Thinking Outside the Multiplex: National Edition (November 12-25, 2010)
by MIKE MACCOLLUM
Welcome once again to the feature where we take a look at the movies that went into limited release in the US; in this case, the release dates covered range from November 12 through November 25.* Of course, many movies don’t get any sort of theatrical release in the US, so the titles covered over the course of a year in this column are some fraction of the movies released on theater screens around the world. And most of the movies below did not play in very many theaters in the US (especially when it comes to theaters outside of New York City and greater Los Angeles). But I feel like some sort of record must be kept regardless, and this column is another attempt in that regard.
If I had my way, the following movies all would play in at least one theater in the Indianapolis area: Kawasaki’s Rose, Queen of the Lot, Heartless, Tiny Furniture, The Unjust, Nothing Personal, Helena from the Wedding, White Material, Kamui Gaiden, Total Badass, Disco and Atomic War, and The Legend of Pale Male. At the same time, I am absolutely certain that not a one of these movies has even a small chance of getting any theatrical play anywhere near me….
(One brief note- Variety.com kept insisting that another film, Saigon Eclipse, came out somewhere in or near Los Angeles on November 12. If this did happen, I found no evidence of it on any of the other sites that I checked.)
(*And I am still working on getting the column caught up with the calendar- obviously… I now hope that the two will be in sync within four or five weeks.)
*NOVEMBER 12*
AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS (AND OTHERWISE)
Genres: Comedy/Drama
Plot synopsis (official): [T]his nuanced and funny portrait of marriage and anxiety in the late blooming professional class revolves around one dark night of the soul of Alex Javal (Lee Tergesen), who is feeling so out of sorts that he fails to appreciate his new wife, Alice (Melanie Lynskey), and the new life she represents. The story takes place over the course of a weekend long New Year’s Eve party that the Javals host for their closest friends and one unexpected guest, the very beautiful and very young Helena (Gillian Jacobs).
Director: Joseph Infantolino
Cast: Lee Tergesen, Melanie Lynskey, Paul Fitzgerald, Gillian Jacobs, Corey Stoll, Dagmara Dominczyk, Dominic Fumusa, Jessica Hecht
Release information: Opened at the Quad Cinema in New York City.
Other links: Page for the film on the site of its US distributor, Film Movement
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Genre: Comedy
Plot synopsis (official): 22-year-old Aura returns home to her artist mother’s TriBeCa loft with the following: a useless film theory degree, 357 hits on her Youtube page, a boyfriend who’s left her to find himself at Burning Man, a dying hamster, and her tail between her legs. Luckily, her trainwreck childhood best friend never left home, the restaurant down the block is hiring, and ill-advised romantic possibilities lurk around every corner… (More)
Director: Lena Dunham
Cast: Lena Dunham, Laurie Simmons, Grace Dunham, David Call, Alex Karpovsky, Jemima Kirke, Amy Seimetz, Merritt Wever
Release information: Opened at the IFC Center in New York City.
Other links: Tiny Furniture’s page on the site of its US distributor, IFC Films
FILMS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
Genres: Drama/Comedy
Plot synopsis: Actually, this sounds like it’s impossible to summarize- but basically, it involves the interactions/relationships between three characters: film director Paul Godard, his former lover, film/video editor Denise Rimbaud, and a prostitute named Isabelle…
Director: Jean-Luc Godard
Cast: Isabelle Huppert, Jacques Dutronc and Nathalie Baye
Language: French
Release information: Re-released thirty years (and a few weeks) after it originally opened in New York; the re-release started at the Film Forum in New York City.
Other links: Page for the film on the site of The Film Desk (the company re-releasing Every Man for Himself in the US)
DOCUMENTARIES
Summary (official): A dark docu-comedy excavating America’s craving for fame via one of its most outrageous addicts, “business artist” Mark Kostabi.
Director: Michael Sladek
With: Mark Kostabi, Michel Gondry, Pope Benedict XVI, President Bill Clinton, Glenn O’Brien, Gary Indiana, Nick Zedd, Jeff Koons, Dennis Miller, Daze, Robin Byrd
Languages: English, Italian
Release information: Opened at the reRun Gastropub in Brooklyn, NY.
