RETURN ENGAGEMENTS.Byline: Bob Strauss Film Writer While 2003 does not look, on paper anyway, like it's going to match the movie quality level we enjoyed in 2002, it is coming our way loaded with questions, trends and gambits that promise high entertainment value all by themselves. In a year brimming with high-profile sequels, none stand out more prominently than the triple threat from Warner Bros BROS Brothers BROS Benefits and Retirement Operations Section (King County, Washington) BROS Barnes and Richmond Operatic Society (London, UK) .: the second and third ``Matrix'' installments and the long-awaited third ``Terminator'' feature. Coming to theaters within six months of one another, the sequels to the Wachowski brothers' innovative 1999 sci-fi mind trip will test audiences' eagerness to immerse themselves in big-budget cinematic fantasy like no franchise has since ``Back to the Future.'' Even the yearlong delays between ``Harry Potter'' and ``Lord of the Rings'' episodes did not shave it this close. And with Warner's second ``Potter'' entry performing noticeably behind the first one's box-office pace, the appetite for multiple ``Matrix'' movies is a question worth pondering. As for ``T3: Rise of the Machines,'' the ultra-pricey future return is not only riding on the broad shoulders of a dozen-years-older Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (German pronunciation (IPA): [ˈaɐ̯nɔlt ˈaloɪ̯s ˈʃvaɐ̯ʦənˌʔɛɡɐ] , but also a director, Jonathan Mostow, who is not series creator James Cameron
James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is an Academy Award winning Canadian director, producer and screenwriter. . Another big question this year is whether, in the wake of 2002's leading box-office hit, ``Spider-Man,'' audiences are ready for a major assault of Marvel (``Daredevil,'' ``X-Men 2,'' ``The Hulk'') and other (``The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen,'' ``Hellboy'') comic book comic book Bound collection of comic strips, usually in chronological sequence, typically telling a single story or a series of different stories. The first true comic books were marketed in 1933 as giveaway advertising premiums. heroes. Of course, there'll be much, much more. The following list includes every film that we know about scheduled to open in L.A. through the end of May (subject, as always, to change), plus a selection of what sound like the most interesting possibilities for the last seven months of 2003. Listings written by Evan Henerson and Bob Strauss. movie listings JAN. 24 DARKNESS FALLS: The name of the town is Darkness Falls. And they wonder why it's targeted by supernatural evil. (Columbia) POWER AND TERROR: NOAM CHOMSKY Noun 1. Noam Chomsky - United States linguist whose theory of generative grammar redefined the field of linguistics (born 1928) A. Noam Chomsky, Chomsky IN OUR TIMES: Documentary about the irrepressible leftist left·ism also Left·ism n. 1. The ideology of the political left. 2. Belief in or support of the tenets of the political left. left philosopher and his post 9-11 stances. (First Run Features) THE SLAUGHTER RULE: Football and depression in a bleak Montana winter. Ryan Gosling Ryan Thomas Gosling (born November 12 1980) is an Academy Award-nominated Canadian actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles in The Notebook, Half Nelson and Fracture. and David Morse play. (Cowboy Pictures) JAN. 31 AMEN.: The great Greek political filmmaker Costa-Gavras (``Z,'' ``Missing'') is back with the World War II story of a conscience-stricken Nazi officer who tries to get Pope Pius to do something about the Holocaust. (Kino kino the juice of certain plants, some tropical and some Australian eucalypts, used in medicine as an astringent. International) BIKER BOYZ: A western, with hogs as horses, set in the underground world of motorcycle clubs. ``Antwone Fisher's'' Derek Luke seeks to unseat, literally, biker kingpin Laurence Fishburne. No, Jay Leno is not one of the producers. (DreamWorks) BLIND SPOT: HITLER'S SECRETARY: Acclaimed German documentary in which Traudl Junge describes her three years of service as one of Adolf Hitler's private secretaries. (Sony Classics) FINAL DESTINATION 2: For those who didn't get there the first time. Teenagers don't realize they're supposed to be dead - until they're reminded. (New Line) GOD IS GREAT AND I'M NOT: ``Amelie's'' Audrey Tautou, in the first of many film appearances this year, plays a French woman who tries to convert to Judaism for love. (Empire Pictures) THE GURU: Indian dance teacher Jimi Mistry becomes a spiritual celebrity in 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 and falls in love with Heather Graham. With Marisa Tomei. (Universal) LOST IN LA MANCHA: When iconoclastic i·con·o·clast n. 1. One who attacks and seeks to overthrow traditional or popular ideas or institutions. 2. One who destroys sacred religious images. director Terry Gilliam (``Brazil,'' ``Twelve Monkeys'') invited a documentary crew onto the set of his Don Quixote movie in Spain, he had no idea the trouble-plagued production would collapse within a week. This is all that was salvaged. (IFC (Internet Foundation Classes) A class library from Netscape that provides an application framework and graphical user interface (GUI) routines for Java programmers. IFC was later made part of the Java Foundation Classes (JFC). See JFC, AFC and AWT. See also ICF. Films) THE RECRUIT: How the CIA CIA: see Central Intelligence Agency. (1) (Confidentiality Integrity Authentication) The three important concerns with regards to information security. Encryption is used to provide confidentiality (privacy, secrecy). picks and prepares its top operatives is the subject of this suspense thriller starring Al Pacino, Colin Farrell and Bridget Moynahan. (Touchstone) SMOKERS ONLY: A rollerblading street hustler and a struggling female vocalist get into an obsessive affair in the Buenos Aires underworld. (Strand Releasing) SUDDENLY NAKED: Award-winning Canadian film about a famous author (Wendy Crewson) who has a fling with a younger man. (Pantheon Releasing) FEB. 7 DELIVER US FROM EVA Eva to marry winner of singing contest. [Ger. Opera: Wagner, Meistersinger, Westerman, 225–228] See : Prize 1. Eva - A toy ALGOL-like language used in "Formal Specification of Programming Languages: A Panoramic Primer", F.G. : A trio of men try to free themselves of their mate's unattached older sister, the meddlesome med·dle·some adj. Inclined to meddle or interfere. med  dle·some·ly adv.med Eva (Gabrielle Union). Their vehicle of distraction: cash-strapped ladies' man LL Cool J. (Focus) HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN 10 DAYS: Magazine writer Kate Hudson has 10 days to find a guy, get him smitten and get dumped. Her target, ad agency hottie Matthew McConaughey, has bet that he can make any girl fall in love with him in 10 days. Wonder who's gonna win. (Paramount) SHANGHAI KNIGHTS: Mismatched good guys Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson team up again, this time in Victorian London. (Touchstone) FEB. 14 ALL THE REAL GIRLS: Paul, a small-town 22-year-old with no future, finds love and sex with ``real'' small-town returnee re·turn·ee n. 1. One who returns, as from a journey or to school after a long absence. 