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.
Red — After trading in his professional past as a black-ops CIA operative for a new identity, Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) is basking in normality. But he’s forced to return to old habits when an assassin puts a target on his back and goes after the woman (Mary-Louise Parker) he loves. Helen Mirren and John Malkovich co-star as former members of Frank’s team who reluctantly reassemble to save his life in this Golden Globe-nominated action-comedy.
Salt — After she’s accused of being a Russian sleeper spy, rogue CIA agent Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie) goes on the run, using every tactic, accent and disguise she knows to elude her pursuers, clear her name and protect her husband. Her supervisor, Winter (Liev Schreiber), buys her story, while counterintelligence officer Peabody (Chiwetel Ejiofor) decidedly does not and will do anything to stop her in this fast-paced, intrigue-filled spy adventure.
Enter the Void — When Oscar (Nathaniel Brown), a foreign drug dealer living in Tokyo with his stripper sister, Linda (Paz de la Huerta), is fatally shot in a police raid, his spirit leaves his body in a hallucinatory odyssey that merges his past, present and future into a chaotic whole. This riveting third film from provocative French auteur Gaspar Noe screened in competition at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. Cyril Roy co-stars.
Secretariat — When Penny Chenery (Diane Lane) agrees to take over her ailing father’s thoroughbred stable, she transforms from housewife to horse breeder — and owner of the colt that will take the 1973 Triple Crown — in this dramatic biopic. The film explores Chenery’s bond with “Big Red” and depicts her rise to greatness as the “first lady of racing.” John Malkovich plays trainer Lucien Laurin, and Fred Dalton Thompson co-stars as big-shot breeder Bull Hancock.
The American — On the heels of a rough assignment, assassin Jack (George Clooney) declares that his next job will be his last. Dispatched to a small Italian town to await further orders, Jack embarks on a double life that may be more relaxing than is good for him. Although duty will surely call, Jack becomes friends with Father Benedetto (Paolo Bonacelli) and falls for villager Clara (Violante Placido) in this suspense thriller directed by Anton Corbijn.
Pie in the Sky: S4 — When he isn’t pursuing his first love — cooking at his wife’s restaurant, Pie in the Sky — semiretired detective Henry Crabbe (Richard Griffiths) takes on special cases for the Westershire police in this spirited BBC crime drama. In the fourth series, Crabbe tackles police corruption, armed robbery, vandalism and murder as he tries to unravel the crimes — all while managing the kitchen of his family’s dining establishment.
Punching the Clown — In a bid to jump-start his flagging career, a hapless songwriter (Henry Phillips) moves to L.A., where through a stroke of dumb luck, he lands a record deal. But show biz is a fickle mistress, and that luck soon turns when he becomes the victim of a vicious rumor. Winner of the Audience Award at the Slamdance Film Festival, this indie comedy (directed by Gregori Viens) co-stars Ellen Ratner and Matthew Walker.
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.
Paper Man — Through special friendships with a teenage girl, Abby (Emma Stone), and an imaginary superhero named Captain Excellent (Ryan Reynolds), frustrated novelist Richard (Jeff Daniels) experiences a second adolescence, which helps him discover a completely new way of life. Husband-and-wife team Michele Mulroney and Kieran Mulroney write and direct this funny drama that also stars Lisa Kudrow, Hunter Parrish and Kieran Culkin.
Devil — In this edgy thriller, Det. Bowden (Chris Messina) must not only save five people trapped in an elevator — a mechanic (Logan Marshall-Green), a young woman (Bojana Novakovic), an old woman (Jenny O’Hara), a guard (Bokeem Woodbine) and a salesman (Geoffrey Arend) — but he must act fast because the devil is among them. Drew Dowdle and John Erick Dowdle direct M. Night Shyamalan’s story, which explores the notion that there are no coincidences.
