A Beautiful Mind 

Winner of 4 Academy Awards including Best Picture, A Beautiful Mind is directed by Academy Award winner Ron Howard and produced by his long-time partner, Academy Award winner Brian Grazer. A Beautiful Mind stars Russell Crowe in an astonishing performance as brilliant mathematician John Nash, on the brink of international acclaim when he becomes entangled in a mysterious conspiracy. Now, only his devoted wife (Academy Award winner Jennifer Connelly) can help him in this powerful story of courage, passion and triumph.

Aberdeen

"Beautifully acted, ferociously observant!" -New York Times

Kaise (Lena Headey), a beautiful and feisty Scottish woman, finally has her life together… at least until her mother Charlotte Rampling) asks an enormous favor: to bring back to her Kaisa's estranged, larger-than-life father (Stellan Skarsgard). The two of them, father and daughter together, set out on a wild, brutally funny yet heartbreaking journey, which takes them through their emotional past before reaching their ultimate destination.

About A Boy

"Heartwarming andicaptivating" -Roger Ebert, Ebert & Roper

Hugh Grant (Notting Hill, Bridget Jones's Diary) is simply brilliant in this comedy hit the critics are hailing as "Hilarious!" (Premiere). Will Lightman (Grant) is a good-looking, smooth-talking bachelor whose primary goal in life is avoiding any kind of responsibility. But when he invents an imaginary son in order to meet attractive single moms, Will gets a hilarious lesson about life from a bright but hopelessly geeky 12-year-old named Marcus. Now, as Will struggles to teach Marcus the art of being cool, Marcus teaches Will that you're never too old to grow up. About A Boy is the irresistible comedy smash that Richard Schickel of Time Magazine says is "smart, funny and winsome."

About Schmidt

"Blisteringly funny andiequally moving." -Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter

Warren Schmidt is about to experience a bittersweet slice of life. Newly retired, he and his wife Helen have big plans to see America-but an unexpected twist changes everything. Now Schmidt is determined to stop his daughter's wedding to an underachieving waterbed salesman. From meeting the groom's eccentric parents to sponsoring a Tanzanian foster child, Schmidt sets off on his mission...and gets lost along the road to self-discovery.

Addiction

Several of the nation's leading experts on drug and alcohol addiction, together with a group of accomplished filmmakers, have assembled to create Addiction, an unprecedented documentary aimed at helping Americans understand addiction as a treatable brain disease. It is a subject that touches all our lives. One in four Americans has a family member who is struggling with addiction. Currently, addiction affects over 22 million Americans, yet under 10 percent of those individuals are receiving treatment. The documentary addresses different aspects of the disease in order to shed light on the most current, promising developments in the field. Through personal stories from addicts and the loved ones who struggle to help them find treatment, common misconceptions are replaced by insight into addiction's complexity.

Affliction

James Coburn and Nick Nolte, along with Sissy Spacek and Willem Dafoe star in this emotionally captivating film. When events shatter the quiet of his small town, Wade Whitehouse (Nolte), with the aid of his new girlfriend (Spacek), is forced to confront his past and reexamine his life. Determined to fill the emptiness, he must either stand tall against his childhood demons or fall victim to his father's (Coburn) abusive ways. 'Already an American classic' hails the Village Voice.

A Fine Madness

"Engaging, Sharply Scripted. Perceptive, Persuasive And Often Very Funny." - Tom Milne, Time Out Film Guide

Genius, poet and carpet cleaner Samson Shillitoe (Sean Connery) has writer's block - and he can't bluster, clobber or curse it away. But just watch him take Manhattan by storm trying in this whirlwind comedy!

It's a certifiable case of A Fine Madness, as nonconformist Samson and his beleaguered wife (Joanne Woodward) plunge into a series of daffy disasters from which he still comes up smiling. That is, until he dallies with the lovely wife (Jean Seberg) of a scheming psychiatrist (Patrick O'Neal), who seeks revenge by prescribing "brain surgery." Shillitoe will need the might of Samson to face down his foes, but with Connery's full-tilt charisma and Irvin Kershner's buoyant direction, it's flinty, funny entertainment.

After Life

What memory would you takeito eternity?

From the award-winning director Kore-eda Hirokazu (Maborosi) comes a remarkably touching film exploring the profound human need to discover meaning in everyday life.

Many films have offered insight into the unexplainable realm of the after life. In Kore-eda's thought-provoking vision, the newly deceased find themselves in a way station somewhere between Heaven and Earth.

With the help of dedicated caseworkers, each soul is given three days to choose one cherished memory from their life that they will relive for eternity. As the film reveals, recognizing happiness and finding a life's worth of meaning in a single event is no simple task. If Heaven is only a single memory from your life, as Kore-eda suggests, which memory would you choose?

All The Little Animals 

Of All The Animals, The Cruelest Is Man.

Bobby Platt (Christian Bale) is a sweet, mentally disturbed 24-year-old who has spent his entire life at the mercy of an abusive stepfather (Daniel Benzali) who plots to steal the family fortune. Terrified by the threat of psychiatric commitment, Bobby runs away from home. He befriends a mysterious nomadic stranger (John Hurt) whose life's work is to care for the little animals he finds by the side of the road. Their unlikely alliance and wondrous new adventure strengthen Bobby, and his spirit is reborn. He realizes that the beauty of nature is also inside himself and vows to return to London to confront his stepfather. But Bobby quickly learns another, more frightening lesson -- the treacherous world of money and greed is still the most evil force in nature.

American Beauty

Winner Of Five Academy Awards

Intelligent, provocative and wickedly funny, American Beauty has struck a chord with audiences around the world and become a defining achievement in cinematic history. Led by brilliant performances from Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening as the indelible Lester and Carolyn Burnham, a seemingly ordinary couple in an anonymous suburban neighborhood whose marriage -- and lives -- are slowly unraveling.

From beginning to startling end, American Beauty has been deemed a "flat-out masterpiece" (Rod Dreher, New York Post) that will entertain and challenge audiences to …look closer for years to come. appeared on over 275 Top 10 lists and was named Best Picture of the Year by over 65 critics. In an extraordinary directorial debut, Sam Mendes (Directors Guild of America Award) teamed with screenwriter Alan Ball (Writers Guild of America Award) to capture unparalleled praise among critics and audiences alike.

American Splendor

Ordinary Life isiPretty Complex Stuff

American Splendor is the story of a little-known working-class everyman, and first-class curmudgeon, Harvey Pekar. Pekar finds love, family and a creative voice through the underground comic books he creates, but still can't manage to find the quicker supermarket checkout line. Ordinary life is pretty complex stuff.

Pekar, played by Paul Giamatti, is a frustrated file clerk at a V.A. Hospital, but also a comic book fan who befriends the young illustrator Robert Crumb and is soon inspired to create comic books based on his own life, entitled American Splendor. Along the bumpy journey, he meets, marries and falls for Joyce, an admiring comic book seller, played by Hope Davis.

Also appearing in the movie are the real Harvey and Joyce, comic book renderings of the couple and cameos by some of Harvey's closest friends. In this truly original, ultimately heartwarming film, you will find yourself deeply immersed in a world of American Splendor.

Analyze This

New York's Most Powerful Gangster Is About To Get In Touch With His Feelings. YOU Try Telling Him His 50 Minutes Are Up.

Robert DeNiro and Billy Crystal team with Lisa Kudrow, Chaz Palminteri and director/co-writer Harold Ramis to make you a comedy offer you can't refuse in this laugh-out-loud mob hit. De Niro, deftly spoofing the wiseguy roles that have been a staple of his estimable career, plays powerful New York crime family racketeer Paul Vitti. Crystal, always one joke ahead of sleeping with the fishes, is shrink, Ben Sobel, who has just days to resolve Vitti's emotional crisis and turn into a happy, well-adjusted gangster. Yes, Sobel is a falmily pychiatrist.But surely this isn't the kind of family he had in mind.

An Angel at My Table

With An Angel at My Table, Academy Award-winning filmmaker Jane Campion brings to the screen the harrowing true story of Janet Frame, New Zealand’s most distinguished author. The film follows Frame along her inspiring journey, from a poverty-stricken childhood to a misdiagnosis of schizophrenia and electroshock therapy to, finally, international literary fame. Beautifully capturing the color and power of the New Zealand landscape, the film earned Campion a sweep of her country’s film awards and the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival.

Anger Management

After a small misunderstanding aboard an airplane escalates out of control, timid businessman Dave Buznik (Sandler) is ordered by the court to undergo anger management therapy at the hands of specialist Dr. Buddy Rydell (Nicholson). But when Buddy steps up his aggressive treatment by moving in, Dave goes from mild to wild as the unorthodox treatment wreaks havoc with his life in this hilarious hit comedy that will drive you mad with laughter!

Antwone Fisher

"This isia film that can change people's lives." -Joel Sigel, ABC TV

Denzel Washington makes his triumphant directorial debut and Derek Luke shines in his first big-screen role in this gripping "story of survival and triumph!" (Clay Smith, Access Hollywood).

Inspired by the true life experiences of its title character, Antwone Fisher tells the compelling story of a troubled sailor (Luke) who is ordered to see a naval psychiatrist (Washington) about his volatile temper. Little does he know that his first step into the doctor's office will lead him on a remarkable emotional journey to confront his painful past - and connect with the family the never knew.

Ararat

A questifor truth... Among lies, Deception andiDenial.

From the Academy Award-nominated director Atom Egoyan (Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, The Sweet Hereafter, 1997; Exotica, Felicia's Journey) and featuring an all-star cast, Ararat is the acclaimed cinematic masterpiece about a tragic historical event, a country in denial and a people yearning for the truth! For the estranged members of a contemporary family, the tangled relationships of their present are only complicated by their catastrophic past. And what begins as a search for clues becomes a determined quest for answers across a vast and ancient terrain of deception, denial, fact and fears. This stunning and passionate motion picture explores the pursuit of identity through the intimate moments shared by lovers, families, enemies and strangers.

Article 99

When you’re hospital isia war zone, you haveito fightito save lives.

Ray Liotta and Kiefer Sutherland star as doctors whose devotion to healing the sick goes way beyond the call of duty in a film that's captivating, compelling and "as vital and immediate as the evening news" (Associated Press).

When Dr. Peter Morgan (Sutherland) begins his medical internship at a Veteran's Administration hospital, he expects to breeze through on his way to a cushy practice. Instead, he's thrust into a bizarre bureaucratic maze where the health of patients is secondary to politics. And the temperature really rises when he teams up with some freewheeling physicians, led by Dr. Richard Sturgess (Liotta), who think they've learned how to break the rules-and save lives-without getting caught.

As Good As It Gets

A comedy from theiheart that goesifor theithroat.

Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, Greg Kinnear, and Cuba Gooding Jr. star in this James L. Brooks hit comedy, As Good As It Gets.

Nicholson gives a show-stopping performance as Melvin Udall, an obsessive-compulsive novelist with Manhattan's meanest mouth. But when his neighbor Simon is hospitalized, Melvin is forced to babysit Simon's dog. And that unexpected act of kindness- along with waitress Carol Connelly- helps put Melvin back in the human race.

Assisted Living

Todd worksiin mysterious ways.

Assisted Living chronicles a day in the life of a young nursing home janitor, Todd, a pot-smoking custodian who takes pleasure in toying with the senile residents of the retirement community. When one of the residents mistakes Todd for her son, he finds himself becoming emotionally attached to his work for the first time. In order to lend the film a realistic fly-on-the-wall quality, it was shot in an actual nursing home, using real residents as many of the actors, with mixed in footage from a documentary that was made at the facility, blurring the lines between fact and fiction.

Asylum

When Dr. Martin (Robert Powell) arrives at the Dunmoor Asylum for The Incurably Insane, he expects to be interviewed for a job by the asylum's director, Dr. Starr. Instead, he is met by Dr. Rutherford (Patrick Magee), who explains that Dr. Starr has suffered a mental breakdown and is now one of the patients. Dr. Rutherford states that if Martin can deduce which patient is Dr. Starr, then he will be given the position.

Is it Bonnie (Barbara Parkins), whose affair with a married man results in murder? Is it Bruno (Barry Morse), a hard luck tailor who is visited by a mysterious stranger (Peter Cushing), carrying a blueprint and special fabric for an unusual suit? Is it Barbara (Charlotte Rampling), accused of murdering her brother and her nurse, but insisting that her friend Lucy (Britt Ekland) is responsible? Or, is it Dr. Byron (Herbert Lom) who claims the ability to transfer his lifeforce into a mechanical doll?

Avalon

"One Of The Year's 10 Best." -National Board Of Review

From the Oscar -winning director of Good Morning, Vietnam (1998) and Rain Man (1988) comes Avalon, Barry Levinson's critically-acclaimed, semi-autobiographical masterpiece. Intensely personal and yet universally appealing, Avalon follows immigrant Sam Krichinsky and his extended family as they seek a dream called America in a place called Avalon. From poverty through prosperity, the Krichinsky family faces a changing world with enduring humor and abiding love. Whether squabbling over Thanksgiving turkey or commiserating over a failed business, Levinson never fails to find the comedy and immediacy of their immigrant experience. A superb cast led by Armin Mueller-Stahl, Aidan Quinn and Elizabeth Perkins perfectly captures the vibrant love and laughter of this quintessentially American family. The coming-of-age story of an entire nation, Avalon is a "tapestry of American life so rich and perfect it could hang in a museum." (Rex Reed)

Aviator, The

One of the 20th century's most compelling figures, Howard Hughes was a wily industrialist, glamorous movie producer and unstoppable American innovator - but he thought of himself first and foremost as an aviator. In this spectacular epic, director Martin Scorsese focuses on the most prolific period in the life of Hughes (played by Best Actor Golden Globe Award winner Leonardo DiCaprio): the mid-1920's through the 1940's. It was a time of brilliant aeronautical invention, turbulent love affairs (including one with Katherine Hepburn, played by Cate Blanchett) and savage corporate battles. Prepare yourself for the ride of the lifetime of this billionaire, genius, madman.

Awakenings

There isino such thing asia simple miracle.

Williams plays Dr. Malcolm Sayer, a shy research physician who uses an experimental drug to "awaken" the catatonic victims of a rare disease. DeNiro co-stars as Leonard, the first patient to receive the controversial treatment. His awakening, filled with awe and enthusiasm, proves a rebirth for Sayer, too, as the exuberant patient reveals life's simple--but unutterably sweet--pleasures to the introverted doctor. Encouraged by Leonard's stunning recovery, Sayer administers the drug to other patients. The story of their friendship during this emotional journey is a testament to both the tenderness of the human heart and the strength of the human soul.

A Walk To Remember

Love brings together what peer pressure and lifestyles seek to keep apart in this coming-of-age story based on a best seller by Nicholas Sparks (Message In A Bottle) and directed by Adam Shankman (The Wedding Planner). Multiplatinum recording star Mandy Moore plays Jamie, a preacher's daughter whose self-confidence doesn't depend on the opinions of others. Shane West (TV's Once And Again) play Landon, who's skating through high school on looks and bravado. But when events thrust him into Jamie's world, he begins an unexpected journey he'll never forget. Trust. Hope. Goals. Faith. Unconditional love. They're the remarkable steps to life changed - and of A Walk To Remember.

Away From Her

Sometimes you haveito let go of what you can't live without.

Married for almost 50 years, Grant's (Gordon Pinsent) and Fiona's (Julie Christie) commitment to each other appears unwavering. Their daily life is filled with tenderness and humor; yet this serenity is broken by Fiona's increasingly evident memory loss - and her restrained references to a past betrayal. For a while, the couple is able to casually dismiss these unwelcome changes. But when neither Fiona nor her husband can deny any longer that she is being consumed by Alzheimer's disease, the couple is forced to wrenchingly redefine the limits of their love and loyalty - and face the complex, inevitable transition from lovers to strangers.

A Woman Under The Influence

Pioneer Special Production

Woman Under The Influence is a tough-minded and moving film about a working-class housewife's mental breakdown caused by imposed social rules. This insightful study of sexual politics earned both Gena Rowlands and John Cassavetes Oscar Nominations.

Be Here To Love Me: Townes Van Zandt

"An extraordinary documentary about an extraordinary man." -- Los Angeles Times

As a musician, Towns Van Zandt was legendary - perhaps one of the greatest who ever lived, inspiring artists from Bob Dylan to Norah Jones to Steve Earle. As a man, a husband, and a father his life was as tragic and as beautiful as the songs he wrote. Townes was an enigma to his family, pinned between a deep longing for home and the nomadic lifestyle that was necessary for his livelihood. Director Margaret Brown's Be Here To Love Me is an artful, expertly directed portrait of these conflicting sides of Van Zandt, and presents an insightful look at the sacrifices, challenges, and consequences faces in pursuit of a dream.

Townes, whose lyrics resonate with such sad beauty, has becomes widely respected as one of the greatest American musicians of his, or any, generation. Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard had a #1 country hit with his song "Pancho & Lefty", and Emmylou Harris, Lyle Lovett and Bob Dylan continue to cover his songs live. Haunting and lyrical, Be Here To Love Me combines emotional interviews with friends and family with never-before-seen footage of Townes Van Zandt; from rare performance and interview footage to intimate portraits shot in Van Zandt's own home. Featuring respected artists Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, Kris Kristofferson, Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris, Guy Clark, Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth) and more.

Benny & Joon

"Sensitive. Insightful. Hilarious." -Entertainment Today

Johnny Depp (Sleepy Hollow), Mary Stuart Masterson (Bed of Roses) and Aidan Quinn (Practical Magic) star in this wonderfully unique and delightfully offbeat romantic comedy.

Joon (Masterson) is a little unbalanced. Sometimes, without warning, her sweet nature gives way to odd behavior - including a penchant for setting fires! She lives with her older brother Benny (Quinn), who has spent his life taking care of her since their parents died. One night, while playing a poker game with unusual stakes, Joon loses her hand...and wins Sam (Depp), a whimsical misfit who soon charms his way into Joon's heart. Now if they can only find the perfect mate for her overprotective brother...

With charm, humor and an outstanding supporting cast that includes Oliver Platt (A Time To Kill) and Julianne Moore (Hannibal), Benny & Joon is the perfect movie for everyone.

Best Boy

A Film By Ira Wohl
 
One of the most highly acclaimed documentaries of all time, the Academy Award-winning Best Boy is a profoundly touching story of love, overwhelming courage, and human dignity.

In a style that is both sensitive and engaging, Best Boy follows Philly Wohl, a cheerful and lovable 52-year-old man who's been mentally handicapped since birth and still lives with his parents. When his cousin, filmmaker Ira Wohl, questions what will happen to Philly once his elderly parents can no longer care for him, the family embarks on a mission to help Philly become more independent. At once funny and heartbreaking, this inspirational record of Philly's mental and personal development follows the Wohl family as they prepare Philly for entrance into the wider world. And as they set about to change his life, so changed are the lives and relationships of the entire family, as their "Best Boy" ultimately proves that it is possible to overcome any obstacle no matter how insurmountable it might seem.

Best Man

In this award-winning follow-up to Best Boy, Ira Wohl revisits Philly 20 years later after we last saw him. Now 70 years old and living in a group home, Philly has progressed greatly in his ability to care for himself. He takes classes, has found a beloved set of friends, visits Los Angeles to spend time with Ira, and prepares for a new rite of passage: his Bar Mitzvah. Defying all the odds and reaffirming our belief in the power of human determination, Philly Wohl has truly evolved from "Best Boy" into "Best Man."

Best Of Youth, The

Passion And Adventure...Under The Italian Sun.

In the award-winning epic tradition of The Godfather and Cold Mountain, The Best Of Youth has wowed critics and earned honors at numerous film festivals worldwide. As Italy explodes in an era of social unrest, a single ill-fated incident sends the lives of equally idealistic brothers Nicola and Matteo Carati careening in opposite directions. Divided by politics but bonded by blood, the next 40 years will find the brothers’ divergent paths intersecting through some of the most tumultuous events in recent history! A stunning cinematic achievement, you don’t want to miss this incredible motion picture!

Beyond Silence

When You've gotia gift, use it.

Acclaimed by critics and audiences everywhere, Beyond Silence is the powerful Academy Award-nominated story of a young woman's battle for independence and her deaf parents' struggle to understand her gift for music. Given a clarinet by her free-spirited aunt, Lara is immediately consumed by a new passion her parents can not begin to fully comprehend. Determined to follow her dreams, Lara's ongoing pursuit of music creates an ever-widening rift that eventually threatens to tear apart her once close-knit family! An inspirational and highly entertaining motion picture offering from Miramax Home Entertainment-you'll be riveted as this family must somehow learn to reach beyond differences, expectations...and beyond silence...to bring their two worlds together once again!

Beyond Therapy

"Inspired Insanity! Altman makes lunacy seem almost lyrical!" - Playboy Magazine

Neurotic New Yorker Bruce (Jeff Goldblum) is a manic bisexual who enjoys a good cry. Equally insecure Prudence (Julie Hagerty of Airplane!) is the uptight writer he meets through the personal ads. Bob Christopher (Christopher Guest of Igby Goes Down, A Mighty Wind) is Bruce's roommate and former lover who is insanely jealous of Prudence. Prudence is also sleeping with her lecherous therapist Stuart (Tom Conti of Reuben, Reuben) , while Bruce's therapist Charlotte (Oscar-winner Glenda Jackson of A Touch of Class and Women in Love) may be crazier than any of her patients. Add an extremely overprotective mother and a very odd French restaurant, and you have a one-of-a-kind comedy about life, love and the happy endings that lay Beyond Therapy

Genevieve Page (Belle De Jour) co-stars in this dysfunctional romantic comedy directed by seven-time Oscar-nominee Robert Altman (Short Cuts, Nashville) and co-written by Christopher Durang (Sister Mary Ignatius Explains it All for You) based on his smash Broadway play.

Big Dig, The

He who laughs first laughs best.

Blaumlich (Yosef "Bomba" Tzur) is a lunatic with a hankering for digging holes in all the wrong places. After a daring escape from an asylum, Blaumlich's first and only stop is Tel Aviv's Mugrabi Sqaure, where, using a stolen jackhammer, he begins drilling in the city's busiest intersection.

As traffic turns into a nightmare and the pavement a godforsaken mess, city officials assume that Blaumlich is a licensed city worker making heavy renovations.

And so Blaumlich continues to jackhammer away serenely while his irreverent project becomes a city-wide saga that the mayor, the roads department, and the police all endorse. Blaumlich's trench is rapidly snaking toward the sea, soon to become the next Grand Canal of Venice!

Efraim Kishon, the master satirist, has done it again with a comedy that asks who's really crazy - the government or the governed?

Big Lebowski, The  

The Dude. One cool guy. Who one day comes home to find two thugs have broken in and ruined his favorite carpet-the one that made the room "hang together". Thing is, they did it because he's got the same name as one of the richest men in town. Lebowski. But, hey, no problem. He'll get even. At least he'll get someone to pay for the carpet.

Billy Elliot

"A Sure-Fire Crowd Pleaser!" -New York Daily News

"Two Thumbs Up!" rave Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper and the Movies. Billy Elliot is the heartwarming story of a young boy from a working-class family who discovers a passion that will change his life forever. Eleven-year-old miner's son Billy Elliot is on his way to boxing lessons when he stumbles upon a ballet class. Billy secretly joins the class, knowing that his blue-collar family would never understand. Under the guidance of his teacher Mrs. Wilkinson (Academy Award-nominee Julie Walters), Billy's raw talent takes flight. But when his father discovers his son's ambition, Billy must fight for his dreams and his destiny.

With Oscar®-worthy performances, Rex Reed (The New York Observer) calls "a triumph!" Don't miss Billy Elliot - the triumphant tale of one boy who reaches beyond his place in the world to follow his heart's desire.

Bird

A Film By Clint Eastwood

Clint Eastwood brings a lifelong love of jazz to and won a Best Director Best Director Golden Globe Award for this gripping story of pioneering jazzman Charlie "Yardbird" Parker. Like a spellbinding jazz riff, past and future overlap as the movie explores Bird's soaring skill and destructive excesses. In his Cannes Film Festival Best Actor performance, Forest Whitaker in the title role is a candle ablaze at both ends. Diane Venora shares that glorious light, the New York Film Critics Best Supporting Actress choice as steadfast wife Chan Parker. Skillfully blending Parker solo recordings with modern musicians, Bird comes alive most mightily on its soundtrack, honored with a Best Sound Academy Award. In Eastwood's hands, Bird truly, stunningly lives.

Birdy

"Two Thumbs Up!" - Siskel & Ebert

Soar to new heights in this spellbinding movie starring Matthew Modine and Nicolas Cage. To escape an irrational world, Birdy (Modine), a Vietnam veteran, sits in an almost catatonic state in an Army hospital, where he has come to believe he is one of the feathered creatures of his boyhood dreams. In an effort to break Birdy's silence, his psychiatrist brings in Al Columbato (Cage), Bird's loyal best friend of his youth. Al desperately tries to reach the disturbed Birdy and bring him back to reality. The answer may lie in their youth, where the eccentric Birdy first donned wings and the happy-go-lucky Al helped him to fly.

