Today's Pick

Despite a career which has included a string of critical hits such as "My Left Foot" and "In the Name of the Father," the 60-year-old Irish director Jim Sheridan returns to cinemas this week with his latest film "Brothers," a depressing study in post-tramatic syndrome but a rewarding journey, is set to hit theaters today.
"Brothers" is an adaptation of the award winning Danish filmmaker Susanne Bier's "Brødre" in 2004, and it's about human frailty, and tells a story of how the two brothers find themselves changing roles. When a straight-arrow Marine Sam Cahill (Tobey Maguire, the "Spider-Man") returns to the war in Afghanistan, he leaves his wife Grace (Natalie Portman) and his children behind. He also leaves his black-sheep younger brother Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal), who is having issues with their father. But when Sam is thought to be dead, Tommy steps up and begins to help Grace with the house, hoping to deal with both of their loss. Happily, Sam is not dead and he returns battered and bruised, but alive. Yet his return is only after he has suffered some painful experiences. And once he is back, he struggling to adjust to civilian life and suffers from guilt, anger, sadness and paranoia, leaving his family broken and afraid. As a result, the siblings whose lives have gone in completely different directions. One is a hero who returns from the front erratic and violent, and the other is an ex-con who learns self-control when he's handed responsibility.
The increasingly impersonal Jim Sheridan is doing his personal best to further the Irish tradition of storytelling. On the big screen or in conversation, the diminutive Irish filmmaker spins tales of a mesmerizing nature, covering politics, history, religion and literature, and sometimes all at once. With strong supporting performances from Oscar nominees, Sheridan's movie delves deep into the mental scars of war in a way that is reminiscent of Michael Cimino's 1978 classic "The Deer Hunter." "It's the difficulty of the warrior coming back to a civilian situation, and how he has to adjust," Sheridan says. As a melodrama, "Brothers" is a powerful statement on loyalty, love, calamity of the human heart and the cost of war. The movie stays with you long after leaving the theater...maybe forever.

German director Werner Herzog doesn't do normal. His lengthy and fearlessly brilliant career has involved everything. He captured a gallery of oddballs both real and fictional, turning his lens on everyone from a doomed "Grizzly Man" to "Aguirre, the Wrath of God." He's finally met his match in manic actor Nicolas Cage, and the product of their unholy union, "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans," a crime drama shocks and confuses in the Big Easy, from First Look Pictures opens theaters today. It should give fans of the cultish and weird a reason to cheer, and for those seeking mainstream fare should consider themselves forewarned.
"Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans," A powerful spiral into oblivion, works best as a study of a man in the grip of madness, magic and iguanas. The movie is not a remake of Abel Ferrara's 1992 tour of New York law-enforcement hell, nor is it a sequel. According to Mr. Herzog, who has taken "Bad Lieutenant" from New York to post-Katrina New Orleans, a perceptive move that allows him to explore his cardinal themes of man's inhumanity to man and the indifference of nature in a city stripped to its swampy essence. "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans" is its own special fever-swamp of a movie, an anarchist film noir that seems, at times, almost as unhinged as its protagonist.
"A New Orleans mystery: A Cop So Bad, He's Good" in this Herzog's trippy new thriller, the Oscar-winning actor reunites with his "Ghost Rider" co-star Eva Mendes, and gives one of his best performances in years. Cage plays an on-the-edge and corrupted cop who's just promoted to lieutenant, and investigating the killing of five Senegalese immigrants. He plunges into drug addiction after a heroic on-the-job accident. He throws himself into this role with the energy of a man accepting a double dog dare, that lets him indulge in his most manic, unhinged mannerisms, taking viewers to the very precipice of nihilistic depravity while preserving just enough self-conscious humor to keep from tumbling in. He does some of his best work in over a decade here. Not all of it works, but it's a joy to see Cage take some risks again.

There is a growing legend out there that the ancient Maya predicted the world would end on Dec. 21, 2012. It doesn't. But, as with other topics based on a whiff of truth and a hint of hysteria, Hollywood is all over it. The disaster-movie veteran Roland Emmerich has given movie watchers several apocalyptic sci-fi thriller films in the past in "Godzilla," "Independence Day," "The Day After Tomorrow" and "10,000 B.C.," and he offers another look at the end of the world in his latest exercise in global cataclysm that tells of the heroic struggle of the survivors "2012," opens theaters today.
People who view screenwriting as an art and don't particularly care about audience reaction to their films. But Mr. Emmerich , the hollywood's most successful one-trick pony, claims to favor "human stories" over spectacle, he has taken that very kind of formula writing and made a veritable empire out of it, returning every few years to destroy some corner of the earth and invent a handful of earnest heroes, wisecracking sidekicks and solemn old men to survive his newest take on the apocalypse. "2012" is crammed with state-of-the-art digital effects. A few teacups get chipped: California slides into the sea; Yellowstone Park blows straight up into the sky; disasters flattening Rio's Christ the Redeemer statue, St.Peter's Basilica and the White House; massive floods and fires; and a giraffe being rescued by helicopter. That's just the opening act.
In "2012," our premier Hollywood disastermeister Mr.Emmerich flips our entire planet on its head. Following an academic researcher who opens a portal into a parallel universe, making contact with his double in an effort to prevent the catastrophic prophecies of the ancient Mayan calendar from coming to pass. When a global cataclysm thrusts the world into chaos, divorced writer and father Jackson Curtis (John Cusack) uses his knowledge of the ancient prophecies to ensure that the human race is not completely wiped out. Chiwetel Ejiofor, Danny Glover, Amanda Peet, Thandie Newton, and Oliver Platt round out the cast of this thriller.
Mr. Emmerich claims that "2012" is his final disaster movie, unless "Independence Day 2" ever gets off the ground, and the movie is nothing if not an indulgent curtain call for the man who figured out how much we like watching cinematic portrayals of our own demise. It's all the reasons we've ever loved or hated his movies, but also a reminder of why it's high time to move on. Alternately eye-popping, brain-bruising, and certifiably insipid, "2012" will absolutely appeal to anyone who enjoys watching films ironically.

The two-time Oscar-winner Hilary Swank and Indian film director Mira Nair bring a cloyingly earnest biographical drama "Amelia" based on the exploits of Amelia Earhart that arrives in theaters nationwide Today.
An extraordinary life of adventure, celebrity and continuing mystery comes to light in "Amelia", a vast, thrilling account of legendary aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart, who has a special place in the hearts of all Americans. Perhaps it's because of her role as a trail-blazer for women. Maybe it's because of her mysterious disappearance, the subject of much speculation and theorizing. After becoming the first woman to fly across the Atlantic, Amelia was thrust into a new role as America's sweetheart - the legendary "goddess of light," known for her bold, larger-than-life charisma. She was an inspiration to people everywhere, from First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt to the men closest to her heart: her husband, promoter and publishing magnate George P. Putnam (played by Golden Globe® winner Richard Gere), and her long time friend and lover, pilot Gene Vidal (by Ewan McGregor). In the summer of 1937, Amelia set off on her most daunting mission yet: a solo flight around the world that she and George both anxiously foresaw as destined, whatever the outcome, to become one of the most talked-about journeys in history.
The screenplay by Ron Bass and Anna Hamilton Phelan is based on Susan Butler's book "East to the Dawn", Mary Lovell's book "The Sound of Wings" and Elgin Long's "Amelia Earhart: The Mystery Solved". Old-fashioned in the best sense of the word, "Amelia" soars. Director Mira Nair has crafted a big, beautiful, and sweeping motion-picture biography about a true American legend, with a solid performance from Swank, who is outstanding, transforming herself into the complex public and private Amelia Earhart with humanity and heart.
"Amelia lived her life the way she wanted to live it. She made no apologies for saying,'This is my life and this is how I see it and this is how I want it to be done,'" Swank said. "Her story was certainly a reminder for me to live life, and that you have to constantly look within and continue to live the life that you know you want to live, for yourself and not for other people."
However, the glossy, stodgy and unfailingly conventional, "Amelia" sets out to inspire an audience but never feels inspired itself. The film was lavishly produced, but the spirit is missing. What Amelia ends up being is a film that doesn't honor its subject: we don't know Earhart any better, nothing elemental about her is explored, and all the beautiful air cinematography in the world can't save that.

