Published : Jan. 7, 2011 - 18:33
The Be All And End All (U.K.)
Opened Jan. 6
Comedy. Directed by Bruce Webb. Fifteen-year-old schoolboys Robbie and Ziggy are best friends living in Liverpool, England. One day, on the way back from summer camp, Robbie faints and is hospitalized. Soon he gets diagnosed with a fatal heart disease. Robbie has one last wish, which he asks his best friend Ziggy to help him fulfill ― to lose his virginity before he dies.
Season of the Witch (U.S.)
Opening Jan. 13
Fantasy. Directed by Dominic Sena. Upon returning to his home in Europe, crusading knight Behmen (Nicolas Cage) finds his faith beginning to falter due to the brutality he’s witnessed on the battlefield. The Black Plague has decimated the countryside, forcing Behmen and his loyal companion, Felson (Ron Perlman), to seek sustenance and supplies at the Palace of Marburg. They’re weary from war, but they’re about to discover that their struggle is just beginning. Commanded by the moribund Cardinal to deliver a suspected witch to the abbey where her powers can be abolished, Behman accepts the assignment under the condition that the young peasant girl will receive a fair trial. As the two men and a small group of chaperones set out on their arduous mission, they quickly realize that their young charge is something more than human, and that they’re about to face an evil beyond human comprehension.
Magic Journey to Africa (Spain)
Opening Jan. 20
Drama. Directed by Jordi Llompart. A 10-year-old girl from Barcelona encounters a young bushman who inspires her to learn more about Africa in this educational ― and visually dazzling ― fantasy adventure. With a young Himba boy named Mel as her guide and a winged horse to carry her across the land, young Jana discovers the beauty of the Namib Desert while learning about the remarkable creatures that inhabit it. Later, Mel introduces Jana to the Guardian of the Stories and the Spirit of the Fire, and teaches her about such timeless African traditions as the Tree of Ancestors. In the wake of an illuminating encounter with a young girl named Galla who helps to heal plants, Jana befriends a fairy who teaches her the true power of imagination.
The Greatest (U.S.)
Opened Jan. 6
Drama. Directed by Shana Feste. Bennett Brewer (Aaron Johnson) was a bright, handsome and talented young man suddenly killed in an auto accident late one night while driving home with Rose (Carey Mulligan), a close friend for years who had only recently become romantically involved with him. Bennett’s death devastates his family: His mother, Grace (Susan Sarandon), is overcome with grief and can’t stop wondering what his final minutes must have been like, while father Allen (Pierce Brosnan) is forced to turn away from his mistress (Jennifer Ehle) and try to comfort a woman he’s no longer certain he loves. His brother Ryan (Johnny Simmons) mourns Bennett while becoming painfully aware that he will never live up to his late brother in the eyes of his parents. As grief slowly brings the family’s emotional troubles to the surface, two unwelcome characters come into the picture ― Rose, who has discovered she’s pregnant with Bennett’s child, and the truck driver (Michael Shannon) who unwittingly took Bennett’s life.
Heartbeat (Korea)
Opened Jan. 6
Thriller. Drama. Directed by Yoon Jae-guen. Yeon-hee (Kim Yoon-jin) is a well-off, middle aged woman who owns and manages a kindergarten. She is also a devoted mother of her young daughter Ye-eun, who is suffering from a fatal heart disease and in desperate need of a transplant. Yeon-hee becomes almost irrational when she sees a brain-dead female patient at the hospital, and offers a large amount of money to the patient’s son, Hui-do (Park Hae-il), to give up his mother’s life for her child. For Hui-do, an unemployed bully, his mother has been the only source of real income. She had divorced Hui-do’s father and remarried an affluent man. As Hui-do discovers the hidden truth behind his mother’s sudden fatal fall, he also becomes desperate ― just as much as Yeon-hee ― to save what matters to him the most