Every week, I get several press releases, screening invitations and other notifications from a handful of studio contacts. While I won’t be sharing any information regarding my screening invites, some of the press releases might be of interest to my readers, so I thought I’d start sharing them in toto with all of you. These could include new image galleries for various films or important updates to upcoming releases from various smaller studios and art house production companies.

• Image Gallery: Joyful Noise
• Image Gallery: Warner Bros. 2012 Preview
• Press Release: Hyde Park, Image Nation & National Geographic Joint Venture
• Press Release: The Iron Lady Takes Newsweek Cover
• Press Release: We Need to Talk About Kevin Gets New Release Date
• Press Release: Focus Features 2012 Release Schedule
• Press Release: Focus World Early 2012 Slate
• Press Release: 42 West 2012 Preview

Image Gallery: Joyful Noise

Image Gallery: Warner Bros. 2012 Preview
Featuring: Apparition, Argo, Bullet to the Head, Dark Knight Rises, Dark Shadows, Gangster Squad, Great Gatsby, Hobbit, Jack the Giant Killer, Journey 2, Joyful Noise, Lucky One, Magic Mike, Project X, Rock of Ages and Clash of the Titans.

Press Release: Hyde Park, Image Nation & National Geographic Joint Venture

Hyde Park Entertainment, Image Nation and National Geographic Films to Form Joint Venture

Los Angeles, CA (December 22, 2011) — National Geographic and Image Nation are consolidating their partnership with Hyde Park/Image Nation to finance and produce a wide array of National Geographic themed entertainment projects designed for global distribution. Hyde Park will be the managing partner, and the venture will develop feature films, documentaries, and television series designed to entertain and inspire family audiences around the world.

“We like Hyde Park’s approach to the business, their growth and success in Asia, and the fact that Ashok and his team are already working closely with our partner, Image Nation,” said Tim Kelly, President of National Geographic Society. “This partnership makes sense from all angles, and by folding our current feature film effort into this new venture, we will be able to pursue bigger, more ambitious projects and expand into growing markets like India and China.”

Image Nation Abu Dhabi’s Chairman Mohamed Al Mubarak commented, “This venture will advance our relationship with both Hyde Park and National Geographic. At the same time it will provide another great opportunity for young Emirati filmmakers to gain real world, hands-on experience that will help build their personal/professional networks so critical to success in the motion picture industry.”

Hyde Park’s Chairman, Ashok Amritraj said, “Hyde Park and National Geographic have enjoyed a close relationship with Image Nation over the years, and by aligning the two brands, we create a dynamic venture that will deliver high-quality entertainment to audiences around the world.”

Amritraj will serve as CEO of the new Nat Geo/IN/Hyde Park venture, with current National Geographic Feature Film President Daniel Battsek transitioning to a new role as a consultant. Hyde Park International will be the worldwide sales representative for the entity’s feature film slate.
About Hyde Park-Image Nation
Hyde Park-Image Nation, along with Sony Pictures Entertainment, is currently preparing the release of GHOST RIDER: SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE which will open worldwide day and date on February 17, 2012.

In 2009, Amritraj’s Hyde Park Entertainment and Image Nation Abu Dhabi partnered on a $250 million financing deal to develop, produce and distribute feature films. They extended their partnership to create a strategic alliance with Singapore’s Media Development Authority (MDA). Under this deal, Hyde Park-Image Nation Singapore was launched in 2010 to fund multiple films worth an estimated production value of $75 million.

About National Geographic
The National Geographic Society is one of the world’s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations. Founded in 1888, the Society’s mission is to inspire people to care about the planet. It reaches more than 400 million people worldwide each month through its official journal, National Geographic, and other magazines; National Geographic Channel; television documentaries; music; radio; films; books; DVDs; maps; exhibitions; live events; school publishing programs; interactive media; and merchandise.

National Geographic Films, now part of a new partnership between Hyde Park Entertainment and ImageNation, co-presented the box-office success and 2005 Academy Award-winning film “March of the Penguins.” In 2008 it formed an international film fund with ImageNation, a partnership that produced Academy Award nominee Peter Weir’s “The Way Back.” National Geographic Cinema Ventures, now a division of National Geographic Television & Film and responsible for production and distribution of giant-screen, 3D and speciality films, distributed the 2011 critically acclaimed, Academy Award-nominated “Restrepo.” For more information, visit www.nationalgeographic.com.

Press Release: The Iron Lady Takes Newsweek Cover

Press Release: We Need to Talk About Kevin Gets New Release Date

Oscilloscope pushes up Theatrical Release Date for Tilda Swinton Starrer ‘We Need to Talk About Kevin’

Awards momentum and STRONG oscar qualifying run built demand for the January 13th and JANUARY 20TH release

New York, NY (December 21, 2011) – New York-based distributor Oscilloscope Laboratories announced today that the company has pushed up the New York theatrical release for the Tilda Swinton starrer WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN. Set to play at the Lincoln Plaza Cinemas and Angelika Film Center, the picture will now open in New York on Friday, January 13th, 2012 and at the Arclight Hollywood Theater in Los Angeles on Friday, January 20th, 2012.

A suspenseful and gripping psychological thriller, Lynne Ramsay’s WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN explores the factious relationship between a mother and her son. Swinton, in a bracing, tour-de-force performance, plays the mother, Eva, as she contends for 15 years with the increasing malevolence of her first-born child, Kevin (Ezra Miller). Based on the best-selling novel of the same name, the film explores nature vs. nurture on a whole new level as Eva’s own culpability is measured against Kevin’s innate evilness.

