Duffy’s Irish Circus — Filmmaker Gabriel Bellman goes on the road with an Irish circus that’s been in existence for more than 200 years, capturing the magic and fantasy of David Duffy’s one-ring traveling show, which has been run by seven generations of the family. With an eye toward the lifestyle and traditions of the entertainers, Bellman examines links between the circus’s longtime customs and the lives of today’s performance artists.
(exp 05/09)
Falling — After a petty criminal dies saving his life, Carl Lazarus (Sean Souza) feels he must repay the debt to the man’s family in this quirky drama. Tracking down the widow, Marta (Jenna Martinez), and her son Paul Jr. (Dariusz M. Uczkowski), Carl inserts himself into their lives. But as he becomes more deeply enmeshed with this surrogate family, Carl struggles with his own demons and tries to determine his place in the world.
(exp 05/09)
Boyz N the Hood — South Central Los Angeles high school student Tre Styles (Cuba Gooding Jr.) struggles to stay straight in a community polluted by drugs, violence and racism, and his cynical, devoted father (Laurence Fishburne) will accept nothing but the best from him. Writer-director John Singleton’s dramatic debut effort earned two Academy Award nominations (for Best Director and Best Writing) and launched the film careers of Gooding and Ice Cube.
(exp 05/11)
Clockers — Strike is from the mean streets, working his way up in the drug rackets. When a local kingpin tips him off to an opportunity for advancement, a rival dealer is killed, and Strike gets caught between two homicide detectives. Directed by Spike Lee, produced by Martin Scorsese and adapted from a Richard Price novel, Clockers was “one of 1995’s most powerful films,” according to Jeffrey Lyons of Sneak Previews.
(exp 05/11)
Frontline: The Suicide Tourist — In this sobering but thought-provoking portrait of personal freedom, “Frontline” follows a native of Chicago across the Atlantic to Switzerland, where he plans to take his own life with help from a nonprofit organization that legally assists suicides. Dignitas was founded to help people die with dignity. But is it a human being’s right to end his life on his own timetable — and is it ethically sound to serve as his accomplice?
(exp 05/11)
30-Second Bunnies S2 — These hilarious, award-winning shorts retell and spoof the stories of more than 60 popular films, using animated bunnies as actors. If you have 30 seconds, you can catch up on every movie discussed around the water cooler. Director Jennifer Shiman provides voices, along with Douglas McInnes and John Mathot, for a cornucopia of films, including Brokeback Mountain, Casablanca, Titanic, Star Wars, Pulp Fiction and Jaws.
(exp 05/12)
Buster — Pop star Phil Collins makes his cinema debut as small-time thief Buster Edwards, who — along with 14 of his cohorts — pulls off the biggest train robbery in England’s history and flees to Mexico with his wife (Julie Walters) and child to escape punishment. But when his spouse gets homesick and returns to London, the forlorn Buster must decide between family and freedom in this 1988 caper flick featuring the Oscar-nominated song “Two Hearts.”
(exp 05/13)
Jean-Michel Cousteau: Ocean Adventures – Return to the Amazon — More than two decades after exploring the Amazon with his legendary father, Jacques Cousteau, ocean explorer Jean-Michel Cousteau returns to the region, which has suffered from massive deforestation in the interim. While examining the devastating changes wrought by rampant human development, Cousteau and his Ocean Adventures team also find signs of hope for the future of the area, the site of planet’s greatest biodiversity.
(exp 05/13)
The Fabulous Baker Boys — Sibling jazz musicians Frank (Beau Bridges) and Jack Baker (Jeff Bridges) decide they need a chanteuse to spice up their piano act and take them beyond seedy nightclubs. They choose beautiful and sexy songbird Susie Diamond (Michelle Pfeiffer), and the trio becomes a huge success. But when a relationship develops between Susie and Jack, the brothers are forced to think about where they’re headed — and how honest they’ve been with each other.
