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Holy Smoke

"Holy Smoke" follows Ruth, played by Kate Winslet, who becomes entangled with a charismatic cult leader named PJ Waters, played by Harvey Keitel. After her family stages an intervention to deprogram her, Ruth and PJ engage in a psychological battle of wills in the Australian Outback. The film explores themes of power dynamics, spirituality, and personal liberation amidst a clash of belief systems.

The Grand

An improvisational comedy using a handful of actors playing characters competing in an actual poker tournament. Tags: Storyline: With the exception of the characters' conversations away from the game, the entire final table scene was unscripted. Co-Writer and Director Zak Penn chose to play the entire final table for real, meaning that they did not know in advance which of the characters would win, and thus how the movie would end. Because of Ray Romano's shooting schedule, the scene between Lainie (Cheryl Hines) and Fred (Ray Romano) had to be filmed before the final table had been played. Two different scenes were shot to allow for Lainie to either win or lose. The alternative scene is included on the DVD.

The House of Yes

A mentally unbalanced young woman - who is convinced she is Jackie Kennedy - flies into a murderous rage when her brother returns home to reveal he is engaged. Tags: Storyline: Based on Edgar Allen Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher."

The Impostors

"The Impostors" follows the comedic misadventures of two out-of-work actors, Arthur and Maurice, who find themselves inadvertently stowing away on a luxury ocean liner after a series of mishaps. As they try to avoid detection by the ship's crew and passengers, they encounter a colorful array of characters, including a suicidal lounge singer, a tyrannical opera star, and a revolutionary. The duo's attempts to maintain their cover lead to a series of slapstick situations and mistaken identities, culminating in a chaotic and humorous climax where their true identities are revealed, but not before they manage to save the day and win the admiration of their fellow passengers.

Tesla

Nikola Tesla, a brilliant but eccentric inventor, struggles to gain recognition and funding for his revolutionary alternating current electrical system in late 19th-century America. He works for and clashes with Thomas Edison over the future of electricity, ultimately leaving to partner with George Westinghouse, with whom he has a complicated relationship marked by both collaboration and distrust. The film portrays Tesla's professional triumphs and personal isolation, his unrequited affection for Anne Morgan, the daughter of his financier J.P. Morgan, and his visionary but often misunderstood ideas, all while being periodically narrated by Anne from a modern perspective, highlighting the anachronistic nature of his genius and the challenges he faced in a world not yet ready for his inventions.

Burden of Dreams

Burden of Dreams documents the arduous and often perilous production of Werner Herzog's 1982 film *Fitzcarraldo* in the Peruvian Amazon. The film chronicles Herzog's obsessive quest to realize his vision, which involves physically pulling a 320-ton steamship over a steep mountain between two rivers, a task deemed impossible by many. Director Les Blank captures the immense logistical challenges, the brutal jungle environment, the conflicts with indigenous communities, and the escalating tensions among the crew, particularly Herzog's volatile relationship with lead actor Klaus Kinski. The documentary reveals Herzog's profound struggles against nature, human resistance, and the crushing weight of his artistic ambition, ultimately portraying the director's near-breakdown as he grapples with the immense physical and psychological toll of the project.

Criminal

In the film "Criminal," a dangerous and unpredictable convict named Jerico Stewart is implanted with the memories, secrets, and skills of a deceased CIA operative, Bill Pope, in a desperate attempt to complete the operative's unfinished mission. Pope had crucial information about a terrorist plot involving a hacker known as "The Dutchman," who has developed a program capable of controlling the world's nuclear arsenal. As Jerico struggles with the influx of new memories and emotions, he must navigate a world of espionage and deceit, racing against time to stop the impending global catastrophe while grappling with his own violent tendencies and the remnants of Pope's consciousness influencing his actions.