The unpredictables
Spidey and Jack, Harry and Shrek. Summer's here, so where are the surprises? How about John Travolta in drag and Angelina Jolie as Mariane Pearl, for starters?
At first glance, 2007 is the summer of Major Thirds. A third "Shrek." A third "Pirates of the Caribbean." A third "Spider-Man ." A third Jason Bourne movie, a third Danny Ocean caper flick, and a third "Rush Hour." Whoops -- here's a surprise: A fifth "Harry Potter."
Is anyone other than the usual gaggle of teenage girls excited by the prospect of these movies? Tentpole franchises have become the expected pleasures of summer, destined to make gazillions because the studios say so and have devoted ad budgets larger than the GNP of medium-size countries to ensure so. The summer's only two wild cards are "The Simpsons Movie " (because it's been so long in the making) and Michael Bay's "Transformers " (because no one can figure out how or if he'll make an actual film about a bunch of '80s toys).
And yet. You want strange, risky, off-kilter? For starters, we get adaptations of works by literary lions Raymond Carver, Alice Munro, and Susan Minot. Then look around at some of the acting stretches hitting screens in the next few months. Kevin Costner throws off his Gary Cooper mantle of decency to play a serial killer in "Mr. Brooks " (his criminal alter ego is played by William Hurt ; now that's scary). Angelina Jolie takes on the role of Mariane Pearl , widow of the slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl , in "A Mighty Heart."
Anne Hathaway is young Jane Austen ("Becoming Jane "), Catherine Zeta-Jones plays a celebrity chef ("No Reservations "), and Jane Fonda shows up as a Mormon grandmother ("Georgia Rule "). Robert De Niro plays a Faerie-Land character named Captain Shakespeare ("Stardust ").
And let us not forget the summer's most bizarre three-point landing: John Travolta is Edna Turnblad , a 300- pound Baltimore housewife and the heroine's mother, in the big- screen version of the hit Broadway musical "Hairspray ." Those of us who remember John Waters's 1988 original will appreciate the touch of Divine that Travolta promises to bring to the multiplex -- proof that unexpected pleasures can flourish even in the midst of the marketing seminar that passes for entertainment these days.
MAY 4
"Civic Duty" In this thriller, Peter Krause plays an unemployed accountant who grows suspicious of the Muslim man (Egyptian star Khaled Abol Naga) who moves in next door.
"Dreaming Lhasa " When her life in New York gets complicated, a native Tibetan filmmaker (Tenzin Chokyi Gyatso) returns east to Dharamsala . Directed by Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam .
"The Flying Scotsman " The true story of the Scottish cyclist Graeme Obree (Jonny Lee Miller), an amateur who, in 1993, broke a cycling world-record riding a bike he made from scraps. Billy Boyd and Brian Cox co star.
"Lucky You" Unlucky movie. Curtis Hanson's high-stakes poker drama was in the can two years ago but has been held up so long that Texas Hold- ' Em is yesterday's news. Releasing it against the "Spider-Man 3 " juggernaut may be the studio's way of cashing in their chips and calling it a night. Heck of a cast, though: Eric Bana , Drew Barrymore , Robert Duvall , Robert Downey Jr. Place your bets.
"Spider-Man 3" The new installment in Marvel's most successful comics-to-cinema translation kicks off the summer movie season in state-of-the-art Hollywood style. Does it even matter if it's good? Probably not when it's this big. Tobey Maguire's Spidey has a new love interest (Bryce Dallas Howard as Gwen Stacy ), and a host of new villains: Thomas Haden Church as Sandman, Topher Grace as Venom, James Franco as Green Goblin Jr., and his own black-suited alter ego. It's great that Sam Raimi is still directing these things, but is he in danger of losing his personality to the big-budget Borg?
Also opening: "Boy Culture," "In Search of Mozart," "The Valet," "Zidane, a 21st-Century Portrait."
MAY 11
"Away From Her " Actress Sarah Polley wrote and directed this adaptation of Alice Munro’s story, ‘‘The Bear Came Over the Mountain,’’ about a married woman with Alzheimer’s (Julie Christie) who falls in love with a man (Michael Murphy) in her nursing home. Olympia Dukakis, Alberta Watson, and Gordon Pinsent also star.
"Blind Dating " In this comedy, a white American (Chris Pine) starts seeing an East Indian nurse (Anjali Jay). Brace yourself for cultural conflict and possibly worse: The white guy is also blind. Written by Christopher Theo and directed by James Keach.
