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Volume
III No. 9
A
publication of the National Association of Theatre Owners
Advertise
in In Focus
©
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| House
of the Dead
Thriller about a group of teens who discover that
the remote island site of the rave they wanted
to attend has been taken over by zombies. Directed
by Uwe Boll from a screenplay by Mark A. Altman
(“Free Enterprise”) and Dave Parker.
With Jonathan Cherry (“Final Destination
2”), Tyron Leitso (“My Life Without
Me”), Clint Howard (“Austin Powers
in Goldmember”), Ona Grauer and Ellie Cornell
(“Free Enterprise”). Flat. 90 min.
R: Pervasive strong violence/gore; language; some
nudity. Oct. 10. Artisan.

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Intolerable
Cruelty
Comedy, set in Los Angeles, about a greedy divorce
attorney who gets a taste of his own medicine when
he falls for a predatory divorcee who plans to
marry him, divorce him, and make his life a living
hell. Directed by Joel Coen (“The Man Who
Wasn’t There”) from a screenplay by
Joel & Ethan Coen (“The Man Who Wasn’t
There”) and Matthew Stone & Robert Ramsey
(“Big Trouble”). With George Clooney
(“Confessions of a Dangerous Mind”),
Catherine Zeta-Jones (“Chicago”), Geoffrey
Rush (“Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse
of the Black Pearl”), Billy Bob Thornton
(“Levity”), Julia Duffy (“Dumb
and Dumberer”) and Cedric the Entertainer
(“Barbershop”). Flat. 93 min. PG-13:
Sexual content; language; brief violence. Oct.
10. Universal.

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Millenium
Actress
Animated Japanese romantic drama about a TV documentarian who tracks down a world-famous
film actress who became a recluse 30 years earlier. The “Perfect Blue” team
of writer-director Satoshi Kon amd screenwriter Sadayuki Murai reunite. Also
known as “Sennen joyu.” PG: Thematic elements; violence; brief
mild language. Sept. 12 limited; wider October. Go Fish.
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9
Dead Gay Guys
Comedy about a pair of hustlers searching London’s
homosexual neighborhoods for a dead man’s
fortune. Ky Mo Lab makes his feature directorial
debut from his own screenplay. With Glen Mulhem,
Brendan Mackey, Simon Godley, Steven Berkoff (“Fair
Game”), Abdala Kersawani and Raymond Griffiths.
83 min. Oct. 24. TLA.
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Pieces
of April
Comedy about a black sheep who comes to question
her decision to host the family Thanksgiving dinner
in the small New York City apartment she shares
with her boyfriend. Screenwriter Peter Hedges (“A
Map of the World,” “About a Boy”)
makes his feature directorial debut from his own
screenplay. With Katie Holmes (“Phone Booth,” “The
Singing Detective”), Patricia Clarkson (“All
the Real Girls,” “The Station Agent”),
Oliver Platt (“Ash Wednesday”), Derek
Luke (“Biker Boyz”), Alison Pill and
John Gallagher Jr. 81 min. Oct. 17 limited. MGM.

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Gothika
Thriller about a criminal psychologist who awakens
one day to find herself a patient at the mental
institution that employed her – accused of
a murder she does not remember. Directed by Mathieu
Kassovitz (“The Crimson Rivers”) from
a screenplay by Sebastian Gutierrez. With Halle
Berry (“X2”), Penélope Cruz
(“Masked & Anonymous,” “Don’t
Tempt Me”), Robert Downey Jr. (“Wonder
Boys,” “The Singing Detective”),
Charles Dutton (“D-Tox”), Bronwen Mantel
(“Mother Night”), Bernard Hill (“The
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers”), Dorian
Harewood (“Levity”), John Carroll Lynch
(“Confidence”) and Amy Sloan. Oct.
24. Warner Bros.

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In
the Cut
Thriller about an NYU professor who grows suspicious
of her new lover, a cop investigating a murder
in her neighborhood. Based on the novel by Susanna
Moore (“I Myself Have Seen It”).
Written and directed by Jane Campion (“The
Portrait of a Lady,” “Holy Smoke”).
With Meg Ryan (“Kate & Leopold”),
Mark Ruffalo (“View From the Top,” “My
Life Without Me”), Jennifer Jason Leigh
(“Road to Perdition”), Kevin Bacon
(“Trapped,” “Mystic River”)
and Nick Damici. Oct. 24. Sony.

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Kill
Bill
Vol. 1
Dark comedy-actioner about a highly-trained assassin
who, after her employer/ex-boyfriend puts her
in a coma on her wedding day, wakes up five
years later to seek revenge. Written and directed
by Quentin Tarantino (“Pulp Fiction,” “Jackie
Brown”). With Uma Thurman (“Chelsea
Walls”), Lucy Liu (“Charlie’s
Angels: Full Throttle”), David Carradine
(“Roadside Prophets”), Michael
Madsen (“Die Another Day,” “My
Boss’s Daughter”), Sonny Chiba
(“Aces: Iron Eagle III”), Daryl
Hannah (“Northfork,” Casa de Los
Babys”), Vivica A. Fox (“Boat Trip”),
Chiaki Kuriyama (“Battle Royale”),
Samuel L. Jackson (“S.W.A.T.”),
Bo Svenson (“Speed 2”), Michael
Jai White (“Pandora’s Box”)
and Tarantino as the voice of Pai Mei. Oct.
10. (“Vol. 2” is expected to be
in cinemas by year’s end.) Miramax.

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Mystic
River
Crime drama about three childhood friends who
all find themselves murder suspects when one
of their daughters is found murdered in a state
park. Based on the novel by Dennis Lehane (“Prayers
For Rain”). Directed by Clint Eastwood
(“Space Cowboys,” “Blood Work”)
from a screenplay by Brian Helgeland (“Blood
Work,” “The Order”). With Kevin
Bacon (“Trapped,” “In the Cut”),
Laurence Fishburne (“The Matrix Reloaded”),
Sean Penn (“The Weight of Water”),
Tim Robbins (“The Truth About Charlie”),
Marcia Gay Harden (“Pollock,” “Casa
de Los Babys”), Laura Linney (“The
Life of David Gale”) and Emmy Rossum (“Passionada”).
Scope. 140 min. R: Language; violence. Oct. 8
limited; wider Oct. 15. Warner Bros.

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Out
of Time
Thriller, set in Florida, about a small-town
police chief who must save his reputation and
career after he steals money from the evidence
room and finds himself betrayed by the woman
he loves. Directed by Carl Franklin (“One
True Thing,” “High Crimes”)
from a screenplay by Dave Collard. With Denzel
Washington (“Antwone Fisher”), Eva
Mendes (“2 Fast 2 Furious,” “Once
Upon a Time in Mexico”), Sanaa Lathan (“Brown
Sugar”), Robert Baker (“Old School,” “Grind”),
Dean Cain (“Rat Race”) and John Billingsley
(“White Oleander”). Scope. 105 min.
PG-13: Sexual content; violence; some language.
Oct. 3. MGM.

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Porn
Theatre
French-language drama about a Parisian porn theatre
and its eccentric clientele. Written and directed
by Jacques Nolot. With Nolot (“Under the
Sand”), Vittoria Scognamiglio, Sébastien
Viala, Olivier Torres (“Late August, Early
September”), Lionel Goldstein (“Friday
Night”) and Frédéric Longbois.
Also known as “La Chatte à deux
têtes” and “Glowing Eyes.” Flat.
90 min. Oct. 10 in New York; Oct. 17 in Los Angeles.
Strand.
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