Danish filmmaker Lone Scherfig always has an easy touch with relationships, never overplaying the hand she's been dealt. She has adapted British journalist Lynn Barber's autobiographical memoir with screenwriter Nick Hornby, both come together bring a beautifully observed film for "An Education", opens today in theaters.
"An Education" is a British coming-of-age drama and fulfills its purpose as a light-hearted and captivating film. Set amid the post-war austerity of England in 1962, and centers around a suburban soon-to-be-17-year-old schoolgirl Jenny (played by Carey Mulligan) who is working hard to get into Oxford, until she meets the suave, thirty-something David (Peter Sarsgaard) who seduces her into his hipster world and shows her an a lternate future, for better and for worse. The ending of the film is particularly poignant, and confirms the theme that, even if you make mistakes, they sometimes turn into memories you'll cherish forever.
The film premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, gaining critical acclaim and won the audience award for best film and screened in the Berlin, London, Telluride, Toronto and Sydney festivals. The Danish director Lone Scherfig excels in establishing a rhythm of natural progression throughout the entire film, though highly predictable and at some times painstakingly obvious, this coming-of-age story interlaces an exceptional amount of comedy with the perfect amount of serious, life-changing situations to create a legitimately delightful film. The film is also powered by the strength of relative newcomer Carey Mulligan's standout performance. Mulligan has been praised for her breakthrough performance and singled out by critics as a potential dark horse for Best Actress in the upcoming Academy Awards race. The overarching theme of "An Education" never falls short of hitting its target, as it serves to be a redundant reminder of where life might take you.

More than 15 years after directing "The Piano," the Oscar winning writer Jane Campion is back in top creative form with a chaste love story in "Bright Star," to be limited release today, only at San Francisco bay area theaters.
Initially, "Bright Star" appears to be adapted from the best book Jane Austen never wrote. But it’s an original work, based on the three-year real-life love affair between 19th-century English romantic poet John Keats(Britain's Ben Whishaw) who believes in "the holiness of the heart's affections" and the love of his life, Fanny Brawne(Australia's Abbie Cornish), the exuberant girl next door, whose deep, passionate affair never gets beyond hand-holding and stolen kisses, before the poet died from tuberculosis at age 25. Both make this chaste relationship burn like fire.
More admirable than emotionally affecting with its gorgeously framed shots and superb craftsmanship, "Bright Star" is a thing of beauty, beautiful in the rarest of ways. The heartwrenching emotion in this movie was unlike any other. Passions that are too formidable to control, and too dangerous to let loose -- these are the themes that drive Jane Campion's work. She went far beyond the usual "I am deeply in love; Now I am sad" and truly captured human idiosyncrasy as she delved into the illogical, irrational minds of two young and suddenly in love individuals. This film perfectly embodied how a simple, real, profound story should be told.
In the sensual and womanly-wise period drama "Bright Star" is the most generic historical romance ever put to film, or at least it feels like it. The movie is an ode to poetry and love, and indeed lyrical, in the best sense. The New Zealand-born filmmaker has performed her own feat of romantic imagination, and her beautiful high-strung romance "Bright Star" has a rhythm all its own, and unequivocally celebrates the joys of poetry. It may not be a joy forever, but it will do until the next joy comes along.

