I Am Love — Oscar winner Tilda Swinton shows off her multilingual skills in this Italian melodrama, in which family dissension, unbidden desire and other tensions bubble to the surface during the patriarch’s birthday party. When the seemingly picture-perfect Recchi family gathers at the family manse to celebrate the great old man, the veneer of civility falls quickly away in director Luca Guadagnino’s lush, atmospheric film.
How to Train Your Dragon — As the son of a Viking leader on the cusp of manhood, shy Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III faces a rite of passage: He must kill a dragon to prove his warrior mettle. But after downing a feared dragon, he realizes that he no longer wants to destroy it. So he befriends the beast — which he names Toothless — much to the chagrin of his warrior father. Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders direct this animated adaptation of the book by Cressida Cowell.
The Magician — Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman challenges our sense of reality versus illusion in this award-winning film starring Max von Sydow as the title character. Vogler’s Magnetic Health Theater is rumored to put on a supernatural spectacle, but the town’s skeptics are determined to expose the magician and his crew, which proves to be harder than they thought. Ingrid Thulin and Naima Wifstrand also give memorable performances.
The Oxford Murders — After Oxford logic professor Arthur Seldom (John Hurt) and his new graduate student Martin (Elijah Wood) discover a dead woman, they get involved in trying to solve a string of homicides in which the killer marked each victim’s body with cryptic mathematical symbols. As the stakes get higher, Martin’s grasp on reality becomes increasingly tenuous in this thriller based on the award-winning novel by writer and mathematician Guillermo Martinez.
The Secret of Kells — When Vikings attack an Irish abbey, the monks must stop work on the legendary Book of Kells and protect their home. So Brendan (voiced by Evan McGuire), the 12-year-old nephew of Abbott Cellach (Brendan Gleeson), is tasked with completing the magnificent work. Now, he must confront his most intense fears as he uses his illumination skills and braves the enchanted forest outside the abbey walls in this exhilarating, Oscar-nominated animated tale.
Elvis & Annabelle — When leggy Texas beauty pageant contestant Anabelle (Blake Lively) dies on the catwalk, her lifeless body is brought to a rural funeral home, where a single kiss from Elvis (Max Minghella), an unlicensed undertaker, resurrects her — and attracts a swarm of media attention. Joe Mantegna, Keith Carradine and Mary Steenburgen co-star in writer-director Will Geiger’s quirky tale of life, death and unexpected romance.
Fade to Black — Still reeling from the painful breakup of his marriage to screen siren Rita Hayworth, iconic filmmaker Orson Welles (Danny Huston) makes his way to Rome, where he gets pulled into a tangled political plot involving murder and mysterious motives. A beautiful actress (Paz Vega) proves a tempting distraction. But if they want to stay alive, Welles and his young Italian driver (Diego Luna) need to stay focused.
Mid-August Lunch — As the Italian holiday of Pranzo di Ferragosto approaches, cash-strapped Gianni (Gianni Di Gregorio) gets help from his landlord, his friend and his doctor, who offer financial relief in exchange for Gianni looking after their elderly relatives over the holiday. Four mismatched Italian mamas at the same table make for an awkward, hilarious and touching mid-August lunch in this film festival favorite from Di Gregorio, who also writes and directs.
Leaves of Grass — Edward Norton stars in this quirky tale centered on a respected Ivy League professor who’s lured back to Oklahoma to help his equally brilliant twin brother — who grows the world’s finest hydroponic marijuana — best a big-time pot pusher (Richard Dreyfuss). Writer-director Tim Blake Nelson co-stars in this oddball crime comedy alongside Keri Russell, Lucy DeVito, Susan Sarandon, Steve Earle and Ty Burrell.
