Bhutto – documentary - Duane Bachman
RT: 86 MC: 68
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKU6gCTpe3g&feature=related
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was the founder of the People's Party of Pakistan and the patriarch of one of the nation's most powerful political dynasties, and when he fell from power after a spell as Pakistan's first democratically elected prime minister, he made a surprising decision -- he groomed his daughter Benazir Bhutto to move into Pakistan's political arena rather than his son. Benazir was bright (she studied at Harvard and Oxford), personable, and had a campaigner's instincts, but it was anyone's guess how successful any woman could be in a Muslim nation where the authority of women was still questioned. In 1988, Benazir was voted prime minister of Pakistan, but was removed from office in 1990 under allegations of corruption she insisted were politically motivated; she was voted back into office in 1993, but further scandals once again drove her from office in 1996, and she eventually fled the country despite her popularity with voters. In 2007, Benazir Bhutto returned to Pakistan, hoping to run for office and reassert the power of democracy at a time when Muslim fundamentalist leadership threatened to move political progress backward, but her assassination in December 2007 put an end to that dream. Filmmakers Jessica Hernandez and Johnny O'Hara tell the story of the first woman elected to lead a Muslim nation in the documentary Bhutto, which explores the history of Pakistani politics, Benazir's relationship with her controversial family, the scandals that surrounded her, and her tragic death. Bhutto received its North American premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.
Bill Cunningham New York – documentary - Richard Press
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yu6YoshWd_A
Bill Cunningham is a fashion photographer, but unlike most in his profession, he rarely spends a day in a photo studio. Cunningham's work has been a long-time fixture in The New York Times; in his "Evening Hours" column, he presents pictures he's snapped of the wealthy and influential and what they're wearing to social events, while "On the Street" documents bold and individual looks worn by everyday people on the sidewalks of New York City. Cunningham captures the glamorous lives of others and has been hailed as one of the most important men in New York fashion, yet he prefers to live a simple life -- he rides a bicycle around town, makes his home in a modest apartment, has his film processed at a corner store, and keeps his personal life to himself. Filmmaker Richard Press offers a look into the life and art of this influential and enigmatic figure in the documentary Bill Cunningham New York, which follows him as he works and tries to reveal what makes this unique artist tick. Bill Cunningham New York was an official selection at the 2010 Silverdocs Documentary Film Festival.
Blue Valentine – drama - Derek Cianfrance
RT: 91 MC: 80
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYgr_iGATB4
A relationship is charted from its promising beginning to its sad collapse in this independent drama from Derek Cianfrance. Dean (Ryan Gosling) meets Cindy (Michelle Williams) when they're in their late teens; he's working for a moving company, she's a college student visiting her elderly grandmother at a home for the elderly. Cindy is dating Bobby (Mike Vogel), her boyfriend from high school, but as she gets to know Dean better, a mutual attraction grows between them. Years later, Dean and Cindy are married and have a daughter, Frankie (Faith Wladyka), but they're clearly not as happy as they once were; Dean loves his daughter but feels distant from his wife, they have to look after an elderly relative (John Doman), and when Cindy bumps into Bobby while running errands, it's clear he still holds a grudge against her. Dean and Cindy go away for a weekend together at a hotel, but it doesn't take long for them to realize that the magic isn't coming back. Blue Valentine received its world premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.
Cedar Rapids – comedy - Miguel Arteta
RT: 84 MC: 69
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9VspqcwtJQ
Ed Helms stars as a down-and-out insurance salesman who goes to bat for his fellow employees at a trade conference in this Miguel Arteta-directed comedy co-starring John C. Reilly and Sigourney Weaver. Sideways' Alexander Payne produces the Fox Searchlight pic, with scripting duties handled by Phil Johnston.
Ceremony – comedy - Max Winkler
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcrrZ0ixTEI
Sam Davis (Michael Angarano) convinces his former best friend to spend a weekend with him to rekindle their friendship at an elegant beachside estate owned by a famous documentary filmmaker (Lee Pace). But it soon becomes clear that Sam is secretly infatuated with the filmmaker's fiancée, Zoe (Uma Thurman), and that his true intention is to thwart their impending nuptials. As Sam's plan begins to unravel, he is forced to realize how complicated love and friendship can be.
Certified Copy - drama - Abbas Kiarostami
RT: 89 MC:84
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nM_8TPLMCOU
A British author and a French art-gallery owner form an intimate bond after a chance meeting in a quaint Southern Tuscany village in director Abbas Kiarostami's dialogue-driven drama.