"Delta Farce " The "Blue Collar" comedians Larry the Cable Guy and Bill Engvall team up with DJ Qualls in this comedy about three beer-drinking gentlemen who are mistaken for Army Reservists and shipped to Fallujah, Iraq. It's a satire.
"The Ex" Another summer, another Zach Braff manchild-comes-of-age comedy drama. In this one, the "Scrubs" star plays a Manhattan ad exec forced to move to small-town Ohio when his wife (Amanda Peet ) gets pregnant, only to start a rivalry with her ex-boyfriend (Jason Bateman) , who's in a wheelchair. Jesse Peretz ("The Chateau" ) directs, hopefully walking the thin line between bad taste and Farrelly brothers bad taste.
"Georgia Rule" Apparently, all those tabloid headlines were just Lindsay Lohan's way of researching a role. The young actress plays a rebellious San Francisco teenager frog-marched by her mother (Felicity Huffman ) to the Idaho farm of her God-fearing grandmother (Jane Fonda ). (We'll say that again: Jane Fonda.) Life lessons ensue. Garry Marshall's most recent movies, both in 2004, were "Raising Helen " and "The Princess Diaries 2," so maybe this will be a return to "Pretty Woman " form. Or, even better, 1984's "The Flamingo Kid." With Mormons.
"The Hip Hop Project " A documentary about a handful of New York teens who are prodded to tell their life stories through rap. After four years they produce a record. Queen Latifah and Bruce Willis are executive producers.
"Jindabyne " Four men on a fishing trip discover the body of a dead girl. Rather than immediately telling the authorities, they continue to fish. Afterward the men's wives, particularly one played by Laura Linney, are morally outraged. Gabriel Byrne plays her husband. Directed by Ray Lawrence ("Lantana") and adapted from Raymond Carver 's story "So Much Water So Close to Home."
"Red Road" Andrea Arnold's creepy little tale of surveillance and vengeance concerns a Scottish woman (Kate Dickie) who works as a closed-circuit TV operator, keeping an eye on the late-night streets until she sees a face she thought she'd buried in the past. Arnold nods to "Blow-Up, " "The Conversation, " and feminist revenge thrillers, but creates a queasily moving emotional landscape of her own.
"Stephanie Daley" A forensic psychologist (Tilda Swinton ) investigates the case of a 16-year-old girl (Amber Tamblyn ) who may have killed the baby she swears she didn't know she was carrying. Just to complicate matters, the psychologist is pregnant, too. Director Hilary Brougher's script won a screenwriting prize at Sundance in 2006 and plaudits everywhere else on the festival circuit.
"Summer in Berlin " A German comedy about two lovelorn best friends (Inka Friedrich and Nadja Uhl ) in the same Berlin apartment building. Think "Sex and the City," with half the cast, in a different language. Written and directed by Andreas Dresen .
"28 Weeks Later" You say the taut, bloody nuevo-zombie flick "28 Days Later " has no business being sequelized? Tough luck for you: The rage virus that caused all that flesh-chomping in Danny Boyle's 2002 original has returned to quarantined London. At least the producers got an interesting director: Spain's Juan Carlos Fresnadillo , who made the 2001 art-house puzzler "Intacto." Rose Byrne and Harold Perrineau (returning to the big screen after a few years being "Lost" ) co star, along with the always reliable Robert Carlyle ("Trainspotting ," "The Full Monty ").
"Waitress " Before she was murdered last year, actress Adrienne Shelly wrote and directed this comedy about a single, unexpectedly pregnant Southerner (Keri Russell ) who wants to open a pie shop. Shelly and Cheryl Hines play fellow waitresses. Nathan Fillion plays the pregnant woman's doctor and, yes, her love interest.
"Zoo" Robinson Devor's eerie, poetic documentary investigates the subculture of "zoophiles" -- men (and they're almost all men) who love animals. It caused a stir and quite a few headlines when it played at Sundance, but the movie's really too complicated for sound bites. A remarkable film about how the most bland, all-American exteriors can hide a warped world of longing.
MAY 18
"Brooklyn Rules " A drama from Michael Corrente ("Outside Providence") about the mob in 1985 Brooklyn. With Alec Baldwin , Freddie Prinze Jr., Scott Caan, and Mena Suvari. Written by Terence Winter, a writer and producer of "The Sopranos."
"Fay Grim " In Hal Hartley's sequel to his 1997 literary farce, "Henry Fool," Parker Posey reprises her role as the wife of a literary savant. He has now disappeared and she's been recruited by two agents, one of whom is played by Jeff Goldblum , to find one of her husband's manuscripts.
