Volume II No. 12

A publication of the National Association of Theatre Owners

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Documentary, featuring backstage footage and onstage routines, following the comedy tour headlined by Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, Ron White and Larry the Cable Guy. Directed by C.B. Harding (TV’s “The Osbournes”). Jan. 10. Warner Bros.

Documentary-style Portugese-language drama, set in the gang-controlled slums of Rio de Janeiro, about a decade in the lives of several young locals. Based on the novel by Paulo Lins (“Orfeu”). Directed by Fernando Mereilles and Katia Lund from a screenplay by Braulio Mantovani. With Matheus Nachtergaele (“Central Station”), Gero Camilo (“Behind the Sun”), and Leandro Firmino da Hora. Also known as “Cidade de Deus.” Flat. 130 min. R: Strong brutal violence; sexuality; drug content; language. Jan. 17 in New York and Los Angeles; wider Jan. 24. Miramax.

Romantic comedy about three men who pay a known “ladies man” $5,000 to romance the uptight sister-in-law who continually meddles in their lives. Directed by Gary Hardwick (“The Brothers”) from a screenplay by James Iver Mattson and B.E. Brauner. With LL Cool J (“Rollerball”), Gabrielle Union (“Abandon”), Meagan Good (“3 Strikes”), Robinne Lee (“Hav Plenty,” “National Security”), Nicole Lyn (“Bless the Child”), Kenya Moore (“Trois”), Mark Swenson (“Two Can Play That Game”) and singer Johnny Gill (“I Spy”). R: Sex-related dialogue. Jan. 31. Focus.

Comedy, about a young man from Harlem who fails to fit in at the southern university he attends – until his unique musical talents allow him to lead the school band to victory. Directed by Charles Stone III (“Paid in Full”) from a screenplay by Shawn Schepps (“Encino Man,” “Son In Law”) and Tina Gordon Chism. With Nick Cannon (“Men in Black II”), Orlando Jones (“The Time Machine”), Zoe Saldana (“Crossroads”), Leonard Roberts (“He Got Game”), Earl Poitier (“Remember the Titans”), GQ (“On the Line”), Jason Weaver (“The Long Walk Home”) and J. Anthony Brown. Scope. 132 min. PG-13: Innuendo; language. Jan. 10. Fox.

Danish-, Swedish- and English-language drama, set in Denmark, about a wife and mother who struggles to readjust to life “on the outside” after she is released from a psychiatric hospital. Ole Christian Madsen directs from a screenplay by Madsen and Mogens Rukov (“The Celebration”). With Sven Wollter (“A Song for Martin”), Stine Stengade, Lars Mikkelsen, Camilla Bendix, Ronnie Hiort Lorenzen and Peaches Latrice Petersen. Also known as “En Kaerlighedshistorie.” 93 min. Jan. 17 in New York. First Run.

Comedy about a “Jewish-American princess” who takes control of a hardcore hip-hop record label and tries to assuage criticism of one of its acts – a rapper with a hit song called “Shoot Ya Teacha.” Directed by Richard Benjamin (“Milk Money,” “Mrs. Winterbourne”) from a screenplay by Paul Rudnick (“In & Out,” “Isn’t She Great”). With Lisa Kudrow (“All Over the Guy,” “Analyze That”), Damon Wayans (“Bamboozled”), Jane Krakowski (“The Flintsones in Viva Rock Vegas”), Christine Baranski (“How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” “Chicago”), Veanne Cox (“Big Eden”), Charles Kimbrough (“The Wedding Planner”), Richard Benjamin (“Deconstructing Harry”) and Paula Garcés (“Clockstoppers”). Jan. 31. Paramount.

Action comedy about a pair of mismatched security guards trying to bust a smuggling operation that has something to do with an indestructable metal alloy. Directed by Dennis Dugan (“Big Daddy,” “Saving Silverman”) from a screenplay by David Ronn & Jay Scherick (“Serving Sara,” “I Spy”). With Martin Lawrence (“Black Knight”), Steve Zahn (“Chelsea Walls”), Bill Duke (“Red Dragon”), Colm Feore (“The Sum of All Fears,” “Chicago”), Timothy Busfield (“The Souler Opposite”), Robinne Lee (“Hav Plenty,” “Deliver Us from Eva”) and Eric Roberts (“Mercy Streets”). Flat. 90 min. PG-13: Violence; language; some sensuality. Jan. 17. Sony.

Comedy about a famous American film director who dies while making an epic in Beijing - and the production assistant who must grant the filmmaker's last wish: a grandiose funeral in the forbidden city. Directed by Feng Xiaogang from a screenplay by Xiaogang, Li Xiaoming and Shi Kang. With Ge You ("The Emperor's Shadow"), Donald Sutherland ("The Art of War"), Paul Mazursky ("Crazy in Alabama"), Rosamund Kwan and Christopher Barden. Also known as "Da wan." Flat. 108 min. PG: Thematic elements; language; brief partial nudity. Jan. 17 in New York and Los Angeles. Sony Pictures Classics.

French-language drama about a sheltered middle-aged mother who, after witnessing the near-fatal beating of a street prostitute, concocts an elaborate plan to free the young hooker from the vicious criminals who exploit her. Written and directed by Coline Serreau (“Three Men and a Cradle,” “Mama, There's a Man in Your Bed”). With Catherine Frot (“The Dinner Game”), Vincent Lindon (“The School of Flesh”), Line Renaud (“I Can't Sleep”), Rachida Brakni and Aurélien Wiik. 109 min. Jan. 29 in New York. New Yorker.

Horror thriller about a youngster terrorized by a centuries-old supernatural evil that may have been the basis of the “tooth fairy” myth. Based on the 2001 short “Tooth Fairy” written and directed by Joe Harris. Jonathan Liebesman makes his feature directorial debut from a screenplay by Harris. With Chaney Kley (“Legally Blonde”), Emma Caulfield (TV’s “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), Emily Browning (the TV miniseries “Blonde”), Grant Piro (“Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles”), Daniel Daperis (“Angel Baby”), Peter Curtin, Andrew Bayly, Lee Cormie and Joshua Anderson. Also known as “Tooth Fairy: Every Legend Has its Dark Side,” “The Ghost of Matilda Dixon,” and “Don’t Peek.” R: Language, some violence; sexuality. Jan. 10. Sony.

Comedy about a groom-to-be who decides to keep secret the fact that he woke up after his bachelor party next to a beautiful female stranger. Directed by Chris Koch (“Snow Day”) from a screenplay by Greg Glienna, Matt Tarses (TV’s “Scrubs”), Pete Schwaba and Bill Wrubel. With Jason Lee (“Stealing Harvard”), Julia Stiles (“The Bourne Identity”), Selma Blair (“The Sweetest Thing”), James Brolin (“The Master of Disguise”), Thomas Lennon (“Out Cold”), Lochlyn Munro (“Dracula”), Diana Scarwid (“What Lies Beneath”) and Shawn Hatosy (“John Q”). Jan. 17. MGM.

Comedy, set in Australia, about a pair of minor-league American gangsters who have to track down a kangaroo that has made off with $1 million in mob money. Directed by David McNally (“Coyote Ugly”) from a screenplay by Scott Rosenberg (“Gone in 60 Seconds,” “High Fidelity”) and Steve Bing (“Missing In Action 2”). With Jerry O’Connell (“Tomcats”), Estella Warren (“Planet of the Apes”), Christopher Walken (“The Country Bears,” “Catch Me if You Can”), Anthony Anderson (“Barbershop”) and Marton Csokas (“XXX”). Also known as “Down and Under.” Scope. PG: Language; crude humor; sensuality; violence. Jan. 17. Warner Bros.

Documentary, featuring on-the-spot interviews, animated sequences and vérité footage, about filmmaker Terry Gilliam (“Twelve Monkeys,” “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”) and the difficulties he faced trying to mount a movie project titled “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote,” which was ultimately shut down six days into shooting. Written and directed by Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe. Featuring Gilliam, Johnny Depp, René Cleitman, Bernard Bouix and Benjamin Fernández. Narrarated by Jeff Bridges. Flat. 89 min. R: Language. Jan. 31 in New York and Los Angeles. IFC.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"The Recruit " – Late Additions to December

 

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