Blue Sky

It was a time when blond bombshells splashed Life Magazine covers and A-bomb tests mushroomed in the desert. The older generation believed in their government, while younger people protested against it. And Blue Sky captures it all! Politically charged and erotically explosive, this highly combustible film features powerful performances by Jessica Lange (Rob Roy) in an Academy Award-winning role, and dynamic Oscar-winner Tommy Lee Jones (Men In Black).

Hard-working, mild-tempered Army scientist Hank Marshall (Jones) has his hands full with explosive nuclear reactors and the equally-volatile Carly (Lange), his beautifully spirited and emotionally vulnerable wife. While he's conducting tests in Nevada, she succumbs to the advances of his superior officer! But her infidelity is not the only dilemma the Marshalls have to face. When a deadly military cover-up puts Hank in jeopardy, it's up to Carly to munster the courage and strength to save the man she loves!

Bowling For Columbine

From theiwriter andidirector of Roger andiMe anditheiauthor of Stupid White Men

Acclaimed filmmaker Michael Moore (Roger & Me) takes aim at America's love affair with guns and violence in this Oscar-winning film that "demands attention" (People)! Mixing riveting footage, hilarious animation and candid interviews with everyone from the NRA's Charlton Heston to shock-rocker Marilyn Manson, Bowling for Columbine is a "brilliant" (The Hollywood Reporter) tour de force of filmmaking.

Boys Don't Cry

"The Best American Film of theiYear!" - Janet Maslin, The New York Times

A true story about hope, fear, and the courage it takes to be yourself, Boys Don't Cry is "One of the 10 Best Films of 1999" (National Board of Review). Critically acclaimed and nominated for two Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards, this four-star, "must-see" (People), "riveting" (Entertainment Weekly) drama features incredible performances by newcomers Hilary Swank and Chloe Sevigny.

Breakfast Club, The

Five strangers with nothingiin common, except each other.

They were five students with nothing in common, faced with spending a Saturday detention together in their high school library. At 7 a.m., they had nothing to say, but by 4 p.m. they had bared their souls to each other and become good friends. John Hughes creator of the critically acclaimed Sixteen Candles, wrote, directed and produced this hilarious and often touching comedy starring Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy. To the outside world they were simply the Jock, the Brain, the Criminal, the Princess and the Kook, but to each other, they would always be The Breakfast Club.

Breakfast On Pluto

Same World, Different Planet!

Set in the 1970s amidst the eruption of British-Irish conflicts, Breakfast On Pluto is an "enchanting, poignant, picaresque" (Michael Koresky, Interview Magazine) film from Oscar®-winning director Neil Jordan (1993, The Crying Game, Best Writing; The End of an Affair) that stars 2006 Golden Globe®-nominee Cilian Murphy (Batman Begins) and Oscar®-nominee Liam Neeson (1993 Best Actor, Schindler's List).

Patrick "Kitten" Braden (Murphy) is abandoned as a baby and left on the doorstep of Father Bernard (Neeson). From a very young age, Patrick realizes he is different from the other boys but steadfastly refuses to change. When he grows up, Patrick decides to go in search of his real mother, who now lives in London. Thus begins a touching and funny journey that will lead him to the most unexpected place of all.

"Neil Jordan's colorful yarn...a wonderful roiling comedy...celebrates the power of the imagination" (Stephen Holden, The New York Times).

Breaking Away

"A smashing movie… one of theimost rapturously funny, totally unique andieccentric film experiences…" -Rex Reed, Vogue

This charming, Academy Award® winner (1979, Best Screenplay) cycles high on comedy as four friends come to terms with life after high school. When top-notch cyclist Dave (Dennis Christopher) learns that the world's bicycling champions are always Italian, he attempts to turn himself into an Italian, driving his parents (Barbara Barrie, Paul Dooley) crazy. But everything changes after he meets the Italian racing team - an encounter that ultimately leads him and his friends (Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern, Jackie Earle Haley) to challenge the local college boys in the town's annual bike race.

Breaking The Waves

"An Amazing Film Of Oceanic Power!" -Chicago Tribune

When Bess, a naïve young woman, marries Jan, a handsome oil-rig worker, she experiences passion and physical pleasure that she never imagined. Their bliss is cut short when an accident on the rig leaves Jan paralyzed. Believing he will never make love to Bess again, he tells her to take other lovers, convincing her that this will help his recovery. Bess is sent spiraling into a world of dark emotions she cannot understand.

Remarkable performances by Emily Watson, Katrin Cartlidge and Stellan Skarsgard leave an incredible impression on your heart.

Bringing Out The Dead

"A Great Film Filled With Fire And Passion." -Roger Ebert & The Movies

From acclaimed director Martin Scorsese (Casino, Taxi Driver) comes one of his most compelling and unforgettable movies. Nicolas Cage stars as Frank Pierce, a paramedic on the brink of madness from too many years of saving and losing lives. One fateful night, Frank meets Mary Burke (Patricia Arquette), the daughter of a man Frank tried to save. Together, Frank and Mary confront the ghosts of the past, and discover that redemption can be found among the living.

Brokeback Mountain

Brokeback Mountain is a sweeping epic that explores the lives of two young men, a ranch hand and a rodeo cowboy, who meet in the summer of 1963 and unexpectedly forge a lifelong connection. The complications, joys and heartbreak they experience provide a testament to the endurance and power of love. Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal deliver emotionally charged, remarkably moving performances in "a movie that is destined to become one of the great classics of our time" (Clay Smith, The Insider).

Broken Flowers

"Funny, Tender andiGenerous." -- A.O. Scott, The New York Times

Bill Murray (Lost in Translation) stars in the comedic story of an aging Don Juan who hits the road on a revealing and humorous cross-country journey. When a mysterious pink letter informs Don Johnston (Murray) that he may have a 19-year-old son, he visits four former lovers, where he comes face to face with the errors of his past and the possibilities of the future. From acclaimed director Jim Jarmusch and co-starring Sharon Stone, Frances Conroy, Jessica Lange, Tilda Swinton, and Jeffrey Wright, Broken Flowers is the highly original comedy that Peter Travers of Rolling Stone says is "filled with wonderful mischief" and "brings out the best in Bill Murray."

Brothers

"A tight, tense, extremely well-acted film." -- Richard Roeper

Brothers is the emotionally charged story of two brothers who struggle to find their place within their family after one of them is sent to the war in Afghanistan. When loyal family man and soldier Michael is presumed dead after his helicopter crashes, his younger brother, Jannik, summons previously unseen courage in order to care for Michael's wife, Sarah. Starring renowned actress Connie Nielsen (Gladiator, Devil's Advocate), this is a riveting testament to the resilience of the human spirit.

Buffalo '66  

C.I.A. agent, Billy Brown brings his wife home to meet his absurdly dysfunctional family. Only Billy's not really in the C.I.A., and his "wife," Layla is actually a young tap dancer he just kidnapped to impress his ridiculous and unloving parents. In reality, Billy's whole life is an empty lie. He's fresh out of prison and now on a deadly mission to hunt down and kill the Buffalo Bills kicker whose botched field goal he believes ruined his life. However, Billy's new hostage may ruin everything. Their crazy attachment blossoms into a desperate and oddly beautiful romance that may or may not be a sweet enough substitute for revenge. Vincent Gallo composed and performed the original music and also wrote, directed and stars in the film that The New York Times calls a "deadpan original."

Butcher Boy, The

1962. The Cuban Missile Crisis casts a shadow over the world. But if Earth explodes into a billion pieces, Francie won't be surprised one bit. It's just like grownups to do something like that.

Funny, chilling and full of visual flair, The Butcher Boy, the tale of how Irish lad Francie copes with cruel fate and a dysfunctional homelife, "is Neil Jordan's best movie yet!" (Entertainment Weekly). The Academy-Award winning director of The Crying Game and Interview With The Vampire casts Stephen Rea, Fiona Shaw and Sinead O'Connor as adults inhabiting Francie's real or imagined worlds. And newcomer Eamonn Owens gives "a spectacular, amazing performance that will take your breathe away" (Rex Reed).

Caine Mutiny, The

Humphrey Bogart is Lt. Commander Queeg, the skipper of the minesweeper Caine, who when involuntarily relieved of his command during a violent typhoon, brings his officers up on charges for conspiring The Caine Mutiny.
Nominated for seven 1954 Academy Awards.

Candy

Oscar-Nominee Heath Ledger stars as Dan, a charming but reckless young poet who falls in love with Candy (Abbie Cornish), a beautiful young art student from a comfortable middle-class family who is attracted to the bohemian lifestyle that Dan has long since embraced. In order to get closer to Dan, Candy, whose previous drug use has been casually experimental, starts shooting up. Their passionate relationship then alternates between bursts of ecstatic oblivion and bouts of despair and self-destruction. Hooked as much on heroin as on one another, their story becomes a love triangle - a boy, a girl, and a drug.

Canvas

"Canvas" is a serious film about mental illness and a sentimental heartwarmer, and succeeds in both ways. It tells the story of a 10-year-old whose mother is schizophrenic, and whose father is loyal and loving but stretched almost beyond his endurance.

The portrayal of schizophrenia in the film has been praised by mental health experts as unusually accurate and sympathetic; the story of the boy and his dad is a portrait of love under enormous stress. by Roger Ebert

Avoiding the usual movie clichés about mental illness, Greco has a refreshingly humane and realistic take on the subject. Chris (Gearhart) is an utterly ordinary kid trying to deal with the fact that his mother (Gay Harden) has developed schizophrenia. She’s alternately clingy and scary. Chris’s father (Pantoliano) can’t see how deeply troubling all this is to Chris. Once Mom is committed to a mental hospital, Chris and his dad have to renegotiate their relationship; they bond by building a boat together. We could have lived without a subplot about Chris’s entrepreneurial skills making T-shirts for his classmates, but the genuine performances (Pantoliano in particular) made us forget those quibbles.

Careful, He Might Hear You

"A promise isia very sacred thing. If you break it, I shall know."

During the turmoil of the Depression, a young boy becomes a pawn in a bitter family rivalry. Estranged from his father and orphaned by his bohemian novelist mother after bequeathing her new born with the name PS, "a postscript to her ridiculous life," six-year-old PS is caught in an elaborate web of deceit and torn between his two feuding aunts - an average suburban housewife and a wealthy socialite.

Based on Sumner Locke Elliott's dramatic novel , this award-winning Australian film is a poignant tale of a young boy's coming of age. Heartrending and compelling, Careful, He Might Hear You is a powerful story of how one child's love and courage triumphs over his family's painful past.

Cat On A Hot Tin Roof

This isiMaggie theiCat...

"I'm not living with you," Maggie snaps at Brick. "We occupy the same cage, that's all." The raw emotions and crackling dialogue of Tennessee Williams' 1955 Pulitzer Prize play rumble like a thunderstorm in this film version, whose fiery performances and grown-up themes made it one of 1958's top box-office hits. Paul Newman earned his first Oscar nomination as troubled ex-sports hero Brick. In a performance that marked a transition to richer adult roles, Elizabeth Taylor snagged her second. Her Maggie the Cat is a vivid portrait of passionate loyalty. Nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture and also starring Burl Ives (repeating his Broadway triumph as mendacity-loathing Big Daddy), Judith Anderson and Jack Carson, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof sizzles.

Clean And Sober

A powerful drama which showcases Michael Keaton in a totally believable performance as a young hustler who enrolls in a drug rehabilitation program in order to hide out for awhile--refusing to admit that he's an addict.

Clean, Shaven

Lodge Kerrigan began his succession of utterly unique, visually and aurally dazzling character studies with the raw, ravaging Clean, Shaven. A compelling headfirst dive into the mindscape of a schizophrenic (played by the remarkable Peter Greene) as he tries to track down his birth daughter after he is released from an institution. Kerrigan's film brilliantly uses sound and image to lead audiences into a terrifying subjectivity. No one is left unscathed.

Clockmaker, The

"An Extraordinary Film" -Jack Kroll, Newsweek

Bertrand Tavernier's 1973 filmmaking debut, The Clockmaker, is a strikingly sophisticated piece of cinema. Regarded by many as the most important French director of his generation, ex-critic Tavernier (Sunday in the Country, Coup de Torchon, 'Round Midnight, Capitaine Conan) enlisted New Wave veterans Aurenche and Bost to collaborate on the screenplay (based on the novel by Georges Simenon) about a tranquil man whose life is shattered when he learns that his son is wanted for murder.

Philippe Noiret (Il Postine, Cinema Paradiso, Zazie Dans Le Metro) - a regular in Tavernier's early work and often considered his on-screen alter-ego-is superb as the eponymous watchmaker who struggles to emerge from his self-willed solitude. Noiret's portrayal of restrained suffering is both brutal and beautiful as he deals with the reality of events and attempts to establish meaningful communication with his son. In the otherwise quiet town of Lyons, the promptings of a sympathetic police commissioner (Jean Rochefort) and a superficial media add to the burden on Noiret's shoulders.

The Clockmaker is Tavernier's first triumph, an exquisite exercise in emotional and ambient authenticity, and a subtle study of the parallels between parenting and government. Kino on Video is proud to present The Clockmaker in its debut on DVD.

Closer

A witty, romantic, and very dangerous love story about chance meetings, instant attractions, and casual betrayals. CLOSER is director Mike Nichols' critically acclaimed look at four strangers - Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Natalie Portman and Clive Owen - with one thing in common: each other.

Color Of Paradise, The

"Stunningly beautiful. A gem." -Stephen Holden, THE NEW YORK TIMES

Academy Award-nominee Majid Majidi (Children Of Heaven, Best Foreign Language Film, 1998) explores the world of a gifted blind boy at the mercy of his father's crippling sense of shame in The Color Of Paradise.

Mohammad joyfully returns to his tiny village on summer vacation from the Institute for the Blind, unaware of his widowed father's intentions to disown him in order to win the hand -- and dowry -- of a local woman. With the wedding swiftly approaching, Mohammad's future hangs precariously in the balance as his father struggles against his destiny, unable to see the wonder of life and love that's so clear to his son.

Coming Home

"Compelling andiAbsorbing. An Excellent Film!" -Variety

Perhaps the most compelling picture ever made about the shattering aftermath of the Vietnam War, Coming Home earned eight Academy Award nominations and three Oscars®: Best Actress (Jane Fonda), Best Actor (Jon Voight) and Best Screenplay. Hailed by critics as "dazzling" (Rex Reed), "gripping" (Leonard Martin) and "unforgettable" (Judith Crist), it is a heart- rending examination of a critical period in our nation's history and "an uncompromising, extraordinarily moving film" (Roger Ebert)>

When Marine Captain Bob Hyde (Bruce Dern) leaves for Vietnam, his wife Sally (Fonda) volunteers at a local hospital. There she meets Luke Martin (Voight), a former sergeant whose war injury has left him a paraplegic. Embittered with rage and filled with frustration, Luke finds new hope and confidence through his growing intimacy with Sally. The relationship transforms Sally's feeling about life, love and the horrors of war. And when, wounded and disillusioned, Sally's husband returns home, all three must grapple with the full impact of a brutal , distant war that has changed their lives forever.

Corporation, The

In this acclaimed documentary from the co-director of Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media, 40 corporate insiders and critics - including Michael Moore, Noam Chomsky, No Logo author Naomi Klein and Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman - explore the nature and spectacular rise of the most pervasive institution of our time. Combining analysis with footage from advertising, television news and industrial films, The Corporation is an entertaining and provocative look at the inner workings, curious history, controversial impacts and possible futures of the modern global conglomerate.

Cosi

When chasing your dreams...It helpsito beia little crazy!

Fun, fresh and thoroughly entertaining, Cosi is the acclaimed comedy about a colorful circle of friends just crazy enough to follow an impossible dream! A first-time director is thrilled to land a job with a small show...that is, until he meets the outrageous "performers" he'll be working with! An offbeat group with big-time ambition that far outweigh their talents, these nutty friends are nonetheless determined to overcome the odds! Featuring stars from the comedy hits Muriel's Wedding (Toni Collette-About A Boy, Rachel Griffiths-HBO's Six Feet Under) and Strictly Ballroom (Barry Otto), Cosi proves taking the wildest risk...can end up earning the greatest reward!

Couch Trip, The

A comedy of truly loony proportions.

Dan Aykroyd (Ghostbusters) is running the asylum - and ruling the airwaves - as a mental patient turned talk-radio shrink in this comedy of loony proportions co-starring Charles Grodin, Donna Dixon, Walter Matthau and Chevy Chase.

When asylum inmate John Burns (Aykroyd) intercepts a call to his psychiatrist, he brashly impersonates the good doctor. And he does such a good job that he's given an offer to fill in for a stressed-out Beverly Hills celebrity psychologist (Grodin) as the host of a call-in radio advice show. Escaping the hospital, Burns is soon gleefully crossing swords with his predecessor's beautiful colleague (Dixon), crossing paths with a crafty crackpot (Matthau) and crossing the line into complete hilarity as his offbeat psychobabble takes ultra-trendy La-La Land by storm!

Crumb

The life and times of Robert Crumb--controversial cartoonist and the creative genius behind such classices as "Keep on Truckin," "Fritz The Cat," and "Mr. Natural." A riveting, revealing portrait of the legendary cartoonist who, along with his brothers, treads the dangerous line between madness and genius. Funny, unsettling and always fascinating!

Dancer In The Dark

Inia world of shadows, she found theilight of life.

Director Lars von Trier (Breaking The Waves) delivers a provocative mix of drama and musical theater in this acclaimed movie that won both the Palme d'Or for Best Picture and the Best Female Performance award (for lead actress Bjork) at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival.

Recording star Bjork is miraculous as Selma, a factory worker in rural America and single mother who is losing her eyesight from a hereditary disease. Determined to protect her 10-year-old son from the same fate, Selma is saving her money to get him an operation.

In the evenings, Selma escapes into a world where "nothing dreadful ever happens," rehearsing for a production of The Sound of Music with her best friend, Kathy (Catherine Deneuve, Academy Award nominee for Indochine). But when a neighbor (David Morse, Proof of Life, The Green Mile, The Negotiator) betrays her trust, Selma spirals out of control. The lines between reality and fantasy blur, and Selma begins to believe that her life has actually become a Hollywood musical - as she inexorably heads toward the film's unforgettable finale. Co-starring Joel Grey (Academy Award winner for Best Supporting Actor in Cabaret) and featuring original music by Bjork.

Dance With A Stranger  

"Stunning. A subtle portrayal of deadly passion." -US Magazine

"Densely packed with social and psychological nuances" (Variety), Dance With A Stranger is based on the true story of the last woman hanged in England. Starring Miranda Richardson in her "spectacular movie debut" (Vogue) along with Rupert Everett and Ian Holm, Dance With A Stranger is the "stunning, powerful [and] fascinating" (Vogue) winner of the 1985 Cannes Best Picture Award.

Ruth Ellis (Richardson) is a private dancer with a tough exterior. But her armor begins to crack when she meets wealthy racecar driver David Blakely (Everett). And despite warnings against the affair by her friend and would-be lover Desmond Cussen (Ian Holm), Ellis is quickly seduced by Blakely's charms. But when his passions turn cold, she is caught in a dark dance of obsession which gives way to desperation and finally culminates in a deadly confrontation that shatters the stillness one fateful night with a shocking act…that may ultimately destroy them both.

David And Lisa

Now available in a brand-new digital transfer, this touching '60s classic about two emotionally disturbed teenagers drawn to each other in a mental institution created a sensation among audiences and critics when it was first released. Portrayed unforgettably by Janet Margolin (Annie Hall) and Keir Dullea (2001: A Space Odyssey), the painfully shy Lisa can communicate only through rhyme, and David cannot bear being touched. Strongly attracted to each other, they develop a deep bond that changes both of their lives. Directed by Frank Perry (Diary Of A Mad Housewife, TV's A Christmas Memory) with a strong supporting performance by Howard Da Silva as the compassionate psychiatrist, this powerful film will leave its mark on you forever.

Devil And Daniel Johnston, The

His drawings and sketches are exhibited and sold worldwide. Beck, Wilco, Sonic Youth and Pearl Jam have recorded his songs. But beneath Daniel Johnston's success as an artist and musician is an incredible story of genius touched by madness: diagnosed as manic-depressive, Johnston has spent the last three decades of his life in-and-out of mental institutions. Told through a compelling combination of interviews, home movies and performance footage, The Devil And Daniel Johnston is 'a harrowing, hilarious and ultimately moving new documentary film'

Dialogues With Madwomen (1993)

Seven mentally ill women are profiled in this powerful documentary. Each of the disparate women are in the process of "recovering" from their diverse illnesses. They seem to lead fairly normal lives. Their pasts tell a different story. Despite racial, socio-economic, and differing sexual preferences, many of the women came from abusive, alcoholic parents. Many were victims of incest. The two women of color describe their feelings of alienation which made their illnesses worse. Almost all of them had bad experiences with psychiatrists, doctors, therapeutic drugs, and institutions. In addition to standard interviews, the film also contains illustrations and vignettes depicting hallucinations, important events, artwork, and photographs from the subjects' lives.

Doctor, The

He wasia doctor who thought he knew it all, until he becameia patient.

Reunited for the first time since their Academy Award nominated hit Children of a Lesser God, screen favorite William Hurt and director Randa Haines team up for another successful collaboration in The Doctor. Now, the talented Oscar winning Hurt (1985, Best Actor - Kiss of the Spider Woman) joins Christine Lahti (Running on Empty), Mandy Patinkin (The Princess Bride) and Elizabeth Perkins (Big) in the hit release that's been hailed as one of the must-see films of the year. It's the uplifting story of a man who becomes an extraordinary surgeon, as well as an extraordinary person, once he experiences firsthand what it's like being an ordinary patient. Touching hearts of critics and audiences alike, The Doctor promises to entertain and inspire you from beginning to end.

Don Juan DeMarco

The story of theiman who thought he was theigreatest loveriin theiworld... anditheipeople who triedito cure him of it!

Two time Academy Award winner Marlon Brando, Academy Award winner Faye Dunaway and Johnny Depp deliver tour de force performances in this critically acclaimed romantic comedy.

Door To Door  

Meet Bill Porter. A man of remarkable spirit. He'll touch your heart. He'll change your life.

Bill Porter knows he has little hope of landing a salesman job. To improve his prospects, he offers to take a sales territory nobody wants. It's nothing compared to what Bill faces every day. He has cerebral palsy.

William H. Macy portrays Bill, impaired in body but not in spirit as he makes his door to door salesman rounds - and impacts the lives of customers during a nearly 50 year career that often finds him a top his firm's sales charts. Kyra Sedgwick, Helen Mirren, and Kathy Baker play women who loom large in Bill's life. And others play the shoe shiners, waitresses, suburbanites, bus drivers and more inspired by him. Door to door. Heart to heart. Bill connects with people. So does this touching movie about his extraordinary life.

Doppelganger

What If Your Worst Nightmare Turned Out To Be You?

What would you do if you ran into your perfect double-somebody who looks exactly like you? That is just the starting point for this supernatural thriller that explores the duality of nature, and the conflict that arises when we cannot come to terms with both sides of our personalities. Shortly after being told that if you encounter your exact counterpart your doppelganger, you will die, meek scientist Michio Hayasaki (Koji Yakusho) comes face to face with his own. At first he is able to ignore him, but the doppelganger becomes more and more insistent, until he has no choice but to deal with him. Despite being physically identical, they are frighteningly opposite in nature where Michio is quiet and reserved, the new arrival is confident, aggressive, and unbound by social conventions. The two learn to co-exist until Michio’s life starts heading into a downward spiral that can have only one conclusion.

Down In The Valley 

"Hypnotic andihaunting." -Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Harlan (Norton) is a charismatic cowboy stuck in suburban San Fernando Valley, who by a twist of fate, rides into the life of a rebellious young girl Tobe (Wood). Their chance encounter explodes into a passionate romance-despite evidence that a more sinister truth might be lurking beneath his country charm. Wanting to protect his teenage daughter and young son from the man that is clearly not who he is, Tobe's father prohibits the lovers to ever see each other again. More alienated than ever down in the valley, Harlan gallops full speed into a breakdown resulting in a desperate attempt to hold onto whatever, or whomever, he can.

Dreamlife Of Angels, The

Two very different young women share the joy and heartbreak of friendship in this internationally acclaimed award-winning drama.

Isa is an optimistc wanderer eking out an existence for herself working odd jobs, while backpacking across the French countryside. She lands a job at a dress factory where she befriends the pessimistic, rebelious Marie. The two polar opposites become roommates and slowly develop a close friendship. But when Marie falls into a passionate affair with a handsome, arrogant young man, her all-consuming romance causes her friendship to suffer, with tragic consequences. Featuring outstanding performances, writer /director Erick Zonca's The Dreamlife of Angels is "a striking debut, full of charm, vigor and humanity."

Elephant Man, the

Nominated For 8 Academy Awards

In one of his most legendary films, director David Lynch chronicles the intense emotional journey of a complex, lonely man and the dedicated surgeon who changed his life. John Merrick (John Hurt) was born with a horribly disfiguring congenital disease, and suffered the humiliation of being a sideshow freak. Only when London doctor Frederick Treves (Anthony Hopkins, Silence of the Lambs, Red Dragon) rescues him does Merrick begin to regain the life of dignity and respect that everyone deserves.

Based on a true story, the critically acclaimed, Oscar-nominated film has earned its place in cinematic history. Anne Bancroft, John Giegud and Wendy Hiller lend moving performances to an already powerful story. Visually fascinating and historically relevant, Lynch has created a haunting masterpiece of compassion, beauty and ultimately, humanity.

Elling  

They're packed andireadyifor theigreatest adventure of their lives. All they haveito do isiget out of theihouse.

Based on the best selling Norwegian novel by Ingvar Ambjornsen, Elling is a slyly funny odd couple comedy about two misfits trying to find their place in the world.

After a two-year stint in a state home in which the shy, neurotic Elling and the loud, sex obsessed Kjell Bjarne become close friends, the pair are released and forced to enter the real world. They find themselves placed in a state funded apartment where a social worker tells them to behave responsible and act like normal members of society. Initially, the simple act of going around the corner for groceries is a challenge. In time, as they learn to adjust, the two find oddball ways to cope with society, striking up unlikely friendships in the strangest places. Now they're packed and ready for the greatest adventure of their lives. All they have to do is get out of the house!

End Of The Road

John Barth's famous novel is brought to the screen by director Aram Avakian as a protest against all wars. Jacob "Jack" Horner (Stacy Keach) finds himself in a mental institution run by the infamous Dr. D. (James Earl Jones). Under influence of bizarre therapy, Horner finds a job teaching at a local school where he has an affair with a colleague's wife.

Equus

Based onitheiplay byiPeter Shaffer

This Oscar-nominated adaptation of Peter Shaffer's Tony Award-winning play erupts on the screen with the same power and passion as the stage original. Richard Burton gives "one of his best performances ever" (Boxoffice) in this "elegant and provocative" (Newsweek) take of myth and madness.

What would drive Alan Stang (Peter Firth), a troubled adolescent stable boy, to blind six horses with a metal spike? Psychiatrist Martin Dysart (Burton) investigates these unspeakable acts and delves deep into Alan's psyche, confronting the mysteries of sexual passion and madness-as well as the dark demons buried within his own soul.

Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind

Over 50 Four-Star Rave Reviews!

From acclaimed writer Charlie Kaufman and visionary director Michel Gondry comes Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. An all-star ensemble cast shines in this comical and poignant look at breakups, breakdowns and breakthroughs. Joel (Jim Carrey) is stunned to discover that his girlfriend, Clementine (Kate Winslet), has had their tumultuous relationship erased from her mind. Out of desperation, he contacts the inventor of the process, Dr. Howard Mierzwiak (Tom Wilkinson), to get the same treatment. But as his memories of Clementine begin to fade, Joel suddenly realizes how much he still loves her. Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo and Elijah Wood co-star in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - a memorable film that The Wall Street Journal calls "a romantic comedy unlike any other!"

Evelyn

"A near masterpiece,ia wonderful film!" -Larry King

From the director of Driving Miss Daisy comes this compelling, heartwarming and inspiring true story of a father (Pierce Brosnan) who faces impossible odds to keep his family together.

Times are touch in Dublin, Ireland. But no one has it tougher than Desmond Doyle when his wife runs off and his beloved daughter Evelyn and two young sons are sent to an orphanage by the government. Enlisting the help of loyal friends (Julianna Margulies, Stephen Rea) and a feisty American lawyer (Aidan Quinn), he takes his case to Ireland's Supreme Court in a history-making quest to topple an ironclad law...and win back custody of his children.

Fight Club ****

A ticking time bomb insomniac and a slippery soap salesman channel primal male aggression into a shocking new form of therapy. Their concept catches on, with underground "fight clubs" forming in every town- until a sensuous and mysterious woman comes between the two men and ignites an out-of-control spiral toward oblivion. The New York Times raved that Fight Club "just might require another viewing." Here's your chance. Brace yourself.

First Do No Harm

She went lookingifor help andifoundia miracle.

Academy Award winner Meryl Streep (Sophie's Choice, Kramer vs. Kramer, The Bridges of Madison County, The River Wild, One True Thing) delivers a powerful and uplifting performance in this story of one family's strength and courage in a time of extreme crisis! Plunged into emotional and financial hardship, a devoted mother (Streep), a hardworking father (Fred Ward - Enough, Road Trip, Corky Romano) and the rest of this close knit family face a decision that will changes their lives forever. As time and options begin to run out, they must find the courage to overcome incredible odds. Widely praised by critics - you'll find this compelling story of determination and hope both entertaining and inspirational!

Fixing Frank

Reporter Frank Johnston (Andrew Elvis Miller) is sent undercover by his boyfriend, psychotherapist Jonathan Baldwin (Paul Provenza) to write an expose on Dr. Arthur Apsey (Dan Butler), a therapist who claims he can successfully change gay men to straight men! Posing as a patient, Frank eventually falls under Apsey's spell. As Frank's relationship with Jonathan deteriorates, a fierce psychological tug of war erupts between the two doctors over the heart and mind of Frank.

Fly Away Home

"Two thumbs up, way up!" -Siskel & Ebert

The soaring adventure of a 13-year old girl and her estranged father, who learn what family is all about when they adopt an orphaned flock of geese and teach them to fly.

Forrest Gump

Forrest Gump is the movie triumph that became a phenomenon. Tom Hanks gives an astonishing performance as Forrest, an everyman whose simple innocence comes to embody a generation. The winner of six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (Robert Zemeckis) and Best Actor (Tom Hanks)

Frances

Her Story Is Shocking, Disturbing, Compelling And True.

Jessica Lange delivers the performance of her career as Frances Farmer, the notorious 1930's movie star whose impassioned opinions and outspoken behavior created scandal throughout the industry. But when she was betrayed by the studio system and committed to an insane asylum by her domineering mother, Frances descended into a madness that revealed the most horrific abuses of mental illness and exposed the cruelest consequences of Hollywood fame.

Kim Stanley and Sam Shepherd co-star in this tragic true story that shocked the world. Frances is now presented in a stunning new transfer from original film materials and is packed with startling new bonus features exclusive to this edition.

Garden State

Writer/Director Zach Braff delivers "an Oscar-worthy performance" (CBS-TV Chicago) in this quirky coming-of-age comedy that has been hailed as "the seminal film for today's generation" (USA Today). Twentysomething, emotionally detached Andrew "Large" Largeman (Braff) returns home to New Jersey after nine long years.. Now, as he tries to re-connect with his past, a series of chance encounters with Sam (Natalie Portman) - a free-spirited girl who's everything he isn't - sets the stage for a fateful, mind-blowing take on what his future might hold. Co-starring Peter Sarsgaard, Ian Holm and Method Man, Garden State is "hilarious" (Rolling Stone).

Georgia

The Toughest Act To Follow Was Their Dreams.

Critics everywhere raved about this motion picture and its outstanding stars, Jennifer Jason Leigh (A Thousand Acres, Single White Female) and Academy Award Nominee Mare Winningham (1995 Best Supporting Actress - Georgia). It's the story of two sisters - one talented, the other passionate - and the rivalry that binds them together. Sadie (Leigh) is a rebel who aspires to rock stardom while her sister, Georgia (Winningham), is a gifted and already successful musician. Sadie - unwilling to give up her dreams - struggles to make a name for herself in the shadow of her talented sister. Acclaimed as one of the year's 10 best films - you'll find this powerful story of ambition and rock 'n' roll dreams absolutely riveting!

Girl, Interrupted

"One Of The Best Films Of The Year!" -Paul Tatara, CNN.COM

Two time Oscar-nominee Winona Ryder stars in the fascinating true story of a young woman's life-altering stay at a famous psychiatric hospital in the turbulent late 1960s.

Questionably diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, Susanna (Winona Ryder) rebels against head nurse (Whoopi Goldberg) and top psychiatrist (Vanessa Redgrave), choosing instead to befriend the resident "loonies" -- a group of troubled women including the seductively charismatic sociopath Lisa (Angelina Jolie).

But Susanna quickly learns that if she wants her freedom, she'll have to face the person who terrifies her most of all: herself.

Gin Game, The

This powerfully bittersweet comedy focusing on the relationship that develops between nursing home residents Fonsia Dorsey (Mary Tyler Moore) and Weller Martin (Dick Van Dyke) during a series of gin games. Though Weller is the more seasoned player, Fonsia consistently beats him and the more they, the more frustrated Weller becomes. As the games progress, their ailments, misfortunes and losses are exposed in funny, honest and increasingly heated moments. What begins as a tentative friendship quickly turns into a battle of wills, but their need for companionship keeps the game going until all their cards are laid on the table.

God Memoirs, The

Inia moment of desperation how far will your faith take you?

Alone and isolated in an uncompromising world, one man's quest for understanding and reason pushes him to the limits of sanity. Whom should this man blame for his current situation, God or his past? In trying to navigate a life that is decaying with paranoia, hallucinations and delusions, violence emerges; but is this violence in the name God or an ingrained instinct of family. This is a Journey through a mind crippled and crumbling from false expectations and broken promises...in search of belonging, a desolate view of man and depression; and in the end one can only ask, "In a moment of desperation how far will your faith take you?"

Good Will Hunting

A true motion picture phenomenon, this triumphant story was nominated for 9 Academy Awards--winning Oscars for Robin Williams and hot newcomers Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. The most brilliant mind at America's top university isn't a student he's the kid who cleans the floors! Will Hunting (Damon) is a headstrong, working-class genius who's failing the lessons of life. After one too many run-ins with the law, Will's last chance is a psychology professor (Williams), who might be the only man who can reach him! With acclaimed performances from Academy Award nominee Minnie Driver and Ben Affleck--you'll find Good Will Hunting a powerful a unforgettable movie experience.

Grosse Pointe Blank

Even A Hit Man Deserves A Second Shot!

Here's the killer comedy hit that's loaded with outrageous fun! For Martin Blank, a hit man stuck in a career rut, attending his 10-year class reunion is about the last thing he is in the mood for! But when the prospects of rekindling an old flame and pulling off one final job convince him to go, things are looking up that is, until Martin's arch rival shows up aiming to blow the competition away! For hilarious comedy entertainment that's packed with action, Grosse Point Blank is a surefire knockout! Grosse Point Blank is an offbeat comedy with a very dark side about a hitman who decides to take a break from his chosen profession to go to his high school reunion, only to find that, he can not escape the violence in his life.

Happiness

The search for happiness connects lonely lives in this subversively funny new film from Todd Solondz (Welcome to the Dollhouse). Meet three sisters at the center of a struggle with the secret demons of middle class perfection. There's Joy, who is rebounding from a break-up with her latest loser boyfriend; Helen, a glamorous writer looking for drama in a relationship with a slovenly obscene phone caller; and then there's Trish, the housewife who appears to have it all, including a shrink husband who has a secret obsession which he manages to hide from his family and friends.

Happy Texas

They need pros. They're getting cons.

Popular stars Steve Zahn (Forces Of Nature, You've Got Mail, Out Of Sight), Jeremy Northam (An Ideal Husband, Mimic) and William H. Macy (Mystery Men, A Civil Action, Fargo) enliven a hilarious comedy where a case of mistaken identity leads to a beauty of a con game! When escaped convicts Harry Sawyer (Northam) and Wayne Wayne Wayne, Jr. (Zahn) are pulled over in the town of Happy, Texas while driving a stolen Winnebago they think they're being arrested. Rather, they're immediately welcomed as the vehicle's owners: a gay couple who've come to orchestrate the "Little Miss Fresh-Squeezed Pre-Teen" beauty pageant! Not ones to let a good con pass them by, the pair doesn't hesitate to adopt flamboyant new personalities and quickly meet with outrageously unpredictable consequences! With a great cast of stars playing an unusually offbeat collection of characters -- you'll be more than happy you picked up this laugh-out-loud comedy treat!

Head-On

One of the most critically acclaimed films of the year, Head-On follows two young Turkish-Germans who are forced into a marriage of convenience which ultimately blossoms into a bond of mutual admiration. Erotically charged, darkly funny, Head-On is a journey you won't forget.

Hearts In Atlantis

"Two big thumbs up!" -Ebert & Roeper

Beware the low men. Bobby Garfield couldn't possibly know what that means. But before the summer is over, he'll know and he'll summon depths of courage and forgiveness he never imagined he had.

Anthony Hopkins headlines this nostalgically atmospheric film set in small-town Connecticut in 1960. He portrays Ted Brautigan, a mysterious, psychically gifted loner who becomes a mentor and father figure to Bobby (Anton Yelchin) when he enlists the boy's help in eluding the shadowy figures who seek control of Ted's powers. Directed by Scott Hicks (Shine) and based on the book by Stephen King, Hearts In Atlantis is "a wonderful, wonderful movie" (Joel Sigel, Good Morning America/ ABC-TV).

Heavy

Quietly earthshaking eloquent, purposeful!" - Janet Maslin, The New York Times

Victor is the overweight, underappreciated cook at "Pete and Dolly's" - a roadside diner where the regulars are even staler than the coffee, and just as bitter. Callie the enchanting new waitress, is a breath of fresh air who breezes her way right into Victor's heart.
Heavy has the critics smitten, calling it "outrageously enchanting" and "altogether terrific." Pull up a seat at the counter because at "Pete and Dolly's" diner, everything's special.

Hide and Seek

Robert De Niro plays David Callaway, a psychiatrist whose wife has recently committed suicide. Distancing himself and his daughter Emily from the scene of the tragedy, they move from the city to a New York State summer home, complete with lake at the door. But it is winter, the other houses are shut and the weather is bleak. Emily, refusing to be comforted, takes refuge in her imaginary friend Charlie. At first, her father indulges her but blood-stained bathroom walls, drowned pets and veiled threats to his new friend Elizabeth Young lead to murder. Are Emily and Charlie involved or is there another explanation?

High Anxiety

In this outrageous homage to Hitchcock thrillers, Mel Brooks plays renowned Harvard psychiatrist Dr. Richard Thorndyke, a nut-job with a paralyzing fear of heights, who's just become head of the Psycho-Neurotic Institute for the Very Very Nervous.

Home For The Holidays

"A thoroughly entertaining slice of life!" -The Hollywood Reporter

Director Jodie Foster dishes up a "heaping helping of holiday hilarity" (NBC-TV) with this laugh-out-loud comedy from screenwriter W.D. Richter about family food and finding acceptance with the people you love. Home For The Holidays is a "wickedly funny" film that's "so true it hurts" ("Entertainment Today")!

In a span of 36 hours, Claudia Larson (Hunter) has managed to lose her job, make out with her boss and learn that her daughter (Danes) is planning to go all the way. But Claudia's fortunes actually take a turn for the worse when she flies home to endure an even more grueling trial: The family Thanksgiving! Beset by a neurotic mother (Bancroft), kooky father (Durning), eccentric brother (Downey, Jr.) and compulsively "normal" sister (Stevenson), Claudia struggles to maintain her calm. But as sparks fly, tempers flare and turkeys go airborne, Claudia manages to recapture the zaniness of her childhood and discover them most important things in life are the memories she shares with family and for that, she can only be thankful!
 

Hours, The

Academy Award Winner.

The captivating story of three women from different eras whose lives are transformed by the timeless power of a masterful novel.

"Seductive and brilliant! A hard-won celebration of life as it is meant to be live. It may be set in 1923 or 1951 or 2001, but is is always vividly, urgently, NOW." -- David Ansen , NEWSWEEK.

House Of Fools

"One Flew Over theiCuckoo's Nest reimagined byiFederico Fellini!"-Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune

The inmates are running the asylum...literally. As a war led by local rebels surrounds their tranquil haven, the patients of a small psychiatric hospital remain blissfully cut off from the raging conflict-safely confined in their own small, restricted world. But problems ensue as the medical staff abandons the hospital leaving the residents to fend for themselves. Janna (Julia Vysotsky), a beautiful young patient, takes it upon herself to organize a hapless group as best she can-entertaining them with her accordion and dreaming of the day when her imaginary fiance, pop musician Bryan Adams, will arrive to whisk her off to a better life. Directed by gifted filmmaker Andrei Konchalovsky (Runaway Train, Duet For One), House Of Fools captivated audiences at the Venice Film Festival, where it won two coveted awards including the prestigious Jury Grand Prize.

House Of Games  

"Entertaining Good Fun." -Variety

It's the shrink vs. the shark in the ultimate mind game! Starring Oscar nominee Lindsay Crouse (The Insider) and Joe Mantegna (Godfather III) as an unlikely team of con artists, this "witty and devious" (Time) psychological thriller is Oscar nominee David Mamet's directorial debut. It's an "extraordinary" (Newsweek) and "thrilling funhouse" (New York Post) of mental gamesmanship that will keep you guessing until its exciting end!

When a suicidal patient reveals that his gambling debt has him at the end of his rope, dedicated psychiatrist Margaret Ford (Crouse) enters into the shadowy underground world of gaming to help him out. At a seedy casino, she boldly confronts Mike (Mantegna), the con man who holds her patients markers. Duped into a high-stakes poker match, Margaret becomes intoxicated by Mike's mastery, as he both cheats at the game and charms her. She quickly falls for him, turning a blind eye to the fact that he's a swindler who can't be trusted. And before long she finds herself sparring in a mental poker match of the heart...with deadly consequences!

How To Get Ahead In Advertising

Two heads are not necessarily better than one in this "highly entertaining" (The Hollywood Reporter), "blistering" (Los Angeles Times) satire about a man brought to the edge of insanity by a rival out for control of his career...and his body!

To hotshot ad exec Dennis Bagley (Richard E. Grant), people are pathetic sheep to whom he can sell anything...except a brand-new pimple cream. Creatively blocked, Dennis becomes so stressed that he sprouts a pimple of his own...a pimple that eventually grows into a huge head...with a mind and a voice! Before long, the sassy carbuncle takes over Dennis' life, revealing to him a diabolical plan to control the masses. Now Dennis must find courage deep within himself to save society - and himself - from the beastly blemish!

I Am Sam  

Love isiall you need

Sean Penn and Michelle Pfeiffer give career-defining performances in this humorous and heartwarming story about a mentally challenged father who enlists the aid of a high-powered attorney to help him regain the custody of his daughter. An all-star supporting cast and a spectacular soundtrack complete this unforgettable story of life, love and laughter!

I Never Promised You A Rose Garden

"While One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest offered a subversive and satirical look at psychiatric institution, Rose Garden delivered a dramatic, emotionally compelling portrait of the young woman's experience of psychiatric treatment. This Oscar-nominated screenplay was adapted from the best-selling novel by Hannah Green. It features a critically acclaimed performance by a young Kathleen Quinlan in an extremely challenging role. Shot with stark realism, the film pulls no punches in its depiction of a psychiatric ward, while maintaining individual and sensitive portrayals of the hospital's residents." -Roger Corman

In her critically acclaimed performance, Kathleen Quinlan inhabits Deborah, a mentally ill teen who struggles between fantasy and reality, escaping to her own imaginary world. Deborah is sent to a psychiatric hospital for treatment by Dr. Fried (Ingmar Bergman favorite Bibi Anderson), who must attempt to rescue Deborah from the cruel beauty of her inner world.

Igby Goes Down

"One of theibest films this year!" -CNN

A stunning ensemble of stars including Kieran Culkin (The Cider House Rules), Claire Danes, Jeff Goldblum, Jared Harris, Amanda Peet, Ryan Philippe, Bill Pullman, and Academy Award winner Susan Sarandon, illuminate this "scathingly funny" (Elle) dark comedy. Acclaimed by audiences and packing "an emotional wallop" (The New York Times), this "perfectly cast, perfectly written [movie is] the best coming-of-age film since The Graduate" (CNN)!

17-year-old rich kid Igby Slocumb is a rebel with a cause: to break free from his pill-popping mother, his schizophrenic dad and his fascist brother. Seduced by sexy older women and subverted by family and friends, the ever-resilient, witty and inventive Igby is determined to keep up-no matter what goes down.

I'm Going Home

At age 92, legendary filmmaker Manoel de Oliveira has created his masterpiece. Hailed by critics as one of the finest films of the decade, I'm Going Home is funny, humane and ultimately heartbreaking-a remarkable and supremely eloquent statement by a magnificent director.

Gilbert Valence (Piccoli) is a successful theater actor who learns that his wife, daughter and son-in-law have been killed in a car accident. Over time, Valence's life regains a semblance of normalcy-he takes care of his orphaned grandson, strolls the streets of Paris, frequents his favorite cafe and returns to his stage. But when an American film director (John Malkovich) casts him against type in an English-language production of James Joyce's Ulysses, Valence struggles to master the dialogue and his own emotions.

Michel Piccoli (Contempt, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie) brings the character of Valence vividly to life-he is proud, self-assured and amused by the world, yet still vulnerable to beauty...and tragedy. De Oliveira and Piccoli have made a flawless film, evocative of Wild Strawberries in its poignancy and charm. Like the City of Lights itself, I'm Going Home is a radiant wonder.

In America

"The best picture of theiyear... A work of art I'll remember forever." - Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times

From Academy Award nominee Jim Sheridan comes this deeply personal and poignant tale of poor Irish family searching for a better life In America. Through the eyes of their daughters, two anguished parents find hope and the ability to once again believe in love and magic... even amidst the dangers of New York's harrowing Hell's Kitchen. With mesmerizing performances by Samantha Morton and Djimon Hounsou, In America is "a classic" (USA Today) you will never forget.

In Her Shoes

Friends. Rivals. Sisters.

Directed by Curtis Hanson (8 Mile, Wonder Boys, L.A. Confidential) form a screenplay by Susannah Grant (Erin Brockovich), In Her Shoes has been hailed as "the most rewarding family comedy since Terms of Endearment (New York Magazine).

Flirty, flaky party girl Maggie (Cameron Diaz) and plain, dependable lawyer Rose (Toni Collette) are sister, best friends and bitter rivals who seem to have nothing in common but size 8½ feet and some family secrets. After a heart-rending falling out, they accidentally discover they also share a long lost grandmother (Shirley MacLaine). Together they travel a bumpy road toward making peace with each other and themselves!

In My Father's Den ****

Award-winning Kiwi drama. When his father dies, a disillusioned war journalist returns home. The only person he can talk to is a local girl: but when she goes missing, Paul becomes increasingly persecuted as the prime suspect in her disappearance.

In The Bedroom

"The Best Picture Of The Year!" -The New York Times

Nominated for 5 Academy Awards including Best Picture, this universally acclaimed film features Academy Award winners Sissy Spacek and Marisa Tomei and Academy Award® nominee Tom Wilkinson.

When young Frank Fowler (Nick Stahl) becomes romantically involved with an older single mother (Tomei), his parents (Spacek and Wilkinson) are concerned. But when the relationship takes a sudden and tragic turn, the Fowlers are forced to confront the harsh reality of their situation and the inescapable consequences of their actions.

An uncommonly suspenseful and disturbing film powered by a remarkable cast, In the Bedroom has been hailed by critics everywhere as one of the year's finest motion pictures.

In The Realms Of The Unreal: The Mystery Of Henry Darger

Henry Darger, an elderly recluse, spent his childhood in an Illinois asylum for feeble-minded children and his adulthood working as a janitor. He lived a quiet, nearly solitary existence, but his imaginary life was exciting, colorful and sexually provocative. When he died in Chicago in 1973, his landlady discovered in his room 300 paintings, some over 10 feet long, and a 15,000-page illustrated novel (The Realms Of The Unreal), which told the epic story of the virtuous Vivian Girls, seven angelic sisters who lead a rebellion against godless, child-enslaving men.

Featuring Dakota Fanning (Hide and Seek) and Larry Pine (The Royal Tenenbaums) as narrators and imaginative animation ofDarger's work, Oscar-winner Jessica Yu (Breathing Lessons) brings to life one of the twentieth century's greatest self-taught artists.

Insider, The

"An edge-of-your-seat thriller!" - Newsweek

The Insider recounts the chain of events that pitted an ordinary man against the tobacco industry, and dragged two people into the fight of their lives.

