2003ís movies look promising By CRAIG OUTHIER
Get Out
Jan. 19, 2003
In Hollywood, hope springs eternal, especially in the wintery bluster of January, when the years movie offerings stretch to the horizon like a sumptuous buffet.
It doesnt matter that many of these offerings will sour on closer inspection Bad Company and The Truth About Charlie, to use two examples from last year. Today, every one of them is a potential Citizen Kane, and 2003 is shaping up to be an exciting year. Two Matrix sequels, a Lord of the Rings fi nale, Chow Yun-Fat, Jim Carrey, Tom Cruise, a Hulk movie . . . its enough to make an Internet fanboy pound on his keyboard like a randy chimp.
Let the pounding begin.
LATE WINTER/EARLY SPRING The late winter and early spring months offer a predictable throwaway assortment of twentysomething sex comedies and middle-of-the-road action movies, with a few promising exceptions.
A GUY THING: After a night of vigorous bachelor debauchery, a gushing groom-to-be (Jason Lee) wakes up next to a strange woman (Julia Stiles) and assumes perhaps incorrectly that he must have cheated on his fi ance (Selma Blair). (now playing)
KANGAROO JACK: Family-oriented fare stars Jerry OConnell (Stand by Me) and Anthony Anderson (Me, Myself and Irene) as bumbling mob couriers who chase a computergenerated kangaroo across the Australian Outback in an attempt to retrieve the $100,000 it stole from them. (now playing)
NATIONAL SECURITY: Unfairly booted from the LAPD, a white ex-cop (Steve Zahn) gets a job as a security guard and is partnered with the black loose cannon (Martin Lawrence) he was falsely accused of beating. (now playing)
DARKNESS FALLS: Small-town teenagers go head-to-head with an ancient, supernatural evil thats mysteriously linked to the tooth fairy legend. (Jan. 24)
VIEW FROM THE TOP: A woman from meager redneck beginnings (Gwyneth Paltrow) aims to be a flight attendant, but not if her stewardess school nemesis (Christina Applegate) hijacks her dreams. With Rob Lowe as the pilot. (Jan. 24)
BIKER BOYZ: Based on a New Times article, this high-octane action-adventure flick celebrates the exploits of a Los Angeles motorcycle club comprised mostly of white-collar black men. With Laurence Fishburne, Derek Luke (Antwone Fisher), Djimon Hounsou and Orlando Jones. (Jan. 31)
FINAL DESTINATION 2: When the original Final Destination (2000) inexplicably scared up $53 million at the box office, it was only a matter of time before New Line Cinema revisited the same shlocky territory. As before, teens cheat deaths grand design, only to suffer violently on the backswing. (Jan. 31)
THE GURU: In this satirical look at high-society spiritual trends, an Indian dance teacher (Jimi Mistri from East Is East) comes to America, lands on a porn set and becomes a celebrated Swami mystical healer. With Heather Graham and Marisa Tomei. (Jan. 31)
THE RECRUIT: An ambitious CIA recruit (Colin Farrell) suspects his mentor (Al Pacino) of spying for the Chinese in this cloak-and-dagger thriller set at the CIAs secret training facility in Camp Peary, Va., known in spook circles as the Farm. Roger Donaldson (No Way Out) directs. (Jan. 31)
DELIVER US FROM EVA: Fed up with their brackish, meddling sister-in-law (Gabrielle Union), three men pay a playboy (LL Cool J) to break her heart, only to see the plan backfire disastrously. (Feb. 7)
HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN 10 DAYS: Matthew McConaughey plays a profligate playboy who bets his two best friends that he has the patience to stay in a relationship for longer than 10 days. Unfortunately, the girl he targets (Kate Hudson) is even more prone to disposable romantic flings than he is. (Feb. 7)
SHANGHAI KNIGHTS: Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson reprise their roles from Shanghai Noon (2001), this time in 19 th-century London, to thwart a plot to assassinate the British royal family. Along the way, they scale Big Ben, visit Madame Tussauds and match wits with none other than Jack the Ripper. (Feb. 7)
DAREDEVIL: Ben Affleck plays blind, crimefighting, gymnast attorney Matthew Murdock in this adaptation of the popular Marvel comic.
