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Director: Robert Zemeckis
Stars: Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Colin Firth (Full Cast)
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Motion PicturesThe Plot: An animated retelling of the Charles Dickens novel about Ebenezer Scrooge (Carrey), a Victorian-era miser who is taken on a journey of self-redemption, courtesy of several mysterious Christmas apparitions. THE BUZZ: Could it be that Robert Zemeckis has finally found source material that perfectly suits his
creepy mo-cap fantasies? Initially we were unsure, but ever since Comic-Con we've been behind this movie way more so than our affection for Monster House and Beowulf combined. However, this does not mean we're behind Who Framed Roger Rabbit 2 ...
Message Boards: Animation sucked!!! | Why did Bob Cratchet look like a leprachaun? Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews |
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Director: Olatunde Osunsanmi
Stars: Milla Jovovich, Elias Koteas, Will Patton (Full Cast)
Studio: Universal PicturesThe Plot: An investigator (Jovovich) is dispatched to Nome, Alaska to puzzle out a 40-year-long mystery involving an extraordinary number of unexplained disappearances in the town. Her videotaped evidence looks to present the most convincing evidence of alien abduction ever documented. THE BUZZ: Mystery and potential government conspiracies await Jovovich on her visit to Palin-ville. This thriller was scooped up by Universal during the summer when post-production on The Wolf Man pushed that film's release date to 2010. Before Paranormal Activity mania struck, I thought this movie was a goner -- another round of bad luck for Milla (and Universal) who saw her critically well-received thriller A Perfect Getaway fade away like a hazy summer memory. Now, it just might connect with audiences who are craving caught-on-tape horrors.
Message Boards: 'Real' Footage | Scariest part of the movie. Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews |
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Director: Lee Daniels
Stars: Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe, Mo'Nique, Paula Patton (Full Cast)
Studio: LionsgateThe Plot: In Harlem, an overweight, illiterate teen (Sidibe) who is pregnant with her second child is invited to enroll in an alternative school in hopes that her life can head in a new direction. THE BUZZ: Mo'Nique is going to win the Best Supporting Actress for her role in this terrifying realistic drama from Lee Daniels. (Or maybe she won't?) A pivotal scene between Mo' and star Gabby Sidibe literally made crowds gasp at Sundance earlier this year, and it is sure to illicit similar reactions from general audiences this winter. What Daniels has done here is rather remarkable: His take on the hardships faced by the titular character is only semi-sentimental, and it implies that a person's conviction is the one thing that remains when their circumstances are remarkably bleak. Amazingly, his story is also funny. This is, quite simply, a great film. And if you need your mood lightened while watching it, squint just a bit and Mariah Carey's mustache really comes into focus. Message Boards: Alternate titles for 'Precious' | Can anyone tell what she's saying? Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews |
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Director: Richard Kelly
Stars: Cameron Diaz, James Marsden, Frank Langella (Full Cast)
Studio: Warner Bros. PicturesThe Plot: A young couple is gifted with a mysterious box that promises them a handsome windfall with deadly consequences. THE BUZZ: Director Kelly's totally in his element here (and playing it much safer than his last movie) with this Twilight Zone-inspired thriller. Expect dark, supernatural elements, requisite non sequiturs, Hitchcocky plot twists and an indier-than-thou soundtrack (replete with Mellotron and tambourines). But, what's with the studio bumping this -- from March to November, back to October, etc. -- when it was supposedly a done deal and what's with all those Cameron Diaz ascots? Message Boards: Purpose of the 'Test' / Box **Spoilers** | I would push the button Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews |
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Director: Grant Heslov
Stars: Ewan McGregor, George Clooney, Kevin Spacey (Full Cast)
Studio: Overture FilmsThe Plot: In Iraq, reporter Bob Wilton (McGregor) meets Lyn Cassady (Clooney), whose seemingly wild claim - that he's a member of the U.S. Army's First Earth Battalion, a unit that employs paranormal powers in their missions - causes Wilton to join Cassady's hunt for the battalion's founder, whose gone missing. THE BUZZ: I like it when Clooney has a full-fledged character to play and isn't just in leading-man mode, and Kurt Wimmer's book is too against-the-grain for any established studio to be interested in the adaptation, which is being handled by Clooney's producing partner, Grant Heslov (his second picture as director). Enter Overture Films, who's gunning for awards-season recognition with this project as well as Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story. Meanwhile, over at Sony, Clooney and Heslov will develop more mainstream fare after severing their decade-old relationship with Warner Bros. back in June. Message Boards: What really happened in the movie? + story behind the story. (SPOILERS) | Amazing Movie! Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews |
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Director: Roland Emmerich
Stars: John Cusack, Thandie Newton, Chiwetel Ejiofor (Full Cast)
Studio: Columbia PicturesThe Plot: Academic researcher Jackson Curtis (Cusack) leads a group of people in a fight to counteract the apocalyptic events that were predicted by the Mayan calendar.
