Season’s screenings

Wednesday

Femme Fatale

Thriller

Warner Bros.

With: Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Antonio Banderas, Peter Coyote, Gregg Henry, Rie Rasmussen, Eriq Ebouaney.

The idea: Con woman adopts new identity, but a photographer complicates matters.

Writer-director: Brian De Palma.

So? Pretty steamy, De Palma’s best in a while.

Friday

Derrida

Documentary

Zeitgeist

With: Jacques Derrida.

The idea: The influential French philosopher discusses post-structuralism and deconstructionism, then analyzes his own taped interviews.

Directors: Kirby Dick, Amy Ziering Kofman.

So? Deconstruction by the deconstructionist.

8 Mile

Drama

Universal

With: Eminem, Kim Basinger, Brittany Murphy, Mekhi Phifer, Eugene Byrd, Taryn Manning.

The idea: White rapper and his crew navigate volatile mid-’90s Detroit.

Writer: Scott Silver.

Director: Curtis Hanson.

So? Hip-hot.

Far From Heaven

Drama

Focus Features

With: Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid, Dennis Haysbert.

The idea: Todd Haynes dissects social issues a la Douglas Sirk as picture-perfect ‘50s family begins to unravel.

Writer-director: Haynes.

So? Fundamentally flawless.

The Flip Side

Comedy

Puro Pinoy Productions

With: Verwin Gatpandan, Jose Saenz, Ronalee Par.

The idea: Children of lively Filipino American family struggle to adapt in suburban So Cal.

Writer-director: Rod Pulido.

So? Self-distributed indie was first Filipino American feature to play Sundance.

Hush!

Romantic comedy

Strand Releasing

With: Seiichi Tanabe, Kazuya Takahashi, Reiko Kataoka.

The idea: Self-centered gay man and closeted lover meet woman who could conceivably cause complications.

Writer-director: Ryosuke Hashiguchi.

So? Triangular tribulation.

On Guard! (Le Bossu)

Period action drama

Empire Pictures

With: Daniel Autueil, Fabrice Luchini, Vincent Perez, Marie Gillain, Philippe Noiret.

The idea: In 17th century France, an expert swordsman dons a disguise to carry out a promise to a slain duke.

Writers: Philippe de Broca, Jean Cosmos; based on Paul Feval’s novel “Le Bossu.”

Director: De Broca.

So? Honorable nobility.

‘R Xmas

Crime drama

Pathfinder

With: Drea de Matteo, Ice-T and Lillo Brancato.

The idea: Drug-dealing Latino couple’s American Dream is shattered when husband is kidnapped on Dec. 24.

Writers: Abel Ferrara, Scott Pardo, story by Cassandra De Jesus.

Director: Ferrara.

So? Don’t expect a jolly holiday.

The Rising Place

Drama

Flatland Pictures

With: Frances Fisher, Alice Drummond, Laurel Holloman, Elise Neal, Mark Webber, Gary Cole, Tess Harper.

The idea: A young Mississippi Delta woman bucks social convention to have a child out of wedlock in the 1940s.

Writer-director: Tom Rice.

So? Virtue in adversity.

November 15

Ararat

Drama

Miramax

With: David Alpay, Charles Aznavour, Eric Bogosian, Brent Carver, Marie-Josee Croze, Bruce Greenwood, Arsinee Khanjian, Christopher Plummer.

The idea: The filming of a historical epic frames a young Armenian Canadian’s struggles with historical truth and personal relationships.

Writer-director: Atom Egoyan.

So? Turkey would prefer this story remain untold.

Daughter From Danang

Documentary

Balcony Releasing /

Cowboy Pictures

The idea: Tennessee-raised Vietnamese girl reunites with her mother 22 years after the end of the Vietnam War.

Directors: Gail Dolgin, Vicente Franco.

So? Sundance Grand Jury Prize for documentary.

El Crimen del Padre Amaro

Drama

IDP / Samuel Goldwyn

With: Gael Garcia Bernal, Sancho Gracia, Ana Claudia Talancon, Angelica Aragon, Ernesto Gomez Cruz.

