I’m really looking forward to several of these movies. Tangled is rumored to be quite a fun movie for all ages. Then the tension-filled 127 Hours, which I would need to watch on an empty stomach. After Anne Hathaway’s comment, “Get naked, get a nomination,” makes me wonder about Love and Other Drugs. And I thought Havoc was her departure from the “good girl” image. I’ll also have yet another season of Mad Men in my queue. I STILL haven’t started watching this series. I need to get on the ball, or so I’m told. I’ll have to see how the rest of these pan out. Several options for the week! Enjoy!
Foreign
Father of My Children (2009) NR
When a man who seemingly has everything takes his own life, the question on everyone’s mind is, why? This drama penned and helmed by Mia Hansen-Love explores that quandary by recounting the weeks before and after a film producer’s suicide. With an adoring family, a job that fulfills him completely and a charismatic bearing that masks all woes, producer Gregoire Canvel appears at the top of his game. But underneath the surface, trouble is brewing.
Mesrine: Part 2: Public Enemy #1 (2008) R
Jacques Mesrine (Vincent Cassel) finds his star rising throughout the 1970s as both a gangster and a publicity-hungry celebrity. But while his criminal plans are as grandiose as ever, the Paris police are redoubling their efforts with a special anti-Mesrine unit. The conclusion to Jean-Francois Richet’s epic crime biopic also stars the luminous Ludivine Sagnier as Mesrine’s glamorous Italian lover, Sylvia Jeanjacquot.
The Swimsuit Issue (2008) NR
Unfortunately for the guys on Sweden’s only all-male synchronized swim team, a passion for their sport does not necessarily equal a proficiency in it. But that’s not going to stop them in their quest for gold in this comedy from Mans Herngren. Determined to prove naysayers wrong, the middle-aged mermen work first to improve their swimming and then synchronize it as they fervently pursue their ultimate goal — the world championship.
Horror
Husk (2010) R
Based on director Brett Simmons’s 2004 short film, this chilling horror movie finds five friends stranded in deserted farm country after crows mysteriously attack their car. Terror mounts as undead human scarecrows begin to stalk them. The friends, including an egghead, a jock and a blue-collar worker, must work together to avoid being turned into zombies. Wes Chatham, Devon Graye, C. J. Thomason, Tammin Sursok and Ben Easter co-star.
Prowl (2010) R
Small-town girl Amber (Courtney Hope) plans a break for the big city, but when she and her friends hitch a lift with a passing semi, the ride proves anything but free: The driver won’t let them get off, and they’re trapped in back with a cargo of blood. Dreams of the perfect apartment go up in flames when the innocents arrive at a warehouse whose ravenous inhabitants await their next human meal in this horror thriller that also stars Bruce Payne.
Music & Musicals
Kenny Chesney: Summer (2010) NR
Country music superstar Kenny Chesney launched his Sun City Carnival concert tour in April 2009 and kept the party going across America until November 2009. Concert footage includes shows in Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Philadelphia and Seattle. State-of-the-art, 3-D camera systems and up-close access to the performers, on stage and backstage, provide fans with full exposure to all aspects of the concert tour experience.
Television
In Plain Sight: Season 3 (2010) NR 3 discs
In the third season of USA Network’s hit series about Mary Shannon (Mary McCormack), a marshal in the Albuquerque branch of the Witness Protection Program, Mary copes with the effects of getting shot and continues to protect witnesses, whether criminals or innocents. Mary’s partner, Marshall (Frederick Weller), is determined to find her assailant, while her fiance (Cristian de la Fuente) and wacky mother (Lesley Ann Warren) beg her to retire.
Mad Men: Season 4 (2010) TV-14 4 discs
In the fourth season of this smash-hit, critically acclaimed drama, debonair adversting exec Don Draper (Jon Hamm) continues to build his own fledgeling agency even as his personal life slides deeper into excessive boozing and other destructive habits. Meanwhile, Peggy (Elisabeth Moss) expands her personal and professional horizons, and Betty (January Jones) has trouble adjusting to life with Henry (Christopher Stanley).
Thrillers
All Good Things (2010) R
After restless real-estate scion David Marks (Ryan Gosling) weds middle-class beauty Katie McCarthy (Kirsten Dunst) against the wishes of his disapproving father (Frank Langella), suspicions of murder fall on the unmoored heir when his wife mysteriously vanishes. Though he’s not indicted in her disappearance, people with ties to the case begin turning up dead when it’s reopened two decades later — and the unhinged David is the prime suspect.
Beneath the Dark (2010) R
On a road trip through the Mojave Desert, contented couple Paul (Josh Stewart) and Adrienne (Jamie-Lynn Sigler) stop at a time-forgotten motel to rest, but their peace is disturbed when nocturnal visits with ominous fellow guests stir a frightful secret that looms between them. As the walls begin to speak and the grim truth closes in on unsuspecting Adrienne, Paul is driven to desperate and violent action in this psychological thriller.
Dead Awake (2010) R
In this supernatural love story, lonely funeral home employee Dylan (Nick Stahl) fakes his death in order to find out who will attend his funeral. The surprising results prompt him to investigate the decade-old tragedy that ruined his life. Attending the phony funeral are junkie Charlie (Rose McGowan), who needs Dylan to save her from herself, and high school sweetheart Natalie (Amy Smart), whom he abandoned long ago.
The Resident (2010) R
Hilary Swank stars as the titular “resident” — a young M.D. who moves into a Brooklyn loft — in this thriller that finds excitement turning to panic for the lovely doc when she realizes she’s not alone in her new abode. Now, far from saving others’ lives, she’s struggling to keep her own as she attempts to disentangle herself from a man — her landlord (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) — who has a key to her home and a growing obsession for his tenant.