The fall season officially begins this evening when scripted shows make their return to the small screen. The major networks don’t get their start this week, but the CW , youth-obsessed junior network is kicking the season off tonight with premiere back to back, the 90210's 2nd season at 8pm, followed by Aaron Spelling's widely anticipated series "Melrose Place" at 9pm., the spin-offs of the iconic 1990s show, 17 years after the original premiered in 1992 and I know you're pumped to check it out.
It all started when the CW had a surprise hit last season in "90210," its new-millennium version of the Aaron Spelling classic "Beverly Hills 90210." premiered last fall. So naturally, the junior network, desperate for another hit, has ordered an updating of that series' popular spin-off "Melrose Place", which is the 5th series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise, and it's an updated version of the 1990s FOX prime time drama "Melrose Place", featuring a group of young adults living in a West Hollywood Spanish-style apartment complex with pool at 4616 Melrose Place. Tonight's pilot episode will show you a new generation of young professionals try to make their way through life and deal with obtaining their own personal goals, drives, and desires, both amongst themselves and others. Same address, but new generation, and a whole new level of OMG!
The first Melrose Place always seemed like a wobbly drunk—it weaved in and out of melodrama and generally seemed like the tipsy victim of its own excesses. The new series, on the other hand, is sharply written, stocked with hot and talented young things and generally looks fantastic—the whole package hangs together fabulously and instantly sucks you into the soapy goodness. Watch the pilot straight through, and we promise that after that hour you will want to know more about what happens to these people. "Melrose Place" was so hot in the 90’s! Can the "Melrose Place" remake be as big as the series the first time around? With some critics praising Melrose and others giving the reincarnation a big thumbs down. Entertainment Weekly just named their #1 Must Watch of the Week.

The film "State of Play" comes to us on DVD/Blu-Ray today. From director Kevin Macdonald of "The Last King of Scotland" and his committee of screenwriters have, like newsroom rewrite aces, based on the critically acclaimed BBC miniseries of the same name, "State of Play." The plot of the six-hour serial has been condensed to fit two hours, and shifting locales from London to U.S. capital. The film was released in North America on April 17.
Academy Award-winner Russell Crowe leads an all-star cast, including Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams & Helen Mirren in the blistering political thriller about deception, manipulation and corruption. When a street smart D.C. reporter Cal McCaffrey (Crowe), an old-school-style journalist is assigned to investigate the murder of an assistant to an up-and-coming U.S. Congressman (Affleck), who's also his best friend, he uncovers a conspiracy that threatens to bring down the nation's power structures. In a town of spin-doctors and wealthy power brokers, he will discover one truth: when fortunes are at stake, no one's integrity, love or life is safe.
Political thrillers are most effective when they deal with an issue that resonates with their audiences. It can be difficult to produce them in a timely matter because news happens constantly, and seemingly weekly, the world is on to the next story of corruption or injustice.
With this tense thriller "State of Play," the universal themes of greed and amoral politicians, it brings together gripping performances, riveting suspense and is "sophisticated, intelligent and powerful". It feels a little familiar as far as paranoid political thrillers go, but it's so nicely executed—well written, compelling and rich—with a stellar set of actors that it's easy to get engrossed in the story, and the current American political climate fits nicely with the story. The drama features terrific performances from its stars as well. The special extras for DVD include deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes making-of featurette.

Though it is only August, Brad Pitt leads the list of Oscar contenders thanks to his performance in his highly-anticipated new fantasy film, "Inglourious Basterds" hits theaters today. A new World War II film from director Quentin Tarantino.
The title of the film was inspired by Italian director Enzo Castellari's 1978 movie "The Inglorious Bastards," but it is not a remake of that film, with the eagerly anticipated "Inglourious Basterds," Tarantino manages to simultaneously surprise and revert to predictable form. The surprise lies in his choice of period and subject matter. Set in Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a group of Jewish-American soldiers known as "The Basterds" are chosen specifically to spread fear throughout the Third Reich by scalping and brutally killing Nazis. Pitt plays Lieutenant Aldo Raine, the commanding officer of the "Basterds", to recruit a team of Jewish soldiers for their mission. No pleading or bargaining allowed—just a bullet to the head or the business end of baseball bat to their skulls.
For once, a movie that meets or exceeds the hype! A classic Tarantino genre-blending thrill ride, "Inglourious Basterds" succeeds on many level, such as violent, unrestrained, shocking, extremely bloody and thoroughly entertaining. His finest effort perfectly balances brilliantly written dialogue with completely insane violence. This film tells a tale of swift and merciless justice and the way more fun than the real World War II. The film reviews on Rotten Tomatoes rating has been climbing every day and is at its peak as the film is released today, as 87% of positive reviews. I would say it's the best movie of the year to this point! And also wish it success could help the Brothers Weinstein's financial failures.

