|
![]() |
|
The follow-up to Batman Begins reunites director/co-writer Christopher
Nolan and star Christian Bale, who reprises the role of Batman/Bruce
Wayne. In The Dark Knight, Batman raises the stakes in his war on crime.
With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and District Attorney
Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), Batman sets out to destroy organized crime in
Gotham for good. The triumvirate proves to be effective, but they soon find
themselves prey to a rising criminal mastermind known as the Joker (Heath
Ledger), who thrusts Gotham into anarchy and forces the Dark Knight ever closer
to crossing the fine line between hero and vigilante. Official
Web Site Colin Covert's Star Tribune review... |
|

![]() |
|
Pediatrician Alexandre Beck (François Cluzet) still grieves the murder of his beloved wife Margot (Marie-Josée Croze) eight years earlier. When two bodies are found near the scene of the crime, the police reopen the case and Alex becomes a suspect again. The mystery deepens when Alex receives an anonymous e-mail with a link to a video clip that seems to suggest Margot is somehow still alive and a message to "tell no one." Based on Harlan Coben’s international bestselling thriller. Winner of 2007 César Awards for Best Director (Guillaume Canet) and Best Actor. Official Web Site Colin Covert's Star Tribune review... |
![]() |
|
An independent, single mother who owns a small hotel on an idyllic Greek
island, Donna (Meryl Streep) is about to let go of Sophie (Amanda Seyfried),
the spirited daughter she's raised alone. For Sophie's wedding, Donna has
invited her two lifelong best friends—practical and no-nonsense Rosie
(Julie Walters) and wealthy, multi-divorcee Tanya (Christine Baranski). But
Sophie has secretly invited three guests of her own. On a quest to find the
identity of her father to walk her down the aisle, she brings back three men
from Donna's past to the Mediterranean paradise they visited 20 years earlier.
Over 24 chaotic, magical hours, new love will bloom and old romances will
be rekindled on this lush island full of possibilities. Inspired by the storytelling
magic of ABBA's songs, from "Dancing Queen" and "S.O.S."
to "Money, Money, Money" and "Take a Chance on Me," this
feature-film adaptation of the beloved stage musical is a celebration of mothers
and daughters, old friends and new family found. Co-starring Pierce Brosnan,
Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård and Dominic Cooper. Official
Web Site Colin Covert's Star Tribune review... |

![]() |
|
Feisty firecracker Hagar Shipley (Ellen Burstyn) has lived an unconventional
life. Her passionate heart has always ruled her head and her choices have
put her at odds with family and friends. With her life nearly behind her,
she sets out in search of a way to reconcile herself to her turbulent past.
Through her reflections we come to know a passionate and rebellious young
bride, her love for her two sons, the freedoms she claimed, and the joys she
denied herself. Co-starring Ellen Page (Juno), Dylan Baker, Christine
Horne, Cole Hauser and Kevin Zegers. Written and directed by Kari Skogland,
based on the best-selling novel by Margaret Laurence. Official
Web Site Colin Covert's Star Tribune review... |

![]() |
|
It's the summer of 1994, and the streets of New York are pulsing with hip-hop
and wafting with the sweet aroma of marijuanabut change is in the air.
The newly inaugurated mayor, Rudy Giuliani, is beginning to implement his
anti-fun initiatives against "crimes" like noisy portable radios,
graffiti and public drunkenness. Set against this backdrop, Luke Shapiro (Josh
Peck) spends his last summer before college selling dope throughout New York
City, trading it with his shrink (Ben Kingsley) for therapy, while crushing
on his step-daughter (Olivia Thirlby). Famke Janssen, Mary Kate Olsen, and
Method Man round out the cast in this edgy, bittersweet and funny coming-of-age
story. Winner of the Audience Award at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. Written
and directed by Jonathan Levine. Official
Web Site Colin Covert's Star Tribune review... |

