Movies

Serial killers are back at the movies with a vengeance this fall and so are Shakespeare adaptations, remakes, biographies, reissues, sequels and film festivals of every stripe.

Shirley MacLaine and Jack Nicholson will recreate their Oscar-winning performances in a follow-up to "Terms of Endearment." Sidney Lumet, who gave us "Serpico" two decades ago, is writing and directing another fact-based story about corruption in the New York police department.

Woody Allen has finished an out-and-out musical ("Mighty Aphrodite" now looks like a mere warmup), and Disney has completed a non-cartoon version of "101 Dalmatians." Madonna finally gets to play Evita Peron.

Albert Brooks is back and so are Tim Burton, Jane Campion, Michael Cimino, David Cronenberg, John Singleton, Jim Sheridan and Mike Leigh. Several actors are making their directing debuts, including Kevin Spacey, Matthew Broderick, Tom Hanks and Steve Buscemi. Also debuting as a movie director is the Seattle Rep's Daniel Sullivan.

Robert De Niro seems to be everywhere, and he isn't the only actor appearing in more than one fall film. Julia Roberts, Diane Keaton, Chris O'Donnell, Nick Nolte, Patricia Arquette, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, Mimi Rogers, Lauren Bacall and Antonio Banderas are also busy.

Quentin Tarantino's deal with Miramax Films continues to allow him to release films through their subsidiary, Rolling Thunder, including more Hong Kong movies and "Slacker" director Richard Linklater's earliest feature: "It's Impossible to Learn to Plow By Reading Books" (1988).

Of course, not all of the promised films will show up as scheduled. According to Variety, volume is way up on the fall list, with 17.5 per cent more movies scheduled for release than there were at this time last year. Ordinarily, the more traffic promised, the more delays there are.

A few of the movies we listed in last year's fall arts guide are back on this fall's list, including "The Fantasticks," "I'm Not Rappaport" and several other "1995 releases" that have somehow failed to materialize during the past 12 months.

Following are tentative opening dates for this fall's films. As always, some movies may show up earlier or later, some titles will be changed and a few films will bypass theaters altogether and go directly to video. ----------------------------------------------------------------- CALENDAR

SEPTEMBER

"Extreme Measures." Hugh Grant plays an ambitious doctor who becomes involved in a secret medical conspiracy. Directed by Michael Apted ("Coal Miner's Daughter"), it was produced by Grant and Elizabeth Hurley.

"Brother of Sleep." Operatic account of a musical prodigy's painful childhood and small-town adolescence. Fans of Ken Russell's musical biographies are likely to enjoy it most; others may find it over-the-top. Joseph Vilsmaier, the director of this German film of Robert Schneider's best-seller, visited the Seattle International Film Festival to present it last spring.

"Rainbow Bridge." This reissue/restoration of the Jimi Hendrix concert movie features 20 minutes of restored concert footage. It's part of a week-long "Salute to the '60s" Varsity program that also includes "The Hippie Revolution" and a new 35mm print of "Barbarella."

"Loch Ness." Family movie starring Ted Danson as a Los Angeles zoologist on the trail of legendary creatures. Joely Richardson is the single mother who rents him a room when he goes in pursuit of the Loch Ness monster.

"Bloodstone." Jean-Claude Van Damme co-stars in this murder mystery directed by Hong Kong filmmaker Ringo Lam, whose "City on Fire" inspired Quentin Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs."

"2 Days in the Valley." Comedy/drama with James Spader, Eric Stoltz, Danny Aiello and Glenne Headley. It's about the ramifications of a murder in the San Fernando Valley.

"Blood and Wine." Jack Nicholson and director Bob Rafelson, the "Five Easy Pieces" team, are back with this story of a con man (Nicholson) who has a plan to steal a diamond necklace. Stephen Dorff, Judy Davis, Michael Caine and Jennifer Lopez are in the cast.

"The First Wives' Club." All-star film of Olivia Goldsmith's novel about three discarded women (Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton) who have lost their husbands to "trophy wives." With Maggie Smith, Heather Locklear, Bonson Pinchot, Victor Garber, Philip Bosco and Marcia Gay Harden. Directed by Hugh Wilson from a script by Robert Harling.

"Last Man Standing." American remake of Kurosawa's samurai comedy, "Yojimbo," which previously served as the basis for the Clint Eastwood/Sergio Leone Western, "A Fistful of Dollars." Bruce Willis is the hired gun who is available to both factions in a Chicago bootlegging war.

"Big Night." Two actors, Stanley Tucci (an Emmy nominee for "Murder One") and Campbell Scott ("Longtime Companion"), teamed up to direct this engaging period piece about New Jersey in the 1950s. It won a Sundance Film Festival prize for Tucci and Joseph Tropiano's script.

