Part I
Baghdad, March 2003: Saddam Hussein [Igal Naor] watches George Bush appealing to Iraqis via a TV broadcast, asserting, “The tyrant will soon be gone.” As bombs explode nearby, Saddam bids farewell to his sons, Uday [Philip Arditti] and Qusay [Mounir Margoum], who hope to avoid capture “until the Americans are defeated.”

Baghdad, July 1979: During a seventh birthday party for his daughter Hala [Nour Trabelssi], Deputy President Saddam and his allies intimidate President Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr [Sason Gabay] into resigning. Convening his first Ba’ath party congress, the new president exposes “detractors,” who are led from the hall, forced to confess to an attempted coup, and executed by party members in a test of loyalty. The personality of Saddam soon permeates Iraq, with his heroic image projected everywhere.

When terrorist bombs tear through Baghdad, Saddam orders a military response, leading to the Iran-Iraq War. Saddam also faces personal travails, including the death of the mother who dominated his upbringing; the erratic behavior of Uday, his first son and heir; and a deteriorating alliance with Barzan Ibrahim [Said Taghmaoui], a half-brother and former deputy. Saddam finds solace with Samira Shahbandar [Christine Stephen-Daly], a married beauty who becomes his mistress, to the chagrin of his wife Sajida [Shohreh Aghdashloo]. Later, Saddam’s family and friends gather to celebrate daughter Raghad’s [Agni Scott] marriage to Hussein Kamel [Amr Waked], Saddam’s cousin and close ally. Despite the festivities, a feeling of foreboding mounts, as jealousy, rivalry and paranoia will soon test loyalties to the limit.

Part II
1988: Though Iraq is on the brink of bankruptcy, Baghdad is jubilant in victory after the war with Iran. Uday celebrates in a nightclub by getting drunk and firing a gun into the crowd. His brother-in-law Hussein, now Saddam’s adviser, observes Uday’s actions with concern.

As Kuwait’s upsurge in oil output challenges Iraqi prosperity, a family lunch reveals fractures in Saddam’s household, including fears that an insider might overthrow him.

News spreads that Saddam has taken Samira as a second wife, with grim ramifications. Sajida is shamed that Kamel Hanna [Akbar Kurtha], a servant, knew first. Her brother, Saddam’s longtime lieutenant Adnan [Said Amadis], cautions Saddam that he’s neglecting the needs of both Sajida and his army; Saddam replies that he’ll address only the latter.

Uday’s short fuse is lethally ignited when he confronts an inebriated Kamel Hanna at a party, beating him to death in front of horrified guests. Following a failed suicide attempt, Uday faces the thunderous rage of his father. Inevitably, Saddam questions Adnan’s loyalty; a suspicious helicopter accident removes the threat, but ruins relations between the couple.

Meanwhile, Kuwait’s oil policies incite Saddam to declare war and he leads his army into “the mother of all battles.” As nations line up to defend Kuwait, Saddam boasts that it takes 30 nations to take on one Iraq; when the American-led coalition chooses not to march on Baghdad, he claims victory.

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SHOCKING. OUTRAGEOUS. HEARTBREAKING. ANONYMOUS.

THE 13th EDITION OF HBO’S EMMY-WINNING DOCUMENTARY SERIES,

TAXICAB CONFESSIONS: NEW YORK, NEW YORK PART 3 PREMIERES TOMORROW!

Heading back to the familiar streets of the Big Apple, the 13th edition of Taxicab Confessions: New York, New York Part 3 presents more intimate, nocturnal conversations with actual NYC taxicab passengers.

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Production has begun in North Carolina on the new HBO comedy series EASTBOUND AND DOWN, starring Danny McBride (”Tropic Thunder,” “Pineapple Express”) and executive produced by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Chris Henchy, Jody Hill, Danny McBride and Ben Best. The show features McBride as Kenny Powers, a star pitcher whose self-destructive behavior knocks him out of major league baseball and back home to North Carolina, where he ends up teaching Phys Ed at the middle school he once attended. The six-episode season is scheduled to debut on the network in 2009.

EASTBOUND AND DOWN also stars Katy Mixon (the upcoming “Four Christmases”) as April Buchanon, Kenny’s former flame and current object of desire, who teaches at the school; John Hawkes (”Me and You and Everyone We Know,” HBO’s “Deadwood”) as Kenny’s brother Dustin Powers, a family man who is forced to take Kenny into his home to help get him back on his feet; Jennifer Irwin (”Still Standing”) as Dustin’s patient wife Cassie; Andrew Daly (”Semi-Pro”) as Terrence Cutler, the school principal, a fan of Kenny’s who puts up with his transgressions; Steve Little (”The Ugly Truth”) as Kenny devotee Stevie Janowski, the school’s band teacher; and Ben Best (”Superbad”) as bar proprietor Clegg, a druggie pal from the old days.

