“Balls Of Fury” - In the unsanctioned, underground and unhinged world of extreme Ping-Pong, the competition is brutal and the stakes are deadly. Now, Rogue Pictures’ outrageous new comedy “Balls of Fury” serves up this secret world for the first time on-screen. Written by Thomas Lennon & Robert Ben Garant (Night at the Museum, Reno 911!), the absolutely dreadful film is directed by Ben Garant. Down-and-out former professional Ping-Pong phenom Randy Daytona (Tony Award winner Dan Fogler) is sucked into this maelstrom when FBI Agent Rodriguez (George Lopez) recruits him for a secret mission. Randy is determined to bounce back and recapture his former glory, and to smoke out his father’s (Robert Patrick) killer - one of the FBI’s Most Wanted, arch-fiend Feng (Academy Award winner Christopher Walken). But, after two decades out of the game, Randy can’t turn his life around and avenge his father’s murder without a team of his own. He calls upon the spiritual guidance of blind Ping-Pong sage and restaurateur Wong (James Hong), and the training expertise of Master Wong’s wildly sexy niece Maggie (Maggie Q), both of whom also have a dark history with Feng. All roads lead to Feng’s mysterious jungle compound and the most unique Ping-Pong tournaments ever staged. There, Randy faces such formidable players as his long-ago Olympics opponent, the still-vicious Karl Wolfschtagg (Mr. Lennon). Can Randy keep his eye on the balls? Will he achieve the redemption he craves while wielding a paddle? Is his backhand strong enough to triumph over rampant wickedness?
STARRING: Dan Fogler, Christopher Walken, George Lopez, Maggie Q, Thomas Lennon, Robert Patrick
DIRECTOR: Robert Ben Garant
STUDIO: Rogue Pictures
RATING: PG-13 (For crude and sex-related humor, and for language)
After the gangsters who killed his father come to settle a score, a teenage boy and his mother turn the tables on the killers - in “Illegal Tender.”
Producer John Singleton (”Four Brothers,” “Hustle & Flow”) and writer/director Franc. Reyes (”Empire”) join forces to tell the story of one Latino family’s quest for honor and revenge as the hunted become the hunters in the new thriller “Illegal Tender.”
Wilson De Leon, Jr. (Rick Gonzalez) is an exceptional college student with an adoring girlfriend, doting mother and a future full of promise. He has never wanted for anything, and he has never been forced to stand his ground. But when ghosts from his mother’s past come back to haunt his present, he must defend his family…and quickly turn into the strong man his father prayed he’d become. Nothing could stop Wilson’s mother, Millie (Wanda De Jesus), from protecting her two boys. Forced to flee her home after gangsters killed her husband, she made an oath to give her children only the best. But all that changes when an enemy from the past catches up with them. It’s finally time to take action–and now, they’re done running. Weapons at the ready, Wilson, Jr. and Millie prepare for a final showdown with the murderer who robbed him of a father and her of a husband. Now, in a battle fueled by family ties and blood feuds, it will become very clear what happens when anyone tries to come between this son and his mother.
STARRING: Rick Gonzalez, Wanda De Jesus, Dania Ramirez, Tego Calderon, Manny Perez, Gary Perez
DIRECTOR: Franc Reyes
STUDIO: Universal Pictures
RATING: R (For violence, language and some sexuality)
“Tekkonkinkreet” - In Treasure Town, orphans Black and White rule the mean streets through violence and terror. These lost boys are direct opposites: Black being a streetwise punk who embodies everything wrong about the city, while White is a innocent dope, out of touch with the world around him. Together, they’re unstoppable as they take on petty thugs, religious fanatics and brutal yakuza. But when a corporation called “Kiddy Kastle” tries to tear down and rebuild Treasure Town to fit its own goals, the boys must save the soul of their beloved city, that is if they can save themselves from inner demons. Based on Taiyo Matsumoto’s serialized manga “Black and White.”
Stay tuned to find out if “Tekkonkinkreet” gets a “2008 Oscar Nomination” for Best Animated Film!
