Plenty of Coming Distractions

Wednesday

THE WASH

Comedy Lions Gate

With: Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, George Wallace.

The idea: Capers, cons and a kidnapping liven up the workday at the car wash.

Writer-director: DJ Pooh.

So?: Dre-Snoop chemistry is a plus.

Friday

AUDITION

Thriller American Cinematheque

With: Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina.

The idea: A widower conducts bogus film auditions to meet a woman, and gets more than he bargained for.

Writer: Takishi Miike, based on the book by Ryu Murakami.

Director: Miike.

So?: Just deserts can be delicious.

HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE

Fantasy Warner Bros.

With: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, John Cleese, Robbie Coltrane, Richard Harris, John Hurt, Julie Walters.

The idea: Adaptation of the series’ first novel, about a boy’s discovery of his magical powers.

Writer: Steve Kloves, based on the book by J.K. Rowling.

Director: Chris Columbus.

So?: Kids and kids at heart won’t have to wait much longer. Expect box-office wizardry.

KING OF THE JUNGLE

Drama Urbanworld Films

With: John Leguizamo, Rosie Perez, Marisa Tomei, Michael Rapaport, Annabella Sciorra, Rosario Dawson.

The idea: A mentally challenged man seeks to avenge his mother’s slaying.

Writer-director: Seth Svi Rosenfeld.

So?: Offbeat vengeance.

NOVOCAINE

Drama Artisan Entertainment

With: Steve Martin, Laura Dern, Helena Bonham Carter, Kevin Bacon, Scott Caan.

The idea: Attractive patient introduces straight-arrow dentist to sex, drugs and murder.

Writer: David Atkins; story by Paul Felopulos & Atkins.

Director: Atkins.

So?: Unironically amusing.

PUNKS

Comedy Urbanworld Films

With: Dwight Ewell, Renoly Santiago, Jazzmun, Seth Gilliam, Vanessa Williams.

The idea: Centers on the intricate relationships of four gay black men.

Writer-director: Patrik-Ian Polk.

So?: A black “Queer as Folk.”

THE SIMIAN LINE

Drama Gabriel Film Group

With: Harry Connick Jr., Tyne Daly, Lynn Redgrave, Cindy Crawford, William Hurt.

The idea: A Halloween dinner-party fortuneteller’s parting shot reverberates through four very different couples.

Writers: Gisella Bernice, based on a story by Linda Yellen & Michael Leeds.

Director: Yellen.

So?: Adroitly adult.

Nov. 21

BLACK KNIGHT

Comedy Fox

With: Martin Lawrence, Tom Wilkinson, Darryl Mitchell, Marsha Thomason, Vincent Regan, Keith Flippen.

The idea: Contemporary con man takes 21st century ‘tude along when he’s transported to the Middle Ages.

Writers: Darryl J. Quarles and Peter Gaulke & Gerry Swallow.

Director: Gil Junger.

So?: Lawrence is at ease as a fish out of water.

OUT COLD

Comedy Touchstone Pictures

With: Jason London, Zach Galifianakis, Flex Alexander, Derek Hamilton, Lee Majors, Victoria Silvstedt, Caroline Dhavernas.

The idea: Snowboarding dudes get majorly bummed when a tycoon plans to turn their hamlet into an upscale resort.

Writer: Jon Zak.

Director: Brendan Malloy and Emmett Malloy.

So?: Silly but smooth.

SIDEWALKS OF NEW YORK

Romantic comedy Paramount Classics

With: Edward Burns, Dennis Farina, Rosario Dawson, Heather Graham.

The idea: Love Manhattan-style, as seen through “interviews” and vignettes involving six searchers.

Writer-director: Edward Burns.

So?: Burns turns to sexual yearning.

SPY GAME

Thriller Universal

With: Robert Redford, Brad Pitt, Catherine McCormack.

The idea: Retiring CIA man ostensibly rides to the rescue of his former protege, jailed in China for espionage.

