Archive for April, 2011

HENRY’S CRIME

Friday, April 8th, 2011

Genre: Comedy

Release Year: 2011

Runtime: 128

Language: English

Director: Malcolm Venville

Plot: Working the night shift as a toll collector on a lonely stretch of highway in Buffalo, New York, Henry (KEANU REEVES) is a man seemingly without ambition, dreams or purpose; a man sleepwalking his way through life. He gets his wakeup call early one morning when he becomes an unwitting participant in an ill-conceived bank heist.

Rather than give up the names of the real culprits, Henry takes the fall and goes to jail. There, he meets the irrepressible Max (JAMES CAAN), a con man who’s grown far too comfortable with the familiarity and security of his ‘idyllic’ life behind bars, but one who also helps plant an idea in Henry’s mind which will change his life forever: for a man to find his purpose, he must first have a dream.

Upon his release one year later, Henry finds his purpose. Having done the time, he decides he may as well do the crime. Discovering a long forgotten bootlegger’s tunnel which runs from the very same bank to a theater across the alleyway, he convinces the reluctant Max to file for his long overdue parole — and then recruits his former cellmate to help stage a robbery.

Their plan is simple: by infiltrating the theater and its current production of Chekhov’s, The Cherry Orchard, the unlikely duo will buy just enough time to dig their way to the adjacent bank vault and drive off with their loot. Unfortunately that plan also includes Henry taking the lead role in the play, where he finds himself slowly falling for the production’s mercurial leading lady, Julie (VERA FARMIGA).

By turns wry, off-beat, and simply hilarious, HENRY’S CRIME is the heartwarming story of a man who finds his purpose in life. And then finds his destiny.

 

To Die Like a Man

Friday, April 8th, 2011

Genre: Drama

Release Year: 2011

Runtime: 80

Language: English

Director: Joao Pedro Rodrigues

Plot: Tonia is a large-than-life drag icon of Lisbon’s night life in the late 1980s. At the peak of her career, she meets and falls in love with Rosario, a young soldier who’s gone AWOL. Torn between her love for Rosario and her deeply-rooted religious convictions, Tonia looks for a distraction in a trip to the countryside with Rosario. They find themselves in an enchanted forest where everything they think they know about life and love is proven wrong. Part melodrama, part phantasmagorical fairy tale, To Die Like A Man is visual extravaganza.

 

Born to be wild

Friday, April 8th, 2011

Genre: Documentary

Release Year: 2011

Runtime: 147

Language: English

Director: David Lickley

Plot: “Born to be Wild 3D” is an inspired story of love, dedication and the remarkable bond between humans and animals. This film documents orphaned orangutans and elephants and the extraordinary people who rescue and raise them – saving endangered species one life at a time. Stunningly captured in IMAX 3D, “Born to be Wild 3D” is a heartwarming adventure transporting moviegoers into the lush rainforests of Borneo with world-renowned primatologist Dr. Birute Galdikas, and across the rugged Kenyan savannah with celebrated elephant authority Dame Daphne Sheldrick, as they and their team rescue, rehabilitate and return these incredible animals back to the wild.

 

Soul Surfer

Friday, April 8th, 2011

Genre: Drama

Release Year: 2011

Runtime: 139

Language: English

Director: Sean McNamara

Plot: SOUL SURFER is the true story of competitive teen surfer Bethany Hamilton, who lost her arm in a shark attack and courageously overcame all odds to become a champion again, inspiring millions worldwide through her sheer determination and unwavering faith.

In the wake of this life-changing event that took her arm and nearly her life, Bethany’s feisty determination and steadfast beliefs spur her toward an adventurous comeback that gives her the grit to turn her loss into a gift for others.

Bethany (Robb) was born to surf. A natural talent who took to the waves at a young age, she was leading an idyllic, sun-drenched, surfer girl’s life on the Kauai Coast, competing in national competitions with her best friend Alana (Lorraine Nicholson), when everything changed in a heartbeat. On Halloween morning, Bethany was on a typical ocean outing when a 14-foot tiger shark came out of nowhere and seemed to shatter all her dreams.

SOUL SURFER reveals the moving aftermath of this headline-making story, as Bethany fights to recover and grapples with the future. Strengthened by the love of her parents, Tom (Quaid) and Cheri (Hunt), she refuses to give in or give up, and begins a bold return to the water. Still, the questions keep hammering her: Why did this happen? Why did she have to lose everything? Will she ever feel the joy and power of riding the waves again? And if she can’t be a surfer, then who is she?

