Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Week of May 28

Website is best viewed at RecklessVideo.com.  Pop-up credits links are inactive on Blogger.

Spanning

When their youngest son, Sammy, begins acting strangely, Daniel and Lacey Barrett (Josh Hamilton and Keri Russell) assume it's the influence Sammy's older brother, Jesse (Dakota Goyo) in Scott Stewart's Dark Skies. Jesse's stories about The Sandman affecting Sammy's sleepwalking could explain the strange disturbances in the house, but as the situation progresses, the mysterious circumstances around the Barrett family can't be explained by the boys' ghost stories. When they all start losing control, they consult an expert (J.K. Simons) to explain what's happening to their family, but the answers could be more unbelievable than what they're already going through. On DVD and Blu Ray.


The new film from Shane Carruth, the writer/director of the independent Primer, is Upstream Color, centered around Kris (Amy Seimetz), recovering from being victimized by a thief who entranced her, directing her to sign over all of her property and valuables. As she forms a relationship with a fellow victim, their shared life cascades through time, embracing an elliptical, Terrence Malick style of non-linear storytelling that marries Kris' need for revenge, the evolution of romance, mind control, parasitic worms, and a pig farm. On DVD and Blu Ray.


When 16-year-old Lore's high-ranking Nazi parents disappear to escape arrest by Allied forces at the end of World War II, she has to lead her siblings to their grandmother's house in Lore. Their grandmother is over 500 miles away, and the children are on foot, and their journey is part road movie (a long voyage encountering different people: some friendly, some dangerous) and part fairy tale (children wandering through a surreal, haunted world) as they contend with the tragedies that have befallen the German countryside. On DVD and Blu Ray.


Former black-ops gunman Kent (John Cusack) has been reassigned to watch over a broadcast station in The Numbers Station, safeguarding Katherine (Malin Akerman), a broadcaster who transmits coded orders to operatives in the field. When they walk into an ambush, the find themselves locked in the numbers station, forced to piece together who is attacking them-- someone has transmitted a block of unofficial assassination orders, the surveillance tapes show a squad (led by Richard Brake) coercing the previous broadcaster and operative, and the controller on the other end of their emergency line has ordered Kent to terminate Katherine. With Liam Cunningham.


Brian loves basketball... but he's such a lousy player, the only spot he can get on his highschool team is a coach's assistant in Thunderstruck. When he meets his hero, Kevin Durant (playing himself), a wistful "I wish I could play like you" causes a Freaky Friday-style talent switch: Brian impresses his coach (Jim Belushi) with a sudden burst of NBA level skill, and the Oklahoma City Thunder is losing game after game now that Durant is playing like a clumsy teenager.


“You just get to a point where your
disappointment in yourself becomes
so much bigger than your parents’
disappointment in you.”
John (Keanu Reeves) is sleepwalking through an unfulfilling life, working part time as a chauffeur for an escort service in Generation Um... He spends his free time with the girls he drives for (wildly loud and hedonistic Bojana Novakovic and shyer, more reserved Adelaide Clemens) , but finds some shred of meaning when he steals a video camera from a park performance. With the camera, he records his aimless wandering through the streets of New York and coaxes secrets, confessions, and truths from the girls walking with him.

New this week in our TV New Releases:
Suits
Season 2
College-dropout Mike is still earning his keep as the associate of high-powered lawyer Harvey Specter as the two form a case-closing odd couple. Longmire
Season 1
Wyoming sheriff Walt Longmire investigates major crimes with the help of his deputy (Katee Sackhoff) and best friend (Lou Diamond Phillips) as he navigates community politics with powerful local land-owners
Doctor Who
Series 7, Part 2
Parting ways with Amy and Rory, The Doctor adopts a new companion (Jenna-Louise Coleman) and begins showing her the edges of time and space, but a malicious intelligence is tracking The Doctor's every move, seeking to undo everything he's ever done.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Week of May 21st

Website is best viewed at RecklessVideo.com.  Pop-up credits links are inactive on Blogger.

