DVD SPARKLES

Chasing Mavericks [In theaters: October 26th, 2012]

2012-08-08T19:17:00.002+07:00

The inspirational true story of real-life surfing phenom Jay Moriarty (played by newcomer Jonny Weston). When 15-year-old Jay discovers that the mythic Mavericks surf break, one of the biggest waves on Earth, is not only real, but exists just miles from his Santa Cruz home, he enlists the help of local legend Frosty Hesson (played by Gerard Butler) to train him to survive it. As Jay and Frosty embark on their quest to accomplish the impossible, they form a unique friendship that transforms both their lives, and their quest to tame Mavericks becomes about far more than surfing. Chasing Mavericks was made with the help of some of the biggest names in the surfing world, and features some of the most mind-blowing real wave footage ever captured on film.

Genre: Drama.
Director: Curtis Hanson, Michael Apted.
Starring: Gerard Butler, Jonny Weston, Elisabeth Shue, Abigail Spencer, Leven Rambin.

Hermano

2012-08-07T17:48:00.000+07:00

Raised as brothers, intense teammates and competitors on the soccer field, the gregarious, swaggering Julio (Eliu Armas) and the wiry, focused Daniel/"Gato" (Fernando Moreno) have remained virtually inseparable ever since the newborn Daniel was found abandoned in a trash heap in their La Ceniza slum. The opportunity of their lives arrives when a football scout invites them to try out for the city's top professional team, just as a tragic act of violence threatens to tear them apart and prevent them from achieving their dreams.

Genre: Foreign, Drama.
Director: Marcel Rasquin.
Starring: Eliu Armas, Fernando Moreno, Ali Rondon, Beto Benites, Gonzalo Cubero, Marcela Giron.

Nobody Walks [In theaters: October 12th, 2012]

2012-08-04T20:27:00.001+07:00

Martine, a 23-year-old artist from New York, arrives in Los Angeles to stay in the pool house of a family living in the hip and hilly community of Silver Lake. Peter, the father, has agreed to help Martine complete sound design on her art film as a favor to his wife. Martine innocently enters the seemingly idyllic life of this open-minded family with two kids and a relaxed Southern California vibe. Like a bolt of lightning, her arrival sparks a surge of energy that awakens suppressed impulses in everyone and forces them to confront their own fears and desires. Exquisitely orchestrated by Ry Russo-Young (You Won't Miss Mescreened at the 2009 Festival) and cowritten by Lena Dunham (Tiny Furniture), this potent charting of inner urges and sufferings links characters in an intricate dance of lust, denial, and deception.

Genre: Drama.
Director: Ry Russo-Young.
Starring: John Krasinski, Olivia Thirlby, Rosemarie DeWitt, Justin Kirk, India Ennenga, Dylan McDermott.

Brawler [In theaters: September 14th, 2012]

2012-08-04T20:19:00.001+07:00

Based on true events, BRAWLER is the gripping tale of two brothers caught in the web of a vicious, bone-breaking underground "fight club" set on mob-run New Orleans riverboats. After a devastating personal betrayal, the once-inseparable brothers go head-to-head in a fight to the death.

Genre: Drama.
Director: Chris Sivertson.
Starring: Nathan Grubbs, Marc Senter, Bryan Batt.

Backwards [In theaters: September 21st, 2012]

2012-08-04T20:14:00.000+07:00

Abigail Brooks has spent her lifetime trying to win an Olympic rowing medal, sacrificing friendship, love, and a "normal life" along the way. When she is named an alternate on the Olympic team, she quits in haste. Defeated, Abi moves back home with her widowed, workaholic mother. Tension builds as Abi's mother urges her to "move on" from the rowing life that Abi's father, a coach, introduced her to. Unable to do so, but needing an immediate job, Abi seizes an open crew coach position at her alma mater, Union High. There, the head of athletics is her old boyfriend, Geoff. Abi trains her high school rowers in an obsessive fashion, taking two girls, Hannah and Susan, under her wing. After the girls lose an important regional race, Abi reinvents herself as a coach, and, in the process, learns to have fun again both on the water and off. "Backwards" is an intimate look at the personal sacrifices and complex choices facing competitive Olympic hopefuls. It is also a film about dreams--young adults pursuing their dreams--and finding that sometimes a missed opportunity can become an introduction to an entire new life.

