Gold Coast Public Library

NEW DVDS FOR THE WEEK OF 2/21/12

 

I Am (Non-Fiction)

Genre:    Documentary

Director: Tom Shadyac

The story of a successful Hollywood director, Tom Shadyac, who experienced a life-threatening head injury, and his ensuing journey to try and answer two very basic questions: 'What's wrong with the world?' and 'What can be done about it?' With a film crew of four, Tom visits some of today's great minds, including authors, poets, teachers, religious leaders, and scientists, searching for the fundamental endemic problem that causes all the other problems, while reflecting on his own life choices.

 

London Boulevard

Genre:    Action

Director: William Monahan

Starring: Colin Farrell, Keira Knightly

An ex-con hired to look after a reclusive young actress finds himself falling in love, which puts him in direct confrontation with one of London's most vicious gangsters.

Martha Marcy May Marlene

Genre:        Drama

Director:    Sean Durkin

Starring:    Elizabeth Olsen, Sarah Paulson

After escaping from a dangerous cult and the watchful eye of its charismatic leader, a young woman named Martha tries to reclaim a normal life with her family. But the haunting memories from Martha's past trigger a chilling paranoia, and nowhere seems safe as the fragile line between her reality and delusions begin to blur.

 

Octubre (Foreign Language - Spanish)

Genre:        Drama

Director:    Daneil Vidal, Diego Vidal

Clemente is a moneylender and man of few words. Sofia is his new single neighbor. She is devoted to the October worship of Our Lord of the Miracles and hopes that Clemente may be the one for her. The two are brought together over Clemente's newborn baby, whose mother is a prostitute and nowhere to be found. While Clemente looks for her, Sofia cares for the baby. With these two new people in his life, Clemente has the opportunity to reconsider his emotional relations with people.

 

The Son Of No One

Genre:    Action

Director: Dito Montiel

Starring: Channing Tatum, Al Pacino, Katie Holmes

Jonathan is a second-generation cop who gets assigned to reopen a double homicide cold case in his neighborhood. An anonymous source feeding new information on the long-unsolved murders to a local reporter leads to evidence suggesting a possible cover-up by the former lead detective who was on the investigation. As Jonathan digs deeper into the assignment, a dark secret about the case emerges, which threatens to destroy his life and his family.

 

The Space Between

Genre:    Drama

Director: Travis Fine

Starring: Melissa Leo, Brad Henke

Cameras are on and recording the chilling moments when evil begins to terrorize young sisters Katie and Kristie for the first time. Brace yourself for "'heart-exploding scares' so frightening that 'the last 15 minutes will mess you up for life!'

 

Tower Heist

Genre:    Action/Comedy

Director: Brett Ratner

Starring: Eddie Murphy, Alan Alda, Ben Stiller

An all-star cast is featured in this hilarious comedy caper about a luxury condo manager who leads a staff of workers to seek payback on the Wall Street swindler who defrauded them. With only days until the billionaire gets away with the perfect crime, the unlikely crew of amateur thieves enlists the help of a petty crook to steal the $20 million they're sure is hidden in the penthouse.

 

The Way

Genre:    Drama

Director: Emilio Estevez

Starring: Martin Sheen, Emilio Estevez, Debra Kara Unger

Tom goes to France to collect the remains of his adult son, who was killed in the Pyrenees in a storm while walking the Camino de Santiago. Rather than return home, Tom decides to embark on the historical pilgrimage to honor his son's desire to finish the journey. What Tom doesn't plan on is the profound impact the journey will have on him as he begins to learn the difference between the life one lives and the life one chooses.

 

NEW DVDS FOR THE WEEK OF 2/14/12

 

All Things Fall Apart

Genre:    Drama

Director: Mario Van Peebles

Starring: 50 Cent, Mario Van Peebles, Ray Liotta

A promising football running back plans to make it to the NFL. At the pinnacle of his college football career, Deon's dreams are shattered and he loses everything. But determination and a newly found inner strength enable him to triumph.

