Disappearances
Though set in Vermont during the Prohibition, this film starring Kris Kristofferson, is in the grand tradition of classic westerns. Featuring picturesque cinematography of the border between Canada and Vermont, DISAPPEARANCES centers on Quebec Bill (Kristofferson, LONE STAR), a man who resorts to whiskey running to get his family through the harsh winter. Joined by his son, Quebec Bill crosses the border into Canada on a trip that will challenge them and endanger their lives. Luis Guzman and Genevieve Bujold costar.
Street Date: 7/3/2007 Genre: Action Rating: PG13
Neverwas
A critically acclaimed, award-winning cast including Sir Ian McKellen (Lord of the Rings Trilogy, X-Men trilogy), Aaron Eckhart (Thank You for Smoking, The Black Dahlia), Brittany Murphy (Happy Feet, 8 Mile), Nick Nolte (Hotel Rwanda, The Prince of Tides), William Hurt (The Village, A.I.), and Jessica Lange (Big Fish, Titus) stars in this tale of a man who discovers that his childhood fantasy world, the world of his father's renowned children's book, Neverwas, may actually exist.
Street Date: 7/3/2007 Genre: Drama Rating: PG13
Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Ian McKellen, Brittany Murphy
Astronaut Farmer
Though twin filmmakers Mark and Michael Polish usually deal in the surreal (NORTHFORK) and the strange (TWIN FALLS, IDAHO), this drama about a would-be astronaut is almost pedestrian by comparison. But thanks to strong performances and a quirky story, this film manages to be both interesting and inspirational. Billy Bob Thornton (BAD SANTA) plays Charles Farmer, a man who is unwilling to let his lack of NASA credentials keep him from space. Instead, he builds a rocket in his Texas barn and prepares to launch it. When his attempts to purchase large amounts of fuel draw the eye of the government, he must contend with the law, the press, and mounting bills.
Street Date: 7/10/2007 Genre: Family Rating: PG
Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Virginia Madsen
The Contractor
Wesley Snipes stars in this explosive action film, which taps into early 21st-century fears concerning terrorism. Snipes plays a retired assassin who comes back for one last job when he learns of a deadly terrorist on the loose in London. But he's forced into hiding after being framed for a murder he didn't commit.
Street Date: 7/10/2007 Genre: Action Rating: R
Starring: Wesley Snipes, Lena Headley
The Last Mimzy
Two kids find a bizarre box on the beach and are soon exhibiting signs of off-the-chart genius in this gently mind-blowing fantasy film. Little Emma (Rhiannon Leigh Wryn) finds a cute bunny doll in the box, who talks to her in electronic code, and Noah (Chris O'Neil) learns to speak in a frequency that lets him control spiders. The kids learn to move objects via psychokinesis and communicate telepathically. Naturally, their parents (Timothy Hutton and Joely Richardson) wonder what is going on here. Noah's science teacher (Rainn Wilson) has dreams predicting all this, centered on a mandala symbol from ancient Tibetan Buddhism, which Noah draws in class. Michael Clarke Duncan is suitably dour as the Homeland Security official who investigates when the kids' newfound power creates a major blackout across Seattle.
Street Date: 7/10/2007 Genre: Family Rating: PG
Starring: Timothy Hutton, Rainn Wilson, Michael Clarke Duncan
Last Time
Brendan Fraser, Michael Keaton, and Amber Valetta star in this drama about a bitter salesman (Keaton) who finds his polar opposite in his bright young business partner (Brendan Fraser). But after meeting the love object of his young partner, the cynical older man starts craving her for himself.
Street Date: 7/10/2007 Genre: Drama Rating: R
Starring: Michael Keaton, Brendan Fraser
Sweet Land
The traumatic experiences of a woman who moved from Norway to Minnesota for a prearranged marriage in the early 1920s are the subject matter for this moving drama.
Street Date: 7/10/2007 Genre: Drama Rating: PG
Starring: Elizabeth Reaser, Alan Cumming, Alex Kingston
Hills Have Eyes 2
After a group of hapless National Guard troops fails a training exercise, their commanding officer (Flex Alexander, SNAKES ON A PLANE) orders them to deliver supplies to some scientists in Yuma Flats, New Mexico. The mutants from the first film (the unfortunate victims who live on nuclear testing ground) have returned to terrorize a group of Department of Defense researchers. The unlucky soldiers happen upon the remains of their camp (and its denizens), and the horrors begin. The inbred family of cannibals stalks the soldiers and picks them off, one by one, in gruesome fashion.