2. A person returning from military duty overseas. See Usage Note at -ee1. Noel. Paul Schneider, Zooey Deschanel and Patricia Clarkson star for director David Gordon Green (``George Washington''). (Sony Classics) AMANDALA! A REVOLUTION IN FOUR-PART HARMONY: Documentary about the role the genre called freedom music played in the struggle against South African apartheid. Yes, Miriam Makeba and Hugh Masekela appear, but there's so much more ... (Artisan) DAREDEVIL: Ben Affleck plays the blind Marvel Comics superhero su·per·he·ro n. pl. su·per·he·roes A figure, especially in a comic strip or cartoon, endowed with superhuman powers and usually portrayed as fighting evil or crime. . Jennifer Garner is his lover/nemesis Elektra. Michael Clarke Duncan is big fat bad guy the Kingpin. Mark Steven Johnson is the director. (20th Century Fox) GERRY: The increasingly quizzical quiz·zi·cal adj. 1. Suggesting puzzlement; questioning. 2. Teasing; mocking: "His face wore a somewhat quizzical almost impertinent air" Lawrence Durrell. Gus Van Sant's controversial film about two guys named Gerry (Matt Damon and Casey Affleck) who get lost in the desert. Minimal dialogue, avant garde cinematics and the usual Van Sant SANT South African Native Trust obtuseness ob·tuse adj. ob·tus·er, ob·tus·est 1. a. Lacking quickness of perception or intellect. b. Characterized by a lack of intelligence or sensitivity: an obtuse remark. have divided festival audiences on this one. (ThinkFilm) HE LOVES ME, HE LOVES ME NOT: We always figured that adorable ``Amelie'' girl was secretly psycho. In this French amour fou-de-do, Audrey Tautou plays an art student in delusional love with a married man. (Samuel Goldwyn) THE JUNGLE BOOK 2: Disney does more damage to Rudyard Kipling's reputation with this quick-buck animated sequel about the Indian boy raised by rain-forest animals. (Disney) !O FANTASMA: Lisbon, Portugal, has a gay youth culture, too. (Picture This!) FEB. 21 CHAOS: Coline Serreau (the original ``Three Men and a Cradle'') directed this drama about a French couple's efforts to save young woman from a life of prostitution. (New Yorker) DARK BLUE: L.A.'s finest get dragged through the wringer wring·er n. One that wrings, especially a device in which laundry is pressed between rollers to extract water. Idiom: put (someone) through the wringer Slang To subject to a severe trial or ordeal. again in this tale of pre-Rodney King riot cop corruption written by James Ellroy. Kurt Russell, Brendan Gleeson and Ving Rhames star for director Ron Shelton. (UA) GODS AND GENERALS: The same bunch responsible for that ``Gettysburg'' movie a few years back - with Robert Duvall mercifully replacing space case Martin Sheen as Robert E. Lee - return with a sprawling adaptation of Jeff Shaara's book about early Civil War military campaigns. (Warner Bros.) THE LIFE OF DAVID GALE: Alan Parker directs and Nicolas Cage produces the story of a death penalty opponent (Kevin Spacey spac·ey 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" ) who finds himself on Death Row. Reporter Kate Winslet has but a few days to prove him innocent. (Universal) OLD SCHOOL: Talk about hanging on to your youth. A bunch of 30-something buds, including Will Ferrell, Luke Wilson and Vince Vaughn, look to re-create their college days by building an off-campus frat house. Todd Phillips, who took on college high jinks in ``Road Trip,'' directs. (DreamWorks) OPEN HEARTS: Tragedy strikes two different Danish couples. (Newmarket) POOLHALL JUNKIES: Sounds like ``The Color of Money,'' only probably not as good. Chazz Palminteri, Rick Schroder and Alison Eastwood star. (Samuel Goldwyn) SENORITA EXTRAVIADA: Documentary on those young maquiladora ma·qui·la·do·ra n. An assembly plant in Mexico, especially one along the border between the United States and Mexico, to which foreign materials and parts are shipped and from which the finished product is returned to the original market. women whose raped and dead bodies turn up in Juarez, Mexico. (Balcony Releasing) TILL HUMAN VOICES WAKE US: Guy Pearce and Helena Bonham Carter star in a supernatural Australian romance. (Paramount Classics) FEB. 26 THE DANCER UPSTAIRS: Idealistic cop Javier Bardem is trying to catch a guerrilla leader in war-torn Latin America. He also romances his daughter's ballet teacher. Directing debut of John Malkovich is based on Nicholas Shakespeare's novel. (Fox Searchlight) FEB. 28 CRADLE 2 THE GRAVE: Gangbangers and Taiwan intelligence unite to find a kidnapped girl and stop World War III World War III (abbreviated WWIII), or the Third World War, is a term used to describe a hypothetical conflict on the scale of World War I and World War II, or even larger, such as a nuclear holocaust. or something. DMX See DMX512. , Jet Li and Tom Arnold all somehow figure into the mix. (Warner Bros.) DISCHORD: An alternative rock violinist's sudden disappearance is somehow tied to a murder. (Artistic License) SPIDER:: David Cronenberg directs Ralph Fiennes, who plays a schizophrenic trying to cope in a London halfway house halfway house /half·way house/ (haf´wa hous) a residence for patients (e.g., mental patients, drug addicts, alcoholics) who do not require hospitalization but who need an intermediate degree of care until they can return to the community. . With Miranda Richardson and Gabriel Byrne. (Sony Classics) MARCH 5 L'CHAYIM, COMRADE STALIN: Documentary about the Soviet Union's Jewish autonomous region Jewish Autonomous Region or Birobidzhan (bērōbējän`), autonomous region (1995 pop. 211,900), c.13,800 sq mi (35,700 sq km), Khabarovsk Territory, Russian Far East, in the basins of the Biro and Bidzhan rivers, , said to be the world's first Yiddish homeland. (Cinema Guild) MARCH 7 BOAT TRIP: Cuba Gooding Jr., Horatio Sanz, Roselyn Sanchez, Vivica A. Fox and Roger Moore raise ``The Love Boat.'' (Artisan) BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE: Steve Martin plays his millionth uptight guy, a divorced lawyer whose online chatroom babe turns out to be escaped convict Queen Latifah. You're supposed to laugh. (Touchstone) IRREVERSIBLE: Even unshockable French cineastes had trouble with this latest provocation from Gaspar Noe (``I Stand Alone''). Beginning with a graphic rape/murder, then unfolding backward through the events that led up to the outrage, it stars husband-and-wife acting team Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel. (Lions Gate) LAUREL CANYON: Yes, they mean the street that we Vals know so well. In Lisa (``High Art'') Cholodenko's film, the canyon itself is the home of record producer Jane (Frances McDormand), a singer (Alessandro Nivola), Jane's son Sam (Christian Bale) and his fiancee Alex (Kate Beckinsale). Too many people under one Laurel Canyon roof can't be a good thing. (Sony Classics) PRINCESS BLADE: Rebels challenge a future Japanese monarchy in this sci-fi action thriller. (ADV ADV Advertisement ADV Adverb ADV Advance/Advanced ADV Advantage (tennis) ADV Advise ADV Advocate ADV Advancement ADV Advent ADV Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Datenverarbeitung ADV Adversus (Latin: Against) Films) RIVERS AND TIDES: ANDY GOLDSWORTHY WORKING WITH TIME: Documentary about the British sculptor's purposely temporary work. (Roxie Releasing) THE SAFETY OF OBJECTS: In this combination of some of A.M. Homes' short stories, suburban neighbors Glenn Close, Patricia Clarkson, Dermot Mulroney, Joshua Jackson and others deal with issues of loss and letting go. (IFC Films) TEARS OF THE SUN: Navy SEAL leader Bruce Willis disobeys orders to help a missionary (busy girl Monica Bellucci) rescue some African refugees. Directed by ``Training Day's'' Antoine Fuqua. (Columbia) MARCH 12 BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM: An Indian family in London tries to raise a soccer-playing daughter in a traditional way, but she wants to chase the ball. Directed by ``What's Cooking's'' Gurinder Chadha. (Fox Searchlight) MARCH 14 AGENT CODY BANKS: Muniz, Frankie Muniz, plays the undercover teen CIA agent who can race snowmobiles but can't talk to girls. Obviously, James Bond wasn't his mentor. (MGM MGM in full Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. U.S. corporation and film studio. It was formed when the film distributor Marcus Loew, who bought Metro Pictures in 1920, merged it with the Goldwyn production company in 1924 and with Louis B. Mayer Pictures in 1925. ) THE HUNTED: William Friedkin directs Oscar winners Tommy Lee Jones For the musician, see . Tommy Lee Jones (born September 15, 1946) is an Academy Award-winning American actor and director. Biography Early life Jones was born in San Saba, Texas, the son of Clyde C. and Benicio Del Toro Toro may refer to:
NOWHERE IN AFRICA Africa (ăf`rĭkə), second largest continent (1997 est. pop. 743,000,000), c.11,677,240 sq mi (30,244,050 sq km) including adjacent islands. Broad to the north (c.4,600 mi/7,400 km wide), Africa straddles the equator and stretches c. : Germany's Oscar contender tells the true story of a Jewish family that escaped the Nazis and sat out the war on a farm in Kenya. (Zeitgeist Films) LE CERCLE ROUGE: Re-release of Jean-Pierre Melville's ultra-stylish French crime classic from 1970. Alain Delon and Yves Montand star. (Rialto Rialto, city (1990 pop. 72,388), San Bernardino co., S Calif., a residential suburb of San Bernardino; inc. 1911. The city has greatly expanded as a result of the economic and demographic growth of the southern California area. ) PROZAC NATION: Long-threatened film version of public embarrassment Elizabeth Wurtzel's novel about being young, self-absorbed and depressed is finally unleashed. Christina Ricci plays the part; Jason Biggs, Anne Heche and Jessica Lange co-star. (Miramax) MARCH 21 DREAMCATCHER
In Ojibwa (Chippewa) culture, a dreamcatcher (or dream catcher; Ojibwe asabikeshiinh : Guys perform a good deed, get superpowers in return, then have to fight some evil thing in the snowy woods. It's a Stephen King idea, directed by the once-serious Lawrence Kasdan. With Morgan Freeman, Jason Lee and Tom Sizemore, among others. (Warner Bros.) DYSFUNKTIONAL FAMILY: Comedian Eddie Griffin's concert film features interviews with his equally raunchy raun·chy adj. raun·chi·er, raun·chi·est Slang 1. a. Obscene, lewd, or vulgar: "[He] Kansas City relatives. (Miramax) HOUSE OF FOOLS: Russian director Andrei Konchalovsky's absurdist take on war via the perspective of a love-struck woman. (Paramount Classics) IDENTITY: Travelers stormed-in at a desert motel realize that one of them is a killer. Is it John Cusack, Ray Liotta, Amanda Peet, Alfred Molina, Rebecca De Mornay ... or somebody lesser-known? (Columbia) PIGLET'S BIG MOVIE: The ``Pooh'' pig gets his own cartoon feature. (Disney) SPUN: Crystal meth meth n. Methamphetamine hydrochloride. tweakers Jason Schwartzman, John Leguizamo, Brittany Murphy, Mickey Rourke and Mena Suvari take some bad trips, dude. (Newmarket) VIEW FROM THE TOP: Gwyneth Paltrow and Christina Applegate try to be stewardesses. It's supposed to be funny. (Miramax) WILLARD: Remake of the rat-infested thriller with Crispin Glover and ``Mulholland Drive's'' Laura Elena Harring. (New Line) MARCH 28 ASSASSINATION Assassination See also Murder. assassins Fanatical Moslem sect that smoked hashish and murdered Crusaders (11th—12th centuries). [Islamic Hist.: Brewer Note-Book, 52] Brutus conspirator and assassin of Julius Caesar. [Br. TANGO: Triple-threat Robert Duvall directs, writes and stars in this tale of a hit man who becomes intoxicated in·tox·i·cate v. in·tox·i·cat·ed, in·tox·i·cat·ing, in·tox·i·cates v.tr. 1. To stupefy or excite by the action of a chemical substance such as alcohol. 2. with the sensual dance in Argentina. (UA) BUFFALO SOLDIERS: U.S. personnel stationed in Germany behave mighty badly as the Iron Curtain prepares to fall. The release of this film - which stars Joaquin Phoenix, Ed Harris and Anna Paquin - was apparently held back due to patriotic concerns. (Miramax) THE CORE: The Earth's inner core has stopped rotating, meaning the atmosphere is in jeopardy ... unless a team of geophysicists on a mission to the center of the Earth can save the day. Aaron Eckhart, Bruce Greenwood and Hilary Swank co-star. (Paramount) THE GUYS: Screen adaptation of Anne Nelson's two-character play about a fire captain and a journalist working on the eulogies of firefighters killed in the 9-11 attacks. Jim Simpson directs his wife, Sigourney Weaver, and Anthony LaPaglia. (Focus) HEAD OF STATE: There goes the government! D.C. councilman Mays Giliam (Chris Rock) is tapped to be his party's nominee for president of the United States The head of the Executive Branch, one of the three branches of the federal government. The U.S. Constitution sets relatively strict requirements about who may serve as president and for how long. . Rock also co-wrote and makes his directing debut. (DreamWorks) ORDINARY SINNER: Three college friends try to solve a gay person's murder in a bigoted big·ot·ed adj. Being or characteristic of a bigot: a bigoted person; an outrageously bigoted viewpoint. big small town. (TLA (Three Letter Acronym) The epitome of acronyms! While two-, four- and five-letter acronyms exist, there are more three-letter acronyms. Obviously, three words to describe a concept or product is the most popular. TLA - Three-Letter Acronym ) STEVIE: ``Hoop Dreams'' director Steve James makes another deep-dish documentary about a boy he mentored as a Big Brother who has grown into a very troubled young man. (Lions Gate) MARCH UNSCHEDULED HOUSE OF 1,000 CORPSES: Rob Zombie's long-awaited directorial debut. Civilization ends now. (Lions Gate) MAY: Described as Carrie meets Frankenstein. Civilization ends again. (Lions Gate) lAPRIL 4 COWBOY BEBOP: THE MOVIE: Bounty hunters in a disaster-stricken future populate this big-screen version of the popular Japanese anime series. (IDP) LEVITY lev·i·ty n. pl. lev·i·ties 1. Lightness of manner or speech, especially when inappropriate; frivolity. 