Genre: Drama
Release Year: 2014
Runtime: 175
Language: English
Director: Erok Peter Carlson
Plot: On one evening in a decade of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll, the innocence of youth and family unravels.
Archive for June, 2014
The Toy Soldiers
Saturday, June 7th, 2014Willow Creek
Friday, June 6th, 2014Genre: Horror
Release Year: 2014
Runtime: 104
Language: English
Director: Bobcat Goldthwait
Plot: Described by Jimmy Kimmel as “Scary and the Hendersons” and by writer-director Bobcat Goldthwait himself as “The Blair-Squatch Project,” found footage movie Willow Creek is a radical departure in Goldthwait’s career after directing a string of black comedies (World’s Greatest Dad, God Bless America). In the great American tradition of people venturing into the woods and encountering absolutely pants-wetting terror, what starts as two dorks with a video camera having a lark in a national park metastasizes into something much deeper, darker, and queasier.
Set in Humboldt County, California, Willow Creek centers on Jim (Bryce Johnson, Pretty Little Liars) a Bigfoot believer whose idea of a romantic getaway is to head deep into Six Rivers National Forest in Northern California, video camera in tow, trying to shoot his own Bigfoot footage at the site of the Patterson-Gimlin film. That 1967 fragment of footage purporting to show Sasquatch striding along a dry riverbed became a key artifact in the cryptozoology community, and Jim dreams of nothing more than setting foot on the actual location where it was shot. His long-suffering girlfriend, Kelly (Alexie Gilmore, World’s Greatest Dad), agrees to tag along for the ride, despite the fact that she thinks Bigfoot has about as much chance of being real as leprechauns.
The two stop off first in Willow Creek, the Bigfoot capital of the world and home to an annual Bigfoot festival, where various locals talk to Jim’s camera, warning them to keep out of the woods, singing ballads about Bigfoot, and generally enjoying their 15 minutes in the spotlight while Jim and Kelly have a blast, cracking wise amidst all the touristy Bigfoot kitsch on display. But when they strap on packs and head into the forest via a two-hour drive down a dirt road, they start to feel like they might be in over their heads. Well, Kelly does, at least. Jim, as he approaches what he considers hallowed ground, is in heaven.
That night they’re awakened by mysterious sounds echoing through the woods, and whooping vocalizations that might be Bigfoot, but that might also be locals screwing with them. Either way, they’re not welcome here and so Jim and Kelly decide to get out come sun-up but, as they quickly discover, it might already be too late, and as the sun goes down for the second time and they find themselves retracing the steps of Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin they discover the truth behind Bigfoot and the disturbing meaning of the term “forest bride.”
The Fault In Our Stars
Friday, June 6th, 2014Genre: Drama
Release Year: 2014
Runtime: 182
Language: English
Director: Josh Boone
Plot: Hazel and Gus are two extraordinary teenagers who share an acerbic wit, a disdain for the conventional, and a love that sweeps them — and us – on an unforgettable journey. Their relationship is all the more miraculous, given that they met and fell in love at a cancer support group. THE FAULT IN OUR STARS, based upon the number-one bestselling novel by John Green, explores the funny, thrilling and tragic business of being alive and in love.
Anna
Friday, June 6th, 2014Genre: Sci-Fi
Release Year: 2014
Runtime: 101
Language: English
Director: Jorge Dorado
Plot: Leading man Mark Strong plays John Washington, a detective with the unique ability to enter people’s minds and memories (presumably to help people recall event details pertinent to solving cases). Washington takes on the case of a troubled teenage girl named Anna, played by up-and-coming young actress Taissa Farmiga, who is accused of an attempted triple homicide. To uncover the mystery surrounding Anna and her story, Washington will enter her mind and try to find out the truth: is Anna capable of killing, or is there something hidden in her memories that shows otherwise?
Burning Blue
Friday, June 6th, 2014Genre: Drama
Release Year: 2014
Runtime: 100
Language: English
Director: DMW Greer
Plot: They have been trained to meet danger head-on, to execute vital strategic maneuvers while flying at breathtaking speeds. But after a series of fatal accidents, a close-knit squadron of male Navy pilots begins to splinter—and becomes the focus of a criminal investigation. As a government agent digs to uncover the cause of the accidents, two of the pilots engage in a secret, forbidden relationship. Their affair is exposed…and the squadron is engulfed by an incendiary scandal that will challenge each pilot’s notions of friendship, love, honor and courage.
The Moment
Friday, June 6th, 2014Genre: Thriller
Release Year: 2014
Runtime: 99
Language: English
Director: Jane Weinstock
Plot: THE MOMENT is a compelling Hitchcockian psychological thriller starring Jennifer Jason Leigh, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Martin Henderson and Meat Loaf. It premiered in Tribeca last year. After a tumultuous affair between international photojournalist Lee (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and troubled writer John (Martin Henderson) ends in John’s disappearance, Lee lands in a mental hospital. While recuperating, Lee reconnects with her estranged daughter, Jessie (Alia Shawkat) and befriends Peter, a patient who bears an uncanny resemblance to her missing lover. As Lee struggles to uncover the truth behind John’s disappearance, the clues lead to the last place she would ever expect.