Circo – documentary - Aaron Schock
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNCqOzkuZ2Q
A man's loyalties are tested under the big top in this documentary from director Aaron Schock. Circo Mexico is a small family-run carnival that's been making its way through small towns in the Mexican countryside for years. While the show was never quite a spectacular, its circumstances are far shabbier than they once were, and Tino Ponce, who runs Circo Mexico, struggles to keep it afloat. Ponce's parents trusted him to carry on the family's performing tradition, and he's brought his own children into the show as he tries to keep the dream alive. But Ponce's wife is no longer convinced that the show should go on, and he's caught between following the dream instilled in him by his folks or following his wife's wishes and moving on to a career with a more stable future. Circo follows Ponce and his carnival as they travel the back roads, offering a bit of tarnished showbiz glamour at each stop while struggling to keep the tradition from fading out. Circo was an official selection at the 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival.
Cracks – drama - Jordan Scott
RT: 36
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6Xf1BdWbik
A teacher who prides herself on being different meets a student who matches her nonconformist nature in this period drama. It's 1934, and Miss G (Eva Green) is a teacher at a private school for girls near the eastern coastline of England. While most of the teachers at the school are severe and straight-laced women who reinforce its reputation as a repressive environment, Miss G is more youthful and glamorous than her colleagues, and enjoys dropping hints of a free-spirited past to her young charges. Miss G encourages her students to challenge conventional norms of the day, and organizes a diving team at the school, which she oversees with great interest. Miss G also sees a danger in the cliques that dominate the school, and she tries to undermine them, much to the annoyance of Di (Juno Temple), who holds a high place in the school's pecking order. But things change for both Miss G and her students when Fiamma (Maria Valverde) enrolls at the school. Fiamma is from Spain and has a strong independent streak; she doesn't look to her peers for approval and insists on doing things her own way, which makes her all the more exotic and appealing to the other students. Fiamma also earns the approval of Miss G, but before long rumors begin to spread that the teacher's interest in her new student is more than academic. Cracks was the first feature film from director Jordan Scott, whose father is the noted filmmaker Ridley Scott.
Hanna – drama - Joe Wright
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugireeCoYyU
A teenage assassin raised in remote Finland is dispatched on a dangerous mission by her father, an ex-CIA operative, in this innovative action thriller from director Joe Wright (Atonement, Pride & Prejudice). Hanna (Saoirse Ronan) may look like your typical teenage girl, but she's a trained killer who has spent her entire life preparing for one mission. Schooled in the arts of survival and killing by her mysterious father (Eric Bana), Hanna finally reaches the age when she must put her skills to the test, and sets out across Europe on a collision course with a cunning intelligence operative (Cate Blanchett) who has been awaiting her arrival for years. Later, as agents close in from all sides and Hanna finally gets her target in the crosshairs, the trained assassin uncovers some secrets from the past that stir the conscience she never knew she had, and cause her to question everything she has ever known.
Happythankyoumoreplease – comedy - Josh Radnor
RT: 41 MC: 44
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sG3qBqtX50o
Actor Josh Radnor makes his debut as a writer and director with this independent comedy drama in which a handful of people riding the gap between their late twenties and early thirties navigate the sometimes tricky path of adulthood in New York City. Sam (Radnor) is a struggling writer who has trouble with long-term relationships; one day while on the subway, he meets Rasheen (Michael Algieri), a young boy who has been abandoned by his parents. Sam takes the boy in, which gives him a preview of parenthood but also proves to be more complicated than he expected. Sam is infatuated with Mississippi (Kate Mara), a bartender with a dream of making it as a musician; tired of one-night stands, she agrees to move in with Sam for a few days to see how she feels about a "real" relationship, but Rasheen's presence makes things awkward. Another of Sam's sometime girlfriends is Annie (Malin Akerman), who suffers from a rare medical condition that prevents her from having any hair. Though she's beautiful, Annie's lack of hair has caused her to have a dire self-image and she jumps from one relationship to another with a handful of men, some of whom treat her poorly. And Mary Catherine (Zoe Kazan) and Charlie (Pablo Schreiber) are a couple whose relationship is teetering on the brink as he considers a lucrative job offer in Los Angeles while she refuses to budge. Happythankyoumoreplease received its world premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, where it received the audience award for Best Dramatic Feature.
