FILM PREVIEW '96.

Byline: Amy Dawes and Bob Strauss Daily News Staff Writers

The following is a rundown of films scheduled for 1996 release. As of press time, the list is complete through late May - given the fact that many of the studios were still juggling their lineups. We then picked the highlights of the summer, fall and holiday seasons.

But don't be surprised if some of the films on the list go straight to video or are held until 1997. A lot of the time, what looks good on paper looks ridiculous on the big screen. On the other hand, sometimes the most ridiculous premise makes for a fabulous movie. So read on and judge for yourself ... you've got the rest of the year to find out if you're right.

From Dusk Till Dawn: Half the "Four Rooms" team - writer and co-star Quentin Tarantino and director Robert Rodriguez - try to retrieve their reputations from the grave with this Mexico-set vampire thriller. Tarantino and "ER" heartthrob George Clooney play shady brothers who come across a cantina of the living dead. Harvey Keitel and Juliette Lewis, naturally enough, contribute to the horrific goings-on. (Miramax)

Mr. Holland's Opus: Richard Dreyfuss stars as a high school music teacher who realizes after 30 years that his life's work has been his students, not his unfinished symphony. This sentimental tribute opened exclusively Dec. 29 as part of Dreyfuss' bid for Oscar attention but now widens to a theater near you. (Hollywood Pictures/Buena Vista)

Jan. 26

Bed of Roses: Christian Slater and Mary Stuart Masterson star in this storybook romance about a workaholic New York City banker (Masterson) whose focus is threatened when she starts getting amazing floral arrangements from a secret admirer. Slater, as a sensitive he-man for the '90s, plays the love-struck florist. First-time screenwriter Michael Goldenberg also directed. (New Line)

Big Bully: The Year of Tom Arnold commences with this knockabout comedy in which a nerdy writer (Rick Moranis) returns to teach at his old school and discovers that his childhood tormentor (guess who) runs the shop class. A must-see, if only for the cinematic return of Don Knotts. (Warner Bros.)

Once Upon a Time ... When We Were Colored: First-time director Tim Reid (Venus Flytrap of "WKRP in Cincinnati") paints a loving and gentle portrait of life in rural Mississippi just after World War II. The diverse cast includes several icons of African-American culture, including Richard Roundtree ("Shaft"), Phylicia Rashad (TV's Mrs. Cosby) Isaac Hayes and Taj Mahal. (Republic Pictures)

Screamers: Screamers are mobile killing machines that speed across the barren landscape of Planet Sirius 6B, attacking any living thing. Eventually, they learn to modify their appearance - until there's no one to trust. This sci-fi thriller, starring former RoboCop Peter Weller and Jennifer Rubin, is based on a Philip K. Dick short story and scripted by Dan O'Bannon ("Alien"). (Triumph/Columbia)

Jan. 31

Antonia's Line: A warm celebration of the power of women through several generations of a Dutch family, this story begins at the end of World War II and follows 50 years in the life of Antonia (Willeke van Ammelrooy) and her female descendants. Directed by Marleen Gorris, it made a splash on the film festival circuit, winning the audience award for most popular film at Toronto and becoming the Dutch entry for the Foreign Language Film Oscar. (First Look Pictures)

The White Balloon: A beautifully spare and emotional film about the dilemma of a 7-year-old Iranian child who loses her mother's household money when she sets out to buy a special goldfish. Filmed in real time by first-time director Jafar Panahi, it was a prize winner at the Cannes Film Festival and is Iran's contender for the Foreign Language Film Oscar. (October)

Feb. 2

Angela: The secret, spiritual world shared by two young sisters is explored in this directing debut by Rebecca Miller, the playwright Arthur's daughter.

Black Sheep: A gubernatorial candidate (Tim Matheson) tries to hide his oafish brother from the public until after the election. Sound like a savvy political satire? Yes, until you learn the Billy Carter wanna-be is played by Chris Farley and the weasel hired to keep him under wraps is David Spade. Still, there's hope; director Penelope Spheeris did wonders with two other "Saturday Night Live" refugees in "Wayne's World." (Paramount)

The Juror: Not the first movie to exploit an O.J. juror's memoirs, but a psychological thriller directed by Brian Gibson about a single mother (Demi Moore) who serves on the trial of a powerful mobster. If the cement shoes fit, she can't acquit, but a guilty verdict could put her child in danger. With Alec Baldwin. (Columbia)

The Shot: Two out-of-work actors steal the only reel of a mega-movie-in-progress and hold it for ransom. Featuring a cast of out-of-work actors, with a special appearance by Dana Carvey.

White Squall: Enigmatic skipper Jeff Bridges faces the scrutiny of 13 hostile teen-age boys after the ship that is their floating prep school sinks in a Caribbean storm that claims six lives. An adventure drama set in 1961, directed by Ridley Scott ("Alien," "Thelma & Louise"). (Buena Vista)

Feb. 9

Angels and Insects: Sensual, Victorian-era social drama based on A.S. Byatt's story "Morpho Eugenia." Kristin Scott Thomas ("Four Weddings," the current "Richard III") and Patsy Kensit ("Lethal Weapon II") are featured. (Goldwyn)

Bottle Rocket: James Brooks ("Broadcast News") bankrolled this offbeat comedy about three inept young thieves on a crime spree and the life lessons they learn along the way, based on a 10-minute short film by the 26-year-old director, Wes Anderson, and his buddy, (Owen Wilson), who's in the cast. (Columbia)

