March 2015

Bread and Butter

Directed by: Liz Manashil

Cast: Bobby Moynihan, Christine Weatherup, Micah  Hauptman, Lauren Lapkus, Eric  Lange, Harry Groener, Dawn Didawick, Sean  Wright

Synopsis: Amelia Karinsky, 30, is a late bloomer who has never had a boyfriend. She works for an eccentric life coach, Dr. Wellburn, who doesn't respect boundaries and neither do her parents. One day Amelia buys a book at a used bookstore that has pencil scribbling’s throughout the margins of its pages. She becomes so entranced with whomever annotated the book that she tracks him down. Before she even meets Leonard Marsh, the annotator, she is admittedly in love with him. As we get to know him, we learn that Leonard is going through clinical depression. Concurrently, a client of her boss, starts to court Amelia, and because of him, Amelia learns that the concept of a genuine romantic relationship is more frightening than she had imagined. Bread and Butter is an anti-romantic comedy. It is the story of a lonely person who finally makes a decision to strike out on her own after learning that romance isn't the only way to fulfill her desires.

March 2015

Half Brother

Directed by: Anthony Grippa

Cast: Stephen Plunkett, Casey Biggs, Christina Haag, Dante Bruzzese, Jenny Dare Paulin, and Emily Kratter

Synopsis:  When his longtime girlfriend breaks up with him, 30 year-old Michael suddenly finds himself homeless. With nowhere else to go, he spends the weekend at his father and stepmothers house, only to find that they're embroiled in a bitter divorce. As he gets caught in the middle of their angry disputes, Michael struggles to come to terms with his place in his dysfunctional family.

February 2015

On Broadway

His uncle having recently died in his arms after a hard fall from a high roof, a Boston carpenter decides to pen a play about the funeral despite having no previous theater experience and only his instinct to guide him. Jack O'Toole (Joey McIntire) was just an average guy from an average family, but the instant he gazed into the eyes of his dying uncle everything changed. Taken by emotion and stirred by an internal voice that encourages him to filter his pain into something creative, Jack quits his job and begins writing a play. Much to Jack's surprise, his heartfelt vision slowly comes into focus in the back room of a local pub -- the only stage he can afford. Anyone who has ever written or produced a play will likely attest to the personal toll it takes, however, and Jack is no exception. Not only does Jack's new marriage begin to suffer as a result of his creative aspirations, but his strained relationship with his own father begins to buckle under the stress as well. As the night of the big premiere looms ever closer, the vocal doubts of his family and friends do little to distract the budding playwright from telling the story that continues to weigh on his heart and mind.

February 2015

A Lobster Tale

For its quiet, low-key story, A Lobster Tale travels into a sphere of domestic life rarely glimpsed in contemporary cinema - that of small-town Americana. Colm Meaney stars as Cody Brewer, a Maine lobsterman who sinks into an economic mire when faced with a terrible catch day after day, week after week. His waitress wife also struggles to stay afloat, and his son must fend off against a bully on a regular basis. Then, into this cradle of banal American beauty, an incredible event occurs: a strange, otherworldly moss turns up in one of Cody's nets - a moss with the ability to perform miracles. Though initially its presence causes problems and strain for the Brewer clan, it ultimately demonstrates its ability to not only improve their lives, but the lives of nearly everyone in the hamlet. Alberta Watson (Irish Eyes) and Graham Greene (Northern Exposure) co-star.

January 2015

2 Days One Night

Sandra (Cotillard) has just been released from the hospital to find that she no longer has a job. According to management, the only way Sandra can hope to regain her position at the factory is to convince her co-workers to sacrifice their much-needed yearly bonuses. Now, over the course of one weekend, Sandra must confront each co-worker individually in order to win a majority of their votes before time runs out. With TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT, the Dardennes have turned a relevant social inquiry into a powerful statement on community solidarity, once again delivering a film that is simple on the surface but alive with both compassion and wisdom.

January 2015

Winter Sleep

Aydin, a former actor, runs a small hotel in central Anatolia with his young wife Nihal with whom he has a stormy relationship and his sister Necla who is suffering from her recent divorce. In winter as the snow begins to fall, the hotel turns into a shelter but also an inescapable place that fuels their animosities...

