“21 The Movie” – “21 The Movie” based on Ben Mezrich’s best-selling nonfiction book “Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions,” revolves around a group of young men who become experts in the art of card counting – and collecting millions of dollars from casinos around the world – until they are stopped. “21 The Movie” is also known as “Bringing Down The House The Movie.”
STARRING: Kevin Spacey, Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth, Laurence Fishburne, Liza LaPira
DIRECTOR: Robert Luketic
STUDIO: Sony Pictures
RATING: PG-13 (For language, violence)
THEATER COUNT (Opening Weekend): TBD
RUNNING TIME: TBD
TOTAL DOMESTIC BOX OFFICE: TBD
U.S. DVD RELEASE DATE: TBD
“Under The Same Moon” – “Under the Same Moon” tells the parallel stories of nine-year-old Carlitos and his mother, Rosario. In the hopes of providing a better life for her son, Rosario works illegally in the U.S. while her mother cares for Carlitos back in Mexico. Unexpected circumstances drive both Rosario and Carlitos to embark on their own journeys in a desperate attempt to reunite. Along the way, mother and son face challenges and obstacles but never lose hope that they will one day be together again. “Under The Same Moon” is not only a heartwarming family story; it also offers subtle commentary on the much-debated issue of illegal immigration. “Ugly Betty” star American Ferrera is one of many Latinas featured in the cast.
STARRING: America Ferrera, Adrian Alonso, Jesse Garcia, Kate del Castillo, Eugenio Derbez, Maya Zapata, Carmen Salinas
DIRECTOR: Patricia Riggen
STUDIO: Fox Searchlight
RATING: PG-13 (For mature thematic elements)
THEATER COUNT (Opening Weekend): TBD
RUNNING TIME: TBD
TOTAL DOMESTIC BOX OFFICE: TBD
U.S. DVD RELEASE DATE: TBD
Madea is back in “Tyler Perry’s Meet The Browns.” – In “Meet The Browns,” Brenda, a single mother living in inner city Chicago, has been struggling for years to make ends meet and keep her three kids off the street. But when she’s laid off with no warning, she starts losing hope for the first time – until a letter arrives announcing the death of a father she’s never met. Desperate for any kind of help, Brenda takes her family to Georgia for the funeral. But nothing could have prepared her for the Browns, her father’s fun-loving, crass Southern clan. In a small-town world full of long afternoons and country fairs, Brenda struggles to get to know the family she never knew existed…and finds a brand new romance that just might change her life. The story is adapted by Tyler Perry from his stage play “Meet the Browns.”
STARRING: Tyler Perry, Angela Bassett, Sofia Vergara, Margaret Avery*, Jenifer Lewis, Irma P. Hall
DIRECTOR: Tyler Perry
STUDIO: Lionsgate
RATING: PG-13 (For language, adult situations)
THEATER COUNT (Opening Weekend): TBD
RUNNING TIME: TBD
TOTAL DOMESTIC BOX OFFICE: TBD
U.S. DVD RELEASE DATE: TBD
“Shutter” – A recent poll conducted by CNN revealed that one third of the people believed in ghosts, and that many of those claim they’ve seen one. At the same time, interest in spirit photography – events in which images of the dead are caught on film – has never been higher. The phenomenon is as old as photography itself, dating back to the 1860s. Spirit photography has been riddled with controversy and fraud, yet many believe it to be one of the few methods of capturing ghostly phenomenon that approaches scientific methodology. Magazines devoted to spirit photography proliferate throughout Asia, and new internet sites devoted to the subject spring up every day. New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art recently hosted an exhibit devoted to spirit photography, called “The Perfect Medium: Photography and the Occult.” This intriguing and foreboding subject is a key element of the psychological thriller “Shutter”, from executive producers of “The Grudge” and “The Ring.” In “Shutter”, a newly married couple discovers disturbing, ghostly images in photographs they develop after a tragic accident. Fearing the manifestations may be connected, they investigate, only to learn that some mysteries are better left unsolved – and that a past mistake can lead to an eternity of vengeance.