The devastating 2004 tsunami in the Pacific Ocean unexpectedly gives Bethany a new perspective. Traveling to Phuket, Thailand with her youth-group leader Sara Hill (Underwood), she witnesses life beyond her own shoreline and discovers her greater purpose – she can make a difference in the lives of others. Filled with a new sense of hope and direction, she returns home with a renewed resolve to conquer her own limitations and set an encouraging example for people facing adversity.

At the National Championships, Bethany bravely faces off with her fiercest rival, Malia Birch (Sonya Balmores), and takes her astonishing one-armed surfing technique to the limit. But as the horn blows, and the suspenseful competition kicks off, Bethany is no longer thinking about the challenges of her body. Now, her surfing, her biggest dreams and her life have become about pushing her own physical limits to touch the souls of others.

 

Ceremony

Friday, April 8th, 2011

Genre: Comedy

Release Year: 2011

Runtime: 131

Language: English

Director: Max Winkler

Plot: Sam Davis (Michael Angarano) convinces his former best friend to spend a weekend with him to rekindle their friendship at an elegant beachside estate owned by a famous documentary filmmaker (Lee Pace). But it soon becomes clear that Sam is secretly infatuated with the filmmaker’s fiancée, Zoe (Uma Thurman), and that his true intention is to thwart their impending nuptials. As Sam’s plan begins to unravel, he is forced to realize how complicated love and friendship can be.

 

Arthur

Friday, April 8th, 2011

Genre: Comedy

Release Year: 2011

Runtime: 152

Language: English

Director: Jason Winer

Plot: Irresponsible charmer Arthur Bach (Russell Brand) has always relied on two things to get by: his limitless fortune and the good sense of lifelong nanny Hobson (Helen Mirren) to keep him out of trouble. Now he faces his biggest challenge—choosing between an arranged marriage that will ensure his lavish lifestyle or an uncertain future with the one thing money can’t buy, Naomi (Greta Gerwig), the only woman he has ever loved. With Naomi’s inspiration and some unconventional help from Hobson, Arthur will take the most expensive risk of his life and finally learn what it means to become a man, in this re-imagining of the classic romantic comedy “Arthur.”

 

Foo Fighters Back and Forth

Tuesday, April 5th, 2011

Genre: Documentary

Release Year: 2011

Runtime: 92

Language:

Director: James Moll

Plot: Moll’s documentary film will chronicle the 16 year history of the Foo Fighters: From the band’s very first songs created as cassette demos Grohl recorded during his tenure as Nirvana’s drummer through its ascent to their Grammy-winning, multi-platinum, arena and stadium headlining status as one of the biggest rock bands on the planet. This chronicling of the Foo Fighters’ triumphs and tragedies will culminate in an in-depth behind the scenes perspective on the making of the new album: A process in which the band pushed itself forward by going fully back to basics and recording in Grohl’s garage completely on analog tape. No computers, no software – just a band recording an album to tape in a garage. The new record also marks the Foos’ first full-length effort with legendary producer Butch Vig, with whom Grohl worked on Nirvana’s classic album Nevermind. Former Nirvana member Krist Novoselic will also return along with other surprise guest artists.

 

Source Code

Friday, April 1st, 2011

Genre: Drama

Release Year: 2011

Runtime: 63

Language: English

Director: Duncan Jones

Plot: When decorated soldier Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) wakes up in the body of an unknown man, he discovers he’s part of a mission to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train. In an assignment unlike any he’s ever known, he learns he’s part of a government experiment called the “Source Code,” a program that enables him to cross over into another man’s identity in the last 8 minutes of his life. With a second, much larger target threatening to kill millions in downtown Chicago, Colter re-lives the incident over and over again, gathering clues each time, until he can solve the mystery of who is behind the bombs and prevent the next attack.

Filled with mind-boggling twists and heart-pounding suspense, Source Code is a smart action-thriller directed by Duncan Jones (Moon) also starring Michelle Monaghan (Eagle Eye, Due Date), Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air, The Departed), and Jeffrey Wright (Quantum of Solace, Syriana).

 

Trust

Friday, April 1st, 2011

Genre: Drama

Release Year: 2011

Runtime: 125

Language: English

Director: David Schwimmer

Plot: A suburban family is torn apart when 14-year-old Annie (Liana Liberato) meets her first boyfriend online. After months of communicating via online chat and phone, Annie discovers her friend is not who he originally claimed to be. Shocked into disbelief, her parents (Clive Owen and Catherine Keener) are shattered by their daughter’s actions and struggle to support her as she comes to terms with what has happened to her once innocent life.

