Christine Vachon Movies

A Syrian expatriate in Canada learns that his daughter has gone missing in Damascus, and returns to his home country for the first time in 20 years to find her in this thriller from writer/director Ruba Nadda (Cairo Time, Sabah). January, 2011: As the Tunisian government crumbles, protestors fill the streets of Cairo. Meanwhile, in Canada, successful Syrian emigrant Adib Abdul-Kareem (Alexander Siddig) receives word that his daughter Muna has vanished while traveling through Damascus. Left with no choice but to return to Syria and follow every lead he has, Abdul-Kareem enlists the aid of Fatima (Marisa Tomei), his long-lost love, and a Canadian embassy official (Joshua Jackson) in locating Muna at all costs. But by the time Abdul-Kareem realizes that the official may be acting on his own agenda, it may already be too late for both the desperate father, and the daughter who disappeared without a trace. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Daniel Radcliffe stars as Beat Generation icon Allen Ginsberg in this biopic set during the famed poet's early years at Columbia University, and centering on a murder investigation involving Ginsberg, his handsome classmate Lucien Carr, and fellow Beat author William Burroughs. The year is 1944. Ginsberg (Radcliffe) is a young student at Columbia University when he falls hopelessly under the spell of charismatic classmate Carr (Dane DeHaan). Alongside Carr, Ginsberg manages to strike up friendships with aspiring writers William Burroughs (Ben Foster) and Jack Kerouac (Jack Huston) that would cast conformity to the wind, and serve as the foundation of the Beat movement. Meanwhile, an older outsider named David Krammerer falls deeply and madly in love with the impossibly cool Carr. Later, when Krammerer dies under mysterious circumstances, police arrest Kerouac, Burroughs, and Carr as potential suspects, paving the way for an investigation that would have a major impact on the lives of the three emerging artists. Jennifer Jason Leigh, Kyra Sedgwick, David Cross, and Michael C. Hall co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Filmmakers Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace document Grammy-nominated dance-music outfit LCD Soundsystem's 2011 farewell concert at Madison Square Garden as front-man James Murphy and author Chuck Klosterman reflect on the topics of fame and success. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Academy Award-winning screenwriter and documentary filmmaker Dustin Lance Black takes the helm for this darkly comic drama about a small-town single mother whose affair with a married Mormon sheriff threatens to have dire repercussions. Virginia (Jennifer Connelly) is a devoted mother doing her best to raise her teenage son Emmett (Harrison Gilbertson) in a home with no male role model. She's also mistress to Sheriff Richard Tipton (Ed Harris), a Mormon family man eager to advance his career by running for public office. Sheriff Tipton knows that even the most minor scandal could sink his political ambitions, and when Virginia's troubled son begins dating his daughter (Emma Roberts) as well, it's only a matter of time before the affairs become the talk of their small town. Amy Madigan and Carrie Preston co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Uma Thurman, Minnie Driver, and Anthony Edwards star in writer/director Katherine Dieckmann's slice of life indie Motherhood, which follows a hapless mother of two as she attempts to prepare for her daughter's rapidly approaching sixth birthday party. Along the way, the harried mother is forced to contend with a monumental series of unexpected urban challenges. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Screen starlet Julia Stiles assumes the role of ambitious reporter Ester Greenwood in this screen adaptation of the critically acclaimed, semi-autobiographical novel by celebrated author Sylvia Plath. When a bid to seek out fame in New York City proves too much strain for the young writer to bear, she sinks into a deep depression and moves back to her hometown of Boston. Later, after undergoing electroshock therapy, the troubled Greenwood becomes increasingly suicidal. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A teacher who prides herself on being different meets a student who matches her nonconformist nature in this period drama. It's 1934, and Miss G (Eva Green) is a teacher at a private school for girls near the eastern coastline of England. While most of the teachers at the school are severe and straight-laced women who reinforce its reputation as a repressive environment, Miss G is more youthful and glamorous than her colleagues, and enjoys dropping hints of a free-spirited past to her young charges. Miss G encourages her students to challenge conventional norms of the day, and organizes a diving team at the school, which she oversees with great interest. Miss G also sees a danger in the cliques that dominate the school, and she tries to undermine them, much to the annoyance of Di (Juno Temple), who holds a high place in the school's pecking order. But things change for both Miss G and her students when Fiamma (Maria Valverde) enrolls at the school. Fiamma is from Spain and has a strong independent streak; she doesn't look to her peers for approval and insists on doing things her own way, which makes her all the more exotic and appealing to the other students. Fiamma also earns the approval of Miss G, but before long rumors begin to spread that the teacher's interest in her new student is more than academic. Cracks was the first feature film from director Jordan Scott, whose father is the noted filmmaker Ridley Scott. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

There Will Be Blood's Paul Dano stars as Brian, an unhappy mattress salesman whose infatuation with Happy (Zooey Deschanel), one of his attractive customers, temporarily pushes aside his obsession with adopting a Chinese baby in this unconventional romantic comedy from director Matt Aselton. John Goodman, Ed Asner, and Jane Alexander co-star in the Killer Films production. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Director Todd Haynes' unconventional biopic of the legendary singer/songwriter Bob Dylan features different actors playing the part of the Minnesota native at various stages of his remarkable career. Among the actors playing the singer are Cate Blanchett, who portrays the man during his Don't Look Back era incarnation; Heath Ledger, as an actor playing one of the fictional Dylans in a movie within the movie; Christian Bale, as the Dylan beginning to chafe at being associated so strongly with political causes; Richard Gere, portraying the post-motorcycle accident period; and Marcus Carl Franklin as the young Dylan who passed himself off as the second coming of Woody Guthrie. Each section of the film not only has a different lead actor, but offers different looks that reflect various aspects of popular culture at the time. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

The true story of a young girl held captive by her insane caretaker comes to life in this disturbing film from Ella Enchanted director Tommy O'Haver. Hard Candy's Ellen Page stars as Sylvia Likens a teenager who, along with her sister, is left to live temporarily with seemigly-mild-mannered housewife Gertrude Baniszewski, played by Catherine Keener. Unfortunately for Sylvia, Gertrude soon snaps and holds her hostage in harsh conditions until the former's eventual death. Bradley Whitford costars as the prosecutor tasked with trying the case against Baniszewski. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi