Bountiful harvest

Sept. 17

Cowboys & Angels

Comedy

TLA Releasing

With: Michael Legge, Allen Leech, Amy Shiels, David Murray

The idea: An awkward young man gets a faster life than he bargained for when he gets a gay roommate, a new girl and a job as a drug-runner.

Writer-director: David Gleason

* So? Not your usual Irish movie

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence

Animation

Go Fish Pictures

The idea: Cyborg detective investigates the case of a female sex robot that slaughtered its owner.

Writer-director: Mamoru Oshii

* So? Worthy but not groundbreaking

Head in the Clouds

Drama

Sony Pictures Classics

With: Charlize Theron, Stuart Townsend, Penelope Cruz, Thomas Kretschmann, Steven Berkoff

The idea: The Spanish Civil War tears apart three bohemian friends.

Writer-director: John Duigan

* So? Lavish but superficial

Incident at Loch Ness

Documentary

Step Two

With: Werner Herzog, John Bailey, Zak Penn

The idea: A film within a film within a film chronicling Herzog’s unfinished doc about the Loch Ness monster.

Director: Penn

* So? Herzog has a sense of humor

Merci Docteur Rey

Comedy

here! Films/Regent Releasing

With: Dianne Wiest, Jane Birkin, Stanislas Merhar, Jerry Hall, Simon Callow, Vanessa Redgrave

The idea: French bedroom farce about an American opera star, her gay son and his increasingly screwball encounters, including a visit to the shrink of the title.

Writer-director: Andrew Litvack

* So? Less than the sum of its parts

Mr. 3000

Comedy

Touchstone Pictures

With: Bernie Mac, Paul Sorvino, Chris Noth, Michael Rispoli, Angela Bassett

The idea: Retired egomaniacal baseball player returns to the game 10 years (and many pounds) later to try to reestablish his Hall of Fame credentials.

Writers: Eric Champnella & Keith Mitchell and Howard Michael Gould; story by Champnella & Mitchell

Director: Charles Stone III

* So? Is Bernie Mac ever not funny?

National Lampoon’s

Gold Diggers

Comedy

Voyage Entertainment/ Delfino Entertainment

The idea: Will Friedle, Chris Owen, Louis Lasser, Renee Taylor, Nikki Ziering, Rudy DeLuca

The idea: Two failed con men turn their attention to marrying two aging, wealthy sisters.

Writer-director: Gary Preisler

* So? Milking the brand.

Reconstruction

Drama

Palm Pictures

With: Maria Bonnevie, Nikolaj Lie Kaas

The idea: A young Danish photographer’s fling with an alluring Swede renders him a stranger to those he thought he knew.

Writer-director: Christoffer Boe & Mogens Rukov

* So? The wages of adultery

Silver City

Political satire

NewMarket Films

With: Chris Cooper, Richard Dreyfuss, Daryl Hannah, Maria Bello, Danny Huston, Thora Birch, Tim Roth, Kris Kristofferson, Michael Murphy, Mary Kay Place

The idea: The gubernatorial campaign of a language-mangling scion is complicated by a corpse with bad timing.

Writer-director: John Sayles

* So? Amusing but too obvious

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

Adventure

Paramount

With: Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Giovanni Ribisi, Bai Ling, Omid Djalili, Angelina Jolie

The idea: Lady journalist and flashy aviator look into mysterious disappearances of famous scientists in retro environs.

Writer-director: Kerry Conran

* So? Visually fascinating, kinetic

Wimbledon

Comedy

Universal

With: Kirsten Dunst, Paul Bettany, Sam Neill, Jon Favreau

The idea: A lowly Brit tennis player finds his way into the world-famous All-England tournament and falls for U.S. star.

Writers: Adam Brooks and Jennifer Flackett & Mark Levin

Director: Richard Loncraine

* So? Courtiers

Zelary

Drama

Sony Pictures Classics

With: Ana Geislerova, Gyorgy Cserhalmi, Jaroslava Adamova, Miroslav Donutil, Jaroslav Dusek, Iva Bittova, Ivan Trojan, Jan Hrusinsky, Ondrej Koval, Juraj Hreka, Edita Malovcic, Michael Hofbauer, Jan Toiska, Imre Boraros, Reinhard Simonischek, Tomas Zateeka, Anieka Vitrelaoova

The idea: A Czech resistance fighter is forced into hiding, posing as the wife of a mountain man.