"Talk of Angels." Vincent Perez and Polly Walker co-star in this adaptation of Kate O'Brien's novel, "Mary Lavelle," about an Irish governess involved in the Spanish Civil War.

"Giant." Fortieth-anniversary reissue of the George Stevens epic about 20th Century Texas, starring Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean and Rock Hudson.

"Surviving Picasso." James Ivory's biography of Pablo Picasso, with Anthony Hopkins as the Spanish painter. Julianne Moore, Natasha McElhone, Joan Plowright and Diane Venora are in the cast.

"The Garden of the Finzi-Continis." Reissue of Vittorio De Sica's Oscar-winning 1971 tale of a wealthy family of Italian Jews who try to insulate themselves from the Holocaust.

"Curdled." Billy Baldwin plays a serial killer who becomes involved with a taxi driver (Angela Jones), whose specialty is cleaning up crime scenes. Written and directed by Reb Braddock, as a feature-length expansion on his student film with the same premise.

"Belltown Theatre Center Presents: A Tribute to Sydney Pollack." The Oscar-winning director of "Tootsie" and "Out of Africa" will be here to show his films (including "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?"and talk about his career. A brunch, a reception and a meeting with acting students are part of the lineup, Sept. 27-29. Ticket information: 781-7305.

"Sweet Nothing." American independent film based on the diaries of a New York crack addict. Familiar stuff, driven by Michael Imperioli's engaging intensity as the down-and-out hero. Mira Sorvino plays his long-suffering wife, and she's the chief reason it's getting released. Nearly a year before she won the Oscar for "Mighty Aphrodite," she brought this film and two of her other low-budget features to the Seattle International Film Festival.

"Synthetic Pleasures." Documentary about the future of cyberculture, featuring John Barlow, the French performance artist Orlan and the late Timothy Leary.

"Somebody to Love." East Los Angeles story of a taxi dancer (Rosie Perez) who's in love with an aging television star (Harvey Keitel) and wants to be a movie star. Anthony Quinn, Steve Buscemi and Sam Fuller are in the cast. Directed by Alexandre Rockwell ("In the Soup," "Four Rooms").

"The Leopard Son." Discovery Channel Pictures makes its big-screen debut with this wildlife movie, scored by Stewart Copeland. It had its world premiere at the Seattle International Film Festival.

"Freeway." A modern riff on "Little Red Riding Hood," starring Kiefer Sutherland as a devious child psychologist who uses his professional expertise to gain the trust of a young girl (Reese Witherspoon). Oliver Stone is one of the executive producers, and Brooke Shields and Amanda Plummer are in the cast.

"The Secret Agent." Christopher Hampton directed this new version of the Joseph Conrad novel, previously filmed by Alfred Hitchcock as "Sabotage" (1936). Bob Hoskins plays an agent who poses as a member of an anarchist group in Soho. Patricia Arquette is his wife.

OCTOBER

"The Associate." Whoopi Goldberg plays a financial analyst who gets passed over for promotion even though she's brighter than her male colleagues. She sets out to create the perception that she's formed a partnership with a financial whiz.

"Caught." Edward James Olmos and director Robert M. Young, who have worked together on several movies, collaborate again on this contemporary film noir. Maria Conchita Alonso plays Olmos' wife, who falls for an Irish driver who moves in with them.

"Infinity." Matthew Broderick makes his directing debut with this romantic drama based on the life of the physicist, Richard Feynmann. Broderick plays him, and Patricia Arquette is his wife.

"Bitter Sugar." Cuban-born filmmaker Leon Ichaso ("Sugar Hill," "Crossover Dreams") directed and co-wrote this love story about political opposites in modern-day Havana.

"Lamerica." One of last year's most acclaimed foreign-language films finally gets a Seattle run beginning Oct. 11 at the Varsity. Directed by Gianni Amelio ("Stolen Children"), it stars Enrico Lo Verso as an arrogant Italian businessman who finds himself stranded in crumbling modern Albania.

"Michael Collins." Julia Roberts, Stephen Rea and Liam Neeson co-star in this historical drama about the Irish revolutionary leader. Written and directed by Neil Jordan, who worked with Rea on "The Crying Game."

"Bound." Gina Gershon proves there's life after "Showgirls" in this thriller about a lesbian affair between a thief and a Mafia man's mistress. Also in the cast: Jennifer Tilly and Joe Pantoliano.

"The Mighty Ducks 3." Emilio Estevez takes a smaller role in his third entry in the Disney sports-comedy series. He did it only if Disney would sponsor him in a more personal film he would direct.

"The War at Home." Here's the reason Estevez agreed to make the "Mighty Ducks" sequel. Shown in rough-cut form at the Seattle International Film Festival, this Vietnam War drama was a runnerup for best actress (Kathy Bates) in the Golden Space Needle awards.