THE BUZZ: After 10K BC's middling success, Roland Emmerich probably sensed that movie-going audiences worldwide prefer him in present-tense mode, heavy on apocalyptic imagery. I've heard rumors that 2012's script, which Emmerich wrote with
composer-turned-screenwriter Harald Kloser, contains an incredibly cheesy twist of Shyamalanian proportions, but I'm not one to seek out (or deliver) spoilery goods. I will say that part of me hopes this end-of-the-world scenario could mint Emmerich as the slightly higher brow Uwe Boll, if only he thought to cast Tara Reid as an anthropologist here. Said differently: This A-and-B-list cast is slumming! P.S. Have you heard the one about Emmerich's planned 2012 TV spin-off?
Message Boards: 2 new goofs! | So the Mayan calendar ends... Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews |
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Director: Richard Curtis
Stars: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Nick Frost (Full Cast)
Studio: Focus FeaturesThe Plot: A 1960's comedy about an illegal radio station run by a band of rogue DJs on a ship in the middle of Britain's North Sea. By defying the tastes and laws of the ruling government, the disc jockeys hooked their listeners on pop music and its attendant ideas of love and free will. THE BUZZ: Universal has reworked and retitled this rebellious period comedy since its UK go-round earlier this year, though I'm unsure whether lodging it in the middle of awards season is an indication that the studio simply is pushing the movie out to sea. Message Boards: Any Difference between US and UK Release? | how did the boat really sink? Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews |
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Director: Wes Anderson
Stars: George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Bill Murray (Full Cast)
Studio: Fox Searchlight PicturesThe Plot: Angry farmers, tired of sharing their chickens with a sly fox, look to get rid of their opponent and his family. Based on the book by Roald Dahl. THE BUZZ: While some of the media is slam-booking Wes Anderson, we're choosing to let his nuanced clutch of films speak for itself in advance of Mr. Fox's arrival. We admittedly were a bit anxious about the look and feel of the first trailer, but the supplemental featurettes and clips eased us into Anderson's make-believe world (and we were realigned by this feels-similar video by electronic brother-sister duo The Knife). We still wonder, however, if this is another Where the Wild Things Are in it's ability to resonate with adults, but not so much with kids. Message Boards: I got my money back! | Ranking Wes Anderson's movies... Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews |
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Director: Oren Moverman
Stars: Ben Foster, Samantha Morton, Woody Harrelson (Full Cast)
Studio: Oscilloscope LaboratoriesThe Plot: A soldier (Foster) struggles with an ethical dilemma when he becomes involved with a widow of a fallen officer (Morton). THE BUZZ: Neverminding The Hurt Locker's moderate success, Iraq-war dramas are still a dicey commercial prospect, though acclaimed screenwriter Oren Moverman's directorial debut has kept its festival buzz building, and insiders are saying Ben Foster turns in another watch-out performance. Ditto Harrelson, who has had a banner 2009. Message Boards: Uniform Nitpicks | Review for The Messenger Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews |
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Director: Adam Salky
Stars: Emmy Rossum, Zach Gilford, Ashley Springer (Full Cast)
Studio: Image EntertainmentThe Plot: A drama centered around three high school seniors - an aspiring actress (Rossum), her misfit best friend (Springer), and a loner (Gilford) - who become engaged in an intimate and complicated relationship. THE BUZZ: I remember being seriously underwhelmed by this one at Sundance back in January - then again, this is more of a sleepover movie for edgy teenage girls than stimulation for a pudgy guy in his late 30s. Though I will say I expected a bit more from support staff Ana Gasteyer, Sandra Bernhard (who sorta look like sisters these days) and Alan Cumming, whose names are being used to promote the movie, though they have precious little screen time. For the young trio of actors at the center of this drama, let's say they are characterizations that would fade into the background of pretty much any show on the CW. Message Boards: Song in clip #2 (Apple movie trailer)? | Judging by the trailer Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews |
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Director: Sebastian Gutierrez
Stars: Carla Gugino, Adrianne Palicki, Connie Britton (Full Cast)
Studio: Screen Media FilmsThe Plot: Different forms of trouble bring together eight seemingly disparate women over the course of one day in Los Angeles.
