Volume VI No. 7

A publication of the National Association of Theatre Owners

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The Science Of Sleep
Romantic comedy-drama, set in Paris, about a childlike, dream-obsessed graphic artist who strikes up an unlikely relationship with his pretty new neighbor. Michael Gondry (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” “Dave Chappelle’s Block Party”) directs from his own screenplay. With Gael García Bernal (“The King”), Charlotte Gainsbourg (“21 Grams”), Patricia Arquette (“Holes”), Alain Chabat (“The Taste of Others”), and Rhys Ifans (“Enduring Love”). 105 min. Aug. 4 in New York and Los Angeles; wider Aug. 11 and Aug. 18. Warner Independent Pictures.

 

 

Step Up
Drama about a juvenile delinquent who is sentenced to community service at a performing arts high school, where he falls for a student and discovers some aptitude for dance. Choreographer Anne Fletcher (“The Longest Yard,” “The 40-Year-Old Virgin”) makes her feature directorial debut from a screenplay by Duane Adler (“Save the Last Dance”) and Melissa Rosenberg (TV’s “The O.C.,” “Love Monkey”). With Channing Tatum (“She’s the Man”), Jenna Dewan (“Take the Lead”), Rachel Griffiths (“Ned Kelly”), Josh Henderson (“Yours, Mine and Ours”), Heavy D (“Big Trouble”) and R&B singer Mario. Scope. PG-13: Thematic elements; brief violence; innuendo. Aug. 11. Buena Vista.

 

Talladega Nights
Comedy about a star NASCAR driver who finds his dominance of the racetrack threatened by the arrival of a flamboyant French competitor. The “Anchorman” team of writer-director Adam McKay and writer-actor Will Ferrell reunite. Also with Sacha Baron Cohen (TV’s “Da Ali G Show”), John C. Reilly (“A Prairie Home Companion”), David Koechner (“Larry The Cable Guy: Health Inspector,” “Snakes On A Plane”), Amy Adams (“Standing Still”), Leslie Bibb (“See Spot Run”), Gary Cole (“Cry Wolf”), Elvis Costello (“De-Lovely”), Greg Germann (“Friends With Money”), Emmy Laybourne (“The In-Laws”), Jane Lynch (“The 40-Year-Old Virgin”), Ed Lauter (“The Longest Yard”), Chris Parnell (“Anchorman”), Rob Riggle (TV’s “Saturday Night Live”), Molly Shannon (“Little Man”), Andy Richter (“New York Minute”) and Michael Clarke Duncan (“The Island”). Aug. 4. Sony.

 

 

Unconscious
Spanish-language comedy, set in 1913, about a pregnant wife who, with the help of her besotted brother-in-law, sets out to track down her missing, Freud-obsessed husband. Directed by Joaquín Oristrell from a screenplay by Oristrell, Dominic Harari and Teresa Pelegri. With Leonor Watling (“Bad Education”), Luis Tosar (“Take My Eyes”), Alex Brendemühl, Mercedes Sampietro, Juanjo Puigcorbé, Ana Rayo and Núria Prims. Aug. 25. Regent.

 

Zoom
Action comedy about a retired superman who must team with a new generation of superheroes to avert the Earth’s destruction. Based on the graphic novel “Amazing Adventures From Zoom’s Academy” by Jason Lethcoe. Directed by Peter Hewitt (“The Borrowers,” “Garfield: The Movie”) from a screenplay by Adam Rifkin (“Small Soldiers,” “Night at the Golden Eagle”) and David Berenbaum (“Elf”). With Tim Allen (“The Shaggy Dog”), Courteney Cox (“November”), Rip Torn (“Yours, Mine and Ours”), Kevin Zegers (“Transamerica”), Chevy Chase (“Orange County”), Spencer Breslin (“The Shaggy Dog”), Kate Mara (“Brokeback Mountain”) and Michael Cassidy (TV’s “The O.C.”). Aug. 11. Sony.

Snakes on a Plane
Thriller about an assassin who, in an effort to kill a witness mid-flight, releases deadly snakes onto a crowded passenger plane. Second-unit director David Ellis (“The Matrix Reloaded,” “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”) makes his first-unit feature directorial debut from a screenplay by Sebastian Gutierrez (“The Big Bounce”), John Heffernan, David Loucka and Sheldon Turner (“The Longest Yard”). With Samuel L. Jackson (“Freedomland”), Tygh Runyan (“K-19: The Widowmaker”), Julianna Margulies (“Ghost Ship”), Flex Alexander (“Out Cold”), Rachel Blanchard (“Where the Truth Lies”), Todd Louiso (“Thank You For Smoking”), Kenan Thompson (“Fat Albert”), David Koechner (“Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector,” “Talladega Nights”), and Bobby Cannavale (“Happy Endings,” “The Night Listener”). Scope. Aug. 18. New Line.