Academy Award Winner Al Pacino (Any Given Sunday, The Devil's Advocate) gives a powerful performance as veteran 60 Minutes producer Lowell Bergman, and Russell Crowe (L.A. Confidential, Mystery, Alaska) co-stars as the ultimate insider, former tobacco executive Dr. Jeffery Wigand. When Wigand is fired by his employer -- one of the largest tobacco companies in America -- he agrees to become a paid consultant for a story Bergman is working on regarding alleged unethical practices within the tobacco industry. But what begins as a temporary alliance leads to a lengthy battle for both men to save their reputations, and much, much more.

As they soon find out, Corporate America will use all legal means at their disposal to save a billion-dollar-a-year habit. And as the corporate giants soon find out, Bergman and Wigand are honorable men, driven to smoke out the evidence.

Also starring Christopher Plummer (Malcolm X) as anchor Mike Wallace and Gina Gershon (Face/Off), The Insider will chill you with its cold, hard edge -- and thrill you with its unbelievable twists and turns.

Instinct

One man's mind isianother man's mystery.

Don't miss Academy Award winners Anthony Hopkins and Cuba Gooding, Jr. in this highly provocative psychological thriller from the hit-making director of Phenomenon and While You Were Sleeping! In a prison for the criminally insane, deranged anthropologist Ethan Powell is set to be examined by a bright young psychiatrist, Theo Caulder. Driven by ambition and a hunger for the truth, Caulder will eventually risk everything - even put his very life on the line - in a harrowing attempt to understand the bizarre actions of this madman! Also starring Donald Sutherland and Maura Tierney in a first-rate cast- Powell and Caulder's adventure of the mind is a riveting journey of discovery no matter what the cost!

Interiors

"Brilliant! Woody Allen isipossiblyia genius, and Interiors isia work of art." -New York Daily News

An "intensely provocative…[and] searing dissection of human behavior" (New York Daily News), Interiors marked a cinematic watershed for Woody Allen. In his first serious drama, Allen's interest in the human condition was not purely farcical and not limited to quick-wit and slapstick gags. Exploring the dynamics of a family in crisis, Interiors is "destined to become a landmark of American filmmaking" (The Hollywood Reporter).

When Eve (Geraldine Page), an interior designer, is deserted by her husband of many years, Arthur (E.G. Marshall), the emotionally glacial relationships of their three grown daughters are laid bare. Twisted by jealousy, insecurity and resentment, Renata (Diane Keaton), a successful writer; Flyn (Kristin Griffith), a woman crippled by indecision; and Joey (Marybeth Hurt), a budding actress; struggle to communicate for the sake of their shattered mother. But when their father unexpectedly falls for another woman (Maureen Stapleton), his decision to remarry sets in motion a terrible twist of fate…with tragically unexpected consequences.

Iris

Captivating from beginning to end! Iris tells the story of a sweet and enthusiastic young woman living in the midst of war. Even though death surrounds her, she refuses to give up her passion for life and manages to find happiness. You will be charmed by this undoubtedly beautiful and touching film, making you believe in the resilience of hope.

Iris

"One Of The Best Films Of The Year!"- Desson Howe, The Washington Post

Here's the powerful true story based on John Bayley's novels that earned Jim Broadbent an Academy Award® for Best Supporting Actor and Academy Award® Nominations for Best Actress Judi Dench and Best Supporting Actress Kate Winslet!

Judi Dench (Shakespeare In Love) and Kate Winslet (Titanic) bring to the screen one of the most extraordinary women of the 20th century, celebrated English author Iris Murdoch. As told by her unlikely soulmate, husband John Bayley, Iris first became known as a brilliant young scholar at Oxford whose boundless spirit dazzled those around her. Then, during a remarkable career as a novelist and philosopher, she continued to prove herself a woman ahead of her time. Even in later life, as age and illness robbed Iris of her remarkable gifts, nothing could diminish her immense influence or weaken the bond with her devoted husband.

Jacket, The

Jack Starks knows little about who he is. Nor does he know why he's bound in a strait-jacket and subjected to bizarre psychiatric treatments. But an even more stunning fate awaits this amnesia-stricken Gulf War veteran: the treatments thrust him into the year 2007 - where Jack learns he died in 1993.

Impressive filmmaking talents join forces for The Jacket, a mind- and genre-bender of a psychological thriller produced by Peter Guber, George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh. Academy Award winner Adrien Brody (The Pianist) plays Starks, the time traveler running out of time. And Keira Knightley (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl), Kris Kristofferson and Jennifer Jason Leigh bring addition star wattage to eerie events that reach beyond time, beyond fantasy, beyond life itself.

Jacob's Ladder

The most frightening thing about Jacob Singer's nightmare isithat he isn't dreaming.

Tim Robbins is Jacob Singer, a man who lives in a nightmare. Wounded in Vietnam, he's now back at home in New York City. Torn between the memories of his son and terrifying wartime demons, Jacob is slowly losing his grip on reality. His beautiful girlfriend (Elizabeth Pena) only adds confusion to his life, drawing him into a web of sexual intrigue; but ultimately, it's his friend Louis (Danny Aiello), who turns out to be the only one Jacob can truly count on.

Julien Donkey-Boy

Julien Donkey-Boy is a fascinating journey into the mind of an adolescent schizophrenic! Watch as Julien's internal struggle increases in intensity until the film's shocking and bizarrely transcendent conclusion.

Junebug

Rising stars Amy Adams and Ben McKenzie light up the screen in this award-winning comedy about love, family, ambition, and the choices that come with each. Worldly art dealer Madeleine (Embeth Davidtz) and her husband (Alesandro Nivola) travel to North Carolina, where she hopes to woo a brilliant, but eccentric, folk painter. During this Southern journey, Madeline also meets her new in-laws; George's skeptical mother, Peg (Celia Weston); his silent and withdrawn father, Eugene (Scott Wilson); and his surly brother, Johnny (McKenzie). The only welcoming member of the family is Johnny's affectionate, enthusiastic, and extremely pregnant wife, Ashley (Adams). Struggling to balance church socials with delicate business negotiations, Madeleine finds that she must choose what matters to her most. Junebug is the powerful, funny gem that critics are hailing as "one of the best pictures of the year!" (Andrew Sarris, The New York Observer)

Keane

"Two Thumbs Up." - Ebert & Roeper

Veering between days of relentless searching and nights of alcohol and drug induced extremes, William Keane (Damian Lewis, Band of Brothers) teeters on the edge of sanity. He is desperately searching for his 6-year-old daughter, who has been missing for months. Then one day, he meets a financially strapped young woman, Lynn Bedik (Amy Ryan, The Wire), and her 7-year-old daughter, Kira (Abigail Breslin, Signs). As he becomes increasingly attached to the child, the story moves to a whole new level of poignancy and tension, especially as it emerges that Keane's daughter may never have existed at all. Director Lodge Kerrigan plunges us directly into Keane's profoundly unsettled universe, and Damian Lewis' devastating performance makes Keane a riveting, complex and deeply humane experience.

Keys To The House, The (Le Chiavi de Casa)

An extraordinary adventure of theiheart.

Gianni is reunited with Paolo, the 15-year-old son he abandoned at birth. The reunion, arranged by Paolo's doctor, had been set up with the hope that it would benefit the troubled boy. In his attempt to foster a relationship, Gianni finds Paolo full of shocks and wonders, eventually realizing that the keys to one's house are often the keys to one's heart.

King Of Hearts

"The Madness Of This Film Is Both Touching And Humorous." -Boxoffice

One of the most popular foreign films of all time, playing continuously in some theatres for over five years, King Of Hearts is a "bright, lilting, whimsical, lyrical" (Cue) comedy that cleverly satirizes the absurdity of war with a "message [that is] meaningful and entertaining" (Boxoffice).

Bumbling Scottish Private Plumpick (Alan Bates) is sent to a village in the beautiful French countryside during World War I on a suicide mission to detonate explosives set by the retreating German army. The village, soon to be blown sky-high, has been abandoned by its inhabitants - and replaced with escapees from the local insane asylum. Now with the mentally challenged running the town, Plumpick is crowned King! But his new title brings him his first horrible decision: to carry out his deadly mission or join the ranks of the blissfully ignorant who know nothing about war. King Of Hearts is subtle, visually striking and, in short, the "ultimate display of madness" (Life)!

Kira's Reason: A Love Story

"A haunting knockout!" -- People Magazine

Enjoying life in their mid-thirties, Kira and her husband Mads have a large house and two wonderful children. Their world is perfectly secure and comfortable until Kira develops a psychiatric disorder, which eventually commits her to a hospital.

On being discharged, Kira's sole desire is to return to the normality of her previous life and fulfill her role as a good wife and mother. But, as she struggles to maintain equilibrium, she discovers Mads has had an affair during her hospitalization.

K-PAX

A stranger who calls himself Prot (Spacey) seemingly appears out of nowhere following a disturbance at New York's Grand Central Station. Claiming to come from the distant planet K-PAX, Prot draws the attention of jaded Dr. Powell (Bridges), whose initial skepticism soon turns to fascination and amazement.

Even a team of leading scientists are at a loss to explain Prot's detailed knowledge of the star system he calls home. But with Prot's return to K-PAX fast approaching, the search for answers intensifies and the mystery takes on pulse-quickening proportions.

Leaving Las Vegas

Best Actor Oscar winner Nicholas Cage and best Actress nominee Elisabeth Shue set the screen ablaze in this profoundly moving love story. Nominated for two additional Academy Awards- Best Director and Best Screenplay- this emotionally charged powerhouse of a film graced over 100 "10 Best lists"- including Roger Ebert's #1 Movie of the Year. Ben Sanderson is a career alcoholic who has hit rock bottom. Trashing all personal and professional ties to his LA existence, he sets off for the light of Las Vegas on a mission: to drink himself to death. There he meets Sera, a beautiful, seen-it-all hooker. From the moment Ben and Sera connect, they form a unique bond based upon unconditional acceptance and mutual respect that will change each of them forever.

Lenny

"A Brilliantly Conceived And Executed Film!" -Judith Crist, New York

Two-time Oscar®-winner Dustin Hoffman brings controversial '60s comedian Lenny Bruce to life in this "landmark" (Variety) film that earned six Oscar® nominations, including Best Picture. "A jagged portrait of a man driven to mainlining honesty into the arteries of a hypocritical culture" (Newsweek), Lenny is "artful, imaginative (Los Angeles Times) and truly an "extraordinary film" (Saturday Review)!

From his first gig as a nervous Catskills comedian, it's obvious that Lenny Bruce is a force to be reckoned with. Armed with a shocking routine and a stripper as his muse (Valerie Perrine), Lenny turns comedy - and America - on its ear with his abrasive and often offensive humor. But life in the smoke- filled bars of the comedy circuit begins to take its toll. The drugs and arrests for his subject matter wear heavily on this maverick crusader… but don't stop him from pushing the envelope right to his tragic and myth-making end.

Liam

Big Heroes Come In Small Packages.

A powerful and emotionally charged portrait of an ordinary family caught up in extraordinary circumstances, Liam tells the story of a seven-year-old boy growing up in Liverpool during the 1930s. As he prepares to make his First Communion, young Liam tries to make sense of the complex and unsettled world around him, a world that is about to change forever because of economic, political and social upheaval.

Life As A House

"An excellent movie!" -Gene Shalit, The Today Show

Academy Award-winner Kevin Kline stars in this heartfelt and humorous tale of a man who decides to tear down his house and winds up rebuilding the world around him. Kristin Scott Thomas (The English Patient), Hayden Christensen (Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones), Jena Malone (Stepmom) and Mary Steenburgen (Nixon, What's Eating Gilbert Grape) also star in this critically acclaimed tale of romance, redemption and renovation.

Little Voice

Finding Your Own Voice Can Be Magic.

In an inspirational story about a painfully shy young woman and how the power of music leads her to an amazing transformation! A hopeless introvert, Little Voice can only manage to express herself by singing in the timeless voices of Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe and others. But once her eccentric mother's new boyfriend - a sleazy talent scout - overhears Little Voice's incredible crooning he'll do anything to drag the recluse into the spotlight and make her a star!

Living 'Til The End

It's About Time.

Jack Whilton is a buttoned-down estate planner who has been told by a psychic of his imminent death on his next birthday. Instantly, Jack's life turns upside down and he retreats to the safety of extreme agoraphobia in order to avoid his own death. All he has to do is wait out the year in his apartment-turned-bunker, but then meets the girl down the hall, Audrey, who has a similar problem - she is also dying. While their predicaments are similar, they are not the same and it is that difference which allows Audrey to coax Jack out of his self-imposed bondage.

Love Liza

A Comic Tragedy

Philip Seymour Hoffman (Punch-Drunk Love, Almost Famous) and Academy Award-winner Kathy Bates (1990 Best Actress, Misery; About Schmidt) star in a heartbreaking and surprisingly funny drama about love, grief and starting over.

Successful Web designer Wilson Joel's (Hoffman) life spirals out of control after the sudden devastating event of his wife's suicide. Unable to read the goodbye note she left for him, Wilson forges new, unpredictable relationships with friends, co-workers and his stunned mother-in-law (Bates). But the bond he creates with a dangerous drug could take what's left of his blown-apart life and extinguish it completely.

Loverboy

"An Artistic Valentine" -- NY Times

In the most haunting performance of her career, Kyra Sedgwick plays Emily, a beautiful and brilliant loner obsessed with having the perfect child. Passionately determined, Emily's desperation will drive her to commit shocking and perilous acts; pushing her closer to the edge of sanity. An unflinching look at one woman's frightening descent into obsession, love and paranoia, Loverboy features an acclaimed, A-list cast that includes Matt Dillon, Marisa Tomei, Campbell Scott, and Kevin Bacon in this starkly beautiful and unforgettable film.

Luzhin Defence, The

"A rare film! Complex, provocative, with richly developed characters andiprofound insights into love andiobsession." -Interview Magazine

John Turturro and Emily Watson star in this engrossing story of love and obsession. Based on the novel by Vladmir Nabokov, the film examines the life of Alexander Luzhin (Turturro), an eccentric chess master whose unstable childhood has made him incapable of relating to others. The game of chess is his only escape and his only solace, until he meets and falls in love with the caring Natalia (Watson) at the Italian resort where he's the favorite in the most prestigious chess championship in the country. However, when a former mentor turned jealous saboteur tries to destroy Luzhin, the fragile genius tries to destroy Luzin, the fragile genius may lost more than the big game.

Maborosi

Acclaimed as one of the finest Japanese films of the decade, Maborosi is a story of great love, inexplicable loss, and at last, hope and regeneration.

Haunted by the mysterious loss of her grandmother many years ago, a beautiful young mother (Yumiko as Makiko Esumi) struggles to come to terms with the sudden loss of her husband. Yumiko remarries and with her young son moves to her new husband's home in a remote village on the wild, untamed Sea of Japan. There, with time, she awakens to find love, understanding, happiness and a sense of peace.

Machinist, The

How Do You Wake Up From A Nightmare If You're Not Asleep?

Trevor Reznik (Christian Bale) hasn't slept in a year. The shocking deterioration of his physical and mental health has made his every waking moment an unrelenting state of confusion, paranoia, guilt, anxiety and terror. His only solace from this living nightmare comes from an affectionate prostitute (Jennifer Jason Leigh).

When cryptic notes turn up mysteriously in his apartment and when hallucinations of a co-worker that no one else sees causes a gruesome machine shop injury, he embarks on a journey to find out whether there is an elaborate plot to drive him mad or his fatigue has simply robbed him of reason. The more he learns, the less he wants to know.

Mad Song  

Impulsive, Irresponsible, Irresistible.

Richard Gere, Lena Olin and Anne Bancroft star in this compelling story about a man on the verge of self-destruction who is saved by love.

Gere gives a show-stopping performance as Mr. Jones, a manic-depressive who, during his emotional highs, is funny, creative and charming. Whether shocking the stuffy symphony audience when he rushes onstage to conduct Beethoven, or impulsively taking a bank clerk on a romantic escape, Mr. Jones is a man no woman can resist, including Dr. Libbie Bowen (Olin), the concerned therapist assigned to his case.

Romantic, passionate and intensely real, Mr. Jones is a spellbinding testament to the power of love.

Magnolia *****

Magnolia is a mosaic of American life woven through a series of comic and poignant vignettes. Through a collusion of coincidence, chance, human action, shared media, past history and divine intervention, nine people will weave and warp through each other's lives on a day that builds to an unforgettable climax. Some will seek forgiveness, others escape. Some will mend frayed bonds, others will be exposed.

Man Without A Past, The

A New Deadpan Comedy byiAki Kaurismaki

Nominated for an Academy Award (2003 Best Foreign Language Film), this second installation of acclaimed Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki's Finland Trilogy is a comic drama that's both totally unique and completely irresistible.

When a laborer (Markku Peltola) arrives in Helsinki in search of a job, he gets a brutal surprise beating in a local park by a group of thugs instead. He miraculously survives, but amnesia prevents him from remembering anything, including his name. Soon, a Salvation Army worker (2002 Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Award Winner Kati Outinen) develops a shy interest in him, and a sweet, natural romance begins between the two. But just as teh man's life begins to make sense again, his past suddenly returns to haunt him.

Manic

"A serious, effective film that deserves your attention." - E! Online

Don Cheadle (Traffic) is "simply mesmerizing" (Entertainment Today) in this "piercing... intimate and edgy" ("Sixty Second Preview") drama about troubled teens hovering on the edge of sanity. Featuring an exceptional young cast, including Joseph Gordon-Levitt ("3rd Rock From the Sun") and Zooey Deschanel (All the Real Girls), Manic is "a remarkable gem of a film" (London Film Festival).

At first glance, 17-year-old Lyle Jensen (Gordon-Levitt) seems eerily quiet and withdrawn. But he has a problem with anger, and this time his explosive rage has landed him in the juvenile ward of a mental institution under the watchful eye of therapist David Monroe (Cheadle). Can Dr. Monroe get Lyle and the other kids to open up, confront their demons and reclaim their lives?

Marty

Winner of Four Academy Awards®!

America - and the world - fell in love with Marty, the first film to win both the Best Picture Oscar® and the Cannes Film Festival's Golden Palm. Nominated for a total of eight Academy Awards®, this timeless classic "is rich in laughs and tears - a masterpiece of warm-hearted storytelling" (The Hollywood Reporter).

"I've been looking for a girl every Saturday night of my life," says Marty Piletti (Ernest Borgnine). Yet, despite all his efforts, this 34-year old Bronx butcher remains as shy and uncomfortable around women today as on the day he was born. So when he meets Clara (Betsy Blair), a lonely schoolteacher who's just as smitten with him as he is with her, Marty's on top of the world. But not everyone around him shares Marty's joy. And when his friends and family continually find fault with Clara, even Marty begins to question his newfound love… until he discovers, in an extraordinary way, the strength and courage to follow his heart.

Marvin’s Room

Hollywood's fastest rising star, Leonardo DiCaprio (Titanic, Celebrity), gives an electrifying performance as the criminally rebellious son in this funny and stirring tale of one family's humor and heartache. Seventeen years ago, fiercely independent Lee ((Meryl Streep - One True Thing) left home and left behind her kindhearted sister Bessie (Diane Keaton - The First Wives Club) to care for their father, Marvin (Hume Cronyn). But now Lee is returning with her teenage son (Leonard DiCaprio) for a homecoming that's sure to turn the entire household upside down! Also starring Robert DeNiro(Casino), this entertaining motion picture proves that people you know the least may be the ones you need the most!

Master And Margarita, The

Based onitheinovel byiMikael Bulgakov

Petrovic's critically acclaimed rendering of one of the literary masterpieces of the 20th century takes place in Moscow 1925. Writer Nikolai Wasoudov (Ugo Tognazzi), the "Master", is working on a play about Pontius Pilate when two suspicious representatives of the Soviet government start following his every step. Accompanying them is a professor of Black Magic, Voland (Alain Cuny). Paranoia sets in, as the Master believes not only that the Devil himself is after him, but also that his assistant Margaret (Mimsy Farmer) is also conspiring with the forces of evil. But when locked up in a mental hospital, it is Margaret that attempts his rescue under the ever-present threat of the evil forces that surround them.

Matchstick Men

"Two thumbs way up."-Ebert & Roeper

If there's a sucker born every minute, these guys will work the delivery room. Meet Roy and Frank, con men who plan to flimflam a flimflammer out of big-time dough. They have a new partner to help them too: Roy's long-absent 14-year-old daughter, who has entered his life and is eager to learn the art of the con.

Just when you think you have it figured out you don't, during this acclaimed comedy thriller directed by Ridley Scott. Nicolas Cage is winningly quirky as Roy, genius at crime and basket case in life because he's an agoraphobe, a germaphobe and suddenly a parent. Sam Rockwell is wily Frank. And Alison Lohman plays the wild child at Roy's door. For fun, suspense and brain-busting twists, nothing's hotter than Matchstick Men.

Ma Vie En Rose (My Life in Pink)

Ludovic is waiting for a miracle. With seven-year-old certainty, he believes he was meant to be a little girl - and that the mistake will soon be corrected. But where he expects the miraculous, Ludo finds only refection, isolation and guilt - as the intense reactions of family, friends, and neighbors strip away every innocent lace and bauble.

As suburban prejudices close around them, family loves and loyalties are tested in the ever-escalating dramatic turns of Alin Berliner's critically acclaimed first feature. Winner of the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film and a favorite at festivals around the world, this unique film experience delivers magic of the rarest sort through a story of difference, rejection, and childlike faith in miracles.

Me, Myself & Irene

It's not unusualifor two menito beiin love with theisame woman unless it's theisame man.

Jim Carrey delivers a hysterical performance in this "fall-down, flat-out, irresistibly deranged movie" (Rolling Stone). Rhode Island state trooper Charlie Baileygates (Jim Carrey) proves that nice guys finish first after marrying the prettiest gal in town. But when she leaves him for another man, Charlie develops a split personality and his outrageous opposite, Hank, is born! Hank's got a filthy mouth, a bad attitude and a short fuse. When Charlie falls crazy in love with the beautiful but wanted Irene, he must wage war -- with himself -- for the confused Irene's affections.

Memento

"A Masterpiece!" -Mike D'Angelo, Time Out

The revenge thriller gets an unforgettable new twist with Memento, an intricate crime story about a man with a damaged memory chasing a murderer whose identity he cannot possibly ever know for sure. Directed by Christopher Nolan, Memento has blown the minds of audiences around the world - by deftly forging a reality in which neither the lead character nor the audience knows who is pulling the strings until everything that seemed true flips upside down.

Leonard (Guy Pearce) suffers from a rare brain disorder - the inability to form any new memories. He can remember in detail everything that happened before his injury, but anyone he has met or anything he has done since that fateful night, simply vanishes.

Who are his friends? Who are his enemies? What is the truth? In Leonard's world, the answers to these questions shift and change from second to second. And the more he tries to figure out what is true and real, the deeper he sinks into a multi-layered abyss of uncertainty and surprises.

Mend

Because every day isia victory.

Desperate to escape a self-destructive existence, Wesley (Jay Sullivan) takes an experimental ant-depressant called Elotane. When the medication produces adverse side effects, Harold (Tom Sawyer), Wesley ex-coworker, seems to be the only one who can reach him. He sympathizes with his ordeal, yet is motivated for entirely different reasons. Ultimately, Harold must decide whether to assist or destroy Wesley's path to alienation. Mend is a psychological drama exploring a man's struggle to transcend suicide and forbidden love.

Michael Clayton

Attorney Michael Clayton is a fixer, the go-to guy when his powerful New York law firm wants a mess swept under the rug. But now he’s handed a crisis even he may not be able to fix. The firm’s top litigator in a $3-billion case has had a major psychotic breakdown, and gone from advocate to whistleblower. And the more Michael tries to undo the damage, the more he’s up against forces that put corporate survival over human life including Michael’s.

Milwaukee, Minnesota

"If theiCoen Brothers' Fargo hadia kid brother, it would be Milwaukee, Minnesota." -- Film Jerk

Having lived his entire life under the watchful eye of his overbearing mother, Albert must fend for himself when a car suddenly kills her. Free for the first time, Albert quickly responds to the bait dangling in front of him, pitting his aggressors against one another in a race for his trust and fortune. Using his skills that make him a gifted fisherman, Albert turns the tables on his seemingly doomed fate, revealing that nothing is quite what it seems in this Midwestern tale of love and deceit.

Mondays In The Sun

Without gainful employment, every day becomes Sunday. For many, daily existence is propped up by the scaffolding of hope and camaraderie. Follow six friends in northern Spain as they struggle to make ends meet.

Monster's Ball

A hard-hitting Southern drama tempered by a story of powerful, life-changing love. Hank (Academy Award® Winner - Billy Bob Thornton) is an embittered prison guard working on Death Row who begins an unlikely, but emotionally charged affair with Leticia (Academy Award® Winner Halle Berry), the wife of a man under his watch on The Row.