Michael Clarke Duncan (The Green Mile) plays his nemesis, Kingpin, with Colin Farrell and Jennifer Garner rounding out the cast. (Feb. 14)
THE JUNGLE BOOK 2: Weary of civilization, Mowgli (voiced by Haley Joel Osment) leaves his village home and returns to the bare necessities of jungle life in this animated sequel from Disney. (Feb. 14)
DARK BLUE: Days before the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles, a jaded veteran of the citys elite Special Investigations Squad (Kurt Russell) and an idealistic rookie (Scott Speedman) unravel a mysterious quadruple homicide in this gritty cop drama from director Ron Shelton (Bull Durham). (Feb. 14)
GODS AND GENERALS: Civil War epic follows the rise and fall of General Stonewall Jackson (Stephen Lang from Gettysburg). With Robert Duvall. (Feb. 14)
THE LIFE OF DAVID GALE: Kevin Spacey plays the title character, a University of Texas professor who advocates the abolishment of capital punishment, only to find himself falsely accused of murder. With Laura Linney. (Feb. 21)
OLD SCHOOL: Disenchanted with the world of adults, three thirtysomething men strive to recapture their beer-soaked college days.
Starring Luke Wilson, Will Farrell and Vince Vaughn. (Feb. 21)
CRADLE 2 THE GRAVE: Rapper DMX (Exit Wounds) plays a highly skilled urban thief whose daughter is kidnapped and held in escrow for a cache of precious diamonds. Asian martial arts mite Jet Li plays the Taiwanese intelligence officer who lends a hand. (Feb. 28)
THE GUEST: Hoping to get cozy with the daughter of his boss, a naive junior executive (Ashton Kutcher) agrees to house sit for the old man, only to suffer a humiliating and stressful parade of mishaps. With Tara Reid and Molly Shannon. (Feb. 28)
THE HUNTED: William Friedkin (The French Connection) directs this tale of an FBI tracker L.T. Bonham (Tommy Lee Jones) who squares off against a trained assassin (Benecio del Toro) who makes a sport out of hunting humans. With Connie Nielsen. (Feb. 28)
BOAT TRIP: Two avowed heterosexual bachelors, played by Cuba Gooding Jr. and Horatio Sanz (Saturday Night Live), mistakenly book passage on a gay cruise.
Former 007 Roger Moore also stars. (March 7)
BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE: Perennial lonely guy Steve Martin (Bowfinger) plays a bachelor who meets a female prison inmate (Queen Latifah) over the Internet. When she breaks out to be with him, Martins staid middleclass life is thrown into upheaval. (March 7)
TEARS OF THE SUN: Bruce Willis and his team of Special-Ops commandos alight on the Nigerian jungle to rescue a comely female doctor (Monica Belluci), who will only leave her post if the Americans help rescue 70 refugees, too. Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) helms. (March 7)
AGAINST THE ROPES: Convict-turned-actor Charles Dutton (Alien 3) offers this fictionalized account of real-life boxing promoter Jackie Kallen (Meg Ryan), one of the few women to succeed in the industry. With Omar Epps (Big Trouble). (March 14)
AGENT CODY BANKS: Frankie Muniz (TVs Malcolm in the Middle) plays a regular suburban kid who gets recruited to conduct teenage espionage for the government. (March 14)
DUPLEX: Real estate foments evil in this Danny DeVito-directed dark comedy about a young married couple played by Ben Stiller and Drew Barrymore who set their sights on the perfect New York duplex. First, they have to bump off the current tenant, a harmless little old lady (Eileen Essel). (March 14)
JOHNNY ENGLISH: British funnyman Rowan Atkinson (Rat Race) plays a not-so-suave secret agent who attempts to save the country from a nefarious despot (John Malkovich) in this sendup of spy thrillers. (March 21)
PHONE BOOTH: Joel Schumachers oftdelayed thriller stars Colin Farrell (Harts War) as a slick New York publicist who picks up a ringing pay phone and is told by an unseen sniper that if he hangs up, hell be shot dead. (March 21)
IDENTITY: In this modern spin on Agatha Christies Ten Little Indians, 10 strangers are trapped in a remote hotel and murdered one by one. Starring John Cusack, Ray Liotta, Amanda Peet and Wally George spawn Rebecca De Mornay. (March 21)
PIGLETS BIG MOVIE: Poohs porcine sidekick attempts to save his fellow denizens of Hundred Acre Wood in this animated romp. (March 21)
THE CORE: A team of NASA terranauts burrow to the center of Earth to patch up the planets ailing core, which otherwise will cause natural disasters of untold magnitude. With Aaron Eckhart and Hilary Swank. (March 28)
DREAMCATCHER: Friends since childhood, four troubled men reunite for a peaceful respite in the woods, only to confront an alternate world that brings death and horror. From the Stephen King novel, starring Morgan Freeman, Thomas Jane and Jason Lee, directed by Lawrence Kasdan (Grand Canyon). (March 28)
HEAD OF STATE: Chris Rock wrote, directed and stars in this political comedy about a Washington D.C. city councilman who is unexpectedly tapped by the Democratic party to run for president when the previous candidate dies. (March 28)
SUMMER According to the Hollywood almanac, the summer begins sometime in late April and ends in late September. In between, the biggest blockbusters are unleashed.