“We had an amazing one-week qualifying run in December where the film’s attendance exceeded even our highest expectations. The reviews were stellar and the word of mouth is only growing. It’s an intense psychological thriller that audiences feel the need to talk about afterwards. By definition this is an ideal ‘Word of Mouth’ film,” said David Fenkel, President of Oscilloscope Laboratories. “Theaters are excited to have a quality arthouse genre film to bring in younger audiences”

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN has already garnered several accolades and nominations this awards season, including numerous BEST ACTRESS recognitions for its lead star Tilda Swinton:

National Board of Review (WINNER – BEST ACTRESS)
Golden Globes (NOMINEE – BEST ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA)
Screen Actors Guild (BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE)
European Film Awards (WINNER – BEST ACTRESS)
British Independent Film Awards (WINNER – BEST DIRECTOR)
San Francisco Film Critics (WINNER – BEST ACTRESS)
Women Film Critics Circle (WINNER – BEST FILM BY A WOMAN)
Houston Film Critics (WINNER – BEST ACTRESS)
Broadcast Film Critics Awards (NOMINEE – BEST ACTRESS)
British Independent Film Awards (NOMINEE – BEST ACTRESS)
British Independent Film Awards (NOMINEE – BEST FILM)
British Independent Film Awards (NOMINEE – BEST SCREENPLAY)
London Film Critics Circle (NOMINEE – BRITISH FILM OF THE YEAR)
London Film Critics Circle (NOMINEE – ACTRESS OF THE YEAR)
London Film Critics CIRCLE (NOMINEE – DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR)
Washington DC Film Critics (NOMINEE – BEST ACTRESS)
San Diego Film Critics (NOMINEE – BEST ACTRESS)
Indiana Film Critics (NOMINEE – BEST ACTRESS)

About Oscilloscope Laboratories:
Oscilloscope Laboratories is a film production and theatrical distribution entity launched in 2008 by Adam Yauch of Beastie Boys. Yauch modeled the company after the indie record labels he grew up around, selecting and marketing films with the same artistic integrity with which they were made. The company, which is an extension of Yauch’s recording studio of the same name, has an in-house DVD distribution and production arm, and its paper packaging is reminiscent of the heyday of LP record jackets. All of the company’s plastic-free DVD packaging is printed on FSC Certified 80% post-consumer waste paper and produced in a carbon-neutral hydroelectric plant.

Other Oscilloscope theatrical releases include Yauch’s GUNNIN’ FOR THAT #1 SPOT, Irena Salina’s FLOW, Kelly Reichardt’s WENDY AND LUCY starring Michelle Williams, So Yong Kim’s TREELESS MOUNTAIN, the Academy Award®-nominated THE GARDEN from Scott Hamilton Kennedy, Anders Østergaard’s Academy Award®-nominated BURMA VJ, Nati Baratz’s UNMISTAKEN CHILD, Oren Moverman’s Academy Award®-nominated THE MESSENGER starring Woody Harrelson, Ben Foster, and Samantha Morton, Henrik Ruben Genz’s Danish thriller TERRIBLY HAPPY, Michel Gondry’s personal family documentary THE THORN IN THE HEART, Jules Dassin’s classic THE LAW, Yael Hersonski’s award-winning WWII documentary A FILM UNFINISHED, Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman’s HOWL starring James Franco as Allen Ginsberg, Jalmari Helander’s Christmas fantasy RARE EXPORTS: A CHRISTMAS TALE, Academy Award®-nominated director Dana Adam Shapiro’s MONOGAMY starring Chris Messina and Rashida Jones, Kelly Reichardt’s Western drama MEEK’S CUTOFF starring Michelle Williams, Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker Marshall Curry’s IF A TREE FALLS: A STORY OF THE EARTH LIBERATION FRONT, and Andrea Nevins’ punk rock dad doc THE OTHER F WORD. Upcoming releases include Lynne Ramsay’s WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN starring Tilda Swinton, John C. Reilly, and Ezra Miller, and Andrea Arnold’s WUTHERING HEIGHTS.

Press Release: Focus Features 2012 Release Schedule

Being Flynn – March 2, 2012 (select cities)

Being Flynn is the new dramatic feature from Academy Award-nominated writer/director Paul Weitz (About a Boy). Adapted from Nick Flynn’s 2004 memoir Another Bulls—t Night in Suck City, the movie explores bonds both unbreakable and fragile between parent and child. Paul Dano (Little Miss Sunshine and There Will Be Blood) portrays Nick Flynn, a young writer seeking to define himself. He misses his late mother, Jody (four-time Academy Award nominee Julianne Moore), and her loving nature. But his father, Jonathan, is not even a memory, as Nick has not seen the man in 18 years. Jonathan Flynn (two-time Academy Award winner Robert De Niro) has long defined himself as a great writer, “a master storyteller.” Suddenly facing eviction from his apartment, Jonathan impulsively reaches out to Nick and the two come face-to-face.
Director: Paul Weitz “About a Boy,” “In Good Company”)
Writers: Paul Weitz; Based on the memoir Another Bulls—t Night in Suck City by Nick Flynn
Cast: Robert De Niro, Paul Dano, Olivia Thirlby, Lili Taylor, Wes Studi, Julianne Moore

