Wednesday, March 31, 2010

New Film Book:


Leonard Maltin’s 151 Best Movies You’ve Never Seen
Here’s a fun book to check out. Most of the titles are small films you may be unfamiliar with, but others…The Maltese Falcon (1931)—hasn’t everyone heard of and seen it already? I am very happy to see some titles I loved like Hedwig and the Angry Inch but Mr. Maltin left off some of my other favorites like Strange Days. Nevertheless, I love lists and I can easily imagine copying the table of contents then sitting down and requesting those titles I haven’t seen from my friendly neighborhood library. So check it out and see if you agree with Leonard Maltin, make that popcorn, pull up a comfy chair and get ready to enjoy!

Friday, March 26, 2010

New this week:

Armored
A group of veteran officers at an armored transport security firm pressure a new guard into stealing one of their own company's trucks containing $42 million dollars. Using a seemingly sure-fire plan, the men plan to make off with the money with no harm done until an unexpected witness causes their plan to come apart at the seams.

Blind Side
Michael Oher is a homeless African-American teenager who is from a broken home. Mike is taken in by the Touhys, a well-to-do white family who help him fulfill his potential. At the same time, Oher's presence in the Touhys' lives leads them to some insightful self-discoveries of their own. Living in his new environment, Mike faces a completely different set of challenges to overcome - as both a football player and student. Mike works hard and, with the help of his coaches and adopted family, becomes an All-American offensive left tackle.

Brothers
Captain Sam Cahill is embarking on his fourth tour of duty, leaving behind his beloved wife and two daughters. When Sam's Blackhawk helicopter is shot down in the mountains of Afghanistan, the worst is presumed, leaving an enormous void in the family. Despite a dark history, Sam's charismatic younger brother steps in to fill the family void.

Dalziel & Pascoe
The blunt-talking Detective Superintendent Andy Dalziel does not suffer fools gladly, but he has even more trouble with what he calls the 'smart arses' of the world. So when the inexperienced Peter Pascoe joins his team at Mid-Yorkshire CID, the omens don't look good. Pascoe is one of the new breed of career police officers, armed with a degree, a caring attitude, and a sharp brain. This is a BBC mystery from the books by Reginald Hill.

The Men Who Stare at Goats
Reporter Bob Wilton is trying to lose himself in the romance of war after his marriage fails. He gets more than he bargains for when he meets a special forces agent who reveals the existence of a secret, military unit whose goal is to end war as we know it. With unparalleled psychic powers, they can read the enemy's thoughts, pass through solid walls, and even kill a goat by simply staring at it. Now, the founder of the unit has gone missing and the trail leads to another psychic soldier who has distorted the mission to serve his own ends.

Séraphine
This is the true story of Seraphine Louis, a simple, devout housekeeper who in 1905, at the age of 41, began painting brilliantly colorful canvases. In 1912, a German art critic discovered her paintings while she was working as his maid. This film tells the story of the relationship between the avant-garde dealer and the visionary cleaning lady, forging a testament to the mysteries of creativity and the resilience of one woman's spirit.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

New Last Week:

Babette’s Feast (Danish) (1987)
Two women, the last leaders of a restrictive religious group, find themselves with a French maid. When this maid asks to prepare for them a French meal, the group doesn’t know how to deal with this kind of earthly pleasure. This is a wonderful film. It is simple yet deep. It is full of restraint yet overflowing with riches. It is guaranteed to make you smile with joy and satisfaction.

Bagdad Café (1988)
This bittersweet delightful comedy brings together a German tourist and a black motel owner. Initially wary of each other, the two become close friends and transform the rundown cafe/motel into the hottest magical nightspot this side of Las Vegas. “The charm of Bagdad Cafe is that every character and every moment is unanticipated, obscurely motivated, of uncertain meaning and vibrating with life.”—Roger Ebert.

The Box
Norma and Arthur Lewis are a suburban couple with a young child. After Arthur loses his job, they receive a simple wooden box as a gift, which bears fatal and irrevocable consequences. Arlington Steward is a mysterious stranger who delivers the message that the box promises to bestow upon its owner $1 million with the press of a button. But, by pressing this button it will simultaneously cause the death of another person somewhere in the world, someone they don't know. With 24 hours to decide, Norma and Arthur find themselves in the cross-hairs of a startling moral dilemma and must face the true nature of their humanity.

