New to the library this week:

Ashes of Time Redux
A mysterious man lives alone in the desert. People come to him when they need someone eliminated. This is a martial arts epic which examines the role of memory in people’s lives. It is “a visual treat… capturing swirling sands and beautiful, treacherous landscapes, resulting in a stirring sensory experience.”

Born on the Fourth of July
This is the biography of Ron Kovic, a paralyzed Vietnam War vet who became an anti-war and pro-human rights political activist after feeling betrayed by the country for which he fought. Tom Cruise gives a strong performance in this 1989 film.

The Doors
This 1991 film is the story of the famous and influential 1960's rock band and its lead singer and composer, Jim Morrison. Val Kilmer is spectacular as Morrison.

Fireproof
In an attempt to save his marriage, a firefighter uses a 40-day experiment known as "The Love Dare." This is a Christian drama starring Kirk Cameron.

Frost/Nixon
Frank Langella and Michael Sheen star as Richard Nixon and David Frost in this re-telling of the post-Watergate Frost/Nixon interviews. Director Ron Howard’s film is unquestionably “involving, engrossing cinema.” (Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times)

Gorky Park
An investigator on the Moscow police force relentlessly pursues the solution to a triple homicide which occurred in Moscow's Gorky Park. William Hurt stars as Arkady Renko in this film version of the Martin Cruz Smith novel. Lee Marvin is particularly creepy as the bad guy.

Hang ‘Em High
“The hanging was the best show in town. But they made two mistakes. They hung the wrong man and they didn't finish the job.” (tagline in imdb.com)
How could you resist a movie with a tagline like this, and who could possibly be in it besides Clint Eastwood? It may be a 1968 film but Eastwood never fails to deliver.

Horse Soldiers
John Ford directs John Wayne and William Holden in this 1959 Civil War cavalry picture. A Union Cavalry outfit is sent behind confederate lines to destroy a rail supply centre. Wayne is the Col. and Holden a surgeon in this “thundering spectacle.”

JFK
A New Orleans DA discovers there's more to the Kennedy assassination than the official story. Kevin Costner stars in this star-studded retelling of the historic event. Whether or not you buy director Oliver Stone’s view of the assassination, this is an exciting and compelling political thriller.

Oliver Stone’s America
An interview with director/writer/producer Oliver Stone who is candid, honest and at times brilliant when discussing his career and criticism leveled at him and the state of American society today.

Player
A studio executive is being blackmailed by a writer whose script he rejected. The question is, which one? This film is Robert Altman’s look at Hollywood: “hilarious and heartless in about equal measure, and often at the same time.”—Roger Ebert.

Snow Cake
Snow Cake is a film about friendship, trust, snow, acceptance, obsessive behavior, a dog called Marilyn, and about the power of friendship, no matter how eccentric, to change our lives and heal our hearts.

Spirit
Rookie cop Denny Colt returns from the beyond as The Spirit, a hero whose mission is to fight against the bad forces in Central City. Frank Miller wrote the screenplay from the comic book series by Will Eisner.

Stone Cold
This is the first of the Jesse Stone films based on the novels of Robert B. Parker and starring Tom Selleck as a New England police chief investigating a series of murders.

Ten Commandments
Cecil B. DeMille’s epic Bible film The Ten Commandments is the proclaimed “Greatest Event in Motion Picture History!” Charlton Heston stars as Moses, the Egyptian Prince who learns of his true heritage as a Hebrew and his divine mission as the deliverer of his people.

Tess of the D’Urbervilles
The story of Tess Durbeyfield, a low-born country girl whose family find they have noble connections. This BBC mini-series is from the classic novel by Thomas Hardy.

Wrestler
A drama centered on retired professional wrestler Randy "The Ram" Robinson as he makes his way through the independent circuit, trying to get back in the game for one final showdown with his former rival. Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei both won Oscars for their performances.