Wrapping Up the Year

Opening Friday

The Decline of Western Civilization Part III. Youth pulse-taker Penelope Spheeris turns her documentary eye on the homeless “gutter-punks” of Hollywood. (Spheeris Films)

Hard Core Logo. A legendary Vancouver punk band undertakes a reunion tour that brings its members up against some hard truths. (Rolling Thunder)

I’ll Be Home for Christmas. Jonathan Taylor Thomas must hitchhike across the country in a Santa get-up or lose the Porsche his dad has promised him. (Walt Disney)

I Still Know What You Did Last Summer. Jennifer Love Hewitt, shaky from that last movie, heads for the Bahamas and encounters more mayhem. Singer Brandy makes her feature film debut as her pal. (Columbia)

Meet Joe Black. If an otherworldly creature is going to take human form, he might as well pick Brad Pitt’s. While on Earth, he falls in love with Anthony Hopkins’ daughter Claire Forlani. (Universal)

Welcome to Woop Woop. “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” director Stephan Elliott returns to the outback, where an isolated town is ruled by Rodgers & Hammerstein aficionado Daddy-O (Rod Taylor). One of his rules: No one leaves. (Goldwyn Films)

*

Nov. 20

A Bug’s Life. An ant organizes a squad of insects to save the colony from invading grasshoppers in Pixar/Disney’s theatrical follow-up to “Toy Story.” (Walt Disney)

Celebrity. Woody Allen’s comedic ensemble this time includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Winona Ryder, Kenneth Branagh, Melanie Griffith and Charlize Theron. (Miramax)

Dancing at Lughnasa. Meryl Streep is part of a close-knit Irish clan whose secrets begin to break through as Europe approaches upheaval in 1936. (Sony Pictures Classics)

Enemy of the State. NSA official Jon Voight’s elaborate crime and cover-up ensnare attorney Will Smith, who’s framed for murder. Mysterious operative Gene Hackman is his only hope. Directed by Tony Scott and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. (Touchstone)

The Rugrats Movie. The Nickelodeon animated series jumps to the big screen with a story centered on the birth of Tommy Pickles’ brother, Dil. (Paramount)

Savior. Dennis Quaid as a mercenary who attempts to rediscover his humanity amid the cruelty of warfare in Bosnia. (Lions Gate)

Waking Ned Devine. The British comedy concerns the uproar in a small Irish town when an unknown resident wins the lottery. (Fox Searchlight)

River Red. Tom Everett Scott and David Moscow as brothers whose final confrontation with their abusive father leads to a destructive deception. (Castle Hill)

*

Nov. 25

Babe: Pig in the City. James Cromwell and Magda Szubanski return as the Hoggets, joined by Mickey Rooney in this sequel to the barnyard blockbuster. (Universal)

Central Station. The story of a Rio de Janeiro woman and a boy seeking his father in the remote Northeast is a metaphor for Brazil’s search for its own roots. (Sony Pictures Classics)

Home Fries. An eccentric mother, two brothers and the woman the boys are obsessed with are the principals in an offbeat comedy starring Drew Barrymore, Catherine O’Hara, Luke Wilson, Jake Busey and Shelly Duvall. (Warner Bros.)

The Last Emperor. Almost an hour of unseen footage expands the director’s cut of Bertolucci’s 1987 epic to its original 219-minute running time. (Artisan Entertainment)

Ringmaster. Jerry Springer plays himself in a fictional account of the antics behind the scenes as two groups of guests become even more dysfunctional in each other’s company. (Artisan Entertainment)

Steam: The Turkish Bath. When a Roman designer is bequeathed a traditional steam bath in Istanbul, he enters a new and sensuous realm. (Strand)

Very Bad Things. In the dark comedy from first-time writer-director Peter Berg, a bachelor party triggers a series of fateful decisions. With Christian Slater, Cameron Diaz, Daniel Stern and Jeanne Tripplehorn, among others. (PolyGram)

*

Nov. 27

Ten Benny. A man tries a shortcut to the big time, jeopardizing his friendships and his future. (Palisades Pictures)

*

Dec. 4

Denial. Writer Adam Rifkin (“Mousehunt,” “Small Soldiers”) also directs this inquiry into the state of monogamy, enacted by three sophisticated couples. (Blump’s International Releasing)

Little Voice. Jane Horrocks re-creates her stage role in this adaptation of Jim Cartwright’s play about a girl who can only express herself through vintage songs. Michael Caine, Ewan McGregor, Brenda Blethyn and Jim Broadbent also star. (Miramax)

Psycho. Vince Vaughn hands Anne Heche her room key in director Gus Van Sant’s scene-for-scene homage to Alfred Hitchcock’s classic. (Universal)

A Simple Plan. Bill Paxton and Billy Bob Thornton star in screenwriter Scott Smith’s adaptation of his own novel about two men who steal $4.4 million from a downed airplane. (Paramount)

*

Dec. 11

Red Meat. That’s what’s on the table as three men spin anecdotes that reflect contrasting attitudes toward sex and love. (Peninsula Films)

Shakespeare in Love. Joseph Fiennes as the struggling young playwright, and Gwyneth Paltrow as the woman who unlocks his writer’s block. John Madden (“Mrs. Brown”) directs the period comedy. (Miramax)

Jack Frost. Deceased musician Michael Keaton returns in the form of a snowman built by his son. Among the participating rock artists are Henry Rollins, Dweezil and Ahmet Zappa and Trevor Rabin. (Warner Bros.)

