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Volume VI No. 4
A
publication of the National Association of Theatre Owners
Advertise
in In Focus
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| Mission:
Impossible III
Impossible Mission Force vet Ethan Hunt finds his
job affecting his personal life after he is tasked
to vanquish a brutal criminal whose activities
are dangerously destabilizing international relations.
J.J. Abrams, who created TV’s “Alias” and “Lost,” makes
his feature directorial debut from a screenplay
by Abrams (“Armageddon,” “Joy
Ride”) and Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman
(“The Island,” “The Legend
of Zorro”). Returnees from parts one and
two include actors Tom Cruise (“War of
the Worlds”) and Ving Rhames (“Dawn
of the Dead”). Newcomers to the franchise
include Michelle Monaghan (“North Country”),
Philip Seymour Hoffman (“Capote”),
Keri Russell (“The Upside of Anger”),
Laurence Fishburne (“Assault on Precinct
13,” “Akeelah and the Bee”),
Maggie Q (“Around the World in 80 Days”),
Billy Crudup (“Stage Beauty”), Simon
Pegg (“Shaun of the Dead,” “Land
of the Dead”), Greg Grunberg (“The
Ladykillers”) and Jonathan Rhys Meyers
(“Match Point”). May 5. Paramount.

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Over
The Hedge
Animated comedy about a raccoon and a turtle who
lead a forest of creatures to war with the yuppie
family of humans whose suburban home is encroaching
on their natural habitat. Based on the comic strip
created by Michael Fry and T. Lewis. Directed by
Tim Johnson (“Antz,” “Sinbad:
Legend of the Seven Seas”) and Karey Kirkpatrick
from a screenplay by Len Blum (“Private Parts,” “The
Pink Panther”). Featuring the voices of Bruce
Willis, Garry Shandling, Steve Carell, William
Shatner, Thomas Haden Church, Eugene Levy, Allison
Janney, Avril Lavigne, Nick Nolte, Catherine O’Hara
and Wanda Sykes. Flat. May 19. Dreamworks.

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See
No Evil
Horror thriller about a group of troubled teens
who, assigned to clean a hotel as part of their
community service sentences, become trapped and
hunted by a psychotic killer. Music video vet Gregory
Dark (Bone Thugs ‘N’ Harmony’s “Ghetto
Cowboy”) makes his feature directorial debut
from a screenplay by Dan Madigan. With Craig Horner,
Tiffany Lamb (TV’s “Flipper”),
Samantha Noble (TV’s “All-Saints”),
Michael J. Pagan (“The Gospel”), Cecily
Polson (“Muriel’s Wedding”) and
Luke Pegler (“The Great Raid”). Flat.
R: Strong gruesome violence and gore. May 19. Lionsgate.
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Twelve
and Holding
Drama about how three adolescents respond when
their best friend is accidentally killed by vengeful
bullies. Directed by Michael Cuesta (“L.I.E.”)
from a screenplay by Anthony Cipriano. With Linus
Roache (“Find Me Guilty”), Jayne Atkinson
(“Syriana”), Zoe Weizenbaum (“Memoirs
of a Geisha”), Annabella Sciorra (“Find
Me Guilty”), Tom McGowan (“After the
Sunset”), Merritt Wever (“Signs”)
and Jeremy Renner (“North Country”).
94 min. May 19. IFC.

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Lady
Vengeance
Korean-language thriller about a young female prisoner
who uses her fellow inmates to facilitate a vengeful
scheme. The final installment of Chan-wook Park’s “vengeance
trilogy,” following “Oldboy” and “Sympathy
for Mr. Vengeance.” Directed by Park from
a screenplay by Park and Seo-Gyeong Jeong. With
Yeong-ae Lee, Min-sik Choi (“Tae Guk Gi:
Brotherhood of War”), Byeong-ok Kim (“Oldboy”),
Seung-Shin Lee (“Oldboy”) and Shi-hoo
Kim. Scope. 114 min. R: Strong violent content,
some involving children; some sexuality. May 5.
Tartan.