2. Inconstancy; changeableness. 3. The state or quality of being light; buoyancy. : Yes, it's probably an ironic title, what with Billy Bob Thornton playing a convicted killer, released from prison, who is trying to start a new life. Morgan Freeman, Holly Hunter and Kirsten Dunst also star. (Sony Classics) THE MAN WITHOUT A PAST: Finnish film by Aki Kaurismaki about a man who travels to Helsinki, is mugged, loses his memory, and discovers love and a new set of values. (Sony Classics) MY BABY'S MAMA: Three bachelors (Eddie Griffin, Anthony Anderson, Michael Imperioli) discover hilarious things about themselves when their respective girlfriends all get pregnant. (Miramax) RIPLEY'S GAME: John Malkovich plays Patricia Highsmith's sophisticated sociopath so·ci·o·path n. A person affected with an antisocial personality disorder. so  ci·o·path , like Matt Damon and Dennis Hopper before him. (Fine Line) WHAT A GIRL WANTS: Professional TV kid Amanda Bynes plays an American girl who finds her long-missing father is a snooty British politician (Colin Firth). (Warner Bros.) APRIL April: see month. 11 ANGER MANAGEMENT: Before you give Jack Nicholson that ``About Schmidt'' Oscar, consider that his next movie is with Adam Sandler. Sounds like they'll both be playing to their strengths, though, which would be lack of the title commodity. (Columbia) DIRTY PRETTY THINGS: Suspenseful study of illegal immigrants trying to make their livings in London's underground economy. Audrey Tautou (``Amelie'') stars for director Stephen Frears (``The Grifters,'' ``My Beautiful Laundrette''). (Miramax) FELLINI: I'M A BORN LIAR: The ultimate Italian filmmaker profiled with interview footage of the departed maestro and comments from such collaborators as Roberto Benigni, Donald Sutherland and Terence Stamp. (First Look Features) GHOSTS OF THE ABYSS: James Cameron's high-tech exploration of the actual Titanic wreck will be presented in 3-D in both standard 35mm and IMAX-size formats. Bill Paxton narrates. (Touchstone) MONDAYS IN THE SUN: The film that beat out Pedro Almodovar's exquisite ``Talk to Her'' as Spain's official Oscar entry. Javier Bardem stars in this study of unemployed shipyard workers. It had better be good. (Lions Gate) RAISING VICTOR VARGAS: A teenage goofball goof·ball or goof ball n. A barbiturate or tranquilizer in the form of a pill, especially when taken for nonmedical purposes. from New York's Lower East Side tries to prove he's a ladies man. (Samuel Goldwyn/Fireworks) SHAOLIN SOCCER: Kung fu aspirants draw together an unusually acrobatic football team in this special-effects stunt comedy, reportedly the most popular Hong Kong film ever made. (Miramax) XX/XY: A three-way romantic relationship causes complications for its practitioners over a 10-year period. Mark Ruffalo and Kathleen Robertson star. (IFC Films) APRIL 16 BULLETPROOF Refers to extremely stable hardware and/or software that cannot be brought down no matter what unusual conditions arise. See industrial strength. bulletproof - Used of an algorithm or implementation considered extremely robust; lossage-resistant; capable of correctly MONK: After wandering the globe protecting an ancient scroll, a nameless monk (Chow Yun-Fat) must find a protege (Seann William Scott) to be the scroll's new guardian. But evil forces want that scroll something fierce. (MGM) CHASING PAPI: Three Latinas discover they've all been dating the same guy. Comeuppance come·up·pance n. A punishment or retribution that one deserves; one's just deserts: "It's a chance to strike back at the critical brotherhood and give each his comeuppance for evaluative sins of the past" plans lead to wacky misadventures. (20th Century Fox) THE GOOD THIEF: Nick Nolte plans a casino heist in Nice. Neil Jordan directs. Based on the French classic ``Bob Le Flambeur.'' (Fox Searchlight) A MIGHTY WIND: Those ``Best in Show'' cutups Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy are back with another mockumentary. This one's about three 1960s folk groups reuniting for a memorial concert. The usual ensemble - director, co-writer, Michael McKean, Catherine O'Hara, Parker Posey, Harry Shearer, Fred Willard - reunite, too. (Warner Bros.) APRIL 18 BASIC: Everybody's favorite movie couple - ``Pulp Fiction's'' John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson “Samuel Jackson” redirects here. For the senator from Indiana, see Samuel D. Jackson. Samuel Leroy Jackson (born December 21, 1948) is an American Academy Award-nominated and BAFTA-winning actor. - are finally back together. But will this story about an investigation into a military disaster be as cool? (Columbia) DOWN WITH LOVE: ``Far From Heaven'' remade re·made v. Past tense and past participle of remake. Douglas Sirk '50s weepies with modern attitude. Now they're doing the same with Doris Day romantic comedies. Before you shrug ``but why,'' note that it's directed by Peyton Reed, who made the surprisingly good ``Bring It On.'' And it stars Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor. (20th Century Fox) HOLES: Kid criminals at a dentention camp are put to work digging, well, holes, in which the corrupt camp administrators Jon Voight and Sigourney Weaver obviously hope to find something valuable. (Disney) HOW TO DEAL: Mandy Moore stars as a teenager who, due to the empirical evidence around her, thinks love sucks. She discovers otherwise. (New Line) LILYA 4-EVER: Acclaimed Swedish film about an abandoned Russian teenager who, seeking a better life in Scandinavia, is swallowed up by drugs and the sex trade. (Newmarket) MALIBU'S MOST WANTED: The glitzy glitz Informal n. Ostentatious showiness; flashiness: "a garish barrage of show-biz glitz" Peter G. Davis. tr.v. community's top rapper is embarrassed by his father's bid for governor - and, of course, vice versa VICE VERSA. On the contrary; on opposite sides. . (Warner Bros.) SWEET 16: A poor Scottish youth has trouble avoiding the life of crime that has ruined his parents in this latest expression of social consciousness from British director Ken Loach. (Lions