Vancouver Film Festival. This increasingly important festival will be held Oct. 4-20 at several B.C. theaters.

"That Thing You Do." Tom Hanks makes his directing debut with this nostalgic comedy about a mid-1960s rock band called The Wonders. Hanks also co-stars, and the cast includes Tom Everett Scott, Johnathon Schaech, Liv Tyler and Steven Zahn. Jonathan Demme is one of the producers.

"Vertigo." Restored 70mm version of Alfred Hitchcocks' 1958 classic, now widely regarded as the director's finest and most personal achievement.

"To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday." Romantic drama starring Peter Gallagher as a grieving widower who is obsessed with his deceased wife. Claire Danes is their helpful daughter. Based on Michael Brady's play and directed by Michael Pressman, who made "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II."

"Beautiful Thing." Gay love story about a London schoolboy who falls in love with an athletic classmate. Based on Jonathan Harvey's play, it was directed by Hettie MacDonald, who directed a West End production of the AIDS drama, "The Normal Heart." This is her first film.

"Ed's Next Move." John Walsh's modest and charming relationship comedy about a young Wisconsin native, freshly dumped by his fiance, who is attracted to a young woman who's involved with someone else. It was warmly received at this year's film festival, where Walsh presented it.

"Small Wonders." Alan Miller's inspirational documentary about the East Harlem Violin Program, where an alternative-school teacher fights budget cuts and gets her children to Carnegie Hall. Originally called "Fiddlefest," it was nominated for an Oscar earlier this year for best documentary.

"The Chamber." Yet another adaptation of a John Grisham novel, starring Gene Hackman as a white supremacist on death row and Chris O'Donnell as his lawyer. James Foley is the director.

Polish Film Festival. The fifth edition of the festival will be held Oct. 4-13 at the Seattle Art Museum.

"johns." Darkly comic tale of a couple of male hustlers (Lukas Haas, David Arquette) who rely on each other as they work Hollywood's Santa Monica Boulevard.

"Heavy." Liv Tyler, who got a lot of attention for her starring role in "Stealing Beauty," plays a waitress with a boyfriend (Evan Dando) and an inarticulate admirer (Pruitt Taylor Vince). Shelley Winters and Deborah Harry fill out the cast.

"The Ghost and the Darkness." Val Kilmer and Michael Douglas co-star in this story of an attempt to stop two lions on a man-eating rampage in the late 19th century. Written by two-time Oscar winner William Goldman and directed by Stephen Hopkins, who made the sloppy "Blown Away."

"Larger Than Life." Bill Murray comedy about a man who inherits an elephant. With Janeane Garofalo, Pat Hingle, Jeremy Piven and Lois Smith. Directed by Howard Franklin, who made "Quick Change" with Murray.

"Cosi." The stars of "Muriel's Wedding," Toni Collette and Rachel Griffiths, return for this Australian comedy about an aspiring theater director who stages Mozart's "Cosi Fan Tutte" in a mental hospital.

"Mother." Albert Brooks wrote and directed this comedy, in which he plays a twice-divorced science-fiction writer who needs to straighten out his relationship with his mother (Debbie Reynolds). Rob Morrow, Isabel Glasser and John C. McGinley are in the cast.

"Till There Was You." Winnie Holzman and Scott Winant, who worked together on "thirtysomething" and "My So-Called Life," created this tale of a romantic woman (Jeanne Triplehorn) and a practical man (Dylan McDermott) who are destined to affect each other's lives.

"The Sunchaser." Michael Cimino, famous for "The Deer Hunter" and still infamous for "Heaven's Gate," wrote and directed this drama about a dedicated surgeon (Woody Harrelson) who is taken hostage by a dying teenager (Jon Seda). Anne Bancroft is also in the cast. It's Cimino's first film in six years.

"The Relic." Peter Hyams, who made "2010" and Jean-Claude Van Damme's "Timecop," is back in the fantasy groove with this horror film starring Penelope Ann Miller as a biologist whose friends and colleagues are mysteriously slaughtered.

"The Long Kiss Goodnight." Geena Davis and director Renny Harlin, who last collaborated on the disastrous "CutThroat Island," are back with this political-intrigue thriller written by Shane Black ("Lethal Weapon"). It concerns an amnesiac schoolteacher who gets into trouble when she tries to discover her true identity. Samuel L. Jackson co-stars.

"Looking For Richard." Al Pacino's documentary-performance film about "Richard III," with Shakespearean scenes enacted by Pacino and colleagues, interspersed with commentaries about the play's history and meaning.