Writers: Michael Frost Beckner and David Arata, story by Beck-ner.

Director: Tony Scott.

So?: Redford and Pitt bridge a spy generation gap.

Nov. 23

BANGKOK DANGEROUS

Action First Look

With: Pawalit Mongkolpisit, Premsinee Ratanasopha, Patharawarin Timkul, Pisek Intrakanchit.

The idea: A mute hit man works Bangkok’s mean streets.

Writers-directors: Oxide Pang and Danny Pang.

So?: Thai cinema spiced with Hong Kong flair and violence. IN THE BEDROOM

Drama Miramax

With: Tom Wilkinson, Sissy Spacek, Nick Stahl, Marisa Tomei, William Mapother.

The idea: A Maine couple responds to the aftermath of their only child’s tragic love affair.

Writers: Robert Festinger and Todd Field, based on a story by Andre Dubus.

Director: Field.

So?: Sundance gave Spacek and Wilkinson a special jury prize.

Nov. 30

ABCD

Drama Eros Films

With: Sheetal Sheth, Faran Tahir, Madhar Jaffrey.

The idea: Matrimony-minded mother and two Indian siblings embody the cultural displacement experienced by immigrants to the U.S.

Writers: Krutin Patel & James McManus.

Director: Patel.

So?: Cultural contemplation.

THE AFFAIR OF THE NECKLACE

Period drama Warner Bros.

With: Hilary Swank, Simon Baker, Jonathan Pryce, Adrien Brody, Brian Cox, Joely Richardson, Christopher Walken.

The idea: The story of a scandal in the court of Louis XVI that helped hasten the French Revolution.

Writer: John Sweet.

Director: Charles Shyer.

So?: Passing as a boy may have been easier than masquerading as French nobility.

BEHIND ENEMY LINES

Military thriller Fox

With: Gene Hackman, Owen Wilson.

The idea: A pilot is shot down over Bosnia after photographing evidence of genocide.

Writers: David Veloz, Zak Penn, story by Jim Thomas and Jon Thomas.

Director: John Moore

So?: Apparently good enough to erase studio doubts about war themes.

BEHIND THE SUN

Drama Miramax

With: Jose Dumont, Rodrigo Santoro, Rita Assemany, Luis Carlos Vasconcelos.

The idea: A young man in the Brazilian badlands confronts the implications of a deadly feud between two families.

Writers: Walter Salles, Karim Ainouz, Sergio Machado; based on a book by Ismail Kadare.

Director: Salles.

So?: More cinematic acuity from the director of “Central Station.”

PORN STAR: THE LEGEND OF RON JEREMY

Documentary Maelstrom

With: Ron Jeremy.

The idea: On the road with the short and stout adult-film icon.

Writer-director: Scott J. Gill.

So?: An eye-opener.

TEXAS RANGERS

Western Dimension Films

With: Dylan McDermott, James Van Der Beek, Vincent Spano, Usher Raymond, Alfred Molina.

The idea: Ragtag bunch takes on ruthless renegade to bring law and order to the territory.

Writers: Scott Busby & Martin Copeland, based on a book by George Durham.

Director: Steve Miner.

So?: On the shelf past its expiration date?

TROUBLE EVERY DAY

Thriller Lot 47

With: Vincent Gallo, Tricia Vessey, Beatrice Dalle.

The idea: A man and a woman are afflicted by the same self-destructive cerebral impairment that affects their sexual appetite.

Writers: Claire Denis, Jean-Paul Fargeau.

Director: Denis.

So?: Sexual voraciousness taken to an extreme.

Dec. 5

PINERO

Drama Miramax

With: Benjamin Bratt, Talisa Soto, Giancarlo Esposito, Rita Moreno, Mandy Patinkin.

The idea: Puerto Rican writer-actor Miguel Pinero captivated New York lit and stage circles in the ‘70s and ‘80s.

Writer-director: Leon Ichaso.

So?: Fascinating subject, unrevealing portrait.