Gate) THE TRIP: The gay rights struggles of the 1970s are examined via their impact on one couple's relationship. (TLA) WINGED MIGRATION: Birds, birds and more birds doing what birds do, in this documentary by director Jacques Perrin. (Sony Classics) APRIL 25 BLUE CAR: A teenage poet (Agnes Bruckner) from a troubled family background is mentored by English teacher David Strathairn. But then things get out of hand in this provocative film-festival favorite. (Miramax) CITY OF GHOSTS: A scam artist flees to Bangkok in search of his partner in crime. But the city may be too much for even him. With Matt Dillon, James Caan, Gerard Depardieu and Natascha McElhone. Dillon also directs. (UA) CONFIDENCE: Con artists get in over their heads when they try to swindle swindle v. to cheat through trick, device, false statements or other fraudulent methods with the intent to acquire money or property from another to which the swindler is not entitled. Swindling is a crime as one form of theft. (See: fraud, theft) an eccentric mob boss. The cool cast includes Dustin Hoffman, Edward Burns, Rachel Weisz, Andy ANDY Andrew ANDY US Popular Abbreviation for Andrews AFB Garcia, Donal Logue and Luis Guzman. (Lions Gate) FROM JUSTIN TO KELLY: ``American Idol'' finalists Guarini and Clarkson make their very own musical romantic comedy. OK, that's the final nail in civilization's coffin. (20th Century Fox) IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY: Indeed it does. Three generations of Douglases (Kirk, Michael and Cameron, plus Kirk's former wife and Michael's mother, Diana) join one Culkin (Rory) and a Peters (Bernadette) in this tale of fathers, sons and grandchildren. (MGM) PEOPLE I KNOW: Another film long delayed due to post 9-11 sensitivities, this one reportedly boasts a terrific Al Pacino performance as a New York publicist facing a crisis of conscience. Apparently, he at one point had some hallucination hallucination, false perception characterized by a distortion of real sensory stimuli. Common types of hallucination are auditory, i.e., hearing voices or noises and visual, i.e., seeing people that are not actually present. involving the World Trade Center, too.(Miramax) APRIL UNSCHEDULED BETTER LUCK TOMORROW: Acclaimed and controversial film about overachieving and amoral a·mor·al adj. 1. Not admitting of moral distinctions or judgments; neither moral nor immoral. 2. Lacking moral sensibility; not caring about right and wrong. Asian-American youth. (MTV MTV in full Music Television U.S. cable television network, established in 1980 to present videos of musicians and singers performing new rock music. MTV won a wide following among rock-music fans worldwide and greatly affected the popular-music business. Films) MAY 2 AND NOW ... LADIES & GENTLEMEN: Love among jazz singers and jewel thieves, starring Jeremy Irons and Patricia Kaas. From French romanticist Claude Lelouch (``A Man and a Woman''). (Paramount Classics) THE LIZZIE McGUIRE MOVIE: The Disney TV-show girl gets her own, well, movie. And it's in Italy! (Disney) ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE: The great documentary team of D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus catches up with some of the great figures of '60s soul music. Wilson Pickett, Mary Wilson, Sam Moore, Isaac Hayes and many more appear. (Miramax) OWNING MAHOWNY: Mild-mannered bank clerk Dan Mahowny (Philip Seymour Hoffman For other persons named Philip Hoffman, see Philip Hoffman (disambiguation). Philip Seymour Hoffman (born July 23, 1967) is an Academy Award-winning American actor. Biography Early life Hoffman was born in Fairport, New York to Gordon S. ) is a responsible citizen by day and an out-of-control gambler by night. With John Hurt, Minnie Driver and Maury Chaykin. (Sony Classics) THE SEA: Icelandic family drama. Who's going to take over the old man's fishing business? (Palm Pictures) X2: Remember when Marvel superheroes Superheroes are fictional heroes who possess abilities beyond those of normal human beings. Superheroes may also refer to:
MAY 9 DADDY DAY CARE: Eddie Murphy loses his job, opens a day-care center. As far as we can tell, it's a comedy, not a documentary about his post-``Pluto Nash'' career. (Columbia) I CAPTURE THE CASTLE: Family tries to survive in a decaying English castle in the 1930s. (Samuel Goldwyn Films) MANIC: Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel are among the kids trying to cope with mental disorders in a private facility run by Don Cheadle. (IFC Films) THE SHAPE OF THINGS: A story of love and art set in a college town courtesy of acidic relationship specialist Neil LaBute (and based on his play). With Gretchen Mol, Rachel Weisz, Paul Rudd and Frederick Weller. (Focus) THE WARRIOR: Directed by award-winning British newcomer Asif Kapadia, this mythic adventure, set in ancient India, charts a soldier's futile struggle to renounce his warlike war·like adj. 1. Belligerent; hostile. 2. a. Of or relating to war; martial. b. Indicative of or threatening war. warlike Adjective 1. ways. (Miramax) MAY 14 IN AMERICA: Semiautobiographical sem·i·au·to·bi·o·graph·i·cal adj. Of, relating to, or being a work that falls between fiction and autobiography: a semiautobiographical novel. Adj. 1. story from Jim (``My Left Foot'') Sheridan about an Irish family that emigrates to New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. . With Samantha Morton and Paddy Considine (Fox Searchlight) MAY 15 THE MATRIX RELOADED: The first of the year's two sequels to the Wachowski brothers' ballistical sci-fi breakthrough. Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss and Laurence Fishburne are joined by Jada Pinkett Smith Jada Koren Pinkett Smith (born September 18, 1971) is an American actress and singer. She is married to actor/rapper Will Smith. Biography Early life Jada was born September 18 Jada Koren Pinkett in Baltimore, Maryland to Robsol Pinkett, Jr. and the inevitable Monica Bellucci in their gravity- and time-defying fight against the world-controlling machines. (Warner Bros.) MAY 16 HAIRY TALE: Kid, kung fu fighter and ape go up against an evil animal experiment laboratory. (Warner Bros.) POKEMON POKEMON Pocket Monster POKEMON POK Erythroid Myeloid Ontogenic Factor 5: Wake up, people! It's over. (Dimension) MAY 23 BRUCE ALMIGHTY: When Bruce Nolan (Jim Carrey) ticks off God, the almighty (Morgan Freeman) gives Bruce some serious power and challenges him to try to do things better. (Universal). RESPIRO: A young mother on an island west of Sicily scandalizes the community with her reckless behavior. Inspired by a Lampedusan legend. With Valeria Golino, Vincenzo Amato and Filippo Pucillo. (Sony Classics) THE WEDDING PARTY: Remake of ``The In-Laws,'' with Michael Douglas as the crazy secret agent and Albert Brooks as the wimpy Wimpy sloppily dressed