Volume III No. 3

A publication of the National Association of Theatre Owners

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Phone Booth
Thriller, set in New York, about a womanizing media consultant chosen as an assassin’s target: He is told that if he hangs up the payphone he’s talking into, a sniper rifle will put a bullet in his brain. Directed by Joel Schumacher (“Tigerland,” “Bad Company”) from a screenplay by Larry Cohen (“Body Snatchers”). With Colin Farrell (“The Recruit,” “Daredevil”), Keifer Sutherland (“Dark City”), Forest Whitaker (“Panic Room”), Radha Mitchell (“Pitch Black”), Katie Holmes (“Abandon”), Paula Jai Parker (“High Crimes,” “My Baby’s Mama”) and Tia Texada (“13 Conversations About One Thing”). Scope. 81 min. R: Pervasive language; some violence. April 4. Fox.

What a Girl Wants
Romantic comedy-drama about a 19-year-old New Yorker who finds her long-lost British dad in London and proceeds to thoroughly disrupt his aristocratic life. Directed by Dennie Gordon (“Joe Dirt”) from a screenplay by Jenny Bicks (TV’s “Sex and the City”) and Elizabeth Chandler (“Someone Like You”). With Amanda Bynes (“Big Fat Liar”), Colin Firth (“The Importance of Being Earnest”), Kelly Preston (“Battlefield Earth,” “View from the Top”), Anna Chancellor (“Crush”), Jonathan Pryce (“The Affair of the Necklace”), Eileen Atkins (“The Hours”) and Christina Cole. Also known as “American Girl” and “London Calling.” PG: Mild language. April 4. Warner Bros.


XX/XY
Romantic drama about a love triangle that resurfaces when three old college friends reunite 10 years after graduation. Austin Chick makes his feature directorial debut from his own screenplay. With Mark Ruffalo (“Windtalkers,” “View From the Top”), Kathleen Robertson (“I Am Sam”), Maya Stange (“Head On”), Joey Kern (“Super Troopers”), David Thornton (“Swept Away”), Evan Neumann (“Serendipity”), Melissa Guoin (“Just a Kiss”) and Petra Wright. 91 min. R: Sexuality; language; brief drug use. April 11 in New York and Los Angeles; wider April 25. IFC.

The Sea
Icelandic-language family drama, set in rural Iceland, about an aging father who tries to convince his youngest son, currently living in Paris with his girlfriend, to return home and take over the family fishery. Based on the play by Olafu Haukur Simonarson. Directed by Baltasar Kormákur (“101 Reykjavík”) from a screenplay by Kormakur and Simonarson. With Gunnar Eyjólfsson (“101 Reykjavík”), Hilmir Snaer Gudnason (“101 Reykjavík”), Hélène de Fougerolles (“Va Savoir”), Kristbjörg Kjeld (“No Such Thing”), Herdís Thorvaldsdóttir and Gudrún Gísladóttir (“Devil’s Island”). Also known as “Hafid.” 109 min. April 25 in New York and Los Angeles. Palm.

Winged Migration
French-language documentary, filmed over the course of three years by five separate teams, following the migratory patterns of birds through 40 countries and across all seven continents. Directed and narrated by Jacques Perrin. Co-directed by Jacques Cluzaud and Michel Debats. Also known as “Le Peuple Migrateur.” 92 min. April 18 in New York and Los Angeles. Sony Pictures Classics.

The Hunted
Action drama about an FBI “deep-woods tracker” who finds himself teaming with an urban counterpart in the bureau when a thrill-killer who preys on deer hunters escapes to the city. Directed by William Friedkin (“Jade,” “Rules of Engagement”) from a screenplay by David & Peter Griffiths (“Collateral Damage”). With Tommy Lee Jones (“Men in Black II”), Benicio Del Toro (“The Pledge”), Connie Nielsen (“One Hour Photo,” “Basic”), Mike White (“We Were Soldiers”), Leslie Stefanson (“Unbreakable”), Ron Canada (“In Too Deep”), John Finn (“True Crime”), Carrick O’Quinn (“Pay It Forward”), Mark Pellegrino (“Mullholland Drive”), Robert Blanche (“Men of Honor”) and Jose Zuniga (“The Crew”). Flat. 94 min. R: Strong bloody violence; some language. March 14. Paramount.