Some things in life are better in the TV hit "Mad Men," the madly loved and hugely awaited AMC's Emmy award-winning series created and roduced by Matthew Weiner of the "Sopranos", that returns, as dark and stylish as ever on AMC channel tonight at 10 p.m. for its third season, is ostensibly a show about advertising, and while the latest story line has to do with a British agency taking over fictional Sterling Cooper, what "Mad Men" really dramatizes is the political and cultural ruckus that shook up the country in the 1960s. The show centers on Don Draper (Jon Hamm), the agency's creative director, and the people in his life in and out of the office.
This moral drama also depicts the changing social mores of 1960s America, a show about deciding who you are and who you want to be, of character as the sum of small choices. There are no heroes or villains here, only people working out or being carried toward their individual destinies. And in who we root for and in what we root for them to choose, we also define ourselves. From the advance reviews, it appears that season 3 is going to be better than ever, has been measurably more influential. But as satisfying as the Season 3 premiere is, "Mad Men" devotees hoping for answers to all their burning questions will be, as usual, out of luck. Sunday's premiere features at least one jaw-dropping moment.
I was hooked on the first episode, can't think of a single movie or TV series, that captured it's designated period better than this one has. It treats its audience like we actually have a brain and can figure out the subtleties of the plot, and amazing to see how far we have come as a society. Beyond being the finest series on TV, “Mad Men” is mad about '60s cocktail classics, both ambitious and exquisite, two of the ultimate rarities in the business. I LOVE this show! "Mad Men" is an original, such a brilliant and amazing show, it’s truly one of the best on TV, acting is perfect, the recreating of the time period is dead on, the characters are fascinating. Can't wait to see!

Fall in love again? The gifted Rachel McAdams melted our hearts in "The Notebook" and "Wedding Crashers" returns for this summer's biggest remantic movie, and tries to keep Eric Bana’s heart in "The Time Traveler’s Wife," which coming out today in local theaters near you.
"The Time Traveler’s Wife," a romantic drama with Sci-Fi twist, is directed by Robert Schwentke of "Flightplan" and adapted by Bruce Joel Rubin of "Ghost", based on the 2003 best-seller novel by Audrey Niffenegger, about a Chicago librarian Henry (Bana) who has a genetic disorder that causes him unable to control his abiliy to vault through time, and the impact that has on his marriage with a young heiress Claire (McAdams), a long-suffering woman who can't stay away from him. Basically this is a glad-to-be-sad romance of two people who can’t bring themselves to part but can never really be together.
It's never easy to compare movies from different times and genres. All time travel stories have one thing in common, they require a total suspension of disbelief. If you start thinking about the lapses in logic, everything falls apart. Time travel serves as a metaphor for love, absence, aging and death, but once you see it on screen, it becomes real. This adaptation of the 2003 bestseller is meant to be supremely romantic, but why does this love go so bad? Only time will tell. Timing is everything, especially when it comes to love. "The Time Traveler's Wife" takes this expression quite literally. The film is a tale of highly-praised reality-bending romance, but early reviews of the film show an uphill battle since it doesn't fulfill its destiny. One thing for sure is it seems no question that tears will flow and hankies will suffer terribly. This dramatic fantasy film has held up well, and is honest assessment of how difficult and magical a true and lasting love can be.