Other links: Facebook page
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Summary (official): Climate catastrophe? The end of civilization as we know it? Cool It is based upon the book of the same name and lectures by Bjørn Lomborg, the controversial author of The Skeptical Environmentalist. Award-winning filmmaker Ondi Timoner travels the world with Lomborg exploring the real facts and true science of global warming and its impact. Lomborg is the founder and director of the Copenhagen Consensus Center, a globally respected think tank that brings together the world’s leading economists to prioritize major global problems… (More)
Director: Ondi Timoner
With: Bjørn Lomborg
Release information: Opened on forty-one screens- fourteen in California, six in Texas, four in Illinois, three in New York, two each in Washington state, Virginia and Massachusetts, and one each in Oregon, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Washington, DC.
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Summary (official): Winner of the Best Documentary prize at the Warsaw International Film Festival, this witty, charming, and provocative film recounts how in the mid 1980′s, the nation of Estonia still lay firmly in the grip of the Soviet Union, and the repressive authorities controlled virtually all aspects of Estonian life. The totalitarian government’s power was derived in no small part from their ability to censor cultural life and keep Western culture on the other side of the border. Rock and Roll was but a rumor and the only television shows on the air were dreary propaganda. But one day everything changed. Just a few miles across the border in Finland, a huge new television antenna was built that broadcast western signals in all directions–including directly into the heart of the Talinn, the capital of Estonia… (More)
Director: Jaak Kilmi
Languages: Estonian, Finnish, Russian, English
Release information: Opened at the Cinema Village in New York City.
Additional information: Winner of the Best Documentary prize at the Warsaw International Film Festival. (And although this movie is a doc, it apparently also features at least some scenes with actors, since there is a cast list in the film’s press kit.)
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Summary (official): Poet and naturalist Gary Snyder has been at the center of cultural changes which transformed the modern world. Along with Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, he was a founding author of the Beat generation. He helped bring Zen Buddhism into the America scene, was an active participant in the anti-war movement, and served as literary inspiration to seekers of freedom, mindfulness and higher human potential. Snyder won a Pulitzer Prize in 1975… (More)
Director: John J. Healey
With: Gary Snyder, Jim Harrison
Release information: Opened at the Quad Cinema in New York City.
Additional information: The Practice of the Wild runs 52 minutes, according to its official site; during its initial theatrical engagement, it was paired with the 25-minute dramatic film Looking at Animals.
Other links: Facebook page
*NOVEMBER 13*
FILMS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
Electric Button (a.k.a. Moon & Cherry)
Genre: Erotic Comedy/Drama
Plot synopsis (official): She was the star of her erotica writers’ group. He was the group’s newest member. When she discovers that he knows nothing about writing and even less about sex, she decides to teach him — everything. An erotic comedy written and directed by Japan’s leading new female director, Yuki Tanada.
Director: Yuki Tanada
Cast: Noriko Eguchi, Tasuku Nagaoka, Akira Emoto, Misako Hirata
Language: Japanese
Release information: Opened at the Viz Cinema in San Francisco on Saturday, November 13.
Additional information: Shot on DV in 2004; part of a series of films called “The Love Collection”.
Other links: Additional information about the film in English, on the site of the Viz Cinema (scroll down about two thirds of the page); trailer with Russian subtitles (borderline NSFW; unfortunately, I couldn’t find a trailer with English subs)
DOCUMENTARIES
Sex Magic, Manifesting Maya (a.k.a. Sex Magic)
NOTE: There are a few NSFW images on the site linked above.
Summary (official): Baba Dez is a polyamorous, sacred sexual healer who’s made love to over a thousand women. When his primary lover abandons him due to his “poly” lifestyle, he practices Sex Magic with other women to manifest her back.
Directors: Jonathan Schell, Eric Liebman
With: Baba Dez, Maya Yonika, Kamala Devi, Jaiya
Release information: Opened (with 12:05 AM screenings on Saturday and Sunday) at the IFC Center in New York City. The theater also had one late afternoon showing per day of the film, on at least several weekdays; Wednesday and Thursday were the only two I saw on the schedule, but I’m guessing that they had Monday and Tuesday screenings as well.
