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THE SHIPPING NEWS (Lasse Hallström) opens to great expectations, and why not? To start with, it’s adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by E. Annie Proulx. Hallström, its director (The Cider House Rules) always gets attention from Oscar (OK, we hated Chocolat, but the Academy loved it) and it’s got an A-list cast, including Kevin Spacey, who has a statuette of his own, as the man rebuilding his life in a small Newfoundland town. Also on board are Julianne Moore, Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench, who aren’t exactly lightweights. 118 minutes.
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