Defiance (2008)

Rated: R for violence and language
Genre: Action/Adventure
Theatrical Release: Dec 12, 2008 Wide
Starring: Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, Jamie Bell, Alexa Davalos, Allan Corduner, Mark Feuerstein
Director: Edward Zwick

Synopsis
Based on an extraordinary true story, DEFIANCE is an epic tale of family, honor, vengeance and salvation in World War II. The year is 1941 and the Jews of Eastern Europe are being massacred by the thousands. Managing to escape certain death,... Based on an extraordinary true story, DEFIANCE is an epic tale of family, honor, vengeance and salvation in World War II. The year is 1941 and the Jews of Eastern Europe are being massacred by the thousands. Managing to escape certain death, three brothers take refuge in the dense surrounding woods they have known since childhood. There they begin their desperate battle against the Nazis. Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell star as brothers who turn a primitive struggle to survive into something far more consequential – a way to avenge the deaths of their loved ones by saving thousands of others. At first it is all they can do to stay alive. But gradually, as whispers of their daring spreads, they begin to attract others – men and women, young and old – willing to risk everything for the sake of even a moment’s freedom. Tuvia (CRAIG) is a reluctant leader and his decisions are challenged by his brother, Zus (SCHREIBER) who worries that Tuvia’s idealistic plans will doom them all. Asael (BELL) is the youngest – caught between his brothers’ fierce rivalry. As a brutal winter descends, they work to create a community, and to keep faith alive when all humanity appeared to be lost.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10009458-defiance/

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Wendy and Lucy

Rated: R for language
Runtime: 80 mins
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release: Dec 10, 2008 Limited
Starring: Michelle Williams, Walter Dalton, Will Oldham, Larry Fessenden, John Robinson, Will Patton
Director: Kelly Reichardt

Synopsis
On the heels of her critically lauded OLD JOY, Kelly Reichardt delivers another deeply resonant portrait of a dying America with WENDY AND LUCY. In OLD JOY, two men provided the heart and soul of the story. This time, the film is centered on a... On the heels of her critically lauded OLD JOY, Kelly Reichardt delivers another deeply resonant portrait of a dying America with WENDY AND LUCY. In OLD JOY, two men provided the heart and soul of the story. This time, the film is centered on a young woman, played with utter conviction and selflessness by Michelle Williams (BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN). Williams is Wendy, a down-on-her-luck woman who has driven across-country with her dog, Lucy, in search of a better life in Alaska. Wendy can barely support this journey, and when her car breaks down in Oregon and she becomes separated from Lucy, her predicament becomes even more dire. In a world that doesn't seem to know she even exists, Wendy befriends a local security guard (Wally Dalton), who gives her a tiny fraction of hope. Considering this film together with OLD JOY, it's obvious that Reichardt has shot up in the ranks of American auteurs. She is becoming a master of minor features that feel like the best short stories, a sort of cinematic Raymond Carver. Credit is obviously bestowed upon the marvelous Williams, who is in almost every shot of the film, and who delivers an astonishingly honest performance. But everything about this film reeks of truth, most noticeably Sam Levy's restrained but beautiful cinematography, and Reichardt's patient editing. WENDY AND LUCY is a tribute to marginalized characters that the movies, and the real world, would usually rather ignore.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wendy_and_lucy/

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The Reader 2008

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for some scenes of sexuality and nudity.
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release: Dec 10, 2008 Limited
Starring: David Kross, Ralph Fiennes, Kate Winslet, Lena Olin, Bruno Ganz
Director: Stephen Daldry

Synopsis
Director Stephen Daldry (THE HOURS) brings another literary neo-classic to the screen with this adaptation of a novel by Bernhard Schlink. In post-World-War-II Germany, an illness brings together 15-year-old Michael and the much.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10009498-reader/

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Let Them Chirp Awhile

Rated: Not Rated
Runtime: 85 mins
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release: Dec 5, 2008 Limited
Starring: Justin Rice, Brendan Sexton, Laura Breckenridge, Zach Galligan
Director: Jonny Blitstein

Synopsis
Bobby (Rice) is a struggling screenwriter who tries to get romantically involved with a friend by agreeing to take care of her dog. He's also stuck on an idea for an arty screenplay involving talking pigeons. His friend Scott (Sexton... Bobby (Rice) is a struggling screenwriter who tries to get romantically involved with a friend by agreeing to take care of her dog. He's also stuck on an idea for an arty screenplay involving talking pigeons. His friend Scott (Sexton III) is a depressed musician bored with his girlfriend and miserable in his day job. When Bobby tells Scott the idea for his new script, Scott leaks the info to Hart, (Galligan) Bobby’s nemesis, a playwright whose campy drama about 9/11 has won awards and a run at an off-Broadway theater. What begins as a quirky comedy about relationships and writer’s block becomes a coming-of-age tale about competition and self-reliance among the “me-generation”.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/let_them_chirp_awhile/