A MAN APART: A DEA agent (Vin Diesel) and his partner (Larenz Tate) team up to take down a mysterious new drug lord known only as Diablo (Timothy Olyphant from Go). (April 4)
RIPLEYS GAME: Set years after the events in The Talented Mr. Ripley, this dramatic thriller finds Ripley (John Malkovich) happily married in rural France, where he lures an unsuspecting amateur (Dougray Scott) into a web of deception and murder. (April 4)
WHAT A GIRL WANTS: In this King Ralph for the Olsen twins set, Amanda Bynes (Big Fat Liar) plays an American 16-year-old who goes to live in England with her father (Colin Firth), a prominent politician. (April 4)
ANGER MANAGEMENT: In a clever bit of against-type casting, Adam Sandler plays a mild-mannered businessman who is unfairly sentenced to an anger-management program with a fiendish, outburst-prone instructor (Jack Nicholson). (April 11)
SHAOLIN SOCCER: In this action-packed Hong Kong import, a hobbled ex-soccer player teaches the game to a kung fu student and his five brothers, comically resulting in a hybrid shaolin playing style that propels them all the way to a prestigious national tournament. (April 11)
TIMELINE: Archaeological students find themselves trapped in 14 th-century France in this sci-fi thriller based on the Michael Crichton novel and directed by Richard Donner (Superman). Starring Paul Walker (The Fast and the Furious) and Frances OConner (Mansfield Park). (April 11)
BULLETPROOF MONK: Martial arts buddy flick about a mysterious monk (Chow Yun-Fat) who zigzags the globe protecting an ancient scroll that holds the key to unlimited power, and the scruffy slacker (Seann William Scott of American Pie fame) who helps him. (April 16)
BASIC: A DEA agent (John Travolta) investigates the disappearance of a decorated Army Ranger drill sergeant (Samuel L. Jackson) and several of his cadets during a training exercise gone awry. (April 18)
DOWN WITH LOVE: In this splashy homage to the early 60s romantic comedies of Rock Hudson and Doris Day, Renee Zellweger plays a best-selling advice author who meets her match in a sly journalist playboy (Ewan MacGregor). (April 18)
HOLES: In this Goonies-esque family caper adventure, a tyrannical warden (Sigourney Weaver) at a juvenile detention center puts her wards to work digging large holes, claiming it builds character, but is secretly looking for buried treasure. (April 18)
MALIBUS MOST WANTED: Mortified that his wannabe rap star son (Jamie Kennedy) will derail his campaign for governor, a Malibu politician hires two Juilliard-trained actors (Taye Diggs and Anthony Anderson) to disguise themselves as hard-core gangstaz and scare the blackness out of him. (April 25)
THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT: Struggling to cope with painful childhood memories, a young man (Ashton Kutcher) discovers a technique that allows him to travel back in time and occupy his childhood body as a youngster. Inevitably, it becomes a can of worms he wishes he hadnt opened. (April 25)
GEORGE AND THE DRAGON: Upon returning to England from the First Crusades, a weary knight (James Purefoy from Resident Evil) is enlisted to rescue a fair princess (Piper Perabo) from a mythic beast. (April 25)
X2: When a mutant assassin tries to kill the president, the X-Men band together to find the culprit. Meanwhile, the Mutant Academy is attacked by a violently bigoted general (Brian Cox). Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen return, along with most of the cast from the original X-Men (2000). (May 2)
DADDY DAY CARE: A pair of laid-off family men (Eddie Murphy and Steve Zahn) become stay-at-home dads and start their own day-care center. With Regina King and Parker Posey.