"Shrek the Third" Once upon a time, William Steig wrote a slender, enjoyably messy little children's book about an ogre who marries a princess. Three big-screen iterations later, "Shrek" is DreamWorks' premiere tentpole franchise, so if you have children, they will be taking you to this. The plot is tortuous, as threequels tend to be: Shrek (voice of Mike Myers) doesn't want to be king so he recruits a pretender (Justin Timberlake) with the help of Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and Puss (Antonio Banderas). Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz), meanwhile, has gone and gotten herself knocked up.
Also opening: "Captivity," "The Wendell Baker Story."
MAY 25
"The Boss of It All" For now, Lars von Trier ("Dogville ," "Manderlay ") leaves America alone and makes an ostensibly Danish comedy. This one concerns a company that, to help its real proprietor sell the firm to an Icelander, hires an actor (Jens Albinus) to be its leader. The film promises to introduce a new visual technique: "Automavision," more or less a process whereby a computer (not a person) randomly controls the camera.
"Bug" The posters are selling William Friedkin's latest as a straight-up horror movie about creepy-crawlies getting under your skin. How to put this? The posters are lying. Adapted from Tracy Letts ' acclaimed 2004 off-Broadway play, "Bug" is closer to Sam Shepard art-house angst in the desert than drive-in insect thrills. Ashley Judd plays a barmaid holing up in a motel with a demented Gulf War veteran (Michael Shannon ) who sees bugs everywhere. Psychosis? Government plot? Social metaphor? Possibly all of the above, but definitely not horror.
"Hollywood Dreams " A new comedy from Henry Jaglom about an aspiring actress (Tanna Frederick ) fresh from Iowa who falls in love with up-and-coming actor Justin Kirk .
"Once" In Ireland, a busker (Glen Hansard ) and an Eastern European odd - jobber (Markéta Irglová ) make music and fall in love. A festival crowd - pleaser, written and directed by John Carney .
"Paris, Je T'Aime" Eighteen short films, each taking place in a different arrondissements of the City of Light and each made by a different director. ‘‘If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be the Tuileries,’’ in other words. Filmmakers include the Coen brothers, Olivier Assayas, Wes Craven, Alfonso Cuarón, Alexander Payne, Gerard Depardieu, Gus Van Sant, and Tom Tykwer. Sounds terrific, if uneven — but has there been an omnibus film that wasn’t? Natalie Portman and Melchior Beslon star in Tykwer’s entry, ‘‘Faubourg Saint-Denis.’’
"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End " The last leg of this giant cash machine picks up we're the second installment left off. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp ) is still in Davy Jones's Locker , while Will (Orlando Bloom ) and Elizabeth (Keira Knightley ) try to rescue him. Geoffrey Rush , Bill Nighy , and Naomie Harris are back. And joining the party are Chow Yun-Fat as a Singapore pirate and Keith Richards , who may or may not be Jack's father.
"Provoked: A True Story" Indian superstar Aishwarya Rai tries on a Susan Hayward-esque part in this British melodrama about a Punjabi woman who moves to London and is jailed for killing her abusive husband (Naveen Andrews ). Miranda Richardson, Rebecca Pidgeon , and Robbie Coltrane also star.
"The Treatment" A Manhattan man-about-town (Chris Eigeman ) has to choose between his eccentric shrink (Ian Holm ) and a new lady love (Famke Janssen ). Writer-director Oren Rudavsky takes a break from shooting documentaries ("The Last Klezmer ") to try to carve out his own slice of Woody Allen's wonderland. Anything that gives a leading role to Eigeman, the onetime wit of "Metropolitan ," is worth a look.
Also opening: "Belle Toujours."
JUNE 1
"Angel-A" If "Paris, Je T'Aime" wasn't enough Francophilia for you, the latest from Luc Besson ("The Professional ," "The Fifth Element" ) should be your fresh baguette. In what sounds like a high-style romantic remake of "It's a Wonderful Life," a scruffy con man (Jamel Debbouze) is saved from suicide by an angel who looks like a supermodel (and is played by one, Rie Rasmussen). Sounds as lunatic as we've come to expect from Besson, but Paris is said to look stunning in B&W.
"Day Watch" The forces of light and darkness continue to battle in this big-budget sci-fi/fantasy sequel to 2004's "Night Watch," one of the highest-grossing Russian films of all time. Director Timur Bekmambetov returns to the scene of the crime.
