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Upcoming Movies
and Reviewer Assignments

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MOVIE LIST
upcoming or current releases for which we intend to publish reviews
  Film Title
Click title for pre-review page, if available
Genre
MPAA
Rating
Submission Date
ASSIGNED TO:
Thaisha Geiger
Alternates:
Rachel Teichrob
Open: November 21, 2008 (wide - 3,200 theaters)
Action, Thriller, Romance, Horror PG-13 day after release
ASSIGNED TO:
Melisa Pollock
Alternate:
David Criswell
Dymphna Meeds
Walt Disney
Open: November 21, 2008 (wide - 3,500 theaters)
Animation, Comedy, Family, Fantasy PG Nov 21
ASSIGNED TO:
Michael Karounos
DVD release: November 18, 2008
Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure R
for violence.
24-36 hours after viewing
Open: November 7, 2008 (limited)
November 14, 2008 (wider)
Drama PG-13 within 24 hours
WEDNESDAY, November 26, 2008
Official site: transporter3film.com
Open: November 26, 2008
Action, Thriller, Sequel PG-13  
ASSIGNED TO:
Misty Wagner
Alternate:
Jonathan Rodriguez
Official site: australiamovie.com
Open: November 26, 2008
Romance, War, Western, Action, Adventure, Drama Not rated yet, as of Nov. 10 within 24 hours
Applicants:
Jonathan Rodriguez
Thomas Golden
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The Road
Open: November 14, 2008 (LA/NYC)
November 26, 2008 (wide)

Dimension Films, The Weinstein Company — Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Cody Smit-McPhee, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, Robert Duvall, Garret Billahunt

Director: John Hillcoat

Based on the Cormac McCarthy best selling and Pulitzer Prize winning novel of the same name.

The story, set after a nuclear explosion, is the post-apocalyptic nightmarish road trip of a man who tries to transport his son to safety while fending off starving stragglers and marauding packs of cannibals. A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don't know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing; just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food—and each other.

Thriller, Suspense, Drama Not rated yet, as of Nov. 10  
ASSIGNED TO:
Daniel Thompson
Alternate:
Misty Wagner
New Line Cinema
aka “4 Christmases”
Open: November 26, 2008
Romance, Comedy, Christmas PG-13 Nov 27
WEDNESDAY, December 3, 2008
Applicants:
Jon Wymer
Taran Gingery
Crossing Over
Open: December 3, 2008 (limited)

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) / The Weinstein Company Starring: Harrison Ford, Sean Penn, Ray Liotta, Ashley Judd, Summer Bishil, Cliff Curtis, Alice Eve, Alice Braga, Melody Khazae, Merik Tadros, Justin Chon, Marshall Manesh, Tim Chiou, West Liang, Josh Gad, Jose Perez, Aramis Knight, Lizzy Caplan, Jaysha Patel, Claudia Salinas, Jim Sturgess, Lee Horsley, Kevin Alejandro, Mahershalalhashbaz Ali, Kenny Copeland Jr., Ogechi Egonu, Michael Esparza, Chil Kong, Leonardo Nam, Nina Nayebi, Johnny Young, Tim Coyne, Chioke Dmachi, Aura Figueiredo, Chrissie Fit, Daniella García-Lorido, Ryan Gesell, Jamison Haase, Terence Bernie Hines, Fia Perera, Mary-Jessica Pitts, Deborah Puette, Greg Wendell Reid, Gigi Rice, Marque Richardson II, Lawrence J. Russo, Tammin Sursok, Kathy Uyen, Rey Valentin, Mona Weiss, Shelley Malil, M.C. Gainey, Michael Cudlitz, Christopher Murray, Maree Cheatham, Bob Rumnock, Kevin Sizemore, Don Scribner, Mark Alexander Herz, Lavetta Cannon, Roger Marks, John Rhymes

Immigrants from around the world enter Los Angeles every day, with hopeful visions of a better life, but little notion of what that life may cost. Their desperate scenarios test the humanity of immigration enforcement officers. In ‘Crossing Over,’ writer-director Wayne Kramer explores the allure of the American dream, and the reality that immigrants find—and create—in 21st century L.A.

Kramer's intersecting stories, both cathartic and tragic, are brought to life by an international ensemble.

Drama R
for pervasive language, some strong violence and sexuality/nudity.
 
Friday, December 5, 2008
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Cadillac Records
Tagline: Follow the beat to the source.
Open: December 5, 2008

TriStar Pictures — Emmanuelle Chriqui, Gabrielle Union, Beyoncé Knowles, Adrien Brody, Jeffrey Wright

In this tale of sex, violence, race, and rock and roll in 1950s Chicago, ‘Cadillac Records’ follows the exciting but turbulent lives of some of America's musical legends, including Muddy Waters, Leonard Chess, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, Etta James and Chuck Berry.

Musical, Drama    
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Milk
Tagline: Never blend in
Open: December 5, 2008 (following November 26, 2008 limited release)

Focus Features — Starring: Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, James Franco, Josh Brolin

Academy Award nominee Gus Van Sant directs Academy Award winner Sean Penn as gay-rights icon Harvey Milk. Mr. Milk (1930-1978) was an activist and politician, and the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in America; in 1977, he was voted to the city supervisors’ board of San Francisco. The following year, both he and the city's mayor George Moscone were shot to death by another city supervisor, Dan White. Mr. Milk was previously the subject of the Academy Award-winning documentary feature ‘The Times of Harvey Milk,’ but ‘Milk’ is the first non-documentary feature to explore the man's life and career.

Biography, Drama R
for language, some sexual content and brief violence.
 
Applicants:
Adam Warren
Punisher: War Zone
aka “Punisher 2”
Tagline: Vengeance has a name.
Official site: punishermovie.com
Open: December 5, 2008

Lionsgate — Starring: Julie Benz (Angela Donatelli), Dominic West (Jigsaw), Ray Stevenson (Frank Castle/The Punisher)

Waging his one-man war on the world of organized crime, ruthless vigilante-hero Frank Castle sets his sights on overeager mob boss, Billy Russoti. After Russoti is left horribly disfigured by Castle, he sets out for vengeance under his new alias:  Jigsaw.  With the ‘Punisher Task Force’ hot on his trail and the FBI unable to take Jigsaw in, Frank must stand up to the formidable army that Jigsaw has recruited before more of his evil deeds go unpunished.