(May 9)
THE MATRIX: RELOADED: In this, the undisputed event movie of the summer, Neo (Keanu Reeves) and the rebel leaders have only 72 hours before the evil artifi cial intelligence from the first Matrix discovers Zion and lays humanity waste. Includes a cameo by Roy Jones Jr., pound for pound the greatest boxer in the world. (May 15)
BRUCE ALMIGHTY: Irked by his incessant complaining, God (Morgan Freeman) gives a mortal malcontent (Jim Carrey) almighty powers for 24 hours to teach him how difficult it is to run the world. With Jennifer Aniston. (May 23)
OPEN RANGE: Kevin Costners first directorial effort since the runaway success of The Postman (1997) finds the filmmaker playing a penitent gunslinger who takes up arms again when his cattle crew is threatened by a corrupt lawman. With Robert Duvall and Annette Bening. (May 23)
THE WEDDING PARTY: On the eve of his daughters wedding, a mild-mannered podiatrist (Albert Brooks) discovers that his new in-laws are international smugglers. With Michael Douglas and Candice Bergen. (May 23)
FINDING NEMO: In this latest computeranimated romp from Pixar (Toy Story), a young clownfish named Nemo is stolen from his coral reef home, prompting his yellow-belly father to scour the seven seas looking for him. With the voices of Albert Brooks and Willem Dafoe. (May 30)
THE ITALIAN JOB: In this remake of the like-titled 1969 comic caper starring Michael Caine, a gang of career criminals orchestrates a major heist involving Mini Coopers and the biggest traffic jam in Los Angeles history. With Mark Wahlberg, Edward Norton and Charlize Theron. (May 30)
2 FAST 2 FURIOUS: Otherwise known as The Fast and the Furious 2. This time, officer Brian OConner (Paul Walker) disgraced and in the law enforcement doghouse, naturally is recruited to infiltrate the Miami street-racing circuit. Vin Diesel passed on this one. John Singleton (Higher Learning) directs. (June 6)
MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD: Lets hope the movie is less cumbersome than the title. Russell Crowe plays Capt. Jack Aubrey, who along with physician friend Stephen Maturin (Paul Bettany from A Beautiful Mind) finds high-seas adventure against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars in this epic from director Peter Weir (The Truman Show). (June 6)
FREDDY VS. JASON: Slasher mainstays Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) and Jason Voorhees (Ken Kirzinger) are resurrected for a blowout celebrity death match. (June 13)
HOLLYWOOD HOMICIDE: Cigar-chomping homicide detective Harrison Ford and green sidekick Josh Hartnett investigate a murder at an L.A. nightclub run by an underworld impresario (Master P). (June 13)
THE RUGRATS MEET THE WILD THORNBERRYS: Crudely animated Nickelodeon properties collide when the Rugrats get into a scrape, prompting the Wild Thornberrys to jump into action. (June 13)
THE HULK: Relative unknown Eric Bana (Chopper) scores the summers plumb role as Bruce Banner, a geneticist who accidently inflicts himself with a mutation that causes him to transform into a giant green brute under emotional duress. Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) also directs Oscar winner Jennifer Connelly and Sam Elliot. (June 20)
CHARLIES ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE: The babe-alicious trio of Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu returns, along with a cheeky collection of cameos and supporting players: John Cleese, Matt LeBlanc, Bernie Mac, Demi Moore and the Olsen twins, to name a few. (June 27)
JERSEY GIRL: Couple-of-the-moment Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez star in this comic riff on the perils and joys of parenthood, written and directed by Kevin Smith (Clerks), who based the movie on his own experiences as a daddy. (Release date TBA)
LEGALLY BLONDE 2: RED, WHITE & BLONDE: Deceptively brainy deb Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) puts her nuptial plans on hold to champion an anti-animal testing bill in Congress With Sally Field and Bob Newhart. (July 4)