December 2014

Little Accidents

When a teenage boy goes missing in a small town already devastated by a fatal mining accident, three strangers find themselves drawn together in a tangle of secrets, lies, and the collective grief of the community. Reeling from the disappearance of her son, Diane (Elizabeth Banks) finds herself drifting away from her husband (Josh Lucas), a mining company executive whose role in the accident has made her family the prime target for the town's anger. When she forms a dangerous bond with the sole survivor of the disaster (Boyd Holbrook), truths will be uncovered that threaten to tear apart the few remaining threads holding the town together in this intense drama from writer-director Sara Colangelo. 

November 2014

The Overnighters

A modern-day Grapes of Wrath, award-winning documentary The Overnighters is an intimate portrait of job-seekers desperately chasing the broken American Dream to the tiny oil boom town of Williston, North Dakota. With the town lacking the infrastructure to house the overflow of migrants, a local pastor starts the controversial "overnighters" program, allowing down-and-out workers a place to sleep at the church. His well-meaning project immediately runs into resistance with his community, forcing the clergyman to make a decision which leads to profound consequences that he never imagined. 

October 2014

The Judge

In "The Judge," Robert Downey Jr. stars as big city lawyer Hank Palmer, who returns to his childhood home where his estranged father, the town's judge (Robert Duvall), is suspected of murder. He sets out to discover the truth and along the way reconnects with the family he walked away from years before.

October 2014

The Theory of Everything

Starring Eddie Redmayne ("Les Misérables") and Felicity Jones ("The Amazing Spider-Man 2"), this is the extraordinary story of one of the world's greatest living minds, the renowned astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, who falls deeply in love with fellow Cambridge student Jane Wilde. Once a healthy, active young man, Hawking received an earth-shattering diagnosis at 21 years of age. With Jane fighting tirelessly by his side, Stephen embarks on his most ambitious scientific work, studying the very thing he now has precious little of - time. Together, they defy impossible odds, breaking new ground in medicine and science, and achieving more than they could ever have dreamed. The film is based on the memoir Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen, by Jane Hawking, and is directed by Academy Award winner James Marsh ("Man on Wire"). 

September 2014

This is Where I Leave You

The dramatic comedy "This is Where I Leave You" is directed by Shawn Levy, and based on the hilarious and poignant best-selling novel by Jonathan Tropper. It features a starring ensemble cast including Golden Globe winner Jason Bateman ("Arrested Development"); Golden Globe and Emmy Award winner Tina Fey ("30 Rock"); and two-time Oscar (R) winner, multiple Golden Globe honoree and 2013 Emmy Award nominee Jane Fonda ("Klute," "Coming Home," HBO's "The Newsroom").

September 2014

Pride

PRIDE is inspired by an extraordinary true story. It's the summer of 1984, Margaret Thatcher is in power and the National Union of Mineworkers is on strike, prompting a London-based group of gay and lesbian activists to raise money to support the strikers' families. Initially rebuffed by the Union, the group identifies a tiny mining village in Wales and sets off to make their donation in person. As the strike drags on, the two groups discover that standing together makes for the strongest union of all.

August 2014

Calvary

CALVARY's Father James (Brendan Gleeson) is a good priest who is faced with sinister and troubling circumstances brought about by a mysterious member of his parish. Although he continues to comfort his own fragile daughter (Kelly Reilly) and reach out to help members of his church with their various scurrilous moral - and often comic - problems, he feels sinister and troubling forces closing in, and begins to wonder if he will have the courage to face his own personal Calvary.

July 2014

I Origins

I ORIGINS, the second feature film from writer and director Mike Cahill, tells the story of Dr. Ian Gray (Michael Pitt), a molecular biologist studying the evolution of the eye. He finds his work permeating his life after a brief encounter with an exotic young woman (Astrid Bergès-Frisbey) who slips away from him. As his research continues years later with his lab partner Karen (Brit Marling), they make a stunning scientific discovery that has far reaching implications and complicates both his scientific and spiritual beliefs. Traveling half way around the world, he risks everything he has ever known to validate his theory. Also starring Steven Yeun and Archie Panjabi.

