Andrew Eaton Movies

Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Bruhl star as legendary Formula One drivers James Hunt and Niki Lauda respectively in this biographical drama set during the 1970s, at the peak of their heated rivalry. Both on the track and off, Hunt (Hensworth) and Lauda (Bruhl) couldn't have been more different. Yet as much as Englishman Hunt's showy public persona clashed with Lauda's reputation for tightly-controlled perfectionism, both men remained bound together by one undeniable fact - they were both among the best drivers ever to grace the racetrack. When a horrific crash during the 1976 Grand Prix at the Nürburgring nearly claims Lauda's life, however, a grudging respect begins to develop between the two racers as Hunt realizes just how devoted his greatest adversary is to the sport they both love. Olivia Wilde and Alexandra Maria Lara co-star in a film directed by Academy Award-winner Ron Howard, and penned by Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon, Hereafter). ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director Fernando Meirelles (Blindness, The Constant Gardener) teams with screenwriters Peter Morgan and Peter Emmanuel Goldman to expand the scope of Arthur Schnitzler's 1897 play La Ronde, which explored the ways that social boundaries can be shattered by human sexuality. Set in seven cities across the globe, 360 finds a disparate group of characters unknowingly bonded by the sexual choices they make. Consumed by loneliness, a British businessman (Jude Law) ponders a rendezvous with a prostitute. When his colleague catches wind of the plan, blackmail enters the picture. Meanwhile, the businessman's wife (Rachel Weisz) prepares to call it quits with her younger lover; a Brazilian student breaks up with her boyfriend in London and heads back to Rio; a recovering alcoholic (Anthony Hopkins) travels to Phoenix in search of his missing daughter; a freshly paroled sex offender (Ben Foster) struggles to stay composed when propositioned in a Denver airport; and a prominent widower's religious devotion is put to a difficult test. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The second feature-length adaptation of author Jim Thompson's acclaimed 1952 crime novel, Michael Winterbottom's unflinching, psychosexual post-noir stars Casey Affleck as Deputy Sheriff Lou Ford, a stoic small-town lawman leading a secret life as a serial killer. His West Texas jurisdiction plagued by a series of unsolved murders, Deputy Sheriff Ford does his best to maintain a cool facade while working to deflect the suspicions of the locals. When those suspicions grow too strong to ignore, the psychotic sheriff begins to buckle under the pressure. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Naomi Klein's controversial best-selling book which explores how both natural and man-made disasters are used to force disadvantageous political and economic changes on unwilling governments is brought to the screen in this documentary from filmmakers Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross. Using electroshock treatment as a metaphor -- a harsh jolt to the body and brain that, after being embraced as a healing method, was in turn discovered to cause more harm than good -- The Shock Doctrine explores how the United States, with the help of the C.I.A., became enamored of Milton Friedman's interpretation of free-market capitalism and attempted to persuade developing nations of its value. However, since fully unregulated markets tended to create an unbalanced economic climate in which a small number of people became extremely wealthy and vast numbers were plunged into poverty, the United States was only successful at selling free market deregulation to countries in crisis who had no practical choice than to do what the wealthiest and most powerful nation on Earth demanded. The results led to both widespread privation and violence in Russia, Poland, Chile, South Africa and the Middle East, and The Shock Doctrine explains how this happened, where it's still going on, and what can be done to stop it. The Shock Doctrine was an official selection at the 2009 Berlin International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The Red Riding Trilogy continues in this sequel that picks up six years after the events of the first film. The Yorkshire Ripper is continuing to prey on the young women of a dead-end town, and the local police have proven completely ineffective in solving the crimes. When Manchester detective Peter Hunter (Paddy Considine) arrives in Yorkshire to investigate, he discovers a number of inconsistencies in the official report, and begins to suspect foul play. Unfortunately for both Detective Hunter and the growing list of victims, the local police seem unusually tight-lipped about the case. Perhaps their refusal to aid Detective Hunter in his investigation has something to do with his previous visit to Yorkshire in 1974, when he rubbed the local authorities the wrong way while investigating a shooting. As Detective Hunter delves deeper into the case, it becomes increasingly obvious that incompetence isn't likely to blame for the lack of progress made by Yorkshire police. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The Red Riding Trilogy draws to a close in this installment that finds Detective Chief Superintendent Maurice Jobson (David Morrissey) realizing that the Yorkshire Ripper may still be at large, despite the fact that someone has already been convicted of the heinous crimes. When a young girl is abducted in an incident that bears a chilling resemblance to the crimes of the Yorkshire Ripper, Chief Superintendent Jobson is forced to consider the possibility that he helped to put the wrong man behind bars. Meanwhile, local solicitor John Piggott (Mark Addy) stumbles onto evidence of a massive cover up, and wages a one-man mission to uncover the truth. Adapted from British author David Pease's best-selling series of crime novels centering on the mystery of the Yorkshire Ripper. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