Anne
Friday, June 6th, 2014Genre: Thriller
Release Year: 2014
Runtime: 101
Language: English
Director: Jorge Dorado
Plot: Leading man Mark Strong plays John Washington, a detective with the unique ability to enter people’s minds and memories (presumably to help people recall event details pertinent to solving cases). Washington takes on the case of a troubled teenage girl named Anna, played by up-and-coming young actress Taissa Farmiga, who is accused of an attempted triple homicide. To uncover the mystery surrounding Anna and her story, Washington will enter her mind and try to find out the truth: is Anna capable of killing, or is there something hidden in her memories that shows otherwise?
Trust Me
Friday, June 6th, 2014Genre: Comedy
Release Year: 2014
Runtime: 144
Language: English
Director: Clark Gregg
Plot: Trust Me tells the sharp, comic story of Howard Holloway (Gregg), a down-on-his luck agent for child actors and truly one the last good guys left in Hollywood. After discovering a 13-year-old acting prodigy (Sharbino), he is poised to close the deal of a lifetime which would catapult his tween client and, at long last, himself, into the big time. With the support of his gorgeous new neighbor (Peet), he must wrangle the actress’ volatile, overprotective father, dodge a scheming producer (Felicity Huffman), and outwit his uber-slick nemesis (Sam Rockwell). As he arrives on the brink of the Hollywood dream that’s eluded him for a lifetime, he begins to sense that his innocent young starlet may not be quite what she seems.
Supermensch
Friday, June 6th, 2014Genre: Documentary
Release Year: 2014
Runtime: 147
Language: English
Director: Mike Myers
Plot: In 1991, music manager Shep Gordon held Mike Myers over a barrel a few weeks before shooting “Wayne’s World†regarding an Alice Cooper song Myers wanted to use in the film. They have been close friends ever since. Twenty-two years later, the story of Gordon’s legendary life in the uber fast lane is now told in Myers’ directorial debut. And this time it’s Myers who has Gordon over a barrel.
Capitalist, protector, hedonist, pioneer, showman, shaman . . . SUPERMENSCH.
Obvious Child
Friday, June 6th, 2014Genre: Comedy
Release Year: 2014
Runtime: 150
Language: English
Director: Gillian Robespierre
Plot: For aspiring comedian Donna Stern, everyday life as a female twenty-something provides ample material for her incredibly relatable brand of humor. On stage, Donna is unapologetically herself, joking about topics as intimate as her sex life and as crude as her day-old underwear. But when Donna gets dumped, loses her job, and finds herself pregnant just in time for Valentine’s Day, she has to navigate the murky waters of independent adulthood for the first time. As she grapples with an uncertain financial future, an unwanted pregnancy, and a surprising new suitor, Donna begins to discover that the most terrifying thing about adulthood isn’t facing it all on her own. It’s allowing herself to accept the support and love of others. And be truly vulnerable. Never failing to find the comedy and humanity in each awkward situation she encounters, Donna finds out along the way what it means to be as brave in life as she is on stage. Anchored by a breakout performance from Jenny Slate, OBVIOUS CHILD is a winning discovery, packed tight with raw, energetic comedy and moments of poignant human honesty.
Third person
Friday, June 6th, 2014Genre: Drama
Release Year: 2014
Runtime: 132
Language: English
Director: Paul Haggis
Plot: Love, passion, mystery, betrayal and hope infuse Paul Haggis’ new feature, which follows the interrelated stories of three couples in three cities, Rome, New York and Paris — eachwith its own secrets.
Edge of Tomorrow
Friday, June 6th, 2014Genre: Sci-Fi
Release Year: 2014
Runtime: 152
Language: English
Director: Doug Liman
Plot: TOM CRUISE stars as Bill Cage, who must relive the same brutal battle against an unrelenting alien race.
The Sacrament
Friday, June 6th, 2014Genre: Horror
Release Year: 2014
Runtime: 134
Language: English
Director: Ti West
Plot: THE SACRAMENT stars Bowen and Swanberg as reporters for VICE Media who journey to a remote Central American compound along with a photographer (Kentucker Audley) hoping to reunite with his sister (Seimetz), who has dropped off the map after struggling with drug addiction. They find an isolated community of true believers devoted to a shadowy but charismatic figure called “Father.†Skeptical at first, the journalists begin to come around to the group’s utopian claims, until things rapidly take a very dark turn.
Like a Country Song
Thursday, June 5th, 2014Genre: Family
Release Year: 2014
Runtime: 155
Language: English
Director: Johnny Remo
Plot: “Like a Country Song” is a story about JAKE REESON, an up and coming country singer, has the whole world in his hands until his ego throws it all away. His mother, MIA, harbors a painful secret… the father Jake thought to be dead is alive. To protect Jake from the pain of knowing what his father, BO, had become after a horrible accident, Mia thought it best if Jake believed Bo was dead. “Like a Country Song†is a story about Humility and Forgiveness in the presence of Pain and Burden.
