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Rango– Johnny Depp lends his voice to the portrayal of the title character, an adventurous family pet who leaves home to learn more about himself, in this family-friendly animated adventure directed by Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean). The star-studded cast of vocal talent also includes Abigail Breslin, Isla Fisher, Alfred Molina, Ray Winstone, Harry Dean Stanton, Ned Beatty, Stephen Root and Bill Nighy.
13 Assassins — To stop a tyrant from murdering and exploiting innocent civilians, 13 samurai warriors unite and prepare to end his life. But to kill the evildoer, the assassins must contend with an army of deadly bodyguards who outnumber them by a wide margin. Directed by acclaimed and prolific Japanese filmmaker Takashi Miike, this action-packed samurai remake features Yusuke Iseya, Koji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada and Tsuyoshi Ihara.
The Eagle — Haunted by the disappearance of his father, who vanished with the Roman Ninth Legion on an expedition into the north of Britain, centurion Marcus Aquila (Channing Tatum) sets out to unravel the mystery and recover the legion’s eagle standard. But in the wilds of Caledonia, the soldier and his British slave (Jamie Bell) encounter fierce native tribes and other dangers. Kevin Macdonald directs this adaptation of Rosemary Sutcliff’s novel.
Source Code — Jake Gyllenhaal portrays a soldier recruited for a time-bending government investigation that places him in another man’s mind and body, reliving the same traumatic event repeatedly in an effort to identify the perpetrators of a terrorist bombing. Vera Farmiga plays a communications specialist who provides the vital link to the soldier’s primary reality as he searches for critical clues within a recurring nightmare.
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Illegal — Olivier Masset-Depasse directs this drama that follows the story of Tania (Anne Coesens) and her teenage son, Ivan (Alexandre Gontcharov), Russian immigrants who are in Belgium illegally. Tania lives in fear of being found out — and one day, her worst nightmare becomes a reality. During a routine police check, Tania is apprehended — but she refuses to accept the fact that she’ll be deported and separated from her son.
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives — Under the care of his dedicated sister-in-law, terminally ill Uncle Boonmee spends his final days reminiscing about his past lives with the recently arrived ghost of his dead wife and his long-missing son.
Red Riding Hood — In this horror-fantasy reimagining of the classic tale, young Valerie juggles a difficult romantic decision with feelings of fear and grief as her town is terrorized by a legendary werewolf, which has killed her sister and hungers to feast again.
Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Gary Oldman, Billy Burke, Shiloh Fernandez, Max Irons, Virginia Madsen, Lukas Haas, Julie Christie.
Director: Catherine Hardwicke
Green Lantern: Emerald Nights — Geek god Nathan Fillion fills in as the voice of Green Lantern Hal Jordan in this animated six-story anthology of adventures built around the crime-fighting prowess of the intergalactic Green Lantern Corps (and based on the popular DC Comics characters).
Battle: Los Angeles — Led by their skillful staff sergeant (Aaron Eckhart), a platoon of gutsy Marines, including Santos (Michelle Rodriguez), Simmons (Taylor Handley) and Lockett (Cory Hardrict), fight to protect all humankind from astonishingly powerful aliens who’ve suddenly invaded Los Angeles. Jonathan Liebesman (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning) directs this sci-fi film that also stars Lucas Till, Ramon Rodriguez, Bridget Moynahan and Michael Peña.
The Lincoln Lawyer — Tasked with defending rich lothario Louis Roulet, who’s been charged with assault, lawyer Mick Haller finds himself and his family in danger when he deduces the truth behind this and former cases he’s worked on.
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillippe, William H. Macy.
Director: Brad Furman
Miral — After she rescues dozens of children who survived a massacre in Jerusalem in 1948, Palestinian Hind Husseini (Hiam Abbass) establishes an orphanage that helps thousands of other children left homeless by violence. But the success of her peace-through-education institution is tested when pupil Miral (Freida Pinto) gets a taste of radical politics in the region’s refugee camps. Julian Schnabel directs this film that co-stars Willem Dafoe.
