Bond's back before year's end

By George Lang and Brandy McDonnell

Published: September 17, 2008

Movie fans charting the course of their fall visits to multiplexes will notice the conspicuous absence of The Boy Who Lived. Thanks to the efforts of some dark forces in Warner Bros.' schedule, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" got pushed to next summer, but the studios have other opportunities to conjure magic this fall — the return of James Bond might be all that is needed to lift any box-office curses.

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Nicolas Cage teams with directors Oxide and Danny Pang ("The Eye") for a remake of Pang's slam-bang 1999 assassin's tale, "Bangkok Dangerous." And in "Baghead," four friends go to a remote cabin to create a horror film that will boost their careers, only to find that the villain, a guy with a bag over his head, is stalking them.

Ethan and Joel Coen follow their Oscar win for "No Country for Old Men" with the George Clooney-led goofball comedy "Burn After Reading," in which a discredited CIA analyst's memoir falls into the hands of two dim gym employees (Brad Pitt and Frances McDormand).

"Righteous Kill" brings the "Heat" by reuniting stars Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro. "Tyler Perry's the Family That Preys" brings together Kathy Bates and Alfre Woodard as two matriarchs of wildly different families ripped asunder by greed and infighting.

Two desperate single mothers (Melissa Leo and Misty Upham) get involved in smuggling illegal immigrants into the United States through Mohawk Indian land in writer-director Courtney Hunt's "Frozen River." After a torturous 14-year gestation, Diane English's remake of "The Women" finally sees the light, starring Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Jada Pinkett Smith and Debra Messing.

Sept. 19

Keira Knightley plays Georgiana Spencer, the ravishing and scandalous Duchess of Devonshire (and direct ancestor of Princess Diana) in "The Duchess." Following a brush with death, a New Yorker (Ricky Gervais of "The Office") starts seeing spirits in "Ghost Town."

In Neil LaBute's "Lakeview Terrace," a young couple (Kerry Washington, Patrick Wilson) falls under the scrutiny of their distrusting Los Angeles Police Department neighbor (Samuel L. Jackson). John Cusack, John Cleese, Eddie Izzard and Steve Buscemi voice "Igor," the story of a hunchbacked assistant who dreams of becoming a mad scientist.

Dane Cook plays a professional bad date hired to reunite Kate Hudson with Jason Biggs in "My Best Friend's Girl." Wayne Wang, director of "The Joy Luck Club," explores father-daughter relationships in "A Thousand Years of Good Prayers." "Battle in Seattle," starring Woody Harrelson and Charlize Theron, dramatizes the 1999 World Trade Organization riots.

Sept. 26

Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan are recruited by a shadowy conspirator in "Eagle Eye," directed by D.J. Caruso ("Disturbia"). Spike Lee examines a true World War II story in "Miracle at St. Anna," in which members of a "buffalo soldier" division find themselves separated from their unit in Tuscany while trying to save a boy. Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo star in Fernando Meirelles' "Blindness," in which a town begins to collectively lose its sight.

"Unfaithful" stars Diane Lane and Richard Gere in an adaptation of Nicholas Sparks' "Nights in Rodanthe." Three soldiers on leave (Tim Robbins, Rachel McAdams and Michael Pena) face the difficulty of coming home in "The Lucky Ones."

Oct. 3

Small dogs start yapping thanks to the voices of George Lopez, Cheech Marin, Salma Hayek and Drew Barrymore in "Beverly Hills Chihuahua." After four years spent directing documentaries, Jonathan Demme returns to fiction with "Rachel Getting Married," about a rehab patient (Anne Hathaway) returning home in time for a pivotal wedding.

Michael Cera of "Juno" and "Superbad" stars as an indie rocker finding unexpected love in "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist," and Bruce Willis plays himself in Barry Levinson's satirical tour of the movie business, "What Just Happened?"

Simon Pegg ("Hot Fuzz") plays British journalist Toby Moore, but the rest of the names are changed in "How to Lose Friends & Alienate People," an adaptation of Moore's publishing business tell-all memoir. Michael Moore is lampooned in David Zucker's "An American Carol," and two lawmen (Viggo Mortensen, Ed Harris) must unite a town while sparring over the affections of one woman (Renee Zellweger) in "Appaloosa," Harris' first directorial effort since 2000's "Pollock."

