FILM: STUDIOS ARE GETTING INTO THE SPIRIT.Byline: Bob Strauss Daily News Film Critic The following holiday film schedule is subject to change. And like all brightly packaged seasonal items, we cannot guarantee they'll satisfy once opened. Nov. 20: A Bug's Life The Pixar people follow up ``Toy Story'' with this feature about a misfit mis·fit n. 1. Something of the wrong size or shape for its purpose. 2. One who is unable to adjust to one's environment or circumstances or is considered to be disturbingly different from others. ant who enlists a flea circus A flea circus refers to a circus sideshow attraction in which fleas were attached to miniature carts and other items, and encouraged to perform circus acts within a small housing. Fresnel lenses were mounted on all sides of the housing to allow visitors to view the attraction. to help him battle some mean ol' grasshoppers Grasshoppers may refer to one of the following:
adj. Slang Variant of spacy. Adj. 1. spacey - stupefied by (or as if by) some narcotic drug spaced-out, spacy unconventional - not conventional or conformist; "unconventional life styles" , Julia Louis-Dreyfus and David Hyde Pierce David Hyde Pierce (born April 3, 1959) is a Screen Actors Guild, Tony and Emmy Award-winning American actor, best known for his co-starring role as psychiatrist Dr. Niles Crane on the NBC sitcom Frasier alongside Kelsey Grammer. are among those who lend their voices to the animated ant-ics. Opens wide Nov. 25. (Disney) Celebrity Woody Allen looks at the crazy nature of fame. And who better to help him than a cast that includes such tabloid favorites as Leonardo DiCaprio, Melanie Griffith and Kenneth Branagh? (Miramax) Dancing at Lughnasa Dancing at Lughnasa (see also Lughnasa, the ancient pagan ritual) is a play by Brian Friel set in Ireland's County Donegal in August 1936. Set in the fictional town of Ballybeg (Baile Beag - small town Meryl Streep stars in this adaptation of the Tony Award-winning play about five lonely sisters living in 1930s Ireland and how their world is changed forever when their missionary brother returns from Africa. (Sony Pictures Classics) Enemy of the State Will Smith plays a lawyer set up for murder in a high-tech thriller from director Tony Scott and producer Jerry Bruckheimer, the team that brought us ``Top Gun'' and ``Crimson Tide.'' Gene Hackmen and Jon Voight co-star. (Disney) River Red A brother takes the blame when his older sibling kills their abusive father. Sounds cheery. With Tom Everett Scott. (Castle Hill) The Rugrats Movie TV-conquering animated babies assault movie theaters. Can they be stopped? (Paramount) Savior Dennis Quaid plays a diplomat who becomes a mercenary in the Bosnian War after his family is killed by a terrorist bomb. (Lions Gate) Waking Ned Devine Ne'er-do-wells in a small Irish village try to suss out which of their eccentric neighbors has a winning lottery ticket. Ian Bannen and David Kelly star. (Fox Searchlight) Nov. 25: Babe: Pig in the City Self-explanatory sequel to the acclaimed talking-animal movie. This time, ``Mad Max'' maker George Miller, who produced the first ``Babe'' film, also directs. (Universal) Central Station This Portuguese movie about a woman who helps a young boy find his father has won prizes at Sundance and the Berlin Film Festival. We'll see if Oscar (or audiences) takes notice. (Sony Pictures Classics) Home Fries A man dies mysteriously, leaving his pregnant girlfriend (Drew Barrymore) to cope with small-town skulduggery and, for some reason, a Cobra attack helicopter. (Warner Bros BROS Brothers BROS Benefits and Retirement Operations Section (King County, Washington) BROS Barnes and Richmond Operatic Society (London, UK) .) The Last Emperor Substantially lengthened re-release of Bernardo Bertolucci's 1987 Oscar-winning epic about the odd, often harrowing life of China's last monarch. John Lone plays the figurehead figurehead, carved decoration usually representing a head or figure placed under the bowsprit of a ship. The art is of extreme antiquity. Ancient galleys and triremes carried rostrums, or beaks, on the bow to ram enemy vessels. buffeted by the 20th century's most powerful historical forces. (Artisan) Ringmaster The Jerry Springer movie. You know if it's for you. (Artisan Entertainment) Steam: The Turkish Bath An Italian designer inherits the title facility in Istanbul and proceeds to have a gay old time. (Strand Releasing) Very Bad Things ``Swingers' '' Jon Favreau goes on one last Vegas fling before marrying the beautiful but controlling Cameron Diaz. Unfortunately, his bachelor party stripper Stripper Slang for an individual homeowner who strips the equity out of his or her home through mortgage refinancing. Proceeds