 

Wrecked

Friday, April 1st, 2011

Genre: Thriller

Release Year: 2011

Runtime: 119

Language: English

Director: Michael Greenspan

Plot: Adrien Brody stars as a man who awakens in a mangled car-wreck at the bottom of a steep cliff. Injured and trapped inside, with no memory of how he got there or who he is, he must rely on his most primal instincts to survive. But as he attempts to free himself from the carnage and escape an impossible situation, a darker side is revealed. Even if he manages to survive, the man may have to face the horrible consequences of an earlier, forgotten life.

 

The Last Godfather

Friday, April 1st, 2011

Genre: Comedy

Release Year: 2011

Runtime: 102

Language:

Director: Hyung-rae Shim

Plot: In 1951, Don Carini (Harvey Keitel), the mafia’s most powerful godfather, gathers his followers to announce the heir to the family. Each expects to be crowned the next Don, but they hear a shocking story from Don Carini. During his travels in Asia, he fell in love with an Asian woman who bore him a son. His now adult son Young-gu (Shim Hyung-rae) is anointed the next boss. Bonfante (Michael Rispoli), the betrayer in the outfit, wants Young-gu and the aging Don out, and with his minions, relentlessly tries to sabotage Young-gu’s training and take out the boss. Will Young-gu overcome each obstacle and rise to become the next godfather and lead his new “family?”

 

Super

Friday, April 1st, 2011

Genre: Comedy

Release Year: 2011

Runtime: 132

Language: English

Director: James Gunn

Plot: When sad-sack loser Frank (Rainn Wilson) sees his ex-addict wife (Liv Tyler) willingly snatched by a seductive drug dealer (Kevin Bacon), he finds himself bereft and wholly unable to cope. But soon he decides to fight back under the guise of a DIY superhero called Crimson Bolt. With a hand-made suit, a wrench, and a crazed sidekick named Boltie (Ellen Page), the Crimson Bolt beats his way through the mean streets of crime in hopes of saving his wife. The rules were written a long time ago: You are not supposed to molest children, cut lines or key cars; if you do, prepare to face the wrath of the Crimson Bolt!

No stranger to rebel filmmaking, James Gunn cut his teeth writing for Troma before making his directing debut with 2006’s SLITHER. In a similar vein, his follow-up feature combines absurd humor with balls-out violence to create something that is both unashamed and inimitable. But this time Gunn adds a new ingredient, one that is dark, dramatic and subversive to the core.

 

WRETCHES & JABBERERS

Friday, April 1st, 2011

Genre: Documentary

Release Year: 2011

Runtime: 124

Language: English

Director: Gerardine Wurzburg

Plot: Directed by Academy Award® winner Gerardine Wurzburg (Educating Peter), WRETCHES & JABBERERS follows two men with autism, Tracy Thresher and Larry Bissonnette, who embark on a global quest to change attitudes about disability and intelligence. Determined to put a new face on autism, the men travel to Sri Lanka, Japan and Finland, where at each stop they challenge public attitudes about autism and issue a hopeful message to reconsider competency. A poignant narrative of personal struggle that rings with intelligence, humor, hope and courage, WRETCHES & JABBERERS is about the life-sustaining power of relationships – the personal connections that people make through communication.

 

Cat Run

Friday, April 1st, 2011

Genre: Action-Adventure

Release Year: 2011

Runtime: 142

Language: English

Director: John Stockwell

Plot: Anthony always dreamed of being a famous chef. Julian only thought about women. With neither really working out, the childhood best friends decide to start a detective agency. Unfortunately for them, on their first case they must help protect a sexy, high class escort who holds the key evidence to a scandalous cover up. The two bumbling detectives soon find themselves running from the mob, a corrupt US Senator, and a ruthless Mary Poppins-like assassin – all of whom would stop at nothing to hide the truth. It’s just an average day for two bumbling losers.

 

Queen to Play

Friday, April 1st, 2011

Genre: Comedy

Release Year: 2011

Runtime: 98

Language: French

Director: Caroline Bottaro

Plot: Oscar winner Kevin Kline (A Fish Called Wanda) and the luminous Sandrine Bonnaire (Vagabond) square off in this stylish and sophisticated dramedy of newfound passions and mid-life triumphs, set on the postcard-perfect isle of Corsica. Lovely, repressed and quietly intelligent, French chambermaid Hélène (Bonnaire) discovers she has a knack for chess. This obsession – much to the chagrin of her husband and teenaged daughter – leads her to seek the clandestine tutelage of a reclusive American doctor (Kline, in his first French-speaking role) – a liaison that radically transforms both of their lackluster lives.