Marooned in Iraq
Farsi-language drama, set during the Iran-Iraq war, about a Kurd singer who joins his two grown musician sons on a journey to find his estranged ex-wife in Iraq. Directed by Bahman Ghobadi (“A Time for Drunken Horses”) from his own screenplay. With Shahab Ebrahimi, Iran Ghobadi, Faegh Mohamadi and Allah-Morad Rashtian. Also known as “Gomgashtei dar Aragh.” 108 min. March 28 in New York. Wellspring.

Under the Skin of the City
Documentary-style Farsi-language drama, set in 1977 in a Tehran suburb, about a textile factory employee who finds comfort in her friends and family despite her nation’s stifling government. Directed by Rakhshan Bani-Etemad from a screenplay by Bani-Etemad and Farid Mostafavi. With Golab Adineh, Mohammad Reza Forutan, Boran Kosari, Ebrahin Sheibani and Mohsen Ghazi Moradi. Also known as “Zir-e post-e shahr.” Flat. 92 min. March 14 in New York and Los Angeles. Magnolia.

Willard
Remake of the 1972 horror-thriller about an introverted young man who, after one of his pet rats is killed at work, uses his other rodent friends to exact revenge upon pestering co-workers. Screenwriter Glen Morgan (“Final Destination,” “The One”) makes his feature directorial debut from a screenplay by Morgan & James Wong (“Final Destination,” “The One”). With Crispin Glover (“Like Mike”), Laura Harring (“John Q”), R. Lee Ermey (“The Salton Sea”), David Parker (“Ballistic: Ecks Vs. Sever”) and Jackie Burroughs (“Lost and Delirious”). March 14. New Line.

DysFunKtional Family
Documentary integrating comedian Eddie Griffin’s stand-up performance and interviews with his real-life family in Kansas City, Mo. Directed by Griffin and George Gallo (“Double Take”). 89 min. R: Strong sexual content; language; drug-related humor. March 21. Miramax.

Painted Fire
Korean-language drama about the life of revolutionary 19th century painter Jang Seung-up, who struggled to overcome fallen love affairs and bouts with alcoholism in his search for artistic fulfillment. Directed by Im Kwon-taek (“Chunhyang”) from a screenplay by Kwon-taek and Kim Yong-oak. With Choi Min-shik (“Swiri”), Yoo Ho-jing, Ahn Sung-ki (“Nowhere to Hide”), Kim Yeo-jin and Son Yae-jin. Also known as “Chi-hwa-seon.” 117 min. March 14. Kino.

View From the Top
Comedy about a young woman who hopes to escape her downscale origins for a more glamorous life as a flight attendant. Directed by Bruno Barreto (“One Tough Cop,” “Bossa Nova”) from a screenplay by Eric Wald. With Gwyneth Paltrow (“Possession”), Christina Applegate (“The Sweetest Thing”), Candice Bergen (“Sweet Home Alabama”), Marc Blucas (“Wes Craven Presents: They”), Mark Ruffalo (“Windtalkers,” “XX/XY”), Mike Myers (“Austin Powers in Goldmember”), Rob Lowe (“The Specials”), Stephen Tobolowsky (“Love Liza”) and Kelly Preston (“Battlefield Earth,” “What A Girl Wants”). Scope. 90 min. PG-13: Language/sexual references. March 21. Miramax.

The Young Unknowns
Dark comedy, set in Los Angeles’ Hollywood Hills, about four self-destructive show-biz neophytes – including a model and an aspiring film director – whose day of relaxation takes a disastrous turn. Based on the play “Magic Afternoon” by Wolfgang Bauer. Catherine Jelski makes her feature directorial debut from her own screenplay. With Devon Gummersall (“Dick”), Eion Bailey (“Almost Famous”), Arly Jover (“Impostor”), Leslie Bibb (“See Spot Run”) and Dale Godboldo (“The Sum of All Fears”). Flat. 87 min. March 14 in New York and Los Angeles; wider March 21. Indican.

 

 

 

"Against the Ropes" - "Down With Love"

"Ghosts of the Abyss"- "People I Know"

 

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