Written and directed by Academy Award nominee Damien Chazelle, La La Land tells the story of Mia (Emma Stone), an aspiring actress, and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), a dedicated jazz musician, who are struggling to make ends meet in a city known for crushing hopes and breaking hearts. Set in modern day Los Angeles, this original musical about everyday life explores the joy and pain of pursuing your dreams. As winner of 8 Critics Choice Awards, including Best Picture & Best Director – La La Land  has entered awards season with a bang, with more nominations rolling in. (Lionsgate)

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Bleached is releasing a set of acoustic covers by Jennifer Clavin in support of Planned Parenthood. The covers — The Ramones’ “Bonzo Goes To Bitburg” and Barry McGuire’s “Eve of Destruction” – are available to stream below and for purchase at Bandcamp. Additionally, Bleached have collaborated with their favorite illustrator, Puppyteeth, on limited edition socks. 100% of proceeds from the singles and socks purchases will be donated to Planned Parenthood.

“After the election, I went to the desert with an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness, sadness, and anger. I decided to record covers of 2 songs that perfectly capture my feelings regarding our political state. ‘Eve of Destruction’ was written in 1965, and 50 years later could not be more relevant. It’s a warning of the fascist, racist, violent and unjust world we were living in then, and are living in now. ‘Bonzo Goes To Bitburg’ shares the embarrassed, offended, and disgusted feeling a lot of us have every time we see Trump on our television. We are living in a time where we can anticipate federal funding to public health resources terminated. I have been using Planned Parenthood’s services for 10 years. And hope to continue to. It is on us to ensure their services continue through public funding and donation. All the proceeds of this digital 7” will go towards Planned Parenthood, for a future of accessible pap smears, breast and cervical cancer screening, pregnancy testing, pregnancy option counseling, STD screening, colposcopies, birth control, sex education, LGBT services, and other necessary health services. FUCK TRUMP. FUCK PENCE. LONG LIVE RUTH BADER GINSBERG.” — Jennifer Clavin

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From writer/director Tom Ford comes a haunting romantic thriller of shocking intimacy and gripping tension that explores the thin lines between love and cruelty, revenge and redemption. Academy Award nominees Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal star as a divorced couple discovering dark truths about each other and themselves in Nocturnal Animals. Ford’s first film since his period piece A Single Man in 2009, Nocturnal Animals premiered at the Venice Film Festival and won the Grand Jury Prize. The film also includes a an all-star supporting cast, with Michael Shannon, Isla Fisher, Armie Hammer, Laura Linney, and Michael Sheen. (Focus Features)

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Tribeca Film Festival Best Actor winner Dominic Rains stars in Burn Country as Afghan war journalist Osman. When he settles in a small Northern California town, he experiences the strange and violent backwoods culture, while covering local crime. The crime drama, written and directed by Ian Olds, also stars Oscar Winner Melissa Leo as a local cop and Oscar Nominee James Franco as a sketchy local who may have had a murder motive. Iranian-American actor Rains delivers an outstanding performance, described as “deeply emotional and empathetic…”, by the Tribeca Film Festival jurors. (Samuel Goldwyn Films)

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Hamburg Demonstrations is Pete Doherty’s first solo album since 2009’s Grace/Wastelands. Recorded in Hamburg with producer Johann Scheerer, these songs find him exploring familiar themes yet a wholly unfamiliar clarity of purpose and sound. These are some of the prettiest, best-realized songs of Doherty’s career.

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Jackie follows widowed First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy (Natalie Portman) as she navigates her life, religion, and family after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, while also receiving public and private scrutiny. Portman’s performance as the titular character, described as “eerily accurate” by Vanity Fair, is receiving Oscar buzz after a successful film festival tour across the board. Chilean director Pablo Larrain won the Toronto Platform Prize at the Toronto International Film Festival and screenwriter Noah Oppenheim received the Best Screenplay Award at the Venice Film Festival. The film is rounded out by exceptional supporting performances in the film including Greta Gerwig as Jackie’s aide, Nancy Tuckerman, Peter Sarsgaard as brother-in-law Bobby Kennedy, and John Carroll Lynch as Lyndon B. Johnson. (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

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Tribeca-Film Festival Best U.S. Narrative Feature nominee, Always Shine, is a a psychological female-led thriller directed by Sophia Takal and written by Lawrence Michael Levine. Starring Best New Actress (Tribeca Film 2016) Mackenzie Davis and Caitlin Fitzgerald, Always Shine tells the story of two estranged friends, both actresses, whose reunion trip takes a dark turn when personal jealousies and external pressures wedge an even further divide between the two. Always Shine brings into focus the complex relationship between women and unrealistic Hollywood standards.
(Oscilloscope)

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First-time feature director Garth Davis and screenwriter Luke Davies find themselves in the awards race with their film Lion. Adapted from the main character’s own book, A Long Way Home, Lion follows Saroo Brierley (Dev Patel) who uses Google Earth to find the family he was separated from in Madhya Pradesh 25 years earlier, before being adopted by Australian couple, Sue and John Bierley (Nicole Kidman and David Wenham). The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2016 and the Palm Springs Film Festival will be honoring Kidman for her work on the film with the International Star Award on January 2nd. (Weinstein)

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