![]() |
|
Nazneen's (Tannishtha Chatterjee) life is turned upside down at the tender
age of seventeen. Forced into an arranged marriage to an older man (Satish
Kaushik), she exchanges her Bangladeshi village home for a block of flats
in London's East End. Pining for her home and her sister, she struggles to
make sense of her existenceand to do her duty to her husband. A man
of inflated ideas (and stomach), he sorely tests her compliance. Told from
birth that she must not fight her fate, Nazneen submits, devoting her life
to raising her family and slapping down her demons of discontent. Until the
day that Karim (Christopher Simpson), a hot-headed local man, bursts into
her life. Against a background of escalating racial tension, they embark on
an affair that finally forces Nazneen to take control of her life. A truly
contemporary story of love, cultural difference, and ultimately, the strength
of the human spirit. Based on the bestselling novel by Monica Ali. Directed
by Sarah Gavron. Official
Web Site Chris Hewitt's Pioneer Press review... |

![]() |
|
From Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney (Taxi to the Dark Side, Enron:
The Smartest Guys in the Room) and producer Graydon Carter (Surfwise,
The Kid Stays in the Picture) comes a probing look into the uncanny life
of national treasure and gonzo journalism inventor Dr. Hunter S. Thompson.
A fast moving, wildly entertaining documentary with an iconic soundtrack,
the film addresses the major touchstones in Thompson's lifehis intense
and ill fated relationship with the Hell's Angels, his near-successful bid
for the office of sheriff in Aspen in 1970, the notorious story behind the
landmark Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, his deep involvement in Senator
George McGovern's 1972 presidential campaign, and much more. Narrated by Johnny
Depp. Official
Web Site Colin Covert's Star Tribune review... |

![]() |
|
In China, it is simply known as "The River." But the Yangtze—and
the life that surrounds it—is undergoing a truly spectacular transformation
wrought by the biggest hydroelectric dam in history, the Three Gorges Project.
From the vantage point of a luxury "farewell cruise" that wends
its way up the River, we are witness to the dramatic shift: peasant families
are forced to relocate their entire lives as floodwaters steadily engulf their
villages; young tour-boat employees warily grasp at a more prosperous future;
Western tourists catch a final glimpse of a disappearing culture. Returning
to the scene of his grandfather's riverbank youth, Chinese-Canadian filmmaker
Yung Chang has crafted a singularly moving and cinematically breathtaking
depiction of contemporary China and a disquieting glance into a future that
awaits us all. Official
Web Site Chris Hewitt's Pioneer Press review... |

![]() |
|
Award-winning Russian filmmaker Sergei Bodrov (Prisoner of the Mountains)
illuminates the life and legend of Genghis Khan. Based on leading scholarly
accounts, his stunning historical epic delves into the dramatic and harrowing
early years of the ruler who was born as Temudgin in 1162. As it follows Temudgin
from his perilous childhood to the battle that sealed his destiny, the future
conqueror is revealed not as the evil brute of hoary stereotype, but as an
inspiring, fearless and visionary leader. In a performance of powerful stillness
and subtlety, celebrated young Japanese actor Asano Tadanobu (Zatoichi,
Last Life in the Universe) captures the inner fire that enabled a hunted
boy to become a legendary conqueror. Masterfully blending action and emotion
against some of the most arresting terrain on earth, Bodrov delivers an exciting
and awe-inspiring tale of survival and triumph, and a love story for the ages.
Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film. Official
Web Site Colin Covert's Star Tribune review... |
![]() |
|
Having lost his passion for teaching and writing, 62-year-old Walter
Vale (Richard Jenkins) fills the void by trying to learn to play classical
piano. Sent to Manhattan to attend a conference, Walter is surprised to find
a young couple has taken up residence in his apartment. Victims of a real
estate scam, Tarek (Haaz Sleiman), a Syrian man, and Zainab (Danai Gurira),
his Senegalese girlfriend, have nowhere else to go. In the first of a series
of tests of the heart, Walter reluctantly allows the couple to stay with him.
Touched by his kindness, the talented Tarek insists on teaching the aging
academic to play the African drum. The instrument's exuberant rhythms revitalize
Walter's faltering spirit and open his eyes to a vibrant world of local jazz
clubs and Central Park drum circles. When Tarek is arrested as an undocumented
citizen and held for deportation, Walter finds himself compelled to help his
new friend with a passion he thought he had long ago lost. Written and directed
by Tom McCarthy (The Station Agent). Official Web Site Director Tom McCarthy is fascinated by how and why people connect Colin Covert's Star Tribune review... |