comic strip character; always “forgets” to pay for hamburgers. [Comics: “Popeye” in Horn, 657–658] See : Irresponsibility podiatrist Podiatrist A physician who specializes in the medical care and treatment of the human foot. Mentioned in: Shin Splints podiatrist . (Warner Bros.) MAY 30 FINDING NEMO Nemo, qui condemnare potest, absolvere non potest. He who may condemn may acquit. Dig. 50, 17, 37. : The latest Pixar computer-animated spectacular involves the misadventures of a father and son fish in waters around Australia. (Disney) THE ITALIAN JOB: Would you believe Mark Wahlberg and Charlize Theron as a pair of mastermind thieves making off with gold bullion Gold bullion Investment-grade, pure gold, which may be smelted into gold coins or gold bars. from a Venice palazzo? F. Gary Gray reconfigures the 1969 Michael Caine film of the same name. Edward Norton, who really didn't want to be in this movie, is. (Paramount) SPRING UNSCHEDULED CHI-HWA-SON: A groundbreaking 19th-century painter is studied by Korean master Im Kwon-Taek. (Kino) A DECADE UNDER THE INFLUENCE: Documentary about the rebellious 1970s generation of filmmakers: Francis Ford Coppola Noun 1. Francis Ford Coppola - United States filmmaker (born in 1939) Coppola , Martin Scorsese, Robert Altman, Peter Bogdanovich, William Friedkin and the like. (IFC Films) THE EVENT: Film about the death of a New York gay man boasts an impressive indie roll call: Parker Posey, Olympia Dukakis, Sarah Polley, Don McKellar and Jane Leeves. (ThinkFilm) THE GUESTS: David Zucker (``Airplane!'') directs Ashton Kutcher (``Just Married'') as a guy whose house-sitting gig at his boss's mansion is jeopardized by a parade of the title commodity. Tara Reid, Andy Richter, Michael Madsen, Carmen Electra and Molly Shannon are on the list. (Dimension) HOPE SPRINGS: Heartbroken British artist Colin Firth relocates to rural New England, meets Heather Graham and gets followed by Minnie Driver. Kinda makes you wish somebody would break your heart, huh? (Touchstone) LAWLESS HEART: Acclaimed multinarrative study of love and confusion in contemporary Britain. (First Look) ROLLING KANSAS: Teen brothers search for the forest of marijuana their late parents planted. In Kansas. (Gold Circle Films) THE STONE READER: Documentary about a filmmaker's search for the mysteriously missing author of a favorite book. (Jet Films) TATTOO: German cops search for a serial killer serial killer Forensic psychiatry A person who commits serial murders Prototypic SK White ♂ age 30; 97% are ♂; 80% are sociopaths. See Dahmer, Depraved heart murder, Ice Man. Cf Megan's law, Son of Sam law. in the ink-on-skin subculture. (Vitagraph) VERONICA GUERIN: Cate Blanchett plays the courageous Irish journalist who was assassinated as·sas·si·nate tr.v. as·sas·si·nat·ed, as·sas·si·nat·ing, as·sas·si·nates 1. To murder (a prominent person) by surprise attack, as for political reasons. 2. for her investigations into organized crime. (Touchstone) JUNE CHARLIE'S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE: Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu are back as the airhead investigators, and they've brought Demi Moore with them. Bill Murray couldn't afford to lose any more brain cells, though; his Bosley has morphed into Bernie Mac. (Columbia) (June 27) HOLLYWOOD HOMICIDE: Old cop Harrison Ford and young cop Josh Hartnett conduct a comedic investigation of a rap group's murder. (Columbia) ( June 13) THE HULK: Shape-shifting director Ang Lee goes into the Marvel Comics realm. When Bruce Banner (Eric Bana) gets mad, well, he gets big and green. Jennifer Connelly and Nick Nolte co-star. (Universal) (June 20) LE DIVORCE: Kate Hudson and Naomi Watts are American sisters facing the social mores of French society. Director James Ivory's ensemble includes Glenn Close, Stockard Channing, Matthew Modine and Sam Waterston. (Fox Searchlight) MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD: Russell Crowe and his ``Beautiful Mind'' figment fig·ment n. Something invented, made up, or fabricated: just a figment of the imagination. [Middle English, from Latin figmentum, from fingere, Paul Bettany headline this adaptation of Patrick O'Brian's Napoleonic-era naval adventure directed by Peter Weir. (20th Century Fox) (June 6) THE RUGRATS MEET THE WILD THORNBERRYS: ... and presumably pre·sum·a·ble adj. That can be presumed or taken for granted; reasonable as a supposition: presumable causes of the disaster. they all play a championship round of ``Blue's Clues.'' Bruce Willis voices the Rugrats' dog Spike. (Paramount) (June 13) SINBAD: LEGEND OF THE SEVEN SEAS: The studio that brought you ``Shrek'' looks for another animated hit with the voices of Brad Pitt, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michelle Pfeiffer and Joseph Fiennes. (DreamWorks) (June 27) 2 FAST, 2 FURIOUS: No Vin Diesel this time, but Paul Walker is back, and John Singleton is in the director's chair. Gentlemen, start your engines. (Universal) (June 6) WHEN HARRY MET LLOYD: DUMB & DUMBERER: ``Dumb & Dumber'' prequel pre·quel n. A literary, dramatic, or cinematic work whose narrative takes place before that of a preexisting work or a sequel. [pre- + (se)quel.] , without Jim Carrey or the Farrelly brothers, which sounds really dumb. (New Line) (June 13) JULY BAD BOYS II: Who in the world was really waiting for the reteaming of Will Smith, Martin Lawrence and director Michael Bay for the sequel to a middling cop comedy? Besides their accountants, we mean. (Columbia) (July 18) LARA LARA Land Access and Recreation Association (UK) LARA Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act of 2004 LARA Light Armed Reconnaissance Aircraft LARA Lakeland Agricultural Research Association LARA Labor Aerospace Research Agenda CROFT TOMB RAIDER: THE CRADLE OF LIFE: ``Speed'' director Jan De Bont guides our jet-skiing, horseback-riding, motorcycling heroine across the globe in search of the Cradle of Life. Angelina Jolie is back for the video-game-inspired mayhem. (Paramount) (July 25) THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN: Another comic book adaptation. Victorian adventurers Allan Quartermain (Sean Connery), Dr. Jekyll (Jason Flemyng), Capt. Nemo (Naseeruddin Shah) and the like team up to battle evil. (20th Century Fox) (July 11) LEGALLY BLONDE 2: RED, WHITE AND BLONDE: Like, Reese Witherspoon is back and she's, like, going to Washington to take on animal cruelty. (MGM) (July 2) PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN This article is about the franchise. For other, more specific uses, see Pirates of the Caribbean (disambiguation). For real pirates, see Piracy in the Caribbean. Pirates of the Caribbean : Disney swears this is an actual, rip-roaring seagoing sea·go·ing adj. Made or used for ocean voyages. seagoing Adjective built for travelling on the sea Adj. 1. adventure, not another attempt to turn a theme park attraction into a movie in the grand tradition of ``The Country Bears.'' Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush and Orlando Bloom buckle-and-swash. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer supplies the ammunition. (Disney) (July 9) SEABISCUIT: ``Pleasantville'' director Gary Ross and star Tobey Maguire reunite to tell the story of an awfully famous racehorse racehorse refers usually to thoroughbred but may also include standardbred, trotter. . With Chris Cooper and Jeff Bridges. (Universal) (July 25) SPY KIDS 3: GAME OVER: The juvenile agents are back, only this time they're lost in a video game world. (Miramax) (July 23) TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES: This time, the Arnoldbot has to battle an even more sophisticated bad Terminator than the last one; and this one's a girl who can beat him up! Minus the participation of franchise creator James Cameron, it will be interesting to see if this ultra-costly sequel packs anything like the same psychotronic psy·cho·tron·ic adj. Of or relating to a genre of film characterized by bizarre or shocking story lines, often shot on a low budget. [Probably psycho- + (elec)tronic.] punch as the first two films. (Warner Bros.) (July 2) WONDERLAND: Not content with playing Jim Morrison, Val Kilmer gets his mojo rising again as John Holmes in this biofilm Biofilm An adhesive substance, the glycocalyx, and the bacterial community which it envelops at the interface of a liquid and a surface. When a liquid is in contact with an inert surface, any bacteria within the liquid are attracted to the surface and adhere about the late porn star. ``Friend'' Lisa Kudrow plays the great man's wife. (Lions Gate) AUGUST AMERICAN WEDDING: Those crazy high-schoolers of two ``American Pie'' films aren't in high school anymore. (Universal) (Aug. 1) THE FIGHTINGTEMPTATIONS: Fish-out-of-water ad man Cuba Gooding Jr. must create a gospel choir in a small Southern town in order to collect an inheritance. Didn't we just see this with Gooding wearing a fur parka and piloting a snow-dog theme? Beyonce Knowles co-stars. (Paramount) GIGLI: The movie where Ben met Jennifer. It's got Al Pacino and Christopher Walken, too, but who's gonna be watching them for clues? (Columbia) (Aug. 1) MOLLY GUNN: Because we really needed another Brittany Murphy movie. In this one, she's the freewheeling free·wheel·ing adj. 1. a. Free of restraints or rules in organization, methods, or procedure. b. Heedless of consequences; carefree. 2. Relating to or equipped with a free wheel. daughter of a late rock legend. When her inheritence is stolen, poor Molly has to get a - gasp! - job! (MGM) SUMMER UNSCHEDULED J.M. BARRIE'S NEVERLAND: Director Marc Forster (``Monster's Ball'') charts the author's creation of his classic book ``Peter Pan'' at the turn of the last century. Cast includes Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, Julie Christie and Dustin Hoffman. (Miramax) SEPTEMBER ANYTHING ELSE: Director/writer and, once again, star Woody Allen has a title ... but, natch, no description of his latest. He does, however, have a cast that includes Stockard Channing, Jason Biggs, Danny DeVito, Jimmy Fallon, Christina Ricci and jazz lady Diana Krall. (DreamWorks) OCTOBER INTOLERABLE CRUELTY: O lawyer, where art thou? George Clooney and the Coen brothers reunite with Clooney playing an L.A. divorce attorney who falls for a hardheaded hard·head·ed adj. 1. Stubborn; willful. 2. Realistic; pragmatic. hard head woman (Catherine Zeta-Jones) pursuing financial independence through serial matrimony MATRIMONY. See Marriage. . (Universal) (Oct. 10) KILL BILL: Quentin Tarantino finally returns to directing with this bloody tale of a former assassin who returns to get the boss who betrayed her. Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox and Daryl Hannah defy laws both manmade and natural in this Hong Kong-inspired romp. (Miramax) (Oct. 10) MYSTIC RIVER: Clint Eastwood does not appear in his latest directing effort. But with a classy cast that includes Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden Marcia Gay Harden (born August 14, 1959) is an Academy Award-winning American actress. Biography Early life Harden, one of five children, was born in La Jolla, California, daughter of Beverly (née Bushfield), a housewife, and Thaddeus Harold Harden, a Texas and Laura Linney, this Boston-based murder mystery should get along fine without him. (Warner Bros.) (Oct. 3) OUT OF TIME: Denzel Washington is back in thriller mode for his ``Devil in a Blue Dress'' director Carl Franklin. Washington plays a Florida police chief looking to solve a double homicide in which he is also a suspect. (MGM) (Oct. 3) NOVEMBER BARBERSHOP 2: Director Tim Story is back, as are, presumably, as many of the denizens of Calvin's shop as they can round up. (MGM) (Nov. 21) DR. SEUSS' THE CAT IN THE HAT: Mike Myers wears the red and white chapeau for director Bo Welch and ``Grinch'' producer Brian Grazer. (Universal) (Nov. 21) THE HAUNTED MANSION: Scariest thing about this Eddie Murphy comedy: What's Disney going to do when they run out of theme-park attractions to turn into movies? (Disney) (Nov. 26) LOONEY TUNES: BACK IN ACTION: Bugs and company interact with real people again. But what makes this sound more promising than that Michael Jordan thing they did is that director Joe Dante (``Gremlins'') is about as close to a live-action cartoon himself as flesh and blood can get. (Warner Bros.) (Nov. 14) LOVE ACTUALLY: Ten short romantic comedies wrapped into one, with a plucky pluck·y adj. pluck·i·er, pluck·i·est Having or showing courage and spirit in trying circumstances. See Synonyms at brave. pluck British ensemble along for the ride. Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Laura Linney, Liam Neeson and Colin Firth star for director Richard Curtis. (Universal) (Nov. 7) THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS: The wrap-up. Depending, of course, on how much money this one makes. (Warner Bros.) (Nov. 7) MONA LISA SMILE: Julia Roberts does the inspiring Ivy League teacher thing for a gaggle of '50s brahminettes played by Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles and Maggie Gyllenhaal. (Columbia) (11/21) DECEMBER THE LAST SAMURAI: Tom Cruise plays an American officer hired by Japan's emperor to help modernize the nation's army in the 1870s. But then the Yank Yank steamship stoker vainly tries to climb the social ladder, then fails in attempt to avenge himself on society. [Am. Drama: O’Neill The Hairy Ape in Sobel, 339] See : Failure (jargon) yank discovers the beauty in the Samurai way of doing things. (Warner Bros.) (Dec. 5) THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING: Well, that's the end of that. Unless it makes as