Dumbstruck — What may seem to be an obsolete art — stage ventriloquism — is found to be alive and well in the United States in this affectionately wacky documentary that follows five ventriloquists, starting with their annual gathering at Kentucky’s Vent Haven.
Potiche — Director François Ozon spins a deft social comedy of the French bourgeoisie starring some of that country’s most celebrated actors, including Gérard Depardieu, Catherine Deneuve and Fabrice Luchini. After Suzanne Pujol’s (Deneuve) husband has a heart attack, she must take charge of the umbrella factory he manages. The resulting clashes between the genteel Suzanne and the Marxist union boss (Depardieu) generate plenty of riotous class conflict.
Unknown — Liam Neeson stars in this taut thriller as a man who regains consciousness after an auto accident only to discover that another man is impersonating him, and that no one — not even his wife (January Jones) — recognizes his identity as the real Dr. Martin Harris. Finding himself with an unexpected ally (Diane Kruger), Harris struggles to solve the mystery and hang onto his own wits, while also being stalked by anonymous killers.
Small Town Murder Songs — Tormented by his past and seeking redemption, Walter (Peter Stormare), the police chief of a Canadian Mennonite community, tries to solve a startling murder for which Steve (Stephen Eric McIntyre), the creepy boyfriend of Walter’s bitter ex-lover (Jill Hennessy), is the chief suspect. Although he has a new, supportive girlfriend (Martha Plimpton), Walter is overwhelmed by the case and his stern family’s disapproval in this intriguing thriller.
Cracks — Jordan Scott — daughter of helmer Ridley Scott — makes her directing debut with this thriller set at a British all-girls boarding school between World War I and II and starring Eva Green as a popular teacher and coach of the swim team. When a new girl arrives at the cliquish and hormonally charged institution, jealousies erupt, obsessions arise and, eventually, a student disappears in this film that also stars Juno Temple and María Valverde.
The Adjustment Bureau — A congressman (Matt Damon) who’s a rising star on the political scene finds himself entranced by a beautiful ballerina (Emily Blunt), but mysterious circumstances ensure that their love affair is predestined to be a non-starter. Screenwriter George Nolfi (The Bourne Ultimatum) makes his directorial debut with this romantic adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s classic sci-fi short story “Adjustment Team.”
Leon Morin, Priest — As spiritual guardian of his tiny French town during the Nazi occupation, priest Leon Morin is convinced that anyone can be saved. So, when communist militant Barny barges into his church and tears his religion apart, he reacts with compassion.
Cast: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Emmanuelle Riva, Irene Tunc, Nicole Mirel.
Director: Jean-Pierre Melville
Winter in Wartime — This sumptuously photographed drama focuses on 14-year-old Michiel (Martijn Lakemeier) as he wrestles with family loyalties, painful choices between safety and courage, and the harsh realities of war during the last, desperate winter of World War II. Michiel is forced onto the path of adulthood as he attempts to aid a wounded British pilot (Jamie Campbell Bower) in German-occupied Netherlands, despite his father’s apparent cooperation with enemy soldiers.
Season of the Witch — In 14th-century Europe, a courageous knight (Nicolas Cage) leads a group of weary warriors across impossibly treacherous terrain in order to transport a suspected witch (Claire Foy) believed to be responsible for spreading the devastating Black Plague. Filmed on location in Austria, director Dominic Sena’s supernatural adventure also stars Ron Perlman, Stephen Graham, Ulrich Thomsen and Stephen Campbell Moore.
Trust — After curious and vulnerable teenager Annie (Liana Liberato) falls into a trap set by an online sexual predator, her family begins to disintegrate, uncertain how to cope with such a devastating tragedy. Utterly consumed by rage, her father (Clive Owen) sets out seeking vengeance. Directed by David Schwimmer, this intensely emotional drama also stars Viola Davis, Jason Clarke and Catherine Keener.
Life During Wartime — Filmmaker Todd Solondz revisits his Happiness characters in this tale about three sisters, Trish (Allison Janney) and Joy (Shirley Henderson), each married to degenerate men, and estranged Helen (Ally Sheedy), as they ponder the virtues of forgiving and forgetting. As Joy visits Trish to escape problems with her perverted, druggy husband, Trish is unaware that her own ex-husband, a pedophile whom she’s claimed is dead, is now out of prison.