Writer: Petr Jarchovsky, based on the novel “Jozova Hanule” by Kvita Legatova

Director: Ondrej Trojan

* So? Adroitly epic and intimate

Sept. 24

Anatomy of Hell

Drama

Tartan Films

With: Amira Casar, Rocco Siffredi

The idea: A woman pays a gay man to watch her over four days and nights in which they bare more than their souls.

Writer-director: Catherine Breillat, based on her book “Pornocracy”

* So? Aggressively frontal

A Dirty Shame

Comedy

Fine Line

With: Tracey Ullman, Chris Isaak, Johnny Knoxville, Selma Blair

The idea: A blow to the head causes a repressed housewife to become sexually insatiable.

Writer-director: John Waters

* So? Frontal nudity is the least outrageous thing about it

Distant

Drama

New Yorker Films

With: Muzaffer Ozmedir, Emin Toprak

The idea: The life of a photographer in Istanbul is disrupted by the arrival of a distant relative.

Writer-director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan

* So? Seriously but effectively minimal

The Final Cut

Thriller

Lions Gate Films

With: Robin Williams, Mira Sorvino, Jim Caviezel, Mimi Kuzyk, Stephanie Romanov, Thom Bishops

The idea: Futuristic technology allows for a chip in the brain to record the entire life of wealthy individuals with an edited version shown at their funeral.

Writer-director: Omar Naim

* So? Unfulfilled potential

First Daughter

Comedy

20th Century Fox

With: Katie Holmes, Marc Blucas, Margaret Colin, Lela Rochon Fuqua, Michael Keaton

The idea: The president’s daughter, a college freshman, yearns for independence -- and privacy.

Writers: Jessica Bendinger, Kate Kiondell, story by Jessica Bendinger and Jerry O’Connell

Director: Forest Whitaker

* So? Which daughter?

The Forgotten

Thriller

Columbia/Revolution

With: Julianne Moore, Dominic West, Gary Sinise, Alfre Woodard, Linus Roache, Anthony Edwards

The idea: A woman is told by her psychiatrist that she invented eight years of memories about a son she never had.

Writer: Gerald DiPego

Director: Joseph Ruben

* So? Identity crisis

Hollywood Buddha

Comedy

Artistic License

With: Nancie Boykiss, Philippe Caland, Pierre Caland

The idea: A desperate Hollywood producer attempts to turn his latest loser into a moneymaker.

Writer-director: Philippe Caland

* So? Modest pleasures

The Last Shot

Comedy

Touchstone Pictures

With: Matthew Broderick, Alec Baldwin, Toni Collette, Calista Flockhart, Joan Cusack, Ray Liotta, Tim Blake Nelson, James Rebhorn, Tony Shalhoub

The idea: An FBI agent cooks up a sting to snare John Gotti by pretending to produce a Hollywood movie.

Writer-director: Jeff Nathanson, based on an article by Steve Fishman

* So? Even effective inside-Hollywood stories don’t play outside Hollywood

The Motorcycle Diaries

Drama

Focus Features

With: Gael Garcia Bernal, Rodrigo de la Serna, Mia Maestro

The idea: The future Che Guevara and a fellow young Argentinian embark on a transcendent 8,000-mile journey.

Writer: Jose Rivera, based on the book by Alberto Granada and Ernest Guevara de la Serna

Director: Walter Salles

* So? Road trip reaches its destination

The Raspberry Reich

Comedy

Strand Releasing

With: Daniel Batscher, Angela Davis, Susanne Sachsse

The idea: The female leader of a German revolutionary group forces her straight male followers to have sex with one another to prove their commitment to the cause.

Writer-director: Bruce LaBruce

* So? Orientation-specific

September Tapes

Drama

First Look, in association with ThinkFilm

With: George Calil, Wali Razaqi

The idea: A filmmaker and a bounty hunter track Osama bin Laden in post-Sept. 11 Afghanistan.

Writers: Christian Johnston, Christian Van Gregg

Director: Johnston

* So? Maybe they’ll have better luck

Shaun of the Dead

Horror-comedy

Rogue Pictures

With: Simon Pegg, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, Nick Frost, Dylan Moran, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton

The idea: Brit slackers defend themselves against zombie invasion.

Writers: Pegg, Edgar Wright

Director: Wright

* So? Equal parts romantic comedy and undead homage

The Yes Men

Documentary

United Artists

The idea: Prankster-activists don thrift-store suits to impersonate members of the World Trade Organization on television and at business conferences.

Directors: Chris Smith, Dan Ollman, Sarah Price

* So? The joke is afoot

Oct. 1

Almost Peaceful (Un Monde Presque Paisible)

Drama

Empire Pictures

With: Simon Abkarian, Zabou Breitman, Julie Gayet, Denis Podalydes, Vincent Elbaz, Lubna Azabal, Stanislas Merhar, Clotilde Courau, Malik Zidi

The idea: Parisian Jews attempt to rekindle their lives World War II.