"Love Is All There Is." Joseph Bologna and Renee Taylor, who clicked as a team 25 years ago with "Made For Each Other" and their Oscar-nominated script for "Lovers and Other Strangers," are back with this tale of feuding families forced to accept a marriage between them. Lainie Kazan, Barbara Careera, Paul Sorvino, William Hickey, Connie Stevens, Bologna and Taylor head the cast.

"Microcosmos." French biologists Claude Nuridsany and Marie Perennou co-directed this 77-minute documentary about the secret lives of bees, caterpillars, grasshoppers, spiders and beetles. According to Variety's critic, Brendan Kelly, the filmmakers have "turned the bugs into larger-than-life characters whose quirks, pastimes and relationships are never less than riveting."

"Trees Lounge." Steve Buscemi makes his writing-directing debut with this story of an auto mechanic who wants to be a standup comic. Buscemi has the starring role, and the supporting cast includes Mimi Rogers, Daniel Baldwin, Carol Kane, Anthony LaPaglia, Seymour Cassel and Samuel L. Jackson.

"A Century of Cinema." The Seattle International Film Festival's fall series is made up of more than a dozen film-history documentaries by Martin Scorsese, Sam Neill, Stephen Frears and Nagisa Oshima. It will run Oct. 10-20 at the Broadway Performance Hall.

"The Shadow Conspiracy." Charlie Sheen plays a presidential adviser who suddenly finds himself a murder suspect. Linda Hamilton is the reporter who goes underground with him. Directed by "Rambo" director George P. Cosmatos.

"Sleepers." Brad Pitt plays a prosecutor, Robert De Niro is a priest and Jason Patric is a reporter in this fact-based crime story, written and directed by Barry Levinson. With Kevin Bacon, Minnie Driver, Brad Renfro, Bruno Kirby and Dustin Hoffman.

"The Grass Harp." Early Truman Capote story, directed by Charles Matthau and reuniting that grumpy old odd couple, Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. With Joan Plowright, Sissy Spacek and Cicely Tyson.

"Jude." Christopher Eccleston, star of "Shallow Grave" and "Anchoress," has the title role in this version of Thomas Hardy's last novel, "Jude the Obscure." Rachel Griffiths is the unreliable woman who seduces him, and Kate Winslet is the cousin he loves. Directed by Michael Winterbottom, who made "Butterfly Kiss."

"Some Mother's Son." Previously known as "Sons and Warriors," this story of the early-1980s Irish hunger strike stars Helen Mirren and Fionnula Flanagan as mothers trying to save their sons from tragedy. The co-writer and co-producer is Jim Sheridan, who wrote and directed "My Left Foot" and "In the Name of the Father."

"Swingers." Ensemble romantic comedy about five 20-something men. Screenwriter Jon Favreau plays an actor who has gone to Hollywood and left his girlfriend in New York.

Olympia Film Festival. The annual event will take place Oct. 18-27 at the Capitol Theater in downtown Olympia.

"Nightwatch." Steven Soderbergh wrote the screenplay for this thriller about a young law student who takes a part-time job as a hospital nightwatchman. Complicating matters is the presence of a serial killer. Nick Nolte, Patricia Arquette, Ewan McGregor and Josh Brolin are the stars.

"Get on the Bus." Spike Lee's low-budget treatment of the Million Man March, starring Richard Belzer, Ossie Davis, Charles Dutton and Andre Braugher.

"Romeo and Juliet." Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes have the title roles in this updated version of Shakespeare's play, set in contemporary Florida and directed by Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann, who made "Strictly Ballroom." Also due soon is "Tromeo and Juliet," a campy horror treatment set in Times Square. It's from the folks who made "The Toxic Avenger."

Lesbian/Gay Film Festival. Three Dollar Bill Cinema is sponsoring this series, which is scheduled to run Oct. 24-Nov. 2.

"Stephen King's Thinner." It was actually Richard Bachman's "Thinner" in bookstores, where King sometimes goes by that name. Directed by Tom Holland ("Child's Play," "The Temp"), it's a horror story about a gypsy curse. Joe Mantegna and Robert John Burke head the cast.

"Palookaville." Alan Taylor's entertaining tale of three would-be crooks (William Forsythe, Vincent Gallo, Adam Trese) who can't make money at their crimes and just end up irritating their significant others. Inspired by the 1958 Italian comedy classic, "Big Deal on Madonna Street," it's more successful than the official American remake, 1984's "Crackers."

"High School High." Hart Bochner, who made his directing debut with the college comedy, "P.C.U.," made this black comedy about a teacher (Jon Lovitz) who tries to inspire the tough kids at an inner-city school.

"Twelfth Night." Imogen Stubbs stars in this new treatment of Shakespeare's romantic comedy, directed by Trevor Nunn, who is better-known as a stage director ("Cats," "Sunset Boulevard") than he is for making movies ("Lady Jane").

