Gambling picture, religious melodrama to light up silver screen
A gambling picture (“Two for the Money”), a comedy drama (“In Her Shoes”), a religious melodrama (“The Gospel”) and a family title (“Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit”) are the top titles arriving on this first Friday of October. The new motion pictures (with release dates subject to change) playing at a theater near you include:
– “Dear Wendy,” with Jamie Bell (“Billy Elliot”) and Bill Pullman(“Independence Day”) in Denmark director Lars Von Trier’s exploration of guns and violence in America. The unrated film follows a teenage pacifist who changes his views after he and his friends become intrigued with weapons following exposure to some vintage handguns.
– “The Gospel,” with Clifton Powell (“Ray”) in a PG-rated melodrama about a singer who loses his faith and years later must return home to save his father’s church from being taken over by a money-driven outsider.
– “In Her Shoes,” with Cameron Diaz (“There’s Something About Mary”) and Toni Collette (“The Sixth Sense”) in director Curtis Hanson’s charming adaptation of Jennifer Weiner’s novel about two very different sisters whose love/hate relationship forms the most important aspect of their lives.
– “9 Songs,” British director Michael Winterbottom’s controversial unrated film that mixes hard-core erotic footage into a story about a couple who devote their time to attending rock concerts, taking drugs and having sex.
– “Separate Lies,” with Tom Wilkinson (“In the Bedroom”), Emily Watson (“Punch Drunk Love”) and Rupert Everett (“My Best Friend’s Wedding”) in an R-rated British import that combines adultery and manslaughter. Based on a 1951 novel by Nigel Balchin, the story brings into focus moral questions that revolve around a husband who suspects that his wife was involved in a deadly hit-and-run accident.
– “Two for the Money,” with Matthew McConaughey (“Sahara”) and Al Pacino (“Scarface”) in a an R-rated melodrama about an injured former college football star teaming up with a bookie who specializes in sports gambling.
– “Waiting…,” with Ryan Reynolds (“Blade: Trinity”) and Anna Faris (“Scary Movie”) in an edgy R-rated comedy concerning food servers who get even with mean-spirited restaurant customers.
– “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit,” with the voices of Helena Bonham Carter (“Fight Club”) and Ralph Fiennes (“The Constant Gardener”). In this 85-minute Claymation movie, rated G, the title characters start a humane pest-control business, try to stop rabbits from eating the vegetables grown by their neighbors and then must deal with a werewolf-like bunny that transforms into a hairy beast.
At the buck$ office
Jodie Foster has stayed sky high at the box office for two weekends in a row.
In its second week in theaters, her airborne thriller, “Flightplan,” grossed $15 million, easily taking the top spot. It was followed by “Serenity.” The exciting adaptation of the TV series “Firefly” opened with more than $10 million.
According to the Associated Press, the 10 top-grossing films last weekend were:
1. “Flightplan” ($15 million)
2. “Serenity” ($10.1 million)
3. “Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride” ($9.8 million)
4. “A History of Violence” ($8.2 million)
5. “Into the Blue” ($7 million)
6. “Just Like Heaven” ($6.1 million)
7. “The Exorcism of Emily Rose” ($4.4 million)
8. “Roll Bounce” ($4 million)
9. “The Greatest Game Ever Played” ($3.75 million)
10. “The 40 Year-Old Virgin” ($3.1 million)
Coming soon!
The films scheduled to arrive on Oct. 14 include: “Domino,” a fact-based action thriller with Keira Knightley and Mickey Rourke, and “North Country,” a real-life drama about a sexual-harassment suit with Charlize Theron and Frances McDormand.