Volume VI No. 4

A publication of the National Association of Theatre Owners

Advertise in In Focus

©

Mission: Impossible III
Impossible Mission Force vet Ethan Hunt finds his job affecting his personal life after he is tasked to vanquish a brutal criminal whose activities are dangerously destabilizing international relations. J.J. Abrams, who created TV’s “Alias” and “Lost,” makes his feature directorial debut from a screenplay by Abrams (“Armageddon,” “Joy Ride”) and Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman (“The Island,” “The Legend of Zorro”). Returnees from parts one and two include actors Tom Cruise (“War of the Worlds”) and Ving Rhames (“Dawn of the Dead”). Newcomers to the franchise include Michelle Monaghan (“North Country”), Philip Seymour Hoffman (“Capote”), Keri Russell (“The Upside of Anger”), Laurence Fishburne (“Assault on Precinct 13,” “Akeelah and the Bee”), Maggie Q (“Around the World in 80 Days”), Billy Crudup (“Stage Beauty”), Simon Pegg (“Shaun of the Dead,” “Land of the Dead”), Greg Grunberg (“The Ladykillers”) and Jonathan Rhys Meyers (“Match Point”). May 5. Paramount.

 

 

Over The Hedge
Animated comedy about a raccoon and a turtle who lead a forest of creatures to war with the yuppie family of humans whose suburban home is encroaching on their natural habitat. Based on the comic strip created by Michael Fry and T. Lewis. Directed by Tim Johnson (“Antz,” “Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas”) and Karey Kirkpatrick from a screenplay by Len Blum (“Private Parts,” “The Pink Panther”). Featuring the voices of Bruce Willis, Garry Shandling, Steve Carell, William Shatner, Thomas Haden Church, Eugene Levy, Allison Janney, Avril Lavigne, Nick Nolte, Catherine O’Hara and Wanda Sykes. Flat. May 19. Dreamworks.

 

 

See No Evil
Horror thriller about a group of troubled teens who, assigned to clean a hotel as part of their community service sentences, become trapped and hunted by a psychotic killer. Music video vet Gregory Dark (Bone Thugs ‘N’ Harmony’s “Ghetto Cowboy”) makes his feature directorial debut from a screenplay by Dan Madigan. With Craig Horner, Tiffany Lamb (TV’s “Flipper”), Samantha Noble (TV’s “All-Saints”), Michael J. Pagan (“The Gospel”), Cecily Polson (“Muriel’s Wedding”) and Luke Pegler (“The Great Raid”). Flat. R: Strong gruesome violence and gore. May 19. Lionsgate.

 

 

 

Twelve and Holding
Drama about how three adolescents respond when their best friend is accidentally killed by vengeful bullies. Directed by Michael Cuesta (“L.I.E.”) from a screenplay by Anthony Cipriano. With Linus Roache (“Find Me Guilty”), Jayne Atkinson (“Syriana”), Zoe Weizenbaum (“Memoirs of a Geisha”), Annabella Sciorra (“Find Me Guilty”), Tom McGowan (“After the Sunset”), Merritt Wever (“Signs”) and Jeremy Renner (“North Country”). 94 min. May 19. IFC.

 

 

Lady Vengeance
Korean-language thriller about a young female prisoner who uses her fellow inmates to facilitate a vengeful scheme. The final installment of Chan-wook Park’s “vengeance trilogy,” following “Oldboy” and “Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance.” Directed by Park from a screenplay by Park and Seo-Gyeong Jeong. With Yeong-ae Lee, Min-sik Choi (“Tae Guk Gi: Brotherhood of War”), Byeong-ok Kim (“Oldboy”), Seung-Shin Lee (“Oldboy”) and Shi-hoo Kim. Scope. 114 min. R: Strong violent content, some involving children; some sexuality. May 5. Tartan.

 

The Motel
Coming-of-age comedy-drama, set in rural America, about a chubby 13-year-old Chinese-American motel employee befriended by a charismatic Korean guest. Michael Kang makes his feature directorial debut from his own screenplay. With Jeffrey Chyau, Sung Kang (“Antwone Fisher”), Alexis Chang, Jackson Budinger, Jade Wu (“She Hate Me”) and Eleanor Hutchins. May 19. Palm.

 

 

Poseidon
Actioner about a group of passengers struggling to exit a massive, sinking ocean liner after it capsizes mid-ocean. A remake of the 1972 thriller “The Poseidon Adventure.” Directed by Wolfgang Petersen (“The Perfect Storm,” “Troy”) from a screenplay by Akiva Goldsman (“Cinderella Man,” “The Da Vinci Code”), Mark Protosevich (“The Cell,” “Imposter”) and Paul Attanasio (“Sum of All Fears,” “Beyond the Sea”). With Josh Lucas (“Glory Road”), Emmy Rossum (“The Phantom of the Opera”), Kurt Russell (“Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story”), Richard Dreyfuss (“Silver City”), Mia Maestro (“Secuestro Express”), Kevin Dillon (“No Escape”), Freddy Rodriguez (“Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story”), Jacinda Barrett (“Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason”), Kirk Woller (“Big Momma’s House 2”), Stacy Ferguson (“Be Cool”), Jimmy Bennett (“Firewall”), Mike Vogel (“Supercross”) and Andre Braugher (“Duets”). May 12. Warner Bros.

 

 

Shadowboxer
Drama about the unlikely romantic relationship shared by an older woman and her stepson, who also work together as contract killers. Producer Lee Daniels (“Monster’s Ball”) makes his feature directorial debut from a screenplay by Will Rokos (“Monster’s Ball”). With Helen Mirren (“The Clearing”), Cuba Gooding Jr. (“Dirty”), Stephen Dorff (“Alone in the Dark”), Vanessa Ferlito (“Man of the House”) and Julia Yorks (“Unbreakable”). R: Strong graphic violence and sexuality; nudity; language; some drug use. May 12 in New York and Los Angeles. Lee Daniels.

 

 

X-Men:
The Last Stand

While Marie “Rogue” D’Ancato and Henry “The Beast” McCoy take an interest in Warren Worthington’s new serum that cures mutation, Scott “Cyclops” Summers, Erik “Magneto” Lensherr, Charles Xavier and Logan learn that a vastly more powerful version of the late Jean Grey has arrived on the scene. Returnees from parts one and two include Hugh Jackman (“Van Helsing”), Patrick Stewart (“The Game of Their Lives”), Ian McKellen (“Asylum,” “The Da Vinci Code”), Famke Janssen (“Hide and Seek”), Halle Berry (“Catwoman”), James Marsden (“Heights”), Rebecca Romijn (“Godsend”), Anna Paquin (“The Squid and the Whale”) and Shawn Ashmore “(Underclassman”). Returnees from part two include Daniel Cudmore (“Are We There Yet?”) as Peter “Colossus” Rasputin. Newcomers to the series include director Brett Ratner (“Red Dragon,” “After the Sunset”), screenwriters Zak Penn (“Suspect Zero,” “Elektra”) and Simon Kinberg (“Mr. and Mrs. Smith”), and actors Kelsey Grammer (“15 Minutes”) as McCoy, Ellen Page (“Hard Candy”) as Kitty “Shadowcat” Pryde and Vinnie Jones (“She’s the Man”) as Cain “Juggernaut” Marko. Scope. May 26. Fox.

 

 

 

 

 

Current Issue Previous Issues Newswire Search  Table of Contents