After Earth

 

Danger is real, but fear is a choice. Father-and-son duo Will and Jaden Smith are at it again in After Earth, M. Night Shyamalan’s futuristic thriller about man’s return to the Earth after years of abandonment.

It has been a thousand years since mankind was forced off of the Earth by cataclysmic events, and the Earth’s ecosystem has evolved to become one of the most dangerous in the galaxy. So when teenager Kitai Raige (Jaden Smith) and his father Cypher (Will Smith) crash land on Earth, it doesn’t take them long to realize the enormity of what they’re up against. With his father in critical condition, Kitai must lead the journey to the nearest signal post in order to call for help. Facing an uncharted world whose plant and animal life has evolved to fight off the threat of humans, Kitai has to grow up quickly—or die. Father and son must learn to trust each other if they hope to get off the planet alive.

 

 

Written by Gary Whitta and M. Night Shyamalan and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, After Earth will be released on May 31, 2013. This Columbia Pictures (Sony) sci-fi film is rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence and some disturbing images.

 

Paranoia

In the business world, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Based on a 2004 novel of the same name, Paranoia follows Adam Cassidy (Liam Hemsworth), a likable entry-level worker at the Wyatt Corporation, as he tries to work his way up the corporate ladder. The conventional method is cut short, however, after Adam makes an expensive and illegal mistake that costs the company millions. Facing potential legal repercussions, Adam fears his career is at an end. However, the Wyatt Corporation’s ruthless CEO, Nicholas Wyatt (Gary Oldman), sees an opportunity in Adam’s misfortune. In exchange for keeping his job, Adam must spy on Wyatt’s chief corporate rival—and former mentor—Jock Goddard (Harrison Ford).

Suddenly Adam finds himself living the life of his dreams. In order to spy on the top executives of Goddard’s corporation, Adam needs to blend in. This means a corner office, an expensive car, the whole nine yards. But despite having all the trappings of power, Adam finds that Wyatt still pulls all the strings. As Adam infiltrates deeper into Goddard’s organization, he realizes that he must escape from Wyatt’s control before it’s too late.

Written by Barry Levy and Jason Dean Hall and directed by Robert Luketic, Paranoia will be released on August 16, 2013. This Relativity Media thriller also stars Lucas Till, Amber Heard, Embeth Davidtz, Julian McMahon, Richard Dreyfuss, and Josh Holloway.

 

Inescapable

How far would you go to save your child’s life, if your own life hung in the balance? In Inescapable, one man will have to confront his past and make some difficult decisions in order to bring his daughter to safety—hopefully without sacrificing his own life in the process.

Toronto resident Adib Abdel Kareem (Alexander Siddig) has crafted a wonderful life for himself. A confident and affluent man, Adib has a beautiful wife, a great job, and two grown daughters that he loves dearly. But his life hasn’t always been this way. When his daughter Muna (Jay Anstley) goes missing in Damascus, Adib’s dark and mysterious past comes back to haunt him in ways that he never predicted.

Born and raised in Syria, Adib had had a bright future as a military police officer—until he was forced to flee the country under unusual circumstances twenty-five years ago. He made his way to Toronto, abandoning his old life to rebuild a new one out of the ashes. But now, he must uncover a secret past he hoped to forget in order to save his daughter’s future.

Written and directed by Ruba Nadda, Inescapable was released in theaters in New York on February 22, 2013. This IFC Films thriller also stars Marisa Tomei, Joshua Jackson, Saad Siddiqui, and Oded Fehr. Rated R for some violence and brief language.

Trance

Do you want to remember—or do you want to forget? In Trance, fine art auctioneer Simon (James McAvoy) has teamed up with a ruthless gang to steal a priceless Goya masterpiece from a public auction. But when Simon double-crosses the gang and stashes the painting in a secure hiding place, mob boss Franck (Vincent Cassel) knocks Simon unconscious and begins torturing him to find the location.

However, as a result of Simon’s head trauma, he cannot remember where he hid the painting. Growing frustrated, Franck hires charismatic hypnotherapist Elizabeth (Rosario Dawson) to uncover Simon’s memories and get him talking. But as they delve into Simon’s subconscious, the lines between reality and hypnotic suggestion begin to blur. “We are the sum of everything we’ve ever done,” says Elizabeth, “and it’s constantly being revised and remembered.” With the stakes higher than ever, Simon must find his way through an increasingly jumbled world of truth and deceit—before it’s too late.

Written by Oscar-nominated John Hodge and directed by Oscar-winning Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours, Trainspotting), Trance will be released into limited theaters on April 5, 2013. This Fox Searchlight Pictures thriller is rated R for sexual content, graphic nudity, violence, some grisly images, and language.

We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks

The Internet lets governments grab more information than ever—but it also lets citizens do the same. We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks chronicles the rapid rise and tremendous impact of the infamous website. A non-profit organization, WikiLeaks anonymously publishes news leaks and classified information to the web. This documentary details the creation and evolution of the site, focusing on the 2010 leak of over 400,000 confidential documents related to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Called by some the greatest triumph of the internet to date, and by others the greatest security breach in U.S. history, the leak changed the way that many Americans view their government and involvement in the Middle East. We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks traces the rise and fall of both Pfc. Bradley Manning, the young soldier who uploaded hundreds of thousands of classified U.S. military documents and diplomatic cables, and Julian Assange, the elusive founder and mastermind behind WikiLeaks. Progressing like an espionage thriller, We Steal Secrets explores the idea of transparency in the information age, as well as the nature of the people’s relationship with their government.

