Volume V No. 8/9

A publication of the National Association of Theatre Owners

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A History of Violence
Thriller about a diner owner whose past comes to haunt him after he kills a pair of gunmen in self-defense – and finds his act of heroism a little too widely publicized. Based on the DC comic-book series created by John Wagner and Vince Locke. Directed by David Cronenberg (“eXitenZ,” “Spider”) from a screenplay by Josh Olson. With Viggo Mortensen (“Hidalgo”), Maria Bello (“Sin City”), Ed Harris (“Radio”), William Hurt (“The Village”), Stephen McHattie (“Secretary”) and Peter MacNeill (“Open Range”). 96 min. Sept 30. New Line.

 

 

Into The Blue
Thriller about a two young couples on a scuba-diving trip who find their lives endangered after they discover a large stash of illegal drugs. Directed by John Stockwell (“Blue Crush”) from a screenplay by Matt Johnson (“Torque”). With Paul Walker (“Timeline”), Jessica Alba (“Fantastic Four”), Josh Brolin (“Slow Burn”), Dwayne Adway (“First Daughter”), Scott Caan (“Ocean’s Twelve”) and Ashley Scott (“Walking Tall”). PG-13: Intense sequences of action violence; drug material; some sexual content; language. Sept 30. Sony.

 

 

Just Like Heaven
Romantic comedy, set in San Francisco, about a grieving man who falls in love with the spirit of a female coma victim that is haunting his apartment. Based on the 2000 novel by Marc Levy. Directed by Mark Waters (“Freaky Friday,” “Mean Girls”) from a screenplay by Ron Bass (“Passion of Mind,” “The Shipping News”). With Reese Witherspoon (“Vanity Fair”), Mark Ruffalo (“Collateral”), Donal Logue (“American Splendor”), Dina Waters (“Haunted Mansion”), Rosalind Chao (“Freaky Friday”) and Jon Heder (“Napoleon Dynamite”). PG-13: Some sexual content. Flat. Sept. 16. DreamWorks.

 

 

Legend of Zorro
Alejandro de la Vega’s promise to his wife – that he would reveal and retire his Zorro identity – becomes difficult to keep when shadowy forces conspire to further a 500-year-old plot. A sequel set 10 years after the events of 1998’s “The Mask of Zorro.” Returnees from part one include director Martin Campbell (“Vertical Limit,” “Beyond Borders”) as well as actors Antonio Banderas (“Once Upon a Time in Mexico”) and Catherine Zeta-Jones (“Ocean’s Twelve”). Newcomers to the franchise include screenwriters Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci (“The Island”) as well as actors Nick Chinlund (“The Chronicles of Riddick”), Shuler Hensley (“Van Helsing”) and Rufus Sewell (“Extreme Ops”). Scope. Oct. 28. Sony.

 

The Man
Comedy about an ATF agent who finds himself forced to partner with a bumbling traveling salesmen in order to keep his big-deal sting operation intact. Directed by Les Mayfield (“Blue Streak,” “American Outlaws”) from a screenplay by Stephen Carpenter (“Blue Streak,” “Soul Survivors”), Margaret Oberman (“Troop Beverly Hills”) and Jim Piddock (“A Different Loyalty”). With Samuel L. Jackson (“Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith”), Eugene Levy (“New York Minute”), Susie Essman (“The Secret Lives of Dentists”), Anthony Mackie (“Million Dollar Baby”), Miguel Ferrer (“Silver City”), Horatio Sanz (“Boat Trip”), Luke Goss (“Blade II”) and Michael Cameron (“Bulletproof Monk”). Flat. PG-13: Language; rude dialogue; some violence. Sept. 9. New Line.

 

 

My First Wedding
Romantic comedy about a bride-to-be who recruits what she believes to be a Catholic priest to help her overcome an urge to cheat on her fiancé, unaware that the “priest” is actually just a guy who thinks she’s hot. Directed by Laurent Firode from a screenplay by Joan Carr-Wiggin. With Rachael Leigh Cook (“Stateside”), Kenny Doughty (“Elizabeth,” “The Great Raid,” “The Aryan Couple”), Paul Hopkins (“Mambo Italiano”), Elizabeth Whitmere (“Head in the Clouds”), Valerie Mahaffey (“Seabiscuit”) and Claire Brosseau (“Confessions of a Dangerous Mind”). Flat. Oct. 21. Indican.