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World – April 20, 2012 (wide)

The feature directorial debut of screenwriter Lorene Scafaria stars Golden Globe Award winner Steve Carell and Academy Award nominee Keira Knightley. Set in a too-near future, the movie explores what people will do when humanity’s last days are at hand. As the respective journeys of Dodge (Mr. Carell) and Penny (Ms. Knightley) converge, the two spark to each other and their outlooks – if not the world’s – brighten.
Writer/Director: Lorene Scafaria (“Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist”)
Cast: Steve Carell, Keira Knightley, Connie Britton, Adam Brody, Rob Corddry, Gillian Jacobs, Derek Luke, Melanie Lynskey, TJ Miller, Mark Moses, Patton Oswalt, William Petersen

Moonrise Kingdom – May 25, 2012 (select cities)

The new feature from two-time Academy Award nominee Wes Anderson. Set on an island off the coast of New England in the 1960s, the film follows a young boy and girl (Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward) falling in love. When they are moved to run away together, various factions of the town mobilize to search for them and the town is turned upside down – which might not be such a bad thing. Bruce Willis plays the town sheriff; two-time Academy Award nominee Edward Norton is cast as a camp leader; and Academy Award nominee Bill Murray and Academy Award winner Frances McDormand portray the young girl’s parents.
Director: Wes Anderson (“The Royal Tenenbaums,” “Rushmore,” “Fantastic Mr. Fox”)
Writers: Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola (“The Darjeeling Limited”)
Cast: Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward

ParaNorman – August 17, 2012 (wide)

The new 3D stop-motion comedy thriller from animation company LAIKA, reteaming the company with Focus Features after the groundbreaking Academy Award-nominated “Coraline.” “ParaNorman” is, following “Coraline,” the company’s second stop-motion animated feature to be made in 3D. In “ParaNorman,” a small town comes under siege by zombies. Who can it call? Only misunderstood local boy Norman (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee), who is able to speak with the dead. In addition to the zombies, he’ll have to take on ghosts, witches and, worst, of all, grown-ups, to save his town from a centuries-old curse. But this young ghoul whisperer may find his paranormal activities pushed to their otherworldly limits.
Directors: Sam Fell (“The Tale of Despereaux,” “Flushed Away”) and Chris Butler
Writer: Chris Butler
Cast: Casey Affleck, Tempestt Bledsoe, Alex Borstein, Jodelle Ferland, John Goodman, Bernard Hill, Anna Kendrick, Leslie Mann, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Elaine Stritch

Hyde Park on Hudson – 2012

In June 1939, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Academy Award nominee Bill Murray) and his wife Eleanor (Olivia Williams) host the King and Queen of England (Samuel West and Olivia Colman) for a weekend at the Roosevelt home at Hyde Park on Hudson, in upstate New York – the first-ever visit of a reigning English monarch to America. With Britain facing imminent war with Germany, the Royals are desperately looking to FDR for support. But international affairs must be juggled with the complexities of FDR’s domestic establishment, as wife, mother, and mistresses all conspire to make the royal weekend an unforgettable one. Seen through the eyes of Daisy (Academy Award nominee Laura Linney), Franklin’s neighbor and intimate, the weekend will produce not only a special relationship between two great nations, but, for Daisy – and through her, for us all – a deeper understanding of the mysteries of love and friendship.
Director: Roger Michell (“Venus,” “Notting Hill,” “Persuasion”)
Writer: Richard Nelson; Based on his radio play
Cast: Bill Murray, Laura Linney, Samuel West, Olivia Colman, Olivia Williams, Elizabeth Marvel, Elizabeth Wilson, Eleanor Bron

Anna Karenina – 2012

The third collaboration of Academy Award nominee Keira Knightley with director Joe Wright, following the award-winning boxoffice successes “Pride & Prejudice” and “Atonement,” is the epic love story “Anna Karenina,” adapted from Leo Tolstoy’s classic novel by Academy Award winner Tom Stoppard (“Shakespeare in Love”). The story unfolds in its original late-19th-century Russia high-society setting and powerfully explores the capacity for love that surges through the human heart, from the passion between adulterers to the bond between a mother and her children. As Anna (Ms. Knightley) questions her happiness, change comes to her family, friends, and community.
Director: Joe Wright (“Atonement,” “Pride & Prejudice,” “Hanna”)
Writer: Tom Stoppard (“Shakespeare in Love”); Based on the novel by Leo Tolstoy
Cast: Keira Knightley, Jude Law, Aaron Johnson, Kelly Macdonald, Matthew Macfadyen, Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander, Emily Watson, Olivia Williams, Ruth Wilson

Press Release: Focus World Early 2012 Slate

Focus World Announces Early 2012 Slate;

James Franco’s The Broken Tower, Gauku Úlfarsson’s Gnarr, Linda Cardellini, Michael Shannon in Liza Johnson’s Return

New York, December 19th, 2011 – Focus World, the unique digital distribution initiative owned and operated by Focus Features, has closed deals on its slate for the first quarter of 2012. The announcement was made today by Focus President Andrew Karpen. The deals were closed by Avy Eschenasy, Executive Vice President, Strategic Planning, Business Affairs and Acquisitions, with Manager, Digital Content Kent Sanderson.