Genre: Romance.
Director: Ben Hickernell.
Starring: Sarah Megan Thomas, James Van Der Beek, Margaret Colin, Glenn Morshower.

Beauty Is Embarrassing [In theaters: September 7th, 2012]

2012-08-04T20:11:00.001+07:00

Beauty Is Embarrassing is a funny, irreverent, joyful and inspiring documentary featuring the life and current times of one of America's most important artists, Wayne White. During his thirty-year career as a painter, art director, puppeteer, illustrator and overall raconteur White has been responsible for some of the most iconic images in popular culture. The film chronicles his early days in NYC as one of the creators of the Pee-wee's Playhouse TV Show to his work as an art director on seminal music videos for The Smashing Pumpkins and Peter Gabriel to his current turn as a star in the fine art world. The film traces the vaulted highs and the crushing lows of an artist, father and husband trying to make it in the hectic world of commercial work while fulfilling his personal passion for creating great works of art. In the end Beauty Is Embarrassing is a deeply inspirational story about a man who lives by one rule: do you what you love, and it'll lead to where you want to go.

Genre: Documentary.
Director: Neil Berkeley.
Starring: Wayne White, Matt Groening, Paul Reubens, Gary Panter, Mark Mothersbaugh, Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris, Ric Heitzman, Mimi Pond.

Thunderstruck [In theaters: August 24th, 2012]

2012-08-04T20:07:00.000+07:00

When Brian, a hopelessly uncoordinated young fan magically switches talents with his basketball hero (NBA Superstar Kevin Durant, playing himself), he becomes the star of his high school team...while Kevin Durant suddenly can't make a shot to save his life. But with the playoffs approaching, Brian learns that being a true winner involves working hard at your own game, and he tries to make things right in time to prevent a catastrophic end to his hero's season.

Genre: Comedy.
Director: John Whitesell.
Starring: Kevin Durant , Taylor Gray , Jim Belushi, Brandon T. Jackson.

Goats [In theaters: August 10th, 2012]

2012-08-04T20:01:00.002+07:00

Ellis (Graham Phillips) is the most adult member of his eccentric family at 15 years old. His mom (Vera Farmiga) is a New Age hippie that spends all of her time working on self-help rituals with her hustler boyfriend (Justin Kirk). His dad (Ty Burrell) left home years ago and is more focused on his new wife (Keri Russell) and family. And then there's Goat Man (David Duchovny), the goat-herding sage who has lived in their pool house since Ellis was a child, teaching him the meaning of stability, commitment, and expanding one's mind.

Genre: Comedy.
Director: Christopher Neil.
Starring: David Duchovny, Vera Farmiga, Graham Phillips, Justin Kirk, Ty Burrell, Keri Russell, Dakota Johnson.

The Campaign [In theaters: August 10th, 2012]

2012-08-04T19:57:00.000+07:00

When long-term congressman Cam Brady (Will Ferrell) commits a major public gaffe before an upcoming election, a pair of ultra-wealthy CEOs plot to put up a rival candidate and gain influence over their North Carolina district. Their man: naive Marty Huggins (Zach Galifianakis), director of the local Tourism Center. At first, Marty appears to be the unlikeliest possible choice but, with the help of his new benefactors' support, a cutthroat campaign manager and his family's political connections, he soon becomes a contender who gives the charismatic Cam plenty to worry about.

Genre: Comedy.
Director: Jay Roach.
Starring: Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis, Jason Sudeikis, Katherine LaNasa, Dylan McDermott, John Lithgow, Dan Aykroyd, Brian Cox.

