Movie Releases for the Week of July 26th, 2010

In the age-old battle between cats and dogs, one crazed feline has taken things a paw too far. Kitty Galore, formerly an agent for cat spy organization MEOWS, has gone rogue and hatched a diabolical plan to not only bring her canine enemies to heel, but take down her former kitty comrades and make the world her scratching post. Faced with this unprecedented threat, cats and dogs will be forced to join forces for the first time in history in an unlikely alliance to save themselves - and their humans - in "Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore," a comedy that blends live action with state-of-the-art puppetry and computer animation. It's time for the fur to fly.

Dinner for Schmucks tells the story of Tim (Paul Rudd), a guy on the verge of having it all. The only thing standing between him and total career success is finding the perfect guest to bring to his boss' annual Dinner for Extraordinary People, an event where the winner of the evening brings the most eccentric character as his guest. Enter Barry (Steve Carell), a guy with a passion for dressing mice up in tiny outfits to recreate great works of art. From Jay Roach, director of "Meet the Parents" and "Meet the Fockers" comes an unforgettable feast about two unlikely friends and one very memorable dinner.

The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud is based on an acclaimed novel and follows a young man and accomplished sailor, Charlie St. Cloud (Zac Efron), who survives an accident that lets him see the world in a unique way. Charlie has the adoration of his mother Claire (Kim Basinger) and little brother Sam (newcomer Charlie Tahan), as well as a college scholarship that will lead him far from his sleepy Pacific Northwest hometown. But his bright future is cut short when a tragedy strikes and takes his dreams with it.

“Get Low” is a magical and moving blend of folk tale, fable and real-life legend. Spun in the Southern storytelling tradition, it is about the mysterious 1930s Tennessee hermit who famously threw his own rollicking funeral party . . . while he was still alive.

Academy Award winner Robert Duvall, Golden Globe winner Bill Murray, Academy Award winner Sissy Spacek and Lucas Black form an ensemble of unforgettable characters who bring to life the surprising last act of Felix Bush, a life-long maverick and misfit who has been nearly swallowed up by the power of his town’s sinister myths about him – until he sets out to make a shocking confession in front of his own memorial service. The result is a comic, poignant, at times haunting tale about the snowballing nature of secrets, stories, heartbreak and the desire for redemption.

James (Ryan O’Nan) returns from Iraq to face a new battle—reintegrating into his small-town life in Texas. His wife (America Ferrera), his mother (Melissa Leo), and his friend (Jason Ritter) provide support, but they can’t fully understand the pain and suffering he feels since his tour of duty ended. Lonely, James reconnects with an army buddy (Wilmer Valderrama), who provides him with compassion and camaraderie during his battle to process his experiences in Iraq. But their reunion also exposes the different ways that war affects people at least on the surface.

This moving, taut story of redemption and reconstruction extends beyond a post-traumatic-stress-disorder narrative. O’Nan is heartbreaking as he explores the depths of his internal struggle; Ferrera fearlessly tackles her role of a young wife in turmoil. The Dry Land is about one man’s fight within his own terrain—his country, home, and mind—and his journey to rebuild what he’s lost.

Louis Ives (Dano) fancies himself a hero in an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel. He favors neckties, blue blazers, and sport coats. After an embarrassing incident involving a brassiere fetish, he loses his teaching job at a Princeton prep school and heads to New York to fulfill his dream of becoming a writer. In New York, he rents a room in the madly discombobulated apartment of Henry Harrison (Kline), a failed but brilliant playwright who dances alone to old Broadway records, sneaks into the opera, and performs, with great style, the duties of an "extra man" -- an escort for the rich widows of the Upper East Side. While Louis dreams of escorting dowagers himself one day, he becomes infatuated with Mary (Holmes), a socially-aware co-worker at the environmental magazine where he is employed and befriends Gershon (Reilly), Henry's hirsute musical neighbor. The two men (Kline and Dano), separated in age by more than forty years, eventually develop an irascibl mentor/apprentice relationship, and they form a bond the depths of which is hardly expected.