Broken Arrow: John Travolta is the bad stealth bomber pilot. Christian Slater is the good stealth bomber pilot. Both are after a loose nuclear weapon that could vaporize an American city. Even if it doesn't, you can still expect destruction on a grand scale from Hong Kong action director John Woo. (20th Century Fox)

Heidi Fleiss, Hollywood Madame: All your favorite stars - they're the guys covering their faces - make guest appearances in Nick Broomfield's documentary about the Hollywood hostess with the mostest. We hear, actually, that the film portrays Fleiss as something of a victim. Feb. 14

Mr. Wrong: Ellen DeGeneres, star of TV's hit sitcom "Ellen," plays a radio talk-show producer who gets her signals crossed when she picks out Mr. Wrong to marry (Bill Pullman) and romantic calamity ensues. Directed by Nick Castle. (Touchstone/Buena Vista)

Feb. 16

Beautiful Girls: A bunch of guys attend their 10-year high school reunion, only to discover they're more confused about women now than they were back then. Matt Dillon, Timothy Hutton and Michael Rapaport are among the boys. Lauren Holly, Uma Thurman and Mira Sorvino are some of the girls. (Miramax)

Chungking Express: An internationally acclaimed film noir-comedy-romance about the messed-up love lives of two Hong Kong cops. The first release from Quentin Tarantino's new distribution label, Rolling Thunder. (Miramax)

City Hall: Al Pacino plays a showboating New York mayor who tries to keep the lid on a City Hall controversy while he lays plans to make a run for the presidency. John Cusack plays his devoted, idealistic aide, and Bridget Fonda is a lawyer for a cop implicated in the crossfire killing of an African-American child. Directed by Harold Becker ("Sea of Love"), with a script credited to Ken Lipper and heavyweight screen scribes Paul Schrader, Nicholas Pileggi and Bo Goldman. (Castle Rock/Columbia)

Happy Gilmore: Adam Sandler ("Billy Madison," "Saturday Night Live") wreaks havoc in the sports world as a working stiff determined to pursue superstardom. He segues from hockey to golf after he proves himself completely unable to skate. Dennis Dugan ("Problem Child") directs. (Universal)

A Midwinter's Tale: A witty, madcap comedy about an amateur English acting troupe struggling to mount a production of "Hamlet" with only six actors to play the 24 roles. Written and directed by Kenneth Branagh ("Much Ado About Nothing," "Peter's Friends"), who calls it "a comic look at the actor's eternal despair," it stars Michael Maloney and Joan Collins. Branagh, who's not in the cast, shot it on a low budget in black and white because "it just felt right, like an Ealing comedy." It opens the Sundance Film Festival on Thursday and was a prize winner at the Venice Film Festival. (Castle Rock/Columbia)

Muppet Treasure Island: In this Muppet musical adventure based on Robert Louis Stevenson's classic "Treasure Island," a young boy (Kevin Bishop) joins legendary pirate Long John Silver (Tim Curry) and Muppets Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear in a hunt for buried treasure. Directed by Brian Henson. (Buena Vista)

Feb. 23

Anne Frank Remembered: A documentary account by living eyewitnesses of the ordeal of teen-age diarist Anne Frank and her family while they hid from Nazis. With Miep Gies, the family employee who brought them food and news and preserved Anne's diary, this documentary, which aired on the BBC, is by veteran political filmmaker Jon Blair. Not to be confused with the 1959 dramatized feature film. (Sony Pictures Classics)

Before and After: Meryl Streep and Liam Neeson star as a small-town couple, a doctor and her husband, whose teen-age son (Edward Furlong) is suspected of brutally murdering his girlfriend. The title refers to the way the town treats them before and after the crime is discovered. Directed by Barbet Schroeder ("Reversal of Fortune") and written by Ted Tally ("Silence of the Lambs). (Hollywood Pictures/Caravan Pictures/Buena Vista)

Denise Calls Up: Sardonic, independent-made comedy about workaholic young professionals who are too swamped, besieged and inundated to actually see each other, but live out their lives on the telephone. Writer-director Hal Salwen keeps the deadpan comedy rolling, and the film became a festival favorite on last year's circuit. With Aida Turturro, Tim Daly, Alanna Ubach. (Sony Pictures Classics)

Hate: French filmmaker Matthieu Kassovitz's nervy, stylized black-and-white film exposes the existential angst and racial tension among Paris street youths after the police nearly beat an Arab boy to death. It won the best new director award at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival, plus the endorsement of Jodie Foster, who helped it get U.S. distribution. Foster lauds it as "a very personal look at a community on the edge." (Gramercy)

Mary Reilly: Julia Roberts stars as an innocent maid who's torn between two lovers - her employer, the benevolent Dr. Jekyll, and his frightening assistant, Mr. Hyde (both are played by John Malkovich). The filmmakers, including director Stephen Frears and writer Christopher Hampton (both of "Dangerous Liaisons"), were reportedly torn between two or more endings even after the film was in the can. Perhaps that's why this release, based on the book by Valerie Martin, has been so long delayed. (TriStar)

Rumble in the Bronx: Hong Kong-style movie mayhem comes to the mean streets of America's meanest neighborhood as peerless action star Jackie Chan takes on the mob and a ruthless motorcycle gang. Directed by Stanley Tong ("Supercop") and executive produced by Hong Kong's movie godfather, Raymond Chow. (New Line)

Unforgettable: Everybody's favorite neo-noir director John Dahl ("Red Rock West," "The Last Seduction") serves up another sexy murder mystery, this time with a sci-fi twist. Ray Liotta is a forensic pathologist everyone thinks murdered his wife. Biologist Linda Fiorentino cooks up some fluid that may retrieve the dead woman's memories. Sounds like a dangerous concoction to us. (MGM/UA)