SINBAD: Legend of the Seven Seas: Brad Pitt, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michelle Pfeiffer offer their vocal talents to this animated swashbuckler from DreamWorks. (July 4)
TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES: Human freedom fighter John Conner (Nick Stahl from In the Bedroom), now 18, is threatened by a new female terminator called the T-X, or Terminatrix prompting another visit from his antiquated old pal the T-800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger). (July 4)
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: Big-budget swashbuckler based on the Disney theme park ride, featuring Johnny Depp as a seafaring rapscallion pitted against a unholy clutch of ghastly, half-dead pirates led by the evil Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush). (July 9)
THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN: Determined to stop a madman bent on world domination, Queen Victoria commissions a secret society comprised of Allan Quatermain (Sean Connery), Dr. Henry Jekyll (Jason Flyming), Tom Sawyer (Shane West) and other beloved figures of 19 th-century literature. From the graphic novel by Alan Moore. (July 11)
SCHOOL OF ROCK: Jack Black (Shallow Hal) plays a down-and-out rock star who takes a job as a fourth-grade substitute teacher, where he meets a 9-year-old guitar prodigy who could solve all his problems. Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused) directs. (July 11)
BAD BOYS II: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence and director Michael Bay reunite for this sequel to the 1995 Miami cop actioner that jump-started their careers. (July 18)
EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING: Stellan Skarsgard (Ronin) plays a younger version of Father Merrin played by fellow Scandinavian Max Von Sydow in the original during his missionary work in Africa and first encounter with the devil. (July 18)
WHEN HARRY MET LLOYD: DUMB AND DUMBERER: Set in the 70s, this prequel to Dumb and Dumber chronicles Harry and Lloyds early years in high school. Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels have been replaced with a pair of unknowns. (July 18)
LARA CROFT: TOMB RAIDER: The Cradle of Life: Angelina Jolie returns as the voluptuous video game adventuress. Jon De Bont (Speed) directs. (July 25)
SEABISCUIT: Part-time web-slinger Tobey Maguire plays boxer-turned-jockey Red Pollard in this adaptation of Laura Hillenbrands book about the legendary race horse. Gary Ross (Pleasantville) directs. (July 25)
SPY KIDS 3: Sibling spies Carmen (Alexa Vega) and Juni (Daryl Sabara) return for a third installment of the family-oriented adventure series. With Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino. (July 25)
AMERICAN WEDDING: The American Pie franchise draws one presumes to a close when pastry-molesting Jim (Jason Biggs) and multifaceted flutist Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) tie the knot. Stifler (Seann William Scott) also returns. (July 25)
GIGLI: Ben Affleck plays a mob bottom-feeder who kidnaps the mentally challenged younger brother of a California district attorney, only to develop an affection for the boy, as well as romantic feelings for his fellow kidnapper, a lesbian bruiser played by Jennifer Lopez. (July 25)
CURSED: The Scream braintrust of director Wes Craven and screenwriter Kevin Williamson reunite for this horror film that intimately explores the psyche of a Los Angeles serial killer. (Aug. 8)
ELLA ENCHANTED: Based on Gail Carson Levines award-winning novel, this romantic fairy tale stars Anne Hathaway (The Princess Diaries) as a young woman cursed with the gift of obedience who becomes a doormat for her wicked stepsisters. (Aug. 8)
THE FIGHTING TEMPTATIONS: Cuba Gooding Jr. plays a New York advertising executive who has to found a small-town choir in order to collect on a lucrative inheritance. With Beyoncé Knowles. (Aug. 8)
HIDALGO: Viggo Mortensen (Lord of the Rings) stars in this biographical drama of longdistance horse-riding great Frank T. Hopkins.
