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Volume
IV No. 10
A
publication of the National Association of Theatre Owners
Advertise
in In Focus
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La
Petite Lili
French-language drama, set in rural present-day
France, about a young filmmaker whose passion
for the beautiful and wistful young girl
across the lake causes him to rebel against
his mother and her guests. Based on the play “The
Seagull” by Anton Chekhov (“The
Cherry Orchard”). Directed by Claude
Miller (“The Smile,” “Alias
Betty”) from a screenplay by Miller
and Julien Boivent. With Nicole Garcia (“Alias
Betty”), Ludivine Sagnier (“Swimming
Pool”), Bernard Giraudeau (“Water
Drops on Burning Rocks”), Jean-Pierre
Marielle (“One 4 All”), Julie
Depardieu (“God is Great, I’m
Not”) and Robinson Stevenin (“Gender
Bias”). Flat. 104 min. Nov. 12. First
Run. .

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National
Treasure
Contemporary comedy-adventure about a hunt
for treasure hidden by Thomas Jefferson,
George Washington and Benjamin Franklin to
finance the American Revolution. Directed
by Jon Turteltaub (“Instinct,” “The
Kid”) from a screenplay by Cormac & Marianne
Wibberley (“Charlie’s Angels:
Full Throttle”), Ted Elliott & Terry
Rossio (“Shrek,” “Pirates
of the Caribbean”), Lowell Ganz & Babaloo
Mandel (“Where The Heart Is”),
E. Max Frye (“Where the Money Is”),
and Jim Kouf (“Rush Hour,” “Snow
Dogs,” “Taxi”). With Nicolas
Cage (“Matchstick Men”), Diane
Kruger (“Troy,” “Wicker
Park”), Harvey Keitel (“Red Dragon”),
Christopher Plummer (“Cold Creek Manor,” “Alexander”),
Sean Bean (“Troy”), Jon Voight
(“Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2”),
Oleg Taktarov (“Bad Boys II”),
Annie Parisse (“How to Lose a Guy in
10 Days”), Steward Finlay McLennan
(“The Alamo”), Armando Riesco
(“Garden State”), Mark Pellegrino
(“Spartan”), Terrence Currier
(“The Jackal”), Arabella Field
(“Godzilla”), Don McManus (“Under
the Tuscan Sun”) and Justin Bartha
(“Gigli”). Scope. 125 min. Nov.
19. Buena Vista.

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Overnight
Documentary about bartender-turned-filmmaker
Troy Duffy, whose script, “The Boondock
Saints,” set off a fierce Hollywood
bidding war in 1997, though the movie Duffy
made from the script barely registered at
the box office when it was released to cinemas
two years later. Directed by Mark Brian Smith.
Featuring appearances by Jeffrey Baxter,
Billy Connolly, Willem Dafoe and Duffy. Flat.
80 min. Nov. 10 in New York. ThinkFilm.
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The
Polar Express
Fantasy comedy-drama about a young boy who,
after refusing to accept his friends’ arguments
that Santa Claus does not exist, is rewarded
by the arrival in front of his house of the
Polar Express – a steam train that
on Christmas Eve picks up true believers
from all over the world and transports them
to the North Pole to meet the Kringle himself.
Based on the children’s book by Chris
Van Allsburg (“Jumanji”). Directed
by Robert Zemeckis (“What Lies Beneath,” “Cast
Away”) from a screenplay by Zemeckis
and William Broyles Jr. (“Cast Away,” “Planet
of the Apes,” “Unfaithful”).
Featuring the voices and “motion-capture” performances
of Tom Hanks (“The Terminal”),
Peter Scolari (“Sorority Boys”),
Eddie Deezen (“Spy Hard”), Chris
Coppola (“Simone”), Michael Jeter
(“Open Range”), Connor Matheus
(“Envy”), Nona Gaye (the “Matrix” series”),
Debbie Lee Carrington (“The Independent,” “Seed
of Chucky”) and Josh Hutcherson (“American
Splendor”). Nov. 10. Warner Bros.

