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Top 5 Films
UP IN THE AIR ***** From Jason Reitman, the Oscar-nominated director of Juno, comes the timely odyssey of Ryan Bingham (Oscar winner GEORGE CLOONEY), a corporate downsizer and consummate modern business traveler who, after years of staying happily airborne, suddenly finds himself ready to make a real connection. Born in Montreal in 1977, writer-director Jason Reitman has established himself as an original, smart and funny storyteller known for his pitch-perfect commentaries on society. He continues in this vein with the well-timed tale of Ryan Bingham, who, on the surface has a rather disagreeable job: he fires people when corporations downsize. And yet, Ryan's story is also about a man who is instantly, poignantly recognizable - a charming, decent man who has enthusiastically embraced our world of speed, technology, comfort, individual ambition and material perks; a man who leads a smooth, enjoyable life; a man who has it all and yet, finds something vital is missing. His tale raises intriguing questions: in an age of global travel and machine-mediated conversations, how do we get to the real, lasting connections that once sustained American communities? And what happens when we avoid them? Those questions lie at the heart of the screenplay for Up in the Air which, after an earlier draft by Sheldon Turner, Reitman took in a new direction tapping into how Ryan Bingham's story reflects how we live now, in an intersecting moment of technological advances and communication breakdowns. Go behind the scenes Explore the art of adaptation
AN EDUCATION *****
The story of a teenage girl's coming-of-age set in Britain in the early 1960s on the cusp of the strait-laced, post-war period and the free-spirited decade to come. Directed by award-winning Danish filmmaker Lone Scherfig (Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself, Italian for Beginners) from a screenplay by Nick Hornby (High Fidelity, About a Boy) it was adapted from a memoir by journalist Lynn Barber which originally appeared in the literary magazine Granta. "I'm still not entirely sure what it was about Lynn Barber's piece that had such a strong pull on me, but quite clearly there was one," says screenwriter Nick Hornby, who adapted journalist Lynn Barber's memoir, which originally appeared in the literary magazine Granta. "I read it and gave it to my wife, Amanda Posey who is one of the producers, saying, 'Look, there's a film in here'. "Perhaps what drew me to the piece most of all was that Lynn Barber has a very strong, sometimes confrontational voice in her profiles so when I saw that she'd written about her early life, I thought, Ah, I'd like to know about that!" says Hornby. The story tells of a brilliantly witty and attractive 16-year-old (Carey Mulligan) whose suburban life is about to be blown apart by the utterly unsuitable 30-something David (Peter Sarsgaard). Go behind the scenes Explore the art of adapting a memoir
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE *****
Innovative director Spike Jonze collaborates with celebrated author Maurice Sendak to bring one of the most beloved books of all time to the big screen. A classic story about childhood and the places we go to figure out the world we live in. The film tells the story of Max, a rambunctious and sensitive boy who feels misunderstood at home and escapes to where the Wild Things are. Max lands on an island where he meets mysterious and strange creatures whose emotions are as wild and unpredictable as their actions. The Wild Things desperately long for a leader to guide them, just as Max longs for a kingdom to rule. When Max is crowned king, he promises to create a place where everyone will be happy. Max soon finds, though, that ruling his kingdom is not so easy and his relationships there prove to be more complicated than he originally thought. Go behind the scenes of Where the Wild Things Are The Art of Adapting Childrens' stories
WALTZ WITH BASHIR *****
Celebrating the art of animation, this powerful Israeli animated documentary film written and directed by Ari Folman depicts the filmmaker's search of his lost memories from the 1982 Lebanon War. One night at a bar, an old friend tells director Ari about a recurring nightmare in which he is chased by 26 vicious dogs. Every night, the same number of beasts. The two men conclude that there's a connection to their Israeli Army mission in the first Lebanon War of the early eighties. Intrigued by this riddle, he decides to meet and interview old friends and comrades around the world. He needs to discover the truth about that time and about himself. As Ari delves deeper and deeper into the mystery, his memory begins to creep up in surreal images … Go behind the scenes of Waltz with Bashir The art of animation World Cinema
THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG *****
The Princess and the Frog" is from an original story by Ron Clements & John Musker and Greg Erb & Jason Oremland; the directors teamed up with writer Rob Edwards to create the screenplay. Don Hall is story supervisor. "The Princess and the Frog" is the sixth collaboration by the veteran team of Ron Clements and John Musker, whose roster of film achievements reads like an animation hall of fame, from their first teaming in 1986 on "The Great Mouse Detective," to "The Little Mermaid," "Aladdin," "Hercules" and "Treasure Planet." As usual, the animated duo was drawn to the project because of its compelling story and comic promise--potential that had eluded other development attempts. "John Lasseter loved the idea," Musker recalls, "and the idea of New Orleans as a setting, with all the cultural, historical, visual and magical ideas that great city offered us. We decided that the Jazz Age added an element of both nostalgia and musicality, and we really wanted to play up the fairy tale archetypes." A modern twist on a classic tale, it tells of a beautiful girl named Tiana, a frog prince who desperately wants to be human again, and a fateful kiss that leads them both on a hilarious adventure through the mystical bayous of Louisiana. Go behind the scenes Explore the art of animation Enter our competition
Also recommended
BROTHERS ****
A delicate and sensitive human drama. With Brothers, celebrated filmmaker Jim Sheridan again affirms his mastery of the subtle, emotionally truthful character drama. Set against the backdrop of the war in Afghanistan, Brothers visits several themes that have figured prominently throughout Sheridan's career, including family relationships, the long shadow cast by war, and the enduring possibility of forgiveness and healing. Based on the 2004 Danish drama BRØDRE, co-written and directed by Susanne Bier, it tells the powerful story of two siblings, thirty something Captain Sam Cahill (Tobey Maguire) and younger brother Tommy Cahill (Jake Gyllenhaal), who are polar opposites. When Sam unexpectedly returns to the States from his fourth tour of duty, their familiar roles now nearly reversed, Sam and Tommy end up facing the ultimate physical and mental challenge when they confront each other. In the shifting family dynamics, who will dominate? And how will the brothers come to terms with issues of love, loyalty, and manhood--and with the woman caught between them? Read the review Go behind the scenes of Brothers Explore the art of remakes
LET THE RIGHT ONE IN ****Swedish romantic horror film directed by Tomas Alfredson. It raises its curtain on a bleak and snowy Stockholm suburb in the '80s, where 12-year-old introvert Oskar (KÃ¥re Hedebrant) plays in solitude, acting out brutal revenge fantasies on the kids who bully him. Arriving around the same time that a series of deaths start to spring up, an enigmatic little girl named Eli (Lina Leandersson) and her caretaker move in next door, but the eccentric relationship that builds between Oskar and Eli is anything but a meet-cute. Perhaps it's because she might just be a ravenous vampire? Showing exclusively at the Labia. Go behind the scenes Read an interview with filmmaker Tomas Anderson
THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE **** R.J. Cutler's documentary tells of Anna Wintour, the legendary editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine for twenty years. Every August a record-breaking number of people can't wait to get their hands on the September issue of Vogue. The 2007 issue was and remains the biggest ever, weighing over four pounds, selling thirteen million copies, and impacting the $300-billion global fashion industry more than any other single publication. An intimate, funny and surprising look at Anna Wintour and her team of larger-than-life editors as they create this must-have Bible of fashion. Go behind the scenes of The September Issue Read an interview with R.J. Cutler Explore the art of documentary filmmaking
SKIN **** Writer-director Anthony Fabian, who was born in San Francisco, California and brought up in Mexico, France and the UK, first heard the story of Sandra Laing in July 2000 on BBC's Radio 4. One of the most moving stories to emerge from apartheid South Africa, it tells of a black child born in the 1950s to white Afrikaners and the story follows Sandra's thirty-year journey from rejection to acceptance, betrayal to reconciliation, as she struggles to define her place in a changing world. The first step was to secure Sandra's life rights. With the help of a couple of journalists in South Africa - Karien van der Merwe and Karen Le Roux - Fabian managed to approach Sandra about assigning her life-rights to him. Once the rights were optioned, Fabian began on the screenplay which was developed over several drafts written consecutively by Helena Kriel, Jessie Keyt, Helen Crawley and himself. Go behind the scenes of Skin Explore Proudly South African filmmaking and co-productions
