Movies -- A Season For Adults

Nothing reflects the change in movie seasons as dramatically as Disney's unprecedented decision to remove the studio's biggest hit, "The Lion King," from theatrical release before the end of September.

In other words: Summer is for families and kid-oriented entertainments, while fall is geared toward adults and the kinds of pictures that win Academy Awards, film-festival prizes and year-end critics' awards.

This fall will be marked by a selection of violent crime dramas that push the limits of R ratings ("Pulp Fiction," "Killing Zoe"), a pair of aggressively offbeat biographies ("Nostradamus," "Ed Wood"), independent productions with a raunchy sense of black comedy ("Clerks," "The Last Seduction"), two Anne Rice adaptations ("Exit to Eden," "Interview With the Vampire"), science-fiction sequels ("Star Trek: Generations," "Highlander 3") and a collection of fact-based movies that nearly erase the border between fiction and documentary ("Quiz Show," "Hoop Dreams," "Freedom on My Mind").

The list is also heavy with remakes of classics ("Love Affair," "The Browning Version," "Frankenstein," "Little Women") as well as theatrical restorations of classic movies that have been absent from the big screen for various reasons ("My Fair Lady," "Dr. Strangelove," "The Conformist," "Gone With the Wind").

Not that family audiences will be neglected. Two ex-Disney animators, Don Bluth and Richard Rich, will try to fill the "Lion King" gap with, respectively, "A Troll in Central Park" (opening Oct. 7) and "The Swan Princess" (Nov. 18).

A live-action John Hughes remake of the 1947 Christmas classic, "Miracle on 34th Street," is due in November. And "The Lion King," which recently entered the ranks of all-time top-grossing movies, will be back for a full-scale reissue just in time for Thanksgiving.

----------- FALL MOVIES -----------

Following are tentative opening dates for this fall's films. As always, some titles may show up earlier or later, some will have their names changed, and a few may not turn up until next year.

TOMORROW

"Trial by Jury." Courtroom thriller starring William Hurt, Armand Assante and Gabriel Byrne. Joanne Whalley-Kilmer plays a single mother who becomes a juror in the trial of a New York mob boss. Directed and co-written by Heywood Gould, who made his directing debut with Michael Keaton's "One Good Cop."

"Good Man in Africa." Whalley-Kilmer again, this time as a married femme fatale in Bruce Beresford's version of William Boyd's novel about British involvement in an emerging African nation. Colin Friels has the title role, and Sean Connery, John Lithgow, Diana Rigg and Louis Gossett Jr. are in the cast.

"The Advocate" (a.k.a. "Hour of the Pig"). Historical thriller about blackmail and murder in medieval France, with Colin Firth, Ian Holm and Donald Pleasence.

"In the Mouth of Madness." John Carpenter's latest supernatural thriller stars Sam Neill as an insurance investigator trying to find a horror writer whose latest novel wreaks havoc in the life of anyone who reads it.

"Killing Zoe." Quentin Tarantino is executive producer of this violent thriller starring Eric Stoltz as an ex-con who goes to Paris to crack safes. Julie Delpy is cast as his bedmate.

"The Next Karate Kid." Noriyuki "Pat" Morita returns to the series, which seemed dead in the water with the unsuccessful release of 1989's "Karate Kid 3." This time the martial-arts expert is training the daughter of an old friend.

"Arizona Dream." Johnny Depp returns to "Gilbert Grape" territory in this magic-realist tale of an eccentric family. Jerry Lewis plays his favorite uncle, and Faye Dunaway is the aging lady he loves. Directed by Emir Kusturica, the Yugoslavian director who made the prize-winning "When Father Was Away on Business."

Sept. 16

"Timecop." Futuristic thriller, based on the Dark Horse comic, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme as a policeman who travels back in time to thwart a corrupt politician (Ron Silver).

"Quiz Show." Robert Redford's account of the quiz-show scandals of the late 1950s, with Ralph Fiennes as Charles Van Doren, Paul Scofield as his father and John Turturro as the disgruntled contestant who blew the whistle.

"Blue Sky." The final film of Oscar-winning director Tony Richardson, who died of AIDS three years ago, this fact-based family drama stars Jessica Lange as the difficult wife of a military scientist (Tommy Lee Jones). The release was delayed by Orion's bankruptcy.

"Knocks at My Door." Alejandro Saderman's gripping, complex, beautifully acted Venezuelan/Argentine drama about two nuns who hide a Latin American political fugitive. One of the high points of this year's Seattle International Film Festival, it's scheduled next at the Grand Illusion, but thanks to the continuing popularity of another festival film ("Sex, Drugs and Democracy"), it may not turn up on this date.