February

The Neon Bible: English film diarist Terence Davies ("Distant Voices, Still Lives") directs an adaptation of a John Kennedy Toole novel about growing up in a religious Southern town. Denis Leary, Gena Rowlands and Diana Scarwid star. (Strand)

March 1

Cemetery Man: Rupert Everett plays a night watchman at a cemetery where the dead have gotten into the irritating habit of rising from the grave. Imagine the extra work it causes him, when he has to kill them again - as a public service - and rebury them. But when one of the zombies is a woman he lusted for in life, can he bring himself to kill her again? Stylishly gory and wickedly funny, this movie is directed by Michele Soavi, a protege of Italian horror master Dario Argento, and is inspired by a popular Italian adult comic series called "Dylan Dog." (October)

Down Periscope: "Frasier" himself, Kelsey Grammer, makes his movie starring maiden voyage as the maverick captain of a rusty old submarine. His crew of crazies include Rob Schneider, Harry Dean Stanton and Lauren Holly. (20th Century Fox)

Ed: "Friends" TV star Matt LeBlanc teams up with a chimpanzee named Ed in this comedy about an incredibly talented ape who sets a small-town baseball team on a winning streak. LeBlanc is his disgruntled teammate. (Universal)

Headless Body in Topless Bar: The title kind of says it all, doesn't it? Raymond J. Barry and David Selby are among the patrons at a strip joint that gets held up.

The Star Maker: "Cinema Paradiso" director Giuseppe Tornatore offers up more celluloid sentimentality with this tale of a dubious talent scout plying his trade in remote regions of Sicily. (Miramax)

Up Close and Personal: After Nicole Kidman scored as a wicked TV weather girl in last year's black comedy "To Die For," Michelle Pfeiffer plays it straight in "Up Close and Personal" as an ambitious TV newscaster who picks older newsman Robert Redford as her mentor and lover. Her ratings soon eclipse his. Written by longtime cultural commentators Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne and directed by Jon Avnet ("Fried Green Tomatoes"). (Touchstone/Buena Vista)

The Young Poisoner's Handbook: Acclaimed English black comedy about a youthful genius who does very nasty things with a chemistry set. Based on a true story.

March 8

The Birdcage: An American remake of "La Cage aux Folles," with Robin Williams and Nathan Lane as the gay couple trying to impress their son's uptight future in-laws (Gene Hackman and Dianne Wiest) Mike Nichols ("The Graduate," "Wolf") directs. (MGM/UA)

Fargo: Filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen return with their first movie since "The Hudsucker Proxy" in this quirky crime caper that starts in frigid Minneapolis and winds up in North Dakota. William H. Macy plays a car salesman who stages the kidnapping of his own wife so that her wealthy father will ransom her and he can intercept the money. But when things go wrong, the hired thugs shoot a policeman and two bystanders, and soon Frances McDormand ("Blood Simple") is on the case as Marge Gunderson, the very pregnant local police chief. With Steve Buscemi ("Reservoir Dogs"). (Gramercy)

The Flower of My Secret: In the latest from renegade Spanish director Pedro Almodovar, Marisa Paredes ("High Heels") plays a blocked romance writer who takes a job as an arts critic and writes a scathing review of her own work. Describing the woman's confusion in the wake of her crumbling marriage, "Flower" is sadder and more sentimental than the typical Almodovar romp. With Rossy De Palma, Chus Lampreave and Imanol Arias. (Sony Pictures Classics)

Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco: Those calamity-prone pets hit the streets of San Francisco after they get loose during a family trip in this heart-warming Disney sequel based on animal characters from the book "The Incredible Journey." (Walt Disney Pictures/Buena Vista)

If Lucy Fell: Romantic comedy about a pact between two New York pals (Sarah Jessica Parker and Eric Schaeffer) to jump off a bridge if they don't find love before they turn 30. Ben Stiller and Elle MacPherson are among the lovers they try out. Written and directed by Schaeffer. (TriStar)

The Kids in the Hall Movie: Television's cross-dressing Canadian comedians make their big-screen debut in this satire about what happens when everyone gets hooked on a new happy drug. (Paramount)

March 15

The Celluloid Closet: Academy Award-winning documentary filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman ("Common Threads: Stories From the Quilt") put together this in-depth look at the way gays and lesbians have been depicted in mainstream Hollywood movies, based on the book by the late film historian Vito Russo. Includes interviews with Armistead Maupin, Gore Vidal, Paul Rudnick, Tom Hanks and many others. (Sony Pictures Classics)

Executive Decision: Kurt Russell and Steven Seagal battle terrorists on an airplane. Halle Berry and the fate of the U.S. government have something to do with the outcome, which hopefully will make this more exciting than the "Passenger 57" retread it sounds like. (Warner Bros.)

Feeling Minnesota: A volatile and passionate love triangle about three people fighting for their chance at happiness. With Vincent D'Onofrio and Keanu Reeves as brothers who fall for the same girl (Cameron Diaz). Written and directed by Steven Baigelman. (Fine Line)

Loaded: A bunch of young British acidheads decide to make a horror movie. As you might expect, things get horrible in this feature filmmaking debut from Anna Campion, whose sister Jane made "The Piano." Hmm ... Think any of it's autobiographical? (Miramax)

Tarantella: "Mighty Aphrodite's" Oscar front-runner Mira Sorvino plays an ambitious young photographer who, following her mother's death, comes to terms with her family and ethnic roots.

