Thinking Outside the Multiplex: National Edition (November 26-December 9, 2010)

by MIKE MACCOLLUM

Welcome back to the feature where we look at limited-release films opening in the US. As with the past few weeks, this column finds me in catch-up mode (due in part to a horrible snow and ice storm that hit Indiana a few weeks ago, depriving me of internet access for three days running- followed by me falling and cracking two ribs, thanks to the same ice storm… a jolly little incident that led to nearly four more days off the web).

So anyhow, the time period covered in this column (November 26-December 9) wasn’t an especially busy one- even most of the theaters that usually play offbeat, smaller-scale movies were showing big holiday releases during this period. Still, 33* limited-release movies did find their way into American theaters during this period- and those are the titles covered below.

Of these 33, two have already made it to my neck of the woods- I saw I Love You Phillip Morris, but had to miss Khelein Kum Jee Jaan Sey due to some last-minute complications. (Also, while Rakht Charitra 2 did play at a theater about twenty minutes away from my house, the version they were showing did not have English subtitles- so I decided to skip that one, even though it sounds like the sort of movie I’d like.) Of the rest, only one (Barney’s Version) seems likely to play at a theater anywhere near me. I would love to have a chance to see Applause, Mars, Rare Exports, Louis, Essential Killing, The Recipe, Summer Wars, and/or The Dreams of Jinsha on a big screen- but the odds of any of them making it to a theater in central Indiana are likely less than zero.

*(And I’m not covering either The King’s Speech or Black Swan as part of those thirty-three, even though the former opened in the US on November 26, and the latter started on December 3. The reason for this is that both films later expanded into such wide releases that they need no real mention here, besides noting their initial opening information. So with that in mind, The King’s Speech started at two California theaters (The Landmark in Los Angeles and the Arclight Hollywood) and at two locations in New York City (the Lincoln Square 13 and the Union Square Stadium 14)- while Black Swan opened on 17 US screens (four in California, three each in Illinois and New York, two each in Texas, Washington, DC, and Massachusetts, and one in Maryland).)

NOVEMBER 26

AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS (AND OTHERWISE)

Open Five

Genre: Romantic drama/comedy/Semi-documentary

Plot synopsis (official): A blend of reality and fiction, “Open Five” follows the story of Jake, a struggling musician and his sidekick, Kentucker, a maker of “poor” films and what happens when two girls (Lucy and Rose) venture down to Memphis for a long weekend.

Director: Kentucker Audley

Cast: Jake Rabinbach, Shannon Esper, Genevieve Angelson, Kentucker Audley, Amy Seimetz, Caroline White

Release information: Opened at the reRun Gastropub in Brooklyn, NY

Other links: Trailer on Vimeo

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Willets Point

Genre: Drama

Plot synopsis (official): Willets Point, directed by first time filmmaker T.J. Collins is a family drama that centers on Guillo and Doris Blanco, a young couple living in Queens New York along with their 9 year old daughter. Their financial and personal problems catch up with them when they are threatened with eviction. Their marriage is tested when these unbearable circumstances brings to light a troubled past and threatens the future they all share. (More)

Director: T. J. Collins

Cast: Alfredo Romeo Suarez, Lorraine Rodriguez, Natalie Garcia, Moses Caban, Ivan Velez, Jimmy Strano, Kimberli Flores, Luis Galarza, Ramfis Myrthil, Milagros Rivera

Release information: Opened at the Quad Cinema in New York City.

FILMS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Doghouse

Genre: Horror/Comedy

Plot synopsis (official): Six men with mid-life anxiety set out for a weekend in the country in an attempt to reconnect with their masculinity. What they find is a catastrophe so horrible and bizarre that a mid-life crisis turns out to be exactly what they need to survive it. The battle of the sexes just got bloody!

Director: Jake West

Cast: Danny Dyer, Noel Clarke, Stephen Graham, Christina Cole, Lee Ingleby, Neil Maskell, Emily Booth

Release information: Opened at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago, with midnight shows on Friday and Saturday.