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Listed Alphabetically
A PERFECT GETAWAY ** Cliff and Cydney (Steve Zahn and Milla Jovovich) are an adventurous young couple celebrating their honeymoon by backpacking to one of the most beautiful, and remote, beaches in Hawaii. Paradise becomes hell on earth as a brutal battle for survival begins… Go behind the scenes
ALL ABOUT STEVE Sandra Bullock plays eccentric crossword puzzle constructor Mary Horowitz who, after one short blind date, falls for handsome cable news cameraman Steve (Bradley Cooper). Convinced they are soul mates, Mary follows Steve across the country, encouraged by the self-serving actions of news reporter Hartman Hughes (Thomas Haden Church). Along the way, Mary befriends an endearing group of oddballs who embrace her idiosyncrasies. There definitely was something about Mary (Horowitz) that garnered Sandra Bullock's attention when she first read Kim Barker's screenplay. Barker's interest in creating a story built around a crossword constructor didn't stem from an interest in puzzles. She was more intrigued by the type of person who possessed the abundance of information necessary to generate the intricate wordplay. Barker's research reinforced her initial thoughts about shaping Mary Horowitz into a one-woman storehouse of information on innumerable subjects. With the socially-challenged cruciverbalist at its center, Barker's script for ALL ABOUT STEVE mixed classic comedy elements with dramatic and offbeat situations. This mix appealed to Bullock and her frequent producing partner Mary McLaglen, who has enjoyed a longtime collaboration with Bullock, beginning almost ten years ago with Hope Floats. Go behind the scenes
CHANCE PE DANCE (Bollywood) The story of a talented and passionate young struggling actor called Sameer. Positive and brimming with energy, Sameer juggles various jobs while working towards getting his big break in the industry. During his struggle he meets Tina who is a choreographer. Just when Sameer is promised his big break, he is left without a house as he cannot pay his rent. Not one to lose heart Sam starts living in his rickety old car and starts teaching dance in a school to young kids who has never one any dance competition. He hates kids and the kids hate dancing. The struggle in life continues as the director who was to launch Sameer now decides to choose his hero through a talent hunt. Sam is shattered but he diverts his focus towards the kids. Getting over his initial dislike of children, Sam not only emotionally bonds with them, but also helps them win a prestigious inter-school dance competition and gets their confidence back - aided by the spirited and beautiful Tina. Tina urges Sameer to enter the reality hunt, with the love and support from Tina and the kids, Sameer emerges a winner and eventually becomes what he was destined to be, a superstar.
LES CONTES D'HOFFMANN (The Tales of Hoffman) A powerhouse team joins forces for Offenbach's psychological fantasy. James Levine conducts the opera, and Tony Award winner Bart Sher (South Pacific) returns after the triumph of his Met Barber of Seville to direct. . Read more
NINJA ASSASSIN Ninjas are the special forces of the martial arts world, and director James McTeigue and producers Joel Silver, Andy and Larry Wachowski and Grant Hill wanted to bring them to the screen as never before. That became the job of screenwriters Matthew Sand and J. Michael Straczynski, who were brought on board to pen the script. "I trained in karate all through college, and the martial arts have been a big part of my life for a long time," says Sand. "So to get to write the kind of ninja movie I've always wanted to see was a dream come true." "I've always loved the genre, but it seemed like no one had made a serious ninja movie in a long time, at least not in the West," notes Straczynski. "Ninjas have been used so often for comic relief that it felt as if no one was taking them seriously any longer. The chance to make a movie that presented ninjas as being scary as hell was very appealing," he smiles, "and working with the Wachowskis is always rewarding and intellectually daunting because they both have these 12-story brains and you really have to be on your toes to keep up with them."
