November Video Releases

Releasing November 6

Ratatouille

Original comedy about one of the most unlikely friendship’s imaginable. The film’s protagonist is a rat named Remy who dares to dream the impossible dream of becoming a gourmet chef in a five-star French restaurant. Together with a down-and-out garbage boy named Linguini, the pair carve their own imaginative path to becoming the greatest chef in Paris. Director: Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava. Voices of Patton Oswalt, Ian Holm, Lou Romano, Brian Dennehy, Peter Sohn, Peter O’Toole, Brad Garrett, Janeane Garofalo, Will Arnett, Julius Callahan, James Remar, John Ratzenberger. 2007, CC, MPAA rating: G, 110 min., Animated, Disney.

Deck the Halls

Family comedy about one-upmanship, jealousy, clashing neighbors, home decoration … and the true spirit of the holidays. For Cloverdale, Massachusetts optometrist Steve Finch, no time of the year can compare to the glory of the Christmas season. And, for many years now, he’s carried on a series of heartfelt but hokey Yuletide traditions that his family — wife Kelly, daughter Madison, and son Carter — at this point, can barely tolerate. Despite his family’s exhausted protests, super-organized Steve has the December calendar chock full with everything from shooting the Finch’s annual Christmas card photo, to their ritual tree harvesting and neighborhood caroling night. Director: John Whitesell. Stars: Danny DeVito, Matthew Broderick, Kristin Davis, Kristin Chenoweth, Dylan Blue, Alia Shawkat. 2006, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 93 min., Comedy, Fox.

I Pronounce You Chuck and Larry

Adam Sandler and Kevin James play two straight guys who stumble down the aisle with the best of intentions. The pride of their Brooklyn fire station, Chuck Levine and Larry Valentine are two guys’ guys — always side-by-side and willing to do anything for each other. Salt-of-the-earth widower Larry wants just one thing: to protect his family. His buddy Chuck also wants one thing: to enjoy the single life. Grateful Chuck owes Larry for saving his life on the job, and Larry calls in that favor big time when civic red tape prevents him from naming his own two kids as his life insurance beneficiaries. Director: Dennis Dugan. Stars: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Jessica Biel, Ving Rhames, Steve Buscemi, Dan Aykroyd. 2007, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13,110 min., Comedy, Universal.

Sicko

The words healthcare and comedy aren’t usually found in the same sentence, but in Academy Award-winning director Michael Moore’s latest film, they go together hand in glove. With almost 50 million Americans uninsured and those who are insured, often victims of unfair restrictions for care, Moore takes a gentler, bi-partisan approach to inform, inspire and touch the hearts of his audience to call for a systematic change of action. With heart-wrenching and empathy-provoking testimonies from both patients and former insurance company employees, “Sicko” depicts the frustrations and difficulties of the inability to obtain treatment and life-saving care when desperately needed due to the inevitabilities of a for-profit healthcare system. Director: Michael Moore. 2007, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 123 min., Documentary, The Weinstein Co./Genius Products.

Releasing November 13

Shrek the Third

Chronicles the continued adventures of Shrek, Fiona, Donkey and Puss in Boots, with new characters including a magical, misguided Merlin, an awkward Arthur, a powerful posse of Princesses and a bundle of unexpected arrivals. When Shrek married Princess Fiona, becoming the next King and Queen of Far, Far Away wasn’t part of the plan. So when his father-in-law, King Harold, falls ill, it is up to Shrek to find a suitable heir or he will be forced to give up his beloved swamp for the throne. Director: Chris Miller, Raman Hui. Voices of: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, Rupert Everett, Justin Timberlake, Julie Andrews, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Cheri Oteri, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Amy Sedaris, John Krasinski, Ian McShane. 2007, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 92 min., Animated comedy, DreamWorks

Ocean’s 13

The sequel to “Ocean’s Eleven” and “Ocean’s Twelve”. Ruthless casino owner Willy Bank never imagined that the odds were against him when he double-crossed Danny Ocean’s friend and mentor Reuben Tishkoff, putting the distraught Reuben in a hospital bed in critical condition. But Bank miscalculated … badly. He may have taken down one of the original Ocean’s eleven, but he left the others standing and, worse for him, gave them a shared purpose: to take Bank down on the night of what should be his greatest triumph — the grand opening of his new casino, appropriately named The Bank. Director: Steven Soderbergh. Stars: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Elliott Gould, Bernie Mac, Al Pacino, Don Cheadle, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Carl Reiner, Eddie Izzard, Ellen Barkin, Andy Garcia. 2007, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 122 min., Thriller, Warner.