Sleepwalking

Emily (Rooney Mara) is put into the care of Dr. Johnathan Banks (Jude Law) after an "accident" that may have been a real attempt of self harm in Steven Soderbergh's Side Effects. Though she has every reason to be happy-- her husband (Channing Tatum) has just been released from prison, and the two of them can finally begin their life together-- but she can barely make it through the day. Dr. Banks talks to Emily's previous doctor (Catherine Zeta-Jones) who recommends a new antidepressant... one that helps Emily, but has unexpected side effects. As Banks becomes obsessed with undoing the damage he's done and the changes he sees in Emily, his life spirals out of control, and one bad decision could cost him everything. With Vinessa Shaw. On DVD and Blu Ray.

Big Guns

When his crew betrays him and leaves him for dead, Parker (Jason Statham) seeks his revenge in Taylor Hackford's Parker. Because his mentor Hurley (Nick Nolte) connected Parker with the robbery job and its crew (including Michael Chiklis, Wendell Pierce, and Clifton Collins Jr), they're both targets-- Hurley sends his daughter (Emma Booth) with Parker to keep her safe. Now Parker has to protect the girl, hunt down his former partners, and survive the assassin (Daniel Bernhardt) that's been sent after him, but he finds unlikely help in a down-on-her-luck real estate agent (Jennifer Lopez) who can get Parker to what he wants. On DVD and Blu Ray.

In his first starring role in ten years, Arnold Schwarzenegger is a small-town Texas sheriff in Kim Jee-Woon's The Last Stand. The football team's away-game has left his Texas bordertown mostly empty, and when an escaped cartel kingpin (Eduardo Noriega) races towards him, hoping to sneak into Mexico, the sheriff prepares for an old fashioned showdown. The FBI (Forest Whitaker) are no help and the cartel's gunmen (led by Peter Stormare) are already in town, so Sheriff Owens gathers his deputies (Zach Gilford, Jaimie Alexander, and Luis Guzman), swears in the Gulf War veteran in the drunk tank (Rodrigo Santoro) and the local gun collector (Johnny Knoxville). Out-gunned and outnumbered, the sheriff and his rag-tag band swear to hold the town with makeshift roadblocks, antique weapons, and a fierce determination to keep the lawless from taking advantage of their town. On DVD and Blu Ray.

After thirty years in jail, Val (Al Pacino) finally steps out into the free world to be met by his old partner-in-crime Doc (Christopher Walken) in Stand Up Guys... but Val's freedom allows their old boss (Mark Margolis) to take revenge for the job that went wrong. Knowing their time is limited, they catch up, get drinks, visit a brothel (run by Lucy Punch), steal a car, and spring their old wheel-man (Alan Arkin) from his retirement home. With the gang back together and nothing left to lose, the veteran gangsters question their fates and whether they should submit to their former boss' death sentence. With Vanessa Ferlito. On DVD and Blu Ray.

Magic

Ethan (Alden Ehrenreich) is an outsider in his small, conservative South Carolina town in Beautiful Creatures, but he's immediately drawn to the new girl in his class, Lena. Lena's tied to the town's founders, the Ravenwood family, which makes her an immediate outcast: the rest of the community believes the Ravenwoods are devil worshippers. As Ethan gets to know her, Lena explains that she is a "caster," and that she's come to town to find her destiny-- Lena is fated to be one of the most powerful casters ever. Macon Ravenwood (Jeremy Irons) wants Lena to embrace the light, her cousin Ridley (Emmy Rossum) wants to see her join the dark side, but they all believe the blossoming love between Lena and Ethan will determine the future of their magical family. With Viola Davis and Emma Thompson. On DVD and Blu Ray.

As Far As You Can Go

The newest film from Troma Entertainment is The Taint, a zombie/infection/outbreak story where the male virility drug Cockzantium turns men into uncontrolled, violent, misogynist beasts. When none-too-bright Phil O'Ginny emerges into a world gone mad, he's taken in by warrior survivalist Misandra, who's been fighting to survive since the drug infected the water supply. Their journey to survive the testosterone apocalypse leads them to aim their weapons a little lower and stomach the gore splatter... and worse. On DVD and Blu Ray.

