Fall films
By Jack Garner
Gannett News Service
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If you like films with depth, artistry and purpose, take heart, the fall season is upon us. Oh, don't worry, they don't get all that high-falutin'. The potential winners include Agent 007, a flock of penguins and a horse named Flicka.
Still, after the popcorn exploitation of summer, autumn is typically when movies become more thoughtful. Studios begin to gear up for the year-end top 10 critics' lists and Oscar considerations.
You'll find Martin Scorsese and Jack Nicholson teaming up for a tale of police corruption and Russell Crowe running a vineyard. Meanwhile, Clint Eastwood takes us up to the highest point of Iwo Jima for the recreation of the most famous photograph ever taken of an American flag.
Here's what to expect between now and Thanksgiving. Note, of course, that release dates are always subject to change.
TODAY
"Open Season" — It's bears versus hunters in this animated comedy in which a domesticated 900-pound grizzly finds himself stranded in the woods, just as hunting season is about to start. Martin Lawrence and Ashton Kutcher contribute voices.PG
"School for Scoundrels" — In this comedy, Jon Heder takes a class to elevate his low self-esteem so he can win the girl of his dreams, only to discover the teacher (Billy Bob Thornton) has his eyes on the same woman (Jacinda Barrett).
PG-13
"Children of Men" — A sci-fi thriller about a futuristic time when pregnancy is illegal. When a young woman finds herself with child, scientists and political activists spirit her away to save humanity. Clive Owen, Julianne Moore and Michael Caine co-star for hot director Alfonso Cuaron ("Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban").
R
OCT. 6
"Employee of the Month" — A comedy in which two store employees forsake their slacker ways once they discover the store "hottie" has promised to date the "employee of the month." Jessica Simpson inspires all the hard work.PG-13
"Alex Rider: Stormbreaker" — A youth-oriented adventure film and the potential launch of a new film franchise, based on the best-selling series of Alex Rider novels by Anthony Horowitz. Alex Pettyfer, Ewan McGregor and Mickey Rourke co-star.
PG
"The Departed" — Martin Scorsese adapted a popular Japanese urban thriller about corrupt cops, moving the action to the world of Boston cops and the Irish mob. Veteran filmgoers will be especially eager to see the first-time pairing of two film legends — Scorsese and Jack Nicholson. Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Martin Sheen co-star.
R
OCT. 13
"The Marine" — An action film about a Marine who comes home from duty to discover his girlfriend has been the victim of a kidnapping. John Cena and Kelly Carlson co-star.PG-13
"The Grudge 2" — A second in the series of remakes of Japanese horror flicks about young women, entrapped by an evil curse. Sarah Michelle Gellar and Amber Tamblyn co-star.
PG-13
"Man of the Year" — Robin Williams and director Barry Levinson (of "Good Morning, Vietnam") reunite for another radio-based theme: The story of a political talk-show host who runs for president and, shock of shocks, wins.
PG-13
OCT. 20
"Flicka" — A horse favorite of yesteryear ("My Friend Flicka") is back in a new incarnation, with Alison Lohman as a girl who claims a wild horse and vows to train it, to prove she can one day run the family ranch. Country singer Tim McGraw co-stars.PG
"Marie Antoinette" — Sofia Coppola follows up her award-winning "Lost in Translation" with an offbeat study of the naive girl who becomes queen of France at a mere 19. Kirsten Dunst stars in this highly stylized film that blends contemporary music and concepts with a period story.
PG-13
"Flags of Our Fathers" — Clint Eastwood's eagerly anticipated World War II drama, detailing the heroic tale of the U.S. Marines who captured Iwo Jima and planted the U.S. flag, leading to the iconic photograph. After filming the American point of view (using largely unknown up-and-coming actors), Eastwood shot the same story from the Japanese perspective. That film — "Letters from Iwo Jima" with a mostly Japanese cast starring Ken Watanabe — is due in December.
R
"The Prestige" — Christopher Nolan (director of "Memento" and "Batman Returns") tackles a tale of rival magicians who confront each other over a trick that may not be a trick at all. Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman and Michael Caine co-star.
PG-13
OCT. 27
"Catch a Fire" — A cop (Tim Robbins) and a young rebel (Derek Luke) confront each other in this drama about terrorism during South Africa's apartheid era. Philip Noyce (of "Rabbit-Proof Fence" and "The Quiet American") directs.PG-13
"Saw III" — The latest from the gruesome but occasionally original horror series about a psycho who establishes elaborate torture puzzles.
R
"Running With Scissors" — A psychological comedy-drama about the troubled child (Joseph Cross) of an alcoholic father and an unstable mother who is adopted by Mom's therapist (Brian Cox). Others in the fine cast include Alec Baldwin, Annette Bening, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jill Clayburgh and Joseph Fiennes. Directed by "Nip/Tuck" creator Ryan Murphy.
R
NOV. 3
"Borat" — Sacha Baron Cohen (aka Ali G) stars in this comedy about a Kazakhstani TV commentator dispatched to the United States to report on the greatest country in the world. Instead, he becomes fascinated with locating and marrying Pamela Anderson (who plays herself). The film's full title, by the way, is: "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan," but I doubt it'll fit on a marquee.R
"The Santa Claus 3: The Escape Claus" — Another lucrative franchise is extended as Santa (Tim Allen) must fight Jack Frost (Martin Short) for control of the beloved holiday.
G
"Flushed Away" — An animated comedy from Aardman (of "Wallace & Gromit" fame), involving a rat who gets flushed out of a penthouse apartment, only to find himself in the sewers of the rough end of London. Kate Winslet, Hugh Jackman and Ian McKellen contribute voices.
PG
NOV. 10
"Stranger Than Fiction" — An IRS auditor discovers he's subject to the whims of a narrator and begins to realize he's a character in a book. Will Ferrell, Emma Thompson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman and Queen Latifah star in a tale that offers aspects of the quirky "Adaptation."PG-13
"A Good Year" — Russell Crowe stars for his "Gladiator" director, Ridley Scott, in a far more relaxed tale of a hyper Wall Street hustler who has to learn to relax when he inherits a vineyard in Provence. It's adapted from the novel by Peter Mayle.
PG-13
NOV. 17
"Casino Royale" — Daniel Craig is the latest actor to say he's "Bond. James Bond." The creators promise a tougher, grittier Bond, which is just fine with this longtime fan of the superior Sean Connery originals. The tale is adapted from the last of the original Ian Fleming books to make it to the screen. (The title was previously used in an only vaguely related comic pastiche in 1967.)PG-13
"Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny" — Visions of "This Is Spinal Tap" enter my head when I contemplate this music parody-comedy from comedian-musician Jack Black and his partner, Kyle Gass. To become a great band, Tenacious D must find and secure a magic guitar pick.
Not rated.
"Happy Feet" — They come from a cold land, but there's nothing hotter today than penguins. The fun-loving, dressed-for-success animals are at the center of this new animated film which promises to attract all those youngsters and many of the adults who made "The March of the Penguins" such a hit.
PG