The idea: Young Catholic priest is sent to small Mexican parish and is soon surrounded by temptation and corruption.

Writer: Vicente Lenero, based on the novel by Eca de Queiros.

Director: Carlos Carrera.

So? Catholic hierarchy’s opposition didn’t stop it from becoming Mexico’s highest-grossing film.

Half-Past Dead

Action

Screen Gems

With: Steven Seagal, Morris Chestnut, Ja Rule, Nia Peeples, Kurupt, Tony Plana, Claudia Christian.

The idea: Criminal commandos invade Alcatraz, prisoners prepare to repel boarders.

Writer-director: Don Michael Paul.

So? Kind of like “The Rock,” minus Cage, Connery and Harris.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Fantasy-adventure

Warner Bros.

With: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Fiona Shaw, Richard Griffiths, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Wright, Hugh Mitchell, Kenneth Branagh, John Cleese, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Richard Harris, Jason Isaacs, Maggie Smith, Julie Walters.

The idea: Harry and Co. investigate further strange doings at Hogwarts.

Writers: Steve Kloves, based on the novel by J.K. Rowling.

Director: Chris Columbus.

So? Are kids still wild about Harry?

Interview With the Assassin

Drama

Magnolia

With: Raymond J. Barry, Dylan Haggerty, Renee Faia, Jared McVay, Kate Williamson.

The idea: Unemployed TV cameraman’s furtive neighbor claims to be the shooter from the grassy knoll.

Writer-director: Neil Burger.

So? Conspiracy theorists ought to eat this up.

Skins

Drama

First Look

With: Graham Greene, Eric Schweig.

The idea: Sioux brothers cope in different ways with the indignity of reservation existence.

Writer: Jennifer D. Lyne; based on the novel by Adrian Louis.

Director: Chris Eyre.

So? Eyre, who directed “Smoke Signals,” knows the territory.

Standing in the Shadows

of Motown

Documentary

Artisan

With: The Funk Brothers, Joan Osborne, Chaka Khan, Ben Harper, Bootsy Collins, narrated by Andre Braugher.

The idea: The story of the brothers Funk -- James Jamerson, Benny Benjamin, Robert White and Earl Van Dyke -- the studio band on hits by Motown greats Diana Ross, the Temptations, Stevie Wonder and others.

Writers: Narration by Walter Dallas and Ntozake Shange; based on the book by Allan “Dr. Licks” Slutsky.

Director: Paul Justman.

So? Fun-ky.

The Way Home

Drama

Paramount Classics

With: Yoo Seung-ho, Kim Eul-boon.

The idea: City-reared Korean boy runs into conflict with his traditionalist grandmother when he goes to stay in her remote village.

Writer-director: Lee Jeong-hyang.

So? Family values as a universal language.

November 22

The Emperor’s Club

Drama

Universal

With: Kevin Kline, Steven Culp, Embeth Davidtz, Patrick Dempsey, Joel Gretsch, Edward Herrmann, Emile Hirsch, Rob Morrow, Harris Yulin.

The idea: Traces the relationship between classics professor and rebellious student.

Writer: Neil Tolkin, based on a short story by Ethan Canin.

Director: Michael Hoffman.

So? Not exactly original, but promising.

The Friday After Next

Comedy

New Line

With: Ice Cube, Mike Epps, John Witherspoon, Don “D.C.” Curry, Anna Maria Horsford.

The idea: Craig and Day-Day learn lessons about Christmas when they become security guards at a strip mall.

Writer: Ice Cube; based on characters created by Ice Cube and DJ Pooh.

Director: Marcus Raboy.

So? Cubic feat.

Personal Velocity

Drama

United Artists

With: Parker Posey, Kyra Sedgwick, Fairuza Balk.

The idea: Triptych format with three women confronting crossroads in their lives.

Writer-director: Rebecca Miller, based on her book of stories.

So? Winsome threesome.

The Quiet American

Mystery

Miramax

With: Michael Caine, Brendan Fraser, Do Thi Hai Yen.