 

 

Oliver Twist
Drama, set in 19th-century London, about an orphan boy befriended by a band of street crooks. Based on the novel by Charles Dickens (“Great Expectations,” “Nicholas Nickleby”). Directed by Roman Polanski (“The Ninth Gate,” “The Pianist”) from a screenplay by Ronald Harwood (“The Pianist,” “The Statement,” “Being Julia”). With Ben Kingsley (“Suspect Zero,” “A Sound of Thunder”), Barney Clark (“The Lawless Heart”), Frank Finlay (“The Statement”) and Jamie Foreman (“I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead”). Sept 30. Sony.

 

 

Paradise Now
Arabic-language drama about two Palestinian suicide bombers in the final hours before their mission. Directed by Hany Abu-Assad from a screenplay by Abu-Assad and Bero Beyer. With Kais Nashef, Ali Suliman, Lubna Azabal, Amer Hlehel and Hiam Abbas. 91 min. Oct. 14 in New York. Warner Independent Pictures.

Pride and Prejudice
Drama, set in the early 19th century, about an opinionated young woman who falls for an arrogant aristocrat. Based on the novel by Jane Austen (“Persuasion,” “Sense and Sensibility,” “Emma”). British TV miniseries director Joe Wright (“Charles II: The Power & the Passion”) makes his feature directorial debut from a screenplay by Deborah Moggach. With Keira Knightley (“The Jacket”), Judi Dench (“Ladies in Lavender”), Donald Sutherland (“Cold Mountain,” “Fierce People”), Matthew MacFadyen (“The Reckoning”), Brenda Blethyn (“Beyond the Sea”) and Tom Hollander (“Stage Beauty”). Scope. PG: Some mild thematic elements. Sept. 23. Focus.

 

 

The Prizewinner of Defiance, Ohio
Drama, set in the 1950s and based on a true story, about an impoverished mother who supports herself and her 10 children by winning a song contest and becoming a jingle writer. Screenwriter Jane Anderson (“How To Make An American Quilt”) makes her feature directorial debut from her own script. With Julianne Moore (“The Forgotten”), Laura Dern (“Happy Endings”), Woody Harrelson (“After the Sunset,” “North Country”), Trevor Morgan (“Mean Creek”) and Jake Scott. Flat. PG-13: Thematic elements; some disturbing images; language. Sept. 23. Go Fish.
Protocols of Zion
Documentary about the rise of religious intolerance and violence inflicted in the name of God. Directed by Marc Levin (“Slam,” “Whiteboyz”). 90 min. Oct. 21 in New York. Thinkfilm.

Guys & Balls
German-language comedy about a young soccer player who – banned from his team because of his sexual preference – forms a new, all-homosexual team to take on his old team in a grudge match. Directed by Sherry Horman from a script by Benedikt Gollhardt. Starring Maximilian Brückner, Lisa Maria Potthoff and Rolf Zacher. Flat. 106 min. Oct. 7. Regent.

 

 

In Her Shoes
Comedy about two sisters – one a feckless party-type and the other a disciplined attorney – and the grandmother neither of them knows. Based on the novel by Jennifer Weiner (“Little Earthquakes”). Directed by Curtis Hanson (“8 Mile”) from a screenplay by Susannah Grant (“28 Days”). With Cameron Diaz (“Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle”), Toni Collette (“The Last Shot”), Shirley MacLaine (“Bewitched”), Mark Feuerstein (“Abandon”), Brooke Smith (“Melinda and Melinda”), Richard Burgi (“Cellular”), Anson Mount (“The Battle of Shaker Heights”), Norman Lloyd (“The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle”) and Eric Balfour (“The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”). Scope. 130 min. PG-13: Thematic material; language; some sexual content. Oct. 7. Fox.

 

 

Into The Fire
Drama about a New York Harbor Patrol officer, a music teacher, and a grieving mother whose lives intersect during one night of tragedy. Michael Phelan makes his feature directorial debut from his own screenplay. With Sean Patrick Flanery (“Borderline”), Melina Kanakaredes (“15 Minutes”), JoBeth Williams (“Fever Pitch”), Lydia Jordan (“Gods and Generals”), Ron McLarty (“The Postman”), Pablo Schreiber (“Lords of Dogtown”), Ed Lauter (“The Longest Yard”) and Elizabeth Hobgood (“The Emperor’s Club”). Sept. 23 in New York. Slow Hand.

 

 

Last Day
French-language drama about a young homosexual who confronts his unrequited love for a childhood friend when he returns home for the holidays. Written and directed by Rodolphe Marconi (“Love Forbidden”). With Gaspard Ulliel (“A Very Long Engagement”), Mélanie Laurent, Bruno Todeschini (“Son Frère”), Nicole Garcia (“La Petite Lili”), Alysson Paradis and Christophe Malavoy. 108 min. Oct. 14 in New York. Strand.

