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New releases for April 4th

Afflicted: Another entry in the found footage genre, Afflicted follows two friends, Derek and Clif, as they take a trip around the world while recording their exploits for a travel blog. After Derek goes to bed with a woman he meets at a club in Paris, he becomes afflicted with a strange condition. At first it seems to endow him with super powers (making the film reminiscent of Chronicle in parts), but as the affliction progresses, it turns into something more sinister.
Available at Vudu

Dom Hemingway: Jude Law takes on the British gangster genre as Dom Hemingway, a notorious safe cracker who has just been released from jail after serving a 12-year prison sentence. As he re-enters society he has multiple concerns, such as reconnecting with his estranged daughter and trying to get paid for taking the fall and not ratting out his co-conspirators. Dom only knows one way, so going straight is not an option and he is soon drawn back into the world that led him to prison in the first place.

Frankie & Alice: Halle Berry plays Frankie, a stripper in 1970s Los Angeles. If that doesn’t make life difficult enough, she also suffers from multiple personality disorder harboring two additional identities: a racist white Southern woman and a seven-year-old child with a genius level IQ. After an episode she finds herself under the care of Oz (Stellan Skarsgard), a burnt out psychotherapist. As Oz treats his new patient, he also begins to rediscover his passion for his profession.

Nymphomaniac: Volume II: Lars von Trier’s four hour opus, Nymphomaniac, is split into two separate films for North American release. Volume 2 continues the story of Joe (Charlotte Gainsbourg) who is a sex addict (she prefers the term nymphomaniac) as she pursues her self-destructive sexual behavior. Reaction seems to suggest that part 2 loses steam and does not match the discovery of part 1, but it is still worthwhile to get von Trier’s full vision.
Available at Amazon
Available at iTunes

Under the Skin: Director Jonathan Glazer is known largely from his work directing advertisements and music videos, but he makes his third feature film (after Sexy Beast and Birth) with the science fiction film, Under the Skin. Scarlett Johansson plays an alien who comes to Earth, takes a human form, and then travels around Scotland looking to seduce men for her nefarious purposes. Many of the encounters in the film are shot on hidden camera with men who are non-actors and had no idea they were speaking to movie star Johansson, much less appearing in a movie, making it sort of a sci-fi art film version of Borat or Bad Grandpa.

The Unknown Known: Perhaps less of a portrait of a powerful political figure in recent American history, The Unknown Known becomes more of a battle between a skillful interviewer and a subject who is masterful at bending words. Acclaimed documentarian Errol Morris interviews politician Donald Rumsfeld, who most famously served as Secretary of Defense to President George W. Bush. Morris is known for getting his subjects to open up and give straight answers, but he may have met his match in Rumsfeld, who has years of experience in learning how to spin his answers , when he questions him on topics including the 9/11 attacks, torture policy, and the Iraq War.

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