"In Custody." Ismail Merchant, who usually produces Merchant-Ivory movies ("Howards End," "Remains of the Day"), makes his directing debut with this comedy starring Shashi Kapoor as an ailing poet.

"Nostradamus." Tcheky Karyo, the male lead in "La Femme Nikita," plays the 16th-century prophet-physician in this feature-length account of his life. Amanda Plummer, F. Murray Abraham and Rutger Hauer fill out the cast.

"Princess Caraboo." Phoebe Cates vehicle about a 19th-century woman who tries to impersonate a Javanese princess. Kevin Kline plays a suspicious butler.

"Great Moments in Aviation" (aka "Bon Voyage"). Beeban Kidron, director of the art-house sleeper "Antonia & Jane," is back with this romantic fable starring Jonathan Pryce, Vanessa Redgrave and John Hurt.

Sept. 23

"The Shawshank Redemption." Stephen King story starring Tim Robbins as a banker sent to prison for murder, and Morgan Freeman as a lifer who becomes his friend. Written and directed by first-timer Frank Darabont.

"Terminal Velocity." Disney film about a skydiving student (Nastassja Kinski) who appears to have plummeted to her death. Charlie Sheen is the instructor who finds out the truth.

"Sleep With Me." Rory Kelly's romantic comedy about a couple (Meg Tilly, Eric Stoltz) and their romantically frustrated best friend (Craig Sheffer). Quentin Tarantino has a cameo as a motormouth whose rabid monologue about the homoerotic subtext of "Top Gun" is worth the price of admission.

"Where the Rivers Flow North." Backwoods story set in Vermont in the 1920s, with Michael J. Fox, Rip Torn, Treat Williams and Tantoo Cardinal. Winner of an Eagle Spirit award at the American Indian Festival.

"My Fair Lady." Full 70mm restoration of the 1964 Academy Award winner for best picture, actor (Rex Harrison) and director (George Cukor), based on Lerner and Loewe's musical version of Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion."

Sept. 30

Third Polish Film Festival. Begun in 1992 at the Seattle Art Museum, this 10-day series is coming back to the same location with 12 films and appearances by several Polish filmmakers.

"The River Wild." Meryl Streep joins the action-movie sweepstakes, playing a whitewater guide. The director is Curtis Hanson, whose "Hand That Rocks the Cradle" gave Rebecca DeMornay renewed box-office clout a couple of years ago.

"The New Age." Michael Tolkin, writer of "The Player" and writer-director of "The Rapture," is back with this satirical tale of a couple in trouble (Judy Davis, Peter Weller) who try to save themselves by opening a boutique.

"Jason's Lyric." Doug McHenry, who produced "New Jack City" and the "House Party" comedies, makes his directing debut with this story about the impact of afather's death. Allen Payne and Bokeem Woodbine play his sons.

"What Happened Was . . ." Winner of the Grand Jury prize for drama at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival, with Tom Noonan and Karen Sillas as a mismatched couple going through a painfully awkward first date at her apartment. Noonan also directed.

"The Scout." Another comedy from Andrew Bergman ("It Could Happen to You"), starring Albert Brooks as a New York Yankees scout who discovers a Mexican phenomenon. Brendan Fraser co-stars.

"The Line, the Cross and the Curve." British singer Kate Bush makes her directing debut with this featurette starring Bush and Miranda Richardson. The plot was inspired by "The Red Shoes."

Oct. 7

"Ed Wood." Tim Burton's dream project, starring Johnny Depp as the transvestite filmmaker who made "Plan Nine From Outer Space."

"The Specialist." Sharon Stone is out for revenge, and Sylvester Stallone is the retired CIA man she hires to help her track down the Cuban mobsters who killed her parents.

"Only You." Romantic comedy starring Marisa Tomei as a woman who is determined to marry someone named Damon. Robert Downey Jr. is the love-struck man whose name doesn't fit the bill. Directed by Norman Jewison ("Moonstruck").

"Salmonberries." Long-delayed theatrical showing of Percy Adlon's film starring k.d. lang as an androgynous Alaskan. Despite wildly mixed reviews, it took the top prize at the 1991 Montreal Film Festival.

"A Troll in Central Park." Ex-Disney animator Don Bluth, whose latest feature cartoon, "Thumbelina," was something of a fizzle, will try again with this fantasy.

Oct. 14

"S.F.W." Stephen Dorff, who played Stuart Sutcliffe in "BackBeat," stars with Reese Witherspoon in this satire about terrorists in a convenience store.

