Volume VI No. 1

A publication of the National Association of Theatre Owners

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The Pink Panther
Comedy about bumbling French police inspector Jacques Clouseau, who investigates the murder of a soccer coach and the disappearance of a rare gem, unaware that his chauffeur is actually an undercover cop assigned to keep Clouseau out of trouble. Based on the classic film series created by writer-director Blake Edwards. Directed by Shawn Levy (“Just Married,” “Cheaper By the Dozen”) from a screenplay by Steve Martin (“Bowfinger,” “Shopgirl”) and Len Blum (“Beethoven’s 2nd,” “Private Parts”). With Martin (“Shopgirl,” “Cheaper By the Dozen 2”) as Clouseau, Kevin Kline (“Jiminy Glick in La La Wood”) as Dreyfuss, Jean Reno (“Jet Lag”) as the undercover cop and Beyoncé Knowles (“The Fighting Temptations”) as a pop star who may have stolen the gem. Also with Emily Mortimer (“Dear Frankie,” “Match Point”), Henry Czerny (“The Ice Storm”) and Kristin Chenoweth (“Bewitched”). PG: Occasional crude and suggestive humor; language. Feb. 10. Sony.

 

 

Sophie Scholl
German-language drama, set during World War II, about siblings who, after working with an anti-Nazi resistance movement, are captured by the Gestapo and tried for treason. Directed by Marc Rothemund from a screenplay by Fred Breinersdorfer. With Julia Jentsch (“Downfall”), Gerald Alexander Held (“Downfall”), Fabian Hinrichs, Maximilian Brückner, Joanna Gastdorf, Petra Kelling and Johannes Suhm. 120 min. Feb. 24. Zeitgeist.

 

Tyler Perry’s
Madea’s Family
Reunion

Pistol-packing grandma Madea Simmons holds a wedding, a funeral and a family reunion, all on the same weekend. A sequel to 2005’s “Diary of a Mad Black Woman,” based on Tyler Perry’s popular series of plays. Perry, who wrote the screenplay for “Diary,” makes his feature directorial debut from his own script and reprises the role of Madea. Co-stars include Boris Kodjoe (“The Gospel”), Jenifer Lewis (“The Cookout”), Tangi Miller (TV’s “Felicity”), Lynn Whitfield (“Head of State”), Blair Underwood (“Malibu’s Most Wanted”), Cicely Tyson (“Because of Winn-Dixie,” “Diary of a Mad Black Woman”) and Maya Angelou (“How To Make An American Quilt”). Feb. 24. Lions Gate.

 

 

When A Stranger Calls
Horror thriller about a teen babysitter harassed by an increasingly threatening series of prank phone calls. A remake of the 1979 Carol Kane vehicle. Directed by Simon West (“The General’s Daughter,” “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider”) from a screenplay by Jake Wade Wall. With Camilla Belle (“The Chumscrubber”), Brian Geraghty (“Jarhead”), David Denman (“Big Fish”), Tessa Thompson (TV’s “Veronica Mars”), Kate Jennings Grant (“Kinsey”), John Bobeck (“Mr. 3000”) and Molly Bryant (“The Anniversary Party”). Feb. 3. Sony.

Something New
Romantic comedy about an ambitious African-American professional who, discouraged by the low percentage of black men who marry, puts aside her “ideal man checklist” and sets her sites on a white landscaper. Music video director Sanaa Hamri makes her feature directorial debut from a screenplay by Kriss Turner (TV’s “Everybody Hates Chris”). With Sanaa Lathan (“Alien Vs. Predator”), Simon Baker (“Land of the Dead”), Golden Brooks (“Beauty Shop”), Mike Epps (“Roll Bounce”), Donald Faison (“King’s Ransom”) and Taraji P. Henson (“Hair Show”). Also known as “42.4 Percent.” PG-13: Sexual references. Feb. 3. Focus.