Street Date: 7/17/2007 Genre: Horror Rating: R
Starring: Michael Bailey Smith, Jessica Stroup
Premonition
Sandra Bullock (CRASH, MISS CONGENIALITY) stars as a housewife troubled by a tragic premonition in Mennan Yapo's thriller. Linda Hanson's life revolves around her beloved daughters (Shyann McClure and Courtney Taylor Burness) and her husband, Jim (Julian McMahon, CHARMED). The familiar, picture-perfect terrain of her existence is abruptly shattered when she is informed that Jim has died in a gruesome car accident, and Linda spends the rest of the day in shock. When she awakes the next morning to find Jim calmly eating breakfast in the kitchen, however, she is even more disturbed. As the week progresses, Linda wakes up to find Jim alive again or dead again in an increasingly complex pattern that she struggles to make sense of. Linda realizes she's in the midst of a premonition and decides she must try to save Jim.
Street Date: 7/17/2007 Genre: Mystery Rating: PG13
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Julian McMahon
Contract
While on a hiking trip to reconnect with his son after the death of his wife, Ray Keene (John Cusack) stumbles into a nightmare scenario of paid assassins and ex-military guns-for hire lead by the mysterious Frank Cardin (Morgan Freeman).
Street Date: 7/24/2007 Genre: Thriller Rating: R
Starring: John Cusack, Morgan Freeman
Host
Bong Joon-ho's THE HOST is a giddy revelation--an inspired and unexpectedly moving contribution to the monster movie genre. Several years ago, a crooked government official from the United States ordered the dumping of toxic substances into Seoul's Han River. Years later, the hapless Gang-du (Song Kang-ho) is working at his father's food stand along the river, caring for his bright daughter Hyun-seo (Ko A-sung). But one day, a monstrous creature emerges from the water and embarks on a murderous rampage throughout the community, swallowing Hyun-seo whole. Gang-du's bullish younger brother Park Nam-il (Park Hae-il) and sister Nam-joo (Bae Doo-na) condemn him for being such a failure, while their father angrily chastises them for being so cruel. But when Gang-du receives a cell phone call from Hyun-seo, the family must band together to reclaim her. Unfortunately, at this stage, the government has announced that the monster is the host of a dangerous virus, and anyone who has come into contact with it--namely Gang-du--must be isolated. As the monster continues to wreak havoc on Seoul, Gang-du, his father, and his siblings must learn to work together to bring Hyun-seo home.
Street Date: 7/24/2007 Genre: Horror Rating: R
Starring: Kang-ho Song, Ah-sung Ko
The Number 23
In Joel Schumacher's psychological thriller THE NUMBER 23, Jim Carrey takes on another dramatic role. Carrey's character is similar to his roles in THE TRUMAN SHOW and ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND: he portrays an average man thrust into quite extraordinary situations after a series of strange events cause him to question everything he's ever taken for granted. On his birthday, Walter Sparrow is given a mysterious and tattered book called THE NUMBER 23 by his loving wife, Agatha (Virginia Madsen). As Walter reads the book, he quickly notices its alarming similarities to his own life. Rather than stop reading, he continues, unknowingly inviting the book to take over his life. The deeper Walter gets into the plot, the more he sees himself in its protagonist, Fingerling, whom we see through highly stylized sequences in which Carrey appears as the seedy detective character. Madsen is also present in these scenes, cast as Fingerling's pain-loving girlfriend Fabrizia. As Fingerling and Fabrizia's love affair inches towards its fiery conclusion, we learn the role the number 23 has played in their story and will play in Walter's future if he cannot keep his growing obsession with it at bay.
Street Date: 7/24/2007 Genre: Thrill Rating: NR
Starring: Jim Carrey, Virginia Madsen
Perfume - Story Of A Murder
Author Patrick Suskind enjoys a career shrouded in Salinger-esque mystery. Suskind's best-selling novel PERFUME was coveted by Hollywood for many years, and finally makes it to the screen in this production helmed by Tom Tykwer (RUN LOLA RUN). The film stays remarkably faithful to the author's vision, perfectly summoning up the brooding ominousness of small-town life in 18th-century France, and getting the casting of its central character, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille (Ben Whishaw), exactly right. Grenouille is an orphan whose sense of smell is extraordinarily acute. He impresses master perfumer Baldini (Dustin Hoffman) enough to work for him, and this sets Grenouille off on an epic quest to find the perfect scent. When he discovers that killing young women and bottling their essence is the only way he can achieve his dream, Grenouille is soon a wanted man with multiple murders to his name. However, when it comes to making one last kill--namely the attractive redhead Laura (Rachel Hurd-Wood)--the young perfumer may have met his match in her overprotective father, Richis (Alan Rickman).