"I Like It Like That." Darnell Martin, the first African-American woman to direct a Hollywood movie, created this autobiographical comedy-drama about growing up in the Bronx. Lauren Velez plays the central role.

"Caro Diario" (Dear Diary). Writer-director Nanni Moretti's three-part "visual diary," in which he also plays the starring role. Winner of the best director prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

"Pulp Fiction." Writer-director Quentin Tarantino's gangster drama, starring John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis and Harvey Keitel, took the top prize at Cannes.

"Love Affair." The latest remake of Leo McCarey's romantic tearjerker, best-known in its 1957 incarnation as "An Affair to Remember," goes back to the title McCarey used when he first filmed it in 1939. Warren Beatty and Annette Benning are the frustrated lovers, and Katharine Hepburn has the scene-stealing role of Beatty's aunt (it earned an Oscar nomination for Maria Ouspenskaya the first time around). Directed by Glenn Gordon Caron, who made Michael Keaton's "Clean and Sober."

"Exit to Eden." Based on Anne Rice's novel about an erotic amusement park, starring Dana Delaney and directed by Garry Marshall, who made "Pretty Woman."

"Second Best." Drama about a lonely mail clerk who wants to adopt a troubled boy, starring William Hurt and John Hurt. Directed by Chris Menges, who made the prize-winning apartheid drama, "A World Apart."

"Little Giants." Football comedy starring Rick Moranis and Ed O'Neill.

"The Browning Version." Remake of Terrence Rattigan's boarding-school drama, with Albert Finney in the role Michael Redgrave played more than 40 years ago. Directed by Mike Figgis, who made "Internal Affairs" and "Stormy Monday."

"Imaginary Crimes." Anthony Drazan, who made a splash with his independently produced race-relations drama, "Zebrahead," is back with this story of two young girls coming to terms with their father. The cast includes Harvey Keitel, Fairuza Balk, Samuel Fuller, Kelly Lynch and Vincent D'Onofrio.

Oct. 21

"Robert Heinlein's The Puppet Masters." Alien parasites take over the minds of their human hosts in this Disney-produced thriller starring Donald Sutherland, who had similar problems in 1978's "Invasion of the Body Snatchers."

"Wes Craven's New Nightmare." The creator of "Nightmare on Elm Street" is back with a Halloween special about a movie director whose dreams have become reality. Robert Englund, Freddy in the "Nightmare" movies, is the star.

"The Professional." Luc Besson, director of "La Femme Nikita," makes his American directing debut with this story of a French hitman (Jean Reno) who tries to disappear into the streets of New York. Gary Oldman is on his trail.

"Radioland Murders." Brian Benben, star of HBO's comedy series, "Dream On," gets a big-screen role in this George Lucas production about radio-station murders. Mary Stuart Masterson and Ned Beatty co-star.

"Bullets Over Broadway." Woody Allen's new comedy, shot in color and set in the 1920s, stars John Cusack, Harvey Fierstein, Tracey Ullman, Dianne Wiest and Rob Reiner.

"Oleanna." David Mamet's controversy-stirring play about sexual harassment, with William Macy as a college professor and Debra Eisenstadt as his student. Directed by Mamet, who previously filmed "Homicide" with Macy.

"The Conformist." Restored version of Bernardo Bertolucci's early-1970s masterpiece about fascism and sexual repression, with Jean-Louis Trintignant, Dominique Sanda and Stefania Sandrelli.

Oct. 28

"The Road to Wellville." Turn-of-the-century story about health fads, with Matthew Broderick, Bridget Fonda, John Cusack, Dana Carvey and Anthony Hopkins as the vegetarian guru, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg. Written and directed by Alan Parker ("Midnight Express," "Mississippi Burning").

"Clerks." Writer-director Kevin Smith's raunchy, hilarious film-festival prize winner about two New Jersey clerks with romantic problems.

"The D.R.O.P. Squad." Spike Lee has a cameo in this story of a group that tries to restore black pride in the media. He was also the executive producer.

"Stargate." Costly, foreign-produced science-fiction epic starring Kurt Russell, James Spader and "The Crying Game's" androgynous star, Jaye Davidson.

"The Glass Shield." Thriller about corruption in the Los Angeles Police Department, directed by the respected independent filmmaker Charles Burnett ("To Sleep With Anger," "Killer of Sheep").

"Nobody's Fool." The ubiquitous Bruce Willis co-stars with Paul Newman, Melanie Griffith and Jessica Tandy in a drama about rural New York. Directed by Robert Benton, who won Oscars for "Kramer vs. Kramer" and "Places in the Heart."