Writer and star Danny McBride, writer Jody Hill, writer and actor Ben Best, and director David Gordon Green met at the North Carolina School of the Arts. McBride later starred in Green’s “All the Real Girls,” winner of the 2003 Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. McBride re-teamed with Hill and Best on the Sundance hit “The Foot Fist Way,” which was released theatrically in May 2008, with the Los Angeles Times proclaiming it “the sort of nimble oddball discovery that one wishes would come along more often.” Most recently, Green directed McBride in the hit “Pineapple Express,” opposite Seth Rogen and James Franco.

In addition to serving as an executive producer, Will Ferrell guest stars in EASTBOUND AND DOWN as the owner of a local car dealership. After getting his start on “Saturday Night Live,” which he left in 2002, Ferrell became one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, receiving Golden Globe nominations for “The Producers” and “Stranger Than Fiction.” He also co-wrote, with director Adam McKay, and starred in “Step Brothers,” “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” and “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.” In addition, Ferrell and McKay collaborated on the hit short film “The Landlord,” which can be seen on Funnyordie.com, a website committed to showcasing the best comedy on the web, which he co-founded with McKay and Chris Henchy.

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SUNDANCE AWARD WINNER THE GREATEST SILENCE: RAPE IN THE CONGO, DEBUTING APRIL 8 ON HBO, DOCUMENTS THE ONGOING PLIGHT OF WOMEN AND GIRLS IN THE DEADLIEST CONFLICT SINCE WORLD WAR II

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Director Lisa F. Jackson To Testify Before The United States Senate’s
Subcommittee Hearing On Human Rights And The Law April 1
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Today, in the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo, a crime against humanity is taking place on an unimaginable scale - hundreds of thousands of women and girls have been raped in the last ten years. Often carried out with impunity by gangs of armed militia, these atrocities leave survivors traumatized, shunned by society and family, and suffering lifelong health effects such as HIV. Their trials unacknowledged, the victims are shamed and invisible. As a result, the world is largely ignorant of their horrific plight and the political conditions that make it possible.

Winner of a Special Jury Prize at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, THE GREATEST SILENCE: RAPE IN THE CONGO follows director Lisa F. Jackson’s crusade to expose this shocking reality when it debuts TUESDAY, APRIL 8 (10:00-11:15 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO. On April 1, one week before the film’s debut, Jackson will testify before the U.S. Senate’s Subcommittee Hearing on Human Rights and the Law.

Other HBO playdates: April 10 (1:25 a.m.), 14 (10:30 p.m.), 22 (12:30 a.m.) and 28 (2:10 a.m.)
HBO2 playdate: April 9 (8:00 p.m.)

THE GREATEST SILENCE: RAPE IN THE CONGO documents her journeys to the war zones of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to find survivors who will break that silence by bearing witness to their experiences. Forging a first-hand connection with the people she meets, Jackson interviews victims young and old, self-confessed rapists, activists, U.N. Peacekeepers and woefully underfunded local law enforcement officials. Jackson traveled alone and performed all production functions (producer, director, photography, sound) herself.

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SUSAN SARANDON AND RALPH FIENNES STAR IN HBO FILMS’ BERNARD AND DORIS, DEBUTING FEB. 9 ON HBO; GROWN-UP FAIRYTALE ABOUT AN IMAGINED RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TWO VERY REAL PEOPLE IS DIRECTED BY BOB BALABAN AND WRITTEN BY HUGH COSTELLO

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Film About Socialite Doris Duke Is Executive Produced By Bob Balaban, Jonathan Cavendish, Adam Kassen And Mark Kassen; Along With Kevin Spacey And Dana Brunetti; Co-Executive Produced By Mark Olsen
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In 1987, Irish butler Bernard Lafferty arrived at the doorstep of tobacco heiress Doris Duke. Fresh out of rehab and without a penny to his name, he faced an uphill battle in convincing his notoriously demanding boss to keep him on staff. A mere six years later, he had not only managed to remain employed, but had been granted control over Duke’s billion-dollar fortune.

What might have happened during those in-between years is the subject of BERNARD AND DORIS, debuting SATURDAY, FEB. 9 (8:00-9:45 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO. While the film explores issues of money, class and sexuality, at its core this HBO Films’ presentation is the imagined story of an extraordinary relationship between two real-life individuals who don’t fit into each other’s worlds.

