AMERICAN VIOLET

AMERICAN VIOLET

The Story:
A single African-American mother struggles to clear her name after being wrongly accused and arrested for dealing drugs in an impoverished town in Texas.

Dee Roberts (Nicole Beharie), a 24 year-old single mother of four, living in a small Texas town (based after Hearne, Texas where the real incident took place). One day, while Dee is working a shift at the local diner, the powerful local district attorney Calvin Beckett (Michael O'Keefe) leads a drug bust, sweeping Dee’s housing project.

Police drag Dee from work in handcuffs, dumping her in the women’s county prison. Indicted based on the uncorroborated word of a single and dubious police informant facing his own drug charges, Dee soon discovers she has been charged as a drug dealer.

She says she's innocent and even though Dee has no prior drug record and no drugs were found on her in the raid or any subsequent searches, she is offered a hellish choice: plead guilty and go home as a convicted felon or remain in prison and fight the charges thus, jeopardizing her custody and risking a long prison sentence.

Despite the urgings of her mother (Alfre Woodard), and with her freedom and the custody of her children at stake, she chooses to fight the district attorney. Joined in an unlikely alliance with an ACLU attorney David Cohen (Tim Blake Nelson) and a former local narcotics officer Sam Conroy (Will Patton), Dee risks everything in a battle that forever changes her life and the Texas justice system.

Starring:
Nicole Beharie, Tim Blake Nelson, Will Patton, Michael O'Keefe, Xzibit, Charles S. Dutton, Alfre Woodard

Directed By:
Tim Disney

Release:
2008

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MURDERER

MURDERER (Saat Yan Faan) (Hong Kong)

The Story:
Ling (Aaron Kwok) is a self-assured Police Chief Inspector who is investigating a cold-blooded serial murder case. But as Ling sifts through the clues, he finds that all the evidence is pointing toward himself as the murderer. The deeper he digs, the more suspicious he becomes. Being pushed to the edge of madness, he starts to wonder if he is really the murderer or not?

Starring:
Aaron Kwok, Janine Chang, Eddie Cheung, Chin Kar Lok, Josie Ho, Wong You Nam, Chen Kuan Tai

Directed By:
Roy Chow

Release:
2009

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SPOONER

SPOONER

The Story:
Herman Spooner (Matthew Lillard), an aimless and unambitious smalltown used car salesman whose life seems permanently stuck in neutral. Whether he's ready or not, however, he'll soon have to at least begin to lift himself out of his rut: His loving but not infinitely patient parents (Christopher McDonald & Kate Burton) have set the absolute deadline of his 30th birthday, just a few days away for him to vacate the family home.

Spooner (as he's known to everyone but his parents) isn't terribly good at his job, much to the disdain of his abusive boss (Shea Whigham), but he lacks sufficient self-confidence to spread his wings. Indeed, he doesn't evidence anything like forward momentum until he meets Rose Conlin (Nora Zehetner), a petite, soft-spoken beauty whose car conveniently breaks down precisely where Spooner can spot her during his lunch break.

Unfortunately, their budding romance may not have time to blossom: Rose, determined to do "something monumental" with her life, will fly off to a job teaching English in the Philippines in two days. Fired up by an unfamiliar sense of purpose, Spooner feels compelled to charm her into changing her mind -- or, failing that, sabotage the mechanics repairing her car -- to hold on to what he sees as his last best chance for becoming a reasonably happy grownup.

Starring:
Matthew Lillard, Nora Zehetner, Christopher McDonald, Shea Whigham, Kate Burton, Wendi McLendon-Covey

Directed By:
Drake Doremus

Release:
2009

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THE ESCAPIST

THE ESCAPIST

The Story:
A career criminal seeks redemption for himself, his family, and his friends by busting out of a penitentiary in this intelligent thriller. Frank (Brian Cox) is a criminal who was forced to leave his wife and six-year-old daughter behind when he was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Frank openly acknowledges he was guilty and has made his peace with life behind bars, but when he learns that a drug overdose has left his daughter seriously ill, he feels a powerful need to reconnect with his family, and his only option is to escape.

Knowing he can't do it alone, Frank assembles a team from various factions of the prison population, including Viv (Seu Jorge), who makes and deals drugs from his cell; Lenny (Joseph Fiennes), a wiry tough guy who doesn't speak if he can avoid it; and Lacey (Dominic Cooper), Frank's new cellmate who is a white-collar criminal not cut out for prison life. Frank soon realizes if his plan is to work, he'll have to bring aboard some of the more dangerous and unpredictable members of the prison's community, including vicious and corrupt brothers Rizza (Damian Lewis) and Tony (Steven Mackintosh).