"Gracie " Davis Guggenheim , the director of "An Inconvenient Truth, " makes his fiction debut with an inspirational soccer drama about a young woman (Carly Schroeder ) who wants to play competitive soccer. Dermot Mulroney, Elisabeth Shue (Guggenheim's wife), and her actor-soccer player brother , Andrew, co star.
"Knocked Up" A rising young professional (Katherine Heigl) winds up pregnant after a one-night stand with an immature dweeb (Seth Rogen) and tries to make a man of him in time for the birth. Several key forces from ‘‘The 40-Year-Old Virgin’’ reconvene for what they hope will be a perfect storm of comedy: Scene-stealer Rogen, supporting actor Paul Rudd, and — the main ingredient — writer/producer/director Judd Apatow. Advance word pegs this as a solid idiot comedy that starts shallow and goes deep.
"Mr. Brooks " Kevin Costner plays an upstanding Oregon businessman whose inner voice (embodied by William Hurt ) sends him on a killing spree. Demi Moore does the detective work, and Dane Cook does the comedy, presumably. Directed and co-written by Bruce A. Evans , whose previous behind - the - camera stint was the 1992 Christian Slater vehicle "Kuffs ." Remember that?
"Paprika " A new film from the great Japa nese animation visionary Satoshi Kon about a stolen device that allows shrinks to inhabit the dreams of their patients.
"Rise: Blood Hunter" A reporter (Lucy Liu ) wakes up dead and vows vengeance against the vampires who put her there. We journalists hate when that happens.
"Severance " A sales division team is besieged by a maniac in this comic-horror film from England.
"Snow Cake " A drama about the friendship between an autistic woman (Sigourney Weaver) and traumatized car-accident survivor (Alan Rickman). Carrie-Anne Moss co stars. Written by Angela Pell and directed by Marc Evans .
Also: "The Trials of Darryl Hunt."
JUNE 8
"Crazy Love " Dan Klores's documentary gives us the story of Burt Pugach and Linda Riss, who got married a decade and a half after he notoriously hired someone to throw acid in her face.
"Hostel: Part II" Three American students (Lauren German , Bijou Phillips, and Heather Matarazzo ) check into the Eastern European kill-shack of the title, and Eli Roth tries to cement his reputation as the most disgusting horror director of them all (while tossing out enough arcane references to 1970s Italian frightfests to keep the fanboys busy). How did Matarazzo go from "Welcome to the Dollhouse" to welcome-to-Eli's-grindhouse in 12 short years?
"Ocean's Thirteen" We're having trouble doing the math on this one: Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta-Jones haven't returned for this second sequel to "Ocean's Eleven " -- itself a remake of the 1960 Rat Pack heist flick -- but one-time nemesis Andy Garcia is back, along with Clooney, Pitt, Damon, and director Steven Soderbergh. Al Pacino has come aboard, too, as a villainous casino owner. Garcia and Pacino in the same movie? Prepare to dodge a lot of flying ham. Otherwise, expect the same borderline-smug party vibe of the first two.
"ShowBusiness : The Road to Broadway " A documentary about the high drama of the 2004- 05 Broadway season, featuring backstage action from "Caroline, or Change," "Wicked," "Taboo," and "Avenue Q." Directed by Dori Berinstein.
"Sicko" Michael Moore's new docu-jeremiad takes on the American healthcare system. Rumor has it that the director took some people injured on Sept. 11 to Cuba for treatment. Expect super-patriots everywhere to blow a gasket.
"Steel City " In a fading industrial town in Illinois, a teenager (Thomas Guiry ) tries to cope with his jailbird father (John Heard ) and sundry other personal complications. With America Ferrera , Laurie Metcalf , and James McDaniel . Written and directed by Brian Jun , the film was well received earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival.
"Surf's Up " More animated penguins. These are hanging 10. Folks contributing voices include Shia LaBeouf , Jon Heder, Zooey Deschanel , Jeff Bridges , and James Woods . From
Also opening: "Killer of Sheep" (rerelease).
JUNE 15
"Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" Yes, yes, the 2005 "Fantastic Four" was a bummer. We're still looking forward to the sequel and the reason couldn't be simpler: The Silver Surfer looks beyond cool. Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, and Michael Chiklis return as (respectively) Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Thing, while the green-screen's best friend, Doug Jones ("Hellboy ," "Pan's Labyrinth "), takes on the cosmic cowabunga wanderer.
"Fido " In an England where zombies work in service positions, a boy (K'Sun Ray ) befriends his housekeeper zombie, Fido (Billy Connolly ), who starts acting dangerously strange. Carrie-Anne Moss plays mom.