Additional information: I don’t know if the “Kamala Devi” in this doc is the actress who appeared in international and Hollywood films from the late fifties through the late sixties but I’m guessing that these are two different Kamala Devis.
*NOVEMBER 17*
DOCUMENTARIES
William S. Burroughs: A Man Within
Summary (official): The film features never before seen footage of William S. Burroughs, as well as exclusive interviews with his closest friends and colleagues… The film investigates the life of legendary beat author and American icon, William S. Burroughs. Born the heir of the Burroughs’ adding machine estate, he struggled throughout his life with addiction, control systems and self. He was forced to deal with the tragedy of killing his wife and the repercussions of neglecting his son. His novel, Naked Lunch, was one of the last books to be banned by the U.S. government… (More)
Director: Yony Leyser
With: John Waters, Genesis P-Orridge, Laurie Anderson, Peter Weller, David Cronenberg, Patti Smith, Iggy Pop, Gus Van Sant, Sonic Youth, Anne Waldman, Hal Willner, James Grauerholz, Amiri Baraka, Jello Biafra, V. Vale, and Diane DiPrima
Release information: Opened at the IFC Center in New York City.
Additional information: The 2010 Viennale (Vienna International Film Festival) and the 2010 BFI London Film Festival are some of the many festivals that have played this doc, according to its official site.
Other links: Page for the film on the site of its US distributor, Oscilloscope Laboratories
*NOVEMBER 19*
AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS (AND OTHERWISE)
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Plot synopsis (official): An electronic ankle bracelet and being under house arrest isn’t about to stop up-and-coming actress Maggie Chase (Tanna Frederick) from the two things she craves the most: real fame and true love. With more “Google points” than her Iowa hometown, but far less than Angelina Jolie, Maggie is desperate to claw her way off the B-list of action/adventure pictures and into major movie stardom. With a team of handlers (Ron Vignone, Diane Salinger, David Proval and Zack Norman ) to spin her recent drunk driving arrests into tabloid gold… (More)
Director: Henry Jaglom
Cast: Tanna Frederick, Noah Wyle, Christopher Rydell, Peter Bogdanovich, Dennis Christopher, Kathryn Crosby, Mary Crosby, Michael Emil, Jack Heller, Sabrina Jaglom, Wendel Meldrum, Zack Norman, David Proval, Diane Salinger, Paul Sand, Ron Vignone, Daisy White
Release information: Opened at six theaters in southern California.
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Genre: Comedy
Plot synopsis (official): TODAY’S SPECIAL… tells the story of Samir (Aasif Mandvi, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, THE LAST AIRBENDER) who is a sous chef who dreams of becoming the head chef at an upscale Manhattan restaurant. When he is passed over for a promotion he impulsively quits and lets his co-worker Carrie (Jess Weixler, TEETH) know that he intends to go to Paris and apprentice under a master French chef. Dreams must be put aside though after his father Hakim (Harish Patel, RUN FAT BOY RUN) has a heart attack… (More)
Director: David Kaplan
Cast: Aasif Mandvi, Jess Weixler, Madhur Jaffrey, Harish Patel, Kevin Corrigan, Dean Winters, Ajay Naidu, and Naseeruddin Shan
Release information: Opened at fifty-three theaters in the US on November 19: thirteen in California, seven in New Jersey, six in New York, five in Illinois, three in Pennsylvania, two each in Texas, Michigan, Georgia, Florida, Virginia, and Massachusetts, and one each in Washington state, Kansas, Tennessee, Ohio, North Carolina, Maryland, and Connecticut. Additionally, nine other theaters started playing the film on November 24: three each in California and Texas, and one each in Missouri, Minnesota, and Connecticut.
Other links: Trailer
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Genres: Horror/Suspense
Plot synopsis (official): What’s the ultimate form of revenge? One young man is about to find out. After being mysteriously kidnapped by a doctor and his violent henchman, he’s held captive in the converted cellar of an old mansion. For reasons unknown, he’s forced to endure heinous physical and psychological torture, but slowly realizes the worst is yet to come when the doctor’s brutal plan for him is finally revealed….
Directors: Matt Eskandari, Michael A. Pierce
Cast: Stephen Weigand, Bob Bancroft, Brendan Kelly, Jennifer Howie, Stacy Haiduk, Dianne Kwon, Tara Holt
Release information: Opened at the IFC Center in New York City.
