November 13, 2007

Us vs. Al

Jokingly referred to by director Steven Soderbergh (The Limey, Erin Brockovich) as "the one we should have made last time," Ocean's Thirteen reunites the cast of the first two Ocean's movies as George Clooney (Intolerable Cruelty, Three Kings) once again leads his team to rob a casino. This time around, former adversary Andy Garcia (Modigliani, The Untouchables) is part of the Ocean team's heist, and their target is Al Pacino (The Godfather, Dog Day Afternoon) and his second-in-command Ellen Barkin (Drop Dead Gorgeous, Into the West).

Paris Je T'aime is a collection of short films about the love of, and love in, Paris. With entries from directors Joel & Ethan Coen (Fargo), Alfonso Cuaron (Children of Men), Tom Tykwer (Perfume: The Story of a Murder) and Gus Van Sant (My Own Private Idaho)-- just to name a few-- and starring Elijah Wood, Miranda Richardson, Natalie Portman, Emily Mortimer, Juliet Binoche, and Steve Buschemi (also: just to name a few), each segment sketches a section of Paris, and takes only a few minutes before moving to the next part of the city. La Vie en Rose is the story of French singer and icon Edith Piaf, played by Marion Cotillard (A Good Year, Big Fish), covering her rise as an icon to her battle with cancer.

Another #3, Shrek is back in Shrek the Third, which reunites the original Shrek clan: Shrek (Mike Myers: Wayne's World, Austin Powers), Fiona (Cameron Diaz: Charlie's Angels, Any Given Sunday) and Donkey (Eddie Murphy: Beverly Hills Cop, The Haunted Mansion), along with some new additions to the posse. Our other animated feature this week is another well established cartoon hero, Spongebob, in Atlantis Squarepantis.

A pair of new action movies are out this week. Don "the Dragon" Wilson and Kate Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica's Starbuck) star in Ain't It Cool News-endorsed The Last Sentinel, a post-apocalyptic sci-fi action film. Urban Justice is the most recent picture starring action legend Steven Seagal (Under Siege, Out for Justice), with Eddie Griffin (Norbit, Undercover Brother) and Danny Trejo (Grindhouse: Machete, Desperado).

A young boy dreams of seeing fireworks in the 1960's Bible Belt in Things That Hang From Trees, but his goals are complicated by his neighbors and his scandalous mother. This Is England is the British Independent Film Awards winner about a 12-year-old boy who, when looking for a father figure and a place to belong, becomes a member of a skinhead gang. A former Pakistani rock star and immigrant to the US sells coffee and donuts on the streets of New York in Man Push Cart

Michael Apted (Gorky Park, the 7 Up series) tells the story of a classic hymn in Amazing Grace, starring Ioan Gruffudd (Horatio Hornblower, Fantastic Four) as composer William Wilberforce, who opposed the British slave trade. The documentary about nonagenarian Doris Haddock's walk across the nation, Run, Granny, Run details the great grandmother's bid for a seat in the Senate.

This week marks the final season of the popular mother/daughter series Gilmore Girls, available in the TV New Releases section, as well as the third season of belligerent shopkeeper Dylan Moran (Shaun of the Dead, Tristram Shandy) in Black Books. Reckless has the complete Cartoon Network Adult Swim Tom Goes to the Mayor as well as the newest installment of the Showtime series Masters of Horror, Dream Cruise, from the director of Premonition and Ringu 0. The first season of the Canadian Road to Avonlea, from the makers of Anne of Green Gables, is also new this week, as are the first three seasons of the classic TV show The Addams Family.

Finally, be sure to check out our New to Reckless section, because we have just received the 1965 Beatles movie Help!