FALL PREVIEW As summer cools off, films heat up

By MILAN PAURICH
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
Although this year's summer flicks may have been a bust qualitatively and commercially, that doesn't mean you have to swear off movies forever. As the winds of autumn sweep into the Mahoning Valley, the Oscar race kicks into high gear, too. And there's nary a sequel -- which seemed to constitute half of this year's warm weather releases -- in sight. ("The Whole Ten Yards" and "Once Upon a Time in Mexico" are the only bona fide sequels in the whole autumn lineup.)
Be grateful for small favors. With an earlier date for the Academy Awards telecast next year (Feb. 29), studios aren't wasting any time getting some of their most prestigious titles out before the viewing (and hopefully voting) public.
Oct. 10 alone looks like a mini Oscar fest with films by the Coen Brothers, Quentin Tarantino and Clint Eastwood all scheduled for national release that day. Toss in new movies from past Oscar winners like Nicolas Cage ("Matchstick Men"), Denzel Washington ("Out of Time"), Halle Berry ("Gothika"), Cuba Gooding Jr. ("The Fighting Temptations"), Gwyneth Paltrow ("Sylvia"), Nicole Kidman and Anthony Hopkins ("The Human Stain"); potential sleepers from Dennis Quaid ("Cold Creek Manor"), Jack Black ("School of Rock") and Ben Stiller ("Duplex"); a traditionally-animated Disney cartoon ("Brother Bear"); and yet another older-man-younger-woman comedy from Woody Allen, and you've got a veritable smorgasbord of cinematic riches to choose from.
Don't gorge yourself too much, though. The holiday movies, including the final chapter in Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, are just around the corner.
SEPT. 5
"Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star." David Spade stars as Dickie Roberts, a 35-year-old former kid star, who is an unemployed actor turned parking valet. To help get a "normal" guy part that could revitalize his career, Dickie hires a family to adopt him so he can relive his childhood and grow up from scratch.
"The Order." While investigating a mysterious death in Rome, priest Heath Ledger uncovers evidence of "Flesh Eaters" who offer absolution, last rites and a path to heaven outside the official jurisdiction of the church. Ledger reteams with his "Knight's Tale" director, Brian Helgeland, and castmates Mark Addy and Shannyn Sossman for this long-delayed occult spooker.
SEPT. 12
"Cabin Fever." The next "Blair Witch Project"? That's certainly what mini-major Lions Gate is banking on after forking out a low seven-figure sum at last year's Toronto Film Festival for this $1.5-million horror cheapie about five recent college grads whose back-to-nature retreat turns into a bloody nightmare.
"Cold Creek Manor." Don't let the title fool you: This Mike Figgis-directed thriller isn't a Merchant-Ivory costume drama. When Dennis Quaid and Sharon Stone relocate from the city to a country farmhouse, trouble arrives in the form of previous owner Stephen Dorff who's out of prison and looking to return home.
"Lost in Translation." Sofia Coppola follows up "The Virgin Suicides," her critically acclaimed 2000 directorial debut, with this quirky tale of a movie star (Bill Murray) who befriends a newlywed (Scarlett Johnansson of "Ghost World") while shooting a whiskey ad campaign in Tokyo.
"Matchstick Men." Obsessive-compulsive con man Nicolas Cage and prot & eacute;g & eacute; Sam Rockwell ("Confessions of a Dangerous Mind") are on the verge of pulling a major score when Cage's estranged teenage daughter (Alison Lohman from "White Oleander") shows up. Ridley Scott ("Gladiator," "Black Hawk Down") directed this uncharacteristically small-scale character piece.
"Once Upon a Time in Mexico." The final installment in Robert Rodriguez's "El Mariachi" trilogy concludes with Mariachi (Antonio Banderas) on the bloody trail of drug cartel kingpin Willem Dafoe. Muddying the waters for our hero is corrupt CIA agent Johnny Depp.
SEPT. 19
"Anything Else." An artist (Woody Allen) becomes involved with a younger woman (Christina Ricci), leading to all sorts of complications. Allen's "Fall Project" is a little more youth-skewed than usual thanks to a cast featuring Jason Biggs ("American Pie") and Jimmy Fallon, the "Saturday Night Live" news anchor.