Writers: Michel Deville and Rosalind Deville, based on a novel by Robert Bober

Director: Michel Deville

* So? Seeking light after cruel darkness

DIG!

Documentary

Palm Pictures

With: Anton Newcombe of the band Brian Jonestown Massacre, Courtney Taylor of the Dandy Warhols

The idea: The film charts the up-and-down rivalry between musicians Newcombe and Taylor over seven years.

Writer-director: Ondi Timoner

* So? Seductive turbulence

Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry

Documentary

ThinkFilm

With: Sen. John F. Kerry

The idea: Filmmaker George Butler began documenting the life and career of the Democratic presidential nominee in 1969.

Director: Butler

* So? A sympathetic look

I [Heart] Huckabees

Comedy

Fox Searchlight

With: Dustin Hoffman, Isabelle Huppert, Jude Law, Jason Schwartzman, Lily Tomlin, Mark Wahlberg, Naomi Watts

The idea: A man’s unexamined life becomes more interesting when he enlists rival existential detectives.

Writers: David O. Russell & Jeff Baena

Director: Russell

* So? Trippy

The Inheritance

Drama

Cinema Guild

With: Ulrich Thomsen, Lisa Werlinder, Ghita Norby, Lars Brygmann

The idea: The prodigal heir to an industrial fortune returns upon his father’s death to find the family business in disarray.

Writers: Per Fly & Kim Leona & Mogens Rukov & Dorte Hoeg

Director: Fly

* So? Moral conflict

Ladder 49

Action

Touchstone Pictures

With: Joaquin Phoenix, John Travolta, Morris Chestnut, Robert Patrick, Balthazar Getty, Jay Hernandez, Jacinda Barrett, Billy Burke

The idea: Baltimore firefighters work to save a trapped comrade.

Writer: Lewis Colick

Director: Jay Russell

* So? Realistically involving

Tying the Knot

Documentary

Roadside Attractions

The idea: The conflicts between those in favor of and those opposing gay marriage are examined.

Director: Jim de Seve

* So? Consequences from both sides

Woman Thou Art Loosed

Drama

Magnolia Pictures

With: Kimberly Elise, Loretta Devine, Debbi Morgan, Michael Boatman, Clifton Powell, Isalis DeLeon, Sean Blakemore, Ricky Harris, Bishop T.D. Jakes

The idea: A woman struggles to overcome abuse, addiction and poverty.

Writer: Stan Foster, based on the book and play by Jakes

Director: Michael Schultz

* So? Blunt but effective, thanks to Elise

Oct. 8

Around the Bend

Drama

Warner Independent Pictures

With: Michael Caine, Christopher Walken, Josh Lucas, Glenne Headley, Jonah Bobo, Kathryn Hahn

The idea: The simple life desired by a bank employee is not in the cards when he is united with his father, grandfather and son for an unusual journey.

Writer-director: Jordan Roberts

* So? Unanticipated family reunion

Friday Night Lights

Drama

Universal

With: Billy Bob Thornton, Derek Luke, Jay Hernandez, Lucas Black, Garrett Hedlund, Tim McGraw

The idea: High school football means everything to a small Texas town.

Writers: David Aaron Cohen and Peter Berg, based on the book by H.G. Bissinger

Director: Berg

* So? Smells like team spirit

Go Further

Documentary

Abramorama

With: Woody Harrelson, Ken Kesey, Steve Clark, musical performances by Dave Matthews, Bob Weir, Anthony Kiedis, Natalie Merchant, String Cheese Incident, Michael Franti, Medeski, Martin & Wood

The idea: Harrelson and his hemp-fueled bus travel Pacific Coast Highway in a consciousness-raising barnstorming tour to promote responsible environmental behavior.

Director: Ron Mann

* So? Environmentally rigorous

Raise Your Voice

Drama

New Line Cinema

With: Hilary Duff, Jason Ritter, John Corbett, Rebecca De Mornay, David Keith, Rita Wilson, Oliver James

The idea: An aspiring singer with big dreams sneaks off to a summer performing arts academy.

Writer: Sam Schreiber, story by Mitch Rotter

Director: Sean McNamara

* So? Hilary Duff sings

Rick

Thriller

Vitagraph Films

With: Bill Pullman, Aaron Stanford, Agnes Bruckner, Sandra Oh, Dylan Baker, Paz de la Huerta, Emmanuelle Chriqui

The idea: The miserable life of a middle-aged corporate drone takes a dark turn when he runs into a former business school classmate.

