2005 Movie Preview (Part 1)

My Top 10 Most Anticipated Films of 2005 list should be up by Tuesday. There are, as always, lots of films that didn't quite make the cut. Here's my guide to the best of the rest of films I'm looking forward to seeing. You'll notice no (ZERO!) mention of Star Wars: Episode 3 - Revenge of the Sith. Or whatever. I don't care.

2005: The Year In All-Star Lineups

You want names? I got your names! Woody Allen's latest spring release is a blend of tragedy and comedy focusing on Radha Mitchell's character MELINDA & MELINDA, co-starring Will Ferrell, Amanda Peet, Chloe Sevigny and the MIA-of-late Johnny Lee Miller. Daniel Day Lewis's real life wife, playwright Rebecca Miller, writes and directs her husband in THE BALLAD OF JACK AND ROSE co-starring Catherine Keener and Jason Lee. Director Gore Verbinski drops the genre fare for the great looking dark comedy THE WEATHER MAN starring Nicolas Cage, Michael Caine and Hope Davis. Behind the scenes problems plagued the appropriately titled RUMOR HAS IT, a 'what if?' dramedy paying tribute to The Graduate. The cast includes Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Costner, Mark Ruffalo, Mena Suvari and Shirley Maclaine. Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle and Brendan Fraser lead the ensemble drama CRASH. Heath Ledger goes skateboarding with Girl Next Door's Emile Hirsh in Thirteen director Catherine Hardwicke's LORDS OF DOGTOWN. Oscar-winners Russell Crowe and Renee Zellweger star in Oscar-winner Ron Howard's boxing drama CINDERELLA MAN which looks to be this summer's Seabiscuit. Paul Giamatti and Paddy Considine co-star. Writer-director Don Roos (The Opposite of Sex, Bounce) weaves a series of vignettes set in LA with a cast that includes Lisa Kudrow, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Laura Dern, Jesse Bradford and Tom Arnold in HAPPY ENDINGS. And yes, it is that kind of happy ending. In the fall, Miramax releases the long delayed PROOF starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anthony Hopkins and Hope Davis; also from their shelf is AN UNFINISHED LIFE the latest from Lasse Hallstrom starring Robert Redford, Jennifer Lopez and Morgan Freeman. Matt Damon and Heath Ledger are THE BROTHERS GRIMM for Terry Gilliam. The big budget adventure costars Monica Belluci as a wicked witch. Kate Winslet, Susan Sarandon, James Gandolfini, John Turturro and Mandy Moore star in the musical ROMANCE AND CIGARETTES. Claire Danes stars in the Steve Martin penned comedy SHOPGIRL with Martin, Jason Schwartman and Jimmy Fallon. Robert Altman directs another large ensemble (does he do any other kind of movie?) led by Salma Hayek for the artworld set PAINT. From the writer-director of Things You Can Tell Just By Looking at Her comes NINE LIVES, starring Holly Hunter, Kathy Baker, Amy Brenneman, Glenn Close, Robin Wright Penn, Sissy Spacek and Amanda Seyfried. HATING HER is a dark comedy about a family's meeting of their son's new girlfriend, whom based on the title you can tell they don't paricularly care for. Sarah Jessica Parker, Dermot Mulroney, Rachel McAdams, Diane Keaton, Claire Danes and Luke Wilson star. Evan Rachel Wood accuses her teacher of sexual harassment and starts a media frenzy in PRETTY PERSUASION (best title of the year!), co-starring James Woods, Ron Livingston and Selma Blair. Jake Gyllenhaal is everywhere this year. (Lucky us!) He stars with Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Lucas Black and Sam Rockwell in JARHEAD for Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes. Mendes' real life wife Kate Winslet is part of the large ensemble cast of ALL THE KING'S MEN. Joining her is Sean Penn, Patricia Clarkson, Jude Law, Anthony Hopkins, Mark Ruffalo and James Gandolfini.