 

American Teacher (Non-Fiction)

Genre:    Documentary

Director: Vanessa Roth

The stories of four teachers in different areas of the country reveal the frustrating realities of today's teachers, the difficulty of attracting talented new educators, and why so many of our best teachers leave the profession altogether.

Elite Squad - The Enemy Within (Foreign Language - Portugese)

Genre:        Drama

Director:    Jose Padhila

Captain Nascimento has risen in his career to become the commander-in-chief of Rio de Janeiro's BOPE (Special Police Operations Battalion) and, later, a populist choice as the Sub-Secretary of Intelligence. In his new post, Nascimento strengthens BOPE and cripples the drug trade even further, bringing it to its knees. But soon he comes to a sobering realization that upon doing so, he ends up aiding his true enemies: Corrupt cops and dirty politicians with major electoral interests.

 

Mozart's Sister  (Foreign Language - French)

Genre:        Drama

Director:    Renet Feret

Speculative account of Maria Anna "Nannerl" Mozart (Marie Feret), five years older than Wolfgang (David Moreau) and a musical prodigy in her own right. Approaching marriageable age and now forbidden to play the violin or compose, Nannerl chafes at the limitations imposed on her gender until a friendship with the son and daughter of Louis XV offers an alternative.

 

Ocean Heaven (Foreign Language - Mandarin)

Genre:    Drama

Starring: Jet Li, Wen Zhang

A terminally-ill father attempts to teach his autistic son the necessary life skills to survive on his own before he passes away. A poignant tribute to the infinite love that parents have for their children and their unending desire to take care and look after them to their best abilities, no matter the struggle, no matter the effort.

 

Paranormal Activity 3

Genre:    Horror

Starring: Katie Featherston, Molly Ephraim

Cameras are on and recording the chilling moments when evil begins to terrorize young sisters Katie and Kristie for the first time. Brace yourself for "'heart-exploding scares' so frightening that 'the last 15 minutes will mess you up for life!'

 

The Rum Diary

Genre:    Comedy

Director: Bruce Robinson

Starring: Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, Michael Rispoli

Tired of the noise and madness of New York, journalist Paul Kemp moves to Puerto Rico to write for a local newspaper. Adopting the rum-soaked life of the island, Kemp becomes obsessed with the fiancee of a businessman involved in shady property development deals. When he is recruited by Sanderson to write favorably about his latest unsavory scheme, Kemp is presented with the choice to use his words for the corrupt businessman's financial benefit, or use them to take him down.

 

Summer Holiday (Foreign Language - Romanian)

Genre:    Drama

Director: Mario Van Peebles

Starring: 50 Cent, Mario Van Peebles, Ray Liotta

A promising football running back plans to make it to the NFL. At the pinnacle of his college football career, Deon's dreams are shattered and he loses everything. But determination and a newly found inner strength enable him to triumph.

 

Take Shelter

Genre:    Drama

Director: Jeff Nichols

Starring: Jessica Chastain, Michael Shannon

Curtis lives in a small town in Ohio with his wife, Samantha, and daughter, Hannah, a six-year-old deaf girl. When Curtis begins to have terrifying dreams, he keeps the visions to himself, channeling his anxiety into obsessively building a storm shelter in his backyard. His inexplicable behavior concerns those closest to him, but the resulting strain on his marriage and tension within his community can't compare with Curtis's privately held fear of what his dreams may truly signify.

 

Tales From The Golden Age (Foreign Language - Romanian)

Genre:    Comedy

Director: Christian Mungiu

Starring: Hanno Hofer

The final fifteen years of the Ceausescu regime were the worst in Romania's history. Nonetheless, the propaganda machine of that time relentlessly referred to that period as the country's 'golden age.' Using the moniker as a starting point, Tales from the Golden Age spins the most popular, comic and bizarre urban legends from that harrowing period into a hilariously surreal omnibus film.

 

Tiny Furniture

Genre:    Comedy

Director: Lena Dunham

Starring: Lena Dunham

A recent college graduate named Aura returns to New York and moves back in with her mother and sister. As painfully confessional as it is endlessly amusing, Tiny Furniture is an authentic, incisive portrait of a young woman at a crossroads.