"Golden Door" A drama about an impoverished Sicilian family lured to America in 1913 only to discover that life there is just as hard. With Charlotte Gainsbourg , Francesco Casisa, and Vincenzo Amato . Written and directed by Emanuele Crialese ("Respiro").
"La Vie en Rose" Marion Cotillard (Russell Crowe's love interest in "A Good Year" ) plays the Little Sparrow herself in an epic biopic of singer Edith Piaf , directed by Olivier Dahan . This is what you call midsummer counterprogramming.
"Nancy Drew " The teen sleuth is upon us once more. This time she's played by Emma Roberts (daughter of Eric, niece of Julia, star of "Aquamarine ") and her sleuthing, in Los Angeles, uncovers the case of a dead movie star. Tate Donovan plays dad, and Andrew Fleming ("The Craft," "Dick") directs.
"Pierrepoint" Timothy Spall plays Albert Pierrepoint , Britain's most -- for lack of a better word -- prolific hangman and the most notable occupant of a job done by three generations of Pierrepoints. A drama directed by Adrian Shergold .
Also opening: "Mala Noche" (rerelease).
JUNE 20
"Goya's Ghosts " Milos Forman ("Amadeus") returns to high art in ancient periods with this epic drama about the Spanish painter, played by -- hold onto your popcorn -- Stellan Skarsgard . Set during the Spanish inquisition, the film focuses, in part, on a scandal involving the artist, an aristocrat's daughter (Natalie Portman ), and a friend of Goya (Javier Bardem ). With Randy Quaid as King Carlos IV . For real.
JUNE 22
"DOA: Dead or Alive " This redundantly titled Cory Yuen version of the popular video game stars Jaime Pressly , Devon Aoki , Sarah Carter , and Holly Valance as contestants in an invitation-only martial arts competition.
"Evan Almighty" When the Jim Carrey comedy "Bruce Almighty" came out in 2003, Steve Carell was a minor name and his character, newscaster Evan Baxter , was a minor part. Four years later, Carell's a star and the star of this sequel, which finds Evan running for Congress until God (Morgan Freeman ) tells him to build an ark. Flood's a-comin'. Exactly how divine cataclysm is the stuff of comedy eludes us, but maybe this is Hollywood's response to "The Passion of the Christ ": $175 million spiritual slapstick. Still, in Carell we trust.
"Ten Canoes" Director Rolf de Heer commits native Australian mythology to celluloid in this dreamlike fable. Aborigine acting icon David Gulpilil ("Walkabout ," "Rabbit-Proof Fence ") plays a tribal elder narrating a story within a story, while nonprofessionals make up the rest of the cast.
"You Kill Me " A comic thriller from John Dahl ("The Last Seduction ") about an alcoholic hit man (Ben Kingsley ) who falls for a woman (Téa Leoni ) he meets in San Francisco. She's related to someone he knocked off.
Also opening: "Broken English," "Journey From the Fall," "September Dawn."
JUNE 27
"Live Free or Die Hard " Bruce Willis reprises his role as John McClane , a jaded New York cop who gets caught up fighting terrorism all over again when his daughter (Mary Elizabeth Winstead ) gets mixed up with some very evil high-tech dudes -- yes, cyberbaddies. Len Wiseman , of the "Underworld " movies, directs.
JUNE 29
"Eagle Vs. Shark " From New Zealand, a romantic comedy about two weirdos in love. A crowd-pleaser everywhere it's played. Written and directed by Taika Waititi .
"Evening" This looks to be a class act all around. Writer Susan Minot adapts her 1999 novel with the help of Michael "The Hours" Cunningham , while Lajos Koltai ("Fateless ") directs the tale of a dying woman (Vanessa Redgrave ) remembering her youth ( during which she is played by Claire Danes ). Toni Collette and Redgrave's own daughter Natasha Richardson take on the roles of her children ; there are also cameos by Glenn Close , Meryl Streep , and Streep's daughter Mamie Gummer . Patrick Wilson ("Little Children ") and Hugh Dancy ("King Arthur," "Beyond the Gates") also star.
"Mama's Boy" If your greatest wish has been to see Napoleon Dynamite and Annie Hall in the same movie, your prayers have been answered. Jon Heder plays a sad sack living at home with mom Diane Keaton until her romance with a self-help guru (Jeff Daniels ) threatens the son's sweet deal. If this thing's at all funny, it'll probably be due to Daniels and co star Anna Faris .
