The Sewickley Public Library celebrates Destination China throughout the month of September 2008. All the library’s departments have planned a variety of programs to showcase the rich cultural heritage of China. We invite you to come along on our journey of exploration and discovery!
Chinese Language Films
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
Set in the early 1970s during the later stages of China's Cultural Revolution, two city-bred teenage best friends are sent to a backward mountainous region for Maoist re-education. Cast:
Xun Zhou, Kun Chen, Ye Liu, Shuangbao Wang, Zhijun Cong. Based on the novel by Sijie Dai.
Chinese language tracks, with optional English subtitles. Not rated.
The Blue Kite
Told from the perspective of a young boy, Tietou, this film traces the fate of a Beijing family and their neighbors through the political and social upheavals in China in 1950's and 60's. Mandarin language track with English subtitles. Cast: Lu Liping, Yi Tian, Zhang Wenyao, Chen Xiaoman, Pu Cunxin, Li Xuejian, Guo Baochang, Zong Ping. Not rated.
Chungking Express
Two interwined romantic tales take place inside the Ch‘ung-ch‘ing high-rise shopping center in downtown Hong Kong: A policeman falls in love with a snack bar waitress while a house detective gets involved with a female drug dealer. In Chinese with English subtitles. Cast: Brigitte Lin, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Tony Leung, Faye Wang. Rated PG-13.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Set in 19th-century China, two master warriors are faced with their greatest challenge when the treasured Green Destiny sword is stolen. Mandarin or English language tracks, English subtitles. Cast: Chow Yun-fat, Michelle Yeoh, Zhan Ziyi, Chang Chen, Lung Sihung, Cheng Pei Pei. MPAA Rating: PG13.
Dim Sum
A Chinese immigrant widow faces the New Year with apprehension after it is predicted that it would be the year she dies. Her list of things to do, which includes seeing her daughter get married and visiting China one last time, soon comes into focus. Cantonese or English dialogue with optional English subtitles. Cast: Laureen Chew, Kim Chew, Victor Wong, Joan Chen.
Eat Drink Man Woman
A retired master chef and widower is worried about the future of his three unmarried daughters who are skeptical about marriage. Yet he himself surprises them with his secret love affair with a young woman many years his junior. In Mandarin Chinese with English, French & Spanish subtitles. Cast: Sihung Lung, Kuei-mei Yang, Chien-lien Wu, Yu-wen Wang, Winston Chao, Ah-leh Gua, Sylvia Chang.
Endless Way
As he comes of age, Ah Ming must begin a life of endless labor to bring sacred water to his family. Forced into an arranged marriage with a young girl from a neighboring village, he must forsake his true love, Ah Shui. Unable to cope with the harsh routine that each villager must endure, Ah Ming's wife leaves, never to return, and the long suffering Ah Shui steps forth to care for Ah Ming and his ailing mother, sharing their pain and grief. Chinese (Mandarin) dialogue with optional English subtitles. Cast: Chen Chuang, Xia Lu, Du Jing, Liao Guanzhen. Not rated.
Fallen Angels
Set in the neon-washed underworld of present day Hong Kong, this story intertwines two exhilarating tales of love and isolation. In Chinese with optional English subtitles. Cast: Leon Lai Ming, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Charlie Young, Michele Reis, Karen Mok. Originally produced as a motion picture in 1995.
Farewell My Concubine
Story that spans more than 50 years in the lives of two men at the Peking Opera, friends since childhood, and the woman who comes between them. Also an absorbing drama of the period in Chinese history from the warlord era through the Cultural Revolution. In Chinese with English subtitles. Cast: Leslie Cheung, Zhang Fengyi, Gong Li. Based on the novel by Lilian Lee. Rated R.
Going to School with Dad on My Back
Based on a true story, Going to School with Dad on my Back focuses on the selfless acts a family must endure to ensure the survival of their brightest, and the hope of a better future for all of China. Chinese dialgoue with optional Chinese or English subtitles. Cast: Yan Danchen, Jiang Hualin, Qiang Zhao. Based on a true story.
Hero
Long ago, China was divided into seven kingdoms all fighting for supremacy. The King of Qin was most determined to become the first emperor of China. Though many tried to assassinate him, only three inspired fear. The King promised endless wealth and power to anyone who defeats his would-be murderers. No results come until ten years later, when a man called Nameless brought the weapons of the three assassins to the Qin King's palace. Nameless claimed to be an expert swordsman who had defeated all three warriors and had to tell his story to the King. Cast: Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Maggie Man-Yuk, Zhang Ziyi, Chen Dao Ming, Donnie Yen. Mandarin dialogue, with optional English subtitles. MPAA rating: PG-13
House of Flying Daggers
During the reign of the Tang dynasty in China, a secret organization called "The House of the Flying Daggers" rises and opposes the government. Leo is a police officer who sends officer Jin to investigate a young dancer named Mei, claiming that she has ties to the "Flying Daggers" organization. Leo ends up arresting Mei, only to have Jin break her free in a plot to gain her trust and lead the police to the new leader of the secret organization. But things are far more complicated than they seem. Chinese dialogue, dubbed English or dubbed French dialogue, English or French subtitles. Cast: Takeshi Kaneshiro, Andy Lau, Zhang Ziyi, Song Dandan. Rated: PG13.
