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Check out the latest exclusive engagements and premieres, including the best in new indies, foreign films, documentaries and restored classics, by downloading a PDF of Landmark’s San Diego Movie Guide, with all-new programming from November 20 through February 18! |
Now Playing at the Hillcrest Cinemas
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Set in Harlem in 1987, Precious is a vibrant, honest and resoundingly
hopeful film about the human capacity to grow and overcome. Claireece "Precious"
Jones (Gabourey Sidibe) is a 16-year-old African-American girl born into a
life no one would want. She's pregnant for the second time by her absent father;
at home, she must wait hand and foot on her mother (Mo'Nique), a poisonously
angry woman who abuses her emotionally and physically. School is a place of
chaos, and Precious has reached the ninth grade with good marks and an awful
secret: she can neither read nor write. Precious may sometimes be down, but
she is never out. Beneath her impassive expression is a watchful, curious
young woman with an inchoate but unshakeable sense that other possibilities
exist for her. Threatened with expulsion, Precious is offered the chance to
transfer to an alternative school, Each One/Teach One. In the literacy workshop
taught by the patient yet firm Ms. Rain (Paula Patton), Precious begins a
journey that will lead her from darkness, pain and powerlessness to light,
love and self-determination. Winner of three awards at the 2009 Sundance Film
Festival, including the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award in the U.S. Dramatic
Competition. Co-starring Mariah Carey, Sherri Shepherd and Lenny Kravitz.
Official Web Site Betsy Sharkey's Los Angeles Times review... |
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Now Playing at the La Jolla Village Cinemas
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In his most powerful performance to date, Ben Foster stars as Will Montgomery,
a U.S. Army officer who has just returned home from a tour in Iraq and is
assigned to the Army's Casualty Notification service. Partnered with fellow
officer Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson) to bear the bad news to the loved ones
of fallen soldiers, Will faces the challenge of completing his mission while
seeking to find comfort and healing back on the home front. When he finds
himself drawn to Olivia (Samantha Morton), to whom he has just delivered the
news of her husband's death, Will's emotional detachment begins to dissolve
and the film reveals itself as a surprising, humorous, moving and very human
portrait of grief, friendship and survival. Featuring tour-de-force performances
from Foster, Harrelson and Morton, and a brilliant directorial debut by Oren
Moverman, The Messenger brings us into the inner lives of these outwardly
steely heroes to reveal their fragility with compassion and dignity. Official
Web Site Director Oren Moverman on the need to find optimism in dark times David Elliott's San Diego News Network review... |
Now Playing at the Ken Cinema
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Raquel (Catalina Saavedra), age 42, has worked over twenty years for the
well-to-do and numerous Valdes family, and on the surface seems like the perfect
maid, almost part of the family. But she is controlling and territorial, carrying
on a private war with the family's headstrong teenage daughter, and suffering
frequent headaches and dizziness. The mother cannot bear to fire the woman
who helped raise her children, so instead she hires a second maid to help
Raquel. This alarms Raquel, who sees the newcomer as a threat and instantly
sets out to drive her away. Her childish but ruthless tactics quickly succeed,
but the family then hires an older and tougher maid who proves much harder
to oust. Raquel meets her match with the third new maid, Lucy (Mariana Loyola),
an enthusiastic and self-confident young woman who, attacked by Raquel, retaliates
with affection and humor, helping her to find a new outlook on life. Saavedra
is magnificent as the grumpy Raquel, seething with loneliness, anger, and
jealousy, yet always managing to retain our sympathy. Winner of two prestigious
awards at the Sundance Film Festival. Official
Web Site Dan Bennett's North County Times review... |
Now Playing at the La Jolla Village Cinemas
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Pirate Radio is a high-spirited, laugh-out-loud ensemble comedy from filmmaker
Richard Curtis (screenwriter of Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting
Hill, and writer/director of Love Actually), spinning the irreverent
yet fact-based tale of a seafaring band of rogue rock and roll deejays whose
"pirate radio" captivated and inspired 1960s Britain. Broadcasting
live 24/7 from an old tanker anchored in the middle of the North Sea (just
beyond British jurisdiction), Radio Rock sends out a vibrant and unifying
signal to millions across the nation. The Radio Rock roster, overseen by unflappable
station owner Quentin (Bill Nighy), includes a risk-prone American known only
as The Count (Philip Seymour Hoffman); mystic deejay royalty Gavin (Rhys Ifans);
slyly amorous Dave (Nick Frost) and others. One night in 1966, Quentin's teenaged
godson Carl (Tom Sturridge) comes aboard. While Carl harbors romantic aspirations
that he hopes will be fulfilled during one of the biweekly visits by Radio