STARRING The Voices of: Yû Aoi, Yusuke Iseya, Kankurô Kudô, Sanchu Mori, Masahiro Motoki, Kazunari Ninomiya, Yoshinori Okada, Nao Omori, Min Tanaka
DIRECTOR: Michael Arias
STUDIO: Sony Pictures
RATING: R (For violent and disturbing images, and brief animated sexuality)
THEATER COUNT (Opening Weekend): 2
RUNNING TIME: 111 minutes
TOTAL DOMESTIC BOX OFFICE: $6,000
U.S. DVD RELEASE DATE: 9/25/2007
March 31, 2007 - Editor’s Note:The MPAA on Thursday disciplined After Dark Films for its controversial outdoor advertising campaign for the upcoming “Captivity” by imposing a monthlong suspension of the ratings process for the horror film, which has not yet been rated. The move could make it difficult for the film to bow on its scheduled release date of May 18. In an uncharacteristically harsh reprimand, the MPAA — which had not approved After Dark’s ads for general audiences — also said that After Dark and its distribution partner, Lionsgate, will be required to clear all the “Captivity” promotional materials it uses going forward in addition to the locations and venues of all advertising buys relating to the film. It is the first time the MPAA has imposed such a sanction, though some observers questioned whether the MPAA will be able to monitor all the ad buys. While the MPAA will review After Dark’s promotional materials before May 1, “Captivity” will not be eligible for consideration by the ratings board until then and will not be given priority scheduling at that time. There is no set time period for how long it takes the MPAA to issue a rating. That is dependent on the number of films lined up for a rating. The sanction doesn’t give After Dark much time to recut or re-edit the film if the company is not satisfied with the initial rating issued. “The sanctions in this case are severe because this was an unacceptable and flagrant violation of MPAA rules and procedures,” MPAA senior VP of advertising Marilyn Gordon said.
An attack on the vulnerable United States computer infrastructure begins to shut down the entire nation. The mysterious figure behind the shattering scheme has figured out every digital angle - but he never figured an old-fashioned, “analog” fly-in-the-ointment: John McClane (Bruce Willis) - “Die Hard 4.”
STARRING: Bruce Willis, Justin Long, Maggie Q, Timothy Olyphant, Mary Elizabeth Winstead
DIRECTOR: Len Wiseman
STUDIO: 20th Century Fox
RATING: PG-13 (For intense sequences of violence and action, language, and a brief sexual situation)
Frank Falenczyk (Ben Kingsley) loves his job. He just happens to be the hit-man for his Polish mob family in Buffalo, New York. But Frank’s got a drinking problem and when he messes up a critical assignment that puts the family business in peril, his uncle (Philip Baker Hall) sends him to San Francisco to clean up his act. Played with gruff charm by Kingsley, Frank is not a touchy-feely kind of guy. But he starts going to AA meetings, gets a sponsor (played by Luke Wilson) and a job at a mortuary where he falls for the tart-tongued Laurel (Téa Leoni), a woman who is dangerously devoid of boundaries. Meanwhile, things aren’t going well in Buffalo where an upstart Irish gang is threatening the family business. When violence erupts, Frank is forced to return home and with an unlikely assist from Laurel, faces old rivals on new terms.
For generations of fans worldwide, the name Nancy Drew is synonymous with adventure. This young amateur detective has a mind of her own, a passion for solving mysteries and a reputation for getting into—and out of—some very tricky situations. This summer, “Nancy Drew” brings the timeless heroine to Los Angeles, where she is faced with a fresh set of challenges and her most baffling case yet. Emma Roberts, niece of Oscar winner Julia, stars as the resourceful teen detective, who leaves her friendly hometown of River Heights for the West Coast and enrolls at Hollywood High School. There, her unique personal style immediately sets her apart from her self-absorbed, fast-living peers, especially reigning fashionistas Inga and Trish, who can’t quite figure her out but know that everything about her is different—from her super-smarts and retro manners to her perfect picnic lunches and penny loafers. Their less-than-warm reception might bother the average new girl in town, but not Nancy. She has more important things to think about—namely, a brand new mystery. Even though she promised her worried Dad (Tate Donovan as Carson Drew) that she’d quit the “sleuthing” business, it isn’t long before Nancy gets a lead on one of the greatest unsolved cases of all time: the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of famous actress Dehlia Draycott. It happens that the Drews are staying in the former Draycott mansion, long reputed to be haunted and now a site where some very strange things have been happening. How could she resist?