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The Recipe

Genres: Romance/Drama/Mystery/Dark Comedy

Plot synopsis (official): CHOI Yu-jin, a television producer always in search of a scoop, is given a mysterious tape that reveals the final words of renowned bloodthirsty killer. The tape is a recording of his execution, and reveals his last wish: to eat his favorite Korean stew, “Doenjang jjigae.” Yu-jin, with his cutthroat journalistic instincts, instantly smells a scoop. Desperate to decipher the mystery behind the killer’s cravings, Yu-jin visits a restaurant in the mountains. He learns of JANG Hye-jin, a woman who holds the key to unraveling the enigma… (More)

Director: LEE Suh-goon

Cast: LEE Yo-won, LEE Dong-wook, RYU Seung-ryong

Language: Korean

Release information: Opened at CGV Cinemas in Los Angeles.

Other links: Trailer (with English subtitles) and other information about The Recipe on CGV Cinemas site

FILMS FROM AROUND THE WORLD (WITHOUT SUBTITLES)

Nandalala

Language: Tamil

Release information: Opened at the Towne 3 in San Jose, CA, and the Movie City 8 in Edison, NJ.

Other links: Wikipedia page

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Tere Ishq Nachaya

Language: Punjabi

Release information: Opened at five US theaters- two in California, and one each in Texas, Illinois, and New Jersey.

DECEMBER 2

FILMS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Rakht Charitra 2 (a.k.a. A History of Blood, Part 2; a.k.a. Rakta Charitra 2; a.k.a. A Bloody History 2)

Genres: Action/Drama/Biography/Suspense

Plot synopsis (official- with some modifications for part 2): It’s inspired by the story of Paritala Ravi from Andhra Pradesh who got assassinated in January 2005… Paritala Ravi was arguably the most feared individual ever in the history of the blood-ridden faction politics of South India. He was a prime accused in innumerable murder cases and also survived numerous assassination attempts… Part one showed how Ravi, a soft-spoken shy guy, under a force of certain circumstances retreated into the jungles, became a rebel and how he mounted a volcano of violence to avenge his father’s and brother’s deaths; in part two, someone seeks vengeance on Ravi himself…

Director: Ram Gopal Varma

Cast: Vivek Oberoi, Surya Sivakumar, Shatrughan Sinha, Abhimanyu Singh, Priyamani, Radhika Apte

Language: Three different versions were shot- in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil.

Release information: The Telugu version opened December 2 at seven theaters in the US- two each in California and New Jersey, and one each in Virginia, Delaware, and Massachusetts. Over the next week, this version opened at thirty other theaters across the country- six in Florida, five in Illinois, two each in Texas, Wisconsin, Ohio, and South Carolina, and one each in California, Washington state, Colorado, Minnesota, Kansas, Indiana, Michigan, Georgia, North Carolina, New Jersey, and Connecticut. The Tamil version started on December 4 at fourteen theaters- three in California, two each in Texas and New Jersey, and one each in Washington state, Minnesota, Illinois, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, and Connecticut. One theater in Massachusetts started running the Tamil version on Saturday, December 4- and a theater in Illinois opened this version on Monday, December 7. (And either the Hindi version was not released in the US at this time, or I couldn’t find that information at the time it was released in the US- or, I just did not take this information down in my notes. I tried Googling around for information on the US release of part 2 of the Hindi version, but found only information on that version’s release in India- or the US release of the first part of the Hindi version.)

Additional information: Part one of this two-part film was released in the US on October 21. (Or at least that was the case for the Hindi and Telugu versions; the Tamil version seems to have been released in one giant hunk, starting on December 3- as far as I can tell.)

Other links: Official site for the Telugu version (there are some bloody animation effects on this site missing from the site linked in the title above, for those of you who like your web sites with a splash of fake blood)

DECEMBER 3

AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS (AND OTHERWISE)

The Assistants

Genre: Comedy

Plot synopsis (official): It’s been three years since Jack and his friends graduated from film school. Three years of answering phones [and] picking up laundry… They were supposed to be making movies by now… Instead, they are part of the underclass, the… Hollywood assistants. But all that is about to change… It begins with piece of fictitious script coverage they wrote up as a joke… How hard would it be to take a piece of phony coverage and turn it into a green lit picture? A few lies? A touch of grifting? A little bit of blackmail? It’s not really all that different from the way most movies get made… (More)

Director: Steve Morris

Cast: Chris Conner, Aaron Himelstein, Kathleen Early, Michael Grant Terry, Tate Hanyok, Peter Douglas, Reiko Aylesworth, Jonathan Bennett, Stacy Keach, Jane Seymour, Joe Mantegna

Release information: Opened at the Sunset 5 in West Hollywood, CA.