Moonlight Mile

"One of theivery best films of 2002." -Access Hollywood

Academy Award winners Dustin Hoffman, Susan Sarandon and Holly Hunter star with Jake Gyllenhaal (The Good Girl) in Moonlight Mile-an uplifting story of endearing honesty and humor. When Joe Nast (Gyllenhaal) experiences an unexpected loss, he wants to be the man he believes everyone wants him to be-the dutifully bereaved husband-to-be and the perfect would-be son-in-law to Ben (Hoffman) and Jojo (Sarandon). But then another woman unexpectedly enters his life, and he's torn between fulfilling his new roles and following his heart.

Mother, The

From theiDirector of NOTTING HILL andiCHANGING LANES

From the critically-acclaimed director of Notting Hill and the Academy Award-nominated writer of My Beautiful Launderette (1987, Best Writer) comes a sensual tale of lust, jealousy and self-discovery.

After her husband dies, May (Anne Reid), a shy suburban housewife, moves to London to be near her grown children and their families. Quite unexpectedly, she becomes attracted to Darren (Daniel Craig, Tomb Raider), a handsome carpenter half her age who's currently having an affair with her daughter. After Darren returns her advances, the two embark on a forbidden affair that threatens to destroy May's family in this powerful film which proves that with great passion comes a great price.

Mozart And The Whale

They Don't Fit In. Except Together.

Josh Hartnett (Pearl Harbor) and Radha Mitchell (Silent Hill) star as Donald and Isabelle in Mozart And The Whale, a heartwarming romance about two people with a form of autism called Asperger's Syndrome. Donald, a good-natured but hapless cab driver with a knack for numbers, falls head over heels for the beautiful but complex Isabelle when she joins the autism support group he leads.

Their first date, which occurs on Halloween, sets the tone for a budding romance that helps them establish their niche in a fascinating and quirky universe. From Oscar-winning screenwriter Ron Bass (Best Original Screenplay, Rain Man, 1988) and inspired by true events, this tender story proves that love - in all its irrationality - does conquer all.

Mr Jones 

Impulsive, Irresponsible, Irresistible.

Richard Gere, Lena Olin and Anne Bancroft star in this compelling story about a man on the verge of self-destruction who is saved by love.

Gere gives a show-stopping performance as Mr. Jones, a manic-depressive who, during his emotional highs, is funny, creative and charming. Whether shocking the stuffy symphony audience when he rushes onstage to conduct Beethoven, or impulsively taking a bank clerk on a romantic escape, Mr. Jones is a man no woman can resist, including Dr. Libbie Bowen (Olin), the concerned therapist assigned to his case.

Romantic, passionate and intensely real, Mr. Jones is a spellbinding testament to the power of love.

Mrs. Palfrey At The Claremont

One Chance Meeting, Two Changed Lives.

Mrs. Palfrey (Joan Plowright), an elegant, genteel widow, has come from Scotland to London to take up residence at the Claremont Hotel. Though she had high hopes for the cosmopolitan pleasures of living in a big city, such as attending lectures and concerts, as well as making a wider assortment of acquaintances, she is soon filled with a sense of uneasiness and slight gloom as she surveys her drab surroundings at the Claremont. The only bright spot in her decision to come to London is the fact that she will be closer to her only grandson, Desmond.

Night Of The Iguana

One Man...Three Women...One Night

"A man has got just so much in his emotional bank balance. But mine has run out." In a remote Mexican seacoast town, a fallen Episcopal priest struggles to pull his shattered life together. And three women - an earthy hotel owner, an ethereal artist and a hot-eyed willful teenager - can help save him. Or destroy him.

With an outstanding cast headed by Richard Burton, Ava Gardner and Deborah Kerr, direction by legendary filmmaker John Huston and a steamy screenplay based on Tennessee Williams' acclaimed stage play, The Night of the Iguana pulses with conflicting passions and a surprising edge of knowing humor. Winner of one Academy Award® and nominated for three more, the film explores the dark night of one man's soul - and illuminates the difference between dreams and the bittersweet surrender to reality.

Nine Good Teeth

A love story of secrets, lies, anditheities that bind.

A standout at film festivals across the country, the critically lauded and irreverently upbeat Nine Good Teeth has been distinguished as a "first-rate documentary" (IndieWire) that is "as if John Waters had joined forces with Francis Ford Coppola to create a home movie" (BBC Storyville).

When Brooklyn-born, Sicilian-American matriarch "Nana" (Mary Mirabito Livornese Cavalier) was young, a gypsy prophesied that she'd only life to be 96 years old. With that ominous birthday looming near, director Alex Halpern set out to document the wondrously full life of his now 105 year-old grandmother, a fiercely independent spitfire with an endless supply of hilariously homespun wisdom. Dreamily unfolding through Nana's stories, recollections and interviews with her family-some loving, some rivalrous-Nine Good Teeth reveals many of the common truths hidden away in all our families, as well as the unexpected: late night visits from Beat poet Jack Kerouac, illicit love affairs, and even the occasional murder.

"You'll never live as long as I have," proclaims Nana, a truly outspoken and cinematic character who witnessed the entire Twentieth Century with her own two eyes.

Nobody's Child

When nobody could help her, she helped herself

In this Emmy-winning role, Marlo Thomas (That Girl) portrays Marie Balter. Abandoned as an infant, Balter endures abuse and neglect by her foster parents. Suffering from severe panic disorder, she is misdiagnosed with schizophrenia at age 17 and confined to a mental institution for 20 years.

A heart-wrenching true story about the survival of the human spirit, Nobody's Child follows Balter's struggle to overcome impossible odds and build a normal life. Her inspiring journey from tragedy to triumph takes her to the halls of Harvard University and back to the mental institution of her youth to champion the cause of the mentally ill.

Notebook, The

Behind every great love is a great story.

As teenagers, Allie (Rachel McAdams) and Noah (Ryan Gosling) begin a whirlwind courtship that soon blossoms into tender intimacy. The young couple is quickly separated by Allie's upper class parents who insist that Noah isn't right for her. Several years pass, and, when they meet again, their passion is rekindled, forcing Allie to choose between her soul mate and class order. This beautiful tale has a particularly special meaning to an older gentleman (James Garner) who regularly reads the timeless love story to his aging companion (Gena Rowlands).

Based on the best-selling novel by Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook is at once heartwarming and heartbreaking and will capture you in its sweeping and emotional force.

Notes On A Scandal

Academy Award winners Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett give wickedly entertaining, Oscar-nominated performances - one as a woman consumed by her colleague's guilty secret, the other, a victim to her own dark obsessions - in this sexy, stylish thriller.

Dench mesmerizes as Barbara Covett, a teacher who rules over her classroom with an iron fist, yet leads a desperate, solitary life outside it. That is, until she meets radiant new art teacher Sheba Hart (Blanchett). Although at first overjoyed with her newfound kindred spirit, when Barbara discovers that Sheba is having an affair with a teenage student, her jealously and rage spiral out of control.

Also starring Bill Nighy, Notes On A Scandal "has all the right ingredients: lust, greed, envy, secrets, lies, betrayal!" (Interview)

Now, Voyager

"One of theicinema's great romances." -Danny Peary, Guide For The Film Fanatic

A tender love story, a taut psychological drama, an inspiring tale of physical and spiritual transformation. Now, Voyager is all three, as well as a Bette Davis career milestone, resulting in her sixth Best Actress Oscar® nomination. She magically plays Charlotte Vale, a spinster who defies her domineering mother (fellow Oscar® nominee Gladys Cooper) to discover love, heartbreak and eventual contentment.

More magic is generated by a top-notch ensemble, Max Steiner's Academy Award®-winning score and an improvised moment by Paul Henreid that became an instant classic: he lights two cigarettes at once and hands one to Davis. For the ultimate in romantic melodrama, it's Now, Voyager now, then and forever.

Nurse Betty

She's chasingia dream…they're chasing her.

Betty never misses an episode of her favorite soap opera, "A Reason to Love." After a mind-altering run-in with two hit-men while watching an episode, Betty transforms into "Nurse Betty" and embarks on a mission to find her one true love, Dr. David Ravell.

Follow Betty on a wild and hysterical cross-country trek in search of the man of her dreams. But, can Betty find him before the hit-men find her?

Oasis

Love knows.

Hailed as the seminal film of the Korean New Wave, acclaimed director Lee Chang Dong's Oasis tells the story of two societal misfits (the award winning Moon So-ri and Sol Kyung-gu) and their struggle to find love and acceptance. Fate helped bring them together; family fought to keep them apart. The film truly is "a triumph...that gives humanism back its good name" (LA Weekly).

Odd Couple, The

Neil Simon has a special genius for finding the great hilarity in ordinary people doing everyday things. Like two divorced men who decide to share a New York apartment. That's the premise of The Odd Couple, though there's nothing odd in the casting of two Oscar-winning talents like Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. The two veteran funnymen work together with the precision timing of a vaudeville team, but always with bright spontaneity. Lemmon plays fussy Felix, fastidious to a fault. He proves that cleanliness is next to insanity. Mattau is Oscar, who wreaks havoc on a tidy room with the speed and thoroughness of a tornado. An enduring and endearing picture, with the intelligence one usually misses in comedies.

Of Mice And Men

We haveia dream. Someday we'll haveia little house andia couple of acres. A placeito call home.

John Steinbeck's timeless classic comes magnificently to life in this beautiful and stirring film starring Oscar nominees John Malkovich (Being John Malkovich) and Gary Sinise (The Green Mile). Directed by Sinise from an adaptation by two-time Oscar winner Horton Foote, this "flawless miracle of movie-making" (Susan Granger, "American Movie Classics") is a must-see for all audiences.

Best friends Lennie (Malkovich) and George (Sinise) find themselves unemployed in Depression-era California, unable to maintain a stable working pattern for long because of Lennie's childlike mentality. When they're hired at the Tyler Ranch, they thrive on the work despite the strict supervision of Curley (Casey Siemaszko), the boss' mean-spirited son. But their world is ripped apart when Curley's unhappy wife (Sherilyn Fenn, Twin Peaks) becomes the innocent victim of Lennie's compassion, forcing George to make a compassionate decision of his own.

Of Mice And Men

Dangerous. To Herself…And To Men!

George and Lennie are a pair of itinerant farm hands who dream of someday having their won modest ranch, but in the meantime toil for uncaring ranch owners. George (Meredith) must constantly watch over Lennie (Chaney) who has very few wits but an enormous strength which is always getting them into trouble when he finds a small animal or pretty girl that he innocently wants to caress. Always just a few steps ahead of disaster, the two friends land at yet another farm where circumstances and the help of a few fellow dreamers seem to bring their fantasies within reach. It is all the more tragic then, when Lennie finds trouble that there is no running away from and George is called on to carry out a final and ultimate act of friendship.

Off The Map

The Possibilities In Life Are Endless

Bo (Valentina de Angelis) is eleven years old and lives in a remote desert area of New Mexico with her mother (Joan Allen), a free spirit who tends to the garden in the nude, and her father (Sam Elliot), who is losing a battle with his inner demons.

One day they receive a visit from an IRS agent (Jim True-Frost) who is there to audit the family even though they make a very modest income. Realizing the simple yet profound way that Bo and her family are living, the IRS agent abandons his work to live with the family and surrender to the mystique of the desert landscape. Eventually he becomes the catalyst for major changes and discoveries by every member of the family. Off The Map is a story of self-discovery that reveals unexpected moments of grace and the unpredictable enduring nature of love.

On Golden Pond

For Norman and Ethel Thayer, this summer On Golden Pond is filled with conflict and resolution. When their daughter Chelsea arrives, the family is forced to renew the bonds of love and overcome the generational friction that has existed for years. Norman must find his way through his anger and fear of growing old, while Chelsea struggles to rebuild their relationship. Ethel's consistent support of her "knight in shining armor" is inspirational in its simplicity. This is a movie to ponder and always keep in your heart.

On The Edge

On the Edge is about suicidal patients discovering their true selves while going through therapy in a treatment center.

One day fate brings Jonathan into contact with people who will change his life forever- a group of teenagers who are attempting to cope with their own teen angst and a doctor (Rea) who can see right through Jonathan's façade. But it isn't until he falls in love with Rachel (Tricia Vessey) that Jonathan begins to discover that life doesn't have to be so crazy after all... although it still helps to have a sense of humor about the wild things that happen in life!  

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

A nice rest in a state mental hospital beats a stretch in the pen, right? Randle P. McMurphy (Jack Nicholas), a free-spirited con with lightning in his veins & glib on his tongue, fakes insanity & moves in with what he calls the "nuts." Immediately, his contagious sense of disorder runs up against numbing routine. No way should guys pickled on sedatives shuffle around in bathrobes when the World Series is on. This means war! On one side is McMurphy. On the other is soft-spoken Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher), among the most coldly monstrous villians in film history. At stake is the fate of every patient on the ward.

One True Thing

When crisis confronts Katherine and George Gulden, they turn to their grown daughter, Ellen for support. An ambitious New York journalist, Ellen at first rejects the idea of returning home. But once there, Ellen embarks on a journey of self-discovery that will change her forever. Uplifting and humorous, One True Thing is filled with power of genuine passion.

Ordinary People

An extraordinary motion picture, Ordinary People is an intense examination of a family being torn apart by tension and tragedy. Donald Sutherland and Mary Tyler Moore star as the upper-middle-class couple whose "ordinary" existence is irrevocably shattered by the death of their oldest son in a boating accident. Timothy Hutton is the younger son, struggling against suicide and guilt left by the drowning. Judd Hirsch is the empathetic psychiatrist who provides his lifeline to survival. Mary Tyler Moore gives a riveting portrayal of the inexplicably aloof mother. Robert Redford's achievement as director after more than twenty years as a superstar in front of the camera, earned him and Oscar®. Superb performances and masterful direction complement the award-winning screenplay, based upon the novel by Judith Guest.

Owning Mahowny  

To some it'sia game. To others it'sia habit. Butito Brian Mahowny - beating theiodds isieverything.

Based on the true story of the largest one-man bank fraud in Canadian history, Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Talented Mr. Ripley), Minnie Driver (Good Will Hunting) and John Hurt (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone) star in the coolest, smartest, most stylish thriller of the year!

Dan Mahowny (Hoffman) is a mild-mannered bank manager with a nasty gambling habit and a job that gives him access to a $20 million account. When a major losing streak leaves him busted and unable to cover his losses, Mahowny develops an ingenious plan to play the bank against the casino. But with time running out and the odds stacked against him, obsession becomes compulsion and the thrill of the bet is quickly replaced with a primal desire to stay in the game. "Engrossing, wryly funny and strangely poetic!" - Glenn Kenny, Premiere

Patch Adams

Based Onia True Story.

Meet Patch Adams, a doctor who doesn't look, act or think like any doctor you've met before. For Patch, humor is the best medicine, and he's willing to do just about anything to make his patients laugh - even if it means risking his own career. Based on a true story, Patch Adams combines side splitting humor with an inspiring story that transcends the traditional comedy.

Pauline & Paulette

Two Sisters. Two Worlds. One Special Bond.

An impressive debut from writer/director Lieven Debrauwer, Pauline & Paulette is a funny, touching drama about two sisters and their unique relationship. This fresh film features incredible performances from legendary Belgian actresses Dor van der Groen and Ann Petersen.

Mentally challenged Pauline is obsessed with pretty flowers and her glamorous sister Paulette. When Martha, her caretaker sister, dies suddenly, Pauline moves in with Paulette, hilariously interfering in the day-to-day running of her lingerie shop and her double life as a opera singer. Troubled by Pauline's presence, Paulette sends her simple-minded sister to Brussels to live with their urbane sibling Cecile and her moody French boyfriend. But when Pauline finds her way back to Paulette, they're both in for a big surprise.

Peppermint Candy  

Spring, 1999. On a railroad bridge overlooking a riverbank, Yong-Ho (Sol Kyung-Gu) faces an oncoming train and shouts "I'm going back!" right before the train takes his life...

Peppermint Candy takes viewers back before Yong-Ho's death, and back through 20 years of recent South Korean history. Director Lee Chang-Dong weaves an emotionally wrenching tale about the futility of dreams against the unstoppable march of time. Like Memento, Peppermint Candy unfolds in reverse, with each stop in time giving new insights into Yong-Ho and his first true love, Sun-Im (Moon So-Ri)...

A masterpiece of the Korean New Wave, Peppermint Candy is an absorbing journey through Korea's climb to democracy (including the Gwang-ju Massacre), and a bittersweet tale of what it means to be human.

Personal Velocity

"One of theifinest pictures of theiyear!" -The New York Times

Three very different women. One daring leap of faith. Kyra Sedgwick (Something To Talk About), Parker Posey (Best In Show) and Fairuza Balk (Almost Famous) star in this "completely compelling" (The Hollywood Reporter) drama about three women who set out to change their lives. Winner of the 2002 Sundance Festival’s Grand Jury Prize, this passionate, poignant and bracing film delivers "a muscular punch" (Screen International)!

Delia (Sedgwick) escapes from an abusive husband. Greta (Posey) risks everything for a new career. And Paula (Balk) takes flight after a tragic accident. These women must overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles that confine them. But are they really on their way to new lives-or are they just making new versions of old mistakes?

Petits Freres  

"French director Jacques Doillon hasia giftifor exploring theisecret inner lives of children… Petits Freres could be theisecond chapter of Ponette." -Time Out New York

Jacques Doillon, director of the widely loved Ponette, has crafted a wonderful follow-up, the gritty and authentic, yet also unexpectedly lyrical and buoyant Petits Freres.

Talia, a 13-year-old girl who is already battle-weary from fighting with her mean stepfather, runs away from home with her beloved dog Kim. She meets up with a group of four boys her own age who take a grudging liking to her - which doesn't stop them from secretly stealing and selling Kim.

Talia, distraught over the disappearance of her pet, strikes an uneasy alliance with they boys in an attempt to rescue Kim. Soon Talia and her gang of "petits freres" (Little fellas) find real friendship and common humanity in their harsh surroundings.

Pi

faithiin chaos

A brilliant mathematician teeters on the brink of insanity as he searches for an elusive numerical code in this critically acclaimed, sci-fi thriller!

Maximilian Cohen is on the verge of the most important discovery of his life. For the past ten years, he has been attempting to decode the numerical pattern beneath the ultimate system of ordered chaos--the stock market. As Max verges on a solution, chaos is swallowing the world around him. Pursued by an aggressive Wall Street firm set on financial domination and a Kaballah sect intent on unlocking the secrets behind their ancient holy texts, Max races to crack the code, hoping to defy the madness that looms before him. Instead, he uncovers a secret for which everyone is willing to kill.

Pieces Of April

"Witty andiwise"- Us Weekly

Katie Holmes is "terrific" (People) as the quirky black sheep of her family in this delightful comedy that "sparkles with acerbic wit, original characters and genuine heart" (Variety). Patricia Clarkson gives "a career-making performance" (Boxoffice), and "the entire cast is inspired" (Film Threat) in this "moving, hilarious comedy" (People).

Rebellious daughter April Burns (Holmes) has offered to host an elaborate Thanksgiving dinner for her suburban clan in her Lower East Side apartment. But her attempts to create an unforgettable feast go awry when she discovers that her oven doesn't work. Now, as her weary family makes its way to the city, April must rely on the kindness of strangers to pull off the perfect meal... and the perfect memory.

Plenty

"Streep isifiercely intelligent andisexier than she's ever been oniscreen." -People Magazine

Meryl Streep gives one of the greatest performances of her career as Susan Traherne, an idealistic young Englishwoman haunted by the memory of her passionate liaison with a young spy (Sam Neill) in occupied France. Over the next 20 years in post-war Britain, Susan's disillusionment and emotional instability creates chaos in the lives of those around her, including her long-suffering diplomat husband (Charles Dance), her trusted best friend (Tracey Ullman) and her angry young lover (Sting). Even though the glory of the 'good war' is ended, Susan's destructive struggle with a life of plenty had only just begun.

John Gielgud and Ian MccKellan co-star in this provocative drama written by award-winning director, playwright David Hare (Strapless) and masterfully directed by Fred Schepisi (Six Degrees Of Separation, Roxanne).

Pollock

Directed by and starring Academy Award® nominee (for Best Actor) Ed Harris (The Truman Show, The Rock), Pollock is a beautifully crafted, stunning drama about the legendary American painter Jackson Pollock.

Fellow artists and lovers Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner are at the center of New York's 1940s art scene, but as Krasner neglects he work to push Pollock's career forward, Pollock begins to unravel emotionally. Pollock and Krasner escape to the country and marry, and soon, Pollock creates work that makes him the first internationally-famous modern painter in America. But with fame and fortune comes a volatile temper and severe self-doubt; before long, Pollock's life threatens to explode. Featuring exceptional performances by a stellar cast, including Academy Award® winner Maria Gay Harden (Meet Joe Black, The First Wives Club), Amy Madigan (Field Of Dreams, Uncle Buck), Val Kilmer (The Saint, Heat) and Jennifer Connelly (Requiem For A Dream).

Ponette  

Sent to live with her relatives, Ponette experiences the hopes, dreams and fears of a child following the loss of a parent. Ultimately, it is her faith, love and strength of character that enables Ponette to triumphantly overcome her tragedy.

Postcards From The Edge

Based on actress Carrie Fisher's best-selling autobiographical novel, Postcards From The Edge is a wickedly witty expose of life in the Hollywood fast lane. In a brilliant comic performance, Meryl Streep stars as Suzanne Vale, a wisecracking, vulnerable actress determined to jump start her failing career. As her aging movie star mother, Shirley MacLaine offers the definitive portrait of Hollywood's gutsy glamour queens in scenes spiked with razor-edged humor and searing honesty. Dennis Quaid, Rob Reiner and an all-star cast offer a bird's-eye view of Hollywood has-beens and wanna-bes. Funny and uncompromising, Postcards from the Edge dishes the Tinseltown dirt with style and wit, serving up a delicious behind-the-scenes comedy that no film lover can resist.

President's Analyst, The

A Film About Life, Liberty anditheiPursuit Of Happenings.

With the responsibilities of world peace, the national debt, and dessert choices at state dinners constantly on his mind, it seemed like a good idea to get the President of the United States an analyst to help him deal with these burdens. In The President's Analyst, Dr. Sidney Schaefer (James Coburn) wins the coveted job, but not without a price-governments from all over the world are soon targeting the hapless doctor. Some want him to spill whatever secrets may have been discussed in the Oval Office, while others want to silence him permanently to prevent him from possibly revealing that very information!

Prime

"Hilarious andiheartfelt!" -Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

When Rafi (Uma Thurman), a 37-year-old single woman, meets David (Bryan Greenberg), a 23-year-old painter, it’s love at first sight. But that love gets complicated fast when Rafi discovers that David is also the son of her therapist (Academy Award® winner Meryl Streep)! Professional help is about to get very personal in this entertaining and irresistibly charming hit that critics are calling "a funny and very sexy comedy" (Jess Cagle, WCBS/People Magazine).

Prince Of Tides, The

Barbra Streisand and Nick Nolte star in the stunning screen adaptation of Pat Conroy's best-selling novel, The Prince Of Tides.

Nolte is Tom Wingo, a disillusioned southern coach who must reveal his tortured childhood in order to help his troubled sister. Streisand is Susan Lowenstein, the determined psychiatrist who battles Tom's resentment and rage in search of the truth. Their antagonism gradually gives way to love, as Tom and Susan find the secret that unlocks his sister's torment and the courage to change their own lives. Critically acclaimed as the best movie of the year, The Prince of tides was hailed by Jeffrey Lyons as "a blockbuster, must-see, can't-miss movie." Streisand also won rave reviews as director, assembling a superlative supporting cast that includes Blythe Danner, Kate Nelligan, Jeron Krabbe, Melinda Dillon and her own son Jason Gould (as her screen son, Bernard).

Proof

Wickedly funny, multi-layered and intensely original, this is the widely-acclaimed story of a blind man compelled to photograph the world around him, hoping to document and understand what he cannot see. The two people closest to him, a woman and a man, describe his pictures, though he can never be certain if either is telling the truth. the three of them dance a quirky waltz of shifting loyalties, sexual relations, and surprising discoveries in this unique, provocative, and witty film.

Proof

Based On The Pulitzer Prize Winner

From the acclaimed director of Shakespeare In Love, Proof stars Oscar® winners Gwyneth Paltrow (Best Actress, Shakespeare In Love, 1998) and Anthony Hopkins (Best Actor, The Silence Of The Lambs, 1991), along with Hope Davis (About Schmidt) and Jake Gyllenhaal (Jarhead). It's a powerful story of a young woman haunted by her father's past and the shadow of her own future. Catherine (Paltrow) has devoted years to caring for her brilliant but mentally unstable father, Robert (Hopkins), a mathematical genius. But when his genius slips away, he leaves behind a mystery that affects her life...and her own sanity. Based on the Pulitzer Prize winning play.