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The
Motel
Coming-of-age comedy-drama, set in rural America,
about a chubby 13-year-old Chinese-American motel
employee befriended by a charismatic Korean guest.
Michael Kang makes his feature directorial debut
from his own screenplay. With Jeffrey Chyau,
Sung Kang (“Antwone Fisher”), Alexis
Chang, Jackson Budinger, Jade Wu (“She
Hate Me”) and Eleanor Hutchins. May 19.
Palm.
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Poseidon
Actioner about a group of passengers struggling to
exit a massive, sinking ocean liner after it
capsizes mid-ocean. A remake of the 1972 thriller “The
Poseidon Adventure.” Directed by Wolfgang
Petersen (“The Perfect Storm,” “Troy”)
from a screenplay by Akiva Goldsman (“Cinderella
Man,” “The Da Vinci Code”),
Mark Protosevich (“The Cell,” “Imposter”)
and Paul Attanasio (“Sum of All Fears,” “Beyond
the Sea”). With Josh Lucas (“Glory
Road”), Emmy Rossum (“The Phantom
of the Opera”), Kurt Russell (“Dreamer:
Inspired by a True Story”), Richard Dreyfuss
(“Silver City”), Mia Maestro (“Secuestro
Express”), Kevin Dillon (“No Escape”),
Freddy Rodriguez (“Dreamer: Inspired by
a True Story”), Jacinda Barrett (“Bridget
Jones: The Edge of Reason”), Kirk Woller
(“Big Momma’s House 2”), Stacy
Ferguson (“Be Cool”), Jimmy Bennett
(“Firewall”), Mike Vogel (“Supercross”)
and Andre Braugher (“Duets”). May
12. Warner Bros.

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Shadowboxer
Drama about the unlikely romantic relationship
shared by an older woman and her stepson, who
also work together as contract killers. Producer
Lee Daniels (“Monster’s Ball”)
makes his feature directorial debut from a screenplay
by Will Rokos (“Monster’s Ball”).
With Helen Mirren (“The Clearing”),
Cuba Gooding Jr. (“Dirty”), Stephen
Dorff (“Alone in the Dark”), Vanessa
Ferlito (“Man of the House”) and
Julia Yorks (“Unbreakable”). R: Strong
graphic violence and sexuality; nudity; language;
some drug use. May 12 in New York and Los Angeles.
Lee Daniels.

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X-Men:
The Last Stand
While Marie “Rogue” D’Ancato
and Henry “The Beast” McCoy take an
interest in Warren Worthington’s new serum
that cures mutation, Scott “Cyclops” Summers,
Erik “Magneto” Lensherr, Charles Xavier
and Logan learn that a vastly more powerful version
of the late Jean Grey has arrived on the scene.
Returnees from parts one and two include Hugh Jackman
(“Van Helsing”), Patrick Stewart (“The
Game of Their Lives”), Ian McKellen (“Asylum,” “The
Da Vinci Code”), Famke Janssen (“Hide
and Seek”), Halle Berry (“Catwoman”),
James Marsden (“Heights”), Rebecca
Romijn (“Godsend”), Anna Paquin (“The
Squid and the Whale”) and Shawn Ashmore “(Underclassman”).
Returnees from part two include Daniel Cudmore
(“Are We There Yet?”) as Peter “Colossus” Rasputin.
Newcomers to the series include director Brett
Ratner (“Red Dragon,” “After
the Sunset”), screenwriters Zak Penn (“Suspect
Zero,” “Elektra”) and Simon Kinberg
(“Mr. and Mrs. Smith”), and actors
Kelsey Grammer (“15 Minutes”) as McCoy,
Ellen Page (“Hard Candy”) as Kitty “Shadowcat” Pryde
and Vinnie Jones (“She’s the Man”)
as Cain “Juggernaut” Marko. Scope.
May 26. Fox.

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