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The Christmas Bunny

Genre: Family drama

Plot synopsis (official): “The Christmas Bunny” is the heartwarming story of Julia Haggen (newcomer Sophie Bolen), a protected child of the state, as she is introduced to the ‘temporary family’ who will be caring for her over the Christmas holidays. Emotionally withdrawn, Julia lives in silence with her pain and refuses to respond to her foster mother… (More)

Director: Tom Seidman

Cast: Sophie Bolen, Madeline Vail, Colby French, Derek Brandon, Florence Henderson, Michele Messmer

Release information: Opened at the Celebration! Cinema Grand Rapids North & IMAX, with 3 PM showings on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (following a one-time-only premiere screening at the same theater on November 28).

Additional information: I couldn’t find a trailer for this one- on the official site linked above, or anywhere else.

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Dead Awake

Genres: Thriller/Mystery/Romance/Fantasy

Plot synopsis #1 (official): DEAD AWAKE is a seductive supernatural thriller starring Rose McGowan, Amy Smart and Nick Stahl set against the backdrop of a mysterious tragedy that shattered their lives a decade ago and which sets them on a path to uncover the truth that lies between the living and the dead.

Plot synopsis #2 (official): Dylan, a young man working at a funeral parlor, is trying to unravel a mystery that shattered his life ten years earlier. After faking his own funeral to see who will show up, he befriends a mysterious street junkie…

Director: Omar Naim

Cast: Nick Stahl, Rose McGowan, Amy Smart, Ben Marten, Kim Grimaldi, Rachel Storey, Andrea Leon, Livia Milano

Release information: Opened on fifty-five US screens- nineteen in California, fourteen in Georgia, nine in New York, six in Illinois, four in Texas, and three in New Jersey.

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I Love You Phillip Morris

Genre: Romantic comedy/drama

Plot synopsis (official): Steven Russell (Jim Carrey) leads a seemingly average life- an organ player in the local church, happily married to Debbie (Leslie Mann), and a member of the local police force. That is, until he has a severe car accident that leads him to the ultimate epiphany: he’s gay and he’s going to live life to the fullest- even if he has to break the law to do it. Taking on an extravagant lifestyle, Steven turns to cons and fraud to make ends meet and is eventually sent to the State Penitentiary where he meets the love of his life, a sensitive, soft-spoken man named Phillip Morris… (More)

Directors: John Requa, Glenn Ficarra

Cast: Jim Carrey, Ewan McGregor, Rodrigo Santoro, Leslie Mann, Annie Golden, Marylouise Burke, Aunjanue Ellis

Release information: Opened at six theaters- three each in California and New York.

Additional information: This is a French/US co-production- but it seemed like a better fit under this category, given the stars, settings, language, and so on.

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Louis

Genre: Drama

Plot synopsis (official): Shot by Academy Award-winning cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond as a modern re-imagining of early silent film, LOUIS is an homage to Louis Armstrong, Charlie Chaplin, beautiful women and the birth of American music. The grand Storyville bordellos, alley and cemeteries of 1907 New Orleans provide a backdrop of lust, blood and magic for 6 year old Louis (Anthony Coleman) as he navigates the colorful intricacies of life in the city. Yound Louis’s dreams of playing the trumpet are interrupted by a chance meeting with a beautiful and vulnerable girl… (More)

Director: Dan Pritzker

Cast: Anthony Coleman, Jackie Earle Haley, Shanti Lowry, Michael Rooker, Vilmos Zsigmond, Steven Martini

Language: A silent film (or at least a film with no spoken dialogue, apparently)- but I haven’t been able to determine if there are intertitles/title cards (in English, presumably, if there are any)- or not…

Release information: Opened at the Fallbrook 7 in West Hills, CA, following a touring series of one-screening-per-city showings in which the film was presented with live musical accompaniment; that tour began in late August.

Additional information: Wynton Marsalis wrote some of the film’s music, and was one of the executive producers.