The Iron Monkey
The legendary Iron Monkey teams up with a young girl to battle corrupt and greedy government officials in ancient China. Rated: PG-13. Cast: Donnie Yen, Yu Rong Guang, Jean Wang, Tsang Sue Man. Original Chinese language track and English language track.
Legend of the Black Scorpion
Scheming royals and other officials seek to conquer empires and consolidate power to form a single omnipotent dynasty. Meanwhile, a legendary empress who has the fighting skills unparalleled by any man, harbors forbidden desires for her stepson. Set in the Age of Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, tells the story of a royal court in turmoil including forbidden love, deceit, revenge, overpowering beauty, and greed. Mandarin and English dialogue, with optional English subtitles. Not rated.
Lust, Caution
Set against the backdrop of Japanese occupied Shanghai in 1942, a young woman finds herself swept up in a radical plot to assassinate a ruthless and secretive intelligence agent. As she immerses herself in her role as a cosmopolitan seductress, she becomes entangled in a dangerous game of emotional intrigue, love and betrayal. In Mandarin, with optional French or Spanish subtitles. Cast: Tony Leung, Tang Wei, Joan Chen, Wang Leehom. Based on the short story Se, Jie by Eileen Chang. Rated R.
Mongolian Ping Pong
A ping pong ball, found floating in a stream, becomes the source of wonderment for three young boys who live in the remote grasslands of Mongolia, a magnificent landscape little changed since the time of Genghis Khan. In Mongolian; with optional English subtitles. Cast: Hurichabilike, Dawa, Geliban, Yidexinnaribu, Badema, Jinlaowu, Wurina, Buhebilke, Sarengaowa, Dugema, Jirimu.
Raise the Red Lantern
In the 1920s an educated young Chinese woman is given to a feudal nobleman as the newest of his many wives. She must adjust to this confined, traditional life and to her resident predecessors. Cast: Gong Li, Ma Jingwu, He Caifei, Cad Cuifeng. Based on the novel Wives and Concubines by Su Tong. Mandarin with English, simplified and traditional Chinese subtitles. MPAA Rating: PG.
Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
Takada is an aging Japanese fisherman who has been estranged from his son for many years. When the son is diagnosed with terminal cancer his daughter-in-law, Rie, summons him to the hospital. When his son refuses to see him, Rie gives him a videotape about the work his son was doing on a documentary film in a remote region of China's Yunnan province. Still troubled by the relationship, Takada decides to go to China and complete his son's work in part to develop an understanding of his son, and in part to do something for him. Once in China a series of obstacles and relationships bring him unexpectedly closer to both an understanding of himself and of his son. In Chinese, Portuguese or French with English, French, Spanish or Portuguese subtitles. Cast: Takakura Ken, Terajima Shinobu, Li Jiamin, Jiang Wen, Qiu Lin. Rated PG.
The Story of Qiu Ju
An ordinary, courageous woman in a small villlage fights against the system in her quest for justice. Mandarin language track with English subtitles. Cast: Gong Li, Lei Lao Sheng, Liu Pei Qi, Ge Zhi Jun, Ye Jun, Yang Liu Chun. Based on the novel "The Wan family's lawsuit" by Chen Yuan Bin. Rated PG
The Story of the Weeping Camel
In the Gobi Desert of Chinese Mongolia, a family of nomads, who assist in the birth of its camel herd, face a crisis when one white calf is rejected by its mother. With all hope lost, the family sends its two young boys on a journey to a far-off village to fetch a musician capable of performing a magical ceremony. In Mongol with English subtitles. Rated PG.
Documentaries
China Revealed
Get a fresh perspective on China one of the world's richest cultures as you hear individual life stories told through the eyes of the locals. Insightful storytelling and spectacular photographic techniques brings to life the fascinating and complex contemporary world of one of the greatest nations on earth. In one of the few times in its 5000 year history - the oldest most populous nation opens its doors to the rest of the world. The economics of Feudalism and Communism are out and Capitalism is in. Old walls are being torn down and a futuristic landscape of glass and steel is shooting up in its place. Exploring where tradition meets modernity follow the dreams of a 12-year-old Olympic hopeful then join rice farmers tilling land their ancestors have worked for 18 centuries. Using the latest generation of hi-definition cameras and effects techniques see China like you've never seen it before. It's a visual delight delving deep into the people and places of the oldest civilization on the planet.
China's Lost Girls
This National Geographic Special explored the bias against girls that exists in China, where they are commonly aborted, abandoned, or killed, and the practice of adoption of these unwanted children by Americans. Chinese native girls who have been adopted by American couples relate their experiences. Hosted by Lisa Ling.
Chop Socky
Offers an in-depth look at Hong Kong's film legacy and its influence on global cinema, from its earliest beginnings to the latest big-budget epics. In English with Chinese dialog sequences. Narrator: Mark Kaufmann; featuring: Jet Li, Jackie Chan, John Woo, Bruce Lee. Originally produced as a television program titled Cinema Hong Kong : King Fu in 2003. MPAA rating: Not rated.
