Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Week of July 26

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Re-Living the Past

Source Code is director Duncan Jones' follow-up to Moon, where Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) is being projected into a time loop-- through strange technology, he's inserted into someone else's body, repeatedly experiencing the last 8 minutes before a terrorist bomb goes off on a train. His handlers (Vera Farmiga and Jeffrey Wright) have sent him onto the train in an eight-minute-loop before the bomb goes off to find the identity of the bomber, but every time his mission starts, he finds himself face-to-face with Christina (Michelle Monaghan). As Colter develops a relationship with Christina, he begins to question the rules of his time loop, the inevitability of the bombing, and his future beyond the next eight minutes. On DVD and Blu-Ray.

Shattered Lives

14-year-old Annie Cameron meets and becomes infatuated with Charlie, a boy she meets over the internet, in Trust. After months of online activity, their first meeting reveals her online boyfriend is nothing like he described himself. Annie's father (Clive Owen) becomes obsessed with revenge and her mother (Catherine Keener) tries to give her comfort, while Annie is convinced Charlie still loves her, only staying away because the case is being investigated by the FBI. With Jason Clarke and Viola Davis. On DVD and Blu-Ray.

Wartime

Returning to the lives of the characters (but not the cast) of Happiness, Life During Wartime applies director Todd Solondz's dry humor to the tragedies of Trish (Allison Janney), Joy (Shirley Henderson), and Helen (Ally Sheedy). Though Helen has cut ties with the family and retreated to California, the ensemble story sees Trish's husband (Ciaran Hinds) out of prison after serving his sentence, while Trish has begun dating Michael Lerner. Joy has married Allen (Michael Kenneth Williams), who is still driven to making obscene phone calls, but she's haunted by the suicide of Andy (Paul Reubens) from Happiness' prologue. Though the characters have been slightly distorted and reinvented, their lives progress as the characters from the first movie must...

Set in Nazi-occupied Holland in 1945, the Dutch Winter in Wartime follows 13-year-old Michiel as he discovers Jack (Jamie Campbell Bower), a downed British pilot. Aiding Jack ushers Michiel into the resistance with his favorite uncle (Yorick van Wagening), which Michiel sees as an adventure. As the seriousness of the situation dawns on him, Michiel begins to understand the war around him and the danger of not knowing which adults he can trust. On DVD and Blu-Ray.

Siege

After signing the Magna Carta and reducing the power of the throne, King John (Paul Giamatti) refuses to honor the document and begins executing the Barons who signed it in Ironclad. One baron (Brian Cox) recruits a Templar Knight (James Purefoy) and a band of misfits to hold Rochester Castle-- the legendary siege plays out in bloody, extended battles as the warriors holding the castle fight fir their freedom and the king fights to reclaim the power of his throne. With Kate Mara and Jason Flemyng. On DVD and Blu-Ray.

Imports

Kohei's clone agreement becomes active when he dies in an accident in the Japanese The Clone Returns Home, and his clone-self sets off to pick up his life where it left off. The terms of the cloning resurrect him exactly as he was at the time of the agreement, with all of Kohei's memories and feelings, including his guilt and grief over the death of his twin when they were both children, but coupled with the burden of being a duplicate of himself.

Helena, obsessed with medical illustrations and finding imperfections in her own body, strikes up a relationship with Benoit, a radiologist who notices her interest in X-rays, in the French The Sentiment of the Flesh. As their relationship continues to push new boundaries, they start a journey of exploration that includes medical instruments and a new definition of "knowing" one another.

The Undead

Once, Dylan Dog (Brandon Routh) was the barrier between the normal world and the zombies, werewolves, and vampires that walk the streets of New Orleans... but he's resigned himself to photographing infidelity as a two bit detective in Dylan Dog: Dead of Night. When a murder case falls into his lap, he doesn't want to get involved with Elizabeth (Anita Briem) whose father was murdered by a werewolf, but the case won't let go of him. Soon, he and his sidekick (Sam Huntington) are calling on connections from Dylan's supernatural past, vampire entrepreneurs (Taye Diggs) and the heads of werewolf clans (Peter Stormare), but what seemed like a murder case could be something more complicated and dangerous. On DVD and Blu-Ray.

Michael travels to Berlin to return his ex-girlfriend Gabi's keys, but he arrives at the beginning of a citywide crisis in Rammbock Berlin Undead. As an infection spreads on the streets below, Michael is trapped in his ex's apartment complex with limited food and water. Banding with the few survivors in the building, he tries to find his way out of a zombie apocalypse and hopefully reunite with Gabi.