THE BUZZ: After a series of diminishing returns from the world of horror/thrillers, Sebastian Gutierrez seems on the brink of reinvention with a Almodóvar-inspired sex comedy that situates his real-life girlfriend, Carla Gugino, smack in the middle the manic/camp proceedings. Outfitted with a handful of actresses we'd love to see more often, and
goosed by cameos from Josh Brolin and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, we hope this well-reviewed L.A. romp breaks away from the indie pack and convinces Gutierrez to take a long break from the big studios.
Message Boards: 'Women In Trouble' Coming To DVD + Blu-ray 2/16/10 | Was this cut in the USA? Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews |
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Director: Jorge Blanco Javier Abad
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Seann William Scott, Jessica Biel (Full Cast)
Studio: TriStar PicturesThe Plot: The inhabitants of Planet 51 live in fear of alien invasion. Their paranoia is realized when astronaut Chuck Baker (voice of Dwayne Johnson) arrives from Earth. Befriended by a young resident, he has to avoid capture in order to recover his spaceship and try to return home. THE BUZZ: A trio of videogame directors are handling this story from one of the dudes who wrote Shrek. Powered by Sony worldwide, we think audiences will embrace the human-as-alien spin here, especially since rendering here reminds us of an animated Pleasantville. Blockbuster? We don't think so. Solid performer that won't annoy you in the SUV Hybrid? You bet. Message Boards: looks like BTTF/Universal Studios | planet map Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews |
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Director: Chris Weitz
Stars: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner (Full Cast)
Studio: Summit EntertainmentThe Plot: When Bella's blood is shed at her birthday celebration, Edward's intense reaction to the event causes his parents to pull up stakes and leave Forks, Washington for the sake of the young lovers. Heartbroken, Bella finds a form of comfort in reckless living, as well as an even-closer friendship with Jacob Black (Lautner). Danger in different forms awaits.
THE BUZZ: There's nobody hotter on IMDb -- or anywhere in general pop culture? -- than Edward and Bella. Even their real-life counterparts, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, are making indie-cool choices which make them appealing to those of us who might not be the biggest fans of Stephenie Meyer's novels, or their adaptations. Boosting the appeal of Twilight is the studio behind the franchise, Summit Entertainment, who listens to their fan base (We heart Jacob Lautner!) and is pulling a Disney move by investing in their stars (Kristen Stewart will co-star in the biography of seminal 1970s all-female rock band The Runways, while Robert Pattinson is shooting Remember Me) after New Moon wraps). We're interested to see how underdog director Chris Weitz meshes with this material, and, whether or not this second installment will boost its appeal to non-U.S. audiences. Message Boards: BELLA + EDWARD The Most Dull And Boring Couple EVER! | Question (regarding the books, not the movies) Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews |
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Director: John Lee Hancock
Stars: Quinton Aaron, Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw (Full Cast)
Studio: Warner Bros. PicturesThe Plot: A disadvantaged teenager is taken in by a conservative family who see tremendous promise in the young man. Despite certain obstacles, the attention and inspiration he receives helps him mature into an athletically and academically successful NFL prospect. THE BUZZ: This is the true story of Michael Oher, whose first season in the NFL will be underway by the time Sandra Bullock blitzes (?) the big screen with her third movie of the year. If Oher and the Baltimore Ravens, who selected the young man in the first round of this year's draft, are both performing well, some sort of uncharted cultural zeitgeist could occur at the box office. This is also great counterprogramming for all the non-Twilight moms out there. Message Boards: SJ annoying or cute | Who's seen this movie and why? Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews |
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Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Stars: Penélope Cruz, Lluís Homar, Blanca Portillo (Full Cast)
Studio: Sony Pictures ClassicsThe Plot: Blind screenwriter Harry Caine (Homar) reveals the secrets of his past to
a young associate, from his former life as a filmmaker working under his given name, to the accident which claimed his sight and led to a break-up with Lena (Cruz), a now-famous actress who lives in a gilded cage with her wealthy older partner.
