Movies Released March 20, 2009

Friday, March 20

115 mins

Knowing PG-13

In 1958, as part of the dedication ceremony for a new elementary school, a group of students is asked to draw pictures to be stored in a time capsule. But one of the students, a mysterious girl who seems to hear whispered voices, fills her sheet of paper with rows of apparently random numbers instead.

Fast forward 50 years to the present: A new generation of students examines the contents of the time capsule and the girl's cryptic message ends up in the hands of young Caleb Myles. But it is Caleb's father, professor Ted Myles (Nicolas Cage), who makes the startling discovery that the encoded message predicts with pinpoint accuracy the dates, death tolls and coordinates of every major disaster of the past 50 years. As Ted further unravels the document's secrets, he realizes it foretells three additional events-the last of which hints at destruction on a global scale and seems to somehow involve Ted and his son.

When Ted's attempts to alert the authorities fall on deaf ears, he takes it upon himself to try to prevent more destruction from taking place.

This gripping supernatural thriller charts one man's faltering steps towards belief in the ultimate order of the universe even as he finds himself surrounded by mounting chaos. With the reluctant help of Diana Whelan (Rose Byrne) and Abby, the daughter and granddaughter of the now-deceased author of the cryptic prophecies, Ted's increasingly desperate efforts take him on a heart-pounding race against time until he finds himself facing the ultimate disaster-and the ultimate sacrifice.
Jason Blumenthal, Nicolas Cage, Liam Hemsworth, Stuart Hazeldine, Todd Black, Steve Tisch, Stiles White, Juliet Snowden
Drama Fantasy Sci-Fi Supernatural

Duplicity PG-13

Oscar® winner Julia Roberts and Clive Owen reunite for "Duplicity," from writer/director Tony Gilroy (seven-time Oscar®-nominated "Michael Clayton"). In the film, they star as spies-turned-corporate operatives in the midst of a clandestine love affair. When they find themselves embroiled in a high-stakes espionage game, they discover the toughest part of the job is deciding how much to trust the one you love.

CIA officer Claire Stenwick (Roberts) and MI6 agent Ray Koval (Owen) have left the world of government intelligence to cash in on the highly profitable cold war raging between two rival multinational corporations. Their mission? Secure the formula for a product that will bring a fortune to the company that patents it first.

For their employers—industry titan Howard Tully (Tom Wilkinson) and buccaneer CEO Dick Garsik (Paul Giamatti)— nothing is out of bounds. But as the stakes rise, the mystery deepens and the tactics get dirtier, the trickiest secret for Claire and Ray is their growing attraction. And as they each try to stay one double-cross ahead, two career loners find their schemes endangered by the only thing they can't cheat their way out of: love.
Julia Roberts, Laura Bickford, Tony Gilroy, Tom Wilkinson, Jennifer Fox, Clive Owen, Paul Giamatti, Billy Bob Thornton
Drama

I Love You, Man R

In “I Love You, Man,” a comedy from John Hamburg (“Along Came Polly,” co-writer of “Meet the Parents,” “Meet the Fockers,” “Zoolander”), Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd, “Knocked Up” “The 40 Year Old Virgin”) is a successful real estate agent who, upon getting engaged to the woman of his dreams, Zooey (“The Office’s” Rashida Jones), discovers, to his dismay and chagrin, that he has no male friend close enough to serve as his Best Man. Peter immediately sets out to rectify the situation, embarking on a series of bizarre and awkward “man-dates,” before meeting Sydney Fife (Jason Segel, “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”), a charming, opinionated man with whom he instantly bonds. But the closer the two men get, the more Peter’s relationship with Zooey suffers, ultimately forcing him to choose between his fiancée and his newfound “bro,” in a story that comically explores what it truly means to be a “friend.”
Paul Rudd, Rashida Jones, J.K. Simmons, Mark Sourian, Chloe Dan, Donald De Line, John Hamburg, Jason Segel
Comedy
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Sunshine Cleaning R

The story focuses on a 30-year-old woman (Amy Adams) who has squandered her life's potential on dead-end relationships and her younger sister, who is trying to find her way in the world. The sisters find meaning and understanding through an unlikely enterprise, their own crime scene cleanup business.
Amy Adams, Alan Arkin, Christine Jeffs, Peter Saraf, Glenn Williamson, Karen Moncrieff, Megan Holley, Emily Blunt
Comedy
75 mins

Sex Positive R

The true story of former S&M hustler turned AIDS activism pioneer.
Daryl Wein, David Oliver Cohen
Documentary
96 mins

Hunger NR

A real life IRA volunteer who led a hunger strike in 1981 against British authorities.
Michael Fassbender, Stuart Graham, Steve McQueen, Enda Walsh
Drama
87 mins

The Great Buck Howard PG

The adventures of a down-on-his-luck magician/illusionist and his assistant as they re-invigorate his career.
Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman, Kevin Kline, Marina Grasic, Sidney Kimmel, Sean McGinly, Colin Hanks, John Malkovich
Drama Comedy

Sin Nombre R

World-premiering at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, an epic dramatic thriller written and directed by Student Academy Award winner Cary Joji Fukunaga in his feature debut. The filmmaker’s firsthand experiences with Central American immigrants seeking the promise of the U.S. form the basis of the Spanish-language movie. The film tells the story of Sayra (Paulina Gaitan), a teenager living in Honduras, and hungering for a brighter future. A reunion with her long-estranged father gives Sayra her only real option – emigrating with her father and her uncle into Mexico and then the United States, where her father now has a new family. Meanwhile, Casper, a.k.a. Willy (Edgar Flores), is a teenager living in Tapachula, Mexico, and facing an uncertain future. A member of the Mara Salvatrucha gang brotherhood, he has just brought to the Mara a new recruit, 12-year-old Smiley (Kristyan Ferrer), who undergoes a rough initiation. While Smiley quickly takes to gang life, Casper tries to protect his relationship with girlfriend Martha Marlene (Diana García), keeping their love a secret from the Mara. But when Martha encounters Tapachula’s Mara leader Lil’ Mago (Tenoch Huerta Mejía), she is brutally taken from Casper forever. Sayra and her relatives manage to cross over into Mexico. There, they join other immigrants waiting at the Tapachula train yards. When a States-bound freight train arrives one night, they successfully rush to board – riding atop it, rather than in the cars – as does Lil’ Mago, who has commandeered Casper and Smiley along to rob immigrants. When day breaks, Lil’ Mago makes his move and Casper in turn makes a fateful decision. Casper must now navigate the psychological gauntlet of his violent existence and the physical one of the unforgiving Mara, but Sayra bravely allies herself with him as the train journeys through the Mexican countryside towards the hope of new lives.
Tenoch Huerta Mejía, Cary Joji Fukunaga, Paulina Gaitan, Edgar Flores, Karl Braun, Diana García
Drama Thriller

Mancora R

Following his father's suicide, Santiago decides to escape the crude Lima winter to take refuge in Mancora, a beach to the north of Peru where it is always summer.
Ricardo de Montreuil
Drama

Super Capers PG

A good guy with no powers joins a superhero team with no clue against a bad guy with no shame.
Ray Griggs, Reuben Lim, Christine Lakin
Comedy

Friday, March 20