STARRING: Emma Roberts, Josh Flitter, Max Thieriot, Rachael Leigh Cook, Tate Donovan
DIRECTOR: Andrew Fleming
STUDIO: Warner Bros.
RATING: PG (For mild violence, thematic elements and brief language)
Consider “Mr. Brooks.” A successful businessman, a generous philanthropist, a loving father and devoted husband. Seemingly, he’s perfect. But Mr. Brooks has a secret — he is an insatiable serial killer, so lethally clever that no one has ever suspected him — until now. Academy Award winning director Kevin Costner (”Dances With Wolves”) stars as Earl Brooks, a man who has managed to keep his two incompatible worlds from intersecting by controlling his cunning, wicked alter ego Marshall (Academy Award winner William Hurt “Kiss Of the Spiderwoman”) whom he blames for his wrongdoings. But now, as Mr. Brooks succumbs to one last murderous urge, an amateur photographer (Dane Cook) witnesses the crime. Suddenly Brooks finds himself entangled in the dark agenda of an opportunistic bystander, as well as hunted by the unorthodox and tenacious detective Tracy Atwood (Demi Moore). Can Mr. Brooks outsmart his adversaries and conceal his shocking double life from his wife (Marg Helgenberger) and daughter (Danielle Panabaker) or will someone expose his crimes and his identity once and for all in this unpredictable and electrifying new thriller - “Mr. Brooks.”
STARRING: Kevin Costner, William Hurt, Demi Moore, Dane Cook, Marg Helgenberger, Rubin Santiago-Hudson, Danielle Panabaker
DIRECTOR: Bruce Evans
STUDIO: MGM
RATING: R (For strong bloody violence, some graphic sexual content, nudity and language)
RUNNING TIME: 2 Hours
Ocean’s 13.” - When Reuben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould) makes the mistake of building a hotel with one of Las Vegas’ most hated businessmen, Willy Banks (Al Pacino), he gets cut out of the deal and ends up in the hospital after a heart attack. Danny Ocean (George Clooney) tries to help his old friend out by giving Banks a chance to restore Reuben’s share of the hotel, but Banks dismisses him without any regard. Six months later, with Banks’ investment thriving as the richest hotel in the city and the ultimate spot for high rollers, Ocean and his crew decide to bring him down. With the help of their former nemesis, casino owner Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), who is also out to settle the score against Banks, his fierce rival, they scheme to find a way to bankrupt Banks on his casino’s opening night. This time, they are not in it for the money, but rather for revenge - “Ocean’s 13″
STARRING: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Eddie Jemison, Shaobo Qin, Carl Reiner, Elliott Gould, Ellen Barkin, Al Pacino, David Paymer
DIRECTOR: Steven Soderbergh
STUDIO: Warner Bros.
RATING: PG-13 (For language, violence and sexual situations)
BUDGET: $100 million
BOX OFFICE GROSS: TBD
The Flock” is the story of a hyper-vigilant federal agent (Richard Gere) who, while training his young female replacement (Claire Danes), must track down a missing girl whom he is convinced is connected to a paroled sex offender he’s investigating. Working against the clock they unravel the twisted details to track the potential killer. “The Flock” is directed by Andrew Lau, who is best known as the director of the fabulously successful Hong Kong crime thriller “Infernal Affairs” and its two sequels. “The Flock” is his first English language movie.
STARRING: Richard Gere, Claire Danes
DIRECTOR: Andrew Lau
STUDIO: Freestyle Releasing
RATING: R (For perverse content involving aberrant sexuality and strong violence, and for language)