THE BUZZ: Almodóvar's 17th feature is also his costliest production to date, and it seems to be a love letter to his die-hard fellow cinephiles. Initial reactions saw critics distance themselves from Almodóvar's advances, but the public's anticipation for the film in the States seems to have relegated those negative reviews to the past. I got excited when a reviewer indicated that Cruz's character lives in a "gilded Xanadu"! That imagery, folded in with the filmmaker's love for melodrama, repression, and noir aesthetics have those of us who overuse the word "sumptuous" primed for November. Message Boards: Review for Broken Embraces | Horrible Accent Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews |
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Director: John Woo
Stars: Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Fengyi Zhang (Full Cast)
Studio: Magnet ReleasingThe Plot: Set during the end of China's Han Dynasty, two rivaling warlords make a pact to turn their respective armies against a power hungry general bent on taking over their kingdoms. THE BUZZ: The most expensive Asian production to date was also a huge international hit (it's now the #1 domestically made film in China). U.S. audiences aren't getting John Woo's military epic in two parts; instead, Woo himself is editing both works into a single two-and-a-half-hour film. Message Boards: any possible way to see the non-cut version? | Will America release the two-part, non-condensed version on DVD? Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews |
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Director: Lukas Moodysson
Stars: Gael García Bernal, Michelle Williams, Marife Necesito (Full Cast)
Studio: IFC FilmsThe Plot: Leo (Bernal) is a web entrepreneur on a business trip to Thailand. When his life takes an unplanned turn, the ripples reach back to his family in New York City, where his wife (Williams) and daughter have a close relationship with their Filipino nanny (Necesito). THE BUZZ: With this first three films, Swedish filmmaker Lukas Moodysson built up quite an international fanbase -- Show Me Love perhaps is his best-known work (but isn't Together his best thus far?). Then came the blacker than black drama A Hole in My Heart, which caused many of his fans to desert him; in fact, was the follow-up, Container, even released in the U.S.? I feel like it never made it here. For Moodysson's new work, his first English-language project (grumble), he nabbed two of the most beloved film-world performers in the States, though does this feel like an exercise in Babel-esque melodrama? Festival audiences, for what it's worth, haven't exactly warmed to Moodysson's take on globalization.
Message Boards: what kind of doctor was she? | Will this film be released in other U.S. Cities besides LA and New York Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews |
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Director: Werner Herzog
Stars: Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Russell M. Haeuser (Full Cast)
Studio: First Look PicturesThe Plot: Terence McDonagh (Cage) is a drug- and gambling-addled detective in post-Katrina New Orleans investigating the killing of five Senegalese immigrants. THE BUZZ: Chances are this is the weirdest American-made movie to earn a general release this year, what with Werner Herzog deconstructing the beloved and abused cop/action genre while allowing a pair of Hollywood A-listers to snort and fornicate their way through the city that represents complete failure on the part of the U.S. government. Major studios wouldn't touch this one even with all the positive and negative buzz the project garnered from the moment it was announced to its triumphant and newsmaking festival screenings. That said, I sense this might become Herzog's biggest critical/commercial success to date. Really, I think it comes down to how effectively distributor First Look converts audience awareness into box office; when the indie studio has the right project - highlights from the dicey roster include Paris, je t'aime, Transsiberian, and the Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie - they causes waves, and the industry needs breakout hits now more than ever. Too bad the iguana doesn't talk to Nic Cage or Val Kilmer ... Message Boards: 100 things I've learned from this movie (spoilers) | 'Release me' song Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews |
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Director: Walt Becker
Stars: Robin Williams, John Travolta, Seth Green (Full Cast)
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Motion PicturesThe Plot: Ben (Williams) is a successful businessman whose professional and personal life is altered when an old flame re-enteres his life -- with her two children (twins!) in tow. Finding himself temporarily in charge of their welfare, he enlists his best friend and colleague (Travolta) to co-parent. THE BUZZ: I love it when weirdos like Seth Green are cast in family movies. And he seems to steal scenes in the way-too-revealing trailer. Looks like another win for suddenly mainstream director Walter Becker (Wild Hogs), and continued momentum for Travolta, who received great reviews for the underperforming Pelham 1 2 3 and will next be seen in Pierre Morel's Taken follow-up, From Paris with Love.Update: If you're unaware of the current climate at Disney, it's refreshing to read words from a movie executive who thinks a movie such as this one missed out on the idea of appealing to women's tastes and likes. Message Boards: No wonder Disney fired Dick Cook | Very Funny Movie Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews |
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Director: John Hillcoat
Stars: Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron, Kodi Smit-McPhee (Full Cast)
Studio: Dimension FilmsThe Plot: A father (Mortensen) and son (Smit-McPhee) walk for months across a ravaged, post-apocalyptic landscape in search of civilization. THE BUZZ: Once a victim of come-and-go release date hijinks, the question here remains: Can you mine another Cormac McCarthy novel for Oscar gold? We have to imagine that's the plan here for McCarthy's Pulitzer Prize-winning, Oprah-endorsed tale of an unexplained cataclysm decimating life as we know it in the U.S. John Hillcoat (The Proposition) is a stellar pick to frame the father and son's gritty survival instincts, and we can already see Viggo being positioned for a Best Actor nomination, but if this is intended to be an Oscar hopeful, we feel as though some of the novel's most ghastly images -- cannibalism is just the beginning, dear ones -- will be sanitized (or maybe not, according to this report, though Charlize Theron's character was given more of a backstory, as readers would image). Personally, we're primed for Guy Pearce's role ... Message Boards: Lines in movie ~Spoiler~ | This movie is still haunting me a day later Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews |
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Director: James McTeigue
Stars: Rain, Rick Yune, Naomie Harris (Full Cast)
Studio: Warner Bros. PicturesThe Plot: Raizo (Rain) is a rogue ninja who comes to the aid of Mika Coretti (Harris), a Berlin-based Interpol agent who has linked the shadowy Ozunu Clan, a secret society of assassins who trained Raizo, to a series of murders. Most dangerous to them both is Takeshi (Yune), Raizo's former ally and the assassin leading the charge of Ozunu killers to Berlin.
THE BUZZ: Despite the somewhat redundant title, I'm looking forward to ninjas being brought front and center in director James McTeigue's follow up to V for Vendetta. What's more, I'm hoping Naomie Harris will get the chance to showcase her fighting/survival skills, which really haven't found an outlet since 28 Days Later (by the way, Ms. Harris says she's down for a proper sequel to the film, just so you know ...). Perhaps a pop-culture phenomenon will occur this weekend, if boys put down their video-game controllers, and the hordes of teenage girls who idolize Rain also head out to the movies ...
Message Boards: Was that Raizo in the opening scene? | An Honest Critique *Possible Spoilers* Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews |
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Director: Richard Linklater
Stars: Zac Efron, Claire Danes, Christian McKay (Full Cast)
Studio: Freestyle ReleasingThe Plot: NYC, 1937: A week in the life of aspiring actor Richard Samuels (Efron), where he finds himself cast in Orson Welles' staging of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" and falling for an older woman (Danes). THE BUZZ: Just how leery are studios of arty/specialty films in this economically depressed era? Look no further than Orson Welles, which pairs an established director with a bonafide young star in a career redefining role, and tosses in a breakout performance by an relatively unknown actor playing one of cinema's most iconic figures (Christian McKay as Welles). The period drama screened at the 2008 Toronto Film Festival, where the unlikely Efron-Linklater collaboration found many admirers, but zero buyers. This opened the door for Freestyle Releasing, who will hopefully repeat the success they found with The Collector earlier this year (and Bottle Shock in 2008). Message Boards: Mistakes and anachronisms | The Mercury Julius Caesar Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews |
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Director: Rebecca Miller
Stars: Robin Wright Penn, Alan Arkin, Mike Binder (Full Cast)
Studio: Screen Media FilmsThe Plot: Pippa Lee (Penn) moves with her much older husband (Arkin) from New York City to a suburban retirement community. Cracks in her facade reveal past experiences, while she steers herself toward a quiet nervous breakdown. THE BUZZ: I hear what makes this drama work is that neither the writing nor the performers take Pippa's meltdown that seriously. Rebecca Miller might experience a perfect indie storm here with her film's good reviews, its perfect release-date positioning, and Robin Wright (Penn)'s on-again divorce proceedings in full effect. Also, Julianne Moore plays a Sapphic bad-girl in a flashback sequence! Message Boards: ahahahah the movie title is so funny in greek!! | aus Showtimes | Trailers | Photos | Message Boards | User Comments | Reviews |
