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Volume
IV No. 2
A
publication of the National Association of Theatre Owners
Advertise
in In Focus
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The
Reckoning
Drama about a traveling troupe of actors who try to solve a murder by re-creating
it in a play. Based on the novel “Morality Play” by Barry Unsworth
(“Pascali’s Island”). Directed by Paul McGuigan (“Gangster
No. 1”) from a screenplay by Mark Mills. With Paul Bettany (“Master
and Commander: The Far Side of the World,” “Dogville”), Willem
Dafoe (“Once Upon A Time in Mexico”), Simon McBurney (“Onegin”),
Gina McKee (“Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood”), Brian Cox
(“X2”), Stuart Wells (“Billy Elliot”) and Matthew MacFadyen
(“Enigma”). Scope. 110 min. R: Some sexuality; violent images. March
5 limited. Paramount Classics.

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Shaolin
Soccer
Cantonese-language
action-comedy about a crippled and disgraced
former soccer star who builds an unusual
new soccer team out of Kung Fu experts. Directed
by Stephen Chow from a screenplay by Chow
and
Tsang Kan Cheong. With Chow, Ng Mang-Tat,
Li Hui (“Chinese Box”), Zhou Wei (“So
Close”) and Tse Yin. 87 min. PG: Martial
arts action; some thematic elements. March
26. Miramax.
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Starsky & Hutch
Action comedy, set in the 1970s, about
a pair of plainclothes
detectives named David Starsky and Kenneth
Hutchinson who team up – and utilize
a bright red hot rod – to bring down
a white-collar criminal. Directed by Todd Phillips
(“Old School”) from a screenplay
by Phillips, John O’Brien (“Cradle
2 the Grave”) and Scot Armstrong (“Road
Trip,” “Old School”). With
Ben Stiller (“Along Came Polly”)
as Starsky, Owen Wilson (“Shanghai Knights,” “The
Big Bounce”) as Hutch, Vince Vaughn (“Old
School”) as lead villain Reese Feldman,
Fred Williamson (“From Dusk Till Dawn”)
as Captain Doby, Carmen Electra (“My
Boss’s Daughter”) as Hutch’s
girlfriend, and Calvin “Snoop Dogg” Broadus
(“Malibu’s Most Wanted”)
as pimp informant Huggy Bear. Also with Amy
Smart (“The Battle of Shaker Heights,” “The
Butterfly Effect”), Chris Penn (“Masked & Anonymous”),
Richard Edson (“Sunshine State”)
and Raymond Ma (“Old School”).
March 5. Warner Bros.

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Twentynine
Palms
French-
and English-language drama about two young
lovers who meet misfortune after they travel
together to the rural Southern California
desert town of Twentynine Palms for a magazine
shoot.
Written and directed by Bruno Dumont (“Humanité”).
With Katia Golubeva (“Pola X”),
Jeremy Davies (“Solaris,” “Dogville”)
and David Wissak. 130 min. March 26. Wellspring.

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Scooby-Doo
2: Monsters Unleashed
The Scooby Gang takes on a criminal mastermind in possession of a machine capable
of manufacturing monsters. A sequel to the 2002 blockbuster. Returnees from part
one include director Raja Gosnell (“Big Momma’s House”) and
screenwriter James Gunn (“The Specials,” “Dawn of the Dead”)
as well as actors Matthew Lillard (“Thirteen Ghosts”) as Shaggy,
Freddie Prinze Jr. (“Summer Catch”) as Fred, Sarah Michelle Gellar
(“Harvard Man”) as Daphne, and Linda Cardellini (“Legally Blonde”)
as Velma. Newcomers to the series include Seth Green (“The Italian Job,” “Party
Monster”) as a museum curator, Alicia Silverstone (“Love’s
Labour’s Lost”) as a reporter and Tim Blake Nelson (“Holes,” “Wonderland”)
as Jacobo. PG: Some scary action; rude humor; language. March 26. Warner Bros.