Writer: Daniel Handler

Director: Curtiss Clayton

* So? Inspired by the opera “Rigoletto”

Stephen King’s

Riding the Bullet

Thriller

Motion Picture Corp. of America

With: Jonathan Jackson, Erika Christensen, David Arquette, Barbara Hershey, Cliff Robertson

The idea: A New England college student spends a harrowing Halloween night hitchhiking to be with his ill mother.

Writer-director: Mick Garris, based on King’s first e-book, “Riding the Bullet”

* So? Rarely does a King thriller translate

Taxi

Comedy

20th Century Fox

With: Queen Latifah, Jimmy Fallon, Ann-Margret, Giselle Bundchen, Henry Simmons, Jennifer Esposito

The idea: Enthusiastic undercover cop teams with NYC’s fastest cabdriver in pursuit of female bank robbers.

Writers: Robert Ben Garant & Thomas Lennon and Jim Kouf, based on the film written by Luc Besson

Director: Tim Story

* So? Queen streets

Yes Nurse! No Nurse!

Musical

here! Films / Regent Releasing

With: Loes Luca, Paul R. Kooij, Paul de Leeuw, Tjitske Reidinga, Waldemar Torenstra

The idea: Fantasy musical about a group of nursing home residents fighting eviction.

Writers: Harry Bannink, Frank Houtappels, Pieter Kramer, story by Annie M.G. Schmidt

Director: Kramer

* So? Based on ‘60s Dutch TV series

Oct. 15

Being Julia

Drama

Sony Pictures Classics

With: Annette Bening, Jeremy Irons, Bruce Greenwood, Miriam Margolyes, Juliet Stevenson, Shaun Evans, Lucy Punch, Maury Chaykin, Sheila McCarthy, Michael Gambon, Leigh Lawson, Rosemary Harris, Rita Tushingham, Thomas Sturridge

The idea: An accomplished actress in 1938 London seeks revenge on her young lover.

Writer: Ronald Harwood, based on the novel by Somerset Maugham

Director: Istvan Szabo

* So? Sophisticated

The Dust Factory

Adventure

MGM

With: Hayden Panettiere, Ryan Kelley, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Michael Angarano

The idea: A mute teen falls from a bridge and is transported to a fantasy world where he meets a beautiful girl.

Writer-director: Eric Small

* So? Metaphoric

Face

Drama

Indican Pictures

With: Bai Ling, Kieu Chinh, Will Yun Lee, Treach

The idea: The parallel stories of three generations of Chinese American mothers and daughters play out in the 1970s and ‘90s in Queens, New York.

Writer-director: Bertha Bay-Sa Pan

* So? Heartfelt but protracted

Hair Show

Comedy

Urbanworks

With: Mo’Nique, Kellita Smith, Serena Williams, Joe Torry, Gina Torres, Taraji Henson, Vivica A. Fox

The idea: A Baltimore hairstylist pays a visit to her sister, the owner of an upscale L.A. salon.

Writers: Andrea Wiley & Sherri A. McGee and Devon Greggory

Director: Leslie Small

* So? Hairdressers on fire

Howard Zinn: You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train

Documentary

First Run Features

With: Noam Chomsky, Marian Wright Edelman, Daniel Ellsberg, Tom Hayden, Alice Walker; narrated by Matt Damon

The idea: A look at the life of the author (“A People’s History of the United States”) and activist.

Directors: Deb Ellis, Denis Mueller

* So? Relevant

Incantato

Comedy

Northern Arts Entertainment in association with Palisades Pictures and Artistic License

With: Neri Marcore, Giancarlo Giannini, Vanessa Incontrada

The idea: A shy Italian teacher embarks on a tentative relationship with a beautiful blind woman in Bologna.

Writer-director: Pupi Avati

* So? Potentially enlightening

Lightning in a Bottle

Documentary

Sony Pictures Classics

With: Buddy Guy, B.B. King, John Fogerty, Bonnie Raitt, Mos Def, India.Arie

The idea: An eclectic group of musicians pays tribute to the blues in a 2003 concert at Radio City Music Hall.

Director: Antoine Fuqua

* So? Electrifying

Shall We Dance?

Romantic comedy

Miramax

With: Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci, Bobby Cannavale, Anita Gillette, Lisa Ann Walter, Omar Miller, Richard Jenkins, Nick Cannon

The idea: An unfulfilled man is inspired to take dance lessons by the sight of a beautiful woman in a window.