The new Focus World selections include The Broken Tower, directed by Academy Award-nominated actor James Franco, which will be released digitally on January 10th; Gaukur Úlfarsson’s documentary feature Gnarr, which will be released February 7th; and Liza Johnson’s Return, which will be released February 28th.

Launched earlier this year, Focus World identifies and curates the most exciting voices in international and independent cinema. Part of Focus Features’ multi-platform strategy, Focus World presents titles of genuine vision and originality as premiere releases on EST, iVOD, and VOD, along with DVD and other formats.

The Broken Tower was adapted and directed by James Franco. Using a style as daring as its subject, the film chronicles the life of “Lost Generation” poet Hart Crane (portrayed by Mr. Franco). Shot in vivid black-and-white, the film premiered earlier this year at the Los Angeles Film Festival.

Gnarr, which premiered at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, documents comedian Jón Gnarr’s wildly unpredictable campaign for mayor of Reykjavik. The campaign originated as a joke but became a political statement – and achieved an unexpected momentum that swept Mr. Gnarr into office. Gnarr is being released digitally during the height of 2012’s U.S. presidential primary season.

Writer/director Liza Johnson’s Return, which premiered as part of the Directors’ Fortnight at the 2011 Cannes International Film Festival, is a drama about a female U.S. Army reservist who comes home after a tour of duty and has trouble readjusting to small-town life. The movie stars Linda Cardellini (ER), Academy Award nominee Michael Shannon, and John Slattery (Mad Men).

Additionally, Focus World and Entertainment One will release several titles – all already available digitally – on DVD throughout the first quarter of 2012: Alma Har’el’s Bombay Beach, on January 17th, Jon Foy’s Resurrect Dead, on January 31st, and Toniko Melo’s VIPs, on February 14th.

About Focus Features
Focus Features is part of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. Comcast Corporation owns a controlling 51% interest in NBCUniversal, with GE holding a 49% stake.

Press Release: 42 West 2012 Preview

The Iron Lady

December 30, 2011 – Limited
January 13, 2012 – Wide Release
Rated: PG-13
Distributed by: The Weinstein Company
Directed by: Phyllida Lloyd
Written by: Abi Morgan
Produced by: Francois Ivernel, Damian Jones, Adam Kulick, Cameron McCracken, Anita Overland, Tessa Ross
Cast: Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent, Harry Lloyd, Alexandra Roach
Synopsis:
THE IRON LADY looks at the rise and fall of trail-blazing politician Margaret Thatcher through the lens of her own latter-day life. A reckoning with the past, as she sees it, the film imagines how the longest-serving Prime Minister of the UK, and the first woman ever to be elected as head of government in the West, reconciles her ground-breaking history with the costs of power. Two-time Academy Award®-winning actress Meryl Streep brings Margaret Thatcher to vivid life over a 40-year span, delivering a performance of spellbinding power.

Underworld Awakening

January 20, 2012
Action/Horror
UNDERWORLD AWAKENING brings a stunning new dimension to the epic battle between Vampires and Lycans, as the first film in the franchise to shoot in 3D.

Kate Beckinsale, star of the first two films, returns in her lead role as the vampire warrioress Selene, who escapes imprisonment to find herself in a world where humans have discovered the existence of both Vampire and Lycan clans, and are conducting an all-out war to eradicate both immortal species.

Directed by Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein

Screenplay by [NOT FINAL] Len Wiseman, John Hlavin, Allison Burnett, J. Michael Straczynski
Produced by Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi, Len Wiseman, Richard Wright
Executive Producers Eric Reid, David Kern, David Coatsworth, James McQuaide, Skip Williamson, Henry Winterstern
Cast Kate Beckinsale, Stephen Rea, Michael Ealy, Theo James, India Eisley, Charles Dance
This film is not yet rated by the MPAA. For future ratings information refer to http://www.filmratings.com. Credits not final

The Grey

Open Road Films Presents In Association with Inferno
In Association with Liddell Entertainment
A Scott Free/Chambara Pictures Production
In Association with 1984 Private Defense Contractors
Release Date: January 27, 2012
In THE GREY, Liam Neeson leads an unruly group of oil-rig roughnecks when their plane crashes into the remote Alaskan wilderness. Battling mortal injuries and merciless weather, the survivors have only a few days to escape the icy elements – and a vicious pack of rogue wolves on the hunt – before their time runs out.
Running time: 117 minutes
Rating: R
Writer/Director: Joe Carnahan
Cast: Liam Neeson, Frank Grillo (upcoming Lay The Favorite, Warrior), Dermot Mulroney (upcoming J. Edgar and Everybody Loves Whales, Burn After Reading, About Schmidt), Dallas Roberts (“The Good Wife,” 3:10 To Yuma), Joe Anderson (upcoming ABC’s “The River,” Across The Universe), James Badge Dale (upcoming World War Z, The Conspirator, HBO’s “The Pacific”) and Nonso Anozie (HBO’s “Game Of Thrones,” Conan The Barbarian, RocknRolla)
Casting by: John Papsidera C.S.A
Music by: Marc Streitenfeld
Edited by: Roger Barton, Jason Hellmann
Production Designer: John Willett
Director of Photography: Masanobu Takayanagi
Co-Producer: Douglas Saylor Jr.
Executive Producers: Jim Seibel, Bill Jhonson, Marc Butan, Tony Scott, Jennifer Hilton Monroe, Spencer Silna, Aditya Shankar, Ross T. Fanger
Produced by: Jules Daly, Joe Carnahan, Ridley Scott, Mickey Liddell
Based on the Short Ghost Story “Ghost Walker” by: Ian Mackenzie Jeffers
Screenplay by: Joe Carnahan & Ian Mackenzie Jeffers
Directed by: Joe Carnahan

