Push
Rocker Lenny Kravitz makes his debut as a film star in this indie drama based on the beloved novel PUSH. Clareece "Precious" Jones (Gabourey "Gabbie" Sidibe) is a Harlem teen who is pregnant with her second child. But with the help of a teacher (Paula Patton) and a nurse (Kravitz), Precious may be able to navigate the way to a new life. PUSH also stars Mo'nique as Precious's mother. (1 hr. 51 min.)
03/09/2010 04:23:00am
Serbis
Filipino director Brillante Mendoza brings a frank, gritty immediacy to SERBIS, a multi-character, day-in-the-life portrait of a family-run movie house in the Philippines. Only this isn't your typical movie house. It's actually a downtrodden venue that shows graphic double features and allows the clientele to make their own sexual connections in the dark shadows. Today is a very important day, for Nanay Flor, the family matriarch, is going to discover if she won a years-in-the-making bigamy case against her husband. Meanwhile, her children are involved in dramatic situations of their own. Alan has just learned troubling news about his girlfriend, and Nayda is married but attracted to her cousin Ronald. As the day develops and the verdict comes down, the Pinedas struggle to focus on the daily tasks associated with the theater, even as their own personal conflicts threaten to overwhelm them.
Shot on video, SERBIS recalls films from the Dogme 95 movement. Mendoza and screenwriter Armando Lao have clearly constructed these dramatic situations, yet they are shot on consumer video with such energy that the film often feels like a documentary. Mendoza pulls no punches, showing multiple scenes of behind-the-scenes sexuality that are even more graphic than the X-rated behavior unfolding on the cavernous theater's silver screen. SERBIS provides a realistic, unflinching glimpse into this hyper-sexualized world. (1 hr. 33 min.)
03/09/2010 04:22:59am
Tapeheads
John Cusack and Tim Robbins star in this comedy as Ivan and Josh, a pair of dim witted security guards who love music videos and lose their jobs after throwing a party while they're supposed to be working. Having no immediate job prospects, the two decide to form their own music video production company, dubbing themselves the "Video Aces." These aces soon learn that it's hard to get work in LA and end up working on spec for Mo Fuzz who instructs them to fill their videos with lots of T&A. It's not long before Ivan and Josh have become hot property in the business and try to use their newfound status to resurrect the career of their favorite R&B duo, the Swanky Modes. However, their plans hit a snag when they receive a potentially damaging videotape of a prominent politician indulging in his bizarre fetish and the two try to cash in on their find. (1 hr. 37 min.)
03/09/2010 04:22:58am
Vexille
Director Fumihiko Sori (PING PONG) helms VEXILLE, a sci-fi anime feature that takes place in the year 2077. Relations between Japan and the rest of the world have deteriorated to the extent that the country has cut off all communication with the other inhabitants of Earth. Vexille is a female commander who leads a team of U.S. special forces, named SWORD, who have been charged with infiltrating Japan to discover the potentially dangerous technological advances the country is making. Their mission, and their discoveries, reveal a new android that could spark chaos if it the Japanese unleash it on the globe. (1 hr. 49 min.)
03/09/2010 04:22:57am
Hachi: A Dog's Story
Many people missed out on the charming gem THE HOAX, but this family drama reunites actor Richard Gere and director Lasse Halström. Born out of real-life events, HACHIKO: A DOG’S STORY tells the tale of Hachiko, a faithful dog who would walk his owner to and from the train station every day. But when the man unexpectedly dies, Hachiko continues his daily routine of waiting for his master at the train station for the next nine years, becoming a fixture in the community. (1 hr. 44 min.)
03/09/2010 04:22:56am
Falling for Grace
When Grace Tang (actress-writer-director Fay Ann Lee) attends a high-society party in New York City, everyone mistakes her for a famous Hong Kong heiress. In reality, Grace hails from Chinatown. Will this ruin her budding romance with one of New York's most eligible bachelors (Gale Harold, QUEER AS FOLK)? Comedians Margaret Cho and Lewis Black also star in this romantic comedy. (1 hr. 38 min.)
03/09/2010 04:22:55am
The Memory Thief
An aimless tollbooth clerk takes on the suffering of Holocaust survivors in this edgy psychological thriller. Mark Webber (STORYTELLING), Rachel Miner (BLACK DAHLIA), and Jerry Adler (THE SOPRANOS) star in this provocative tale of obsession.
03/09/2010 04:22:53am
The Art of Being Straight
This comic drama follows a group of Los Angeles 20-somethings whose romantic lives eschew strict labels like gay and straight. (1 hr. 17 min.)
03/09/2010 04:22:52am
The Stoning of Soraya M.
Shohreh Aghdashloo and Jim Caviezel star in this drama that reveals a harsh true story. Based on the book by Freidoune Sahebjam, THE STONING OF SORAYA M. finds a journalist learning the story of the a woman who was unjustly accused of infidelity and stoned in Iran. (1 hr. 56 min.)
03/09/2010 04:22:51am
The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day
BOONDOCK SAINTS, the 2000 crime picture renowned for the unique story of the fast rise and fall of its egomaniacal filmmaker, Troy Duffy, as well as the cult following that appeared later on home release, gets the sequel treatment with this follow-up. Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus reunite as the vigilante MacManus brothers, with Billy Connolly returning as Il Duce. Duffy once again directs from his own script, with Clifton Collins Jr., Julie Benz, and David Della Rocco filling out the rest of the cast. (1 hr 27 min.)
03/09/2010 04:22:50am
The Wedding Song
Two young women find that their differences bring them closer during a difficult time in this drama from writer-director Karin Albou. Nour (Olympe Borval) and Myriam (Lizzie Brochere) grew up in the same neighborhood in Tunis, and as they've grown into adulthood they've stayed close friends, even though Nour is a Muslim and Myriam is Jewish. It's 1942, and Tunis is under occupation by Axis forces, which has made life difficult for both women: the German authorities have prevented Khaled (Najib Oudghiri), Nour's fiancee, from getting a job, forcing them to postpone their wedding, while Myriam's family must pay exorbitant fines for being Jewish, which may lead her into a marriage of convenience to a wealthy physician (Simon Abkarian) many years her senior. While Myriam sees no way out of her desperate situation, Nour finds that the Nazi propaganda circulated throughout the community is piquing her worst suspicions about Jewish stereotypes. But as Nour and Myriam sink deeper into their personal crises, they begin to understand how badly they need one another's support. THE WEDDING SONG (aka LE CHANT DES MARIEES) was an official selection at the 2008 Palm Springs International Film Festival. (1 hr. 40 min.)
03/09/2010 04:22:49am
The Caravans: Get a Head
This musical release from psychobilly band The Caravans captures a live performance recorded at The Charlotte in Leicester, and features popular songs like "More Whiskey", "Princess of Darkness", and "Worthless Weekend Clique".
03/09/2010 04:22:46am
The Last Word: A Documentary
Filmmaker Jessie Quackenbush profiles a case where the justice system failed, and an innocent man became the victim of government sanctioned murder. October 31, 1981: 76 year old nun Sister Tadea Benz was brutally raped, mutilated and murdered while sleeping in her quarters at the St. Francis convent. Her accused killer: 17 year old Johnny Frank Garrett, a mentally-handicapped teen who maintained his innocence from the moment of his arrest right up to the moment of execution. Sixteen years later, evidence proving Garrett's innocence would surface, and the key figures in the trial would be exposed as bloodthirsty zealots whose desperate search for a scapegoat led them to seal an innocent man's fate on death row. (90 hr.)
03/09/2010 04:22:45am
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