SNEAKS ’96 : SPRING : Ah, the season of renewal. Check out the updated drag of ‘Birdcage,’ thecomputerization of ‘James and the Giant Peach’ and the new twist on action films, ‘Twister’--not to mention the first efforts from our pals at ‘Friends.’

All Dogs Go to Heaven 2. In the musical sequel to the animated hit, Charlie drops down from heaven to retrieve Gabriel’s horn. Lending their voices to the cause are Charlie Sheen, Sheena Easton and Ernest Borgnine. (MGM Animation)

American Buffalo. Dustin Hoffman and Dennis Franz try to pull a con on a friend in David Mamet’s adaptation of his play. Michael Corrente (“Federal Hill”) directs. (Samuel Goldwyn Co.)

August. Anthony Hopkins makes his directorial debut and co-stars in this adaptation of Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya.” Kate Burton plays the woman who’s desired by both Hopkins and Gawn Grainger. (Samuel Goldwyn Co.)

Barb Wire. Like Bogey in Casablanca, Pamela Lee takes no sides in the civil war destroying the U.S.A. Unlike Bogey, she ultimately hits the combat zone with an impressive array of weaponry. (Gramercy)

Big Night. Stanley Tucci and Tony Shalhoub are Italian immigrant brothers trying to save their restaurant business and latch on to the American Dream. Isabella Rossellini and Minnie Driver also appear. (Rysher Entertainment)

The Birdcage. Comedy titans Mike Nichols (producer-director), Elaine May (writer) and Robin Williams (star) team in this contemporary American telling of “La Cage aux Folles.” Gene Hackman, Nathan Lane and Dianne Wiest are also in on the sexual-orientation high jinks. (United Artists)

Captives. New frontiers in oral hygiene: Julia Ormond (“Sabrina”) is a divorced dentist who takes a job in a prison and becomes entangled with inmate patient Tim Roth (“Pulp Fiction”). (Miramax)

Carried Away. Ed Jones’ script, based on the novel “Farmer” by Jim Harrison (“Legends of the Fall”), details the ramifications of an affair between high school teacher Dennis Hopper and student Amy Locane in a battered Midwest farm town. (Fine Line)

The Celluloid Closet. This study of the cinema’s depiction of gay and lesbian characters includes clips from more than 100 films and interviews with everyone from Tom Hanks to Gore Vidal. (Sony Classics)

Celtic Pride. Dan Aykroyd and Daniel Stern are Boston Celtics fans who take desperate measures to help their team during the championship series. (Hollywood/Caravan)

Cemetery Man. Michele Soavi, a protege of Dario Argento and Terry Gilliam, directs this zombie jamboree about a graveyard watchman whose routine includes dispatching the walking dead. (October Films)

Cold Comfort Farm. John Schlesinger directs Ian McKellen and Eileen Atkins in a retelling of Malcolm Bradbury’s novel about a young girl (Kate Beckinsale) coping with her eccentric country cousins. (Gramercy)

Cosi. Members of Muriel’s wedding party and some other young Australian stars populate a based-on-a-true-story comedy about the staging of “Cosi Fan Tutte” at a mental hospital. (Miramax)

The Craft. Troubled teen Robin Tunney turns out to be just the person that three would-be witches at St. Benedict’s Academy need to kick their powers into gear. (Columbia)

Dead Man. Quirky auteur Jim Jarmusch moves from the Elvis-haunted Memphis of “Mystery Train” to the Old West, where Johnny Depp undertakes a grueling odyssey. John Hurt and Robert Mitchum are among the cast. Neil Young composed the score. (Miramax)

Denise Calls Up. First-time director Hal Selwyn spins a romantic comedy about a group of young professionals who spend so much time networking electronically that they never see each other. (Sony Classics)

Diabolique. Sharon Stone and Isabelle Adjani form a murderous alliance against Chazz Palminteri. Kathy Bates is the unortho dox detective in this remake of the 1955 suspense classic. (Warner Bros./Morgan Creek)

Down Periscope. Kelsey Grammer takes command of a rust-bucket sub and its crew of misfits. Harry Dean Stanton is the Scotty-esque engineer who keeps it afloat, while Bruce Dern and Rip Torn exchange their old rebel duds for admirals’ uniforms. (Fox)

Ed. Primates in the outfield? Matt LeBlanc (“Friends”) is a slumping minor leaguer whose new teammate--and roommate--is a chimp named Ed Sullivan. The little fellow helps turn it around for the Santa Rosa Rockets. (Universal)

Executive Decision. Kurt Russell, Steven Seagal and Halle Berry in producer Joel Silver’s high-flying actioner about the hijacking of a 747. (Warner Bros.)