Dec. 7

BARAN Drama Miramax Films

With: Hossein Abedini, Zahra Bahrami, Reza Naji.

The idea: A life-changing decision faces an Iranian teenager as he observes the plight of Afghan refugees.

Writer-director: Majid Majidi.

So?: Timely film from the director of the Oscar-nominated “The Children of Heaven.”

THE BUSINESS OF STRANGERS

Drama IFC Films

With: Stockard Channing, Julia Stiles.

The idea: Executive and assistant play a game of cat and mouse during a business trip.

Writer-director: Patrick Stettner.

So?: An intellectual wrestling match.

THE INDEPENDENT

Comedy Arrow Features

With: Jerry Stiller, Janeane Garofalo.

The idea: Daughter of debt-ridden filmmaker tries to save him from bankruptcy.

Writers: Mike Wilkins & Stephen Kessler.

Director: Kessler.

So?: Includes appearances by Ben Stiller (the star’s son), Andy Dick and Fred Williamson.

LOST IN THE PERSHING POINT HOTEL

Dark comedy Northern Arts Entertainment

With: Leslie Jordan, Erin Chandler, Mark Pellegrino, John Ritter, Marilu Henner.

The idea: Three mismatched runaways hook up in the glam-rock drug scene of 1970s Atlanta.

Writer: Leslie Jordan, based on a play.

Director: Julia Jay Pierrepont III.

So?: Southern gothic dipped in heroin.

OCEAN’S ELEVEN

Caper comedy Warner Bros.

With: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, Don Cheadle, Andy Garcia, Julia Roberts.

The idea: Another take on the precision casino heist originally orchestrated by Sinatra and company.

Writer: Ted Griffin, based on a screenplay by Harry Brown and Charles Lederer, and a story by George Clayton Johnson & Jack Golden Russell.

Director: Steven Soderbergh.

So?: Rat Pack redo may deliver what the world needs now.

Dec. 14

THE DEVIL’S BACKBONE

Horror Sony Pictures Classics

With: Fernando Tielve, Marisa Paredes, Federico Luppi, Eduardo Noriega.

The idea: Allegorical ghost story set in an orphanage during the Spanish Civil War.

Writer-director: Guillermo Del Toro.

So?: Movies have been good to ghosts this year.

IRIS

Drama Miramax

With: Judi Dench, Jim Broadbent, Kate Winslet, Hugh Bonneville.

The idea: Winslet and Dench play the young and old Iris Murdoch, respectively, in this biography of the novelist and her husband, John Bayley (Bonneville and Broadbent).

Writers: Richard Eyre, Charles Wood; based on Bayley’s memoirs.

Director: Eyre.

So?: Glittery literary.

LAST ORDERS

Drama Sony Classics

With: Michael Caine, Bob Hoskins, Tom Courtenay, David Hemmings, Ray Winstone, Helen Mirren.

The idea: Three aging Londoners meet to toss their buddy’s ashes into the sea.

Writer-director: Fred Schepisi, based on a novel by Graham Swift.

So?: Actors don’t get much better than these.

NO MAN’S LAND

Drama United Artists

With: Branko Djuric, Rene Bitorajac, Filip Sovagovic, Katrin Cartlidge, Simon Callow.

The idea: Three soldiers--one Bosnian, one Serb and one lying atop a spring-loaded bomb--are the ingredients for a media circus.

Writer-director: Danis Tanovic.

So?: Acclaimed import.

NOT ANOTHER TEEN MOVIE

Comedy Columbia

With: Chyler Leigh, Chris Evans, Jaime Pressly, Mia Kirshner, Samm Levine, Mr. T, Randy Quaid.

The idea: Outcast artist and football hero anchor a spoof of the high school high-jinks genre.

Writers: Michael G. Bender & Adam Jay Epstein & Andrew Jacobsen and Phil Beauman & Buddy Johnson.

Director: Joel Gallen.

So?: Apt title, we’re sure.

THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS

Comedy Touchstone

With: Danny Glover, Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Bill Murray, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson.

