A publication of the National Association of Theatre Owners

Advertise in In Focus

©

S.W.A.T. Action thriller about the Los Angeles Police Department’s special weapons and tactical team, which finds itself battling bloodthirsty reward-seekers after a druglord offers $100 million to anyone who can free him from police custody. Based on the 1975-76 ABC TV series. Clark Johnson (TV’s “The Shield”) makes his feature film debut from a screenplay by David Ayer (“Training Day,” “Dark Blue”), Jim McClain and Ron Mita. With Samuel L. Jackson (“Basic”), Colin Farrell (“Phone Booth”), Michelle Rodriguez (“Blue Crush”), Jeremy Renner (“Dahmer”), Oliver Martinez (“Unfaithful”) and LL Cool J (“Deliver Us from Eva”). Scope. Aug. 8. Sony. The Trilogy An inter-connected 3-feature French-language series written and directed by Lucas Belvaux and starring Belvaux (“Madame Bovary”), Catherine Frot (“Chaos”), Dominique Blanc (“A Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries”), Ornella Muti (“Somewhere in the City”) and Gilbert Melki (“Venus Beauty Institute”). Flat. Magnolia. On The Run Thriller about a psychopath who escapes from prison after 15 years and soon finds himself having to find new allies when the old ones betray him. Also known as “Cavale.” 111 min. July 18. An Amazing Couple Comedy about a couple – a hypochondriac husband with a wife who is obsessively convinced that her husband is having an affair – whose disorders precipitate disaster. 97 min. Aug. 1. After Life Thriller about a cop whose heroin-addict wife is adopted by a street fugitive while haplessly wandering the city in seach of drugs. 120 min. Aug. 15.     Venus Boyz Documentary exploring the motley lives of female transsexuals who perform in a New York club called “The Slipper Room.” Directed by Gabriel Baur. With Dréd Gerestant, Diane Torr, Del LaGrace Volcano, Bridge Markland and Mo Fisher. Flat. 104 min. Aug. 22 in New York. First Run.   Thirteen Drama, set in Los Angeles, about a vulnerable 7th-grader who completely changes her life and appearance in order to fit in with her school’s “bad girl” clique. Catherine Hardwicke makes her feature directorial debut from a screenplay by Hardwicke and Nikki Reed. With Reed, Evan Rachel Wood (“Simone”), Holly Hunter (“Levity”), Jeremy Sisto (“Angel Eyes”), Brady Corbet, Deborah Unger (“The Salton Sea”) and Kip Pardue (“The Rules of Attraction”). 87 min. Aug. 20 limited. Fox Searchlight.     Uptown Girls Comedy about a young New York heiress who, after losing all her money, must take a job as nanny to a precocious 9-year-old. Directed by Boaz Yakin (“A Price Above Rubies,” “Remember the Titans”) from a screenplay by Julia Dahl (TV’s “The West Wing”) and Lisa Davidowitz. With Brittany Murphy (“Just Married”), Dakota Fanning (“Sweet Home Alabama”), Marley Shelton (“Just a Kiss”), Heather Locklear (“Money Talks”), and Donald Adeosun Faison (“Big Fat Liar”). Flat. August 15. MGM. Buffalo Soldiers Romantic comedy-drama, set at an American Army base in 1989 Germany (just before the fall of the Berlin Wall), about a scheming army clerk who finds himself romancing the daughter of the ironhanded new sergeant whose efforts threaten the clerk’s lucrative black-market operations. Based on the novel by Robert O’Connor. Directed by Gregor Jordan from a screenplay by Jordan and Eric Weiss & Nora MacCoby. With Joaquin Phoenix (“Signs”), Anna Paquin (“X2”), Ed Harris (“The Hours,” “Masked & Anonymous”), Scott Glenn (“The Shipping News”), Gabriel Mann (“The Life of David Gale”) and Dean Stockwell (“CQ”). Also known as “Army Go Home.” Scope. 98 min. R: Violence; drug content; strong language; some sexuality. July 25 in New York and Los Angeles; wider Aug. 8. Miramax.   