Posted on: Friday, September 9, 2005
The coming attractions
By Margaret A. McGurk
Cincinnati Enquirer
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Clockwise, from top left, "Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe," "Domino," "Stay," "Tim Burton's Corpse Bride" and (center) "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" are heading for theaters.
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Helena Bonham Carter provides the voice of the Corpse Bride; Johnny Depp gives voice to Victor Van Dort in "Tim Burton's Corpse Bride," scheduled to open Sept. 23.
Warner Bros.
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"Chicken Little," a computer-generated animated film, is scheduled to open on Nov. 4. It's a comedy that's an update of the classic children's story.
Walt Disney Pictures
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Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor star in the thriller "Stay," opening Oct. 21.
Eli Reed
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Daniel Radcliffe returns in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," opening Nov. 18.
Warner Bros.
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After a summer marked by as many duds as hits, movie fans have good reason to look forward to fall, when smart, grownup films come to the fore.
The schedule is rich with ambitious films by prestigious directors, among them "The New World" from Terrence Malick, Roman Polanski's "Oliver Twist" and Steven Spielberg's "Munich."
That's not to say there will be a shortage of fun and fantasy for the rest of the year, with the animated "Wallace & Gromit" and "Chicken Little" on the way, plus "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," Peter Jackson's eagerly awaited "King Kong" and the magical "Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe."
Here is a rundown on most of the movies slated to open by the end of the year. Release dates, as always, are subject to change.
SEPT. 16
"Proof" — Gwyneth Paltrow and Anthony Hopkins star in the movie version of a prize-winning play about a family burdened by mental illness.
"Cry Wolf" — A scary game turns dangerous for high-school kids; Jon Bon Jovi co-stars.
"Just Like Heaven" — Reese Witherspoon stars as a ghost who wins the heart of the man (Mark Ruffalo) who moves into her former home.
"Lord of War" — Nicolas Cage plays an arms dealer dodging an Interpol agent (Ethan Hawke).
"The Woods" — Something scary goes on in the woods outside a private girls' school. Patricia Clarkson stars.
SEPT. 23
"Flightplan" — Jodie Foster plays a mother whose daughter disappears in the middle of an airplane trip.
"Roll Bounce" — Rapper Bow Wow stars in an adventure built around high-style roller skating.
"Tim Burton's Corpse Bride" — Unorthodox matrimony is the theme in this animated tale starring the voice of Johnny Depp.
SEPT. 30
"Oliver Twist" — Roman Polanski directs a new adaptation of the popular Charles Dickens tale; Ben Kingsley stars as Fagin.
"A History of Violence" — Viggo Mortensen plays a family man whose life is changed after he kills an attacker. David Cronenberg directs.
"Into the Blue" — Paul Walker and Jessica Alba play divers who cross paths with dangerous drug dealers.
"Serenity" — Joss Whedon translates his short-lived sci-fi TV show "Firefly" to the big screen.
"The Greatest Game Ever Played" — Bill Paxton directs this historical drama about a legendary 1913 golf tournament. Shia LaBeouf stars.
OCT. 7
"The Gospel" — An R&B singer confronts a crisis when his religious father falls ill. The ensemble cast includes Boris Kodjoe, Idris Elba, Nona Gaye, Keshia Knight Pulliam and Tamyra Gray, and features a who's who of some of gospel's most talented voices, including Hezekiah Walker, Yolanda Adams, Fred Hammond, and Donnie McClurkin.
"In Her Shoes" — Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette play sisters with clashing personalities. Curtis Hanson ("L.A. Confidential") directs.
"Last Holiday" — A dying young woman visits Europe. Queen Latifah stars; Wayne Wang ("The Joy Luck Club") directs.
"Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit" — Nick Park's animated twosome face off against the threat to their vegetable-growing contest.
"Two for the Money" — Matthew McConaughey, Al Pacino and Rene Russo star in a comic drama about an ex-football star who goes into the sports gambling business.
OCT. 14
"Domino" — Keira Knightley stars in the life story of the late Domino Harvey, a model who became a bounty hunter.
"Elizabethtown" — Cameron Crowe directs a romantic story about a young man reconnecting with his Kentucky roots. Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst co-star.
"The Fog" — Tom Welling ("Smallville") stars in a remake of John Carpenter's thriller about a small town engulfed in a mysterious cloud.
"North Country" — Charlize Theron, Frances McDormand and Woody Harrelson star in a tale inspired by the first successful sexual harassment case filed by female miners in 1984.
OCT. 21
"Doom" — Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson stars in a Martian adventure inspired by a video game.
"Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story" — Dakota Fanning and Kurt Russell play a daughter and father who nurse an injured racehorse back to health.
