DVDS THIS WEEK

Last updated: Tuesday, April 29, 2008

DVDS THIS WEEK

Release Date: April 29, 2008

27 DRESSES

Cast: Edward Burns, James Marsden, Judy Greer, Katherine Heigl, Malin Akerman

Synopsis: Katherine Heigl (Knocked up, TV's Grey's Anatomy) lights up the screen in this charming romantic comedy from the screenwriter of The Devil Wears Prada. Heigl stars as Jane, a romantic, completely selfless woman who has been a bridesmaid in no less than 27 weddings. Unfortunately her own happy ending seems to be nowhere in sight. Until her younger sister Tess captures the heart of Jane's boss -- on whom Jane has a secret crush inspiring Jane to change her 'always-a-bridesmaid' destiny.

HOW SHE MOVE

Cast: Mya, DeRay Davis, Keyshia Cole, Rutina Wesley, Tre Armstrong

Synopsis: How She Move is an energetic, gritty and ultimately inspiring coming of age tale about a gifted young woman who defies all the rules as she step dances her heart out to achieve her dreams. Featuring a fresh cast of new discoveries, this Sundance Film Festival hit marks the feature film debut of the electric RUTINA WESLEY, with street-style step sequences by top choreographer Hi Hat and special appearances by R&B singer-songwriter Keyshia Cole and comedian DeRay Davis. Bursting with raw talent and intelligence, Raya Green (WESLEY), the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, has always been the family's one great hope. She won the rare chance to break out of their drug and crime-infested neighborhood when she was accepted into the exclusive Seaton Academy. But when her sister dies of an overdose, the family is shattered and Raya is forced to return to the place she tried so hard to escape.

HIS DARK MATERIALS: THE GOLDEN COMPASS

Cast: Dakota Blue Richards, Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Kristin Scott Thomas, Nicole Kidman

Synopsis: The sweeping family fantasy follows a curious young heroine, Lyra Belacqua, and her quest to protect the coveted Golden Compass – the last of a mystical, powerful device that can unveil the truth, reveal what others wish to hide and even see the future. Lyra’s courageous nature and determination to protect the device – and rescue her best friend – open the door to an adventure that will take her over sky and ocean to the wilds of the icy north, where she will gain powerful allies in fantastical creatures. Academy Award®-winner for Best Visual Effects, The Golden Compass features an all-star ensemble cast including Academy Award®-winner Nicole Kidman (The Hours), Daniel Craig (Casino Royale), Sam Elliot (Ghostrider) and introduces Dakota Blue Richards. The film also features the distinguished voices of Academy Award-nominee Ian McKellen (The Lord of the Rings trilogy), Academy Award-winner Kathy Bates (Misery), Academy Award-nominee Kristin Scott Thomas (The English Patient), Freddie Highmore (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) and Ian McShane (TV’s Deadwood).

NANKING

Cast: Mariel Hemingway, Stephen Dorff, Woody Harrelson, Jurgen Prochnow, Rosalind Chao

Synopsis: A powerful, emotional and relevant reminder of the heartbreaking toll war takes on the innocent, Nanking tells the story of the Japanese invasion of Nanking, China, in the early days of World War II. As part of a campaign to conquer all of China, the Japanese subjected Nanking – which was then China’s capital – to months of aerial bombardment, and when the city fell, the Japanese army unleashed murder and rape on a horrifying scale. In the midst of the rampage, a small group of Westerners banded together to establish a Safety Zone where over 200,000 Chinese found refuge. Unarmed, these missionaries, university professors, doctors and businessmen – including a Nazi named John Rabe – bore witness to the events, while risking their own lives to protect civilians from slaughter.
The story is told through deeply moving interviews with Chinese survivors, chilling archival footage and photos of the events, and testimonies of former Japanese soldiers. At the heart of Nanking is a filmed stage reading of the Westerners’ letters and diaries, featuring Woody Harrelson, Mariel Hemingway and Jurgen Prochnow. Through its interweave of archival images, testimonies of survivors, and readings of first hand accounts, the film puts the viewer on the streets of Nanking and brings the forgotten past to startling life.
Nanking is a testament to the courage and conviction of individuals who were determined to act in the face of evil and a powerful tribute to the resilience of the Chinese people – a gripping account of light in the darkest of times.

THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY

Cast: Emma de Caunes, Emmanuelle Seigner, Mathieu Amalric, Marie-Josee Croze, Max von Sydow

Synopsis: From one of the most emotionally exhilarating and luminous bestsellers ever written comes the true story of a man who took an adversity beyond all imagining and transformed it into a testament to the irrepressible human urge to love, create and dream. With his third film, director and artist Julian Schnabel (“Basquiat,” “Before Night Falls”) forges a visually stunning, heart-stirring ode to what drives a man to go on when all truly seems lost. Through a mesmerizing blast of color, beauty and humor, and a rousing spirit of creativity, Schnabel tells the story of Jean-Dominique Bauby (Mathieu Amalric, “Munich”), AKA “Jean-Do,” the high-flying editor of French Elle and father of two, who was renowned for his sense of humor and style, his joie de vivre and amorous energy, when, in an instant, his world was plunged into the depths of catastrophe.
Faced with a harrowing predicament, Jean-Do will use enormous courage and determination but, most of all, his soaring imagination to escape from his trap. Tapping into the limitlessness of his memories, fantasies, wit and wishes, he finds a way to race through experiences of wonder and grief, sex and love, fatherhood and childhood, faith and questioning, ecstasy and absurdity – and touches the very essence of what it is to be human. Along the way he is buoyed by a quintet of remarkable women: Céline (Emmanuelle Seigner), the mother of his children who remains devoted to him despite his betrayal; Inés (Agathe de la Fontaine), the girlfriend who still haunts him; Henriette (Marie-Josée Croze) and Marie (Olatz Lopez Garamendia), who give Jean-Do the power to re-connect with the world and his loved ones; and Claude (Anne Consigny), who becomes his ravishing literary assistant. Legendary screen star and Oscar® nominee Max Von Sydow takes the moving role of Jean-Do’s father. The cast of leading French stars also includes Patrick Chesnais, Niels Arestrup, the late Jean-Pierre Cassel and Marina Hands.

DIAMOND DOGS

Cast: Dolph Lundgren, Raicho Vasilev, William Shriver, Yu Nan, Zuren Xue

Synopsis: Action superstar Dolph Lundgren (Missionary Man) propels this hard-hitting adventure as a guide hired to lead a band of treasure hunters to locate a priceless Buddhist artifact.
Xander Ronson (Lundgren), an ex-Special Forces officer, agrees to lead an obsessed fortune hunter and his men on a dangerous quest for a legendary relic, the Tangka Tapestry. But great dangers await from a gang of ruthless Russian mercenaries bent on stealing the fabled treasure and also from a deadly curse said to protect the incredibly valuable relic from tomb raiders.

Trailer (Windows Media)

HERO WANTED

Cast: Cuba Gooding Jr., Jean Smart, Ray Liotta, Kim Coates, Norman Reedus

Synopsis: Academy Award® winner Cuba Gooding, Jr. (Best Supporting Actor, Jerry Maguire, 1996) wreaks his own brand of justice in HERO WANTED, a brutal action thriller co-starring Ray Liotta. Once the toast of the city, Liam Case (Gooding, Jr.) is now a forgotten man, a hero whose fame has passed him by. Hoping to restore his former glory, he attempts to foil an armed bank robbery, but winds up shot instead. Recovering from him wounds, Liam swears vengeance and begins a hunt of his own, leading to a shocking climax that proves the old adage: heroes are made, not born.

Trailer (Windows Media)

THE GUATEMALAN HANDSHAKE

Cast: Cory McAbee, Katy Haywood, Ken Byrnes, Sheila Scullin, Will Oldham

Synopsis: In the confusion following a massive power outage, an awkward demolition derby driver vanishes, setting in motion a series of events affecting his pregnant girlfriend, his helplessly car-less father, a pack of wild boy scouts, a lactose intolerant roller rink employee, an elderly woman in search of her lost dog, and his best friend – a ten-year-old girl named Turkeylegs. Pieces of the mystery begin to come together as Turkeylegs sets out to find her missing friend. Cars drive circles in the dirt, a woman attends her own funeral, the sun rises sideways and an orange vehicle trades hands again and again. Everything eventully culminates in a massive demolition derby that throws all of the characters into different directions.

Trailer (QuickTime):
Trailer 1
Trailer 2
Trailer 3

Source: CelebrityWonder.com

| Tuesday, April 29, 2008

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