Broken Embraces (Spanish)
Harry Caine is a blind writer who was once a filmmaker by the name of Mateo. When Caine learns of the death of wealthy industrialist Ernesto Martel, it sends his mind reeling back to the early 1990s, when he was prepping a film with lead actress, and Martel's lover, Lena, while dealing with a behind-the-scenes documentary effort from Martel's social reject son. Engaging in a heated affair with Lena, Mateo learns of Martel's violent ways, hoping to steal Lena away and finish his artistic gamble of a movie. Now over a decade later, Caine feels the rush of memories as he recalls his love affair to assistant Diego, unlocking further secrets from his close associates.

Did You Hear About the Morgans?
Meryl and Paul Morgan are a highly successful Manhattan couple. Their almost perfect lives have only one notable failure - their dissolving marriage. But they witness a murder and become the targets of a contract killer. The Feds, protecting their witnesses, whisk them from their beloved New York to a tiny town in Wyoming, and a relationship that was on the rocks threatens to end completely, unless with their new Blackberry-free lives, the Morgans can slow down the pace and rekindle their passion.

Old Dogs
Dan and Charlie are two best friends who, together, have built a successful marketing empire, but have somehow managed to avoid ever really growing up. Their lives have been turned upside down when they are charged with the care of seven-year-old twins while on the verge of a big business deal. The clueless bachelors stumble in their efforts, leading to one debacle after another, with a gorilla and some pecking penguins. Dan and Charlie learn as much from the kids as vice versa.

Poirot: the Definitive Collection
Adapted from Agatha Christie's celebrated mysteries, each film features beautiful settings and an impeccable cast. Includes: After the funeral -- Cards on the table -- Death on the Nile -- Evil Under the Sun -- Five little pigs --The Hollow -- Lord Edgware Dies -- Murder in Mesopotamia --The murder of Roger Ackroyd --The mystery of the Blue Train -- Sad Cypress --Taken at the Flood.

Return to Me
(2000)
In this joyous and surprising romantic comedy, a charming restaurant owner plays match-maker between his beautiful granddaughter (Minnie Driver) and a widower (David Duchovny) with hilarious and heartwarming results!

Shall We Kiss? (French)
When Gabriel and Emilie meet by chance, he offers her a ride and they spend the evening getting along famously. At the end of the night, Emilie declines Gabriel's offer of 'a kiss without consequences'. Emilie admonishes him that a kiss could have unexpected consequences, and tells him a story unfolding in flashbacks about the impossibility of indulging your desires without affecting someone's life.

Zumba Fitness
Zumba Fitness Live! And Flat Abs

Zumba Fitness was created in the mid-90's by Colombian native Alberto Peréz, a celebrity fitness trainer and choreographer for International pop superstars. Inspired by the traditional cumbia, salsa, samba and merengue music he grew up with, Beto paired his favorite pulsating Latin rhythms with the red-hot international dance steps his clients loved and Zumba Fitness (Spanish slang for "to move fast and have fun") was born! https://www.zumbafitness.com/flare/next

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

New this week:

Jillian Michaels 30 day shred
TV's toughest trainer, Jillian is committed to getting big results. As your own personal trainer, Jillian will guide you through her exclusive 3-2-1 Interval System that combines strength, cardio and abs to blast through calories for a dramatic shred. Includes three complete 20-minute workouts which progress by level of intensity.

Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day
For the past eight years, the MacManus brothers have been living with their father on a remote sheep farm in Ireland, far removed from their past vigilante lifestyle. When their uncle informs them that their beloved priest has been killed by the mob, and they are being framed for the murder, the duo return to Boston, not only to bring justice to those who are responsible, but to clear their names.

Capitalism: a Love Story
Follows Michael Moore as he investigates the downside of capitalistic greed in America.