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Mars

Genres: Romantic comedy/Science fiction/Animation

Plot synopsis (official): A new space race is born between NASA and the ESA when Charlie Brownsville, Hank Morrison, and Dr. Casey Cook compete against an artificially intelligent robot to find out what’s up there on the red planet. ‘Mars’ follows these three astronauts on the first manned mission to our galactic neighbor. On the way they experience life threatening accidents, self doubts, obnoxious reporters, and the boredom of extended space travel. This romantic comedy is told in the playful style of a graphic novel- using a unique animation process… (More)

Director: Geoff Marslett

Cast: Mark Duplass, Zoe Simpson, Michael Dolan, Cynthia Watros, Paul Gordon, Howe Gelb, Liza Weil, James Kochalka, Kinky Friedman, Don Hertzfeldt, Nicole Atkins, Jonna Juul-Hansen, Charissa Allen, Elena Araoz

Release information: Opened at the reRun Gastropub Theater in Brooklyn, NY.

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Meskada

Genres: Mystery/Suspense/Crime drama

Plot synopsis (official): Small-town detective Noah Cordin is called to solve a juvenile homicide that occurred during a home burglary in his affluent town of Hilliard. The dead boy’s mother, Allison Connor, is a member of the Meskada County Board of Commissioners, and a powerful woman in Hilliard; and the entire township rallies together in solidarity to support her and Detective Cordin’s efforts to find the killers… [Eventually,] Cordin is forced to confront the life he left behind…

Director: Josh Sternfeld

Cast: Nick Stahl, Rachel Nichols, Kellan Lutz, Jonathan Tucker, Norman Reedus, Laura Benanti, Grace Gummer

Release information: Opened at the Monica 4-Plex in Santa Monica.

Other links: Meskada’s Facebook page (for anyone- like me- whose computer couldn’t handle the film’s official site, linked in the title above)

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Night Catches Us

Genres: Drama/Romance

Plot synopsis (official): In 1976, after years of mysterious absence, Marcus returns to the Philadelphia neighborhood where he came of age in the midst of the Black Power movement. While his arrival raises suspicion among his family and former neighbors, he finds acceptance from his old friend Patricia and her daughter. However, Marcus quickly finds himself at odds with the organization he once embraced, whose members suspect he orchestrated the slaying of their former comrade-in-arms. In a startling sequence of events, Marcus must protect a secret that could shatter everyone’s beliefs, as he rediscovers his forbidden passion for Patricia.

Director: Tanya Hamilton

Cast: Anthony Mackie, Kerry Washington, Jamie Hector, Wendell Pierce, Amari Cheatom, Tariq Trotter, Ron Simons, Thomas Roy

Release information: Opened at the Cinema Village and the Magic Johnson Harlem USA 9 (both in New York City), the Cherry Hill 24 in Cherry Hill, NJ, and the Ritz 5 Movies in Philadelphia, PA.

FILMS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Applause

Genre: Drama

Plot synopsis (official): Recovering alcoholic stage actress, Thea Barfoed (Paprika Steen) has gone through turmoil. Having divorced her husband, Christian (Michael Falch), and relinquished custody of their two boys during her heavy drinking days, Thea wants to start over. As her past alcohol use and indiscretions still haunt her, the reality of a new beginning seems bleak. Thea uses her inner actress’s charm and manipulation to convince her ex-husband that she is fully recovered and capable of being a good mother to their children; however, she hasn’t completely convinced herself… (More)

Director: Martin Pieter Zandvliet

Cast: Paprika Steen, Michael Falch, Sara-Marie Maltha, Shanti Roney, Malou Reymann, Uffe Rørbæk, Otto Leonardo Steen Rieks, Noel Koch-Søfeldt, Lars Brygmann

Language: Danish

Release information: Opened at the Sunset 5 in West Hollywood.

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Barney’s Version

Genre: Drama/Comedy

Plot synopsis (official): BARNEY’S VERSION is the warm, wise and witty story of the politically incorrect life of Barney Panofsky (Paul Giamatti), who meets the love of his life (Rosamund Pike) at his wedding – and she is not the bride. A candid confessional, told from Barney‘s point of view, the film spans three decades and two continents, taking us through the different acts of his unusual history. There is his first wife, Clara (Rachelle Lefevre), a flame-haired, flagrantly unfaithful free sprit with whom Barney briefly lives la vie de Boheme in Rome. The Second Mrs. P., (Minnie Driver), is a wealthy Jewish Princess who shops and talks incessantly… (More)

Director: Richard J. Lewis

Cast: Paul Giamatti, Rosamund Pike, Minnie Driver, Rachelle Lefevre, Scott Speedman, Dustin Hoffman, Bruce Greenwood, Macha Grenon, Anna Hopkins, Harvey Atkin, Massimo Wertmuller, Howard Jerome, Linda Sorenson, Paul Gross, David Cronenberg, Denys Arcand, Atom Egoyan, Ted Kotcheff, Mark Addy, Saul Rubinek, Maury Chaykin

Release information: Opened at The Landmark in Los Angeles and the City Cinemas Cinema 1,2,3 in New York City.

