Author: grahams

“Years ago, a powerful Irish mafia figure placed a small selection of his youngest, brightest men into the Massachusetts Police Academy as cadets. Their purpose is to eventually rise within the prestigious ranks of the city’s police department, to serve as the eyes and ears of their boss. While somewhere else, a young cadet was assigned with an equally dangerous task: infiltrate the Irish syndicate headed by the man sending in his own to the Boston Police. Now, one cadet is an up and coming police official with a torn allegiance to his job and to the criminal mastermind that put him there. While the other cadet is the trusted number two of that man, only finding his professional duties are becoming blurred with his current state. But new clues have lead to unfortunate discoveries, when both sides realize they’re being watched by the enemy. It’s now all just a matter of time before the men assigned to find out whose the infiltrator, could come to a bloody end when someone’s identity may be revealed.”

“The Science of Sleep is a playful fantasy set inside the topsy-turvy brain of Stephane Miroux (Gael Garcia Bernal), an eccentric young man whose dreams constantly invade his waking life. While slumbering, he is the charismatic host of “Stephane TV,” expounding on The Science of Sleep in front of cardboard cameras. In “real life,” he has a boring job at a Parisian calendar publisher and pines for Stephanie (Charlotte Gainsbourg), the girl in the apartment across the hall. While Stephanie is initially charmed by Stephane, she is confused by his childishness and shaky connection to reality. Stephane’s co-worker, Guy (Alain Chabat) a vulgar but practical man, offers advice on the opposite sex, but Stephane is too far in the clouds to listen. Unable to find the secret to Stephanie’s heart while awake, Stephane searches for the answer in his dreams.”

“Director Kirby Dick (Twist of Faith) takes an unprecedented look into the Motion Picture Association of America’s (MPAA) film ratings system and its profound effect on American culture. By examining controversial ratings decisions, Dick asks whether Hollywood movies and independent films are rated equally for comparable content, and whether keeping the raters and the rating process secret leaves the MPAA entirely unaccountable for its decisions. Features candid interviews with critics, attorneys, authors, educators and filmmakers, including John Waters (A Dirty Shame), Kevin Smith (Clerks), Matt Stone (South Park), Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don’t Cry), Atom Egoyan (Where the Truth Lies), Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream) and Mary Harron (American Psycho).”

“Dan Dunne (Ryan Gosling) is an idealistic inner-city junior high school teacher who inspires his students to challenge the status quo. Though he keeps it together in the classroom, Dan has a serious drug habit. He keeps his lives precariously separated, until one of his troubled students, Drey (Shareeka Epps), catches him getting high after school. From this awkward beginning, Dan and Drey stumble into an unexpected friendship that threatens to undo them or provide the vital change they both need to move forward with their lives. Directed and co-written by Ryan Fleck.”

“By intercepting a package and following instructions meant for a deceased gangster, aimless 20-year-old Sébastien (George Babluani, the director’s brother), thinks he’s going to make a quick buck and help his poor immigrant family. Instead, things take a turn for the absolute worse when the trail he is following leads him into the heart of the French countryside and face to face with a clandestine ring of gangsters who bet on human lives. A surreal, neo-noir thriller from debut writer/director Géla Babluani. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. (Fully subtitled)”

“A medieval adventure—part legendary fable, part horror-story—based on the seminal ninth century Anglo-Saxon poem, Beowulf. Director Sturla Gunnarsson tells the blood-soaked tale of a Norse warriorÂ’s battle against the murderous and vengeful troll Grendel (Ingvar Sigurdsson), who has laid siege to the kingdom of Hrothgar (Stellan SkarsgÃ¥rd), King of the Danes. Beowulf (Gerard Butler) leads a troop of warriors across the sea to rid the village of the marauding troll, but his willingness to kill on behalf of Hrothgar wavers when it becomes clear that the King is responsible for the trollÂ’s rampages. Filmed in Iceland, the drama plays out in a brutish Northern Europe where Beowulf is caught in a battle of vengeance, loyalty and mercy. In English.”