Aloha

Defense contractor Brian Gilcrest (Cooper) flies to Hawaii to strike a deal for the arms company that he works for with a group of natives. While visiting the beautiful Pacific islands, he reconnects with Tracy (McAdams), the woman he nearly married more than a decade earlier. Attempts to rekindle their old romance run into some speed bumps, though, when the chemistry between Brian and the beautiful Air Force pilot assigned to be his escort (Stone) threatens to ignite more than just a casual attraction. Meanwhile, Brian’s eccentric and egotistical boss’s (Murray) plans for the beautiful Hawaiian landscape may not be as benevolent as they first appeared.

Director: Cameron Crowe. Stars: Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, Rachel McAdams, Bill Murray, John Krasinski, Danny McBride, Alec Baldwin. 2015. 105 min. Romance.

Citizenfour

The story behind whistleblower Edward Snowden is exposed in this Academy Award-winning documentary. In 2013, the former NSA contractor released classified documents and exposed a far-reaching surveillance program, a revelation that is still rocking America and the world today. Accused of being both a traitor and a hero, here that story is finally told.

Director: Laura Poitras. Stars: Edward Snowden, Julian Assange, Glenn Greenwald. 2014. 114 min. Documentary.

Two Days, One Night

Sandra (Cotillard) suffers a minor nervous breakdown at the solar panel factory where she works and takes some much-needed time off to recuperate. Back on the factory floor, her co-workers divvy up her responsibilities and find that, by working slightly longer hours, they can easily cover Sandra’s position. Seeing this, the factory’s management makes the employees an offer: if they agree to keep working the extra hours to make Sandra’s position redundant, they’ll receive a sizeable one-time bonus. Upon her return to work, Sandra learns that her job is in the hands of her co-workers, and she must work to convince the cash-strapped employees to turn down the money and let her keep her job. It won’t be easy, though, since most of the factory workers have families of their own and are struggling to make ends meet.

Directors: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne. Stars: Marion Cotillard, Fabrizio Rongione, Pili Groyne. 2014. 95 min. Drama.