One for the Money

Release Date: January 27, 2012
Starring: Katherine Heigl, Jason O’Mara, Daniel Sunjata, John Leguizamo, Sherri Shepherd, and Debbie Reynolds
Directed by: Julie Anne Robinson
Screenplay by: Stacy Sherman & Karen Ray and Liz Brixius
Based on the Novel by: Janet Evanovich
Synopsis:
Katherine Heigl brings Stephanie Plum – the popular heroine of Janet Evanovich’s worldwide best-selling seventeenth-book mystery series – to vibrant life in Lionsgate and Lakeshore Entertainment’s ONE FOR THE MONEY.

A proud, born-and-bred Jersey girl, Stephanie Plum’s got plenty of attitude, even if she’s been out of work for the last six months and just lost her car to a debt collector. Desperate for some fast cash, Stephanie turns to her last resort: convincing her sleazy cousin to give her a job at his bail bonding company…as a recovery agent. True, she doesn’t even own a pair of handcuffs and her weapon of choice is pepper spray, but that doesn’t stop Stephanie from taking on Vinny’s biggest bail-jumper: former vice cop and murder suspect Joe Morelli – yup, the same sexy, irresistible Joe Morelli who seduced and dumped her back in high school.
Nabbing Morelli would be satisfying payback – and a hefty payday – but as Stephanie learns the ins and outs of becoming a recovery agent from Ranger, a hunky colleague who’s the best in the business, she also realizes the case against Morelli isn’t airtight. Add to the mix her meddling family, a potentially homicidal boxer, witnesses who keep dying and the problem of all those flying sparks when she finds Morelli himself…well, suddenly Stephanie’s new job isn’t nearly as easy as she thought.

Starring Katherine Heigl, ONE FOR THE MONEY is a fresh, funny action-comedy directed by Julie Anne Robinson and also starring Jason O’Mara, Daniel Sunjata, John Leguiziamo, Sherri Shepherd and Debbie Reynolds. Lionsgate and Lakeshore Entertainment present a Lakeshore Entertainment Lionsgate Wendy Finerman Sidney Kimmel Entertainment production in association with Abishag Productions. Directed by Julie Anne Robinson. Screenplay by Stacy Sherman & Karen Ray and Liz Brixius. Based on the novel by Janet Evanovich.

Declaration of War

January 27, 2012
The opening night film at this year’s Critics Week at the Cannes Film Festival, this exuberant and deeply moving film directed by Valérie Donzelli follows a new couple, Romeo (Jérémie Elkaïm) and Juliette (Valérie Donzelli), who must face the ultimate test when they discover their newborn child is very ill. Gathering their friends and family together, they confront this ordeal together as a form of warfare. Donzelli infuses the story with unexpected verve using a host of cinematic techniques, music and heartbreaking performances that results in a film about a contemporary couple who surprises even themselves with their ability to fight not only for the life of their child but for each other. Drawing on the real life experiences of Donzelli and co-star/co-writer Elkaïm and what they went through when their own son fell ill, the film will bring tears to your eyes and dazzle you with its contagious vitality.

A critical and box office hit at home, DECLARATION OF WAR is France’s official entry for Best Foreign Language Film for the 2011 Academy Awards®. DECLARATION OF WAR, Donzelli’s second feature, firmly establishes her as one of France’s greatest new talents. The film will open on Friday, January 27 in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles (at Landmark’s Nuart Theatre) followed by a national rollout beginning on Friday, February 3. It will also be available nationwide on video on demand beginning Friday, February 3.

“A JOY TO WATCH. Plays like something Jacques Demy or Francois Truffaut might have cooked up together. Few viewers will fail to be moved and charmed by the tale of a couple energized and (at least) briefly united by every parent’s worst nightmare.” – Lee Marshall, Screen International
“Full of life and easy to relate to. Tells its heartfelt story in a lively and energetic style.” – Boyd Van Hoeij, Variety
“This film deserves a champion — its mere existence is fascinating, and its peak moments constitute some of the smartest character-based scenes in any film at Cannes this year.” – Karina Longworth, LA Weekly

Thin Ice

Genre: Black Comedy
Director: Jill Sprecher
Writer: Jill Sprecher & Karen L. Sprecher
Starring: Greg Kinnear, Alan Arkin, Billy Crudup, David Harbour, Lea Thompson, Bob Balaban
Mickey Prohaska (Greg Kinnear) is a small-time insurance agent looking for a way to jump-start his business, reunite with his estranged wife (Lea Thompson) and escape the frigid Wisconsin weather. This self-proclaimed master of spin believes that salesmanship is about selling a story — all he needs is a sucker willing to buy it. He hits pay dirt with a lonely retired farmer (Alan Arkin) who is sitting on something much bigger than an insurance commission. But Mickey’s attempt to con the old man spins out of control when a nosy, unstable locksmith (Billy Crudup) with a volatile temper dramatically ups the stakes, trapping him in a spiral of danger, deceit and double-crossing. Blending dark comedy and delirious Midwestern noir, THIN ICE reaches a breaking point that no one — least of all Mickey Prohaska — could ever see coming.