Stone — Edward Norton plays a convicted arsonist who hopes to get out of prison early by putting to work the seductive talents of his beautiful wife, Lucetta (Milla Jovovich). Robert DeNiro plays the parole officer who is the target of the couple’s cat-and-mouse scheming. John Curran (The Painted Veil) directs this subtle psychological thriller based on the play by screenwriter Angus MacLachlan (Junebug).
Guzaarish — After an onstage disaster leaves illusionist Ethan Mascarenhas (Hrithik Roshan) a quadriplegic, he channels his magic into a hit radio show. But on the 14th anniversary of his accident, Ethan again elects to take his life into his hands — this time irrevocably. Against the wishes of his faithful nurse (Aishwarya Rai) but supported by his mother, Ethan fights for the right to die just as a young man approaches him for tutelage.
Lebanon — In this claustrophobic drama by first-time director Samuel Maoz — a veteran of the early ’80s Israel/Lebanon conflict in which the film is set — four Israeli soldiers command a tank in a situation that becomes increasingly tense and chaotic. Like Das Boot before it, most of the action is confined to the stark interiors of that tank, as the men wrestle with fear, anger and their own consciences in the face of possible death and worse.
White Wedding — The chances that groom-to-be Elvis (Kenneth Nkosi) will make it to his wedding on time dwindle with each passing hour as he and best man Tumi (Rapulana Seiphemo) experience car trouble, meet up with a strange British hitchhiker and run into other obstacles en route to Cape Town. Meanwhile, Elvis’s lovely fiancée, Ayanda (Zandile Msutwana), faces a crisis of her own. Jodie Whittaker co-stars in this comedy from South Africa, directed by Jann Turner.
Nowhere Boy — Raised by his aunt Mimi (Kristin Scott Thomas) since he was a young boy, charismatic 15-year-old John Lennon (Aaron Johnson) is suddenly reunited with his mother, Julia (Anne-Marie Duff), which ignites a bitter battle between the two sisters for John’s affections. Along the way, John inherits his mother’s love of music and befriends fellow Liverpool lad Paul McCartney (Thomas Sangster) in this biopic of the music icon’s formative years.
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps — Trader Jake (Shia LaBeouf) tries to mend the broken relationship between his fiancée, Winnie (Carey Mulligan), and her father, Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas), while avenging the fate of his mentor, Lou (Frank Langella), by getting close to Wall Street’s new megalomaniac, Bretton James (Josh Brolin). Centered on the 2008 financial crisis, director Oliver Stone’s follow-up is a modern-day ode to unfettered capitalism and, of course, greed.
Resident Evil: Afterlife — The Undead Apocalypse continues unabated as super-soldier Alice (Milla Jovovich) finds her way to a supposed sanctuary in Los Angeles, which may just be a deadly trap set for her by the ruthless Umbrella Corporation. The fourth film in Paul W.S. Anderson’s blood-soaked saga finds Alice teaming up with Claire (Ali Larter) and Chris (Wentworth Miller) and a handful of stragglers to save what’s left of humanity.
Inhale — In a desperate move to save his daughter’s life, a New Mexico district attorney (Dermot Mulroney) crosses the border to look into an illegal lung transplant. But upon arrival, he learns the truth about where these “donated” organs really come from. Diane Kruger, Sam Shepard and Rosanna Arquette co-star in this gritty examination of ethics, immigration and innocent lives from director Baltasar Kormákur.
Red Hill — After being shot on duty, police officer Shane Cooper (Ryan Kwanten) moves with his pregnant wife to the quiet Outback town of Red Hill, where surly sheriff Old Bill (Steve Bisley) is downright unfriendly and Shane’s first day on the job turns into the worst day of his life. When killer Jimmy Conway (Tommy Lewis) escapes from jail and heads for Red Hill, the police try to track the skilled hunter, and Shane soon realizes something is very wrong.
Dogtooth — In this Greek drama, siblings who grow up cut off from the world — homeschooled and dependent on one another for entertainment — develop their own blissful alternative universe. That universe is shattered when their father lets in an outsider. Sex enters the picture when dad begins bringing home a female security officer to satisfy his son’s sexual needs. Suddenly, nothing is quite the same within this highly idiosyncratic family unit.
