Imaginative, impetuous and wild, Diana (Evan Rachel Wood) can’t wait for her adult life to begin. Whiling away the final days of high school in the lush springtime, Diana tests her limits with sex and drugs as her more conservative friend Maureen (Eva Amurri) watches with concern. But Diana’s aura of invincibility is shattered when a senseless act of violence erupts at school, forever changing the lives of the two best friends. Fifteen years later, a grown Diana (Uma Thurman) is still trying to come to terms with the traumatic events of that fateful day. On the surface, the adult Diana has made a picture perfect life for herself. She’s still living in the sleepy Connecticut suburb she grew up in with her husband Paul, a professor at the local college. Her beautiful young daughter, Emma, is smart and creative, and possesses a fiercely independent streak reminiscent of her mother. But all is not well—as the anniversary of her adolescent trauma approaches, the darkness that Diana has tried to escape closes in. Meanwhile, her husband has become increasingly absent, her daughter has taken to hiding from teachers, and worst of all, Diana’s own grip on reality is starting to falter. Moving seamlessly through both stages of Diana’s evolution, THE LIFE BEFORE HER EYES delves deep into the crossroads that we all face—where a simple decision can change the course of everything to come, and where a lifetime can be encapsulated in a single moment. With THE LIFE BEFORE HER EYES, Vadim Perelman, director of the acclaimed HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG, has established himself as one of America’s greatest young directors of serious, probing drama.
In desperate need of a vacation after being unceremoniously dumped by his sitcom-star girlfriend, a man travels to a lavish Hawaiian resort to nurse his wounds and forget his heartache, only to discover that his ex and her handsome new boyfriend are currently staying at the exact same island hotspot. Peter Bretter (Jason Segel) may be just another struggling musician, but for the past six years he’s been dating Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell), one of the hottest stars on television. Sarah is everything in the world to Peter, so when she kindly but firmly tells him that they should each go their separate ways, the wannabe rock star is absolutely devastated. Later, after attempting to salvage his ego by awkwardly attempting to become a womanizer and nearly losing his job because of a nervous breakdown, an emotionally fragile Peter attempts to put the past behind him by escaping to the sun-soaked beaches of Oahu. While at first it seems as if Peter has discovered the perfect prescription for a bad case of unrequited love, his plan soon turns to dust when Sarah and her new, rock star boyfriend Aldous (Russell Brand) turn up at the exact same resort. Though, while accepting Sarah’s lavish new lifestyle won’t be easy for the crestfallen Peter, the laid-back companionship of flirtatious resort employee Rachel (Mila Kunis) — not to mention a continuous regimen of fruity cocktails — goes a long way in mending the wounds of a broken heart. Forgetting Sarah Marshall was penned by Segel and produced by Judd Apatow. Fun with Dick and Jane screenwriter Nicholas Stoller makes his directorial debut.
After revealing just what a diet of Big Macs can do to a person, filmmaker Morgan Spurlock takes a tongue-in-cheek look at another threat to our collective well-being in this witty documentary from the maker of Super Size Me. When Spurlock learns that he and his wife are expecting a baby, he decides that he wants the child to grow up in a safer world than we know today, so he takes it upon himself to track down the most dangerous man on Earth, Osama bin Laden. Spurlock hops on a plane and flies to the Middle East in search of his quarry, making stops in Egypt, Morocco, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan as he keeps an eye peeled for the head of Al Qaeda. When he isn’t playing sleuth, Spurlock interviews people representing all walks of life, ranging from Orthodox Israeli enclaves and a mosque operated by rabidly anti-American Muslims to political moderates and ordinary folks at the supermarket, quizzing them about the nature of post-9/11 conflict and the need for peace.
Inspired by actual events, director Chen Shi-Zheng’s socially conscious psychological drama follows the journey of an ambitious Chinese scientist working towards his Ph.D. in America, only to be marginalized to the extent that he ultimately loses his way. All Liu Xing (Liu Ye) ever wanted was to study the origins of the universe at a Western university. Upon arriving at the school, Liu immediately rents a modest apartment with a few other Chinese students and begins flirting with the pretty American who works at the local coffee shop. Personally welcomed into Department Head Jacob Reiser’s (Aidan Quinn) select cosmetology group, Liu remains dedicated to his studies and optimistic about the future. Things continue to look up as Liu becomes close with wealthy university patron Johanna Silver (Meryl Streep) after the two become acquainted at an orientation for foreigners sponsored by a local church.
Eventually, Liu becomes Reiser’s protégé, and makes a sizable impression at a prestigious conference attended by the pair. But attitudes start to shift when Liu’s studies in dark matter come into direct conflict with his mentor’s prominent theories and well-established studies. His excitement about a potential breakthrough causes him to ignore repeated warnings that he must pay his dues, and Liu’s findings are eventually eclipsed by that of more studious fellow student Laurence. Determined to have his studies published, Liu goes behind Reiser’s back, but he ultimately becomes the target of ire rather than accolades, with Johanna’s naïve encouragement prompting him along a dangerous collision course. While Liu remains enamored with the concept of the American dream and optimistic about American science being a free market of ideas, he begins to grow dejected after his dissertation is rejected, the girl at the coffee shop blows him off, and his roommates all find lucrative jobs. Essentially left behind at the university, Liu rejects Johanna’s offer for help and vows not to return home to disappointed parents. Now, as he coasts on the fumes of his unrealized dreams, the dishonored student prepares to lash out with one final act of devastating annihilation.