2005: The Year In Thrills

After the success of small horror films like The Grudge, Saw and Open Water, it seems more and more horror films are still getting the greenlight. The year opens with the Feb. 4 release of the long delayed BOOGEYMAN, from producer Sam Raimi and starring Barry Watson and Emily Deschanel. After that, let's hope Michael Bay can do less of a hackjob on his producing effort of THE AMITYVILLE HORROR than he did on The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Not that I'd know since I didn't see that remake. Ryan Reynolds and Alias babe Melissa George star as the Lutz's for the April film. June brings us the import HIGH TENSION, which is being released from Lions Gate with the NC-17 rating very much in tact. In the hot month of July, we get the New Orleans-set gothic ghost story SKELETON KEY starring Kate Hudson, Peter Sarsgaard and Gena Rowlands. This one sounds pretty cool. New Orleans also makes an appearance in writer Kevin Williamson's BACKWATER due third quarter. Jennifer Connelly, John C. Reilly and Camryn Manheim try to stay afloat in some DARK WATER from director Walter Salles. As always, fall will be the best time for some thrills. THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE boasts one of the most impressive casts for a genre film this year: Tom Wilkinson, Laura Linney, Shorheh Aghdashloo and Campbell Scott. Richard Linklater directs Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder in the hip titled A SCANNER DARKLY based on the novel by Philip K. Dick. Wes Craven unleashes his second release of the year, RED-EYE, featuring the very sexy teamup of Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy. And last, but definately not least, is the remake of the John Carpenter classic THE FOG. As of right now, no cast has been set, but for the love of god please cast Patricia Clarkson in the Adrienne Barbeau role. She is beyond perfect for the part.

2005: The Year In Actresses

I'd watch Jennifer Garner star in a film based on the phone book. So you can imagine I have no problem with seeing the potentially bad ELEKTRA out January 14. I'm sure it will be better than Daredevil. Much like Miss Garner, Sandra Bullock is an actress audiences will watch in anything (see: Divine Secrets of the YaYa Sisterhood - or better yet, don't!) MISS CONGENIALITY 2: ARMED AND FABULOUS doesn't look good, but I'm sure it will be at least fun, right? RIGHT!?!?! Thank god we can always fall back on Nicole Kidman who has the spectacular looking THE INTERPRETER due out at the end of April. Kidman plays an African-American (like Charlize Theron, not Angela Bassett) woman protected by Sean Penn from an evil assassin. In the summer months comes Lindsay Lohan in another remake, HERBIE: FULLY LOADED. Matt Dillon costars in the film which has that famous 'love bug' entering the NASCAR world. Anne Hathaway is a girl gone wild in HAVOC. The actress will appear nude in the long delayed film. In July, Charlize Theron plays an assassin (the kind not trying to kill Nicole Kidman) in Girlfright director Karyn Kusama's AEON FLUX, an adaptation of the MTV cartoon. Frances McDormand costars. And how's this: Theron and McDormand reappear together in Whale Rider director Niki Caro's CLASS ACTION, a drama about the first sexual harrassment lawsuit due out in December. Leaving behind her Friend-ly persona, Courteney Cox Arquette stars in the dark indie NOVEMBER, a fave at last year's Sundance Film Festival. Julianne Moore is THE PRIZE WINNER OF DEFIANCE, OHIO, a mother of 10 who enters a jingle contest and wins. Laura Dern costars. Finally, Uma Thurman and Meryl Streep face off in the comedy PRIME, which focuses on a woman who falls for the son of her therapist.

2005: The Year In $100 Million Movies

Here's your big blockbusters: Summer kicks off with THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY with the very cool cast of Sam Rockwell, Zooey Deschanel and Mos Def. The same weekend as that movie opens, Ridley Scott's epic KINGDOM OF HEAVEN opens. Orlando Bloom, Liam Neeson and Jeremy Irons star. In June, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie try to out-sex each other in Doug Liman's MR. AND MRS. SMITH, a film pitched as a cross between True Lies and The War of the Roses. BATMAN BEGINS with Christian Bale as the caped crusader just starting out in Gotham. The supporting cast includes Katie Holmes, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Tom Wilkinson, Liam Neeson and Gary Oldman. At the end of June, audiences will have FUN WITH DICK AND JANE a remake of the caper-comedy starring Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni. WAR OF THE WORLDS is the big Independence Day release. The Steven Spielberg sci-fi epic caused Mission: Impossible 3 to be bumped back to 2006. In the fall, Colin Farrel plays John Smith in Terrence Malick's THE NEW WORLD. Harry Potter returns 2 weeks later in HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE. Miranda Richardson joins the cast as....some evil teacher, I'm assuming. Rob Marshall directs the epic MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA starring Zhang Ziyi and Ken Watanabe. Due in December, its one of the big Oscar contenders of the year. And, finally, Peter Jackson's interpretation of KING KONG lands in December. Naomi Watts, Jack Black and Adrien Brody star while Gollum's Andy Serkis plays the big ape.