Arn: The Knight Templar — Based on Jan Guillou’s Crusades trilogy about Swedish Knight Templar Arn Magnusson (Joakim Nätterqvist), this adventure saga follows the son of nobility from his monastic education to his return to the family to help fight for the crown of Sweden. That mission is interrupted, however, when Arn impregnates his lover and is sent to the Holy Land, where as penance he must become a warrior for Christ in the battles of the Crusades.
Bones S5 — After a provocative Season 4 finale, a new dynamic heats up between our heroes — brilliant forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance “Bones” Brennan (Emily Deschanel) and FBI Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) — in the latest installment of the slyly comic Fox mystery series. Together they team up on a new slate of cases in which Bones employs her trademark methods of digging up clues from victims’ skeletal remains.
Caprica S1.0 — After a train bombing shatters their lives, besieged technology tycoon Daniel (Eric Stoltz) redoubles his efforts to develop advanced robots dubbed Cylons, and mafia-connected lawyer Joseph (Esai Morales) investigates a mysterious virtual world he never knew existed. Set 58 years prior to the start of the “Battlestar Galactica” television series, this science-fiction saga offers a healthy dose of conspiracies, murders and sexual politics.
Ugly Americans S1 V1 – This wildly inventive Comedy Central animated series centers around the life of Mark Lilly, a Manhattan-based civil servant charged with helping vampires, werewolves, fairies and other fantastic creatures become productive members of society. As if his job weren’t tough enough, Lilly also has to deal with his freshly zombie-fied roommate, Randall Skeffington, his demonic boss and lover, Callie Maggotbone, and other nightmarish beasts.
Bill Maher: But I’m Not Wrong — With startling candor and searing wit, provocative funnyman Bill Maher shares his take on such hot topics as health-care reform, the Great Recession, racism, right-wing patriots, U.S. troops in the Middle East and Michael Jackson. Recorded live at the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, this Emmy-nominated stand-up comedy special also includes pointed jokes targeting former Commander in Chief George W. Bush as well as his successor, President Obama.
Dexter’s Laboratory S1 — Precocious child prodigy Dexter (voiced by Christine Cavanaugh) might only be 9. But he’s got the brains of someone far beyond his years — and the convenience of a top-secret laboratory to test out all his wild theories and inventions. The first season of this animated series finds Dexter building a “mom-droid” to take over for his mother when she’s ill, and redoubling his efforts to keep nosy sister Dee Dee (Allison Moore) out of the lab.
Dollhouse S2 — Echo (Eliza Dushku) and company return for a second and final season of this intriguing sci-fi series centered on a group of brainwashed operatives controlled by a shadowy organization, which is led by Adelle DeWitt (Olivia Williams). Tahmoh Penikett co-stars as Paul Ballard, the dogged FBI agent obsessed with exposing the Dollhouse, and Alpha (Alan Tudyk) returns to go after Echo’s past romantic clients, offing them one by one.
Inspector Lewis S3 — The third season of this “Inspector Morse” spin-off brings Morse’s former sidekick, Inspector Robert Lewis (Kevin Whately), and his trusty detective sergeant, James Hathaway (Laurence Fox), face-to-face with an even more challenging caseload. The first mystery finds the duo investigating the death of a mauled teenager and, in the process, questioning a legendary rock star they long believed to be dead.
The Tudors S4 — In the fourth and final season of this epic costume drama, King Henry VIII (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) loses his grip on reality while trying to juggle his troubled relationships with his wives Catherine Howard (Tamzin Merchant) and Catherine Parr (Joely Richardson). Based on actual historical events, this bold Showtime series also stars Henry Cavill, Sarah Bolger, Joanne King, Max Brown and Joss Stone.
The Gates — Follow installation artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude as they gild wintertime Central Park with panels of gold fabric. This documentary from Albert Maysles and Antonio Ferrera chronicles the artists’ 26-year struggle to bring the project to fruition. After cutting through decades of bureaucratic red tape, the pair finally completed their masterpiece in February 2005, transforming 23 miles of walking paths into a saffron-colored wonderland.