The idea: Romantic intrigue in 1952 Vietnam (before “The Deer Hunter,” “Apocalypse Now” or “Platoon”).

Writers: Christopher Hampton and Robert Schenkkan, based on the book by Graham Greene.

Director: Phillip Noyce.

So? Reception at Toronto persuaded Miramax to proceed with Christmas release.

Smokers Only

Drama

Strand Releasing

With: Cecilia Bengolea, Leonardo Brezicki, Carlos Issa.

The idea: Buenos Aires is the setting for some dangerous romantic games between a struggling singer and an inline-skating “taxiboy.”

Writer-director: Veronica Chen.

So? Muscle, hustle, bustle.

Solaris (1972)

Science fiction

Kino International

With: Donatas Banionis, Natalya Bondarchuk, Anatoli Solonitsyn.

The idea: Space station occupants experience an unsettling dementia.

Writer: Fridrikh Gorenshtein, Andrei Tarkovsky; based on the novel by Stanislaw Lem.

Director: Tarkovsky.

So? New 35-millimeter print of the 1972 Russian classic.

November 27

Adam Sandler’s

8 Crazy Nights

Animated comedy

Columbia

With: (voices) Adam Sandler, Jackie Titone, Austin Stout, Kevin Nealon, Rob Schneider, Norm Crosby, Jon Lovitz, Tyra Banks.

The idea: Troublemaker encounters his optimistic opposite when he’s sentenced to community service.

Writers: Brooks Arthur, Allen Covert, Brad Isaacs, Sandler.

Director: Seth Kearsley.

So? A veritable Sandler symphony.

Extreme Ops

Action

Paramount

With: Devon Sawa, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, Rupert Graves, Rufus Sewell.

The idea: Extreme skiers and snowboarders flee murderous war criminal while filming a movie.

Writers: Michael Zaidan, story by Timothy Scott Bogart and Mark Mullin.

Director: Christian Duguay.

So? Extremely familiar.

Wes Craven Presents: They

Thriller

Dimension

With: Laura Regan, Marc Blucas, Ethan Embry, Dagmara Dominczyk, Jon Abrahams.

The idea: Psychology grad student returns to the chilling nightmares she had as a child only to find that they may be real.

Writer: Brendan Hood.

Director: Robert Harmon.

So? Craven’s had nightmares before.

Treasure Planet

Animated adventure

Walt Disney

With: (voices) Emma Thompson, David Hyde Pierce, Martin Short, Brian Murray, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael McShane, Michael Wincott.

The idea: Boy on space voyage discovers that his cyborg mentor is a pirate with mutiny on his mind.

Writers: Ron Clements & John Musker and Rob Edwards; based on “Treasure Island” by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Directors: John Musker & Ron Clements

So? Creative, competent. Enough?

November 29

Akira Kurosawa Film Tour

Retrospective

Cowboy Pictures

With: Toshiro Mifune, Minoru Chiaki, Kamatai Fujiwara, Tatsuya Mihashi, Takashi Shimura, Keiko Tsushima.

The idea: Three full weeks of the Japanese master at the Nuart, including “Throne of Blood” (Nov. 29-30), “Stray Dog” (Dec. 1), “I Live in Fear” (Dec. 2), “Drunken Angel” (Dec. 3) “The Bad Sleep Well” (Dec. 4), “The Hidden Fortress” (Dec. 5-6), “Rashomon” (Dec. 7-8), “Red Beard” (Dec. 9), “High and Low” (Dec. 10), “Yojimbo” (Dec. 11), “Sanjuro” (Dec. 12) and “Seven Samurai” (Dec. 13-19).

Director: Akira Kurosawa.

So? New prints, newly translated subtitles.

God Is Great, I’m Not

(Dieu est grand,

je suis tout petite)

Romantic comedy

Empire Pictures

With: Audrey Tautou, Edouard Baer, Julie Depardieu, Catherine Jacob.

The idea: Twenty-year-old Frenchwoman seeks the meaning of life, finds amour with a veterinarian.

Writers: Pascale Bailly, Alain Tasma.

Director: Bailly.