In the wake of a family tragedy, an English ex-patriot living in the United States decides to relocate himself and his daughters to Italy, only to discover that grief has followed them overseas when the youngest girl proves unable to move past her acute emotional pain. An Englishman at heart, Joe (Colin Firth) now lives a happy life with his wife and daughters in the United States. Their happy existence is turned upside down in an instant, however, when his wife is driving their daughters home one day and becomes momentarily distracted from the road. Later, as Joe and his daughters attempt to contend with the thick fog of grief hanging over their household, the loving father surmises that a change of scenery may be in order; accepting a teaching job in Italy in hopes that it will help them contend with their bereavement. For teenage daughter Kelly (Willa Holland), at least, the move works miracles: though Kelly was sullen and withdrawn back home, she seems awakened by the endless possibilities that the future may hold in Europe - even entering into a clandestine romance with a handsome Italian boy. Kelly's younger sister Mary (Perla Haney-Jardine), unfortunately, is another case entirely. Despite her father's most valiant efforts to assuage her grief, Mary just doesn't seem capable of shaking the loss. Meanwhile, as Joe rekindles an old friendship with a university colleague (Catherine Keener), his family soaks in the marvelous medley of medieval, Renaissance, and contemporary influences of the scenic, northern Italian city. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

An ex-convict is mysteriously drawn to two intriguing women after becoming involved in a car accident while passing through a sleepy Ontario town in director Marc Evans' enigmatic drama. Invited into the home of high-functioning autistic Linda (Sigourney Weaver) after getting into a car accident that involved Linda's daughter, ex-con Alex Hughes (Alan Rickman) does his best to gracefully accept Linda's selfless generosity. His situation grows increasingly complicated, however, when Alex finds the seductive allure of town sexpot Maggie (Carrie-Anne Moss) too powerful to resist. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A group of actors and filmmakers set out to adapt an "unfilmable" classic novel -- but find that their own petty concerns get in the way -- in this satirical comedy. Laurence Sterne's 18th century novel The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman told the story of its priggish title character from the moment of conception onward, with a bevy of digressions, distractions, and unfinished anecdotes. In adapting the work for the screen, director Michael Winterbottom chose to stay true to its anarchic spirit: the film begins as a mostly straightforward adaptation of events in Sterne's writings, and then veers into a tale about the making of the film itself. Steve Coogan plays Tristram Shandy, who narrates his own life story, beginning with his slightly botched birth, overseen by an addled doctor (Dylan Moran) and his reticent father, Walter (also played by Coogan). Constantly quarreling with his battle-scarred brother, Toby (Rob Brydon), Walter Shandy has an epiphany when he holds his newborn son; however, before that moment can occur, the film switches into the present day, where Coogan and Brydon, playing themselves, bicker over costuming and the size of their roles in the film. The rest of the film's crew has their own concerns. Director Mark (Jeremy Northam) is trying to figure out how to secure a big Hollywood star for a supporting role and shoot a battle scene on a budget. The film's brainy production assistant Jennie (Naomie Harris) worries that their adaptation is leaving out the best parts of the book, as she nurses a crush on one of the cast members. All the while, Coogan tries to deflect a tabloid reporter's inquiry into his strip-club escapades, and attempts to pacify the concerns of his wife, Jenny (Kelly MacDonald). Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story had its North American premiere at the 2005 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi

British writer/actor Stephen Fry makes his feature-film debut with the witty, sophisticated comedy Bright Young Things, adapted from Evelyn Waugh's 1930 novel Vile Bodies. Set in London during the '30s, this stylish period film follows an ensemble cast of well-dressed and highly literate partygoers. Aspiring writer Adam Fenwick-Symes (stage actor Stephen Campbell Moore) loses the manuscript of his first novel when traveling through customs. He then sets out to raise enough money to marry his sweetheart, Nina Blount (Emily Mortimer), the daughter of a colonel (Peter O'Toole). All in the name of love, Adam seeks funding through a constant stream of parties, meetings, and conversations with eccentric acquaintances. Cameo appearances are made by the likes of Dan Aykroyd, Simon Callow, and Stockard Channing. Bright Young Things was shown at the 2003 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

Damien O'Donnell's Heartlands stars Michael Sheen as a man on a mission. Colin (Sheen) is a simple man who is stunned to learn that his wife has taken up with the captain of his dart team. Upon learning that the two are headed to a big dart competition in Blackpool, Colin hops on his moped and pursues her. Along the way he meets an assortment of colorful individuals. Eventually, Colin is given the chance to confront his wife and her lover. Heartlands was screened at the Edinburgh Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

This digital-video biopic uses the life of journalist, record mogul and club owner Tony Wilson to frame the story of the Manchester, England, music scene from the heyday of punk through the late-'80s "Madchester" era. As the founder of staunchly independent Factory Records, Wilson (Steve Coogan) shepherded the careers of doomed post-punk combo Joy Division, synth-pop superstars New Order and hedonistic louts the Happy Mondays. Along the way, he helped bring rave culture to Britain under the aegis of the legendary Hacienda nightclub. 24 Hour Party People follows Wilson from his conversion to punk at a seminal Sex Pistols concert through the suicide of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis, the overwhelming success of New Order and the eventual dissolution of the Factory empire thanks to bad business decisions, underworld ties and the hedonistic excess of the Happy Mondays. Directed by Michael Winterbottom and written by frequent collaborator Frank Cottrell Boyce, 24 Hour Party People features cameos from a large number of Manchester music luminaries. The supporting cast includes Shirley Henderson and John Simm, both of whom appeared in Winterbottom's Wonderland, while the film's title comes from a Happy Mondays song. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi