A publication of the National Association of Theatre Owners

Advertise in In Focus

©

Kingdom of Heaven Epic drama, set in the 12th century, about a young blacksmith who falls for a princess and saves her kingdom during the Crusades. Directed by Ridley Scott (“Black Hawk Down,” “Matchstick Men”) from a screenplay by William Monahan. With Orlando Bloom (“Troy”), Eva Green (“The Dreamers”), Ed Norton (“The Italian Job”), Jeremy Irons (“Being Julia”), Liam Neeson (“Kinsey,” “Batman Begins”), Marton Csokas (“The Bourne Supremacy,” “Asylum”), David Thewlis (“Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”), Michael Sheen (“Laws of Attraction”) and Brendan Gleeson (“The Village,” “In My Country”). Scope. May 6. Fox.     Layer Cake British crime thriller about a wealthy young drug dealer who, on the verge of early retirement, reluctantly agrees to track down the beautiful missing daughter of a powerful criminal. Matthew Vaughn makes his feature directorial debut from a screenplay by J.J. Connolly. With Daniel Craig (“The Jacket”), Michael Gambon (“The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou”), Tom Hardy (“The Reckoning”), Sally Hawkins (“Vera Drake”), Sienna Miller (“Alfie”), George Harris (“Black Hawk Down”), Francis Magee (“I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead”) and Colm Meaney (“Intermission,” “The Boys From County Clare”). Scope. 110 min. R: Strong brutal violence; sexuality; nudity; pervasive language; drug use. May 13. Sony Pictures Classics.     Ma Mere French-language drama about a young, recently widowed mother whose relationship with her 17-year-old son takes on an emotionally intimate dependence bordering on the sexual. Directed by Christophe Honoré from a screenplay by Honoré (“Girl’s Can’t Swim”). With Louis Garrel (“The Dreamers”), Isabelle Huppert (“I Heart Huckabees”), Emma de Caunes (“Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra”), Jean-Baptiste Montagut (“After the Life”), Philippe Duclos (“Safe Conduct”) and Dominique Reymond (“In My Skin”). 111 min. NC-17: Strong and aberrant sexual content. May 13. TLA.     Modigliani Biography of the Italian painter Amedeo Modigliani, whose rivalry with Pablo Picasso was perhaps better known than Modigliani’s art when he died in 1920 at age 26. Written and directed by Mick Davis. With Andy Garcia (“Ocean’s Twelve”), Peter Capaldi (“Max”), Udo Kier (“Surviving Christmas”), Omid Djalili (“Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow”), Elsa Zylberstein (“Time Regained”) and Miriam Margolyes (“Being Julia”). May 6. IFG.     Mysterious Skin Drama, set New York and Kansas, about two young men who meet at the age of 18, and, after becoming close friends, realize that a shared experience haunts both their pasts. Based on the novel by Scott Heim. Written and Directed by Gregg Araki (“Nowhere,” “Splendor”). With Brady Corbet (“Thunderbirds”), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (“Latter Days”), Elisabeth Shue (“Hide and Seek”), Mary Lynn Rajskub (“Legally Blonde 2”), Michelle Trachtenberg (“Ice Princess”) and Jeffrey Licon. May 19. TLA.     Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith Young Anakin Skywalker becomes Emperor Palpatine’s protégé and representative on the Jedi Council, but when the council refuses Skywalker “master” status, he finds himself drawn ever closer to the dark side of The Force. Returnees from “Episode II” include director-screenwriter George Lucas (“The Phantom Menace”), as well as actors Hayden Christensen (“Shattered Glass”) as Anakin, Ewan McGregor (“Big Fish”) as Obi-Wan, Natalie Portman (“Closer”) as Padmé, Ian McDiarmid (“Sleepy Hollow”) as Palpatine, Samuel L. Jackson (“Coach Carter,” “XXX: State of the Union”) as Mace Windu, Christopher Lee (the “Lord of the Rings” series) as Count Dooku, Silas Carson (“Hidalgo”) as Ki-Adi-Mundi, Jimmy Smits (“Price of Glory”) as Sen. Bail Organa, Joel Edgerton (“King Arthur”) as Owen Lars, Bonnie Piesse as Beru Whitesun, Frank Oz as Yoda, Anthony Daniels as C3PO, Ahmed Best as Jar-Jar Binks, and Kenny Baker as R2-D2. Newcomers to the franchise include Bai Ling (“Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow,” “Beautiful Country”). Returnees from the original “Star Wars” trilogy include Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca. Scope. May 19. Fox.     