Heartbeats - drama/romance - Xavier Dolan
RT: 75 MC: 70
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znpU_Aup-Bg
Two friends compete for the affections of the same man in this romantic drama from Canada. Marie (Monia Chokri) is a woman living in Montreal who has frequently been let down in her relationships with men, while her close friend Francis (Xavier Dolan) is a gay man who hasn't been faring much better in his love life. When Marie meets Nicolas (Niels Schneider), a good-looking man who is new in town, she's immediately attracted to him and tries to use her feminine allure to win him over. However, Francis is equally drawn to Nicolas, and the new man hasn't revealed his sexual preferences strongly enough for either Marie or Francis to be certain where they stand. The two friends each begin taking bolder steps in hopes of earning Nicolas' attention until their rivalry threatens to destroy their friendship. Heartbeats (aka Les Amours Imaginaires) was directed, written, and edited by Xavier Dolan, who also co-stars as Francis; the film was an official selection at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.
Housemaid – thriller - Sang-soo Im
RT: 76 MC: 67
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvZowWUNRh4
A young woman becomes both benefactor and victim of a wealthy family's world of privilege and power in this drama from South Korea. Eun-yi (Jeon Do-yeon) is a beautiful but naïve young woman who is hired by a wealthy family as a housekeeper when their long-time domestic, Byung-sik (Youn Yuh-jung), needs help keeping up with her responsibilities. Hoon (Lee Jung-jae) shares his opulent home with his lovely wife, Hae-ra (Seo Woo), who is expecting a baby, and their daughter. While all seems to be happy between Hoon and Hera, the man of the house is clearly attracted to Eun-yi, and after he seduces her they begin having an affair. Hoon's indiscretion becomes obvious when Eun-yi gets pregnant, but he and his family believe Eun-yi is the one who made a mistake, not Hoon, and before long Hae-ra's mother (Park Ji-young) pays a visit to help the family take care of their dirty laundry. A re-imagining of Kim Ki-young's classic 1960 thriller, Hanyo (aka The Housemaid) was an official selection at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.
I Saw the Devil - drama horror - Jee-woon Kim
RT: 79 MC: 66
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkwEFKdTckk
Censored upon its original release in Korea due to scenes of extreme violence, director Kim Jee-Woon's uncompromising meditation on the morality of revenge tells the story of a special agent who sets out to give the serial killer who murdered his wife a taste of his own medicine. Lee Byung-hun (The Good, the Bad, and the Weird) and Choi Min-sik (Oldboy) star.
In A Better World – drama - Susanne Bier
RT: 80
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ava0Rn8nrVs
Two Danish schoolchildren -- one meek and unassertive, the other angry and vengeance-prone -- forge a friendship with ugly consequences in this cautionary tale from director Susanne Bier. The story opens with physician Anton (Mikael Persbrandt, working abroad in a Kenyan hospital, where he's routinely treating female victims of a psychotic thug known as Big Man (Evans Muthini). Anton himself suffers from a dysfunctional home life, given his emotional estrangement from his wife (Trine Dyrholm), and his desire to set a positive example for son Elias (Markus Rygaard) -- the physician longs to mend both relationships but finds this difficult given his frequent absenteeism. Meanwhile, another family suffers from equally grave issues: Claus (Ulrich Thomsen) and his son, Christian (William Jøhnk Juels Nielsen), move from London back to their home country of Denmark; Claus is still reeling from his late wife's recent death from cancer, and father and son find it more and more difficult to connect with another. But Christian has much deeper issues than simple filial alienation -- an almost pathological addiction to retribution that manifests itself in a knife-wielding attempt to protect new friend Elias from a local bully. Elias and Christian become fast companions, but as they do, it draws out a level of rage in both boys that threatens to culminate in shocking, terroristic levels of violence.
Incendies – drama - Denis Villeneuve
RT: 100
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDf-XuYid1A
Director Denis Villeneuve adapts Wajdi Mouawad's play concerning a pair of twins who make a life-altering discovery following the death of their mother. Upon learning that their absentee father is still very much alive and they also have a brother they have never met, the pair travels to the Middle East on a mission to uncover the truth about their mystery-shrouded past.