Two Much: Spanish farce comes to Hollywood as director Fernando Trueba, an Oscar winner for "Belle Epoque," mounts this madcap romance starring Spaniard Antonio Banderas and his real-life amour, Melanie Griffith. Banderas plays an art gallery owner who paints himself into a corner when he falls for a wild and possessive woman (Griffith). With Daryl Hannah, Danny Aiello and Joan Cusack. (Touchstone/Buena Vista)

March 22

Girl 6: A would-be actress played by Theresa Randle tries to finance her Hollywood dream with a phone sex job. Spike Lee exposes his rather questionable feminine side for the first time since his debut feature, "She's Gotta Have It." Naomi Campbell, Halle Berry, Madonna and Quentin Tarantino (the latter, hopefully, not working the phone lines) dot the supporting cast. Music is by the Prince formerly known as an artist. (Fox Searchlight)

Jack and Sarah: Richard E. Grant plays a single father who falls for the inexperienced nanny (Samantha Mathis) he hires to help him care for his infant daughter. Director Tim Sullivan also wrote the screenplay. With Ian McKellen. (Gramercy)

Race the Sun: A solar-power car designed by a bunch of Hawaiian high school students takes them on a trek across the Australian desert as part of the World Solar Car Challenge. Directed by Charles T. Kanganis, starring Halle Berry as their teacher. (TriStar)

March 29

All Dogs Go to Heaven 2: Sequel to the dead dog cartoon in which Charlie comes back to earth as a canine angel seeking Gabriel's stolen horn. Charlie Sheen provides the celestial pup's voice. (MGM/UA)

Carried Away: An erotic and romantic drama set in the heart of America's battered midwest farmland, based on the novel "Farmer" by Jim Harrison. Dennis Hopper plays a middle-age high school teacher who becomes caught up in a passionate affair with a 17-year-old student (Amy Locane). With Julie Harris and Amy Irving. Directed by Bruno Barreto. (Fine Line)

Diabolique: Remake of the classic French thriller about a cruel boarding school headmaster (Chazz Palminteri), whose wife and his mistress (Isabelle Adjani and Sharon Stone) team up to kill him. The women don't quite get the job done, then get tripped up further when a Columbo-like detective (Kathy Bates) stumbles onto the scene. (Warner Bros.)

A Family Thing: Robert Duvall plays a white Southerner who discovers, late in life, that his mother was African-American. His subsequent journey of discovery leads to meeting the brother (James Earl Jones) he never knew he had. (MGM/UA)

Land and Freedom: Director Ken Loach mounts his most ambitious film yet in this Spanish Civil War drama about an Englishman (Ian Hart, who played John Lennon in "Backbeat") who joins the revolutionary militia and gets caught up in combat, in-fighting and a wartime love affair. The movie won the International Critics Prize at Cannes. (Gramercy)

Oliver & Company (animated): First released in 1988, this contemporary retelling of Dickens' classic story moves the action to Manhattan and makes Oliver a kitten and the Artful Dodger a dog. With voices by Billy Joel, Dom DeLuise and Robert Loggia and songs by Joel, Huey Lewis and Bette Midler. (Walt Disney Pictures/Buena Vista)

Sgt. Bilko: Steve Martin plays a freewheeling military con man who has more angles than the Pentagon and specializes in taking his fellow soldiers to the cleaners. Based on the 1950s TV series, which starred Phil Silvers. With Dan Aykroyd, Phil Hartman and Glenne Headly. Directed by Jonathan Lynn ("My Cousin Vinny"). (Universal)

Theodore Rex: Whoopi Goldberg stars as a cop with an unusual partner in this family comedy about a walking, talking 8-foot-tall, 3-ton dinosaur that represents a new era in law enforcement. (New Line)

March

Dead Man: Art monster Jim Jarmusch ("Mystery Train," "Stranger Than Paradise") makes a western, but it sounds similar to his other existential comedies about strangers in strange lands. Johnny Depp is an accountant-turned-gunfighter. Robert Mitchum makes an appearance, and Neil Young composed the score. (Miramax)

Flirting With Disaster: More weird family stuff from writer-director David O. Russell, whose first feature, "Spanking the Monkey," was one of the decade's best dysfunction dramadies. Adopted child Ben Stiller's search for his birth parents leads to unforeseen complications. The impressive cast includes Patricia Arquette, "The Naked Truth's" Tea Leoni, Alan Alda, Mary Tyler Moore, George Segal and Lily Tomlin. (Miramax)

Hellraiser: Bloodline: Pinhead is back. And he wants a kiss. (Miramax)

It's My Party: An architect about to die from AIDS-related complications throws a weekend farewell wingding. Eric Roberts is the host. Marlee Matlin, Margaret Cho, Bronson Pinchot and Olivia Newton-John are among the guests. Olivia Newton-John? Must've been invited by "Grease" director Randal Kleiser. (MGM/UA)

Pie in the Sky: Josh Charles ("Threesome") stars in this whimsical romantic comedy about a guy whose two life-consuming passions are traffic gridlock and a dancer, Amy (Anne Heche), who once was the girl next door. He finds out the hard way that life is more like a highway than he could ever imagine - stop and go all the way. With Christine Lahti and John Goodman. Written and directed by Bryan Gordon, who won an Academy Award for his short film "Ray's Male Heterosexual Dance Hall." (Fine Line)

Waiting for Guffman: Social satire about the citizens of Blaine, Mo., preparing for a pageant celebrating their fair city's anniversary. Directed by and starring "Spinal Tap" star Christopher Guest. (Castle Rock/Columbia)

