BIG BUDGET FILMS
Invictus (PG-13 for brief profanity) Clint Eastwood directs this uplifting saga based on John Carlin’s best seller recounting recently-elected, South African President Nelson Mandela’s (Morgan Freeman) attempt to unite his Apartheid-divided nation during the national rugby team’s run to the 1995 World Cup Championship. Co-starring Matt Damon and Scott Eastwood (Clint’s son).
The Princess and the Frog (G) Animated, musical tale, set in New Orleans’ famed French Quarter, where a jazz-loving frog (Bruno Campos) gets turned back into a prince with the help of a fateful kiss from a beautiful waitress (Anika Noni Rose). With voiceover work by Oprah Winfrey, Terrence Howard, John Goodman, Keith David, Jenifer Lewis and Randy Newman.
INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS
Hannah Free (Unrated) Sharon Gless stars in the title role of this screen adaptation of Claudia Allen’s play of the same name chronicling the lifelong friendship of two lesbians, one, an adventurous tomboy who came out, the other (Maureen Gallagher), her secret high school sweetheart who opted to stay in the closet and lead a boring life as a conventional housewife.
The Lovely Bones (PG-13 for profanity, mature themes, violence and disturbing images) Peter Jackson directs this adaptation of Alice Sebold’s novel about a 14 year-old (Saoirse Ronan) who observes her grieving family from Heaven after being raped, murdered and dismembered by the serial killer (Stanley Tucci) living next-door. Cast includes Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz and Susan Sarandon.
My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done (Unrated) Matricide-themed horror flick loosely based on an actual crime committed by a mentally-deranged grad student (Michael Shannon) inspired to stab his mother (Grace Zabriskie) to death with a saber after studying Sophocles. Ensemble cast includes Willem Dafoe, Vern “Mini Me” Troyer, Loretta Devine, Michael Shannon, Brad Dourif, Irma P. Hall, Michael Pena and Chloe Sevigny.
Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year (Unrated) Bollywood comedy revolving around the misadventures of a hapless college grad (Ranbir Kapoor) who attempts to make it in the business world in spite of his poor grades. With Prem Chopra, Mukesh Bhatt and Shazahn Padamsee. (In Hindi with subtitles)
A Single Man (Unrated) Bittersweet drama, based on Christopher Isherwood’s 1964 novel of the same name, about a suicidal college professor (Colin Firth) who leans on the shoulders of a friend (Julianne Moore) and one of his students (Nicholas Hoult) while trying to cope with the death of his lifemate (Matthew Goode) in a car crash.
The Slammin’ Salmon (R for sexual references and pervasive profanity) Michael Clarke Duncan handles the title role in this madcap comedy about a retired heavyweight champ-turned-restaurateur who bullies his waiters to do whatever it takes to fleece diners so he can pay off a debt to Japanese mobsters. Cast includes Will Forte, Vivica A. Fox, Michael Jai White and Jay Chandrasekhar.