The Big Wedding [In theaters: October 26th, 2012]

2012-08-01T22:23:00.001+07:00

With an all-star cast lead by Diane Keaton, Robert De Niro, Susan Sarandon, Robin Williams, Katherine Heigl, Amanda Seyfried and Topher Grace, THE BIG WEDDING is an uproarious romantic comedy about a charmingly modern family trying to survive a weekend wedding celebration that has the potential to become a full blown family fiasco. To the amusement of their adult children and friends, long divorced couple Don and Ellie Griffin (De Niro and Keaton) are once again forced to play the happy couple for the sake of their adopted son's wedding after his ultra conservative biological mother unexpectedly decides to fly halfway across the world to attend. With all of the wedding guests looking on, the Griffins are hilariously forced to confront their past, present and future - and hopefully avoid killing each other in the process.

Genre: Romance, Comedy.
Director: Justin Zackham.
Starring: Diane Keaton, Robert De Niro, Susan Sarandon, Robin Williams, Katherine Heigl, Amanda Seyfried, Topher Grace.

General Education [In theaters: August 24th, 2012]

2012-08-01T22:17:00.001+07:00

Levi Collins is set to go to the local University on a tennis scholarship, but he forgot to tell his parents one thing--he didn't graduate. As a result, he must take summer school before his mom and dad discover he's failed senior science. At school, Levi falls in love with his classmate, Katie, and learns that he has to make a choice between playing tennis and receiving a proper education. General Education is a quirky comedy about a family learning to grow together.

Genre: Comedy.
Director: Tom Morris.
Starring: Chris Sheffield, Maiara Walsh, Janeane Garofolo, Larry Miller, Elaine Hendrix, Bobby Campo, Tom Maden, Seth Cassell, McKaley Miller, Mercedes Masohn.

The Expendables 2 [In theaters: August 17th, 2012]

2012-07-30T20:41:00.003+07:00

The Expendables are back and this time it's personal... Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone), Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), Yin Yang (Jet Li), Gunnar Jensen (Dolph Lundgren), Toll Road (Randy Couture) and Hale Caesar (Terry Crews) -- with newest members Billy the Kid (Liam Hemsworth) and Maggie (Yu Nan) aboard -- are reunited when Mr. Church (Bruce Willis) enlists the Expendables to take on a seemingly simple job. The task looks like an easy paycheck for Barney and his band of old-school mercenaries. But when things go wrong and one of their own is viciously killed, the Expendables are compelled to seek revenge in hostile territory where the odds are stacked against them. Hell-bent on payback, the crew cuts a swath of destruction through opposing forces, wreaking havoc and shutting down an unexpected threat in the nick of time - six pounds of weapons-grade plutonium; enough to change the balance of power in the world. But that's nothing compared to the justice they serve against the villainous adversary who savagely murdered their brother. That is done the Expendables way....

Genre: Action and Adventure.
Director: Simon West.
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Liam Hemsworth, Jean Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The Good Doctor [In theaters: August 31st, 2012]

2012-07-30T20:30:00.002+07:00

Martin Blake (Orlando Bloom) is an ambitious but anxious young doctor, eager to impress his superiors and colleagues: Chief
Resident Waylans (Rob Morrow), self-assured fellow intern Dan (Troy Garity) and no-nonsense nurse Theresa (Taraji P. Henson).
But things are not going Martin's way and he can't seem to shake off his insecurities. When 18-year-old patient Diane (Riley
Keough) is admitted for a kidney infection, Martin steps in, getting the much-needed boost of self-esteem he craves. But
things take a dark turn as his enthusiasm begins to become an obsession.

Genre: Drama.
Director:Lance Daly.
Starring: Orlando Bloom, Riley Keough, Rob Morrow, Taraji P. Henson, Michael Peña.

Step Up: Revolution

2012-07-30T20:22:00.000+07:00

Emily (Kathryn McCormick) arrives in Miami with aspirations of becoming a professional dancer and soon falls in love with
Sean (Ryan Guzman), a young man who leads a dance crew in elaborate, cutting-edge flash mobs, called "The Mob." When a
wealthy business man threatens to develop the Mob's historic neighborhood and displace thousands of people, Emily must band
together with Sean and The Mob to turn their performance art into protest art, and risk losing their dreams to fight for a
greater cause.