Found in China: a Documentary
A group of six Midwestern families with Chinese adoptive daughters take a heritage trip to China. The documentary focuses on the 9- to 13-year old girls and their feelings about being adopted as they learn about the culture of their homeland and the circumstances of their adoption.
Shanghai Ghetto
The incredible story of thousands of Jews and their dramatic escape from the Nazis to China during World War II.
Wild China: a Land of History, Mystery and Extraordinary Diversity
Journey across China from the peaks of the Himalayas to the barren steppe, the sub-Arctic to the tropical islands, through deserts both searingly hot and mind-numbingly cold and see a dazzling array of mysterious, beautiful, wild and rare creatures. Narrated by Bernard Hill.
Disc One: Heart of the Dragon, Shangri-La and Tibet. Disc Two: Beyond the Great Wall, Land of the Panda and Tides of Change.
Travel
Destination China
In this Pilot Guide Travel film viewers will attend a traditional Long Horn Mio ceremony, visit the Huangguoshu Waterfalls, the largest in Asia, visit a silk factory in Suzhou, the silk capital of China, and attend the temple fair celebrating the end of the silk harvest. The film ends with a walk among the 8,000 terracotta warriors built to guard to tomb of China's first emperor, Emperor China. Not Rated.
SmartTravels Pacific Rim: Shanghai
Two episodes of the television series SmartTravels Pacific Rim. Follows Rudy Maxa on tours of Shanghai and Hong Kong. Discusses popular tourist attractions and provides historical background and practical information.
Films Set in China
The Amazing Panda Adventure
On a trek into the lush bamboo forests, Ryan is unexpectedly separated from his father. With the help of a young Chinese girl, he aims to bring to safety a baby panda that he's boldly taken away from heartless poachers. They'd better move fast, however: the poachers are coming after them and the baby panda cannot survive much longer without its mother. Cast: Stephen Lang, Yi Ding, Ryan Slater. Rated PG.
The Forbidden Kingdom
A discovery made by a kung fu-obsessed American teen sends him on an adventure to China, where he joins up with a band of martial arts warriors. Cast: Collin Chou, Liu Yifei, Li Bing Bing, Michael Angarano, Jackie Chan. Rated PG-13
Home Beyond the Sun
The story of one woman's desperate effort to help an eight-year-old orphan girl escape poverty and oppression in Mainland China.
The Inn of the Sixth Happiness
Based on the true-life story of Gladys Aylward, an English missionary that led a group of children through war-torn China in the 1930's. Cast: Ingrid Bergman, Robert Donat, Curt Jurgens. Based on the book The Small Woman by Alan Burgess. Rated PG.
The Invincible Iron Man
While raising the ruins of a long-buried Chinese kingdom, billionaire inventor Tony Stark digs up far more than he bargained for. He unleashes an age-old prophecy that foretells the resurrection of the Mandarin, the emperor of China's darkest and most violent dynasty. In order to confront destructive forces, Tony creates an armored suit infused with high-tech weaponry. Marvel animated features. Voices: Marc Worden, Gwendolyn Yeo, Rodney Saulsberry, Elisa Gabrielli, John McCook, Fred Tatasciore. Rated PG-13
The Last Emperor
The true story of Pu Yi, who, at the age of 3, toddled to the Imperial Dragon Throne to become "Lord of 10,000 Years," China's last emperor. Cast: John Lone, Joan Chen, Peter O'Toole, Ying Ruocheng. Not Rated.
The Painted Veil
Set in the 1920s. A young English couple, Walter a middle class doctor and Kitty, an upper-class woman, get married for all the wrong reasons and relocate to Shanghai. Kitty falls in love with someone else. When Walter discovers her infidelity, in an act of vengeance, he accepts a job in a remote village in China that is being ravaged by a deadly epidemic. He takes his wife along and their journey brings meaning to their relationship and gives them purpose in one of the most remote and beautiful places on earth. Cast: Naomi Watts, Edward Norton, Liev Schreiber, Diana Rigg. Based on the novel by W. Somerset Maugham. Rated PG-13
The White Countess
Set in 1930's Shanghai, a blind American diplomat develops a curious relationship with a young Russian refugee who works odd and sometimes illicit jobs to support members of her dead husband's aristocratic family. Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Natasha Richardson, Vanessa Redgrave, Lynn Redgrave, Hiroyuki Sanada, Allan Corduner, Ying Da, Madeleine Daly, Lee Pace, Madeleine Potter, Luoyong Wang, John Wood. Rated PG-13.
Chinese Heritage
Combination Platter
Kitchen mayhem, irate customers and potential romance unfolds as Robert, an illegal immigrant working at a Chinese restaurant in New York as a waiter, desperately searches for a way to stay in the United States. He reluctantly agrees to meet an American woman, Claire, with the hopes of marrying to obtain a green card. Will Robert obtain his green card before immigration catches up with him? Chinese and English dialogue, with optional English subtitles. Cast: Jeffrey Lau, Coleen O'Brien, Lester "Chit-Man" Chan, Colin Mitchell, Kenneth Lu, Thomas K. Hsiung.
