Even Money -

A married woman is having trouble writing her
second book. Although she tells her husband Tom, that she is working in
a nearby cafe, she is actually spending all her time and the family
money gambling in a casino, where she is befriended by Walter, a
lowlife magician who wants to recapture his old glory. Walter is
desperate for the help of a local crime lord, the mysterious Ivan, but
Ivan's right hand man, the malicious Victor, merely toys with Walter
while coming down hard on Clyde, a plumber who owes Victor a lot of
dough. Victor is threatening to kill Clyde unless his brother, Darius
(Nick Cannon), a college basketball star, starts shaving points in
critical games. Meanwhile, Augie and Murph are getting into the loan
shark business themselves, not quite understanding how dangerous it can
be. Looking over all of this is Detective Brunner, a grizzled old cop
reminiscent of Captain Quinlan in Orson Welles's TOUCH OF EVIL.

Rated R.

Snow Cake --

Alex Hughes is a lonely man driving to Winnipeg
to meet someone from his past. Along the way, he meets a spunky young
woman named Vivienne who is desperate for a ride home to her mother.
But a car accident leaves Vivienne dead and Alex full of guilt, and he
goes to the small town of Wawa, Ontario, to meet Vivienne’s mother. In
Wawa, he discovers that her mother, Linda, is an autistic woman. She
convinces him to stay for a few days, and he meets her beautiful
neighbor, Maggie. With the help of Linda and Maggie, Alex may be able
to move beyond his troubled history. SNOW CAKE isn’t for those who need
an elaborate plot or explosions. Instead, it’s a rewarding drama for
adults that also features a great soundtrack from Broken Social Scene,
Feist, Super Furry Animals, and the Stereophonics.

This film is not rated.

Offside --

Many Iranian girls love soccer as much as their
countrymen and sport fans all over the world but, they are prevented by
law from attending live soccer matches in their country. Inspired by
the day when his own daughter was refused entry to a soccer stadium in
Iran, Jafar Panahi's OFFSIDE follows a day in the life of a group of
Iranian girls attempting to watch their team's World Cup qualifying
match against Bahrain at the stadium in Tehran.

A disparate group of girls, united only by
their desire to see their beloved team play live and in-person,
disguise themselves in myriad ways, risking arrest to try to get into
the game. The girls are either caught trying to get in or are spotted
in the crowd once they make it past the entry guards, and all are taken
to a holding area on the upper level of the stadium, where they are
tortured by being able to hear the roar of the crowd without being able
to see what is happening in the match.

The young women, who range from timid to
tomboy, are guarded by a group of naïve young soldiers who would rather
be watching the game themselves, out with their girlfriends or at home
looking after their sheep.

The soldiers and their prisoners are so close
in age, and the girls' crimes so harmless, that they have a hard time
maintaining their adversarial roles.

As they wait out the game, the young men
interact with and befriend the generally far more savvy women. One girl
is a tomboy from the city who taunts the guards about their country
ways. Another young woman relates the adventure that got her caught to
cheers from the other girls – she stole an officer's uniform to
disguise herself but, made the mistake of sitting in the wrong chair in
the VIP enclosure.

One young soldier, who is as much a fan as his
captives, is persuaded into shouting out the highlights of the game as
he watches through a gate. When he is scolded by a slightly superior
officer, his punishment is being forced to escort one of the girls to
the bathroom. Fearful of how the men in the stadium might react, he
punches out the eyes of a cardboard player's poster to make a mask for
his prisoner, so she won't offend any men on the way. One girl turns
out not to be a soccer fan at all but, has her own sentimental reasons
for wanting to be at the game in honor of a friend.

As the game nears it's end, the girls are
rounded up in a van to be transported to jail, along with another young
man who was caught setting off firecrackers in the stadium. The soldier
in charge is persuaded to turn on the radio so they can hear the final
moments of the game on the way and, when Iran defeats Bahrain to win
the qualifying match, the day ends happily for all. -- © Sony Pictures
Classics

Rated PG for language throughout, and some thematic elements.

Talk to Me--

Don Cheadle portrays the one and only Ralph
Waldo “Petey” Greene Jr.; Petey’s story is funny, dramatic, inspiring
and real. In the mid to late 1960s, in Washington, D.C., vibrant soul
music and exploding social consciousness were combining to unique and
powerful effect. It was the place and time for Petey to fully express
himself sometimes to outrageous effect and “tell it like it is.” With
the support of his irrepressible and tempestuous girlfriend Vernell,
the newly minted ex con talks his way into an on air radio gig. He
forges a friendship and a partnership with fellow prison inmate Milo’s
brother Dewey Hughes. From the first wild morning on the air, Petey
relies on the more straight laced Dewey to run interference at WOL AM,
where Dewey is the program director. At the station, Petey becomes an
iconic radio personality, surpassing even the established popularity of
his fellow disc jockeys, Nighthawk and Sunny Jim. Combining biting
humor with social commentary, Petey openly courts controversy for
station owner E.G. Sonderling. Petey was determined to make not just
himself but his community heard during an exciting and turbulent period
in American history. As Petey’s voice, humor, and spirit surge across
the airwaves with the vitality of the era, listeners tune in to hear
not only incredible music but also a man speaking directly to them
about race and power in America like few people ever have. Through the
years, Petey’s “The truth just is” style on and off ir would redefine
both Petey and Dewey, and empower each to become the man he would most
like to be.

Rated R for pervasive language and some sexual content.

Sicko--

If you want to stay healthy in America, don’t
get sick. Following on the heels of his award winning hit “Fahrenheit
9/11” and “Bowling for Columbine,” acclaimed filmmaker Michael Moore’s
new documentary sets out to investigate the American healthcare system.
Sticking to his tried and true one man approach, Moore sheds light on
the complicated medical affairs of individuals and local communities.
“Sicko” promises to be every bit as indicting as Moore’s previous films.

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language.

Ratatouille --

In the hilarious new animated adventure, a rat
named Remy dreams of becoming a great chef despite his family's wishes
and the obvious problem of being a rat in a decidedly rodent phobic
profession. When fate places Remy in the city of Paris, he finds
himself ideally situated beneath a restaurant made famous by his
culinary hero, Auguste Gusteau. Despite the apparent dangers of being
an unwanted visitor in the kitchen at one of Paris' most exclusive
restaurants, Remy forms an unlikely partnership with Linguini, the
garbage boy, who inadvertently discovers Remy's amazing talents. They
strike a deal, ultimately setting into motion a hilarious and exciting
chain of extraordinary events that turns the culinary world of Paris
upside down. Remy finds himself torn between following his dreams or
returning forever to his previous existence as a rat. He learns the
truth about friendship, family and having no choice but to be who he
really is, a rat who wants to be a chef.

Rated G.

Deck the Halls --

Matthew Broderick and Danny DeVito are hilarious
as two neighbors trying to put the "win" in "winter" in one of the
year's funniest comedies! Determined to unseat Steve Finch's reign as
the town's holiday season king, Buddy Hall plasters his house with so
many decorative lights that it'll be visible from space! When their
wives bond, and their kids follow suit, the two men only escalate their
rivalry and their decorating. It's anybody's guess whether the holidays
will wind up jolly or jostled in this wild and woolly laugh-fest that
the whole family will love!

Rated PG for some intense sequences of violent action, some sensuality and language.

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