Union Square

Wildly emotional Lucy (Academy Award winner Mira Sorvino) and highly disciplined Jenny (Tammy Blanchard) are polar opposites. They’re also sisters whose relationship has seriously deteriorated. At the outset of the film Lucy, on the verge of a nervous breakdown, decides to go somewhere she’s never been: to her sister’s apartment offUnion Square. To say that Jenny is not happy to see her sister is an understatement. In fact, she’s horrified when Lucy comes in and decides to stay a while.

It soon becomes obvious that in her quest to seek a more ordered life far from her roots with her tumultuous family in theBronx, Jenny has been less than honest with her long-time fiancé, Bill (Mike Doyle), about her family. After the three of them have a tense dinner, the sisters head out to a club to attempt to clear the air. The confrontation only creates more tensions. Lucy leaves as unexpectedly as she arrived, and then returns to further disrupt Jenny’s carefully constructed life with even more surprises.

Set inNew York’sUnion Square,Union Squaretells the story of the unexpected reunion of these two women and the profound effect that this reunion has on each of their lives.

Scheduled for a limited release onJuly 13, 2012by DADA and Required Viewing,Union Squarewas directed by Nancy Savoca from a screenplay by Savoca and Mary Tobler.

Red Lights

Dr. Margaret Matheson (Sigourney Weaver) and her assistant, physicist Tom Buckley (Cillian Murphy), work in a college’s paranormal research department. Together they investigate and debunk fraudulent claims of paranormal activity. Ghost whispering…faith healing…and other seemingly amazing psychic phenomena are all exposed when the pair detect what Matheson calls “red lights,” the subtle tricks behind each highly staged “paranormal” occurrence. In fact, the first half of the film is devoted to watching these champions of science and reason debunk mentalists, psychics and other frauds – and watching the relationship between these characters develop.

The second half of the film, though, is a complete shift in mood and pacing. While the first part of the film is tight, controlled and precise, the second half becomes chaotic and suspenseful. A mirror of Tom’s changing mental state. Matheson’s old nemesis, the world-reknown blind psychic Simon Silver (Robert DeNiro) has come out of retirement after three decades out of the spotlight, and Buckley and his star student (Elizabeth Olsen) are determined to discredit him. Matheson warns Buckley that Silver is dangerous and urges him to stay away, but Buckley perseveres. His quest forces Buckley to reexamine his own core beliefs as his investigation takes some bizarre and unexpected turns.

Red Lights is scheduled for a limited release onJuly 13, 2012by Millennium Entertainment. Written and directed by Rodrigo Cortes, the R-rated thriller also stars Toby Jones as Dr. Paul Shackleton.

War of the Buttons

In a small village in the French countryside, at the height of the WWII Nazi occupation, a group of children is forced to confront the very real impact of what is going on in the world around them. During the War resistance came in all shapes and sizes, and even children had a part to play.

Before a new girl, Violette (Ilona Bachelier), came to town, pre-teen rebel Lebrac (newcomer Jean Texier) and his gang were engaged in a merciless “play war” with a rival gang of children from a neighboring village. Then Lebrac fell for Violette, and the children realized that this girl is Jewish. This dangerous secret – a Jewish girl “hidden in plain sight” in their village – brings the children together. Rival gangs set aside their conflicts to fight the Nazis, their common enemy, and try to protect this girl that they have all come to know.

War of the Buttons is directed by Academy Award nominee Christophe Barratier (Les Chorus), produced by Academy Award winner Thomas Langmann (The Artist), and co-written by Barratier and Langmann based in part on Louis Pergaud’s 1912 novel, “La Guerre des Boutons.” The drama, which is set for release by The Weinstein Company onJuly 18, 2012, also stars Laetitia Casta, Guillaume Canet and Kad Merad.

Gangster Squad

Back East he was a gangster. Out on the West Coast, he’s Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn), the ruthless Brooklyn-born mob king who has taken over Los Angeles. Based on a true story, Gangster Squad chronicles the Los Angeles Police Department’s (LAPD’s) battle in the 1940s and 50s to rid the city of Mickey Cohen and other East Coast Mafia types.

Sitting at the head of an illicit money-making machine, Mickey Cohen is raking in the dough from a full range of criminal activity. From drugs and guns to prostitutes and wire bets, all dollars flow his way. To make matters worse, Cohen is operating under the protection of the police and politicians who are under his control. Until, that is, a small group of LAPD outsiders decide to take back the city and tear Cohen’s world apart.

