystery , Sci-Fi , Thriller
• MPAA:
  Rated PG-13 for violent/disturbing images, some terror, thematic elements and brief sexuality.

Tagline: There are four kinds of alien encounters. The fourth kind is abduction.

Trivia: The real Nome is 51% native American, but there are no indigenous characters in the film (at least not stated to be).

Goofs: Continuity: When Abby is packing the suitcase to leave town, every time she turns around to grab clothes from the closet and put them into the suitcase; the suitcase is empty.

“Special Agent Strahm is dead, and Detective Hoffman has emerged as the unchallenged successor to Jigsaw’s legacy. However, when the FBI draws closer to Hoffman, he is forced to set a game into motion, and Jigsaw’s grand scheme is finally understood. Written by Anonymous”

• Director: Kevin Greutert
• Release Date:
  23 October 2009 (USA)
• Run Time:
  90 min
• Country: Canada , USA , UK , Australia
• Genre: Crime , Horror , Mystery , Thriller
• MPAA:
  Rated R for sequences of grisly bloody violence and torture, and language.

Tagline: The Game Comes Full Circle

Trivia: The movie contains storylines that are fully explained in Saw (2009) (VG).

Goofs: Continuity: When Hoffman raises the lid to the glass box after escaping the Crushing Room, the blood remains on the lid in a fixed pattern, showing it is dry, even though it was only spurted on to it seconds before.

“A serial killer in the San Francisco Bay Area taunts police with his letters and cryptic messages. We follow the investigators and reporters in this lightly fictionalized account of the true 1970’s case as they search for the murderer, becoming obsessed with the case. Based on Robert Graysmith’s book, the movie’s focus is the lives and careers of the detectives and newspaper people. Written by tom day”

• Director: David Fincher
• Release Date:
  2 March 2007 (USA)
• Run Time:
  157 min | 162 min (director's cut)
• Country: USA
• Genre: Crime , Drama , Mystery , Thriller
• MPAA:
  Rated R for some strong killings, language, drug material and brief sexual images. (also director's cut)

Tagline: There's than one way to lose your life to a killer

Trivia: Scenes of Dave Toschi and Robert Graysmith watching Dirty Harry (1971) were filmed inside the Mann National Theatre in Westwood, CA. The garish color schemes of the movie theater were not added by the art department. The very retro interiors of the theater have remained unchanged since 1969, when the National was first built. Interestingly, “Zodiac” played at the Mann National Theatre in mid March of 2007. Thus, moviegoers watched other moviegoers occupy their seats – on the National’s trademark large screen. The theater has since been torn down.

Goofs: Incorrectly regarded as goofs: In the store there is a calendar behind the desk that indicates it is February 1980. However, as Graysmith is entering the store, the caption says it is Dec. 20, 1983. The prominent out-of-date calendar may just be a way of showing that the store that Allen works in is a sleepy place where they’ve forgotten to change the calendar for four years.

“After a lonely summer on Privet Drive, Harry returns to a Hogwarts full of ill-fortune. Few of students and parents believe him or Dumbledore that Voldemort is really back. The ministry had decided to step in by appointing a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher that proves to be the nastiest person Harry has ever encountered. Harry also can’t help stealing glances with the beautiful Cho Chang. To top it off are dreams that Harry can’t explain, and a mystery behind something Voldemort is searching for. With these many things Harry begins one of his toughest years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Written by HPfan”

• Director: David Yates
• Release Date:
  11 July 2007 (USA)
• Run Time:
  138 min
• Country: UK , USA
• Genre: Adventure , Family , Fantasy , Mystery
• MPAA:
  Rated PG-13 for sequences of fantasy violence and frightening images.

Tagline: Evil Must Be Confronted.

Trivia: In the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic, many offices are seen layered upon each other. In reality, there are only two layers (floors), but at different times, different people were filmed doing different things in the offices and later with the help of computer animation, put together to get the illusion of several layers of office.

Goofs: Continuity: When Harry is fighting off the Dementors, he produces a patronus and his wand is pointing at the Dementor that attacked him. When the scene cuts to Dudley on the ground, Harry’s wand is at his side. When it cuts back to Harry, his wand is pointing at the dementor again.

“Bourne is once again brought out of hiding, this time inadvertently by London-based reporter Simon Ross who is trying to unveil Operation Blackbriar–an upgrade to Project Treadstone–in a series of newspaper columns. Bourne sets up a meeting with Ross and realizes instantly they’re being scanned. Information from the reporter stirs a new set of memories, and Bourne must finally, ultimately, uncover his dark past whilst dodging The Company’s best efforts in trying to eradicate him. Written by Corey Hatch”

• Director: Paul Greengrass
• Release Date:
  3 August 2007 (USA)
• Run Time:
  115 min
• Country: USA , Germany
• Genre: Action , Adventure , Mystery , Thriller
• MPAA:
  Rated PG-13 for violence and intense sequences of action.

Tagline: This Summer Jason Bourne Comes Home

Trivia: A set had to be created for the Moscow scenes. Since the opening scene of the film takes place directly after the ending of The Bourne Supremacy (2004), yet the production time difference was several months, it was January in Moscow. This would have been too cold and Berlin was chosen as the location of the shoot. The fake snow was made using paper and foam, and took an excess of 5 hours to cover the entire set. Paper and foam were used instead of real snow so there was no risk of melting.

Goofs: Factual errors: In the Port Authority Bus Terminal garage, Bourne is confronted by an NYPD car. The Port Authority has its own police force, so it should have been a PAPD car.

“After a young, middle class couple moves into a suburban ’starter’ tract house, they become increasingly disturbed by a presence that may or may not be somehow demonic but is certainly most active in the middle of the night. Especially when they sleep. Or try to. Written by Paramount Pictures”

• Director: Oren Peli
• Release Date:
  16 October 2009 (USA)
• Run Time:
  86 min | 99 min (extended version)
• Country: USA
• Genre: Horror , Mystery , Thriller
• MPAA:
  Rated R for language.

Tagline: What Happens When You Sleep?

Trivia: Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat were reportedly paid just US$500 for acting in Paranormal Activity. But due to the success of the film, the director, Katie and Micah are now renegotiating the amount.

Goofs: Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Off camera, you can hear Katie punch in the code to turn off the alarm downstairs while the camera is focused on Micah sleeping.