Anime & Animation
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood: Part 4 (2010) NR 2 discs
When an attempt to bring their mother back to life with alchemy disfigures their bodies, desperate brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric embark on a quest to find the Philosopher’s Stone. But they’re not the only ones looking for the ancient relic.
Children & Family
Big Time Rush: Season 1: Vol. 1 (2009) NR 2 discs
After moving to Los Angeles seeking fame as a boy band, hockey-playing Minnesota transplants Kendall (Kendall Schmidt), James (James Maslow), Carlos (Carlos Pena Jr.) and Logan (Logan Henderson) hone their performance skills, chase after pretty girls and struggle to stick together. Throughout this music-filled Nickelodeon sitcom, the fellas clash with their overbearing and easily angered record producer, Gustavo (Stephen Kramer Glickman).
Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster (2010) PG
Scooby-Doo (voiced by Frank Welker) and the gang are on the case when a mysterious lake monster starts scaring the guests at a summer resort in Erie Point, where Fred (Robbie Amell), Daphne (Kate Melton), Velma (Hayley Kiyoko) and Shaggy (Nick Palatas) have taken on seasonal jobs to pay for a barn they accidentally burned down. (Long story.) But in addition to sneaking suspicions, there’s some romance in the air.
Tangled (2010) PG
Disney animators take on the classic Grimm Brothers story of Rapunzel (Mandy Moore), a long-locked beauty imprisoned in a secluded tower by evil hag Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy), who needs the rejuvenating powers of Rapunzel’s tresses to remain young. When a bandit on the lam (Zachary Levi) helps Rapunzel escape, the old crone plots to recapture her and end her budding romance with the thief in this Golden Globe nominee for Best Animated Feature.
Comedy
Topsy-Turvy (1999) R
After their production of “Princess Ida” tanks, Arthur Gilbert (Allan Corduner) and William Sullivan (Jim Broadbent) start a cold war that threatens to end their long-lasting partnership — but friends and associates work overtime to bring them back together. The result is their classic play “The Mikado.” Mike Leigh’s thoughtful musical comedy-drama garnered four Academy Award nominations and won for costume design and makeup.
Documentary
Cool It (2010) PG
A provocative voice vilified by pundits on both ends of the political spectrum, Bjorn Lomborg (author of The Skeptical Environmentalist) challenges prevailing ideas on climate change and explores scientific and technological advances that may help avert a global warming crisis. Directed by Ondi Timoner, the film gives Lomborg a platform to scrutinize a number of claims made by Al Gore in An Inconvenient Truth.
The Human Experience (2008) PG-13
In a world fraught with hostility and violence, an altruistic group of young men endeavor to understand the true essence of the human spirit by visiting forgotten souls such as homeless New Yorkers, Peruvian orphans and isolated Ghanian lepers. By spotlighting heartwarming stories from around the world, this uplifting documentary shows viewers that every single person, no matter his or her lot in life, is beautiful.
Drama
127 Hours (2010) R
From director Danny Boyle comes this harrowing tale of real-life mountain climber Aron Ralston (James Franco), who literally cuts himself loose from danger — and lives to tell about it when sliding rock pins his forearm under a boulder during a climb in Utah. To stay alive, Ralston resorts to his basest survival instincts. The film scored Academy Award nominations in the Best Picture and Best Actor (Franco) categories.
Burlesque (2010) PG-13
After leaving Iowa with stars in her eyes, Ali (Christina Aguilera) arrives in Los Angeles and at a burlesque lounge, where she dreams of taking the stage with her soaring voice. Club owner Tess (Cher) is about to lose the place and thinks Ali may help business. Meanwhile, Ali’s roommate (Cam Gigandet) starts to fall for her in this snappy, Golden Globe-nominated comedy co-starring Stanley Tucci as Tess’s sidekick and Kristen Bell as Ali’s rival.
Fair Game (2010) PG-13
After her husband, Ambassador Joseph Wilson (Sean Penn), writes op-ed columns accusing the Bush administration of misleading the public to justify invading Iraq, Valerie Plame Wilson’s (Naomi Watts) status as a covert CIA agent is leaked by administration officials. Based on events described in Plame Wilson’s memoir, this drama explores the political scandal that led to the conviction of Lewis “Scooter” Libby.
Love and Other Drugs (2010) R
Pharmaceutical representative Jamie Randall (Jake Gyllenhaal) becomes a player in the big game of male-performance-enhancement-drug sales and, along the way, finds unexpected romance with a woman (Anne Hathaway) suffering from Parkinson’s disease. Based on the real-life Jamie Reidy’s memoir, Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman, this satirical look inside the culture of Big Pharm is directed by Edward Zwick.
Made in Dagenham (2010) R
Sally Hawkins stars in this cheeky dramatization of the landmark 1968 labor strike initiated by hundreds of women who rebelled against discrimination and demanded the same pay as men for their work in a London automobile manufacturing plant. During one march, a banner that reads “We Want Sexual Equality” inadvertently becomes shortened to “We Want Sex.” Nigel Cole directs this film that co-stars Miranda Richardson and Bob Hoskins.
One Week (2008) NR
Joshua Jackson stars in this bittersweet odyssey as Ben, a young man who’s just received news of his terminal illness. Leaving his perplexed fiancee, Samantha (Liane Balaban), Ben buys a 1973 Norton motorcycle and heads for the Pacific. His journey takes him through nature, introduces him to interesting fellow travelers, brings him unexpected romance and begins to put his impending fate in perspective.