Prozac Nation

Award winners Christina Ricci (Cursed, Monster) and Jessica Lange (Big Fish, Rob Roy) star in this emotionally charged true story about a journey into excess! When talented young writer Elizabeth Wurtzel (Ricci) earns a scholarship to Harvard, she sees it as her chance to escape the pressures of her working-class background and concentrate on her true talent. But what starts out so promising leads to self-destructive behavior and paralyzing depression that reflects an entire generation's struggle to navigate the effects of divorce, drugs, sex and high expectations! Based on the best-selling autobiographical novel, Prozac Nation also stars Michelle Williams (The Station Agent), Anne Heche (John Q), Jason Biggs (Jersey Girl) and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers (Bend It Like Beckham).

Punch-Drunk Love

"A movie of undeniable power,ia modestly scaled masterpiece." -Glenn Kenny, Premiere

Barry Egan is a socially impaired owner of a small novelty business, who is dominated by seven sisters and is unlikely to find love unless it finds him. When a mysterious woman comes into his life his emotions go haywire, fluctuating between uncontrollable rage, lust and self-doubt. "Punch-Drunk LoveThe New York Times) "A Romantic comedy as wonderful as it is strange that expands the genre to its absurdist outer limits and makes us believe..." (Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times). From the writer/director of Boogie Nights and Magnolia, Punch-Drunk Love is a dark, lovely and unique film experience. leaves you addled, a little dizzy and overcome by a pleasing, unplaceable sensation..." (A.O. Scott,

Pure  

We All Crave Something.

Ten-year-old Paul (Harry Eden) lives with his mother Mel (Molly Parker) and his younger brother Lee (Vinni Hunter). Paul slowly begins to realize that his mother is an addict and with the help of local waitress Louise (Keira Knightley), Paul tries to rescue his mother from her boyfriend and local dealer Lenny (David Wenham) in this powerful family drama.

Regarding Henry

The story ofia man who had everything but found something more.

Henry Turner is a successful but ruthless New York lawyer who needs to win at any cost, even at the expense of his wife and daughter. But a single gunshot brings Henry's fast-track rise to a dead stop, leaving him incapacitated and with no memory of the life he used to lead. Now, faced with staring over, Henry Turner is about to learn the hard truth about a total stranger... himself.

Harrison Ford stars in this dramatic, often funny and heartwarming film that reunites the talents of Ford and director Mike Nichols (Working Girl). Costarring Academy Award nominee Annette Bening (American Beauty).

Requiem Throughout her young life, Michaela (Sandra Huller) has struggled with epilepsy and an oppressive, religious upbringing. She decides to leave her small German town and go away to college. Her freedom is short-lived. The fear of being alone only intensifies her seizures, propelling her deeper and deeper into darkness - and finally, a nervous breakdown. Terrified of the grotesque visions and voices that haunt her, Michaela enlists the help of a priest who is convinced she's possessed and is determine to do whatever it takes to make her well. As she slips further away from her new life and friends, she embarks on a journey to the core of her madness. Based on a shocking true story, Requiem is a chilling tale of one young woman's harrowing coming-of-age.

Requiem For A Dream

Requiem For A Dream is a hypnotic tale of a lonely widowed mother (Academy Award winner Ellen Burstyn), her son Harry (Jared Leto), his beautiful girlfriend Marion (Jennifer Connelly), his best friend Tyrone (Marlon Wayans) and their vision of happiness. Even as everything begins to fall apart, they refuse to let go, plummeting with their dreams into a nightmarish gut-wrenching freefall

Rory O'Shea Was Here

From the producers of Bridget Jones's Diary and Billy Elliot comes Rory O'Shea Was Here - an inspiring story of independence that follows two unlikely friends determined to face the world on their own terms.

Young Michael (Steven Robertson) is a patient resigned to his quiet life within an institution's safe predictable boundaries. Then, the rebellious Rory O'Shea (James McAvoy) bursts onto the scene. Now, with the help of the beautiful young Siobhan (Romola Garai), who signs on as the boys' live-in aid, Rory will show Michael what it takes to truly be free.

Royal Tenenbaums, The

Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman) and his wife Etheline (Anjelica Huston) had three children--Chas, Richie and Margot, and then they separated. Chas (Ben Stiller) started buying real estate in his early teens and seemed to have an almost preternatural understanding of international finance. Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow) was a playwright and received a Braverman Grant of fifty thousand dollars in the ninth grade. Richie (Luke Wilson) was a junior champion tennis player and won the U.S. Nationals three years in a row. Virtually all memory of the brilliance of the young Tenenbaums was subsequently erased by two decades of betrayal, failure and disaster. The Criterion Collection is proud to present Wes Anderson's hilarious, touching, and brilliantly stylized study of melancholy and redemption.

Running With Scissors

Based on the personal memoirs of Augusten Burroughs, Running With Scissors is a wickedly funny, brave and moving tale of surviving a most unusual childhood. Augusten's ,other (Annette Bening) is a deluded aspiring poet with bipolar disorder whose marriage to his dad (Alec Baldwin) is in ruins. Soon, she is seeing a very eccentric therapist named Dr. Finch (Brian Cox) while Augusten (Joseph Cross) is left in the care of Finch's wacky family, including his tightly wound daughter (Gwyneth Paltrow). Abandoned by his parents and adopted by the Finches, he finds a kindred spirit in the youngest daughter Natalie (Evan Rachel Wood) and motherly support from Finch's long-suffering wife Agnes (Jill Clayburgh). Constantly recording the events of his life in his journal as a way to cope, Augusten finds himself avoiding school, learning about love from an older man (Joseph Fiennes), and making big decisions at the tender age of fifteen.

16 Years Of Alcohol

Frankie (Kevin McKidd; Trainspotting, Dog Soldiers, De-Lovely) is an intelligent but angry man who reacts to the pain that life has dealt him with vicious fits of brutality. After being raised by a philandering, alcoholic father and spending his formative years leading a gang on the mean streets of Edinburgh, he discovers solace in an unfamiliar form - love. The affection of Mary (Susan Lynch; From Hell, Waking Ned Devine) forces Frankie to open up for the first time in his life. At a crossroads, Frankie looks inside himself in one last effort to deal with his demons.

Safe

Julianne Moore (Nine Months, Short Cuts) gives an astonishing performance as Carol White, a suburban housewife whose affluent environment suddenly turns against her. Safe is a bold, darkly comic, completely original drama depicting Carol's descent into the horrors of modern day living. Written and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Todd Haynes (Poison, Superstar) Safe has been hailed as "seductive… Scarily confident, beautifully acted. It will seize any viewer who dares to surrender to its spell. Feel free to laugh or scream." -Richard Corliss, TIME MAGAZINE

Safety Of Objects, The

An incredible all-star cast delivers unforgettable performances in this "penetrating" (Time Out New York), "can't take your eyes off the screen drama" (Maria Claire) about a group of suburban families whose lives are mysteriously intertwined.

As Esther (Glenn Close) struggles to remain the perfect mother in the wake of a tragedy, Annette (Patricia Clarkson) copes with toxic fallout from a nasty divorce. Meanwhile, Jim (Dermot Mulroney) goes off the deep end when he's passed over for a promotion at work. But these very different people are bound together by more than their cookie-cutter homes and manicured lawns. In fact, an event from their past threatens to shatter their fragile lives unless they can find the strength to face it-and each other-head on.

Saving Grace

Take theihigh roaditoia comedy that truly lights up.

When her husband jumped out of a plane without a parachute, Grace Trevethen knew life would get tough, but she had no idea just how tough. Left with a manor on the Cornish coast, a mountain of debt and dozens of creditors on her heels, she is about to lose everything. But with Matthew, the manor's caretaker, Grace hatches an outrageous idea: why not use her renowned green thumb to plant a cash crop and pay off her debts?

Soon her greenhouse becomes a hot bed of illegal activity-and business starts blooming. But if the buzz gets too big, these budding entrepreneurs just might have to watch their dreams go up in smoke!

Two-time Academy Award-nominee Brenda Blethyn (Secrets & Lies, Little Voice) and Craig Ferguson (TV's The Drew Carey Show) are delightful in a most potent comedy that'll make you "just say yes to Saving Grace!" (Leah Rozen, People)

Sea Inside, The

Based on the profoundly moving true story that captured the world's attention, The Sea Inside is about Spaniard Ramon Sampedro (played by Oscar nominee Javier Bardem), who fought a 30 year campaign to win the right to end his life with dignity. The story also explores Ramon's relationship with two women and his ability to inspire them through his gift of love. A truly joyous experience, The Sea Inside celebrates the nature of freedom and love, and the mystery and beauty of life.

Secret Life Of Words, The

Academy Award winner Tim Robbins stars in this compelling film from Pedro Almodovar, the renowned director of Volver and Talk to Her. Powerfully acted and critically acclaimed, The Secret Life Of Words is a moving story about discovering love and hope when least expected. A wounded oil worker forms an unlikely and emotional relationship with a nurse based on his need to divulge the secrets of his past and her mysterious silence about her own identity. Jack Mathews of the New York Daily News calls it "remarkably compelling... one you won't soon forget."

Secrets & Lies

Mike Leigh's widely acclaimed film, winner of the prestigious Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Picture, is a poignant, heartwarming drama that's as wildly funny as it is moving. After her adoptive parents die, a young black woman (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) seeks out her natural birth mother only to discover her mother is white. Equally shocked to learn the daughter she gave up for adoption is black, Cynthia (Brenda Blethyn - 1996 Golden Globe Winner, Best Actress, drama) insists it's a mistake. But she soon realizes it's true and when she springs her newfound daughter on the rest of the family, the resulting chaos leads to a series of secrets and lies being revealed at last.

Sex Crazy

A wild and raucous comedy of lunatic asylum inmates who get some truly original therapy...a day trip to a brothel! There's a motley array of colorful characters including a mother-fixated "save the planet" freak with a fear of women, and another who thinks he's God. Holding it all together is the posing and preening local madam played by by the fantastic Neus Asensi (Torrente), Sex Crazy is One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest meets The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas in Spanish!

Shine

Based on the true story of Australian pianist David Helfgott, this delightful movie charts the early and traumatic early years. Telling the story in flashback we see David as he grows up and into a child prodigy while his father abuses him and his siblings with the memory of his childhood in Europe and the loss of his family in the concentration camps. David finally breaks away from his father and goes away to study overseas, he later suffers a breakdown and returns to Australia and a life in an institution. Many years later he is released and through several twists of fate (in reality even more unlikely that film portrays) he starts playing a piano in a bar before finally returning to the concert hall.

Shipping News, The

Academy Award-winning stars Kevin Spacey (American Beauty, Best Actor) and Judi Dench (Shakespeare In Love, Best Supporting Actress) join talents with Julianne Moore (Hannibal) and Cate Blanchett (The Lord Of The Rings) in this deeply moving motion picture from the director of Chocalat,The Cider House Rules! After tragedy strikes, Quoyle (Spacey) moves with his daughter from upstate New York to his ancestral home in a small Newfoundland fishing village. With a job at the local newspaper and a developing romance with a woman (Moore) who lives with her own demons, Quoyle is transformed by this place of magic, beauty and hardship. In a compelling story based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Quoyle's past melds with his present in an inspirational journey of self-discovery and second chances. and

Shock Corridor

Seeking a Pulitzer, a reporter has himself committed to a mental hospital to investigate a murder. As he closes in on the killer, madness closes in on him. Writer/ director/ producer Sam Fuller masterfully charts the uneasy terrain between sanity and dementia. Criterion is proud to present Shock Corridor in a gorgeous widescreen transfer, in black and white with its rarely-seen color sequences.

Sideways

A wine-tasting road trip through California's famed Central Coast takes an unexpected detour as Miles (Paul Giamatti) and Jack (Thomas Haden Church) hit the gas en route to their mid-life crises. The comically mismatched pair soon find themselves drowning in wine, women...and laughter!

Signs Of Life

Stroszek is an injured soldier sent to recuperate at a remote Greek island. There, he and his new Greek wife, Nora, serve as caretakers to an abandoned ammunition dump. The newlyweds adjust to their new life on this enchanted desert isle and attend to their simple duties, but soon, the heat, the exotic locale, and the suspicious, eccentric natives push Stroszek towards insanity. He finally snaps, tries to kill his wife, then plans to ignite the ammunition dump. Ultimately, soldiers swarm the area, trying to capture the psychotic Stroszek before he blows up the whole island.

Signs of Life is the debut feature from Werner Herzog (Aguirre: The Wrath of God, Fitzcarraldo, Nosferatu), the director that both Milos Forman and Francois Truffaut have called "the greatest filmmaker alive today."

Sisters, The

The Sisters is suggested by Anton Chekhov's renowned play, The Three Sisters. The film tells the story of familial deception and ultimate revelation amongst three sisters, exploring their ups and downs as well as the ties that bind them despite their dysfunctional family dynamics. Featuring a sensational cast, including 2006 Golden Globe nominee Maria Bello, The Sisters spins an extraordinary tale of love, lust, deceit, and loss.

Sling Blade

A Simple Man…A Difficult Choice.

Now, see for yourself- the powerful motion picture applauded by critics and moviegoers alike… written, directed and starring Billy Bob Thorton! 25 years after committing an unthinkable crime, a quiet man named Karl is finally returning home. Once there, he is befriended by a fatherless boy and his mother. But when his newfound peace is shattered by the mother's abusive boyfriend, Karl is suddenly placed on a collision course with his past! Also featuring Robert DuVall, John Ritter, and J.T. Walsh- Sling Blade is an absolutely unforgettable movie experience!

Slings & Arrows

The Real Show Is Backstage.

Showered with awards and critical acclaim, this darkly comic Canadian series follows the fortunes of a dysfunctional Shakespearean theatre troup, exposing the high drama, scorching battles, and artistic miracles that happen behind the scenes.

Paul Gross (Due South) stars as washed-up actor Geoffrey Tennant, who returns to the New Burbage Theatre - the site of his acting triumph and career-ending meltdown - to assume the artistic directorship after the sudden death of his mentor, Oliver Welles. Believing that theatre is meant to provoke not anesthetize, Geoffrey takes on the suits who want to turn the festival into a theme park, a director who runs amuck with Hamlet, and his own demons, including Oliver - who returns to haunt him. Also starring Rachel McAdams (Wedding Crashers, The Notebook), Mark McKinney (Kids in the Hall), and Don McKellar (Childstar).

Snake Pit, The

Virginia Cunningham (de Havilland) appeared to have an idyllic life-a nice home, a loving husband and prospects for a writing career. But something just wasn't right. Confusion, doubts about her husband's love, even violent outbursts led Virginia to be confined to a mental institution. She is put through a series of brutal treatments, including being forced into close quarters with patients whose disorders far exceed her own. The belief-the shock of the experience will return her to sanity. De Havilland's gripping turn as a woman desperately trying to return to normalcy in The Snake Pit is supported with an outstanding ensemble cast, including Leo Genn, Celeste Holm and Mark Stevens.

Son’s Room, The

Declared Best Picture at the Cannes Film Festival, this universally touching film tells the unforgettable story of a man facing the greatest challenge of his life. Giovanni is a psychoanalyst who thought he had all the answers. In contrast to the worries and neuroses of his patients, Giovanni's reassuringly calm existence revolves around the security of his loving family and the comfort of his daily routines. So when an unthinkable tragedy hits home and turns his life upside down, he must somehow summon the courage to deal with his grief while giving strength to those who need him the most! Released to overwhelming critical acclaim, this ultimately uplifting emotional journey has drawn praise for its subtle realism and remarkable power!

Spellbound

Everyone Wants The Last Word

Spellbound follows the lives of eight young Americans who share one goal: to win the National Spelling Bee.

Think this sounds boring? Prepare to be blown away. The Bee is as intense a competition as any Olympic match, and for the spellers and their families, the stakes are just as high. The unbearable pressure becomes even more extraordinary as it is felt by ordinary teenagers.

Watch as the Bee becomes a dramatic backdrop for the bigger story about kids and families today as we discover that within the roller coaster ride of the National Spelling Bee can be found the heart of America.

Spider

The only thing worse than losing your mind, is finding it again.

Spider (Ralph Fiennes) has been allowed a second chance at life after a long stay in a mental institution and sent to a halfway house under the stern watch of Mrs. Ilkenson (Lynn Redgrave).
Revisiting his old neighborhood reawakens memories of his where his mother (Miranda Richardson) and his father (Gabriel Byrne) raised him. He soon begins to uncover the real truth shifting seamlessly back and forth between the tragic events that polarized a boy's adolescence to the shell of a man enduring the surreal plausible reality of today.

Squid And The Whale, The

In his third feature, director Noah Baumbach scores a triumph with an autobiographical coming-of-age story about a teenager whose writer-parents are divorcing. The father (Jeff Daniels) and mother (Laura Linney) duke it out in half-civilized, half-savage fashion, while their two sons adapt in different ways, shifting allegiances between parents. The film is squirmy-funny and nakedly honest about the rationalizations and compensatory snobbisms of artistic failure as well as the conflicted desires of adolescents for sex and status. In detailing bohemian-bourgeois life in brownstone Brooklyn, Baumbach is spot on. Everyone proceeds from good intentions and acts rather badly, in spite or because of their manifest intelligence. Fulfilling the best traditions of the American independent film, this quirky, wisely written feature explores the gulf between sexes, generations, art and commerce, Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Station Agent, The


Winner of 2003 Sundance Film Festival awards, The Station Agent stars Emmy Award winner Patricia Clarkson (TV's Six Feet Under, Far From Heaven), Peter Dinklage (Elf) and Bobby Cannavale (TV's 24, Third Watch) in a comedy about friendship that will have you smiling long after the final credits. Fin McBride (Dinklage), a loner with a passion for trains, inherits an abandoned train station in the middle of nowhere - a place that suits him just fine because all he wants is to be alone. But that is not to be. Soon after moving in, he discovers his isolated depot is more like Grand Central Station. There's Olivia (Clarkson), a distracted and troubled artist, and Joe (Cannavale)j, a friendly Cuban with an insatiable hunger for conversation. With absolutely nothing in common, they find their isolated lives coming together in a friendship none of them could foresee.

Stealing Beauty

Renowned Academy Award-winning director Bernardo Bertolucci (The Last Emperor) explores one girl's personal journey into womanhood in this lushly filmed romantic adventure starring Liv Tyler and Jeremy Irons. When beautiful 19-year old Lucy (Tyler) arrives in Italy to spend the summer with her late mother's bohemian friends, she's determined to fulfill two dreams. The first, to consummate her romance with the Italian boy she fell in love with four years earlier, and the second, to discover the identity of her father through clues in her mother's diary. As thoughtful as it is sensual and visually stunning, Stealing Beauty is "an exquisite, erotic adventure." (Guy Flatley, Cosmopolitan)

Stevie 

In 1995, Director Steve James (Hoop Dream) returned to rural Southern Illinois to reconnect with Stevie Fielding, a troubled young boy he had been an Advocate Big Brother to ten years earlier. He began a film to discover the forces that had shaped Stevie's entire life. Part way through the filming, Stevie is arrested and charged with a serious crime that tears his family apart. What was to be a modest profile turns into an intimate four and a half year chronicle of Stevie, his broken family, the criminal justice system and the filmmaker himself, as they all struggle with what Stevie has done and who he has become.

Strangers In Good Company

"One of theimost exhilarating movies ever made about people who've grown old but remain ageless inside." -New York Newsday

They were seven old women stranded at a deserted farmhouse --- miles from civilization. They didn't have much food, or a decent place to sleep. Or much in common. Strangers.

You wouldn't expect them to fare very well, to turn a crisis into a magical time of humor and spirit. But that's exactly what these surprising, remarkable women do, in Strangers In Good Company. A film about being old and thinking young.

Directed by Academy Award-winner Cynthia Scott, this modern day classic is "a truly daring and unique movie…it is so endearingly funny and warmly touching one hates to leave these remarkable women!" (NY Daily News)

Stroszek

After being released from prison, Berlin street musician Bruno Stroszek (Bruno S.) finds himself lost in a world where he simply doesn't belong. So along with his prostitute girlfriend (Eva Mattes) and an eccentric neighbor (Clemens Scheitz), Stroszek moves to America, where he's told, everyone is rich.

It doesn't take long, however, after moving into a mobile home and taking a job as a mechanic, for Stroszek to realize that the streets of Railroad Flats, Wisconsin aren't paved with gold.

Featuring a remarkable cast and one of the most bizarre, memorable ending in film history, Werner Herzog's Stroszek is a brilliant tragicomedy which explores what happens when the American dream becomes a nightmare.

Sunday

Madeleine (Lisa Harrow) wakes one Sunday to face her stagnant acting career and her failing marriage. That same winter day, computer-technician-turned-unemployed Oliver (David Suchet) wakes from one nightmare to another: he finds himself in a homeless shelter. When Madeleine mistakes Oliver for a film director, the two strangers embark upon an intense and ultimately transforming day together and, before long, it is no longer clear what the truth is.

Sweet Hereafter, The

There isino such thingias theisimple truth.

Following a tragic schoolbus accident, high-profile lawyer Mitchell Stephens descends upon a small town. With promises of retribution and a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of the grieving community, Stephens begins his investigation into the details of the crash. But beneath the town's calm, he uncovers a tangled web of lies, deceit and forbidden desires that mirrors his own troubled personal life. Gradually, we learn that Stephens has his own agenda, and that everyone has secrets to keep.

Sweet Sixteen

Life... it's aboutito hit theifan!

Liam's mom is in prison and due to be released in time for his sixteenth birthday. Dreaming of the family life he never had, Liam is determined to make things different when his mother returns - which also entails staying beyond the reach of her lose ex-boyfriend and mean-spirited father. But creating a new life requires cash, and at 16 there are very few options for employment. It is not long before Liam and his friends' crazy schemes get him in over his head and into all sorts of trouble. Finding himself in too deep, he knows he should walk away but just can't let go.

Sweetie

Though she went on to create a string of brilliant films, Jane Campion will always be remembered for her stunning debut feature, Sweetie, which focuses on the hazardous relationship between the buttoned-down, superstitious Kay and her rampaging, devil-may-care sister, "Sweetie" - and, by extension, their entire family's rotten roots. A feast of colorful photography and captivating, idiosyncratic characters, the tough and tender Sweetie heralded the emergence of this gifted director as well as the breakthrough of Australian cinema, which would take the international film world by storm in the nineties.

Sylvia

Academy Award-winner Gwyneth Paltrow stars in this powerfully passionate true story of legendary American author and poet Sylvia Plath.

While on a Fulbright grant to England, Sylvia meets Ted Hughes (Daniel Craig), a British poet on the verge of international fame. Following a torrid four-month courtship, they marry and embark on an intense relationship. When Ted's susbsequent literaray success and the attentions of admiring women strains the marriage, Sylvia funnels her fury and passion into her work, which begins to flow forth in unstoppable bursts.

This true story of love and tragic passion is "one of the most beautiful films of the year!" (The New York Observer)

28 Days

Gwen Cummings (Sandra Bullock), a successful N.Y. journalist and ultimate party girl, loves to have a good time! Trouble is, she never can tell when she's had enough.

When Gwen borrows her sister's (Elizabeth Perkins) wedding limo and plows it into someone's front porch, the wild life she shares with her boyfriend Jasper (Dominic West) comes to a screeching halt. Earning herself a DUI and a 28-day stretch in rehab. She faces an unthinkable set of rules (no cell phones!) and some strange rituals, like chanting and (gulp!) sharing her feelings.

Joining up with an eccentric group of fellow rehabbers led by the inimitable Counselor Cornell (Steve Buscemi), Gwen embarks on a touching and often hilarious road to recovery, where she learns that life is not always a party and that real happiness comes from within.

Talk To Her


From Pedro Almodovar, the director of the Academy-Award winning All About My Mother (Best Foreign Language Film, 2000), comes his most acclaimed film yet. Talk To Her is the surprising, altogether original and quietly moving story of the spoken and unspoken bonds that unite the lives and loves of two couples.

Two men (Benigno and Marco) almost meet while watching a dance performance, but their lives are irrevocably entwined by fate. They meet later at a private clinic where Benigno is the caregiver for Alicia, a beautiful dance student who lies in a coma. Marco is there to visit his girlfriend, Lydia, a famous matador also rendered motionless. As the men wage vigil over the women they love, the story unfolds in flashback and flash forward as the lives of the four are further entwined and their relationships move toward a surprising conclusion.

Tarnation

Jonathan Caouette's spellbinding debut film Tarnation re-imagines the whole idea of what a documentary can be. Having filmed his life since he was eleven years old, Caouette has woven together a psychedelic whirlwind of snapshots, super-8 home movies, answering machine messages, video diaries, early short films, snippets of '80s pop culture and dramatic re-enactments to create an epic portrait of an American family torn apart by dysfunction and reunited through the power of love.