"Silent Fall." Bruce Beresford directed this story of an autistic boy who witnesses the murder of his parents. Richard Dreyfuss, Linda Hamilton and John Lithgow star.

"I Don't Want to Talk About It." Marcello Mastoianni vehicle about a May-December romance in rural Argentina in the late 1930s.

"Desperate Remedies." Campy New Zealand tale of romantic complications in a 19th-century town.

"Squanto the Warrior." Disney's live-action adventure about a Native American brave captured by English settlers in the early 1600s.

Nov. 4

"Frankenstein." Kenneth Branagh's version of the Mary Shelley novel, with Branagh in the title role and Robert De Niro as the monster.

"Pontiac Moon." Comedy-drama about a teacher (Ted Danson) who is inspired by the Apollo 11 lunar mission to make a trip with his son. Mary Steenburgen is his troubled wife.

"Hoop Dreams." This three-hour documentary about Chicago inner-city basketball players won the audience award at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival, and it's booked at the Toronto and New York festivals as well.

"Freedom on My Mind." Outstanding documentary, first shown here earlier this year at the Seattle International Film Festival, about the Mississippi Voter Registration Project.

The Olympia Film Festival. The 11th annual festival runs through Nov. 13 at the Capitol Theater in Olympia. Underground-film legends Kenneth Anger ("Scorpio Rising") and Curtis Harrington ("Games") are scheduled to attend.

Nov. 11

"The Santa Claus." Disney fantasy starring Tim Allen ("Home Improvement") as a divorced father competing for his son's affections with a new stepfather.

"The War." Kevin Costner plays a Vietnam vet with twin children (Elijah Wood, Lexi Randall) in this coming-of-age story. Mare Winningham, who played Costner's wife in "Wyatt Earp," is his wife again. Directed by John Avnet ("Fried Green Tomatoes").

"The Perez Family." Romantic comedy about Miami's Cuban community, with Marisa Tomei, Anjelica Huston, Alfred Molina. Directed by Mira Nair, who made "Salaam Bombay!" and "Mississippi Masala."

"The Last Seduction." History is repeating itself with this marvelously sardonic neo-noir thriller, directed by John Dahl, whose "Red Rock West" played film festivals last year and went directly to cable before turning up on videotape and then in theaters. "Seduction" made its local debut in May at the Seattle International Film Festival, turned up on cable in July and comes to theaters this fall.

"Dr. Strangelove." Stanley Kubrick's devastating 1964 satire about Cold War politics, starring Peter Sellers in three roles, Sterling Hayden, Keenan Wynn and George C. Scott. This new 35mm restoration, supervised by Kubrick, is part of the Varsity's Kubrick festival, which also includes "Lolita," "Full Metal Jacket," "Paths of Glory," "The Killing," "A Clockwork Orange" and "2001: A Space Odyssey."

"Gone With the Wind." Reissue of the 1939 classic, presented in conjunction with network-television showings of the mini-series sequel, "Scarlett."

"The Pagemaster." Partly animated fantasy starring Macaulay Culkin as a timid boy who is initiated into a "trip" through three books by the title character. Whoopi Goldberg, Patrick Stewart and Leonard Nimoy provided voices for the cartoon characters.

The Seattle Human Rights Watch Film Festival, Nov. 11-20 at the Grand Illusion, the Pike St. Cinema and 911 Media Arts Center. After two years of importing this festival from New York, a Seattle group is promising a grass-roots approach at three venues.

The Second Arab Film Festival. Last month's three-day series of Arab films was just a preview. This event will be the first full-scale Arab festival since the two-week marathon that was held in conjunction with the Goodwill Games in 1990.

Nov. 18

"Interview With the Vampire." Neil Jordan's adaptation of the Anne Rice best seller, with Tom Cruise the most controversial member of the cast. Brad Pitt, Christian Slater and Antonio Banderas co-star, along with the leading player of Jordan's "The Crying Game," Stephen Rea.

"Star Trek: Generations." The seventh "Star Trek" movie brings together Capt. Kirk (William Shatner) and Capt. Picard (Patrick Stewart). Also in the cast: Malcolm McDowell, Brent Spiner, Jonathan Frakes, Levar Burton, James Doohan, Walter Koenig and Whoopi Goldberg.

"The Swan Princess." Feature-length cartoon about a wicked sorcerer who puts a spell on a young couple. Voices include John Cleese, Sandy Duncan, Jack Palance and Steven Wright.

"Camilla." Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn play reunited lovers in this comedy, in which Tandy's house guest (Bridget Fonda) plays a key role.

