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| U.S. OPENINGS THIS WEEK - SEPTEMBER 30th | |
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The Players |
The Plot |
The Buzz
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The Greatest Game Ever Played
Showtimes Trailers Photos
| Director: Bill Paxton
Stars: Shia LaBeouf Stephen Dillane Elias Koteas ...See Full CastStudio: Buena Vista Pictures | At the 1913 US Open, 20-year-old Francis Ouimet (LaBeouf) challenges reigning champion Harry Vardon (Dillane).
| Disney bucks conventional wisdom by hitting the links and going wide with director Paxton's second film. Feels more like a limited release to us, though the studio's putting most of their third quarter marketing dollars behind the picture. Reviews have been generally favorable, saying Paxton has structured a good story around both Ouimet and Vardon; Stephen Dillane reportedly steals the film, of course. Message Board User Comments | Reviews
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Capote
[limited] Showtimes Trailers Photos
| Director: Bennett Miller
Stars: Philip Seymour Hoffman Clifton Collins Jr. Catherine Keener ...See Full CastStudio: Sony Pictures Classics | In Holcomb, Kansas to research the unexplained murder of a family of four, writer Truman Capote (Hoffman) develops a close relationship with one of the killers, Perry Smith (Collins Jr.). | Nice to see Hoffman back in action ... Bennett Miller (The Cruise) makes his feature debut in this awards-ready drama, which got a leg up on Douglas McGrath's sound-alike project starring Toby Jones and Daniel Craig (and Sandra Bullock as Harper Lee, which we would laugh at if she wasn't so good in Crash). This makes us want to curl up and re-read In Cold Blood. Message Board User Comments | Reviews
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Serenity
Showtimes Trailers Photos
| Director: Joss Whedon
Stars: Nathan Fillion Gina Torres Chiwetel Ejiofor ...See Full CastStudio: Universal Pictures | Five hundred years in the future, in the aftermath of a galactic civil war, Captain Malcolm Reynolds (Fillion) rounds up a crew of bandits to steer his ship, "Serenity," between the savage Reavers and the totalitarian Alliance forces in order to protect one of his passengers (Glau) from a ruthless bounty hunter (Ejiofor). | 8 out of 10 stars: Watching Serenity is a bit like being an outsider at a party of old college friends. ...more Message Board User Comments | Reviews
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A History of Violence
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| Director: David Cronenberg
Stars: Viggo Mortensen Maria Bello Ed Harris ...See Full CastStudio: New Line Cinema | The life of a small-town diner owner (Mortensen) and his family is forever changed when he commits a murder in self-defense -- and the resulting media coverage brings him some decidedly unwarranted attention. | 10 out of 10 stars: In It's a Wonderful Life, Frank Capra created a moment that was, for him, one of ultimate terror. ...more Message Board User Comments | Reviews
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Into the Blue
Showtimes Trailers Photos
| Director: John Stockwell
Stars: Paul Walker Jessica Alba Scott Caan Ashley Scott ...See Full CastStudio: Sony Pictures Studios | In the Bahamas, two couples discover a sunken airplane and ship while scuba diving. The plane's cargo lands them in trouble with certain locals, and threatens their potential claim to a fabled treasure. | 3 out of 10 stars: There's a good movie buried beneath the surface of Into the Blue; it's about 20 minutes shorter than the theatrical cut, and none of its stars are allowed to talk much. In fact, in this more-perfect version, Jessica Alba's character would not have the ability to speak. ...more Message Board User Comments | Reviews
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The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio
[limited] Showtimes Trailers Photos
| Director: Jane Anderson
Stars: Julianne Moore Woody Harrelson Laura Dern ...See Full CastStudio: DreamWorks SKG | In order to support her ten children, Evelyn Ryan (Moore) enters a commercial jingle-writing contest.