"Ratatouille" A French rat (voice of Patton Oswalt ) indulges his culinary talents with the help of a young chef (Lou Romano ) at a Paris restaurant, while the head chef (Brad Garrett ) frets about rat-droppings in the vichyssoise. This is the first
Also opening: "Brand Upon the Brain," "Labyrinth" (rerelease).
JULY 4
"License to Wed" Robin Williams plays a psycho marriage counselor who makes engaged couple Mandy Moore and John Krasinski ("The Office") jump through hoops of prenuptial fire. As long as Williams isn't going for pathos, it should be fine.
‘‘Talk to Me: Remembering Petey Greene’’The great Don Cheadle — please, see ‘‘Reign Over Me’’ for him — plays Petey Greene, Washington D.C.’s legendary disc jockey and radio/TV personality of the 1960s and ’70s. A former jailbird and drug addict, Greene used sartorial and verbal outrageousness to bring social activism to the attention of the powerful. Taraji P. Henson (‘‘Hustle and Flow’’) plays Greene’s wife, Chiwetel Ejiofor his producer, and Kasi Lemmons (‘‘Eve’s Bayou’’) directs.
"Transformers" The Autobots and the Decepticons come to our planet for a big, noisy donnybrook. Wait -- didn't John Travolta already make "Battlefield Earth "? No, sorry, this is based on the mid-'80s cartoon series beloved by 7-year-old boys in footie-pajamas, which in turn was based on a line of toys, which spawned two decades of animated spin-offs, which has somehow led to this massive summer circus directed by Michael Bay , starring Shia LeBeouf , Tyrese , and Jon Voight , and featuring more computer-animation than you can shake a render farm at. But will Stunticon Motormaster be in it?
JULY 6
"Gypsy Caravan " Jasmine Dellal ("American Gypsy ") has made another documentary about gypsy culture. This one is about its history.
Also opening: "Vitus."
JULY 13
"Clubland" Brenda Blethyn plays a possessive mum (who moonlights as a stand-up comic) trying to protect her teenage son (Khan Chittenden ) from his first affair (Emma Booth ). Comedy-drama from the wilds of suburban Sydney , the film's been wowing audiences on the festival circuit.
"1408" In this horror-thriller adapted from a Stephen King short story, John Cusack plays a writer who specializes in haunted places. He checks into the site of his latest project, a hotel's notorious room 1408, against the dire warnings of the manager (Samuel L. Jackson ). Will Cusack check out?
"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix " Installment five finds Voldemort readier than ever to destroy Harry (Daniel Radcliffe ), whose feelings for Cho Chang (Katie Leung) heat up. Imelda "Vera Drake" Staunton joins the cast as villainous teacher Dolores Umbridge .
"Joshua" "The Bad Seed " comes to Manhattan's Upper West Side. Sam Rockwell and Vera Farmiga ("The Departed" ) play parents of a newborn whose older brother (newcomer Jacob Kogan ) does not handle sibling rivalry well. George Ratliff's darkly comic suspense film made a splash at Sundance.
"The Method" A thriller about seven candidates for a position at a multinational corporation in Madrid who are tested according to the Grönholm Method , which is meant to separate the weak from the strong. Directed by the Argentine Marcelo Piñeyro .
"My Best Friend" The latest Gallic bonbon from Patrice Leconte ("The Man on the Train" ) stars Daniel Auteuil as a misanthrope forced to hire a best friend when a co-worker doubts he has one.
"Rescue Dawn " Werner Herzog directs this action-drama version of his documentary "Little Dieter Needs to Fly " about a German-born pilot (Christian Bale ) who is shot down over Laos and captured during the Vietnam era. Steve Zahn plays a fellow POW.
JULY 20
"Flanders" A new entry in the French cinema of outrage, from director Bruno Dumont ("La Vie de Jesus ," "Humanite" ). A young farmer (Samuel Boidan ) goes to war in the desert, where his violent streak comes to the fore. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize last year at Cannes.
"Hairspray " John Waters's cult comedy cum Tony-winning musical is now a movie-musical with John Travolta in drag as the mother of a fat girl (newcomer Nikki Blonsky ) who is determined to integrate a segregated dance show. Michelle Pfeiffer takes Debbie Harry's role as the nefarious anti-integrationist mommy. Directed by Adam Shankman ("Cheaper by the Dozen 2 ").
