Closer
Mike Nichols brings pretty people to ugly ends in his screen adaptation of the hit play Closer. Sony Pictures; December 3.
Sideways
Paul Giamatti hits the road in a twisted buddy flick by the director of About Schmidt. Fox Searchlight; opens October 20.
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
Rene Zellweger binges on self-help books. Universal; November 19.
Oddball Indies
Off-beat releases from Pedro Almodóvar, David O. Russell, and Wes Anderson.
7 Biopics
From a sexologist to Ray Charles, it’s big-screen-profile season.
Topher Grace and Dylan Kidd
The director and star of PS lose their innocence. Newmarket Films; October 15.
Kinsey
Indie sex symbol Peter Sarsgaard does Kinsey. Fox Searchlight; opens November 12.
What are you looking forward to this fall? Ask a video clerk.
Sean Gallagher, World of Video
Taste: Something that moves me. Thirties comedies with really good dialogue.
Looking forward to: John Sayles’s next movie, Silver City, looks like it’s really going to stick it to Bush. Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator; he’s not my favorite director, but I’m always interested. And I (heart) Huckabees—I’m interested in the concept of the existential detective.
Wish list: Philip Seymour Hoffman and Cate Blanchett in The Alienist.
Best of the Rest
September
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow, backed up by a huge amount of CGI, save the (futuristic thirties) world. Paramount; September 17.
Silver City
John Sayles’s political rabble-rouser, with Thora Birch and Chris Cooper. Newmarket; September 17.
Incident at Loch Ness
A satirical chronicle of Werner Herzog’s failed attempt to make a documentary about the famed Scottish lake. Fox; September 17.
A Dirty Shame
John Waters directs Tracey Ullman as a sex-crazed convenience-store clerk. Fine Line; September 24.
October
Stage Beauty
Billy Crudup stars (with Claire Danes) as a seventeenth-century actor who can play only women. Lions Gate; October 8.
Taxi
Queen Latifah and Jimmy Fallon star in a madcap crime comedy. Fox; October 8.
Team America
Trey Parker, Matt Stone, and David Rockwell concoct a marionette action-adventure epic about superstars who fight terror. Paramount; October 15.
It’s All About Love
A futuristic romance with Sean Penn, Joaquin Phoenix, and Claire Danes. Strand; October 29.
December
Oceans 12
The smash ensemble cast returns. Warner Bros.; December 10.
Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events
With Jim Carrey. Paramount; December 17.
The Untitled Onion Movie
A sketch-comedy from the writers of the satirical paper. Fox Searchlight; December 17.
Spanglish
Adam Sandler stars with Paz Vega. Sony; December 17.
Meet the Fockers
The sequel to Meet the Parents, with Barbra Streisand and Dustin Hoffman. Universal; December 22.
Proof
Gwyneth Paltrow and Jake Gyllenhaal star in the adaptation of the Pulitzer-winning play about a mathematician and his troubled daughter. Miramax; December 24.
An Unfinished Life
Lasse Hallström directs Jennifer Lopez and Robert Redford. Miramax; December 24.
The Woodsman
Kevin Bacon stars as a convicted sex offender reentering society. Newmarket; December 24.
Hotel Rwanda
Don Cheadle stars as a hotel owner who gives shelter to persecuted Tutsis. United Artists; December 25.
The Assassination of Richard Nixon
Based on the true story of an attempt on Nixon’s life, with Sean Penn and Naomi Watts. ThinkFilm; December 29.
Synergy
A generational comedy starring Scarlett Johansson, Topher Grace, and Dennis Quaid. Universal; December 29.