 

NEW DVDS FOR THE WEEK OF 2/7/12

 

Anonymous

Genre:    Drama

Director: Roland Emmerich

Starring: Rhys Ifan, Vanessa Redgrave

Set in Elizabethan England, Anonymous speculates on an issue that has intrigued academics and brilliant minds for centuries. Namely: who actually created the body of work credited to William Shakespeare? Anonymous poses one possible answer, focusing on a time when scandalous political intrigue, illicit romances in the Royal Court, and the schemes of greedy nobles lusting for the power of the throne were brought to light in the most unlikely of places: the London stage.

 

Fireflies in the Garden

Genre:    Comedy

Director: Dennis Lee

Starring: William Dafoe, Julia Roberts

To an outsider, the Taylors are the very picture of the successful American family. But the day their matriarch is due to graduate from college, decades after leaving to raise her children, a devastating accident will bring the family's history and relationships to light.

 

Project Nim (Non-Fiction)

Genre:    Documentary

The story of Nim, the chimpanzee who became the focus of a landmark 1970s experiment to show that an ape could learn to communicate with language. As Nim's natural instincts take over and the humans trusted with his well-being fail to protect him, Project Nim uncovers the unflinching and extraordinary journey of one animal thrust into human society.

 

The Rebound

Genre:    Comedy

Director: Bert Freundlich

Starring: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Justin Bartha

When Sandy catches her husband fooling around with her friend, she packs up the kids, moves to Manhattan, and starts a new life. Desperately needing a babysitter, Sandy turns to a handsome coffee shop clerk named Aram. Soon, unexpected sparks are flying between Sandy and her new 'nanny,' who also happens to be twenty years younger! Falling in love and freaking out, Sandy must decide if her feelings for Aram are real or is Aram catching her on 'the rebound?'

 

Sunset Limited

Genre:    Drama

Director: Tommy Lee Jones

Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Samuel L. Jackson

A searing two character drama about the choice people frequently make, to go on or give in to despair. Set in a New York tenement apartment, the story focuses on two very different men: a black ex-con who claims to hear the voice of Jesus, and the white professor he stopped from throwing himself in front of an oncoming train.  From a play by Cormac McCarthy.

 

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn (Release Date: Friday, 2/10)

Genre:    Drama

Director: Bill Condon

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson

In the highly anticipated fourth installment of the Twilight Saga, a marriage, a honeymoon, and the birth of a child bring unforeseen and shocking developments for Bella and Edward and those they love, including new complications with young werewolf Jacob Black.

 

NEW DVDS FOR THE WEEK OF 1/31/12

 

 

The Big Year

Genre:    Comedy

Director: David Frankel

Starring: Steve Martin, Jack Black, Owen Wilson

Looking to shake up their routine lives, three amateur bird watchers compete to become the ultimate 'birder' by spotting the greatest number of species within a single calendar year. But the friendly rivalry soon turns into a hilariously complicated cross-country adventure as each man begins to realize that the quest for success comes at a price.

 

Chalet Girl

Genre:    Comedy

Starring: Felicity Jones, Ed Westwick, Brooke Shields

Pretty tomboy Kim Matthews used to be a champion skateboarder, but now she's stuck in a dead-end job, trying to support her dad. Opportunity comes knocking in the form of a catering job in one of the most exclusive chalets in the Alps. At first, Kim's baffled by this bizarre new world of posh people, champagne, and skiing, but then she discovers snowboarding, and the chance to win some much-needed prize money at the big end-of-season competition.

 

Contagion

Genre:    Sci-Fi

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Starring:  Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, Matt Damon

A spooky thriller centered on the threat posed by a deadly disease and an international team of doctors contracted by the CDC to deal with the outbreak.

The Double

Genre:    Action
Starring: Richard Gere, Topher Grace, Martin Sheen

When a United States Senator is brutally murdered, the evidence points to a Soviet assassin who was long-thought to be dead. Two men who know him best are thrown together to catch him. 