New this week in Reckless Video's TV New Releases are Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe, a prequel story before the first season of Burn Notice, where Sam (Bruce Campbell) gets involved in a mission in South America that eventually leads him to his fate in Miami, and Supernatural: The Animated Series, the animated continuation of the Supernatural series.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Week of July 19

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Full Potential

Eddie's (Bradley Cooper) life is going nowhere-- he has no money, no motivation, he's just been dumped, and he can't even begin the novel he's supposedly writing. When his ex brother-in-law (Johnny Whitworth) lets him try an experimental drug, Eddie suddenly reaches his potential in Limitless: he reclaims his girlfriend (Abbie Cornish), writes his book, and with a mind that can suddenly comprehend anything, starts to turn his life around... but his new ambition puts him in league with dangerous and powerful men (Robert De Niro, Andrew Howard, and Richard Bekins). Worse, the addictive properties and side effects of the drug is unknown, but what are Eddie's chances without it? On DVD and Blu-Ray.

80's

Though he just graduated from MIT, Matt (Topher Grace) is working in a mall at a dead end job with Barry (Dan Fogler), his best friend, in Take Me Home Tonight. With the help of his sister (Anna Faris) and Barry, Matt will try to make sense of his life and correct the mistakes of his past... namely, mustering the courage to ask out his high school crush (Teresa Palmer). Over the course of on 1980s night, they'll each find their own path in Matt's quest through parties, stunts, and suburban adventure. With Chris Pratt. On DVD and Blu Ray.

Family Stories

Nathan (Ben Schwartz) became a famous and successful writer on the strength of his novel in Peep World, but the book tells all of his family's secrets. Reuniting the whole family for their father's (Ron Rifkin) birthday, Nathan has to contend with his shallow and materialistic sister (Sarah Silverman) who's suing him over the book, his constantly in trouble black sheep brother (Rainn Wilson), and his reliable brother (Michael C. Hall)... who's ready to crack under the stress of being "the good one" in a famously dysfunctional family.

Fighting Games

Jin (Jon Foo) arrives out of the wastelands of a dystopian future to fight in a ruthless martial arts tournament in Tekken. Though Jin wants to stop the man running the tournaments (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) and end the fighting forever, he'll have to beat the champion (Gary Daniels) and win the game to get there. Aided by a former tournament fighter (Luke Goss) and making allies within the games (including Kelly Overton), Jin fights for freedom and justice, but doesn't know how much the games have already shaped his life. On DVD and Blu Ray.

Trophy

Catherine Deneuve is the trophy wife to an oppressive husband (Fabrice Luchini) in Potiche. Set in 1977, she's fairly happy in her life, until her husband is incapacitated and she has to take his place managing an umbrella factory. Put in charge because her husband assumed she would be obedient and do very little, she becomes an excellent plant manager, outshining her husband and reconnecting with an old flame, the town's mayor (Gerard Depardieu).

Autobiographical

Based on a actual events, Desert Flower tells the story of Waris Dirie (Liya Kebede) from Somalia to Britain. Befriending and moving in with an English girl (Sally Hawkins), she learns English and lands a job, but eventually meets the photographer (Timothy Spall) and publicist (Juliet Stevenson) that make her a famous model. Her fame allows her to become a UN spokeswoman against female circumcision, a common practice in her homeland.

Rural

Walter (Peter Stormare) is a local cop in Small Town Murder Songs, trying to put his violent past behind him and live a quieter life. When his estranged ex (Jill Hennessy) reports a dead body, the balance of small town life is upset, and Walter is suddenly involved in a murder investigation. As the stresses of his life and the case mount, the threat of the old rage he tried to leave behind continues to grow. With Martha Plimpton.