"I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry" Adam Sandler and Kevin James as Brooklyn firefighters who pretend to be gay to get better benefits. This could either be genius or a disaster. The script participation of Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor ("Sideways ," "Election "), among others, tilts it to the former. Sandler buddy Dennis Dugan ("Happy Gilmore, " "Saving Silverman ") as director yanks it toward the latter. Jessica Biel plays the firefighters' lawyer, Steve Buscemi (a former Brooklyn fireman himself) plays a pesky inspector.
Also opening: "Arctic Tale."
JULY 27
"I Know Who Killed Me " Yes, the title of this thriller applies to Lindsay Lohan . But don't worry, she plays two roles, one of which is someone who assumes another identity after escaping a serial killer. Directed by Chris Sivertson .
"No Reservations" After her sister dies, a busy, uptight chef (Catherine Zeta-Jones) takes in her niece (Abigail Breslin), who won’t speak. Then the chef’s work life is turned upside down when she has to share her kitchen with a hunk (Aaron Eckhart). Romance and talking ensue. A remake of the German hit ‘‘Mostly Martha.’’
"The Simpsons Movie" Mmmm, celluloid.
"Smiley Face" The rubber-featured character comedian Anna Faris has made many a lousy movie better ("Just Friends, " "The Hot Chick "). Gregg Araki ("Mysterious Skin ") at last gives her a starring role as Jane, a happy-go-lucky pothead who coasts from one misadventure to another during a very long, very high day. The actress gets to run the gamut of emotions from Addled to Zonked.
"12:08 East of Bucharest " A Romanian television producer puts two old men on a call-in show commemorating the 16th anniversary of the state execution of Nicolae Ceausescu , the communist power - monger who destabilized the country. The two hosts' senses of reality might be as bad as Ceausescu's was. Corneliu Porumboiu's farce won the Camera d'Or at last year's Cannes Film Festival.
Also opening: "Fierce People," "Skinwalkers."
AUG. 1
"El Cantante," Not even that sleepy Grammys duet couldn't stop this: Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez , acting and emoting together. The occasion is a biopic about the popular salsa singer Hector Lavoe . The triumph, the tragedy, the clothes: At the very least, we might have the Puerto Rican "Mahogany " on our hands.
AUG. 3
"Becoming Jane " Anne Hathaway stars as Jane Austen in this romantic dramedy about her life. James McAvoy , Julie Walters , James Cromwell , and Maggie Smith co star. Julian Jarrod ("Kinky Boots ") directs.
"The Bourne Ultimatum" What's the ultimatum here? See this movie or Matt Damon will come over and rough you up? The third big-screen go-round for Robert Lud lum 's amnesiac spy hero reunites the star with director Paul Greengrass , who helmed 2004's "The Bourne Supremacy " before going off to make "United 93 " last year. David Strathairn ("Good Night, and Good Luck" ) joins the cast, but the most crucial addition may be playwright Tom Stoppard to the gallery of screenwriters.
"Hot Rod" It's been a while since "Saturday Night Live" tried to launch a cast member into movie stardom -- since Will Ferrell , in fact. That worked out nicely, but can Andy Samberg do the trick as a n Evel Knievel -style stuntman? It probably helps that Samberg's partners in his "Lazy Sunday" comedy troupe, the Lonely Island , are involved: Akiva Schaffer as director and Jorma Taccone in the cast. But how did Sissy Spacek wind up here?
"Underdog " The canine crime-fighter is a cartoon no more. Now he's part real-beagle, part digitized. And kiddies of a certain age will totally be there.
Also opening: "Ghosts of Cité Soleil," "Resurrecting the Champ," "The Ten."
AUG. 8
"Daddy Day Camp " In this sequel to the 2003 hit, "Daddy Day Care," Eddie Murphy and Jeff Garlin reprise their roles as fathers who open a -- wait, they're not in this movie? Cuba Gooding Jr . is. Holy indignity! Who's directing? Fred Savage ? That's too bad.
AUG. 10
"Bratz " The popular, fashion-addicted dolls get their own animated Hollywood vehicle. Lacey Chabert and Tia Mowry provide some of the voices.
"Rush Hour 3" The first "Rush Hour" put Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker together back in 1998 . "Rush Hour 2 " came out in 2001. What's the delay on these movies? They have to fine-tune the dialogue? The latest comic-action adventures of detectives Lee and Carter pit them against Chinese Triads during a visit to Paris. Arthouse fans, prepare to either laugh or weep at the sight of Max von Sydow , Yvan Attal , and Roman Polanski in supporting roles.