"The Fighting Temptations." Cuba Gooding Jr., a cutthroat New York advertising executive, must assemble a gospel choir before collecting an inheritance in director Jonathan Lynn's ("My Cousin Vinny," "The Whole Nine Yards") MTV-produced musical-comedy. Beyonc & eacute; Knowles, Steve Harvey and Mike Epps provide backup in more ways than one.
"Secondhand Lions." This film follows the comic misadventures of an introverted 14-year-old (Haley Joel Osment) forced to spend summer vacation with a pair of eccentric great-uncles (Michael Caine and Robert Duvall). The icky trailer's enough to put a diabetic into sugar shock.
"Underworld." This modern-day horror film reimagines vampires as a secret clan of aristocratic sophisticates whose mortal enemies are the Lycans (werewolves), street thugs who prowl the city's underbelly. The balance of power is upset when a vampire (Kate Beckinsale) and a Lycan (Scott Speedman) fall in love.
SEPT. 26
"The Human Stain." An extramarital affair with a troubled janitor (Nicole Kidman) has devastating consequences for college professor Anthony Hopkins in Robert Benton's ("Places in the Heart," "Kramer Vs. Kramer") adaptation of the Phillip Roth novel. Co-starring Ed Harris as Kidman's spouse and Gary Sinise as Roth alter-ego Nathan Zuckerman.
"The Rundown." The Rock is a bounty hunter who heads to the Amazon to square a debt and capture fugitive Seann William Scott. Arnold Schwarzenegger has a cameo in a "passing-the-torch" touch.
"Under the Tuscan Sun." While on vacation, blocked 35-year-old writer Diane Lane impulsively buys a villa in the Tuscan countryside. As she settles into her new life, love comes a-knockin' courtesy of hunky local Raoul Bovel. Written and directed by Audrey Wells ("The Truth About Cats and Dogs").
"Wonderland." Val Kilmer plays infamous 1970s porn superstar John C. Holmes in this seamy, true-crime melodrama. Co-starring Lisa Kudrow as Mrs. Holmes and "Blue Crush" ing & eacute;nue Kate Bosworth as Holmes' mistress.
OCT. 3
"Duplex." A young married couple (Ben Stiller and Drew Barrymore) has a chance to move into a great duplex apartment in the perfect New York City neighborhood. All they have to do is kill the current tenant, a little old lady. Black comedy specialist Danny DeVito ("War of the Roses," "Matilda") directs.
"Out of Time." Respected Florida police chief Denzel Washington races to solve a double homicide before becoming a suspect himself. Directed by Carl Franklin who last teamed with Washington for 1995's "Devil in a Blue Dress."
"School of Rock." Cult director Richard Linklater ("Dazed and Confused") tries for mainstream success with this Mike White-scripted tale of a down-and-out rock star (Jack Black) who takes a job as a fourth-grade substitute teacher at a private school. Funny lady Joan Cusack plays the principal.
OCT. 10
"Good Boy!" A 12-year-old's new dog (voiced by Matthew Broderick) turns out to be an interplanetary scout from the Dog Star Sirius. Think "Cats and Dogs" minus the cats.
"House of the Dead." Teenagers battle flesh-munching zombies to stay alive on a deserted island. Like last year's "Resident Evil," this horror cheapie is based on a video game with aspirations of becoming a monster-movie franchise.
"Intolerable Cruelty." Revenge-seeking gold-digger Catherine Zeta-Jones marries womanizing Beverly Hills lawyer George Clooney hoping to make a killing in the divorce settlement. Billy Bob Thornton, Geoffrey Rush and Cedric the Entertainer co-star in this typically twisted Coen Brothers comedy.
"Kill Bill." Professional assassin Uma Thurman awakens from a five-year coma to seek revenge on boss Bill (David Carradine) and the co-workers who did her wrong. Since Miramax has decided to break Quentin Tarantino's first movie since 1997's "Jackie Brown" into two parts, I guess we'll have to wait for "Kill II" to see Bill get whacked.
"Mystic River." Clint Eastwood directs this adaptation of Dennis Lehane's best-selling 2001 crime novel about three childhood friends (Sean Penn, Tim Robbins and Kevin Bacon) whose dark, interwoven history forces them to come to terms with a brutal murder on the mean streets of Boston. Enthusiastically received in Cannes, it landed the snazzy opening night slot at this fall's New York Film Festival. Distributor Warner Brothers is clearly hoping for some of that old "L.A. Confidential" magic to strike again.