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Spartan
Thriller
about a U.S. secret agent who, on a mission
to rescue
the president’s daughter, discovers a
dark plot brewing within the White House. Written
and directed by David Mamet (“State and
Main,” “Heist”). With Val
Kilmer (“The Missing,” “Mindhunters”),
William H. Macy (“The Cooler”),
Derek Luke (“Pieces of April”),
Kristen Bell (“Pootie Tang”), Aaron
Stanford (“X2”), Johnny Messner
(“Tears of the Sun”), Alexandra
Kerry (“State and Main”) and Tia
Texada (“Phone Booth”). March 12
limited. Warner Bros.

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Taking
Lives
Thriller about a female FBI profiler on
the trail of
a serial
killer who assumes the identities of his
slain victims. Based on the novel by Michael
Pye
(“The Drowning Room”). Directed
by D.J. Caruso (“The Salton Sea”)
from a screenplay by Jon Bokenkamp. With Angelina
Jolie (“Beyond Borders”), Ethan
Hawke (“Training Day,” “Tape,” “The
Jimmy Show”), Kiefer Sutherland (“Phone
Booth”), Gena Rowlands (“The Weekend”),
Olivier Martinez (“S.W.A.T.”) and
Tchéky Karyo (“The Core”).
March 19. Warner Bros.

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Catch
That Kid
Thriller about a 12-year-old girl who, to pay for the expensive
repair of her father’s spinal injury, teams with two young
friends to engineer a bank heist. Remake of 2002 Danish film “Klatretosen.” Directed
by Bart Freundlich (“World Traveler”) from a screenplay
by the “2 Fast 2 Furious” team of Michael Brandt & Derek
Haas. With Kristen Stewart (“Cold Creek Manor”), Max
Thieriot, Corbin Bleu (“Family Tree”), Jennifer Beals
(“Runaway Jury”) and Sam Robards (“Life as a
House”). Also known as “Mission Without Permission.” Flat.
PG: Some language; thematic elements; rude humor. Feb. 6. Fox.

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The
Passion of the Christ
Latin- and Aramaic-language drama depicting the final 12 hours
of the life of Jesus Christ at his crucifixion in Jerusalem. Directed
by Mel Gibson (“Braveheart”) from a screenplay by Gibson
and Benedict Fitzgerald. With Jim Caviezel (“High Crimes”)
as Jesus Christ, Maia Morgenstern (“Ulysses’ Gaze”)
as Mary, Monica Bellucci (the “Matrix” series) as Mary
Magdalene, Hristo Jivkov as John of Zebedee, Hristo Shopov (“The
Grey Zone”) as Pontius Pilate and Rosalinda Celentano (“The
Order”) as Satan. Feb. 25. Newmarket.

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The
Dreamers
French- and English-language drama, set in Paris amidst the 1968
student protests, about an American student who befriends a French
brother and sister. Based on the novel “The Holy Innocents” by
Gilbert Adair (“Love and Death on Long Island”). Directed
by Bernardo Bertolucci (“Stealing Beauty,” “Besieged”)
from a screenplay by Adair. With Michael Pitt (“Murder by
Numbers”), Louis Garrel, Eva Green, Robin Renucci (“Taking
Sides”) and Anna Chancellor (“What a Girl Wants,” “Agent
Cody Banks 2”). Flat. Feb. 6 limited. Fox Searchlight.

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Secret
Things
French-language drama about two women, a sexy dancer and a bartender,
who, after leaving their night jobs behind, team to rip off a company
by seducing its wealthy founder. Written and directed by Jean-Claude
Brisseau. With Coralie Revel, Sabrina Seyvecou (“He Loves Me,
He Loves Me Not”), Roger Mirmont, Fabrice Deville, Blandine
Bury, Olivier Soler and Viiane Théophildès. Flat. 115
min. Feb. 20. First Run. |
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