Jane Eyre – drama - Cary Fukunaga
RT: 86 MC: 78
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8J6Cjn06kA
Charlotte Brontë's classic romance is revived once again with this Ruby Films production directed by Cary Fukunaga (Sin Nombre) and adapted by screenwriter Moira Buffini. Raised by her aunt Sarah (Sally Hawkins) after her parents die of typhus, young Jane Eyre (Amelia Clarkson) is later shipped off to a stark boarding school as the result of her perceived insolence, and suffers greatly at the hands of the cold, unusually strict administration. Upon turning 18 and completing her education, Jane (Mia Wasikowska) finds work as a governess for the daughters of Edward Fairfax Rochester (Michael Fassbender), master of Thornfield Hall. It doesn't take long for Rochester's impressionable young girls to warm to Jane, and upon returning home the charming father, too, falls under the spell of his modest yet captivating governess. Later, Rochester ends his courtship with the beautiful Blanche Ingram (Imogen Poots) in favor of proposing to Jane, who excitedly accepts. On what was supposed to be the happiest day of Jane's life, however, a scandalous secret is revealed, and the emotionally shattered governess takes flight. Subsequently taken in by kindly clergyman St. John (Jamie Bell) and his two sisters, Jane begins a new life as a teacher under an assumed name. But her passion for Rochester still burns bright, prompting Jane to make a life-altering decision after learning a crucial secret about her own family.
Kaboom – comedy - Gregg Araki
RT: 57 MC:67
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xu9NkMCElMk
Writer and director Gregg Araki revisits the day-glo universe of sex, drugs, and random perversity that informed his early films in this over-the-top dark comedy. Smith (Thomas Dekker) is an 18-year-old film student who is bisexual and has a ravenous erotic appetite; his best friend is Stella (Haley Bennett), who prefers the company of women but is just as enthusiastic about pursuing new lovers. Smith has been haunted by a series of recurring dreams featuring two beautiful women, one dark and enigmatic, the other similarly spectral with flaming red hair. This wouldn't bother him, except that the women from his dreams have begun appearing in real life -- Lorelei (Roxane Mesquida), Stella's new partner, is a magic aficionado who's a dead ringer for the dark-haired woman, and the red-haired girl (Nicole LaLiberte) is being pursued by a gang of masked assassins. Has Smith stumbled into a plot with possible world-changing consequences? Or is this all just the product of some hallucinogenic cookies he was served at a party? Kaboom received its world premiere at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.
Making the Boys – documentary - Crayton Robey
RT: 100 MC: 63
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eI8WS1D_WwQ
The Gay Liberation Movement was still in its embryonic stages, the Stonewall riots were a year away, and homosexuality was rarely treated as anything more than a joke in popular culture (if it was acknowledged at all) when Mart Crowley's play The Boys in the Band opened off-Broadway in the spring of 1968. The Boys in the Band concerned a handful of gay men who gathered for a birthday party on Manhattan's Upper East Side, where the celebration turns sour after alcohol loosens the tongues of some of the guests and they share opinions they had previously kept hidden. While some critics felt some of the characters reflected negative stereotypical views of homosexuals, many others praised it for dealing openly and honestly with the gay community in a way that was unprecedented in mainstream entertainment. The play enjoyed a run of over a thousand performances, and in 1970 William Friedkin adapted the play for the cinema, using the complete original cast in his film version. Filmmaker Crayton Robey offers an insiders' look at how Mart Crowley's drama became a groundbreaking event in both theater and cinema in the documentary Making the Boys, which includes interviews with Crowley; actor Laurence Luckinbill (who played Hank in the original production); playwrights Edward Albee, Michael Cunningham, Paul Rudnick, and Tony Kushner; and Robert Wagner, who worked with Crowley on the television series Hart to Hart. Making the Boys received its world premiere as a work in progress at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival.
Marwencol – documentary - Jeff Malmberg
RT: 92 MC: 81
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRsGGNiZ8OU
After a night of drinking at a bar in his hometown of Kingston, NY, Mark Hogancamp got in a fistfight and was beaten so badly he went into a coma. When Hogancamp regained consciousness, he was diagnosed with brain damage and struggled to return to a normal life. As he tried to put his life back together, Hogancamp came up with an unusual hobby -- using G.I. Joe action figures and Barbie dolls, Hogancamp created an elaborate scale model community in his backyard that he calls Marwencol (named for three characters he's dubbed Mark, Wendy, and Colleen). Marwencol is supposed to be a village in Belgium during World War II, and the scene is full of intrigue and military violence; several of the characters also represent his friends and relatives, and one is based on a married neighbor with whom he's infatuated. Marwencol provides Hogancamp with a fantasy world he can retreat into as he deals with the realities of his life following the beating, but the parallels into his real life are troubling to some people he knows, and when a gallery in New York City offers to present Hogancamp's project as an art installation, he has to decide if he's really willing to share Marwencol with the world at large. Filmmaker Jeff Malmberg profiles Mark Hogancamp and the world he created from toys and his imagination in the documentary Marwencol, which received its world premiere at the 2010 South by Southwest Film Festival.
