Category: Newsletters

Why are so many of our heroes on performance enhancing drugs? From the producers of Bowling for Columbine and Fahrenheit 9/11 comes a new documentary that unflinchingly explores our win-at-all-cost culture through the lens of a personal journey. Blending comedy and pathos, writer/director Christopher Bell’s film is a collision of pop culture, animated sequences and first-person narrative, with a diverse cast including U.S. Congressmen, professional athletes, medical experts and everyday gym rats. At its heart, this is the story of the director and his two brothers, who grew up idolizing muscular giants like Hulk Hogan, Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, and who went on to become members of the steroid-subculture in an effort to realize their American dream. When you discover that your heroes have all broken the rules, do you follow the rules, or do you follow your heroes?

In a hospital on the outskirts of 1920s Los Angeles, an injured stuntman (Pace) begins to tell a fellow patient, a little girl with a broken arm (Untaru), a fantastical story about 5 mythical heroes. Thanks to his fractured state of mind and her vivid imagination, the line between fiction and reality starts to blur as the tale advances.

One year later, the kings and queens of Narnia find themselves back in that faraway wondrous realm, only to discover that more than 1,300 years have passed in Narnian time. During their absence, the Golden Age of Narnia has become extinct and Narnia has been conquered by the Telmarines and is now under the control of the evil King Miraz, who rules the land without mercy. The four children will soon meet a curious new character: Narnia’s rightful heir to the throne, the young Prince Caspian, who has been forced into hiding, as his uncle Miraz plots to kill him in order to place his own newborn son on the throne. With the help of the kindly dwarf, a courageous talking mouse named Reepicheep, a badger named Trufflehunter and a Black Dwarf, Nikabrik, the Narnians–led by the mighty knights Peter and Caspian–embark on a remarkable journey to find Aslan, rescue Narnia from Miraz’s tyrannical hold, and restore magic and glory to the land.

As with all popular movies on opening weekends, we recommend people pre-buy their tickets at http://www.fandango.com/20001_movietheatershowtimes?date=5/18/2008 .

Written and directed by David Mamet, Redbelt stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as martial artist Mike Terry. Terry lives by a strict code of no competitions, for he feels that such contests weaken fighters. After saving a famous action star (Tim Allen) from a brutal attack, Mike takes a job in the film industry. He soon finds his personal beliefs and integrity on the line as circumstances force him to participate in a prize fight.

An accountant is introduced to a mysterious sex club known as The List by his lawyer friend. But in this new world, he soon becomes the prime suspect in a woman’s disappearance and a multi-million dollar heist. Deception stars Hugh Jackman, Ewan McGregor, and Michelle Williams.

Having lost his passion for teaching and writing, 62-year-old Walter Vale (Richard Jenkins) fills the void by trying to learn to play classical piano. Sent to Manhattan to attend a conference, Walter is surprised to find a young couple has taken up residence in his apartment. Victims of a real estate scam, Tarek (Haaz Sleiman), a Syrian man, and Zainab (Danai Gurira), his Senegalese girlfriend, have nowhere else to go. In the first of a series of tests of the heart, Walter reluctantly allows the couple to stay with him. Touched by his kindness, the talented Tarek insists on teaching the aging academic to play the African drum. The instrument’s exuberant rhythms revitalize Walter’s faltering spirit and open his eyes to a vibrant world of local jazz clubs and Central Park drum circles. When Tarek is arrested as an undocumented citizen and held for deportation, Walter finds himself compelled to help his new friend with a passion he thought he had long ago lost. Written and directed by Tom McCarthy (The Station Agent).

In Wong Kar Wai’s debut English language feature, the internationally acclaimed director of In the Mood for Love takes his audience on a dramatic journey across the distance between heartbreak and a new beginning. After a rough break-up, Elizabeth (songstress Norah Jones in her screen debut) sets out on a journey across America, leaving behind a life of memories, a dream and a soulful new friend, a café owner (Jude Law)—all while in search of something to mend her broken heart. Waitressing her way through the country, Elizabeth befriends others whose yearnings are greater than hers, including a troubled cop (David Strathairn), his estranged wife (Rachel Weisz) and a down-on-her luck gambler (Natalie Portman). Through these individuals, Elizabeth witnesses the true depths of loneliness and emptiness, and begins to understand that her own journey is part of a greater exploration within herself.

As with all new films generating a good bit of buzz, we recommend you pre-order your tickets at http://www.landmarktheatres.com/tickets/default.asp.

From director Michael Radford (The Merchant of Venice, Il Postino) comes a clever diamond-heist thriller set in swinging 1960s London. Demi Moore plays Laura Quinn, a bright, driven and beautiful executive at the London Diamond Corporation who finds herself frustrated by a glass ceiling after years of faithful employment. Michael Caine is Hobbs, the nighttime janitor at London Diamond who is virtually invisible to the executives that work there, but over the years has amassed a startling amount of knowledge about how the company runs. Hobbs has his own bone to pick with London Diamond. Observing Laura’s frustration, he convinces her to help him execute an ingenious plan to steal a hefty sum in diamonds. But unbeknownst to Laura, Hobbs plans go even farther than he’s let on, and together they set in motion a thrilling heist of dizzying proportions, the likes of which London has never seen.

If you’re the adventurous sort, you’re also invited to make this a double header with I’m a Cyborg, But That’s Okay at 2 pm. Cyborg, part of the Korean Film Festival currently underway in DC, is a film by director Park Chan-wook. Best known for the stylized violence of his films Oldboy and Lady Vengeance, Park Chan-wook takes a lighter turn with this whimsical tale of love in a mental institution between a boy who thinks he’s disappearing and a girl who thinks she’s a robot. Park’s genius for color and visual design is evident throughout this poignant, playful romance. The film is free, but tickets are required. Please visit http://www.asia.si.edu/events/index.asp?year=2008&month=4&day=6 for additional information.

A charming but oblivious overweight guy leaves his fiancee on their wedding day only to discover years later that he really loves her. To win her back, he must finish a marathon while making her realize that her new handsome, wealthy fiance is the wrong guy for her.

A futuristic action thriller where a team of people work to prevent a disaster threatening the future of the human race.