Toy Story 3 — In this installment of the hit Pixar animated adventure, toy cowboy Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks), his astronaut pal, Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), and their friends cope with their owner’s departure for college — and their new home in a daycare center. Lee Unkrich directs this family film that features the voices of Joan Cusack, John Ratzenberger, Don Rickles, Wallace Shawn, Ned Beatty, Jodi Benson and Estelle Harris.
The Extra Man — Forced to quit his prep school job after a humiliating incident, would-be dramatist Louis Ives (Paul Dano) heads to New York City, where he rents a room from has-been playwright Henry Harrison (Kevin Kline) — who earns a living escorting rich dowagers about town. Despite their huge age difference, the two develop a bond as Henry takes Louis under his wing and leads him on a series of wild adventures. Katie Holmes and John C. Reilly also star.
Lovely, Still — When his beautiful new neighbor Mary (Ellen Burstyn) asks him out on a date, elderly bachelor Robert (Martin Landau) suddenly finds himself swept up in the excitement and panic of new love. But as romance blossoms between the couple, an unexpected challenge arises that threatens to undermine the fledgling relationship. Nicholas Fackler directs this touching drama that also stars Adam Scott and Elizabeth Banks.
Centurion — In 2nd-century Britain, Roman fighter Quintas Dias (Michael Fassbender) is the lone survivor of a Pictish attack on a Roman frontier post. Eager for revenge, he joins the Ninth Legion — under General Virilus (Dominic West) — and journeys north on a mission to destroy the Picts. Writer-director Neil Marshall’s rousing sword-and-sandals adventure also stars Olga Kurylenko as the beautiful Pict warrior Etain.
Splice — Ignoring instructions from the pharmaceutical company that funds their research, groundbreaking genetic scientists Elsa (Sarah Polley) and Clive (Adrien Brody) continue with an unorthodox experiment to create a human-animal hybrid, a new life form they dub “Dren” (Delphine Chanéac). When they see their fantastical creation, Clive warns that it should be destroyed, but Elsa refuses — a decision she’ll regret when Dren makes deadly plans of her own.
Love Ranch — Inspired by the story of the couple who introduced legalized prostitution to Nevada with the opening of their Mustang Ranch brothel, this Taylor Hackford-directed drama focuses on the devastating consequences of infidelity in the land of sex for pay. Helen Mirren stars as Grace Botempo; Joe Pesci plays her husband, Charlie; and Sergio Peris-Mencheta plays the boxer who, on entering their world, sets into motion a violent chain of events.
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Undead — At loose ends, actor and playboy Julian Marsh (Jake Hoffman) accepts a gig directing a bizarre adaptation of “Hamlet” — written by a spooky-looking Romanian playwright — that transforms the bard’s classic into a tale about vampires and finding the Holy Grail. Before long, life begins to imitate art and Marsh is up to his neck in problems as, one by one, cast members become actual vampires and take sides in an ancient war of the undead.
Antichrist — After their child dies, a therapist (Willem Dafoe) and his wife (Charlotte Gainsbourg) flee to their cabin in the woods, where they hope to mend their emotional wounds. But the grief-stricken couple watches their troubles multiply when very strange things begin to happen. Acclaimed Danish auteur Lars von Trier divides this tale into multiple narratives, revealing a surreal, horrific psychological adventure about the evils of nature, humanity and desire.
A Christmas Carol — Jim Carrey morphs his voice into that of miserable miser Ebenezer Scrooge in this computer-animated adaption of Charles Dickens’s iconic holiday tale about the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. When confronted with Tiny Tim’s suffering — as well as his own mortality — Scrooge learns the power of opening his heart. Robert Zemeckis directs a star-studded cast featuring Colin Firth, Robin Wright Penn, Bob Hoskins and Gary Oldman.
Predators — Rugged mercenary Royce (Adrien Brody) inherits command of an elite team of human fighters — including dorky-but-dangerous Edwin (Topher Grace) and tough-but-beautiful Isabelle (Alice Braga) — as they are hunted by a race of ruthless alien trackers known as Predators. Director Nimród Antal’s sci-fi action explosion, which also stars Laurence Fishburne and an uzi-toting Danny Trejo, is a direct sequel to the 1987 blockbuster Predator.
Metropia — In an oil-depleted future, Stockholm native Roger (voiced by Vincent Gallo) navigates the vast web of underground networks that connect Europe. When a voice in his head persists, Roger begins to suspect someone is pulling all the strings of his life. Enlisting the aid of Nina (Juliette Lewis), Roger fights for his own freedom in this beguiling animated feature, which also features the voices of Stellan Skarsgård and Alexander Skarsgård.
Don’t Look Back — After Jeanne — a married mother of two — starts to notice strange changes in her body, she finds a photograph that leads her on a journey to Italy. There, the rapidly transforming woman begins to learn more about her true identity. Sophie Marceau and Monica Bellucci star in this beguiling psychological drama from director and co-writer Marina de Van, which screened as an official selection at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.
Californication: S3 — Golden Globe winner David Duchovny is back in the throes of addiction as sex- and drug-obsessed novelist Hank Moody, a Los Angeles scribe whose heated battles with personal demons continually threaten his closest relationships. As the third season unfolds, Becca (Madeleine Martin) remains in Hank’s care, while her mother — Hank’s on-again, off-again girlfriend, Karen (Natascha McElhone) — starts a new job in New York City.
Doctor Who: S5 — Matt Smith stars as the regenerated 11th incarnation of Doctor Who, the time-traveling alien who crosses the universe to confront nefarious threats to humanity’s survival, in the fifth season of the British sci-fi classic. As the good Doctor journeys through time and space in his specialized police box spaceship, TARDIS, he is joined by new companion Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) in a battle of wits against a fresh batch of villains.
Lie to Me: S2 — In this compelling drama series’ sophomore season, Tim Roth returns as brilliant behavioral scientist Cal Lightman, whose keen eye unerringly detects when — and why — somebody is lying. As Lightman, his psychologist partner (Kelli Williams) and the rest of Cal’s team help the FBI and other organizations fight crime, he discovers that teasing out the unvarnished truth in his personal relationships can sometimes do more harm than good.
Doctor Who: Revenge of the Cybermen — This four-part serial from Season 12 of “Doctor Who” finds the Doctor (Tom Baker) and companions Harry (Ian Marter) and Sarah (Elisabeth Sladen) aboard Space Station Nerva, where they get caught in the middle of a plot by the Cybermen to destroy the planet Voga. Kidnapped by the Cybermen and dropped on Voga with bombs strapped to their bodies, the Doctor and his cohorts must save themselves before they can save the Vogans and defeat the Cybermen.
Doctor Who: Silver Nemesis — In this three-part serial celebrating the 25th anniversary of “Doctor Who,” a 17th-century sorceress travels to the future to acquire a powerful weapon called the Nemesis, but a group of Nazis and Cybermen seek the same thing. Formed into a statue, the Nemesis is made of a living metal called Validium. But it needs three parts to be functional, and a piece is set to land aboard an asteroid in 1988 England! Sylvester McCoy stars as the Seventh Doctor.
V: S1 — Who are they, and what are they up to? These are the questions Earth inhabitants pose in their first encounter with an alien race called the Visitors in this ABC sci-fi drama based on the 1980s miniseries V. When Homeland Security agent Erica Evans (Elizabeth Mitchell) begins to find the answers, she joins a resistance movement to thwart the Visitors — even as they recruit her teenage son as their spy.
Wycliffe: S4 — Detective Superintendent Wycliffe (Jack Shepherd) returns to tackle more baffling cases, including a honeymooner’s brutal murder, a baby food poisoning plot, a famous yachtswoman’s disappearance, a kidnapping gone wrong and the slaying of an unpopular landlord. The fourth season of this police procedural drama also finds detective inspector Kersey (Jimmy Yuill) under intense scrutiny over a detainee’s suspicious death.
Wycliffe: S5 — As he struggles to recover from being shot, seasoned detective Charles Wycliffe (Jack Shepherd) rejects the notion of retirement and returns to work investigating crimes, including a policeman’s murder, a climber’s deadly fall and the disappearance of Kersey’s (Jimmy Yuill) friend. When Wycliffe is accused of accepting bribes in the show’s final season, Lucy (Helen Masters) drops everything to help him clear his name.
Perry Mason: S5, V2 — Intrepid defense attorney Perry Mason (Raymond Burr), who offers the most riveting and eloquent closing arguments ever heard in a Los Angeles courtroom, tackles 15 more complex cases with his wise secretary Della Street (Barbara Hale) and energetic investigator Paul Drake (William Hopper). Perry seeks to help a rebellious heiress, find the parents of an abandoned baby and unmask the killer of an actor slain while performing in “Romeo and Juliet.”
The Dhamma Brothers — This compelling documentary follows a group of prisoners at a maximum-security Alabama penitentiary as they embark on a transformative odyssey by immersing themselves in a grueling, 10-day meditative retreat rooted in Buddhist teachings. During the wrenching course of self-examination and self-discipline, the inmates are forced to confront their crimes, inner demons and dark memories — which ultimately puts them on a path to deep-seated healing.
Winnebago Man — This entertaining documentary explores the phenomenon of Jack Rebney, who became an Internet sensation after a grainy, nearly 20-year-old video of him furiously swearing up a storm while filming a Winnebago sales video made the rounds online. Traveling to a mountaintop, filmmaker Ben Steinbauer tracks down Rebney — who’s become known in underground circles as the “Angriest Man in the World” — and tries to discover what makes the loner tick.
Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child — Controversial, charismatic artist Jean-Michel Basquiat is the subject of this insightful documentary from director Tamra Davis, who has uncovered a never-before-seen interview with the artist conducted before his untimely death at the age of 27. Also featured are numerous interviews with people who knew and loved Basquiat, a survey of his thought-provoking artworks, little-seen archival materials and footage of the artist at work in his studio.
Best Worst Movie — Most people don’t set out to produce a horrible film, so how exactly does it happen? This documentary about 1989’s Troll 2 — often referred to as the “worst movie in history” — attempts to answer that question. Director Michael Stephenson, who, as a child, starred in the ill-advised horror flick, delves into how an Italian filmmaker, some unwitting actors and a dentist-turned-cult movie icon joined forces to spawn this dubious achievement.
Running the Sahara — America’s Charlie Engle, Canada’s Ray Zahab and Taiwan’s Kevin Lin embark on an unprecedented quest to traverse the entire Sahara desert — on foot. Along the way, the runners encounter the beauties and hardships that accompany modern African life. Narrated by actor Matt Damon, the heart-pumping documentary tracks the athletes on their unbelievable journey through Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Libya and Egypt. James Moll directs.
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