"Stardust" Matthew ‘‘Layer Cake’’ Vaughn adapts the fantasy novel by neo-comics legend Neil Gaiman (‘‘Sandman’’), about a young man (Charlie Cox) who ventures into Faerie-land to bring his beloved (Sienna Miller) a fallen star. Trouble is an evil sorceress (Michelle Pfeiffer) wants it too. Costarring Claire Danes as the star, Robert De Niro as the raffish Captain Shakespeare, and Peter O’Toole as some kind of king, the film looks like ‘‘The Princess Bride’’ with a ‘‘Pirates of the Caribbean’’-size budget.
AUG. 17
"The Invasion " This long-delayed "Body Snatchers " update stars Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig as doctors trying to save the world. For reshoots, the film's director, Oliver Hirschbiegel was replaced by the dudes who made "V for Vendetta." Now Kidman and Craig will spend this Joel Silver production wearing porcelain masks. Just kidding.
"King of California" Michael Douglas plays a mentally unstable man whose belief that his suburban enclave was built over buried Spanish gold makes him even crazier. Evan Rachel Wood plays his skeptical daughter. Sounds like "Don Quixote Falling Down."
"Penelope" Christina Ricci as a girl with a pig snout. Written by "Everybody Loves Raymond " vet Leslie Caveny and directed by Mark Palansky , this Tim Burtonesque fable about an upper-class misfit co stars James McAvoy ("The Last King of Scotland ") as Ricci's unlikely suitor, Catherine O'Hara and Richard E. Grant as her parents, and producer Reese Witherspoon popping up in a cameo. Intelligent teenage girls, this one's for you.
"Rocket Science " A Sundance crowd-pleaser about a stutterer (Reece Daniel Thompson) persuaded by an ambitious classmate (Anna Kendrick ) to join the debate team. Written and directed by Jeffrey Blitz , who made the documentary "Spellbound ."
"Superbad" Two soulful high school dweebs (Michael Cera of TV's "Arrested Development " and Jonah Hill from "Accepted ") try to raise their social status with a party. Sounds like every raucous teen comedy from "Porky's " to "American Pie ," but wait: Director Greg Mottola made the wonderful 1996 road farce "The Daytrippers," and producer Judd Apatow and co-writer Seth Rogen collaborated on "The 40-Year-Old Virgin " and "Knocked Up . " And the trailer's a riot. (One word: McLovin .) The breakout youth flick of the summer?
"2 Days in Paris" Julie Delpy must have enjoyed "Before Sunrise " and "Before Sunset " so much she decided to make her own Parisian romantic comedy. The French actress wrote, directed, and stars in this bauble about a Gallic woman fighting and fretting with her American boyfriend (Adam Goldberg ) during the title time and location.
Also opening: "Wedding Daze."
AUG. 24
"The Comebacks" The comic character actor David Koechner ("The Naked Trucker and T-Bones Show ") finally gets his first starring vehicle. He plays the coach of a disastrous college football team.
"Good Luck Chuck" Stand-up comic Dane Cook goes for movie stardom one more time . ("Employee of the Month " didn't work out so well.) He plays a guy who becomes every woman's lucky charm: Sleep with him and the next man you meet will be Mr. Right. Then he meets Ms. Right (Jessica Alba ) and has to behave himself. Warning: Crotch jokes in the trailer.
"One Missed Call" A Hollywood remake of the 2003 Takeshi Miike chiller (not one of his best) about people receiving deadly cellphone messages from the future. Expect J-horror fans to gnash their teeth while the bored teenagers of America give it a late-summer look-see before sending it to DVD.
Also opening: "The Hottest State."
AUG. 31
"An American Crime" A nasty little true-crime tale that had them literally fainting in the aisles at Sundance this year. Catherine Keener plays an Indiana woman who locks a 16-year-old girl (Ellen Page of "Hard Candy ") in the basement.
"Halloween" Rob Zombie wrote and directed this remake of the John Carpenter classic. Scout Taylor-Compton assumes the Jamie Lee Curtis position, and needless to say, those are some big assumptions to fill.
Also playing: "Bordertown," "Mr. Bean's Holiday," "Trade."
SEPT. 7
"The Brothers Solomon " A comedy about two brothers (Will Arnett and Will Forte ) who look for women to impregnate to provide their father with a grandkid. Forte, a "Saturday Night Live" regular, wrote the script and Bob Odenkirk directs.
Wesley Morris can be reached at wmorris@globe.com. Ty Burr can be reached at tburr@globe.com. For more on movies, go to boston.com/ae/movies/blog. 