Additional information: Based on the best-selling book of the same name by Morecai Richler (The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz; Joshua Then and Now)

With so many directors in the cast, you might think that John Landis was behind the camera. He wasn’t- but this does seem to be the first time that Atom Egoyan and David Cronenberg have been in the cast of the same movie since Landis’ The Stupids, back in 1996.

One of the last films for character actor Maury Chaykin (Dances With Wolves, The Sweet Hereafter, and many others)

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Black Heaven

Genre: Drama (with at least some possible science fiction elements as well)

Plot synopsis (official): BLACK HEAVEN… follows an innocent young kid, Gaspar (Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet of LOVE SONGS), who, becoming enamored with a mysterious/gorgeous girl (Louise Bourgoin, THE GIRL FROM MONACO), is lured into “Black Hole” – a dark, obscure video game world of avatars with deadly serious intentions in the real world.

Director: Gilles Marchand

Cast: Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet, Louise Bourgoin, Melvil Poupaud, Pauline Etienne, Pierre Niney, Ali Marhyar, Patrick Descamps, Swann Arlaud

Language: French

Release information: Opened at the Sunset 5 in West Hollywood, CA, with midnight showings on Friday and Saturday- and at the IFC Center in New York City, with 12:10 AM screenings on December 4 and 5 (followed by some weekday screenings at 2:50 PM).

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Come Undone

Genre: Romantic drama

Plot synopsis (official): Anna has everything she thought she could ever need: a respectable career, a caring family, and a loving partner, Alessio. But when she meets Domenico, a handsome, married waiter, her neatly ordered world begins to fall apart. They quickly fall into a heated affair, based on secret meetings, stolen caresses, cell phone fights, and endless lies. Anna’s increasingly distant behavior goes unnoticed by Alessio, while Domenico’s wife becomes steadily more suspicious of her husband. As the two lovers begin to fall deeper under the spell of passion, they are faced with a life-changing choice which neither is entirely prepared to make.

Director: Silvio Soldini

Cast: Alba Rohrwacher, Pierfrancisco Favino, Giuseppe Battiston, Teresa Saponangelo

Language: Italian

Release information: Opened at the Quad Cinema in New York City and the Indiescreen in Brooklyn, NY.

(I thought I had seen some information indicating that Come Undone had an earlier opening somewhere else in America- at a semi-commercial venue in or near Boston, perhaps- but after over a half hour of Googling around, and another half hour or so of checking through my notes, I couldn’t find any evidence of a theatrical release in the US prior to December 3.)

Other links: Trailer on youtube (for anyone else who can’t get the trailer on the official site linked above to play) (WARNING: Trailer has brief nudity, and is NSFW.)

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The Dreams of Jinsha

Genres: Animation/Adventure/Fantasy

Plot synopsis: Xiao Long is an average secondary-school student in the present day- until a time warp sends him back to 1500 BC, and the Kingdom of Jinsha. The land of Jinsha is going through a golden age- until a leader realizes that an overwhelming, mysterious and wicked power has the potential to mesmerize the people of Jinsha and destroy it. When Xian Long meets a princess and a forest god, the three join forces with the citizens of Jinsha to fight back and save the kingdom…

Director: Daming Chen (or possibly Chen Daming; I’ve seen the name both ways, and I have no idea which is correct)

Language: Chinese with English subtitles

Release information: Opened at the Music Hall 3 in Beverly Hills, CA.

Comments: There was some speculation that this (along with Summer Wars as well, possibly) could have been nominated in the Best Animated Feature Film category for the Academy Awards- but the relatively small number of animated films that were theatrically released in the US in 2010 meant that there were only three nominees in that category this year, and Jinsha and Summer Wars didn’t make the cut.

