FILM:
28 Days Later…
Four weeks after a mysterious, incurable virus spreads throughout the UK, a handful of survivors try to find sanctuary.
FILM:
Elegy
Based on Pulitzer Prize-winner Phillip Roth's novel The Dying Animal, ELEGY is a funny and heartfelt literary drama. It tells the story of the unexpected sexual reawakening of an elegantly lecherous professor, David Kepesh (Ben Kingsley) who has long been in a state of “emancipated manhood.” Stalking the alluring graduate student Consuela (Penélope Cruz) with art, music and his intellectual endowment, David, despite his polished veneer, starts to feel trapped. He is simultaneously jealous but afraid of commitment. Under Isabel Coixet's assured and perceptive direction, David and Consuela engage in a compulsive, syncopated and, at times, lyrical dance of intimacy. Penélope Cruz delivers a performance that delicately balances a natural sensuality with a modern awareness while Kingsley gracefully portrays David's vulnerability. Patricia Clarkson, Dennis Hopper, Peter Sarsgaard and Deborah Harry round out the stellar cast. -Mahil Senathirajah
FILM:
Fight Club
Edward Norton plays a hapless office employee who suffers from insomnia. Attempting to cure his aliment, he begins attending support groups, but that plan is soon ruined by an unabashed woman named Marla. While on a business trip he encounters an enigmatic and mischievous man named Tyler Durden and eventually ends up moving in with him. In an effort to reawaken long dormant parts of themselves, they begin hosting underground brawls. Things begin to snowball and a man who once humbly worked in a dull office is now a prominent figure in a terrorist organization. Presented as part of our celebration of David Fincher, FIGHT CLUB is a visceral experience that is as philosophical as it is brutal and is one film that absolutely must be seen. -Jeremy Jackson
FILM:
The Informers
Los Angeles in the early 1980s: a time of excess and decadence, and nobody captures it better than Bret Easton Ellis as he coadapts his own acclaimed novel for the screen. Its multistrand narrative balances a vast array of characters who represent both the top of the heap and the bottom. Connecting his intertwining strands are the quintessential Ellis protagonists—a group of beautiful, blonde young men and women who sleep all day and party all night, doing drugs—and one another—with abandon, never realizing that they are dancing on the edge of an abyss. A glamorous and gritty exposé of a culture where too much was never enough. THE INFORMERS is a scathing descent into the morally bankrupt core beneath L.A.'s superficial beauty. -Sundance Film Festival
FILM:
Lightbulb
CLOSING NIGHT - WORLD PREMIERE LIGHTBULB is a serious comedy about two friends, a small-time inventor and a fast-talking salesman who deal with mishaps and failed inventions before coming up with a product that becomes a worldwide phenomenon. LIGHTBULB is a story about hope and persistence in the face of hard times.LIGHTBULB features Dallas Roberts (I WALK THE LINE, 3:10 TO YUMA), Jeremy Renner (THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES, THE HURT LOCKER), Ayelet Zurer (MUNICH, ANGELS & DEMONS). LIGHTBULB is directed by Jeff Balsmeyer, whose first feature DANNY DECKCHAIR opened to rave reviews and was the closing night film at the Toronto Film Festival.
FILM:
Millions
A 7-year old finds a bag of Pounds with a few days to spend before the currency is switched to Euros and learns what we are really made of.
