Universal Pictures est une société de production cinématographique américaine appartenant à Comcast. Au sein de sa filiale NBCUniversal, elle fait partie d'Universal Studios. Créée en 1912 par Carl Laemmle, c'est le plus ancien studio de cinéma américain encore en activité et le quatrième plus ancien au monde, après Gaumont, Pathé et Nordisk Films. C'est un des six plus gros studios de cinéma, il fait partie des majors du cinéma.
Son siège social se situe à Universal City, au nord de Hollywood, en Californie. Trois des films d'Universal Studios — Les Dents de la mer (1975), E.T. (1982), et Jurassic Park (1993) — furent des records au box-office, chacun d'entre eux devenant le plus gros film jamais produit au moment de sa sortie et étant réalisé par Steven Spielberg. Le film Jurassic World (2015) est aujourd'hui le plus gros succès des studios Universal dans le monde.
On October 30, 1977, Jerry Goldsmith, Bill Hudley, Mary Knowles and Denise Willis are on the road in hopes of writing a book on offbeat roadside attractions. When the four meet Captain Spaulding, the owner of a gas station and "The Museum of Monsters & Madmen", they learn the local legend of Dr. Satan. As they take off in search of the tree from which Dr. Satan was hanged, they pick up a young hitchhiker named Baby, who claims to live only a few miles away. Shortly after, the vehicle's tire bursts in what is later seen to be a trap and Baby takes Bill to her family's house. Moments later, Baby's half-brother, Rufus, picks up the stranded passengers and takes them to the family home.
The tale of an American reconnaissance pilot, Ted Brice (Paxton), downed in occupied Belgium at the height of World War II. Hidden by resistance fighters, he falls in love with the wife (Ormond) of the man who will save him. When their affair is exposed, an act of betrayal threatens their lives and the entire resistance movement, forcing the pilot to make a powerful choice that could change the course of the war.
David Gale is a prisoner on death row in Texas. With only a few days to his execution, his lawyer negotiates a half million-dollar fee to tell his story to Bitsey Bloom, a journalist from a major news magazine known for her ability to keep secrets and protect her sources. He tells her the story of how he ended up on death row, revealed to the movie audience through a series of lengthy flashbacks.
Conrad and Sally Walden live in the city of Anville with their single mother Joan Walden, who works for neat-freak Hank Humberfloob. One day, just as Mr. Humberfloob calls in a new member of the "Humberfloob Family", the new worker, Jim McFinnigan shakes his hand in thanks (shocking everyone, as they are aware that one will be fired if whom shakes his hand without permission), which angers Mr. Humberfloob, screaming "FIRED!", and Jim runs out crying. He then puts on hand sanitizer and firmly warns Joan that she will be fired if her house is messy for the upcoming meet and greet party. At the house, Conrad trashes the house, causing their dog Nevins to run down the street in fright. Joan punishes Conrad for a week while re-cleaning the house. Their next door neighbor, Lawrence Quinn, whom Joan is dating to Conrad's dismay, brings back Nevins, and Sally is grateful. When Lawrence leaves, Joan is called back to the office again, leaving the kids with Mrs. Kwan, a lethargic babysitter, and making sure they are forbidden to enter the living room, which is being kept pristine for the upcoming party. Lawrence is constantly on the lookout for any mischief that Conrad is up to, as he wants nothing more than to send him away to military school for the rest of his life, earning Conrad the reputation of "troublemaker", while his sister is characterized as "perfect and well-behaved".
Fifteen years after surviving the events of The Hitcher, Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell) now works as a police officer. He has recently been suspended for using excessive force on a kidnapping suspect, and decides to visit retired Captain Esteridge in Texas to talk about his lingering mental issues on what happened to him. Jim's girlfriend, Maggie (Kari Wührer), is unaware of Jim's past and pleads to come along.
Honey Daniels (Jessica Alba) works as a bartender, a record store clerk and a dancer teacher at a local community center run by her mother in New York. Having dreams to make it as a backup dancer in music videos, Honey and rival Katrina (Laurieann Gibson) are recorded dancing in the club where the former works. That same night, Honey and friend Gina (Joy Bryant) leave the club and encounter some kids dancing. Two of the kids are introduced as Benny (Lil' Romeo), and his little brother Raymond (Zachary Williams). Honey invites them to attend her classes at the community center, and they work together to inspire new dance moves. The young teacher soon catches the attention of music director Michael Ellis (David Moscow), who gives her a job as a backup dancer in Jadakiss' new video. Unimpressed with his current choreographer, Michael decides to let Honey choreograph the video. Impressed, Honey gets promoted, and choreographs for Tweet, Sheek Louch, and Shawn Desman.