(Aug. 8) MATCHSTICK MEN: A multiphobic con artist (Nicolas Cage) and his protegé (Sam Rockwell) are on the cusp of a lucrative swindle when Cages teenage daughter (Alison Lohman) appears out of the blue. (Aug. 8)
S.W.A.T.: En route to a date with federal authorities, a drug kingpin (Colin Farrell) offers $100 million to anyone who can spring him free, much to the chagrin of the L.A. S.W.A.T.
team captain (Samuel L. Jackson) charged with transporting him. (Aug. 8)
IF YOU WERE MY GIRL: In this remake of Cant Buy Me Love, a high school loser (Nick Cannon) pays a cheerleader (Christina Milian) to pose as his girlfriend. (Aug. 15)
MOLLY GUNN: Desperate to win back the respect of her boyfriend, a New York socialite (Brittany Murphy) takes a job as the nanny of a precocious child (Dakota Fanning from I Am Sam). (Aug. 15)
MARCI X: Lisa Kudrow (Friends) plays a pampered Jewish-American princess who takes control of a hard-core hip-hop record label and tries to rein in controversial rapper Dr.
Snatchcatcher (Damon Wayans). (Aug. 22)
MINDHUNTERS: FBI profilers put their skills to the test when they discover a killer in their midst. With Val Kilmer, LL Cool J and Christian Slater. (Aug. 22)
LIKE HELL: JEEPERS CREEPERS 2: Joined by two of his buddies, the Creeper returns to dine on a bus full of basketball players and cheerleaders. (Aug. 29)
LOOSELY BASED ON A TRUE LOVE STORY: Loosely based on a novel by Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky, this Rob Reiner-directed romantic drama stars Luke Wilson as a writer who has to finish a novel in 30 days, lest he face the wrath of his creditors. Kate Hudson and Sophie Marceau also star. (Sept. 12)
BLACKOUT: Investigating a rash of senseless killings, a female homicide detective (Ashley Judd) is horrified and, in a weird way, flattered to discover that all of the victims are her past boyfriends. With Samuel L. Jackson. (Sept. 19)
THE BIG BOUNCE : Owen Wilson plays a drifter who takes a job caring for an ailing Hawaii judge (Morgan Freeman) and becomes embroiled in a real estate scandal. From Elmore Leonards 1969 crime caper novel. (Sept. 26)
HELLDORADO: A burly bounty hunter (Dwayne The Rock Johnson) and his globetrotting quarry (Seann William Scott from American Pie) team up to scour the Amazon for hidden treasure. (Sept. 26)
RADIO: The ever-busy Cuba Gooding Jr. plays a mentally challenged man in a small South Carolina town who is the target of petty disdain until the local high school football coach (Ed Harris) takes him under his wing. For Rudy fans. (Sept. 26)
YOUNG BLACK STALLION (IMAX): A young girl befriends a wild black stallion in this original feature-length movie, a first for IMAX. (Sept. 26)
FALL/HOLIDAYS The historical epic rules the holiday season in 2003, including a pair of dramas about battered and bloodied Civil War veterans Tom Cruises The Last Samurai, Jude Laws Cold Mountain that could have Oscar implications.
DICKIE ROBERTS: FORMER CHILD STAR: David Spade plays a former child actor who hires a foster family to re-create the childhood he never had. With appearances by Emmanuel Lewis, Corey Feldman, Leif Garrett and Danny Bonaduce. (Oct. 3)
MYSTIC RIVER: Another reunion drama, this one starring Sean Penn, Tim Robbins and Kevin Bacon as lifelong friends who convene when one of them loses a daughter. Directed by Clint Eastwood. (Oct. 3)
OUT OF TIME: Lovesick cop Denzel Washington steals money from the evidence room to run away with the woman of his dreams (Sanaa Lathan from Brown Sugar). When she double-crosses him, Denzel embarks on a noirish mission of vengeance. (Oct. 3)
FREAKY FRIDAY: A widowed physician (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her defi antteen daughter (Lindsay Lohan) switch bodies and learn to see the others point of view in this remake of the 1976 Jodie Foster comedy. (Oct. 10)
GOOD BOY!: Extraterrestrial canines visit Earth, incensed that their brethren live in the doghouse. Starring Kevin Nealon and Molly Shannon. (Oct. 10)
INTOLERABLE CRUELTY: In a rare nay, unprecedented romantic comedy from the Coen brothers (Fargo), Catherine Zeta-Jones plays a gold digger who aims to clean out a womanizing Beverly Hills lawyer (George Clooney). With Geoffrey Rush and Billy Bob Thornton. (Oct. 10)
