Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning

 

In “Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning,” the latest in the “Universal Soldier” feature film series, the universal soldier (UniSol) cloning program is out of control and an army of UniSols has gone AWOL. “Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning” is a story of power, revenge and vindication, as only one man can stop the UniSols from achieving their goal of building a new order – with the UniSols, of course, in control.

 

When John (Scott Adkins) wakes up from a coma he learns that his wife and daughter were brutally murdered in a terrifying home invasion. John vows to take revenge and kill the man responsible for the attack, Luc Deveraux (Jean-Claude Van Damme). While John tries to piece his reality back together, Deveraux and his band of UniSols are busy testing their strongest warriors in violent life-and-death combat. Pursued by Magnus (Andre Arlovski), a relentless UniSol, John succeeds in getting closer to Deveraux and his rogue army of genetically enhanced warriors. But the closer he gets, the more John begins to doubt everything he previously believed to be true.

“Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning” was directed by John Hyams from a screenplay by Hyams, Doug Magnuson and John Greenhalgh. The action film is scheduled for a limited release on November 30, 2012 by Magnolia Pictures, and also stars Andrei “The Pit Bull” Arlovski and Dolph Lundgren.

 

A Liar’s Autobiography: The Untrue Story of Monty Python’s Graham Chapman

“A Liar’s Autobiography” is a comedic, fictionalized biography of Graham Chapman, a member of the Monty Python comedy group who died of cancer in 1989. Prior to his death Chapman was recorded reading excerpts from his book, “A Liar’s Autobiography,” which was a heavily fictionalized account of his life. These recordings are used as the basis for this animated film, which has been called Chapman’s own take on his bizarre life and search for self-knowledge.

Told through 17 different animation styles from 14 different animators, “A Liar’s Autobiography” is a surreal film that also features the voices of most of the other members of the Monty Python troupe. Not a documentary and not a Monty Python film, “A Liar’s Autobiography” nonetheless includes enough Python sketches, songs and references to please even die-hard Monty Python fans. After all, by the movie’s own account, the three most influential aspects of Chapman’s life were “sex, booze and Python!” Much of the visual material in the film illustrates Chapman’s experiences growing up gay in a homophobic environment during World War II, as well as his very heavy drinking.

“A Liar’s Autobiography: The Untrue Story of Monty Python’s Graham Chapman” was directed by Bill Jones, Ben Timlett and Jeff Simpson. The animated film is set for a limited release on November 2, 2012 by Trinity, Brainstorm Media. Also features the voices of Terry Jones, Michael Palin, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam and Eric Idle.

The Bay

 

It’s a very creepy thought. What would happen if all of the junk that’s being dumped into the water of Chesapeake Bay – pesticide run-off, steroid-filled chicken feces from mass poultry farms, and more – somehow interacted to create a new life form?

 

In “The Bay,” a new horror thriller from director/writer Barry Levinson, this is essentially what happens. The film is set in the quaint seaside town of Chesapeake Bay, where water is the lifeblood of the area. When two researchers from France find a staggering level of toxicity in the water, no body wants to hear it. The mayor doesn’t want to create a panic, so everything is hushed up, and news of the water’s toxicity doesn’t get out.

 

Until, that is, the toxic yuck somehow produces a parasitic isopod that ends up eating the lungs, hearts and kidneys of the humans it infects. Because the mayor chooses to cover things up rather than do something about it, a deadly plague is unleashed. The people of Chesapeake Bay become hosts for this mutant bread of parasites that eats their insides and takes control of their minds – causing the previously idyllic small town to descend into absolute terror.

 

“The Bay” stars Will Rogers and Christopher Denham, and is scheduled for a limited November 2, 2012 release by Roadside Attractions.

Iron Man 3

 

Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is accustomed to being on top of the world. He’s brilliant. He’s handsome. He’s a billionaire. He’s the world’s foremost weapons manufacturer. And he’s IronMan. So what happens when Tony suddenly finds his personal world destroyed at the hands of Iron Man’s archenemy, The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley)? Left to survive by his ingenuity and his own devices, will Iron Man be able to protect his girlfriend, Virginia “Pepper” Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) – the one thing he can’t live without?