FILMS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
Genres: Drama/Romance
Plot synopsis (official): The verdant green landscape, the magnetic blue waters and the warm bright sunshine of beautiful Goa is home to one of the greatest magicians of his time, Ethan Mascarenhas. Presently hosting a Radio Show that spreads magic and hope and laughter through his irrepressible wit and humor to every listener and caller, it is difficult to imagine that this is a man who has been immobilized with a spinal injury for the last fourteen years of his life… (More; click on “The Petition” for the rest of the story)
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Aditya Roy Kapur, Shernaz Patel, Nafisa Ali, Suhel Seth, Vijay Crishna, Moni Kangana Dutta
Languages: Hindi, English
Release information: According to its official site, Guzaarish opened on 90 US screens: thirteen in California, nine in New York, eight in New Jersey, seven in Texas, six each in Florida and Pennsylvania, four each in Illinois and Virginia, three each in North Carolina and Massachusetts, two each in Washington state, Arizona, Georgia, Tennessee, Ohio, Maryland, and Connecticut, and one each in Oregon, Nevada, Colorado, Nebraska, Minnesota, Missouri, Kansas, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, and Delaware. I also found an additional theater in Arizona that played the film during its opening week. (Boxofficemojo claims that Guzaarish was at 108 theaters in its opening week; I’m wondering if they counted the sixteen Canadian theaters that showed Guzaarish in its opening week as part of that total.)
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Genres: Psychological thriller/Horror/Fantasy
Plot synopsis (official): The film follows Jamie Morgan (Sturgess), born with a disfiguring birthmark across his face, which leaves him an outcast in rough East London. While wandering abandoned yards taking photographs, he comes across a gang of thugs and soon discovers that they are something other than human. He then is led into a Faustian deal… (More)
Director: Philip Ridley
Cast: Jim Sturgess, Noel Clarke, , Eddie Marsan, Timothy Spall, Ruth Sheen
Release information: Opened at the IFC Center in New York City.
Additional information: Director Ridley also made The Reflecting Skin and The Passion of Darkly Noon; this is his first film as a director since 1995.
Other links: Page for Heartless on the site of its US distributor, IFC Films
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Genre: Drama
Plot synopsis (official): During the rule of Taliban in Afghanistan, about 3 million illegal Afghani immigrants enter Iran, causing numerous problems for the Iranian society in accepting them. This film depicts the story of a 17 year old rural girl by the name of Mahi (Fish), who comes from a war-stricken family in southern Iran. Mahi falls in love with an Afghan student named Heiran, who has come to their village to work. However, Mahi’s family being strictly against her marriage to an Afghan, forces Mahi to choose one between her family and an Afghan boy.
Director: Shalizeh Arefpour
Cast: Baran Kosari, Mehrdad Sedighian, Khosro Shakibaei, Farhad Aslani, Zhaleh Sameti, Fouzhan Arefpour, Mohsen Mokari
Language: Persian
Release information: Opened at the Studio 30 in Houston, TX.
Other links: Facebook page
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Genre: Action
Plot synopsis (official): The timeless legend of the lone, outcast ninja is brought to life in Kamui Gaiden, a vibrant film directed by acclaimed Japanese Academy Award® winner Yoichi Sai. Kamui trusts no one. He was cruelly shunned by his people as a child. Now a solitary warrior, he wanders Japan, surviving on lethal skill and instinct to evade countless violent attacks from the ninja clan he left behind… (More)
Director: Yoichi Sai
Cast: Kenichi Matsuyama, Koyuki, Kaoru Kobayashi, Kôichi Satô
Language: Japanese
Release information: Opened at the Viz Cinema in San Francisco.