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The
Ringer
Comedy about a man who schemes to pay off
a crushing debt by pretending to be developmentally
challenged and entering the Special Olympics.
Directed by screenwriter Barry Blaustein
(“Coming to America,” “Boomerang,” “Beyond
the Mat,” the “Nutty Professor” series)
from a screenplay by Ricky Blitt. With Johnny
Knoxville (“Walking Tall,” “A
Dirty Shame”), Katherine Heigl (“Valentine”),
Brian Cox (“The Bourne Supremacy”),
Steven Chester Prince (“The Alamo”),
Jed Rees (“Galaxy Quest”), Bill
Chott (“Dude, Where’s My Car?”),
Katherine Willis (“The Life of David
Gale,” “Friday Night Lights”),
Lauren-Elaine Edleson, Zen Gesner (“Boat
Trip”), John Rothman (“The Door
in the Floor,” “Taxi”),
Edward Barbanell and Damian Fannin. Nov.
12. Fox/Fox Searchlight.

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The
SpongeBob SquarePants Movie
Animated comedy about a sea sponge who decides
to recover King Neptune’s stolen
crown. Feature version of the Nickelodeon
kids’ series. Those returning from
the TV series include director Sherm
Cohen, writer-director Stephen Hillenburg,
writers Tim Hill, Derek Drymon and Kent
Osborne, and voice actors Tom Kenny as
SpongeBob, Roger Bumpass as Squidward
Tentacles, Carolyn Lawrence as Sandy
Cheeks and Clancy Brown as Mr. Eugene
H. Krabs. Newcomers to the franchise
include actors Scarlett Johansson, Alec
Baldwin, Jeffrey Tambor and James Earl
Jones. Nov. 19. Paramount.

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Millions
Comedy, set in 1976, about a pair of pre-teen
brothers who stumble across a huge sum of
stolen money. Directed by Danny Boyle (“The
Beach,” “28 Days Later”)
from a screenplay by Frank Cottrell Boyce
(“Hilary and Jackie,” “24
Hour Party People,” “Code 46”).
With James Nesbitt (“Bloody Sunday”),
Enzo Cilenti (“24 Hour Party People”),
Daisy Donovan (“Still Crazy”),
Nasser Memarzia, Alexander Nathan Etel, and
Lewis Owen McGibbon. Nov. 24 limited. Fox
Searchlight.

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Ong-Bak:
Thai Warrior
Thai-language actioner about a champion who
must make his way though Bangkok’s
underground fight clubs to win back the revered
statue head stolen from his village. Directed
by Prachya Pinkaew from a screenplay by Pinkaew
and Panna Rittikrai. With Suchao Pongwilai
(“The Legend of Suriyothai”)
Phanom Yeerum, Petchtai Wongkamlao and Erik
Markus-Schuetz. Nov. 10. Magnolia.
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Open
My Heart
Italian-language drama about two sisters,
a 17-year-old creative type and an older
prostitute, who battle psychological nightmares
and obsessions while living together in a
small apartment. Giada Colagrande makes her
feature directorial debut from a screenplay
by Colagrande and Francesco Di Pace. With
Colagrande, Natalie Cristiani and Claudio
Botosso (“Devil in the Flesh”).
Nov. 12 in New York. Strand.
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Purple
Butterfly
Mandarin-language drama, set in 1930s Shanghai
just prior to the Sino-Japanese War, about
a young woman who, after her passionate affair
with a Japanese man ends, becomes involved
with an anti-Japanese resistance group. Written
and directed by Lou Ye (“Suzhou River”).
With Zhang Ziyi (“Hero”), Liu
Ye (“Lan Yu”), Feng Yuanzheng,
Toru Nakamura, Li Bingbing and Kin Ei. Also
known as “Zi Hudie.” 127 min.
Nov. 26. Palm.
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Seed
of Chucky
The psychotic plaything’s offspring
is said to cope with gender confusion in
this fifth installment of the “Child’s
Play” horror series. Don Mancini, who
authored screenplays for all four prior installments,
makes his feature directorial debut from
his own script. Featuring the voices of Brad
Dourif as Chucky, Jennifer Tilly as Chucky’s
erstwhile bride, and Billy Boyd as Glen.
With Hannah Spearritt (“Agent Cody
Banks 2”), Debbie Lee Carrington (“The
Independent,” “The Polar Express”),
John Waters (“Sweet and Lowdown”),
Stephanie Chambers, Rebecca Santos and Bethany
Simons. Flat. Nov. 10. Focus.

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A
Very Long Engagement
French-language drama about a wheelchair-bound
woman’s relentless search for her
missing lover, believed to have been
among five court-martialed French soldiers
sent to the front line during World War
I as punishment for desertion. Based
on the novel by Sebastien Japrisot (“One
Deadly Summer”). The “Amélie” team
of director-screenwriter Jean-Pierre
Jeunet (“Alien: Resurrection”)
and screenwriter Guillaume Laurant (“City
of Lost Children”) reunite. With
Audrey Tautou (“Dirty Pretty Things”),
Dominique Pinon (“Amélie”),
Jodie Foster (“Panic Room”),
Gaspard Ulliel (“Strayed”),
Chantal Neuwirth (“Madeline”),
Ticky Holgado (“And Now … Ladies
and Gentlemen”), Albert Dupontel
(“Irreversible”), Dominique
Bettenfeld (“Amélie”),
Jean-Pierre Becker (“Amélie”)
and Tchéky Karyo (“Taking
Lives”). Also known as “Un
Long Dimanche de Fiançailles.” R:
Violence; sexuality. Nov. 26. Warner
Independent Pictures.

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Alfie
Remake of the 1966 romantic comedy about a womanizer whose near-death
experience causes him to rethink his empty lifestyle. Directed
by Charles Shyer (the “Father of the Bride” series, “I
Love Trouble,” “The Affair of the Necklace”)
from a screenplay by Shyer and Elaine Pope (TV’s “Seinfeld”).
With Jude Law (“Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow,” “I
Heart Huckabees”), Marisa Tomei (“Anger Management”),
Dianne Zaremba, Tara Summers (“What A Girl Wants”),
Jane Krakowski (“Marci X”), Sienna Miller (TV’s “Keen
Eddie”), Susan Sarandon (“Moonlight Mile,” “Shall
We Dance?”), Omar Epps (“Against The Ropes”)
and Nia Long (“Baadasssss!”). Flat. 98 min. R: Sexual
content; some language; drug use. Oct. 22. Paramount.
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The
Dust Factory
Fantasy drama about a young man who is transported
into a magical world, where he encounters
his grandfather and his first love. Eric
Small makes his feature directorial debut
from his own screenplay. With Armin Mueller-Stahl
(“Jakob the Liar”), Hayden Panettiere
(“Raising Helen”), Ryan Kelley
(“Mean Creek”), Michael Angarano
(“Seabiscuit”), Kim Myers (“Hellraiser:
Bloodline”), Robert Blanche (“The
Hunted”) and Peter Horton (“The
End of Violence,” “T-Rex: Back
to the Cretaceous”). PG: Thematic elements;
some scary images. Oct. 15 limited. MGM.

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Deserted
Station
Farsi-language drama, set in Iran, about a local teacher who agrees
to help a stranded motorist fix his car while the motorist’s
wife supervises the teacher’s students. Directed by Alireza
Raisian from a screenplay by Kambuzia Partovi (“The Circle”).
With Leila Hatami (“Leila”), Nezam Manouchehri, Mehran
Rajabi and Mahmoud Pak Neeyat. Also known as “Istgah-Matrouk.” Flat.
100 min. Oct. 29. First Run.
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