Jakkalan (Thai martial arts star JeeJa Yanin) is a bike messenger making a profit skimming from mob cash deliveries in Petchtai Wongkamlao's This Girl Is Badass, but she can't get away with her scam forever. When the mob comes looking for their money, they discover Jakkalan is more than just a cyclist: using whatever's around any given garage, she's more than capable of taking down groups of organized crime enforcers.
The ABCs of Death is an anthology film that combines 26 short films by 26 different directors across a variety of genres, tones, and styles, all pushing the boundaries of scares, shock value, and/or good taste, including entries by Ben Wheatley (U is for Unearthed), Noboru Iguchi (F is for Fart... no, really), Ti West (M is for Miscarriage), Yudai Yamaguchi (J is for Jidai-geki ( Samurai Movie)), and Jake West (S is for Speed).

Family

Nim is still living on her island with her father (Matthew Lillard) and a collection of friendly animals in Return to Nim's Island, but her father has to travel to the mainland to prevent developers from building a tourist resort on the island. While he's away, a runaway comes ashore, and he and Nim have to save the island from the poachers that are chasing him and threatening to take over her island home.

New this week in our TV New Releases:
True Blood
Season 5
Sookie and Lafayette are stuck with the mess left at the end of Season 4, but their solution includes striking a bargain that will come back to haunt them.
The Aquabats!
Super Show
Season 1
Mixing animation and live action, the amateur superheroes and part-time rock band The Aquabats fight crime and face off against a variety of supervillains in a 1960's kids' show setting.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Week of May 14th

Website is best viewed at RecklessVideo.com.  Pop-up credits links are inactive on Blogger.

Century-Spanning

Weaving together a variety of stories through time, directors Andy & Lana Wachowski and Tom Tykwer create a film mosaic in Cloud Atlas, combining the stories of a lawyer's (Jim Sturgess) ocean journey in the 1800s, a young composer (Ben Whishaw) in the 1930s working on "The Cloud Atlas Sextet," a journalist (Halle Berry) in the 1970s entangled in a nuclear conspiracy, a present-day publisher (Jim Broadbent) in trouble with the criminal underworld, a futuristic clone (Doona Bae) breaking from her pre-programmed role in Neo-Seoul, and an elder tribesman (Tom Hanks) making a forbidden journey after the apocalypse. The main cast of any one story appear in the others, changing character, age, race, and even gender as their future incarnations reflect their shared past, echoing one another as the stories mix within the movie. With Hugo Weaving. On DVD and Blu Ray.

Personal Histories

Advertised as Lindsay Lohan's comeback before becoming notorious on its own merits, Liz & Dick stars Lohan as legendary actress Elizabeth Taylor. Chronicling her famous relationship with fellow screen legend Richard Burton (Grant Bowler). From their meeting on the set of Cleopatra, to their scandalous affair, the ends of their respective marriages, they became the template for outrageous Hollywood couples, both for their extravagant romance and for their plate-hurling, name-calling spats.

Set at the turn of the 20th century, Leonie stars Emily Mortimer as Leonie Gilmour, who applied her education and love of poetry to assisting acclaimed poet Yone Noguchi (Shido Nakamura). When Yone returns to Japan, leaving Leonie pregnant and alone, she returns to her mother (Mary Kay Place) in California to raise her son... but she never gives up her struggle to reconnect her family, traveling to Japan, and becoming a prominent figure for women's rights and education. With Christina Hendricks and Mieko Harada.

Landowner Master Fan loses his property and wealth in Back to 1942, and he has to flee with his family as the Japanese army raids the Chinese countryside. With the country already in famine and the war making food even more scarce, Fan fights for the survival of his family as his story crosses with missionaries (Tim Robbins), reporters (Adrien Brody), and historic leader Chiang Kai-Shek (Chen Daoming).

