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"The Cat's Meow"
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Synopsis: "The Cat's Meow" is an extraordinary look at a fateful excursion of "fun and frolic" aboard William Randolph Hearst's private yacht in November of 1924 that brought together some of the century's best-known personalities and resulted in a still-unsolved, hushed-up killing. As Hearst and his lover actress Marion Davies set sail from San Pedro Harbor early one Saturday morning. They host a small group that includes the brilliant but self-absorbed Charlie Chaplin, film pioneer Thomas Ince preoccupied with his recent financial setbacks, ambitious gossip columnist Louella Parsons, and the eccentric British Victorian novelist Elinor Glyn. Quickly, however, it becomes clear that although witty repartee is the order of the day, deceit and deception are also on the menu. |
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Director: Peter Bogdanovich Screenwriter: Steven Peros |
Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Cary Elwes, Edward Herrmann, Eddie Izzard, Joanna Lumley, and Jennifer Tilly |
| Release Date: April 12, 2002 (Limited) | MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sexuality, a scene of violence, and brief drug use |
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"Chelsea Walls"
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Synopsis: Grace (Thurman) and Audrey (Dawson) are young poets, who constantly struggle with issues of art and love. Never learning from experience, they always seem to let the wrong men into their hearts. Grace should love Frank (D'Onofrio), an artist who respects and understands her. But she still responds to the siren call of the lover who went to Hollywood. Similarly, Audrey lets impenetrable Val (Webber) back into her life, knowing he will leave again and maybe never return. Down the hall, Bud (Kristofferson) is a writer who faces more endings than beginnings. He pretends that his wife, Greta, (Weld) and his mistress, Mary, (Richardson) are his muses. But his novel is really fueled by an endless supply of alcohol, memories, and unfulfilled dreams. For every worn out writer, there are two new musicians who come to town. Ross (Zahn) and Terry (Leonard) have just driven in from Minnesota, eager to experience the sights and sounds of the Chelsea Hotel. These new hotel residents, young and full of expectations, mingle with the old hotel ghosts and guests, ultimately becoming interchangeable. They form a community, linked by their dreams. The Chelsea Hotel never really leaves the people who live there, nor do they ever really leave it. |
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Director: Ethan Hawke Screenwriter: Nicole Burdette |
Starring: Uma Thurman, Rosario Dawson, Vincent D'Onofrio, Kris Kristofferson, Robert Sean Leonard, Natasha Richardson, Mark Webber, Tuesday Weld, Kevin Corrigan, Frank Whaley, and Steve Zahn |
| Release Date: April 19, 2002 (Limited) | MPAA Rating: R for violence and some language |
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"Crush"
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Synopsis: Kate (MacDowell) is a headmistress, forty years old, successful and respectable and on her own. Every Monday, she gets together with her single, successful friends, Molly (Chancellor) and Janine (Staunton), and drink gin, eat chocolate and decide who is the "Saddest of the Week." Then she meets Jed, twenty five years old and an ex-pupil. And has sex with him. What can she tell her friends? And worse, what will Molly and Janine do when Kate starts to fall in love with this unsuitable young man, and is no longer "Sad" at all..? |
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Director: John McKay Screenwriter: John McKay |
Starring: Andie MacDowell, Imelda Staunton, Josh Cole, Anna Chancellor, and Ken Doughty |
| Release Date: April 5, 2002 (Limited) | MPAA Rating: R for sexuality and language |
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"Enigma"
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Synopsis: A romantic thriller steeped in the tense atmosphere of wartime Britain, this suspenseful drama centers on the mysteries of WWII cryptography while telling a tale of love, patriotism, obsession and betrayal. Enigma takes you inside Station X, one of the most secret places at Bletchley Park; famed birthplace of the Computer Age and the scene of some of the most brilliant code breaking of all time. |
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Director: Michael Apted Screenwriter: Tom Stoppard |
Starring: Dougray Scott, Kate Winslet, Jeremy Northam, Saffron Burrows, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Tom Hollander, Corin Redgrave, Matthew MacFadyen and Robert Pugh |
| Release Date: April 19, 2002 (Limited) | MPAA Rating: R for a sex scene and language |
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"High Crimes"
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Synopsis: A happily married, successful female lawyer is shocked to learn that her husband has a hidden past as a classified military operative and is accused of committing a heinous war crime. She must wrestle with her own doubts about his guilt as she defends him in a top-secret military court where none of the rules she knows so well apply. |
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Director: Carl Franklin Screenwriters: Joseph Finder (novel), Yuri Zeltser and Cary Bickley |
Starring: Ashley Judd, Morgan Freeman, Jim Caviezel, Amanda Peet, Adam Scott, and Bruce Davison |
| Release Date: April 5, 2002 | MPAA Rating: PG-13 for violence, sexual content and language |
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"Human Nature"