Meek's Cutoff – western - Kelly Reichardt
RT: 75
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rhNrz2hX_o
A braggart meets his match in a courageous woman in this period drama from independent filmmaker Kelly Reichardt. It's 1845, and Stephen Meek (Bruce Greenwood) is a boastful, rough-hewn wilderness guide who has been hired by three families who want to start new lives on the other side of Oregon's Cascade Mountains. Meek constantly tells his charges that he knows the Oregon Trail like the back of his hand, but when they veer off for a shortcut he says is foolproof, they soon find themselves in forbidding territory, without water and with Indians on the horizon. While the men of the party travel with Meek, their wives are made to follow them in a separate wagon, and Emily Tetherow (Michelle Williams), the strong-willed wife of Solomon Tetherow (Will Patton), begins openly questioning Meek's competence among the other women, especially her friend Millie Gately (Zoe Kazan). While making their way through the wilderness, the party happens upon a Cayuse Indian (Rod Rondeaux); Meek captures the Indian and proposes they kill him, but Emily bravely speaks up for him, believing he has the right to live and perhaps the knowledge to lead them safely over the mountains. Meek's Cutoff was an official selection at the 2010 New York Film Festival.
Miral – drama - Julian Schnabel
RT: 20
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4t8E6_S9f4k
A naïve Palestinian teen gradually awakens to her people's plight after being raised in an orphanage opened to care for children rendered homeless following the partitioning of Palestine in 1948. Shortly after the state of Israel was created, Hind Husseini (Hiam Abbass) was on her way to work when she noticed more than 50 Palestinian children wandering aimlessly through the streets. Concerned for their well-being, she vowed to ensure that the children were sheltered and well-fed. By the time six months had passed, Husseini had taken in nearly 2,000 orphaned children, and created the Dar Al-Tifel Institute, which operated under the philosophy that peace can only be achieved through education. Enter seven-year-old Miral (Freida Pinto), who was sent by her father to live in the Dar Al-Tifel Institute following her mother's death in 1978. Far too young to comprehend the ongoing struggle between the Jews and Palestinians at the time she entered the institute, Miral remained blissfully ignorant of the conflict taking place just outside her walls until she accepted a teacher's position at a refugee camp at the age of 17. As the reality of the ongoing conflict comes into focus for Miral, she enters into a romance with Hani (Omar Metwally), an outspoken political activist intent on taking back Palestine by force. Seduced by Hani's passion yet uncertain that violence is the answer, Miral begins to weigh the benefits of direct action against the more peaceful and deliberate approach to independence favored by her longtime mentor.
Monogamy – drama - Dana Adam Shapiro
RT: 44 MC: 46
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVpy9cunZAQ
Dana Adam Shapiro, Academy Award-nominated director of Murderball, returns with his first narrative feature, a tense tale of voyeurism and lust concerning a New York City wedding photographer who dabbles in surveillance on the side. When Theo (Chris Messina) isn't shooting couples on their happy day, he's catching people in compromising positions. Approached by a mysterious woman (Meital Dohan) with a lucrative job offer, Theo bites despite the vocal objections of his fiancée (Rashida Jones), who senses trouble on the horizon.
Nenette – documentary - Nicolas Philibert
RT: 60 MC: 62
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GgflSGVPbs&feature=related
Born in the jungles of Borneo, Nénette is a 40-year-old orangutan — and the oldest (and most beloved) inhabitant at the Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes in Paris. The latest film by legendary French documentarian Nicolas Philibert (To Be And To Have), Nénette is a captivating study of an enigmatic animal and our relationship to her.