April 3

Primal Fear: Richard Gere is a showboating defense attorney whose desire to win at any cost gets him into some sticky personal, professional and survival situations. Gregory Hoblit, who has won Emmys for his work on "L.A. Law" and "NYPD Blue," makes his feature directing debut with this courtroom mystery based on William Diehl's novel. (Paramount)

Sunset Park: Rhea Perlman stars as a Brooklyn P.E. teacher who turns a group of undisciplined male basketball players into a winning squad. Her personal life is a little more challenging. Directed by Steve Gomer and produced by Danny DeVito's company. (TriStar)

April 5

The Last Supper: A dark satire in which a bunch of politically correct grad students ("The Mask's" Cameron Diaz among them) decide that the best way to deal with right-wing opponents is to have them for dinner. (Sony)

A Thin Line Between Love and Hate: Same title as the dramatic song by the Pretenders, but the tone of this hip-hop comedy is a bit more lighthearted. A seemingly harmless fling turns deadly when an ambitious nightclub promoter (Martin Lawrence) discovers the dangers of saying 'I love you' to the wrong woman (Lynn Whitfield). Lawrence ("Bad Boys" and TV's "Martin") also directed, and of course there's an all-star hip-hop soundtrack. (New Line Cinema/Savoy)

April 12

Faithful: Cher finally returns to the screen as a woman who's fit to be tied in this black comedy about a wife whose husband hires a hitman to kill her. Sparks fly between hitman and hostage. The material started life as a stageplay by actor-scribe Chazz Palminteri, who parodied his own writing skills when he played the talented bodyguard in "Bullets Over Broadway." For the movie, Palminteri wrote the screenplay and plays the hitman. Paul Mazursky ("Down and Out in Beverly Hills") directs, and Ryan O'Neal plays the treacherous husband. (New Line)

Fear: Teen romance shows its dark side in this suspense thriller about a 16-year-old girl (Reese Witherspoon) whose boyfriend (Calvin Klein underwear model and rapper Mark Wahlberg) develops a deadly obsession with her. James Foley ("Glengarry Glen Ross") directs. (Universal)

James and the Giant Peach (animated): Roald Dahl's best-selling children's novel is brought to life in this stop-motion animated adventure. Nine-year-old James has a magical adventure after he crawls inside a giant peach and meets a wondrous group of human-size insects. With voices by Richard Dreyfuss, Simon Callow, David Thewlis and Susan Sarandon, and songs by Randy Newman. Directed by Henry Selick, from producers Tim Burton and Denise DiNovi ("The Nightmare Before Christmas"). (Disney)

April 19

The Grass Harp: Based on Truman Capote's poetic novel about an 11-year-old boy (Edward Furlong) who's sent to live with his eccentric aunts in a small Southern town in the 1940s, this gentle comedy features a plum role for Walter Matthau as the local judge who discovers in the twilight of his life that his heart still can be filled with passion. Directed by Matthau's son, Charlie. With Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, Mary Steenburgen, Jack Lemmon, Nell Carter and Roddy McDowall. (Fine Line)

Mrs. Winterbourne: A Cinderella story of mistaken identity in the vein of "While You Were Sleeping," this one stars young talk-show host Ricki Lake as a pregnant teen who's mistaken for the fiance of a wealthy man and taken in by his family after a train accident apparently claims his life. Shirley MacLaine plays his grieving mother, and Brendan Fraser is his skeptical brother. Directed by Richard Benjamin ("Made in America"). (TriStar)

Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie: The TV show about watching bad movies now becomes a movie about watching bad movies based on a TV show. Sounds like the key film of 1996 to us. (Gramercy)

Solo: Sci-fi thriller with Mario Van Peebles as a simulated man made of poly-plastics and fluids who's capable of carrying out the government's most dangerous operations. He's the ultimate assassin - until he learns to be human. (Triumph/Columbia)

Stephen King's Thinner: A gypsy curses a fat guy, who then can't stop losing weight no matter how much he eats. The Master of Terror's viable movie ideas are evidently down to pretty slim pickings. (Paramount)

The Truth About Cats and Dogs: In this latest twist on "The Courtship of Miles Standish," insecure radio talk-show hostess Janeane Garofalo gets her model friend Uma Thurman to impersonate her when a cute photographer (Ben Chaplin) wants to see the face behind the voice. Directed, worrisomely, by the guy who made "Hudson Hawk." (20th Century Fox)

April 26

Barb Wire: The big-screen debut of "Baywatch" babe Pamela Lee (nee Anderson, before she married the rock star) has a convoluted political plot, based on a sci-fi comic in which Barb Wire, played by Lee, is a voluptuous, no-nonsense resistance fighter in a future America that is reeling from a second Civil War. But will anyone be paying attention to the plot? (Gramercy)

Original Gangstas: Blaxploitation movie stars Fred Williamson, Jim Brown and Pam Grier reunite their old posse after 30 years to combat a more vicious, younger street gang. (Orion)

'Til There Was You: A guy (Dylan McDermott) and a gal (Jeanne Tripplehorn) keep affecting each others' lives, even though they've never met. Who cares? Most people who go to this romantic gimmick comedy only want to see what co-star Jennifer Aniston's hair looks like on a big screen, anyway. (Paramount)

April

Celtic Pride The term "sports nut" takes on a new meaning when Dan Aykroyd and Daniel Stern, playing Boston Celtics fans who can't stand the idea of their team losing the NBA Championships, kidnap a star player (Damon Wayans) from the opposing team. The comedy is directed by Tom DeCerchio. (Hollywood Pictures/Caravan Pictures/Buena Vista)

