Haute Cuisine

In a profession dominated by men, can a talented woman come out on top? Haute Cuisine stars Catherine Frot as Hortense Laborie, a renowned chef from Perigord who has been given the culinary opportunity of a lifetime. Based on a true story, this French-language film explores one woman’s indomitable spirit in the face of steep opposition.

No one is more shocked than Hortense when the President of France himself appoints her to be his personal cook. She quickly makes a name for herself among the snobbish and male-only kitchen staff as both an arrogant taskmaster and a rabble-rouser. It takes all her efforts to keep the “old guard” staff in line. They are indignant at being led by a woman, and the fact that she is a rural chef only adds fuel to the fire. But despite the frequent confrontations in the kitchen, Hortense’ dishes please President Mitterand (Jean d’Ormesson, making his film debut at age 87). As the chefs battle for influence over the President’s tastes, Hortense begins to see the promises that power holds—and the dangers that lie therein.

Written by Christian Vincent and Etienne Comar and directed by Christian Vincent, Haute Cuisine will be released into limited theaters on August 16, 2013. This Weinstein Company comedy/drama also stars Arthur Dupont, Hippolyte Girardot, Jean-Marc Roulot, and Philippe Uchan.

 

The Kings of Summer

In The Kings of Summer, three teens fed up with their parents set out to live on their own for a summer. Along the way, they test the bonds of their friendship and learn that family—whether born or created—is everything.

Having had enough of his parents’ draconian rule, Joe (Nick Robinson) decides to run away for the summer—but responsibly. Together with his best friend Patrick (Gabriel Basso) and an eccentric wild card named Biaggio (Moises Arias), Joe begins building a summer cabin in the woods, as far away from adult civilization as possible. The trio hope to live off the land for the summer in an ultimate act of rebellion, but they soon realize that supporting oneself and getting along with a new “family” takes a lot more effort than they expected.

The Kings of Summer is a heartwarming coming-of-age story about three friends’ struggle for independence and self-sufficiency. Garnering rave reviews at the Sundance Film Festival, the film explores what it means to be an individual…and what it means to be part of a family.

Written by Chris Galletta and directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts, The Kings of Summer will see a limited theatrical release on May 13, 2013. This CBS Films comedy also stars Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally, Alison Brie, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Erin Moriarty, Marc Evan Jackson, Thomas Middleditch, and Tony Hale.

 

The English Teacher

Where’s the fun in life if you don’t take a few risks? In The English Teacher, Linda Sinclair (Julianne Moore) is about to have her carefully balanced world turned upside down. A forty-year-old unmarried high school teacher in rural Pennsylvania, Linda lives alone with her cats and her books, preferring the company of great literature to real-life drama. But when one of her former students returns home, she finds that she may have to give up her quiet life of books if she wants to help him succeed in the real world.

Jason Sherwood (Michael Angaro) had been one of Linda’s best pupils, but now he has fallen upon hard times. Forced to move back in with his parents after failing as a playwright in New York, Jason is about ready to switch careers and go to law school. But Linda can’t bear to watch one of her star pupils abandon his dreams, so she agrees to stage one of his plays as a high school drama production, directed by flamboyant drama teacher Carl Kapinas (Nathan Lane). With her career and reputation on the line, will Linda be able to find the courage to fight for what she knows is right?

Written by Dan and Stacy Charlton and directed by Craig Zisk, The English Teacher will be released into limited theaters on May 17, 2013. This Cinedigm comedy also stars Greg Kinnear and Lily Collins.

Stuck In Love

Stuck in Love tells the story of a family struggling to cope with divorce. Three years ago Erica (Jennifer Connely) left her husband Bill (Greg Kinnear) for a younger man, leaving scars that her family has yet to overcome. Bill, an acclaimed novelist, still pines for Erica day and night. He obsesses about her constantly, spies on her when he should be working, and sets a place for her at the table every Thanksgiving.