 

 

Street Poet
Romantic drama about a poet trying to win the heart of a young publisher by competing in a slam poetry contest. TV writer E. Paul Edwards (“Knight Rider,” “21 Jump Street”) makes his feature directorial debut from his own screenplay. With Jeff Stearns (TV’s “Pacific Blue”), Tara D’Agostino, Val Lauren (“The Salton Sea”), Michael Parks (“Kill Bill”), Fred Williamson (“Starsky & Hutch”), Fred Willard (“Date Movie,” “Monster House”), Tucker Smallwood (“Like Mike”), C. Thomas Howell (“The Keeper: The Legend of Omar Khayyam”), Dominic Comperatore and Edward Albert (“The Work and the Glory”). Aug. 25. Indican.

 

 

Trust the Man
Comedy-drama about two couples – a successful actress married to a sex-addicted househusband and children’s book author involved with a commitment-phobe – dealing with the collapse of their relationships. Written and directed by Bart Freundlich (“World Traveler,” “Catch That Kid”). With Julianne Moore (“Freedomland”), David Duchovny (“House of D”), Billy Crudup (“Mission: Impossible III”), Maggie Gyllenhaal (“Happy Endings,” “Monster House,” “World Trade Center”), Ellen Barkin (“Palindromes”), Bob Balaban (“Capote,” “Lady in the Water”), James Le Gros (“Catch That Kid”), Eva Mendes (“Hitch”), Gary Shandling (“Town & Country”) and Stewart Summers (“Prime”). R: Language; sexual content. Aug. 18 limited. Fox Searchlight.

 

 

World Trade Center
Drama about two Port Authority officers who, while rushing into the World Trade Center to aid in rescue, were themselves trapped beneath rubble as the towers collapsed. Directed by Oliver Stone (“Any Given Sunday,” “Alexander”) from a screenplay by Andrea Berloff. With Nicolas Cage (“The Weather Man”), Michael Peña (“Crash”), Maria Bello (“Thank You for Smoking”), Jay Hernandez (“Hostel”), Stephen Dorff (“Alone in the Dark,” “Shadowboxer”), Jude Ciccolella (“Sin City”), Patti D’Arbanville (“Personal Velocity”), William Mapother (“Ask the Dust”) and Maggie Gyllenhaal (“Happy Endings,” “Monster House,” “Trust the Man”). Aug. 9. Paramount.

 

Ant Bully
Computer-animated tale about a boy who enjoys tormenting the ants in his backyard, until he is shrunken down to insect size and forced to do hard labor on the ant hill to pay for his crimes. Written and directed by John A. Davis (“Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius”). Featuring the voices of Nicolas Cage, Paul Giamatti, Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, Cheri Oteri, Lily Tomlin, Ricardo Montalban, Larry Miller and Bruce Campbell. July 28. Warner Bros.

 

 

In My Father's Den
Drama, set in New Zealand, about a disillusioned journalist who returns home and befriends a teen girl, only to find himself a key suspect when the girl mysteriously vanishes. Written and directed by Brad McGann. With Matthew Macfadyen (“Pride & Prejudice”), Miranda Otto (“War of the Worlds”), Colin Moy (“Vertical Limit”), Matthew Chamberlain (“King Kong”) and Emily Barclay. 126 min. July 14. Tartan.

 

 

Wondrous Oblivion
Comedy-drama, set in 1960s London, about an unlikely friendship that develops between a Jewish boy and his West Indian neighbors over a shared passion for cricket. Written and directed by Paul Morrison (“Solomon and Gaenor”). With Sam Smith, Dominic Barklem, Yasmin Paige, Leagh Conwell (“The Order”) and Stanley Townsend (“The Libertine”). 106 min. July 14. Palm.

Boys Briefs 4
A collection of six short films about young male hustlers working the streets: 1) “Boy,” written and directed by Welby Ings, with Jesse Lee, Bryan Bevenge and Tammy Warwick; 2) “Build,” written and directed by Greg Atkins, with Atkins and Nancy Beatty; 3) “Gold,” directed by Armen Kazazian, with Aron Tager and P.J. Lazic; 4) “Into the Night,” directed by Tony Krawitz from a screenplay by Cath Moore, with Bryan Marshall, Sam Barlow and Sebastian Lamour; 5) “Gigolo,” written and directed by Bastian Schweitzer, with Salim Kéchiouche (“Three Dancing Slaves”) and Amanda Lear; and 6) “Rock Bottom,” directed by Mary Feuer from a screenplay by Feuer and John Militello, with Militello and Timothy Lee DePriest. July 14 in New York. Picture This!

 

 

Scoop
Comedy, set in London, about a pretty American journalism student who gets involved with an older English aristrocrat as she pursues a major story. Written and directed by Woody Allen (“Melinda and Melinda,” “Match Point”). With Allen (“Anything Else”), Scarlett Johansson (“Match Point”), Hugh Jackman (“X-Men: The Last Stand”), Ian McShane (“Nine Lives”), Ramola Garai (“Vanity Fair”), James Nesbitt (“Match Point”), Kevin McNally (“Phantom of the Opera,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest”) and Robyn Kerr. PG-13: Some sexual content. July 28 limited. Focus.

 

 

 

 

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