As co-directed by Anne Marie Stein, Andrew Kukura and Massachusetts-based psychologist-cum-anthropologist Jenny Phillips, the documentary The Dhamma Brothers relays one of the most astounding recent tales of social evolution in contemporary America. The events in question began circa 1999, with several lifetime convicts incarcerated in Alabama’s Donaldson Correctional Facility who commenced regular Buddhist meditation sessions in that institution. Deeply intrigued by this unusual sociological development, Phillips traveled to the penitentiary in the fall of ‘99 to interview the men, and - incredibly - found that the meditation sessions prompted the group to look inward, face their demons and the direct causes of their criminal activity; the sessions thus inaugurated an authentic, deep-seated healing process in each individual. Phillips interviewed the men one by one - sessions that brought her face to face with their surprising openness and desire for permanent psychological and social change; the meetings raised serious, penetrating questions in Phillips’s mind about the possibility of living a life of inner peace and harmony within the dank rot of the prison environment, and - more significantly - the possibility of permanent freedom from rage, violence, and the continued criminal activity to which those phenomena can lead. Deeply inspired, she returned to Massachusetts, contacted the Vipassana Meditation Center in Shelburne Falls, and - following a year of discussion between that facility and Donaldson - prompted a 10 day meditation retreat for 36 of the penitentiary inmates. The Stein/Kukura/Phillips film juxtaposes footage from news accounts relaying the convicts’ original crimes, alongside candid pre-retreat interviews in which the men look ahead and pontificate on the process and results of deep introspection, expressing their most deep-seated hopes, fears and concerns. It also depicts the incredible process whereby the prison gymnasium was transformed into a Buddhist monastery, observes the day to day experiences of the retreat itself, and follows everything up with interview footage and correspondence demonstrative of the fundamental spiritual and moral changes that took place within the former criminals. In so doing, it sheds light on a group of societal outcasts who learned to achieve personal freedom and harmony even as their geographic and social liberties are severely restricted.
Frank Allen (Ryan Reynolds), celebrated author of the bestseller The Five Minute Efficiency Trainer, has perfected the art of living via a foolproof system of timetables and index cards. In fact, his daily “to do” lists are legendary. A man known for playing it safe, Frank doesn’t believe in spontaneity. Every choice he makes is deliberate––designed to contribute to a well-ordered, predictable life. But life, as he soon learns, never adheres to a strict schedule. Frank’s wife, Susan (Emily Mortimer), and seven-year-old daughter, Jesse (Matreya Fedor), find his obsession charming in small doses, but as a steady diet it can be very frustrating. One morning, Susan attempts to loosen her husband’s scheduling stranglehold by adding ten minutes to his day. But, by setting the clock backward instead of forward, she inadvertently unleashes a series of mishaps that turn his meticulously ordered life upside down. A belligerent ferryman, a ruthless seductress, a reluctant mother-to-be and the secret amor of his best friend, Buddy (Stuart Townsend), combine to send his life into complete chaos. As his life unravels in several directions simultaneously, however, a stunning family revelation forces Frank to look fate squarely in the eye. Shaken to his core, he starts living entirely “in the moment,” allowing him to defy the conventions that have heretofore defined him. Those carefully coordinated index cards that had once kept his life in perfect order now become a deck of chance as Frank scribbles spontaneous ideas on random cards, shuffles, chooses and follows the luck of the draw…with unexpected results. Frank is about to discover that not even an efficiency expert armed with timetables and index cards can change the serendipitous nature of family and friendship, love and forgiveness. Castle Rock Entertainment and Lone Star Film Group present a Frederic Golchan Production, “Chaos Theory,” starring Ryan Reynolds, Emily Mortimer, Stuart Townsend, Sarah Chalke and Mike Erwin. Marcos Siega directed the film from a screenplay by Daniel Taplitz. “Chaos Theory” is produced by Frederic Golchan and Erica Westheimer, with Fred Westheimer serving as executive producer and Barbara Kelly as co-producer. The behind-the-scenes creative team included director of photography Ramsey Nickell, production designer Sandy Cochrane and film editor Nicholas Erasmus. The music is composed by Gilad Benamram.
Ving Rhames, Nick Cannon, and Mena Suvari star in director Steve Miner (Friday the 13th Part II, Halloween: H20)’s remake of the apocalyptic gore-fest that originally concluded George A. Romero’s zombie trilogy back in 1985. A small American town has been infected with a deadly virus, and the military is determined to contain the sickness by establishing quarantine. When the situation spirals out of control and the infected residents develop a taste for human flesh, the military and surviving residents must band together to battle an enemy whose goal is not simply to kill, but to consume as well.
Filmed over an 18-month period, Young Yakuza explores the Japanese crime underworld, through the portraits of two figures: 20-year-old Naoki, a new recruit of the Kumagai crime organization, and his boss, confronted by new social trends which are gradually edging out the yakuza gangsters.
Because cameras are traditionally prohibited from this world, the director had to establish a climate of trust with the clan he filmed. He and the gang boss were able to agree on certain rules: “I came to Mr. Kumagai with a set of rules and principles so that the project could be completed. We agreed that I’d refrain from filming their illegal operations, as our point wasn’t to conduct a TV investigation but rather, make a film” said director Limosin.