 

Dream House

Genre:    Thriller

Director: Jim Sheridan

Starring: Naomi Watts, Rachel Weisz, Daniel Craig

Will Atenton quit a high-profile job in Manhattan to relocate his wife, Libby, and their two daughters to a quaint New England town. But as they settle into their new life, they discover their perfect home was once the murder scene of a mother and her children. When Will investigates, he's not sure if he's seeing ghosts or if the tragic events are somehow related to his past. The only clues come from a mysterious neighbor.

 

Drive

Genre:    Action

Director: Nicolas Refn

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks

Driver is a Hollywood stunt driver by day, and moonlights as a top-notch getaway driver for hire in the criminal underworld. He finds himself a target for some of LA's most dangerous men after agreeing to aid the husband of his beautiful neighbor, Irene. When the job goes dangerously awry, the only way he can keep Irene and her son alive is to do what he does best, Drive!

 

In Time

Genre:    Sci-Fi

Starring: Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried

In a future where people stop aging at 25, but are engineered to live only one more year, having the means to buy your way out of the situation is a shot at immortal youth.

 

Janie Jones

Genre:    Drama

Director: David Rosenthal

Starring: Abigail Breslin, Alessandro Nivola, Elizabeth Shue

A struggling rock musician content with his on-the-road party lifestyle, has his life turned upside down by the arrival of a thirteen-year-old daughter he never knew he had. Left with the responsibility for raising Janie Jones, a shy but talented aspiring musician herself, he takes Janie on a road trip of music, discovery, and father-daughter bonding.

 

The Mill & The Cross

Genre:    Drama

Starring: Michael York, Charlotte Rampling, Rutger Hauer

The Mill & the Cross stunningly recreates one of the great masterpieces of painting, Pieter Bruegel the Elder's Way to Calvary. It brings the viewer inside the painting with immersive period detail and amazing digital effects. The daily life of 16th century Flanders is rendered with astounding detail, such as the crusading Spanish militia, who abuse Protestants with brutally violent tactics. It's a one-of-a-kind marvel of art historical investigation that brings a great painting to life

 

On The Shoulders of Giants (Non-Fiction)

Genre:    Documentary

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar shares his lifelong passion for the legends that inspired him to greatness. Go back with Kareem to a time when jazz was Harlem's soul and basketball was its heartbeat.

 

The Other F Word (Non-Fiction)

Genre:    Documentary

Revealing, hilarious, and touching, The Other F Word asks what happens when a generation's ultimate anti-authoritarians - punk rockers - become society's ultimate authorities - fathers. With a large chorus of punk's leading men, this film follows Jim Lindberg through his hysterical and moving journey from belting his band's anthem to embracing his newfound role in mid-life: fatherhood.

 

Spork

Genre:    Comedy

Director: J B Ghuman Jr.

Starring: Savannah Stehlin

Spork is a thirteen year-old, frizzy-haired outcast who's not afraid to stand out despite the pressures around her to fit in. Luckily, a junior high dance competition provides the perfect opportunity for her unique talents to shine through.

 

The Thing

Genre:    Horror

Director: Matthijs van Hiejningen Jr.

Starring: Mary Winstead, Joel Edgerton, Eric Olsen

When paleontologist Kate Lloyd travels to an isolated outpost in Antarctica for the expedition of a lifetime, she joins an international team that unearths a remarkable discovery. Their elation quickly turns to fear as they realize that their experiment has freed a mysterious being from its frozen prison. Paranoia spreads like an epidemic as a creature that can mimic anything it touches will pit human against human as it tries to survive and flourish in this spine-tingling thriller.

 

You and I

Genre:    Drama

Starring: Mischa Barton, Anton Yelchin

Two girls bond as they persevere to become a part of a glamorous lifestyle. Although they are constantly challenged by the seductive, intoxicating allure of this society, they're forced to confront the cruel reality that lies beneath its glittery facade. As their bond is tested to its breaking point, they rediscover the love that brought them together.