 

Rubber

Friday, April 1st, 2011

Genre: Comedy

Release Year: 2011

Runtime: 146

Language: English (International)

Director: Quentin Dupieux

Plot: RUBBER is the story of Robert, an inanimate tire that has been abandoned in the desert, and suddenly and inexplicably comes to life. As Robert roams the bleak landscape, he discovers that he possesses terrifying telepathic powers that give him the ability to destroy anything he wishes without having to move. At first content to prey on small desert creatures and various discarded objects, his attention soon turns to humans, especially a beautiful and mysterious woman who crosses his path. Leaving a swath of destruction across the desert landscape, Robert becomes a chaotic force to be reckoned with, and truly a movie villain for the ages. Directed by legendary electro musician Quentin Dupieux (Steak, Nonfilm), aka Mr. Oizo, RUBBER is a smart, funny and wholly original tribute to the cinematic concept of “no reason.”

 

Circo

Friday, April 1st, 2011

Genre: Documentary

Release Year: 2011

Runtime: 141

Language: Spanish

Director: Aaron Schock

Plot: Gorgeously filmed along the back roads of rural Mexico, CIRCO follows the Ponce family’s hardscrabble circus as it struggles to stay together despite mounting debt, dwindling audiences, and a simmering family conflict. Tino, the ringmaster, is driven by his dream to lead his parents’ circus to success and corrals the energy of his whole family, including his four young children, towards this singular goal. But his wife Ivonne is determined to make a change. Feeling exploited by her in-laws, she longs to return to her kids a childhood lost to laboring in the circus. Through this intricately woven story of a marriage in trouble and of a century-old family tradition that hangs in the balance, CIRCO opens the viewer to the luminous world of a traveling circus while examining the universal themes of family bonds, filial responsibility, and the weight of cultural inheritance.

 

Insidious

Friday, April 1st, 2011

Genre: Horror

Release Year: 2011

Runtime: 110

Language: English

Director: James Wan

Plot: INSIDIOUS is the terrifying story of a family who shortly after moving discover that dark spirits have possessed their home and that their son has inexplicably fallen into a coma. Trying to escape the haunting and save their son, they move again only to discover that it was not their house that was haunted.

 

FAT, SICK & NEARLY DEAD

Friday, April 1st, 2011

Genre: Documentary

Release Year: 2011

Runtime: 162

Language: English

Director: Joe Cross

Plot: The film follows the reboot mission of its filmmaker, Joe Cross. One hundred pounds overweight, loaded up on steroids and suffering from a debilitating autoimmune disease, Cross is at the end of his rope. In the mirror he saw a 310-pound man, with a gut bigger than a beach ball and a future that wouldn’t end well. With one foot already in the grave, the other wasn’t far behind.

With doctors and conventional medicines unable to provide a solution, Joe turns to the only option left: the body’s ability to heal itself. He trades in the junk food and hits the road with juicer and generator in tow, vowing only to drink fresh fruit and vegetable juice for the next 60 days. Across 3,000 miles Joe has one goal in mind: To get off his pills and get healthy.

While talking to more than 500 Americans about food, health and longevity, it’s at a truck stop in Arizona where Joe meets a truck driver who suffers from the same rare condition. Phil Staples is morbidly obese weighing in at 429 pounds. He is a cheeseburger away from a heart attack. As Joe is recovering his health, Phil begins his own epic journey to get well.

What emerges is nothing short of amazing – an inspiring tale of healing and human connection. Part road trip, part self-help manifesto, FAT, SICK & NEARLY DEAD defies the traditional documentary format to present an unconventional and uplifting story of two men from different worlds who each realize that the only person who can save them is themselves.

 

In a Better World

Friday, April 1st, 2011

Genre: Drama

Release Year: 2011

Runtime: 122

Language: Danish

Director: Susanne Bier

Plot: Anton is a doctor who commutes between his home in an idyllic town in Denmark, and his work at an African refugee camp. In these two very diffferent worlds, he and his family are faced with conflicts that lead them to difficult choices between revenge and forgiveness.

Anton and his wife Marianne, who have two young sons, are separated and struggling with the possibility of divorce. Their older, ten-year-old son Elias is being bulled at school, until he is defended by Christian, a new boy who has just moved from London with his father, Claus. Christian’s mother recently lost her battle with cancer, and Christian is greatly troubled by her death.

Elias and Christian quickly form a strong bond, but when Christian involves Elias in a dangerous act of revenge with potentially tragic consequences, their friendship is tested and lives are put in danger. Ultimately, it is their parents who are left to help them come to terms with the complexity of human emotions, pain and empathy.