So? “Amelie” converts to Judaism.

Rabbit-Proof Fence

Drama

Miramax

With: Everlyn Sampi, Tianna Sansbury, Laura Monaghan, Ningali Lawford, David Gulpilil, Kenneth Branagh.

The idea: Three Aborigine girls undertake an audacious escape from indentured servitude.

Writer: Christine Olsen, based on the book by Doris Pilkington.

Director: Phillip Noyce.

So? Australia confronts unpleasant past.

December 6

Adaptation

Comedy drama

Columbia

With: Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper, Tilda Swinton, Cara Seymour, Brian Cox.

The idea: The lives of a screenwriter, an author and the subject of her book intertwine.

Writers: Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman (a figment of Charlie’s imagination), based on the book “The Orchid Thief.”

Director: Spike Jonze.

So? Sprang from Kaufman’s difficulty adapting Susan Orlean’s “The Orchid Thief.”

Analyze That

Comedy

Warner Bros.

With: Robert De Niro, Billy Crystal, Lisa Kudrow, Joe Viterelli, Cathy Moriarty-Gentile.

The idea: Mob boss is back for more treatment from beleaguered psychiatrist.

Writers: Peter Steinfeld and Harold Ramis and Peter Tolan, based on characters created by Kenneth Lonergan and Tolan.

Director: Ramis.

So? Will Part 3 be “Analyze

Them”?

Equilibrium

Science fiction

Dimension

With: Christian Bale, Emily Watson, Taye Diggs, Angus Mac- Fadyen, Sean Bean, William Fichtner.

The idea: Futuristic government enforcer misses his meds, begins to feel forbidden emotions.

Writer-director: Kurt Wimmer.

So? Trouble in Utopia.

Evelyn

Drama

United Artists

With: Pierce Brosnan, Aidan Quinn, Julianna Margulies, Stephen Rea, Alan Bates.

The idea: Single dad in 1950s Ireland challenges courts and the church to win back his children.

Writer: Paul Pender.

Director: Bruce Beresford.

So? Based on a true story.

Revolution #9

Thriller

Exile Productions

With: Michael Risley, Adrienne Shelly, Spalding Gray, Callie Thorne.

The idea: Experiencing major sensory overload, New York City man imagines himself the target of corporate media attack.

Writer-director: Tim McCann.

So? And you thought a satellite dish would be a good thing.

December 13

About Schmidt

Comedy drama

New Line

With: Jack Nicholson, Hope Davis, June Squibb, Dermot Mulroney, Kathy Bates, Howard Hesseman.

The idea: Retired widower embarks on a revelatory road trip when his estranged daughter makes wedding plans.

Writers: Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor, based on the book by Louis Begley.

Director: Payne.

So? Nicholson as you have never seen him.

The Guys

Drama

Focus Features

With: Sigourney Weaver, Anthony LaPaglia.

The idea: Journalist helps fire captain craft eulogies for men he lost on Sept. 11.

Writers: Anne Nelson and Jim Simpson, based on Nelson’s play.

Director: Simpson.

So? Two-character play ran off-Broadway (and locally at the Actors’ Gang) with well-known casts.

The Hot Chick

Comedy

Touchstone

With: Rob Schneider, Anna Faris, Matthew Lawrence, Eric Christian Olsen, Robert Davi, Melora Hardin, Rachel McAdams, Michael O’Keefe.

The idea: High school cheerleader wakes up to find that she’s turned into Schneider.

Writers: Tom Brady & Schneider.

Director: Brady.

So? Didn’t this genre die out in the ‘80s?

Star Trek: Nemesis

Science fiction

Paramount

With: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton.

The idea: Capt. Picard and crew confront a monstrous enemy bent on destroying Earth.

Writer: John Logan, story by Logan & Rick Berman & Spiner, based on Gene Roddenberry’s “Star Trek.”

Director: Stuart Baird.

So? Warp 10, we hope.

Talk to Her

Drama

Sony Classics

With: Javier Camara, Dario Grandinetti, Leonor Watling, Rosario Flores, Geraldine Chaplin.