(exp 05/14)
Barn Burning — Abe Snopes (Tommy Lee Jones) is a tenant farmer whose violent nature proves to be his undoing in this movie adaptation (with screenplay by Horton Foote) of one of author William Faulkner’s Gothic tales. Snopes sets fire to his employer’s barn when he thinks he’s been treated unfairly. Snopes’s family is told to move on — which leads to a troubling dilemma for the old man’s son, Sarty, who yearns to liberate himself from all the strife.
(exp 05/15)
The Amorous Mis-adventures of Casanova — Tony Curtis plays the famed 18th century lover Giacomo Casanova in this hilarious film. Here’s the twist: The famed romancer has become … well, impotent, and is desperately trying to hide that fact. One of Casanova’s strategies is to hire a look-alike (also played by Curtis) to uphold his reputation between the sheets — but that plan ends up having several comical drawbacks. Co-stars Marisa Berenson, Hugh Griffith and Brit Ekland.
(exp 05/15)
Bernice Bobs Her Hair — F. Scott Fitzgerald’s literary gem Bernice Bobs Her Hair comes alive from the page to the screen in this PBS-produced film released as part of the esteemed American Short Story Collection. Bored during one hot summer, sophisticated Marjorie (Veronica Cartwright) transforms her plain-Jane cousin, Bernice (Shelly Duvall), into a beauty. But when Bernice becomes more sought-after than she, Marjorie learns a valuable lesson.
(exp 05/15)
Bicentennial Man — Two hundred years in the life of an extraordinary robot are chronicled when the Martin family purchases an android named Andrew (Robin Williams) to perform menial household tasks. Before long, the humans (Sam Neill and Embeth Davidtz) realize they may be rubbing off on their domestic servant as Andrew, astonishingly, begins to experience human feelings and creative thought.
(exp 05/15)
Come Along With Me — When her husband dies, Mabel Lederer (Estelle Parsons) sells all her possessions, changes her name and begins a brand-new life in a distant town, where she begins strange experiments with the occult. Oscar winner Paul Newman provides the voice of Mabel’s late husband, Hughie, in this made-for-television drama based on Shirley Jackson’s unfinished novel and marking the directorial debut of Newman’s wife, Oscar winner Joanne Woodward.
(exp 05/15)
Endless Summer Revisited — In 1966, filmmaker Bruce Brown released a documentary on surfing that exposed the beauty and excitement of the sport to a whole new, non-surfing audience. Brown and his son, Dana, have created a new film that weaves footage of some of the finest surfers of the day with vintage, never-before-seen footage from the first movie. Among the riders featured are Patrick O’Connell and Robert August, who was in the original Endless Summer.
(exp 05/15)
Eye of the Dolphin — After her mother’s death, troubled 14-year-old Alyssa (Carly Schroeder) is sent to live with her estranged father (Adrian Dunbar) at his dolphin research lab in the Bahamas, where she takes refuge in the sea animals and discovers her innate gift for communicating with them. When the lab is threatened with closure, Alyssa may be the key to saving her father’s life’s work. Katharine Ross also stars in this award-winning family drama.
(exp 05/15)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind — After learning that his mercurial ex-girlfriend, Clementine Kruczynski (Kate Winslet), has undergone an experimental medical process to purge all memories of him, mild-mannered Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) opts for the same procedure. But during the operation, he decides he doesn’t want to lose what’s left of their relationship and tries to conceal her image in his memory cells. This quirky romantic comedy won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
(exp 05/15)
Iconoclasts: S4 — In the fourth season of this popular celebrity-to-celebrity interview series, the topics range from architecture to the music industry, as well-known figures meet with the famous folk who’ve inspired them. Pairings include Desmond Tutu and Richard Branson, Bill Maher and Clive Davis, skateboarder Tony Hawk and director Jon Favreau, Venus Williams and Wyclef Jean, Cameron Diaz and architect Cameron Sinclair, and Stella McCartney and Edward Ruscha.
