The Film Wall » History

If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front (2011)

rashmeet — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 12:29:21 +0000

On December 7th, 2005, federal agents conducted a nationwide sweep of radical environmentalists involved with the Earth Liberation Front — an organization the FBI has called America’s “number one domestic terrorism threat.” “If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front” is the remarkable story of the group’s rise and fall, told through the transformation and radicalization of one of its members, Daniel McGowan. Part coming-of-age tale, part cops-and-robbers thriller, the film interweaves a chronicle of McGowan facing life in prison with a dramatic investigation of the events that led to his involvement with the ELF. Using never-before-seen archival footage and intimate interviews — with cell members and with the prosecutor and detective who were chasing them

– “If a Tree Falls” asks hard questions about environmentalism, activism, and the way we define terrorism.

Pathfinders: In the Company of Strangers (2011)

rashmeet — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 09:01:41 +0000

Untold and lost history. A true story of the American Pathfinders, the volunteer paratroopers whose deadly mission was to land 30 minutes before the Normandy invasion, locate and mark strategic “drop zones” and set up the top-secret navigation equipment needed to guide the main airborne assault on D-Day.

Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen (2011)

rashmeet — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 17:19:55 +0000

In 1925, the nation of China is divided by infighting, and Japan has become the most powerful force in Asia. With the city of Shanghai torn in half by international conflict, Club Casablanca has become a hotbed of spies, mobsters, English officials and the Japanese military- all looking to gain control of the country, with little regard for what happens to its citizenry. Into this den of intrigue enters Chen Zhen (Donnie Yen), who has returned to China after fighting alongside the Allied forces in Europe, bringing some dark secrets from his past along with him. During the day, he’s known as “Qi”, and appears to be just another wealthy playboy. But at night, he takes to the street as a masked warrior, determined to subvert the Japanese invasion while becoming entangled with the sultry Kiki (Played by Shu Qi), who has a dangerous secret of her own. When his past catches up to him, Zhen is faced with near impossible odds- but his skills are formidable, and he’s up to the challenge.

The Conspirator (2011)

rashmeet — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 18:17:34 +0000

“The Conspirator” tells the story of the conspiracy to assassinate President Lincoln, the military trial of the lone female charged, and the reluctant lawyer assigned to defend her. In the wake of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, seven men and one woman are then arrested and charged with conspiring to kill the President, the Vice-President, and the Secretary of State. The lone woman charged, Mary Surratt, 42, owns a boarding house where John Wilkes Booth and others met and planned the simultaneous attacks.

Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2011)

rashmeet — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 10:57:29 +0000

Werner Herzog gains exclusive access to film inside the Chauvet caves of Southern France, capturing the oldest known pictorial creations of humankind in their astonishing natural setting.

Mary, Mother of Christ (2011)

rashmeet — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 17:58:42 +0000

Camilla Belle (“Push,” “10,000 BC”) will star as the titular character and will be joined by Jonathan Rhys Meyers in the dual roles of Gabriel and Lucifer and Peter O’Toole as Symeon.

Terror Trap (2010)

rashmeet — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 19:13:19 +0000

Driving to a weekend getaway, a car breakdown strands young couple Don and Nancy (David James Elliot and Heather Marsden) while passing through a small

Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey (2010)

rashmeet — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 18:35:52 +0000

Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Se is a period thriller and is based on the book DO AND DIE by Manini Chatterjee, based on the Chittagong Uprising of 1930.

The King’s Speech (2010)

rashmeet — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 19:28:38 +0000

Based on the true story of the Queen of England’s father and his remarkable friendship with maverick Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue THE KING’S SPEECH stars Academy Award nominee Colin Firth (A Single Man) as King George VI, who unexpectedly becomes King when his brother Edward abdicates the throne. Academy Award Winner Geoffrey Rush (Shine) stars as Logue, the man who helps the King find a voice with which to lead the nation into war.

The multi-award-winning cast includes Helena Bonham Carter (Alice In Wonderland) as Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, Guy Pearce (The Hurt Locker), Derek Jacobi (The Golden Compass), Timothy Spall (The Damned United) and Michael Gambon (Harry Potter).