Rock's prettiest fans, he also hopes to find out more about his long-absent
father… As the ship sails on and rocks out, what Carl and the freewheeling
Radio Rock gang don't know is that back in London, a landlocked
government minister (Kenneth Branagh) has embarked on a vehement crusade to
silence their signal—permanently. Official
Web Site Roger Ebert's Chicago Sun-Times review... |
Now Playing at the Hillcrest Cinemas
and La Jolla Village Cinemas
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An Education is the story of a teenage girl's coming-of-age set in
1961 London, a city caught between the drab, post-war 1950s and the glamorous,
more liberated decade to come. Jenny (Carey Mulligan) stands on the brink
of becoming a woman: a brilliantly witty and attractive 16-year-old whose
suburban life is about to be blown apart by the utterly unsuitable 30-something
David (Peter Sarsgaard). Urbane and witty, David manages to charm her conservative
parents Jack (Alfred Molina) and Marjorie (Cara Seymour). David introduces
Jenny to a glittering new world of classical concerts and late-night suppers
with his attractive friend and business partner, Danny (Dominic Cooper) and
Danny's girlfriend, the beautiful but vacuous Helen (Rosamund Pike). Just
as Jenny's family's long-held dream of getting their brilliant daughter into
Oxford seems within reach, Jenny is tempted by another kind of life. Written
by Nick Hornby (About a Boy, High Fidelity) and directed by Lone Scherfig
(Italian for Beginners). Official Web Site Christy Lemire's San Diego Union-Tribune review... |
Now Playing at the La Jolla Village Cinemas
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The award-winning drama Skin tells one of the most unusual and moving true stories to
emerge from apartheid South Africa. Sandra Laing (Sophie Okonedo of Hotel Rwanda and The Secret
Life of Bees) is a black child born in the 1950s to white Afrikaners (Sam
Neill and Alice Krige) who are unaware of their black ancestry. Her parents are
rural shopkeepers serving the local black community, who lovingly bring her
up as their 'white' little girl. But at the age of ten, Sandra is driven out
of white society. The film follows Sandra's thirty-year journey from rejection
to acceptance, betrayal to reconciliation, as she struggles to define her
place in a changing world—and triumphs against all odds. Official
Web Site Roger Ebert's Chicago Sun-Times review... |
Now Playing at the Hillcrest Cinemas
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The new dramatic comedy from the Coen Brothers (Burn After Reading, Fargo)
is the story of an ordinary man's search for clarity in a universe where Jefferson
Airplane is on the radio and "F-Troop" is on TV. It is 1967, and
Larry (Michael Stuhlbarg), a physics professor at a quiet Midwestern university,
has just been informed by his wife Judith (Sari Lennick) that she is leaving
him. She has fallen in love with one of his more pompous colleagues, Sy (Fred
Melamed), who seems to her a more substantial person than the feckless Larry.
Larry's unemployable brother Arthur (Richard Kind) is sleeping on the couch,
his son Danny (Aaron Wolf) is a discipline problem and a shirker at Hebrew
school, and his daughter Sarah (Jessica McManus) is filching money from his
wallet in order to save up for a nose job. While his wife and Sy blithely
make new domestic arrangements, and his brother becomes more and more of a
burden, an anonymous hostile letter-writer is trying to sabotage Larry's chances
for tenure at the university. Also, a graduate student seems to be trying
to bribe him for a passing grade while at the same time threatening to sue
him for defamation. Plus, the beautiful woman next door torments him by sunbathing
nude. Struggling for equilibrium, Larry seeks advice from three different
rabbis. Can anyone help him cope with his afflictions and become a righteous
person—a mensch—a serious man? Official
Web Site Christy Lemire's San Diego Union-Tribune review... |
Now Playing at the Hillcrest Cinemas
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| Since the birth of movies, New York has long been cinema's dream city—its teeming populace of one-of-a-kind characters, its stone-and-glass skyscrapers rocketing towards the heavens, its subterranean cultures and its rooftop love affairs all making for the perfect backdrop to all manner of action, comedy, drama and poetry. Directed by an eclectic group of some of today's most imaginative filmmakers, including Mira Nair, Yvan Attal, Brett Ratner, Natalie Portman and Fatih Akin, New York, I Love You is a collective film that invites the audience into the intimate lives of New Yorkers as they grapple with, delight in and search for love. Their stories are woven together to form a colorful, lyrical collage not only of the city—but of the deep yearning for love and human connections that sustain everyone within it. All-star cast includes Bradley Cooper, Justin Bartha, Andy Garcia, Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, Orlando Bloom, Christina Ricci, Ethan Hawke, Anton Yelchin, James Caan, Olivia Thilrlby, Julie Christie, John Hurt, Shia LaBeouf, Shu Qi, Burt Young, Chris Cooper, Robin Wright Penn, Eva Ammuri, Eli Wallach and Cloris Leachman. Official Web Site |
Starts Wednesday, November 25
at the La Jolla Village Cinemas
