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Volume VI No. 8/9
A
publication of the National Association of Theatre Owners
Advertise
in In Focus
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Borealis
Drama about a young man struggling to overcome the death of his father. Directed
by James Burke from a screenplay by Brent Boyd. With Joshua Jackson (“Cursed”),
Donald Sutherland (“An American Haunting”), Louise Fletcher
(“Manna From Heaven”), Juliette Lewis (“Starsky & Hutch”)
and Steven Pasquale (FX’s “Rescue Me”). Sept 15. Regent.

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The
Black Dahlia
Crime drama, set in 1940s Los Angeles, about a
hardened cop who investigates the death of a
22-year-old actress and finds himself falling
in love with the dead woman. Based on the novel
by James Ellroy (“L.A. Confidential”).
Directed by Brian De Palma (“Mission to
Mars,” “Femme Fatale”) from
a screenplay by Josh Friedman (“War of
the Worlds”). With Josh Hartnett (“Lucky
Number Slevin”), Scarlett Johansson (“Match
Point,” “Scoop,” “The
Prestige”), Aaron Eckhart (“Thank
You for Smoking”), Mia Kirshner (“Party
Monster”), Gregg Henry (“United 93”),
Rose McGowan (“Monkeybone”), Fiona
Shaw (“Harry Potter and the Prisoner of
Azkaban”), Laura Kightlinger (“The
Shaggy Dog”) and Hilary Swank (“Million
Dollar Baby”). Scope. R: Strong violence;
some grisly images; sexual content; language.
Sept. 15. Universal.

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Captain
Sabertooth
Animated adventure about a pirate crew on the hunt
for treasure. Directed by Stig Bergqvist (“Rugrats
II”) and Rasmus A. Sivertsen. Also known
as “Kaptein Sabeltann.” Flat. Sept.
22. Indican.
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The
Covenant
Supernatural thriller about a mysterious stranger
who infiltrates an exclusive prep school. Directed
by Renny Harlin (“Exorcist: The Beginning,” “Mindhunters”)
from a screenplay by J.S. Cardone. With Taylor
Kitsch (“John Tucker Must Die,” “Snakes
on a Plane”), Laura Ramsey (“She’s
the Man,” “Cruel World”), Steven
Strait (“Undiscovered”), Kyle Schmid
(“Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants”),
Jessica Lucas (“She’s The Man”),
Neil Napier, Sarah Smyth, Chace Crawford, Sebastian
Stan, and Toby Hemingway. Scope. Sept. 8. Sony.

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Crossover
Drama about a high-school basketball superstar
trying to decide between a UCLA scholarship
and an NBA contract. Written and directed by
Preston Whitmore (“The Walking Dead”).
With Anthony Mackie (“Freedomland”),
Wesley Jonathan (“Roll Bounce”),
Kristen Wilson (“Walking Tall”),
Wayne Brady (“Roll Bounce”), Eva
Pigford (TV’s “America’s
Next Top Model”), Little JJ (“Yours,
Mine and Ours”), Michael Bivins (“Friday
After Next”) and Allen Payne (“The
Perfect Storm”). Flat. PG-13: Sexual
content; some language. Sony.

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The Departed
Thriller
about a mobster who has infiltrated the police and
a cop who has infiltrated the Mob, and their race
to discover each other’s identity. Adapted
from the Hong Kong film “Infernal Affairs.” Directed
by Martin Scorsese (“Gangs of New York,” “The
Aviator”) from a screenplay by William Monahan
(“Kingdom of Heaven”). With Leonardo
DiCaprio (“The Aviator”), Matt Damon
(“Syriana”), Jack Nicholson (“Something’s
Gotta Give”), Mark Wahlberg (“Four Brothers,” “Invincible”),
Alec Baldwin (“Fun With Dick and Jane,” “Running
With Scissors”), Ray Winstone (“The Chronicles
of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe,” “Breaking
and Entering”), Gerard McSorley (“Rory
O’Shea Was Here”) and Vera Farmiga (“Running
Scared,” “Breaking and Entering”).
Oct. 6. Warner Bros.

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Everybody's
Hero
Animated comedy, set in 1932, about a boy who
sets out on
a cross-country mission to return Babe Ruth’s
baseball bat before the deciding game of the World
Series. Directed by the late Christopher Reeve (the
TV-movie “The Brooke Ellison Story”),
veteran animator Colin Brady (“Toy Story.” “A
Bug’s Life”) and veteran layout artist
Dan St. Pierre (“The Lion King,” “The
Hunchback of Notre Dame”) from a screenplay
by Jeff Hand and Rob Kurtz (TV’s “Cosby”).
Featuring the voices of Jake T. Austin, William H.
Macy, Brian Dennehy, Mandy Patinkin, Rob Reiner,
Raven-Symone, Dana Reeve, Whoopi Goldberg and Robert
Wagner. Formerly known as “Yankee Irving.” Sept.
15. Fox.

