FEATURE | Susan Granger's Fall Movie Preview
Reviewed by: Susan Granger

MODA MAG.COM -- As always, Hollywood saves the best for the last few months of the year so, as the leaves turn to Oscar gold, we have a lot to look forward to. Based on their potential, here are some of my sight-unseen favorite films to come:

      "Ray" about Ray Charles is just one of the many upcoming biographies. Jamie Foxx ("Collateral") is the legendary R&B musician and lip-syncs to his music. To simulate blindness, Foxx wore prosthetics, saying, "If you could open your eyes, you would cheat on how your body would move, but, if you can't see, you can't cheat because you don't know what's there."

      "Alexander" presents a blond-haired Colin Farrell in Oliver Stone's sword-and-sandals epic about the great Macedonian emperor who ruled most of the known world by the age of 30. But can you believe Angelina Jolie as his mother? Hey, it's gotta be better than "Troy," right?

      Marc Forster's "Finding Neverland" revolves around "Peter Pan" creator J.M. Barrie's touching relationships with the real-life brothers who inspired him and their widowed mother. Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet star, along with talented 12 year-old Freddie Highmore who, subsequently, landed the lead in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." Curiously, the release was delayed for a full year because, contractually, "Peter Pan" was allowed to open first. With Depp's "Pirates of the Caribbean" Oscar loss in March, "Neverland" could mean another nomination.

      In "Beyond the Sea," 45 year-old Kevin Spacey evokes pop singer Bobby Darin, who was 37 when he died in 1973 of a heart condition and he also directs with Kate Bosworth as Darin's wife, actress Sandra Dee. Spacey does his own "Mack the Knife" and "Dream Lover" singing.

      "Kinsey" finds Liam Neeson as biologist Alfred Kinsey, who stunned the nation with his 1948 study: "Sexual Behavior of the Human Male." Laura Linney is Kinsey's wife and Peter Sarsgaard is his bi-sexual assistant. (You may recall that Neeson and Linney played husband-and-wife before in the 2002 Broadway revival of "The Crucible.")

      And Martin Scorsese's "The Aviator" has Leonardo Di Caprio embodying obsessive Howard Hughes and focusing on Hughes' early career when he made aviation history along with movies. The star-studded cast has Cate Blanchett as Katharine Hepburn and Kate Beckinsale as Ava Gardner. Having missed the Oscar for "Gangs of New York," Scorsese's aiming for a big win.

      Sequels can be hit-or-miss, but I'd bet on "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason" because of the Renee Zellweger, Hugh Grant and Colin Firth triumvirate. Steven Soderberg's "Ocean's Twelve" reunites George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

      For a guilty pleasure, what could be better than "Meet the Fockers," the follow-up to "Meet the Parents" with Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Barbra Streisand and Dustin Hoffman? Also in the quirky comedy category, I'm eagerly anticipating Wes Anderson's "The Life Aquatic," starring Bill Murray as an Jacques Cousteau-like oceanographer/filmmaker.

      Joel Schumacher's "The Phantom of the Opera" follows the success of "Chicago," moving from stage-to-screen with Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson, Miranda Richardson and Minnie Driver singing Andrew Lloyd Webber's shamelessly romantic score.

      Traveling the same route is John Madden's adaptation of David Auburn's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama "Proof," about a bereaved daughter (Gwyneth Paltrow), her father (Anthony Hopkins) and suitor (Jake Gyllenhaal). And Patrick Merber's"Closer," directed by Mike Nichols, could bring Academy Award recognition for its romantically involved foursome: Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Natalie Portman and Clive Owen.

      If you like melodrama, Lasse Hallstrom's "An Unfinished Life" tells the story of a rancher (Robert Redford) who must come to terms with his son's death after his daughter-in-law (Jennifer Lopez) arrives with his grand-daughter. Could this trigger Redford's first acting Oscar?

      For animated fun, I'm eagerly anticipating "Shark's Tale," featuring the voices of Will Smith, Jack Black, Robert De Niro, Renee Zellweger, Martin Scorsese and Angelina Jolie. There's also "The Incredibles" about a family of superheroes who have moved to suburbia, utilizing the voices of Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson, Jason Lee and Wallace Shawn. And "SpongeBob SquarePants" is from TV's Nickelodeon. But can anything top "Shrek 2"? I wonder.

      In the foreign film category, I'm intrigued by Walter Salles' "The Motorcycle Diaries," starring Gael Garcia Bernal and Rodrigo de la Serna, based on Che Guevara's boyhood memories about motorbiking with a pal through South America in the 1950s. Guevera became Fidel Castro's right-hand man, so there's bound to be controversy.

      Also courting controversy is "The Woodsman," Nicole Kassell's story of a convicted pedophile who goes home on parole after a 12-year jail sentence. Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick take the leading roles in this redemption tale.

      Adam Sandler is an unhappy-but-successful chef in James L. Brooks' domestic comedy "Spanglish," so his loyal fans have something to look forward to. Then there are holiday-theme'd comedies like "Christmas With the Kranks" with Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis and "Surviving Christmas" with Ben Affleck and James Gandolfini. But my bet's with Robert Zemeckis' "The Polar Express," starring Tom Hanks in multiple roles, and "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" with Jim Carrey, Meryl Streep and Billy Connolly.

      Finally, if you loved "Hero," you'll look forward to Zhang Yimou's supposedly spectacular "House of Flying Daggers," set in ninth-century China. It's hard to beat Yimou for sheer cinematic artistry. 'See you at the movies.