Their children have taken the divorce pretty hard as well. Deeply wounded by her mother’s perceived abandonment, 19-year-old Samantha (Lily Collins) has built a wall between herself and love. She pursues only brief hookups and one-night stands, even when a classmate for whom she has developed feelings tries to start a relationship. Her 16-year-old brother Rusty (Nat Wolff) has become the exact opposite: needy, clingy, and eager to throw himself into love. He gets his chance when he saves his crush Kate (Liana Liberato) from an abusive boyfriend, but he’s so blinded by love that he fails to see how troubled Kate really is.

When Samantha comes home from college with news that she has published her first novel, she inadvertently reopens old wounds and sparks new drama. As the family tries desperately to come to terms with their problems, Kate begins to spin out of control—and it will take the family’s combined efforts to help her.

Written and directed by Joshua Boone, Stuck In Love will see a limited theatrical release on June 14, 2013. This Millennium Entertainment comedy/drama also stars Kristen Bell, Logan Lerman, Rusty Joiner, Patrick Schwarzenegger, and Stephen King. Rated R for language, teen drug use and alcohol use, and some sexual content.

Frances Ha

Growing old is getting old in Frances Ha, an indie comedy about a New York girl trying to find her feet. Frances (Greta Gerwig) lives her life moment-to-moment. She works for a dance company but isn’t much of a dancer; she resides in New York but doesn’t really have a place of her own. She yearns for so much more than she already has—and yet she manages to remain lighthearted and upbeat. What’s the use of having dreams if you can’t stop and smell the flowers once in a while?

Told in a series of black-and-white vignettes, Frances Ha is a portrait of a young woman searching for meaning in a large and confusing world. Ambition, failure, redemption—Frances is willing to follow her dreams even as her opportunities dwindle. Because if she doesn’t make it, sometimes the journey is more important than the destination.

Written by Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig and directed by Noah Baumbach, Frances Ha will see a limited theatrical release in LA/NY on May 17, 2013. This IFC Films comedy also stars Mickey Sumner, Adam Driver, Michael Zegen, and Patrick Heusinger. Rated R for some sexual content and brief drug use.

The To Do List

When an overachieving, goodie-two-shoes teen wants to catch up on all the sexual adventures her classmates have been having before she leaves for college, what is she to do? Make a to-do list, of course! In The To Do List, valedictorian Brandy Clark (Aubrey Plaza) has spent her entire school career hitting up books rather than boys, but this summer she wants to make up for lost time. So she does what she knows best: she brainstorms and writes out a list of all the “extra-curricular” activities she’s been missing out on.

However, Brandy soon realizes that she’s out of her element and in over her head. She recruits the help of her best friends (Alia Shawkat, Sarah Steele, Donald Glover, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Johnny Simmons), her older sister (Rachel Bilson), and her burnt-out boss (Bill Hader) to give her some advice. To complete the list by September, the group will need plenty of imagination and very open minds. Loosely based upon writer/director Maggie Carey’s own life, The To-Do List is about a group of friends growing closer and making some very special memories.

Written and directed by Maggie Carey, The To Do List will be released into theaters on August 16, 2013. This CBS Films comedy also stars Andy Samberg, Scott Porter, Connie Britton, and Clark Gregg.

The Heat

From Paul Feig, the director of Bridesmaids, comes a new take on the buddy cop genre that promises to put the “laughter” back into “manslaughter.” In The Heat, two law enforcement officers team up to take down a ruthless drug lord, but the pair couldn’t be any more different. FBI Special Agent Sarah Ashburn (Sandra Bullock) is an uptight and straight-laced investigator with an arrogant streak a mile wide. Boston P.D.’s “finest” Shannon Mullins (Melissa McCarthy) is a bad-tempered and foul-mouthed cop who relies on her gut instinct over her training and refuses to play by the book. Neither has ever had a partner—or even wanted one, for that matter. Now, the hardest thing they’ll have to do is work together.

Ashborn and Mullins certainly make an incongruous duo. And yet, they each bring something to the table that the other sorely lacks. Mullins grew up on the streets of Boston; unlike the recently-relocated Ashburn, she knows the town inside and out. Ashburn, on the other hand, offers all the training and experience of an FBI field leader. Will their skills be enough to take down a brutal drug syndicate? And will they be able to look past their differences and become something they never dreamed possible—buddies?