Led by Sgt. John O’Mara (Josh Brolin) and Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling), the “Gangster Squad” operates in secrecy. No badges, no names, no mercy. The film’s star-studded cast also includes Nick Nolte as LAPD Chief “Whiskey Bill” Parker, Emma Stone as Grace Faraday, Anthony Mackie as Coleman Harris, Giovanni Ribisi as Conway Keeler, Michael Pena as Navidad Ramirez, and Robert Patrick as Officer Max Kennard.

Gangster Squad was written by Will Beall (TV’s “Castle”) based on Paul Lieberman’s book, Gangster Squad, and directed by Ruben Fleischer. The film is scheduled for release by Warner Bros. Pictures on September 7, 2012.

The Big Fix

Want to know the real story about the sinking of the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico and the aftermath of the largest oil spill in America’s history? The Big Fix, a documentary by Louisiana natives Josh Tickell and Rebecca Harrell Tickell, lays it all out. Prepare, however, to be horrified.

Through interviews with locals whose health has been destroyed, scientists who haven’t been bought by British Petroleum, journalists and government officials, The Big Fix paints a very disturbing picture: A political and corporate system that puts profits over the health of people and the environment.

Collusion between the government (from local to national) and the media to avoid holding anyone accountable. Entire industries destroyed. Fish with no eyes, tumors, and heightened levels of cancer-causing carcinogens. The Big Fix presents it all, and also explores the impact of the long-term use of the Corexit 9527, a chemical dispersant and known blood thinner, widely used in the aftermath of the oil spill.

The Big Fix is a scathing documentary of what may be the biggest toxic waste cover-up in U.S. history. Scheduled for release on December 2, 2012 by Green Planet Productions, The Big Fix stars Peter Fonda, Jeff Goodell and Stuart Smith.

Seven Psychopaths

In Seven Psychopaths, a dark comedy written and directed by Martin McDonagh (director of In Bruges), Colin Farrell stars as Marty, a struggling writer who desperately wants to finish his screenplay, Seven Psychopaths. The problem is, since he has precious little experience with the world of crime, he’s having a hard time finding inspiration and authenticity. His dilemma gets solved in the most unlikely of ways – through a dog-napping gone terribly awry.

Billy (Sam Rockwell), an unemployed actor and part-time dog thief, is Marty’s best friend. Hans (Christopher Walken) is Billy’s dog-napping assistant. The two of them make a less-than-honest living by kidnapping dogs and returning them for the reward money. Although it’s not a nice thing to do, they are very nice about it. They shower the pooches with love and affection, return them promptly, and keep their ransom levels low.

Charlie (Woody Harrelson) is an unpredictable and extremely violent gangster. A religious man with a violent past, Charlie only seems to be able to connect to his own humanity through his relationship with his beloved dog, an adorable shih tzu named Bonny. When Billy and Hans make the mistake of taking Bonny, Charlie goes on a rampage – making it clear that he wouldn’t hesitate to kill anyone associated with the dog-napping.

Marty of course gets caught up in the entire life-and-death drama, wherein he finds plenty of inspiration and great material for his unfinished screenplay.

Seven Psychopaths is set for a limited release on November 2, 2012 by CBS Films. The action comedy also stars Tom Waits and Olga Kurylenko.

The Bourne Legacy

It’s time for the next chapter in the enormously popular “Bourne” action thriller franchise: The Bourne Legacy, which takes off where movie number three, The Bourne Ultimatum, left off. Faced with the political and public fallout from the events that transpired in The Bourne Ultimatum, the CIA decides to shut down “Operation Outcome,” the successor to “Operational Treadstone.”

A new Bourne hero, Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner), an agent of Operation Outcome, joins Stephanie Snyder (Rachel Weisz), a doctor who helped create the Operation Outcome agents, in a quest to escape before CIA agent Byer (Edward Norton) succeeds in having them killed.

In this action-packed film, Renner, Weisz and Norton join fellow series newcomers Stacy Keach and Oscar Isaac. Series veterans Albert Finney, Joan Allen, David Strathairn and Scott Glenn all reprise their roles. With The Bourne Legacy Director/Writer Tony Gilroy, the narrative architect behind the entire Bourne film series, has expanded the Bourne universe originally created by Robert Ludlum in his series of “Jason Bourne” novels. The film is named after – but not based on – a later Bourne novel written by Eric Van Lustbader. The Jason Bourne character, previously played by Matt Damon, does not appear in this film.

