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Release Date: September 21, 2007
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Freshly graduated from college with a promising future ahead, 22 year-old Christopher McCandless instead walked out of his privileged life and into the wild in search of adventure. What happened to him on the way transformed this young wanderer into an enduring symbol for countless people. Was Christopher McCandless a heroic adventurer or a naïve idealist, a rebellious 1990s Thoreau or another lost American son, a fearless risk-taker or a tragic figure who wrestled with the precarious balance between man and nature? McCandless' quest took him from the wheat fields of South Dakota to a renegade trip down the Colorado River to the non-conformists' refuge of Slab City, California, and beyond. Along the way, he encountered a series of colorful characters at the very edges of American society who shaped his understanding of life and whose lives he, in turn, changed. In the end, he tested himself by heading alone into the wilds of the great North, where everything he had seen and learned and felt came to a head in ways he never could have expected.
Starring:
Emile Hirsch, Marcia Gay Harden, William Hurt, Jena Malone, Brian Dierker, Catherine Keener, Vince Vaughn, Kristen Stewart, Hal Holbrook, Jim Gallien
Directed by:
Sean Penn
Rating: R (for language and some nudity)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama
Runtime: 147 min
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Up in the Air
From director Jason Reitman, who has brought us both Juno and Thank You For Not Smoking, an outstanding third outing with a cast that features three actors all Oscar-nominated for their roles here. George Clooney plays a “downsizing expert,” a man who has no real roots as he constantly flys all around the country firing people from their jobs. He meets his match in Vera Famiga, also a downsizing expert. Hot on their heels is the up & coming young Anna Kendrick, who wants to do the same job via video conferencing rather than racking up all of the frequent flier miles. The movie manages to capture perfectly our current economic crisis – a film for our time.
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March 9th, 2010
Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Saphire
Two major Academy Awards nominations for the lead actresses here. The film takes an unsparing look at the life of a Harlem teenager, circa 1987, played by newcomer Gabourey Sidibe. She’s illiterate, overweight, and pregnant for the second time by her own father. This is tough stuff. Her monster of a mother is played by Mo'Nique in an electrifying, Oscar-winning performance. Also included in the film is Mariah Carey as a social worker and Lenny Kravitz as a male nurse. An interesting variety in the cast and we see the same eclectic variety in the way the story is told. Director Lee Daniels has made a strong film that is at times dramatic, humorous, and warm – a film of many emotions. Nonetheless, a film that, as Oprah Winfrey has said, people might not “enjoy” but would “appreciate this experience.” An Oscar also went to Geoffrey Fletcher for his adapted screenplay.
Old Dogs
John Travolta and Robin Williams star in this tired comedy about two business partners whose lives are turned upside down when one of them discovers they have two 7-year-old twin kids they didn’t know about. Seth Green co-stars in this unfunny comedy.
Planet 51
Light animated fare that is very much in the classic, 1950s Hollywood movie tradition where an alien ship lands on the home planet. However, in this case, the home planet is inhabited by little green men and a human is the invading alien! Dwayne Johnson, Justin Long, and Jessica Biel are among the voice talents.
Capitalism: A Love Affair
Light animated fare that is very much in the classic, 1950s Hollywood movie tradition where an alien ship lands on the home planet. However, in this case, the home planet is inhabited by little green men and a human is the invading alien! Dwayne Johnson, Justin Long, and Jessica Biel are among the voice talents.
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© 2010
