Flick Picks 1/7/14: Runner Runner, Thanks for Sharing, Top of the Lake

New on DVD at the library this week!

ENTERTAINMENT: Justin Timberlake continues to follow his acting muse while cinematic Renaissance man (and future Batman) Ben Affleck returns from behind the camera in Runner Runner. Runner Runner is a thriller set in the online gambling world that tells the story of a young grad student (Timberlake) who heads to Costa Rica to confront the man whom he believes has swindled him (Affleck), only to be brought into his organization and later recruited by the FBI. If you're looking for a romantic comedy-drama about sex addiction then we just might just have your number. Thanks for Sharing follows a number of characters in different phases of their addiction, including Mark Ruffalo and Tim Robbins. If anything, this film is an excuse for superhero fans to see The Hulk (Ruffalo) become romantically involved with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow).

A pair of British lawyers who happen to be ex-lovers are appointed to defend a suspected terrorist but are soon drawn into a much bigger conspiracy in the thriller Closed Circuit. Eric Bana, Rebecca Hall, Ciaran Hinds, Julia Stiles and Jim Broadbent are just the tip of the iceberg of this film's great cast. Also this week, Michael Caine is a Paris-based professor who becomes involved with a young dance instructor in the lightweight Last Love. Our indie pick is The Vicious Kind, which stars comedic actor Adam Scott in a more serious role than is typical of him. He plays a misanthrope who becomes attracted to his brother's new girlfriend when he meets her over Thanksgiving.

SERIES: The much anticipated Jane Campion written Sundance miniseries Top of the Lake follows a New Zealand detective (Mad Men's Elizabeth Moss) as she tries to figure out why a young girl from a small town has disappeared. Also this week are season 2 of both the BBC America historical drama Copper and the Showtime consulting firm comedy House of Lies.

SUBTITLED: Two young people find that they must escape Cuba in the energetic Una Noche.

DOCUMENTARIES: The bizarre and captivating The Act of Killing ended up on many critics' best of lists last year and now is your chance to check it out at home. In this film, former Indonesian death squad leaders reenact their killings using Hollywood genres. Another strange and intriguing one this week is Caesar Must Die, which serves as both a documentary and theatre piece. It follows prisoners in Rome, many of whom were given life sentences, as they prepare for a performance of Julius Caesar. Finally, Inequality for All presents former Labor Secretary Robert Reich's attempt to deal with the increasing economic gap between the rich and poor.

All of our current and upcoming films can be found in Bibliocommons.

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