Volume IV No. 10

A publication of the National Association of Theatre Owners

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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. .

 

 

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.

 

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.

 

 

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Alexander" — "Kinsey"

Late Additions to October ("Going Upriver" — "Undertow")

 

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