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Volume VI No. 2
A
publication of the National Association of Theatre Owners
Advertise
in In Focus
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| Ice
Age 2
Animated sequel to the 2002 hit, this time about
the wooly mammoth, sabertooth tiger and sloth as
they try to warn valley-dwellers of an impending
flood precipitated by the Ice Age’s end. Directed
by Carlos Saldanha (“Ice Age,” “Robots”)
from a screenplay by TV writer Jon Vitti (“King
of the Hill”). Ray Romano, Denis Leary and
John Leguizamo all return their voices to the sequel.
Joining the franchise are the voices of Queen Latifah,
Jay Leno and Seann William Scott. Flat. Rated G.
March 31. Fox.

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Inside
Man
Crime drama about a bank robber whose heist goes
awry, leaving him in a hostage standoff against
the cop with whom he has been playing a cat-and-mouse
game for months. Directed by Spike Lee (“25th
Hour,” “She Hate Me”) from
a screenplay by Russell Gerwitz and Menno Meyjes
(“The Siege,” “Max”).
With Denzel Washington (“The Manchurian
Candidate”), Clive Owen (“Derailed”),
Jodie Foster (“Flightplan”), Eli
Wallach (“Mystic River”), Chiwetel
Ejiofor (“Serenity”) and Willem Dafoe
(“XXX: State of the Union,” “Manderlay”).
Scope. March 24. Universal.

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Just
My Luck
Comedy, set in Manhattan, about a young woman whose
lifelong streak of good luck ends abruptly when
it’s suddenly transferred to a heretofore
incredibly unlucky young man. Directed by Donald
Petrie (“How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” “Welcome
to Mooseport”) from a screenplay by Jonathan
Bernstein, Mark Blackwell, James Greer (“Max
Keeble’s Big Move”) and I. Marlene
King (“Now and Then”). With Lindsay
Lohan (“Herbie: Fully Loaded”), Chris
Pine (“The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement”),
Samaire Armstrong (“Not Another Teen Movie,” “Stay
Alive”), Faizon Love (“Torque,” “Idlewild”)
Chris Carmack (TV’s “The O.C”),
Dane Rhodes (“A Love Song for Bobby Long”)
and Makenzie Vega (“Sin City”). Also
known as “Lady Luck.” PG-13: Some brief
sexual references. March 3. Fox.

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R.V.
Comedy about a father who takes his dysfunctional
family on a vacation to the Grand Canyon, hoping
they won’t discover that he is actually on
the trip to conduct a business meeting. Directed
by Barry Sonnenfeld (“Big Trouble,” “Men
in Black II”) from a screenplay by Geoff
Rodkey (“Daddy Day Care”). With Robin
Williams (“House of D”), Cheryl Hines
(“Herbie: Fully Loaded”), Kristin Chenoweth
(“Bewitched,” “The Pink Panther”),
Jeff Daniels (“The Squid and the Whale”),
Josh Hutcherson (“Zathura”), Tony Hale
(“Stateside”) and Will Arnett (“Monster-in-Law”).
March 24. Sony.

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The
Shaggy Dog
Remake of the 1959 comedy, this time about a grown
man who periodically turns into a sheepdog. Brian
Robbins (“Hardball,” “The Perfect
Score”) directs from a screenplay by Jack
Amiel & Michael Begler (“The Prince and
Me,” “Raising Helen”), Judd Apatow
(“The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” “Fun
with Dick and Jane”), Tom Brady (“The
Animal,” “The Hot Chick”), Marianne & Cormac
Wibberley (“Charlie’s Angels: Full
Throttle,” “National Treasure”)
and Geoff Rodkey (“Daddy Day Care,” “R.V.”).
With Tim Allen (“Christmas with the Kranks”),
Kristin Davis (“The Adventures of Sharkboy
and Lavagirl”), Robert Downey Jr. (“Good
Night, and Good Luck,” “A Scanner Darkly”),
Danny Glover (“Saw,” “Manderlay”)
and Craig Kilborn (“Old School”). Scope.
PG: Some mild rude humor. March 10. Buena Vista.

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16
Blocks
Actioner, set in New York, about an aging cop assigned
the deceptively easy task of escorting a witness
to a nearby courthouse. Directed by Richard Donner
(“Lethal Weapon 4,” “Timeline”)
from a screenplay by Richard Wenk (“Vamp,” “Just
the Ticket”). With Bruce Willis (“Sin
City,” “Lucky Number Slevin”),
Mos Def (“Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”),
David Morse (“Proof of Life”), Cylk Cozart
(“Play It To The Bone”), Alfre Woodard
(“Beauty Shop”) and Jenna Stern (“Hitch”).
March 3. Warner Bros.