Shake Hands with the Devil (2010)

rashmeet — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 11:40:57 +0000

In 1993, the United Nations dispatches Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire (Roy Dupuis) to far off Rwanda to oversee a fragile cease-fire. A brilliant, workaholic officer and charismatic commander, Dallaire encounters the shabby reality of a typical UN peacekeeping operation: under-funded, overbureaucratic, and cobbled together from military units from dozens of countries, each with a slightly different agenda. Meanwhile, the peace agreement between the rebels, led by the minority Tutsi ethnic group, and the French-supported government dominated by the Hutu majority group, turns out to rest on shaky ground. When an unknown group shoots down the Rwandan President’s plane, the storm breaks and a secret but long-planned genocidal campaign against the Tutsi minority begins with a decisive action to stop the genocide of over 800,000 innocent civilians.

Eichmann (2010)

rashmeet — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 11:39:09 +0000

Based upon the final confession of Adolf Eichmann, made before his execution in Israel as he accounts to Captain Avner Less (Troy Garity, Soldier’s Girl, Sunshine), a young Israeli Police Officer, of his past as the architect of Hitler’s plan for the final solution. Captured by intelligence operatives in Argentina fifteen years after World War II, Eichmann, (Thomas Kretschmann, The Pianist, Valkyrie), the world’s most wanted man, must be broken down and the ruth unveiled. As the world waits, two men must confront each other in a battle of wills-the result of which will change a nation forever. Also stars Franka Potente (Run Lola Run, The Bourne Identity) and Stephen Fry (Valkyire, V for Vendetta).

Carlos (2010)

rashmeet — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 11:36:01 +0000

The story of Venezuelan revolutionary, Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, who founded a worldwide terrorist organization and raided the OPEC headquarters in 1975 before being caught by the French police.

11/4/08 (2010)

rashmeet — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 11:27:22 +0000

Two weeks before the election of Barack Obama, filmmaker Jeff Deutchman asked his friends around the world to record their experiences of 11/4/08, a day that had become historic before it had even taken place. He collected footage from a combination of passionate amateurs and acclaimed independent filmmakers, including Henry Joost (Catfish), Margaret Brown (The Order of Myths), Joe Swanberg (Alexander the Last) and Benh Zeitlin (Glory At Sea).
In this vérité documentary, we see the results of that project: in St. Louis and Austin, idealistic volunteers think they can turn their states blue; in Chicago, voter lines are made even longer when Obama shows up to cast his own vote; in Alaska, children seem to be as invested in the election results as their arents; in Paris, an organization discusses whether there could ever be a black President of France; in Dubai, Berlin, Geneva and New Dehli, expatriates express their emotion from a distance; and in Harlem, a felon casts doubt on whether any of this will actually affect his life. As we approach the final announcement of Obama’s victory at 11pm EST, what emerges is a portrait of how people choose to live through history: the celebration of a new future remaining entangled with the universally visible tensions of the past.

The Special Relationship (2010)

rashmeet — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 11:30:02 +0000

In 1992 Labour leader Tony Blair goes to America and is impressed by the policies of President Clinton,which he uses to reshape his party. Two years later he is invited back for an audience with Clinton,who,rightly, predicts that he will be Britain’s next Prime Minister.Thus begins the ‘special relationship’ between the two, though Clinton is clearly the senior partner with Blair seeking his advice on Northern Ireland. The situation in Kosovo however reverses the roles as Blair forces American intervention by a reluctant president and is seen in the American media as the hero of the hour. As Clinton accuses his ally of stabbing him in the back the special relationship starts to sour and,with Clinton ultimately out of the White House,Blair takes his first photo call with the next incumbent,Bush.

Caves of Forgotten Dreams (2010)

rashmeet — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:39:36 +0000

Werner Herzog gains exclusive access to film inside the Chauvet caves of Southern France, capturing the oldest known pictorial creations of humankind in their astonishing natural setting. The film has been shot in 3D.