Tarnation begins in 2003 as Caouette learns of his mother's lithium overdose back in his native Texas. Faced with the haunting remnants of his past, including a family history of mental illness, abuse and neglect, Caouette returns home to aid in his mother's recovery. During this time, he rekindles a touching relationship with his mother, another victim of a tumultuous childhood and discovers that family ties are never truly unbound.

Taste Of Cherry

Winner of the Palme d'Or at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival, Iranian auteur Abbas Kiarostami's Taste Of Cherry is an emotionally complex meditation on life and death. Middle-aged Mr. Badii drives through the hilly outskirts of Tehran-searching for someone to rescue or bury him.

Terror In The Family

Fifteen-year-old Deena Marten (Hilary Swank) wants the same freedom every teenager craves. But when she can't have her way, her rebellious temperament erupts in violence. Her parents, Stephanie (Joanna Kerns) and Todd (Dan Lauria), fear her new boyfriend, Garret (Andy Kavovit), 17, is the cause.

Distraught, Stephanie turns to alcohol, and Todd escapes in his work. They're unaware their Boy Scout son Adam (Adam Hendershott), 13, sips from a vodka bottle hidden in his bedroom. And the problems in this dysfunctional family continue to worsen.

Three Faces of Eve, the

Based on Corbett H. Thigpen's novel of the same name, The Three Faces Of Eve follows the fascinating story of a deeply troubled young Southern housewife. Suffering from headaches, emotional upset, and forgetfulness, Eve White sees a psychiatrist, Dr. Luther (Lee J. Cobb). At first Luther gives Eve banal, commonsense advice and sends her home to her husband (David Wayne). But as Eve's condition worsens, Luther hypnotizes her, unveiling two additional personalities within the woman-a vamp and an independent sophisticate. But curing Eve will require a deep probe into an abusive past and support from her less-than-supportive husband. With narration by the inimitable Alistair Cooke, The Three Faces Of Eve is intriguing drama at its classic best.

Thirteen

"Brace yourself" (Rolling Stone) for a raw, revealing insight into urban adolescence that's so intense and realistic, "it's possible to turn away" (Interview Magazine). Anxiously trying to fit into the peer pressure cooker environment of junior high, thirteen-year-old Tracy (Evan Rachel Wood) goes to shocking lengths in order to befriend Evie (co-writer Nikki Reed), the most popular girl in school. now the two are inseparable-and incorrigible-leaving Tracy's desperate mom (Academy Award winner Holly Hunter) powerless to rescue her from a whirlwind of drugs, sex and crime.

This Boy's Life

"The most gripping coming-of-age movie since Stand By Me." -Pat Collins

For Toby Wolff and his divorced mom Caroline, 1950s life wasn’t all fun and games. These two free spirits and cross-country travelers settle in the Pacific Northwest, where life will be better. They hope.

This Boy's Life, the Wolffs' true story, "is every boy's life," the Los Angeles Times' Kenneth Turan wrote. The dynamic teaming of Robert De Niro (Analyze This, Meet the Parents), Ellen Barkin (the Big Easy, Sea of Love) and Leonardo DiCaprio (Titanic, Gangs of New York) sparks this funny, touching slice-of-life drama that pits rebellious teen Toby (DiCaprio) against his tyrannical new stepfather Dwight (De Niro). Directed by Michael Caton-Jones (Memphis Belle, City by the Sea), This Boy's Life is one to remember.

Thumbsucker

Meet Justin Cobb (Lou Pucci), a teenager who still sucks his thumb. Realizing it's totally disrupting his home, love and school love life, he allows his orthodontist (Keanu Reeves) to break him of the habit through hypnosis. Justin begins to experiment with prescription drugs, pot and sex as alternate means to overcome his anxieties and become "normal," never realizing normal is just a state of mind.

Tierney Gearon: The Mother Project

Celebrated photographer Tierney Gearon's work has been labeled manipulative, disturbing and even perverse. A former model and dancer, Gearon came to notorious fame in 2001 when photos of her own naked and masked children in the I Am A Camera show at London's Saatchi Gallery had authorities threatening child pornography charges.

Filmmakers Peter Sutherland (Pedal) and Jack Youngelson (Producer, Ghosts Of Abu Ghraib) follow this exceptional artist over the course of three years as she assembles her most daring and emotionally complex body of work to date: a series on her manic-depressive schizophrenic mother, who resides in Grey Gardens squalor in the frozen suburbs of upstate New York. The mixture of art and family can almost be too close for comfort, but like much of Gearon's photographs there is a subversive beauty that emerges from the incongruity between ordinary moments and madness. Tierney Gearon: The Mother Project is a moving and intricate portrait of an artist, her inspirations and unconventional family relationships.

Tiptoes

It's The Little Things In Life That Matter

No couple could be more in love than Steven (Matthew McConaughey) and Carol (Kate Beckinsale). But Steven has a little secret he's been keeping to himself. He has a twin brother (Gary Oldman), who just happens to be a dwarf. In fact, with the exception of Steven, his entire family is made up of dwarfs. So when Carol becomes pregnant and Steven is finally forced to tell her the truth-their child may also be born a dwarf-Carol decides to have the baby anyway knowing full well that when it comes to the important things in life, it's the little ones that truly matter.

To Kill A Mockingbird

Gregory Peck won an Oscar for his brilliant performance as the Southern lawyer who defends a black man accused of rape in this film version of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. The way in which it captures a time, a place, and above all, a mood, makes this film a masterpiece. The setting is a dusty Southern town during the Depression. A white woman accuses a black man of rape. Though he is obviously innocent, the outcome of his trial is such a foregone conclusion that no lawyer will step forward to defend him--except Peck, the town's most distinguished citizen. His compassion defense costs him many friendships but earns him the respect and admiration of his two motherless children.

Touch Of Truth

To cry outifor help, sometimes you needia special voice.

A battle between a mother and a psychologist for the heart and mind of an autistic boy turns into a desperate fight for justice in this powerfully compelling drama, based on a true story.

Is young Michael Barth a disruptive, mentally retarded mute or does his silent exterior hide an intelligent, rational child? Terry Walser, his teacher, believes that through revolutionary and controversial new teaching techniques, she can work miracles with the boy. But, this brings her into conflict with Michael's mother, Karen, who has devoted her life to Michael's care. Then, Michael reveals a shocking truth: he has been molested.

To punish the guilty, Michael must make legal history and go through the trauma of giving evidence in court. The perfect victim must become the perfect instrument of justice and prove that when a trust is betrayed, the truth cannot stay silent.

Townes Van Zandt: Be Here To Love Me

"An extraordinary documentary about an extraordinary man." -- Los Angeles Times

As a musician, Towns Van Zandt was legendary - perhaps one of the greatest who ever lived, inspiring artists from Bob Dylan to Norah Jones to Steve Earle. As a man, a husband, and a father his life was as tragic and as beautiful as the songs he wrote. Townes was an enigma to his family, pinned between a deep longing for home and the nomadic lifestyle that was necessary for his livelihood. Director Margaret Brown's Be Here To Love Me is an artful, expertly directed portrait of these conflicting sides of Van Zandt, and presents an insightful look at the sacrifices, challenges, and consequences faces in pursuit of a dream.

Townes, whose lyrics resonate with such sad beauty, has becomes widely respected as one of the greatest American musicians of his, or any, generation. Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard had a #1 country hit with his song "Pancho & Lefty", and Emmylou Harris, Lyle Lovett and Bob Dylan continue to cover his songs live. Haunting and lyrical, Be Here To Love Me combines emotional interviews with friends and family with never-before-seen footage of Townes Van Zandt; from rare performance and interview footage to intimate portraits shot in Van Zandt's own home. Featuring respected artists Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, Kris Kristofferson, Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris, Guy Clark, Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth) and more.

Trainspotting

"Choose life. Chooseia job. Chooseia starter home. Choose dental insurance, leisure wear andimatching luggage. Choose your future. But why would anyone wantito doia thing like that?"

The motion picture sensation that wowed critics and audiences nationwide, Trainspotting delivers a wild mix of rebellious action and wicked humor! It's the story of four friends as they try to make it in the world on their own terms... And who end up planning the ultimate scam! Powered by an outstandingcast of rising young stars and a high-energy soundtrack, Trainspotting is spectacular, ground breaking entertainment!

Transamerica  

"The Most Original American Movie Comedy This Year." -- Amanda White, New York Press

Emmy winner Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives) won the Best Actress (Drama) Golden Globe® Award for her "fiercely funny and deeply powerful" performance (Pete Hammond, MAXIM) that is "thrilling to watch" (A.O. Scott, The New York Times). Huffman plays Bree Osborne, a conservative transsexual woman, who learns she is the parent of a long-lost 17-year-old son (Kevin Zegers). The wheels of fortune take Bree and son on a cross-country adventure, including a memorable visit with Bree's parents, that will change both their lives. A funny, touching, completely original look at the modern American family, "Transamerica will leave you in a state of movie euphoria. It's hilarious and deeply affecting" (Joe Margenstern, The Wall Street Journal).

Truly, Madly, Deeply  

"Absolutely notito be missed! Inventive, dryly hilarious,ia real find!" -Los Angeles Times

Prepare yourself for a "touching fantasy" (Entertainment Today) from writer-director Anthony Minghella (The Talented Mr. Ripley)! Brilliantly weaving a passionate tale of life, love and death - though not necessarily in that order - this "lovely, original comedy" (The New Yorker) starring Alan Rickman (Galaxy Quest), Juliet Stevenson (Emma) and Michael Maloney (Looking for Richard) is a "triumph" (The Village Voice) that will leave you touched by its magic!

Nina (Stevenson), a charming, warm-hearted young woman, is dealing with the sudden death of her beloved husband, Jamie. Just when she can no longer bear the pain of her loss, Jamie (Rickman) suddenly appears in her living room - back from the dead! At first his presence in her life seems too good to be true, but when Nina unexpectedly meets Mark (Maloney), a part-time magician and full-time good guy who turns her world upside down, Nina is faced with the ultimate decision. Will she hold on to her past? Or let new love guide her into the future?

Truman Show, The

On The Air. Unaware.

He's the star of the show--but he doesn't know. Jim Carrey wowed critics and audiences alike as unwitting Truman Burbank in this marvel of a movie from director Peter Weir about a man whose life is a nonstop TV show. Truman doesn't realize that his quaint hometown is a giant studio set run by a visionary producer/director/creator (Ed Harris), that folks living and working there are Hollywood actors, that even his incessantly bubbly wife is a contract player. Gradually, Truman gets wise. And what he does about his discovery will have you laughing, crying and cheering like few film stories ever have.

Tuesdays With Morrie

Winner Of Four Emmy Awards! Based on a true-life-story, Tuesdays With Morrie is a loving memoir to a man whose lessons on life have much to teach us about ourselves.

Academy Award winner Jack Lemmon delivers an outstanding performance as Morrie Schwartz, the Brandeis University professor upon whom the best-selling book is based. Hank Azaria (Godzilla) plays Mitch, an accomplished journalist so driven by his job, he has little time or energy left for anything else.

One night, Mitch happens to catch Morrie's appearance on a national news program and learns his old professor is battling Lou Gehrig's disease/ After the telecast, Mitch contacts Morrie. And what starts as a visit turns into a pilgrimage as Mitch opens his heart to the lessons Morrie has to teach him. As the bond grows between these two men, Mitch learns that professional commitments don't mean anything without the love of family and friends.

Sure to inspire, Tuesdays With Morrie may just change your views on the meaning of life...forever.

Unknown White Male: A True Story

Imagine If Your Entire Memory Were Suddenly Wiped Away

Sometime between 8pm on July 1st and 1am on July 3rd, 2003, Doug Bruce lost himself. That morning, riding alone on a New York subway headed towards Coney Island, he could not remember his name, where he worked, who his friends were, how much money he had in his bank account. He was without his identity. Unknown White Male is the true story of how Bruce, a successful former stockbroker, struggles to learn who he was and who he will become.

Upside Of Anger, The

in life, sometimes the very things that pull us apart can also bring us back together. Joan Allen and Kevin Costner lead a stellar ensemble cast in the moving story of a bright, witty suburban housewife (Allen) whose world comes crashing down when her husband unexpectedly disappears. Left to raise four headstrong daughters (Erika Christensen, Evan Rachel Wood, Keri Russell and Alicia Witt), Terry's already hectic life turns totally chaotic when she falls for Denny (Costner), a former baseball star-turned-local DJ. Now it's the girls who are forced to deal with their mom's romantic dilemmas - along with their own - in this poignant yet wickedly humorous family drama.

Vincent: The Life And Death Of Vincent Van Gogh

Called "the best testimonial a Dutch master could ask for" (Washington Post), and "the most romantic and yet the most sensible documentary about a painter" (Chicago Sun Times), Vincent: The Life And Death Of Vincent Van Gogh is a richly textured study of one of the greatest artists of all time.

One of the Top 10 documentaries the year it was released, this brilliant portrait of Vincent Van Gogh is a shattering journey through the life of a tortured genius who, spurned in his own time, became the single most influential artist of modern history. Though he created 1,800 works during his decade-long career, he sold only one painting in his lifetime. The story of his turbulent, often painful life is told through his own letters, written to his brother Theo from 1872 until his death in 1890, eloquently read by actor John Hurt. Van Gogh's inner struggles and development as an artist are punctuated by his sketches, drawings and paintings, from his failed foray into the clergy and his days as a young artist in Paris to his descent into madness in the South of France and his death by his brother's side.

Written and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Paul Cox, Vincent: The Life And Death Of Vincent Van Gogh is a passionate tribute to the life, mind and art of a man of extraordinary genius and humanity.

Vincent & Theo

"An Altman masterpiece." -- Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

The eternal struggle between madness and genius takes its toll on the brothers Van Gogh in this "luminous" (LA Weekly) masterpiece from Academy Award-nominated director Robert Altman. Tim Roth and Paul Rhys give "stupendous performances" (Rolling Stone) in the roles of tortured artist Vincent and his brother Theo in this "beautiful, disturbing and powerful film" (Screen) that is "as rich and tactile as a Van Gogh painting" (New York Post).

In life, he was impoverished, his work largely ignored; yet today, paintings by Vincent Van Gogh fetch millions of dollars at auction. This supreme irony is laid bare in the passionate story of an obsessive artist driven by inexorable demons and his alternately devoted and despairing younger brother, who seems unable to live with him…or without him.

Vital

"Loaded with Tsukamoto dynamite." -- KFC Cinema

Hiroshi Takagi returns home to begin his new life after having his memory wiped away in an auto accident. Fascinated by a dusty dissection textbook, he enrolls in medical school where he catches the eye if Izumi, a beautiful fellow student who desires his attention. But it's another beauty that becomes his obsession...the dead woman on the cadaver table. Starting with the tattoo on her arm, patterns of recognition begin to return to Hiroshi and soon he is having visions of a life with this woman. The deeper he cuts into her flesh, the closer he gets to unlocking the dark memories of his forgotten past.

War At Home, The

There isia secret aboutito explode.

This highly acclaimed motion picture stars Emilio Estevez, Kathy Bates, and Martin Sheen.

Estevez (who also directed) plays a returning Vietnam War hero whose haunting experiences leave him unable to adjust to the quiet realities of small town life. At odds with his domineering father (Sheen), his desperately cheerful mother (Bates), and free-spirited younger sister (Kimberly Williams -- tensions at home soon escalate, finally reaching the breaking point one fateful Thanksgiving Day. A timeless story of one family's struggle to overcome the past ... "The War at Home" is unforgettable movie entertainment!

War Zone, the

"Unforgettably Frank In Its Depiction Of Human Evil." -Shawn Levy

In this incredible directorial debut, critically acclaimed actor Tim Roth (Pulp Fiction, Rob Roy, Reservoir Dogs) takes us on an emotionally compelling journey that's impossible to forget.

Fifteen-year-old Tom and his family have just uprooted from London to England's countryside. While troubled by loneliness and his emerging sexuality, Tom is tormented by suspicions that his father and his seventeen-year-old sister Jessie may be harboring a horrific family secret.

Unable to let his suspicions subside, Tom gradually discovers that painful reality lurking behind this seemingly normal family. Isolated, confused and consumed by anger, Tom is determined to expose his family's dark secret before it destroys himself and the ones he loves.

West 47th Street

4 People You've Tried Notito Notice.

This warm and intimate cinema verite documentary follows four people with mental illness, off the streets and out of homeless shelters, in and out of the hospital, at home and at work, over three years. The film offers an unprecedented window on the real lives of people who are often feared or ignored, seldom understood, and focuses on their resilience, optimism and grace. The four "stars" of the film (Frances, Fitzroy, Zeinab and Tex) are members of the psychosocial rehabilitation center Fountain House, located in New York City’s Hell Kitchen.

What About Bob?

Bob’sia special kind of friend. The kind that drives you crazy!

Comic wizard Bill Murray (Cradle Will Rock, Rushmore) teams up with Academy Award winner Richard Dreyfuss (Mr. Holland's Opus, The American President) in an outrageously wild comedy that's sure to drive you off the deep end! Murray plays Bob Wiley, a troubled but lovable therapy patient who fears everything! After receiving help from a noted psychiatrist Dr. Leo Marvin (Dreyfuss), Bob feels revived. But when the doctor skips town to go on a quiet family vacation, Bob, afraid of being alone, follows -- showing up unexpectedly at the therapist's lakeside retreat. That's when the fun really begins! Bob innocently becomes the houseguest who just won't leave -- endearing himself to the other family members…and, in the end, driving the stresses-out shrink absolutely crazy!

What's Eating Gilbert Grape

Life Is A Terrible Thing To Sleep Through.

Johnny Depp plays Gilbert and Juliette Lewis is the girl who turns his life around in this flawless blend of comedy and drama that includes Leonardo DiCaprio's stunning Oscar- nominated performance as Gilbert's mentally impaired younger brother. Newcomer Darlene Cates (as Momma) and Mary Steenburgen (as a housewife who wants Gilbert all to herself) co-star in "one of the most real, honest and unusual pictures of the year" (Bill Diehl, ABC RadioNetwork).

Whisky

"Profound, deadpan comedy...a pleasure!" -- The New York Times

The deadpan style of Jim Jarmusch meets Aki Kaurismaki’s wry sensibility in this perversely funny story set in Montevideo, Uruguay. When Jacobo, a lonely sock factory owner, hears about the impending visit of his irritatingly cheerful brother, who he hasn't seen in years, he enlists his faithful assistant Marta to pretend to be his wife.

White Oleander

Where doesia mother end andia daughter begin?

Oleander can be poisonous. So can a mother's love. Flamboyant, self-centered Ingrid is jailed for the murder of her lover. Yet she still controls the life of her impressionable 15-year-old daughter Astrid.

Based on the popular bestseller by Janet Fitch, White Oleander traces Astrid's remarkable journey to independence. Alison Lohman portrays Astrid, struggling to get a foothold in life as she copes with her manipulative mother (Michelle Pfeiffer) and with the challenges of living in a succession of foster homes (Robin Wright Penn and Renee Zellweger play two of the foster mothers). Energized by the real and revealing performances of a stellar cast, White Oleander bewitches-and haunts-from beginning to end.

Winter Guest, The

Comeiin from theicold.

Academy Award-winner Emma Thompson (Howards End, Primary Colors) co-stars with her real-life mother (Phyllida Law, Emma) creating a brilliant and absorbing performance ensemble that is "astonishing" (Premiere), "radiant" (Harper's Bazaar), "thrilling" (The New Yorker) and "daring and graceful" (Rolling Stone). Seldom has a film extracted such a powerful emotional response from an audience.

One cold winter day, an elderly woman arrives uninvited and unexpectedly at the home of her daughter, Frances, who is still grieving over her young husband's recent death. Together, they embark on an emotional journey neither of them are ready for, but both know must be taken.

First-time director Alan Rickman (critically acclaimed actor of Die Hard and Sense and Sensibility) utilizes the stark Scottish coast to accentuate and ultimately bring warmth to this bold, touching drama the Chicago Tribune rightfully calls, "The first great film of 1998.

Who Am I This Time?

Mix together a small town community theatre's shy leading man and the lovely telephone worker who moves into town and you have a perfect recipe for a delightful romantic comedy.

Academy Award winners Susan Saranson and Christopher Walken star as the couple who discover that affairs of the heart on the stage may be a bit less complicated than continuing the romance off the stage.

Director Jonathan Demme, an Academy Award winner, deftly weaves this endearing tale of love in bloom from Kurt Vonnegut, Jr's story.

Wide Awake


Wide Awake is filmmaker Alan Berliner's uniquely personal tour through a lifelong obsession with insomnia. In the spirit of his highly acclaimed personal documentary films, Berliner once again uses his own life as a laboratory, this time to illuminate how a restless mind that won't shut down at night leaves him feeling "jet lagged in my own time zone." A brilliantly edited blend of the hilarious and deeply personal, Wide Awake weaves hundreds of archival film clips, consultations with sleep specialists, an overnight stay at a sleep lab, conversations with family members, home movies, dream visualizations, and behind the scenes footage of the film being made, into a brutally honest self-portrait of a sleep-deprived and sleep-obsessed night-owl filmmaker. Torn between the creative passion he derives from the night, and the emotional tugs of love and family life, only the birth of his first child can get Berliner to consider joining the day shift.

Wide Awake

She Had All The Answers…Until Now!

Rosie O'Donnell (Beautiful Girls, Harriet The Spy) stars with Denis Leary (Wag The Dog, Small Soldiers) and Dana Delany (Fly Away Home, Tombstone) in this feel-good comedy about the laughter, excitement and fun that come with being a kid! Joshua is a thoughtful 10-year-old looking for some simple answers to life's eternal questions. The problem is that no one -- including his concerned parents (Leary, Delany) and his colorful 5th-grade teacher (O'Donnell) -- seems to be making any sense! Therefore, Joshua makes it his personal mission to unravel the mysteries himself…and in the process reminds everyone what it's like to wake up to the world for the very first time! With great performances from an incredible cast -- you'll love all the comedy and adventure in this altogether unforgettable motion picture!

Wilbur Wants To Kill Himself

Meet A Man Dying To Live

Wilbur (Jamie Sives) just won't stop killing himself! His brother Harbour (Adrian Rawlins) is at the end of his rope. Hoping a girlfriend might inspire Wilbur to live, Harbour turns to the prospects at hand - an ear-licking hospital orderly, a randy suicide counselor and a beguiling single mom who saves him from a noose. In this dark comedy, the relentless pursuit of suicide leads to an unlikely love.

You're Gonna Miss Me

Outside Austin, Texas, a 53-year-old man sits in an apartment with four radios, three televisions, two amps, a radio scanner, and a Casio electric piano playing all at the same time. Loudly. He has three teeth, his hair is matted into one huge dreadlock.

This is the story of Roky Erickson: manic front man for the legendary ban The 13th Floor Elevators, creators of psychedelic music and muse to Janis Joplin. Known for his colossal heroin and LSD binges, struggling with schizophrenia, and an unthinkable term at Rusk Hospital for the Criminally Insane, Roky went missing from the world.

You're Gonna Miss Me is a disturbingly intimate portrait of an imploding family and the struggle between modernized medicine and religion, revealing the shocking & triumphant truth behind one of Rock's greatest mysteries.

Movie Therapy: Using Movies for Mental Health

Therapists recommend movies to help change the way we think and feel.

By Denise Mann
WebMD Feature

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Can watching a film like The Departed help you cope with your own betrayals? Does The Queen make you think about your place in class and society? And can a movie like Letters From Iwo Jima teach you anything about war and conflict?

Proponents of cinema therapy say that, in addition to getting award nods, these and other movies can and will change the way we think, feel, and ultimately deal with life's ups and downs.

An increasing number of therapists prescribe movies to help their patients explore their psyches. And while few therapists have actually gone so far as to package their practices around cinema therapy, movies -- like art, books, and music -- are becoming one more tool to help those in therapy achieve their goals and overcome their hurdles. And books with such titles as Rent Two Films and Let's Talk in the Morning and Cinematherapy for Lovers: The Girl's Guide to Finding True Love One Movie at a Time are finding their own niche in the self-help sections of many bookstores.

"Cinema therapy is the process of using movies made for the big screen or television for therapeutic purposes," says Gary Solomon, PhD, MPH, MSW, author of The Motion Picture Prescription and Reel Therapy.

"It can have a positive effect on most people except those suffering from psychotic disorders," says Solomon, a professor of psychology at the Community College of Southern Nevada.

In fact, Solomon often lectures at prisons to help inmates learn to use movies as therapy to see what they have done to get them into their current predicament and, hopefully, to learn from it.

Cue up your DVD player because "cinema therapy is something that is self-administered," he says. "That's not to say therapy on a one-to-one basis is bad, but this is an opportunity to do interventional work by yourself."