Faithful. Paul Mazursky directs, Cher and Ryan O’Neal star in this story of a wife who discovers that her husband has hired a hit man to kill her. Co-star Chazz Palminteri wrote the script. (New Line/Savoy)

A Family Thing. Robert Duvall and James Earl Jones as brothers recalls Schwarzenegger and DeVito as twins. But they’re not playing it for laughs--they’re at the center of a drama about a white Southerner who learns that his biological mother was black, triggering an exploration of prejudice and blood ties. (United Artists)

Fargo. The Coen brothers bring their distinctive touch to the story of a Minneapolis car salesman whose plot to kidnap his own wife and pocket the ransom goes slightly haywire. (Gramercy)

Fear. Mark Wahlberg (formerly Marky Mark) plays the charismatic dude who wins the heart of young Reese Witherspoon. But things turn grim when his dark side emerges. (Universal)

Feeling Minnesota. First-time writer-director Steven Baigelman got assistance from the Sundance Institute in developing this film about brothers Keanu Reeves and Vincent D’Onofrio battling for the hand of Cameron Diaz. (Fine Line)

Flipper. Elijah Wood’s bummer of a summer at the island home of his ex-hippie uncle (Paul Hogan) is salvaged by an orphaned dolphin. (Universal)

Flirting With Disaster. Ben Stiller tracks down his biological parents (Alan Alda and Lily Tomlin) in a comedy written and directed by David O. Russell, who raised welts with his debut film “Spanking the Monkey.” Mary Tyler Moore and George Segal play the adoptive parents. (Miramax)

The Flower of My Secret. Pedro Almodovar’s latest is about a woman on the verge of a midlife crisis. Marisa Paredes stars as an author of romantic fiction who confronts issues of identity and motivation. (Sony Classics)

Foxfire. Annette Haywood-Carter’s directorial debut follows four teenage girls as they struggle for independence. Based on Joyce Carol Oates’ novel. (Samuel Goldwyn Co.)

Getting Away With Murder. Ethics professor Dan Aykroyd learns that kindly neighbor Jack Lemmon is, in fact, a Nazi war criminal. The prof decides to take matters into his own hands. Oh, it’s a comedy. (Savoy)

Girl 6. Theresa Randle stars as a woman with a phone-sex job and ambitions of movie stardom. Spike Lee’s comedy also features music by Prince and appearances by Quentin Tarantino and Madonna. (Fox Searchlight)

The Girl You Want. Winona Ryder is a damsel in distress who finds shelter and romance (Lukas Haas) at an exclusive boys’ school. (Touchstone)

The Grass Harp. Stirling Silliphant and Kirk Ellis adapted Truman Capote’s novel about a young boy learning about life from such colorful characters as sisters Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie. Charles Matthau directs dad Walter, Jack Lemmon, Nell Carter and others. (Fine Line)

The Great White Hype. “House Party’s” Reginald Hudlin directs Samuel L. Jackson as a flamboyant promoter who pumps up a fight between pug-turned-rocker Peter Berg and champ Damon Wayans. (Fox)

Hard Eight. The underbelly of Reno is the setting for this story of a professional gambler (Philip Baker Hall), his protege (John C. Reilly), a hooker (Gwyneth Paltrow) and a crook (Samuel L. Jackson). (Samuel Goldwyn Co.)