are generally not re-invested, but spent on consumer goods. Notes: Most people get rich by saving and investing wisely. ends up dead. Christian Slater, Daniel Stern and Jeremy Piven co-star in this dark comedy written and directed by actor Peter Berg. (Polygram) Nov. 27: In Our Own Hands Documentary about His Majesty's Jewish Brigade, the only all-Jewish unit that fought in World War II. Ten Benny Dreams develop and die at the horse races. With Adrien Brody (``The Thin Red Line'') and Michael Gallagher. (Palisades Palisades, cliffs along the west bank of the Hudson River, NE N.J. and SE N.Y., extending from N of Jersey City, N.J., to the vicinity of Piermont, N.Y., with a general altitude of from 350 ft to 550 ft (107–168 m). Pictures) Dec. 4: Denial Three young couples question the concept of monogamy monogamy: see marriage. . Jonathan Silverman, Christine Taylor, Jason Alexander and Angie Everhart star. (Blump International Releasing) Hallelujah Hallelujah (hăl'əl  `yə) or Alleluia (ăl–) [Heb.,=praise the Lord], joyful expression used in Hebrew worship; cf. Pss. ! Performance artist Ron Athey - raised to be a Pentecostal minister, now an HIV-positive former drug addict - does his sado-masochistic stage show in this autobiographical documentary. (Artistic License Films) Little Voice Incredibly shy girl can only communicate by singing the classics, but oh how she sings them. She sounds just like Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holliday and Judy Garland. It's English. (Miramax) Psycho Which they must've been to try to remake Alfred Hitchcock's best-known masterpiece. Vince Vaughn, Anne Heche, Julianne Moore and William H. Macy give it the old school try, while director Gus Van Sant SANT South African Native Trust claims to be closely following the original's shooting script. Remember, Gus, that means no slipping Shakespeare in among the knife slashes, like you did so inscrutably in ``My Own Private Idaho.'' We're very afraid. (Universal) Shattered Image Chilean-French art filmmaker Raul Ruiz helms this existential puzzle thriller in which the same woman (``La Femme Nikita's'' Anne Parillaud) seems to simultaneously live a double life as a cold-blooded assassin and a honeymooner whose groom may be trying to kill her. With William Baldwin. (Lions Gate Films) A Simple Plan In this long-in-the-making project, two brothers played by Bill Paxton and Billy Bob Thornton fall out after they find $4 million at an airplane crash site. ``Evil Dead'' and ``Xena'' entrepreneur Sam Raimi directs. (Paramount) Dec. 11: Didn't Do It for Love German documentary about a Norwegian actress who became a Mexican B-movie star and a New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of dominatrix. Jack Frost A dead, neglectful ne·glect·ful adj. Characterized by neglect; heedless: neglectful of their responsibilities. See Synonyms at negligent. ne·glect father (Michael Keaton) comes back into his son's life as a snowman. Directed by Troy Miller, creator of HBO's acclaimed ``Mr. Show.'' (Warner Bros.) Red Meat Indie production in which a bunch of guys A Bunch of Guys (BOGs), or Group of Guys (GOGs) are terms used by counter-terrorism officials to refer to small, self-organizing terrorist cells.[1] BOGs typically have little to no contact with global terrorist groups like al Qaeda, so they independently plan and talk about women. (Peninsula Films) Rushmore The acclaimed new comedy from ``Bottle Rocket'' director Wes Anderson, about an overachieving prep school boy's trouble-stirring crush on a cute teacher. Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray and Olivia Williams star. (Touchstone) Shakespeare in Love Will Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) has a case of writer's block writer's block Psychiatry An occupational neurosis of authors, in whom creative juices are temporarily or permanently inspissated . But when he meets the beautiful Viola (Gwyneth Paltrow ... English again!), he's a new man and has enough inspiration to create ``Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet star-crossed lovers die as teenagers. [Br. Lit.: Romeo and Juliet] See : Death, Premature Romeo and Juliet archetypal star-crossed lovers. [Br. Lit. .'' Geoffrey Rush, Ben Affleck and Judi Dench round out the cast in this romantic comedy. (Miramax) Star Trek: Insurrection The ``Next Generation'' crew discover a Fountain of Youth Fountain of Youth legendary fountain of eternal youth. [World Legend: Brewer Dictionary, 432] See : Unattainability planet and a high-level conspiracy that inspire Patrick Stewart's Capt. Picard to lead a mutiny against the Federation. Directed, like the last good ``Trek'' film, by second-in-command player