Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)

Movie Info

In Kung Fu Panda 2, Po is now living his dream as The Dragon Warrior, protecting the Valley of Peace alongside his friends and fellow kung fu masters, The Furious Five. But Po's new life of awesomeness is threatened by the emergence of a formidable villain, who plans to use a secret, unstoppable weapon to conquer China and destroy kung fu. Po must look to his past and uncover the secrets of his mysterious origins; only then will he be able to unlock the strength he needs to succeed. -- (C) Dreamworks

 
PG, 1 hr. 31 min.
Action & Adventure, Animation, Kids & Family, Comedy
Directed By: Jennifer Yuh Nelson , Jennifer Yuh
Written By: Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger

In Theaters: May 26, 2011 Wide
US Box Office:$161.7M
Paramount Studios/Dreamworks

The Help (2011)

Movie Info

The Help stars Emma Stone as Skeeter, Viola Davis as Aibileen and Octavia Spencer as Minny-three very different, extraordinary women in Mississippi during the 1960s, who build an unlikely friendship around a secret writing project that breaks societal rules and puts them all at risk. From their improbable alliance a remarkable sisterhood emerges, instilling all of them with the courage to transcend the lines that define them, and the realization that sometimes those lines are made to be crossed-even if it means bringing everyone in town face-to-face with the changing times. -- (C) DreamWorks

 
PG-13, 2 hr. 17 min.
Drama
Directed By: Tate Taylor
Written By: Tate Taylor

In Theaters: Aug 10, 2011 Wide
DreamWorks Studios

Cold Fish (2011)

Movie Info

From Sion Sono, the director of Love Exposure and Suicide Club. Cold Fish has won acclaim at both the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals. In the film, mild-mannered Shamoto's teenage daughter gets caught shoplifting. A generous fellow fish-store owner and his wife appear to help resolve the situation by having her work at their fish store. Too good to be true? You bet! Shamoto soon discovers the horrific truth about this seemingly perfect couple...who inextricably weave him into their grisly rituals. Inspired by true events, COLD FISH is a twisted, brutal, blood-soaked drama that reveals the underlying insanity of an ordinary man pushed well beyond the brink. -- (C) Bloody Disgusting

 
Unrated, 2 hr. 24 min.
Drama, Art House & International, Mystery & Suspense
Directed By: Sion Sono
Written By: Sion Sono, Yoshiki Takahashi

In Theaters: Aug 5, 2011 Limited
On DVD: Aug 23, 2011
AMC/The Collective/BloodyDisgusting

Magic Trip (2011)

Movie Info

In 1964, Ken Kesey, the famed author of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," set off on a legendary, LSD-fuelled cross-country road trip to the New York World's Fair. He was joined by "The Merry Band of Pranksters," a renegade group of counterculture truth-seekers, including Neal Cassady, the American icon immortalized in Kerouac's "On the Road," and the driver and painter of the psychedelic Magic Bus. Kesey and the Pranksters intended to make a documentary about their trip, shooting footage on 16MM, but the film was never finished and the footage has remained virtually unseen. With Magic Trip, Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney and Alison Ellwood were given unprecedented access to this raw footage by the Kesey family. They worked with the Film Foundation, HISTORY and the UCLA Film Archives to restore over 100 hours of film and audiotape, and have shaped an invaluable document of this extraordinary piece of American history. --(C) Magnolia Pictures

 
R, 1 hr. 47 min.
Documentary, Special Interest
Directed By: Alex Gibney , Alison Ellwood

In Theaters: Aug 5, 2011 Limited
Magnolia Pictures

Bellflower (2011)

Movie Info

Bellflower follows two friends as they venture out into the world to begin their adult lives. Literally all their free time is spent building flame-throwers and weapons of mass destruction in hopes that a global apocalypse will occur and clear the runway for their imaginary gang "Mother Medusa". While waiting for the world to end, their call to excitement comes unexpectedly when one of them meets a charismatic young woman and falls hard in love. Quickly integrated into a new group of friends, they set off on a journey of betrayal, love, hate, infidelity and extreme violence more devastating and fiery than any of their apocalyptic fantasies. -- (C) Official Site

 
R, 1 hr. 45 min.
Drama, Action & Adventure, Romance
Directed By: Evan Glodell
Written By: Evan Glodell

In Theaters: Aug 5, 2011 Limited
Oscilloscope Laboratories

The Change-Up (2011)

Movie Info

Growing up together, Mitch (Ryan Reynolds) and Dave (Jason Bateman) were inseparable best friends, but as the years have passed they've slowly drifted apart. While Dave is an overworked lawyer, husband and father of three, Mitch has remained a single, quasi-employed man-child who has never met a responsibility he liked. Following a drunken night out together, Mitch and Dave's worlds are turned upside down when they wake up in each other's bodies and proceed to freak the &*#@ out. Despite the freedom from their normal routines and habits, the guys soon discover that each other's lives are nowhere near as rosy as they once seemed. -- (C) Universal Pictures

 
R, 1 hr. 45 min.
Comedy
Directed By: David Dobkin
Written By: Jon Lucas, Scott Moore

In Theaters: Aug 5, 2011 Wide
Universal Pictures

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

Movie Info

An origin story in the true sense of the word, Rise of the Apes is set in present day San Francisco. The film is a reality-based cautionary tale -- a science fiction/science-fact blend where mankind's hubris leads to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy. Oscar-winning visual effects house WETA Digital - employing certain of the groundbreaking technologies developed for "Avatar" - will render, for the first time ever in the film series, photo-realistic apes rather than costumed actors. -- (C) Fox

 
PG-13,
Drama, Action & Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Directed By: Rupert Wyatt
Written By: Pierre Boulle, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver

In Theaters: Aug 5, 2011 Wide
20th Century Fox