Dirty Pretty Things Thriller, set in London, about a young immigrant night porter from Nigeria who teams with a Turkish chambermaid to solve the mystery behind an inexplicable murder. Directed by Stephen Frears (“High Fidelity,” “Liam”) from a screenplay by British TV producer Stephen Knight. With Andrey Tautou (“L’Auberge Espagnole”), Chiwetel Ejiofor (“Amistad”), Sergi López (“With a Friend Like Harry,” “Jet Lag”), Sophie Okonedo (“The Jackal”) and Benedict Wong (“Spy Game”). Flat. 97 min. R: Sexual content; disturbing images; language. July 18 in New York and Los Angeles. Miramax.     I Capture the Castle Romantic drama, set in 1930s England, about a 17-year-old who finds her complacency shaken when a pair of wealthy American brothers move in next door to her eccentric family’s dilapidated castle. Based on the novel by Dodie Smith (“101 Dalmatians”). Directed by Tim Fywell from a screenplay by Heidi Thomas. With Romola Garai (“Nicholas Nickleby”), Rose Byrne (“City of Ghosts”), Henry Cavill (“The Count of Monte Cristo”), Marc Blucas (“View From the Top”), Bill Nighy (“Lawless Heart”), Tara Fitzgerald (“Dark Blue World”) and Sinéad Cusack (“Passion of Mind”). 111 min. R: Brief nudity. July 11. IDP. I’ll Be There Comedy about an aging 1980s pop star who learns he has, thanks to a long-ago weekend fling, a teen daughter living in Wales. Actor-screenwriter Craig Ferguson (“Saving Grace”) makes his feature directorial debut from a screenplay by Ferguson and Philip McGrade. With Ferguson (“Born Romantic”), recording artist Charlotte Church, Jemma Redgrave (“The Acid House”), Joss Ackland (“K-19: The Widowmaker”), Ralph Brown (“Mean Machine”), Ian McNeice (“The Cherry Orchard”) and Imelda Staunton (“Crush”). PG-13: Drug references; some sexual humor/nudity; brief language. July 25 limited. Warner Bros. Confusion of Genders French-language comedy about a bisexual attorney who finds his days as a playboy numbered when he gets involved in a three-way relationship. Directed by Ilan Duran Cohen from a screenplay by Cohen and Philippe Lasry. With Pascal Greggory (“The Messenger”), Vincent Martinez (“The School of Flesh”), Julie Gayet, Bulle Ogier (“Venus Beauty Institute,” “Seaside”), Nelly Borgeaud (“Jeanne and the Perfect Guy”), Alain Bashung and Nathalie Richard (“Late August, Early September”). Also known as “La Confusion des Genres.” 94 min. July 4 in New York. Picture This.   The Holy Land Drama about a young, sheltered boy who leaves his orthodox family in Tel Aviv and heads to Jerusalem, where he falls in love with a prostitute and befriends a boisterous bar owner. Eitan Gorlin makes his feature directorial debut from his own screenplay. With Albert Illouz, Oren Rehany, Tchelet Semel, Saul Stein (“Fast Food Fast Women”) and Arie Moskuna. Flat. 96 min. July. 11 in New York; wider Aug 1. Cavu.     Lucía Lucía Spanish-language comedy about a woman who discovers long-lost friends and forgotten freedoms while searching for her missing husband. Based on the novel “La Hija del Canibal” by Rosa Montero. Written and directed by Antonio Serrano. With Cecilia Roth (“Talk To Her”), Kuno Becker, Carlos Álvarez-Novoa (“Son of the Bride”), Margarita Isabel (“Cronos”) and Enoc Leaño (“Frida”). Also known as “La Hija del Canibal.” 110 min. July 25 limited. Fox Searchlight.     KM.0 Spanish-language comedy, set in Madrid, featuring seven interlaced stories about people who meet at the city’s popular Plaza del Sol. Written and directed by Juan Luis Iborra & Yolanda García Serrano. With Concha Velasco, Carlos Fuentes, Mercè Pons, Tristan Ulloa (“Sex and Lucía”), Silke Hornillos Klein and Jesús Cabrero. Flat. 105 min. July 11 in New York; wider July 18. TLA.