Movie Releases – 19 September 2014

The Maze Runner (2014)

Stars: Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Will Poulter, Thomas Brodie-Sangster

Director: Wes Ball

Genre: Action/Mystery/Sci-Fi/Thriller

20th Century Fox, Gotham Group, Temple Hill Entertainment

Time: 113 min

Rating: PG-13

Plot

Thomas wakes up in an elevator, remembering nothing but his own name. He emerges into a world of about 60 teen boys who have learned to survive in a completely enclosed environment, subsisting on their own agriculture and supplies. A new boy arrives every 30 days. The original group has been in "The Glade" for two years, trying to find a way to escape through the Maze that surrounds their living space. They have begun to give up hope. Then a comatose girl arrives with a strange note, and their world begins to change. There are some great, fast-paced action scenes, particularly those involving the nightmarish Grievers who plague the boys.

This Is Where I Leave You (2014)

Stars: Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Jane Fonda, Adam Driver

Director: Shawn Levy

Genre: Comedy

21 Laps Entertainment, Spring Creek Productions, Warner Bros.

Time: 103 min

Rating: Restricted

Plot

When their father passes away, four grown siblings, bruised and banged up by their respective adult lives, are forced to return to their childhood home and live under the same roof together for a week, along with their over-sharing mother and an assortment of spouses, exes and might-have-beens. Confronting their history and the frayed states of their relationships among the people who know and love them best, they ultimately reconnect in hysterical and emotionally affecting ways amid the chaos, humor, heartache and redemption that only families can provide-driving us insane even as they remind us of our truest, and often best, selves.

A Walk Among the Tombstones (2014)

Stars: Liam Neeson, Dan Stevens, David Harbour, Astro

Director: Scott Frank

Genre: Action/Crime/Mystery/Thriller

1984 Private Defense Contractors, Cross Creek Pictures, Da Vinci Media Ventures

Time: 113 min

Rating: Restricted

Plot

Private investigator Matthew Scudder is hired by a drug kingpin to find out who kidnapped and murdered his wife.

The Guest (17 September 2014 [USA])

Stars: Dan Stevens, Sheila Kelley, Maika Monroe, Joel David Moore

Director: Adam Wingard

Genre: Thriller

Snoot Entertainment

Time: 99 min

Rating: Restricted

Plot

A soldier introduces himself to the Peterson family, claiming to be a friend of their son who died in action. After the young man is welcomed into their home, a series of accidental deaths seem to be connected to his presence.

Tusk (2014)

Stars: Justin Long, Michael Parks, Haley Joel Osment, Genesis Rodriguez

Director: Kevin Smith

Genre: Comedy/Drama/Horror

Demarest Films, Phase 4 Films, SModcast Pictures

Time: 102 min

Rating: Restricted

Plot

When podcaster Wallace Bryton goes missing in the backwoods of Manitoba while interviewing a mysterious seafarer named Howard Howe, his best friend Teddy and girlfriend Allison team with an ex-cop to look for him.

The Zero Theorem (2013) - [Limited]

Stars: Christoph Waltz, Lucas Hedges, Mélanie Thierry, David Thewlis

Director: Terry Gilliam

Genre: Drama/Fantasy/Sci-Fi

Voltage Pictures, Zanuck Independent, Zephyr Films

Time: 107 min

Rating: Restricted

Plot

A computer hacker whose goal is to discover the reason for human existence continually finds his work interrupted thanks to the Management; namely, they send a teenager and lusty love interest to distract him.

Tracks (2013) - [Limited]

Stars: Mia Wasikowska, Adam Driver, Lily Pearl, Philip Dodd

Director: John Curran

Genre: Adventure/Biography/Drama

See-Saw Films

Time: 112 min

Rating: PG-13

Plot

A young woman goes on a 1,700 mile trek across the deserts of West Australia with her four camels and faithful dog.

20,000 Days on Earth (2014) - [Limited]

Stars: Nick Cave, Susie Bick, Warren Ellis, Darian Leader

Directors: Iain Forsyth/Jane Pollard

Genre: Documentary/Drama/Music

Corniche Pictures, British Film Institute (BFI), Film4

Time: 97 min

Rating: PG

Plot

Drama and reality combine in a fictitious 24 hours in the life of musician and international cultural icon Nick Cave. With startlingly frank insights and an intimate portrayal of the artistic process, the film examines what makes us who we are, and celebrates the transformative power of the creative spirit.