"Shopgirl" — Steve Martin adapted this screenplay from his own novel about a salesclerk (Claire Danes) torn between two men.
"Stay" — Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts and Ryan Gosling star in a story about a college professor trying to keep a student from committing suicide. Marc Forster ("Finding Neverland") directs.
OCT. 28
"The Legend of Zorro" — Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones return as the swashbuckling couple, this time crusading for California statehood.
"Prime" — Uma Thurman plays a woman who gets involved with the son of her psychotherapist (Meryl Streep).
"Saw II" — More poor saps are tricked into killing one another by the evil Jigsaw.
"The Weather Man" — Nicolas Cage stars as a TV meteorologist torn between his career and family. Gore Verbinski ("Pirates of the Caribbean") directs.
NOV. 4
"Chicken Little" — The classic children's story is updated and computer-generated in this animated comedy.
"The Family Stone" — Claire Danes finds herself at odds with her boyfriend's judgmental family, led by Diane Keaton.
"Jarhead" — Marine veteran Anthony Swofford's best-seller about serving in the Middle East hits the big screen with Jake Gyllenhaal and Jamie Foxx in the leads. Sam Mendes ("American Beauty") directs.
NOV. 9
"The New World" — Terrence Malick directs a historical drama about John Smith and Pocahontas.
"Get Rich or Die Tryin" — Rapper 50 Cent stars in a semi-autobiographical drama. Directed by Jim Sheridan ("My Left Foot").
NOV. 11
"Zathura" — Jon Favreau ("Elf") directs this fantasy adventure based on a Chris Van Allsburg book about two brothers (Josh Hutcherson and Jonah Bobo) whose space-travel game becomes real.
"Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang" — Val Kilmer and Robert Downey Jr. square off in a satirical comic mystery.
NOV. 18
"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" — The boy wizard and his friends are a little older and the stakes are a little higher in this fourth installment in the hit series.
"Walk the Line" — Joaquin Phoenix portrays the young Johnny Cash; Reese Witherspoon plays June Carter.
NOV. 23
"Dying for Dolly" — Usher Raymond stars as a mobster's bodyguard who falls for the don's daughter, with comic consequences.
"Rent" — Jonathan Larson's hit Broadway musical reaches the big screen, with Rosario Dawson, Taye Diggs and Jesse L. Martin on board. Chris Columbus directs.
"Yours, Mine and Ours" — Dennis Quaid and Rene Russo remake the 1968 Henry Fonda-Lucille Ball comedy about a blended family with 18 children.
NOV. 25
"Ice Harvest" — John Cusack and Billy Bob Thornton star in a crime comedy directed by Harold Ramis.
DEC. 2
"Aeon Flux" — Charlize Theron brings the cult-cartoon heroine to life.
DEC. 9
"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe" — Four children step through a magic wardrobe cabinet into the land of Narnia, where the lion Aslan faces down the White Witch. This long-awaited movie debut of C.S. Lewis' beloved fantasy series promises to be one of the year's biggest events.
"Memoirs of a Geisha" — Ziyi Zhang and Ken Watanabe head the cast in this lush costume drama based on Arthur Golden's best-selling novel. Rob Marshall ("Chicago") directs.
"Syriana" — George Clooney stars as a CIA agent involved in Middle East intrigue. Stephen Gaghan, screenwriter of "Traffic," directs.
DEC. 14
"King Kong" — Director Peter Jackson ("The Lord of the Rings" trilogy) re-invents the classic monster movie with Naomi Watts in the Faye Wray role. Jack Black and Adrien Brody also star.
DEC. 16
"All the King's Men" — Sean Penn and Jude Law star in this remake of the 1949 hit about a populist politician, loosely based on late Louisiana Gov. Huey Long.
"Big Momma's House 2" — Martin Lawrence straps on the body padding again for another undercover FBI investigation.
DEC. 21
"Fun With Dick and Jane" — Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni star in a remake of the 1977 comedy about a middle-class couple who turn to crime to make ends meet.
"The Producers" — This is the movie based on the hit Broadway musical that was based on the hit 1968 movie by Mel Brooks. Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick reprise their stage roles.
DEC. 23
"Munich" — Steven Spielberg directs Eric Bana and Geoffrey Rush in a story about the aftermath of the tragic 1972 terrorist assault on Israeli Olympic athletes.
"The Ringer" — Johnny Knoxville plays a lowlife who pays the price when he tries to pose as a handicapped competitor in the Special Olympics.
DEC. 25
"Rumor Has It" — Jennifer Aniston discovers that her family was the inspiration for "The Graduate." Rob Reiner directs Aniston and Shirley MacLaine.
"Casanova" — Lasse Hallstrom ("Chocolat") directs Heath Ledger as the legendary Italian lover. Sienna Miller co-stars.
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