(exp 05/15)
Steel Toes — This intense crime drama stars Oscar nominee David Strathairn as liberal Jewish attorney Danny Dunckelman, who’s appointed by the court to defend Mike Downey (Andrew W. Walker), a neo-Nazi skinhead on trial for the murder of an East Indian man. Confronting religious and racial intolerance, Mike and Danny struggle to form an alliance despite their divergent beliefs and sensibilities in this provocative exploration of hatred and forgiveness.
(exp 05/15)
Who Am I This Time? — Turning to community theater to help overcome his shyness, an awkward hardware store clerk (Christopher Walken) gets cast as Stanley in “A Streetcar Named Desire” and plays opposite a captivating Stella (Susan Sarandon), who falls for his brutish persona. Adapted from a short story by Kurt Vonnegut (Cat’s Cradle, Slaughterhouse-Five), this touching 1982 production originally aired as an installment of PBS’s “American Playhouse” series.
(exp 05/15)
Under the Biltmore Clock — Deciding she needs a husband, 21-year-old Myra Harper (Sean Young) sets her sights on the reserved yet rich Knowleton Whitney (Lenny von Dohlen). All goes according to plan, and the two fall in love under the Biltmore Hotel clock. But meeting his wacky parents turns out to be much harder for Myra than simply landing her man. This lighthearted romance is adapted from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story “Myra Meets His Family.”
(exp 05/15)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer — Airheaded cheerleader Buffy (Kristy Swanson) is the “chosen one” of her generation — earmarked to kill vampires infesting our streets and towns. Donald Sutherland plays her mentor, and Rutger Hauer is Lothos, the alpha male bloodsucker she’s assigned to liquidate. This precursor to the popular series starring Sarah Michelle Gellar lacks the TV version’s dark tone, but features plenty of campy fun.
(exp 05/15)
Cherry Blossoms — After finding out that her husband, Rudi (Elmar Wepper), has a fatal illness, Trudi Angermeier (Hannelore Elsner) arranges a trip to Berlin so they can see their children (Maximilian Brückner and Nadja Uhl). Of course, the kids don’t know the real reason they’re visiting — and the catch is, neither does Rudi. Complications ensue after a tragic, unexpected turn of events that leads Rudi to learn unsettling secrets about his wife.
(exp 05/16)
Grey Owl — An Iroquois woman named Pony (Annie Galipeau), eager to learn firsthand about her culture’s fast-disappearing traditions, approaches trapper-writer Archie Grey Owl (Pierce Brosnan). He shows her how to trap and instructs her about the wondrous bounty of the wilderness. But Archie’s life drastically changes when he and Pony marry and embark on a lecture tour of England.
(exp 05/16)
When Harry Met Sally — Can men and women remain friends without sex getting in the way? Nora Ephron’s episodic screenplay introduces womanizing, neurotic Harry (Billy Crystal) and ambitious, equally neurotic Sally (Meg Ryan) as chums who resist sexual attraction to maintain their friendship — a relationship always teetering on the brink of love. As the two draw closer, the question resurfaces: Can they stay just pals? Carrie Fisher and Bruno Kirby co-star.
(exp 05/16)
Von Ryan’s Express — At the height of World War II, a group of Allied POWs escapes an Italian prison with the help of an idealistic American leader (Frank Sinatra), whose style clashes with that of his second in command (Trevor Howard). Just a few steps from freedom, the men are captured again — this time by German troops. A series of twists and turns drives them to commandeer the very train that’s transporting them to certain death.
(exp 05/16)
Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers — Director Robert Greenwald makes a passionate point — that private contractors are getting rich while others are suffering — in this thought-provoking 2006 documentary about profiteering and the Iraq War. Using whistle-blower testimony, firsthand accounts, financial records and classified documents, Greenwald levels charges of greed, corruption and incompetence against private contractors and shows the effect they have on Americans and Iraqis.