"Bad Moon." Michael Pare's girlfriend is murdered by a half-human beast in Nepal, so he goes home to the Pacific Northwest where another body is discovered. Could the killer be . . . Bigfoot? Only the family's German Shepherd, Thor, seems to know for sure. Written and directed by Eric Red, who wrote "The Hitcher" and co-wrote "Near Dark."

"The Proprietor." Ismail Merchant, who usually produces Merchant/Ivory movies, chose to direct this story of a novelist (Jeanne Moreau) trying to choose between two cities: New York, where she's lived for 30 years, and Paris, site of a wartime trauma.

"Space Jam." Expensive comic sports fantasy that mixes animation and live-action footage, with Michael Jordan, Bugs Bunny and a villain called Swackhammer (voice by Danny DeVito).

NOVEMBER

"Stormchasers." IMAX's answer to "Twister," Greg MacGillivray's super-70mm salute to really bad weather, is scheduled to open at the Omnidome on Pier 59. MacGillivray directed the IMAX classic, "To Fly."

"Unhook the Stars." Gena Rowlands plays a widow who becomes attached to a 6-year-old neighbor (Jake Lloyd) and his mother (Marisa Tomei). Gerard Depardieu is in the cast, and Nick Cassavetes wrote and directed.

"Mother Night." Kurt Vonnegut's novel about a U.S. spy in pre-World War II Germany, directed by Keith Gordon, who made the strong anti-war film, "A Midnight Clear." Nick Nolte stars, and the cast includes Sheryl Lee, Alan Arkin, David Strathairn and Kirstin Dunst.

"North Star." Christopher Lambert plays a half-Indian, half-Caucasian trapper in turn-of-the-century Alaska. He owns the rights to a rich gold lode, and James Caan is a corrupt miner who attempts to take it away from him.

"The People vs. Larry Flynt." Woody Harrelson stars in the story of the porn-industry veteran who built an empire out of Hustler magazine. Courtney Love plays his wife. Directed by Milos Forman, who won Academy Awards for "Amadeus" and "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." It's been selected as the closing-night film at the New York Film Festival.

"Set It Off." The rap soundtrack is a major selling point in this story of four childhood friends trying to escape from the streets. Jada Pinkett, Queen Latifah, Vivica Fox and Kimberly Elise co-star.

Documentary Festival. The makers of such prize-winning non-fiction films as "Sherman's March," "Hoop Dreams" and "Crumb" will attend this three-day event, Nov. 1-3 at the Seattle Art Museum.

"The Eighth Day." The story of the friendship of a selfish businessman and a young man with Down's Syndrome won this year's Cannes best actor prize for both of its leading actors: Daniel Auteuil and Pascal Duquenne. Directed by Jaco Van Dormael, the Belgian director who made "Toto le heros."

"Dear God." Greg Kinnear comedy about a postal worker who answers mail addressed to Santa Claus, the Easter bunny and God. He gets in trouble with postal authorities when his advice makes dreams come true.

Asian-American Film Festival. Originally scheduled for October, this year's event is shifting to one month later: Nov. 9-11 at the Seattle Art Museum.

Film and the Modern Age. The museum also will be the location for this Friday-night series, which is being presented in conjunction with the exhibition, "Design 1885-1945: The Arts of Reform and Persuasion." Films to be shown include "A Nous La Liberte," "Lili Marleen," "The Electric House" and "The Black Cat."

"Rosewood." The fourth film from writer-director John Singleton ("Boyz N the Hood," "Higher Learning") is based on the recollections of survivors from an all-black Florida town that was burned to the ground in 1923. Jon Voight, Ving Rhames and Don Cheadle head the cast.

Seattle Human Rights Film Festival. The annual installment of this series is scheduled for early November at 911 Media Arts Center. In addition, 911 is screening human-rights films on the third Wednesday of every month.

"Ransom." In this remake of the 1955 Glenn Ford movie, Mel Gibson plays a rich New Yorker whose son is kidnapped. Rene Russo is the wife who is horrified by his rescue plans. Directed by Ron Howard, with Gary Sinise, Lili Taylor and Delroy Lindo.

"The English Patient." Drama about four people who take refuge in an abandoned Tuscan monastery during the closing days of World War II, with Ralph Fiennes, Colin Firth, Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe and Kristin Scott Thomas. Directed by Anthony Minghella, who made "Truly Madly Deeply."

"Female Perversions." Amy Madigan, Karen Sillas and Tilda Swinton co-star in this experimental narrative inspired by Louise J. Kaplan's "Female Perversions: The Temptations of Emma Bovary."