For photographer Ben (Joshua Jackson) and his new wife Jane (Rachael Taylor), his new assignment – a lucrative fashion shoot in Tokyo – was supposed to be a kind of working honeymoon. With this exotic professional opportunity and the limitless possibilities of a new marriage, Ben and Jane arrive in Japan. But as they make their way on a mountain road leading to Mt. Fuji, their new life together comes to, literally, a crashing halt. Their car smashes into a woman standing in the middle of the road, who has materialized out of nowhere. Upon regaining consciousness after the accident, Ben and Jane cannot find any trace of the girl Jane believes she hit with the car. Shaken by the accident and by the girl’s disappearance, Ben and Jane arrive in Tokyo, where Ben begins his glamorous assignment. Having worked in Japan before and fluent in the language, Ben is comfortable there, and he eagerly reunites with old friends and colleagues. Jane, a newcomer to the city, feels very much like a stranger in a strange land as she makes tentative, unsettling forays through the city.
Ben, meanwhile, has discovered mysterious white blurs – eerily evocative of a human form – that have materialized on an entire day’s work from the expensive photo shoot. Jane’s concerns escalate as she believes the blurs in Ben’s photos are the dead girl from the road, who is now seeking vengeance for them leaving her to die..
“Shutter” stars Pacey of “Dawson’s Creek,” Joshua Jackson.
STARRING: Joshua Jackson, Rachael Taylor, David Denman, James Kyson Lee, John Hensley
DIRECTOR: Masayuki Ochiai
STUDIO: 20th Century Fox
RATING: PG-13 (For terror, disturbing images, sexual content and language)
THEATER COUNT (Opening Weekend): TBD
RUNNING TIME: TBD
TOTAL DOMESTIC BOX OFFICE: TBD
U.S. DVD RELEASE DATE: TBD
“Love Songs” – Christophe Honoré further makes a case as one of the most exciting filmmakers of our generation with the exuberant and tender “Love Songs.” A modern day musical told through unforgettable songs sung entirely by the cast and scored by Alex Beaupain, the film has overjoyed audiences at the Cannes and Toronto Film Festivals while earning recognition in its native Country with four French Cesar nominations. In the hope of sparking their stalled relationship, Ismael (Louis Garrel of “Dans Paris”) and Julie (Ludivine Sagnier of “Swimming Pool”) enter a playful yet emotionally laced threesome with Alice (Clotilde Hesme of “Regular Lovers”). When tragedy strikes, these young Parisians are forced to deal with the fragility of life and love. For Ismael, this means negotiating through the advances of Julie’s sister (Chara Mastroianni of “Persepolis”) and a young college student (Gregoire Leprince-Ringuet of “Strayed”); one of which may offer him redemption.
STARRING: Louis Garrel, Ludivine Sagnier, Chiara Mastroianni, Clotilde Hesme, Gregoire Leprince-Ringuet
DIRECTOR: Christophe Honoré
STUDIO: IFC Films
RATING: Not Rated
THEATER COUNT (Opening Weekend): 1
RUNNING TIME: 100 minutes
TOTAL DOMESTIC BOX OFFICE: TBD
U.S. DVD RELEASE DATE: TBD
LANGUAGE: French (English subtitles)
“Irina Palm” – In “Irina Palm” Marianne Faithfull stars as Maggie, a middle-aged widow who, desperate to raise money to pay for her grandson’s medical bills, takes a hostess job in a sex club. She soon transforms herself into the much sought after and highly paid “Irina Palm”. Along with her new persona, Maggie gains renewed self-confidence, realizing she is not as old and unattractive as she thought. But her two worlds collide as her clandestine existence provokes the suspicions of her family and inquisitive neighbors alike.
STARRING: Marianne Faithfull, Miki Manojlovic, Kevin Bishop, Siobhan Hewlett
DIRECTOR: Sam Garbarski
STUDIO: Strand Releasing
RATING: R (Language, adult situations)
THEATER COUNT (Opening Weekend): 2
RUNNING TIME: 103 minutes
TOTAL DOMESTIC BOX OFFICE: TBD
U.S. DVD RELEASE DATE: TBD
“Planet B Boy” - With compelling characters and vibrant dance sequences, “Planet B-Boy” is set in the International world of b-boying – the urban dance more commonly known as “breakdancing.” Weaving between the vivid backdrops of Osaka, Paris, Seoul and Las Vegas, spectacular choreography frames the intimate stories of dancers who struggle for their dreams despite being misunderstood by larger society and their own families. An American dancer in Vegas looks for his big break; a Korean son seeks his father’s approval; a twelve-year-old boy in France confronts his family’s racism – all the b-boys’ lives collide in Germany where their skills are put to the ultimate test: the “Battle of the Year” finals, with crews from 18 nations vying for the title of World Champion.