The idea: The lives of a writer, a professional bullfighter, a young dancer and a health-care worker intertwine at a clinic.

Writer-director: Pedro Almodovar.

So? Almodovar is not in a creative coma.

December 18

The Lord of the Rings:

The Two Towers

Fantasy-adventure

New Line

With: Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Brad Dourif, Bernard Hill, Christopher Lee, Ian McKellen, Dominic Monaghan, Viggo Mortensen, John Noble, Miranda Otto, John Rhys-Davies, Andy Serkis, Liv Tyler, Hugo Weaving, David Wenham, Elijah Wood.

The idea: The fellowship heads deeper into the dark lands of Mordor.

Writers: Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens & Stephen Sinclair & Peter Jackson, based on the book by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Director: Jackson

So? The Middle of Middle Earth.

December 20

Antwone Fisher

Drama

Fox Searchlight

With: Derek Luke, Joy Bryant, Denzel Washington, Salli Richardson.

The idea: Navy psychiatrist guides belligerent sailor on a journey of self-discovery.

Writer: Antwone Fisher.

Director: Washington.

So? Harrowing, heartfelt, triumphant.

Intacto

Thriller

Lions Gate

With: Max von Sydow, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Eusibio Poncela, Monica Lopez, Antonio Dechent.

The idea: Men challenge the randomness of luck.

Writers: Andres Koppel, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo.

Director: Fresnadillo.

So? Director landed an Oscar nomination for his short film “Esposados” in 1997.

Morvern Callar

Drama

Cowboy Pictures

With: Samantha Morton, Kathleen McDermott.

The idea: Her boyfriend’s Christmas morning suicide leaves Scottish supermarket clerk with his unpublished novel, an ATM card and Walkman with a mix tape.

Writers: Liana Dognini, Lynne Ramsay, based on the book by Alan Warner.

Director: Ramsay.

So? Another taci-turn by Morton.

Narc

Drama

Paramount

With: Jason Patric, Ray Liotta, Busta Rhymes, Chi McBride.

The idea: Suspended undercover cop investigates officer’s murder with the victim’s rogue partner.

Writer-director: Joe Carnahan.

So? Unexpected accomplishment.

Spider

Thriller

Sony Classics

With: Ralph Fiennes, Miranda Richardson, Gabriel Byrne, Lynn Redgrave, John Neville, Bradley Hall.

The idea: Man’s return to his East London neighborhood after long stint in mental institution takes him back to things that led him there.

Writer: Patrick McGrath, based on his novel.

Director: David Cronenberg.

So? The Cronenberg factor.

25th Hour

Drama

Touchstone

With: Edward Norton, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Barry Pepper, Rosario Dawson, Anna Paquin, Brian Cox.

The idea: Man connects with father and friends on the day before he goes to prison.

Writer: David Benioff, based on his novel.

Director: Spike Lee.

So? Lee has a mixed track record with scripts by others.

The Wild Thornberrys Movie

Animated

Paramount / MTV

With: (voices) Brenda Blethyn, Tim Curry, Rupert Everett, Lynn Redgrave, Marisa Tomei, Lacey Chabert, Jodi Carlisle, Flea, Danielle Harris.

The idea: The wildlife documentarians go to Africa, where daughter Eliza tries to save an elephant herd from poachers.

Writer: Kate Boutilier.

Directors: Jeff McGrath and Cathy Malkasian.

So? Nickelodeon popularity travels.

December 25

Catch Me if You Can

Drama

DreamWorks

With: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen, Nathalie Baye, Amy Adams, Jennifer Garner, Frank John Hughes, Nancy Lenahan.

The idea: FBI agent pursues an uncommon con man.

Writer: Jeff Nathanson, based on the book by Frank W. Abagnale with Stan Redding.

Director: Steven Spielberg.

So? Duh.

The Lion King (1994)

Animated large format

Walt Disney

With: (voices) Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Matthew Broderick, James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons, Moira Kelly, Niketa Calame, Ernie Sabella, Nathan Lane, Robert Guillaume, Rowan Atkinson, Madge Sinclair, Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, Jim Cummings.

