Volume V No. 11

A publication of the National Association of Theatre Owners

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All The King’s Men
Remake of the 1949 drama about a working-class citizen whose ascent from a blue-collar laborer to an influential Southern governor ends in corruption, scandal and political downfall. Based on the 1946 novel by Robert Penn Warren. Written and directed by Steven Zaillian (“Searching for Bobby Fischer,” “A Civil Action”). With Sean Penn (“The Interpreter”), Jude Law (“The Aviator”), Anthony Hopkins (“Proof”), Kate Winslet (“Finding Neverland”), Mark Ruffalo (“Just Like Heaven,” “Rumor Has It”) and James Gandolfini (“Surviving Christmas”). Flat. 141 min. Dec. 16. Sony.

 

 

Brokeback Mountain
Romantic drama, set in Texas and Wyoming during the 1960s and ‘70s, about two cowboys who find it hard to sustain their heterosexual marriages following a homosexual encounter. Based on a New Yorker short story by Annie Proulx (“The Shipping News”). Directed by Ang Lee (“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” “The Hulk”) from a screenplay by Larry McMurtry (“Falling From Grace”) and Diana Ossana (the TV miniseries “Johnson County War”). With Jake Gyllenhaal (“Proof,” “Jarhead”), Heath Ledger (“The Brothers Grimm,” “Casanova”), Anne Hathaway (“Princess Diaries 2”), Linda Cardellini (“Scooby Doo 2”), Michelle Williams (“The Baxter”), Anna Faris (“Waiting”), Randy Quaid (“Grind,” “Ice Harvest”) and Scott Michael Campbell (“The Flight of the Phoenix”). Flat. 134 min. R: Sexuality; nudity; language; some violence. Dec. 9 limited; wider Dec. 16. Focus.

 

 

Casanova
Period romantic drama about the legendary womanizer, who sets out to discover the real meaning of love when he meets the one woman he can’t seduce: the sister of a boy he’s tutoring. Directed by Lasse Hallström (“The Shipping News,” “An Unfinished Life”) from a screenplay by Kimberly Simi and Jeffrey Hatcher (“Stage Beauty”). With Heath Ledger (“The Brothers Grimm,” “Brokeback Mountain”), Sienna Miller (“Layer Cake”), Jeremy Irons (“Kingdom of Heaven”), Oliver Platt (“Kinsey,” “Ice Harvest”) and Lena Olin (“The United States of Leland”). 110 min. R: Some sexual content. Dec. 25 limited; Jan. 6 wider. Buena Vista.

 

 

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe
Period fantasy-adventure about four London children who, dispatched to an eccentric professor’s country home to avoid Nazi bombings, discover within a wardrobe closet a mysterious world – a world in which they find themselves teaming with a lion-god to defeat an evil witch. Based on the series of children’s novels by C.S. Lewis (“The Screwtape Letters”). Directed by Andrew Adamson (the “Shrek” series) from a screenplay by Adamson, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely and Anne Peacock. With James Cosmo (“Troy”), James McAvoy (“Rory O’Shea Was Here”), Jim Broadbent (“Vera Drake”), Elizabeth Hawthorne (“The Frighteners”) and Tilda Swinton (“Thumbsucker”). Dec. 9. Buena Vista.

 

 

Freedomland
Drama about the racial tensions that ignite after a poor white New Jersey woman blames the death of her child on an African-American from a nearby housing project. Based on the novel by Richard Price (“Clockers”). Directed by Joe Roth (“Christmas with the Kranks”) from a screenplay by Price (“Shaft”). With Samuel L. Jackson (“The Man”), Julianne Moore (“The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio”), Edie Falco (“Sunshine State”), Ron Eldard (“House of Sand and Fog”), Anthony Mackie (“The Man”), William Forsythe (“The Devil’s Rejects”) and Aunjanue Ellis (“Ray”). Scope. R: Language; some violent content. Dec. 23 in New York and Los Angeles; Jan. 13 wide. Sony.

 

 

Aeon Flux
Sci-fi actioner, set 400 years in the future, about a top espionage operative who uncovers a world of secrets after she is assigned to kill a top government official. Based on the 1995 animated MTV series of the same name. Directed by Karyn Kusama (“Girlfight”) from a screenplay by Phil Hay & Matt Manfredi (“crazy/ beautiful,” “The Tuxedo”). With Charlize Theron (“Head in the Clouds,” “North Country”), Frances McDormand (“Something’s Gotta Give,” “North Country”), Marton Csokas (“The Great Raid”), Sophie Okonedo (“Hotel Rwanda”), Jonny Lee Miller (“Melinda and Melinda”) and Amelia Warner (“Quills,” “Winter Passing”). Dec. 2. Paramount.

 

 

Be Here To Love Me
Documentary about folk-blues singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt (1944-1997), the substance-abusing Texan who authored, among many other compositions, the country hits “Pancho & Lefty” and “If I Needed You.” Directed by first time documentarian Margaret Brown. Featuring Emmylou Harris, Kris Kristofferson, Steve Earle and Willie Nelson. Dec. 2 in New York and Los Angeles. Palm.

 

 

Caché
French-language thriller about a well-to-do couple harassed by someone sending them increasingly intimate videotapes of their lives. Written and directed by Michael Haneke (“Time of the Wolf”). With Juliette Binoche (“In My Country”), Daniel Auteuil (“Après Vous”), Maurice Bénichou (“Time of the Wolf”), Annie Girardot (“The Piano Teacher”), Daniel Duval, Bernard Le Coq, Aïssa Maïga and Nathalie Richard (“Le Divorce”). Dec. 23. Sony Pictures Classics.

 

 

Cheaper By The Dozen 2
The 12-member Baker clan heads out on vacation, and finds itself in competition with another enormous family. A sequel to the 2003 blockbuster. Returnees from part one include screenwriter Sam Harper (“Rookie of the Year,” “Just Married”) and actors Steve Martin (“Cheaper By the Dozen,” “Shopgirl”), Bonnie Hunt (“Stolen Summer”), Piper Perabo (“The Cave”), Tom Welling (“The Fog”) and Hilary Duff (“A Perfect Man”). Newcomers to the franchise include director Adam Shankman (“Bringing Down the House,” “The Pacifier”) and actors Eugene Levy (“The Man”), Jaime King (“Two For the Money”) and Carmen Electra (“Starsky & Hutch”). Scope. Dec. 21. Fox.

 

 

First Descent
Documentary exploring this history of snowboarding, from its backyard origins in the 1970s to its subsequent emergence as a mainstream winter sport and billion-dollar industry. Directed by Kemp Curly and Kevin Harrison. Featuring Shawn Farmer, Nick Peralta, Hannah Teter, Terje Haakonsen and Shaun White. Dec. 2. Universal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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