OCT. 17
"Runaway Jury." A juror on the inside (John Cusack) and a woman on the outside (Rachel Weisz) manipulate a court trial involving a major gun manufacturer. Gary Fleder ("Kiss the Girls," "Don't Say a Word") directs this John Grisham legal thriller, which co-stars seasoned scene-stealers Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman.
"Shattered Glass." True story of a young journalist ("Attack of the Clones" star Hayden Christensen) who fell from grace when it was discovered that he'd fabricated over half his articles. Featuring Greg Kinnear, Steve Zahn and Chloe Sevigny.
"Sylvia." The relationship between poets Ted Hughes (Daniel Craig) and Sylvia Plath (Gwyneth Paltrow) is the subject of this docudrama by acclaimed New Zealand director Christine Jeffs.
"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." Remake of the 1974 terror classic about a group of teens who wander into an isolated farmhouse inhabited by a cannibalistic family that's led by the fearsome, chainsaw-wielding Leatherface.
"The Whole Ten Yards." In this sequel to the 2000 sleeper, retired hit man Jimmy the Tulip (Bruce Willis) comes to the aid of old pal Oz (Matthew Perry) whose wife (Natasha Henstridge) has been kidnapped by the Hungarian mob. Amanda Peet returns as Willis' partner.
"Veronica Guerin." Fact-based account of the titular Irish newspaper reporter (played by Cate Blanchett) assassinated by the drug dealers she wrote about in an expos & eacute;. Directed by Joel ("Phone Booth") Schumacher, it features Schumacher muse Colin Farrell in a cameo role.
OCT. 24
"Beyond Borders." After meeting renegade doctor Clive Owen, Angelina Jolie embarks on a journey of self-discovery that leads to danger, heartbreak and romance in the world's most dangerous hot spots. Originally a project reteaming Kevin Costner and his "J.F.K." director, Oliver Stone.
"Brother Bear." In this traditionally animated Disney cartoon, a young American Indian (voiced by Joaquin Phoenix) is magically transformed into a bear. Naturally, this former hunter will need a cub's help to bring about his personal redemption.
"Gothika." Repressed psychiatrist Halle Berry awakens to find herself a patient in the very asylum where she works -- and with no memory of committing a horrible crime. Robert Downey Jr., Penelope Cruz and Charles Dutton round out the cast.
"In the Cut." Lonely New Yorker Meg Ryan (who replaced Nicole Kidman) discovers the dark side of passion when she becomes involved with the tough homicide cop (Mark Ruffalo) investigating a series of murders in her neighborhood. Based on the best-selling novel by Susanne Moore, this psychological thriller was directed by Jane Campion ("The Piano," "Portrait of a Lady").
"Lil' Pimp." "South Park" meets hip-hop in this adults-only 'toon featuring, among others, the voices of Bernie Mac, Ludacris and William Shatner. The first feature shot in the revolutionary flash-animation process, it promises to ruffle a few feathers as well as generate plenty of nonpolitically correct laughs.
"Scary Movie 3." Director David Zucker ("Airplane," "Naked Gun") takes a stab at the Wayans Brothers' franchise in which "Signs" and "The Ring" (among others) get spoofed. At least the cast is a hoot (including Pamela Anderson as a Catholic schoolgirl, Leslie Nielsen as the president and Peter Boyle reprising his "Young Frankenstein" role). This time, the series' go-for-broke vulgarity has been neutered to get a more kid-friendly PG-13 rating.
"The Singing Detective." While languishing in a hospital bed, Robert Downey Jr. maps out a screenplay in his head about a cynical private eye who doubles as a singer in a dance band. Producer Mel Gibson plays Downey's shrink. Based on the classic 1980s Dennis Potter BBC miniseries.
OCT. 31
"Alien." Just in time for Halloween, Ridley Scott's 1979 horror classic returns to theaters with extra footage not yet available on the Collector's Edition DVD.
ALSO THIS FALL
"The Clearing." When business tycoon Robert Redford is kidnapped by Willem Dafoe and held for ransom in a remote forest, his wife (Helen Mirren) must work frantically alongside FBI agents to secure his release.