| After a clunker (Laws of Attraction) and surprise hit (The Forgotten), Moore downshifts into a smaller role for director Anderson (Normal). Moore has never encountered a nuance she couldn't handle, and she's found great company in Harrelson and Dern, but how does the preview look to you? Message Board User Comments | Reviews
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MirrorMask
[limited] Showtimes Trailers Photos
| Director: Dave McKean
Stars: Stephanie Leonidas ...See Full CastStudio: Columbia Pictures | A young girl (Leonidas) from a family of circus entertainers
enters into a fantasy world where she's called upon to help heal a ruler known as the white queen.
| Beloved author Neil Gaiman brings his knowledge of mythology and the depths of the human soul to this long-awaited film; his next project is Beowulf with Robert Zemeckis. Message Board User Comments | Reviews
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Duma
[limited] Showtimes Trailers Photos
| Director: Carroll Ballard
Stars: Alex Michaeletos Campbell Scott Hope Davis ...See Full CastStudio: Warner Bros. Pictures Inc. | Young Xan (Michaeletos), living a non-traditional life on his parents' ranch in Kenya, takes in an orphaned cheetah cub as a pet. Quickly, Xan and Dooms, as the cub comes to be known, become inseparable friends. Based on Cawthra Hopcraft's picture-book. | Campbell Scott and Hope Davis reunite for their second project in as many years, this time for sensitive director Ballard (Fly Away Home, The Black Stallion). In spite of discouraging test screenings, Warner Bros. is giving the film a chance, as critics have backed the family picture, a live action update of the touching book How It Was with Dooms. Ballard has been in this position before, as some 25 years ago, his Stallion was shelved by United Artists (who were mired in Heaven's Gate at the time). When producer Francis Ford Coppola took up the cause, the Stallion rode on to massive success. Message Board User Comments | Reviews
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| CURRENT TOP TEN - IN THEATERS | |
Title |
The Players |
The Plot |
The Buzz
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Flightplan
Showtimes Trailers Photos
| Director: Robert Schwentke
Stars: Jodie Foster Peter Sarsgaard Sean Bean ...See Full CastStudio: Buena Vista Pictures | Emotionally devastated by the sudden death of her husband, Kyle Pratt (Foster) embarks on a non-stop flight from Berlin to New York with her young daughter. Halfway through the flight, the girl disappears without a trace -- and no one on the flight remembers ever seeing her on the plane. Is Kyle crazy, or is there a plot lurking? Luckily, she helped design the jumbo jet, so she knows all the nooks and crannies. | 7 out of 10 stars
Ever since The Silence of the Lambs, Jodie Foster hasn't so much acted in movies as she has granted permission for her presence to inhabit a number of star vehicles. ...more Message Board User Comments | Reviews
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Corpse Bride
Showtimes Trailers Photos
| Director: Tim Burton Mike Johnson
Stars: Johnny Depp Helena Bonham Carter Emily Watson ...See Full CastStudio: Warner Bros. | On a walk to his bride-to-be's village, Victor (Depp) recites his vows in a joking fashion. After he's recited the entire marriage sacrament, however, a living corpse (Bonham Carter) emerges from the ground beneath him, demanding her rights as his wife. | 5 out of 10 stars: Director Tim Burton's The Corpse Bride is a visual marvel, a rich and sumptuous animated film, where almost any single frame would be worthy of freezing and putting up on a wall. Unfortunately all those frames run together...more Message Board User Comments | Reviews
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Just Like Heaven
Showtimes Trailers Photos
| Director: Mark Waters
Stars: Reese Witherspoon Mark Ruffalo Donal Logue ...See Full CastStudio: DreamWorks SKG | A lonely architect (Ruffalo) falls for the spirit of beautiful woman (Witherspoon) who used to live in his new apartment. | 7 out of 10 stars
Part ghost story, part love story and absolutely frickin' adorable, Just Like Heaven is probably about the smartest dumb comedy you'll ever find. ...more Message Board User Comments | Reviews
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Roll Bounce
Showtimes Trailers Photos
| Director: Malcolm D. Lee