The idea, says Solomon, is to choose movies with themes that mirror your current problem or situation. For example, if you or a loved has a substance abuse problem, he suggests Clean and Sober or When a Man Loves a Woman, or if you are coping with the loss -- or serious illness -- of a loved one, he may suggest Steel Magnolias or Beaches.

When watching such movies as a form of therapy, he says to look for the therapeutic context such as addiction, death/dying, abandonment or abuse, the ability to reach out and touch the viewer, and the overall content or subject matter.

Many Faces and Forms of Cinema Therapy

But "there's not one definition of cinema therapy," says Oakland, Calif.-based cinema therapist Birgit Wolz, PhD, author of The Cinema Therapy Workbook: A Self-Help Guide to Using Movies for Healing and Growth.

There's "popcorn cinema therapy," which can include watching a movie for a needed emotional release. According to Wolz, popcorn cinema therapy is rather heavy on cinema and rather light on therapy.

In what she dubs as "evocative cinema therapy," Wolz prefers to uses movies as therapy to help others learn about themselves in more profound ways based on how they respond to different characters and scenes.

It works like this, she says: "First, I ask about their personal situation and get a sense of where they are at in their lives, and then I will recommend movies that may speak to them on certain levels."

There's also cathartic cinema therapy involving laughing or crying, Wolz says. "This is also effective if it's done right as a precursor or a first stage of psychotherapy," she says. Say a person is in the midst of a depression; a movie that helps them to cry can open up different levels of their psyche, she explains to WebMD.

When watching movies, Wolz recommends sitting comfortably and among other things, noticing what you liked and didn't like about the movie and which characters or actions seemed especially attractive or unattractive.

She also suggests asking yourself whether there were any characters in the movie who modeled behavior that you would like to emulate.

It helps to write down your answers, she says.

Make-Your-Own Movie Therapy

In what may be the Sundance festival of the cinema therapy world, the Chicago Institute for the Moving Image (CIMI) helps people seeking therapy for depression or other serious psychiatric illnesses, including schizophrenia or amnesia, to write, produce, and direct their own movies.

"We work with patients who tend to have personal interests in making a movie or a screenplay and are already working with a therapist," says Joshua Flanders, CIMI's executive director.

"We will be brought in as a consultant to work with the patient and therapist to edit screenplays, rehearse scenes, and try out people," he says.

"The process of filmmaking provides a certain amount of therapy, organization, and order that people with psychological diseases need, and it helps the therapist see what the conflicts are within their patients lives," Flanders explains.

In a sense, making a movie or creating a screenplay enables the therapist or loved ones to see the world through this person's eyes.

In the past, Flanders has seen people make "enormous breakthroughs" with this form of cinema therapy.

A Word of Caution

But patients should not cancel their next therapy session to catch a matinee, cautions Bruce Skalarew, MD, a Chevy Chase, Md.-based psychiatrist and psychoanalyst and the co-chairman for the Forum for Psychoanalytic Study of Film.

Movies are often used in therapy or analysis, Skalarew tells WebMD.

"People will bring up a movie or a book, and the selection process of what they hone in on can be a clue to some obvious -- or not so obvious -- conflict that they are working with," he says.

If the therapist is familiar with the movie, he or she can see distortions or anything the viewer may have emphasized, de-emphasized, or left out for deeper insights into their personal issues and struggles.

That said, Skalarew cautions that he is not advocating cinema therapy or movies as a prime means of therapy. "Like art therapy, dance therapy, and music, you can bring it into a traditional form of therapy, and as an accessory it can be very useful."

Why We Love Scary Movies

Horror films are more graphic than ever. Why do we watch, and what do scary movies do to us?

By Richard Sine
WebMD Feature

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Halloween is nigh, and along with the parade of adorable elves and fairies knocking on your door come some more disturbing phenomena: scary haunted houses, wild parties and, perhaps most jarringly, a new onslaught of ghastly horror films. This year the biggest new release will be Saw IV, the fourth installment of a tale of a psycho who delights in putting his victims through ever more elaborate and deadly traps.

Scary movies are nothing new, but films like those in the Saw and Hostel series have offered something different: They focus less on the suspense of the chase and more on the suffering of the victim, leading some to dub them "torture porn." They feature levels of gore and violence once reserved for cult films. And despite the extreme gore, they're attracting big crowds at your local megaplex -- and may already be loaded into your teenager's DVD player.

If you're not a horror movie fan, you may be puzzled about why people put themselves through the ordeal of watching such movies. Many behavioral researchers share your puzzlement, giving rise to a term: the "horror paradox."

"No doubt, there's something really powerful that brings people to watch these things, because it's not logical," Joanne Cantor, PhD, director of the Center for Communication Research at University of Wisconsin, Madison, tells WebMD. "Most people like to experience pleasant emotions."

Defenders of these movies may say they're just harmless entertainment. But if their attraction is powerful, Cantor says, so is their impact. These impacts are felt by adults as well as children, by the well-adjusted as well as the disturbed. They may linger well after the house lights go up -- sometimes for years. And they may be anything but pleasurable.

(Do you like scary movies? What are your favorites? Join the talk on the Health Café message board.)

 

Scary Movies: The Fear Is Real

So is the fear you feel when you watch someone being chased by an axe-wielding murderer any different from the fear you might feel if you were actually being chased by an axe-wielding murderer?

The answer is no, at least not from where Glenn Sparks sits. Sparks, a professor of communication at Purdue University, studies the effects of horror films on viewers' physiology. When people watch horrific images, their heartbeat increases as much as 15 beats per minute, Sparks tells WebMD. Their palms sweat, their skin temperature drops several degrees, their muscles tense, and their blood pressure spikes.

"The brain hasn't really adapted to the new technology [of movies]," Sparks explains. "We can tell ourselves the images on the screen are not real, but emotionally our brain reacts as if they are … our 'old brain' still governs our reactions."

When Sparks studied the physical effects of violent movies on young men, he noticed a strange pattern: The more fear they felt, the more they claimed to enjoy the movie. Why? Sparks believes scary movies may be one of the last vestiges of the tribal rite of passage.

"There's a motivation males have in our culture to master threatening situations," Sparks says. "It goes back to the initiation rites of our tribal ancestors, where the entrance to manhood was associated with hardship. We've lost that in modern society, and we may have found ways to replace it in our entertainment preferences."

In this context, Sparks says, the gorier the movie, the more justified the young man feels in boasting that he endured it. Other examples of modern tribal rites include roller coasters and even frat-house hazing.

 

Morbid Fascination

There are other theories to explain the appeal of scary movies. James B. Weaver III, PhD, says many young people may be attracted to them merely because adults frown on them. For adults, morbid curiosity may be at play -- the same kind that causes us to stare at crashes on the highway, suggests Cantor. Humans may have an innate need to stay aware of dangers in our environment, especially the kind that could do us bodily harm, she says.

Yet another theory suggests that people may seek out violent entertainment as a way of coping with actual fears or violence. Sparks points to a study that showed that shortly after the murder of a college student in a community, interest in a movie showing a cold-blooded murder increased, both among women in the student's dormitory and in the community at large.

One popular explanation for the appeal of scary movies, expressed by the likes of horror novelist Stephen King, is that they act as a sort of safety valve for our cruel or aggressive impulses. The implication of this idea, which academics dub "symbolic catharsis," is that watching violence forestalls the need to act it out.

Unfortunately, media researchers say the effect may be closer to the opposite. Consuming violent media is more likely to make people feel more hostile, to view the world that way, and to be haunted by violent ideas and images.

In an experiment, Weaver showed gratuitously violent films (with stars like Chuck Norris and Steven Seagal) to college students for several nights in a row. The next day, while they were performing a simple test, a research assistant treated them rudely. The students who had watched the violent films suggested a harsher punishment for the rude assistant than students who had watched nonviolent films. "Watching these films actually made people more callous and more punitive," says Weaver, a researcher at Emory University's department of behavioral sciences and health education. "You can actually prime the idea that aggression or violence is the way to resolve conflict."

 

Lingering Effects

Just because people seek out scary movies doesn't mean their effects are benign, researchers say. In fact, Cantor suggests keeping children away from these films, and adds that adults have plenty of reasons to say away, as well.

In surveys of her students, Cantor found that nearly 60% reported that something they had watched before age 14 had caused disturbances in their sleep or waking life. Cantor has collected hundreds of essays by students who became afraid of water or clowns, who had obsessive thoughts of horrible images, or who became disturbed even at the mention of movies such as E.T. or Nightmare on Elm Street. More than a quarter of the students said they were still fearful.

Cantor suspects that the brain may store memories of these films in the amygdala, which plays an important role in generating emotions. She says these film memories may produce similar reactions to those produced by actual trauma -- and may be just as hard to erase.

Cantor views horror films as unhealthy because of the physical stress they create in viewers and the "negative trace" they can leave, even on adults. But the effects are especially strong on children. In her book, "Mommy , I'm Scared": How TV and Movies Frighten Children and What We Can Do to Protect Them, Cantor describes what frightens children at different ages and how to help them cope if they happen to see something disturbing.

The Torture Trap

Why has "torture porn" caught on in recent years? Experts who spoke to WebMD offered a number of possible explanations. With the controversy over torture that has followed in the wake of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, viewers may wonder "what [torture] would be like," Sparks says.

Or the reason may lie with the filmmakers, who are entranced by the ability of digital special effects to make gore look more realistic, suggests Weaver. Alternately, they may be seeking to up the ante set by graphic television shows such as CSI.

As people become more desensitized to violence in the media, Sparks and other experts worry that we may also be becoming more desensitized to violence in real life. And Cantor worries that films with explicit gore may be more likely to be traumatizing.

With some hard-core horror movies having performed poorly in the box office this year, Sparks hopes that the torture porn trend is on its way out. In surveys he has done, Sparks has found that most people -- even adolescent males -- don't actively seek out violence in films.

"The further films go today, the more likely it will be that people will decide that the costs outweigh the benefits. Then they'll say, 'I don't want to see that anymore.'"

5 Halloween Character Case Files

WebMD delves into the medical and psychological histories of witches, zombies, ghouls, vampires, and werewolves to uncover the scary truth about these frightening figures.

By Kathleen Doheny
WebMD Feature

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

If you've decided to dress as a scary, creepy character this Halloween, you're likely to have plenty of company. Witches, zombies, ghouls, vampires, and werewolves are perennial favorites of young and old alike.

You should also know, however, that most of these characters have medical and psychological "baggage," say the handful of experts who study them.

So don't just take along a vial of blood or some magic potion to make your character more believable. Find out the possible medical and psychological reasons that may have made them so frightening in the first place. But beware: Even the experts disagree on the truth surrounding some of the creepiest Halloween characters.

Halloween Character Case File No. 1: Witches

Witches got a mostly bad rap as sinister types who cast spells in the Middle Ages, says Stanley Krippner, PhD, professor of psychology at the Saybrook Graduate School in San Francisco. And it's typically undeserved, he insists. They may be the most psychologically healthy of all the creepy Halloween characters. "In the Middle Ages, some of the witches were probably emotionally disturbed," he tells WebMD. "But in my opinion, most of them were not. They were very good herbalists and midwives. Some of them were surgeons.

"Remember, this was an era where women didn't have much power," Krippner says of the witches' heyday in the Middle Ages. "This was one way they could get some respect."

Some witches, he suspects, were better doctors than the men doing the healing back in those days. But as the witches got more powerful, buying up land wanted by the men, he says the anti-witch crusades occurred, including the witch hunts of the 14th century.

Not all the witches back in the Middle Ages were on that level, of course, Krippner says. "As with any profession, there probably were a few kooks."

Likewise, Krippner says, modern-day witches, by and large, are "a very positive, respectful, peaceful religious group."

Halloween Character Case File No. 2: Zombies

Zombies could be considered innocent bystanders, just the guy or gal next door -- until someone in the villages of yore decided they had done something wrong. "They then would go to a trial by ordeal," says James D. Adams, PhD, associate professor of pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Southern California School of Pharmacy, Los Angeles, and an expert in zombie history.

Townspeople would rub a preparation of Datura stramonium on their bellies, Adams says. "The Datura stramonium contains scopolamine, the motion sickness drug," Adams says. The belief was that if people were innocent they wouldn't have any symptoms from the preparation being rubbed into them.

But people absorb it at different rates, he says. "The people who react quickly absorb scopolamine within a couple of hours," Adams says. "In some, scopolamine can take 13 hours to be absorbed."

Those who absorb the preparation quickly can begin to hallucinate, with visual and auditory changes, and their breathing becomes depressed, he says. Those are the ones who turn into "zombies" -- someone who can barely walk, barley see, and walks very clumsily. They walk around with arms outstretched, stiff arms and legs, as if they are bumping into things, he says.

 

Those who absorbed it slowly, he says, went home and slept it off. And they were presumed innocent.

Another expert, Daniel Lapin, PhD, a clinical psychologist with a private practice in San Francisco, sees the medical mystery of zombies differently. In Haiti in the 1700 and 1800s, the bokor, or priest, selected a victim and laced his drink with curare, a preparation of plant poisons that knocks out the motor nerves but keeps the sensory system untouched.

"As total paralysis sets in, the bokor pretends to be magically inducing the paralysis," Lapin says. "The bokor next officiates at the victim's burial. The victim thinks he or she is being buried alive." And the victim is right.

Two or three days later, the bokor digs up the victim. "The victim bonds subserviently and forever with the person who digs them up, usually the person who drugged them," Lapin says.

Sometimes, however, Lapin says the victim would "go crazy during the ordeal," and the bokor then has no use for them and drives them away. The victim would then be likely to wander from village to village, Lapin tells WebMD, earning the reputation as the village idiot.

Halloween Character Case File No. 3: Ghouls

Ghouls, traced back to ancient Arabic folklore, have a complicated, troubling psychological profile. They like to hang around burial grounds. And they have an obsessive-compulsive desire to consume corpses, says Lapin. "Unlike a psychotic, they know what they are doing, know the consequences, know it is wrong, and could turn themselves in," he says.

"Some just obsess about this in their head," he says, but some actually do the dastardly deed. In 19th-century India, for instance, Lapin says there are reports of women with this condition, sitting around a grave and "chowing down."

Halloween Character Case File No. 4: Vampires

Probably the best-known vampire is Dracula, the centuries-old vampire who stars in the 1897 Gothic horror novel by Bram Stoker.

While some say vampires have no heart, that's not true, says Lapin, who self-published a book, The Vampire, Dracula, and Incest. "A vampire has a heart, but it is imploded [psychologically]," he says. That's the origin, he says, of a vampire's need to suck blood.

Developmentally, he says, the vampire has a "glitch" in the oral sucking stage of development. "It's not accurate to say they are fixated," he says, "because if they are really fixated that would be the roots of narcissism."

"Dracula was a narcissist, but not all [vampires] are," says Lapin.

"Vampires may have a psychological need to control others," says Barbara Almond, MD, a Palo Alto, Calif., psychiatrist and psychoanalyst at the San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis. She has published on the topic of Bram Stoker's Dracula and its psychoanalytic explanation.

Vampirism, she says, could represent a fantasy. "The fantasy would be taking over and controlling others by bleeding them."

The victim and vampire, she tells WebMD, can become pathologically dependent on each other. The victim may also become a vampire, and then they will never leave each other.

Krippner sees yet another possibility for a vampire's behavior. "Vampires may be anemic," he says. Going after another's blood, he says, "might be a form of self-medication."

If he had to pick a psychiatric diagnosis for vampires, he says, "I would say they were suffering from delusional schizophrenia." Vampires might have believed they could live a long time if they drank human blood, Krippner says.

Halloween Character Case File No. 5: Werewolves

Werewolves, talked about and reported on since ancient Greek times, may have a rare psychiatric disorder called lycanthropy, in which one has the delusion he or she is being transformed into a wolf.

The lycanthropy can be due to a psychosis or hysteria, what most of us call madness, Lapin says. It's not linked with depression, he says.

Werewolves, Lapin says, also "get a sexual thrill, conscious or unconscious, from murdering. They want to dominate and control through terror that evokes submission, and they want to humiliate and degrade."

Believing he is turning into a wolf by imagining the hair growth is the werewolf's way to disassociate, Lapin says. "It's simply a way to stay unconscious of what they are doing."

The Joy of Being Creeped Out on Halloween

If your motto is the scarier the costume, the better, chances are you like the creepiness of it all.

And some say that's just fine -- at least for while. "Halloween," Krippner says, "is one of the few occasions where it is OK to flirt with the dark side of life."

Joe Pantoliano: Mental Illness Hits Home

The award-winning actor talks to WebMD about his personal brushes with mental illness and why he's working to raise awareness.

By Rob Baedeker
WebMD the Magazine - Feature

Reviewed by Michael W. Smith, MD

You’re starring in a new movie, Canvas, in which you play a husband who must cope with his wife’s schizophrenia and keep the family together. What did you learn about schizophrenia while preparing for or playing the role??

When Joe [Greco, the director] brought the script to me I had just come off winning the Emmy award for The Sopranos. I was specifically looking for a part that would be a 360 from the character I played in The Sopranos. I chose to play this part for selfish reasons: to be a loving, caring husband who’s victimized by this illness.

Marcia Gay [Harden] is an old friend, and Joe wanted Marcia to play Mary, so once I convinced Marcia to do it, in preparation we went to a place called Fountain House, which is a clubhouse for people who are dealing with their everyday lives with all forms of mental illness. While I was there I kiddingly said to the people who were showing us around, "When do I get to meet the crazy people?" and they said, "We are the crazy people."

So in the course of working with them and working on the picture and watching Marcia evolve as this character I started having dreams about my own mom (my memoir Who’s Sorry Now, which came out three or four years ago, is about my family and my dysfunctional, humorous, crazy mom.)

And three days before we started shooting, one of our closest friends, who actually had married my wife Nancy and I, had committed suicide. I had talked to them four days prior to that about Thanksgiving dinner and making plans.

What happened to me -- it was a revelation. For whatever reason, I thought mental illness was a minority illness and it didn’t affect a lot of people. When we were making the movie, about four weeks into shooting, I said to our crew of about 75 to 80 people, "If you have mental illness in your life, or you know somebody with mental illness, raise your hand." And about 75% of the people in the room raised their hands. So it just started to dawn on me that it was prevalent.

Eventually I started to look into my own past, and I realized that my mom had issues that I always thought were issues of choice, when she behaved that way or that she would freak out. In my book (Who’s Sorry Now) I absolutely describe somebody who suffers from bipolar disorder, but I didn’t know what bipolar disorder was. They had my mother on tranquilizers, but her behavior was explained to me, by my aunts and uncles and father, that she was going through a change of life or she was moody. 

We screened the movie at Penn State recently, and I hadn’t seen it in a while. And watching it I realized I’m playing my father, Monk, in the movie. My father would always surrender to my mother’s whim. He would always give up, and he would give up at our expense. He would do anything to make sure she wouldn’t go off. I see that I do that with Chris (played by Devon Gearhart), especially in that scene when he wants to go to his friend’s house. It’s Friday night, and [Mary] is starting to go off, and I tell him maybe it’s not a good idea. That just broke my heart. It just hit me like a ton of bricks.

You mentioned (in a Boston Globe article) that being involved in the film forced you to look at some of your own problems, including depression. What kind of insights did you gain??

Just being an actor is kind of a bipolar existence. You pretend to be somebody else. You’re in this imaginary situation, being an imaginary character, in the hopes that you get the part. You have the highs and the lows of it all. Doing a play and going in front of an audience. A lot of people say, "How do you do that? How do you deal with all this rejection?" … I look at it as like an occupational hazard.

 

Dr. Richard Lerner, a professor at Tufts University, was one of the first people who saw the healing elements of this movie. He thinks that the family dynamic in this movie is the closest thing to a case study he’s ever seen. Most movies on mental illness either demonize or glorify or romanticize the illness. … In reality, mental illness affects the entire family. It stigmatizes and isolates the family. If I’m schizophrenic and I’m acting out, my brother doesn’t want to bring me to their house to the family gathering for Christmas, and that means that my children and wife are excluded. It’s an isolation that [director] Joe Greco really depicts well in the movie.

This has become an advocacy for me now. It’s really important to educate as I’ve been educated to destigmatize and de-isolate this illness. I’ve started a group called No kidding? Me Too. It’s a foundation to raise awareness and I think mental illness does not have the luxury of being anonymous like alcoholism. One has to be really brave these days and come out of the closet and say, "I am, or my sister is or my brother is [mentally ill]." It’s not the minority illness that you think it is. When I talk about the movie, or when people talk to me about my book, it’s uncanny, but people say, "Wow, no kidding, me too." That’s how I came up with the name of the 501 [nonprofit].

It brings people out of the woodwork?

Yeah. Fans will ask me what I’m up to, and I describe the movie and they’ll say, "I’m in treatment right now." Depression is a big thing. I see that a lot.

For first-year college students, when most of these illnesses start to rear their ugly head, parents think that it’s just a stage sometimes, like puberty. It goes by, and it becomes misdiagnosed.

 

As a child you suffered from dyslexia. How did you cope with that, and how did it affect your career?

When I was a kid, there wasn’t a name for it. It wasn’t an illness. My teachers … they just basically said, "there’s nothing wrong with him. He’s just lazy and doesn’t want to do the work."

I remember in the fourth grade my teacher taking my reading book away. She said if you are not going to have the decency to try to do the work, then you don’t deserve to read. I just kind of slid through every year. I evolved and I created a tough-guy character. I did the senior class play, and I had to get my 12-year-old sister to help me to memorize the monologue that I needed to read, and then I pretended that I was reading it. I got the part, and my teachers then said, "you need to learn how to read." When I was 19, I went to a professional that evaluated me with a third-grade reading level. I had a lot to overcome. And it's a miracle that I did. In today’s world I don’t think I could have done it.

Why?

The competition [to be in show business] is so much greater now.

You’re now an author and you collect rare and first-edition books. You’ve come a long way.

It’s the gift of reading. I’m big into Harry Potter. I love that book. If only there had been something like that for me [as a kid] … The first book I ever read was given to me by my history teacher after he saw me in the play. It was Eldridge Cleaver’s Soul on Ice because he knew I would relate to it. There was that, and The Valachi Papers and The Godfather, and then I got into Salinger. The books that I collect are the books that changed my life.

What's the one thing concerning your health that you wish you'd done as a child?

Not eat salami and mozzarella.

You still eat it?

No. I eat Lipitor [a cholesterol-lowering drug].

You’ve appeared in more than 100 films. With such a busy schedule, how do you look after your health?

I exercise. I love cardiovascular. I came to enjoy bicycle riding with my daughter. I love to walk. I’m in pretty decent health. I just had my colonoscopy last week and … I love those. The stuff they make you drink is horrible, but the drugs they give you are great. But then you forgot you took 'em!

Is acting important for your health? How?

Acting is something that I just love to do. My whole life has been a series of me telling white lies and bright blue lies to get by. I was acting when I didn’t even know I was acting.

 

What is the best health advice anyone has ever given you?

Run, and if you can’t run, walk.

What is your best health habit?

Taking my little aspirin every morning.

Your worst?

Cheese. I love cheese. I just love it.

What person influenced you the most when it comes to your health?

My mother, because she was so unhealthy. She smoked four packs of cigarettes a day and ate as much salami and provolone as I did. That was the other thing with mental illness: Nicotine plays a big role. … She died from stroke and heart disease from the cigarettes. My entire family died from cigarettes. My father from lung cancer, my stepfather from emphysema.

Did you ever smoke?

When I was a kid, I did a play One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and I played Billy Bibbitt. I went to Creedmoor Mental Institution and met some guys who were Billy types. One guy had a tendency of smoking and burning himself with the cigarettes and burning holes in his clothing. I took that behavior and I put it in the show, and by the time the run was over I was smoking half a pack of cigarettes a day.

Did you quit?

I quit in 1990.

How do you feel about aging?

I think it sucks. I’m in limbo. I want to be 65 so I can get my pension. I’ll be 56 next month. My doctor once told me, the longer you stay healthy, the better chance you have for a good senior living experience. My uncle Pete lived to be 90; he never smoked. My cousin Billy is 103.

Is the best part of your life in front of you or behind you?

I think it’s in front of me; it’s behind me. I like reflecting these days -- walking down memory lane.

Your character (Ralph Cifaretto) in The Sopranos famously had his head chopped off by Tony. Does it ever affect your sense of mortality or health to see yourself “die” on screen??

Yeah. I think it’s why I chose to be an actor. One of the things I remember as a kid is watching the Million Dollar Movie, in black and white, and realizing that a lot of those people were dead, but they still existed on the screen. As a child I wondered, "How was anybody going to know I was here?" Part of the reason I chose to be an actor is so that there would be some evidence that I existed 100 years from now.

As far as mortality, my parents live on in my heart. Three of my four kids never met my parents, but they know them from the stories I tell them. That eternal life comes from stories.

 

Originally published in the November/December 2007 issue of WebMD the Magazine.