Friday, January 16, 2009

Stop-Loss

Decorated Iraq war hero Sgt. Brandon King makes a celebrated return to his small Texas hometown following his tour of duty. Brandon tries to resume the life he left behind with the help and support of his loving family, and his best friend, Steve Shriver, who served with Brandon in Iraq. Alongside their war-time buddies, Brandon and Steve try to make peace with civilian life. Then, against Brandon's will, under a measure called "Stop Loss," the Army indefinitely extends Brandon's enlistment and forces him back to Iraq. This upends Brandon's entire world. The conflict into which he is thrown tests everything he believes in: the bond of family, the loyalty of friendship, the limits of love, and the value of honor.

STEP UP 2 THE STREETS

"Step Up 2 the Streets" is the follow-up to the smash hit "Step Up." When rebellious street dancer Andie lands at the elite Maryland School of the Arts, she finds herself fighting to fit in while also trying to hold onto her old life. When she joins forces with the school's hottest dancer Chase to form a crew of classmate outcasts to compete in Baltimore's underground dance battle, The Streets, she ultimately finds a way to live her dream while building a bridge between her two separate worlds.

Sleepwalking

Forced out of her home after her boyfriend is arrested, Joleen Reedy needs a place to stay with her 11-year-old daughter, Tara. She turns for help to her younger brother James--a simple and overly trusting man who doesn't hesitate to welcome them into his modest rental apartment. Almost as soon as she moves in, however, Joleen hits the road with another man. Utterly ill-equipped to be the sole guardian of an adolescent girl, James does his best to make his distraught niece happy. But, before long, things spin out of control: he loses his road crew job and Tara is put into foster care. Additionally, old wounds from his emotionally abusive and sometimes violent father begin to reopen as James is forced to re-examine his life. That's when James makes a fateful decision that will bring his life full circle and force him to face his demons. He takes off with Tara and the pair assumes new identities as father and daughter. What starts out as a ploy to evade authorities takes on a deeper significance as James strives to become the dad Tara never had and, for the first time, finds a true purpose in life.

The Rocker

"The Rocker," aka Robert "Fish" Fishman, was the drummer for an '80s hair band. He was living the rock 'n' roll dream until he was kicked out of the group. Twenty years later, the desperate rocker joins his nephew's band, "A.D.D.," finally reclaiming the rock-god throne he's always thought he deserved--while taking his much younger band mates along for the ride of their lives.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Rescued

"Rescued" stars Jaci Twiss, Shea Potter, and Matthew Reese as three coworkers who get stranded on an island after a business flight gone wrong. As they survive together, a love triangle emerges, and Megan (Twiss) starts to see the importance of being true to yourself and what matters most.

Redbelt

"Redbelt" is the story of Mike Terry, a Jiu-jitsu master who has avoided the prize fighting circuit, choosing to instead pursue a life of honor
and education by operating a self-defense studio in Los Angeles. Terry's life is dramatically changed however when he is conned by a cabal of movie stars and promoters. In order to pay off his debts and regain his honor Terry must step into the ring for the first time in his life.

Quid Pro Quo

A semi-paralyzed radio reporter is sent out to investigate a story that leads him into a very strange subculture and on a journey that ultimately
leads him to the disturbing truth about himself.

Price of the American Dream 2

The story of the family of Mexicans immigrated to the United States continues after Laura Munoz has lost her husband Chendo and become a single mother with four children. They leave expensive California for New Mexico but the move doesn't mean the end of their troubles. Now the troubles are about the children who have problems at school and mingle with 'wrong' friends.

The Other Boleyn Girl

Two ferociously ambitious sisters, Mary and Anne Boleyn, are rivals for the bed and heart of the 16th century English king Henry VIII.

Make It Happen

Embarking on a journey to fulfill her dreams as a dancer, a young girl discovers a new style of dance that will prove to be the source of both conflict and self-discovery.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

HAPPY GO LUCKY

Just how hard is it to be happy? In the effervescent new comedy from writer/director Mike Leigh, Sally Hawkins stars as Poppy, an irrepressibly
free-spirited school teacher who brings an infectious laugh and an unsinkable sense of optimism to every situation she encounters, offering us a touching, truthful and deeply life-affirming exploration of one of the most mysterious and often the most elusive of all human qualities: happiness. Poppy's ability to maintain her perspective is tested as the story begins and her commuter bike is stolen. However, she enthusiastically signs up for driving lessons with Scott, who turns out to be her nemesis--a fuming, uptight cynic. As the tension of their weekly lessons builds, Poppy encounters even more challenges to her positive state of mind: a fiery flamenco instructor, her bitter, pregnant sister, a troubled homeless man and a young bully in her class, not to mention that she has also thrown out her back. How this affects not only Poppy's world view but also the outlook of those around her begs the question "glass half full or half empty"?

