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Volume
IV No. 4
A
publication of the National Association of Theatre Owners
Advertise
in In Focus
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Slipping Down Life
Drama about a young woman who grows so anxious to
win the attention of a barroom musician, she
carves his name into her forehead. Based on the
novel by Anne Tyler (“The Accidental Tourist”).
Actress Toni Kalem (“15 Minutes”)
makes her feature directorial debut from her
own screenplay. With Lili Taylor (“Casa
de Los Babys”), Guy Pearce (“The
Hard Word”), John Hawkes (“Identity”),
Sara Rue (“The Ring,” “Gypsy
83”), Irma P. Hall (“Bad Company,” “The
Ladykillers”), Tom Bower (“High Crimes”),
Shawnee Smith (“Breakfast of Champions”),
Marshall Bell (“Identity”) and Clea
DuVall (“21 Grams”). Flat. 111 min.
R: Language including sexual references. May
14 in New York and Los Angeles. Lions Gate.

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Strayed
French-language drama, set during Germany’s
1940 invasion of France, about a young family which,
after fleeing to the woods to escape occupation,
runs into a 17-year-old wanderer determined to
help them. Based on the 1983 novel “Boy With
Green Eyes” by Gilles Perrault. Directed
by André Téchiné (“Alice
and Martin”) from a screenplay by Gilles
Taurand (“Cet Amour-Là”). With
Emmanuelle Béart (“Les Destinees”),
Gaspard Ulliel (“Brotherhood of the Wolf”),
Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet, Clémence
Meyer and Jean Fornerod. Also known as “Les
Egares.” 95 min. May 14. Wellspring.

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Troy
Epic drama, set around 1193 B.C., about a Trojan
prince who ignites a bloody, decade-long war
with the Greeks by stealing away the wife of
the Spartan king Menelaus. Based on Homer’s
epic poem “The Iliad.” Directed by
Wolfgang Peterson (“Air Force One,” “The
Perfect Storm”) from a screenplay by David
Benioff (“25th Hour”). With Brad
Pitt (“Confessions of a Dangerous Mind”)
as Achilles, Eric Bana (“Hulk”) as
Hector, Orlando Bloom (the “Lord of the
Rings” series,” “Ned Kelly”)
as the Trojan prince Paris, Diane Kruger as Helen,
Brendan Gleeson (“Cold Mountain”)
as Menelaus, Sean Bean (“The Big Empty”)
as Odysseus, Brian Cox (“X2,” “The
Reckoning”) as Agamemnon, Peter O’Toole
(“Phantoms”) as Trojan king Priam,
Julie Christie (“No Such Thing”)
as Thetis, Saffron Burrows (“Frida”)
as Andromache, Rose Byrne (“City of Ghosts,” “I
Capture the Castle”) as Briseis, and Garrett
Hedlund as Patroclus. Scope. May 14. Warner Bros.

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Valentin
Spanish-language drama, set in 1960s Argentina,
about a 10-year-old whose father uses him to attract
women, and what happens when the boy connects with
one of his dad’s girlfriends. Written and
directed by Alejandro Agresti. With Agresti, Julieta
Cardinali, Carmen Maura (“Alice and Martin”),
Jean Pierre Noher, Mex Urtizberea and Rodrigo Noya.
Flat. 86 min. May 7 in New York and Los Angeles.
Miramax.
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Shrek
2
Princess Fiona accepts a dinner invitation from
her father, who is aghast to learn that she’s
now an ogre married to an another ogre. Sequel
to the computer-animated 2001 comedy blockbuster.
Returnees from part one include director Andrew
Adamson, screenwriter Joe Stillman (“Beavis & Butthead
Do America”) and the voices of Mike Myers,
Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy and John Lithgow.
Newcomers to the series include director Kelly
Asbury (“Spirit: Stallion of the Cinmarron”),
screenwriters J. David Stem & David N. Weiss
(the “Rugrats” movies, “Jimmy
Neutron: Boy Genius,” “Clockstoppers”),
and the voices of John Cleese, Julie Andrews,
Antonio Banderas, Rupert Everett and Jennifer
Saunders. Flat. May 21. DreamWorks.

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Soul
Plane
After winning a huge settlement following a humiliating
airline incident, a black man uses the money
to create the full-service airline of his dreams.
Directed by Jessy Terrero from a screenplay by
Bo Zenga and Chuck Wilson. With Kevin Hart (“Along
Came Polly”), Method Man (“My Baby’s
Daddy”), Calvin “Snoop Dogg” Broadus
(“Starsky & Hutch”), Godfrey
(“Zoolander,” “Johnson Family
Vacation”), D.L. Hughley (“Scary
Movie 3”), Mo’Nique Imes-Jackson
(“Half Past Dead”), Angell Conwell
(“The Wash”), John Witherspoon (“Friday
After Next”), Brian Hooks (“3 Strikes”),
Sommore (“Friday After Next”), Gary
Anthony Williams (“Undercover Brother”),
Ryan Pinkston (“Bad Santa”), Arielle
Kebbel (TV’s “Gilmore Girls”),
Tom Arnold (“Crade 2 the Grave”),
Missi Pyle (“50 First Dates”) and
Dwayne Adway. R: Strong sexual content; language;
some drug use. May 28. MGM.

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Supersize
Me
Documentary about Morgan Spurlock, a man who, as
part of a study on obesity and fast-food addiction
in America, ate only McDonald’s food for 30
days. Spurlock makes his feature directorial debut.
May 14. IDP.
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Time
of the Wolf
Post-apocalyptic French-language drama about
a refugee mother and her two children, who wait
for a train they hope will rescue them from lives
of deprivation and adversity. Written and directed
by Michael Haneke (“The Piano Teacher”).
With Isabelle Huppert (“The Piano Teacher,” “8
Women”), Béatrice Dalle (“Trouble
Every Day”), Patrice Chéreau (“Time
Regained”), Rona Hartner (“Le Divorce”),
Maurice Bénichou (“Amelie”)
and Olivier Gourmet (“The Son”).
Also known as “Le Temps du Loup.” Scope.
113 min. May 28. Palm.

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Van
Helsing
Horror actioner, set in the late 19th century,
about a monster hunter who sets out on a mission
to rid Eastern Europe of evil forces, among them
Count Dracula, the Wolf Man and Frankenstein’s
monster. Written and directed by Stephen Sommers
(the “Mummy” series). With Hugh Jackman
(“X2”) as Van Helsing, Kate Beckinsale
(“Underworld”) as veteran monster-slayer
Anna Valerious, Richard Roxburgh (“The League
of Extraordinary Gentlemen”) as Count Dracula,
professional dancer Will Kemp as the Wolf Man,
Schuler Hensley (“Someone Like You”)
as Frankenstein’s monster, Kevin J. O’Connor
(“The Mummy”) as Igor, Samuel West
(“Iris”) as Victor Frankenstein, and
David Wenham (“Lord of the Rings: The Return
of the King”) as Carl. Flat. May 7. Universal.

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