Inspector Bellamy — From renowned French director Claude Chabrol comes this intriguingly low-key police thriller in which vacationing detective Paul Bellamy (Gérard Depardieu) can’t keep himself from getting involved when a mystery rears its head on holiday. Of course, his wife (Marie Bunel) is less than thrilled to share her vacation with criminals, and when Bellamy’s brother pays an unexpected visit, the family tensions ratchet up as high as the professional ones.
Justified: S1 — Based on an Elmore Leonard short story, “Justified” stars Timothy Olyphant as Raylan Givens, a young U.S. Marshal who’s been assigned to help keep order in the same Kentucky region where he spent his childhood. Givens is a thoughtful but determined old-style lawman who seems strangely out of place in a modern, turbulent society. That places him at odds not only with the criminals he pursues, but also with his bosses at the U.S. Marshals Service.
Merlin: S2 — Magic and action reign in Season 2 of this family show featuring young warlock Merlin (Colin Morgan), who acts as a servant to Arthur (Bradley James), the future king of Camelot. But Merlin must keep his abilities a secret because magic has been banned by Arthur’s father. Aided by court physician Gaius (Richard Wilson) and the Great Dragon (voiced by John Hurt), Merlin battles wily sorcerers and court intrigue.
Waking the Dead: S5 — Season 5 of this hit cop drama finds detective Peter Boyd (Trevor Eve) leading his team of crack forensic investigators as they use DNA and other advances in technology to unravel murder cases that have long gone cold. Joined by pathologist Dr. Felix Gibson (Esther Hall), the squad works to close the files on old crimes such as a dried-up corpse found in an abandoned airplane and a serial killer who imprisons victims underground.
Downton Abbey — Exposing the snobbery, backbiting and machinations of a disappearing class system, this seven-part British series chronicles the comings and goings of the upper-crust Crawley family and their assorted servants. Ensconced in their stately manor, the Crawleys delight in their aristocratic life — until the sinking of the
RMS Titanic in 1912 muddles their line of inheritance. Maggie Smith plays the sneering Dowager Countess of Grantham.
MI5: V8 — Season 8 of this acclaimed spy drama finds case officer Lucas (Richard Armitage), newly returned intel analyst Ruth (Nicola Walker) and the rest of the Section D team scrambling to rescue their counterterrorism department head, Harry (Peter Firth), from mysterious Russian agents. Joined by rookie technician Tariq (Shazad Latif), the unit finds itself drawn into a web of intrigue involving the CIA and a shadowy organization called Nightingale.
Wish Me Luck: S2 — In the second round of this topnotch British series, a pair of new operatives — Vivien Ashton (Lynn Farleigh) and Emily Whitbread (Jane Snowden) — joins the team, while veteran agent Liz Grainger (Kate Buffery) moves to the command center in London. But Emily’s lack of experience and the troublesome secret that Vivien is harboring may jeopardize the organization’s efforts to subvert the enemy and liberate Nazi-occupied France.
Freakonomics — Several documentary directors each film a segment representing one chapter of Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner’s best-seller
Freakonomics, which explains different elements of popular culture through economic theory and statistics. Issues include everything from cheating sumo wrestlers to whether Roe v. Wade produced a drop in crime. Filmmakers include Morgan Spurlock, Alex Gibney, Seth Gordon, Eugene Jarecki, Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing.
Still Bill — Explore the remarkable life of singer-songwriter Bill Withers, a working-class man who rose to fame and fortune with hits such as “Ain’t No Sunshine” and “Lean on Me,” then retreated from the spotlight to focus on his family. Packed with live performances, a tribute concert, and interviews with Sting, African American scholar Cornel West and others, this documentary follows Withers as he reflects on his past and contemplates his future.