Starring Ray Stevenson (HBO’s “Rome”) as The Punisher, PUNISHER: WAR ZONE is directed by Lexi Alexander and produced by Gale Anne Hurd. The film’s executive producers are Kevin Feige, Jeremy Latcham, Oliver Hengst, Bill Johnson, Ari Arad, and Ogden Gavanski. PUNISHER: WAR ZONE is a Lionsgate presentation in Association with Marvel Studios, a Valhalla Motion Pictures, MHF Zweite Academy Film, Lionsgate Production, In Association with SGF Entertainment Inc.

Based On Comic / Marvel Entertainment

Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller, Adaptation R
for pervasive strong brutal violence, language and some drug use.
 
Applicants:
Thomas Golden
Daniel Thompson
Frost/Nixon
Official site: frostnixon.net
Open: December 5, 2008 (limited)

Universal Pictures — Director: Ron Howard

Starring: Kevin Bacon

Oscar®-winning director Ron Howard brings to the screen writer Peter Morgan’s (‘The Queen,’ ‘The Last King of Scotland’) electrifying battle between Richard Nixon, the disgraced president with a legacy to save, and David Frost, a jet-setting television personality with a name to make, in the untold story of the historic encounter that changed both: Frost/Nixon. Reprising their roles from Morgan’s stageplay are Frank Langella, who won a Tony for his portrayal of Nixon, and Michael Sheen, who fully inhabited the part of Frost onstage in London and New York.

For three years after being forced from office, Nixon remained silent. But in summer 1977, the steely, cunning former commander-in-chief agreed to sit for one all-inclusive interview to confront the questions of his time in office and the Watergate scandal that ended his presidency. Nixon surprised everyone in selecting Frost as his televised confessor, intending to easily outfox the breezy British showman and secure a place in the hearts and minds of Americans.

Likewise, Frost’s team harbored doubts about their boss’ ability to hold his own. But as cameras rolled, a charged battle of wits resulted. Would Nixon evade questions of his role in one of the nation’s greatest disgraces? Or would Frost confound critics and bravely demand accountability from the man who’d built a career out of stonewalling? Over the course of their encounter, each man would reveal his own insecurities, ego and reserves of dignity—ultimately setting aside posturing in a stunning display of unvarnished truth.

Frost/Nixon not only re-creates the on-air interview, but the weeks of around-the-world, behind-the-scenes maneuvering between the two men and their camps as negotiations were struck, deals were made and secrets revealed…all leading to the moment when they would sit facing one another in the court of public opinion.

Frost/Nixon is a collaboration between Imagine Entertainment and Working Title Films, with Academy Award® winners Brian Grazer and Ron Howard joining Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner as producers. Joining Langella and Sheen as the colorful real-life personalities who provide the men counsel is a formidable roster of actors including Kevin Bacon, Oliver Platt, Sam Rockwell, Toby Jones and Matthew Macfadyen.

Drama, History R
for some language.
 
December 9, 2008
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The Man Who Came Back
Open: December 9, 2008

Lionsgate — Starring: Billy Zane, Sean Young, Armand Assante, Carol Alt, Jennifer O'Dell, George Kennedy, Eric Braeden, James Patrick Stuart, Ken Norton, Tajh Bellow, Peter Jason / Director: Glen Pitre

Framed for murder and left for dead, a local legend comes back to make the guilty pay as he seeks revenge of those who killed his family, in this traditional Western about one man who stood against injustice. / ‘The Man who Came Back’ tells the tale of revenge in 1870 against the backdrop of a violent labor strike.

Western, Action    
Friday, December 12, 2008
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Nothing Like the Holidays
aka “Humboldt Park”
Tagline: They're just a typical American family. Minus the typical.
Open: December 12, 2008

Overture Films — Starring: John Leguizamo, Freddy Rodriguez, Debra Messing, Jay Hernandez, Melonie Diaz, Alfred Molina, Mercedes Ruehl, Luis Guzman, Vanessa Ferlito

A Puerto Rican family living in the area of Humboldt Park in west Chicago face what may be their last Christmas together.

Director: Alfredo De Villa

Comedy, Drama PG-13
for thematic elements including some sexual dialogue, and brief drug references.
 
Applicants:
Thomas Golden
Daniel Thompson
Rev. Bryan Griem
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Doubt
Open: December 12, 2008 (limited)

Miramax Films — Starring: Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Viola Davis

Based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning play / A young nun (Adams) finds herself in the middle of a tense confrontation in which a Bronx Catholic school principal (Streep) accuses a priest (Hoffman) of pedophilia. / Variety states, “Set in 1964, ‘Doubt’ centers on a nun who confronts a priest after suspecting him of abusing a black student. He denies the charges, and much of the play's quick-fire dialogue tackles themes of religion, morality and authority.”

Drama, Adaptation    
ASSIGNED TO:
Angela Bowman
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Delgo
Official site: delgo.com
Open: December 12, 2008

Freestyle Releasing — Starring: Anne Bancroft, Val Kilmer, Freddie Prinze Jr., Jennifer Love Hewitt

‘Delgo’ is an original tale set in a magical world combining action, humor and romance. A fantasy adventure film featuring epic battles, devious traitors, bizarre monsters, and thrilling aerial chases, ‘Delgo’ is a ride audiences won't forget. In this film a troubled youth and some unlikely friends must save the world from itself.

Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Romance PG
for sequences of fantasy action violence.
 