Genre: Drama, Romance, Musical.
Director: Scott Speer.
Starring: Ryan Guzman, Kathryn McCormick, Misha Gabriel, Peter Gallagher.

Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry

2012-07-30T20:17:00.002+07:00

Named by ArtReview as the most powerful artist in the world, Ai Weiwei is China's most celebrated contemporary artist, and its most outspoken domestic critic. In April 2011, when Ai disappeared into police custody for three months, he quickly became China's most famous missing person. First-time director Alison Klayman gained unprecedented access to the charismatic artist, as well as his family and others close to him, while working as a journalist in Beijing. In the years she filmed, government authorities shut down Ai's blog, beat him up, bulldozed his newly built studio, and held him in secret detention--while Time magazine named him a runner-up for 2011's Person of the Year. Winner of the Special Jury Prize at Sundance 2012, her compelling documentary portrait is the inside story of a passionate dissident for the digital age who inspires global audiences and blurs the boundaries of art and politics.

Genre: Documentary.
Director: Alison Klayman.
Starring: Ai Weiwei.

Cloud Atlas [In theaters: October 26th, 2012]

2012-07-27T18:00:00.000+07:00

"Cloud Atlas" explores how the actions and consequences of individual lives impact one another throughout the past, the present and the future. Action, mystery and romance weave dramatically through the story as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero and a single act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution in the distant future.

Genre: Drama.
Director: Lana Wachowski, Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski.
Starring: Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, Ben Whishaw, James D’Arcy, Zhou Xun , Keith David, David Gyasi, Susan Sarandon, Hugh Grant.

Samsara [In theaters: August 24th, 2012]

2012-07-27T17:56:00.002+07:00

Prepare yourself for an unparalleled sensory experience. SAMSARA reunites filmmakers Ron Fricke and Mark Magidson, whose award-winning films BARAKA and CHRONOS brought a new visual and musical artistry to theaters. Dispensing with dialogue and descriptive text, SAMSARA explores the wonders of our world, from the mundane to the miraculous, looking into the unfathomable reaches of man's spirituality and the human experience, and illuminating the links between humanity and the rest of nature.

Genre: Documentary.
Director: Ron Fricke.

Middle of Nowhere [In theaters: October 12th, 2012]

2012-07-26T20:11:00.001+07:00

Winner of the Best Director Award at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, MIDDLE OF NOWHERE follows Ruby, a bright medical student who sets aside her dreams and suspends her career when her husband is incarcerated. As the committed couple stares into the hollow end of an eight-year prison sentence, Ruby must learn to live another life, one marked by shame and separation. But through a chance encounter and a stunning betrayal that shakes her to her core, this steadfast wife is soon propelled in new and often shocking directions of self-discovery--caught between two worlds and two men in the search for herself.

Genre: Romance, Drama.
Director: Ava DuVernay.
Starring: Emayatzy Corinealdi, David Oyelowo, Omari Hardwick, Lorraine Touissaint, Edwina Findley, Sharon Lawrence.

Freelancers [In theaters: August 10th, 2012]

2012-07-26T20:07:00.001+07:00

The son of a slain NYPD officer joins the force, where he falls in with his father's former partner and a team of rogue cops. His new boss, Sarcone, will see if he has what it takes to be rogue through many trials and tribulations of loyalty, trust and respect. When the truth about his father's death is revealed, revenge takes over him, and he won't stop until justice has been truly served.

Genre: Action and Adventure.
Director: Jessy Terrero.
Starring: Robert De Niro, Forest Whitaker, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Dana Delany, Beau Garrett.

Dreams of a Life [In theaters: August 3rd, 2012]

2012-07-25T17:40:00.001+07:00

Nobody noticed when thirty-eight year old Joyce Vincent died in her apartment above a shopping mall in North London in 2003. When her skeleton was discovered three years later, her television was still on. Newspaper reports offered few details of Joyce's life- not even a photograph. Who was Joyce Vincent? And how could this happen to someone in our day and age--the so-called age of communication? Dreams of a Life is Carol Morley's quest to discover who Joyce was and how she came to be so forgotten.