Headless Body in Topless Bar. While he’s holding the patrons of a strip joint hostage, an ex-con decides to initiate a little group therapy. (Northern Arts)

Heaven’s Prisoners. Alec Baldwin is an ex-New Orleans cop whose family is threatened by a crime lord. Mary Stuart Masterson, Kelly Lynch, Teri Hatcher, Eric Roberts and Vondi Curtis Hall round out director Phil Joanou’s cast. (New Line/Savoy)

Hellraiser: Bloodline. Clive Barker’s neverending story spins on under the directorship of Kevin Yagher, who oversees this expansion of the original mythology. (Dimension/Miramax)

Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco. Bulldog, retriever and cat face danger and meet true love as they attempt to make their way back to the ‘burbs. (Walt Disney)

The Horseman on the Roof. A cholera epidemic in 1832 Provence is the backdrop for a drama of powerful emotions, centered on a tireless officer riding from town to town. Jean-Paul Rappeneau (“Cyrano”) directs. (Miramax)

House Arrest. Battling parents are locked in the basement by their kids for some enforced therapy. Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Pollak, Jennifer Tilly, Ray Walston and Wallace Shawn head the cast. (Rysher Entertainment)

If Lucy Fell. Eric Schaeffer (who also wrote and directed), Sarah Jessica Parker, Ben Stiller and Elle Macpherson in a romantic comedy about two friends who have a pact to jump from the Brooklyn Bridge if they haven’t found love by age 30. (TriStar)

Infinity. Matthew Broderick directs and stars in the true story of renowned physicist Richard Feynman, who faces conflicts of loyalty, morality and the heart as he falls in love while America enters World War II. (First Look)

I Shot Andy Warhol. This portrait of Valerie Solanas (Lili Taylor), the woman who popped the Pop Art icon, is also a paean to the Warhol world, with portrayals of such denizens as Candy Darling (Stephen Dorff) and Viva (Tahnee Welch) and a score by the Velvet Underground’s John Cale. (Samuel Goldwyn Co.)

It’s My Party. It’s a two-day farewell thrown by architect Nick Stark (Eric Roberts), who is dying of AIDS. Among the guests are Marlee Matlin and Margaret Cho. (United Artists)

Jack and Sarah. Richard E. Grant, faced with the challenge of bringing up his baby daughter alone, engages inexperienced waitress Samantha Mathis as his nanny. Ian McKellen and Judi Dench critique the arrangement. (Gramercy)

James and the Giant Peach. Tim Burton and Henry Selick, the masterminds behind “Nightmare Before Christmas,” tackle Roald Dahl’s classic about a boy’s adventures with some colorful insect friends. Voices by Richard Dreyfuss, Susan Sarandon, et al, songs by Randy Newman. (Walt Disney)

Jane Eyre. Franco Zeffirelli’s version of the Charlotte Bronte classic stars William Hurt as Edward Rochester, with Anna Paquin (“The Piano”) and Charlotte Gainsbourg splitting the title role. (Miramax)

The Kids in the Hall Movie. The Canadian comics reunite for a post-series fling about a mood-altering drug craze that sweeps the nation. (Paramount)

The Killing Jar. California wine country is the placid setting for the story of a man (Brett Cullen) tortured by his past and accused of a heinous crime. (Paragon)

Land and Freedom. Life in the trenches of the Spanish Civil War, through the eyes of an idealistic young Liverpudlian. (Gramercy)

Large as Life. Bill Murray, Janeane Garofalo, Linda Fiorentino and others are dwarfed by the central character--a circus elephant bequeathed to Murray by his father. Cross-country adventures and a bond with departed dad are in the cards. (United Artists)

Last Dance. Bruce Beresford directs Rob Morrow as a lawyer whose research for a clemency appeal leads to love with death row inmate Sharon Stone. (Touchstone)

The Last Supper. Writer Dan Rosen skewers the left, the right and the middle in the story of some ultra-PC grad students (Cameron Diaz, Annabeth Gish, Ron Eldard, Jonathan Penner and Courtney Vance) who take on the conservative tide. (Sony Pictures Entertainment)

Learning Curves. When a gifted high school senior (Jason London) finds out that Harvard won’t have him if his math numbers do not improve, he desperately hires a tutor (Tia Carrere). (Savoy)

