New releases — Tuesday, October 4th

Into the West

 

Rating:  Not Rated              Run Time:  4 Disc Collection

 

The story of the opening of the American West is given epic treatment in TNT’s 12-hour original limited series INTO THE WEST, produced byt TNT in association with DreamWorks Television and executive producer Steven Spielberg.  This dramatic tale of the adventurous exploration of the American wilderness, the clash of two cultures, the rush to riches in a new land and the building of a new civilization features a starring cast headed by Matthew Settle (U-571, BAND OF BROTHERS), Skeet Ulrich (MIRACLES, AS GOOD AS IT GETS), Michael Spears (DANCES WITH WOLVES, TNT’S BROKEN CHAIN), Tonantzin Carmelo (KING RIKKI, 187 SHADOW LANE), George Leach (DREAMKEEPER: AFTER THE HARVEST), and Zahn McClarnon (TNT’S CRAZY HORSE and COOPERSTOWN).

 

INTO THE WEST follows two multi-generational families, one settlers and the other Native American, each telling the dramatic stories of the West from their distinct points of view.  One family is the Wheeler clan, a Virginia family of wheelwrights making their trek westward.  The other family is a plains Native American family hailing from the Lakota tribe.  Throughout the series, the two families will experience the historical and cultural events that led to an epic clash of culture, often coming in contact with notable figures and events from the era.

 

 

Amityville Horror

 

Rating:  R             Run Time:  89 Minutes

 

This frightening remake of the 1979 horror classic from producer Michael Bay (THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE) delves deeper into the supposedly true story of supernatural events that occurred in a Long Island, New York home in the ‘70s.  When George and Kathy Lutz (Ryan Reynolds and Melissa George) come across a beautiful river-front colonial home being sold for a steal, they suspect a catch.  Once informed that the home was the site of a grisly mass murder, they decide to buy the house anyway and eagerly move in, bringing with them Kathy’s three children from a previous marriage.  While no one can deny that the house is rife with spooky sounds, the family members try to put their fears at bay.  But over time, strange occurrences start happening, becoming more and more frequent, and these events start to have a transformative effect on several family members.  Kathy’s daughter starts to act bizarrely, ending up in a variety of life-threatening situations, led by her new, not-so-imaginary friend Jody (one of the children slaughtered in the house years before by be holder brother).  Likewise, something strange seems to be happening to George.  His usually sweet demeanor is replaced with a hostile one, and he starts cruelly taking out his aggression on Kathy’s children.  Kathy’s original assumption that a house cannot be evil is challenged as she watcher her husband transform into the sort of man that just might be capable of murdering his family.  Faster-paced than the original, THE AMITYVILLE HORROR keeps viewers on the edge of their seats with quick editing, suspenseful music, and moderately graphic violence.  The two leads give quality performances, and seem to inhabit the decade in which the story is set despites the film’s slick contemporary production.

 

 

The Interpreter

 

Rating:  PG-13      Run Time:  129 Minutes

 

Director Sidney Pollack’s diverse career sees him returning to familiar ground with THE INTERPRETER.  Crafted from the saem mold that saw Pollack product the superlative political thriller THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR (1975), Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn star in a film riddled with subterfuge, recriminations, and deadly secrets.  Kidman plays Silvia Broome, an interpreter who works at the UN in New York City.  One night, while collecting a bag she has left behind in the building, Silvia overhears a whispered conversation in which an assassination attempt on a redoubtable African leader, named Zuwanie (Earl Cameron), is planned during his future visit to the UN.  Secret service agent Tobin Keller (Penn) is assigned to provide security for Zuwanie on the forthcoming trip, and conducts an investigation when Silvia explains what she has heard.  He quickly discovers that Silvia has a lengthy, troubled past as a citizen from the same country as Zuwanie, and immediately doubts her story.  A series of frantic, fast-paced set pieces ensue, with Pollack beautifully capturing the architectural wonder of the UN, and staging some breathtaking scenes all over the city.