ATO Pictures will release THIN ICE in February 2012.

The Woman in Black

February 3, 2012
Directed by: James Watkins
Screenplay by: Jane Goldman, Based on the novel by Susan Hill
Produced by: Richard Jackson, Simon Oakes, Brian Oliver
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Ciarán Hinds, Janet McTeer, Liz White
Run Time/Rating: Running Time TBD / This film has been rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for Thematic Material and Violence / Disturbing Images.
Synopsis:
In this supernatural thriller, Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe), a widowed lawyer whose grief has put his career in jeopardy, is sent to a remote village to sort out the affairs of a recently deceased eccentric. But upon his arrival, it soon becomes clear that everyone in the town is keeping a deadly secret. Although the townspeople try to keep Kipps from learning their tragic history, he soon discovers that the house belonging to his client is haunted by the ghost of a woman who is determined to find someone and something she lost…and no one, not even the children, are safe from her vengeance.

CBS Films and Cross Creek Pictures in association with Hammer and Alliance Films present Daniel Radcliffe in The Woman in Black, a Talisman Production in association with Hammer Films and The UK Film Council. Ciarán Hinds (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2), Janet McTeer (Tumbleweeds) and Liz White (Vera Drake) also star. Film is directed by James Watkins (Eden Lake). Based on the novel by Susan Hill, the screenplay was written by Jane Goldman (Kick-Ass). Producers are Richard Jackson, Simon Oakes and Brian Oliver. Executive Producers are Nigel Sinclair, Guy East, Tobin Armbrust, Neil Dunn, Xavier Marchand, Charles Layton, Roy Lee, Tyler Thompson and Marc Schipper. Paul Ritchie and Ben Holden are co-producers. Director of Photography is Tim Maurice-Jones. Production Designer is Kave Quinn. Editor is Jon Harris. Casting is by Karen Lindsay-Stewart. Music is by Marco Beltrami.

Creator/Executive Producer Theresa Rebeck

NBC’s Smash

Mondays at 10PM
Premieres February 6, 2011

Theresa Rebeck is the creator and executive producer of NBC’s new musical drama “Smash.”

Rebeck is also an acclaimed and widely produced playwright whose newest play, “Seminar” starring Alan Rickman, is currently playing on Broadway.

Rebeck’s extensive television credits include writer/co-producer for “NYPD Blue,” writer/co-executive producer for “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” co-executive producer for “Canterbury’s Law,” and writer for “L.A. Law,” “Third Watch,” “Dream On” and “Brooklyn Bridge.” For her work on “NYPD Blue,” Rebeck received two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Drama Series, the Writer’s Guild of America Award for Episodic Drama, a Peabody Award, and an Edgar Award. Rebeck has also written the screenplays for the films “Gossip” and “Harriet the Spy.”

Her past New York productions include “The Understudy,” “Mauritius,” “The Scene,” “The Water’s Edge,” “Bad Dates,” “The Butterfly Collection,” “Spike Heels,” “Loose Knit,” “The Family of Mann,” “View of the Dome” and “Omnium Gatherum” (co-written, Pulitzer finalist). Rebeck’s published works include “Collected Plays Volumes I-III” and “Free Fire Zone” with Smith & Kraus, as well as novels, “Three Girls and Their Brother” and “Twelve Rooms with a View.”

As a playwright, Rebeck has received numerous awards including the National Theatre Conference Award, the William Inge New Voices Playwriting Award, the PEN/Laura Pels Foundation Award, an Alex Award and a Lilly Award.

Rebeck is a Contributing Editor to the Harvard Review, an Associate Artist of the Roundabout Theatre Company, serves on the Board of Directors for the Lark, and she is the Treasurer of the Dramatist Guild. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Jess, and two children, Cooper and Cleo.

The Vow

February 10, 2012
Drama

A newlywed couple recovers from a car accident that puts the wife in a coma. Waking up with severe memory loss, her husband endeavors to win her heart again.

Directed by Michael Sucsy
Screenplay by Abby Kohn & Marc Silverstein, Jason Katims
Story by Stuart Sender
Produced by Jonathan Glickman, Paul Taublieb, Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum
Executive Producers J. Miles Dale, Austin Hearst, Susan Cooper
Cast Rachel McAdams, Channing Tatum, Sam Neill, Scott Speedman, Jessica Lange

This film is not yet rated by the MPAA. For future ratings information refer to http://www.filmratings.com. Credits not final

Act of Valor

February 24, 2012
Directed by: Mike “Mouse” McCoy, Scott Waugh
Written by: Kurt Johnstad
Cast: Active Duty Navy SEALs, Roselyn Sanchez, Alex Veadov, Jason Cottle, Nestor Serrano
Produced by: Mike “Mouse” McCoy, Scott Waugh
Executive Producer: Jason Clark, Max Leitman, Michael Mailis, Jay Pollak, Lance Sloane, Benjamin Statler, Thomas Tull
Rating: TBD
Runtime: 101 minutes
An unprecedented blend of real-life heroism and original filmmaking, Act of Valor stars a group of active-duty Navy SEALs in a powerful story of contemporary global anti-terrorism. Inspired by true events, the film combines stunning combat sequences, up-to-the minute battlefield technology and heart-pumping emotion for the ultimate action adventure.