"Angel Baby." Wrenching Australian drama about a mentally unstable pair, superbly played by John Lynch and Jacqueline McKenzie, who fall in love and decide they no longer need medication. The results are predictably catastrophic. Both actors were runners-up for Golden Space Needle awards at this year's Seattle International Film Festival.

"The Pest." John Leguizamo plays a mischievous Latin scam artist who's indebted to the Scottish Mafia in Miami. Leguizamo also co-wrote the script and co-produced the movie.

"Paris Was a Woman." For those who couldn't get into the packed screenings at the Seattle International Film Festival, the Varsity is bringing back Greta Schiller's documentary about the female artists, photographers and writers who once thrived on the Left Bank.

"Cyclo." Tran Anh Hung, who made the Oscar-nominated "Scent of Green Papaya," directed this French/Vietnamese co-production about life in Ho Chi Minh City today. It won the top prize at last year's Venice Film Festival.

"Secrets & Lies." The big winner at this year's Cannes Film Festival, Mike Leigh's latest film deals with a young woman who searches for her birth mother after her adoptive parents die. Leigh's previous prize winners include "Naked" and "Life Is Sweet."

"The Van." Third installment in the Irish trilogy, based on Roddy Doyle's Barrytown novels, that began with "The Commitments." Colm Meaney, who had a small role in that film and a bigger one in the sequel, "The Snapper," again stars under "Snapper" director Stephen Frears. This one's about the friendship between two men who set up a partnership in a fish and chips van.

"Slingblade." Billy Bob Thornton, who wrote "One False Move," wrote, directed and stars in this Southern Gothic tale about a seemingly gentle man who is released from an asylum after 25 years. He befriends a young boy and his widowed mother, but her abusive boyfriend starts trouble. John Ritter, Dwight Yoakam and J.T. Walsh are in the cast.

"Albino Alligator." Kevin Spacey makes his directing debut with this story of three fugitives (Matt Dillon, Gary Sinise, William Fincher) who find themselves trapped in a New Orleans bar, surrounded by police and federal agents. Faye Dunaway becomes their hostage.

"Ridicule." This period piece, set in the age of Louis XVI, concerns a modest country engineer who travels to Versailles with a plan to save the people of his village from an epidemic. Starring Fanny Ardant and Jean Rochefort, it was directed by Patrice Leconte ("Monsieur Hire," "The Hairdresser's Husband").

"Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills." Documentary about the witch-hunt-style trial of teenagers for the murder of three 8-year-old Arkansas boys. Directed by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, who made the prize-winning "Brother's Keeper."

"Star Trek: First Contact." The eighth installment in the series stars "Next Generation" actors Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes (who also directs), Brent Spiner and LeVar Burton. The storyline: Capt. Jean- Luc Picard and the crew of the newly commissioned Enterprise E time-travel to battle the Borg to restore the future of Earth. Also in the cast: James Cromwell and Alfre Woodard.

"Scream." The latest thriller from Wes Craven ("Nightmare on Elm Street") is set in Santa Rosa, California, which is being terrorized by a serial killer who takes his cues from the movies. Courteney Cox, Drew Barrymore and David Arquette are in the cast.

"Dangerous Ground." Darrell Roodt, who made "Sarafina!" and "Cry the Beloved Country," directed this drama about a native South African trying to find his missing brother. The cast includes Ice Cube, Elizabeth Hurley and Ving Rhames.

"Santa With Muscles." Hulk Hogan vehicle about a rude, selfish billionaire who comes to believe that he is Santa Claus.

"Jingle All the Way." Despite the failure of "Junior," Arnold Schwarzenegger tries comedy again with this $75 million sitcom. He plays a frustrated father who battles a postal worker (Sinbad) over a special toy Arnold wants for Christmas for his son.

"Daylight." Rob Cohen, director of "The Bruce Lee Story" and "Dragonheart," is the man behind Sylvester Stallone's latest action film. The script concerns an accidental explosion that traps New Yorkers in a tunnel connecting Manhattan with New Jersey.

"I'm Not Rappaport." Film version of the Herb Gardner comedy-drama that got its start at the Seattle Rep and later won a Tony as best play. Gardner wrote and directed the movie, which stars Walter Matthau, Ossie Davis, Amy Irving, Martha Plimpton and Craig T. Nelson.

"101 Dalmatians." Disney's live-action remake of one of its most popular cartoons, with Glenn Close as Cruella De Vil, and Jeff Daniels and Joely Richardson as the endangered puppies' owners. John Hughes wrote the script.

"Night Falls on Manhattan." Sidney Lumet, who made "Serpico" and "Prince of the City," wrote and directed this New York thriller starring Andy Garcia as an idealistic street cop who finds corruption and a cover-up when he becomes Manhattan district attorney. It's based on Robert Daley's "Tainted Evidence" and co-stars Richard Dreyfuss, Lena Olin, Ian Holm and Ron Leibman.