Gran Torino

Walt Kowalski, an iron-willed veteran living in a changing world, who is forced by his immigrant neighbors to confront his own long-held prejudices
. The people he once called his neighbors have all moved or passed away, replaced by Hmong immigrants, from Southeast Asia, he despises. Resentful of virtually everything and everyone he sees, Walt is just waiting out the rest of his life, until the night his teenage neighbor Thao tries to steal his prized '72 Gran Torino, under pressure from Hmong gang-bangers. But Walt stands in the way of both the heist and the gang, making him the reluctant hero of the neighborhood-especially to Thao's mother and older sister, Sue, who insist that Thao work for Walt as a way to make amends. Though he initially wants nothing to do with these people, Walt eventually gives in and puts the boy to work, setting into motion an unlikely friendship that will change both their lives.

A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND

A look at African-American family life in the United States.

GARDEN PARTY

Fifteen-year-old April is running from one bad situation into another, hoping to find an answer that doesn't involve taking off her clothes. As
April navigates Los Angeles, she falls in with a group of confused kids struggling to chase their dreams. The black widow at the centre of this web is a sexy, pot-dealing realtor named Sally St. Claire, and anyone who gets too close falls victim to her kinky entanglements.

FELON

Wade Porter lives a modest but comfortable life with a young family, a fledgling business and a promising future ahead. But in an instant, his life, and that of everyone he loves is threatened and possibly gone forever when he's convicted of killing a man while protecting his fiancée, Laura, and their three year old son. In just 24 hours, the unimaginable conditions of a new world order begin to take hold. Violence is the answer to everything and, even for Laura, what it means to fight for your life--alone--becomes all too real. Sentenced to Corcoran State Prison, Wade ends up in a hellish facility run by Lt. William Jackson, known as the SHU (Security Housing Unit) where the inmates are brutal but far less deadly than the guards. His cellmate, John Smith, is a stone cold prison legend, a 'lifer' and a man once devastated so completely that he has nothing left to lose and acts accordingly. An unlikely bond develops between the two men as Wade struggles to survive, having to put his own life--and the possibility of ever being freed--in relentless jeopardy.

Elegy

Charismatic professor David Kepesh glories in the pursuit of adventurous female students but never lets any woman get too close. When gorgeous
Consuela Castillo enters his classroom, however, his protective veneer dissolves. Her raven-haired beauty both captivates and unsettles him. Even if Kepesh declares her body a perfect work of art, Consuela is more than an object of desire. She has a strong sense of herself and an emotional intensity that challenges his preconceptions. Kepesh's need for Consuela becomes an obsession, but ultimately his jealous fantasies of betrayal drive her away. Shattered, Kepesh faces up to the ravages of time, immersing himself in work and confronting the loss of old friends. Then, two years later, Consuela comes back into his life-with an urgent, desperate request that will change everything.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Eagle Eye

"Eagle Eye" has been digitally re-mastered into the unparalleled image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience® through IMAX's DMR® technology
. Shia Labeouf reteams with "Disturbia" director D.J. Caruso playing a young slacker whose twin brother has died mysteriously. Rachel finds that her child is missing, and soon the two strangers realize that they have been framed as terrorists. Forced to become members of a cell that has plans to carry out a political assassination, they must work together to extricate themselves while being led by a mysterious voice.

Deception

"Are you free tonight?" A simple enough question, but how Jonathan McQuarry answers it will change his life forever. A corporate auditor adrift
in a sea of New York's power elite, Jonathan's work is his entire life. But, a chance meeting with Wyatt Bose, a charismatic corporate lawyer, introduces Jonathan to a decadent playground for Manhattan's executive upper crust. For these power brokers, whose 18-hour workdays leave no time for a personal life, there's "The List"--a sex club, of sorts, where the right cell-phone number and four simple words ("Are you free tonight?") can lead to an evening's sexual fulfillment. It's a world of "intimacy without intricacy," as Jonathan's first conquest (or vice versa) explains to him, and through The List Jonathan discovers a side of himself that he didn't know existed. But an affair with a ravishing and mysterious stranger known to Jonathan only by her first initial 'S', will expose him to yet another world he never imagined--one of betrayal, treachery and murder.

CONSPIRACY

A seasoned senior enlisted special operations (spec ops) United States Marine is wounded during combat operations in Iraq. He is retired from the Marine Corps and visits a friend on a ranch in the south west. When he arrives he discovers his friend has disappeared and no one will even admit to knowing of him.

