title: “Fall Preview” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-16” author: “Dorothy Chittenden”
title: “Fall Preview” ShowToc: true date: “2023-01-04” author: “Heather Penatac”
Listening to critics trying to handicap the fall entertainment season is a little like watching pundits try to read the tea leaves on the November elections. There’s just too much that no one can forsee. A new wardrobe or hairdo, it seems, can lift you up or drop you low. (There’s a reason no one tuned in to “Felicity” after those locks were shorn.) A single memorable, well-crafted phrase can turn the horde of doubters into squadrons of disciples. (Remember when no one even knew what la vida loca was?) And a picture can often be worth a thousand words. (No amount of ink could drown the controversy over the Brooklyn Museum of Art’s “Sensation” show.) In the end, the proof’s in the pudding. We won’t pretend that we have all the answers, but at least we’ve managed to get a sneak peek behind the curtain. The final vote, as always, is yours. Movies(Almost Famous)
Cameron Crowe (“Jerry Maguire”) starts off the fall with a rock-and-roll bang in this comic tale of a 15-year-old music scribe learning about life, love, groupies, acid and rock-star egos on the road with a ’70s band. With Billy Crudup and Kate Hudson. (Sept.)
(Bounce) Buddy (Ben Affleck) gives up his plane ticket to a man going home to his wife. The plane crashes, the man dies and Buddy tracks down his widow to beg forgiveness. Problem is, the widow is Gwyneth Paltrow. And we all know how much trouble Ben has resisting her. (Oct.)
(The Legend Of Bagger Vance) You thought Tiger Woods was miraculous? In this mystical comedy directed by Robert Redford, Matt Damon is a shattered World War I vet who finds redemption on the golf course with the help of a caddie (Will Smith) with godlike powers. Is it “Fairway of Dreams”? (Nov.)
(Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas) By this point, we’re smart enough not to trust movie previews. But we’ll say this: the early footage of Ron Howard’s “Grinch” looks great. Jim Carrey reportedly spent five hours a day in the makeup chair to become the villain of Whoville. Howard deserves an Oscar for getting him to sit still that long. (Nov.)
(Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) Set in ancient China, this martial-arts epic from director Ang Lee (“The Ice Storm”) is packed with fight scenes that make “The Matrix” look like a game of rock, paper, scissors. Hong Kong heroes Chow Yun-Fat and Michelle Yeoh star, but it’s high-flying femme fatale Zhang Ziyi who steals the show. (Dec.)
(The Gift) In this Gothic whodunit, Cate Blanchett is a widow with psychic powers, Hilary Swank is a battered wife, Keanu Reeves is her brute husband and Katie Holmes has vanished into thin air. Made for $10 million, this Sam Raimi chiller, written by Billy Bob Thornton and Tom Epperson, smells like a sleeper. (Dec.)
(What Women Want) How’s this for high concept? Mel Gibson plays a chauvinist exec who, after getting electrocuted, can read women’s minds. Imagine what he hears from the likes of Helen Hunt (his boss), Marisa Tomei (his lover), Lauren Holly (his ex-wife) and Bette Midler (his shrink). (Dec.)
(Traffic) The buzz is building on this international thriller about the drug trade, which director Steven Soderbergh has described as “The French Connection” crossed with “Nashville.” The huge cast includes Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Benicio Del Toro. From all reports, the Feds running our war on drugs won’t be happy. (Dec.)
(All the Pretty Horses) Cormac McCarthy’s lyrical novel about a young cowboy’s violent odyssey into Mexico hits the big screen. Matt Damon and 26-year-old Spanish beauty Penelope Cruz star; Billy Bob Thornton directs for the first time since “Sling Blade.” (Dec.)
(Moulin Rouge) Expect the unexpected from Baz (“Romeo + Juliet”) Luhrmann. In this musical set in 1890s Paris, Ewan McGregor is a poet entranced with courtesan Nicole Kidman, and Toulouse-Lautrec is embodied by a waist-high John Leguizamo. Mon dieu!(Dec.)
