August Video Releases

August 5

Nim’s Island

Nim Rusoe lives on a deserted island with her scientist father Jack and her best friends: Selkie, a sea lion; Fred, a bearded dragon lizard and Galileo, a plucky pelican. But when Jack goes missing at sea and the island is “invaded,” Nim reaches out via e-mail to the adventurous author of her favorite books, and together, each discovers what it takes to truly become the hero of your own life story. Director: Mark Levin, Jennifer Flackett. Stars: Abigail Breslin, Jodie Foster, Gerard Butler. 2008, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 95 min., Family Adventure, Fox.

The Counterfeiters

The true story of Salomon Sorowitsch, a swindler who made a name for himself as Berlin’s “King of the Counterfeiters.” However, his life of women and easy money is cut short when he’s arrested and placed in a Nazi concentration camp. With the German army on the verge of bankruptcy, Sorowitsch makes a sobering deal with his captors: in exchange for a comfortable bed, good food and fair treatment, Sorowitsch, along with the other hand-picked specialists, must counterfeit bank notes to fund the Nazi war effort. If he does as they say, he lives another day. If he rebels, he faces the same fate as the rest of the camp’s prisoners. But if he lives, will he be able to live with himself? Director: Stefan Ruzowitzky. Stars: Karl Markovics, August Diehl, Devid Striesow, Martin Brambach, August Zirner. 2008, CC, MPAA rating: R, 98 min., Drama, Sony.

Releasing August 12

Smart People

Professor Lawrence Wetherhold might be imperiously brilliant, monumentally self-possessed and an intellectual giant — but when it comes to solving the conundrums of love and family, he’s as downright flummoxed as the next guy. His teenaged daughter is an acid-tongued overachiever who follows all too closely in dad’s misery-loving footsteps, and his adopted, preposterously ne’er-do-well brother has perfected the art of freeloading. A widower who can’t seem to find passion in anything anymore, not even the Victorian Literature in which he’s an expert, it seems Lawrence is sleepwalking through a very stunted middle age. When his brother shows up unexpectedly for an extended stay at just about the same time as he accidentally encounters his former student Janet, the circumstances cause him to stir from his deep, deep freeze, with often comical, sometimes heartbreaking, consequences for himself and everyone around him. Director: Noam Murro. Stars: Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Thomas Haden Church, Ellen Page, Ashton Holmes, Christine Lahti. 2008, CC, MPAA rating: R, 95 min., Comedy-Drama, Miramax.

Prom Night

A remake of the 1980 horror film that starred Jamie Lee Curtis as one of a group of teen girls stalked by a masked killer. Here Brittany Snow takes over the role as Donna, whose senior prom is supposed to be the best night of her life, one of magic, beauty, and love. But then the night turns from magic to murder at the hands of a sadistic, obsessed killer who wants the kids to pay for an indiscretion in their past. Director: J.S. Cardone. Stars: Brittany Snow, Dana Davis, Jessica Troup, Scott Porter, Collins Pennie, Kelly Blatz, Idris Elba, Jonathan Schaech, Jessalyn Gilsig, Kellan Lutz, Craig Susser. 2007, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 88 min., Horror, Sony.

Releasing August 19

Street Kings

Keanu Reeves plays Tom Ludlow, a veteran LAPD Vice Detective, who sets out on a quest to discover the killers of his former partner, Detective Terrance Washington. Forest Whitaker plays Captain Wander, Ludlow’s supervisor, whose duties include keeping him within the confines of the law and out of the clutches of Internal Affairs Captain Biggs. Ludlow teams up with a young Robbery Homicide Detective to track Washington’s killers through the diverse communities of Los Angeles. Their determination pays off when the two detectives track down Washington’s murderers and confront them in an attempt to bring them to justice. Vitals: Director: David Ayer. Stars: Keanu Reeves, Forest Whitaker, Jay Mohr, John Corbett, Hugh Laurie, Chris Evans, Cedric the Entertainer, Naomi Harris, Amaury Nolasco, Common and The Game. 2008, CC, MPAA rating: R, 100 min., Police Thriller, Fox

Releasing August 26

What Happens In Vegas

Two strangers awaken together to discover they’ve gotten married following a night of debauchery in Sin City, and one of them has won a huge jackpot after playing the other’s quarter. The newlyweds devise ever-escalating schemes to undermine each other and get their hands on the money — only to find themselves falling in love amid the mutual backstabbing. Director: Tom Vaughan. Stars: Cameron Diaz, Ashton Kutcher, Rob Corddry, Lake Bell, Michelle Krusiec, Dennis Farina, Krysten Ritter, Jason Sudeikis, Queen Latifah, Zach Galifianakis, Treat Williams. 2008, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 99 min., Comedy, Fox.

Red Belt

Mike Terry is a Jiu-Jitsu teacher who has avoided the prize fighting circuit, choosing instead to pursue an honorable life by operating a self-defense studio with a samurai’s code. Terry and his wife Sonda struggle to keep the business running to make ends meet. An accident on a dark, rainy night at the Academy between an off-duty officer and a distraught lawyer puts in motion a series of events that will change Terry’s life dramatically, introducing him to a world of promoters and movie stars. In order to pay off his debts and regain his honor, Terry must step into the ring for the first time in his life. Director: David Mamet. Stars: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Alice Braga, Tim Allen, Emily Mortimer, Rodrigo Santoro, Rebecca Pidgeon, Randy Couture. 2008, CC, MPAA rating: R, 99 min., Drama, Sony.