Brideshead Revisited

"Brideshead Revisited" tells an evocative story of forbidden love and the loss of innocence set in the pre-WWII era. In the film, Charles Ryder
becomes entranced with the noble Marchmain family, first through the charming and provocative Sebastian Flyte, and then his sophisticated sister, Julia. The rise and fall of Charles' infatuations reflect the decline of a decadent era in England between the wars.

AUGUST

"August" follows Tom Sterling as an aggressive, young dot-com entrepreneur who fights to keep his start-up company afloat. Tom finds himself on
a personal and professional downward spiral as he struggles to reunite with girlfriend, Sarrah, regain control of his company from his apathetic investor Ogilvie, and deal with age-old family wounds with his father, David and his brother Joshua. The film also stars Emmanuelle Chriqui as Morela and Andre Royo as Dylan.

21

Ben Campbell is a shy, brilliant M.I.T. student who--needing to pay school tuition--finds the answers in the cards. He is recruited to join a group
of the school's most gifted students that heads to Vegas every weekend armed with fake identities and the know-how to turn the odds at blackjack in their favor. With unorthodox math professor and stats genius Micky Rosa leading the way, they've cracked the code. By counting cards and employing an intricate system of signals, the team can beat the casinos big time. Seduced by the money, the Vegas lifestyle, and by his smart and sexy teammate, Jill Taylor, Ben begins to push the limits. Though counting cards isn't illegal, the stakes are high, and the challenge becomes not only keeping the numbers straight, but staying one step ahead of the casinos' menacing enforcer: Cole Williams.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Surveillance

An FBI agent encounters three would-be victims of a serial killer, all of whom have very different stories of their experiences.

The Duchess

"The Duchess" is the story of an extraordinary woman who rose to fame by staying true to her passions in a world of protocol, gossip and social
rules--and paid the price. Long before the concept existed, the Duchess of Devonshire, Georgiana Spencer, was the original "It Girl." Like her direct descendent Princess Diana, she was ravishing, glamorous and adored by an entire country. Determined to be a player in the wider affairs of the world, she proved that she could out-gamble, out-drink and outwit most of the aristocratic men who surrounded her. She helped usher in sweeping changes to England as a leader of the forward-thinking Whig Party. But even as her power and popularity grew, she was haunted by the fact that the only man in England she seemingly could not seduce was her very own husband, the Duke. And, when she tried to find her own way to be true to her heart and loyal to her duty, the resulting controversies and convoluted liaisons would leave all of London talking.

CASS

The incredible true story of how an orphaned Jamaican baby, adopted by an elderly white couple and brought up in an all white area of London, became one of the most feared and respected men in Britain. CASS grew up in a time before political correctness and was forced to endure racist bullying on a daily basis, until one day when the years of pent up anger came out in a violent burst. CASS found through violence the respect he never had and became addicted to the buzz of fighting. His way of life finally caught up with him when an attempted assassination on his life, saw him shot three times at point blank range. His inner strength somehow managed to keep him alive but he was left with a dilemma; whether to seek vengeance as the street had taught him, or renounce his violent past. This is the extraordinary story of his life.

The Alphabet Killer

A crime scene photographer and a police detective engage the help of a college professor for leads on a child killer who picks his victims according
to the initials in their name. Based on the true unsolved crimes in Rochester, New York in the 1970's.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter

A father separates his son from his twin sister at birth to prevent him and the mother from knowing she was born with Down syndrome. Based on the novel by Kim Edwards.

Wisegal

A drama centered around Patty Montanari, the widowed mother of two who went to work for her lover Frank Russo, a captain in a Brooklyn crime family.

CACTUS

A man is kidnapped from his city home in the quiet hours of the night and, the kidnapper, John Kelly, embarks on a journey into the Australian Outback towards the place where his hostage is due for delivery. As time and distance roll by, the strength and endurance of both men will be tested to the very end.

Adulthood

Powerful, disturbing and moving in equal measure, 2005's acclaimed "Kidulthood" took us deep into London's unseen underbelly, delivering a raw, hard-hitting reflection of what life is like for 21st century teenagers, where sex is currency, drugs are easy to come by and violence is a way of life. Six years after Sam Peel is released from jail for killing Trife, he soon realises that life is no easier on the outside than it was on the inside and he's forced to confront the people he hurt the most. Some have moved on, others are stuck with the repercussions of his actions that night, but one thing's for certain - everyone has been forced to grow up. Through his journey Sam struggles to deal with his sorrow and guilt and something else he didn't expect - those seeking revenge. As he's pursued by a new generation of bad boys, Sam sets about trying to get the message across to his pursuers that they should stop the violence, much like Trife tried to tell him all those years ago. Can Sam stop the cycle of violence and make something positive from the destruction he caused or will his journey into Adulthood end here? A positive tale disguised in the bleakness of its environment, Adulthood pushes home the moral lesson that crime doesn't pay.

