Movies I Have Seen - July 2011 (5 movies) (I was away from home for family reunions on four different weekends)

Cemetery Junction is a coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. 2010, Starring Christian Cooke; Felicity Jones; Tom Hughes; Jack Doolan; Ricky Gervais; Julia Davis; Albert Welling; Katy Murphy; Ralph Fiennes; Emily Watson; Burn Gorman; Matthew Goode; Matthew Holness; Kirk Yeomans; Steve Speirs; Anne Reid; Michael Jibson; Imdad Miah; David Earl; Bryony Hannah; Simone Richards; Stephen Merchant as Dougie Boden; Jessica Jones; Madeleine Dunbar; Andrew Brooke; Francis Magee; Bryony Hannah; Terrence Bird; Emily Watson; Julie T. Wallace; Bev Willis; Ben Willbond; Rosemary Nkrumah; James Bye; Tim Atack and Keith Atack and Chris Childs and Peter Dale Goslin as Function Band Members; Jon Sudbury and DeeRal and Steve Simpson and Cairo Ben and Cherri Top and Viveen Wray and Melissa Garrick and Barnaby Dickinson and Ian Close and Andy Lewis as Club Band Members; Riccardo Bacigalupo; Anna Barry; Ramon Christian; Dominik Danielewicz; Daniela Forbes; Jonathan Jaynes; Dina Lees; Markus Lloyd; Teresa Mahoney; Petra Markham; Sarah Molkenthin; Andrew Neil; Karl Pilkington; Ian Seale; Sarah-Jane Sherwood; Connor Slaney; Tabatha St. Vincent; Richard Syms and John Warman. Movie Central, July 5, 2011. In 1973 Britain, three friends spend their days joking, drinking, fighting and chasing girls. Freddie (Christian Cooke) wants to leave their working class world but cool, charismatic Bruce (Tom Hughes) and lovable loser Snork (Jack Doolan) are happy with life the way it is. When Freddie gets a new job as an insurance salesman and bumps into his old school sweetheart Julie (Felicity Jones), the gang is forced to make choices that will change their lives forever. Cemetery Junction is set in 1973, in Reading, where Gervais grew up. According to him, it is a "coming of age" story that is a cross between The Office and Mad Men. Cemetery Junction is an actual road junction in Reading, where Wokingham Road divides from the London Road. Soundtrack: "Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)" - Written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Performed by Elton John; "Amazonia" - Written by Bryan Ferry/Phil Manzanera, Performed by Roxy Music; "Life's A Gas" - Written by Marc Bolan, Performed by T Rex; "All The Young Dudes" - Words and Music by David Bowie, Performed by Mott the Hoople, Featured Vocals by David Bowie; "The Rain Song" - Written by Jimmy Page/Robert Plant, Performed by Led Zeppelin; "Five Variants Of Dives And Lazarus"; "Four Walls"; "Crazy Horses"; "Crying In The Chapel"; "Cum On Feel The Noize"; "Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)"; "The Rain Song"; "I Believe In Miracles"; "Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Old Oak Tree".

Strip Search is a dramatic film made for HBO network, exploring the status of individual liberties in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks and the approval of the USA PATRIOT Act. 2004, Starring Glenn Close as FBI Agent Karen Moore; Maggie Gyllenhaal as Linda Sykes; Bruno Lastra as Sharif Bin Said; Dean Winters as FBI Agent Ned McGrath; Ken Leung as Liu Tsung-Yuan; Austin Pendleton as James Perley; Tom Guiry as Gerry Sykes; Fred Koehler as Jimmy Briggs; Zack Manzella as High School Boy; Daniel May Wong as Arresting Officer; Jim Gaffigan as Reverend Craig Peterson; Caroline Kava as Alvira Sykes; Peter Jacobson as John Scanlon; Anahid Anahid as Aaisha Bin Said; Ray Anthony Thomas as Clerk; David Fonteno as Paul Lewis; Christopher McCann as Nicholas Hudson; Nelson Lee as Xiu-Juan Chang; Ramsey Faragallah as Abdul Amin and Pell James as Willa Sheilds. HBO, July 6, 2011. The film is built around two parallel stories, containing almost identical dialogues. One story line involves Linda Sykes (Gyllenhaal), an American woman detained in the People's Republic of China, being interrogated by a military officer (Leung). In the other storyline, Sharif Bin Said (Lastra), an Arab man detained in New York City, is interrogated by two FBI agents (Winters and Close). Both characters are graduate students detained with no hard evidence and interrogated about unspecified activities which may be related to terrorist plots. As implied by the title, the characters of Sykes and Bin Said are strip-searched against their will by their interrogators. In both cases the protagonists appear to have only tenuous connections with the suspected terrorist plots. The film ends with the question: "Must security and safety come at the price of freedom?" Preamble: "Over the course of American history, in times of crisis or threat, the government of the United States has resorted to extreme measures in the name of national security. 1798 - Congress passes the Alien and Sedition Acts. 1862 - President Abraham Lincoln suspends the Writ of Habeas Corpus. 1919 - Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer initiates raids on the homes of suspect aliens. 1942 - President Franklin Roosevelt places Japanese-Americans in internment camps. 1945 - The House of Representatives permanently establishes the Un-American Activities Committee." Epilogue: "In the aftermath of September 11, 2001, as a result of heightened threats to our national security, over 700 individuals were detained on suspicion of terrorist activity. 515 were aliens and deported. 4 were American citizens. All were denied due process."