Like It Never Was Before. This story of a romance between a young magician and a middle-class family man is based on a screen play by gay Swedish comedian Jonas Gardell. (Cinevista)

Loaded. Neo-psychedelic bliss rudely evaporates for a group of young friends who are shooting a horror film in an English country mansion. Jane Campion’s sister Anna Campion makes her writing-directing debut. (Miramax)

Lone Star. John Sayles wrote and directed this story of a young sheriff (Chris Cooper) in a Texas border town whose investigation of an unearthed skeleton leads to trouble with his dad’s old nemesis Kris Kristofferson. (Columbia)

Looking for Richard. Co-producer, director and star Al Pacino takes an “8 1/2” approach to Shakespeare’s “Richard III,” telling the classic drama while depicting a filmmaker’s struggle to comprehend the play. The cast includes Winona Ryder and Alec Baldwin. (Fox Searchlight)

The Low Life. Some real Hollywood street life seeps into this low-budget account of post-college depression among three Ivy League buddies near the bottom of the L.A. food chain. Director George Hickenlooper won an Emmy for co-directing the “Apocalypse Now” documentary “Hearts of Darkness.” (Cinepix)

Mariette in Ecstasy. Geraldine O’Rawe (“Circle of Friends”) is a young nun whose visions threaten to topple her convent. Priest Rutger Hauer conducts an inquiry. (Savoy)

Maybe . . . Maybe Not. Germany’s biggest domestic hit of ’94 (“Der Bewegte Mann” in German) was based on two gay comic books, examining the romantic escapades of four people. (LIVE Entertainment)

Mrs. Winterbourne. Ricki Lake and Shirley MacLaine co-star in a Cinderella story of mistaken identity, based on Cornell Woolrich’s novel “I Married a Dead Man.” Richard Benjamin directs. (TriStar)

Mulholland Falls. Four cops form an elite unit in early-’50s L.A. The high-powered cast includes Nick Nolte, Melanie Griffith, Chazz Palminteri, John Malkovich, Michael Madsen, Treat Williams, Rob Lowe and Bruce Dern. Directed by Lee Tamahori (“Once Were Warriors”). (MGM)

Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie. Just don’t make wisecracks during the screening of this adaptation of the cult television hit, in which space-bound Mike Nelson and his robots make wisecracks about bad movies. (Gramercy)

Normal Life. Luke Perry and Ashley Judd’s search for a normal life leads them into anything-but-normal endeavors in this meditation on the American Dream. (Fine Line)

Of Love and Shadows. Screenwriter Donald Freed adapted Isabel Allende’s novel about a romance between fashion journalist Jennifer Connolly and psychologist-turned-photographer Antonio Banderas, conducted in the shadow of a military dictatorship. (Miramax)

Oliver & Company. A re-release of the 1988 animated version of “Oliver Twist,” about an orphaned kitten and a pack of pickpocket dogs. Billy Joel, Bette Midler, Cheech Marin and Dom DeLuise are among those lending their voices. (Walt Disney)

Original Gangstas. They’re ‘70s blaxploitation vets Fred Williamson, Jim Brown, Pam Grier, Ron O’Neal and Richard Roundtree, facing off against their more lethal successors (including rappers Dru Down, Shyheim and Luniz) in Gary, Ind. (Orion)

The Pallbearer. David Schwimmer (“Friends”) agrees to lead the services for a former high school classmate, triggering a series of comedic episodes featuring Barbara Hershey, Carol Kane, Gwyneth Paltrow and others. Matt Reeves co-wrote and directs. (Miramax)

Parallel Sons. John G. Young’s study of a gay interracial romance has won prizes at a host of festivals. (Cinevista)

Pie in the Sky. Josh Charles plays a man with two passions: traffic gridlock and dancer Anne Heche. Writer-director Bryan Gordon won an Oscar for the short film “Ray’s Heterosexual Dance Hall.” (Fine Line)

Primal Fear. Emmy-winning producer-director Gregory Hoblit makes his debut as a film director in the story of flamboyant defense attorney Richard Gere working an explosive trial. (Paramount)

