The story begins when Llewelyn Moss (BROLIN) finds a pickup truck surrounded by a sentry of dead men. A load of heroin and two million dollars in cash are still in the back. When Moss takes the money, he sets off a chain reaction that not even the law - in the person of aging, disillusioned Sherriff Bell (JONES) - can contain. As Moss tries to evade his pursuers - in particular a mysterious mastermind who flips coins for human lives (BARDEM) - the film simultaneously strips down the American crime drama and broadens its concerns to encompass themes as ancient as the Bible and as bloodily contemporary as this morning's headlines.
THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY The true story of a man who took an adversity beyond all imagining and transformed it into a testament to the irrepressible human urge to love, create and dream. With his third film, director and artist Julian Schnabel (BASQUIAT, BEFORE NIGHT FALLS) tells the story of Jean-Dominique Bauby (MATHIEU AMALRIC, MUNICH), AKA Jean-Do, the high-flying editor of French Elle and father of two, who was renowned for his sense of humor and style, his joie de vivre and amorous energy, when, in an instant, his world was plunged into the depths of catastrophe. Faced with a harrowing predicament, Jean-Do will use enormous courage and determination but, most of all, his soaring imagination to escape from his trap. Tapping into the limitlessness of his memories, fantasies, wit and wishes, he finds a way to race through experiences of wonder and grief, sex and love, fatherhood and childhood, faith and questioning, ecstasy and absurdity - and touches the very essence of what it is to be human. THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY is directed by Julian Schnabel, written by Ronald Harwood (THE PIANIST), and based on the memoir by Jean-Dominique Bauby. The producers are Kathleen Kennedy and Jon Kilik. The film is made by an artistic team that includes Janusz Kaminski (SCHINDLER'S LIST, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, MUNICH), production designer Michel Eric, costume designer Olivier Beroit, film editor Juliette Welfling and composer Paul Cantelon, whose score is woven into a soundtrack compiled by Schnabel with tracks from artists including Tom Waits, U2, Lou Reed and Joe Strummer.
GONE BABY GONE GONE BABY GONE, Ben Affleck's directorial debut, stars Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris and Amy Ryan. Based on the novel by Dennis Lehane (MYSTICRIVER) and adapted for the screen by Ben Affleck and Aaron Stockard, the film tells the story of two private investigators hunting for an abducted 4-year-old girl in the seamiest side of Boston's underworld.
THE HOAX THE HOAX, directed by Lasse Hallström, is inspired by true events in the life of Clifford Irving, the writer who nearly pulled off one of the most audacious media scams in history, when his "autobiography" of Howard Hughes was published. Richard Gere stars as Irving, who claimed the book was based on in-person interviews with the reclusive billionaire, which were in fact completely bogus. Marcia Gay Harden, Alfred Molina and Hope Davis also star.
CASSANDRA'S DREAM Set in contemporary London, Cassandra's Dream is a powerful and thrilling story about two brothers (Ewan McGregor, Colin Farrell) who are desperate to better their troubled lives. One is a chronic gambler in debt over his head, and the other is a young man in love with a beautiful actress (Hayley Atwell) he has recently met. Their lives gradually become entangled into a sinister situation with intense and unfortunate results. Written and directed by Academy Award® winner Woody Allen, the film also stars Tom Wilkinson and Sally Hawkins. The score is by Philip Glass and the cinematography by Vilmos Zsigmond.
CONTROL Ian Curtis has aspirations beyond the trappings of small town life in 1970s England. Wanting to emulate his musical heroes, such as David Bowie and Iggy Pop, he joins a band, and his musical ambition begins to thrive. Soon though, the everyday fears and emotions that fuel his music slowly begin to eat away at him. Married young, with a daughter, he is distracted from his family commitments by a new love and the growing expectations of his band. The strain manifests itself in his health. With epilepsy adding to his guilt and depression, desperation takes hold. Surrendering to the weight on his shoulders, Ian's tortured soul consumes him.