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Nobel Son 2008

Rated: R for some violent gruesome images, language and sexuality
Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release: Dec 5, 2008 Limited
Starring: Alan Rickman, Bryan Greenberg, Shawn Hatosy, Mary Steenburgen, Bill Pullman, Ted Danson, Ernie Hudson, Lindy Booth, Tracey Walter, Eliza Dushku, Danny DeVito
Director: Randall Miller

Synopsis
Directed by Randall Miller (BOTTLE SHOCK) and written and produced by Miller and Jody Savin, NOBEL SON is a venomous tale of familial dysfunction, lust, betrayal and ultimately revenge. Barkley Michaelson (Bryan Greenberg) is... Directed by Randall Miller (BOTTLE SHOCK) and written and produced by Miller and Jody Savin, NOBEL SON is a venomous tale of familial dysfunction, lust, betrayal and ultimately revenge. Barkley Michaelson (Bryan Greenberg) is struggling to finish his Ph.D. thesis when his father, the learned Eli Michaelson (Alan Rickman), wins the Nobel Prize for Chemistry. But Eli’s past indiscretions begin to collide with the present. When Barkley is kidnapped on the eve of his father accepting the prize, Eli refuses to pay the ransom. So starts a game of intrigue and deception that proves that payback’s a bitch.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1200985-nobel_son/

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Dark Streets 2008

Rated: R for some sexual content, drug use and brief violent images
Genre: Musical & Performing Arts
Theatrical Release: Dec 5, 2008 Limited
Starring: Gabriel Mann, Bijou Phillips, Izabella Miko, Elias Koteas
Director: Rachel Samuels

Synopsis
An atmospheric film noir musical fantasy, Dark Streets tells the story of Chaz Davenport (Gabriel Mann), a dashing bachelor who owns what promises to become the hottest new nightclub in town—if only the lights would stay on. Surrounded by... An atmospheric film noir musical fantasy, Dark Streets tells the story of Chaz Davenport (Gabriel Mann), a dashing bachelor who owns what promises to become the hottest new nightclub in town—if only the lights would stay on. Surrounded by the sumptuous blues music he adores, and with his pick of the gorgeous women who perform their sensual dance numbers onstage every night, Chaz is the envy of every man.

But with the city thrown into darkness by frequent blackouts and a menacing loan shark closing in, Chaz is in danger of losing the club—and far more. At the same time, he finds himself embroiled in a love triangle with the club’s alluring star singer, Crystal (Bijou Phillips), and a new arrival at the club—the mysterious and seductive chanteuse Madelaine (Izabella Miko).

When people close to Chaz begin turning up dead, he doesn’t know where to turn or whom to trust. And the harder he tries to uncover the truth, the further he’s drawn into the darkness of lies and betrayal—a darkness as black as the city’s streets during yet another power outage. Welcome to the Blues.

Directed by Rachel Samuels (The Suicide Club) from a screenplay by Wallace King, the film stars Gabriel Mann (The Bourne Supremacy), Bijou Phillips (Choke), Izabella Miko (Coyote Ugly), Elias Koteas (The Thin Red Line), Michael Fairman (Thirteen Days) and Toledo (Don’s Plum). The film is produced by Andrea Balen, Claus Clausen, Corina Danckwerts and Glenn M. Stewart; and executive produced 2 by Steffen Aumueller. The film’s rich blues score is composed by George Acogny (Blood Diamond), featuring BB King.

Dark Streets features 12 original songs written by James Compton, Tim Brown Tony DeMeur and Bijou Phillips. The film’s stylish and sultry dance numbers are choreographed by Keith Young (Rent) and performed by sensational underground performer Toledo and a stage full of L.A.’s most talented dancers. The Dark Streets soundtrack will be released by Atlantic Records in November 2008.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1202483-dark_streets/

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Ciao (2008)

Rated: R for langage including sexual references.
Runtime: 87 mins
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release: Dec 5, 2008 Limited
Starring: Adam Neal Smith, Alessandro Calza, Ethel Lung, Chuck Blaum
Director: Yen Tan

Synopsis
A man dies very unexpectedly and leaves behind two men: Jeff, his best friend and Andrea, an Italian he’s been corresponding with online. Jeff informs Andrea of Mark’s passing; Andrea writes back to express his shock and sympathies. On a... A man dies very unexpectedly and leaves behind two men: Jeff, his best friend and Andrea, an Italian he’s been corresponding with online. Jeff informs Andrea of Mark’s passing; Andrea writes back to express his shock and sympathies. On a whim, they continue their correspondence and a rapport grows between them. They eventually meet, where they extend their e-mail exchanges into more personal and intimate conversations. They talk about their respective countries, their jobs, their families, their lives. Mostly, they talk about Mark. What began as a tragedy that linked two strangers from different ends of the world becomes a deeply realized friendship that may change their lives forever.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10010465-ciao/

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