Starring:
Brian Cox, Joseph Fiennes, Damian Lewis, Liam Cunningham, Seu Jorge

Directed By:
Rupert Wyatt

Release:
2008

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LIFELINES

Lifelines

The Story:
Lifelines examines an extraordinarily stressful day in the life of the dangerously dysfunctional suburban Bernstein family. Mom Nancy (Jane Adams), a schoolteacher, is unable to handle the constant barrage of hostility from her three children. Husband Ira (Josh Pais) is ineffectual, but tries to convince Nancy that her addiction to coffee isn't helping her anxiety. Older son Mikey (Robbie Sublett) is a stutterer, and barely able to express himself under the best conditions. Middle child Meghan (Dreama Walker) flouts whatever restrictions her parents place on her, inviting her boyfriend for overnight visits, while youngest child Spencer (Jacob Kogan) suffers from ADHD, and needs to be handcuffed to the car to get him to participate in a family outing.

The family visits a therapist, Dr. Livingston (Joe Morton), where Ira reveals that he's leaving Nancy because he's discovered that he's gay. Just when the family appears ready to fracture irreparably, Dr. Livingston calmly takes them into his office, one at a time, and finds a way to get each of them to communicate with him. But the painful confessions he elicits may prove too much for their already fragile family bonds to withstand.

Starring:
Jane Adams, Jacob Kogan, Josh Pais, Robbie Sublett, Dreama Walker, Joe Morton

Directed By:
Rob Margolies

Release:
2008

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THE CALLER

THE CALLER

The Story:
Jimmy Stevens (Frank Langella), a senior VP for E.N. Corporation, sets up his own assassination after sending a damaging but anonymous email with deflated sales figures for his company and attaching a video-clip containing sinister images of a clandestine burial at the energy firm's factory in Latin America.

In New York the wheels of the corporation spin into action using contacts, Teddy and Sammy, from the underground to track down the whistleblower. Jimmy fears for his life, and, using the pseudonym John Doe , hires Frank Turlotte (Elliott Gould), a private detective, to follow a man and track his movements. Disguising his voice, Jimmy does not tell Turlotte that the person who has hired him, and the man he is to trail are one and the same.

Increasingly obsessed with Turlotte's opinion of his life, Jimmy engages in a game of cat and mouse, phoning Turlotte each evening for a report, and taunting him into discovering more and more details of his life. Jimmy eventually tells Turlotte that his job is over except for one more meeting in Redhook, Brooklyn. Turlotte is now intrigued enough to get to know Eileen (Laura Harring), a jazz singer and Jimmy's companion, and her seven-year-old daughter, Lila (Anabel Sosa).

Jimmy tells Lila a story about his childhood in 1940s France: One day towards the end of the war, Jimmy and his friend Lulu found a dying soldier in the woods. The soldier had requested that Lulu stay with him until his death. It was an episode that has haunted Jimmy ever since, and initiated his greatest wish, that he should not die alone

Starring:
Frank Langella, Elliott Gould, Laura Harring, Corey Johnson, Edoardo Ballerini

Directed By:
Richard Ledes

Release:
2008

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SPREAD

spread

The Story:
Set in modern day Los Angeles, Nikki (Ashton Kutcher) isn't a gigolo. He's a sexual grifter, a fun-loving, freeloading hipster who understands his greatest assets are his looks and sexual prowess, which he uses to charm his way into the hearts of the city's richest women and enjoy their lifestyle. Nikki's latest conquest is Samantha (Anne Heche) , a stunning middle-aged lawyer who gives him more than he's ever had before. But, then he meets a gorgeous waitress his own age named Heather (Margarita Levieva). She comes to visit Nikki at Samantha's house while Samantha is out of town, sees what an incredible place it is, and comes to the mistaken conclusion it's his. Unbeknownst to Nikki, Heather lives by playing the same game. When Samantha comes home, she discovers Nikki's infidelity and puts him out on the street.

Nikkis best friend, Harry (Sebastian Stan), struggles with their co-dependant relationship, always needing to bail Nikki out when he runs out of women to depend on.With nowhere else to turn, Nikki pulls out all the stops to win Heather over and they begin to form their own kind of bond. Sexually charged by a game of one-upsmanship, each shows the other their best grifts, and they unexpectedly begin falling in love - the one thing they can't do in the life they lead. Soon, the truth of their unfolding relationship forces a choice between love and money, and Nikki has to decide whether he can live on his own once and for all in the hopes of finding something real.

Starring:
Ashton Kutcher, Anne Heche, Margarita Levieva, Sebastian Stan, Hart Bochner, Maria Conchita Alonso, Sonia Rockwell, Sarah Buxton, Dani Levine, Derek Carter, Shane Brolly, Peter Marc Jacobson, Landon Ashworth

Directed By:
David MacKenzie

Release:
2009

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JENNIFER'S BODY

JENNIFER'S BODY

The Story:
Jennifer Check (Megan Fox), a mean-girl cheerleader possessed by a demon who begins feeding off the boys in a Minnesota farming town. It is then up to her "plain Jane" best friend Needy Lesnicky (Amanda Seyfried) to kill Jennifer, escape from a correctional facility and go after lead singer Nikolai Wolf (Adam Brody) and his Satan-worshiping rock band responsible for the transformation.