Other links: Trailer on Youtube; page for the film on the site of Laemmle Theaters

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Essential Killing

Genres: Suspense/War

Plot synopsis (official): Captured by the US military in Afghanistan, Mohammed (Vincent Gallo) is transported to a secret detention centre in Europe. When the vehicle is riding in crashes, he finds himself suddenly free and on the run in a snow-blanketed forest, a world away from the desert home he knew. Relentlessly pursued by an army that does not officially exist, Mohammed must confront the necessity to kill in order to survive.

Director: Jerzy Skolimowski

Cast: Vincent Gallo, Emmanuelle Seigner, Zach Cohen, Iftach Ofir, Nicolai Cleve Broch, Stig Frode Henriksen, David Price

Languages: English, Polish

Release information: Opened at the Monica 4-Plex in Santa Monica, CA

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Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey

Genre: Period Thriller

Plot synopsis (official): 1930, British India: In the province of undivided Bengal lies the sleepy, peaceful port of Chittagong. In this unassuming little town a revolution is about to begin; a revolution which will forever wake all of Chittagong and inspire the entire nation. April 18. 1 night. 5 simultaneous attacks. A band of 64- 56 innocent yet fearless young boys, 5 defiant revolutionaries, 2 determined young women, and an idealistic leader – Surjya Sen, a school teacher by profession. This group of 64 represents a little-known chapter in history; a forgotten night that reigned terror on the British through a series of calculated attacks… (More)

Director: Ashutosh Gowariker

Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Vishakha Singh, Sikander Kher, Mahinder Singh, Feroz Wahid Khan, Shreyas Pandit, Samrat Mukherjee, Monty Munford

Language: Hindi (along with some Bengali and English as well, apparently)

Release information: Per its official site, Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey opened on 57 screens in the US: nine each in California and New Jersey, four each in Texas and New York, three each in Illinois, Florida, and North Carolina, two each in Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, and one each in Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Virginia, and Maryland. Checking around online, I found that the film opened in two additional theaters in Arizona (one on Sunday, the other on Monday) – although I also noted that the IMDb indicated that six theaters on the official site’s theater list (one each in Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, Florida, New Jersey, and Massachusetts) actually were not playing the film. Although the IMDb’s theater listings are usually fairly accurate, they don’t always cover all theaters- and even when they cover a given theater, they don’t always reflect the fact that an Indian film is showing at that theater (since some theaters have separate sub-sites or listings for their Indian films). Given all this, I think the theater listing on the film’s official site was most likely to more accurately reflect the venues which actually played Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey in the US.

Other links: Facebook page; trailers on Youtube (2d trailer)

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Life Goes On

Genre: Drama

Plot synopsis (official): With his wife’s sudden death, Sanjay is suddenly thrown into close proximity with his three daughters. The drama unfolds over five days from the day when Manju dies to day of the funeral. Haunted by memories, grappling with this devastating loss, missing the mediating influence of his wife, Sanjay finds himself assessing and carving out new relations with his three daughters. He is faced with a further crisis when he discovers his youngest and most loved daughter Dia… (More)

Director: Sangeeta Datta

Cast: Sharmila Tagore, Girish Karnad, Om Puri, Soha Ali Khan, Rez Kempton, Neerja Naik, Mukulika Banerjee, Christopher Hatherall, Stef Patten, and Aria Gitanjali Banerjee Watts

Language: English

Release information: Opened at the Fremont 7 in Fremont, CA.

Other links: Trailers for the film on the Facebook page for Life Goes On

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My Amnesia Girl

Genre: Romantic comedy

Plot synopsis (official): When Apollo finds himself surrounded by friends who are beginning to settle down, he is faced with the possibility of finding his true love. It all boils down to one name: Irene. It must be fate then, when he once again sees Irene, his ex-girlfriend from three years ago with whom he had the best memories with. Apollo and Irene were a perfect couple until circumstances led them to fall apart. Now, Irene has no recollection of Apollo, having acquired amnesia shortly after their separation… (More)

Director: Cathy Garcia-Molina

Cast: John Lloyd Cruz, Toni Gonzaga, Carlos Agassi, Michael -Ketchup- Eusebio, Joross Gamboa, J.M. de Guzman, Beatriz Saw, Nico Antonio, Dianne Medina, Cai Cortez, Atoy Co

Languages: Filipino, Tagalog, English

Release information: Opened at five US theaters- two in California, and one each in Washington state, Nevada, and New Jersey.

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The Precinct (Sahe)

NOTE: Trailer on official site contains some nudity, and is NSFW.