The Bourne Legacy is scheduled for release on August 3, 2012, by Universal Pictures. Written by Tony Gilroy and Dan Gilroy, the film is rated PG-13 for violence and action sequence.

Premium Rush

Getting around the traffic-clogged streets of Manhattan is generally not something that can be rushed. Which is why when someone needs to get a delivery from point A to point B in a hurry, they rely on the services of one of the city’s bicycle messengers. For this special breed of people, weaving through traffic while dodging speeding cars, open doors and unpredictable pedestrians is all in a day’s work.

Elite among these bicycle messengers are those who ride the “fixie” – a super lightweight, single-gear bicycle that has no brakes. And elite among the fixie riders is Wilee (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), the best of New York’s very aggressive bicycle messengers. When a “premium rush” package needs to reach its destination in less than 90 minutes, Wilee is the one to call.

In Premium Rush, the storyline centers on what happens when Wilee’s last delivery of the day, a “Premium Rush” envelope picked up from Columbia University, proves to be more than he bargained for. Wilee finds himself the object of a crazy life or death chase through the streets of Manhattan when dirty cop Bobby Monday (Michael Shannon) proves how desperate he is to get his hands on the contents of this mysterious envelope.

Directed by David Koepp from a screenplay by David Koepp and John Kamps, Premium Rush also stars Dania Ramirez as Vanessa and Jamie Chung as Nima. Produced by Columbia Pictures and distributed by Sony Pictures, Premium Rush is scheduled for nationwide release on  August 24, 2012. Rated PG-13 for some violence, intense action sequences and language.

The Campaign

For long-term congressman Cam Brady (Will Ferrell), winning had always come easy. Since he had never had an opponent, all he had to do to clinch the race was sign the registration documents. Until now. After committing a major public gaffe just prior to launching his fifth “campaign” for Congress, handsome and charismatic Cam is shocked to learn that he won’t be running unopposed after all. Marty Huggins (Zach Galifianakis), the director of the local Tourism Center and a complete political neophyte, will be on the ballot as well – backed and handpicked by a pair of ultra-wealthy CEOs who are bent on gaining influence over their small North Carolina district.

At first blush naïve Marty seems like a strange choice for the wealthy benefactors to have made. But with their support, Marty’s family’s political connections and a cutthroat campaign manager, Marty gives Cam plenty of reasons to lose sleep at night. With ethics dropping ever lower and insults escalating by the day, their congressional race becomes a mud-slinging, back-stabbing, home-wrecking circus.

Directed by Jay Roach (“Meet the Parents”), The Campaign is a comedy that takes today’s dirty political campaigns to a whole new level. Scheduled for release by Warner Bros. Pictures on August 10, 2012, The Campaign was written by Chris Henchy and Shawn Harwell from a story by Adam McKay, Jay Roach and Zach Galifianakis. Also starring Jason Sudeikis, Katherine LaNasa, Dylan McDermott, John Lithgow, Dan Aykroyd, and Brian Cox.

Easy Money

Based on the international best-selling book, “Snabba Cash,” by Jens Lapidus, Easy Money is a Swedish crime thriller centered around drugs and organized crime. At the first level of this three-tiered story is Johan “JW” Westlund (Joel Kinnaman), a poor but promising student at the Stockholm School of Economics. JW is living a double life, socializing with the wealthy Stockholm elite while illegally driving a taxi to finance his expensive lifestyle. After falling in love with Sophie (Lisa Henni), an upper class girl, he is lured into the world of organized crime.

Jorge Salinas Barrio (Matias Padin Varela) is a Chilean man who has recently escaped from prison, where he was sent after being caught in the drug business. On the run from both the police and the Yugoslavian mafia, Jorge has a reputation of knowing everything about cocaine. His plan is to import a massive cargo of cocaine, get revenge on those who snitched on him, and then disappear from the country for good.

Mrado Slovovic (Dragomir Mrsic) is a hitman working for the Yugoslavian mafia. He has been sent by the mafia boss to take care of Jorge. His mission is complicated by his struggles to take care of his eight-year-old daughter, who he is forced to take with him when the girl’s mother is incapable of caring for her. JW’s journey into the world of organized crime causes the fates of all three men to become entwined, in a dark struggle of life and death.

Set for a July 11, 2012 limited release by The Weinstein Company, Easy Money was directed by Daniel Espinosa based on a screenplay by Maria Karlsson, Hassan Loo Sattarvandi, and Fredrik Wikström. Rated R, for strong violence, pervasive language, drug content and some sexuality.