Double Happiness
Jade must choose between family and personal happiness. Her parents want her to marry a successful Chinese man and she wants to make her own decisions. When she falls in love with a white university student, the façade of the perfect Chinese daughter begins to crack. A story about pursuing your dreams while living up to everybody else's. Cast: Sandra Oh, Stephen M.D. Chang, Alannah Ong, Donald Fong, Frances You. Rated PG-13.
The Joy Luck Club
Follows the story of four lifelong friends, whose lives are filled with joy and heartbreak, and shows how their experiences have affected the hopes and dreams they hold for each of their children. Cast: Tsai Chin, Kieu Chinh, Lisa Lu, France Nuyen, Rosalind Chao, Lauren Tom, Tamlyn Tomita, Ming-Na Wen, Michael Paul Chan, Andrew McCarthy, Christopher Rich, Russell Wong, Vivian Wu. Based on the novel by Amy Tan. In English and Chinese with English subtitles. Rated R.
Smile
Lin lives in a world of quiet hardship in China, longing to live without fear or shame. Katie lives in a world of pampered ease in Malibu and wants something new and challenging in her life. When these two come together, their lives are forever changed. Cast: Mika Boorem, Luoyong Wang, Beau Bridges, Cheri Oteri, Linda Hamilton, Shuai Chi, Jia Song, Jonathan Trent, Erik von Detton, Yi Ding, Sean Astin. MPAA rating: PG-13
New Releases
Baby Mama
A successful, single businesswoman who dreams of having a baby discovers she is infertile and hires a working class woman to be her unlikely surrogate. Cast: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Greg Kinnear, Dax Shepard, Romany Malco, Maura Tierney, Holland Taylor, Sigourney Weaver. Rated PG-13
The Counterfeiters
The Counterfeiters is the true story of the largest counterfeiting operation in history, set up by the Nazis in 1936. Awards: Oscar - Best Foreign Language Film of the Year. Language: German, English, Hebrew, Russian or dubbed French dialogue, English, French or Spanish subtitles. Cast: Karl Markovics, August Diehl, Devid Striesow, Marie Bäumer, Martin Brambach, Dolores Chaplin. Based on the book The Devil's Workshop by Adolf Burger. Rated: R
88 Minutes
A college professor who moonlights as a forensic psychiatrist for the FBI has only 88 minutes to live and must tie up all loose ends. Cast: Al Pacino, Alicia Witt, Leelee Sobieski, Amy Brenneman, Deborah Kara Unger, Benjamin McKenzie, Neal McDonough. Rated R
Flywheel
A dishonest used car salesman turns his life around, after he is caught deceiving customers and must return their money. Cast: Alex Kendrick, Janet Lee Dapper, Tracy Goode, Walter Burnett, Treavor Lokey, Richie Hunnewell, Lisa Arnold, Rutha Harris, Steve Moore, Roger Breland. Not rated.
The Forbidden Kingdom
A discovery made by a kung fu-obsessed American teen sends him on an adventure to China, where he joins up with a band of martial arts warriors. Cast: Collin Chou, Liu Yifei, Li Bing Bing, Michael Angarano, Jackie Chan. Rated PG-13
The Incredible Journey of Mary Bryant
In 1788, Mary Bryant, a starving young Cornwall girl, is convicted of a petty crime and sentenced to seven years in the Australian penal colony of Botany Bay. When Mary initiates an escape, she embarks on an arduous four thousand-mile journey toward freedom in a tragic and triumphant story that would make her one of history's most fascinating and courageous unsung heroines. Cast: Romola Garai, Jack Davenport, Alex O'Laoughlin and Sam Neill. Rated R
The Love Guru
An American raised outside of his country by gurus returns to the States in order to break into the self-help business. Cast: Mike Myers, Jessica Alba, Justin Timberlake, Romany Malco, Meagan Good, Omid Djalili, Ben Kingsley. Rated PG-13
Made of Honor
A guy in love with an engaged woman tries to win her over after she asks him to be her maid of honor. Cast: Patrick Dempsey, Michelle Monaghan, Kevin McKidd, Kadeem Hardison, Chris Messina, Richmond Arquette, Busy Philipps, Whitney Cummings, Emily Nelson, Kathleen Quinlan. Rated PG-13
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
When a governess loses her job, she is thrown into the glamorous world and dizzying social whirl of an American actress and singer. Cast: Frances McDormand, Amy Adams, Lee Pace, Cia`rn Hinds, Shirley Henderson, Mark Strong. Based on the novel by Winifred Watson. Rated PG-13
Persepolis
The coming-of-age story of a precocious and outspoken young Iranian girl that begins during the Islamic Revolution. In French or English with optional subtitles in English and Spanish. Voices: Chiara Mastroianni, Sean Penn, Catherine Deneuve, Gena Rowlands, Iggy Pop. Based on the graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi. Rated PG-13
Pope Dreams
A coming-of-age tale about a young man at a crossroads in life. Filled with heart, music, life, loss...and a set of drums. Cast: Julie Hagerty, Stephen Tobolowsky, Phillip Vaden, Marnette Patterson. Not rated.
