A baby alligator is flushed down a Chicago toilet and survives by eating discarded laboratory rats injected with growth hormones. The small reptile grows gigantic, escapes the city sewers, and goes on a rampage.

The new documentary ALGREN is a journey through the gritty world, brilliant mind, and noble heart of Nelson Algren. Exploding onto the national scene in 1950 after winning the first-ever National Book Award for The Man with the Golden Arm, Algren defined post-war American urban fiction with his gritty, brilliant depiction of working class Chicago. Hemingway declared him second only to Faulkner; Vonnegut dubbed him a literary groundbreaker. Hollywood soon came calling, immortalizing his breakout novel with none other than Frank Sinatra in the lead role. Algren even won a notorious place in both the heart and work of France’s premiere feminist, Simone de Beauvoir. Including never-before-seen archival footage, newly uncovered audio recordings and his own rarely seen, personal photo collages, ALGREN charts the rise and fall of a man whose transgressions, compassion and thirst for justice pushed him to dedicate his life and career to giving a voice to the voiceless. Through interviews with Algren’s friends, literary experts and artists – including William Friedkin, Russell Banks, Philip Kaufman, Billy Corgan and John Sayles – the film is an intimate, witty and even antagonistic portrait of a tireless champion of America’s most marginalized.

When an American boxer, is hired to transport a sword to Japan, unaware it's a set up. An action-packed thriller from director John Frankenheimer (THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE) featuring legendary Toshinro Mifune and Oscar nominee Scott Glenn, featuring an American boxer hired to transport a sword to Japan. Unaware the trip is a set-up, he's caught between two brothers in a bitter blood-feud—one who follows the traditional path of the samurai and the other a businessman.

A young farmer sets out to recruit mercenaries to defend his peaceful planet, which is under threat of invasion by the evil tyrant Sador and his armada of aggressors.

The greatest cult horror and science fiction films of all-time are studied in vivid detail in the second volume of Time Warp. Includes groundbreaking classics like “Night of the Living Dead,” and “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” and sci-fi gems such as “Blade Runner,” and “A Clockwork Orange.”

Young Fiona lives with her grandparents in a small fishing village where she takes an active role to unravel a nearby island's mysterious secrets.

After an automobile accident, a soap opera actress Mary-Alice Culhane discovers herself paralyzed in a hospital bed. Sinking into depression, Mary-Alice rages against the other patients and the medical staff. Eager to be rid of her, the doctors allow her to leave the hospital and return to her girlhood home in the Louisiana bayou. Back home, Mary-Alice frightens off a succession of home-care nurses until a young black woman named Chantelle (Alfre Woodard) arrives to give the job a try. Chantelle is as strong-willed as Mary-Alice, and they constantly clash until Mary-Alice begins to soften a bit. Chantelle then discovers Mary-Alice is a recovering drug addict. Since Mary-Alice has sunken into alcoholism under the weight of her paralysis, they form a common link that binds them together. When visitors begin to come around -- particularly Rennie (David Straithairn) for Mary-Alice and local cowboy Sugar LeDoux (Vondie Curtis-Hall) for Chantelle -- the women realize they must learn to overcome their distrust of people and give a little of themselves to get a bit closer.

This romantic slice-of-life drama, set in the late 60s, focuses on the unlikely relationship between the middle-class Jewish girl Jill (Rosanna Arquette) and a working-class Italian Catholic boy Sheik (Vincent Spano) who loves her.

Academy Award winner Chris Cooper, Matthew McConaughey and Academy Award winner Frances McDormand lead a powerhouse cast in legendary director John Sayles' densely woven, powerful and wrenching Lone Star. When the sheriff of a small Texas border town finds the body of a corrupt former sheriff ousted by his legendary father, the investigation reopens old wounds in the town that have never healed as well as revealing the secrets behind mysteries in his own family relationships.

John Sayles's City of Hope focuses on the network of greed and influence surrounding an urban development plan and its effects on the innocent and guilty alike. It is John Sayles's elegy for the ruined dreams of one segment of urban American society.

Three people are forced to take risks and confront their fears when they find themselves stranded in the wilderness of an Alaskan island.

From acclaimed writer/director John Sayles (Lone Star, Passion Fish) comes an unforgettable portrait of a richly diverse Florida town threatened by real estate developers. Edie Falco, Angela Bassett and Timothy Hutton lead a remarkable ensemble. A tidal wave of change is coming to Delrona Beach, Florida. Out-of-state developers have descended upon the sleepy coastal community with the promise of big bucks and bigger changes. Torn between honoring family obligations and the lure of quick cash, the locals greet the outsiders with a wildly mixed reception. Marly (Falco, TV's "The Sopranos") is eager to sell the family business and start her life over. As caretaker to her father's motel and restaurant, she's grown resentful of missed opportunities but finds a glimmer of hope in a tentative romance with a visiting landscape architect (Oscar winner Timothy Hutton). Desiree (Oscar nominee Angela Bassett) left town years ago to escape scandal and make a name for herself as an actress. Reluctantly returning home, she finds her strong-willed mother (Mary Alice) unwilling to let go of the past. Co-starring Mary Steenburgen, James McDaniel, Jane Alexander and Ralph Waite, "Sunshine State" is a winning tribute to everyone who lives and works in a land of dreams realized and dreams deferred.

