Volume VI No. 2

A publication of the National Association of Theatre Owners

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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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

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.

 

 

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.

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

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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