Cold Souls
Souls can be extracted and traded as commodities. An actor named Paul Giamatti agonizes over his interpretation of 'Uncle Vanya.' Paralyzed with anxiety, he stumbles upon a solution via a New Yorker article about a high-tech company promising to alleviate suffering by deep-freezing souls. Paul enlists their services, intending to reinstate his soul once he survives the performance. Complications ensue when a mysterious, soul-trafficking mule borrows Giamatti's stored soul for an ambitious, but unfortunately talentless, soap-opera actress. Now Paul is rendered soulless and is left with no choice but to follow the trail back to St. Petersburg.

Collision
After a major accident leaves two dead, two critically wounded, and the surviving victims' lives changed forever, the father of one of the victims files a suit against the police department. Detective Inspector John Tolin must come to terms with his own past and with his partner in the investigation if he has any hope of untangling the carnage and understanding what caused the accident that threw so many lives together.

Everybody’s Fine
When Frank Goode's grown children cancel a family reunion, the recent widower sets off on a cross-country journey to reconnect with each of them. A family separated by physical and emotional distance finds a way to come together.

(500) Days of Summer
For Tom, it was love at first sight when Summer Finn walked into the greeting card company where he worked. Summer is the new administrative assistant. Soon, Tom knows that Summer is the woman with whom he wants to spend the rest of his life. Although Summer does not believe in relationships or boyfriends, Tom and Summer become more than just friends. Through the trials and tribulations of Tom and Summer's relationship, Tom could always count on the advice of his two best friends, McKenzie and Paul. However, it's Rachel, Tom's adolescent sister, who is his voice of reason. After all is said and done, Tom is the one who ultimately has to make the choice to listen or not.

Last House on the Left (1972)
While on their way to a concert, two teenage girls are kidnapped and tortured by three escaped convicts.

Love Happens
When self-help author Dr. Burke Ryan arrives in Seattle to teach a sold-out seminar, he unexpectedly meets florist Eloise Chandler, the one person who might be able to help him help himself. But will two people who have met the right person at exactly the wrong time be able to give love another chance? They'll find that sometimes when you least expect it...love happens.

My Life in Ruins
Georgia came to Greece to follow a man. Cast aside, she finds herself alone and adrift in this foreign land. Eventually, her passion for history leads her to a job as a tour guide. But Georgia is bored, and has lost her 'kefi' (Greek for mojo) to boot. When Poupi replaces her regular driver at the last minute, Georgia thinks that her luck has just hit rock bottom. Thankfully, Georgia's latest batch of tourists is a more lively bunch than she's anticipated, and in between bouts with rival tour guide Nico, she manages to form a genuine connection with wisecracking widower Irv. Irv is a solo vacationer who maintains a jovial facade despite the fact that he misses his late wife dearly. With a little help from Irv, Georgia comes to realize that true love may be closer than she thinks.

Precious
In 1987, obese, illiterate, black 16-year-old Claireece 'Precious' Jones lives in Harlem with her dysfunctional family. She has been raped and impregnated twice by her father, Carl. She suffers constant physical, mental and sexual abuse from her unemployed mother, Mary. After getting pregnant for the second time, Precious is suspended from her school. Her principal arranges to have her attend an alternative school where her new teacher, Ms. Rain, helps Precious learn to read and she responds to this glimmer of hope. Precious also meets Mrs. Weiss, a social worker, and discovers the abuse and incest that Precious has had to endure. Her father dies of AIDS and Precious learns that she is now HIV-positive.

Stoning of Soraya M.
When a journalist is stranded in her remote village, Zahra takes a bold chance to reveal what the villagers will stop at nothing to keep hidden. Thus begins the remarkable story of what happened to Soraya, a kind-spirited woman whose bad marriage leads her cruel, divorce-seeking husband to trump up false charges of infidelity, which carry an unimaginable penalty.

2012
A geophysical team, who are investigating the effect radiation from other solar systems has on the Earth, learn that the core of the Earth is heating up and warn the President of the United States. While the leaders of the world race to build 'arks' to escape the impending doom, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes of unprecedented strength wreak havoc all over the world.

