Starring: Zoe Saldana, Diego Luna, Christina Applegate, Ice Cube, Kate del Castillo, Channing Tatum, Danny Trejo, Ron Perlman, Cheech Marin
The journey of Manolo, a young man who is torn between fulfilling the expectations of his family and following his heart. Before choosing which path to follow, he embarks on an incredible adventure that spans three fantastical worlds where he must face his greatest fears.
Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Edward James Olmos, Jon Seda, Constance Marie, Jacob Vargas, Jackie Guerra
In this biographical drama, Selena Quintanilla is born into a musical Mexican-American family in Texas. Her father, Abraham, realizes that his young daughter is talented and begins performing with her at small venues. She finds success and falls for her guitarist, Chris Perez, who draws the ire of her father. Seeking mainstream stardom, Selena begins recording an English-language album which, tragically, she would never complete.
Starring: Madonna, Griffin Dunne, Haviland Morris
A year after appearing in the box-office sleeper Shanghai Surprise, pop superstar Madonna starred in the screwball comedy Who’s That Girl. She plays Nikki Finn, who is being released from prison after serving a four-year sentence for a murder she didn’t commit. Meanwhile, wealthy lawyer Loudon is about to get married that afternoon to the snobby Wendy, the daughter of Simon Worthington. Worthington does not approve of the wedding and he wants Nikki out of town as soon as possible, so he sends Loudon to collect Nikki and take her to the bus station. Instead, the flamboyant Nikki seeks her revenge while trying to find out what happened to her friend Johnny, which causes Loudon a lot of trouble. Naturally, wild action ensues — some of it involving an escaped Cougar belonging to Loudon’s boss, the millionaire animal collector Montgomery Bell — and Loudon having to choose between the prim Wendy and the unpredictable Nikki.
Starring: Ryûnosuke Kamiki, Nanami Sakuraba, Mitsuki Tanimura
Kenji is a teenage math prodigy recruited by his secret crush Natsuki for the ultimate summer job – passing himself off as Natsuki’s boyfriend for four days during her grandmother’s 90th birthday celebration. But when Kenji solves a 2,056 digit math riddle sent to his cell phone, he unwittingly breaches the security barricade protecting Oz, a globe-spanning virtual world where millions of people and governments interact through their avatars, handling everything from online shopping and traffic control to national defense and nuclear launch codes. Now a malicious AI program called the Love Machine is hijacking Oz accounts, growing exponentially more powerful and sowing chaos and destruction in its wake.
Starring: James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes, Tom Helmore, Ellen Corby, Henry Jones
Dismissed when first released, later heralded as one of director Alfred Hitchcock’s finest films (and, according to Hitchcock, his most personal one), this adaptation of the French novel D’entre les morts weaves an intricate web of obsession and deceit. It opens as Scottie Ferguson (James Stewart) realizes he has vertigo, a condition resulting in a fear of heights, when a police officer is killed trying to rescue him from falling off a building. Scottie then retires from his position as a private investigator, only to be lured into another case by his old college friend, Gavin Elster (Tom Helmore).
Elster’s wife, Madeleine (Kim Novak), has been possessed by a spirit, and Elster wants Scottie to follow her. He hesitantly agrees, and thus begins the film’s wordless montage as Scottie follows the beautiful yet enigmatic Madeleine through 1950s San Francisco (accompanied by Bernard Herrmann’s hypnotic score). After saving her from suicide, Scottie begins to fall in love with her, and she appears to feel the same way. Here tragedy strikes, and each twist in the movie’s second half changes our preconceptions about the characters and events.
Starring: Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld
Screening in 2D
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the creative minds behind The Lego Movie and 21 Jump Street, bring their unique talents to a fresh vision of a different Spider-Man Universe, with a groundbreaking visual style that’s the first of its kind. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse introduces Brooklyn teen Miles Morales, and the limitless possibilities of the Spider-Verse, where more than one can wear the mask.
Starring: Eva Green, Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito
Screening in 2D
From Disney and visionary director Tim Burton, the all-new grand live-action adventure Dumbo expands on the beloved classic story where differences are celebrated, family is cherished and dreams take flight. Circus owner Max Medici (Danny DeVito) enlists former star Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) and his children Milly (Nico Parker) and Joe (Finley Hobbins) to care for a newborn elephant whose oversized ears make him a laughingstock in an already struggling circus. But when they discover that Dumbo can fly, the circus makes an incredible comeback, attracting persuasive entrepreneur V.A. Vandevere (Michael Keaton), who recruits the peculiar pachyderm for his newest, larger-than-life entertainment venture, Dreamland. Dumbo soars to new heights alongside a charming and spectacular aerial artist, Colette Marchant (Eva Green), until Holt learns that beneath its shiny veneer, Dreamland is full of dark secrets.
After traveling the world alongside migrating birds and diving the oceans in acclaimed nature documentaries, Winged Migrations and Oceans, Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud return to the lush green forests that emerged across Europe following the last Ice Age. Winter had gone on for 80,000 years when, in a short period of time the ice retreated, the landscape metamorphosed, the cycle of seasons was established and the beasts occupied their new kingdom. Seasons, with its exceptional footage of animals in the wild, is the awe-inspiring and thought-provoking tale of the long shared history that binds humankind with the natural world.
Starring: Thomasin McKenzie, Ben Foster, Jeffery Rifflard
Will and his teenage daughter, Tom, have lived off the grid for years in the forests of Portland, Oregon. When their idyllic life is shattered, both are put into social services. After clashing with their new surroundings, Will and Tom set off on a harrowing journey back to their wild homeland.
Oscar Snubs
Despite numerous nominations (including a win for Best Director by the LA Film Critics Association) and wide acclaim including 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, Debra Granik’s brilliant third narrative feature Leave No Trace did not get one single Academy nomination.
Jane Campion, one of only five women filmmakers every nominated for a Best Director Oscar said it best: “Over the last 20 years, Debra has become one of the most important voices in American cinema. And her film Leave No Trace is certainly one of the most moving dramas of the year… I am delighted that Debra has been nominated for Best Director at the Spirit Awards and won Best Director from the LA Film Critics. This is far-sighted recognition…. I believe she should be part of the Best Director Oscar conversation.”
Starring: Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Tiffany Haddish, Alison Brie, Nick Offerman, Charlie Day, Will Ferrell, Maya Rudolph