Recount
Explores one of the most dramatic and controversial events in recent U.S. election history, which shook a nation's faith in the ability to stage a fair and open election. Cast: Kevin Spacey, Bob Balaban, Ed Begley, Laura Dern, John Hurt, Denis Leary, Bruce McGill, Tom Wilkinson. An HBO Production, Rated TV-MA.
Smart People
A widowed professor experiences both a new love and an unexpected visit from his adopted brother. Cast: Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Thomas Haden Church, Ellen Page, Ashton Holmes. Rated R
Then She Found Me
A New York schoolteacher hits a midlife crisis when, in quick succession, her husband leaves, her adoptive mother dies, and her real one shows up. Cast: Matthew Broderick, Colin Firth, Helen Hunt, Bette Midler, Ben Shenkman. Based on the novel by Elinor Lipman.
What Happens in Vegas
After the wildest party night of their lives, strangers Jack and Joy wake up to discover that they got married. When Jack wins a three-million-dollar jackpot using Joy's quarter, their hopes of a quick annulment end as each wants to keep the money. After a no-nonsense judge sentences them to six months of "hard marriage," the pair go to outrageous lengths to try to cheat each other out of the money. Cast: Cameron Diaz, Ashton Kutcher, Rob Corddry, Treat Williams, Dennis Miller. Rated PG-13
A successful, single businesswoman who dreams of having a baby discovers she is infertile and hires a working class woman to be her unlikely surrogate. Cast: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Greg Kinnear, Dax Shepard, Romany Malco, Maura Tierney, Holland Taylor, Sigourney Weaver. Rated PG-13
The Counterfeiters
The Counterfeiters is the true story of the largest counterfeiting operation in history, set up by the Nazis in 1936. Awards: Oscar - Best Foreign Language Film of the Year. Language: German, English, Hebrew, Russian or dubbed French dialogue, English, French or Spanish subtitles. Cast: Karl Markovics, August Diehl, Devid Striesow, Marie Bäumer, Martin Brambach, Dolores Chaplin. Based on the book The Devil's Workshop by Adolf Burger. Rated: R
88 Minutes
A college professor who moonlights as a forensic psychiatrist for the FBI has only 88 minutes to live and must tie up all loose ends. Cast: Al Pacino, Alicia Witt, Leelee Sobieski, Amy Brenneman, Deborah Kara Unger, Benjamin McKenzie, Neal McDonough. Rated R
Flywheel
A dishonest used car salesman turns his life around, after he is caught deceiving customers and must return their money. Cast: Alex Kendrick, Janet Lee Dapper, Tracy Goode, Walter Burnett, Treavor Lokey, Richie Hunnewell, Lisa Arnold, Rutha Harris, Steve Moore, Roger Breland. Not rated.
The Forbidden Kingdom
A discovery made by a kung fu-obsessed American teen sends him on an adventure to China, where he joins up with a band of martial arts warriors. Cast: Collin Chou, Liu Yifei, Li Bing Bing, Michael Angarano, Jackie Chan. Rated PG-13
The Incredible Journey of Mary Bryant
In 1788, Mary Bryant, a starving young Cornwall girl, is convicted of a petty crime and sentenced to seven years in the Australian penal colony of Botany Bay. When Mary initiates an escape, she embarks on an arduous four thousand-mile journey toward freedom in a tragic and triumphant story that would make her one of history's most fascinating and courageous unsung heroines. Cast: Romola Garai, Jack Davenport, Alex O'Laoughlin and Sam Neill. Rated R
The Love Guru
An American raised outside of his country by gurus returns to the States in order to break into the self-help business. Cast: Mike Myers, Jessica Alba, Justin Timberlake, Romany Malco, Meagan Good, Omid Djalili, Ben Kingsley. Rated PG-13
Made of Honor
A guy in love with an engaged woman tries to win her over after she asks him to be her maid of honor. Cast: Patrick Dempsey, Michelle Monaghan, Kevin McKidd, Kadeem Hardison, Chris Messina, Richmond Arquette, Busy Philipps, Whitney Cummings, Emily Nelson, Kathleen Quinlan. Rated PG-13
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
When a governess loses her job, she is thrown into the glamorous world and dizzying social whirl of an American actress and singer. Cast: Frances McDormand, Amy Adams, Lee Pace, Cia`rn Hinds, Shirley Henderson, Mark Strong. Based on the novel by Winifred Watson. Rated PG-13
Persepolis
The coming-of-age story of a precocious and outspoken young Iranian girl that begins during the Islamic Revolution. In French or English with optional subtitles in English and Spanish. Voices: Chiara Mastroianni, Sean Penn, Catherine Deneuve, Gena Rowlands, Iggy Pop. Based on the graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi. Rated PG-13
Pope Dreams
A coming-of-age tale about a young man at a crossroads in life. Filled with heart, music, life, loss...and a set of drums. Cast: Julie Hagerty, Stephen Tobolowsky, Phillip Vaden, Marnette Patterson. Not rated.