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I Am Love — Oscar winner Tilda Swinton shows off her multilingual skills in this Italian melodrama, in which family dissension, unbidden desire and other tensions bubble to the surface during the patriarch’s birthday party. When the seemingly picture-perfect Recchi family gathers at the family manse to celebrate the great old man, the veneer of civility falls quickly away in director Luca Guadagnino’s lush, atmospheric film.
How to Train Your Dragon — As the son of a Viking leader on the cusp of manhood, shy Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III faces a rite of passage: He must kill a dragon to prove his warrior mettle. But after downing a feared dragon, he realizes that he no longer wants to destroy it. So he befriends the beast — which he names Toothless — much to the chagrin of his warrior father. Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders direct this animated adaptation of the book by Cressida Cowell.
The Magician — Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman challenges our sense of reality versus illusion in this award-winning film starring Max von Sydow as the title character. Vogler’s Magnetic Health Theater is rumored to put on a supernatural spectacle, but the town’s skeptics are determined to expose the magician and his crew, which proves to be harder than they thought. Ingrid Thulin and Naima Wifstrand also give memorable performances.
The Oxford Murders — After Oxford logic professor Arthur Seldom (John Hurt) and his new graduate student Martin (Elijah Wood) discover a dead woman, they get involved in trying to solve a string of homicides in which the killer marked each victim’s body with cryptic mathematical symbols. As the stakes get higher, Martin’s grasp on reality becomes increasingly tenuous in this thriller based on the award-winning novel by writer and mathematician Guillermo Martinez.
The Secret of Kells — When Vikings attack an Irish abbey, the monks must stop work on the legendary Book of Kells and protect their home. So Brendan (voiced by Evan McGuire), the 12-year-old nephew of Abbott Cellach (Brendan Gleeson), is tasked with completing the magnificent work. Now, he must confront his most intense fears as he uses his illumination skills and braves the enchanted forest outside the abbey walls in this exhilarating, Oscar-nominated animated tale.
Elvis & Annabelle — When leggy Texas beauty pageant contestant Anabelle (Blake Lively) dies on the catwalk, her lifeless body is brought to a rural funeral home, where a single kiss from Elvis (Max Minghella), an unlicensed undertaker, resurrects her — and attracts a swarm of media attention. Joe Mantegna, Keith Carradine and Mary Steenburgen co-star in writer-director Will Geiger’s quirky tale of life, death and unexpected romance.
Fade to Black — Still reeling from the painful breakup of his marriage to screen siren Rita Hayworth, iconic filmmaker Orson Welles (Danny Huston) makes his way to Rome, where he gets pulled into a tangled political plot involving murder and mysterious motives. A beautiful actress (Paz Vega) proves a tempting distraction. But if they want to stay alive, Welles and his young Italian driver (Diego Luna) need to stay focused.
Mid-August Lunch — As the Italian holiday of Pranzo di Ferragosto approaches, cash-strapped Gianni (Gianni Di Gregorio) gets help from his landlord, his friend and his doctor, who offer financial relief in exchange for Gianni looking after their elderly relatives over the holiday. Four mismatched Italian mamas at the same table make for an awkward, hilarious and touching mid-August lunch in this film festival favorite from Di Gregorio, who also writes and directs.
Leaves of Grass — Edward Norton stars in this quirky tale centered on a respected Ivy League professor who’s lured back to Oklahoma to help his equally brilliant twin brother — who grows the world’s finest hydroponic marijuana — best a big-time pot pusher (Richard Dreyfuss). Writer-director Tim Blake Nelson co-stars in this oddball crime comedy alongside Keri Russell, Lucy DeVito, Susan Sarandon, Steve Earle and Ty Burrell.