Keep on Keepin' On (2014) - [Limited]

Stars: Clark Terry, Justin Kauflin, Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock

Director: Alan Hicks

Genre: Documentary

Absolute Clay Productions, ShadowCatcher Entertainment

Time: 84 min

Rating: Restricted

Plot

First-time director/drummer from Australia, Alan Hicks, convinced his surfing mate and cinematographer, Adam Hart, to travel to the U.S. to follow and film 89-year-old jazz legend, Clark Terry (Quincy Jones's first teacher) over four years - to document an unlikely mentorship between Terry and a driven, blind piano prodigy, Justin Kauflin, 23. Clark, now 93, mentored Miles Davis as a young musician and is among the few performers ever to have played in both Count Basie's and Duke Ellington's bands. In Keep On Keepin' On, as Justin is invited to compete in an elite, international competition while battling terrible stage fright, Clark's health takes a critical turn for the worse. Over the course of filming, Clark loses his sight, which deepens his bond with Justin. As clocks tick, we are suddenly witness to two great friends tackling the toughest challenges of their interwoven lives. The film, from the producer of The Cove and Chasing Ice, captures the passing of the torch from a ...

Hector and the Search for Happiness (2014) - [Limited]

Stars: Simon Pegg, Rosamund Pike, Jordan Schartner, Tracy Ann Oberman

Director: Peter Chelsom

Genre: Adventure/Comedy/Drama

Egoli Tossell Film, Film Afrika Worldwide, Construction Film

Time: 114 min

Rating: Restricted

Plot

A psychiatrist searches the globe to find the secret of happiness.

Pump (2014) - [Limited]

Stars: Adhemar Altieri, Dr. Greg Anderson, Edwin Black, David Blume

Directors: Joshua Tickell/Rebecca Harrell Tickell

Genre: Documentary

Digital Neural Axis, Fuel Freedom Foundation, Green Planet Productions

Time: 88 min

Rating: PG

Plot

A documentary that tells the story of America's addiction to oil, from its corporate conspiracy beginnings to its current monopoly today, and explains clearly and simply how we can end it - and finally win choice at the pump.

Stop the Pounding Heart (2013) - [Limited]

Stars: Sara Carlson, Colby Trichell, Tim Carlson, LeeAnne Carlson

Director: Roberto Minervini

Genre: Drama

Pulpa Entertainment, Ondarossa Film, Poliana Productions

Time: 98 min

Rating: (not known)

Plot

Sara is a young girl raised in a family of goat farmers. Her parents homeschool their twelve children, rigorously following the precepts of the Bible. Like her sisters, Sara is taught to be a devout woman, subservient to men while keeping her emotional and physical purity intact until marriage. When Sara meets Colby, a young amateur bull rider, she is thrown into crisis, questioning the only way of life she has ever known. In a stunning portrayal of contemporary America and the insular communities that dot its landscape, Stop the Pounding Heart is an exploration of adolescence, family and social values, gender roles, and religion in the rural American South.

Swim Little Fish Swim (2013) - [NYC]

Stars: Lola Bessis, Dustin Guy Defa, Brooke Bloom, Anne Consigny

Directors: Ruben Amar/Lola Bessis

Genre: Comedy/Drama/Music

Les Films de la Fusée, Région Ile-de-France

Time: 95 min

Rating: (not known)

Plot

Maggie? Rainbow? Leeward and Mary cannot even agree on their three year old daughter's name anymore. Mary is a hardworking nurse who dreams of only one thing: changing her life. She resents her husband for being an irresponsible, overgrown adolescent, incapable of holding down a job. Leeward is an atypical, idealistic musician who fancies himself a misunderstood artist and a New Age visionary. Enter Lilas, a 19 year old French artist and the daughter of a world famous painter, who is trying to make it in New York and get away from an overbearing mother. When the bubbly young woman moves into the couple's tiny Chinatown apartment, their already fragile balance is upset even further. Between surrealism, unusual characters, art and magic tricks, Swim Little Fish Swim is a dreamlike journey from childhood to adulthood.