"Mad Dog Time." Low-budget, all-star gangster movie in the tradition of "Pulp Fiction" and "The Usual Suspects," with Richard Dreyfuss, Gabriel Byrne, Jeff Goldblum, Diane Lane, Ellen Barkin, Gregory Hines, Burt Reynolds, Joey Bishop and Kyle Maclachlan.

DECEMBER

"Mars Attacks!" Tim Burton's response to "Independence Day" is this large-scale science-fiction fantasy, inspired by the popular Topps trading-card series.

"Everyone Says I Love You." Woody Allen's new musical, shot on location in New York, Venice and Paris, stars Allen, Alan Alda, Drew Barrymore, Lukas Haas, Goldie Hawn, Gaby Hoffman, Edward Norton, Natalie Portman, Julia Roberts and Tim Roth.

"Shine." A sensation earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival, where it prompted a bidding war, this drama about the life of a great Australian pianist stars Noah Taylor as the young prodigy, David Helfgott, and Geoffrey Rush as the adult David. Armin Mueller-Stahl plays his abusive father, and Sr. John Gielgud is his British tutor.

"Ghosts of Mississippi." Rob Reiner's latest fact-based drama stars Alec Baldwin as a Mississippi district attorney who brings racist murderer Byron De la Beckwith (James Woods) to justice 30 years after his slaying of civil-rights worker Medgar Evers. Whoopi Goldberg and Craig T. Nelson are also in the cast.

"Ice Storm." Kevin Kline and Joan Allen play a Connecticut couple whose family is affected by the sexual revolution. He's having an affair with the woman next door (Sigourney Weaver), whose son (Elijah Wood) is involved with their daughter (Christina Ricci). Directed by Ang Lee, who made "The Wedding Banquet" and "Sense and Sensibility."

"The Substance of Fire." The Seattle Rep's Daniel Sullivan makes his film-directing debut with this adaptation of Jon Robin Baitz's 1992 off-Broadway play about a publisher (Ron Rifkin recreating his stage role) who is at odds with his children over how to run the family business. Timothy Hutton, Sarah Jessica Parker and Tony Goldwyn fill out the cast.

"Marvin's Room." Meryl Streep plays an independent mother of mischievous Leonardo DiCaprio in this family drama. Diane Keaton is her older, more responsible sister, who cares for their bedridden father (Hume Cronyn) and his child-like sister (Gwen Verdon). Robert DeNiro is the family doctor.

"The Crucible." Nicholas Hytner, who staged "Carousel" and filmed "The Madness of King George," directed this remake of the Arthur Miller stage classic about the Salem witch trials. Winona Ryder and Daniel Day-Lewis star; Simone Signoret and Yves Montand played in the 1956 movie version, sometimes called "The Witches of Salem."

"Hamlet." Kenneth Branagh stars in and directed the first full-length big-screen treatment of Shakespeare's play. Filmed in 70mm, its cast also includes Derek Jacobi, Julie Christie, Kate Winslet, Brian Blessed, Michael Maloney, Jack Lemmon, Charlton Heston, Rosemary Harris, Robin Williams, Gerard Depardieu and Billy Crystal.

"Michael." Pete Dexter dreamed up the original screenplay for this story of a hard-living, promiscuous angel (John Travolta) who is hounded by tabloid journalists. Nora Ephron, who made "Sleepless in Seattle," is the director and co-writer.

The Library of Congress National Film Registry Tour. Cineplex Odeon's new 16-screen downtown multiplex, the Meridian Cinemas, will kick off in mid-December with this collection of restored classics, including "The Great Train Robbery," "On the Waterfront," "The Night of the Hunter," "Chinatown," "Dr. Strangelove," "Duck Soup," "Gerty the Dinosaur," "I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang," many more. It's a fund-raiser for the Registry.

"In Love and War." Sandra Bullock and Chris O'Donnell co-star in this epic love story, based on the diary and love letters of Agnes Von Kurowsky, the Red Cross nurse who inspired Ernest Hemingway to write "A Farewell to Arms." Richard Attenborugh is the director.

"That Darn Cat." Another Disney remake, directed by Bob Spiers, who directed the British sitcom, "Absolutely Fabulous." Christina Ricci plays the Hayley Mills role.

"Zorro." Antonio Banderas has the title role in this remake, directed by Roberto Rodriguez ("El Mariachi") and executive-produced by a team that includes Steven Spielberg.

"The Evening Star." Shirley MacLaine and Jack Nicholson are back in their Oscar-winning roles in this sequel to 1983's "Terms of Endearment," co-starring Bill Paxton, Juliette Lewis, Miranda Richardson, Donald Moffat and Ben Johnson. Written and directed by Robert Harling.