Jonathan Frakes. (Paramount) Still Crazy Stephen Rea and Billy Connolly headline this British comedy about a bunch of middle-aged losers who try to get their '70s rock band back together. (Columbia) Tango Wife abandons gifted director, who turns his attention to making a movie about tango. Turns out to be a good call when he meets a beautiful young dancer while casting. Then it turns out to be a bad call when he discovers that said woman is the mistress of his film's primary investor. (Sony Pictures Classics) Dec. 16: Skin & Bone Director Everett Lewis (``The Natural History of Parking Lots'') explores the world of male hustlers. (Jour de Fete Films) Dec. 18: George B. David Morse stars in this Sundance Film Festival favorite about a down-and-out gambler on a lucky streak. (WunderHund Releasing) Playing by Heart Eleven people spanning the generations contend with love in every one of its maddening manifestations. The cast includes Sean Connery, Gena Rowlands, Anthony Edwards, Madeleine Stowe, Angelina Jolie and Ryan Phillippe. (Miramax) The Prince of Egypt For DreamWorks' first foray into traditional animated-feature territory, the studio sought aid from a higher power. The Moses story may not be what we're used to in musical cartoon entertainment, but at least it's not the same old talking animals. Voices supplied by Val Kilmer, Ralph Fiennes, Sandra Bullock, Steve Martin and Michelle Pfeiffer, among many others. Songs by Stephen Schwartz (``Pocahontas''). (DreamWorks) You've Got Mail The audio announcement heard millions of times per day by AOL users. The voice was recorded by Elwood "El" Edwards in 1989 at the suggestion of his wife Karen, who worked in customer service for Quantum Computer Services (before Quantum became AOL). The ``Sleepless in Seattle'' gang - Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan and director Nora Ephron - reups for this oh-so-contemporary remake of Ernst Lubitsch's eternal charmer charm·er n. 1. One that charms, especially a disarmingly attractive person. 2. One who casts spells; an enchanter or magician. Noun 1. ``The Shop Around the Corner.'' The stars play rival bookstore managers who hate each other in the flesh but inadvertently fall in love on the Internet. (Warner Bros.) Dec. 23: Day of the Beast Over-the-top Spanish shocker shock·er n. One that startles, shocks, or horrifies, as a sensational story or novel. Noun 1. shocker - a shockingly bad person bad person - a person who does harm to others 2. about a sinful priest's efforts to confront the Antichrist Antichrist (ăn`tĭkrīst), in Christian belief, a person who will represent on earth the powers of evil by opposing the Christ, glorifying himself, and causing many to leave the faith. . (Trimark) The General Another movie about Irish mobsters Mobsters is a 1991 crime drama detailing the creation of the National Crime Syndicate/The Commission. Set in New York City during the Prohibition era, it's a somewhat fictionalized account of rise of Charles "Lucky" Luciano, Meyer Lansky, Frank Costello, and Benjamin "Bugsy" , although this one differs from previous efforts in that it's actually based on real Dublin crime legend and plays like it. John Boorman (``Hope and Glory,'' ``Deliverance'') won the Best Director award at Cannes. (Sony Pictures Classics) The Theory of Flight Kenneth Branagh and Helena Bonham Carter star in this romantic drama about a frustrated artist sentenced to perform community service by caring for a woman with a neuromuscular neuromuscular /neu·ro·mus·cu·lar/ (-mus´ku-ler) pertaining to nerves and muscles, or to the relationship between them. neu·ro·mus·cu·lar adj. 1. condition. (Fine Line Features) Dec. 25: A Civil Action Real-life best seller comes to the screen starring John Travolta as the lawyer who stalks the corporations he believes are responsible for giving eight Northeastern families leukemia. If everyone who bought Jonathan Harr's prize-winning book shows up, the movie will be off to a good start. (Disney) Down in the Delta Poet Maya Angelou makes her directorial debut with this story of an elderly woman who pawns the family heirlooms to move her drug-addicted daughter and her two grandchildren back to their ancestral home. (Miramax) The Faculty High school students think their teachers just don't understand, and it goes beyond the usual generation gap - the faculty are worm-infected aliens hell-bent on world domination. Sounds kind of stupid, but then again it is from ``Scream'' meister Kevin Williamson and directoror Robert Rodriguez (``From Dusk Till Dawn''), so maybe stupid is good. (Miramax) Hilary & Jackie Two angry first ladies get some guns and go after their philandering husbands ... No, actually, this is the