Documentaries

Detailing the history of one of the most beloved authors and novels of the 20th century, Hey Boo: Harper Lee and To Kill a Mockingbird unearths photos, letters, and interviews that tell the story of Harper Lee and her enduring literary classic.
Transcendent Man focuses on Ray Kurzweil and his beliefs regarding "the singularity," merging of human consciousness and advanced computing technology. Exploring Kurzweil's accomplishments and credentials, the documentary provides experts that believe him to be a crackpot or a genius.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Week of July 12

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Cowboys

In Gore Verbinski's first animated movie, Rango (Johnny Depp) seems like just the kind of hero a troubled desert town needs. His tales of wild west adventures are enough to give hope to the townsfolk and have the mayor (Ned Beatty) pin a sheriff's star to his chest... but a Isla Fisher needs him to solve the most important problem in a desert town: there's no more water. With the town on the verge of collapse, a conspiracy around the water, and a mercenary gunfighter (Bill Nighy) ready to take him down, Rango still has a bigger problem: he's a pet chameleon who's never been out of his tank before. Shot like a classic western, Rango is the first animated film rendered by Industrial Light and Magic, with a completely unique animation style. On DVD and Blu-Ray.

Dax Shepard tries to reinvent himself (I'm Not Here style) in the mockumentary Brother's Justice. Done with comedy, Shepard has decided to become a martial arts action hero ("like Chuck Norris!") and make a movie called Brother's Justice. He calls in favors from directors he knows (Jon Favreau) or someone who might be able to get James Cameron on the phone (Tom Arnold), but he quickly burns through his connections with a project that no one else believes in. With David Koechner.

Heirs to the Family Fortune

Mercenary defense attourney Mick Haller (Matthew McConaughey) has a long history of winning cases for guilty clients in The Lincoln Lawyer, but he takes Louis Roulet's (Ryan Phillippe) case because Roulet is the heir to a real estate wealth. Roulet insists the charges against him are a scam to get at the family fortune, but Mick starts to suspect that the case is tied another case from his past, and his world is suddenly a very dangerous place. With William H. Macy and Marisa Tomei. On DVD and Blu-Ray

Arthur
Now & Then
The Bach family's millions have given Arthur (Russell Brand) everything, but having his every whim provided has prevented him from growing up in Arthur. Though his private messes are cleaned up by his nanny Hobson (Helen Mirren), his public spectacles have forced him into a corner: he must either marry someone he doesn't love (Jennifer Garner) or he'll lose his fortune. Though his partying lifestyle is nearly everything to him, Arthur meets Greta Gerwig, who teaches him that there may be more to life than money. On DVD and Blu-Ray.

In the wrong house

Taking place on the same night as [ •Rec], a doctor and special operations team are sent into the quarantined building in [•Rec] 2. As they search for "patient zero" and an answer to the infection that has overtaken the building, they quickly discover that they're not as prepared for the dangers in the building as they thought. While the doctor and his team search the building, three local kids have snuck into the quarantine, and the two groups end up in the same fight for survival.

Josh and Renai (Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne) move their family into a new house in James Wan's Insidious, but strage disturbances disrupt their new life. When their son (Ty Simpkins) doesn't wake up one morning, doctors can't explain his coma-like state, but his condition and the increased disturbances in the house inspire them to call an expert in the paranormal (Lin Shaye)-- if they can accept what she says, they'll have to bring their son's spirit back from a place she calls "The Further." On DVD and Blu-Ray.


The story of a young Palestinian, Julian Schnabel's Miral stars Freida Pinto as Miral, who must deal with the socially and politically charged environment of the Israel-Palestine conflict. As the story follows her journey from forceful patriotism to the people who encourage her to more active paths, she finds her own perspective on the world she's constantly chafing against. With Hiam Abbass and Willem Dafoe.

An ailing Uncle Boonmee reflects on his life and lives before in the Thai Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, trying to find the source of his illness. The film unfolds as an exploration of his physical and spiritual life, as animals talk to humans and the dead speak to the living, with a surreal concept of time, space, and reality.


New this week to Reckless Video's TV New Releases is season 3 of Damages, with Ellen (Rose Byrne) having left Hewes and Associates for the district attourney's office, but finds her new case has her office cooperating with Patty Hewes (Glen Close), putting the two of them together once again.

Season 7 of Entourage puts Nick (Adrian Grenier) in an action movie, where doing his own stunts makes a thrill-seeker of him, while E (Kevin Connolly) and Ari (Jeremy Piven) manuver in the world of Hollywood management, and series 9 of MI-5 brings to light more from Lucas' (Richard Armitage) mysterious past as Section D continues to work under Harry Pearce (Peter Firth).

