Examples are 'Scary Movie 3,' 'Cat in the Hat' and last 'Matrix'
By Drew Morton
Knight Ridder Newspapers
While spring serves as a time for Hollywood to clear out its film vaults containing a range of long-shelved projects to utter garbage, fall has been the time to release everything from spring's leftovers and horror films to more Oscar contenders.
This autumn is no exception and has plenty to offer teens and adults. Here's a rundown of some of those releases.
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September begins with the release of the much-delayed Heath Ledger film, "The Order." Written and directed by Oscar winner Brian Helgeland ("L.A. Confidential"), "The Order" follows a priest (Ledger) who is investigating a series of religious murders by a serial killer known simply as the "sin eater."
The following week, the action flick "Desperado II: Once Upon a Time in Mexico," opens. Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek, who were in the first film, are joined in this one by Johnny Depp.
Yet another loose modernization of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," titled "Underworld," comes out Sept. 19. This time, it's given a horror twist. The movie stars Kate Beckinsale (Pearl Harbor) as a vampire warrior who falls for a werewolf (Scott Speedman) during the climax of a long war between the two species.
We get to see "Scary Movie 3" on Oct. 3. Written by cult icon Kevin Smith ("Clerks") and directed by David Zucker ("Airplane!"), the latest installment of the spoof series will take cracks at "Lord of the Rings," "Star Wars" and "Signs."
The first installment of Quentin Tarantino's ultra-violent samurai homage, "Kill Bill," begins on Oct. 10. Starring Uma Thurman, the film originally clocked in at about four hours but recently has been edited into two parts to be released from two to six months apart.
Two horror films will be released just in time for Halloween: the hyped remake of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (with one of the scariest theater trailers around), starring Jessica Biel and Eric Balfour (HBO's "Six Feet Under"), and Halle Barry's latest, "Gothika," which follows a criminal psychologist who finds herself institutionalized after a murder she cannot remember committing.
November begins with a bang on with the release of the next "Matrix" film, "The Matrix Revolutions," which follows the climax of the battle between the machines and humans.
Holiday family films also begin to make their appearance the first weekend in November with the release of the Will Ferrell film, "Elf," about an oversized elf who is shunned by his community at the North Pole.
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Russell Crowe is back on Nov. 14 with "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World," about a ship captain (Crowe), his crew and their mission to sink a French ship during the Napoleonic Wars.
The big release for Thanksgiving this year is the much-hyped adaptation of Dr. Seuss's "The Cat in the Hat," starring Mike Myers as the title character. Although the makeup effects appear to be taking "The Grinch" route in being more scary than kid-friendly, Myers' talent and early footage already are making this look to be one of the biggest films of the year.