ASSIGNED TO:
Kenneth R. Morefield
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The Day the Earth Stood Still
aka “D.T.E.S.S.”, “O Dia em que a Terra Parou,” “Le Jour où la terre s'arrêta,” “Päivä jona maailma pysähtyi,” “Ultimatum alla terra”
Official site: dtessmovie.com
Open: December 12, 2008 (wide)

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation — Starring: Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Kathy Bates, Jaden Smith, John Cleese, Jon Hamm

A remake of the 1951 classic sci-fi film about an alien visitor and his giant robot counterpart who visit Earth.

Director: Scott Derrickson (“The Exorcism of Emily Rose,” “Hellraiser: Inferno”)

Sci-Fi, Thriller, Drama   Opening Day
ASSIGNED TO:
Sheri McMurray
Alternate:
Taran Gingery
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Defiance
Tagline: Courage is the ultimate weapon. / From the director of “Blood Diamond” and “The Last Samurai”
Open: December 12, 2008

Paramount Vantage — Starring: Starring: Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, Jamie Bell, Alexa Davalos, Mark Feuerstein

Based on an extraordinary true story, ‘Defiance’ is an epic tale of family, honor, vengeance and salvation in World War II. The year is 1941 and the Jews of Eastern Europe are being massacred by the thousands. Managing to escape certain death, three brothers take refuge in the dense surrounding woods they have known since childhood. There they begin their desperate battle against the Nazis. Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell star as brothers who turn a primitive struggle to survive into something far more consequential – a way to avenge the deaths of their loved ones by saving thousands of others.

At first it is all they can do to stay alive. But gradually, as whispers of their daring spreads, they begin to attract others—men and women, young and old – willing to risk everything for the sake of even a moment's freedom. Tuvia (Craig) is a reluctant leader and his decisions are challenged by his brother, Zus (Schreiber) who worries that Tuvia's idealistic plans will doom them all. Asael (Bell) is the youngest – caught between his brothers' fierce rivalry. As a brutal winter descends, they work to create a community, and to keep faith alive when all humanity appeared to be lost.

‘Defiance’ is directed by Edward Zwick (‘Blood Diamond,’ ‘Glory’) from a screenplay by Zwick and Clayton Frohman, based on Nechama Tec's non-fiction book of the same name. The producers are Zwick and Pieter Jan Brugge. The team recreating the forest haven includes two-time Oscar®-nominated cinematographer Eduardo Serra (‘Blood Diamond,’ ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’), production designer Dan Weil (‘Blood Diamond,’ ‘The Bourne Identity’) and Oscar®-winning costume designer Jenny Beavan (‘Gosford Park,’ ‘A Room with a View’).

War, Drama R
for violence and language.
within 24 hrs
December 19, 2008
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The Wrestler
Tagline: Love. Pain. Glory.
Official site: thewrestlermovie.com
Open: December 19, 2008

Fox Searchlight Pictures — A drama centered on retired professional wrestler Randy ‘The Ram’ Robinson (Rourke) as he makes his way through the independent circuit, trying to get back in the game for one final showdown with his former rival.

Starring: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood / Director: Darren Aronofsky (“Requiem for a Dream,” “The Fountain,” “Pi”)

Action, Comedy, Drama, Sports    
ASSIGNED TO:
Thaisha Geiger
Alternate:
Jonathan Rodriguez
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Yes Man
Official site: YesIsTheNewNo.com
Open: December 19, 2008 (wide)

Warner Bros. Pictures / Village Roadshow Pictures — Starring: Jim Carrey, Zooey Deschanel, Bradley Cooper, John Michael Higgins, Terence Stamp, Sasha Alexander, Danny Masterson, Molly Sims

Jim Carrey stars as Carl Allen, a guy whose life is going nowhere—the operative word being ‘no’—until he signs up for a self-help program based on one simple covenant: say yes to everything… and anything. Unleashing the power of ‘YES’ begins to transform Carl's life in amazing and unexpected ways, getting him promoted at work and opening the door to a new romance. But his willingness to embrace every opportunity might just become too much of a good thing.

Director: Peyton Reed

Comedy PG-13
for crude sexual humor, language and brief nudity.
Day after Release
ASSIGNED TO:
Mia J. Best
Applicants:
Thaisha Geiger
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Seven Pounds
Tagline: Seven names. Seven strangers. One secret.
Official site: SevenPounds.com
Open: December 19, 2008

Columbia Pictures — Starring: Will Smith, Rosario Dawson, Woody Harrelson, Michael Ealy

Director: Gabriele Muccino (“The Pursuit of Happyness,” “One Last Kiss,” “Remember Me, My Love”)

Academy Award® nominee Will Smith stars in the drama ‘Seven Pounds,’ re-teaming with the director and producers of ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’ for the emotional story of a man who will change the lives of seven strangers.

Centers on a guilt-ridden man who inadvertently falls in love while attempting to kill himself. Dawson will play a love interest who suffers from a serious heart condition. Harrelson will portray a motel attendant who becomes intrigued by his suicidal new tenant.

Drama   Within 24 hours of release
ASSIGNED TO:
Dymphna Meeds
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The Tale of Despereaux
Tagline: Small hero. Big heart.
Open: December 19, 2008

Universal Pictures — Starring: Matthew Broderick, Robbie Coltrane, Frances Conroy, Tony Hale, Ciaran Hinds, Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Kline, Frank Langella, Christopher Lloyd, William H. Macy, Stanley Tucci, Tracey Ullman, Emma Watson, Sigourney Weaver

Once upon a time, in the faraway kingdom of Dor, there was magic in the air, raucous laughter aplenty and gallons of mouth-watering soup. But a terrible accident left the king broken-hearted, the princess filled with longing and the townsfolk despondent. All hope was lost in a land where sunlight disappeared and the world became dreary gray. Until Despereaux Tilling was born…

A brave and virtuous mouse, Despereaux is simply too big for his small world. Though tiny, wheezy and saddled with comically oversized ears, Despereaux refuses to live a life of weakness and fear… believing he was destined to be celebrated in the tales of chivalry he so adores.

