Browse Movies : Variance Films

As feuding warlords fight to expand their power, the noble monks of the Shaolin Temple clean up the mess left behind, tending to the injured while trying their best to protect the poor and weak. General Hou (Andy Lau) has caused much of this mess with his violent and ruthless tactics that rarely discriminate between soldiers and civilians. When Hao is betrayed by fellow general Cao Man (Nicholas Tse), he is forced into hiding, and takes refuge with the monks at their hidden mountain temple. As the days pass, he finds himself more and more at ease as he learns the ways of peace, and begins to release his hatred through Martial Zen. But Cao is not far behind, and war soon reaches the temple, where the monks are ready to fight back- with their unstoppable Shaolin Kung Fu.

A biopic of the iconic 1970s record executive and wild man Neil Bogart, the founder of Casablanca who was closely aligned with the rise of disco. He's credited with discovering and launching the careers of a generation of superstars, including Curtis Mayfield, Bill Withers, Gladys Knight, KISS, Parliament, Donna Summer and the Village People.

The U.S. occupation of the Philippines in 1900 provides the backdrop to this story of squad of American soldiers who occupy a village and learn how to live and negotiate with the natives. They focus on the local head man who finds himself torn between loyalty to his family and the Americans.

The story is about Christian O'Connell (Sergei) and Adam Lipschitz (Moore) -- two childhood friends who reunite as adults to help each other land the women of their dreams. Chris wants to marry Allison (Hewitt), a Jewish girl, so that he'll never have to make another decision for as long as he lives. Adam is on the verge of getting married to Hannah (Sigler), a woman he is not content with. When Chris enlists Adam’s help in pretending to be Jewish so that Allison will date him, cultures collide and chaos ensues!

A documentary made over the course of 15 years telling the story of Victor DeNoble's journey from research scientist to star informant against the tobacco industry.

Academy Award®-nominated directors Carl Deal and Tia Lessin (Trouble the Water; co-producers of Fahrenheit 9/11 & Bowling for Columbine) follow the money behind the rise of the Tea Party. Citizen Koch investigates the impact of unlimited, anonymous spending by corporations and billionaires on the electoral process, featuring stories of life-long Republicans whose loyalty is tested when their families become collateral damage in the GOP fight to take organized labor out at the knees.

Minnie Driver plays Viv, a fiery high school drama teacher determined to fire up her hormonal, apathetic students by putting on the best end-of-the-year show the school has ever seen… a glam rock-infused musical version of Shakespeare’s The Tempest. But as the Welsh summer begins to heat up, can she compete with the typical teenage distractions of sex and drugs with some great rock and roll?

Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man (Donnie Yen) has the perfect family, plenty of money, a beautiful house, and a blossoming martial arts academy. But when the Japanese occupy his hometown of Foshan during the Sino-Japanese war of 1937, Ip, like the rest of the locals, is forced into hard labor and brutal sparring matches for the enemy's amusement. His incredible skills soon catch the eye of a Japanese Colonel who wants Ip to teach Wing Chun to his soldiers.

Seven years after the apparent death of Chen Zhen, a mysterious stranger arrives from overseas and befriends a local mafia boss. That man is a disguised Chen Zhen, who intends to infiltrate the mob when they form an alliance with the Japanese. Disguising himself as a caped fighter by night, Chen intends to take out everyone involved as well as get his hands on an assassination list prepared by the Japanese.

Deep in the San Fernando Valley, amidst rows of dilapidated warehouses, was rock n' roll's best kept secret: Sound City. America's greatest unsung recording studio housed a one-of-a-kind console, and as its legend grew, seminal bands and artists such as Fleetwood Mac, Neil Young, Rick Springfield, Tom Petty, Metallica and Nirvana all came out to put magic to tape. Directed by Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters) and featuring interviews and performances from the iconic musicians who recorded some of rock’s greatest albums at the studio, Sound City doesn’t just tell the story of this real-life rock ’n’ roll shrine, it celebrates the human element of music as Grohl gathers some of rock's biggest artists to collaborate on a new album.

Four children enter a high-stakes lottery. If they win, they can attend one of the best schools in New York.

An epic war film that details the fall of the Qing Dynasty and the violent rebellion that brought it down. With China split into warring factions and the starving citizens beginning to revolt, the ruling Qings are building a powerful army to quash any rebellion. But revolutionary leader Huang Xing (Chan) decides he must act before the Qing army becomes too powerful and leads an increasingly desperate series of violent uprisings against the power Qings.

Frank Bartlett (Charlie Hunnam) has been tortured, embarrassed and humiliated by his brother Bruce (Chris O'Dowd) -usually on film- his entire life. Now that Bruce is finally off drugs and has turned his life around, things should be different. They are not.

From a basketball academy in West Africa to the high-pressure world of American prep schools, the documentary follows four particularly tall West African teenagers with big hearts, open minds, and NBA dreams.

An experimental documentary that contemplates the signs of loss and change in the American South as potent metaphors of personal and collective destiny.

An Atlanta resident spends the summer in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York.

Admit it: you don’t really read the endless terms and conditions connected to every website you visit, phone call you make or app you download. But every day, billion-dollar corporations are learning more about your interests, your friends and family, your finances, and your secrets, and they’re not only selling the information to the highest bidder, but also sharing it with the government. And you agreed to all of it. This disquieting exposé demonstrates how every one of us is incrementally opting-in to a real-time surveillance state, click by click- and what, if anything, you can do about it.

Suburban supermom Eileen Cleary (Kathleen Turner) has been nominated for the coveted Catholic Woman of the Year Award at her local parish, and only one final test remains—introducing her family to the board for the seal of approval. Now, as she finally faces the reality of the nonconformist family she’s been glossing over for years, her meddling reaches hilarious new heights in this dysfunctional family comedy.