KILL BILL: Quentin Tarantinos long-awaited follow-up to Jackie Brown (1997) is about a female assassin (Uma Thurman) who wakes up from a coma and swears revenge on the two-timing husband (70s slavage project David Carradine) who put her there. (Oct. 10)
THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: Remake of Tobe Hoopers 1974 schlock classic, starring Jessica Biel (Catch) and R. Lee Ermey. (Oct. 17)
THE WHOLE TEN YARDS: Bruce Willis and Matthew Perry reprise their roles from The Whole Nine Yards minus Michael Clarke Duncan. (Oct. 17)
SUSPECT ZERO: Aaron Eckhart and Carrie-Anne Moss are FBI agents tracking a mysterious serial killer with a novel M.O. he only kills other serial killers. (Oct. 24)
ELF: The seasons first Christmas movie stars Will Farrell as a regular man raised as an elf who leaves the North Pole in search of his true identity. With Ed Asner as Santa Claus. (Nov. 7)
LOVE ACTUALLY: Ten intertwining stories of love, set in and around London. Starring Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Laura Linney, Rowan Atkinson and more. (Nov. 7)
THE MATRIX: REVOLUTIONS: Filmed concurrently with The Matrix: Reloaded, the final chapter of the groundbreaking sci-fi saga wraps up the story of Neo, Trinity, Morpheus and the computer oppressors who would be king. (Nov. 7)
LOONEY TUNES: BACK IN ACTION: Joined by fl esh-and-blood actors Brendan Fraser and Jenna Elfman, the Looney Tunes embark on an adventure to find a mythical blue diamond.
(Nov. 14) AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS: Asian action imp Jackie Chan girdles the globe in this adaptation of Jules Vernes classic adventure novel. (Nov. 21)
DR. SEUSS THE CAT IN THE HAT: Mike Myers (Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery) plays the titular feline in this liveaction adaptation of the beloved childrens book. (Nov. 21)
HAVANA NIGHTS: DIRTY DANCING 2: Jennifer Gray and Patrick Swayze have moved on, leaving the ballroom grinding to a new generation of Latin danceaholics. (Nov. 21)
MONA LISA SMILE: In this distaff spin on Dead Poets Society, a free-spirited Berkeley grad (Julia Roberts) takes a position at a womens college, circa 1953, and challenges her students to defy suffocating gender mores. With Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles and Maggie Gyllenhaal. (Nov. 21)
THE HAUNTED MANSION: Disney continues to plunder its theme park properties with this story of a workaholic dad (Eddie Murphy) who meets a ghost (Jennifer Tilly) who teaches him a lesson about the importance of family. (Nov.
26)
THE LAST SAMURAI: Tom Cruise plays a jaded Civil War veteran who travels to 18 th-century Japan to sell the emperor firearms, only to suffer a crisis of conscience and join forces with a crew of renegade samurai. Ed Zwick (Glory directs.
(Dec. 5)
THE ALAMO: Gritty, Wild Bunch-style recounting of the infamous battle for a worthless chunk of Texas real estate, starring Viggo Mortensen (Lord of the Rings) as Jim Bowie, Dennis Quaid as General Sam Houston and Billy Bob Thornton as Davy Crockett. (Dec. 12)
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING: In the defining cinematic event of the decade, Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) make the final leg of their journey to Mordor, where they hope to destroy the One Ring once and for all. (Dec. 17)
COLD MOUNTAIN: Jude Law goes AWOL from the Confederate Army and makes the slow foot journey home, encountering witches, fellow deserters, fallen priests and all manner of human oddity. Meanwhile, his upper-crust girlfriend (Nicole Kidman) survives the bleak Kentucky winter with the help of a redneck local (Renee Zellweger). From the Charles Frazier novel. (Dec. 25)
PETER PAN: Live-action ode to perpetual boyhood stars Jeremy Sumpter (Frailty") as Peter Pan, Olivia Williams (Rushmore) as Mrs. Darling and, in a strange bit of Freudian stunt casting, Jason Isaacs as both Mr. Darling and Captain Hook. (Dec. 25)
BAD SANTA: Disguised as Santa and his elf, a pair of alcoholic crooks conspire to rob a string of shopping malls until an 8-year-old boy teaches them the true meaning of Christmas. With Billy Bob Thornton. (release date TBA)