When he's banished from his home for not following the rules that society expects of a mouse, Despereaux befriends fellow outcast Roscuro, a good-hearted rat who can't bear to look in the mirror and hopes to live far from the grim underground of his kind. While Despereaux begins his noble quest to rescue Pea—a princess who can't see beyond her distorted view of the world—his pal Roscuro receives a painful rejection from her highness that sets him on a course of self-destruction.

Along their parallel adventures, the two encounter colorful characters from a serving girl who wishes to be a princess to the evil leader of the sewer rats, who plots revenge on humans from his fiefdom in the subterranean shadows he relishes but Roscuro can't abide.

From the highest turrets of the glittering castle to the dankest dark of Dor's sewers, friendships will be tested as Despereaux and Roscuro embark upon a journey that will change the way they look at their world—and themselves—forever. In this tale of bravery, forgiveness and redemption, one tiny creature will teach a kingdom that it takes only a little light to show that what you look like doesn't equal what you are.

Animation, Comedy, Family, Adventure, Fantasy Not rated yet, as of Nov. 10 December 19
CHRISTMAS DAY, December 25, 2008
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Hurricane Season
aka “Patriots”
Open: December 25, 2008

The Weinstein Company — Forest Whitaker, Isaiah Washington, Taraji P. Henson, Courtney B. Vance along with rising stars Robbie Jones, Shad Moss aka Bow Wow, Jackie Long, Eric Hill, Jarod Einsohn and Lil’ Wayne star in ‘Hurricane Season,’ the exciting true story of an unlikely group of high school basketball champions who—in the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Katrina—learn the true meaning of survival.

Tim Story (‘Barbershop,’ ‘Fantastic Four’) directs. Written by Robert Eisele.

Sports, Drama PG-13
for brief sexual humor.
 
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Shanghai
Open: December 25, 2008

The Weinstein Company — Starring: John Cusack, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Yun-Fat Chow, Ken Watanabe

A '40s period piece which revolves around an American expat who returns to Shanghai in the months before Pearl Harbor due to the death of his friend.

An American man returns to a corrupt, Japanese-occupied Shanghai four months before Pearl Harbor and discovers his friend has been killed. While he unravels the mysteries of the death, he falls in love and discovers a much larger secret that his own government is hiding.

Thriller, Mystery, Romance, Drama    
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Gran Torino
Open: December 25, 2008 (NYC)

Warner Bros. — Starring: Clint Eastwood / Director: Clint Eastwood

Disgruntled Korean War vet Walt Kowalski (Eastwood) sets out to reform his neighbor, a young Hmong teenager, who tried to steal Kowalski's prized possesion: his 1972 Gran Torino.

Clint Eastwood stars in the drama ‘Gran Torino,’ marking his first film role since his Oscar-winning ‘Million Dollar Baby.’ Eastwood also directs the film in which he plays Walt Kowalski, an iron-willed veteran living in a changing world, who is forced by his immigrant neighbors to confront his own long-held prejudices.

Action, Drama Not rated yet, as of Nov. 10  
The Other Man
Open: December 3, 2008 (NYC/LA)
December 25, 2008 (wider)

Starring: Liam Neeson, Antonio Banderas, Laura Linney, Romola Garai / The story of a husband who suspects his wife of adultery, and sets out to track down the other man in her life. / Director: Richard Eyre (“Notes on a Scandal,” “Iris,” “Stage Beauty”)

Drama    
ASSIGNED TO:
Thaisha Geiger
Alternate:
Misty Wagner
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Marley & Me
aka “Marley and Me”
Official site: marleyandmemovie.com
Open: December 25, 2008

Fox 2000 Pictures — Starring: Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston, Alan Arkin, Eric Dane

An adaptation of John Grogan's bestselling memoir about an incorrigible Labrador retriever. Marley is the yellow lab adopted by Grogan, a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, and his wife. Their idea was to give them a taste of parenthood, but the dog proved to be a hyperactive handful. He wreaks havoc, gets kicked out of obedience school and gets even worse when the children begin to arrive, yet becomes an indispensable part of the family.

Comedy, Family, Drama   24-48 hours
ASSIGNED TO:
Sheri McMurray
Alternate:
Dymphna Meeds
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Bedtime Stories
Open: December 25, 2008

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures — Starring: Adam Sandler, Keri Russell, Guy Pearce, Courteney Cox

The life of a busy architect takes a crazy turn when the bedtime stories he tells his niece and nephew start to come true.

Director: Adam Shankman (“A Walk to Remember,” “Hairspray,” “The Wedding Planner”)

Fantasy, Comedy, Family   within 24 hrs of viewing
ASSIGNED TO:
Misty Wagner
Alternate:
Jonathan Rodriguez
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The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Tagline: I was born under unusual circumstances.

Official site: benjaminbutton.com
Open: December 25, 2008

Paramount Pictures — Budget: $150-million (est.) / Story: F. Scott Fitzgerald / Starring: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, Elias Koteas, Elle Fanning

Tells the story of Benjamin Button, a man who starts aging backwards with bizarre consequences.

Producer: Ceán Chaffin, Jim Davidson, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall

Directed by: David Fincher (“Fight Club,” “Se7en,” “Zodiac”)

Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance PG-13
for brief war violence, sexual content, language and smoking.
24 hours after local release
ASSIGNED TO:
Michael Karounos
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The Spirit
aka “Will Eisner's The Spirit”
Tagline: Down these mean streets a man must come. A hero born, murdered, and born again.
Open: December 25, 2008

Lionsgate — Director: Frank Miller

Starring: Gabriel Macht, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Eva Mendes

Adapted from the legendary comic strip, THE SPIRIT is a classic action-adventure-romance told by genre-twister FRANK MILLER (creator of 300 and SIN CITY). It is the story of a former rookie cop who returns mysteriously from the dead as the Spirit (Gabriel Macht) to fight crime from the shadows of Central City. His arch-enemy, the OCTOPUS (Samuel L. Jackson) has a different mission: he’s going to wipe out Spirit's beloved city as he pursues his own version of immortality. The Spirit tracks this cold-hearted killer from Central City’s rundown warehouses, to the damp catacombs, to the windswept waterfront… all the while facing a bevy of beautiful women who either want to seduce, love or kill our masked crusader. Surrounding him at every turn are ELLEN DOLAN (Sarah Paulson), the whip-smart girl-next-door; SILKEN FLOSS (Scarlett Johansson), a punk secretary and frigid vixen; PLASTER OF PARIS (Paz Vega), a murderous French nightclub dancer; LORELEI (Jaime King), a phantom siren; and MORGENSTERN (Stana Katic), a sexy young cop.