Finding Lenny. 2009, Starring Barry Hilton, Russel Savadier, Kathleen Andersen, Catriona Andrew, Michelle Bradshaw, Vuyo Dabula, Kieran Harriman, Yule Masiteng, Ron Smerczak, Mark Fish (as himself), Phil Masinga (as himself), Rohan Coti, Hugh Masebenza, Lawrence Joffe, Louis Van Der Wait, Dambuza Mdedle Jr., Thembsie Matu, Andre Stoltz, Mandla Hitashwayo, Lloyd Jaffee, Dale Harris, Ntsiki Raphesu, Arthur Motepo, De Villiers Fourie, "Mighty Spears" - Themba Mhinga as Banks, Katieho Ramaphaketa as Ronaldo, Duke Motianthe as Beckham, Joel Zuma as Zidane, Shimane Lekoma as Pele, Themba Notomete as Drogba, Tazz Hginda as Henry, Teepo Ngwane as Owen, Itumefeng Lobeto as Rio and Beth Zuma as Crouch; Execon Soccer Team: Brandon Hall, Gabriel Ozoko Ochapa, Sunday Obiloma, Simon Tlio, Lawrence Uzoma, Danny Di Cario, Chris Kalonji and Gabriel Ewa. Movie Central, July 7, 2011. Soundtrack: Stop Moogab - Lonehill Estate; Step Outside - Lonehill Estate; Forty - Lonehill Estate; Can You Handle the Truth - Ed Jordan; Sail Away - Jamie Hilton; Het So - Zerro II; Zulu Traditional Songs: Thula Sizwe - Hitsuki (?) Flachesu (?); Washesha - Villagers; Shosholoza - The Mighty Spears; Singama Bubesi Amancane - The Mighty Spears.

Me and Orson Welles. 2009, Starring Zac Efron, Christian McKay, Claire Danes, Ben Chaplin, James Tupper, Eddie Marsan, Leo Bill, Kelly Reilly, Zoe Kazan, Al Weaver, Saskia Reeves, Imogen Poots, Garrick Hagon, Megan Maczko, Simon Lee Phillips, Patrick Kennedy, Shane James Bordas, Alessandro Giuggioli, Harry Macqueen, Rhodri Orders, Thomas Arnold, Aidan McArdle, Simon Nehan, Daniel Tuite, Iain McKee, Michael J. McEvoy, Travis Oliver, Jo McInnes, Ben Chaplin, Aaron Brown, Emily Allen, David Garbutt, Jay Irving, Steve Parry, Marlene Sidaway, Kelly Reilly, Imogen Poots, Robert Wilfort, Michael Brandon, Nathan Osgood, Janie Dee, Eddi Reader, Jools Holland, Gilson Lavis, David Swift, Mark Flanagan, Jon Scott, Fayyaz Virji, Michael Rose, Phil Veacock, Nick Lunt, Jason McDermid, John Young, Lexie Lambert, John Patten (Theatre Owner) and Chris Wilson. Movie Central, July 7, 2011, with Connie Luther. Soundtrack: Helen Ward and Benny Goodman & His Orchestra - This Year's Kisses; Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra - I'm Shooting High; Benny Goodman & His Orchestra - Sing, Sing, Sing; Count Basie & His Orchestra - One O'Clock Jump; James Langton - Ode to Krupa; Jools Holland & his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra - Let's Pretend There's a Moon; Christian McKay - Let's Pretend There's a Moon; Ginger Rogers - Let Yourself Go; The Mills Brothers - Solitude; James Langton - Aftershow Jam; Fred Astaire - They Can't Take That Away from Me; Benny Goodman & His Orchestra - In a Sentimental Mood; Tommy Dorsey & His Clambake Seven - The Music Goes Round and Round; Jools Holland & his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra - I Surrender Dear; Jools Holland & his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra - You Made Me Love You/I Didn't Want to Do It; James Langton & His Solid Senders - Have You Met Miss Jones; James Langton & His Solid Senders - Sing, Sing, Sing; Claire Freeman - Nice Work If You Can Get It; ? Anderson - Oh Babey Maybe Someday; Maxine Sullivan - Spring Is Here, Tommy Dorsey - Alone; ? and his Orchestra - Ebb Tide; Duke Ellington - Clarinet Lament; Duke Ellington - Solitude; Billie Holliday - Easy Living; Duke Ellington - Yearning For Love; The Molly Blue Rhythm Band - Merry Go Round.

The Tillman Story is a 2010 documentary film directed by Amir Bar-Lev. The film is about the 2004 death of U.S. Army Ranger Pat Tillman in the mountains of Afghanistan, and the subsequent cover up by the U.S. Government regarding the true events of Tillman's death, and his family's strife to unearth the truth. It was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. The film is narrated by Josh Brolin. Starring Josh Brolin as the Narrator (voice), Pat Tillman as Himself (archive footage), Mary Tillman as Herself (as Mary 'Dannie' Tillman), Russell Baer as Himself, Patrick Tillman Sr. as Himself, Philip Kensinger as Himself, Stan Goff as Himself, Jason Parsons as Himself, Bryan O'Neal as Himself, Marie Tillman as Herself, Richard Tillman as Himself, Kevin Tillman as Himself, George W. Bush as Himself (archive footage) and Donald Rumsfeld as Himself (archive footage). Movie Central, July 11, 2011, with Connie Luther. Soundtrack: Summa; Nocturne Opus 5-1 No. 4 - Sandra Matthews; We're a Winner - The Impressions; Jericho - Sister Rosetta Thorpe; Hawks and Doves - Neil Young.