The film takes place in May of 1805, during the Napoleonic Wars. Captain "Lucky Jack" Aubrey of HMS Surprise is ordered to pursue the French privateer Acheron, and "Sink, Burn, or take her as a Prize." As the film opens, the British warship is ambushed by Acheron; Surprise is heavily damaged, while its own cannon fire does not penetrate the enemy ship's hull. Using smaller boats, the crew of Surprise tow the ship into a fog bank and evade pursuit. Aubrey learns from a crewman who saw Acheron being built that it is heavier and faster than Surprise, and the senior officers consider the ship out of their class. Aubrey notes that such a ship could tip the balance of power in Napoleon's favour if allowed to plunder the British whaling fleet at will. He orders pursuit of Acheron, rather than returning to port for repairs. Acheron again ambushes Surprise, but Aubrey slips away in the night by using a clever decoy buoy and ships lamps.
Matt Sullivan (Josh Hartnett) and his roommate, Ryan (Paulo Costanzo), are co-workers at a San Francisco dot-com company. Matt is obsessed with his ex-girlfriend, Nicole (Vinessa Shaw), and his obsession repeatedly causes him problems during attempted one-night stands. He confides his sexual problems to his brother, John (Adam Trese), who is training to become a Catholic priest. In an attempt to fix his problems, Matt vows to abstain from sexual stimulation, including masturbation, for the 40 days and 40 nights of Lent. John warns Matt that chastity is not easy; meanwhile, Ryan starts a popular office pool to bet on how long Matt can last.
Anne Marie (Kate Bosworth), Eden (Michelle Rodriguez), and Lena (Sanoe Lake) are best friends. They raised Anne Marie's 14-year-old sister, Penny (Mika Boorem), ever since their mother took off to Las Vegas with a boyfriend who was uncomfortable with the idea of having the two girls come along. While Penny is at school, Anne Marie, Eden, and Lena work as maids at a large resort hotel, but more importantly, they are surfers. Anne Marie rises every morning before dawn to train for her surfing comeback and was once considered a rising star in women's surfing and competed as a youth, but an extreme wipeout and near-drowning incident temporarily halted her career and left her with deep-seated fears. Her friends, especially Eden, have encouraged her to try it again.
In Baltimore, Maryland psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter attends a symphonic orchestra performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream. The flute player repeatedly misses out on his part, profoundly irritating Lecter. Later, Lecter hosts a dinner party in his townhouse for the orchestra's board of directors at which the disappearance of a musician, a flute player, is brought up during conversation.
In the Mediterranean Sea, Italian fishermen rescue an unconscious American man (Matt Damon) floating adrift with two gunshot wounds in his back. The boat's skipper finds a tiny laser projector surgically implanted under the man's skin at the hip. When activated, it displays the number of a safe deposit box in Zürich. When he regains consciousness, the man discovers he has dissociative (or psychogenic) amnesia. It is soon revealed the amnesia is selective, as the man realizes he knows several languages and advanced combat skills. Much later he remembers fragments of the C.I.A. trauma-based programming which erased and replaced his identity. When the ship docks, he sets off to investigate the deposit box.
Ramu Gupta (Jimi Mistry), a dance teacher, leaves his native city Delhi, India, to seek his fortune in the United States. He is lured by the exaggerations of his cousin, Vijay, who has already moved to New York City. Vijay's deception is the first of several that drive the plot.
FBI agent Jake Malloy is pursuing a serial killer who specializes in killing police officers. Malloy's former partner becomes one of the victims. While Malloy is at his partner's home, the murderer calls Malloy from Malloy's home while Mary, his girlfriend, is there. The killer tells Malloy that he pursued him four years before for a series of prostitute murders; he is holding a grudge and he's going to kill Mary. Malloy rushes home to find Mary dead. When the killer's hideout is found, Seattle police and the FBI blockade the area before Malloy arrives. Malloy pursues the killer only to find that he appears to have committed suicide.
The story follows five contestants who agree to take part in a reality webcast. The rules are simple: "Spend 6 months in a house for $1 MILLION. If someone leaves, everyone loses!" With the end of the 6 months nearing, the tension between contestants Matt (Sean Cw Johnson), Emma (Laura Regan), Charlie (Jennifer Sky), Danny (Stephen O'Reilly) and Rex (Kris Lemche) is at a high level. Instead of their regular food deliveries, packages containing sinister object arrive. A letter stating that Danny's grandfather has died, a gun with 5 bullets and a bottle of champagne.
After breaking up for the summer, the four friends regroup for a party held by Stifler (Seann William Scott), their overtly sex-crazed class clown and friend. His party is shut down thanks in part to the neighbors calling the police. Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas) is inspired by his brother to make his summer with his friends count by renting a beach home. He, Jim, Oz and Finch plan to take off to a beach house together, where they intend to spend the summer. Kevin realizes a problem and worked out that they can only afford the house if they have a fifth member to work along with them. Stifler takes charge of much of the organizing, often ending up leading the group in their endeavors.