The idea: The 1994 classic returns in Imax size.

Writers: Irene Mecchi and Jonathan Roberts and Linda Woolverton.

Directors: Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff.

So? Big screen to Broadway to bigger screen.

Pinocchio

Fantasy-adventure

Miramax

With: Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi.

The idea: Trouble-prone puppet plunges into a series of adventures.

Writers: Vincenzo Cerami and Benigni.

Director: Benigni

So? Big in Italy, but a little Benigni goes a long way.

December 27

Confessions of

a Dangerous Mind

Comedy-drama

Miramax

With: George Clooney, Drew Barrymore, Julia Roberts, Sam Rockwell.

The idea: “Gong Show” emcee Chuck Barris is a CIA operative in his spare time.

Writer: Charlie Kaufman; based on the book by Barris.

Director: Clooney.

So? This we gotta see.

Chicago

Musical

Miramax

With: Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, Queen Latifah, John C. Reilly, Christine Baranski.

The idea: Incarcerated Windy City dames vie for spotlight and attention of slick lawyer.

Writer: Bill Condon; based on the musical play by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse.

Director: Rob Marshall.

So? Broadway hit’s take on celebrity misdeeds grows fresher by the day.

The Hours

Drama

Paramount

With: Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Ed Harris, Julianne Moore, Toni Collette, Claire Danes, Jeff Daniels, Allison Janney, John C. Reilly, Miranda Richardson.

The idea: Intertwining stories of two women profoundly affected by the work of a third, Virginia Woolf.

Writer: David Hare; based on the novel by Michael Cunningham.

Director: Stephen Daldry.

So? Performances to die for.

Love Liza

Drama

Sony Classics

With: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Kathy Bates, Jack Kehler, Sarah Koskoff, Stephen Tobolowsky, Erika Alexander.

The idea: Web designer deals with wife’s death through eccentric behavior.

Writer: Gordy Hoffman.

Director: Todd Louiso.

So? The Hoffmans are brothers; Louiso was nerdy clerk in “High Fidelity.”

Max

Drama

Lions Gate

With: John Cusack, Noah Taylor, Leelee Sobieski, Molly Parker, Ulrich Thomsen.

The idea: Art gallery owner unsuccessfully encourages young Adolf Hitler to channel his energies into painting.

Writer-director: Menno Meyjes.

So? Portrait of a Monster as a Young Artist.

Nicholas Nickleby

Drama

MGM/UA

With: Charlie Hunnam, Jamie Bell, Christopher Plummer, Jim Broadbent, Romola Garai, Tom Courtenay, Stella Gonet, Timothy Spall, Anne Hathaway, Juliet Stevenson, Nathan Lane, Barry Humphries, Alan Cumming.

The idea: Young Nicholas endures indignity as he tries to reunite his family.

Writer-director: Douglas McGrath; based on the novel by Charles Dickens.

So? Distinctively Dickensian.

The Pianist

Drama

Focus Features

With: Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Frank Finlay, Maureen Lipman, Ed Stoppard, Emilia Fox, Jessica Kate Meyer.

The idea: Musician survives Nazi horrors while staying in Warsaw ghetto.

Writer: Ronald Harwood, based on the book by Wladyslaw Szpilman.

Director: Roman Polanski.

So? Personal film for Polanski, who escaped Krakow ghetto as a child.

Sonny

Drama

IDP / Samuel Goldwyn

With: James Franco, Mena Suvari, Brenda Blethyn, Harry Dean Stanton, Scott Caan.

The idea: Glitz and grime of Bourbon Street has a strong pull for prodigal son.

Writer: John Carlen.

Director: Nicolas Cage.

So? Franco stars in part Cage wanted to play 15 years earlier.

*

Die Another Day

Action (Nov. 22)

MGM

With: Pierce Brosnan, Halle Berry, Toby Stephens, Rosamund Pike, Rick Yune, John Cleese, Judi Dench.

The idea: Bond racks up the miles in pursuit of a villainous duo.