Purple Noon (Plein Soleil). A reissue of French director Rene Clement’s 1960 film starring Alain Delon as an ingratiating ne’er-do-well who’s engaged to return an errant young man to his parents in Paris. (Miramax)

Race the Sun. Travel from a high school in Hawaii to the Australian desert with some students whose boredom is ended by a teacher who inspires them to get into an international solar car competition. (TriStar)

Robinson Crusoe. The first feature film to be shot in Papua, New Guinea, finds Pierce Brosnan as the shipwrecked seaman and William Takaku as Friday in director George Miller’s version of Daniel Defoe’s classic. (Miramax)

Sgt. Bilko. Haaay-up! Steve Martin inherits Phil Silvers’ role as the motor pool motormouth, teaming with Dan Aykroyd, Phil Hartman and Glenne Headly in a battle to keep the brass from shutting down the base. (Universal)

The Shadow Conspiracy. Following his dad’s footsteps in “The American President,” Charlie Sheen plays a presidential adviser. No laughs here, though, as he becomes a murder suspect who uncovers an assassination conspiracy with reporter Linda Hamilton. (Hollywood)

Solo. Mario Van Peebles is an efficient and easily repaired warrior (he’s made of plastic) able to execute the government’s most dangerous missions. But what happens when he learns what it means to be human? (Triumph)

The Star Maker. “Cinema Paradiso” director Giuseppe Tornatore tells the story of a “talent scout” who sells screen tests and promises of stardom to poor villagers in Sicily. (Miramax)

Stephen King’s Thinner. New frontiers in dieting: Portly attorney Robert John Burke runs over a Gypsy and is cursed with a case of perpetual weight loss. (Paramount)

Sunset Park. Rhea Perlman takes over as coach of an undisciplined Brooklyn high school basketball team. Can the city championships be far away? (TriStar)

Theodore Rex. Whoopi Goldberg shares the billing in this family comedy with the title character--an 8-foot-tall dinosaur. (New Line)

A Thin Line Between Love and Hate. Martin Lawrence, who also directed, stars with singer Bobby Brown in a blend of comedy and romance, played out to a hip-hop beat. (New Line)

‘Til There Was You. Screenwriter Winnie Holzman and director Scott Winant, veterans of TV’s “thirtysomething” and “My So-Called Life,” team on the story of a couple (Jeanne Tripplehorn and Dylan McDermott) whose paths intersect before they ever meet. (Paramount)

Trees Lounge. That’s the name of a Long Island dive that a crew of colorful characters calls home, in star Steve Buscemi’s writing-directing debut. (LIVE Entertainment)

The Truth About Cats and Dogs. “Cyrano de Bergerac” was the distant inspiration for Audrey Wells’ story of a radio talk-show host (Janeane Garofalo) who asks her friend the model (Uma Thurman) to stand in when love (Ben Chaplin) comes calling. (Fox)

Twister. Beautiful scientist Helen Hunt leads a team of colleagues (including estranged husband Bill Paxton) into the heart of a killer storm system. “Speed” director Jan De Bont connects with the creators of “Jurassic Park” to call the action. (Warner Bros.)

Two Much. Gallery owner Antonio Banderas concocts a fictional twin to expedite his courtship of Daryl Hannah, while her sister Melanie Griffith zeroes in on him. Or one of him. (Touchstone)

Under the Donim Tree. Tells the intertwining stories of the inhabitants of a youth village for Holocaust survivors in 1950 Israel. (Strand)

Untitled Goose Project. Jeff Daniels, not so dumb this time, helps his 13-year-old daughter Anna Paquin teach the geese that she’s adopted to migrate for the winter. (Columbia)

Up Close and Personal. Michelle Pfeiffer as an anchorwoman on the rise, Robert Redford as her mentor and lover. Jon Avnet directs a script by Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne. (Touchstone)

Waiting for Guffman. The preparations for a pageant celebrating the 150th birthday of a Missouri town, played for laughs by Spinal Tap’s Christopher Guest (director and co-writer), “SCTV’s” Eugene Levy (co-writer) and Catherine O’Hara. (Columbia/Castle Rock)

*

Photo Research: Kathleen Craughwell