Of Gods and Men – drama - Xavier Beauvois
RT: 90 MC: 86
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xXBoWQMnOU
Men of faith find their pacifist beliefs put to the test in this drama from filmmaker Xavier Beauvois, inspired by a true story. Christian (Lambert Wilson) is the leader of an order of Trappist monks living in the hills outside Algiers. The community outside the monastery is almost exclusively Muslim, and the monks have worked to foster understanding between themselves and their neighbors; they observe Muslim traditions, are well versed in the Koran, and provide medical and charitable assistance to the townspeople. The monastery is an oasis of calm and peace as Algeria is caught up in a civil war, with forces led by Muslim extremists leading a bloody campaign against the nation's rulers. Christian and his monks do not wish to take sides in a conflict they believe is immoral; they refuse the protection of the military while also denying aid and comfort to the insurgents. The monks' efforts to remain outside the war, however, have ugly consequences when they're taken hostage by a band of Islamic revolutionaries. Des Hommes et des Dieux (aka Of Gods and Men) was an official selection at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.
Orgasm Inc. – documentary - Liz Canner
RT: 92 MC: 67
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZeHDKRa1y8
When independent filmmaker Liz Canner landed an unusual assignment -- editing a stack of porn films into a "highlight reel" for a pharmaceutical company -- she found the inspiration for this project, a documentary on "female sexual dysfunction" and the business that has sprung up behind it. "Female sexual dysfunction" is roughly defined as a woman's lack of desire for sexual contact and/or her inability to have an orgasm, and after Viagra made treating male impotence into a growth industry, a number of pharmaceutical firms are working to formulate a similar drug for women. But is "female sexual dysfunction" a real medical condition? Research has determined that 70% of women don't regularly reach orgasm through intercourse (usually due to inattention by their partners), and a lack of enthusiasm for lovemaking can stem from anything from a bad day at work to a husband's bad breath. Are drug companies attempting to convince women they need treatment for a malady that doesn't actually exist? Orgasm, Inc. takes a look at the disinformation that has been spread about female sexuality through the ages up to the present day, including a woman who collects antique vibrators and turn-of-the-century literature on "female hysteria," as well as behind-the-scenes footage of researchers attempting to formulate a female orgasm in pill form. Orgasm, Inc. was an official selection at the 2009 Hot Docs International Film Festival.
Peep World – comedy - Barry W. Blaustein
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Att6tLpHbHA
A family's dirty laundry get aired out in public, and not everyone is happy about it in this dark comedy from director Barry W. Blaustein. Nathan (Ben Schwartz) is a writer who has recently published a bestselling novel that's being made into a major motion picture. Nathan is feeling very good about himself, but his siblings aren't so happy for him -- the book is a very thinly disguised version of his family's wildly dysfunctional history, and nearly everyone close to him can see themselves in its key characters. Nathan's older sister Cheri (Sarah Silverman), a struggling actress, is so outraged she's considering taking her brother to court, especially since the film version of the book is being shot outside her apartment and her father's new (and much younger) girlfriend (Alicia Witt) has been cast in the role patterned after her. Nathan's book has also become a thorn in the side of wildly irresponsible Joel (Rainn Wilson), who is on the run from loan sharks, and Jack (Michael C. Hall), whose career as an architect is crumbling almost as quickly as his marriage to Laura (Judy Greer). When the family gathers to celebrate the seventieth birthday of their father (Ron Rifkin), with their mother (Lesley Ann Warren) and her new husband (Nicolas Hormann), it makes for an evening with explosive potential. Peep World also features narration by comedian Lewis Black.
Phil Ochs: There but for Fortune – documentary - Kenneth Bowser
RT: 100 MC: 70
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbS4ruKw2OQ
Documentary filmmaker Kenneth Bowser profiles American folk singer Phil Ochs, who rose to fame in the 1960s and whose hopeful, incisive ballads were written to inspire positive change in an era of profound social turbulence. Equally critical of the left and the right -- not to mention the politically apathetic -- Ochs penned countless songs and released seven albums, ultimately growing a sizable following thanks to his positive message and talent for songwriting. In 1976, following the deaths of Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy, and in the wake of the tragedy at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Ochs was so overcome with hopelessness that he turned to alcohol and ultimately committed suicide. He was just 35 years old. Though the FBI would later admit to singling Ochs out as a traitor for questioning American policy during wartime, this film aims to offer a comprehensive overview of a deeply complex artist through archival footage and interviews with such outspoken fans as Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, and Sean Penn.
