By Courtney L. Woods
Movie maniacs and film fanatics rejoice; the most gut-wrenching and flaccid part of the year is almost behind us, and fall movies are just around the bend. Holiday blockbusters and Oscar-pushes are on the horizon and they look promising, adrenaline pumping, and some a little “iffy.” No film season would be complete without hits, misses, surprises, and big-budget-high-stake flops, so let’s meditate on our abundance of choices for the fall.
*Red Dragon
Hannibal Lecter makes it back to the big screen in the second adaptation of Thomas Harris’s novel (the first being “Manhunter” and not starring Anthony Hopkins). This time around, the tale has an all-star cast, including Edward Norton, Ralph Fiennes, Emily Watson, and Hannibal himself, Sir Anthony Hopkins. There’s no redheaded FBI agent named Clarice Starling; instead we get Edward Norton as Will Graham, the man who put Lecter away. (October 4)
*White Oleander
Based on the mother of all Oprah books, Michelle Pfeiffer stars as an icy poetess named Ingrid who exacts her revenge on her lover and ends up in prison, while her daughter Astrid (Alison Lohman) is bounced from foster home to foster home. Renee Zellweger and Robin Wright-Penn co-star. (October 11)
*The Ring
Naomi Watts (“Mulholland Drive”) is in search of the answer to a great mystery; a videotape circulating kills the viewer a week after watching it. What is on the tape? No one knows, but the trailer gives your toes a little curl with suspense. This could be the big Halloween hit this year; and one of the scariest in a long time. (October 18)
*8 Mile
It’s a scary thought that Eminem has the possibility of being nominated for an Oscar. It’s even scarier that the director of “8 Mile” is Curtis Hanson, the visionary behind “L.A. Confidential,” and that Academy Award winner Kim Basinger is Eminem’s mom in a film that looks all too autobiographical. The scariest thing, however, is that the film seems to be, uh… well done. Let’s hope it’s better than “Glitter.” (November 8)
*Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry, Ron, and Hermione return for their second year at Hogwarts as the tone of the film becomes gradually darker. Alan Rickman and Maggie Smith return as Professors Snape and McGonagall, and along for the ride is Kenneth Branagh as self-absorbed Professor Gilderoy Lockheart. Harry talks to snakes, Hermione turns into a cat and the Chamber of Secrets is opened, much to the chagrin of all in the wizarding world. (November 15)
*Phone Booth
Colin Farrell is a target in a phone booth as sniper (Kiefer Sutherland) holds him at bay and makes him play his dangerous game. This film was shot in a very short time, and from the trailer there seems to be a gritty edge to it, like an indie feature. (November 15)
Pierce Brosnan is back in the twentieth installment of the James Bond series. This time around, Halle Berry signs on as a Bond girl named Jinx. Hey, it’s a lot more respectable of a name than Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman in “Goldfinger”). (November 22)
*Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Ah, in less than three months, Middle-Earth is back! The quest to destroy the One Ring continues with what’s left of the Fellowship separated and going in different directions. The highly anticipated battle sequence of Helm’s Deep (orc heads getting hewed off left and right!), the introduction to the land and the people of Rohan (famous for their horses), the forest of Fangorn, and Gollum gets a meaty role as he leads Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) to Mordor. Ian McKellan, Viggo Mortensen, Liv Tyler, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Orlando Bloom and Miranda Otto co-star. (December 18)
*Chicago
“Moulin Rouge” brought back the movie-musical, but will Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renee Zellweger, and Richard Gere keep the genre on its legs? Fans of the Broadway version will be wowed at the visuals, but will the rest of America dig “All that Jazz?” Jones and Zellweger play Velma and Roxie, two murderous wannabe starlets who are vying for the spotlight and for the attention of their lawyer (Gere). (December 25)
*Gangs of New York
Martin Scorsese returns to the big-screen with his much-delayed epic about rioting gangs in early New York City. Some are predicting a flop; others are predicting greatness. A grisly “king of the world” Leonardo DiCaprio stars with Daniel Day-Lewis and Cameron Diaz. (December 25)
