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3 (2012)
A husband and wife are both tempted into infidelity, but they have more in common than they'd imagine in this comedy drama from German filmmaker Tom Tykwer. Hanna (Sophie Rois) and Simon (Sebastian Schipper) are a married couple in their early forties; she's the host of a television talk show and he's an engineer. Though Hanna and Simon get along well, the spark has clearly gone out of their relationship and both find themselves casually fantasizing about other people. When Hanna meets Adam (Devid Striesow), a handsome scientist with a background in genetics, she finds herself powerfully attracted to him, and they begin having an affair. This happens as Simon is struggling with the death of his mother and the news that he has testicular cancer. After surgery returns him to health, Simon is enjoying a swim at a public pool when he meets Adam; while Simon has never been attracted to men before, something about Adam strikes a connection within him, and before long the two are involved with one another. Adam has no idea that Hanna and Simon are married, and neither Simon nor Hanna realize that their spouse is also being unfaithful, but how long can this go on before the three parties all understand what's happening? Drei (aka Three) received its North American premiere at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi...Read More
- Cast: Sophie Rois, Sebastian Schipper, Devid Striesow, Angela Winkler, Hans-Uwe Bauer
- Director(s): Tom Tykwer
- MPAA Rating: NR
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Christmas gets green as pot-smoking pals Harold and Kumar reunite for a hilariously hazy holiday adventure set six years after the events of the previous film. It's been a long time since Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) escaped from Guantanamo Bay, and these days they're just not as tight as they used to be. But as they each prepare to celebrate Christmas Eve with their new best buds, Kumar receives a very special delivery that should have gone to Harold. Always the dutiful friend, Kumar does his best to see that the package reaches its intended destination by the time sleigh bells start ringing. Unfortunately, while making the delivery Kumar causes Harold's family Christmas tree to go up in flames. Thankfully for Harold, the in-laws are away for the evening, giving him just enough time to track down a replacement and avoid the wrath of his wife's temperamental father. With the clock counting down to Christmas and the family returning home soon, Harold and Kumar race though New York City on a mad dash to find the perfect substitute tree. Neil Patrick Harris returns for more raunchy fun in a sequel also featuring Danneel Harris, David Krumholtz, and Eddie Kaye Thomas. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi...Read More
- Cast: John Cho, Kal Penn, Neil Patrick Harris, Patton Oswalt, Danny Trejo
- Director(s):
- MPAA Rating: R
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Director Roland Emmerich takes a break from his long string of big-budget disaster films with Anonymous, a historical drama that suggests Shakespeare was a fraud. Edward de Vere (Rhys Ifans) is an aristocrat who yearns to write poetry and plays, but due to social and political constraints, he is forced to use a front for his political-minded works because they subtly encourage Queen Elizabeth to alter her plan for succession in a way that is in direct opposition to her most-trusted political advisers. When drunken, illiterate, fame-hungry actor William Shakespeare (Rafe Spall) passes off the plays as his own, de Vere finds his man, but eventually he is blackmailed when the morally dubious thespian wants more and more. Anonymous screened at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi...Read More
- Cast: Rhys Ifans, Vanessa Redgrave, Sebastian Armesto, Rafe Spall, David Thewlis
- Director(s): Roland Emmerich
- MPAA Rating: PG-13
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An average American family suffers from a grave and unexpected loss that forces its members to confront past issues in this all-star ensemble drama from acclaimed director Dennis Lee (Jesus Henry Christ). Julia Roberts stars as Lisa Taylor, the wife of a college professor, Charlie (Willem Dafoe), living in the Midwest. As the tale opens, the aging couple are proud parents of two grown and reasonably successful children, Michael (Ryan Reynolds) and Ryne (Shannon Lucio). Then tragedy strikes: not long after Michael arrives in town (visiting from Manhattan), Lisa perishes in a fatal car accident, leaving the family bereft of its matriarch. As the devastated Taylors feebly attempt to cope with their loss, tensions resurface that have long boiled beneath the surface between Charlie and Michael; meanwhile, Michael's estranged wife, Kelly (Carrie-Anne Moss), turns up at the funeral to pay her respects to Lisa and gradually begins making amends with Michael. When Michael announces to the family that he's planning to publish a memoir about his childhood, Lisa's younger sister, Jane (Emily Watson), grows horrified that it will unearth devastating long-buried skeletons from the family's past; moreover, it seems that prior to her death, Lisa was guarding one major secret of her own that lingers just out of view and threatens to destroy everyone's sense of familial security when it finally comes to light. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi...Read More
- Cast: Julia Roberts, Ryan Reynolds, Willem Dafoe, Emily Watson, Carrie-Anne Moss
- Director(s):
- MPAA Rating: R
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Director Tom Shadyac (Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Bruce Almighty) reveals how his near-fatal cycling accident forever altered his perception of the Hollywood rat race, and inspired him to make some profound personal changes in a bid to create a better world. At first, doctors told Shadyac he might never walk again. Incredibly, just a few years later, the man behind some of Hollywood's biggest comedies was back on his feet. But his outlook on the world had been inexorably altered, and shortly thereafter, Shadyac relocated from his posh L.A. home to a modest mobile home community. In this film, we follow the filmmaker as he discusses his life-altering experience while attempting to gain a stronger grasp on the human condition by speaking with such noted thinkers as Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, and Lynne McTaggart. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi...Read More
- Cast: Raymond L. Anderson, Coleman Barks, Noam Chomsky, Lynne McTaggart, Daniel Quinn
- Director(s): Tom Shadyac
- MPAA Rating: PG-13
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Please be advised that short sections of "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1" contain flashing light sequences that may cause seizures in people who are susceptible to photosensitive epilepsy.