![]() |
| Since their debut in the late 1960s, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young have functioned as the "town criers" of their generation. CSNY: Déjà Vu finds the band heading out on their "Freedom of Speech 2006" tour of North America, featuring music from Neil Young's controversial "Living With War" CD. With "Embedded" reporter Mike Cerre aboard, the film documents audience reactions to the music and the band's ongoing connection with its fans, all against the backdrop of the Iraq/Afghanistan War. Songs from the tour are woven together with archival material, news footage, and audience reaction and observations, as the film examines the issues surrounding the integration of politics and art. Directed by Neil Young. Official Web Site |

![]() |
| Teenaged angst is beautifully explored and revealed in this remarkable debut by director Céline Sciamma. Friendship, rivalry, and crushesboth heterosexual and same-sexabound among the members of a synchronized swim team. Floriane (Adele Haenel), a shapely blonde, is cool and brazen. She makes the introverted and boyish Marie (Pauline Acquart) her confidante, at the expense of Marie's best friend Anne (Louise Blachère). Anne is self-conscious and overweight, but also outspoken and extrovert. She has a crush on a handsome boy, but of course he only has eyes for Floriane. The young cast give outstanding performances in this tender and intense film. Official Web Site |
![]() |
|
Kate Hudson & Patrick Fugit in Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous · Aug 2 They outnumber the cops 10 to 1! The Warriors · Aug 9 |
![]() |
|
Evelyn Waugh’s heartbreaking romantic epic tells an evocative story
of forbidden love and the loss of innocence in the pre-WWII era. Charles Ryder
(Matthew Goode) becomes entranced with the noble Marchmain family, first through
the charming and provocative Sebastian Flyte (Ben Whishaw), and then his sophisticated
sister, Julia (Hayley Atwell). The rise and fall of Charles’ infatuations
reflect the decline of a decadent era in England between the wars. Co-starring
Michael Gambon, Greta Scacchi and Emma Thompson as Lady Marchmain. Directed
by Julian Jarrold (Becoming Jane). Official Web Site |

![]() |
| This heartbreaking and hilarious Sundance Film Festival hit follows the lives of four teenagersa jock, the popular girl, the artsy girl and the geekin one small town in Indiana through their senior year of high school. We see the insecurities, the cliques, the jealousies, the first loves and heartbreaks, and the struggle to make profound decisions about the future. With extraordinary intimacy and a great deal of humor, the film captures the pressures of growing uppressures that come from one's peers, one's parents, and not least, oneself. Filming daily for ten months, filmmaker Nanette Burstein (On the Ropes, The Kid Stays in the Picture) developed a deep understanding of her subjects. The result is a film that goes beyond the enduring stereotypes of high school to render complex young people trying to find their way into adulthood. Official Web Site |

![]() |
| Set in 19th century France, this sumptuous drama chronicles the love affair between tempestuous Spanish mistress Vellini (Asia Argento at her most seductive) and distinguished, well-bred Ryno de Marigny (Fu'ad Ait Aattou). Ryno's attempt to remain faithful to his wife Hermangarde (Roxane Mesquida), a highly regarded young woman of the French aristocracy, profoundly fails as Vellini reappears in Ryno's life, offering him the passion and emotional connection he lacks in his marriage. His reluctant obsession with Vellini eventually overtakes his conscience, as he succumbs to the deceitful path of infidelity. Written and directed by Catherine Breillat (Sex is Comedy, Fat Girl, Romance). Official Web Site |

![]() |
| The true-life story of the passionate, three-decade relationship between British writer Christopher Isherwood (whose Berlin Stories was the basis for all incarnations of Cabaret) and American portrait painter Don Bachardy, thirty years his junior. From Isherwood's Kit-Kat-Club years in Weimar-era Germany to the couple's first meeting on the sun-kissed beaches of 1950s Malibu, their against-all-odds saga is brought to dazzling life by a treasure trove of archival footage, Bachardy's contemporary reminiscences, rare home movies (with glimpses of glitterati pals W.H. Auden, Igor Stravinsky and Tennessee Williams), reenactments, and, most sweetly, whimsical animations based on the cat-and-horse cartoons the pair used in their personal correspondence. A joyful celebration of a most extraordinary couple, directed by Guido Santi and Tina Mascara. Official Web Site |