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Genre: Comedy/Drama
Plot synopsis (official): Set against the backdrop of the 1960s, Made in Dagenham is based on a true story about a group of spirited women who joined forces, took a stand for what was right, and in doing so, found their own inner strength. Although far from the Swinging Sixties of Carnaby Street, life for the women of Dagenham, England is tinged with the sounds and sights of the optimistic era, heard on their radios and seen on their TV sets. Rita O’Grady (Sally Hawkins) reflects that upbeat era, along with her friends and co-workers at the city’s Ford Motor Factory… (More)
Director: Nigel Cole
Cast: Sally Hawkins, Bob Hoskins, Miranda Richardson, Geraldine James, Rosamund Pike, Andrea Riseborough, Daniel Mays, Jaime Winstone, Roger Lloyd Pack, John Sessions, Kenneth Cranham, Rupert Graves, Richard Schiff, Nicola Duffett
Release information: Opened at The Landmark in Los Angeles, and at the Angelika Film Center and the Lincoln Plaza Cinema (both in New York City).
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Genre: Drama
Plot synopsis (official): Thirty-four-year-old Daniel is the first European with Down syndrome to have graduated from university. He starts a social services job in Seville, where he meets free-spirited co-worker Laura. They become fast friends, drawing the attention of both their co-workers and families. Their unique relationship becomes problematic when Daniel falls in love with her. But these rebellious souls refuse to bend to the rules and they find friendship and love as they have never known.
Directors: Álvaro Pastor, Antonio Naharro
Cast: Lola Dueñas, Pablo Pineda, Antonio Naharro, Isabel García Lorca, Pedro Álvarez Ossorio, Consuelo Trujillo, Daniel Parejo, Lourdes Naharro, Catalina Lladó, María Bravo
Language: Spanish
Release information: Opened at the Cinema Village in New York City.
Additional information: Lola Dueñas won the Best Actress award at the 2009 Goya Awards (Spain’s equivalent of the Academy Awards); she and Pablo Pineda also won Best Actress and Best Actor, respectively, at the 2009 San Sebastián International Film Festival.
Other links: Subtitled trailer on Youtube
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Genre: Drama
Plot synopsis (official): A young travelling woman and an older educated, solitary man close a deal: food in exchange of work. But there is one condition: no personal contact, no questions. Who will be the first one to break the deal? A young, rebellious Dutch woman walks the trails of Ireland, vagabond by choice, enjoying the solitude she was looking for in the austere landscape of Connemara. He is a man in his prime, living a solitary life in a secluded house on a beautiful island… (More)
Director: Urszula Antoniak
Cast: Stephen Rea, Lotte Verbeek
Release information: Opened at the Cinema Village in New York City.
Additional information: Won several awards (including Best Actress and Best First Film) at the 2009 Locarno International Film Festival.(along with other prizes from other fests)
Other links: Trailer
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Genre: Horror/Suspense
Plot synopsis (official): Bruno Hamel is a 38-year-old surgeon who lives in Drummondville with his wife, Sylvie, and their eight-year-old daughter Jasmine. Like many happy people, Bruno leads an uneventful life until a beautiful fall afternoon, when his daughter is raped and murdered. From then on, the world of the Hamel family collapses. When the alleged murderer is arrested, a terrible plan forms in Bruno’s darkened mind: he plans to capture the “monster” and make him pay for his crime… (More)
Director: Daniel Grou (a.k.a. Podz, and credited as such on some publicity material for the film)
Cast: Claude Legault, Rémy Girard, Martin Dubreuil, Fanny Mallette
Language: French
Release information: Opened (with midnight shows on Friday and Saturday) at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago.
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Genres: Crime drama/Suspense/Action
Plot synopsis (official): A serial murder case has the whole nation in a frenzy, and with the police failing to crackdown the killer, the president himself intervenes. When the most probable suspect dies in a wild police chase, the National Police resorts to desperate measures: they will find someone to act out the part, and put a cap on the case. CHOI is an intelligent detective and has the credentials to back him up. However, he has no degree from the police academy… (More)
Director: Ryu Seung-wan (a.k.a. Ryoo Seung-wan)
Cast: Hwang Jung-min, Ryu Seung-beom (a.k.a. Ryoo Seung-bum), Yoo Hae-jin, Chun Ho-jin
Language: Korean
Release information: Opened at the CGV Cinemas in Los Angeles.