Genre: Documentary, Foreign.
Director: Carol Morley.
Starring: Zawe Ashton, Alix Luka-Cain, Cornell S John.

Painted Skin: The Resurrection [In theaters: August 17th, 2012]

2012-07-25T17:36:00.000+07:00

According to ancient lore, if a human freely offers their heart to a demon, that monster can become mortal, experiencing the true pains and passions of existence. This is the ultimate triumph of the underworld. Xiaowei (Xun Zhou), a millennia-old fox spirit, is freed from her frozen prison and transforms into a dangerous seductress, consuming living hearts to keep her beautiful as she searches for her chance to become human. Meanwhile, Princess Jing (Wei Zhao) hiding her marred beauty behind a golden mask, flees an unknown threat to her kingdom by pursuing the only man she ever loved: the guard who was unable to protect her, so many years ago. A twist of fate brings Princess Jing and Xiaowei together, and a slow game of wits, deceit, and seduction begins for the princess' very own heart.

Genre: Foreign, Action and Adventure.
Director: Wuershan.
Starring: Zhou Xun , Vicki Zhao, Chen Kun, Mini Yang, William Feng, Kris Phillips, Chen Tingjia.

Chained [In theaters: August 5th, 2012]

2012-07-25T17:33:00.000+07:00

From the mind of writer/director Jennifer Lynch comes the shocker that panicked ratings boards and stunned audiences worldwide: When he was 9 years old, Tim and his mother were abducted by taxi-driving serial killer Bob (an intensely disturbing performance by Vincent D'Onofrio). Tim's mother was murdered. Tim was kept as a chained slave, forced to bury the bodies of young women Bob drags home and keep scrapbooks of the crimes. Now a teenager, Tim (Eamon Farren) and Bob share a depraved father/son/protege relationship. But who will ultimately sever the bond between 'family' and unimaginable horror? Jake Weber ("Medium"), Evan Bird ("The Killing") and Julia Ormond (THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, "Mad Men") co-star in what critics are calling one of the most controversial and uncompromising thrillers of our time.

Genre: Thriller.
Director: Jennifer Lynch.
Starring: Vincent D’Onofrio, Julia Ormond, Jake Weber, Gina Phillips, Eamon Farren.

You've Been Trumped [In theaters: August 3rd, 2012]

2012-07-25T17:26:00.000+07:00

In this David and Goliath tale for the 21st Century, a group of proud Scottish homeowners take on Donald Trump, as the tycoon prepares to destroy one of Britain's last stretches of coastal wilderness by building a luxury golf resort. As the locals make their last stand in the face of security harassment, legal threats and the cutting off of water and electricity supplies, director Anthony Baxter is thrown in jail as he seeks out the truth.

Genre: Documentary.
Director: Anthony Baxter.
Starring: Donald Trump, Michael Forbes, Mickey Foote, Susan Munro, David Kennedy, Molly Forbes, David Milne, Donald Trump Jr.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days [In theaters: August 3rd, 2012]

2012-07-25T17:22:00.002+07:00

During his summer vacation, "Wimpy Kid" Greg Heffley, the hero of the phenomenally successful book series, hatches a plan to pretend he has a job at a ritzy country club--which fails to keep him away from the season's dog days, including embarrassing mishaps at a public pool and a camping trip that goes horribly wrong.

Genre: Comedy.
Director: David Bowers.
Starring: Zachary Gordon, Robert Capron, Devon Bostick, Rachael Harris, Steve Zahn.

Jack and Diane [In theaters: November 2nd, 2012]

2012-07-25T17:18:00.001+07:00

Jack and Diane, two teenage girls, meet in New York City and spend the night kissing ferociously. Diane's charming innocence quickly begins to open Jack's tough skinned heart. But when Jack discovers that Diane is moving, she pushes her away. Unable to grasp her new feelings, Diane's emotions begin to cause unexplainable violent changes to her body. Through these awkward and insecure feelings, the two girls must struggle to turn their first love into an enduring one.

Genre: Drama.
Director: Bradley Rust Gray.
Starring: Juno Temple, Riley Keough, Cara Seymour, Kylie Minogue.