Then of course, there’s SAND SAREF (Eva Mendes), the jewel thief with dangerous curves. She’s the love of his life turned bad. Will he save her or will she kill him?

In the vein of BATMAN BEGINS and SIN CITY, THE SPIRIT takes us on a sinister, gut-wrenching ride with a hero who is born, murdered and born again.

Odd Lot Entertainment and Lionsgate are production partners on THE SPIRIT. Lionsgate has domestic and U.K. rights. Odd Lot’s Deborah Del Prete and Gigi Pritzker will produce along with Michael Uslan of Batfilm Productions Inc. Batfilm co-founder Benjamin Melniker and Steven Maier and Odd Lot’s Bill Lischak are executive producers. Odd Lot's Linda McDonough and Batfilm/Comic Book Movies’ F.J. DeSanto serve as co-producers.

Superhero, Action, Drama PG-13
for intense sequences of stylized violence and action, some sexual content and brief nudity.
within 24-36 hours
ASSIGNED TO:
Misty Wagner
The Reader
Tagline: The power to forgive. The strength to love.
Official site: thereader-movie.com
Open: December 12, 2008 (New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco)
December 25, 2008 (wider)
January 9, 2009 (nationwide)

The Weinstein Company — Starring: Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes

THE READER opens in post-WWII Germany when teenager Michael Berg becomes ill and is helped home by Hanna, a stranger twice his age.  Michael recovers from scarlet fever and seeks out Hanna to thank her.  The two are quickly drawn into a passionate but secretive affair.

Michael discovers that Hanna loves being read to and their physical relationship deepens.  Hanna is enthralled as Michael reads to her from  ‘The Odyssey,’ ‘Huck Finn,’ and ‘The Lady with the Little Dog.’ Despite their intense bond, Hanna mysteriously disappears one day and Michael is left confused and heartbroken.

Eight years later, while Michael is a law student observing the Nazi war crime trials, he is stunned to find Hanna back in his life – this time as a defendant in the courtroom.  As Hanna’s past is revealed, Michael uncovers a deep secret that will impact both of their lives.  THE READER is a haunting story about truth and reconciliation, about how one generation comes to terms with the crimes of another.

THE READER stars Ralph Fiennes, David Kross and Kate Winslet, and is directed by Stephen Daldry (the Academy Award nominated director of THE HOURS), from a script by David Hare, and based on the award winning novel by Bernhard Schlink.

Bernhard Schlink's The Reader has been translated into 39 languages and has garnered numerous awards. The Reader was the first German novel to reach number one on The New York Times Bestseller List.

Directed by: Stephen Daldry

Romance, Drama, Adaptation   within 24 hours
December 26, 2008
ASSIGNED TO:
Thaisha Geiger
Alternate:
Rachel Teichrob
Christopher Walker
Jon Wymer
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Valkyrie
Tagline: Many saw evil. They dared to stop it.
Open: December 26, 2009

United Artists — Director: Bryan Singer (“Superman Returns,” “X2”) / Starring: Tom Cruise, Eddie Izzard (“The Riches” TV series, “Ocean’s Thirteen”), Stephen Fry (“V for Vendetta”), Christian Oliver (“Speed Racer”), Bill Nighy (“Love Actually,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End”), Kenneth Branagh, Patrick Wilson, Tom Wilkinson, Carice van Houten, Halina Reijn, Kevin McNally, Christian Berkel, Terence Stamp

The ‘July 20 Plot’ on Hitler's life is one of the most heroic but least known episodes of World War Two. Severely wounded in combat, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg returns from Africa to join the German Resistance and help create Operation Valkyrie, the complex plan that will allow a shadow government to replace Hitler's once he is dead. But fate and circumstance conspire to thrust Stauffenberg from one of many in the plot to a double-edged central role. Not only must he lead the coup and seize control of his nation's government… He must kill Hitler himself.

Drama   day after release
Applicants:
Misty Wagner
Jonathan Rodriguez
Revolutionary Road
Open: December 26, 2008 (limited)

Paramount Vantage — Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Kathy Bates, Michael Shannon, Ryan Simpkins, Zoe Kazan, Ty Simpkins, David Harbour, Jared Morrison, Adam Mucci, Jonathan Roumie, Mary DeBellis

This film marks the first time that Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet have reunited onscreen since ‘Titanic.’

Directed by Sam Mendes (“American Beauty,” “Road to Perdition”)

A young couple living in a Connecticut suburb during the mid-1950s struggle to come to terms with their personal problems while trying to raise their two children. Based on a novel by Richard Yates. / Based on the celebrated novel by Richard Yates, director Sam Mendes' ‘Revolutionary Road’ is the story of a young couple (Oscar nominees Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet) trying to find fulfillment in an age of conformity. Trapped in a world of encoded convention, they dream without faith, as lies and self-deceptions build to explosive consequences.

Drama R
for language and some sexual content/nudity
 
Amusement
Tagline: It's funny. Right?
Official site: amusementmovie.com
Open: December 26, 2008

Picturehouse Entertainment — A traumatized woman is questioned by a cop and a psychiatrist about three stories involving a clown, a hotel and a convoy, that involve her and two of her female friends from childhood.

Director: John Simpson / Starring: Jessica Lucas, Tad Hilgenbrink, Keir O'Donnell, Katheryn Winnick

Horror, Thriller R
for horror violence, terror and disturbing images.
 
Focus Features
9
aka “Nine”
Open: December 26, 2008

Focus Features — A post-apocalyptic nightmare in which all of humanity is threatened.