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| Viggo Mortensen leads a stellar cast (including Charlize Theron, Robert Duvall and Guy Pearce) in the epic, post-apocalyptic tale of the survival of a father (Moretensen) and his young son (newcomer Kodi Smit-McPhee) as they journey across a barren America that was destroyed by a mysterious cataclysm. A masterpiece of adventure, The Road is adapted from author Cormac McCarthy's (No Country for Old Men) beloved, best-selling and Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, which boldly imagines a future in which men are pushed to the worst and the best that they are capable of—a future in which father and son are sustained by love. Directed by John Hillcoat (The Proposition). Official Web Site |
Starts Wednesday, November 25
at the Hillcrest Cinemas
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| In Werner Herzog's new film, Nicolas Cage plays a rogue detective who is as devoted to his job as he is at scoring drugs—while playing fast and loose with the law. He wields his badge as often as he wields his gun in order to get his way. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina he becomes a high-functioning addict who is a deeply intuitive, fearless detective reigning over the beautiful ruins of New Orleans with authority and abandon. Complicating his tumultuous life is the prostitute he loves (played by Eva Mendes). Together they descend into their own world marked by desire, compulsion and conscience. The result is a singular masterpiece of filmmaking: equally sad and manically humorous. Official Web Site |
Starts Wednesday, November 25
at the Hillcrest Cinemas
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| Legendary action-cinema master John Woo and international superstar Tony Leung reunite for the first time since the 1992 classic Hard Boiled in this epic historical drama based on a legendary 208 A.D. battle that heralded the end of the Han Dynasty. Red Cliff opens as power hungry Prime Minister-turned-General Cao Cao (Zhang Fengyi) seeks permission from the Han dynasty Emperor to organize a southward-bound mission designed to crush the two troublesome warlords who stand in his way, Liu Bei (You Yong) and Sun Quan (Chang Chen). As the expedition gets underway, Cao Cao's troops rain destruction on Liu Bei's army, forcing him into retreat. Liu Bei's military strategist Zhuge Liang (Takeshi Kaneshiro) knows that the rebels’ only hope for survival is to form an alliance with rival warlord Sun Quan, and reaches out to Sun Quan’s trusted advisor, war hero Zhou Yu (Tony Leung). Vastly outnumbered by Cao Cao’s brutal, fast-approaching army, the warlords band together to mount a heroic campaign—unrivaled in history—that changes the face of China forever. A massive hit in Asia and the most expensive Asian film production of all time, Red Cliff is a breathtaking war epic that marks the triumphant return of John Woo. Official Web Site |
Starts Friday, December 4 at the Hillcrest Cinemas
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| The Strip is a character-driven comedy dissecting the lives of five employees of a low-end electronics chain store called Electri-City who must face the reality of growing up when one of them gets married. The ensemble of colorful yet grounded characters takes us deeper into the monotonous world of working at a one-quarter mile long strip mall. Bound by the constraints of suburban life they, like everybody else, dream of something more. As their stories interweave their friendships are tested. Ultimately they struggle together to find that some dreams are not worth chasing. Written and directed by Jameel Khan. Official Web Site |
Please Note New Opening Date:
Starts Friday, December 4 at the Ken Cinema
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| Frustrated with religious turmoil, fanaticism and fundamentalism, filmmaker Peter Rodger set out on a global quest to understand why the concept of God has become politicized. In his stunningly beautiful documentary film, Rabbis, Christian Fundamentalists, Catholic Priests, Buddhist Llamas, Hindu Swamis, Zen Masters, Muslim radicals, Shamans and ordinary people across the globe share their unique perspectives and understanding of God, along with several celebrities including Hugh Jackman, Seal, Ringo Starr, Sir Bob Geldof, Princess Michael of Kent, David Copperfield and Jack Thompson. The film is set amongst beautiful backdrops around the world, filmed in 23 countries over three years. From the 9th ward of New Orleans to the Guatemalan Jungle, to the Himalayan region of Ladahk, Rodger searches for the common thread in our diverse humanity and reveals that which often divides us can also unite us. The film features inviting faces and personalities that are a touching reminder of the melting pot that we call humanity and the mystery that we have given many names. Official Web Site |
Saturday Midnight Movies Return
to the Ken Cinema in January 2010!
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Wes Anderson's The Royal Tenenbaums — Sat, Jan 16 Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange — Sat, Jan 23 Jeff Bridges in the Coen Bros' The Big Lebowski — Sat, Jan 30 Kurt Russell in John Carpenter's The Thing — Sat, Feb 6 Steve Spielberg's E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial — Sat, Feb 13 Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction — Sat, Feb 20 David Bowie & Jennifer Connelly in Labyrinth — Sat, Feb 27 |
Please note that all opening dates and theatres are subject to change without notice.
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