"Julie & Julia" is an inspirational film about finding your passion! Reuniting the leads of “Doubt”, "Julie & Julia" stars Amy Adams as Julie, a woman who aspires to cook all 524 recipes from Julia's autobiography, and Meryl Streep as Julia, the life of famed chef in written and directed by Nora Ephron’s adaptation of two true bestselling memoirs: 'Julie & Julia' by Julie Powell and 'My Life in France' by Julia Child with Alex Prud’homme. "Julie & Julia" intertwines the lives of two women who, though separated by time and space, are both at loose ends...until they discover that with the right combination of passion, fearlessness and butter, anything is possible.
Passion. Ambition. Butter. Do You Have What It Takes? Few movies are as delightful as "Julie & Julia", it's a light and entertaining treat, with winning performances, sharp writing and some happy surprises. Though not an all-out feast, "Julie & Julia" is spiced with plenty of humor and affection. The experience is well worth relishing, and a movie you’ll definitely want to see on a full stomach.
Ephron was nominated 3 times for an Oscar for Best Writing, Screenplay for "Sleepless in Seattle," "When Harry Met Sally" and "Silkwood." In her new movie, "Julie & Julia," Ephron combines her talent for romantic comedy with her art for weaving personal biopics.

Director Joe Wright ('Atonement,' and 'Pride & Prejudice') brings the true story of an unlikely friendship to life in the 2009 film, "The Soloist" , is based on the book, "The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship", has hit the DVD format from Paramount today. The film was originally released in theaters in April, 2009.
Life has a mind of its own. "The Soloist" based off the real life experiences of a L.A. Times award-winning columnist Steve Lopez(Robert Downey Jr.) and his friendship with Nathaniel Ayers, a entally ill musician(Jamie Foxx) who becomes schizophrenic and homeless, touches on inspiring connections that are relatable but also falls slightly flat of pure satisfaction. Lopez and Ayers must find a way to conquer their deepest anxieties and frustrations to hope for a brighter future for both of them.
Overall, this powerful movie does an amazing job and has received somewhat favorable reviews. In this fact-based drama, the high-octane performances of Foxx and Downey make fine duet, and strong enough to carry the movie through till the end. Wright was also given the impossible task of making something bigger than it needed to be. "The Soloist" pulls at your heart!
The DVD and Blu-ray include a Wright commentary and an assortment of closer looks at the making of the movie and the real-life Ayers.

“Funny People” the latest from director Judd Apatow, will implement more dramatic elements than seen in his previous hit comedies “Knocked Up” and “The 40-Year-Old Virgin”, is all it's cracked up to be, and has its share of crude jokes about body parts. At its heart, though, is a somber story about a famous comedian, Adam Sandler stars as George Simmons, whose personal life is sorely lacking. He cheated on his one great love, Laura (Leslie Mann), and spends his middle-aged days — and nights — pursuing a string of meaningless dalliances. A medical diagnosis prompts him to take stock of his unexamined life. George is by turns funny, imperious, engaging and self-obsessed but always compelling. It is easily Sandler's best and most multi-faceted performance.
"Funny People" may not be Apatow's funniest movie, however, and more interestingly, it's his best film, deep and rich and unexpectedly honest while still being remarkably funny. It is a true brass ring effort, a reach for excellence that takes big risks. Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen, takes a decidedly less funny path to storytelling at times when talking about the mortality of its main character. We know that comedy can always lead to drama and vice versa, so we explore some of the funny people who've traversed the invisible thread between the two genres, and comment on their journey.

The brand-new official trailer for the upcoming Kate Beckinsale's new ice-cold thriller 'Whiteout' has finally surfaced on IGN. The Warner Bros's new thriller, based on the 1998 graphic novel, directed by Dominic Sena, Shooting in Quebec, Canada has been one of the most weirdly under-publicized movies of the year since early summer of 2007, and will hits theaters on September 11.
Kate plays a lone U.S. marshal, Carrie Stetko, who is as anxious as anyone to be going home, but the only one assigned to Antarctica's South Pole research base, where “nature never intended you to survive, the most isolated landmass on the planet, no permanent population, 120 Below zero temp, 200 mph of wind, no horizon, no shadows, there is only...WHITE!" to investigate the continent's 1st homicide. However, more importantly, “Nature is not the only thing to fear…” Now with only 3 days until the onset of a 6-month winter, and everyone around her packing up and getting out, Carrie must solve the crime before Antarctica is plunged into 6 months of darkness winter, and she is stranded with the killer on a land where nothing comes in and no one gets out. 'Whiteout' definitely ratchets up the suspense a notch or two. Enjoy!