Recount
Explores one of the most dramatic and controversial events in recent U.S. election history, which shook a nation's faith in the ability to stage a fair and open election. Cast: Kevin Spacey, Bob Balaban, Ed Begley, Laura Dern, John Hurt, Denis Leary, Bruce McGill, Tom Wilkinson. An HBO Production, Rated TV-MA.
Smart People
A widowed professor experiences both a new love and an unexpected visit from his adopted brother. Cast: Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Thomas Haden Church, Ellen Page, Ashton Holmes. Rated R
Then She Found Me
A New York schoolteacher hits a midlife crisis when, in quick succession, her husband leaves, her adoptive mother dies, and her real one shows up. Cast: Matthew Broderick, Colin Firth, Helen Hunt, Bette Midler, Ben Shenkman. Based on the novel by Elinor Lipman.
What Happens in Vegas
After the wildest party night of their lives, strangers Jack and Joy wake up to discover that they got married. When Jack wins a three-million-dollar jackpot using Joy's quarter, their hopes of a quick annulment end as each wants to keep the money. After a no-nonsense judge sentences them to six months of "hard marriage," the pair go to outrageous lengths to try to cheat each other out of the money. Cast: Cameron Diaz, Ashton Kutcher, Rob Corddry, Treat Williams, Dennis Miller. Rated PG-13
Feature Length Films & Made for TV Productions
Ace Ventura Pet Detective
Ace Ventura, pet detective is on the case to find the Miami Dolphins' missing mascot and quarterback Dan Marino, and whether he's undercover, under fire or underwater, he always gets his man ... or beast!. Cast: Jim Carrey, Sean Young, Courteney Cox, Tone L¯oc, Dan Marino. Rated PG-13
Band of Brothers
This is the story of Easy Company, 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, U.S. Army, drawn from interviews with survivors as well as soldiers' journals and letters. Cast:Kirk Acevedo, Eion Bailey, Michael Cudlitz, David Schwimmer, Douglas Spain, Richard Speight Jr., Donnie Wahlberg. Originally broadcast by HBO in 2001. Based on the book by Stephen Ambrose.
Country Matters
Adaptations of short stories by A.E. Coppard and H.E. Bates. Set against the English countryside during the post-World War I period. Reveals the timeless and constant qualities of the British landscape and its people. Cast: Ian McKellen, Prunella Ransome, Susan Penhaligon, Robert Keegan, Rosalind Ayres, Peter Firth, Penelope Wilton, Susan Fleetwood, Gareth Thomas, Brian Marshall, Jane Lapotaire, Stephen Chase, Keith Drinkel, Mary Weinbark, Prunella Scales, Nicholas Hoye. Originally broadcast on television between 1972 and 1973. Not rated.
Eleanor and Franklin: The Early Years & The White House Years
He was one of America's greatest presidents leading the nation out of its darkest years and guiding it through one of its most difficult wars. She was his wife a First Lady who declined the role of White House hostess and instead devoted herself to public service. This exclusive HBO Double Feature brings together the two critically acclaimed films ("The Early Years" and "The Whitehouse Years") detailing the Roosevelt's saga presenting an intimate portrait of their public and private lives. Cast: Jane Alexander, Edward Hermann, Priscilla Pointer, Walter McGinn, Rosemary Murphy, Blair Brown. Based on the book by Joseph P. Lash. Not Rated.
The English Patient
Based on the novel by Michael Ondaatje, a complicated WWII saga told in flashback sequences. Cast: Kristin Scott Thomas, Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, Naveen Andrews. Rated R
Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale
Despite the success of his highly-rated (but critically-panned) sitcom, Andy can't help but wonder if true artistic respectability will ever come his way. Andy decides to take drastic measures: he fires his loyal but useless agent Darren; pulls the plug on his hit show; and turns down roles he considers "beneath him." Cast: Ricky Gervais, Ashley Jensen, Stephen Merchant. Originally broadcast on HBO in 2007. Rated TV-14.
Flying Leathernecks
It's World War II. Major Dan Kirby (John Wayne) is hard on his marines. His subordinate Captain Carl Griffin thinks the Major is overdoing it, but Kirby proves that there is a method to his madness after all. Cast: John Wayne, Robert Ryan, Don Taylor, Janis Carter, Jay C. Flippen.
Originally released as a motion picture in 1951. Not rated.
The Hiding Place
With the Nazi invasion of Holland, Corrie ten Boom's family joins the resistance to help save persecuted Jewish families. When they are arrested and imprisoned in concentration camps themselves, they have nothing left to cling to but their faith. Cast: Julie Harris, Jeannette Clift, Eileen Heckart. Rated PG. Based on the true story by Corrie ten Boom.
House M.D. Season Four
Reunite with the perplexing and prickly Dr. Gregory House as he tackles impossible cases while putting a new staff of potential team members through the medical wringer with his trademark sarcasm and irreverent bedside manner. Cast: Hugh Laurie, Lisa Edelstein, Omar Epps, Robert Sean Leonard, Jennifer Morrison, Jesse Spencer, Kal Penn, Peter Jacobson, Olivia Wilde. Not rated.