Genres: Drama/Mystery/Suspense

Plot synopsis (official): The story of -The Precinct-… throws an intense focus on the dilemmas and pressures on contemporary relationships… This is a classic story of a man whose past prevents him from fully inhabiting the present. The set-up soon dives into a mysterious realm within a Precinct where everything is suggested and nothing revealed- establishing dramatic tension and preparation for the twist in time that slowly unravels a past that reveals the main character’s personal trauma. This past carries an authentic view on early photography in Azerbaijan…

Director: Ilgar Safat

Cast: Zaza Bejashvili, Melissa Papel, Vagif Ibrahimoglu, Deborah Kidd, Nina Rakova, Ramis Ibragimov, Sona Mikailova, Timur Odushev, Mammad Safa Gasimov, Midhat Aydinov, Ruslan Ismaylov

Languages: Azerbaijani, Russian

Release information: Opened at the Sunset 5 in West Hollywood, CA.

Additional information: I’m not sure where the plot summary on the IMDb came from- but it certainly has much more specific information than the synopsis on the film’s official site.

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Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale

Genres: Dark comedy/Fantasy/Action

Plot synopsis (official): It’s the eve of Christmas in northern Finland, and an ‘archeological’ dig has just unearthed the real Santa Claus. But this particular Santa isn’t the one you want coming to town. When the local children begin mysteriously disappearing, young Pietari and his father Rauno, a reindeer hunter by trade, capture the mythological being and attempt to sell Santa to the misguided leader of the multinational corporation sponsoring the dig. Santa’s elves, however, will stop at nothing to free their fearless leader from captivity.

Director: Jalmari Helander

Cast: Onni Tommila, Jorma Tommila, Per Christian Ellefsen, Tommi Korpela, Rauno Juvonen, Ilmari Järvenpää, Peeter Jakobi

Languages: Finnish, English

Release information: Opened at the IFC Center in New York City.

Other links: Rare Exports’ page on the site of its US distributor Oscilloscope Laboratories

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7 Days in Slow Motion

Genre: Comedy

Plot synopsis (official): Ravi is a typical middle-class child in India- he must have no ambitions or aspirations that aren’t academic in nature- or so his mother says. She has squeezed his life into a pie-chart that dictates 60% education and 0.2% fun. Ravi defies his pie-chart and his mom when he stumbles upon a lost camera… (More)

Director: Umakanth Thumrugoti

Cast: Teja, Shiva Varma, Kunal Sharma, Rajeshwari Sachdev-Badola, Ayesha Jaleel, Vivek Mushran

Language: English

Release information: Opened at the Facets Cinémathèque in Chicago. (The IMDb gives the release date as April 26, 2009- but while the film did show as part of the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles on that date, it did not open theatrically in the US until December 3, 2010, as far as I can tell.)

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Summer Wars

Genres: Animated/Science Fiction/Comedy/Adventure

Plot synopsis (official): Kenji is your typical teenage misfit. He’s good at math, bad with girls, and spends most of his time hanging out in the all-powerful, online community known as OZ. His second life is the only life he has- until the girl of his dreams, Natsuki, hijacks him for a starring role as a fake fiance´ at her family reunion. Things only get stranger from there. A late- night email containing a cryptic mathematic riddle leads to the unleashing of a rogue AI intent on using the virtual word of OZ to destroy the real world… (More)

Director: Mamoru Hosoda

Language: English (dubbed dialogue)

Release information: Opened at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago, IL.

Additional information: Won the 2010 Award of the Japanese Academy for Best Animation Film; also won the same (or similarly worded) awards from the 2009 Sitges-Catalonian International Film Festival, the Fantasia Film Festival and the Mainichi Film Concours.

FILMS FROM AROUND THE WORLD (WITHOUT SUBTITLES)

Best of Luck

Language: Malayalam

Release information: Opened at the FunAsia Irving in Irving, TX.

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Chikku Bukku

Language: Tamil

Release information: Opened at the Norwalk 8 in Norwalk, CA, the Towne 3 in San Jose, CA, the Sathyam Cinemas in Downers Grove, IL, and the Movie City 8 in Edison, NJ; also opened at the Britton 8 in Tampa, FL, on Sunday, December 5.

