The Last Sin Eater
When a mysterious man “absolves” her grandmother’s sins by eating bread and wine at her grave, 10-year-old Cadi wants the same redemption - while she’s still alive! But in her quest for deliverance she uncovers a dark secret that threatens to divide her family. What will happen when the two face each other - and the One who can truly save them? Based on the award winning novel by Francine Rivers.
I Could Never Be Your Woman
A romantic comedy about a mother (Michelle Pfeiffer) who falls for a younger man (Paul Rudd) and her teenage daughter (Saoirse Ronan) who falls in love for the first time. Directed by Amy Heckerling (”Look Who’s Talking,” “Clueless”), Tracey Ullman plays the acerbic Mother Nature who meddles in their fates.
Grbavica: The Land of My Dreams
Set in a contemporary Sarajevo still reeling from the aftermath of war, “Grbavica: The Land of My Dreams” is a textured and authentic testament to the innate drive to triumph over conflict. Throughout the film, Jasmila Zbanic indeed reveals the women of Grbavica to be a community of strong-willed survivors. Esma (Mirjana Karanovic) is a single mother who lives with her rebellious twelve-year-old daughter, Sara (Luna Mijovic), in the Grbavica district of Sarajevo, a neighborhood used as an internment camp during the conflict in the nineties. In a nuanced, beautifully rendered performance, Karanovic portrays a woman who has surrendered to life’s graver indignities, while consciously affirming her existence through small triumphs.
Bamako
Set in the courtyard of a mud walled house in Bamako, the capital city of Mali, the film voices Africa’s grievances in an original and profoundly moving way: educating, and at the same time, entertaining the audience. The intimate personal story of an African couple on the verge of breaking up is told alongside very public political proceedings. The country’s civil society is taking action against the international financial institutions whom they directly blame for Africa’s woes.
With humor and rhythm, everyday life goes on in the midst of the powerful testimonials and pleas made at the trial. A lush mix of warm colors and inspirational music, “Bamako” is a unique opportunity for a worldwide audience to become familiar with contemporary Africa.
Norbit
Norbit (Eddie Murphy) has never had it easy. As a baby, he was abandoned on the steps of a Chinese restaurant/orphanage and raised by Mr. Wong (Eddie Murphy). Things get worse when he’s forced into marriage by the mean, junk food-chugging queen, Rasputia (Eddie Murphy). Just when Norbit’s hanging by his last thread, his childhood sweetheart, Kate (Thandie Newton), moves back to town. In the comedy “Norbit,” he’ll find that nice guys sometimes finish first.
The Lives of Others
At once a political thriller and human drama, “The Lives of Others” begins in East Berlin in 1984, five years before Glasnost and the fall of the Berlin Wall and ultimately takes us to 1991, in what is now the reunited Germany. “The Lives of Others” traces the gradual disillusionment of Captain Gerd Wiesler (Ulrich Muhe, best known for his lead roles in Michael Haneke’s “Funny Games” and as Dr. Mengele in Costa-Gavras’ “Amen”), a highly skilled officer who works for the Stasi, East Germany’s all-powerful secret police. His mission is to spy on a celebrated writer and actress couple, Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch) and Christa-Maria Sieland (Martina Gedeck).
Five years before its downfall, the former East- German government (known as the GDR, German Democratic Republic) ensures its claim to power with a ruthless system of control and surveillance via the Stasi, a vast network of informers that at one time numbered 200,000 out of a population of 17 million. Their goal is to know everything about “the lives of others.”
The Amateurs
An independent comedy about a small town that bands together to make a porno film. Bridges plays a guy dealing with a midlife crisis who hatches the scheme.
Unreasonable Man
A look at the career of consumer advocate Ralph Nader from wannabe presidential candidate to public pariah.
Smokin’ Aces
An incendiary array of stars–including Ben Affleck, Andy Garcia, Ray Liotta, Jeremy Piven, Ryan Reynolds, Peter Berg, Martin Henderson, Taraji Henson and, in their motion–picture debuts, Alicia Keys and Common–star in “Smokin’ Aces,” the new dark action comedy from Joe Carnahan, the acclaimed director of “Narc.”
In these interlocking tales of high stakes and low lifes, Mob boss Primo Sparazza has taken out a hefty contract on Buddy “Aces” Israel (Piven)–a sleazy magician who has agreed to turn state’s evidence against the Vegas mob. The FBI, sensing a chance to use this small-time con to bring down big-target Sparazza, places Aces into protective custody-under the supervision of two agents (Reynolds and Liotta) dispatched to Aces’ Lake Tahoe hideout.
When word of the price on Aces’ head spreads into the community of ex-cons and cons-to-be, it entices bounty hunters, thugs-for-hire, smokin’ hot vixens and double-crossing mobsters to join in the hunt. With all eyes on Tahoe, this rogues’ gallery collides in a comic race to hit the jackpot and rub out Aces.
Stomp the Yard
When DJ (Columbus Short), a troubled youth from Los Angeles, moves to Atlanta to attend Truth University, he discovers “stepping,” the age-old style of dance traditionally done in African-American Fraternities, where teams demonstrate complex moves and create rhythmic sounds by using their bodies. DJ’s raw talent and hip-hop inspired moves quickly place him at the center of a fierce rivalry between two fraternities, the winner of which will be determined in front of a sold-out arena at the annual stepping championships. But before he can help his teammates, he must battle his own demons and learn the true meaning of brotherhood.
A compelling drama about the quest for individuality and the power of fraternity, “Stomp the Yard” features some of the most original and exhilarating dance performances ever filmed.