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Flicka
Family drama
about a girl who, while working on her family’s
Wyoming ranch, claims a wild horse as her own, vowing
to raise it herself. Based on the Mary O’Hara
novel “My Friend Flicka.” Directed by
Michael Mayer (“A Home at the End of the World”)
from a screenplay by Lawrence Konner & Mark Rosenthal
(“Planet of the Apes,” “Mona Lisa
Smile”). With Alison Lohman (“Where the
Truth Lies”), Maria Bello (“Thank You
for Smoking,” “World Trade Center”),
Tim McGraw (“Friday Night Lights”), Kaylee
DeFer (“Underclassman”), Dallas Roberts
(“Walk the Line”), Nick Searcy (“The
Assassination of Richard Nixon”), Dey Young
(“Red Eye”) and John O’Brien (“Enough”).
PG: Some mild language. Oct. 20. Fox.

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49 Up
Sequel
to the documentaries “7 Up,” “14
Up,” “21
Up,” “28 Up,” “35 Up” and “42
Up,” which collectively followed one group
of 14 British schoolchildren, all born around 1957,
as they grew to adulthood and into middle age. Michael
Apted (“Enigma,” “Enough”),
who directed all but the first film in the series,
returns. Twelve of the original 14 subjects appear
in new footage, including one who declined to participate
in 1999’s “42 Up.” Oct. 6 limited.
First Run.

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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 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,” “Breaking
and Entering”), Anthony Hopkins (“The
World’s Fastest Indian”), Kate Winslet
(“Finding Neverland”), Mark Ruffalo
(“Rumor Has It”), Patricia Clarkson
(“Good Night, and Good Luck”), Kathy
Baker (“Nine Lives”) and James Gandolfini
(“Surviving Christmas”). Flat. Sept
22. Sony.

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Babel
Multinational episodic drama, set in Japan, Morocco,
Southern California and Mexico, about: 1) an
international incident that erupts when an American
is accidentally shot by the young son of a Moroccan
goat herder; 2) a San Diego nanny who finds herself
forced to take her young charges to her son’s
wedding in Mexico; and 3) a deaf-mute Japanese
girl having difficulty coming to grips with her
mother’s suicide. The “Amores Perros”-”21
Grams” team of director Alejandro González
Iñárritu and screenwriter Guillermo
Arriaga (“The Three Burials of Melquiades
Estrada”) reunite. With Brad Pitt (“Mr.
and Mrs. Smith”), Cate Blanchett (“The
Aviator”), Gael García Bernal (“The
King,” “The Science of Sleep”),
Elle Fanning (“Because of Winn-Dixie”),
Kôji Yakusho (“Memoirs of a Geisha”),
Jamie McBride (“The Island”), Clifton
Collins Jr. (“Dirty”), Adriana Barraza
(“Amores Perros”) and James Melody
(“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s
Chest”). 142 min. R: Violence; some graphic
nudity; sexual content; language; some drug use.
Oct. 27. Paramount Classics.

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Breaking
and Entering
Drama about an architect who reevaluates his life
after a young Muslim thief breaks into his office.
Written and directed by Anthony Minghella (“The
Talented Mr. Ripley,” “Cold Mountain”).
With Juliette Binoche (“Bee Season”),
Jude Law (“The Aviator,” “All the
King’s Men”), Martin Freeman (“The
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”), Ray
Winstone (“The Proposition,” “The
Departed”), Poppy Rogers (“Nicholas Nickleby”),
Roberto Purvis (“Exorcist: The Beginning”),
Robin Wright Penn (“Nine Lives”) and
Vera Farmiga (“Running Scared,” “The
Departed”). Oct. 6. Weinstein.

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The
Children Of Men
Science fiction thriller, set in a near-future
dictatorship, about a world where people have
lost the ability to reproduce and a history professor
is charged with protecting the first pregnant
woman anyone has seen in 25 years. Based on the
novel by P.D. James (“The Lighthouse”).
Directed by Alfonso Cuarón (“Y Tu
Mamá También,” “Harry
Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”) from
a screenplay by Cuarón (“Y Tu Mamá También”),
David Arata (“Brokedown Palace,” “Spy
Game”) and Timothy J. Sexton (TV’s “Live
from Baghdad”). With Clive Owen (“Inside
Man”), Julianne Moore (“Freedomland,” “Trust
the Man”), Chiwetel Ejiofor (“Kinky
Boots”), Charlie Hunnam (“Rumor Has
It”), Oana Pellea (“High Tension”),
Danny Huston (“The Proposition”),
Peter Mullan (“On a Clear Day”) and
Michael Caine (“The Weather Man,” “The
Prestige”). Flat. R: Strong violence; language;
some drug use; brief nudity. Sept. 29. Universal.