Which Way Home — In 2006, Rebecca Cammisa received a Fulbright Scholar Grant to travel to Mexico to document the plight of the children left behind when their families travel to the United States to find work. This Oscar-nominated film is the result of her journey. Cammisa and her crew follow a trio of children who set out on their own from their Latin American abodes on a dangerous trek through Mexico en route to the U.S. border and — they hope — their families’ embrace.
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Biutiful — Diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer, Uxbal (Javier Bardem) — a divorced father raising two children — is determined to atone for his life as a black marketeer in this engrossing character study that unfolds in the slums of Barcelona, Spain. Co-starring Maricel Álvarez as Uxbal’s estranged wife, director Alejandro González Iñárritu’s haunting tale received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Best Foreign Language Film.
The Waiting City — Radha Mitchell and Joel Edgerton star as adoptive parents-to-be, en route from Australia to Calcutta to pick up their new baby, in this unconventional love story infused with the exotic charms of India from director Claire McCarthy. To foreigners who have never been on Indian soil, the city is at once intoxicating and overwhelming. But it also has the power to pull the couple’s already fragile marriage apart at the seams.
Even the Rain — In this provocative film-within-a-film, director Sebastián (Gael García Bernal) heads to Bolivia to shoot a film about Christopher Columbus’s trespasses in the New World, only to find the locals protesting present-day exploitation of the poor. Sebastián is sympathetic to the cause, but realities collide when lead actor Daniel (Juan Carlos Aduviri), cast as a rebel against the Spanish, becomes a key figure in the demonstrations.
Kaboom — Lovelorn college student Smith (Thomas Dekker) spends his days hanging with his friend Stella (Haley Bennett) and his nights lusting after his straight roommate Thor (Chris Zylka), until one wild party shatters his world in this comic thriller from edgy director Gregg Araki. After eating drug-laced cookies, Smith witnesses the murder of an enigmatic woman who has haunted his dreams, and he begins a bizarre journey that will determine his future.
Passion Play — Restrained by a ruthless gangster (Bill Murray), gorgeous Lily (Megan Fox), a circus freak whose incredible wings make her look like an angel, yearns for freedom. After crossing paths with the trapped beauty, down-on-his-luck musician Nate (Mickey Rourke) commits himself to rescuing her. The directorial debut of established screenwriter Mitch Glazer, this unconventional love story also stars Rhys Ifans, Kelly Lynch and Bud Cort.
Rizzoli and Isles: S1 — One comes from a blue collar family and the other from a background of privilege, yet tough-as-nails detective Jane Rizzoli and über-intellectual medical examiner Maura Isles are a match made in crimefighting heaven as they combat Boston’s baddest.
The Planets — Take a thrilling guided tour of our solar system in this documentary series, which examines cutting-edge scientific discoveries about the planets, explores the origin and fate of the sun, considers the possibility of life on other worlds and more.
Picasso and Braque Go to the Movies — Director Arne Glimcher (The Mambo Kings) and narrator-producer Martin Scorsese present this documentary that explores the connection between cinema and the Cubist paintings of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. Film clips from Georges Méliès and others offer a cinephile’s delight, as interviews with filmmakers, artists and historians, including Scorsese, Chuck Close, and Julian Schnabel, give insightful commentary.
Transcendent Man — Inventor and futurist Ray Kurzweil is the subject of this documentary that follows him on a world speaking tour in which he expounds on his ideas about the merging of man and machine, which he predicts will occur in the not-so-distant future. The visionary who invented the first text-to-speech synthesizer and much more raises eyebrows here with his wildly optimistic views of a technology-enhanced future.
Mao’s Last Dancer — A delegation from Madame Mao’s Beijing Dance Academy selects 11-year-old peasant villager Li Cunxin to study ballet in far-off Beijing, where he trains for seven grueling years to become one of China’s greatest dancers. His efforts win him the opportunity to dance in America, opening his eyes to a new love and the possibility of a dramatic defection from China in this remarkable true story based on Cunxin’s autobiography.
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