Inspector LynLey Mysteries: Series 6
Suave, sophisticated Detective Inspector Lynley and his prickly, plebian sidekick Detective Sergeant Havers are back with two new gripping mysteries in this sixth and final series. But with Lynley struggling to cope with his wife's death -- and Havers struggling with her partner's heavy drinking -- will they be able to focus on solving crime? Cast: Nathaniel Parker, Sharon Small. Based on Elizabeth George's Inspector Lynley mysteries. Not rated.
Mr. & Mrs. Bridge
Story of a Kansas City couple, Mr. and Mrs. Bridge, whose lives are affected in different ways as their children grow up and leave home, and more adventurous friends bring new ideas into their home. Mrs. Bridge questions the life she has led, but her husband remains a firm believer in family and home, regardless of the changes in the world around him. Based on the novels "Mr. Bridge" and "Mrs. Bridge", by Evan S. Connell. Cast: Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Blythe Danner. Rated PG-13.
Partners
Sergeant Benson (Ryan O'Neal) is the biggest ladies man on the force. Kerwin (John Hurt) is a gay man, works a desk job and keeps quiet about his personal life. When a double murder lands on Benson's desk, he's forced to go undercover into the gay community in order to bring the killer to justice. It's a tough job for a macho cop - but fortunately, he's got a partner. Benson and Kerwin team up to solve the crime, and find themselves doing things that were never included in their job description. Written by Francis Veber (La Cage aux folles), this hilarious fish out-of-water comedy delivers equal parts thrills and laughs.
Top Gun
At the elite Navy Fighter Weapons School, cocky, young pilots compete against one another in the air as well as on the ground. Cast: Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards, Tom Skerritt. Rated PG.
Ace Ventura, pet detective is on the case to find the Miami Dolphins' missing mascot and quarterback Dan Marino, and whether he's undercover, under fire or underwater, he always gets his man ... or beast!. Cast: Jim Carrey, Sean Young, Courteney Cox, Tone L¯oc, Dan Marino. Rated PG-13
Band of Brothers
This is the story of Easy Company, 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, U.S. Army, drawn from interviews with survivors as well as soldiers' journals and letters. Cast:Kirk Acevedo, Eion Bailey, Michael Cudlitz, David Schwimmer, Douglas Spain, Richard Speight Jr., Donnie Wahlberg. Originally broadcast by HBO in 2001. Based on the book by Stephen Ambrose.
Country Matters
Adaptations of short stories by A.E. Coppard and H.E. Bates. Set against the English countryside during the post-World War I period. Reveals the timeless and constant qualities of the British landscape and its people. Cast: Ian McKellen, Prunella Ransome, Susan Penhaligon, Robert Keegan, Rosalind Ayres, Peter Firth, Penelope Wilton, Susan Fleetwood, Gareth Thomas, Brian Marshall, Jane Lapotaire, Stephen Chase, Keith Drinkel, Mary Weinbark, Prunella Scales, Nicholas Hoye. Originally broadcast on television between 1972 and 1973. Not rated.
Eleanor and Franklin: The Early Years & The White House Years
He was one of America's greatest presidents leading the nation out of its darkest years and guiding it through one of its most difficult wars. She was his wife a First Lady who declined the role of White House hostess and instead devoted herself to public service. This exclusive HBO Double Feature brings together the two critically acclaimed films ("The Early Years" and "The Whitehouse Years") detailing the Roosevelt's saga presenting an intimate portrait of their public and private lives. Cast: Jane Alexander, Edward Hermann, Priscilla Pointer, Walter McGinn, Rosemary Murphy, Blair Brown. Based on the book by Joseph P. Lash. Not Rated.
The English Patient
Based on the novel by Michael Ondaatje, a complicated WWII saga told in flashback sequences. Cast: Kristin Scott Thomas, Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, Naveen Andrews. Rated R
Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale
Despite the success of his highly-rated (but critically-panned) sitcom, Andy can't help but wonder if true artistic respectability will ever come his way. Andy decides to take drastic measures: he fires his loyal but useless agent Darren; pulls the plug on his hit show; and turns down roles he considers "beneath him." Cast: Ricky Gervais, Ashley Jensen, Stephen Merchant. Originally broadcast on HBO in 2007. Rated TV-14.
Flying Leathernecks
It's World War II. Major Dan Kirby (John Wayne) is hard on his marines. His subordinate Captain Carl Griffin thinks the Major is overdoing it, but Kirby proves that there is a method to his madness after all. Cast: John Wayne, Robert Ryan, Don Taylor, Janis Carter, Jay C. Flippen.
Originally released as a motion picture in 1951. Not rated.
The Hiding Place
With the Nazi invasion of Holland, Corrie ten Boom's family joins the resistance to help save persecuted Jewish families. When they are arrested and imprisoned in concentration camps themselves, they have nothing left to cling to but their faith. Cast: Julie Harris, Jeannette Clift, Eileen Heckart. Rated PG. Based on the true story by Corrie ten Boom.