Written by Katie Dippold and directed by Paul Feig, The Heat will be released in theaters on June 28, 2013. This 20th Century Fox action comedy also stars Demian Bichir, Marlon Wayans, and Michael Rapaport.

 

This is the End

The end of the world has never been this funny. After the Apocalypse strikes Los Angeles, six celebrities (Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, James Franco, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride, and Jonah Hill) find themselves trapped in a house with nowhere to go. Tensions rise as the friends try to piece together what happened and how to deal with the bizarre destruction that continues to rage outside. As their supplies dwindle, the group realizes that they have been left behind. Their friendship gets put to the test as they attempt to come to terms with their current situation. Soon they must venture outside for food—and learn the true meaning of friendship.

Based on Jay Baruchel and Seth Rogen’s 2007 short film Jay and Seth vs. the Apocalypse, This Is The End unites a virtual smorgasbord of current comedic stars in a film that has taken years in the making. Will the celebrities be able to see past their differences and make the best of their end days—or will they go out in a hilarious blaze of glory?

Written and directed by Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen, This Is The End will be released in theaters on June 14, 2013. This Columbia Pictures (Sony) comedy also stars Emma Watson, Paul Rudd, Michael Cera, Jason Segel, Aziz Ansari, Mindy Kaling, Paul Krumholtz, Martin Starr, Kevin Hart, and Rihanna.

Unfinished Song

Music calms us, excites us, brings us together. It can even melt the hardest of hearts. In Unfinished Song, Arthur (Academy-Award nominee Terrence Stamp) is a grumpy old pensioner who would like nothing more than to hide away from the world. Although his cheery wife Marion (Academy-Award winner Vanessa Redgrave) loves to sing and involve herself in life, Arthur wants nothing to do with it. But when tragedy strikes and Marion passes away, Arthur finally decides to join her unconventional local choir to honor her wishes and add some spice to his crotchety old life.

Unfortunately, old ways die hard. Arthur is just as embarrassed and cantankerous in the choir as we have come to expect, but he sticks with it, determined to honor his deceased wife’s request. Under the direction of the choir director, Elizabeth (Gemma Arterton), Arthur’s curmudgeonly exterior begins to melt. Elizabeth shows him that there is more to life than bitterness and anger, and that it’s never too late to change your tune. Arthur realizes that he must confront the roots of his own grumpy self in order to move forward. Unfinished Song tells the hilarious and life-affirming story of Arthur’s journey towards happiness.

Written and directed by Paul Andrew Williams, this Weinstein Company comedic drama will see a limited release on June 21, 2013. Unfinished Song also stars Christopher Eccleston. Rated PG-13 for some sexual references and rude gestures.

 

Girl Most Likely (a.k.a Imogene)

 

In Girl Most Likely, Imogene (Kristen Wiig) is finding her world crumbling apart. She had been an up-and-coming New York playwright, with a high-society boyfriend and bourgeoise aspirations, but after her boyfriend dumps her, she begins to spiral down into depression. Desperate to win him back, Imogene uses her flair for drama to stage a fake suicide, hoping that her ex will see it and feel sympathy. Instead, her stunt lands her in the care of her estranged, gambling-addict mother, Zelda (Annete Bening). Imogene must leave behind everything she has worked for and return home to the Jersey shore with her mother.

 

Once at home, Imogene realizes that the only way forward is to confront her past and reconcile with the family she’s never felt close with. She must reunite not just with her estranged mother, but also with her quirky brother Ralph (Christopher Fitzgerald) and her mother’s new boyfriend The Bousche (Matt Dillon). With their help—and that of the family’s attractive young lodger Lee (Darren Criss)—Imogene sets off on a journey of self-discovery to find her place in the world.

 

Written by Michelle Morgan and directed by Robert Pulcini and Shari Springer Berman, Girl Most Likely will see a limited theatrical release on July 19, 2013. This Roadside Attractions comedy/drama also stars Natasha Lyonne, June Diane Raphael, and Mickey Sumner.