Inside Llewyn Davis

A young, struggling folk singer in New York City’s Greenwich Village faces insurmountable odds as he tries to navigate the New York City folk scene in February 1961. In the wake of his musical partner’s suicide and the immense failure of his recently released solo album, Llewyn Davis searches for direction with nothing but his guitar to keep him company during the harsh and unforgiving New York winter.
Directors: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen. Stars: Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Justin Timberlake, Adam Driver. 2013. 104 min. Drama.

The Book Thief

During the Second World War, young Liesel Meminger is sent to live with a foster family while her mother, a communist, hides from persecution. When it is discovered that Liesel is illiterate, her adoptive father, Hans, teaches her to read, sparking an obsession with reading and books. While the world around her becomes increasingly dangerous and confusing, Liesel finds comfort in stealing and reading books and sharing them with others, including a Jewish man named Max, whom her adoptive parents are hiding in the basement.
Director: Brian Percival. Stars: Sophie Nélisse, Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, Roger Allam, Heike Makatsch. 2013. 131 min. Drama.

Homefront

Seeking a quieter and less demanding life, former DEA agent and recent widow Phil Broker retires with his nine-year-old daughter to a small town. When an incident at his daughter’s new school leads him to a confrontation with a group of drug traffickers and a dangerous meth kingpin, his newly attained peaceful existence is turned upside down. But whatever the cost, Broker is desperate to keep his daughter safe.
Director: Gary Fleder. Stars: Jason Statham, James Franco, Winona Ryder, Kate Bosworth, Izabela Vidovic. 2013. 100 min. Action.

Out of the Furnace

When his younger brother gets tangled up with a notoriously violent crime ring and mysteriously disappears, Russell Baze takes it upon himself to figure out what happened to his brother Rodney. Recently released from prison, Russell risks his freedom and his dream of escaping the poverty–stricken Rust Belt to seek justice for his little brother.
Director: Scott Cooper. Stars: Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Zoe Saldana, Willem Dafoe, Sam Shepard, Forest Whitaker. 2013. 116 min. Thriller.