Writer: Audrey Wells, based on the Japanese film “Shall We Dance?” written by Masayuki Suo

Director: Peter Chelsom

* So? It could work

Stage Beauty

Drama

Lions Gate Films

With: Billy Crudup, Claire Danes, Rupert Everett, Tom Wilkinson, Ben Chaplin, Richard Griffiths, Zoe Tapper

The idea: The career of a Restoration period actor who specializes in playing females is threatened when King Charles II allows women onstage.

Writer: Jeffrey Hatcher, based on his play

Director: Richard Eyre

* So? Seductive

Tarnation

Documentary

Wellspring

The idea: Jonathan Caouette’s autobiographical pastiche of various video formats and Super-8 film captures a 20-year span in his dysfunctional family.

Writer-director: Caouette

* So? Fascinating, engaging

Team America: World Police

Puppet animation

Paramount

With: Trey Parker, Matt Stone

The idea: International crime fighters try to prevent a ruthless dictator from selling WMDs to terrorists.

Writers: Parker & Stone and Pam Brady

Director: Parker

* So? No one is spared

Vera Drake

Drama

Fine Line Features

With: Imelda Staunton, Phil Davis, Peter Wright, Adrian Scarborough, Heather Carney, Daniel Mays, Alex Kelly, Sally Hawkins, Eddie Marian, Ruth Sheen, Helen Coker, Martin Savage, Sinead Matthews, Fennela Woolgar

The idea: An abortionist’s work in 1950s England leads to tragedy involving her family.

Writer-director: Mike Leigh

* So? Grim business

Oct. 22

Alfie

Drama

Paramount

With: Jude Law, Marisa Tomei, Omar Epps, Nia Long, Jane Krakowski, Sienna Miller, Susan Sarandon

The idea: Incurable ladies’ man faces existential dilemma.

Writers: Elaine Pope & Charles Shyer, based on the play and screenplay by Bill Naughton

Director: Shyer

* So? Hard to resist

Fish Without a Bicycle

Comedy

New Wave/Echelon Entertainment

With: Jenna Mattison, Jennifer Blanc, Brian A. Green, Bryan Callen, Brad Rowe

The idea: A naive young woman struggles with blind dates and other mishaps.

Writer: Mattison

Director: Green

* So? Actor Green’s feature directing debut

The Grudge

Horror

Columbia

With: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jason Behr, KaDee Strickland, Clea Duvall, Bill Pullman

The idea: Remake of Japanese hit follows the chain of a murderous supernatural curse.

Writer: Stephen Supco, based on the Japanese film “Ju-On: The Grudge” by Takashi Shimizu

Director: Shimizu

* So? Extreme revenge

The Machinist

Thriller

Paramount Classics

With: Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, John Sharian

The idea: A man’s inability to sleep causes a physical and mental deterioration that threatens his sanity.

Writer: Scott Kosar

Director: Brad Anderson

* So? Insomniac intrigue

P.S.

Comedy

NewMarket Films

With: Laura Linney, Topher Grace, Paul Rudd, Lois Smith, Marcia Gay Harden, Gabriel Byrne

The idea: A college admissions officer falls for an art student, 20 years her junior, who bears an uncanny resemblance to her high school sweetheart.

Writers: Dylan Kidd, Helen Schulman

Director: Kidd

* So? Age before ... what?

Primer

Drama

ThinkFilm

With: Shane Carruth, David Sullivan

The idea: Two young engineers stumble upon a discovery that could allow them to do and obtain anything they want.

Writer-director: Carruth

* So? Grand Jury prizewinner at Sundance this year

Stella Street

Comedy

Strand Releasing

With: Phil Cornwell, John Sessions

The idea: Feature version of BBC comedy in which two actors impersonate celebrities including Michael Caine, Jack Nicholson and Mick Jagger.

Writers: Cornwell, Sessions, Peter Richardson

Director: Richardson

* So? Needs resurfacing

Straight-Jacket

Comedy

here! Films / Regent Releasing

With: Matt Letscher, Carrie Preston, Adam Greer, Veronica Cartwright, Victor Raider-Wexler, Michael Emerson, Jack Plotnick, Adrian Neil

The idea: A closeted 1950s movie star marries a studio secretary who has no idea he is gay.

Writer-director: Richard Day, based on his play

* So? Of whom were they thinking?

Surviving Christmas

Comedy

DreamWorks

With: Ben Affleck, Christina Applegate, James Gandolfini, Catherine O’Hara

The idea: A lonely guy bribes the current residents of his childhood home to allow him to spend a family holiday with them.