Starring Susan Sarandon as Doris Duke, the richest woman in the world, and Ralph Fiennes as Bernard Lafferty, her devoted Irish butler, BERNARD AND DORIS is directed by Bob Balaban (producer of Gosford Park, director of The Exonerated) and written by Hugh Costello. The film is executive produced by Bob Balaban, Jonathan Cavendish, Adam Kassen and Mark Kassen; along with Kevin Spacey and Dana Brunetti; and co-executive produced by Mark Olsen.

While Duke’s decision to name Lafferty her estate executor was the subject of multiple lawsuits and headlines, BERNARD AND DORIS goes beyond this sensationalism to tell a witty and endearing tale about the unconventional bond between a society “princess” and her flawed “pauper” of a butler.

“To me,” explains director Balaban, “BERNARD AND DORIS is a love story between a reclusive grand dame destined to fall in love with all the wrong men and a penniless servant who shared the same fate. Our writer, Hugh Costello, imagined a six-year courtship, invented characters and situations, and made us understand how this unusual relationship might have actually come to be.”

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

BERNARD AND DORIS filmed on Long Island for six chilly weeks on a miniscule budget. Jokes director Bob Balaban, “Doris Duke left her dogs more money than we had to make the movie!” Old Westbury Gardens, once the estate of the Phipps family, was used as the main set.

According to Susan Sarandon, “Getting this movie made was almost like a Judy Garland movie. ‘Let’s put on a show in a barn,’ you know? There was absolutely no money involved in making this film, and we shot four scenes a day. It’s an absolute miracle that it pulled together, but there is something very freeing about guerrilla filmmaking.”

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I had mixed feelings when I took on this review. The press release I read told me Justin Fatica wasn’t for everyone. An un-ordained Catholic minister with a passion for Jesus doesn’t seem like the right review topic for someone like me. A Psychology Student with a passion for Ancient Religions and Polytheism (not unlike myself) and someone like Justin Fatica probably wouldn’t hit it off for one reason or another. Regardless, I find my interest in religion is powerful. It’s important for me to know what’s out there and what it could mean for the world around me. So, I signed up for a review expecting to be wowed…and wowed I was.

When I turned on Hard as Nails, I wasn’t sure what I would get. Fatica has named his ministry, Hard as Nails Ministry. I wasn’t sure that it made him or his group that way. After all, at times people advertise things for shock value. While Fatica is shocking, I suppose he wasn’t faking for show. His ministry really is Hard as Nails. Unless you are as gung ho about God, Fatica might be off-putting and perhaps even a little scary.

In the first ten minutes, you are introduced to Fatica on stage in front of the teenagers that he speaks to regularly. I watched in disbelief as he asked those children, many of whom were already crying, if they would take a bullet for God. He reminds them that taking a bullet would be easy. After all, if you believe in such things, Jesus did die for you.

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It is amazing how a documentary can open your eyes and change your perspective in ways that you had never imagined. I have been a fan of HBO Documentaries for years because they generally offer interesting and candid topics that are provided in a nonjudgmental and truthful manner. They make you think, no matter what the topic is about. In the case of Sand and Sorrow the topic is concerning something that has been swept under the rug and ignored for far too long.

Sand and Sorrow deals with the Darfur region of Sudan and the genocide that has been taking place in small, but brutal numbers for years with no relief or call to action. At one point Darfur’s population of Arabs and Non-Arabs (as they prefer to be called) got along in relative peace. This is because the non-Arabs did nothing to rock the boat. Sudan was a poor country and Darfur was all but forgotten, despite the large region that it is. However, when Sudan became a huge oil export for China, things changed.

Rebels for Darfur began protesting the fact that they were still poor and scrounging despite the riches that Sudan was receiving. These men felt that Darfur deserved roads, schools, and the respect that the rest of Sudan had received. The response was the Janjaweed and the beginning of a genocide that has killed more than 400,000 people to date and at least 500 a day. This does not include the gang rape and brutal injuries that are inflicted upon those that have survived.

At best, it is important to realize that the Janjaweed is a product of the Arab Sudanese government. Instead of stopping the rebels they attacked the rebels’ families. They burned the villages of Darfur, raped the women, stole what little the families did have, and then they started killing the men, women, and children that had not made it out. The lucky ones that are able to make it out of Darfur or into camps have no money, no means of support, and often die a slower death of starvation and sickness.

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