Other links: More information on the film in English (including a subtitled trailer) on the site of CGV Cinemas; official Korean site
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Genre: Drama
Plot synopsis (official): In an unnamed African country in the throes of a volatile regime change, Maria Vial (Huppert) is trying to sustain the coffee plantation she runs with her ex-husband André (Christophe Lambert), but unknown to her, he has other plans. The country is tenuously under the control of a rebel militia whose leader (Isaach De Bankolé) is on the run. With the regular army preparing to regain control, French forces have moved out… (More)
Director: Claire Denis
Cast: Isabelle Huppert, Christophe Lambert, Nicolas Duvauchelle, William Nadylam, Michel Subor, and Isaach De Bankolé
Language: French
Release information: Opened at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago, the IFC Center (in New York City), and the Lincoln Plaza Cinema (also in NYC).
Other links: French site for the film
FILMS FROM AROUND THE WORLD (WITHOUT SUBTITLES)
Language: Malayalam
Release information: Opened at the Movie City 8 in Edison, NJ.
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Language: Malayalam
Release information: Opened at the FunAsia Irving in Irving, TX.
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Nagaram Marupakkam (a.k.a. Nagaram; also a.k.a. Town, according to the film’s Wikepedia page)
Language: Tamil
Release information: Opened at the Towne 3 in San Jose, CA, and the Movie City 8 in Edison, NJ.
DOCUMENTARIES
Summary (official): In 2001 a rowdy group of Austin women were determined to resurrect an old sport, but with a new spin. This is the beginning of a revolution: HELL ON WHEELS is the ass-kicking documentary film telling the story of a group of Texas women who band together to resurrect roller derby for the 21st century. Emerging from the Austin music and arts scene, these women create a rock and roll fueled version of all-girl roller derby that has spawned the derby craze that’s sweeping the nation.
Director: Bob Ray
With: Dave Attell
Release information: Opened at the reRun Gastropub in Brooklyn, NY.
Other links: Page for DVD of the film on the site of Indiepix Films
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Regina Spektor: Live in London
Summary (official): Live in London is the first live recording and concert film from acclaimed artist Regina Spektor. Captured mainly at London’s famed Hammersmith Apollo Theatre, Live in London features 22 remarkable performances that span Spektor’s brilliant catalog of music, including three new songs that have only been performed live. For the first time, fans can see Regina up close as she performs fan favorites… (More)
Director: Adria Petty
With: Regina Spektor
Release information: Opened at the Village East Cinema in New York City.
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NOTE: Some aspects of this film’s official site are most likely NSFW.
Summary (official): Texas filmmaker Bob Ray catapults the Austin subculture onto the big screen, reveling in its inspiring, unique and deliriously offbeat glory. With his latest documentary, “Total Badass,” Bob Ray takes you on an outrageous and hilariously seedy adventure into the Austin underground music and arts scene via wild man-about-town, social deviant, musical/stunt performer, notorious sex fiend, Guinea pig enthusiast, writer-publisher, father, weed dealing felon, hip-hop impresario, trashcan jumper and local maniac Chad Holt… (More)
Director: Bob Ray
With: Chad Holt
Release information: Opened at the reRun Gastropub in Brooklyn, NY.
*NOVEMBER 24*
AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS (AND OTHERWISE)
Karma (a.k.a. Karma: Do You Believe?)
Genres: Suspense/Mystery/Drama
Plot synopsis (official): The words “Kali-Yuga” are heard in the language of traditional Indians. The Sanskrit definitions describe it to mean that this is Age of Iron, of machines, of evil. It is said that mankind will have reached the depths of the Kali-Yuga when man starts eating man, when cows give blood and kill instead of giving milk and life… (More)
Director: Adivi Sesh
Cast: Adivi Sesh, Jade Tailor, Sher Ali, Ria Cheruvu, Bhanu Yenamandra
Languages: English, Telugu
Release information: Opened at the Fremont 7 in Fremont, CA, on November 24; four other theaters (one each in California, Illinois, Georgia, and New Jersey) started showing the film on November 25.