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Synopsis: A philosophical burlesque from the makers of "Being John Malkovich," "Human Nature" follows the ups and downs of an obsessive scientist, a female naturalist, and the man they discover, born and raised in the wild. As scientist Nathan (Robbins) trains the wild man (Ifans) in the ways of the world - starting with table manners - Nathan's lover Lila (Arquette) fights to preserve the man's simian past, which represents a freedom enviable to most. |
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Director: Michel Gondry Screenwriter: Charlie Kaufman |
Starring: Tim Robbins, Patricia Arquette, Rhys Ifans, Miranda Otto, Robert Forster, Mary Kay Place, and Rosie Perez |
| Release Date: April 12, 2002 (Limited) | MPAA Rating: R for sexuality, nudity and language |
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"Life, or Something Like It"
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Synopsis: Lanie Kerrigan (Jolie), a feature reporter at a Seattle television station, leads the ultimate superficial life, even though she thinks she has it all, like a superstar boyfriend, (Kane), a gorgeous apartment, and a shot at a big network assignment. Her "perfect" world starts unraveling after a homeless street seer (Shalhoub) tells Lanie that she leads a meaningless existence, and will die the following week. When the savant's other predictions come true, Lanie begins to re-examine her life and priorities - which include rekindling a relationship with a cameraman (Burns) with whom she has long been at odds. |
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Director: Stephan Herek Screenwriter: John Scott Shepherd & Dana Stevens |
Starring: Angelina Jolie, Edward Burns, Tony Shalhoub, Christian Kane, and Stockard Channing |
| Release Date: April 26, 2002 | MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sexual content, brief violence and language |
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"Lucky Break"
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Synopsis: Smalltime crook Jimmy Hands botches a bank robbery and lands in prison. Facing 12 years behind bars, Jimmy stages a musical as Act One of his perfect escape plan. But it's Act Two that's got Jimmy stumped. Turns out his leading lady has captured his heart and, with one leg already over the wall, he's got to come up with a new ending as the curtain falls fast on his freedom. |
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Director: Peter Cattaneo Screenwriter: Ronan Bennett |
Starring: James Nesbitt, Olivia Williams, Christopher Plummer, Timothy Spall, Bill Nighy, and Lennie James |
| Release Date: April 5 (NY/LA), April 19 (Wider) | MPAA Rating: PG-13 for brief strong language and some sexual references |
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"My Big Fat Greek Wedding"
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Synopsis: Everyone in the Portokalos family worries about Toula (Vardalos). 30 and single, Toula changes jobs from working at her parents' Greek restaurant to working for her aunt's travel agency. There she falls in love with Ian Miller (Corbett). He's not Greek, and he's a vegetarian. None of that matters once he asks her to marry him. Toula knows that if he can pass muster with her crazy relatives and baptized in the Greek Orthodox Church...their big fat Greek wedding will be a piece of cake. |
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Director: Joel Zwick Screenwriter: Nia Vardalos |
Starring: Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Gia Carides, Lainie Kazan, Michael Constantine, Louis Mandylor, and Joey Fatone |
| Release Date: April 19, 2002 (NY/LA) | MPAA Rating: PG for sensuality and language |
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"National Lampoon's Van Wilder"
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Synopsis: He may have a knack for throwing legendary parties and he may be the most popular student on campus, but after seven years at college, Van Wilder can't seem to crack the art of graduation. But with a little ingenuity, he sets his sights on partying his way to graduation, a successful career and even true love. |
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Director: Walt Becker Screenwriters: David Wagner and Brent Goldberg |
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Tara Reid, Tim Matheson, Kal Penn, Teck Holmes, Erik Estrada, Curtis Armstrong, and Paul Gleason |
| Release Date: April 5, 2002 | MPAA Rating: Rated R for strong sexual content, gross humor, language and some drug content |
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"New Best Friend"
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Synopsis: It's the start of a new semester at exclusive Colby University. Near the campus, four young women prepare themselves for the final semester of their senior year. In her dingy apartment over the "He's Not Here Tavern," where she lives with her mother, Alicia (Kirshner) organizes her school supplies. She is plain as well as poor. On the other side of town, in an exclusive row house, three beautiful and privileged young coeds start their day: sensuous Hadley (Monroe), luxuriates in a bubble bath with a margarita in hand; her junk-food loving bulemic roommate Julianne (True) wolfs down a huge bowl of cereal and immediately runs into the bathroom to throw it up; and oversexed Sydney (Swain) slowly wakes up next to her boyfriend, Josh (Hudson), and some poor townie who is shocked to discover how she spent the night. Classes begin and Alicia is paired with Hadley to work on the all-important sociology class senior thesis project titled, "Lead, Follow or Get Out of the Way." At first rejected, Alicia is finally accepted into Hadley's clique where she is introduced to a world of privilege and dangerous thrills. But her attempts to become one of them ultimately land her in the hospital. |