Cosi: Australian comedy about a desperate opera director who stages Mozart's "Cosi Fan Tutti" in a mental hospital. (Miramax)

The Horseman on the Roof: Big old French costume epic about a cavalryman (Olivier Martinez) and an abandoned woman ("Blue's" Juliette Binoche) coping with a cholera epidemic in 1832 Provence. (Miramax)

Infinity: Matthew Broderick and Patricia Arquette star in this romantic drama about the early life of renowned physicist and popular author Richard Feynman, who was torn between love and destiny when his wife, Arline, was diagnosed with a contagious and potentially fatal illness. Matthew Broderick also directed this movie, which also stars James LeGros and Peter Reigert. (First Look Pictures)

Jane Eyre: Charlotte Bronte's Gothic romance, again. "The Piano's" Anna Paquin is the young Jane, French actress Charlotte Gainsbourg her older self, and William Hurt is the mysterious, moody Rochester. Franco Zeffirelli directed, so expect a lot of shouting. (Miramax)

Looking for Richard: Al Pacino gets in on the Shakespeare act with this film about staging a production of "Richard III." Pacino conceived and directed the piece, and stars amid a bevy of not quite Shakespearean cohorts: Winona Ryder, Alec Baldwin, Aidan Quinn, Kevin Spacey and Estelle Parsons. Kevin Kline, Kenneth Branagh and John Gielgud drop by to lend a little legitimacy. (Fox Searchlight)

Mariette in Ectasy: A beautiful 17-year-old girl (Geraldine O'Rawe, of "Circle of Friends") enters a convent, where she experiences a religious transformation that unleashes the jealousies and passions of the other nuns. Are her religious ecstasies evidence of God, of the devil, or of her own manipulations? With Rutger Hauer, Mary McDonnell and Eva Marie Saint, based on the novel by Ron Hansen. (Savoy)

Mulholland Falls: Another all-semistar crime movie, based on the exploits of an elite 1950s LAPD detective squad. Nick Nolte, Chazz Palminteri, John Malkovich and "Reservoir Dogs' " Michael Madsen and Chris Penn are among the tough customers caught up in questionable tactic and cancerously corrupt plots. (MGM/UA)

The Pallbearer: "Friends' " David Schwimmer makes his movie starring bow as a guy who gets roped into leading the funeral of a former classmate he can't remember anything about. (Miramax)

Small Faces: A gritty, realistic drama set in Glasgow, Scotland, in the 1960s about a teen-ager torn between the examples of his older brothers. One is an art student, the other runs with a fast, violent local gang. Directed by Gillies MacKinnon and starring Claire Higgins, Ian McElhinney, Joseph McFadden, Steven Duffy.

May 10

Cold Comfort Farm: The perfect antidote to the Jane Austen hit parade, subversive United Kingdom literary classic "Cold Comfort Farm," set in the 1930s, delivers biting social satire in the person of crisp and clever heroine Flora Poste, who inherits a shabby country estate full of crude, ill-mannered bumpkin relatives, and sets about to bring the place up to standards. The movie, which aired on the BBC, is directed by John Schlesinger ("Midnight Cowboy"). With Kate Beckinsale, Joanna Lumley and Rufus Sewell. (Gramercy)

The Craft: A troubled teen who's new in Los Angeles gets involved with a coven of teen-age witches wearing black lipstick and nail polish at her Catholic high school. With Fairuza Balk, Robin Tunney, Neve Campbell and Rachel True. (Columbia Pictures)

May 17

Flipper: In this humorous family adventure, Elijah Wood ("The War") plays an unhappy teen who's forced to spend the summer with his island-dwelling, ex-hippie uncle (Paul Hogan). Things get much brighter when he discovers a feisty, orphaned dolphin named Flipper. Alan Shapiro wrote and directed. (Universal)

Large as Life: Bill Murray inherits a circus elephant. Sarcastic comedian and pachyderm bond on a cross-country trip. (MGM/UA)

Twister: Steven Spielberg executive produced this effects-laden story of scientists tracking tornadoes through the Midwest. "Mad About You's" Helen Hunt and "Apollo 13's" Bill Paxton play the estranged couple who've devoted their lives to chasing the wind. "Speed's" Jan De Bont directs. (Warner Bros.)

May 22

Mission: Impossible: Tom Cruise takes over TV's covert spy squad in this post-Cold War actioner directed by Brian De Palma. With Jon Voight, Ving Rhames and Vanessa Redgrave. (Paramount)

May 24

Striptease: Less is more Moore when Demi Moore takes a job as a stripper in a sleazy Miami club to get the money to win a child custody battle. Make sense? You be the judge. Moore got a $12 million paycheck for taking the role. Directed by Andrew Bergman ("Honeymoon in Vegas") based on a novel by popular mystery writer Carl Hiaasen. (Castle Rock/Columbia)

The Stupids: The Tom Arnold decade continues with this knockabout comedy inspired by the best-selling children's books. Arnold and Jessica Lundy play Mr. and Mrs. Stupid, who have children named Buster and Petunia and a dog named Kitty. And to think Tom's hit parade only began with "True Lies." (New Line/Savoy)

May

Captives: Prison dentist Julia Ormond falls for inmate Tim Roth. Guess she just can't resist when he calls her Honey Bunny. (Miramax)