 

 

Tsotsi
Drama, set in the ghettos of Johannesburg, South Africa, about a young gang leader who steals a car, unaware that there is a baby in the backseat. Written and directed by Gavin Hood. With Mothusi Magano (“Hotel Rwanda”), Jerry Mofokeng (“Lord of War”), Ian Roberts (“I Dreamed of Africa”), Presley Chweneyagae, Thembi Nkosi, Terry Pheto, and Israel Makoe. 91 min. R: Language; some strong violent content. Feb. 24 limited. Miramax.

 

 

Unknown White Male
Documentary about a young British man who awoke on the New York City subway in Coney Island without any memory of who he is. Rupert Murray makes his feature directorial debut. 80 min. PG-13: Drug references; brief strong language. Feb 17 in New York and Los Angeles. Wellspring.

 

 

Winter Passing
Drama about a young woman who visits her estranged novelist father after seven years and finds his home full of eccentric strangers. New York playwright Adam Rapp (“Finer Noble Gases”) makes his feature directorial debut from his own screenplay. With Zooey Deschanel (“The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”), Ed Harris (“A History of Violence”), Will Ferrell (“Wedding Crashers,” “The Producers: The Movie Musical”), Amelia Warner (“Quills”) and Amy Madigan (“Pollock”). 98 min. R: Language; some drug use; sexuality. Feb. 17. Freestyle.

Blossoms of Fire
Documentary about the women of Juchitan, Mexico, a small city run largely by the wives of the local fishermen. Directed by Ellen Osborne and Maureen Gosling. Written by Gosling and Toni Hanna. 74 min. Jan. 20. New Yorker.

 

 

 

Roving Mars
Giant-screen 3D documentary utilizing high-definition stereoscopic footage shot in 2004 by Spirit and Opportunity, the two “Mars Exploration Rovers” that roamed The Red Planet. Directed by George Butler (“Pumping Iron,” “Shackleton’s Antarctic Adventure,” “Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry”). G. Jan. 27. Buena Vista.

 

Tristram Shandy: A Cock And Bull Story
Comedy about a film director trying to shoot an adaptation of British novelist Laurence Sterne’s meandering 18th-century comic novel “The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman.” Directed by Michael Winterbottom (“Code 46,” “9 Songs”) from a screenplay by Frank Cottrell Boyce (“24 Hour Party People,” “Code 46,” “Millions”). With Steve Coogan (“Happy Endings”), Jeremy Northam (“Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius”), James Fleet (“The Phantom of the Opera”), Rob Brydon (“24 Hour Party People”), Ian Hart (“Breakfast on Pluto”), Naomie Harris (“After the Sunset”), Kelly MacDonald (“Finding Neverland,” “Nanny McPhee”) and Gillian Anderson (“House of Mirth”). 94 min. R: Language; sexual content. Jan. 27. Picturehouse.

Mirage
Macedonian-language drama about a young boy who – having been tormented by his peers, neglected at home and rattled by the growing pains of his nation – escapes into a fantasy world of his own creation. Directed by Svetozar Ristovski from a screenplay by Ristovski and Grace Lea Troje. With Marko Kovacevic, Dejan Acimovic, Slavica Manaskova, Nikola Djuricko, Salaetin Bilal (“Behind Enemy Lines”), Mustafa Nadarevic and Nikola Hejko. 108 min. Jan. 27 in New York. Picture This.

 

 

Tristan & Isolde
Historical romantic drama about a young English knight who falls for the married daughter of Ireland’s monarch. Kevin Reynolds (“187,” “The Count of Monte Cristo”) directs from a screenplay by Dean Georgaris (“Paycheck,” “The Manchurian Candidate”). With James Franco (“The Great Raid,” “Annapolis”), Sophia Myles (“Thunderbirds”), Rufus Sewell (“Legend of Zorro”), David O’Hara (“Hotel Rwanda”), Henry Cavill (“I Capture the Castle”) and Lucy Russell (“Batman Begins”). PG-13: Intense battle sequences; some sexuality. Jan. 13. Fox.

 

 

 

 

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