Titles Under Consideration
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
- Director: Cristian Mungiu
- Cast: Anamaria Marinca, Vlad Ivanov, Laura Vasiliu, Alexandru Potoceanu, Luminita Gheorghiu
During the final days of communism in Romania, two college roommates Otilia (Anamaria Marinca) and Gabita (Laura Vasiliu) are busy preparing for a night away. But rather than planning for a holiday, they are making arrangements for Gabita's illegal abortion and unwittingly, both find themselves burrowing deep down a rabbit hole of unexpected revelations. Transpiring over the course of a single day, Mungiu's film is a masterwork of modern filmmaking, by parts poignant and shocking. 113 min. Not rated (nudity, sexual situations, language). 2007. In Romanian and English w/ English subtitles.
Funny Games U.S.
- Director: Michael Haneke (Caché, The Piano Teacher, Code Unknown)
- Cast: Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, Michael Pitt, Brady Corbet, Devon Gearhart
In this exploration of our violent society and how depictions of violence reflect and shape our culture, a middle-class housewife Anna tells the story of how she and her husband George and their 10-year-old son Georgie submitted both physically and mentally to the torture, violence, and death foisted upon them by two young, unexpected, white-gloved visitors at their weekend vacation retreat near a lake. 112 min. Rated R for terror, violence and some language.
In Bruges
- Director: Martin McDonagh (Six Shooter)
- Cast: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes, Clemence Poesy, Jeremie Renier
Bruges, the most well-preserved medieval city in the whole of Belgium, is a welcoming destination for travellers from all over the world. But for hit men Ray and Ken, it could be their final destination; a difficult job has resulted in the pair being ordered right before Christmas by their London boss Harry to go and cool their heels in the storybook Flemish city for a couple of weeks. Very much out of place amidst the gothic architecture, canals, and cobbled streets, the two hit men fill their days living the lives of tourists. 107 min. Rated R for strong bloody violence, pervasive language and some drug use. 2008.
Paranoid Park
- Director: Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting, Gerry, Elephant)
- Cast: Gabe Nevins, Jake Miller, Taylor Momsen, Lauren McKinney, Daniel Lui
Winner of the 60th anniversary award at the 2007 Cannes Festival, director Gus Van Sant returns with the highly anticipated film Paranoid Park. This adaptation of Blake Nelson's novel follows 16-year-old skateboarder Alex, who accidentally kills a security guard in self-defense with his skateboard at Paranoid Park, Portland's most infamous skateboarding park. When he decides to say nothing, he takes on a crushing burden of guilt, and falls into a world of crime, guilt, and fear. 84 min. Rated R for some disturbing images, language and sexual content. 2008.
Snow Angels
- Director: David Gordon Green (George Washington, All the Real Girls)
- Cast: Kate Beckinsale, Sam Rockwell, Olivia Thirlby, Amy Sedaris, Michael Angarano
Snow Angels is a revelatory and sometimes harrowing quest for emotional truth. Set in a small town, the film explores three couples in various and difficult places in their lives, whose relationships offer a glimpse into those profound and unexpected moments where they realize how delicate, dangerous and surprising life can be. A tender love story of love lost and found, Snow Angels is about a precise moment on a cold winter morning when past catches up with future. For them, and for everyone who knows them, nothing will ever be the same. 106 min. Rated R for language, some violent content, brief sexuality and drug use. 2008.