Devastated by the tragic loss of their unborn child, and struggling to regain some semblance of normalcy in their lives, the couple decides to adopt a child. At the local orphanage, both find themselves strangely drawn to a young girl named Esther. But when an alarming series of events begins to unfold, leading wife, Kate to believe that there's something wrong with Esther ... Can you keep a secret? You'll never guess her secret ... don't even try it since it may be too late ... for everyone.
Dark, edgy, effective, clever, intense, and blackly comic - one of the best evil-kid movie with a fresh, inventive twist, and the most terrifying horror endings. The experience becomes more entertaining because of what we don't see coming. It's so strongly and brilliantly cast - Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard are top-notch as usual, and 12-year-old Isabelle Fuhrman delivers a title performance so unsettling that it's left Warner Brothers convinced that it has a sleeper hit on its hands. With all that said, "Orphan" proved to be one of the more entertaining movies of the year, though not, I'm afraid, for all of the reasons the filmmakers surely intended.

From British director Shane Meadows (This Is England), who takes the helm for this monochromatic childhood drama, "Somers Town" follows 2 teenage boys Tomo and Marek, both newcomers to London, adrift in an adult world, who develop a mutual trust and acceptance through an unlikely friendship over the course of a hot summer, and their efforts not to turn out like their aimless fathers - but it's only a matter of time before Marek's dad discovers what's going on...
Shane hits the spot with this short but sweet slice of good natured comedy, surprisingly, as it’s essentially an extended black & white advert for a train station. It is proof that there are all sorts of teenage lives going on in Britain, and sometimes, their most magical moments take place on dead-end streets. "Somers Town" is one of the most charming coming-of-age films in years, everything about this film says "gentle and tender," from the friendship between the two boys -- I've to use all kind of words to say that "Somers Town" is a charming, hilarious, witty, uplifting, heartwarming, and funny gem with a heart of gold.
"Somers Town" released by Film Movement, and opens at Film Forum in Manhattan on last Wednesday, through July 28. The DVD will be available to subscribers on August, and available to the public on December 8, 2009.

"Watchmen", Zack Snyder's big-screen version of Alan Moore's beloved graphic novel gets the broad strokes right, telling a sexy, blood-spattered story about a band of discredited heroes who reunite to solve the murder of one of their own. The film is set in a gritty and alternate 1985 America, the glory days of costumed vigilantes have been brought to a close by a government crackdown, but after one of the masked veterans is brutally murdered, an investigation into the killer is initiated, which begins to lead to a much more terrifying conclusion. The reunited outlaw heroes -- including Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup), Silk Spectre (Carla Gugino), Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) and Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson) -- unite to defend themselves, and to prevent their own destruction, but in doing so discover a deeper and far more diabolical plot.
Comic books and movies both tell stories with pictures, but "Watchmen" demonstrates that the animating spirit of a rich, fully realized graphic novel may be as hard to transfer to the screen as that of any other type of successful literary work. "Watchmen" shows it's time for the superior superhero. First "The Dark Knight", now the even darker "Watchmen" - is the serious side of comic book heroes the future for movies?
The new "Watchmen" DVD is no change in popularity this week, with Director’s cut, boasts an additional 24 minutes of footage not previously seen in theaters as well as a second disc loaded with special features.

We make choices in life every day, and you should make a choice and see this movie. "My Sister’s Keeper" is a novel by Jodi Picoult, and was published on April 6, 2004. The book is about a young girl who sues her parents for the right to make her own decisions about how her body is used when a kidney transplant is planned in order to save her older sister's life.
Everyone knows from the movie trailer (click on image) that the story is about a young girl who has cancer. You would think that it would be a depressing movie, but you would be wrong. It is a story of some of the choices we make in life. As with all choices, there are consequences. There are many very hard choices in life and in death that we must make, and this is a good movie to show you the way. Diaz as the pragmatic lawyer who was fighting to the very end for her daughter lost focus on life, and the rest of her family. I believe that this is Diaz's best part and performance as an actress. This is a good movie to see with your loved ones.