La Vie En Rose

The extraordinary life of singer Edith Piaf. Director: Olivier Dahan. Stars: Marion Cotillard, Sylvie Testud, Clotilde Courau, Jean-Paul rouve, Pascal Greggory, Marc Barbe, Caroline Sihol, Emmanuelle Seigner, Catherine All/gret, Gerard Depardieu, Jean-Pierre Martins. In French with English subtitles. 2007, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 140 min., Drama, Warner.

Amazing Grace

Inspiring story of how one man’s passion and perseverance changed the world. Based on the true-life story of William Wilberforce, a leader of the British abolition movement, the film chronicles his epic struggle to pass a law to end the slave trade in the late 18th century. Along the way, Wilberforce meets intense opposition from members of Parliament who feel the slave trade is tied to the stability of the British Empire. Several friends, including Wilberforce’s minister, John Newton, a reformed slave ship captain who penned the beloved hymn Amazing Grace, urge him to see the cause through. Director: Michael Apted. Stars: Ioan Gruffudd, Albert Finney, Michael Gambon, Rufus Sewell, Youssou N’Dour, Ciaran Hinds. 2007, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 111 min., Drama, Fox

Releasing November 20

Live Free or Die Hard

On the Fourth of July weekend, an attack on the United States infrastructure begins to shut down the entire nation. The mysterious figure behind the scheme has figured out every modern angle … but he never figured on John McClane – the oldschool “analog” fly in the “digital” ointment. It’s the beginning of the holiday, but New York City Detective McClane isn’t celebrating. He’s had yet another argument with his college-age daughter Lucy, and received a crushingly routine assignment to bring in a young hacker, Matt Farrell, for questioning by the FBI. But for McClane, the ordinary has a habit of exploding into the extraordinary — abruptly hurtling him into the wrong place at the wrong time. Director: Len Wiseman. Stars: Bruce Willis, Timothy Olyphant, Justin Long, Maggie Q, Jonathan Sadowski, Kevin Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead. 2007, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 130 min., Drama, Fox.

Hairspray

Tracy Turnblad, a big girl with big hair and an even bigger heart, has only one passion – dancing. Her dream is to appear on “The Corny Collins Show,” Baltimore’s hippest dance party on TV. Tracy seems a natural fit for the show except for one not-so-little problem – she doesn’t fit in. Her plus-sized figure has always set her apart from the cool crowd, which she is reminded of by her loving but overly protective plus-sized mother, Edna. That doesn’t stop Tracy because if there is one thing that this girl knows, it’s that she was born to dance. Director: Adam Shankman. Stars: John Travolta, Nikki Blonsky, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Amanda Bynes, James Marsden, Queen Latifah, Brittany Snow, Zac Efron, Allison Janney, Paul Dooley, Jerry Stiller. 2007, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 117 min., Musical, New Line.

Paris, Je T’ Aime

Made by a team of contributors as cosmopolitan as the city itself, this portrait of the city is as diverse as its creators’ backgrounds and nationalities. With each director telling the story of an unusual encounter in one of the city’s neighborhoods, the vignettes go beyond the “postcard” view of Paris to portray aspects of the city rarely seen on the big screen. Racial tensions stand next to paranoid visions of the city seen from the perspective of an American tourist. A young foreign worker moves from her own domestic situation into her employer’s bourgeois environs. Director: Olivier Assayas, Frederic Auburtin & Gerard Depardieu, Gurinder Chadha, Sylvain Chomet, The Coen brothers, Isabel Coixet, Wes Craven, Alfonso Cuaron, Christopher Doyle, Richard LaGravenese, Vincenzo Natali, Alexander Payne, Bruno Podalydes, Walter Salles & Daniela Thomas, Oliver Schmitz, Nobuhiro Suwa, Tom Tykwer, Gus Van Sant. Stars: Fanny Ardant, Julie Bataille, Juliette Binoche, Steve Buscemi, Willem Dafoe, Gerard Depardieu, Julie Depardieu, Marianne Faithfull, Ben Gazzara, Hippolyte Girardot, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Bob Hoskins, Emily Mortimer, Nick Nolte, Alexander Payne, Natalie Portman, Miranda Richardson, Gena Rowlands, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Ludivine Sagnier, Barbet Schroeder, Rufus Sewell, Gaspar Ulliel, Leonor Watling, Elijah Wood. 2007, CC, MPAA rating: R, 120 min., Drama, First Look Home Entertainment

