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COLD MOUNTAIN
PLOT: This Civil War saga focuses on a wounded Confederate soldier (Jude Law) who attempts to make it back to his North Carolina home.
THE LOWDOWN: This adaptation of Charles Frazier's wildly popular novel is clearly one of Miramax Films' most ambitious efforts to date, with The English Patient's Anthony Minghella directing a heavyweight cast that also includes Nicole Kidman, Renee Zellweger and Philip Seymour Hoffman. . . Although the story is primarily set in North Carolina, most of the filming took place in Romania (with a handful of scenes shot in Virginia and South Carolina).
PAYCHECK
PLOT: An engineer (Ben Affleck) who had his memory erased while working for a shady corporation tries to piece together what occurred during that time frame.
THE LOWDOWN: The last movie based on a Philip K. Dick short story was Steven Spielberg's stunning Minority Report. . . Action director John Woo needs a hit after burning wads of cash on the WWII flop Windtalkers. . . Uma Thurman figures in a supporting role.
PETER PAN
PLOT: Peter Pan (Jeremy Sumpter) and his Lost Boys cavort with Wendy Darling (Rachel Hurd-Wood) and clash with Captain Hook (Jason Isaacs).
THE LOWDOWN: After Hook and Return to Never Land, the legend has nowhere to go but up. . . French actress Ludivine Sagnier, who raised art-house temperatures in Swimming Pool, plays Tinker Bell.
DECEMBER 26
HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG
PLOT: A former addict (Jennifer Connelly) loses her house through a bureaucratic screw-up and then can't get it back because an Iranian immigrant (Ben Kingsley) and his family have bought the place -- a development that threatens to send her over the edge.
THE LOWDOWN: The preview makes this look quite promising -- if the movie doesn't cop out by turning a gray situation into a black-and-white one, then this might be provocative as well as pulse-quickening.
21 GRAMS
PLOT: Three people (Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro and Naomi Watts) are brought together in the aftermath of a fatal car accident.
THE LOWDOWN: Director Alejandro Gonzalez-Inarritu and writer Guillermo Arriaga previously collaborated on the Oscar-nominated indie hit Amores Perros. . . Between this and Mystic River, Penn seems likely to pick up a couple of year-end awards.
NO DATE SET
The following are scheduled to open in New York and Los Angeles over the course of the next few months, but no dates have been finalized for the rest of the country. That means that Charlotte will see some of these in 2003, some in early 2004, and some not at all.
BIG FISH
PLOT: A colorful individual (Albert Finney) who's led an unusual life (or so he claims in his many tall tales) seeks to be reunited with his estranged son (Billy Crudup).
THE LOWDOWN: The promising trailer for Tim Burton's latest makes it look like a more whimsical Forrest Gump (if that's possible). . . Ewan McGregor plays the Finney character in the flashback sequences. . . The terrific cast also includes Jessica Lange, Helena Bonham Carter, Danny DeVito and rising Alison Lohman (Matchstick Men, White Oleander).
CALENDAR GIRLS
PLOT: Based on a true story, this centers on a group of middle-aged British women who, in the name of charity, decide to pose nude for their annual calendar, which typically has always featured pretty flowers and rolling hills.
THE LOWDOWN: I wasn't the biggest fan of director Nigel Cole's previous film, the dopey dope comedy Saving Grace, but this one seems more likely to be a breakout hit on the order of The Full Monty. . . Reliables Helen Mirren and Julie Walters head the cast.
THE COMPANY
PLOT: The members of a dance troupe contend with personal issues and professional routines.
THE LOWDOWN: Those expecting the latest from Robert Altman to feature his usual all-star cast might be disappointed: Aside from Neve Campbell (who also produced), James Franco and Malcolm McDowell, most of the cast is comprised of members of Chicago's Joffrey Ballet.
GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING
PLOT: Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer (Colin Firth) finds his muse in his young maid (Scarlett Johansson).
THE LOWDOWN: This has already been showcased at a handful of international film festivals, snagging a couple of awards along the way. . . Johansson is riding a rash of great reviews for her work in Lost In Translation.
THE HUMAN STAIN
PLOT: After being wrongly accused of making a racial remark, a college professor (Anthony Hopkins) finds his entire life falling apart.