NEW DVDS FOR THE WEEK OF 1/24/12

 

 

Another Happy Day

Genre:    Drama

Director: Sam Levinson

Starring: Ellen Barkin, Demi Moore, Ezra Miller

Lynn and her three youngest children attend the wedding of her estranged eldest son at her parents' Annapolis estate. Though she is hoping for a joyful reunion, her attempts at reconciliation veer quickly off-course when she is hurled into the center of touchy family dynamics. 

 

Beware The Gonzo

Genre:    Comedy

Director: Bryan Goluboff

Starring: Ezra Miller, Jesse McCartney, Zoe Kravitz  

Eddie 'Gonzo' Gilman wants to write the truth in the school newspaper. But when he is thrown off the staff by his editor and arch-nemesis, Gavin Riley, Gonzo vows revenge. He starts an underground paper, 'The Gonzo Files,' to give a voice to the misfits victimized by Gavin Riley and his cronies. 'The Gonzo Files' becomes a runaway hit and turns the whole school upside down, but the more successful Gonzo becomes, the more he learns that with truth come consequences.

 

50/50

Genre:    Comedy

Director: Jonathan Levine

Starring:  Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Anjelica Huston 

Inspired by personal experiences, 50/50 is a story about friendship, love, survival, and finding humor in unlikely places. Two best friends' lives change when one of them is diagnosed with cancer.

Final Destination 5

Genre:    Horror
Director: Steven Quale 

Starring: Nicholas D'Agosto, Miles Fisher, Emma Bell

During the bus ride to a corporate retreat, Sam has a premonition in which he and most of his friends die in a horrific bridge collapse. When his vision ends, events begin to mirror what he saw, and he frantically ushers as many of his colleagues away from the disaster before Death can claim them.

 

The Lie

Genre:    Drama

Director: Joshua Leonard

Once an idealistic young man with artistic aspirations, Lonnie is stuck and doesn't quite know it. Working at an unfulfilling job, he longs to realize his lifelong dream of becoming a musician. When his wife, Clover, is presented with a career opportunity that could provide them with the stability she craves, but one that goes against their beliefs, Lonnie cannot muster the resolve to endure another day at work, so he tells a lie, a life-altering lie that he cannot take back.

 

Limelight (Non-Fiction)

Genre:    Documentary
Director: Billy Corben
As the owner of legendary hotspots like Limelight, Tunnel, Palladium, and Club USA, Peter Gatien was the undisputed king of the 1980s New York City club scene. The eye-patch-sporting Ontario native built and oversaw a Manhattan empire that counted tens of thousands of patrons per night in its peak years, acting as a conduit for a culture that, for many, defined the image of an era in New York.

 

Queen of the Sun: What Are Bees Telling Us? (Non-Fiction)

Genre:    Documentary
Director: Taggart Siegel

In this unusual and dramatic story of the heartfelt struggles of beekeepers, scientists, and philosophers from around the world, viewers will journey through the catastrophic disappearance of bees and the mysterious world of the beehive. 

 

Real Steel

Genre:    Action

Director: Shawn Levy

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Evangeline Lilly

Charlie Kenton is a washed-up fighter who lost his chance at a title when 2000-pound, 8-foot-tall steel robots took over the ring. Now nothing but a small-time promoter, Charlie earns just enough money piecing together low-end bots from scrap metal to get from one underground boxing venue to the next. When Charlie hits rock bottom, he reluctantly teams up with his estranged son Max to build and train a championship contender.

 

The Whistleblower

Genre:    Drama

Director: Larysa Kondracki

Starring: Rachel Weiscz, Vanessa Redgrave, David Strathairn

When Nebraska cop Kathryn Bolkovac accepts a U.N. peacekeeper position in postwar Bosnia, she discovers a deadly sex trafficking ring. Risking her own life to save the lives of others, she uncovers an international conspiracy that is determined to stop her, no matter the cost. With masterful acting and a heart-racing plot, an acclaimed film inspired by actual events.