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.

Pacific Rim

“We always thought that alien life would come from the stars. We never considered it might come from deep beneath the sea.” In Pacific Rim it is the near future, and monstrous creatures called Kaiju have been swarming out of the Pacific Ocean, sparking a years-long war that has cost humanity millions of lives and billions of dollars. Mankind’s greatest weapons against the Kaiju are the Jaegers, giant robots controlled by two pilots whose minds are locked in a neural bridge. But even these fearsome constructions are proving powerless against the relentless assault of the Kaiju. Exhausted and on the brink of destruction, humanity’s leaders have no choice but to turn to an unlikely duo for help—a washed-up former pilot (Charlie Hunnam) and an untested trainee (Rinko Kikuchi) piloting a legendary but obsolete Jaeger from the early days. Will their power be enough to save mankind from total annihilation?

Conceived as director Guillermo del Toro’s “beautiful poem to giant monsters,” Pacific Rim promises a compelling storyline and fantastic visual effects. “The Kaiju counted on the humans to hide, to give up, to fail,” rallies the leader of the human forces. “But today, we are canceling the apocalypse.”

Written by Travis Beachman and Guillermo del Toro and directed by Guillermo del Toro, Pacific Rim will be released in 2D, 3D, and IMAX on July 12, 2013. This Warner Bros. Pictures sci-fi action film also stars Idris Elba, Charlie Day, Ron Perlman, Robert Kazinsky, Max Martini, Clifton Collins, Jr., Burn Gorman, Larry Joe Campbell, Brad William Henke, and Diego Klattenhoff.

The Conjuring

When a rural family of seven (headed by Ron Livingston and Lili Taylor) begin to suspect that they are not alone on their farmstead, they hire world-renowned paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) to check out their secluded farmhouse. The Warrens may be seasoned ghost hunters, but they soon realize that they are in over their heads. As supernatural activity around the home becomes increasingly violent and ominous, the couple must fight for their lives in order to destroy the most terrifying evil they have ever encountered.

Part ghost story and part 1970s New England biopic, The Conjuring is director James Wan’s latest horror offering, following Insidious and Saw. “I put the things that scare me up on screen,” says Wan, “and that’s kind of like my therapy.” The film is based on the true story of the Perron family, who hired the Warrens to cleanse the evil spirits that had been haunting their home. But what can two people do against such powerful forces?

Written by Chad and Carey W. Hayes and directed by James Wan, The Conjuring will be released into theaters on July 19, 2013. This Warner Bros. Pictures horror/thriller also stars Lili Taylor, Joey King, Shanley Caswell, Haley McFarland, Mackenzie Foy, Kyla Deaver, and Sterling Jerins.

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.

Cloud Atlas

Everything is connected. Past, present, future. What you do in your life has consequences beyond what you may have imagined. Every decision you make may be important. Fear, belief and love are all phenomena that determine the course of our lives. And much, it seems, is determined by forces that were set in action long ago.

Cloud Atlas, an amazingly epic film based on David Mitchell’s best-selling 2004 novel of the same name, explores all of these themes and more. Part action film, part sci-fi, part romance, part drama and part mystery, Cloud Atlas is a 3-hour experience with multiple story lines that all weave together over the course of time. One soul is shaped from a killer into a hero. An act of kindness ripples across centuries.

Our lives are not our own. We are bound to others, past and present. By each crime and every goodness we birth our future.

From the creators of the Matrix Trilogy¸ Cloud Atlas was written and directed by Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski and Lana Wachowski. Cloud Atlas features an ensemble cast, most of whom play multiple characters in various time periods. Starring Tom Hanks and Halle Berry, the cast also includes Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, Ben Whishaw, James D’Arcy, Zhou Xun, Keith David, Susan Sarandon and Hugh Grant.

Cloud Atlas premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival, where it received a 10-minute standing ovation. The film is scheduled for release in both conventional and IMAX theatres on October 26, 2012 by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Man of Steel

After a child is sent to Earth from the dying, advanced alien planet Krypton, he is adopted by a loving couple in rural Kansas. Raised with the values of his adoptive parents, Clark Kent/Kal-El (Henry Cavill) is now a journalist in his twenties. Even as a child Clark realized that he possessed extraordinary powers that others on Earth did not. Now these powers are making him feel alienated and different.

“You’re not just anyone,” he had been told, “one day you’re going to have to make a choice. You have to decide what kind of man you want to grow up to be.” Now he is struggling with the ultimate question: “Why am I here?” When the world comes under attack, Clark is forced to answer both of these questions. His answer is to become the hero known as “Superman,” a shining beacon of hope who protects the world and the ones he loves.

Directed by Zack Snyder from a screenplay by David S. Goyer that’s based on DC Comics’ Superman character, Man of Steel is a reboot of the Superman film series. Man of Steel also stars Amy Adams as Daily Planet journalist Lois Lane; Laurence Fishburne as her editor-in-chief, Perry White: Diane Lane and Kevin Costner as Clark’s adoptive parents, Martha and Jonathan Kent; Michael Shannon as the evil General Zod; Antje Traue as Faora, Zod’s evil partner; Ayelet Zurer as Lara Lor-Van, Kent’s mother from Krypton; and Russell Crowe as Jor-El, Kent’s father from Krypton.

Man of Steel is scheduled for release on June 14, 2013, by Warner Bros. Pictures.

 

Argo

Sometimes there are no options, and you are faced with going with the best “bad idea” on the table. This was the case in 1979, after Iranian militants stormed the US embassy in Tehran, taking 52 Americans hostage. Based on true events, Argo tells the little-known story of the six members of the U.S. foreign service who managed to slip out a back door when the revolutionaries stormed the embassy, escaping to the residence of the Canadian Ambassador. With armed revolutionary guards going door-to-door, however, they knew that they would not be safe for long.

Against this backdrop CIA “exfiltration” specialist Tony Mendez (portrayed by Ben Affleck) concocted a crazy and very risky plan to get these Americans out of the country. His idea: create a fake science fiction movie named “Argo,” and convince Iran that these six people are members of the film crew that is in Iran to scout the area for filming.

Argo is scheduled for release on October 12, 2012 by Warner Bros. Pictures. This political drama was directed by Ben Affleck from a screenplay by Chris Terrio that was based on a declassified true story. Argo also stars Alan Arkin, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Kerry Bishe, Kyle Chandler, Rory Cochrane, Christopher Denham, Tate Donovan, Clea DuVall, Victor Garber, Zeljko Ivanek, Richard Kind, Scoot McNairy, Chris Messina, Michael Parks and Taylor Schilling. Rated R for language and some violent images.

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 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.