Star Trek: Insurrection. In the ninth entry in the enduring franchise, a disillusioned Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) leads a potentially treasonous campaign against the Federation. (Paramount)

Tango. Cinematographer Vittorio Storaro won a Special Technical Award at Cannes for his work on this story of a director whose film about the fiery dance entangles him with a dangerous dancer. (Sony Pictures Classics)

*

Dec. 16

Skin & Bone. A look at the occupational hazards faced by three young men who enact sexual fantasies for a wealthy clientele. (Your de Fete Films).

*

Dec. 18

George B. A borderline loser’s lucky day in Reno leads to brighter prospects, but there’s a big betrayal looming. David Morse and Nina Siemaszko star. (WunderHund Releasing)

Playing by Heart. A large ensemble, including Gillian Anderson, Sean Connery, Anthony Edwards and Gena Rowlands, experiences varying facets of love in this Los Angeles-set drama. (Miramax)

The Prince of Egypt. Stephen Schwartz’s songs and the voices of Sandra Bullock, Steve Martin, Michelle Pfeiffer and Jeff Goldblum, among others, are some of the attractions in this animated telling of the story of Moses. (DreamWorks)

You’ve Got Mail. “Sleepless in Seattle’s” production and acting team reconvenes to remake Lubitsch’s “The Shop Around the Corner,” with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan as enemies who unknowingly fall in love through their e-mail exchanges. (Warner Bros.)

*

Dec. 23

The Day of the Beast. Almodovar protege Alex de al Iglesia’s horror comedy about a priest who goes on a sin spree in order to meet and destroy the antichrist. (Trimark)

The General. The title character is a robber (Brendan Gleeson) who’s a hero to his fellow denizens of a Dublin slum and prey for investigator Jon Voight. (Sony Pictures Classics)

The Theory of Flight. Kenneth Branagh is the reluctant community-service caretaker of invalid Helena Bonham Carter, the victim of a vicious neuromuscular disease. (Fine Line)

*

Dec. 25

Down in the Delta. Poet Maya Angelou’s debut as a director is a drama about a woman (Mary Alice) who tries to save her daughter (Alfre Woodard) from the Chicago streets by taking her home to the Mississippi Delta. (Miramax)

A Civil Action. Small-time attorney John Travolta gets in over his head when he greedily takes on a case that leads in unexpected directions. Steven Zaillian directs. (Touchstone)

The Faculty. “Desperado” director Robert Rodriguez teams with “Scream” writer Kevin Williamson in a sci-fi thriller about high school students facing an alien takeover. (Miramax)

Hilary & Jackie. Emily Watson (“Breaking the Waves”) plays cellist Jacqueline du Pre and Rachel Griffiths (“Muriel’s Wedding”) is her sister in a story of musical brilliance and psychological conflict. (October Films)

Hurlyburly. David Rabe’s script portrays Hollywood in a darkly comic vein. With Sean Penn, Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright Penn, Chazz Palminteri, Garry Shandling, Anna Paquin and Meg Ryan. (Fine Line)

Mighty Joe Young. The big ape returns to Los Angeles in this update of the 1949 saga. (Walt Disney)

Patch Adams. Robin Williams teams with the “Nutty Professor” writing-directing duo of Steve Oedekerk and Tom Shadyac in the true story of an unconventional but inspirational medical student. (Universal)

Stepmom. Ed Harris’ ex-wife Susan Sarandon and his current girlfriend Julia Roberts develop an unusual friendship revolving around the marriage’s children. (TriStar)

Tea With Mussolini. Franco Zeffirelli’s coming-of-age story is set in Florence on the eve of World War II, where a boy is cultivated by an eccentric bunch, played by Cher, Joan Plowright, Maggie Smith, Lily Tomlin and Judi Dench. (Goldwyn Films)

The Thin Red Line. Terrence Malick returns as writer-director of a star-studded adaptation of James Jones’ novel about Guadalcanal. (Fox 2000)

*

Dec. 30

Affliction. Paul Schrader directs his own adaptation of the novel by Russell Banks (“The Sweet Hereafter”) about a conflict-riddled police officer (Nick Nolte) in a small New Hampshire town. (Lions Gate)

Another Day in Paradise. Larry Clark (“Kids”) returns to the heartland’s underbelly with this look at druggies and larceny in the Midwest of the early ‘70s. With James Woods, Melanie Griffith, Vincent Kartheiser and Natasha Gregson Wagner. (Trimark)

Hi-Lo Country. Stephen Frears (“The Grifters”) directs this study of two friends (Woody Harrelson and Billy Crudup) in the fading post-World War II American West. (Gramercy)

*

Holiday Sneaks ’98

MOVIE EDITOR: Rich Nordwind

CAPSULES BY: Richard Cromelin

RESEARCH BY: Kathleen Craughwell