Volume IV No. 2

A publication of the National Association of Theatre Owners

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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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

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.

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.

 

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.

 

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.

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.

 

 

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.

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

"Agent Cody Banks 2" – "Hidalgo"

"Intermission" – "The Prince and Me"

 

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