The screenplay began to take shape. Says Sand, "It's an origin story. The orphanage--the idea of these ninjas being a family in a twisted, dark way--and one man, Raizo, coming to terms with a substitute father who was the most awful father imaginable. Where Raizo came from as a character is exactly what the ninja clans are all about. They made him. Motivated by a lost love, his reacting against them rather than becoming what they had in mind, along with the story of the agent investigating the clans, made it a different type of a ninja movie than we'd ever seen." Go behind the scenes of Ninja Assassin
PLANET 51 *** The inhabitants of Planet 51 live in fear of alien invasion. Their paranoia is realized when an astronaut arrives from Earth. The film follows a NASA astronaut, Captain Charles "Chuck" Baker (Dwayne Johnson) who lands on Planet 51 thinking he's the first to set foot on it. However, he discovers it's inhabited by little green people who live in a white picket-fenced world reminiscent of 1950s America. Go behind the scenes Explore the art of animation Win a hamper that includes Straw Cups, Yoyo's, T-Shirts and Caps
POST GRAD When her impeccably pre-planned life plan begins to unravel, aspiring book editor Ryden Malby wonders if she'll ever live up to her own high expectations in this wry and honest look at life after college. Her rapid descent from college superstar to post-grad washout has opened her eyes to a whole new world of intriguing possibilities as she begins to realize that the road to happiness may take a completely different route than the one she had so carefully planned. Go behind the scenes Explore the art of original filmmaking
THE PRIVATE LIVES OF PIPPA LEE From all outward appearances, Pippa Lee (ROBIN WRIGHT PENN) leads a charmed existence. An anchor of feminine serenity, she is the devoted wife of an accomplished publisher (ALAN ARKIN) thirty years her senior, the proud mother of two grown children, and a trusted friend and confidant to all who cross her path. But as Pippa dutifully follows her husband to a new life in a staid Connecticut retirement community, her idyllic world and the persona she has built over the course of her marriage will be put to the ultimate test. Embarking on a bittersweet journey of self-discovery, along with help from a new, strange and soulful acquaintance (KEANU REEVES), Pippa must now confront both her volatile past and the hidden undercurrents of her seemingly placid world to find the true sense of self which has always eluded her. By turns wry, humorous, and emotionally exacting, THE PRIVATE LIVES OF PIPPA LEE presents the complex portrait of the many lives behind a single name. Go behind the scenes Explore the art of adaptation
THE REBOUND ** A romantic comedy set in New York City about a 24-year-old man (Justin Bartha) and his new neighbor, a sexy 40-year-old mom (Catherine Zeta Jones), who catches more than just his eye. Go behind the scenes
SHERLOCK HOLMES *** In a dynamic new portrayal of Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous characters, "Sherlock Holmes" sends Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson on their latest challenge. Revealing fighting skills as lethal as his legendary intellect, Holmes will battle as never before to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy the country. "We've tried to take him back to what we believe to be his origin, which is essentially a more visceral character," says the film's director, Guy Ritchie, who has been a Holmes fan since childhood Go behind the scenes Explore the art of adaptation
THE STEPFATHER *** Dylan Walsh stars as David Harris, very much a "family values" man who mysteriously comes into the lives of single mothers with children and becomes the dream man they always wanted. When he woos Susan Harding (Sela Ward) and eventually moves in with her family, her teenage son Michael (Penn Bagdley) begins to suspect that David is not quite the dream man he pretends to be. Go behind the scenes Explore the art of remakes
SWAN LAKE ***** This staging of Tchaikovsky's ballet was staged and filmed at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, and features dancer Danila Korsuntsev and the enchanting musical accompaniment is provided by the Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre, as directed by famed conductor Valery Gergiev. The award-winning prima ballerina and classicist Ulyana Lopatkina, is traditional in its choreography and features a stunning Grand Pas, as well as the once controversial pas de deux, which Tchaikovsky had to revise for the prima ballerina Anna Sobeshchanskaya, who premiered the role of Odette. Read more
VELVETEEN RABBIT In this brand new feature film, one of the most beloved family tales of all time comes to life in an enchanting combination of live-action drama and animated adventure. It's the story of a young boy named Toby who is sent by his busy father to spend the holiday season in the home of his stern grandmother. Toby's world instantly changes when he discovers the house's 'magic attic' where three forgotten toys - including a special stuffed rabbit - unlock a world of imagination that will change all their lives forever.
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