Stars: Bow Wow Nick Cannon Meagan Good ...See Full CastStudio: Fox 2000 Pictures | 1970s roller-skate jams fuel this coming-of-age comedy, as X (Bow Wow) and his friends, who rule their local rink, are shocked when their home base goes out of business. Heading over to the Sweetwater Roller Rink, their modest talents fail to impress the trick skaters and pretty girls who follow their every move. | Director Lee hits the rinks in his follow-up to Undercover Brother. By partnering with producers Robert Teitel and George Tillman (who, with both Barbershops and Soul Food to their credit, obviously know Chicago), Lee has found a prime outlet for the his cast -- though who outfitted Nick Cannon with that terrible wig? With a slick trailer and cushy sense of nostalgia, Bounce could go large. Message Board User Comments | Reviews
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The Exorcism of Emily Rose
Showtimes Trailers Photos
| Director: Scott Derrickson
Stars: Laura Linney Tom Wilkinson Shohreh Aghdashloo ...See Full CastStudio: Screen Gems Inc. | Lawyer Erin Bruner (Linney) takes on a negligent homicide case involving a priest (Wilkinson) who performed an exorcism on a young girl. | 3 out of 10 stars
When you're going to see something starring Laura Linney, Tom Wilkinson and Campbell Scott, you'd expect it to be a classy Broadway play and not some cheesy, manipulative thriller, right? ...more Message Board User Comments | Reviews
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Lord of War
Showtimes Trailers Photos
| Director: Andrew Niccol
Stars: Nicolas Cage Ethan Hawke Jared Leto ...See Full CastStudio: Lions Gate Films Inc. | A wily arms dealer (Cage) lives off the spoils of his profession, until he suddenly comes face-to-face with his conscience. Thing is, none of his clients want him to quit. At all. | 8 out of 10 stars: Andrew Niccol's films often concern themselves with identity...more Message Board User Comments | Reviews
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The 40 Year Old Virgin
Showtimes Trailers Photos
| Director: Judd Apatow
Stars: Steve Carell Catherine Keener Paul Rudd ...See Full CastStudio: Universal Pictures | While being coaxed out of lifelong chastity by his co-workers, Andy (Carrell) takes to single mom Trish (Keener), and the couple begin a relationship based on a mutual no-sex policy. | 4 out of 10 stars
Strangely, for a movie that purports to be all about sex and how wonderful it is, The 40-Year-Old Virgin is enough to put you off copulation or any kind of sexual activity for quite a long time. Maybe not as long as its protagonist's wait, but at least for the night. ...more Message Board User Comments | Reviews
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The Constant Gardener
Showtimes Trailers Photos
| Director: Fernando Meirelles
Stars: Ralph Fiennes Rachel Weisz Danny Huston ...See Full CastStudio: Focus Features | In Kenya, English diplomat Justin Quayle (Fiennes) investigates the murder of his wife (Weisz), who had recently uncovered a scandal at a pharmaceutical company. To Quayle's further dismay, she was slain alongside the man he suspected was her lover. | 8 out of 10 stars: The Constant Gardener might be a political platform for City of God director Fernando Meirelles, but he's truly made a movie for Ralph Fiennes, and it's through his character's awakening that the film transcends its source material, and its own inherent flaws. ...more
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Transporter 2
Showtimes Trailers Photos
| Director: Louis Leterrier
Stars: Jason Statham Amber Valletta Kate Nauta ...See Full CastStudio: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp. | Now in Miami, former Special Agent Frank Martin (Statham) returns to his old way of handling problems when his new employers, the Billings family, are victimized by kidnappers. | 6 out of 10 stars: Jason Statham's charm, and his beefy, shock-absorbent physique, spare The Transporter 2 from sinking into Steven Seagal territory; in fact, because of the star's particularly delicious qualities, this might be the most entertaining "antidote" movie ever made. ...more
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Cry_Wolf
Showtimes Trailers Photos
| Director: Jeff Wadlow
Stars: Julian Morris Lindy Booth Jared Padalecki ...See Full CastStudio: Universal Pictures | High school kids create a ruse involving a serial killer named "The Wolf" -- a game that turns terrifyingly real. | With a micro-budget and a saturated online campaign, Cry_Wolf was almost this year's Saw, but it didn't really create the new horror sensation that was within its reach. Next up: Wolf Creek. Message Board User Comments | Reviews
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