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The
Hills Have Eyes
Horror thriller about a suburban family, trapped
in a desolate desert, that finds itself preyed
upon by a clan of disturbed individuals. A remake
of the 1977 Wes Craven film. The “High
Tension” team of writer-director Alexandre
Aja and writer Grégory Levasseur reunite.
With Emilie de Raven (“Brick,” TV’s “Lost”),
Ted Levine (“Memoirs of a Geisha”),
Vinessa Shaw (“Melinda and Melinda”),
Michael Bailey Smith (“Men in Black II”),
Dan Byrd (“A Cinderella Story”) and
Kathleen Quinlan (“The Battle of Shaker
Heights”). Scope. R: Strong gruesome violence
and terror throughout; language. March 10. Fox.

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Idlewild
Musical, set in the American South during prohibition,
about a pair of speakeasy performers trying to
fend off the gangsters who have been eying their
club as a takeover target. Music video director
Bryan Barber makes his feature directorial debut
from his own screenplay. Andre “André 3000” Benjamin
(“Four Brothers”) and Big Boi (“ATL”),
better known as the recording duo OutKast, star.
Also with Terrence Howard (“Get Rich or
Die Tryin’”), Ving Rhames (“Dawn
of the Dead”), Macy Gray (“Domino”),
Faizon Love (“Torque,” “Just
My Luck”), Paula Patton (“Hitch”)
and Patti LaBelle (“Sing”). Scope.
R: Violence; sexuality; nudity; language. March
10. Universal.

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Joyeux
Noel
French-, German- and English-language World War I
drama, based on true events, about opposing troops
who set aside their difference and defy orders on
Christmas Eve 1914 to jointly celebrate the holiday.
Written and directed by Christian Carion (“The
Girl from Paris”). With Diane Kruger (“National
Treasure”), Benno Fürmann (“The
Order”), Guillaume Canet (“Love Me If
You Dare”), Daniel Brühl (“Ladies
in Lavender”), Alex Ferns (“The Ghost
and the Darkness”), Michel Serrault (“The
Girl from Paris”) and Bernard Le Coq (“Caché”).
116 min. March 3 in New York and Los Angeles. Sony
Pictures Classics.

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Lucky
Number Slevin
Thriller about a ruthless gangster who stages
his own death after killing the son of a rival
gang’s leader. Directed by Paul McGuigan
(“The Reckoning,” “Wicker Park”)
from a screenplay by Jason Smilovic (TV’s “Karen
Sisco”). With Bruce Willis (“Sin
City,” “16 Blocks”), Josh Hartnett
(“Sin City”), Lucy Liu (“Domino”),
Morgan Freeman (“An Unfinished Life”)
and Ben Kingsley (“BloodRayne”).
March 31. New Line.

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A
Scanner Darkly
Science fiction thriller about a narcotics agent
whose drug addiction prevents him from realizing
that he’s leading a double life as a drug
kingpin. Based on the 1977 novel by Phillip K.
Dick, upon whose work “Blade Runner,” “Total
Recall,” “Minority Report” and “Paycheck” were
based. Written and directed by Richard Linklater
(“School of Rock,” “Before Sunset”).
With Keanu Reeves (“Thumbsucker”),
Winona Ryder (“Mr. Deeds,” “The
Heart is Deceitful Above All Things”), Robert
Downey Jr. (“Good Night, and Good Luck,” “The
Shaggy Dog”), Woody Harrelson (“North
Country”), Rory Cochrane (“Hart’s
War”), Heather Kafka (“The Texas Chainsaw
Massacre”), Jason Douglas (“Sin City”),
Marco Perella (“Friday Night Lights”)
and Dameon Clarke (“The Alamo”). R:
Drug and sexual content; language; a brief violent
image. March 31. Warner Independent Pictures.

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She’s
The Man
Contemporary romantic comedy about a teen girl
who falls for a male classmate after deciding to
spend two weeks posing as her absent twin brother.
Loosely based on the play “Twelfth Night” by
William Shakespeare (“The Merchant of Venice”).
Directed by Andy Fickman (the Showtime TV-movie “Reefer
Madness: The Movie Musical”) from a screenplay
by Ewan Leslie, Karen McCullah Lutz & Kirsten
Smith (“Legally Blonde,” “Ella
Enchanted”). With Amanda Bynes (“What
a Girl Wants”), Channing Tatum (“Supercross”),
Laura Ramsey (“Lords of Dogtown”),
Alex Breckenridge (“D.E.B.S.”), James
Kirk (“X-Men 2”), Vinnie Jones (“EuroTrip”),
Julie Hagerty (“A Guy Thing”), David
Cross (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless
Mind”) and Robert Hoffman (“Guess Who”).
Flat. PG-13: Some sexual material. March 17. DreamWorks.

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Slither
Horror thriller about an alien plague that transforms
the residents of a small town into murderous zombies
and mutants. Screenwriter James Gunn (“Scooby-Doo
2: Monsters Unleashed,” “Dawn of the
Dead”) makes his feature directorial debut
from his own script. With Nathan Fillion (“Serenity”),
Elizabeth Banks (“The Baxter”), Jenna
Fischer (“The 40-Year-Old Virgin”),
Michael Rooker (“The 6th Day”), Tania
Saulnier, Don Thompson and Gregg Henry (“Ballistic:
Ecks vs. Sever”). Flat. R: Strong horror
violence and gore; language. March 31. Universal.

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