(exp 05/17)
Full Frontal — Director Steven Soderbergh’s “unofficial karmic sequel” to his 1989 breakout film, Sex, Lies, and Videotape, involves a distaff switcheroo this time, as inquiring reporter Julia Roberts interviews Blair Underwood in a film-within-a-film scenario. Shooting with digital video, the indie helmer brought the film in for a bargain-basement budget of about $2 million. Roberts laughingly refers to Full Frontal as “my little nudie flick.”
(exp 05/18)
The Girl on the Train — Inspired by a true story, director André Téchiné’s riveting drama centers on a young Parisian woman (Émilie Dequenne) who captures the attention of her country when she claims she’s been the target of a hate crime. International film legend Catherine Deneuve also stars in this ripped-from-the-headlines tale, which explores the power of prejudice and the diminishing credibility of modern-day media.
(exp 05/18)
Tags: expiring_soon, instant_watch, netflix, streaming
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows P1 — The first installment of the two-part conclusion to the Harry Potter series finds the bespectacled wizard (Daniel Radcliffe) walking away from his last year at Hogwarts to find and destroy the remaining Horcruxes, putting an end to Voldemort’s bid for immortality. But with Harry’s beloved Dumbledore dead and Voldemort’s unscrupulous Death Eaters on the loose, the world is more dangerous than ever.
Man in the Chair— Hoping to craft the winning entry in a student film competition, teenage movie geek Cameron (Michael Angarano) enlists the help of an ornery old Hollywood gaffer named Flash (Christopher Plummer), who happens to be the last surviving crew member of Orson Welles’s masterpiece Citizen Kane. This unusual comedy also stars Robert Wagner as a has-been producer and M. Emmet Walsh as a retired screenwriter.
Perry Mason: The Sinister Spirit— When a reviled horror author plummets to his death from atop a hotel bell tower, an eyewitness (Kim Delaney) spots disgruntled book publisher Jordan (Robert Stack) at the crime scene. Expert defense attorney Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) steps in to prove his innocence. As Perry tries to uncover the truth, his partner Paul (William Katt) investigates a series of spooky ghost sightings.
Jack Goes Boating — Philip Seymour Hoffman directs and stars in this romantic comedy about Jack, a marijuana-smoking Manhattan limo driver who begins an unlikely regimen of self-improvement to win the heart of a fellow misfit named Connie (Amy Ryan). But as Jack learns to cook and swim for the benefit of his girl, he also witnesses the breakup of his best friends’ marriage. John Ortiz and Daphne Rubin-Vega co-star in this adaptation of Bob Glaudini’s play.
Hereafter — Clint Eastwood directs this supernatural thriller about three very different people and their responses to death, including a hesitant American psychic named George (Matt Damon) who may be able to help the others find answers and peace. Marie (Cécile De France) is a French journalist caught up in the aftereffects of the devastating 2004 tsunami, while in London, young Marcus (Frankie and George McLaren) seeks to contact his deceased twin brother.
Black Swan — In director Darren Aronofsky’s psychological thriller, ambitious New York City ballet dancer Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) lands the lead in “Swan Lake” but soon thinks her dreams of stardom are threatened by a rival ballerina (Mila Kunis). As opening night nears and the pressure to be perfect builds, Nina’s obsession descends into paranoia and delusion. Portman won an Academy Award for the film, which also nabbed an Oscar nod for Best Picture.
Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader — With their dour, bookish cousin Eustace (Will Poulter) in tow, the youngest Pevensie offspring — Lucy (Georgie Henley) and Edmund (Skandar Keynes) — take an unexpected trip back to Narnia and join noble King Caspian (Ben Barnes) for an epic high-seas adventure. Setting sail aboard the Dawn Treader, the young heroes head for the end of the world, determined to rescue seven once-powerful lords banished by Caspian’s evil uncle.