The Great White Hype: Samuel L. Jackson is a flamboyant fight promoter who counteracts fading gate receipts by inventing a fake rivalry between champ Damon Wayans and little-known boxer Peter Berg. Directed by "House Party's" Reginald Hudlin, from a script co-written by sports comedy maestro Ron Shelton. With Jeff Goldblum as an easily deceived investigative reporter. (20th Century Fox)

Spring

Fierce Creatures: The creative team from the zany "A Fish Called Wanda" delivers a new comedy about a failing London zoo that hits on a sure-fire scheme to excite the public: They'll house only vicious, man-eating creatures and destroy all the soft cuddly ones. John Cleese plays the zoo manager who must quell a revolt from the animals' keepers. With Michael Palin, Kevin Kline and Jamie Lee Curtis. Directed by Robert Young. (Universal)

The Girl You Want: A mysterious woman (Winona Ryder) hides out in a boys' prep school and develops a romance with one of the students (Lukas Haas). (Buena Vista/Touchstone)

Last Dance: Sharon Stone is a Death Row inmate who has a remarkable effect on a cocky young lawyer ("Northern Exposure's" Rob Morrow) who's pleading her final clemency appeal. Directed by "Driving Miss Daisy's" Bruce Beresford. (Buena Vista/Touchstone)

Lone Star: John Sayles ("Passion Fish") wrote and directed this tale of a Texas border town sheriff (Kris Kristofferson) caught in an investigation that uncovers his own long buried secrets. With Chris Cooper, Joe Morton, Elizabeth Pena and Matthew McConaughey. (Castle Rock/Columbia)

Normal Life: A young couple (Luke Perry and Ashley Judd) turn to bank robbery when they decide it's their only shot at the solid, middle-class American life they grew up with. Based on a true story, this low-budget independent film was directed by John McNaughton. (Fine Line)

Trees Lounge: Indepenedent feature fixture Steve Buscemi makes his directing debut with this self-starring dark comedy about the denizens of a Long Island bar. (Live Entertainment)

June

Eraser: Arnold Schwarzenegger is back as a tough, terminatin' federal marshal who guards key criminal informants in witness protection programs. His latest assignment: make the bad guys overlook a canary played by rather well-known former Miss America Vanessa Williams. From the director of "The Mask," Chuck Russell. (Warner Bros.)

The Hunchback of Notre Dame: Disney's latest animated offering is a romantic interpretation of Victor Hugo's classic novel, from the team that brought us "Beauty and the Beast": producer Don Hahn, directors Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale, and composer Alan Menken. Tom Hulce provides the voice for the lovestruck Parisian bell-ringer, Demi Moore voices the gypsy Esmerelda and Kevin Kline the sympathetic captain of the guards. (Buena Vista/Disney)

August

Carlo Collodi's Pinocchio Not to be confused with the Disney animated classic, this is a new live-action version of the beloved children's story of a puppet, Pinocchio (played by Jonathan Taylor Thomas) who wants to become a real boy. With Martin Landau as Gepetto, and computer-generated imagery by Jim Henson's Creature Shop. Directed by Steve Barron ("Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"). (New Line Cinema/Savoy).

That Thing You Do: Tom Hanks wrote and directed this nostalgic tale of a '60s rock band's one great summer. Hanks also co-stars with a bunch of young up-and-comers. (20th Century Fox)

A Time to Kill: John Grisham's first novel comes to the screen with an absolutely killer cast: Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Spacey, Donald Sutherland, Ashley Judd, Patrick McGoohan and newcomer Matthew McConaughey. Joel Schumacher ("The Client," "Batman Forever") directs the simmering legal thriller about racially charged murder in a small Southern town. (Warner Bros.)

Summer

The Ghost and the Darkness: The incredibly true story of two lions that, working in unprecedented tandem, killed more than 130 people in 1896 East Africa. Val Kilmer is the railroad builder and Michael Douglas the wild game hunter who take on the savvy beasts. (Paramount)

McHale's Navy: Tom Arnold will star in this comedy based on the 1960s TV series, which starred Ernest Borgnine as the captain of the motley crew of a World War II PT boat. (Universal).

Phenomenon: George Malley (John Travolta) is a regular guy who becomes a genius when he is struck by a blinding flash on his 37th birthday. The cast also includes Robert Duball, Forest Whitaker and Kyra Sedgwick. Jon Turteltaub ("While You Were Sleeping") directs. (Touchstone/Buena Vista)

Ransom: Ron Howard ("Apollo 13") directs this drama about the kidnapping of the son of maverick New York tycoon Tom Mullen (Mel Gibson). When the FBI rescue operation goes awry, Mullen launches his own plans, to the horror of his wife (Rene Russo). (Touchstone/Buena Vista)

The Rock: Brigadier Gen. Francis X. Hummel (Ed Harris) and his crack team of commandos seize control of Alcatraz, taking a group of tourists hostage and demanding restitution for the families of his men killed in covert military operations. Battling Hummel are FBI expert Stanley Goodspeed (Nicolas Cage) and John Patrick Mason (Sean Connery), who escaped from the island back in the days when it was a federal prison. Directed by Michael Bay. (Hollywood/Buena Vista)

A Very Brady Sequel: The success of last year's "The Brady Bunch Movie" prompted a return to '70s middle America with Carol (Shelley Long), Mike (Gary Cole) and those irrepressible kids. In the sequel, Carol's long-lost adventurer husband reappears. Will she flip her shag? Arlene Sanford directs. (Paramount)

Fall

Beavis and Butt-head: The MTV-watching, nose-picking, incessantly giggling cartoon adolescents make the jump to the big screen. Expect lots of heavy metal music and eighth-grade humor. Mike Judge, who created the popular MTV show, writes and directs. (Paramount)