Writers: Deborah Kaplan & Harry Elfons and Jeffrey Ventimilia & Joshua Sternin, story by Kaplan & Elfont

Director: Mike Mitchell

* So? Fruitcake

Undertow

Thriller

United Artists

With: Jamie Bell, Josh Lucas, Dermot Mulroney, Devon Alan

The idea: Violence between brothers is passed down between generations in a Southern family.

Writers: Jon Conway and David Gordon Green; story by Lingard Jervey

Director: Green

* So? Faux Faulkner

Oct. 29

Enduring Love

Drama

Paramount Classics

With: Daniel Craig, Samantha Morton, Rhys Ifans, Bill Nighy, Susan Lynch

The idea: A hot air balloon accident triggers a strange relationship between two men who attempted to rescue a boy.

Writer: Joe Penhall, based on the novel by Ian McEwan

Director: Roger Michell

* So? A meditation on the complexities of love

Eulogy

Comedy

Lions Gate Films

With: Hank Azaria, Jesse Bradford, Zooey Deschanel, Glenne Headley, Famke Janssen, Piper Laurie, Kelly Preston, Ray Romano, Rip Torn, Debra Winger, Curtis Garcia, Keith Garcia

The idea: The funeral of its patriarch stirs up a twisted family’s secrets and rivalries.

Writer-director: Michael Clancy

* So? What funerals bring out

The Manson Family

Horror

Dinsdale Releasing

With: Marcelo Games, Marc Pitman, Leslie Orr, Maureen Allisse, Amy Yates, Jim VanBebber

The idea: A TV producer looks back at the legacy of Charles Manson and his group of murderous followers.

Writer-director: VanBebber

* So? Rudimentary but unsettling

It’s All About Love

Romance sci-fi

Strand Releasing

With: Joaquin Phoenix, Claire Danes, Sean Penn

The idea: A man and his wife, a world-famous ice skater, fight to save their love in a near futuristic world on the brink of collapse.

Writers: Mogens Rukov, Thomas Vinterberg

Director: Vinterberg

* So? Why is the future so often loveless?

Ray

Drama

Universal

With: Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington, Clifton Powell, Harry Lennix, Terrence Dashon Howard, Larenz Tate, Richard Schiff, Regina King

The idea: Blind boy from Georgia grows up to be groundbreaking singer-pianist Ray Charles.

Writers: James L. White, story by Taylor Hackford and White

Director: Hackford

* So? Jamie Foxx unchained

Saw

Thriller

Lions Gate

With: Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Monica Potter, Michael Emerson, Tobin Bell, Ken Leung, Makenzie Vega, Shawnee Smith, Benito Martinez, Dina Meyer, Leigh Whannell

The idea: Two men find themselves in an elaborate puzzle set up by a serial killer bent on teaching the morally ambivalent a lesson.

Writers: Whannell; story by James Wan, Wannell

Director: Wan

* So? Sharp

Shem

Drama

Hollywood Independents

With: Ash Newman, Cyrielle Clair, Istvan Szabo

The idea: A bisexual playboy crosses Europe in pursuit of his Jewish heritage.

Writer-director: Caroline Roboh

* So? Oy

Zaman, the Man

From the Reeds

Drama

Pathfinder Pictures

With: Sami Kaftan, Shadha Salim

The idea: An Iraqi man journeys up the Tigris seeking a cure for his ailing wife.

Writers: Joelle Alauzet, Amer Alwan

Director: Alwan

* So? Curiosity factor

Oct. TBA

Conspiracy of Silence

Drama

Watch Entertainment

With: Jonathan Forbes, Jason Barry, Brenda Fricker, Hugh Bonneville

The idea: An Irish reporter investigates the link between a beloved priest’s suicide and the expulsion of an idealistic seminarian.

Writer-director: John Deery

* So? Heavy-handed

Hillside Strangler

Drama

Tartan Films

With: C. Thomas Howell, Nicholas Turturro, Allison Lange, Lin Shaye

The idea: Two wannabe pimps murder a prostitute, triggering a serial killing spree that terrorized Southern California in the late ‘70s.

Writers: Stephen Johnson, Chuck Parello

Director: Parello

* So? Generically creepy

Infernal Affairs

Thriller

Miramax

With: Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Andy Lau, Lam Ka Tung, Ng Ting Yip, Wan Chi Keung

The idea: The lives and objectives of two Hong Kong cops become interwoven as they work opposite sides of the law.