"Three Colors: Red." The final film in Krzysztof Kieslowski's "Three Colors" trilogy, which began with the enigmatic "Blue" and continued with the gracefully ironic "White." The final installment stars Irene Jacob as a Swiss model who feels a deep affinity with a retired judge (Jean-Louis Trintignant).

"A Man of No Importance." Albert Finney and Brenda Fricker co-star in the story of a Dublin bus conductor who wants to stage an Oscar Wilde play.

Nov. 23

"The Lion King." Disney plans to pull its biggest box-office hit from theatrical release before the end of September, then reissue it for the year-end holidays.

"Junior." Arnold Schwarzenegger discovers he's pregnant. Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito, who played "Twins" six years ago, reunite with the director of that film, Ivan Reitman.

"A Low Down Dirty Shame." Disney comedy about a desperate private eye, starring Keenan Ivory Wayans.

"Miracle on 34th Street." John Hughes, writer-producer of "Home Alone," claims the 1947 original isn't that hot, so he's created his own version. Richard Attenborough plays the Kris Kringle role that won Edmund Gwenn an Academy Award the first time around.

Dec. 2

"Highlander III: The Sorcerer." Christopher Lambert returns, but Sean Connery does not, for the latest installment in this science-fiction series. Mario Van Peebles plays the villain this time.

Dec. 9

"Tom and Viv." Willem Dafoe plays T. S. Eliot and Miranda Richardson is Vivienne Haigh-Wood in this account of their courtship and marriage in London between world wars.

"IQ" Romantic comedy starring Meg Ryan, Tim Robbins and Walter Matthau. Directed by Fred Schepisi, who demonstrated his light touch with Steve Martin's "Roxanne."

Mid-to-late December

"Drop Zone." John Badham's skydiving thriller starring Wesley Snipes and Gary Busey. Michael Jeter plays a kidnapped computer hacker.

"Disclosure." Filmed partly in Seattle this summer, Barry Levinson's version of the Michael Crichton best-seller stars Michael Douglas and Demi Moore.

"Nell." Jodie Foster as a backwoods Tennessee woman with her own language. Liam Neeson and Natasha Richardson co-star. Directed by Michael Apted ("Blink," "Coal Miner's Daughter").

"Richie Rich." Macaulay Culkin vehicle about the adventures of a lucky child. John Cleese co-stars.

"Little Women." Hollywood's third remake of the Louisa May Alcott classic, with Winona Ryder, Susan Sarandon, Garbriel Byrne, Samantha Mathis and Christian Bale. Directed by Australian filmmaker Gillian Armstrong, who made "My Brilliant Career."

"Pret-A-Porter." Robert Altman's all-star look at the Paris fashion world, with Anouk Aimee, Lauren Bacall, Rupert Everett, Teri Garr, Linda Hunt, Sally Kellerman, Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni, Stephen Rea, Tim Robbins, Julia Roberts, Lili Taylor, Kim Basinger, Tracy Ullman and Forest Whitaker.

"Immortal Beloved." Biography of Beethoven, starring Gary Oldman, Jeroen Krabbe, Isabella Rossellini and Valeria Golino. Directed by Bernard Rose ("Paperhouse").

"Streetfighter." Another action vehicle for Jean-Claude Van Damme, based on the video game.

"Lifesavers." New romantic comedy from the creator of "Sleepless in Seattle," writer-director Nora Ephron. It stars Steve Martin and Madeline Kahn and takes place at a Los Angeles crisis center at Christmas.

"Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle." Jennifer Jason Leigh plays Dorothy Parker in Alan Rudolph's account of the circle of wits who made up the Algonquin Round Table in 1920s New York.

"To Live." The latest Chinese prize-winner from director Zhang Yimou ("Raise the Red Lantern," "Ju Dou") covers 60 years of Chinese history.

"Death and the Maiden." Roman Polanski's adaptation of the Ariel Dorfman play about revenge and redemption. Sigourney Weaver and Ben Kingsley co-star.

"Queen Margot." Claude Berri's adaptation of the Alexandre Dumas love story won this year's Cannes Film Festival prize for best actress (Virna Lisi).

"Restoration." Robert Downey Jr. plays an irrepressible medical student in the court of Charles II (Sam Neill). Directed by Michael Hoffman, who made Downey's 1991 comedy, "Soapdish."

"Safe Passage." Family-reunion drama starring Susan Sarandon, Sam Shepard, Sean Astin, Marcia Gay Harden, Nick Stahl, Jason London and Robert Sean Leonard.

"The Secret of Roan Inish." Enchanting new Irish/American production about a little girl searching for her lost brother, who was swept out to sea in a crib. Directed by John Sayles, who was a runner-up for best director at this year's Seattle International Film Festival.