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Director: Zoe Clarke-Williams Screenwriters: Victoria Strouse and Scott Ferraiolo |
Starring: Dominique Swain, Rachel True, Mia Kirshner, Meredith Monroe, Scott Bairstow, and Taye Diggs |
| Release Date: April 12, 2002 | MPAA Rating: R for strong sexuality, language and drug use |
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"The Salton Sea"
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Synopsis: Actor Val Kilmer describes "The Salton Sea" as "a tragic and beautiful love story." After the murder of his beloved wife, a man (Kilmer) in search of redemption is set adrift in a world where nothing is as it seems. On his journey, he befriends slacker Jimmy "The Finn" (Sarsgaard), becomes involved in rescuing his neighbor Colette from her own demons, and gets entangled in a web of deceit full of unexpected twists and turns. |
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Director: D. J. Caruso Screenwriter: Tony Gayton |
Starring: Val Kilmer, Chandra West, Peter Sarsgaard, Vincent D'Onofrio, Deborah Kara Unger, Anthony LaPaglia, Doug Hutchison, Adam Goldberg, Luis Guzman, and Danny Trejo |
| Release Date: April 26, 2002 (Limited) | MPAA Rating: R for strong violence, drug use, language, and some sexuality |
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"The Sweetest Thing"
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Synopsis: Cameron Diaz plays a sexy single woman who finds she must learn how to woo the opposite sex when she finally meets Mr. Right. |
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Director: Roger Kumble Screenwriter: Cathy Konrad |
Starring: Cameron Diaz, Christina Applegate, Thomas Jane, Selma Blair, Parker Posey, and Jason Bateman |
| Release Date: April 12, 2002 | MPAA Rating: Rated R for strong sexual content and language |
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"Swimming"
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Synopsis: It's the start of another Carolina summer, and it's becoming increasingly clear to Frankie Wheeler, a young local, that she wants more out of life than Myrtle Beach can offer her. She spends her days working in her family's restaurant and wastes her nights hanging out on the boardwalk with her best friend, Nicola, proprietor of a piercing shop and self-proclaimed trouble seeker. Frankie has always played sidekick to Nicola, so neither is prepared when two new arrivals, a young siren hired as a waitress, and a drifter selling tie-dyes out of the back of his van, court only Frankie. Nicola's ensuing jealousy sets in motion a series of betrayals driving a wedge into their friendship and forces Frankie to take a stand for herself. "Swimming" is an intimate look at friendship, love and breaking away, set amidst the backdrop of a bustling beach town. |
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Director: Robert J. Siegel Screenwriters: Lisa Bazadona, Robert J. Siegel, and Grace Woodard |
Starring: Lauren Ambrose, Jennifer Dundas Lowe, Joelle Carter, Jamie Harrold, James Villemaire, Josh Pais, Sharon Scruggs, and Joshua Harto |
| Release Date: April 5, 2002 (Limited) | MPAA Rating: To Be Determined |
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"Triumph of Love"
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Synopsis: Based on the famous Marivaux play first performed in 1732, the "Triumph of Love" presents the classic fairytale of a Princess (Sorvino) determined to restore her homeland's throne to its rightful heir, a young prince with whom she has fallen in love. Since the prince is under the protection of a noted philosopher (Kingsley) and his ebullient spinster (Shaw), she must infiltrate the philosopher's estate in disguise and employ a variety of alter-egos to gain access and trust. Using all of her considerable charms, she quickly turns the heads and wins the hearts of all, but the "Triumph of Love" is that it catches even her by surprise. |
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Director: Clare Peploe Screenwriters: Clare Peploe, Marilyn Goldin & Bernardo Bertolucci |
Starring: Mira Sorvino, Fiona Shaw, Jay Rodan, Rachael Stirling, Ignazio OIiva, and Ben Kingsley |
| Release Date: April 19, 2002 (Limited) | MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some nudity and sensuality |
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"World Traveler"
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Synopsis: Everything in Cal's (Crudup) life has come easily to him. An extremely handsome man in his early 30s, he has all the outward trappings of success: a good career, a beautiful wife and a young son who adores him. But on the morning of his son's third birthday, something snaps in Cal and he packs his bag and hits the road. Although plagued with guilt, he drives on in pursuit of something intangible just beyond the horizon. On the road Cal has a series of encounters with people who each bring to light aspects of Cal's true nature-things he'd rather not see- provoking a chain of painful self-realizations. When he encounters Dulcie (Moore), an emotionally fragile woman with a tragic secret, Cal sees it as the opportunity to do just "one good thing." What Cal doesn't realize until too late is that no one can really help Dulcie. This voyage of self-discovery ultimately leads Cal to the one person from his past that just might help him find his way back home, even if he takes the long road to get there. |
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Director: Bart Freundlich Screenwriter: Bart Freundlich |
Starring: Billy Crudup, Julianne Moore, Cleavant Derricks, Liane Baliban, David Keith, Mary McCormack, Karen Allen and James LeGros |
| Release Date: April 19, 2002 | MPAA Rating: R for language and some sexuality |
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