Starring the voices of: Jennifer Connelly, Elijah Wood, John C. Reilly, Crispin Glover, Christopher Plummer, Martin Landau

Sci-Fi, Animation, Adventure, Fantasy, War    
December 30, 2008
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Beethoven's Big Break
DVD release: December 30, 2008

Universal — Starring: Jonathan Silverman, Eddie Griffin, Jennifer Finnigan, Rhea Perlman, Moises Arias, Stephen Tobolowsky, Oscar Nunez, Cesar Millan, Joey Fatone, Briana Vega, Chris Adler

Comedy, Family PG
for some mild rude humor.
 
December 31, 2008
Applicants:
Misty Wagner
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Big Sky
aka “Western Big Sky”
Tagline: Follow your bliss.
Official site: bigskymovie.com
Open: December 31, 2008

Starring: Jeremy London, Jeffrey Combs

‘Big Sky’ is about a group of people who over the course of one day, learn how to make life-changing decisions after spending their entire lives conscientiously avoiding any kind of disruption in their predictable existence. The film centers on Bill, an aimless young cowboy and sheep herder in a small Montana town. Bill passes endless hours at the bar with his eccentric friends, talking about everything and doing nothing. He is also having an affair with the local bigshot's wife. When the bigshot finds out, Bill's life of intoxicated and humorous desperation is disrupted. Suddenly, outrageous events begin to take place over the course of one day. Adding to Bill's newfound sense of urgency to change his life are pressures from the other strange citizens of the town. With gunfights at midnight and shocking revelations, Bill confronts these new forces and knows he must change his life under the Big Sky. With the help of his friends—an emotionally wounded Vietnam vet and a Native-American intellectual—he chooses to leave everything behind and head off to an uncertain future far from Montana. A dramatic comedy with a film noirish feel.

Comedy    
TBA, 2009
ASSIGNED TO:
Misty Wagner
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Easy Virtue
Tagline: Let’s misbehave!
DVD release: _______
Opened: 7 November 2008 (United Kingdom)

Starring: Jessica Biel, Colin Firth

Based on the play by Noel Coward. An American divorcée meets her new in-laws after tying the knot with a young Englishman on the spur of the moment in France.

Set during the Roaring Twenties, John Whittaker (Ben Barnes), a young English man, falls madly in love with a sexy and glamorous American woman, Larita (Jessica Biel), and they impetuously get married in the South of France. However, when the couple arrive at the stately family home in the English countryside, things start to unravel.

John's mother Veronica has an instant allergic reaction to everything about her new daughter in law. Larita tries her best to fit in but fails to tiptoe through the minefield laid by her new 'mother'. Larita quickly realises Veronica's game and sees that she must fight back if she's not going to lose John. Sparks soon fly and a hilarious battle of wits ensues as each woman tries to outsmart the other.

‘Easy Virtue’ follows in the tradition of films such as ‘Gosford Park’ and ‘Mrs. Henderson Presents’.

Romance, Comedy Not rated yet, as of Nov. 10  
January 9, 2009
Applicants:
Mia J. Best
Misty Wagner
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Bride Wars
Open: January 9, 2009

Fox 2000 Pictures — Candice Bergen, Anne Hathaway, Kate Hudson, Bryan Greenberg, Steve Howey, Chris Pratt / Director: Gary Winick (“13 Going on 30,” “Charlotte's Web”)

Two best friends become rivals when they schedule their respective weddings on the same day.

Comedy, Romance    
Lionsgate
Kill Theory
Tagline: Deep down… we're all killers.
Open: January 9, 2009

Lionsgate — Starring: Agnes Bruckner, Patrick Flueger, Teddy Dunn, etc.

Are you capable of the unthinkable? That's the question seven college students face when they visit a secluded vacation home to celebrate graduation. Trapped in a deadly game, they're forced to kill one another in order to survive. Friends and couples must test their trust, and as the clock ticks away: alliances form, tension escalates, and hope begins to fade. Some will fight for love, others to survive, but all will change. Because deep down… we're all killers.

A group of college students visit a secluded vacation home to celebrate their upcoming graduation. The fun doesn't last long when a sadistic psychopath forces them to participate in his deadly contest. The rules are simple—in order to survive they must kill each other. As tension builds, and relationships begin to crumble, they realize that only one can make it out alive. Could you trust your boyfriend? Your girlfriend? Your best friend? Only one can go home. So who will be the last man or woman standing?

Thriller, Horror R
for strong bloody violence, pervasive language and some sexual content.
 
Nothing But the Truth
Open: January 9, 2009 (limited)

— Starring: Kate Beckinsale (“The Aviator,” “Pearl Harbor,” “Underworld”), David Schwimmer, Matt Dillon, Vera Farmiga, Angela Bassett, Noah Wyle, Alan Alda / In Washington, D.C., a female reporter faces a possible jail sentence for outing a CIA agent and refusing to reveal her source. / Director: Rod Lurie (“The Last Castle,” “Resurrecting the Champ,” “The Contender”)

Drama    
ASSIGNED TO:
Misty Wagner
Official site: possessionmovie.com
Open: January 9, 2009
Supernatural Thriller, Drama, Romance, Remake PG-13 within 24 hours
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Two Lovers
Open: January 9, 2009

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow / A Brooklyn-set romantic drama about a bachelor (Phoenix) torn between the family friend his parents wish he would marry and his beautiful but volatile new neighbor. / Director/Writer: James Gray (“We Own the Night,” “The Yards,” “Little Odessa”)

Drama R
for language, some sexuality and brief drug use.
 