Arn: The Knight Templar — Based on Jan Guillou’s Crusades trilogy about Swedish Knight Templar Arn Magnusson (Joakim Nätterqvist), this adventure saga follows the son of nobility from his monastic education to his return to the family to help fight for the crown of Sweden. That mission is interrupted, however, when Arn impregnates his lover and is sent to the Holy Land, where as penance he must become a warrior for Christ in the battles of the Crusades.
Bones S5 — After a provocative Season 4 finale, a new dynamic heats up between our heroes — brilliant forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance “Bones” Brennan (Emily Deschanel) and FBI Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) — in the latest installment of the slyly comic Fox mystery series. Together they team up on a new slate of cases in which Bones employs her trademark methods of digging up clues from victims’ skeletal remains.
Caprica S1.0 — After a train bombing shatters their lives, besieged technology tycoon Daniel (Eric Stoltz) redoubles his efforts to develop advanced robots dubbed Cylons, and mafia-connected lawyer Joseph (Esai Morales) investigates a mysterious virtual world he never knew existed. Set 58 years prior to the start of the “Battlestar Galactica” television series, this science-fiction saga offers a healthy dose of conspiracies, murders and sexual politics.
Ugly Americans S1 V1 – This wildly inventive Comedy Central animated series centers around the life of Mark Lilly, a Manhattan-based civil servant charged with helping vampires, werewolves, fairies and other fantastic creatures become productive members of society. As if his job weren’t tough enough, Lilly also has to deal with his freshly zombie-fied roommate, Randall Skeffington, his demonic boss and lover, Callie Maggotbone, and other nightmarish beasts.
Bill Maher: But I’m Not Wrong — With startling candor and searing wit, provocative funnyman Bill Maher shares his take on such hot topics as health-care reform, the Great Recession, racism, right-wing patriots, U.S. troops in the Middle East and Michael Jackson. Recorded live at the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, this Emmy-nominated stand-up comedy special also includes pointed jokes targeting former Commander in Chief George W. Bush as well as his successor, President Obama.
Dexter’s Laboratory S1 — Precocious child prodigy Dexter (voiced by Christine Cavanaugh) might only be 9. But he’s got the brains of someone far beyond his years — and the convenience of a top-secret laboratory to test out all his wild theories and inventions. The first season of this animated series finds Dexter building a “mom-droid” to take over for his mother when she’s ill, and redoubling his efforts to keep nosy sister Dee Dee (Allison Moore) out of the lab.
Dollhouse S2 — Echo (Eliza Dushku) and company return for a second and final season of this intriguing sci-fi series centered on a group of brainwashed operatives controlled by a shadowy organization, which is led by Adelle DeWitt (Olivia Williams). Tahmoh Penikett co-stars as Paul Ballard, the dogged FBI agent obsessed with exposing the Dollhouse, and Alpha (Alan Tudyk) returns to go after Echo’s past romantic clients, offing them one by one.
Inspector Lewis S3 — The third season of this “Inspector Morse” spin-off brings Morse’s former sidekick, Inspector Robert Lewis (Kevin Whately), and his trusty detective sergeant, James Hathaway (Laurence Fox), face-to-face with an even more challenging caseload. The first mystery finds the duo investigating the death of a mauled teenager and, in the process, questioning a legendary rock star they long believed to be dead.
The Tudors S4 — In the fourth and final season of this epic costume drama, King Henry VIII (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) loses his grip on reality while trying to juggle his troubled relationships with his wives Catherine Howard (Tamzin Merchant) and Catherine Parr (Joely Richardson). Based on actual historical events, this bold Showtime series also stars Henry Cavill, Sarah Bolger, Joanne King, Max Brown and Joss Stone.
The Gates — Follow installation artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude as they gild wintertime Central Park with panels of gold fabric. This documentary from Albert Maysles and Antonio Ferrera chronicles the artists’ 26-year struggle to bring the project to fruition. After cutting through decades of bureaucratic red tape, the pair finally completed their masterpiece in February 2005, transforming 23 miles of walking paths into a saffron-colored wonderland.
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