FILM:
Nothing But the Truth
OPENING NIGHT Writer-director Rod Lurie’s new film is the story of Rachel Armstrong (Kate Beckinsale), a young reporter on the national desk of the Capitol Sun-Times, a major Washington, D.C. daily. Rachel writes an explosive story that reveals the identity of covert CIA agent Erica Van Doren (Vera Farmiga) that, once published, causes all hell to break loose and the government to demand the identity of Rachel’s source. With the support of her editor, Bonnie (Angela Bassett), her paper’s in-house attorney (Noah Wyle) and her husband, Ray (David Schwimmer), Rebecca defies the charismatic, career-minded special prosecutor, Patton Dubois (Matt Dillon). When Rachel also declines to reveal her source to U.S. District Court Judge Hall (Floyd Abrams), he cites her with contempt of court and throws her in jail, pointing out that Rachel alone holds the keys to her cell and that time in the D.C. Detention Center may help her come to realize this. The story follows the hardships Rachel experiences behind bars as well as the legal struggle played out by her attorney, Albert Burnside (Alan Alda), as he pleads her case on First Amendment grounds -- a case he argues all the way to the U. S. Supreme Court. Everyone is rabid to know: Who is the source and why is Rebecca so committed to sacrificing so much to protect it? As with Lurie’s filmmaking breakout THE CONTENDER, for which Joan Allen and Jeff Bridges were both nominated for Academy Awards®, NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH is set in Washington, D.C., staged at the harrowing intersection of governmental power and personal integrity and told from a distinctly feminine perspective. While THE CONTENDER focused on one ground-breaking female Senator’s fight to maintain her dignity as she weathers a partisan dirty trick on her way to assume the office of Vice President, NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH portrays two very different, very strong Washington women as they fight to protect what they hold most dear. TRUTH’s Rachel Armstrong fights to protect her source, her integrity and her career. And after being exposed as a covert CIA operative, Erica Van Doren fights to protect her reputation within the agency and the sanctity of her other life as a caring suburban mother. Written and directed by Rod Lurie, NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH is a Yari Film Group release. The film is produced by Bob Yari, Marc Frydman and Lurie, with James Spies serving as executive producer. Alik Sakharov is the director of photography; Eloise Stammerjohn is production designer; Lynn Falconer is costume designer and Sarah Boyd is the editor. The film was shot on location in Memphis, Tennessee.
FILM:
SE7EN
A veteran detective on his last case is paired with a head strong rookie to take on a gruesome murder. When another victim appears, it becomes apparent that these murders are based on the seven deadly sins and the killer is psychopath the likes of which have never been seen. The killer always seems to be one step ahead, but when the detectives finally get within reach it appears as if there is more to his plan then they ever imagined. With an all-star cast of Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, and Gwyneth Paltrow and sharply directed by David Fincher, SE7EN is a twisted psychological thriller that keeps the audience on their toes. As part of our celebration of David Fincher, we are proud to present this classic thriller, SE7EN. -Jeremy Jackson
FILM:
Slumdog Millionaire
The story of the life of an impoverished Indian teen Jamal Malik, who becomes a contestant on the Hindi version of "Who Wants to be A Millionaire?", wins, and is then suspected of cheating.
FILM:
Trainspotting
Renton, deeply immersed in the Edinburgh drug scene, tries to clean up and get out, despite the allure of the drugs and influence of friends.
FILM:
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
In VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA, two very different friends, Vicky and Cristina, move to Spain for a summer. Both women are in different places in their emotional lives but while in Spain, they both become attracted to the same man, Juan. Cristina and Juan become very close, but just as things seem to be going well, Juan's ex-wife Maria suffers a crisis and moves in with the couple. The addition of Maria is at first troublesome, but then Juan and Cristina's relationship grows to incorporate Maria as well. The film deals with issues of love and lust and how those feelings can affect a relationship. VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA features Penélope Cruz who is receiving the Outstanding Performer of the Year award at this year's Festival.
FILM:
The Visitor
Walter Vale, a widower and professor, has lost his passion for writing, teaching, and most everything else. Upon returning to his seldom-used New York City apartment, he finds two illegal immigrants, Tarek and Zainab, staying there. After the couple realizes they were the victims of a scam, Walter reluctantly allows them to share the apartment with him. In order to repay Walter's kindness, Tarek begins to teach him how to play the African drum. While growing closer with Tarek, Walter's zest for life is reignited, only to find that Tarek has been arrested and risks deportation. Richard Jenkins, a Virtuosos Award recipient at this year's SBIFF, delivers a beautiful, deft performance in this deeply moving and poignant film by writer and director Tom McCarthy.-Ryan Hedge
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