Nothing But the Truth — Journalist Rachel Armstrong (Kate Beckinsale) turns Washington on its ear when she outs a casual acquaintance (Vera Farmiga) as a CIA agent. The government’s formidable prosecutor (Matt Dillon) sends Rachel to jail for contempt, where she discovers the true impact of her decision. David Schwimmer and Alan Alda co-star in this drama from Rod Lurie, the politically savvy filmmaker behind The Contender and “Commander in Chief.”
The Champ — Andy Purcell (Wallace Beery) is a washed-up, boozy boxer and compulsive gambler who travels from bout to bout with his adoring son, Dink (Jackie Cooper), in tow. But when Andy lands in a Tijuana jail, he realizes Dink’s welfare is at stake and sends him to live with his mother (Irene Rich). For his tour-de-force performance in the title role, Beery walked away with the Academy Award for Best Actor.
Treasure Island — When young Jim Hawkins and cohorts book passage on a ship to take them to the “treasure island” of their map to pirate gold, they soon discover that not all of the crew is on their side — and that the loot they’re seeking has already been found. Getting the booty — and getting out alive — could prove tricky. This fifth film version of the classic tale stars Wallace Beery as Long John Silver and Jackie Cooper as Hawkins.
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie — In Luis Buñuel’s deliciously satiric, Oscar-winning masterpiece, an upper-class sextet (Fernando Rey, Paul Frankeur, Delphine Seyrig, Stéphane Audran, Bulle Ogier and Jean-Pierre Cassel) sits down to dinner but never eats, their attempts repeatedly thwarted by a vaudevillian mixture of events both actual and imagined. Perhaps his greatest film, Buñuel’s absurdist view of the upper class is a timeless satire about consumerism and class privilege.
Animal Kingdom — When his mother dies suddenly, a 17-year-old boy (James Frecheville) finds himself drawn into the clutches of a diabolical criminal family, until a good-hearted detective (Guy Pearce) makes a concerted effort to change the boy’s fate. Australian writer-director David Michôd’s first feature-length drama won the World Cinema Jury Prize: Dramatic at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.
Hercules and the Circle of Fire — All the fires in the world are dying out at once, and it’s up to the legendary Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) and Deianeira (Tawny Kitaen) to bring warmth back to the mortal realm. Overseeing these adventures is Zeus (Anthony Quinn), king of the gods, who just as soon interferes as assists the heroes. Kevin Atkinson appears as Cheiron and Stephanie Barrett as Phaedra in this made-for-TV take on the classic myth.
Mosaic — When an ancient rune stone reacts with a sudden electrical storm, upcoming teen actress Maggie Nelson (voiced by Anna Paquin) is caught in the middle and becomes an unlikely superhero. Transformed by the incident, she develops the ability to shape-shift like a human chameleon capable of blending into any environment. Facing off against a crazed alchemist, can Maggie thwart the madman’s plot and manage to graduate from high school?
Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost — The seventh installation of this popular crime-drama series finds alcoholic cop Jesse Stone back on the job as police chief of Paradise, Mass., suspecting that the apparent drug-related suicide of a young friend is actually foul play.
Code 46 — In this futuristic sci-fi romance, William (Tim Robbins) is an insurance examiner whose company assigns him to investigate the use of papelles, fake travel insurance papers required by the strict government. Along the way, he meets Maria (Samantha Morton), the woman responsible for the phony papelles. Although he knows who she is, he engages in a fiery affair with her … but he’ll have to end it within 24 hours, when his own papelles expire.
The Legend of the Lone Ranger — Discover how the Lone Ranger (Klinton Spilsbury) rose to mythical status in the Wild West in this thrilling adventure. His thirst for justice may have begun as early as his adolescent years, when his parents were murdered. At first he tries to work within the boundaries of the law by serving as a Texas Ranger, but after being shot by a member of the Cavendish gang, the Lone Ranger decides to ride solo, accompanied only by his trusted pal, Tonto.
