The true story of Wladyslaw Szpilman who, in the 1930s, was known as the most accomplished piano player in all of Poland, if not Europe. Roman Polanski, in his turn, escaped from the Krakow ghetto before its liquidation and wandered about gaining refuge with a number of Catholic families. His mother died in Nazi concentration camp when Roman was eight.
At the outbreak of the Second World War, however, Szpilman becomes subject to the anti-Jewish laws imposed by the conquering Germans. By the start of the 1940s, Szpilman has seen his world go from piano concert halls to the Jewish Ghetto of Warshaw and then must suffer the tragedy of his family deported to a death camp, while Szpilman is conscripted into a forced German Labor Compound. At last deciding to escape, Szpilman goes into hiding as a Jewish refugee where he is witness to the Warshaw Ghetto Uprising and the Warshaw City Revolt in 1945. When he escapes the ghetto, at first he is hidden in an appartment by Polish friends in the Resistance, after lives in the ruins of Warsaw.
Real hero of the movie Wladyslaw Szpilman died at 88 in 2000.
Based on the best-selling novels of Patrick O'Brian, the film stars Russell Crowe as "Lucky" Jack Aubrey, who pits his crew of the H.M.S. Surprise against a much better armed and ruthless privateer, in a chase that takes him all the way to the far side of the world. Rising newcomer Paul Bettany ("A Beautiful Mind") plays the ship's surgeon Dr. Stephen Maturin.
Tears of the Sun
Lt. Waters travels to war-torn Nigeria to rescue Dr. Lena Kendricks (Monica Bellucci), a U.S. citizen who runs a mission in the countryside. But when Lt. Waters arrives, Dr. Kendricks refuses to abandon the refugees under her care. She implores Waters to escort them on a dangerous trek through the dense jungle to the nearby border of Cameroon. During the journey, the S.E.A.L.s find themselves the unwitting guardians of a man sought by the rebel militia. This further endangers their already hazardous mission. But all the while it strengthens Waters‚ resolve to protect Lena and the refugees, and to deliver them safely across the border.
When the child Arthur’s father is murdered, Vortigern, Arthur’s uncle, seizes the crown. Robbed of his birthright and with no idea who he truly is, Arthur comes up the hard way in the back alleys of the city. But once he pulls the sword Excalibur from the stone, his life is turned upside down and he is forced to acknowledge his true legacy... whether he likes it or not.
Conquering 90% of the known world by the age of 25, Alexander the Great (Farrell) led his armies through 22,000 miles of sieges and conquests in just eight years. Coming out of tiny Macedonia, Alexander led his armies against the mighty Persian Empire, drove west to Egypt, and finally made his way east to India. This film will concentrate on those eight years of battles, as well as his relationship with his boyhood friend and battle mate, Hephaestion. Alexander died young, of illness, at 33. Alexander's conquests paved the way for the spread of Greek culture (facilitating the spread of Christianity centuries later), and removed many of the obstacles that might have prevented the expansion of the Roman Empire. In other words, the world we know today might never have been if not for Alexander's bloody, yet unifying, conquest.
Starring: Colin Farrell, Angelina Jolie, Val Kilmer, Anthony Hopkins, Jared Leto, Rosario Dawson, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers
From the director and star of "Amelie" (Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Audrey Tautou) comes a very different love story, "A Very Long Engagement," based on the acclaimed novel by Sebastien Japrisot. The film is set in France near the end of World War I in the deadly trenches of the Somme, in the gilded Parisian halls of power, and in the modest home of an indomitable provincial girl. It tells the story of this young woman's relentless, moving and sometimes comic search for her fiancée, who has disappeared. He is one of five French soldiers believed to have been court-martialed under mysterious circumstances and pushed out of an allied trench into an almost-certain death in no-man's land. What follows is an investigation into the arbitrary nature of secrecy, the absurdity of war, and the enduring passion, intuition and tenacity of the human heart.
Starring: Audrey Tautou, Gaspard Ulliel, Jodie Foster
Set in the 12th century, the film focuses on a young blacksmith who becomes a knight and helps defend Jerusalem against the Crusaders. There is also a love story, as the young knight falls in love with a princess.
Starring: Orlando Bloom, Liam Neeson, Jeremy Irons, Eva Green, Edward Norton
Set in the Philippines in 1945, "The Great Raid" tells the true story of the 6th Ranger Battalion, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Henry Mucci (Benjamin Bratt) who undertakes a daring rescue mission against all odds. Traveling thirty miles behind enemy lines, the 6th Ranger Battalion aims to liberate over 500 American prisoners-of-war from the notorious Cabanatuan Japanese POW camp in the most audacious rescue ever.
Directed by John Dahl, the film also stars James Franco ("Spider Man"), Joseph Fiennes ("Shakespeare in Love") and Connie Nielsen ("Gladiator").
Starring: Benjamin Bratt, James Franco, Connie Nielsen, Joseph Fiennes, Mark Consuelos
English language with latvian and russian subtitles.
From the producer of "Shrek" and "Shrek 2," comes this high-flying computer-animated comedy-adventure tale of a brave-but-undersized pigeon named Valiant (voiced by Ewan McGregor), who dreams of joining the elite Royal Homing Pigeon Service (RHPS), and serving crown and country during World War II.
Despite his small stature, Valiant's ambitions are enormous as he keeps a stiff upper beak and endures rigorous training in preparation for a dangerous mission to deliver vital messages to troops behind enemy lines. With a shortage of wingpower in the royal fleet due to increased attacks by a brigade of vicious enemy falcons (led by the ruthless General Von Talon), the mission falls to Valiant and the unlikely heroes of "Squad F" to try and save the day. With a wing and a prayer, Valiant and his fine feathered pals fly into harm's way and prove that it's not the size of the wingspan that counts, but the size of the spirit.
Filled with adventure, comedy and memorable characters, "Valiant" delivers great entertainment for audiences of all ages. John Cleese, Tim Curry, Jim Broadbent, and an all-star vocal cast of British favorites also add to the fun and excitement of this imaginative feature. The film was inspired by the fact that pigeons saved thousands of lives during the war, and 31 of the 53 top honors given to animal heroes went to pigeons.
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Ricky Gervais, Tim Curry, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Laurie, John Cleese
English language with latvian and russian subtitles.
Tough and gritty war movie about young Russians who have to go to Afganistan to fight for their homeland in a war many of them don't wholly understand. In this hell on earth, the illusions shatter quickly and what is left is the wish to get out of this place alive....
Finland, 1944. Captain Marinin is seemingly a fortune's favorite - he won the brightest victories in soviet marine history, a young woman falls in love with him from the first glance. However he is unacceptable for security services in his own country and becomes a target for them as well as for enemies.
The movie "First After God" as life itself brings lots of things - pain and hope, heroism and evil, friendship and betrayal, choice between fear and heroic deed, duty and love. Nothing is unambiguous - there can stand betrayal behind heroism, behind duty - cruelty, behind love - pure reckoning.
Film is produced by Mihail Kalatosischvili, grandson of famous director Mihail Kalatozov (Letyat Zhuravli, Soy Cuba).
Starring: Dmitri Orlov, Vladimir Gostyukhin, Nina Ruslanova, Michael Gomiashvili, Irina Björklund, Yuri Stepanov, Viktor Sukhorukov, Liza Boyarskaya, Sergei Gorobchenko
Russian language with latvian subtitles.