Finally, Robot Chicken Star Wars Episode III continues the minitures-and-toys sketch based riffing on the Star Wars franchise.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Week of July 5

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Vigilantes

Grindhouse Trailers

Long ago, a filmmaker would shoot a movie, and before the movie came out, a trailer would be released.
Today, independents film trailers that become viral video successes, and then a feature film is made. Black Dynamite was a trailer for a faux-blaxploitation film before it became a parody of exploitation. The Quinten Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez Grindhouse double feature offered a handful of fake trailers... but the "fake" Machete trailer has become Machete, and now another of the Grindhouse joke trailers has become an actual movie: Hobo with a Shotgun.
Expanded from one of the joke trailers in the Grindhouse double-feature, Hobo with a Shotgun stars Rutger Hauer as a homeless man who wanders into a lawless, violent town. Set in the 80s in a city that seems imported directly from Tromaville, the Hobo meanders through depraved streets until he can't take any more... and picks up a shotgun. Though he becomes a hero in a town full of corruption, the Hobo's fight makes him the target of a ruthless gangster, his new wave sons (including Gregory Smith), and an army of hired killers, which can only lead to the kind of ultraviolent showdown that form the cornerstone of grindhouse vigilante pictures. On DVD and Blu-Ray.

A good cop (David Lyons) is framed, hunted by his own men, and assumed dead in the superhero series The Cape. Discovered underground and adopted by Max Malini (Keith David) and his Carnival of Crime, he's trained in magic and illusions to become The Cape. Along with Summer Glau, a hacker who uncovers dastardly plots for him to foil, The Cape becomes a vigilante freedom fighter driven to stop the corruption that stole his life and defeat the mastermind supervillain (James Frain) who's responsible for all the evils in the city.

Assassins

A warlord is driven to conquer all of China, so he sends assassins to destroy all the most powerful kung fu schools in Empire of Assassins. Two young brothers survive the attack: one boy is adopted by the warlord and raised as his own son, while the other is left behind. As the brothers grow up, they're destined to clash; one's faithful to the warlord while the other is bent on vengeance.

Based on an actual battle, Takashi Miike's 13 Assassins is the story of a privileged young lord whose position has made him untouchable-- he tortures and murders on a whim, and criticism of him would cause a samurai to lose their title, their honor, and their life. One samurai (Koji Yakusho) who's lost everything to the lord's viciousness takes the mission to go rogue and kill the lord-- he gathers a handful of men willing to sacrifice themselves to stand against a small army and assassinate the monster, before he becomes more powerful. On DVD and Blu-Ray.

Drama

Set in 1990s Algeria, Of Gods and Men is the story of Brother Christian (Lambert Wilson) and the Trappist monks (including Michael Lonsdale, Oliver Rabourdin, and Philippe Laudenbach) who are respected "friends of Algeria," taking sides with neither the government or the Islamic rebels. The monks live in a quiet monastery, but violence escalates outside their walls, and it can't be kept out forever. On DVD and Blu-Ray.

Pierre (Danny Keogh) is an athlete and comparative religion student whose injuries drive him to self destruction and loss of faith in Riding Tornado. When he finds Tornado, an Arabian stallion with Self Mutilation Syndrome, he feels a kinship with the horse-- together, they find a horse whisperer who may be able to save Tornado, but only if Pierre commits to the process, saving himself along with the horse.

Serialized Sci-Fi

Part one of the fourth season of Eureka sends Sheriff Carter (Colin Ferguson), Dr. Blake (Salli Richardson-Whitfield), Dr. Deacon (Joe Morton), and more back in time. As the strange and improbable air around the town of Eureka breeds experts capable of handling shifting timelines, eccentric minds on both sides of the rift in time work to set the continuum right.

Including a crossover with Season 4 of Eureka, the second season of Warehouse 13 rejoins Agents Bering and Lattimer (Joanne Kelly and Eddie McClintock), banished to the midwest, researching and investigating the government's cache of supernatural items. With the agent-in-charge (Saul Rubinek), they solve the seemingly inexplicable mysteries that exist outside of the natural world.

Magic

Patrick and Louise (Aiden Gillen and Eva Birthistle) are mourning the death of their 9-year-old daughter when they move to the remote town of Wake Wood. When a local man (Timothy Spall) offers them a chance to resurrect their little girl for a few days, to make their peace and say goodbye, they're skeptical... but curious, and hopeful. If they can get their daughter back, will they be able to let her go again, and what would the consequences of breaking the deal be?

National Geographic's documentary Witchcraft: Myths and Legends explores the centuries old belief in magic, from British practices of white magic to a "witch cleanser" in Zimbabwe, as well as all of the modern believers in magic and the histories of their practices.