Volume VI No. 7

A publication of the National Association of Theatre Owners

Advertise in In Focus

©

Idlewild
Musical, set in the American South during prohibition, about a pair of speakeasy performers who have to fend off the gangsters eying their club for takeover. Music video director Bryan Barber makes his feature directorial debut from his own screenplay. Antwone “Big Boi” Patton (“ATL”) and “Andre 3000” Benjamin (“Scary Movie 4”), perhaps better known as the recording duo OutKast, star. Also with Ving Rhames (“Mission: Impossible III”), Terrence Howard (“Get Rich or Die Tryin’”), Macy Gray (“Domino”), Faizon Love (“Just My Luck”), Paula Patton (“Hitch”) and Patti LaBelle (“Sing”). Scope. R: Violence; sexuality; nudity; language. Aug. 25. Universal.

 

 

 

Jet Li’s Fearless
Mandarin-dialect actioner, set in 1910, about Huo Yuanjia, a Chinese martial arts master and national hero who agreed to fight in one day opponents from Britain, France, Russia and Japan – the four nations occupying China at the time. Directed by Ronny Yu (“Formula 51,” “Freddy vs. Jason”) from a screenplay by Chris Chow. With Jet Li (“Unleashed”), Nathan Jones (“Troy”), Collin Chou (“The Matrix Revolutions,” “DOA: Dead or Alive”), Shido Nakamura and Masato Harada. Aug. 4. Scope. Focus.

 

 

Material Girls
Comedy about a pair of spoiled cosmetic-heiress sisters who, after they lose their fortune in a company scandal, set out to expose the individual who ruined them. Directed by Martha Coolidge (“Out to Sea,” “The Prince & Me”) from a screenplay by John Quaintance (“Aquamarine”) and Jessica O’Toole & Amy Rardin. With Hilary Duff (“Cheaper By the Dozen 2”), Haylie Duff (“Napolean Dynamite”), Anjelica Huston (“Art School Confidential”), Brent Spiner (“The Aviator”), Lukas Haas (“Brick”), Maria Conchita Alonso (“Chasing Papi”) and Colleen Camp (“In Good Company”). PG: Language; rude humor. Aug. 25. MGM.

 

 

The Ordeal
French-language thriller about an aspiring musician, stranded in the woods during a rainstorm, who takes refuge with a seemingly kindly innkeeper – only to discover the innkeeper is not as stable as he originally appeared. Directed by Fabrice du Welz from a screenplay by du Welz and Romain Protat. With Laurent Lucas (“Who Killed Bambi?”), Jackie Berroyer (“Sequins”), Philippe Nahon (“High Tension”), Philippe Grand’Henry, Jo Prestia (“Irreversible”) and Brigite Lahaie (“Henry and June”). Scope. 94 min. Aug 18. Palm.

 

 

Quinceañera
Drama, set in Los Angeles, about a pregnant 15-year-old Mexican-American who gets kicked out and moves in with her great-uncle and a gay cousin. Written and directed by Richard Glatzer & Wash Westmoreland (“The Fluffer”). With Emily Rios, Jesse Garcia (TV’s “The Shield”), David W. Ross, Jesus Castanos, Johnny Chavez and Dane Rosselli. R: Language; some sexual content; drug use. Aug. 2 in New York and Los Angeles. Sony Pictures Classics.

 

 

 

How To Eat Fried Worms
Comedy-drama about a 10-year-old who becomes so desperate to fit in at his new school that he accepts a bet that he can eat 15 worms. Based on the 1972 novel by Thomas Rockwell (“How To Fight A Girl”). Written and directed by Bob Dolman (“The Banger Sisters”). With Luke Benward (“Because of Winn-Dixie”), Hallie Kate Eisenberg (“Beautiful”), Adam Hicks (“The Shaggy Dog”), Ryan Malgarini (“Freaky Friday”), Nick Krause, Clint Howard (“Fun With Dick and Jane”) and James Rebhorn (“The Last Shot”). Scope. Aug. 25. New Line.

 

Invincible
Sports drama based on a true story of Vince Papale, a newly separated part-time bartender who at age 30 joined the Philadelphia Eagles and became the oldest non-kicker rookie in NFL history. Cinematographer Ericson Core (“Daredevil”) makes his feature directorial debut from a screenplay by Brad Gann. With Mark Wahlberg (“Four Brothers”), Elizabeth Banks (“Slither”), Frank Ferrara (“Just My Luck”), Greg Kinnear (“The Matadors,” “Little Miss Sunshine”), Daniel Spink (“The Butterfly Effect”), Kirk Acevedo (“The New World”), Lola Glaudini (“Blow”), Kevin Conway (“Gods and Generals”) and Michael Kelly (“Loggerheads”). Scope. Aug. 25. Buena Vista.

 

Lunacy
Czech-language comic horror thriller, set in 19th-century France, about a marquis who decides to help a young man overcome his fears by taking him to an insane asylum where the patients are free but the staff is locked up. Written and directed by Jan Svankmajer (“Little Otik”). With Jan Triska (“Zelary”), Pavel Liska, Anna Geislerová (“Zelary”), Jaroslav Dusek (“Zelary”) and Martin Huba. Also known as “Sileni.” Aug. 9 in New York. Zeitgeist.

 

 

The Night Listener
Mystery about a homosexual radio talk-show host who begins to suspect that an AIDS-stricken 14-year-old boy who has written a book with appalling tales of parental abuse is actually a healthy adult woman perpetrating a hoax. Based on the novel by Armistead Maupin (“Tales of the City”). Directed by Patrick Stettner (“The Business of Strangers”) from a screenplay by Stettner, Maupin and Terry Anderson. With Robin Williams (“R.V.”), Rory Culkin (“Down in the Valley”), Toni Collette (“In Her Shoes,” “Little Miss Sunshine”), Sandra Oh (“Hard Candy”), Joe Morton (“Stealth”), Bobby Cannavale (“Happy Endings,” “Snakes on a Plane”) and John Cullum (“The Notorious Bettie Page”). Aug. 4. Miramax.

 

 

The Quiet
Drama about a recently orphaned and seemingly deaf teen who learns her new, adoptive suburban family’s very dark secrets. Directed by Jamie Babbit (“But I’m a Cheerleader”) from a screenplay by Micah Schraft & Abdi Nazemian (the TV movie “Celeste in the City”). With Camilla Belle (“When a Stranger Calls”), Elisha Cuthbert (“House of Wax”), Shawn Ashmore (“X-Men: The Last Stand”), Martin Donovan (“Saved!”), David Gallagher (“Look Who’s Talking Now”) and Edie Falco (“Freedomland”). Also known as “Dot.” 87 min. Aug. 25 in New York and Los Angeles. Sony Pictures Classics.

 

 

 

 

 

Current Issue Previous Issues Newswire Search  Table of Contents