true story of British cellist Jaqueline De Pre's close relationship with her sister. And her sister's husband, which makes us start thinking about certain presidents again. ``Breaking the Waves' '' Emily Watson and Australian actress Rachel Griffiths star. (October Films) Hurlyburly David Rabe's scathing play about Hollywood players behaving badly comes to the screen with the help of bad-behavior expert Sean Penn, experienced show-biz satirists Kevin Spacey (ever seen ``Swimming With Sharks''?) and Garry Shandling, and such relative innocents as Chazz Palminteri, Robin Wright Penn, Anna Paquin and Meg Ryan. (Fine Line Features) Mighty Joe Young Remake of the 1949 movie about a large simian on a rampage. Fifty years later, themes of ecology and understanding leaven leaven (lĕv`ən), agent used to raise bread or other flour foods. Physical leavens include water vapor, which is released as steam at high temperatures (as in popovers), and air, which is incorporated by beating. the mayhem and, more than likely, raise the hokum. (Disney) Patch Adams Robin Williams plays the true-life doctor who uses zany humor to cure what ails ya. The behind-the-scenes team includes the director and writer responsible for ``The Nutty Professor,'' ``Liar Liar'' and ``Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls.'' (Universal) Stepmom Tearjerker tear·jerk·er n. Slang A grossly sentimental story, drama, or performance. tear  -jerk about the unlikely friendship between a divorced mother of two (Susan Sarandon) and the woman her ex-husband dumped her for (Julia Roberts). Initially they clash over just about everything, but when a terminal illness enters the picture, well ... just make sure you bring some tissues to the theater. (Sony) The Thin Red Line The year's other World War II picture comes from the reclusive re·clu·sive adj. 1. Seeking or preferring seclusion or isolation. 2. Providing seclusion: a reclusive hut. Terrence Malick, who hasn't made a movie since 1978's ``Days of Heaven.'' When word got out that Malick was making this film about American soldiers trying to take Guadalcanal from the Japanese, actors like Sean Penn, John Travolta, Nick Nolte, George Clooney and John Cusack were more than happy to enlist. Now the question is: Has Spielberg's ``Private Ryan'' rendered Malick's return a moot point moot point n. 1) a legal question which no court has decided, so it is still debatable or unsettled. 2) an issue only of academic interest. (See: moot) ? (20th Century Fox) Dec. 30: Affliction Paul Schrader (``American Gigolo gig·o·lo n. pl. gig·o·los 1. A man who has a continuing sexual relationship with and receives financial support from a woman. 2. A man who is hired as an escort or a dancing partner for a woman. ,'' ``Hardcore'') scripted and directed this adaptation of Russell Banks' (``The Sweet Hereafter'') downbeat down·beat n. 1. Music a. The downward stroke made by a conductor to indicate the first beat of a measure. b. The first beat of a measure. 2. Informal A period of stagnation or inactivity. novel. Nick Nolte is a depressed, small-town cop who confronts his dreadful father (James Coburn) while investigating a murder involving a friend. Sissy Spacek and Willem Dafoe co-star. (Lions Gate Films) Another Day in Paradise James Woods produced this story about '70s drug addicts on a crime spree, in which he co-stars with Melanie Griffith and Natasha Gregson Wagner. Directed by the controversial ``Kids' '' Larry Clark. (Trimark) The Hi-Lo Country American West. Just after World War II. Two cowboy best friends are reunited after the war and return to the satisfying ways of ranching. Then, wouldn't you know it, a woman comes along and ruins everything. Woody Harrelson, Billy Crudup and Patricia Arquette star in this film from director Stephen Frears. (Gramercy) CAPTION(S): 8 Photos Photo: (1) The story of Moses is revisited in DreamWorks' animated ``The Prince of Egypt.'' (Dec. 18) (2) Vince Vaughn stars as Norman Bates in the remake of ``Psycho.'' (Dec. 4) (3) Drew Barrymore and Luke Wilson in ``Home Fries,'' a tale of death and skulduggery. (Nov. 25) (4) In ``Star Trek: Insurrection,'' Capt. Picard (Patrick Stewart) leads a mutiny against the Federation. (Dec. 11) (5) In ``You've Got Mail,'' Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan play rival bookstore managers who fall in love on the Internet. (Dec. 18) (6) Billy Crudup, left, and Woody Harrelson play reunited cowboy buddies in ``The Hi-Lo Country.'' (Dec. 30) (7) John Travolta is a lawyer with a mission in ``A Civil Action.'' (Dec. 25) (8) Susan Sarandon, left, and Julia Roberts become unlikely friends in ``Stepmom.'' (Dec. 25) |
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