much money as the other two. (New Line) FALL UNSCHEDULED BIG FISH: Tim Burton directs a collection of tall tales a father tells his son. With Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Jessica Lange and Billy Crudup. (Columbia) THE CLEARING: The kidnapping and ransom of Wayne (Robert Redford) by Arnold Mack (Willem Dafoe) threatens his marriage to Eileen (Helen Mirren). (Fox Searchlight) ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND: A man goes through surgery to erase the memories of his girlfriend. Who would do such a thing? Jim Carrey would. Who would write such a thing? ``Adaptation's'' Charlie Kaufman, of course. (Focus) THE HUMAN STAIN: Robert Benton directs Anthony Hopkins and Nicole Kidman in Phillip Roth's story about the unlikely relationship between a disgraced academic and an abused cleaning woman. (Miramax) ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO: Director Robert Rodriguez takes his ``Desperado'' characters, played by Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek, and puts them in a Sergio Leone landscape. (Columbia) 21 GRAMS: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu follows his ``Amores Peros'' with a psychological relationship triangle between a woman (Naomi Watts), her married lover (Sean Penn) and an ex-con (Benicio Del Toro). The title refers to the the amount of weight the human body loses at death. (Focus) UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN: Diane Lane is la dolce expatriata in this film version of Frances Mayes' best seller about moving to Italy. (Touchstone) UNTITLED SYLVIA PLATH: Another literary suicide, nearly as famous as ``The Hours' '' Virginia Woolf. This time it's Gwyneth Paltrow as Sylvia Plath, real-life mom Blythe Danner as her mum and Daniel Craig as Plath's husband, Ted Hughes. (Focus) HOLIDAY THE ALAMO Alamo Eighteenth-century mission in San Antonio, Texas, site of a historic siege of a small group of Texans by a Mexican army (1836) during the Texas war for independence from Mexico. : Lest we forget Lest We Forget is a phrase popularised in 1887, by Rudyard Kipling; it formed the refrain of his poem Recessional. As a title, it may refer to any of:
BAD SANTA: Billy Bob Thornton in the role he was born to play. Directed by Terry Zwigoff (``Ghost World'') and produced by the Coen brothers. (Dimension) COLD MOUNTAIN: Adaptation of Charles Frazier's best-selling Civil War novel stars Jude Law as the wounded rebel and Nicole Kidman and Renee Zellweger as the two women he's trying to get home to. Directed, in Romania of all places, by ``The English Patient's'' Anthony Minghella. (Miramax) (Dec. 25) PETER PAN: In director P.J. Hogan's Neverland, young Peter is actually played by - get this! - a boy. Jeremy Sumpter is Pan, Jason Isaacs is Hook. (Universal) (Dec. 25) UNSCHEDULED BEYOND BORDERS: Romance between a wealthy American and a renegade doctor who ministers in war-torn nations. With Angelina Jolie, Linus Roache and Clive Owen. (Paramount) THE COMPANY: Robert Altman's probe of the Joffrey Ballet features former dancer Neve Campbell and a lot of people who probably can't dance too well but can hold their own acting. (Sony Classics) THE DREAMERS: In turmoil-torn 1968 Paris, a trio of cineastes are drawn together through their passion for film. Bernardo Bertolucci directs Michael Pitt, Eva Green and Louis Garrel. (Fox Searchlight) ENVY: Ben Stiller and Jack Black play a couple of pals whose friendship teeters when one of their get-rich-quick schemes takes off. The scheme: a spray that disintegrates dog doo. Hey, every house should have one. Barry Levinson directs. (DreamWorks) UNTITLED ERROL MORRIS DOCUMENTARY: The acclaimed creator of ``The Thin Blue Line'' looks at the 20th century through the eyes of former defense secretary Robert S. McNamara. (Sony Classics) HERO: Chinese art-house hero Zhang Yimou (``Raise the Red Lantern'') attempts an Ang Lee with this historical martial-arts spectacular starring the cream of Hong Kong and Mainland stars: Jet Li, Zhang Ziyi, Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung. (Miramax) HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG: A very popular ``Oprah'' book becomes a film. A former member of the Shah of Iran's inner circle (Ben Kingsley) buys a house at auction, but the house's owner (Jennifer Connelly) fights to get it back. (DreamWorks) JERSEY GIRL: The film Ben and Jen made after they fell in love. They, um, fall in love in this one. Written and directed by the Kevin Smith of ``Dogma'' and ``Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back'' fame. (Miramax) MAGDALENE SISTERS: Scotsman Peter Mullan's controversial expose of Ireland's notorious indentured laundry system for ``fallen'' women has wowed 'em at film festivals and really upset the Vatican. (Miramax) SAVED: A dark comedy with a religious bent featuring a wheelchair-dependent Macaulay Culkin, a pregnant Jena Malone and a skateboarding Patrick Fugit. (UA) THE STATEMENT: Michael Caine stars - for director Norman Jewison - as a former Nazi executioner EXECUTIONER. The name given to him who puts criminals to death, according to their sentence; a hangman. 2. In the United States, executions are so rare that there are no executioners by profession. trying to escape his past in modern-day France. (Sony Classics) SWIMMING POOL: First English-language film from France's Francois Ozon (``8 Women'') is a thriller concerning a British mystery author stirring up trouble while visiting her publisher in the south of France South of France south n the South of France → le Sud de la France, le Midi . With Charles Dance and Charlotte Rampling. (Focus) TIMELINE: A time-traveling adventure to 14th-century feudal France based on the novel by Michael Crichton. With Paul Walker and Frances O'Connor. (Paramount) 28 DAYS LATER: A fast-moving virus that sends those infected into a murderous rage levels Britain. Cillian Murphy and Christopher Eccleston star for ``Trainspotting'' director Danny Boyle. (Fox Searchlight) CAPTION(S): 5 photos, box Photo: (1 -- cover -- color) 2003 film preview Time to reload (1) To load a program from disk into memory once again in order to run it. Reload is entirely different than reinstall. Reinstall means that you have to run the install program from a CD-ROM or floppy disk and perform the installation procedure over again. (2) OPENS: ``The Matrix Reloaded'': May 15 (3) A father fish searches for his son in ``Finding Nemo,'' the latest from Pixar animators. (May 30) (4) Whatchu gonna do when Will Smith, left, and Martin Lawrence come for you again in ``Bad Boys II''? (July 18) (5) Bob Newhart helps Reese Witherspoon avoid the thorns of D.C. politics in ``Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde. (July 2) Box: movie listings (see text) |
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