June 2014

Begin Again

The latest film from writer-director John Carney (ONCE), BEGIN AGAIN is a soul-stirring comedy about what happens when lost souls meet and make beautiful music together. Gretta (Keira Knightley) and her long-time boyfriend Dave (Adam Levine) are college sweethearts and songwriting partners who decamp for New York when he lands a deal with a major label. But the trappings of his new-found fame soon tempt Dave to stray, and a reeling, lovelorn Gretta is left on her own. Her world takes a turn for the better when Dan (Mark Ruffalo), a disgraced record-label exec, stumbles upon her performing on an East Village stage and is immediately captivated by her raw talent. From this chance encounter emerges an enchanting portrait of a mutually transformative collaboration, set to the soundtrack of a summer in New York City. BEGIN AGAIN is produced and financed by Exclusive Media and produced by Anthony Bregman, Tobin Armbrust and Judd Apatow. 

June 2014

And So it Goes

There are a million reasons not to like realtor Oren Little (Michael Douglas), and that's just the way he likes it. Willfully obnoxious to anyone who might cross his path, he wants nothing more than to sell one last house and retire in peace and quiet -- until his estranged son suddenly drops off a granddaughter (Sterling Jerins) he never knew existed and turns his life upside-down. Clueless about how to care for a sweet, abandoned nine-year-old, he pawns her off on his determined and lovable neighbor Leah (Diane Keaton) and tries to resume his life uninterrupted. But little by little, Oren stubbornly learns to open his heart - to his family, to Leah, and to life itself - in this uplifting comedy from acclaimed director Rob Reiner.

May 2014

Cold in July

How can a split-second decision change your life? While investigating noises in his house one balmy Texas night in 1989, Richard Dane puts a bullet in the brain of a low-life burglar, Freddy Russell. Although he's hailed as a small-town hero, Dane soon finds himself fearing for his family's safety when Freddy's ex-con father, Ben, rolls into town; hell-bent on revenge. However, not all is as it seems. Shortly after Dane kills the home intruder, his life begins to unravel into a dark underworld of corruption and violence. Twists and turns continue to pile up as the film reaches its inevitable destination: a gore-soaked dead end. Michael C. Hall brings a shell-shocked vulnerability to his portrayal of Dane that contrasts perfectly with the grizzled "badasses" portrayed by Sam Shepard and Don Johnson. Directed with an excellent eye for the visual poetry of noir, this pulpy, southern-fried mystery is a throwback to an older breed of action films; one where every punch and shotgun blast opens up both physical and spiritual wounds. Cold in July is hard to shake as an east Texas summer.

May 2014

Chef

Chef Carl Casper (Jon Favreau) suddenly quits his job at a prominent Los Angeles restaurant after refusing to compromise his creative integrity for its controlling owner (Dustin Hoffman), he is left to figure out what's next. Finding himself in Miami, he teams up with his ex-wife (Sofia Vergara), his friend (John Leguizamo) and his son to launch a food truck. Taking to the road, Chef Carl goes back to his roots to reignite his passion for the kitchen -- and zest for life and love. 

March 2014

King of Herrings

Directed by: Eddie Jemison

Cast: David Jensen, Joe Chrest, Laura Lamson, Eddie Jemison, Wayne Pere, Andrea  Frankle, John Mese, Carl Palmer

King of Herrings is an offbeat look at four Crescent City layabouts, who dream big in a small-change world of cards, women and endless cups of coffee. Their passionate blundering, like their rants, can be at once funny, poignant, ridiculous and heartbreaking. “Ditch” their self-appointed king, is an irascible son-of-a-bitch with a Napoleon complex and his pals love him for it. Until one day he pushes the self-tenured “Professor” too far. A game of threats, posturing and sexual ploys lead them down a dark but comic road in this exploration of what it is to be a man today. Filmed in black and white, this richly textured character study could be the bastard child of Woody Allen and Tom Waits, brought to life by an ensemble of real-life character actors who have known each other and worked together for over twenty-five years.

March 2014

Draft Day

On the day of the NFL Draft, general manager Sonny Weaver (Costner) has the opportunity to save football in Cleveland when he trades for the number one pick. He must quickly decide what he's willing to sacrifice in pursuit of perfection as the lines between his personal and professional life become blurred on a life-changing day for a few hundred young men with dreams of playing in the NFL.