Starring:
Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Johnny Simmons, Adam Brody, J.K. Simmons, Amy Sedaris,Chris Pratt, Juno Ruddell, Kyle Gallner

Directed By:
Karyn Kusama

Release:
2009

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I CORRUPT ALL COPS

I CORRUPT ALL COPS

The Story:
There was once a dark age when Hong Kong was under British colonial rule. During that time, the police were highly corrupted. In the span of 10 years between 1963-1973, the amount of money involved in corruption amounted to 100 million.

The person who was the leader of the corruption practices was Senior Inspector Lak (Tony Leung). Whenever he was unable to solve a case, he would ask his subordinate Fiery Unicorn (Anthony Wong) to look for a scapegoat. This time, Fiery Unicorn caught university student Han Zhi Bang (Alex Fong Lik Sun) to admit to a spate of robbery, assault and molestation cases. Fortunately, Han Zhi Bang's mother manage to enlist the help of Zhu You Gao (Wong Jing) and Fiery Unicorn was forced to release the innocent man.

Chen Xi Gao (Eason Chan) was also Inspector Lak's subordinate and was promoted to inspector. One day, he met drug pusher Rose (Liu Yang) who was pursued by drug dealer Chao Zhou Zhu. He was injured while saving Rose. Inspector Lak was furious and he ordered Chao Zhou Zhu to give his territories to Rose. During the process, Chen Xi Gao and Rose became friends and he secretly backed Rose's illegal activities.

Meanwhile, Inspector Lak became interested in Fiery Unicorn's girlfriend and they met secretly. After Fiery Unicorn found out the truth, he was demoted.

During the early 1970s, Inspector Lak became increasingly arrogant and he did not even respect the new police chief. The Hong Kong governor set up ICAC to deal with corruption and Yan Guo Liang (Bowie Lam) was in charge of arresting brother Lak. Han Zhi Bang and Fiery Unicorn who wanted to take revenge against brother Lak, joined forces with Yan Guo Liang. Through sheer perseverance, they successfully bring down the corrupted police force. Inspector Lak knew that his time has come and he prepared to escape to Taiwan. The ICAC also prepared to arrest Chen Xi Gao. What would be his ending like?

Starring:
Anthony Wong, Tony Leung, Eason Chan, Yao Meng, Bowie Lam, Alex Fong, Kate Tsui, Jing Wong.

Directed By:
Jing Wong

Release:
2009

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WAR, INC.

War, INC.

The Story:

Set in Turaquistan, the first country to be invaded and occupied by a corporate run army under the employ of the United States government. The reasons for the “liberation” are simple; it was waged in the name of the war on terror, the desire for oil supplies and so the company vice-president (Dan Aykroyd) now works for, Tamerlane Corporation, can make a shitload of money rebuilding the country.

The administration has one little problem though – Omar Sharif (Lyubomir Neikov). He’s the CEO of a competing oil conglomerate and he’s decided to build his own oil pipeline through the country snubbing all the hard work put into this exercise by the U.S. government. Their solution of course is to have him eliminated by cleanup man extraordinaire Brand Hauser (John Cusack).

Hauser arrives, and meets his contact, Marsha Dillon (Joan Cusack) a stressed out corporate drone. Now, struggling with his own growing demons, the assassin must pose as the corporation's Trade Show Producer in order to pull off this latest hit, while maintaining his cover by organizing the high-profile wedding of Yonica Babyyeah (Hilary Duff) an outrageous Middle Eastern pop star, and keeping a sexy left wing reporter (Marisa Tomei) in check.

Starring:

John Cusack, Hilary Duff, Marisa Tomei, Joan Cusack, Dan Aykroyd, Ben Kingsley, Ned Bellamy

Directed By:

Joshua Seftel

Release:
2008

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CHILDREN OF INVENTION

CHILDREN OF INVENTION

The Story:
Raymond (Michael Chen) and Tina (Crystal Chiu), two first generation Chinese kids growing up in Boston with Elaine (Cindy Cheung), their overworked, illegal immigrant single mom. After Elaine’s savings vanish in a vitamin sales pyramid scheme, the family loses their home and moves into a model condo unit in an unfinished building.

With her estranged husband slacking on child support payments, Elaine gets involved in another pyramid scheme and is eventually arrested. Afraid that Tina and Raymond will be taken away if she tells the police she’s left two young children home alone, Elaine says nothing, and with their mom disappeared with no explanation, the kids are left to fend for themselves.

Raymond becomes the head of the household and must use his wits and resourcefulness to care for himself and his sister.

Starring:
Cindy Cheung, Michael Chen, Crystal Chiu

Directed By:
Tze Chun

Release:
2008

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