 

The Libertine
Period comedy-drama, set during the Restoration, about the Earl of Rochester, a philanderer whose poetry was labeled by many as pornographic. Laurence Dunmore makes his directorial debut from a screenplay by Stephen Jeffreys. With Johnny Depp (“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”), John Malkovich (“The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” “Art School Confidential”), Samantha Morton (“Enduring Love”), Tom Hollander (“Stage Beauty,” “Pride and Prejudice”) and Rosamund Pike (“Die Another Day,” “Pride and Prejudice,” “Doom”). Sept. 16. Miramax.

 

 

My Date With Drew
Comedic documentary about a “regular guy” who takes $1,100 and a “borrowed” camera to chronicle the pursuit of his ultimate dream: a date with actress Drew Barrymore. Directed by Brian Herzlinger, Brett Winn and Jon Gunn. With Herzlinger, John Mann and Lily Rains. PG: Mild thematic elements; language. Sept. 16. Slow Hand.

 

North Country
Legal drama, based on a true story, about a female Minnesota iron miner who launched a years-long legal battle against her company in 1975 after enduring multiple incidents of sexual harassment. Based on the book by journalist Clara Bingham (“Women on the Hill”) and attorney Laura Leedy Gansler. Directed by Niki Caro (“Whale Rider) from a screenplay by Michael Seitzmen (“Here on Earth”). With Charlize Theron (“Head in the Clouds”), Sissy Spacek (“The Ring 2”), Frances McDormand (“Something’s Gotta Give”), Woody Harrelson (“After the Sunset,” “The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio”), Richard Jenkins (“Shall We Dance?”), Jillian Armenante (“Girl, Interrupted”), Chris Mulkey (“Mysterious Skin”) and Michelle Monaghan (“Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” “Syriana”). Previously known as “Class Action.” Oct. 7. Warner Bros.

 

The Ordeal
French-language thriller about an aspiring musician, stranded in the woods during a rainstorm, who takes refuge with a seemingly kindly innkeeper – only to discover the innkeeper is not as stable as he originally appeared. Directed by Fabrice du Welz from a screenplay by du Welz and Romain Protat. With Laurent Lucas (“Who Killed Bambi?”), Jackie Berroyer, Philippe Nahon (“High Tension”), Philippe Grand’Henry, Jean-Luc Couchard, Gigi Coursigni and Brigite Lahaie (“Henry and June”). Also known as “Calvaire.” Scope. 94 min. Oct. 21 in New York and LA. Palm.

 

The Passenger
Re-release of the 1975 drama about an American journalist who, while covering an uprising in Africa, decides to assume the identity of a dead man he finds in a neighboring hotel room. Directed by Michaelangelo Antonioni (“Eros”) from a screenplay by Antonioni, Marc Peplow (“The Last Emperor,” “Little Buddha”) and Peter Wollen. With Jack Nicholson (“Something’s Gotta Give”), Maria Schneider (“Jane Eyre”), Jenny Runacre (“Restoration”), Steven Berkoff (“Head in the Clouds”) and Ian Hendry (“Damien: Omen II”). Oct. 28. Sony Pictures Classics.

 

Prime
Comedy about a thirtysomething go-getter who finds herself falling for a significantly younger man, unaware that he is the son of her therapist. Written and directed by Ben Younger (“Boiler Room”). With Uma Thurman (“Be Cool”), Bryan Greenberg (“The Perfect Score”), Madhur Jaffey (“Cotton Mary”), Annie Parisse (“National Treasure”) and Meryl Streep (“Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events”). PG-13: Sexual content including dialogue; language. Oct. 28. Universal.

 

 

Proof
Drama about a young scholar who finds a copy of a theorem mathematicians have been seeking for centuries – but isn’t sure who authored the groundbreaking work: a famous, mentally-ill, mathematical genius, or the caretaker daughter who claims it’s hers. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by David Auburn. Directed by John Madden (“Shakespeare in Love,” “Captain Corelli’s Mandolin”) from a screenplay by Auburn and Rebecca Miller (“Personal Velocity,” “The Ballad of Jack and Rose”). With Gwyneth Paltrow (“Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow”), Anthony Hopkins (“Alexander”), Jake Gyllenhaal (“The Day After Tomorrow”), Hope Davis (“American Splendor,” “The Weather Man”), Colin Stinton (“The Hours”), Daniel Hatkoff (“Vera Drake”) and Gary Houston (“Fargo”). PG-13: Some sexual content; language; drug references. Sept. 16. Miramax.

 

 

 

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