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Crank
Actioner about a hit man who goes on a vengeful
rampage after he discovers he’s been
poisoned and will die if he allows his heart
rate to drop. Written and directed by Mark
Neveldine & Brian Taylor. With Jason Statham
(“Transporter 2”), Amy Smart (“Peaceful
Warrior”), Efren Ramirez (“Napoleon
Dynamite,” “Employee of the Month”),
Dwight Yoakam (“Three Burials of Melquiades
Estrada”), Michael J. Gonzalez (“Domino”),
Ted Garcia (“First Daughter”),
Glenn Howerton (“Serenity”) and
Jose Cantillo (“Manchurian Candidate”).
R: Strong violence; pervasive language; sexuality;
nudity; drug use. Sept. 1. Lionsgate.

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Cruel
World
Comedy-thriller about a reality show loser who
snaps and creates
a “show” on which losing contestants
are executed. Directed by Kelsey T. Howard from a
screenplay by Eugene Hess, Paul Lawrence and Paul
T. Murray. With Edward Furlong (“Detroit Rock
City”), Jaime Pressly (“Torque,” “DOA:
Dead or Alive”), Sanoe Lake (“Blue Crush”),
Susan Ward (“Two for the Money”), Aimee
Garcia (“Dirty”), Andrew Keegan (“O”),
Brian Geraghty (“When A Stranger Calls,” “The
Guardian,” “We Are Marshall”),
Daniel Franzese (“War of the Worlds”)
and Laura Ramsey (“She’s the Man,” “The
Covenant”). Flat. R: Strong sadistic violence
and gore; language; some sexuality. Oct. 13. Indican.

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Employee
of the Month
Comedy about two best friends who work
together in a big-box
warehouse store and find themselves competing to
impress the attractive new cashier who fancies
ambitious men. Screenwriter Greg Coolidge (“Sorority
Boys”) makes his feature directorial debut
from a screenplay by Coolidge and Don Calame & Chris
Conroy. With Jessica Simpson (“The Dukes of
Hazzard”), Dax Shepard (“Zathura,” “Idiocracy”),
Dane Cook (“Waiting”), Efren Ramirez
(“Napoleon Dynamite,” “Crank”),
Sean Whalen (“The Last Shot”), Andy Dick
(“Hebrew Hammer”), Tim Bagley (“The
Day After Tomorrow,” “Accepted”),
Harland Williams (“Because of Winn-Dixie”)
and Danny Woodburn (“Death to Smoochy”).
Sept. 15. Lionsgate.

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Flags
Of Our Fathers
Drama
based on the true stories of the six soldiers in
the famous photograph depicting the erection of
an American flag on Iwo Jima. Based on the book
by James
Bradley and Ron Powers. Directed by Clint Eastwood
(“Mystic River,” “Million Dollar
Baby”) from a screenplay by Paul Haggis (“Million
Dollar Baby,” “Crash,” “The
Last Kiss”) and William Broyles, Jr. (“The
Polar Express,” “Jarhead”). With
Paul Walker (“Eight Below”), Ryan Phillippe
(“Crash”), Adam Beach (“Windalkers”),
Jesse Bradford (“Happy Endings”), Jamie
Bell (“King Kong”), Neal McDonough (“Walking
Tall,” “The Guardian”), Robert
Patrick (“Firewall,” “The Marine,” “We
Are Marshall”) and Joseph Cross (“Jack
Frost,” “Running with Scissors”).
Oct. 20. DreamWorks.

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Flyboys
Period
drama about young American fighter pilots who joined
the French military prior to the United States’ entry
into World War I. Directed by Tony Bill (“Untamed
Heart,” “A Home of Our Own”) from
a screenplay by Phil Sears & Blake T. Evans and
David Ward (“Down Periscope,” “The
Best Man”). With James Franco (“Annapolis”),
David Ellison (“The Chumscrubber”), Jean
Reno (“The Da Vinci Code”), Martin Henderson
(“Bride and Prejudice”), Jennifer Decker
(“Cobb”), Abdul Salis (“Sahara”),
Philip Winchester (“Thunderbirds”) and
Tcheky Karyo (“A Very Long Engagement”).
PG-13: War action violence; some sexual content.
Sept. 29. MGM.

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