Oct. 8

With "RocknRolla," director Guy Ritchie ("Snatch," "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels") follows a team of schemers (Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson and Thandie Newton, among others) hatching a plan to steal a huge cache of loot — what else?

Oct. 10

Two teens must try to keep their underground city alive and bright in "City of Ember," the latest family film from Fox Walden. Russell Crowe and director Ridley Scott reteam for "Body of Lies," in which an FBI agent (Leonardo DiCaprio) traces a Jordanian terrorist. Director Mike Leigh veers away from the dark realism of "Vera Drake" in favor of chirpy, bright realism in "Happy-Go-Lucky." And for sheer terror with a definite "Cloverfield" vibe, check out the video they found of the bizarre killings inside a Los Angeles apartment complex in "Quarantine," a remake of the Spanish horror film "Rec."

Oct. 17

Oliver Stone directs Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Banks and James Cromwell in "W.," Stone's biopic of the current president of the United States. In "The Secret Life of Bees," a 14-year-old girl (Dakota Fanning) searches for the true story of her late mother with the help of her caregiver (Jennifer Hudson). "Max Payne" is based on a video game, but with Mark Wahlberg in the title role and Mila Kunis as fugitive Mona Sax, it could be relatively pain-free. "Sex Drive," which is not based on a video game, follows 18-year-old Ian (Josh Zuckerman) on a cross-country trip to meet his Internet dream girl, Ms. Tasty (Katrina Bowden of "30 Rock").

And for more enlightening fare, Greg Kinnear stars as Bob Kearns, the inventor of intermittent windshield wipers whose creation was promptly stolen by the major automakers, in "Flash of Genius."

Oct. 24

The crime drama "Pride and Glory" focuses on a family of New York City police officers played by Colin Farrell, Edward Norton and Jon Voight.

Zac Efron, Vanessa Anne Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale and the rest of the Wildcats from Disney's tween phenomenon reunite for their first big-screen outing in "High School Musical 3: Senior Year." And the horror saga of serial killer Jigsaw continues with "Saw V."

Harrison Ford, Sean Penn and Ashley Judd star in "Crossing Over," a multicharacter drama that explores the issue of illegal immigration into the United States.

Oct. 31

Clint Eastwood directs the based-on-real-events thriller "Changeling," starring Angelina Jolie as a mother whose initial joy at having her missing son return fades when she realizes the boy isn't her child. Director Kevin Smith follows the adventures of platonic pals (Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks) who decide to solve their money woes by making an adult film in "Zack and Miri Make a Porno."

A teen (Haley Bennett) tries to make a fresh start in a new town but is overwhelmed by visions from her dark past in "The Haunting of Molly Hartley."

Nov. 7

Ben Stiller, Chris Rock and David Schwimmer again lend their voices to wacky animated zoo critters in DreamWorks' "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa." In "Role Models," Paul Rudd and Seann William Scott play immature pals forced to mentor children to avoid jail.

Nov. 14

A pair of estranged soul singers (Samuel L. Jackson, the late Bernie Mac) agree to reunite for a performance honoring their recently deceased bandmate in "Soul Men." The comedy also features the late Isaac Hayes playing himself.

The 22nd James Bond film, "Quantum of Solace," picks up where the series' successful 2006 reboot, "Casino Royale," left off, with the super-spy (Daniel Craig) seeking to avenge the death of Vesper Lynd.

Nov. 21

The highly anticipated movie adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's first book, "Twilight," centers on misfit teen Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), who falls for a beautiful vampire named Edward (Robert Pattinson).

In "Nothing Like the Holidays," a scattered Puerto Rican family reunites for Christmas. A reporter (Robert Downey Jr.) tells the story of a talented but troubled musician (Jamie Foxx) living on Skid Row in "The Soloist." In the Disney animated feature "Bolt," a dog (voice of John Travolta) who plays a canine superhero on TV escapes the studio and goes on an adventure in the real world.

Nov. 26

In "Four Christmases," Reece Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn star as a couple forced to visit four sets of parents at Yuletide. Seven years after "Moulin Rouge," director Baz Luhrmann returns with "Australia," an epic Western set against the outback in World War II and starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman.

Jason Statham returns for another round as Frank Martin in "Transporter 3," and Viggo Mortensen stars in director John Hillcoat's adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's Pulitzer Prize-winning apocalyptic novel, "The Road."

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