Street Date: 7/24/2007 Genre: Crime Rating: R
Starring: Ben Whishaw, Simon Chandler
Renaissance
In the near future in a Paris, France, made of Plexiglas, aerodynamic steel beams, and rainslicked surfaces, a sinister plot unfolds: it's one honest cop (voiced by Daniel Craig) against an evil corporatocracy, corrupt scientists, and the mob, as he uses his wits and grit to rescue a brilliant, beautiful female geneticist who has been kidnapped. What he learns on his rescue mission challenges his most hard-boiled preconceptions about who's really running things.
Street Date: 7/24/2007 Genre: Action Rating: R
Starring: Daniel Craig (voice)
Slow Burn
In director/writer Wayne Beach's neo-noir thriller, SLOW BURN, various characters on both sides of the law collide in an unnamed city. District Attorney Ford Cole (Ray Liotta) is campaigning to become mayor, but his assistant D.A. and lover, Nora Timmer (a sultry Jolene Blalock, best known for her stint on the STAR TREK series ENTERPRISE), finds herself implicated in the murder of a record-store employee (Mekhi Phifer), seriously jeopardizing her boss's bid. As evidence about the incident comes to light, other suspects surface, including the mysterious Luther Pinks (LL Cool J), along with a determined reporter (Chiwetel Ejiofor), creating a complex web of deceit.
Street Date: 7/24/2007 Genre: Thriller Rating: R
Starring: Ray Liotta, LL Cool J, Mekhi Phifer
Zodiac
David Fincher's (FIGHT CLUB, SE7EN) adaptation of the Robert Graysmith book masterfully transports viewers to the Bay Area in the 1960s and '70s by drawing on actual case files from the notoriously unsolved Zodiac killer mystery. As a murderer with seemingly random targets starts sending terrifying threats and cryptic codes to police and publishers all around San Francisco, fear and paranoia descend on the city. Through slow pacing, Fincher creates an effectively chilling atmosphere in which he spins a thick web of character-driven plotlines. Early scenes depicting the Zodiac's first-known murders vividly capture the victim's fear and agony and will leave viewers haunted. When the Zodiac's ciphers arrive at the San Francisco Chronicle, they spark the interest of Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal), a young cartoonist with a penchant for puzzles. As the former Boy Scout earnestly tries to decode the messages, eccentric reporter Paul Avery approaches the case from a career-boosting angle. Meanwhile, a string of investigators from four jurisdictions carry on a complex and unsatisfying search for the elusive killer. Inspectors Dave Toschi (Mark Ruffalo) and Bill Armstrong (Anthony Edwards) at times collide with Avery and Graysmith, whose interest in the case extends long after most have given up.
Street Date: 7/24/2007 Genre: Thrill Rating: R
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo
300
Based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley, 300 takes over the screen like an invading horde. With all the gushing blood of a horror movie and the scope of a classic epic, the second film from Zack Snyder (who helmed the 2004 remake of DAWN OF THE DEAD) is an impressive visual spectacle. Gerard Butler (THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA) plays Leonidas, the king of ancient Sparta. The city is famous for its warrior philosophy, and Leonidas won't kneel to the demands of Persia's King Xerxes (LOST's Rodrigo Santoro). Instead, Leonidas leads his 300-strong army against Xerxes's army of millions. Meanwhile, his wife (Lena Headley, THE BROTHERS GRIMM) campaigns in Sparta for the city to send reinforcements as she butts heads with the treacherous Theron (Dominic West, THE WIRE).
Street Date: 7/31/2007 Genre: Action Rating: R
Starring: Gerard Butler, Lena Headley
Firehouse Dog
In director Todd Holland's 2007 family film FIREHOUSE DOG, Hollywood's top canine star, Rexxx (played by a number of Irish terriers), is forced out of his pampered lifestyle when an accident leaves him far from home and presumed dead. Taken in by Shane (Josh Hutcherson), the son of a firehouse captain (Bruce Greenwood), Rex becomes the struggling fire department's unlikely mascot, and is gradually forced to give up his snooty behavior whiling embracing the selfless and daring duties involved in firefighting. And as the stubborn Shane forges a bond with Rexxx, he also begins to heal the rift with his sullen, hard-working father.