Writers: Alan Mak, Felix Chong

Directors: Andrew Lau, Mak

* So? Intense enough for Martin Scorsese to direct a remake

Paper Clips

Documentary

Miramax

The idea: Middle school students in the small Tennessee town of Whitwell pay tribute to the victims of the Holocaust with an unusual project.

Writer: Joe Fab.

Directors: Elliot Berlin and Joe Fab.

* So? Resourceful

Sex Is Comedy

Comedy

IFC Films

With: Anne Parillaud, Gregoire Colin

The idea: The male and female leads of a movie detest each other, making the sex scene they’re to do even more of a challenge for the director.

Writer-director: Catherine Breillat

* So? Here she goes again

A Tale of Two Sisters

Horror

Tartan Films

With: Kap-su Kim, Jung-ah Yum, Su-jeong Lim, Geun-yeong Lim

The idea: Siblings released from a mental institution are tormented by their cruel stepmother and an interfering ghost.

Writer-director: Ji-woon Kim

* So? Unsavory

Nov. 5

Alexander

Action-adventure drama

Warner Bros.

With: Colin Farrell, Anthony Hopkins, Angelina Jolie, Val Kilmer

The idea: Alexander the Great leads armies of Greeks and Macedonians in building an ancient empire that spans 90% of the then-known world.

Writers: Oliver Stone, Christopher Kyle and Laeta Kalogridis; story by Stone and Kalogridis

Director: Stone

* So? Con or quest

Birth

Dramatic mystery

Fine Line Features

With: Nicole Kidman, Cameron Bright, Danny Huston, Lauren Bacall, Arliss Howard, Anne Heche

The idea: A 10-year-old boy claims to be a young widow’s reincarnated husband.

Writer: Milo Addica, Jean-Claude Carriere, Jonathan Glazer

Director: Glazer

* So? Interesting cast

Callas Forever

Drama

here! Films/Regent Releasing

With: Fanny Ardant, Jeremy Irons, Joan Plowright

The idea: Fictionalized account of the final few months in the life of opera star Maria Callas.

Writers: Martin Sherman, Franco Zeffirelli

Director: Zeffirelli

* So? High notes

Fabled

Drama

Indican Pictures

With: Desmond Askew, Kathryn Winnick, Richard Burgi

The idea: An allegorical story of a paranoid young man’s descent into madness.

Writer-director: Ari Kirschenbaum

* So? Suspense on a budget

Untold Story

Drama

Kino International

With: Bae Yong-jun, Lee Mi-Suk, Lee So-yeon

The idea: Aristocratic cousins in 18th century Korea compete to sexually manipulate those around them.

Writer: Kim Dae-woo, Kim Hyeom-Jeong, based on the novel “Les Liaisons Dangereuses” by Choderlos de Laclos

Director: E J-Yong

* So? Machinations

Nov. 10

Seed of Chucky

Horror-comedy

Rogue Pictures

With: Jennifer Tilly, Redman, Hannah Spearritt, John Waters, the voices of Billy Boyd, Brad Dourif

The idea: The killer doll’s offspring goes to Hollywood to check out a new movie being made about his homicidal parents.

Writer-director: Don Mancini

* So? Immortal, apparently

Nov. 12

After the Sunset

Comedy

New Line Cinema

With: Pierce Brosnan, Woody Harrelson, Salma Hayek, Don Cheadle, Naomie Harris

The idea: Master thieves are pursued to a tropical paradise by a persistent FBI agent.

Writers: Paul Zbyszewski and Craig Rosenberg, story by Zbyszewski

Director: Brett Ratner

* So? Cat and mice

Brother to Brother

Drama

Wolfe

With: Anthony Mackie, Roger Robinson, Larry Gilliard Jr., Aunjanue Ellis, Duane Boutte, Daniel Sunjata, Alex Burns, Ray Ford

The idea: A young black gay artist struggles with his identity until he meets an elderly man with vivid memories of the Harlem Renaissance.

Writer-director: Rodney Evans

* So? Vividly historical

Contadora Is for Lovers

Romantic drama

Hollywood Independents

With: Vincent De Paul, Renee Pietrangelo, Tony Santiago

The idea: A hunky Panamanian tour guide complicates a newly engaged couple’s island vacation.

Director: Jorge Ameer

* So? We should be so lucky

Finding Neverland

Drama

Miramax

With: Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, Julie Christie, Radha Mitchell, Dustin Hoffman

The idea: The creative life of J.M. Barrie, who wrote Peter Pan.

