Film

A new leaf for fall

Autumn 2004 offers a more bountiful harvest of films, as Hollywood spreads out releases once held for December.

	[Paramount Pictures]
	Sept. 17: Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
	Click for fall movies photo gallery

Nothing conventional in Hollywood gets attention except wisdom. Show the studios why movies succeed, and they'll duplicate it.

That's especially true during the awards season, which now comes earlier in the year than ever.

Gone are the days when contenders could crowd the window between Christmas and New Year's Day and expect to generate momentum all the way to the Academy Awards. Now that awards are given out earlier, voters cast their ballots earlier. So they have to get to the movies earlier, especially if DVD screeners for critics and voters are denied or delayed as they were last year because of fears about piracy. That controversy should erupt again any day now.

Today's conventional wisdom decrees that films itching for prizes should debut earlier. Perhaps the wisest of all should be Miramax Films, which watched Cold Mountain become a molehill during the Oscar race. No amount of marketing or celebrity blush made up for the fact that watching a Civil War anti-romance wasn't high among voters' holiday plans at that Aspen chateau or Caribbean hideaway.

Hollywood won't be caught flat-footed this year. Sure, a few high-profile contenders - including Martin Scorsese's The Aviator, Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic and Steven Soderbergh's Closer - will open in December; there's still too much money in the month to resist. But the logjam of (expected) film quality during the holidays is reduced.

It seems like a gift to moviegoers, who won't have to wait as long to see what the buzz is about. One caveat: The traditional slump in new movies between New Year's Day and the Oscars, when studios concentrate on promoting nominees, will become even more dissatisfying.

Conventional wisdom says so.

For now, the anticipation of seeing films that have genuine shots at year-end glory is palpable. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, opening Friday, shows great promise in technical categories for its glowing cinematography and art deco-style menace. The Polar Express (Nov. 10) looks like an animation milestone in the making, but will Shark Tale (Oct. 1) or The Incredibles (Nov. 5) overshadow it?

After only preview trailers, it isn't hard to imagine best actor attention for Jamie Foxx, who plays the late Ray Charles in Ray (Oct. 29), and Jude Law, remaking Alfie. I want Renee Zellweger to erase my distaste for her Oscar in Cold Mountain with another performance as Bridget Jones (The Edge of Reason, Nov. 19) to remind me how irresistible she can be. I want to know if Alexander (Nov. 5) outduels Troy in the spectacle department, or Ladder 49 (Oct. 1) equals previous Oscar respect for firefighters in Backdraft.

Here's a rundown of films expected between now and Thanksgiving. As always, opening dates are subject to change.

Fall Film Preview

A new leaf for fall
Autumn 2004 offers a more bountiful harvest of films, as Hollywood spreads out releases once held for December.

September films