At last, Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) are getting married. When Jacob (Taylor Lautner) finds out that Bella wants to spend her honeymoon as a human, he is horrified -- for Edward's passion could accidentally kill her. Bella does indeed survive her honeymoon, but a new complication arises when she discovers that she's pregnant -- and the child is growing at an alarming rate. The pregnancy sets the wolves against Bella and Edward, but Jacob vows to protect his friend....Read More
- Cast: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Billy Burke, Peter Facinelli
- Director(s): Bill Condon
- MPAA Rating: PG-13
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Three fanatical bird-watchers (Steve Martin, Owen Wilson, Jack Black) spend an entire year competing to spot the highest number of species as El Nino sends an extraordinary variety of rare breeds flying up into the U.S., but they quickly discover that there are more important things than coming out on top of the competition. Director David Frankel (The Devil Wears Prada, Marley and Me) teams with screenwriter Howard Franklin to adapt author Mark Obmascik's 1998 book of the same name. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi...Read More
- Cast: Jack Black, Owen Wilson, Brian Dennehy, Anjelica Huston, Rashida Jones
- Director(s): David Frankel
- MPAA Rating: PG
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A retired CIA spy and a fledgling FBI agent team up to investigate the murder of a U.S. senator and catch a notorious killer in this high-stakes political thriller starring Richard Gere and Topher Grace. Back when he was an active operative, Paul Shepherdson (Gere) devoted his every waking minute to capturing "Cassius" -- an elusive Soviet hitman with a spectral reputation. Decades later, Shepherdson believes that Cassius has been taken out of the game. But when a U.S. senator is assassinated and all evidence links the killing to Cassius, Shepherdson's former boss Tom Highland (Martin Sheen) convinces his old operative to investigate. Meanwhile, FBI agent Ben Geary (Grace) becomes positively certain that the high-profile murder is the work of the notorious Soviet hatchet man, and begins working with Shepherdson to crack the case. Now, in order to learn their target's true identity, Shepherdson and Geary must first revisit the entire case from top to bottom. In the process, the two determined men uncover a clue that indicates Cassius may not, in fact, be the prime suspect that the government has been chasing for decades, but instead the last person anyone ever expected. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi...Read More
- Cast: Richard Gere, Topher Grace, Martin Sheen, Tamer Hassan, Stephen Moyer
- Director(s): Michael Brandt
- MPAA Rating: PG-13
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A successful New York writer (Daniel Craig) discovers that the country holds just as much menace as the big city after moving his family to a cozy New England town and discovering that their gorgeous new home was once the site of a brutal murder. The closer the writer and his wife (Rachel Weisz) get to their new neighbor (Naomi Watts), the more that details begin to emerge about the slaying of a devoted mother and her two children. Jim Sheridan (In America, Brothers) directs a script by David Loucka (The Dream Team, Problem Child). ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi...Read More
- Cast: Daniel Craig, Naomi Watts, Rachel Weisz, Elias Koteas, Marton Csokas
- Director(s): Jim Sheridan
- MPAA Rating: PG-13
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A lone-wolf Hollywood stunt driver (Ryan Gosling) moonlights as a freelance getaway wheelman, and he finds his solitary existence taking on new meaning after befriending Irene (Carey Mulligan), the lonely wife of convicted felon Standard (Oscar Isaac), and her young son Benicio (Kaden Leos). When Standard gets released from prison and is strong-armed into committing a bold daytime robbery, the Driver offers his services in an effort to help the repentant ex-con cut his ties to the criminal underworld. Things get complicated, however, when the robbery goes unexpectedly awry, and the Driver just barely manages to escape alive. When the take from the job proves to be stratospherically higher than the Driver was led to believe, it quickly becomes apparent that they were set up. Later, thugs threaten to kill Irene and Benicio, and all evidence points to transplanted New York crime boss Bernie Rose (Albert Brooks) and his hot-headed partner Nino (Ron Perlman) as the masterminds. As the Driver attempts to turn the tables on them, it becomes clear that the chain of command goes much higher than he could have ever anticipated. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi...Read More