Writers: Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson.

Director: Anderson.

The idea: A family of geniuses goes from high achievement to tailspin to eventful reunion.

So?: Pleasantly high quirk factor.

VANILLA SKY

Suspense Paramount

With: Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz, Kurt Russell, Jason Lee, Noah Taylor, Cameron Diaz.

The idea: A lover’s vengeance sends a publishing magnate on a reality-blurring journey of self-discovery.

Writer: Cameron Crowe, based on the film “Abre los ojos” (Open Your Eyes) by Alejandro Amenabar and Mateo Gil Rodriguez.

Director: Cameron Crowe.

So?: Cruising to a different altitude.

Dec. 19

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING

Adventure-fantasy New Line

With: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett, Sean Astin, Viggo Mortensen, Brad Dourif, Liv Tyler.

The idea: Frodo and company hit the road in the long-time-coming adaptation of the first book of the “Ring” trilogy.

Writers: Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson, based on the book by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Director: Jackson.

So?: If you like this one, New Line has two more.

Dec. 21

HAPPENSTANCE

Comedy-drama Lot 47

With: Audrey Tautou, Faudel, Eric Feldman, Eric Savin and Lysiane Meis.

The idea: Chaos theory links a dozen characters during a long day in Paris.

Writer-director: Laurent Firode.

So?: “Amelie” charmer Tautou heads a French slack pack.

HOW HIGH

Comedy Universal

With: Method Man, Redman, Obba Babatunde, Fred Willard.

The idea: A supernatural smoke helps two regular guys get into Harvard.

Writers: Dustin Lee Abraham.

Director: Jesse Dylan.

So?: Jesse is a son of Bob.

JIMMY NEUTRON: BOY GENIUS

Animated adventure Paramount

With: The voices of Martin Short, Patrick Stewart.

The idea: Gadget-loving kid versus the parent-snatching aliens known as Yokians.

Writers: Steve Oederkerk, John A. Davis, David N. Weiss & J. David Stem.

Director: Davis.

So?: Imagination blasts off.

JOE SOMEBODY

Comedy Fox

With: Tim Allen, Julie Bowen, Kelly Lynch, Patrick Warburton, Jim Belushi.

The idea: Corporate cog on dead-end track tries to turn things around after a run-in with the office bully.

Writer: John Scott Shepherd.

Director: John Pasquin.

So?: Funny business.

KATE & LEOPOLD

Comedy Miramax

With: Meg Ryan, Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Bradley Whitford, Breckin Meyer, Natasha Lyonne.

The idea: A 19th century duke is transported to contemporary New York, where he meets executive Meg Ryan.

Writers: James Mangold and Steven Rogers; story by Rogers.

Director: Mangold.

So?: Have we met?

LANTANA

Psychological thriller Lions Gate

With: Anthony LaPaglia, Geoffrey Rush, Barbara Hershey, Kerry Armstrong, Rachael Blake.

The idea: Secrets of four married couples intersect in an adulterous detective’s missing-person investigation.

Writer: Andrew Bovell.

Director: Ray Lawrence.

So?: Pathological deceptions, tragic consequences.

THE MAJESTIC

Drama Warner Bros./Castle Rock

With: Jim Carrey, Laurie Holden, Bob Balaban, Hal Holbrook, Martin Landau.

The idea: Blacklisted screenwriter finds renewal in a small town.

Writer: Michael Sloane.

Director: Frank Darabont.

So?: Capra reincarnated, at a time when Capra-esque sounds good.

Dec. 25

ALI

Drama Columbia

With: Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Jon Voight, Mario Van Peebles, Ron Silver, Jeffrey Wright.

The idea: The life and times of Muhammad Ali, as portrayed by Smith.

Writers: Stephen J. Rivele & Christopher Wilkinson and Eric Roth & Michael Mann; story by Gregory Allen Howard.

Director: Mann.

So?: Smith takes his Oscar shot in a lavish biopic of the boxer-turned-Muslim draft resister-turned-cultural icon.