Jackboots on Whitehall — Set in an alternate reality where the Nazis gain control of London during World War II, this satirical comedy follows daring young farmworker Chris (Ewan McGregor) as he tries to rescue Prime Minister Winston Churchill (Timothy Spall) and vanquish the intimidating German invaders. Meticulously made using puppets and model sets, this hilarious movie also features the voices of Tom Wilkinson, Rosamund Pike and Alan Cumming.
Sucker Punch — In this mind-warping action thriller, Baby Doll (Emily Browning), a girl slated for lobotomy in a 1950s-era asylum, leads a group of young female inmates in an attempt to escape both their mental fantasy worlds and the actual institution where they are prisoners. To accomplish her plan, Baby Doll must steal five objects — but is the man who’s trying to stop her real, or a figment of her imagination? Zack Snyder (Watchmen) directs.
Ironclad — Backed by his “Magnificent Seven,” a principled Knight Templar (James Purefoy) defends Rochester Castle from the ruthless King John (Paul Giamatti) and his advancing armies, who seek to rule England’s free men by force — no matter what the Magna Carta might say. Charles Dance, Kate Mara, Jason Flemyng, Brian Cox and Derek Jacobi co-star in this action-packed period piece set at the height of the Middle Ages.
Outside the Law — Left without a home in their native land, three Algerian brothers (Jamel Debbouze, Roschdy Zem and Sami Bouajila) split from their mother and seek out strikingly dissimilar lives. But fate won’t keep the siblings apart, eventually summoning them all to Paris for a reunion. Director Rachid Bouchareb’s momentous drama — set amid Algeria’s post-World War II fight for independence from France — earned an Oscar nod for Best Foreign Language Film.
A Screaming Man — Adam (Youssouf Djaoro) was a security guard at a posh Chad hotel until its new owners replaced him with his son (Dioucounda Koma). In this nation torn apart by civil war, citizens are called upon to help. But Adam only has one thing to give, forcing him to make a devastating choice. Emile Abossolo M’bo and Djénéba Koné co-star in this powerful drama, winner of the Jury Prize at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.
My Dog Tulip — Based on J.R. Ackerley’s 1956 autobiographical novel, this animated tale of a man and his dog features Christopher Plummer as the voice of Ackerley, a middle-aged writer whose life is changed forever when he adopts an 18-month-old German shepherd. Despite not being a dog lover, Ackerley finds his truest companionship with his skittish pup, Tulip. And so begins a 14-year friendship filled with all the mischief, wonder and unconditional love a dog can bring.
Dear Lemon Lima — After a selfish boyfriend dumps her, Vanessa Lemor (Savanah Wiltfong) decides to soothe her broken heart by embracing her Yupik heritage and encouraging her misfit pals at a prestigious Alaskan prep school to compete in the World Eskimo Indian Olympics. Along the way, the awkward teen learns to find her place in the community in director Suzi Yoonessi’s touching film about identity, friendship and tradition.
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Reggie Perrin — Martin Clunes stars in this updated BBC comedy (based on a popular sitcom of the 1970s) as Reginald Perrin, an executive who oversees the production of disposable razors — and his own midlife crisis — while working for the Groomtech company.
Cast:Martin Clunes, Fay Ripley, Lucy Liemann, Jim Howick, Kerry Howard, Nick Mohammed
Zen — Based on the novels of British writer Michael Dibdin, this “Masterpiece Mystery” series tracks the cases of prickly ace detective Aurelio Zen, a gifted Italian gumshoe who solves murders in and around modern-day Rome.
Cast: Rufus Sewell, Caterina Murino, Julie Cox, Callum Blue, Valentina Cervi
Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost — The seventh installation of this popular crime-drama series finds alcoholic former Paradise, Mass. police chief Jesse Stone back investigating the apparent drug-related suicide of a young friend is actually foul play.
Cast: Tom Selleck, Kathy Baker, Kohl Sudduth, Stephen McHattie, William Devane, William Sadler, Saul Rubinek