ASSIGNED TO:
Malaika Ware
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Not Easily Broken
Official site: noteasilybroken.com
Open: January 9, 2009

Screen Gems / Sony Pictures Entertainment — Director: Bill Duke (“Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit,” “Knots Landing,” “Predator”) / Starring: Morris Chestnut, Taraji P. Henson, Maeve Quinlan, Jenifer Lewis, Kevin Hart, Cannon Jay, April Betts

Based on a novel by T.D. Jakes

After years of disagreeing on what true happiness, success, and love really are, Dave and Clarice Johnson have finally reached a breaking point in their marriage. When Clarice is hurt in a car accident, the obvious truth that more than just her injuries need immediate attention is exposed. Their odds of making it worsen as Clarice begins to see a physical therapist, and Dave develops a friendship with Julie and her teenage son Bryson. The acceptance and comfort he finds in them stirs his longing for a family and a passionate partner. As temptation tugs at Dave and Clarice pulls farther away, they must confront whether their vows are or are NOT EASILY BROKEN.

Drama PG-13
for sexual references and thematic elements.
Jan 11
January 13, 2009
logo
Hit and Run
DVD release: January 13, 2009

MGM — Starring: Laura Breckenridge, Kevin Corrigan, Christopher Shand, Kiersten Hall / Director: Enda McCallion

A night of Spring Break partying turns into a living nightmare for student Mary Murdock (Laura Breckenridge) after hitting a bump on a dark road only to find a man dangling from her car’s bumper. Panicked, Mary frantically beats him unconscious, buries him in the woods and returns home to cover her tracks. But when it becomes clear that her victim survived her brutal attack and wants her dead, Mary stops worrying about evidence and becomes more concerned with living through the night. / 84 Minutes

Suspense    
January 16, 2009
Sony Pictures
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Open: January 16, 2009

Happy Madison Productions / Columbia Pictures / Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) — Starring: Kevin James, Keir O'Donnell

When a shopping mall is overtaken by a gang of organized crooks, it's up to the a mild-mannered security guard to save the day.

Comedy    
I Love You, Man
Open: January 16, 2009

DreamWorks SKG — Starring: Jason Segel (“Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” “Knocked Up,” “Slackers”), Paul Rudd (“Knocked Up,” “The 40 Year Old Virgin,” “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy”), Jaime Pressly (“Not Another Teen Movie,” “DOA: Dead or Alive”), Jon Favreau

Director: John Hamburg (Along Came Polly / Meet the Parents / Zoolander)

A newly engaged guy sets out to find the perfect ‘Best Man’ for his wedding. John Hamburg directs ‘I Love You’ from a script he wrote about a man about to get married (Rudd) who seeks out a stranger to be his best man for the wedding. Jones will play the fiancée.

Comedy    
Applicants:
Misty Wagner
Jonathan Rodriguez
copyrighted poster
The Brothers Bloom
Official site: thebrothersbloom.com
Open: December 19, 2008 (limited)
January 16, 2009 (wider)

Summit Entertainment — Starring: Rachel Weisz, Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo, Rinko Kikuchi, Robbie Coltrane, Nora Zehetner, Maximilian Schell, Noah Segan, Andy Nyman, Zachary Gordon, Stefan Kapicic, Kevin Ford, Miranda Vidak, Ljiljana Blagojevic, Mira Banjac, Ram Bergman, Josif Tatic, Alek Rodic, Skip Lotem

The Brothers Bloom are the best con men in the world, swindling millionaires with complex scenarios of lust and intrigue. Now they've decided to take on one last job—showing a beautiful and eccentric heiress the time of her life with a romantic adventure that takes them around the world.

Directed by: Rian Johnson (“Brick”)

Adventure, Romance, Crime PG-13
for violence, some sensuality and brief strong language.
 
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Ninja Assassin
Open: January 16, 2009

Warner Bros. Pictures — Starring: Rick Yune, Naomie Harris, Ben Miles, Collin Chou, Rain (Korean actor-singer) / Director: James McTeigue

Ninja Assassin follows Raizo (Rain), one of the deadliest assassins in the world. Taken from the streets as a child, he was transformed into a trained killer by the Ozunu Clan, a secret society whose very existence is considered a myth. But haunted by the merciless execution of his friend by the Clan, Raizo breaks free from them… and vanishes. Now he waits, preparing to exact his revenge.

In Berlin, Europol agent Mika Coretti (Naomie Harris) has stumbled upon a money trail linking several political murders to an underground network of untraceable assassins from the Far East. Defying the orders of her superior, Ryan Maslow (Ben Miles), Mika digs into top secret agency files to learn the truth behind the murders. Her investigation makes her a target, and the Ozunu Clan sends a team of killers, led by the lethal Takeshi (Rick Yune), to silence her forever. Raizo saves Mika from her attackers, but he knows that the Clan will not rest until they are both eliminated. Now, entangled in a deadly game of cat and mouse through the streets of Europe, Raizo and Mika must trust one another if they hope to survive… and finally bring down the elusive Ozunu Clan.

Action, Adventure    
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Notorious
Open: January 16, 2009

Fox Searchlight Pictures — Starring: Angela Bassett, Jamie Hector, Derek Luke, etc.

The life and death story of Notorious B.I.G. (a.k.a. Christopher Wallace), who came straight out of Brooklyn to take the world of rap music by storm.

Biography, Drama, Music    
Applicants:
Patty Moliterno
Misty Wagner
Dymphna Meeds
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Hotel for Dogs
Official site: hotelfordogsmovie.com
Open: January 16, 2009

Dreamworks / Paramount Distribution — Starring: Emma Roberts, Don Cheadle, Lisa Kudrow, Kevin Dillon, Johnny Simmons, Troy Gentile, Robinne Lee / Director: Thor Freudenthal

‘Hotel for Dogs’ stars Emma Roberts, Jake T. Austin, Lisa Kudrow, Kevin Dillon and Don Cheadle in a smart, funny comedy adventure that shows how far love and imagination can take you. When their new guardians forbid 16-year old Andi (Roberts) and her younger brother, Bruce (Austin) to have a pet, Andi has to use her quick wit to help find a new home for their dog, Friday. The resourceful kids stumble upon an abandoned hotel and using Bruce's talents as a mechanical genius, transform it into a magical dog-paradise for Friday – and eventually for all Friday's friends. When barking dogs make the neighbors suspicious, Andi and Bruce use every invention they have to avoid anyone discovering ‘who let the dogs in.’