Act of Valor takes audiences deep into the secretive world of the most elite, highly trained group of warriors in the modern world. When the rescue of a kidnapped CIA operative leads to the discovery of a deadly terrorist plot against the U.S., a team of SEALs is dispatched on a worldwide manhunt. As the valiant men of Bandito Platoon race to stop a coordinated attack that could kill and wound thousands of American civilians, they must balance their commitment to country, team and their families back home.

Each time they accomplish their mission, a new piece of intelligence reveals another shocking twist to the cunning terror plot, which stretches from Chechnya to the Philippines and from Ukraine to Somalia. The widening operation sends the SEALs across the globe as they track the terrorist ring to the U.S.-Mexico border, where they engage in an epic firefight whose outcome has potentially unimaginable consequences for the future of America.

Wanderlust

Writer/Director David Wain
February 22, 2011

David directed, co-wrote and produced the film

Linda (Jennifer Aniston) and George (Paul Rudd), a married couple who finds they are unable to afford their Manhattan home after George loses his job. As a result they are forced to drive to Atlanta to move in with George’s brother. However, along the way, they find themselves in a commune instead of what they thought was a bed and breakfast. Linda and George decide to take the term “free love” literally during their wild stay at the commune.

Musical Chairs

Directed by: Susan Seidelman (“Desperately Seeking Susan,” “Smithereens,” “Boynton Beach Club”)
Release Date: March 2012

Set against the exciting backdrop of competitive ballroom dancing, MUSICAL CHAIRS is about Armando (E.J. Bonilla) a Bronx-bred Latino who aspires to be a dancer but whose only way in is as handyman at a Manhattan dance studio, and Mia (Leah Pipes), an Upper East Side princess who is the studio’s star performer. Though worlds apart, their shared passion for dance promises to bring them together until a tragic accident changes Mia’s life forever, and she finds herself wheelchair-bound at a rehab facility, with her dreams of a dance career shattered. Fortunately, Armando has enough dreams for both of them and, when he hears about a wheelchair ballroom dance competition that will soon be held in NY, he sees a way to return something to Mia that she thinks is lost forever. At first she is reluctant–wheelchair dancing, though highly popular overseas, is something she never even knew existed. But, with the help of several other patients at the rehab center, Armando organizes an intense training program that will bring them all center stage and in the spotlight. The prize is irrelevant; what they really stand to win back is their zest for life.

Think Like a Man

March 9, 2012
Comedy

Based on Steve Harvey’s best-selling book, Think Like a Man follows four interconnected and diverse men whose love lives are shaken up after the ladies they are pursuing buy Harvey’s book and start taking his advice to heart. When the band of brothers realize they have been betrayed by one of their own, they conspire using the book’s insider information to turn the tables and teach the women a lesson of their own. The movie is directed by Tim Story and written by Keith Merryman & David A. Newman.
Directed by Tim Story
Written by Keith Merryman & David A. Newman
Based upon the book “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man” by: Steve Harvey
Produced by Will Packer
Executive Producers Steve Harvey, Rushion McDonald, Rob Hardy, Glenn S. Gainor
Cast Michael Ealy, Jerry Ferrara, Meagan Good, Regina Hall, Kevin Hart, Taraji P. Henson, Terrence J, Jenifer Lewis, Romany Malco, Gary Owen, Gabrielle Union

This film is not yet rated by the MPAA. For future ratings information refer to http://www.filmratings.com. Credits not final

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

March 2012
Directed by: Lasse Hallström
Screenplay by: Simon Beaufoy, Based on the novel by Paul Torday
Produced by: Paul Webster
Executive Produced by: Jamie Laurenson, Paula Jalfon, Zygi Kamasa, Guy Avshalom, Stephen Garrett
Co-Executive Produced by: Samuel Hadida, Victor Hadida
Co-Produced by: Nicky Kentish Barnes
Cast: Emily Blunt, Ewan McGregor, Kristin Scott Thomas, Amr Waked
Run Time/Rating: Running Time TBD / This film has not yet been rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.
Synopsis: From the beloved director of Chocolat and the Oscar-winning screenwriter of Slumdog Millionaire comes the inspirational comedy Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. A visionary sheik (Amr Waked) has a big dream – to bring salmon fishing to the desert. Willing to spare no expense, he instructs his representative (Emily Blunt) to turn his dream into reality, an extraordinary feat that will require the involvement of Britain’s leading fisheries expert (Ewan McGregor) who happens to think the project both absurd and unachievable. That is, until the Prime Minister’s overzealous press secretary (Kristin Scott Thomas) latches on for its potential as a ‘good will’ story. Now, this unlikely team will put it all on the line and embark on an upstream journey of faith and fish to prove the impossible, possible.

Casa de mi Padre

A Gary Sanchez Productions and Nala Films Production
Release Date: March 16, 2012
Armando Alvarez (Will Ferrell) has lived and worked on his father’s ranch in Mexico his entire life. As the ranch faces financial strains, Armando’s younger brother Raul (Diego Luna) shows up with his new fiancée, Sonia (Genesis Rodriguez) and pledges to settle all his father’s debts. It seems that Raul’s success as an international businessman means the ranch’s troubles are over, but when Armando falls for Sonia, and Raul’s business dealings turn out to be less than legit, the Alvarez family finds themselves in a full-out war with Mexico’s most feared drug lord, the mighty Onza (Gael Garcia Bernal).