Plastic Planet – documentary - Werner Boote
RT: 56 MC: 55
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7X-J1DhfjE
Director Werner Boote takes an up close look at the plastics industry in order to explore whether the ubiquitous man-made material is a danger to human health. The grandson of a once-prominent plastics magnate, Boote became aware early on that the material we rely on to make our lives easy could also be poisoning our planet. Not only because a piece of plastic takes up to 500 years to deteriorate in the ground or water system, but also because studies indicate that frequent exposure can also lead to a variety of health problems in humans. In this film, Boote speaks with scientists, manufacturers, consumers, and government officials in 14 countries about the dangers of continued reliance on plastics, as well as alternatives that could lead to a cleaner world, and a healthier population.
Poetry – Drama - Chang-dong Lee
RT: 100 MC: 87
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fo2dfY317-k
A woman in the autumn of her years is prompted by art and circumstance to reexamine her life in this drama from director Lee Chang-dong. Yang Mija (Yun Jung-hee) is a charming and well-preserved woman in her mid-sixties who stays busy looking after her teenage grandson, Wook (Lee David), and helping keep house for an older gentleman friend. Yang Mija has been having trouble with her memory and has developed a new curiosity about creative self-expression, so she signs up for a class in writing poetry at a neighborhood community center, even though she's never written verse before. Mija's simple, contented existence is thrown into disarray by a pair of events -- she learns from her doctor that her memory troubles are the first symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, and Wook is believed to be part of a gang of thugs who severely beat and raped a girl who responded by committing suicide. As Mija faces a grim future, she's uncertain about the notion of turning her grandson in to the police or raising money for a settlement that would keep him out of prison, and suddenly the beauty of the world seems a far more elusive concept. Shi (aka Poetry) was an official selection at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.
Pom Wonderful Presents: the Greatest Movie Ever Sold – documentary - Morgan Spurlock
Director Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me, 30 Days) examines the increased proliferation of branding in every aspect of our lives while attempting to persuade big-name brands to sponsor his irreverent exposé. Companies love to push their products, and it seems like everywhere we go, someone is trying to sell us something. But have you ever wondered what goes on behind closed doors at some of the biggest advertising agencies in the world? In this eye-opening documentary, viewers follow Spurlock as he convinces a variety of high-profile sponsors to let him pitch their products as "The Greatest," while still maintaining complete control over his creative vision -- an arrangement that's become increasingly rare in the high-stakes entertainment industry.
Queen to Play - drama - Caroline Bottaro
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RcBGcMJY7Y
A middle-aged maid with few prospects before her finds a new lease on life via the game of chess, in this unusual tale that marked the first directorial go-round of acclaimed scriptwriter Caroline Bottaro (Les Aveux de l'innocent). French screen siren Sandrine Bonnaire (À Nos Amours) stars as Hélène, a Frenchwoman employed as a housekeeper in a posh Corsican hotel. Though devoted and diligent as a wife and mother, she lacks any real passion in her life. That changes in a single, defining instant when Helene espies a mysterious couple (the female played by Jennifer Beals) exchanging erotic glances and seductive gestures over a chessboard, on a nearby balcony. Feeling sexual arousal, Hélène misguidedly tries to parlay this into her own personal life by giving her boatworker husband an electronic chessboard, but the connection between this and a need for greater intimacy eludes him. Hélène's curiosity about chess nonetheless endures, and when she fails to teach herself to play sans assistance, she turns to an eccentric, reclusive American whose house she cleans, Dr. Kroger (Kevin Kline) and asks him to mentor her in the game. In time, her expertise outstrips Kroger's and she begins to live and breathe chess, but this very passion also threatens to alienate the woman's family, who perceive a form of infidelity in this new obsession.
Strange Case of Angelica – drama - Manoel de Oliveira
RT: 88 MC: 79
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVwnpN8HRA4
In this stylish exercise in magic realism, Isaac (Ricardo Trepa) is a photographer who is contacted during a stormy night with an urgent assignment. Isaac is escorted to the estate of a wealthy family, where he's told of a recent tragedy -- the beautiful daughter of the household, Angelica (Pilar Lopez de Ayala), died shortly after her wedding, before her bridal portrait could be taken. Her parents want a final photograph of Angelica, and they've brought Isaac to their home to take the pictures. Angelica has been laid out on a sofa in the living room, still wearing her wedding gown, and as Isaac looks at her through his viewfinder, he's struck by her beauty and thinks she looks as if she's just sleeping. Isaac is so effected by Angelica that he quickly falls in love with her, and when he looks at her through his camera, she comes to life, with her spirit as lively as ever in the photos he prints though her body stubbornly stays lifeless. O Estranho Caso de Angelica (aka The Strange Case of Angelica) was the ninth directorial project in five years from filmmaker Manoel de Oliveira, a workload all the more remarkable given his age -- he was 101 years old when O Estranho Caso de Angelica made its debut at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.