A BEAUTIFUL MIND

Drama Universal

With: Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly, Paul Bettany, Judd Hirsch, Adam Goldberg.

The idea: The true story of a math genius waylaid by paranoid schizophrenia.

Writer: Akiva Goldsman, based on the book by Sylvia Nasar.

Director: Ron Howard.

So?: After a golden year at the box office, Universal sets its sights on Oscar gold as well.

IMPOSTOR

Sci-fi thriller Dimension

With: Gary Sinise, Madeleine Stowe, Vincent D’Onofrio, Tony Shalhoub, Mekhi Phifer.

The idea: Scientist and family man wakes up a wanted man.

Writers: Caroline Case and Ehren Kruger and David Twohy; adaptation by Scott Rosenberg; based on a short story by Philip K. Dick.

Director: Gary Fleder.

So?: Alienation in future tense.

THE SHIPPING NEWS

Drama Miramax

With: Kevin Spacey, Julianne Moore, Cate Blanchett, Judi Dench.

The idea: Misfit widower and daughter discover community and family secrets in his ancestral home of Newfoundland.

Writer: Robert Nelson Jacobs, based on the Pulitzer-winning novel by E. Annie Proulx.

Director: Lasse Hallstrom.

So?: Miramax’s Oscar horse, and the cast to prove it.

Dec. 26

GOSFORD PARK

Period drama USA Films

With: Michael Gambon, Kristin Scott Thomas, Bob Balaban, Alan Bates, Kelly Macdonald, Helen Mirren, Jeremy Northam, Clive Owen, Maggie Smith, Emily Watson, Ryan Phillippe.

The idea: A weekend shooting party in 1932 England yields a study of class distinctions--and a murder nobody much laments.

Writer: Julian Fellowes, based on an idea by Robert Altman and Balaban.

Director: Altman.

So?: Quite an ensemble, even for Altman.

MONSTER’S BALL

Drama Lions Gate

With: Billy Bob Thornton, Halle Berry, Heath Ledger, Peter Boyle, Sean Combs.

The idea: The family business--prison death row guard--as seen by three generations of Georgians.

Writers: Milo Addica & Will Rokos.

Director: Marc Forster.

So?: Hip cast, bleak big-house scenario.

Dec. 28

BLACK HAWK DOWN

Action Columbia

With: Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Eric Bana, Tom Sizemore, William Fichtner, Ron Eldard, Sam Shepard.

The idea: U.S. military mission in Somalia goes disastrously awry.

Writers: Ken Nolan, Steven Zaillian; based on a book by Mark Bowden.

Director: Ridley Scott.

So?:y thriller hits theaters in time for Oscar qualification.

CHARLOTTE GRAY

Drama Warner Bros.

With: Cate Blanchett, Billy Crudup, Rupert Penry-Jones, Michael Gambon.

The idea: In search of her downed-pilot lover, a Scotswoman assists the Resistance in occupied France during World War II.

Writer: Jeremy Brock, based on the novel by Sebastian Faulks.

Director: Gillian Armstrong.

So?: Unsung heroics.

DARK BLUE WORLD

Drama Sony Pictures Classics

With: Ondrej Vetchy, Krystof Hadek, Tara Fitzgerald.

The idea: Two longtime Czech friends join the British Royal Air Force and fall in love with the same woman.

Writer: Zdenek Sverak.

Director: Jan Sverak.

So?: All’s fair in love and war.

I AM SAM

Drama New Line

With: Sean Penn, Dakota Fanning, Michelle Pfeiffer, Dianne Wiest, Laura Dern.

The idea: Conscientious and loving but mentally challenged father fights to retain custody of his daughter, assisted by an unlikely benefactor.

Writers: Kristine Johnson & Jessie Nelson.

Director: Nelson.

So?: See Sean act.

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EDITOR Kinsey Lowe; CAPSULES Richard Cromelin; RESEARCH Kevin Crust