STARRING: Documentary
DIRECTOR: Benson Lee
STUDIO: Elephant Eye Films
RATING: Not Rated (Language)
THEATER COUNT (Opening Weekend): TBD
RUNNING TIME: 101 minutes
TOTAL DOMESTIC BOX OFFICE: TBD
U.S. DVD RELEASE DATE: TBD
“Drillbit Taylor” – Ryan, Wade and Emmit attend their first day at high school and they’re pumped … until they meet up with Filkins, a school bully who comes off like a little Hannibal Lecter. Before they become completely engulfed in Filkins’ reign of terror, they seek out some protection by placing an ad in soldier of fortune magazine. Their best response – and the cheapest – comes from “Drillbit Taylor” (Owen Wilson), a down-on-his luck soldier of fortune who lives a homeless – he likes to say “home free” – existence on the beach. He enrolls them in some physical and mental training.
STARRING: Owen Wilson
DIRECTOR: Steve Brill
STUDIO: Paramount Pictures
RATING: PG-13 (For language and adult situations)
“Boarding Gate” - In “Boarding Gate” Asia Argento plays sexy ex-prostitute Sandra, who is forced to flee London after a steamy S&M encounter with a debt ridden ex-lover (Michael Madsen) ends in violence. Fleeing to Hong Kong in search of a fresh start, she becomes involved with an attractive young couple, Lester (Carl Ng) and Sue (Kelly Lin), who promise to help her obtain papers and money. But nothing turns out as expected for Sandra, and she finds herself trapped in a sordid game of manipulation.
STARRING: Asia Argento, Michael Madsen, Kelly Lin, Carl Loong Ng
DIRECTOR: Olivier Assayas
STUDIO: Magnolia
RATING: R (Nudity, sexual content, drug use, violence, language)
THEATER COUNT (Opening Weekend): 1
RUNNING TIME: 93 minutes
TOTAL DOMESTIC BOX OFFICE: TBD
U.S. DVD RELEASE DATE: TBD
Towards Darkness” – In “Towards Darkness,” the son of a Colombian banker, photographer José (Roberto Urbina) lives abroad in New York. While visiting his family back home for the Christmas holidays, he is reunited with a streetwise old flame (America Ferrera) and reacquainted with the casual violence that mars his country. Within days of his return, José is beaten and kidnapped, his captors demanding an exorbitant ransom from his parents. Aware that the local police would do more harm than good, Jose’s frantic parents enlist the aid of a covert American special operations team to recover their son alive. Jose’s father (Tony Plana) is soon forced to make an unsavory deal with a Colombian warlord in order to secure the million-dollar payment. Meanwhile, Jose remains bound, gagged and blindfolded in an abandoned warehouse in the rainforest, contemplating what he assumes is his imminent murder. The lives and backstories of various characters converge in a slick non-linear narrative that humanizes each one: from the rescuer (David Sutcliffe) looking for redemption for a past killing, to the kidnappers driven to crime out of pure desperation. Twenty-four-year-old director Antonio Negret’s debut is a nail-biting, clock-ticking thriller that eschews stereotypes and blatant moralism, presenting a portrait of Colombia as a vibrant nation of resilience and exuberance, but plagued by extortion and turmoil.
STARRING: Roberto Urbina, America Ferrera, David Sutcliffe, Tony Plana, Cameron Daddo, William Atherton, Alejandra Borrero, Fernando Solórzano, Roberto Cano
DIRECTOR: Antonio Negret
STUDIO: Peace Arch Entertainment
RATING: R (For strong violence, language, and a scene of sexuality)
THEATER COUNT (Opening Weekend): 2
RUNNING TIME: 94 minutes
TOTAL DOMESTIC BOX OFFICE: TBD
U.S. DVD RELEASE DATE: TBD
