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Drama

The Book Thief: A VOD Spotlight

The Book Thief: A VOD Spotlight For the role of Liesel, young actress Sophie Nélisse was an odds-on favorite of the producers and director of The Book Thief. Even Markus Zusak, who wrote the book on which the film was based, felt she was perfect for the role. A potential obstacle to Nélisse taking on the role presented itself via another of her passions. A gifted athlete as well as thespian, she had started doing gymnastics at age 3. By age 6 she was training 16 hours a week, and at 12, she was putting in as much as 30 hours […]

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Movies

On Demand DVD New Releases: March 10-16

On Demand DVD New Releases March 10-16 A Birder’s Guide to Everything David (Kodi Smit-McPhee) is a young man who tries to keep his mother’s memory alive by continuing to pursue their mutual interest in bird watching. But when an expert in the field tells David he may have captured on camera a duck believed to be extinct, it sets off a journey into the woods of Connecticut that also leads to much self-discovery. Also stars Ben Kingsley, Katie Chang (PG-13, 1:28) 3/11 Homefront A man (Jason Statham) moves to the country with his daughter to get away from the craziness of […]

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Movies

On Demand DVD New Releases March 3-9

On Demand DVD New Releases March 3-9 This week, Bryan Cranston — of Breaking Bad/Malcolm in the Middle fame — makes a big-screen appearance in Cold Comes the Night and Jennifer Lawrence returns as Katniss Everdeen in the second Hunger Games installment The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Spike Lee, John Brolin and Elizabeth Olsen team up for Oldboy, while a number of big-name celebs join forces for the documentary Girl Rising. Cold Comes the Night A struggling motel owner and her daughter are taken hostage by a nearly blind career criminal to be his eyes as he attempts to retrieve his cash […]

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Movies

On Demand DVD New Releases Feb. 24-March 2

On Demand DVD New Releases Feb. 24-March 2: February comes to a close with some big titles rounding out the month’s releases. Channel Guide Magazine‘s movie critic, Paul Hall offers his take on his favorites. The Counselor Novelist Cormac McCarthy (No Country for Old Men) wrote the screenplay for this oddball crime story about a lawyer (Michael Fassbender) whose ill-conceived foray into drug trafficking soon has his life spiraling out of control. Directed by Ridley Scott. Also stars Cameron Diaz, Brad Pitt (R, 1:57) 2/25 Gravity Paul says: “Quite frankly, this is the best and most complete film of 2013. When viewing at […]

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Movies

On Demand DVD New Releases Feb. 17-23

On Demand DVD New Releases Feb. 17-23 Not a single big title this week … even Channel Guide Magazine‘s movie critic Paul Hall didn’t have anything to add to this week’s rundown. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t things worth checking out. See below for some titles you might otherwise have overlooked. Baggage Claim A flight attendant, who is determined to get engaged before her youngest sister’s wedding, uses her airline connections to conduct a 30-day search hunting down ex-boyfriends and searching for other potential suitors. Paula Patton, Derek Luke, Taye Diggs (PG-13, 1:36) 2/18 McCanick A harried narcotics detective and his reluctant […]

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Movies

VOD Spotlight: The Best Man Holiday

One of the scenes in The Best Man Holiday that’s sure to be talked about (and enjoyed) is when the male cast members entertain their female counterparts with a performance of New Edition’s “Can You Stand the Rain.” Director Malcolm D. Lee sets up the scene, which has its roots in his own lip-synching days at Georgetown. “After dinner, Mia (played by Monica Calhoun), tells the guys that they are not going to have dessert until they do ‘air band.’ This catches them by surprise. She has the jackets, hats and outfits they had circa 1991, and they’re going to […]

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Movies

VOD Spotlight: Dallas Buyers Club

In September 1992, Ron Woodroof succumbed to complications from AIDS. Six years earlier, he had been given 30 days to live. Screenwriter Craig Borten was drawn to Woodroof’s story, and that of the Dallas Buyers Club, after being pointed towards it by a friend. Woodroof set up the Dallas Buyers Club to provide AIDS patients with experimental drugs for treating the disease that could only be obtained through importation from other countries or via illegal smuggling, as they had not yet been approved for use in the United States. Woodroof, a proud Texan, was diagnosed with HIV in 1985, as […]

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Movies

On Demand DVD New Releases February 10-16

On Demand DVD New Releases Feb. 10-16 See what Paul Hall, Channel Guide‘s movie critic has to say about some of this week’s new titles. All Is Lost Paul says: “Robert Redford is back on the big screen as a man who is lost in the Indian Ocean. An accident has left him stranded, and his knowledge of his boat and his surroundings, and his internal drive, will hopefully help him survive until someone finds him. Dialogue is not a part of this film as it’s all about Redford — he’s the only person who appears in the film — and […]

2014 Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony TV Schedule
Sports

Winter Olympics preview: A look a Sochi’s Olympic Stadium

Winter Olympics preview: A look a Sochi’s showcase venues, including the Fisht Olympic Stadium, which will host the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. Beijing (2008) had the Bird’s Nest and the Water Cube, Montreal (1976) had the “Big O” — will Sochi end up with an iconic Olympic venue as well? Organizers hope so, and the Fisht Olympic Stadium could be a strong contender. Named after Mount Fisht, the design of the main venue, which is shaped like a shell, gives a nod to Fabergé art (think of the famous decorated eggs). The stadium walls […]

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Movies

About Time: VOD Spotlight

At the age of 21, Tim Lake (Domhnall Gleeson, Anna Karenina) discovers he can travel in time. Tim’s father (Bill Nighy, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) tells his son that the men in his family have always had the ability to travel through time. Tim can’t change history, but he can change what happens and has happened in his own life. The idea for About Time came from a conversation that director Richard Curtis (Pirate Radio, Love Actually) had with a friend about what they would do if they were told that they had only 24 hours left to live. […]