This film is in Spanish
Run Time: 84 Minutes
Rating: R
Directed by: Matt Piedmont
Cast: Will Ferrell, Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna, Genesis Rodriguez, Pedro Armendáriz Jr., Nick Offerman, Efren Ramirez, and Adrian Martinez

The Raid

Opens March 23, 2012
Directed and written by: Gareth Evans
Produced by: Ario Sagantoro
*** Official Selection ***
Toronto International Film Festival 2011
Sundance Film Festival 2012
** Soundtrack by Mike Shinoda of Lincoln Park **

Rama, a member of a special forces team, arrives at a rundown apartment block with a mission to remove its owner, a notorious drug lord. The building has become a sanctuary to killers, gangs, rapists and thieves seeking accommodation in the one place they know they cannot be touched by the police. When a spotter blows their cover, Rama and his team must fight their way through every floor and every room not just to complete their mission but to survive their bloody ordeal.

Opening NY/LA on March 23, 2012 | Runtime: 100 min | Not Yet Rated

Brake

Release Dates:
February 17, 2012 – VOD
March 23, 2012 – Theatrical
Starring: Stephen Dorff

Intruders

March 30, 20112

No Room for Rockstars

AOP and Vans Off the Wall present NO ROOM FOR ROCKSTARS
Producers: Stacy Peralta and Agi Orsi
Co-Producer: Cecy Rangel
Director of Photogaphy: Josh Slazman
Editors: Parris Patton and Josh Altman
Director: Parris Patton
Executive Producer: Doug Palladini
Release Date: April 2, 2012 on ITUNES
Running Time: 97 Minutes

For 17 years, the Vans Warped Tour has been a punk rock juggernaut, a misfit circus criss-crossing North America every summer as a wandering minstrel show for youth culture. Embracing a powerful, unifying ethic created by its founder Kevin Lyman, the Vans Warped Tour has grown and prospered as the music industry itself imploded and continues to sift through the rubble in search of a new way forward. Along the way, Warped has provided a launching pad for a dizzying array of talent, from Green Day and Blink 182 to Ice-T, Eminem and No Doubt, along with perennial punk legends such as Pennywise, All, Bouncing Souls and Bad Religion.

With more than 300 hours of film shot during the 2010 tour, No Room For Rock Stars documents the true stories of modern era rock and roll from every possible angle. From the kids in the van playing parking lots to gain notice, to the veteran stage manager whose life was saved by the tour, to the musician who crosses over to mainstream success while on the road, No Room For Rock Stars is Cinema Vérité story-telling at its finest. A historical retrospective or concert film this is not. No Room For Rock Stars is meaningful insight into current state of rock and roll and the zeitgeist of youth culture.
Accompanying the film will be a blazing soundtrack of Vans Warped Tour all-time greatest hits. The project will also have a significant library of bonus content, some of which will be featured on the No Room For Rockstars mini-site at vans.com/warped and vanswarpedtour.com.

From the team that brought you the highly acclaimed Dogtown and Z-Boys, No Room For Rockstars will resonate beyond tour and punk rock fans to anyone seeking out the true stories of rock and roll.

American Reunion

Writer/Directors: Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg
Universal Pictures will release on April 6, 2012

Bernie

Directed by Richard Linklater
Starring Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine and Matthew McConaughey

On behalf of Millennium Entertainment, you and a guest are invited to an advance press screening of BERNIE.

In the tiny, rural town of Carthage, TX, assistant funeral director Bernie Tiede was one of the town’s most beloved residents. He taught Sunday school, sang in the church choir and was always willing to lend a helping hand. Everyone loved and appreciated Bernie, so it came as no surprise when he befriended Marjorie Nugent, an affluent widow who was as well known for her sour attitude as her fortune. Bernie frequently traveled with Marjorie and even managed her banking affairs. Marjorie quickly became fully dependant on Bernie and his generosity and Bernie struggled to meet her increasing demands. Bernie continued to handle her affairs, and the townspeople went months without seeing Marjorie. The people of Carthage were shocked when it was reported that Marjorie Nugent had been dead for some time, and Bernie Tiede was being charged with the murder.

In this dark comedy, director Richard Linklater captures all the hilarity, friendliness, eccentricity and absolute strangeness of small-town Texas life. Jack Black plays Bernie Tiede, Shirley MacLaine plays Mrs. Nugent, and Matthew McConaughey plays the town’s blustery real-life District Attorney, Danny Buck Davidson, who was determined to get to the bottom of the crime. Co-written by Linklater and Skip Hollandsworth, BERNIE is a Mandalay Vision and Wind Dancer Films production.
Millennium Entertainment will release BERNIE on May 4, 2012.
Running Time: 104 minutes

Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel

Genre: Documentary
Director: Lisa Immordino Vreeland
Producer: Lisa Immordino Vreeland
DIANA VREELAND: THE EYE HAS TO TRAVEL is an intimate portrait and a vibrant celebration of one of the most influential women of the 20th century, an enduring icon whose influence changed the face of fashion, beauty, art, publishing and culture forever. During her fifty year reign as the “Empress of Fashion,” she launched Twiggy, advised Jackie O and coined some of fashion’s most eloquent proverbs such as “the bikini is the biggest thing since the atom bomb.” She was the fashion editor of HARPER’S BAZAAR where she worked for 25 years before becoming editor in chief of VOGUE followed by a remarkable stint at the Met’s Costume Institute where she helped popularize its historical collections.
Release Date: May 2012