Blood Ties

Heather (Alexandra Daddario) only discovers she's adopted when a surprise inheritance shows up from a grandmother she didn't know she had. Driving out to her family estate with a group of friends (including Tania Raymonde), Heather learns that most of her family died during the events of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in Texas Chainsaw. Along with the series-mandatory hitchhiker (Shaun Sipos), they explore Heather's new home, but along with the revving of the chainsaw, they've also got the attention of the corrupt mayor (Paul Ray) that destroyed Heather's (and Leatherface's) family all those years ago. With Scott Eastwood. On DVD, Blu Ray, and 3D Blu.

Madcap

Frankie (Charlie Hunnam) has been living in a trailer in Death Valley ever since his brother ruined his life in Frankie Go Boom. His parents bring him home when his brother Bruce (Chris O'Dowd) is released from rehab, but Bruce's new obsession is directing film... much like he "directed" Frankie's wedding video, uploaded it to YouTube, made him a laughingstock, and sent him into exile in Death Valley. Bruce's newest film features Frankie alone with a girl (Lizzy Caplan), and the brothers have to scramble between an over-the-hill TV actor (Chris Noth), a web-connected transsexual (Ron Perlman), and more, to get the new video off the internet before Frankie's life is ruined again.

Plus-sized brothers Herbert (Jerod Mixon) and Jamal (Jamal Mixon) have a chance to be stars if they can get a "golden ticket" white T-shirt in White T. Their quest to become the next incarnation of The Fat Boys is sidelined when someone else (Robbie Kaller) snags the prize-winning shirt and a shot at a star-making concert. To get the shirt back and win their fortunes, they slip from one comic scenario to the next, including a flamboyant Eric Roberts and a latino Faizon Love.

Charles Swan (Charlie Sheen) is a superstar graphic designer trying to survive the 1970's war of the sexes in A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III. When his girlfriend (Katheryn Winnick) leaves him, he starts to spiral out of control, and he only has his oblivious best friend (Jason Schwartzman) and befuddled manager (Bill Murray) for support. Charles' only way to process his troubles are in his mind, fantasies that come to life in his graphic designer's imagination and present themselves on screen, but the fantasies always fade away into the reality he's made for himself.

New this week in our TV New Releases:
Dexter
Season 7
Dexter's newest victim puts him in the sights of an enforcer for a Ukrainian crime syndicate (Ray Stevenson) while he has to contend with his sister and the fallout from the events at the end of Season 6.

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Week of May 7th

Website is best viewed at RecklessVideo.com.  Pop-up credits links are inactive on Blogger.

Manhunt

When a veteran sniper opens fire on a public park, he's quickly caught and arrested, but he asks for one man while in custody: Jack Reacher. The detective in charge (David Oyelowo) and district attorney (Richard Jenkins) have no idea how to find the infamous Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise), an off-the-grid ex-military investigator, when Reacher suddenly appears: he'd already been following the case. Working with the defense attorney (Rosamund Pike), Reacher's sharp, analytical mind is an asset to the case... but as he uncovers plots and conspiracies, he also has to unleash his skills in hand-to-hand combat, gunplay, car chases, and stealth to find the real shooter and the mastermind behind the murders. With Werner Herzog. On DVD and Blu Ray.

When someone kills Harry's dog, he sets out on an epic quest for vengeance in Revenge for Jolly! Harry doesn't have many friends, but he brings his cousin Cecil (Oscar Isaac) along, and together they follow a long path back to the man who killed Jolly. Beginning with the neighborhood bartender (Elijah Wood) who pointed the killer to Harry's home, to a prostitute (Gillian Jacobs), to a crooked lawyer (David Rasche), to crashing the killer's sister's (Kristen Wiig) wedding reception... but questioning any of their leads inevitably ends up in wild gunfire and massive bloodshed.

Women

The newest film adapted from a Nicholas Sparks novel, Safe Haven stars Julianne Hough as Katie, a woman on the run who finds herself lying low in a small, North Carolina town. Katie's quick to make friends (Cobie Smulders) and soon meets single father Alex (Josh Duhamel), beginning a romance. While her relationship with Alex deepens and she begins to win over his hesitant children, Katie can't escape the secrets of her past, which must eventually find her. On DVD and Blu Ray.