Comedy, Family    
January 23, 2009
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Taken
Open: January 23, 2009

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation — Starring: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, Xander Berkeley, Katie Cassidy, etc. / Luc Besson - Writer/Producer / Director: Pierre Morel (“The Transporter,” “Before Sunset,” “Unleashed”)

A former spy (Neeson) relies on his old skills to save his estranged daughter (Grace), who has been forced into the slave trade.

Action, Thriller PG-13
for intense sequences of violence, disturbing thematic material, sexual content, some drug references and language.
 
Applicants:
Misty Wagner
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Last Chance Harvey
Tagline: It's never too late to fall in love. / It's about first loves, last chances, and everything in between.
Open: January 23, 2009

Overture Films / Paramount VantageStarring: Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson, James Brolin, Kathy Baker, Richard Schiff, Michael Landes, Eileen Atkins, Daniel Lapaine, Liane Balaban, Patrick Baladi, Mickey Sumner, Masato Kamo, Imogen Byron, Alex Avery, Rhydian Jones, Elliot Levey, Mark Kempner

In London for his daughter's wedding, a rumpled man finds his romantic spirits lifted by a new woman in his life.

Directed by: Joel Hopkins

Romance, Drama    
Applicants:
Thaisha Geiger
trademark
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
Open: January 23, 2009

Screen Gems — Starring: Rhona Mitra, Bill Nighy

An origins story centered on the centuries-old feud between the the race of aristocratic vampires known as Death Dealers, and their onetime slaves, the Lycans.

Director: Patrick Tatopoulos (“Underworld,” “Stargate,” “Independence Day”)

Sequel to: “Underworld” (2003), “Underworld: Evolution” (2006)

Action, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller, Sequel    
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My Bloody Valentine 3D
Open: January 16, 2009

Lionsgate Films — Starring: Jaime King, Jensen Ackles

Director: Patrick Lussier

Ten years ago, a tragedy changed the town of Harmony forever. Tom Hanniger, an inexperienced coal miner, caused an accident in the tunnels that trapped and killed five men and sent the only survivor, Harry Warden, into a permanent coma. But Harry Warden wanted revenge. Exactly one year later, on Valentine's Day, he woke up… and brutally murdered twenty-two people with a pickaxe before being killed.

Ten years later, Tom Hanniger returns to Harmony on Valentine's Day, still haunted by the deaths he caused. Struggling to make amends with his past, he grapples with unresolved feelings for his ex-girlfriend, Sarah, who is now married to his best friend, Axel, the town sheriff. But tonight, after years of peace, something from Harmony's dark past has returned. Wearing a miner's mask and armed with a pickaxe, an unstoppable killer is on the loose. And as his footsteps come ever closer, Tom, Sarah and Axel realize in terror that it just might be Harry Warden who's come back to claim them…

Presented in stunningly real, cutting edge 3-D projection, MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3-D stars Jensen Ackles (TV's ‘Smallville’ and ‘Supernatural’), Jaime King (THE SPIRIT, SIN CITY, SIN CITY 2) and Kerr Smith (FINAL DESTINATION, ‘Dawson's Creek’). A remake of the 1981 horror classic, MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3-D is directed by Patrick Lussier and produced by Jack Murray.

Thriller, Horror, 3D    
ASSIGNED TO:
Robert A. Kouba
Copyrighted
Tagline: Yesterday she was a witness. Today she's a target.
Open: January 23, 2009
Action, Thriller, Adventure, Crime, Drama    
January 30, 2009
Lionsgate
Chilled in Miami
Open: January 30, 2009

Lionsgate — Starring: Renée Zellweger, Harry Connick Jr. / Director: Jonas Elmer

Lucy Hill (Renée Zellweger) is an ambitious, up and coming executive living in Miami. She loves her shoes, she loves her cars and she loves climbing the corporate ladder. When she is offered a temporary assignment—in the middle of nowhere—to restructure a manufacturing plant, she jumps at the opportunity, knowing that a big promotion is close at hand. What begins as a straight forward job assignment becomes a life changing experience as Lucy discovers greater meaning in her life and most unexpectedly, the man of her dreams (Harry Connick, Jr.).

Comedy, Romance    
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The Uninvited
aka “A Tale of Two Sisters,” “A Tale of 2 Sisters”
Tagline: From the producers of “The Ring” and “Disturbia” / Fear moves in
Open: January 30, 2009

DreamWorks SKG — Starring: Emily Browning (“Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events” - Violet Baudelaire), David Strathairn (“The Spiderwick Chronicles,” “The Bourne Ultimatum”), Elizabeth Banks (“Definitely, Maybe,” “W.” - Laura Bush), Arielle Kebbel

Director: Thomas Guard, Charles Guard

Anna returns home after spending time in the hospital following the tragic death of her mother. Her recovery suffers a setback when she discovers her father has become engaged to her mother's former nurse. That night, Anna is visited by her mother's ghost, who warns her of Rachel's intentions. Together, Anna and her sister try to convince their father that his current fiancée is not who she pretends to be, and what should have been a happy family reunion becomes a lethal battle of wills between stepdaughters and stepmother.

Based on Kim Jee-Woon's 2003 Korean horror film ‘Tale of Two Sisters,’ ‘The Uninvited’ revolves around Anna (Emily Browning), who returns home after spending time in the hospital following the tragic death of her mother. Her recovery suffers a setback when she discovers her father (David Strathairn) has become engaged to her mother's former nurse, Rachel (Elizabeth Banks). That night, Anna is visited by her mother's ghost, who warns her of Rachel's intentions. Together, Anna and her sister (Arielle Kebbel) try to convince their father that his current fiancee is not who she pretends to be, and what should have been a happy family reunion becomes a lethal battle of wills between stepdaughters and stepmother.

Thriller, Drama, Horror, Remake PG-13
for violent and disturbing images, thematic material, sexual content, language and teen drinking.
 
Applicants:
Sheri McMurray
David Criswell, Ph.D.