FILMS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
Genre: Romantic Comedy/Drama
Plot synopsis (official): ABHAY GULATI and AALIYA KHAN have known each other since they were four years old. Their friendship turned into love at the tender age of 15, when Abhay realises Aaliya is the girl for him. Aaliya’s life is defined by her burning desire to become an actress and she is unmindful of what or who comes in her way. Abhay who is still unsure about what he wants to do finds himself competing with Aaliya’s incessant plans and projects to fulfill her dreams… (More)
Director: Danish Aslam
Cast: Imran Khan, Deepika Padukone, Sharmila Tagore, Navin Nischol, Lillette Dubey, Shahana Goswami, Yudhishtir Urs
Languages: Hindi, English
Release information: According to its official site, Break Ke Baad opened at seventy-one theaters in the US: twelve in California, ten in New Jersey, seven in New York, five in Texas, four each in Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Florida, three each in North Carolina, Virginia, and Massachusetts, two each in Ohio, Georgia, and Connecticut, and one each in Washington state, Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Kansas, Minnesota, Tennessee, Indiana, Michigan, and Maryland.
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Genre: Drama
Plot synopsis (official): A drama about family and politics, the role of memory in relationships, and that of jealousy, arrogance, love, loyalty and betrayal. Pavel, a distinguished psychiatrist is about to receive an award for his life’s work and his role as a dissident; his handsome wife and adoring grown daughter are pleased the honor is coming his way. But Ludek, his son-in-law, employed on a documentary crew filming Pavel, resents that his own family, rooted in Czechoslovakia’s Communist past, ended up on the wrong side of history… (More)
Director: Jan Hrebejk
Cast: Lenka Vlasáková, Martin Huba, Daniela Kolárová, Milan Mikulcík, Antonin Kratochvil, Petra Hrebícková, Ladislav Chudík
Language: Czech
Release information: Opened at the Film Forum in New York City.
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Genres: Fantasy/Family/Musical
Plot synopsis (official): The Nutcracker in 3D follows nine-year-old Mary (Elle Fanning), whose dull Viennese Christmas is suddenly filled with excitement and adventure following the arrival of her beloved Uncle Albert and his gift on an enchanted nutcracker. On Christmas night, Mary’s new friend, The Nutcracker… (More)
Director: Andrei Konchalovsky
Cast: Elle Fanning, Nathan Lane, Frances de la Tour, John Turturro, Richard E. Grant, Yuliya Vysotskaya, and the voice of Shirley Henderson
Release information: Opened on forty-two screens in the US: seventeen in California, eight in New York, five each in Washington state, Texas, and Illinois, and two in New Jersey.
DOCUMENTARIES
Summary (official): This is the true account of one of the most surprising and remarkable love stories in the history of New York. It begins in 1993, when a young man from Belgium looking to change his life has an unexpected encounter in Central Park. He meets a hawk. Not just any hawk, but a wild Red tailed, a fierce predator that has not lived in the City for almost a hundred years. Compelled to follow this extraordinary creature, he buys a video camera… (More)
Director: Frederic Lilien
With: Pale Male
Release information: Opened at the Angelika Film Center in New York City.
*NOVEMBER 25*
FILMS FROM AROUND THE WORLD (WITHOUT SUBTITLES)
Language: Telugu
Release information: Opened at eighteen to twenty theaters on November 25 (four or five in California- it looked like four was the real number, but I couldn’t tell for sure- plus two in Illinois, and one each in Washington state, Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Kansas, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia, and Delaware… and maybe one in Texas; the theater’s site made no mention of Orange, but I suspect that at least some theaters don’t bother putting movies like this on their sites). Nineteen more theaters opened Orange on November 26: five in Texas, three in New Jersey, two in California, and one each in Minnesota, Louisiana, Illinois, Indiana, Georgia, Ohio, Virginia, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. And two more theaters- one in California, and the other in Massachusetts- started playing Orange on November 27.
DOCUMENTARIES
Turtle: The Incredible Journey in 3D (a.k.a. Turtle: The Incredible Journey)
Summary (official): TURTLE: THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY tells the story of a little loggerhead turtle, as she follows in the path of her ancestors on one of the most extraordinary journeys in the natural world. Born on a beach in Florida, she rides the Gulf Stream up towards the Arctic and ultimately swims around the entire North Atlantic across to Africa and back to the beach where she was born. But the odds are stacked against her; just one in ten thousand turtles survive the journey.
Director: Nick Stringer
Narrated by: Miranda Richardson
Release information: Opened at the IFC Center in New York City (where it had one showing per day through November 28).