House M.D. Season Four
Reunite with the perplexing and prickly Dr. Gregory House as he tackles impossible cases while putting a new staff of potential team members through the medical wringer with his trademark sarcasm and irreverent bedside manner. Cast: Hugh Laurie, Lisa Edelstein, Omar Epps, Robert Sean Leonard, Jennifer Morrison, Jesse Spencer, Kal Penn, Peter Jacobson, Olivia Wilde. Not rated.
Inspector LynLey Mysteries: Series 6
Suave, sophisticated Detective Inspector Lynley and his prickly, plebian sidekick Detective Sergeant Havers are back with two new gripping mysteries in this sixth and final series. But with Lynley struggling to cope with his wife's death -- and Havers struggling with her partner's heavy drinking -- will they be able to focus on solving crime? Cast: Nathaniel Parker, Sharon Small. Based on Elizabeth George's Inspector Lynley mysteries. Not rated.
Mr. & Mrs. Bridge
Story of a Kansas City couple, Mr. and Mrs. Bridge, whose lives are affected in different ways as their children grow up and leave home, and more adventurous friends bring new ideas into their home. Mrs. Bridge questions the life she has led, but her husband remains a firm believer in family and home, regardless of the changes in the world around him. Based on the novels "Mr. Bridge" and "Mrs. Bridge", by Evan S. Connell. Cast: Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Blythe Danner. Rated PG-13.
Partners
Sergeant Benson (Ryan O'Neal) is the biggest ladies man on the force. Kerwin (John Hurt) is a gay man, works a desk job and keeps quiet about his personal life. When a double murder lands on Benson's desk, he's forced to go undercover into the gay community in order to bring the killer to justice. It's a tough job for a macho cop - but fortunately, he's got a partner. Benson and Kerwin team up to solve the crime, and find themselves doing things that were never included in their job description. Written by Francis Veber (La Cage aux folles), this hilarious fish out-of-water comedy delivers equal parts thrills and laughs.
Top Gun
At the elite Navy Fighter Weapons School, cocky, young pilots compete against one another in the air as well as on the ground. Cast: Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards, Tom Skerritt. Rated PG.
Documentaries & Non-Fiction Films
Shine a Light
Directed by Martin Scorsese and recorded at New York's Beacon Theatre during the fall of 2006, featuring performances by The Rolling Stones with special guests Christina Aguilera, Jack White, and Buddy Guy.
Directed by Martin Scorsese and recorded at New York's Beacon Theatre during the fall of 2006, featuring performances by The Rolling Stones with special guests Christina Aguilera, Jack White, and Buddy Guy.
Foreign Language Films
The Counterfeiters
Germany, 1936. Salomon "Sally" Sorowitsch is the king of counterfeiters. He lives a life of cards, booze, and women. Suddenly his luck runs dry when he is arrested by Superintendent Friedrich Herzog. He is immediately thrown into the Mauthausen concentration camp. There, Salomon exhibits exceptional skills and is soon transferred to the upgraded camp of Sachsenhausen. Upon his arrival, he once again comes face to face with Herzog, who is there on a secret mission. Hand-picked for his unique skill, Salomon and a group of professionals are forced to produce fake foreign currency under the program Operation Berhard. The team, which also includes detainee Adolf Burger, is given luxury barracks for their assistance. Salomon attempts to weaken the economy of Germany's opponents. But, Adolf refuses to use his skills for Nazi profit and would like to do something to stop the operation. Now faced with a moral dilemma, Salomon must decide whether his actions are ultimately the right ones. Awards: Oscar - Best Foreign Language Film of the Year. Language: German, English, Hebrew, Russian or dubbed French dialogue, English, French or Spanish subtitles. Cast: Karl Markovics, August Diehl, Devid Striesow, Marie Bäumer, Martin Brambach, Dolores Chaplin. Based on the book The Devil's Workshop by Adolf Burger. Rated: R
Germany, 1936. Salomon "Sally" Sorowitsch is the king of counterfeiters. He lives a life of cards, booze, and women. Suddenly his luck runs dry when he is arrested by Superintendent Friedrich Herzog. He is immediately thrown into the Mauthausen concentration camp. There, Salomon exhibits exceptional skills and is soon transferred to the upgraded camp of Sachsenhausen. Upon his arrival, he once again comes face to face with Herzog, who is there on a secret mission. Hand-picked for his unique skill, Salomon and a group of professionals are forced to produce fake foreign currency under the program Operation Berhard. The team, which also includes detainee Adolf Burger, is given luxury barracks for their assistance. Salomon attempts to weaken the economy of Germany's opponents. But, Adolf refuses to use his skills for Nazi profit and would like to do something to stop the operation. Now faced with a moral dilemma, Salomon must decide whether his actions are ultimately the right ones. Awards: Oscar - Best Foreign Language Film of the Year. Language: German, English, Hebrew, Russian or dubbed French dialogue, English, French or Spanish subtitles. Cast: Karl Markovics, August Diehl, Devid Striesow, Marie Bäumer, Martin Brambach, Dolores Chaplin. Based on the book The Devil's Workshop by Adolf Burger. Rated: R
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