Angel – A

Down-on-his-luck petty criminal Andre has reached the end of his rope. Irreversibly in debt to a local gangster, with no one to turn to, his only solution is to plunge himself into the Seine. Just as he is perched to do so, a fellow bridge-jumper beats him to the water. Diving in, he saves Angela, a beautiful, statuesque and mysterious woman. As they pull themselves out the water, the two form a bond and venture into the streets of Paris determined to get Andre out of the hole he has found himself in. Filled with renewed passion for life, they set out to settle Andre’s scores as they wander the City of Lights. Along the way, Andre finds himself, but he still has some questions about his leggy, lovely companion – can she really be as heavenly as she seems? Director: Luc Besson. Stars: Jamel Debbouze, Rie Rasmussen. 2007, CC, MPAA rating: R, 91 min., Comedy-Fantasy, Sony.

Rescue Dawn

In 1965, an American pilot on a top-secret bombing mission was shot down over Laos and taken to a hellish prison camp deep in the impenetrable jungle of Vietnam. What followed was one of the most remarkable and harrowing experiences of the entire Vietnam War. Inspired by the true story of Dieter Dengler, “Rescue Dawn” is an uncanny tale of camaraderie and betrayal, courage in the face of despair, and triumph over tragedy. It stands as a true testament to the impossible boundaries of the human condition and the invincibility of the American spirit. Director: Werner Herzog. Stars: Christian Bale, Steve Zahn, Jeremy Davies. 2007, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 126 min., Drama, MGM.

Releasing November 27

Waitress

“Waitress” is an irresistible film filled with delicious spunk. An audience hit at the Sundance Film Festival, “Waitress” serves up a sweet, sassy and delicious slice of life tale – as it reveals the power of friendship, motherhood and the willingness to take a chance. The final film of actress-writer-director Adrienne Shelly , “Waitress” stars Keri Russell as Jenna, a simple diner waitress stuck in a lousy marriage whose only solace is baking scrumptious pies. Aptly naming her delectable desserts after her daily emotions, Jenna hopes to one day win the local pie-baking contest earning $25,000 and a fresh start. Director: Adrienne Shelly. Stars: Keri Russell, Nathan Fillion, Cheryl Hines, Jeremy Sisto, Andy Griffith, Adrienne Shelly, Eddie Jemison, Lew Temple, Darby Stanchfield. 2007, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 100 min., Romantic Comedy, Company.

I Know Who Killed Me

Aubrey Fleming is a regular high school student with friends and family. One night, she unexpectedly disappears. Two weeks later, she is found unconscious in the middle of the woods. When spoken to, her loved ones realize she has forgotten her identity and the personality living in her body is Dakota Moss, a character that Aubrey created in one of her stories for an English assignment. Dakota denies ever being Aubrey, despite an identical appearance. Now, Dakota must try to unravel the mystery of how she and Aubrey co-exist and find out who abducted Aubrey that night. Director: Chris Sivertson. Stars: Lindsay Lohan, Julia Ormond, Neal McDonough, Brian Geraghty, Garcelle Beauvais, Spencer Garrett, Gregory Itzin. 2007, CC, MPAA rating: R, 105 min., Thriller, Sony.

Releasing October 30

Spiderman 3

Peter Parker has finally managed to strike a balance between his devotion to girlfreidn M.J. and his duties as a superhero. But there is a storm brewing on the horizon. When his Spider-Man suit suddenly changes, turning jet-black and enhancing his powers, it transforms Peter as well. Under the influence of the suit, Peter becomes prideful and overconfident and he begins to neglect the ones he cares about the most. As two of the most-feared villains yet, Sandman and Venom, gather unparalleled power and a thirst for retribution, Peter’s greatest battle is the one within himself. Director: Sam Raimi. Stars: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Rosemary Harris, J.K. Simmons, Thomas Haden Church, Topher Grace, Bryce Dallas Howard, Daniel Gillies, Ted Raimi, Adrian Lester, Theresa Russell, James Cromwell, Elizabeth Banks, Steve Valentine. 2007, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 139 min., Action, Sony.