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The Delicate Balance of Right and Wrong
George Clooney (Solaris, The Good German) plays Michael Clayton, a "fixer" called in to patch the holes made when a high powered lawyer and close friend (Tom Wilkenson: Shakespeare In Love, Batman Begins) has a breakdown and begins to question the morality of his occupation. Tilda Swinton (Orlando, Broken Flowers) is tasked with defending her chemical company amidst the crisis, possibly liable for hundreds of deaths by cancer. All three actors are nominated for Oscars this year (Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Actress).
Ridley Scott's (Blade Runner, Matchstick Men) newest film stars Denzel Washington (Deja Vu, John Q) as organized crime legend Frank Lucas as he established a powerful drug syndicate in American Gangster. Russell Crowe (LA Confidential, 3:10 to Yuma) plays the officer working to topple Frank's family, as the two head for a climactic confrontation. Ruby Dee (A Raisin in the Sun, Their Eyes Were Watching God) has been nominated for a Best Supporting Actress award for her portrayal of the mother of the Lucas family.
In the Valley of Elah, the newest film by Paul Haggis (Crash, Walker: Texas Ranger), sends Tommy Lee Jones (The Fugitive, Cobb), in another Oscar-nominated performance, searching for his son who vanished after returning from Iraq. He teams up with a police detective (Charlize Theron: Cider House Rules, Aeon Flux) to find his missing son, and they begin to unravel a larger mystery of one fateful night in the desert.
Nicole Kidman (Eyes Wide Shut, The Invasion) plays the title character in Margot at the Wedding, the newest film by Noah Baumbach (The Squid & the Whale, Kicking and Screaming). She arrives for her sister's (Jennifer Jason Leigh: The Hudsucker Proxy, The Machinist) 
wedding, but old family grudges and interpersonal one-upsmanship tend to contaminate every relationship in Margot's presence, especially since she has no faith in her brother-in-law-to-be (Jack Black: King Kong, Tenacious D).
A young actress becomes a member of the underground resistance in Japanese-controlled China in Ang Lee's (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Brokeback Mountain) Lust, Caution. As the she infiltrates the society of collaborationist Chinese during World War II, she becomes the mistress of Mr. Yee (Tony Leung: Hero, In the Mood for Love), the target of her resistance group's plans, but as time passes, she's not sure which of her assumed roles is her real self.
Brian de Palma's (Scarface, Femme Fatale) Redacted is a modern war story switching points of view between American soldiers, Iraqi citizens, and the media, as it explores the impact each group has on each other. Reese Witherspoon (Freeway, Walk the Line)'s Egyptian husband disappears from a flight back from the scene of a terrorist bombing in Rendition, while Jake Gyllenhaal (Zodiac, The Day After Tomorrow), a CIA analyst, questions his assignment as he becomes involved in the interrogation and torture of the missing man. A group of teenage wanderers (including Ellen Page: Juno, Hard Candy) on European streets are gathered together from town squares and raves in Mouth to Mouth, as they form a group headed for a promised land in Portugal, only to find that all societies have rules.
Lighter fare...
A pair of romantic comedies are new to Reckless Video this week. Billy Crudup (The Good Shepherd, Almost Famous) plays the author of children's books forced to work with a new illustrator, Mandy Moore (A Walk to Remember, Saved!), who first irritates and then charms him in Dedication. Michelle Pfeiffer (Stardust, Dangerous Minds) stars in I Could Never Be Your Woman as a TV producer who falls for a younger actor (Paul Rudd: Diggers, The Shape of Things), and has to adapt to nuances of their age difference.
Moolaade is a colorful coming of age tale as a young African girl flees her village when faced with the traditional ritual of "purification," and finds sanctuary with a mother who managed to protect her own daughter from ritual mutilation.
Spiral is a new thriller about a shy office worker and artist who tries for a normal life, but when he begins to sketch his co-worker, things begin to fall apart in frightening ways. Gabriel sends 
the archangel to earth to combat fallen angel Sammael and his gun-toting posse, as they begin to wage a war in a dark, corrupt city.
Non-Fiction
The members of NASA's Apollo missions recount the undertaking of putting men on the moon in In the Shadows of the Moon, as they relate first-hand experiences of exploring a new and dangerous frontier. George Clooney narrates Sand & Sorrow, a historical documentary covering the history of Darfur, and the foundation of the climate that has been scrutinized for crimes against humanity.
The only new addition to Reckless Video's TV New Releases is the Canadian Slings and Arrows, focusing on the troubles of a Shakespeare festival as a returning member tries to reclaim past glories.