The Evening Star: The sequel to "Terms of Endearment," with Shirley MacLaine reprising her role of steely magnolia Aurora Greenway. Now she has her grown grandchildren to deal with, and one of them is played by Juliette Lewis, so you can bet she's a handful. Jack Nicholson's still around, but he has competition from that younger, "Apollo 13" astronaut, Bill Paxton. (Paramount)

The First Wives Club: Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn and Diane Keaton take vengeance on their ex-husbands and their replacement trophy wives in this comic adaptation of Olivia Goldsmith's novel. Heather Locklear and "Showgirl" Elizabeth Berkley are two of the young hussies who'd better watch out. (Paramount)

Kiss the Girls: Double serial killers plague the female population of America, and Morgan Freeman's Ph.D-packing detective, in this adaptation of James Patterson's sicko best seller. (Paramount)

Rosewood: The appalling true story of the destruction of a prosperous African-American town in 1920s Florida. From "Boyz N the Hood's" John Singleton. With Jon Voight, Ving Rhames and "Devil in a Blue Dress' " Don Cheadle. (Warner Bros.)

The Saint: World-class thief and blackhearted loner Simon Templar finds himself in a deadly web of intrigue when he is hired to steal the work of a beautiful scientist. Phillip Noyce directs. (Paramount)

Sleepers: In perhaps the most star-studded movie of the year, Brad Pitt, Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman and Kevin Bacon, among others, deal with the violent fallout from the abuse four friends suffered at a New York reform school. Adapted from Lorenzo Carcaterra's controversial book - he says it's autobiographical, others call it fiction - by writer-director Barry Levinson ("Rain Man," "Disclosure"). (Warner Bros.)

Surviving Picasso: If it doesn't turn out to be a total snooze, this movie about the great artist's effect on the women in his life should be fascinating. Then again, you never can tell when James Ivory's directing. Anthony Hopkins plays Picasso. (Warner Bros.)

Holidays

In Love and War: New Line is betting big star salaries that audiences will want to see Sandra Bullock ("Speed") and Chris O'Donnell ("Batman Forever") in this epic love story based on the real-life diaries of Spanish Civil War nurse Agnes Von Kurowsky, who inspired Ernest Hemingway to write the classic novel "A Farewell to Arms." To be directed by Richard Attenborough ("Shadowlands"), it begins production this spring in Europe. (New Line).

Jack: Francis Ford Coppola directs perennial boy-man Robin Williams in a film about a boy who suffers from a rare genetic disorder that causes him to age four times faster than normal. When he appears to be middle-age, he is actually 10. (Hollywood/Buena Vista)

The Long Kiss Tonight: Actress Geena Davis and director Renny Harlin, who teamed on the less-than-seaworthy "Cutthroat Island," will try out their land legs on this action thriller about a teacher (Davis) suffering from amnesia who learns she is really a secret agent involved in a deadly plot capable of crippling the government. The script, by Shane Black ("Lethal Weapon") fetched a record $4 million and became famous within the industry for its gratuitous violence. We'll see how much makes it onto the screen. (New Line).

Mars Attacks!: Perhaps the most anticipated of this year's large-scale, alien invasion movies, because it's directed by the somewhat extra-terrestrial himself Tim Burton. Quite possibly the first movie ever based on a series of bubblegum trading cards. (Warner Bros.)

Starship Trooper: Drama about a clash between bug invaders from outer space and the human cadets at a military academy. Directed by Paul Verhoeven ("Basic Instinct.") (Columbia).

Untitled Mississippi Project: Alec Baldwin plays the Mississippi district attorney who finally nails the racist killer of slain civil rights worker Medgar Evers, 30 years after the murder. Directed by Rob Reiner ("The American President").

Untitled Star Trek Feature: Capt. Jean Luc-Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the rest of the crew from the "Next Generation" TV series battle the insidious Borg to restore the rightful future of Earth. (Paramount)

CAPTION(S):

PHOTO

Photo (1--Color) Michelle Pfieffer and Robert Redford in "Up Close and Personal" (March) (2--Color) Demi Moore in "Striptease" (May) (3--Color) Julia Roberts and John Malkovich in "Mary Reilly" (February) (4--Color) Isabelle Adjani and Sharon Stone in "Diabolique" (March) (5--Color) Melanie Griffith, Antonio Banderas, Daryl Hannah in "Two Much" (March) (6--Color) Dominique Swain and Jeremy Irons in "Lolita" (fall) (7--Color) Lukas Haasand Winona Ryder in "The Girl You Want" (spring) (8--Color) "James and the Giant Peach" (April) (9--Color) Robin Williams in "Jack" (Christmas) (10--Color) Flipper and Elijah Wood in "Flipper" (May) (11--Color) Kermit (the green one) and Tim Curry (center) in "Muppet Treasure Island" (February) (12--Color) Martin Landau and friend in "Pinocchio" (Summer) (13) Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton in "Twister" (May) (14) Brad Pitt and Jason Patric in "Sleepers"(fall) (15) John Travolta in "Broken Arrow" (February) (16) Bruce Willis in "The Last Man Standing" (June) (17) Sandra Bullock and Matthew McConaughey in "A Time to Kill" (August) (18) Jim Carrey in "The Cable Guy" (June) (19) Matt LeBlanc and friend in "Ed" March) (20) Steve Martin in "Sgt. Bilko" (March) (21) Eddie Murphy in "The Nutty Professor" (June) (22) Michael Keaton in "Multiplicity" (July) (23) Tom Arnold in "The Stupids" (May)