"Jerry Maguire." Cameron Crowe wrote and directed this comedic tale of redemption, starring Tom Cruise as a disgraced sports agent and Renee Zellweger as a young accountant and single mother who becomes his ally. Cuba Gooding Jr. is Cruise's only remaining client, a second-tier football player.

"Donnie Brasco." Johnny Depp plays an undercover FBI agent who has spent two years infiltrating the mob. Al Pacino is a luckless mob veteran who becomes his mentor. Directed by Mike Newell ("Four Weddings and a Funeral") from a script by Paul Attanasio ("Quiz Show").

"The Mirror Has Two Faces." Barbra Streisand directed and stars in this story of two Columbia University professors who have a novel marital arrangement. With Jeff Bridges, Pierce Brosnan, Mimi Rogers, Brenda Vaccaro, George Segal, Austin Pendleton and Lauren Bacall.

"The Whole Wide World." Scheduled to open Christmas Day at the Egyptian, Dan Ireland's prize-winning tale of the friendship of two writers won the Golden Space Needle award for best actor (Vincent D'Onofrio) at this year's Seattle International Film Festival. Ireland was the runner-up for best director, and a festival jury voted it best American independent film in the competition.

"Beavis and Butt-head Do America." MTV's feature-length version of its cartoon series will be released through Paramount Pictures. Series creator Mike Judge worked on the script, which has the FBI chasing the team across the country.

"My Fellow Americans." Jack Lemmon and Jack Garner play ex-U.S. presidents who hate each other. Dan Aykroyd is the current President, and Lauren Bacall is a former First Lady.

"Evita." Madonna has the title role and Antonio Banderas is Che in Alan Parker's movie of the long-running stage musical about Evita Peron. Disney has been showing off a 15-minute reel of clips that looks mighty impressive.

"Citizen Ruth." Alexander Payne wrote and directed this satire about a woman who passes unnoticed until she gets pregnant. The cast includes Laura Dern, Swoosie Kurtz, Kurtwood Smith, Kelly Preston and Burt Reynolds.

"The Preacher's Wife." Penny Marshall's latest romantic comedy stars Whitney Houston as the gospel-singing wife of a self-doubting minister (Courtney B. Vance). Denzel Washington plays the Cary Grant role - an angel - in this remake of one of Grant's most popular 1940s movies, "The Bishop's Wife."

"Portrait of a Lady." Jane Campion's adaptation of the Henry James novel, with Nicole Kidman, John Malkovich, Barbara Hershey, Mary Louise Parker, Shelley Winters and Shelley Duvall.

Maybe sooner, maybe later, maybe video

"Crash." Perhaps the most controversial film to be shown at Cannes this year, David Cronenberg's adaptation of J.G. Ballard's novel deals with people who are sexually obsessed with car accidents. James Spader, Holly Hunter, Rosanna Arquette, Elias Koteas and Deborah Unger are in the cast.

"Boys." Stacy Cochran, who made the memorable 1992 independent film, "My New Gun," directed this story set in a boys' prep school. Lukas Haas plays a 17-year-old boy who helps Winona Ryder when she falls off her horse.

"Learning Curves" (formerly "Bad With Numbers.") Comedy starring Jason London as a high-school student who hires a math tutor, played by Tia Carrere, who also is the unhappy wife of his calculus teacher (Christopher MacDonald).

"Mariette in Ecstasy." John Bailey, the cinematographer-turned-director who made "China Moon," tries again with this adaptation of a novel about a girl who enters a convent and experiences a religious transformation.

"Let It Be Me." Eleanor Bergstein, one of the creators of "Dirty Dancing," wrote and directed this story of six dancers who become three couples. Campbell Scott, Jennifer Beals, Patrick Stewart and Leslie Caron are in the cast.

"Waiting For Guffman." Christopher Guest wrote, directed and stars in this story about a multi-media pageant celebrating the 150th anniversary of Blaine, Mo. With Eugene Levy, Fred Willard, Catherine O'Hara, Parker Posey, Lewis Arquette, Matt Keeslar.

"The Fantasticks." Although John Davidson and Ricardo Montalban starred in an hour-long TV version in the mid-1960s, this marks the big-screen debut of the world's longest-running musical. Barnard Hughes and Joel Grey play the fathers who specialize in reverse psychology. The director is Michael Ritchie, who made "Smile," "The Candidate" and Bette Midler's concert movie, "Divine Madness." ----------------------------------------------------------------- Rising star

Alan Taylor, director of "Palookaville

Taylor made a strong impression this spring at the Seattle International Film Festival, where he presented this humane and clever comedy about a trio inept but likable crooks. It was the runner-up for the jury's award for best American independent film.