Based on the first of Jean Auel's four bestselling prehistoric novels set 35,000,000 years ago, this epic film tells the story of one woman's struggle for acceptance amidst a barbaric clan. Daryl Hannah ("Grumpy Old Men," "Attack of the 50 Foot Woman") is the Cro-Magnon who seeks shelter among a tribe of Neanderthals. Extraordinary location photography and a script by John Sayles ("Passion Fish'" "Eight Men Out") make this a truly stunning motion picture. Co-starring Pamela Reed ("Junior," "Kindergarten Cop") and Curtis Armstrong ("Risky Business," "Revenge of the Nerds").

From Oscar nominated director John Sayles comes an electrifying and vivid rock 'n' roll fable. When Tyrone, owner of the Honeydripper lounge, is faced with having to shut down his juke joint, his hopes rest on one man—the famous Guitar Sam. It's a make or break weekend for the Honeydripper, this better be some Saturday night! With exquisite performances by Danny Glover, Charles S. Dutton, Stacy Keach, Mary Steenburgen and Sean Patrick Thomas; and featuring musicians Keb' Mo' and Dr. Mable John—Honeydripper is an award winning film, full of great music and plenty of soul.

In this black comedy from John Sayles, a terrified space pilot (Joe Morton) is forced to ditch his rickety-looking UFO in the Hudson River. Dawn breaks over the twin towers of the World Trade Center as The Brother begins to explore his new surroundings. On the streets of Harlem, surrounded by people who look like him but could scarcely be more different, even ordinary sights and sounds are fascinating and at times, terrifying. The Brother finds a haven in the friendly neighborhood bar run by Odell (Steve James), where the regulars are puzzled by The Brother's mute, inquisitive presence. The fastidious Walter (Bill Cobbs) worries about germs and dirt and mourns the passing of Harlem's glory days. Hard-drinking Smokey (Leonard Jackson) conducts a few experiments with a shot of whiskey and a handy paper bag, determining that while The Brother is not "deaf," he is unable to speak. And Fly (Daryl Edwards), a video-game fanatic, discovers one of The Brother's special talents: he can fix any machine with a touch of his hand. This indie comedy from IFC Films features cameo appearances by John Sayles and David Strathairn as mysterious visitors from Somewhere Else. Armed with a set of mug shots and an ESL textbook, these ungainly men claim to be hunting an "illegal alien."

A dramatization about the infamous 1919 "Black Sox Scandal," in which eight members of the Chicago White Sox conspired with gamblers to throw the World Series in return for cash.

From the beloved, best-selling series of books comes an extraordinary fantasy adventure, revealing the unseen world that exists all around us. From the moment the Grace family moves into a secluded old house peculiar things start to happen. Unable to explain the accidents and strange disappearances, the Grace children, Jared, Simon and Mallory start to investigate and find the unbelievable truth of the Spiderwick Estate and the amazing creatures that inhabit it.

In this edgy and darkly humorous Western, a mysterious young woman rides into the lawless town of Redemption to settle an old score that has haunted her since she was a child. She becomes swept up in a deadly quick-draw tournament and, in order to win her revenge, must compete in a contest in which gun slingers from all over put their lives on the line for fame and fortune.

John Sayles second feature, Lianna, is about a woman who finds herself starting life over after coming out of the closet as a lesbian. Lianna (Linda Griffiths) is married to Dick Massey (Jon De Vries), a charismatic English professor who also teaches film classes, and has two children Spencer (Jesse Solomon) and Theda (Jessica Wight MacDonald). Lianna's life is a succession of domestic errands and boring faculty parties, however her heaviest cross to bear is dealing with her waning marriage to Dick. They married when Lianna was still an undergraduate, and the domineering style that works well for Dick in the classroom is beginning to wear thin at home. In addition, Lianna often finds herself consoling her children after they have been verbally one-upped by their father. In order to find intellectual stimulus, Lianna takes a college extension child-psychology course taught by Ruth (Jane Hallaren). When Lianna catches Dick having an affair with a young coed, she finds comfort and eventually true love in the arms of Ruth. However, this comes with a price as everything in her life is turned upside down.

John Sayles' directorial debut follows a group of college friends who converge on a vacation house in a small New Hampshire town for a weekend reunion, marking the ten year anniversary of their arrest in Secaucus, when they were on their way to a political demonstration and march on the Pentagon. This varied group of friends are former campus activists on the edge of their 30's. Once gathered, they quickly fall back into their old verbal sparring routines, bringing each up to date as to what is going on in their lives. Katie (Maggie Renzi) and Mike (Bruce MacDonald), now both high school teachers, play hosts for the weekend. J.T. (Adam Le Fevre), an aspiring singer-songwriter, is hitchhiking with his guitar and is picked up by another member of the core group, Frances (Maggie Cousineau), a medical student who has been carrying a torch for him for years. Other members include J.T.'s former girlfriend, Irene (Jean Passanante), her new steady, Chip (Gordon Clapp), aspiring actress Lacey (Amy Schewel), and Ron (David Strathairn), a car-loving townie who was one of Mike's pals in high school. The film provides a compelling and intelligent study of the dulling of ideals over years as compromise after compromise reduces one's revolutionary zeal.