The Lazarus Project (2008)

A harrowing and frightening thriller about a man who has everything he's ever loved stripped away from him; and to earn his life and family back, he must face obstacles of mystical origins, endure countless tests of his faith, struggle with his own sanity, and explore the depth and the power of his soul.

Dark Honeymoon

Dark Honeymoon follows a man who marries a seductive woman after a brief and passionate relationship. During their honeymoon, on the Pacific coast, terrible truths unfold as those around them die mysterious deaths.

Eagle Eye

"Eagle Eye" has been digitally re-mastered into the unparalleled image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience® through IMAX's DMR® technology
. Shia Labeouf reteams with "Disturbia" director D.J. Caruso playing a young slacker whose twin brother has died mysteriously. Rachel finds that her child is missing, and soon the two strangers realize that they have been framed as terrorists. Forced to become members of a cell that has plans to carry out a political assassination, they must work together to extricate themselves while being led by a mysterious voice.

Flashbacks of a fool

A hedonistic British actor's Hollywood career is starting to nosedive as he hits his 40s. The death of his best friend from his English seaside
childhood causes him to journey back home for the funeral, and prompts flashbacks to the tragedy that forced him to flee for a new life.

The Children of Huang Shi

Inspired by true events, the film tells the story of George Hogg, a young British journalist, who rescues 60 orphaned children. He leads them on
a treacherous 1000-mile journey along the Silk Road, through the Liu Pan Shan Mountains into the spectacular Gobi desert. Over the course of the journey he falls in love with a determined, self-trained nurse, and makes a friend in Chen, the leader of a Chinese partisan group. Madame Wang, a surviving aristocrat, assists in guiding them to safety in a remote village near the western end of China's Great Wall.

Vice 2008

Detective Walker is a deeply flawed hero fighting to redeem himself while solving, and simultaneously trying to prevent, a string of murders following a drug deal gone bad. As in other gritty, gripping urban dramas, such as The Usual Suspects, Vice takes the viewer by the throat and doesn t let go until the final plot twist reveals the truth about Walker and the hard cost of making tough choices.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Linewatch

Michael Dixon is a seasoned agent working linewatch on the US/Mexico Border. Well respected by his peers at US Border Patrol, and well loved by his family (wife Angela and 5 year old daughter Emily), Michael's world is suddenly threatened by secrets from his past. Michael was not always the respectable family man he now has become - he was a vicious Los Angeles gang member who turned his back on the gang and his own brutal ways. But no one can quit the gang, so when a chance encounter leads the gang to Michael in New Mexico, Michael is forced to find a way to protect his family, even if it means helping the psychotic gang leader Drake smuggle a truckload of drugs across the border.

The Secret Life of Bees

Set in South Carolina in 1964, the film is the moving tale of Lily Owens a 14 year-old girl who is haunted by the memory of her late mother. To
escape her lonely life and troubled relationship with her father, Lily flees with Rosaleen, her caregiver and only friend, to a South Carolina town that holds the secret to her mother's past. Taken in by the intelligent and independent Boatwright sisters, Lily finds solace in their mesmerizing world of beekeeping, honey and the Black Madonna.

RED 2008

An older, reclusive man's best friend and inspiration for living is his 14-year-old dog named "Red". When three troublesome teens kill the dog for no good reason, the grieving man sets out for justice and redemption by whatever means available to him.

The Edge Of Love

Two feisty, free-spirited women are connected by the brilliant, charismatic poet who loves them both. The passion and pathos of legendary poet Dylan Thomas is told through the lives of two extraordinary women. Vera Phillips and Dylan were teenage loves; fast forward ten years and the two reconnect in London. She's working as a singer whilst he's churning out scripts for government propaganda films and living off the last in a long line of infatuated women. The two former lovers feel the thunderbolt once more, but Thomas is now married to the adventurous Caitlin. Despite their love-rival status, the women form a surprising friendship. Caitlin indulges in her own infidelities, and recognises a similar adventurous spirit in her husband. But she knows his connection with Vera is something different, not to mention dangerous. Romantic turmoil continues in Vera's life. She marries her devoted admirer William Killick, but she can't deny the chemistry between herself and Dylan, nor does she want to - even if this means betraying Caitlin. When William is posted abroad, and a pregnant Vera returns to Wales with her married friends, the battle between her heart and head becomes more intense. William returns a changed man, but neither is Vera the carefree cabaret girl he married. Neighbourhood gossip fuels her husband's jealousy towards his rival. Enraged, William stages a violent attack on Dylan - an attack that forces Vera to choose between the men in her life and the friend that she loves. Desire and guilt are complicated by love and friendship in this real-life tale set in beautiful London and the majestic Welsh countryside.