Written and directed by Academy Award winner Alex Gibney, We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks will see a limited release on May 24, 2013. This Focus Features documentary is rated R for some disturbing violent images, language, and sexual material.

Byzantium

“Do we steal time, or buy it with blood?” From the creator of Interview with a Vampire comes Byzantium, a fresh take on the vampire trope that explores family, commitment, and the terrible price that secrets can bear.

Forced to hit the road after a pair of bloody killings, a mother and daughter escape and seek shelter in a faraway coastal town. The mother, Clara (Gemma Arterton), seduces a lonely local man named Noel (Daniel Mays) and convinces him to let them stay in his guesthouse. The daughter, Eleanor (Saoirse Ronan), meets a boy at her new high school and soon begins to fall for him. However, their quiet new life gets turned upside down when Eleanor reveals the truth to her crush—she and her mother are vampires.

Written by Moira Buffini and directed by Neil Jordan, Byzantium will see a limited theatrical release in the U.S. later in 2013. This IFC Films horror thriller also stars Sam Riley, Jonny Lee Miller, and Caleb Landry Jones.

 

 

The Silence

Based upon a novel by Jan Costen Wagner, The Silence tells the story of a serial killer’s effect on the local community. Twenty-three years ago, a young girl named Pia was brutally raped and murdered, her body abandoned in a wheat field. The case remained unsolved, and over the years it became all-but-forgotten—until another young girl named Sinikka is found missing on the anniversary of Pia’s death, her bicycle left in the same spot. Now it is up to Krischan (Burghart Klaussner), the detective in the Pia murder, to reopen the case and solve these parallel crimes before the killer strikes again.

While the investigation continues, Sinikka’s parents are left in an agonizing state of uncertainty. Is their daughter still alive? And if so, what unspeakable acts have been perpetrated against her? Sinikka’s disappearance has reopened old wounds for Pia’s parents as well. As time runs out, everyone fears that they might have to relive the nightmare that happened all those years ago.

Written and directed by Baran bo Odar, The Silence will have a limited theatrical release on March 8, 2013. This German-language Music Box Films crime thriller also stars Ulrich Thomsen, Wotan Wilke Mohring, Katrin Sass, and Sebastian Blomberg.

Prisoners

What would you do if your child went missing? That is the question facing Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) in Prisoners after his six-year old daughter Anna and her friend Joy disappear. As the hours drag on, Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhall) is brought in to solve the case. Tension erupts between the two immediately. Dover, a deer-hunting survivalist, suspects that the brash young detective isn’t giving the case his full attention. When Loki releases their only suspect due to lack of evidence, Dover decides that he will have to take matters into his own hands.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. With his child’s life at stake, Dover kidnaps their only suspect and begins to torture him for information. The frantic Dover is willing to do whatever it takes to bring back his daughter, but as the captivity continues, Dover begins to wonder if he has the right man. In his race for answers, has he turned himself into the very monster he wants to destroy? What cost must he pay to ensure his daughter’s safety?

Written by Aaron Guzikowski and directed by Denis Villeneuve, Prisoners will open in theaters on September 20, 2013. This Warner Bros. Pictures thriller also stars Terrence Howard, Viola Davis, Melissa Leo, and Paul Dano.

Olympus Has Fallen

Special Agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) was one of the best Presidential Guards in the business, until a fateful motor accident left him disgraced. Having trouble adjusting to life in the real world, Banning finds himself out of place in an increasingly confusing world. Until terrorists take over the White House.

In Olympus Has Fallen Banning finds himself trapped inside the now-terrorist-controlled White House. He soon discovers that the President has been kidnapped and the Presidential Guard lies captured or dead. As the national security team scrambles to respond, Banning realizes that he might be the nation’s only hope to keep the President alive. Now, the Pentagon must decide if they can trust a disgraced officer with the President’s life, or if they can risk losing the nation’s capitol forever. As the clock winds down, Banning must use his inside knowledge to save the President and reclaim the White House—and avert an even bigger disaster.

Written by Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt and directed by Antoine Fuqua (of Training Day fame), Olympus Has Fallen will be released on March 22, 2013. This Film District action thriller also stars Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Dylan McDermott, Ashley Judd, Melissa Leo, and Rick Yune. Rated R for strong violence and language throughout.

Last Passenger

Public transportation just got a whole lot more dangerous. In Last Passenger, Lewis Schaler (Dougray Scott) has caught the last train home from London with his son and is looking forward to relaxing after a hard day’s work. An overworked doctor and devoted single dad, Schaler’s life is consumed with taking care of his son and his practice. Soon he strikes up a conversation with a beautiful and flirtatious stranger (Kara Tointon), and he decides that he might find the time to take care of himself as well.

But all is not well. Little do the passengers know, an angry psychopath has taken control of the train and is bent on crashing it and killing everyone aboard. With the brakes sabotaged and the guards mysteriously gone, it is up to Schaler and a small band of passengers to stop the psychopath and save the train. The body count rises as the locomotive plows through train stations, cars, and everything else in its path. Will Schaler be able to interrupt the psychopath’s plans in time to lead the passengers to safety?

Written and directed by Omid Nooshin, The Last Passenger will see a limited theatrical release on August 13, 2013. This Future Films/2B Pictures/Pathe International/NDF International action thriller also stars Lindsay Duncan, Iddo Goldberg, David Schofield, and Joshua Kaynama.