 

Much has been made of THE INTERPRETER’S status as the first film ot be shot inside the UN, and it’s to Pollack’s credit that he wasn’t overawed by such a prospect.  Making full use of the building, the director highlights the hustle and bustle of a typical day at the UN, while also shooting eerily silent late night scenes among the famous halls and corridors.  As Pollack piles on the tension, Penn and Kidman deliver exemplary performances alongside a prodigious supporting cast, who do justice to an intelligently written plot designed to keep viewers guessing right up until the final moments of the film.

 

 

House of D

 

Rating:  PG-13      Run Time:  96 Minutes

 

David Duchovny makes his feature-film debut as writer-director in the very funny, very poignant HOUSE OF D.  Living in Paris, Tom Warshaw (Duchovny) is an American expatriate who feels it is time to tell his wife and son the truth about what happened when he was a kid.  The action then shifts to Greenwich Village in the 1970’s, when young Tom (the remarkable Anton Yelchin) has recently lost his father and is trying to survive with his severely depressed mother (Duchovny’s real-life wife, Tea Leoni).  His best friend is an older, mentally challenged man named Pappass (Robin Williams); the two of them deliver meat together, go to the movies, and see each other in school, where Pappass is the assistant janitor.  As his mother’s mental state deteriorates, Tom becomes friendly with Lady (Erykah Badu), an inmate at the Women’s House of Detention on Tenth Street; they talk about life and love, but Tom can’t see her, as she speaks with him from behind the window of her cell up high in solitary confinement.  When Tom starts falling for a rich girl, Melissa (Robin Williams’s real-life daughter, Zelda Williams, in her feature-film debut), Pappass acts out, changing everything.  Duchovny’s film is both charming and moving, filled with believable characters caught in believable situations.  The acting is uniformly excellent, as is the 1970’s soundtrack, including songs by Van Morrison, the Allman Brothers Band, the James Gang, the Doobie Brothers, Stevie Wonder, and Elton John.

 

 

My Summer of Love

 

Rating:  R             Run Time:  87 Minutes

 

Acclaimed director Pawel Pawlikowski’s MY SUMMER OF LOVE is a dreamy, poetic ode to adolescent infatuation and the dangerous feelings it ignites.  Mona (Natalie Press) lives upstairs from a pub in a small Yorkshire town with her brother Phil (Paddy Considine), an ex-convict turned religious freak.  When she befriends the beautiful Tamsin (Emily Blunt), her formerly bland days are suddenly filled with purpose.  Though they are from different social classes, Mona and Tamsin still make an immediate connection.  The teenagers wander around the lush countryside and lounge in Tamsin’s enormous mansion.  Soon, they find they share a deep attraction with one another, sparking a romance that is as unexpected as it is electrifying.  Of course, Phil disapproves of Mona’s actions, yet that isn’t the only force that is conspiring to keep them apart.  Pawlikowski’s (LAST RESORT) adaptation of Helen Cross’s novel is a gem of a film, an intimate drama that captures the burst of first love with remarkable clarity.  Featuring assured performances from newcomers Press and Blunt, and gorgeous photography by Ryszard Lenczewski, MY SUMMER OF LOVE confirms Pawlikowski’s status as one of world cinema’s most engaging auteurs.

 

 

Satan’s Little Helper

 

Rating:  Not Rated              Run Time:  109 Minutes

 

A horror-comedy in the vein of GINGER SNAPS, SATAN’S LITTLE HELPER tells the story of a quiet suburban town overtaken by evil.  Director Jeff Lieberman, long a cult director of the underground horror circuit, takes the chair in the production of this quirky tale of nine-year-old boy Douglas (Alexander Brickel), who runs into a serial killer while trick or treating.  Unfortunately for Douglas, the serial killer is dressed up like a ‘character’ in his favorite video game, Satan’s Little Helper.  Douglas will do anything to help his virtual hero, and soon finds himself acting as an assistant in the brutal murder of his own family!  A film that will induce grimaces and laughs in equal measure, SATAN’S LITTLE HELPER features a memorable performance from the great British actress Amanda Plummer (THE FISHER KING).