The Company Men – drama - John Wells
RT: 65 MC: 81
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPohmhNFwi4
A high-powered sales executive struggles with his own dwindling sense of self-worth after becoming a victim to corporate downsizing. Bobby Walker (Ben Affleck) has a big house, a new Porsche, a beautiful wife, and two adoring kids. When he's not in the office, he can usually be found on the golf course, perfecting his game or clinching an important business deal. But when the axe falls, Bobby and his colleagues Phil (Chris Cooper) and Gene (Tommy Lee Jones) find their necks on the chopping block, and their futures looking bleak. In order to stay afloat, Bobby reluctantly goes to work as a carpenter for his brother-in-law (Kevin Costner). But building houses is a far cry from the boardroom, and just as Bobby starts to wonder if he'll ever taste success again, he realizes that true prosperity doesn't come in the form of a paycheck, but through the satisfaction of knowing that his family will always be there to support him. Maria Bello, Craig T. Nelson, and Rosemarie DeWitt co-star in a drama from writer/director John Wells (ER).
The Other Woman - comedy/drama - Don Ross
RT: 39 MC: 37
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzTLRdWKah8
The story to this drama is about as original as its title. Nevertheless, the cast is first-rate. Eleanor Gates (Peggy Hyland) comes to Greenwich Village to study art. As her career takes off, she meets Harrington (Milton Sills), a man from back home. He is unhappily married -- his wife (Anna Lehr) is an uninteresting homebody. Their friendship warms into something more romantic and soon Harrington is never home. When the couple's baby dies, it seems like the marriage is headed for certain failure. But then Mrs. Harrington comes to Eleanor and asks her to paint a miniature of her dead infant. She also tells Eleanor the whole story about her unfaithful husband. Eleanor is horrified that she is the one causing Mrs. Harrington so much misery. While Harrington is out West on business, his wife discovers who the other woman is. She angrily denounces Eleanor, who proceeds to lecture her on the finer points of how to keep a husband. When Harrington returns, Eleanor sends him back to his wife. Then she leaves New York and returns to her sweetheart who has been waiting for her back home.
The Tree of Life – drama - Terrence Malick
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R02gnYmDpU4&feature=fvst
The eldest son of a 1950s-era Midwestern family sets out on an existential journey that leads him to question his faith while seeking the answers to life's most challenging mysteries in this evocative drama from celebrated director Terrence Malick. Meanwhile, as Jack's (Sean Penn) innocence slowly erodes, his turbulent relationship with his father (Brad Pitt) becomes the specter that hangs over his every thought and action.
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall Past Lives – comedy - Apichatpong Weerasethakul
RT: 87 MC: 89
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlPRe9peigI
The recipient of the prized Palme d'Or at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, director Apichatpong Weerasethakul's hypnotic drama tells the haunting story of a Thai man suffering from kidney failure who retreats to the countryside to die in the company of his loved ones. As Uncle Boonmee nears the end of his life, the spirit of his late wife returns to guide him into the unknown, and his estranged son reappears in the form of a jungle spirit. Later, the ailing man leads his family on a journey to a hilltop cave where he first came into this world.
Win Win – comedy - Thomas McCarthy
RT: 86 MC: 85
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbe33D59euY
Paul Giamatti headlines writer/director Tom McCarthy's comedy drama centering on a beleaguered attorney and part-time wrestling coach who schemes to keep his practice from going under by acting as the legal caretaker of an elderly client. Mike Flaherty (Giamatti) thinks he has discovered the perfect loophole to keep his practice in business. But his brilliant plan hits an unexpected hitch when his client's troubled grandson shows up looking for a place to stay. With his home life in turmoil and both of his careers in jeopardy, Mike quickly realizes that he'll have to get creative in order to find a way out of his current predicament.
Winter in Wartime – drama - Martin Koolhoven
RT: 75
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrtnYwQXr6Y
As helmed by Martin Koolhoven (Het Zuiden), the Dutch-language saga Oorlogswinter stars Martijn Lakemeier as Michiel van Beusekom, a young man who becomes involved in the Dutch resistance during the final winter of World War II. Though this represents a heroic move on the boy's part, the experience ultimately leads to complete disillusionment, as it brings Michiel face to face with the realization that during times of war, good and evil are actually intertwined.