The Concert is the new film from Radu Mihaileanu, the acclaimed writer/director of Live and Become, starring Mélanie Laurent (Inglorious Basterds), François Berléand; (Transporter series), and Alexei Guskov. In this new comedy, Guskov stars as Andrei Filipov, a once celebrated Russian conductor of the Bolshoi who has hit rock bottom and is now working as a depressed custodian who drinks too much. But when he intercepts an invitation meant for this former orchestra to perform in Paris, Andrei masterminds a plan to pose as the leader of the group in order to make a triumphant return to the music scene. With a motley bunch of former musicians at his side, Andrei sets off for Paris to fulfill his destiny and return to his glory as a great conductor. Along the way, he will reunite with a young, beautiful violin virtuoso played by acclaimed actress Mélanie Laurent who holds the key to his past and to his future. With a message of hope and making the most of second chances, The Concert promises to be one of the most uplifting and entertaining films of the year.

When Hefner launched Playboy magazine in 1953, he became a champion of the sexual revolution and, immediately, the forces of Church and State initiated a war against him that raged over the decades. Hefner is revealed both as a hedonistic playboy, but, more importantly, as the man who’s been a groundbreaking advocate and catalyst for civil rights, the First Amendment, and human rights.

With humor and insight, the film captures Hefner’s fierce battles with the government, the religious right, and militant feminists. Compelling interviews with a remarkable Who’s Who of the decades, and rare footage, present a brilliant and entertaining snapshot of the life of an extraordinary man and the controversies that surrounded him.

On October 12th 1978 New York Police discovered the lifeless body of a 20 year-old woman, slumped under the bathroom sink in a hotel room. She was dressed in her underwear and had bled to death from a stab wound. The woman was Nancy Spungen, an ex-prostitute, sometimes stripper, heroin addict, and girlfriend of Sex Pistols' bassist Sid Vicious. In a trial by tabloid newspapers Vicious was pronounced guilty before noon the following day. But the case never had the chance to be brought to trial, and a number of New York cops weren't convinced. Less than six months later in a flat in New York's Greenwich Village, Sid, himself aged only 21, died of a heroin overdose. For the next 28 years the assumption was that Sid did it - case closed. Over time, the death of Sid and Nancy has passed into rock legend and has only added to the controversial and notorious image of the Sex Pistols and punk music. At the request of Sid's mother, who committed suicide in 1996, rock author and punk expert Alan Parker has devoted himself to discovering what really happened in room 100. Parker has re-interviewed 182 people, re-examined NYPD evidence, and gone back to his original interviews with Sid's mother.

In 'What's the Matter with Kansas?' a politically active Kansas megachurch splinters, moves to an amusement park, and when that fails, a Best Western motel. Meanwhile, an idealistic farmer revives Kansas' progressive tradition, taking his message all the way to Washington, D.C

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis sued him, Marlon Brando broke his jaw and Steve McQueen gave him a look that would have killed, if looks could kill. To the celebrities he pursued, photographer Ron Galella was the beast who threatened beauty. As it turned out, he gave them a strange and lasting beauty they might never have known without him. Inherent in the story of this notorious paparazzo are the complex issues of the right to privacy, freedom of the press and the ever-growing vortex of celebrity worship. He sneaked around and invaded and bribed and held up his camera and shot till he dropped (or someone dropped him). His was the artistry of the sniper. Yet Galella found something essential in his real-life subjects, and he gave it permanence.

Batman faces his ultimate challenge as the mysterious Red Hood takes Gotham City by firestorm. One part vigilante, one part criminal kingpin, Red Hood begins cleaning up Gotham with the efficiency of Batman, but without following the same ethical code. Killing is an option. And when the Joker falls in the balance between the two, hard truths are revealed and old wounds are reopened.

DC Showcase: Jonah Hex is an animated film short released as a co-feature with Batman: Under the Red Hood. The short is written by noted Western comics writer Joe R. Lansdale.