A young writer in the small, Korean costal town of Buan starts to compose a story using Buan as the setting in Hong Sang-Soo's In Another Country, but ends up writing three variations of the story. Each of her stories centers on a charming tourist (Isabelle Huppert) visiting the town, but the writer changes her from a filmmaker to a divorcee to an adulterer, and though she meets some of the same people and visits the same locations in each story, the story themselves change differently as Huppert's character is rewritten.

Steel Magnolias
Now & Then
Adapted from the popular stage play, Queen Latifah leads the cast of the new Steel Magnolias as M'Lynn, centered on a group of women around Truvy's Beauty Spot in Louisiana. M'Lynn is with her good friend Truvy (Jill Scott) to prepare for her daughter's wedding, and the women-- along with Truvy's other regulars (Aldre Woodard and Phylicia Rashad)-- but their story reaches further than the wedding. Over the course of months, the women each need support and friendship as they face their personal crises. With Lance Gross.

A Portrait

Christopher Plummer performs as John Barrymore in Barrymore, a filmed version of his one-man, award-winning play. Speaking to the audience from stage, Barrymore is preparing to recapture his fading fame by revisiting his star-making turn in Richard III a few months before his death in 1942. As he prepares, John recounts his life on stage and screen in one of stage and screen's most famous families, and the excesses that shattered his career.

Meet the Fokkens is a documentary about two 69-year-old Amsterdam prostitutes: Louise, who retired at 67, and Martine, who still has a window in the Red Light District. The twins have an extended conversation about the nature of their business, what they've learned about men, and how sex work has changed in the modern age.

Haunting

Lucas (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) has never given up looking for his twin brother Jeffery after he vanished with his two little girls in Mama. When he finds the girls years later in a cabin in the woods, cut off from human contact and becoming feral, no one knows how they survived on their own. The doctor (Daniel Kash) studying the girls gives Lucas and his girlfriend Annabel (Jessica Chastain) custody to keep the children under observation... until they start to discover how the girls survived, and why they keep asking for "Mama." On DVD and Blu Ray.

Relationship Comedies

Sarah (Lizzy Caplan) and Beth (Alison Brie) are sisters, but couldn't me more different in Save the Date. While Beth is moving forward with her wedding to Andrew (Martin Starr), it's taken Sarah two years to move in with her boyfriend, Andrew's bandmate, Kevin (Geoffrey Arend). When Kevin publicly proposes to Sarah in the middle of a show, independent Sarah runs, devastating their relationship... but leaving her open to Jonathan (Mark Webber), who's had a long-term crush on her. Though she expects Jonathan to be a quick, rebound affair, Sarah begins to come to terms with her habit of fleeing relationships and commitment.

David and Paige Walling (Hugh Laurie and Catherine Keener) have been neighbors and friends with Terry and Cathy Ostroff (Oliver Platt and Allison Janney) for more than 20 years in The Oranges. When the Ostroff's free-spirited daughter Nina (Leighton Meester) comes home for Thanksgiving, Cathy tries to set her up with the Walling's successful son Toby (Adam Brody) to get her to stop making bad lifestyle choices... but Nina ends up with David. Though he's old enough to be her father, and David's marriage is ruined, he's actually enjoying his life for the first time in years. With Alia Shawkat. On DVD and Blu Ray.

New this week in our TV New Releases:
30 Rock
Season 7
The final season of 30 Rock sends the cast and crew of TGS with Tracy Jordan off to their happy endings, revisiting past gags, and closing down their show not with a whimper but a bang. Royal Pains
Season 4
Doctor Hank Lawson continues to serve the rich and exclusive clients in the Hamptons while his brother Evan dreams up new schemes to keep the practice profitable.
Fringe
Season 5
Fringe's final season drops Anna, Peter, and Walter in the dystopian, Observer-ruled future, trying to combat their fate in 2036 and save their present. Psych
Season 5
Shawn's fake-psychic routine allows him and his partner Gus to take cases and solve mysteries using their "psychic" powers.