Ice Pirates — Intergalactic buccaneers (led by Robert Urich) traversing the outer reaches of space in search of booty agree to help a princess (Mary Crosby) whose father has disappeared, as they attempt to reform their thieving ways by stealing water (in the form of ice) to supply a thirsty planet. John Carradine, Anjelica Huston and John Matuszak co-star in this fantasy-adventure from director Stewart Raffill (Mac and Me).
Runaway — Michael Crichton (who wrote both the novel and the screenplay Jurassic Park) directs this near-future sci-fi/crime thriller that explores the classic theme of machines gone bad. Sgt. Jack Ramsey (Tom Selleck) is the police robotics expert on the case when evil genius Dr. Charles Luthor (Kiss front man Gene Simmons) unleashes his reprogrammed androids. Runaway also stars Cynthia Rhoades (Dirty Dancing) and Kirstie Alley (“Cheers”).
Unstoppable — It’s a nail-biting race against time as an unmanned train carrying a load of lethal chemicals speeds out of control, and a conductor and engineer do everything in their power to keep it from derailing and killing tens of thousands of people. Denzel Washington leads the cast in Tony Scott’s tough-minded action thriller, in which a terrible circumstance forces a couple of ordinary men to become extraordinary heroes.
Lawman — Director Michael Winner’s stoic interpretation of a timeless Western motif stars Burt Lancaster as flinty, uncompromising Marshal Jered Maddox. He’s out to jail seven cowpunchers who left a corpse in the wake of their drunken spree. Along the way, Maddox contends with an aging cattle baron (Lee J. Cobb), a milquetoast sheriff (Robert Ryan) and a town full of craven hypocrites, all carved into fascinating characters by a topnotch ensemble cast.
The Green Hornet — Seth Rogen and writing partner Evan Goldberg (Superbad) apply their trademark humor to the superhero genre in this big-screen action-adventure about a newspaper-publishing playboy (Rogen) who dons a disguise to fight crime after hours. As the Green Hornet, Britt Reid’s power is no longer limited to the printed page — and thanks to a nimble martial-arts expert (Jay Chou), he has the skills to expose the city’s roughest criminals.
I Am Number Four — After nine aliens flee their home planet to find a peaceful life on Earth, their plans are shattered by pursuers who must kill them in number order. Number Four is a teen named John (Alex Pettyfer), who uses his extraordinary abilities to battle his enemies. John’s guardian, Henri (Timothy Olyphant), aids him in his deadly fight while he tries to protect his human girlfriend, Sarah (Dianna Agron), and connect with the others who share his powers.
The Inspectors — U.S Postal Inspectors are called in when a suburban couple are killed by a mail bomb. Suspicion immediately falls on the couple’s estranged and heavily in debt son, who also just happens to be a Navy munitions expert. But investigations reveal that he is on the run from a past event in his life that is associated with the bombings. (from IMDb)
The Illusionist — Oscar-nominated for Best Animated Feature, this wistful tale follows the fading fortunes of aging illusionist Tatischeff , who’s forced to perform in obscure venues as his act is eclipsed by the growing popularity of rock bands. He gets an emotional lift, though, from a wide-eyed girl named Alice, who thinks he possesses magic powers. But Tatischeff’s “sleight of hand” efforts to impress her with expensive gifts may lead to his financial undoing.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles — Picking up right where the movie Terminator 2: Judgment Day left off, this series follows Sarah Connor (Lena Headey) and her son John (Thomas Dekker) as they race to save humanity from forces sent from the future. Pursued by agents of Skynet, the mother and son must use their wits and create alliances to ensure that John survives to become the savior of the human race. Disguised as regular people, evil Terminators seek to destroy the duo.
Children of Paradise — Often considered the classic epic of French film, Children of Paradise is the tragic tale of vastly different men who all fall for the same woman (played by Arletty). This romantic saga takes place amid a theatrical community in 19th-century Paris, set against a backdrop of intrigue, duels and murder that allegorizes occupied France. Jean-Louis Barrault, Pierre Brasseur and María Casares co-star in this Oscar-nominated film for Best Original Screenplay.
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