 

Trying to fight his way back after losing so much, Iron Man’s mettle is tested at every turn. A small “silver lining” to Iron Man’s predicament, though, is that he will finally learn the answer to a question that has vexed him since he first put on the suit that gives him his “super” powers: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

 

The sequel to “Iron Man” and “Iron Man 2,” “Iron Man 3” is based on the Marvel Comics super hero Iron Man character. Directed by Shane Black from a screenplay by Black and Drew Peace, “Iron Man 3” is set for a May 3, 2013 release in both 3D and 2D by Walt Disney Pictures and Marvel Studios. The action adventure film also stars Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Stephanie Szostak, James Badge Dale, and Jon Favreau.

 

Alter Egos

“Alter Egos,” a comedy spoof of all of the super-hero films that have been so popular in recent years, takes place in a land where superheroes roam the streets. Having lost all government funding and public support, the superheroes (and many not-so-super heros) are now starting to have issues reintegrating into society with their alter egos, i.e. their “normal” selves.

Do-gooders Fridge (Kris Lemche), whose special power is to shoot ice out of his hands, and his friend C-Thru (Joey Kern), who has X-ray vision, are holed up at a deserted off-season hotel. Fridge is angry that his unsuspecting girlfriend is having an affair with his own alter ego – and that she seems to like his “normal” self better than his “super” self. Ironically, in the midst of his anger with his girlfriend, Fridge falls for an attractive innkeeper, Claudel (Brooke Nevin). Claudel is being harassed by Jimmy (Danny Masterson), a superhero wannabe whose special power, the ability to become invisible for exactly 2.3 seconds, wasn’t judged to be sufficiently “super” to allow him to join the superheroes “club.” Meanwhile, C-Thru has captured Fridge’s mortal enemy, Shrink (John Ventimiglia), the villain who murdered Fridge’s parents. But what should Fridge do? Killing Shrink would violate superhero rule #27, “no revenge.” Of course, as his friend points out, “no one follows these rules anyway.”

Although on its surface “Alter Egos” is about humans who have extraordinary (or, perhaps, semi-extraordinary) abilities, underneath it all the film is about all of the emotional issues that go with regular life.

Featuring a soundtrack by Sean Lennon, who also plays the character of “Electric Death” in the film, “Alter Egos” also stars Geneva Carr, Christine Evangelista, Kristina Klebe, Marina Squerciati, Aurelie Claudel and Carlos Velazquez. Written and directed by Jordan Galland, the R-rated film is scheduled for a limited New York release on October 19, 2012 by SModcast Pictures.

Holy Motors

“Holy Motors,” a French fantasy drama written and directed by Leos Carax, is a surreal film about a day in the life of a man whose job appears to be to use make-up, elaborate costumes and various props to carry out a wide variety of complex and unusual scenarios.

After being picked up in a white stretch limo by his friend and chauffer Celine (Edith Scob), Monsieur Oscar (Denis Lavant) spends the day traveling through the streets of Paris on a mysterious odyssey to a series of nine “appointments.” Although Monsieur Oscar initially appears to be a high-powered business man, each time he gets out of the limousine he has transformed into a different character. On his first stop, for example, Monsieur Oscar emerges as an elderly bag lady; as such, he stands on a bridge begging for spare change. On other appointments Oscar is a demented troll, a frustrated father, a professional assassin…and the list goes on. From kidnapping a fashion model from a photo shoot in a cemetery to having simulated sex with an actress on a soundstage while an off-camera director calls the shots, Oscar has a rather full day!

“Holy Motors” has been described as a “ravishing, shape-shifting, fever dream of becoming, unraveling and starting all over again.” Movie-goers will be able to judge for themselves, as the film’s October 17, 2012 limited New York release (by Indomina Releasing) is scheduled to expand on November 9. “Holy Motors,” which was filmed in French, is being shown in the U.S. with English subtitles. Also starring Eva Mendes and Kylie Minogue.

The Sessions

“The Sessions” is based on the triumphant true story of Mark O’Brien, a poet and journalist whose childhood bout of polio left him paralyzed from the neck down. Confined to a gurney and an iron lung, Mark’s spine was locked in a curve and his head was barely able to move. For a few hours a day he was freed from the iron lung by a portable respirator, but these hours were always a risk.

At the age of 38 Mark (John Hawkes) became obsessed with the idea of losing his virginity. A deeply religious Catholic, he consulted his friend and priest (William H. Macy) about the idea of having sex outside of marriage. After receiving the priest’s blessing and his therapist’s encouragement, Mark hired a sex surrogate, Cheryl Cohen Greene (Helen Hunt), to help him on his unlikely journey.