- Cast: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks, Oscar Isaac
- Director(s): Nicolas Winding Refn
- MPAA Rating: R
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When scientists unlock the secret to immortality, time becomes the new currency and one desperate man comes under attack from a mysterious group known only as the "Time Keepers." In the not-too-distant future, scientists have discovered a way to turn off the aging gene. As the threat of overpopulation looms over society, money becomes a thing of the past. Now, assets are measured in time; those with the most time also possess the most power. Meanwhile, the lower classes are forced to barter with the new elite if they want to live forever. Suddenly a young commoner stumbles across a treasure chest of time. With the "Time Keepers" in hot pursuit, however, he may never get a chance to use it. Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, and Olivia Wilde star in this sci-fi thriller from writer/director Andrew Niccol (Gattaca, Lord of War). ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi...Read More
- Cast: Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Murphy, Vincent Kartheiser, Olivia Wilde
- Director(s): Andrew Niccol
- MPAA Rating: PG-13
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Lech Majewski directed this visually striking examination of the nexus between art and politics in the 16th century. In 1564, the Flemish painter Pieter Bruegel created one of his best-known and most controversial works, "The Procession to Calvary," in which Christ, carrying his cross, makes his way to his own crucifixion though a crowded landscape that features representations of hundreds of historic and contemporary figures. The painting was a biting commentary on political matters of the day as well as a satiric view of religion, and in The Mill & the Cross, Majewski re-creates the making of Bruegel's masterpiece, as the artist (played by Rutger Hauer) stages the images and explains their meanings while we learn more about the individuals depicted and the people who posed for the work, many of whom have their own stories to tell. Using digital imaging technology, The Mill & the Cross allows viewers to enter into Bruegel's painting as the static figures come to life. Also starring Charlotte Rampling and Michael York, The Mill & the Cross received its American premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi...Read More
- Cast: Rutger Hauer, Charlotte Rampling, Michael York, Joanna Litwin, Marian Makula
- Director(s): Lech Majewski
- MPAA Rating: NR
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Filmmaker Jon Foy investigates the mystery of the so-called "Toynbee tiles" -- bizarre plaques that have appeared embedded in concrete in cities throughout the U.S. and South America since the 1980s, and feature enigmatic messages about resurrecting the dead. Now, the more that Jon and his friend Justin Duerr search for answers, the greater their obsession with uncovering the truth behind these obscure artifacts grows. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi...Read More
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- Director(s):
- MPAA Rating: NR
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Most fans of classic soul and funk don't spend much time listening to high school bands, but mention the Kashmere Stage Band and they'll sit up and take notice. In the 1970s, the jazz band at Houston, Texas' Kashmere High School was one of the best in the nation, and even scored regional hits with their recordings. Comprised of students from one of Houston's roughest neighborhoods, the Kashmere Stage Band was the brainchild of Conrad O. Johnson Sr., the school's band director who replaced the band's staid repertoire with a mix of lively jazz and funk tunes and current R&B favorites, and instilled a powerful work ethic in his students that turned the ensemble into an award winner. Johnson, known to his students as "Prof," transformed an otherwise ordinary band into something ground-breaking, and in the documentary Thunder Soul, filmmaker Mark Landsman offers a telling profile of Johnson and his band, featuring photos and footage of the band in their heyday as well as interviews from a recent reunion in which the Kashmere alumni paid tribute to Prof with their first concert in decades. Thunder Soul received its world premiere at the 2010 South by Southwest Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi...Read More
- Cast: Craig Green
- Director(s): Mark Landsman
- MPAA Rating: PG
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