Up in the Air
Ryan Bingham is a corporate downsizing expert who flies all over the world on business. Just as he is on the cusp of reaching ten million frequent flyer miles, and meeting the frequent traveler woman of his dreams, his company grounds him. When Bingham goes on his last cross country firing expedition, he will learn that life isn't about the journey, but about the connections made along the way.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

New This Week:

Coco before Chanel
Years after being abandoned at an orphanage by her father, Gabrielle Chanel finds a job in a tailor shop where she meets, and soon begins an affair with French millionaire Etienne Balsan. Through Baron Balsan she is introduced into French society and given the opportunity to design her own style of hats. Though her career takes off, her personal life becomes more complicated when she falls in love with Balsan's former best friend Arthur Capel.

Couples Retreat
Following failed attempts to conceive, Jason and Cynthia are contemplating divorce. In an effort to save their marriage, they book a vacation to a couple’s therapy retreat, called Eden. To save money they encourage their friends to join them, claiming that their friends can enjoy the party activities and not take part in the therapy. Reluctantly their friends, Dave and Ronnie, Joey and Lucy, and recently divorced Shane and his girlfriend Trudy agree. Upon their arrival to Eden they are sent to the west side of the island, but Joey learns that the east side of the island hosts a singles resort. After their first therapy session all four couples learn they have problems with their relationships. Later, Shane runs into his ex-wife, who admits she still loves him.

Crude

An inside look at the infamous $27 billion "Amazon Chernobyl" case, Crude is a real-life high stakes legal drama set against a backdrop of the environmental movement, global politics, celebrity activism, human rights advocacy, the media, multinational corporate power, and rapidly-disappearing indigenous cultures.

Harold and Maude
A black comedy about a rich, disturbed, young man, fascinated with death and funerals, who has an affair and a series of adventures with an eccentric and independent 80-year-old woman.

Nero Wolfe: the Complete Classic Whodunit Series
Like Sherlock Holmes and Watson before them, the brilliant but curmudgeonly Nero Wolfe and his streetwise sidekick Archie Goodwin are crime's greatest nemeses. With Nero preferring to solve crimes at home amid his orchid collection, it is Archie who does the legwork about town to allow Wolfe to unravel the most confounding crimes. Together the duo cracks cases of murder, deception, blackmail, and more, resulting in an unforgettable confection of mystery, suspense, and style. Based upon the books by Rex Stout.

Outland
In the distant future, a police marshal stationed at a remote mining colony on the Jupiter moon of Io uncovers a drug-smuggling conspiracy, and gets no help from the populace when he later finds himself marked for murder. This is a smart and exciting adventure.

Place of Execution
On a December night in 1963, 13-year-old Alison Carter took her dog for a walk, and was never seen again. For newly-promoted Detective Inspector George Bennett, the case launched a superstar career. Bennett's obsession with the case turned up enough evidence to hang his suspect even though her body was never found. Filmmaker Catherine Heathcote turns her camera to Bennett and struggles to understand why questions from forty years ago have different answers today.

Road from Coorain
A dramatization based on the memoirs of historian Jill Ker Conway, Masterpiece Theatre's The Road From Coorain is a visually stunning coming-of-age television movie that follows the celebrated academic from her harsh, isolated upbringing in the Australian outback of New South Wales, to her graduation from college with honors - all seen through the stormy relationship she had with her indomitable mother, Eve.

Roman Holiday
A princess rebels against her royal obligations and explores Rome on her own. She meets an American newspaperman who, seeking an exclusive story, pretends ignorance of her identity. But his plan falters as they fall in love.

September Issue
An unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at the making of the coveted September Issue of Vogue in 2007, which was the largest and most sold to date. An intimate, funny and surprising look at the legendary editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and her team of larger-than-life editors. This is the captivating story of how they create the must-have bible of fashion. At the eye of this hurricane is the two-decade relationship between Anna and Grace Coddington, incomparable creative director and fashion genius.

Vampire's Assistant: Cirque du Freak
Darren is a regular teenage kid. He and his friend Steve find out about a Freak Show coming to town and get tickets. Steve and Darren think that it is all a joke until a vampire named Larten Crepsley comes on stage with a very poisonous spider that he makes do tricks. Steve tells Larten he would like to join him and become an apprentice.

Vicious Kind
Caleb tries to convince his brother Peter that his new girlfriend, who he brings home for the holidays, isn't the right girl for him, only to fall for her himself.