Cheryl set the tone with their first encounter, explaining that she’s not a prostitute, she’s a happily married mother, the two of them will be limited to six encounters, and that they aren’t forming a long-term relationship. The film is about the sessions that Cheryl and Mark had together, and the effect that these sessions had on them.

A sensitive exploration of love and sexuality, “The Sessions” was written and directed by Ben Lewin, based on the autobiographical work on Mark O’Brien. Scheduled for a limited release on October 19, 2012 by Fox Searchlight Pictures, the R-rated drama also stars Moon Bloodgood.

 

The Impossible

On December 26, 2004, Thailand was hit by a massive tsunami that caused unthinkable destruction. “The Impossible” is based on the true story of one family’s experience during this terrible natural disaster.

The film starts with the family’s arrival in Thailand for what was expected to be an amazing Christmas holiday. Mom Maria (Naomi Watts), dad Henry (Ewan McGregor), and their three boys – Lucas (Tom Holland), Simon (Oaklee Pendergast) and Thomas (Samuel Joslin) – quickly settle into their beachside bungalow and begin to enjoy their vacation in this tropical paradise.

On the morning of December 26 the family is relaxing in and around the pool when they hear a terrifying roar and see a wall of black water rushing towards them. The family is separated, with Maria and Lucas managing to stay together while Henry grabs hold of their other two boys. Pulled deeper and deeper inland by the water, Maria and Lucas are injured as they’re pummeled by floating debris.

“The Impossible” tells the story of this family’s fight for survival amidst thousands of strangers in a destroyed landscape, and journey to find each other and eventually reunite. It’s a true-life terror that’s tempered by the compassion, courage and simple kindness that the family encounters along the way.

Directed by J.A. Bayona from a screenplay by Sergio G. Sanchez, “The Impossible” is a drama thriller that is set for a limited release in New York and Los Angeles on December 21, 2012 by Summit Entertainment.

 

Trouble with the Curve

“Trouble with the Curve” stars Clint Eastwood as Gus Lobel, an aging scout for the Atlanta Braves. Although he’s been one of the best scouts in the business for decades, his age and failing eyesight are starting to catch up with him. Refusing to step down, Gus is given one last assignment to try to prove his worth to the organization: to scout out a top new prospect in North Carolina. However, because the front office of the Braves has serious doubts about his judgment, Gus’ boss and friend Pete (John Goodman) asks Gus’ daughter Mickey (Amy Adams) to join him on the trip and make sure he doesn’t make a fool of himself.

Gus and Mickey make quite a pair. Mickey, a workaholic lawyer who is on track to make partner at a high-powered Atlantic law firm, is seething with resentment for a lifetime of neglect from dear old Dad. For his part, Gus is less than thrilled that his daughter is taking time off from her career to try to save his. Forced to spend time together for the first time in years, Gus and Mickey both make new discoveries that could have a profound impact on each of them. Along the way Gus reconnects with a rival team’s hotshot scout, Johnny (Justin Timberlake), who, of course, falls for Mickey.

“Trouble with the Curve” was released on September 21, 2012 by Warner Bros. Pictures. Directed by Robert Lorenz from a screenplay by Randy Brown, the film is rated PG-13 for language, sexual references, some thematic material and smoking. Also stars Matthew Lillard and Scott Eastwood.

Won’t Back Down

What do you do when your child is stuck with a teacher who doesn’t even attempt to teach or control her classroom, in an inner-city school that has been labeled as “failing” for close to two decades? If this school is in California, you can attempt to use the state’s “Parent Trigger Law,” which allows parents to use a petition process to essentially “take over” the school and enact wide-ranging changes. “Won’t Back Down,” a new film from director Daniel Barnz, is based loosely on the events surrounding the use of this trigger law in an L.A.-area school in 2010.

In “Won’t Back Down,” Jamie (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is appalled by the complete lack of education that her daughter is getting at Adams Elementary School, and decides to use the Trigger Law to try to turn things around. To do this, Jamie enlists the help of Nona Alberts (Viola Davis), a teacher at the school who needs something to restore her love for teaching and rebuild her own life. These two very determined mothers quickly realize that forcing change will be an uphill battle. They risk everything to go up against a school board with a powerful and entrenched bureaucracy, and a union rep (Holly Hunter) that goes all out to stop them.

Written by Daniel Barnz and Brin Hill, “Won’t Back Down” was released by 20^th Century Fox on September 28, 2012. The drama, which is rated PG for thematic elements and language, also stars Oscar Isaac, Rosie Perez, Lance Reddick and Emily Alyn Lind.