Kicking & Screaming Comedy about a father who, after agreeing to coach his 10-year-old’s soccer team, butts heads with his own father – who happens to be the coach of a rival team. Directed by Jesse Dylan (“How High,” “American Wedding”) from a screenplay by Leo Benvenuti & Steve Rudnick (“Space Jam,” “The Santa Clause 2”). With Will Ferrell (“Anchorman,” “Melinda and Melinda”), Robert Duvall (“Secondhand Lions”), Steven Anthony Lawrence (“Cheaper by the Dozen”), Josh Hutcherson (“The Polar Express”), Kate Walsh (“After the Sunset”), Laura Kightlinger (“Anchorman”), Rachael Harris (“After the Sunset”), Musetta Vander (“O Brother Where Art Thou”) and NFL legend Mike Ditka as himself. Scope. 90 min. May 13. Universal.     Kings and Queen French-language drama about two former lovers – she an unmarried mother who suddenly finds herself forced to care for her dying father, he a gifted musician trying desperately to escape from a mental hospital. Arnaud Desplechin (“The Sentinel,” “My Sex Life”) directs from a screenplay by Desplechin and Roger Bohbot (“The Dreamlife of Angels,” “Since Otar Left”). With Mathieu Amalric (“Alice and Martin”), Nathalie Boutefeu (“The Housekeeper”), Catherine Deneuve (“A Talking Picture”), Emmanuelle Devos (“It’s Easier for a Camel”), Maurice Garrel (“His Brother”), Noémie Lvovsky (“My Wife Is an Actress”), Magalie Woch (“It’s Easier for a Camel”), Jean-Paul Roussillon (“The Girl from Paris”) and Valentin Lelong. Also known as “Rois et Reine.” Scope. 146 min. May 13. Wellspring.     The Longest Yard Remake of the 1974 comedy about a retired pro-football quarterback who goes to prison, then finds himself forced by the warden to put together an inmate football team. Directed by Peter Segal (“Anger Management,” “50 First Dates”) from a screenplay by Sheldon Turner. With Adam Sandler (“Spanglish”), Chris Rock (“Head of State,” “Paparazzi”), Tracy Morgan (“Head of State”), James Cromwell (“I, Robot”), Burt Reynolds (“Without a Paddle”), Cloris Leachman (“Spanglish”), David Patrick Kelly (“Personal Velocity”), Kevin Nash (“The Punisher”), Brian Bosworth (“Three Kings”), Terry Crews (“White Chicks”), Joey Diaz (“Spider-Man 2”), Brandon Molale (“Collateral”) and William Fichtner (“Equilibrium,” “Crash”). Scope. May 27. Paramount.   Madagascar Animated feature about four zoo animals who, thanks to a shipwreck, end up in the wilds of the titular East African island. Directed by Eric Darnell (“Antz”) and Tom McGrath from a screenplay by British TV writer Mark Burton (“2DTV”) and Billy Frolick. Featuring the voices of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric the Entertainer and Andy Richter. Flat. May 27. DreamWorks.     Monster-In-Law Romantic comedy about a young woman’s romance with the man of her dreams, and how it becomes threatened by his mother’s determination to destroy the relationship. Directed by Robert Luketic (“Legally Blonde,” “Win a Date With Tad Hamilton!”) from a screenplay by Anya Kochoff. With Jennifer Lopez (“Shall We Dance?”), Jane Fonda (“Stanley & Iris”), Michael Vartan (“One Hour Photo”), Monet Mazur (“Torque”), Will Arnett (“Series 7 - The Contenders”), Jimmy Jean-Louis (“Hollywood Homicide”) and Wanda Sykes (“Down to Earth”). May 13. New Line.     Saving Face Romantic comedy, set in New York, about a Chinese-American surgeon in her late twenties who must save her unexpectedly-pregnant mother’s reputation by quickly and quietly finding her a husband. Alice Wu makes her directorial debut from her own screenplay. With Joan Chen (“What’s Cooking?”), Michelle Krusiec (“Cursed”), Jin Wang (“Pavilion of Women”), Ato Essandoh (“Hitch”), Jessica Hecht (“Sideways”), Lynn Chen and David Shih. 96 min. May 27 in New York and Los Angeles. Sony Pictures Classics.