Chantal Akerman, From Here
Thursday, June 5th, 2014Genre: Documentary
Release Year: 2014
Runtime: 76
Language: English
Director: Gustavo Beck
Plot: In CHANTAL AKERMAN, FROM HERE, the renowned Belgian filmmaker sits down for an hour-long conversation about her entire body of work.
Throughout, the camera holds steady from outside an open door. The long, unbroken shot, and the frame-within-a-frame pay homage to Akerman’s own unmistakable style (“I need a corridor. I need doors. Otherwise, I can’t work”, she says). But by shooting her in profile, the filmmakers provide a contrast to the signature frontality of her compositions (one of the many subjects covered in the wide-ranging interview) – an acknowledgement of this portrait’s contingency also underlined by the title.
Akerman describes her first experiences with avant-garde film in New York, and, in particular, the lessons she took from the work of Michael Snow. She answers questions about her approach to fiction, documentary, and literary adaptation, covering everything from the early short LA CHAMBRE (1972) to the recent feature LÀ-BAS (2006). She explains her preference for small budgets and small crews, and the paramount importance of instinct and improvisation in her directorial process.
She is nothing if not forthcoming, candidly assessing her successes and failures, including an aborted attempt at writing at Hollywood screenplay. An image emerges of a filmmaker as assured and idiosyncratic as the work suggests. We see that behind Akerman’s cinematic innovations there is not only a remarkable intellectual clarity, but an ethical commitment to making films in which the viewer can “feel the time passing-by in your own body”, because, she says, “that is the only thing you have: time.”
Small Small Thing
Thursday, June 5th, 2014Genre: Documentary
Release Year: 2014
Runtime: 60
Language: English
Director: Jessica Vale
Plot: In December 2012 Olivia Zinnah, age 12, died of septic shock from a bowel obstruction. Her death was a result of complications from surgeries intended to repair the extensive injuries she sustained when she was raped at the age of seven. This is her story.
Small Small Thing begins at JFK Hospital in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia, and urban center of this West African country. Olivia Zinnah is 9 years old, severely malnourished and handicapped. Her condition is life threatening. Believing her injuries to be the result of witchcraft, Olivia’s mother had been hiding her in their village for years.
The doctors conclude her condition is the result of a brutal rape that took place when Olivia was 7 years old. When pressured to reveal her rapist, Olivia names her cousin.
This diagnosis has severe consequences. Originally from deep in the Liberian jungle, Olivia and her mother are shunned from their tribe for seeking outside help. They are left stranded in Monrovia at the mercy of President Sirleaf’s government, facing the most difficult decision of all. What price are they willing to pay for justice?
Northern Light
Thursday, June 5th, 2014Genre: Documentary
Release Year: 2014
Runtime: 140
Language: English
Director: Nick Bentgen
Plot: Set against the backdrop of a town’s annual snowmobile race, NORTHERN LIGHT explores the working class experience in a series of captivating personal stories of recession-era America. The lives of three families change profoundly in the north woods of Michigan, where winters are unforgiving, jobs are hard to come by, and the line between living life and simply surviving is razor-thin. This cinematic, observational documentary explores the American working class experience through character-based storytelling. As racers and their families pin their hopes to a 500 mile-long test of endurance, small triumphs and giant sacrifices are made along the way. Dysfunction and hardship permeate the cold, but this harsh setting is simultaneously the site of community and familial intimacy. Filmed over the course of several years spent with the film’s protagonists, NORTHERN LIGHT is a fresh and vital contribution to the tradition of contemporary American cinéma vérité.
I’LL FOLLOW YOU DOWN
Thursday, June 5th, 2014Genre: Sci-Fi
Release Year: 2014
Runtime: 124
Language: English
Director: Richie Mehta
Plot: After the disappearance of an accomplished physicist (Rufus Sewell), his son Erol (Haley Joel Osment) and wife Marika (Gillian Anderson) struggle to cope. Years later, now a young scientist himself, Erol discovers a formula that could kill him, throw him into the unknown…or bring his family back together.
Ghostlight
Tuesday, June 3rd, 2014Genre: Horror
Release Year: 2014
Runtime: 78
Language: English
Director: Jeff Ferrell
Plot: Andrew (Brian Sutherland) wins a radio contest to spend one night alone in a haunted theater on the 80th anniversary of the bloody murder/suicide that occured within its walls. His prize: $50,000. His task: To spend 12 hours alone inside. The catch: The theater has been reportedly haunted ever since the tragedy 80 years ago, and has been plagued by a series of mysterious deaths in the years since. A devout disbeliever in the supernatural, Andrew has no qualms about spending the night there.
Fight Life
Monday, June 2nd, 2014Genre: Documentary
Release Year: 2014
Runtime: 162
Language: English
Director: James Z. Feng
Plot: Fight Life is a new groundbreaking documentary that gives the audience an intimate look into the real life of the modern day professional mixed martial arts fighter. From humble beginnings paying dues at the smaller events to being on the big stage fighting for a championship on prime time TV, Fight Life follows these fighters on their journeys chasing a dream only few dare.