Writers: Neal Purvis and Robert Wade; based on characters in the novels by Ian Fleming and previous James Bond films.

Director: Lee Tamahori.

James Bond has been going strong for 40 years, ever since Connery, Sean Connery, first applied his license to kill in “Dr. No.” But does this billion-dollar franchise still have what it takes to compete with Xander Cage in the new millennium? We’ll soon find out. There’s more fueling early buzz on Bond 20 than Berry’s turn as Jinx, a most contemporary Bond Grrrl. Word has it that New Zealand director Tamahori (“Once Were Warriors”) maintained a furious pace during the early days of filming that even rankled Brosnan, but don’t underestimate the 49-year-old Irish actor’s stamina -- or chops. He taps into a darker side in his fourth outing as 007, turning renegade to thwart the icy Stephens and avert a global crisis in Korea.

*

Maid in Manhattan

Romantic comedy (Dec. 13)

Columbia/Revolution

With: Jennifer Lopez, Ralph Fiennes, Natasha Richardson, Stanley Tucci, Tyler Garcia Posey, Bob Hoskins.

The idea: Mistaken identity unites a Bronx-born hotel maid and a political scion.

Writer: Kevin Wade, story by Edmond Dantes.

Director: Wayne Wang.

Wade, who wrote “Working Girl,” another tale of a borough babe who finds love on the island, says he is “drawn to stories about class distinctions and class movement in what is supposedly a classless society.” Wade, who lives in Oyster Bay, N.Y., with his wife and two children, did most of his research in tony Big Apple hotels. His goal was to take the Hollywood stereotype image of the maid and turn it into a Horatio Alger story. Lopez’s character may fall in love with Fiennes’ wealthy political heir, but “it was very important that she not set her sights on a guy and say there’s my ticket out. What she most wanted is to get a better job. She is smart and she works hard and thinks she can contribute to the next level.”

*

Solaris

Science fiction (Nov. 27)

Fox

With: George Clooney, Natascha McElhone, Jeremy Davies, Viola Davis.

The idea: Psychologist investigates strange behavior on a space station orbiting a distant planet (remake of 1972 Russian film).

Writer-director: Steven Soderbergh, based on the book by Stanislaw Lem.

The prickly, eccentric Lem once had his honorary membership in the Science Fiction Writers of America revoked. That attitude may prove an asset for producer James Cameron and writer-director Soderbergh as they tackle Lem’s 1961 novel “Solaris.” (See Nov. 22 entry.)

*

Gangs of New York

Historical drama (Dec. 20)

Miramax

With: Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, Cameron Diaz, John C. Reilly, Henry Thomas, Jim Broadbent.

The idea: Irish immigrant leaves prison, seeks revenge on murderous gang lord in 1860s Manhattan.

Writers: Jay Cocks and Steven Zaillian and Kenneth Lonergan; story by Jay Cocks.

Director: Martin Scorsese.

Of his three months in Italy handling screenwriting duties, Lonergan says, “I remember being quite frightened and then just delighted.” Wandering the gigantic set overseen by Dante Ferretti, “I can’t convey what it was like. To turn a corner and be in a harbor with huge ships and hundreds of extras made it come alive in such an exciting way. It’s not like it’s in front of you, it’s all around you. It was a real work of art -- a physical, life-size reconstruction of an entire neighborhood in a vanished era. To be a part of that much creative power ... was just inspiring.”

*

Two Weeks Notice

Romantic comedy (Dec. 20)

Warner Bros./Castle Rock

With: Hugh Grant, Sandra Bullock, Alicia Witt, Mark Feuerstein, Dana Ivey, Robert Klein, Heather Burns, David Haig.

The idea: Millionaire mistreats his attorney-assistant, misses her when she leaves.

Writer-director: Marc Lawrence.

Combine Grant and Bullock, stir for an aperitif that should contrast nicely with the mostly heavier surrounding fare. It’s a little surprising they haven’t been teamed before, because they have clicked in romantic comedies when other material has proved less appetizing. One of a handful of women who can carry a studio picture, Bullock also produced this one, her third with writer Lawrence, in his directing debut.