Writer: David Magee, based on the play “The Man Who Was Peter Pan” by Alan Knee

Director: Marc Forster

* So? Eternally exuberant

Kinsey

Drama

Fox Searchlight

With: Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, Chris O’Donnell, Peter Sarsgaard, Timothy Hutton, John Lithgow, Tim Curry, Oliver Platt, Dylan Baker

The idea: Sex researcher Alfred Kinsey and his team shake up American culture by examining male sexuality.

Writer-director: Bill Condon

* So? Still controversial after all these years

Nov. TBA

Black Cloud

Drama

Old Post Films

With: Eddie Spears, Russell Means, Rick Schroder, Tim McGraw, Wayne Knight, Julia Jones

The idea: A young Navajo turns to boxing to overcome personal challenges and trains for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team.

Writer-director: Schroder

* So? Potentially inspiring

Monsieur N.

Drama

Empire Pictures

With: Philippe Torreton, Richard E. Grant, Elsa Zylberstein

The idea: Historical speculation about Napoleon’s exile on the island of St. Helena as seen through the eyes of a young British lieutenant.

Writer: Rene Manzor

Director: Antoine de Caunes

* So? Unusual point of view

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance

Drama

Tartan Films

With: Kanh-ho Song, Ha-Kyun Shin, Du-na Bae, Ji-Eun Lim, Bo-bae Han, Se-dong Kim, Dae-yeon Lee

The idea: An unemployed deaf mute’s attempts to get his sister a kidney transplant lead to a cycle of tragedy and revenge.

Writers: Jae-sun Lee, Mu-yeong Lee, Yong-jong Lee, Chan-wook Park

Director: Chan-wook Park

* So? Tragedy of errors

You I Love

Comedy

Picture This! Entertainment

With: Evgeny Koryakovsky, Lubov Tolkalina, Damir Badmaev, Victor Shevidov, Irina Grineva

The idea: A Moscow anchorwoman’s one-year affair with a handsome ad exec hits a bump when she finds him in bed with another man.

Writer: Olga Stolpovskaya

Directors: Stolpovskaya & Dmitri Troitsky

* So? Unoriginal

TBA

The Green Butchers

Comedy

NewMarket Films

With: Line Kruse, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Mads Mikkelsen, Nicholas Bro, Aksel Erhardtsen, Bodil Jorgensen, Ole Thestrup, Lily Weiding

The idea: A strange coincidence leads to the creation of a new meat dish for which the ingredients may be hard to obtain.

Writer-director: Anders Thomas Jensen

* So? Depends on your tastes

Happy Hour

Comedy

O’Hara/Klein and Davis Entertainment FilmWorks

With: Anthony LaPaglia, Eric Stoltz, Caroleen Feeney, Robert Vaughn

The idea: An alcoholic New York writer finds a drinking buddy, true love and the strength to step out of the shadows of his famous father and tackle his unfinished novel.

Writers: Mike Bencivenga, Richard Levine

Director: Bencivenga

* So? Watery

It’s Easier for a Camel

Drama

New Yorker Films

With: Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Marysa Borini, Chiara Mastroianni, Jean-Hugues Anglade, Denis Podalydes, Lambert Wilson, Roberto Herlitzka, Emmanuelle Devos, Yvan Attal

The idea: Unable to resolve the discrepancies between her rich fantasies and unfulfilling real life, a successful French playwright turns to a local priest for help.

Writers: Tedeschi, Noemie Lvovsky

Director: Tedeschi

* So? Unfulfilled rich people

The Life and Times

of Allen Ginsburg

Documentary

New Yorker Films

With: Allen Ginsburg, Joan Baez, Ken Kesey, William Burroughs, Norman Mailer, Timothy Leary, Amiri Baraka, Abbie Hoffman

The idea: Fifty years of culture and politics seen through the eyes of the Beat Generation writer.

Director: Jerry Aronson

* So? The Beat goes on

Moolaade

Drama

New Yorker Films

With: Fatoumata Coulibaly, Maimouna Helene Diarra, Salimata Traore, Aminata Dao, Dominique Zeida

The idea: An African woman gives her teenage daughter and four other girls sanctuary against their small village’s ritual of purification.

Writer-director: Ousmane Sembene

* So? What African women endure

Vodka Lemon

Comedy

New Yorker Films

With: Romik Avinian, Lala Sarkissian, Ivan Franek, Armen Marutyan, Astrik Avaguian

The idea: An elderly Armenian man sells off his possessions to survive and begins a tender romance with a middle-age war widow.

Writers: Lei Dinety, Pauline Gouzenne, Hiner Saleem

Director: Saleem

* So? Sharp and tart

*

Editor -- R. Kinsey Lowe

Capsules -- Kevin Crust