Street Date: 7/31/2007 Genre: Family Rating: PG
Starring: Josh Hutcherson, Bruce Greenwood
Lonely Hearts
LONELY HEARTS is the brutal retelling of the true-life tale of Martha Beck (Selma Hayek) and Raymond Fernandez (Jared Leto), a murderous grifter couple who chose their victims via the personal ads of local papers. It was one of the more salacious crime sprees of the late 1940s, and it made a legend out of Long Island police detective Elmer C. Robinson, the grandfather of the film's director, Todd Robinson.
Street Date: 7/31/2007 Genre: Crime Rating: R
Starring: Jared Leto, Salma Hayek, John Travolta
Pathfinder
The legend-like story of survival begins with a Viking child who becomes the lone survivor of a shipwreck, after his marauding Norse clan raids a coastal Native American village for slaves. Despite his blonde hair and strange language - and concerns that evil will follow the boy wherever he goes - the ten year-old is adopted by the local Wampanoag Indians, who raise him to become a skilled hunter and warrior. But fifteen years later, the pale young man known to his tribe as Ghost (KARL URBAN) is still trying to escape his past. Now, as the Vikings return to storm America again, this time they will carry out a barbaric attack that will annihilate Ghost's beloved tribe and endanger the woman he loves (MOON BLOODGOOD). Once again a survivor on the run, and thirsting for blood vengeance, Ghost comes under the guidance of the Pathfinder (RUSSELL MEANS), a powerful shaman who foresees the enraged young man's unexpected destiny: as the hard-won hero who will wage a one-man war against the Vikings and becomes his people's savior.
Street Date: 7/31/2007 Genre: Action Rating: R/NR
Starring: Karl Urban, Russell Means
Roving Mars
The mysterious Red Planet, Mars, has inspired countless science fiction dreams and nightmares. Now for the first time, experience the reality of the Mars surface as seen through the eyes of two intrepid, death-defying explorers - Spirit and Opportunity, the Mars Rovers - in the spectacular new adventure Roving Mars. The suspenseful drama of the Rovers' dogged quest over the rugged terrain may even answer that persistently haunting question - Is there life on Mars?
Street Date: 7/31/2007 Genre: Documentary Rating: NR
Starter For 10
Brian Jackson is a fresh-faced, eager college freshman with a romantic streak almost as fierce as his love of trivia. The film--set in the mid-80s in Bristol, England--opens with working-class Brian (James McAvoy) delivering an impassioned speech to a school admissions board about why he so desperately wants to go to university. Once accepted, he's ecstatic, and after bidding farewell to his scornful friends and nervous mother, he kicks the small-town dirt off his shoes and embarks on his great quest for knowledge. The reality of college life quickly sets in, as Brian is dragged to campus costume parties by his roommates, then drawn into political marches by the clever and pretty activist Rebecca Epstein (Rebecca Hall). When he manages to score a spot on the University Challenge quiz team, he earns a chance to showcase his vast knowledge of trivia, and to compete on the quiz show he loved when he was a kid. Sweetening the deal is the fact that Alicia Harbinson (Alice Eve), a sexy, seductive drama major, is also on the team. Things really seem to be going Brian's way, as he gets a date with Alice, and even a first kiss, but he quickly begins to take one romantic misstep after another, making for some hilarious but heart-wrenching fumbling.
Street Date: 7/31/2007 Genre: Comedy Rating: PG13
Starring: James Mcavoy
Hot Fuzz
Pop culture sponges Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost team up again for HOT FUZZ, their follow-up to the surprise hit movie SHAUN OF THE DEAD. HOT FUZZ follows a near-identical formula to its predecessor, simply replacing the various homages to horror movies by heaping on the adulation for action flicks such as POINT BREAK and BAD BOYS II (both of which are referenced throughout). The plot finds outstanding London-based police officer Nicholas Angel (Pegg) transplanted to a rural English village. On arrival, Angel teams up with the oaf-like PC Danny Butterman (Frost) and together they investigate a series of mysterious murders, all of which are classed as "accidents" by the increasingly strange townsfolk.
Street Date: 7/31/2007 Genre: Comedy Rating: R
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Bill Bailey, Jim Broadbent, Olivia Colman
July 2011