GRACE IS GONE There was a time when Stanley Phillips (John Cusack) could see his entire life clearly. He dreamed of patriotic service and was destined for a military career. He came close to that dream until it was cut short simply because of his poor eyesight. Now he's serving customers at a home supply store while his sergeant wife is fighting in Iraq. Equally as awkward at home as he is at work, he's raising Heidi, their 12-year-old daughter, and her 8-year-old sister, Dawn. Although a loving father, Stanley is unable to conform to a more affectionate role, and the girls miss their mother deeply. While tolerating his job and stumbling through parenting he is abruptly awakened when tragedy strikes. Ill prepared to deal with it himself, he is at a complete loss contemplating how to tell his children. Desperate to delay telling the children, they embark on a spontaneous road trip. Grasping to give them their last moments of innocence, Stanley reveals a softer side as they travel to Dawn's chosen destination - Enchanted Gardens Theme Park.
THE GREAT DEBATERS
Set against the backdrop of the Jim Crow South and inspired by a true story, The Great Debaters chronicles the journey of a brilliant but volatile coach (Denzel Washington) who uses the power of words to shape a group of underdog students from a small, modest black college in East Texas into an elite debate team while challenging the social mores of the time, culminating with a groundbreaking invitation to debate Harvard's championship team
I'M NOT THERE I'm Not There is an unconventional journey into the life and times of Bob Dylan. Six actors portray Dylan as a series of shifting personae from the public to the private to the fantastical weaving together a rich and colorful portrait of this ever-elusive American icon.
PETE SEEGER: THE POWER OF SONG In Pete Seeger: The Power of Song, the only authorized biography, Jim Brown documents the life of one of the greatest American singer/songwriters of the last century. Pete Seeger was the architect of the folk revival, writing some of its best known songs, including "Where Have All the Flowers Gone," "Turn, Turn, Turn" and "If I Had a Hammer." Largely misunderstood by his critics, including the U.S. government, for his views on peace, unionism, civil rights and ecology, Seeger was targeted by the communist witch hunt of the Fifties. He was picketed, protested, blacklisted and, in spite of his enormous popularity, banned from American television for more than 17 years. With a combination of never-before-seen archival footage and personal films made by Seeger and his wife, Pete Seeger: The Power of Song chronicles the life of this legendary artist and political activist. The film serves as testament of Seeger's belief in the power of song above all else and his convictions that individuals can make a difference.
SiCKO The words "health care" and "comedy" aren't usually found in the same sentence, but in Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Michael Moore's new movie SiCKO, they go together hand in (rubber) glove. Opening with profiles of several ordinary Americans whose lives have been disrupted, shattered and - in some cases - ended by health care catastrophes, the film makes clear that the crisis doesn't only affect the 47 million uninsured citizens - millions of others who dutifully pay their premiums often get strangled by bureaucratic red tape as well. After detailing just how the system got into such a mess (the short answer: profits and Nixon), we are whisked around the world, visiting countries including Canada, Great Britain and France, where all citizens receive free medical benefits. Finally, Moore gathers a group of 9/11 heroes - rescue workers now suffering from debilitating illnesses who have been denied medical attention in the United States. He takes them to a most unexpected place, and in addition to finally receiving care, they also engage in some unexpected diplomacy. While Moore's SiCKO follows the trailblazing path of his previous hit films, the Oscar®-winning Bowling for Columbine and all-time box-office documentary champ Fahrenheit 9/11, it is also something very different for Michael Moore. SiCKO is a straight-from-the-heart portrait of the crazy and sometimes cruel U.S. health care system, told from the vantage point of everyday people faced with extraordinary and bizarre challenges in their quest for basic health coverage. In the tradition of Mark Twain or Will Rogers, SiCKO uses humor to tell these compelling stories, leading the audience to conclude that an alternative system is the only possible answer.
Screening Rooms: CLARITY SCREENING ROOM DGA #2 FINE ARTS THEATRE MALIBU 2 RALEIGH STUDIOS SUNSET SCREENING ROOM TOWNCENTER WILSHIRE SCREENING ROOM BROADWAY SCREENING ROOM PARK AVENUE SCREENING ROOM DOLBY 88 SCREENING ROOM MAGNO SOUND SCREENING ROOM LOS ANGELES |
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