DOCUMENTARIES

Bhutto

Summary (official): BHUTTO is the definitive documentary that chronicles the life of one of the most complex and fascinating characters of our time. Hers is an epic tale of Shakespearean dimension. It’s the story of the first woman in history to lead a Muslim nation: Pakistan. Newsweek called it the most dangerous place in the world, and the home of nuclear war heads and the Taliban. Benazir Bhutto was born into a wealthy landowning family that became Pakistan’s dominant political dynasty. Often referred to as the “Kennedys of Pakistan,” the Bhuttos share a painful history of triumph and tragedy… (More)

Directors: Duane Baughman, Johnny O’Hara

With: David Frost, Arianna Huffington, Kathleen Kennedy, Pervez Musharraf, Condoleezza Rice

Release information: Opened at the Nuart Theatre in Los Angeles and the Cinema Village in New York City.

Additional information: Won the Jury Prize for Outstanding U.S. Historical Documentary at the Sonoma International Film Festival; also an official selection at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and the 2010 Hotdocs festival.

Also, from the cast list on the IMDb, it looks like this is another documentary that features at least some segments using actors to reenact part of the story.

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Saint Misbehavin’: The Wavy Gravy Movie

Summary (official): Beginning with Woodstock ‘99, director Michelle Esrick has spent ten years documenting the life of Wavy Gravy. Saint Misbehavin’ journeys from the hills of California to the Himalayan Mountains to reveal the life of this one of a kind servant to humanity. The film blends Wavy’s own words with magical stories from an extraordinary array of fellow travelers both cultural and counter-cultural, revealing the man behind the clown’s grin and the fool’s clothing.
In Saint Misbehavin’ Wavy is revealed more than the tie-dyed entertainer and ice-cream flavor namesake… (More)

Director: Michelle Esrick

With: Hugh Romney (a.k.a. Wavy Gravy), The Grateful Dead, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, Odetta, Dr. Larry Brilliant, Patch Adams, Lisa Law, Buffy Sainte Marie

Release information: Opened at the Red Vic Movie House in San Francisco and the Shattuck Cinemas in Berkeley, CA; also opened at the IFC Center in New York City on Wednesday, December 8.

Additional information: Won the Jury Prize for Best Documentary Feature at the 2009 Woods Hole Film Festival; was also shown at a number of other festivals in 2009 and 2010.

DECEMBER 4

FILMS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Help! I’m a Fish (a.k.a. A Fish Tale)

Genre: Animated/Comedy/Adventure

Plot synopsis (official): From the Academy Award nominated directors of When Life Departs comes this animated undersea adventure of three kids, Fly, his baby sister Stella, and cousin Chuck, who stumble upon the hidden cave-laboratory of mad professor MacKrill and drink a potion that transforms them into sea creatures… (More)

Directors: Stefan Fjeldmark, Michael Hegner, Greg Manwaring

Voice Cast: Alan Rickman, Terry Jones

Language: English (dubbed)

Release information: Opened with 11 AM showings Saturday and Sunday at the IFC Center in New York City.

Additional information: A 2000 film that has been available on DVD in the US since September, 2006.

DECEMBER 8

DOCUMENTARIES

Rabbit à la Berlin

Summary (official): A story about thousands of wild rabbits which lived in the Death Zone of the Berlin Wall. As if the green belt between the two walls was ‘designed’ for those animals – full of untouched grass, the predators stayed behind the wall and the guards made sure no one ‘disturbed’ the rabbits. They had been living there for 28 years, enclosed but safe. Unfortunately, the Wall fell down one day and the rabbits had to look for another place to live. The film is an allegory which brings closer the history of Eastern Europe as seen from the ‘rabbit’ perspective. This is also the first film showing the story of the Wall and the reunification of Germany seen from such an unusual perspective… (More)

Director: Bartek Konopka

Languages: German/Polish (or there may be two different versions- one entirely in one language, the other in the other language; I couldn’t be sure, based on what I’ve seen).

Release information: Opened at the Film Forum in New York City.

Additional information: This was nominated for a 2010 Academy Award in the category of Best Documentary Short Subject; this version runs 39 minutes, apparently. However, the version shown at the Film Forum is 50 minutes long, according to the theater’s site. Also, the Film Forum showed Rabbit on the same program with a 30-minute documentary, Loss. According to the page for Loss on the site of its US distributor Icarus Films, the documentary is about the first post-second world war generation of Germans and the historical experience of Jews.

Other links: Page for Rabbit à la Berlin on the site of its US distributor, Icarus Films