You know how it is, you're a single mother just trying to get from point A to point B with your little boy in tow, when suddenly a bank robber on the run hops in your cars, threatening both your life and the life of your son.  That the scenario in Carjacked, the upcoming release from Anchor Bay Films.  Maria Bello, currently holding it down weekly with a sweet hat on Prime Suspect, plays the protagonist, whilst Stephen Dorff portrays the robber.  Since it's Bello, you can guess that she won't be playing the victim for long, but in a new clip from Carjacked, her character, Lorraine, is still waiting on help from the police when she and Roy encounter a roadblock meant specifically to nab the suspect.  It's a tense little scene, and one that makes you yearn for the moment when Lorraine turns the tables on that scumbag Roy.

Opening in theaters on September 23rd is the new action thriller from Boyz n the Hood director John Singleton called Abduction. The film features actor Taylor Lautner (The Twilight Saga: New Moon) in his first post-Twilight starring role, along with Lily Collins (Priest), Sigourney Weaver (Avatar), Maria Bello (A History of Violence), Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), Freema Agyerman (Doctor Who), Michael Nyqvist (The Girl Who Played with Fire), and Alfred Molina (Spider-Man 2). 

IAR's managing editor Jami Philbrick recently had a chance to sit down and speak with editor H. Dwight Raymond IV (Marmaduke) about his work on Abduction. Raymond discussed the film, collaborating with director John Singleton, the movie's action filled sequences, Taylor Lautner's performance, and keeping the actor's shirt on.

The first trailer for Abduction did the conceptual heavy lifting, showing how Taylor Lautner's perfect high school movie existence turns into a perfect action movie existence upon his discovery of his picture on a missing persons website.  In short order, his parents are mowed down, he's pursued by government spy-types, and he beats up many, many people.  A second Abduction trailer puts John Singleton's action direction front and center, focusing mainly on the running and the Bourne-style beatings.  It also includes at least two instance of piss-poor marksmanship from highly-trained operatives with giant sniper rifles.

Two months ago, Lionsgate released the first poster for the action-thriller Abduction, and that simple black-and-white one sheet informed curious audiences of just two crucial pieces of primary information: first, that Taylor Lautner is in the film, and second, that the film is called Abduction.  A brand new poster for the film includes those two essential facts, while also introducing some spatial confusion, as Lautner, gun in hand, slides down the sheer face of a building that exists at an angle not quite compatible with the physical universe surrounding it.

As moviegoers, we're generally inclined towards simply having a good time and spending two hours working up to a happy ending.  Some films, however, take a more difficult and arguably more rewarding approach, dragging their audiences into despair and back in order to dole out a sliver of hope to nourish our battered psyches. 

In the acutely-observed new drama Beautiful Boy, for example, Maria Bello and Michael Sheen play a shattered couple in the aftermath of their son's school shooting rampage.  While it is appropriately depressing, it also provides the faith that, eventually, its characters can and will recover.  Today, we're happy to present ten recent films that, like Beautiful Boy, dare to devastate, which makes their ultimate hopefulness that much more meangingful.

Opening in limited release on June 3rd is the powerful new film from dance choreographer-turned-director Shawn Ku entitled Beautiful Boy. The film is an unconventional love story that explores the journey of a married couple on the verge of separation, who must live with unimaginable heartbreak, and find healing through the darkest days of their lives. Beautiful Boy boasts a cast of truly exceptional actors including Michael Sheen (Tron: Legacy), Maria Bello (A History of Violence), Alan Tudyk (Serenity), Moon Bloodgood (Terminator Salvation), Kyle Gallner (A Nightmare on Elm Street), and Meat Loaf (Fight Club). IAR's Managing Editor Jami Philbrick recently had a chance to sit down exclusively with the stars of Beautiful Boy, Michael Sheen, and Maria Bello to discuss the movie, their character's difficult relationship, how they prepared for their roles, and the idea of healing in the wake of an unthinkable tragedy.

Synopsis: Taylor Lautner stars as a young man unwittingly thrust into a deadly world of covert espionage in Lionsgate's action-thriller, ABDUCTION, directed by John Singleton.

If simplicity is perfection, then the new poster for Abduction will be the highlight of your week.  This one-sheet, unveiled at JustJared, aims to tell you one thing and one thing only: Taylor Lautner is in this movie.  So if you were wondering whether or not Taylor Lautner is in Abduction, then this poster will answer that question and do very little else.  Check it out.

Is it a coincidence that the title of Taylor Lautner's first non-Twilight starring film begins with Ab? In Abduction, Lautner discovers a childhood picture of himself on a missing persons website and subsequently turns into a Jason Bourne for the Clearasil crowd, kicking people's asses, doing parkour all over the place, and even outrunning an explosion.  See for yourself in the first Abduction trailer, which debuted today at MTV.

There's no two ways around it: Beautiful Boy is a tough sell.  A weighty drama about two devastated parents in emotional free fall after their seemingly well-adjusted son goes on a suicidal shooting spree at his college campus simply doesn't draw crowds like, say, alien robots disguised as cars blowing stuff up.  That said, even in a box office-obsessed film culture often seems to overvalue a film's commercial success, quality counts for something, and Beautiful Boy has been exceedingly well reviewed in its festival showings.  Five new images from the film showcase its formidable cast, including Michael Sheen and Maria Bello as the distraught couple.