Only the strong survive
Aug. 1
Gigli
Comedy
Columbia
With: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, Justin Bartha, Lainie Kazan.
The idea: Gorgeous gangster tries to sort out a bungled kidnapping.
Writer-director: Martin Brest.
So? Fairly high curiosity factor.
Dirty Pretty Things
Thriller
Miramax
With: Audrey Tautou, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sergi Lopez, Sophie Okonedo.
The idea: A shocking discovery at the London hotel where they work propels a desperate man and woman into the city’s underworld.
Writer: Steve Knight.
Director: Stephen Frears.
So? Unsavory business.
Freaky Friday
Comedy
Walt Disney
With: Jamie Lee Curtis, Lindsay Lohan, Harold Gould, Chad Michael Murray.
The idea: Mother and teenage daughter get a new perspective when they switch bodies on the eve of Mom’s wedding.
Writers: Leslie Dixon and Heather Hach; based on the novel by Mary Rodgers.
Director: Mark Waters.
So? A remake that may work on its own terms.
Aug. 8
And Now Ladies and Gentlemen
Drama
Paramount Classics
With: Jeremy Irons, Patricia Kaas, Thierry Lhermitte, Allesandra Martines.
The idea: Jewel thief and nightclub singer have an eventful encounter in Morocco.
Writer-director: Claude Lelouch.
So? Chanteuse Kaas’ screen debut.
Le Divorce
Comedy
Fox Searchlight
With: Jean-Marc Barr, Leslie Caron, Stockard Channing, Glenn Close, Romain Duris, Kate Hudson.
The idea: Cultures clash when American sisters find romance and scandal in Paris.
Writers: James Ivory and Ruth Prawer Jhabvala; based on the novel by Diane Johnson.
Director: Ivory.
So? Attractive material.
Shaolin Soccer
Action comedy
Miramax
With: Stephen Chow, Ng Mang-Tat, Li Hui. Zhou Wei.
The idea: Disciples of the Shaolin martial arts school bring their tradition to the game of soccer.
Writers: Chow, Tsang Kan Cheong.
Director: Chow.
So? Soccerrific.
Matchstick Men
Comedy
Warner Bros.
With: Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell, Alison Lohman.
The idea: Obsessive-compulsive con man’s life is complicated by the unexpected arrival of his teenage daughter.
Writers: Nicholas Griffin & Ted Griffin; based on the book by Eric Garcia.
Director: Ridley Scott.
So? A girl in their soup.
Aug. 15
American Splendor
Drama
HBO/Fine Line
With: Paul Giamatti, Hope Davis, James Urbaniak.
The idea: Comic-book writer Harvey Pekar chronicles the adventures not of a superhero, but of an everyman -- himself.
Writer-directors: Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini; based on Pekar’s comic book series.
So? Insightful, creative, took Grand Jury Prize at 2003 Sundance Festival.
Battle of Shaker Heights
Comedy-drama
Miramax
With: Not available.
The idea: High schooler’s life is changed when he meets someone who shares his passion: reenacting World War II battles.
Writer: Erica Beeney.
Directors: Efram Potelle and Kyle Rankin.
So? Project Greenlight No. 2.
Freddy vs. Jason
Horror
New Line
With: Robert Englund, Ken Kirzinger.
The idea: Clash of the slashers.
Writers: Damian Shannon & Mark Swift and David S. Goyer; story by Shannon & Swift.
Director: Ronny Yu.
So? Hong Kong’s Yu drops in on Elm Street.
The Medallion
Action
Screen Gems
With: Jackie Chan, Claire Forlani, Julian Sands, Lee Evans.
The idea: A mysterious medallion gives Chan superhuman powers.
Writers: Gordon Chan, Bey Logan.
Director: Gordon Chan.
So? We already thought he was super.
Once Upon a Time in the Midlands
Comedy
Sony Pictures Classics
With: Robert Carlyle, Rhys Ifans, Kathy Burke, Shirley Henderson.
The idea: A former boyfriend meets resistance when he shows up to rekindle an old flame.
Writers: Paul Fraser and Shane Meadows.
Director: Meadows.
So? Hooks and crooks.
Passionada
Romantic drama
IDP/Samuel Goldwyn/Fireworks
With: Sofia Milos, Jason Isaacs, Emmy Rossum, Lupe Ontiveros, Seymour Cassel, Theresa Russell.
The idea: Portuguese American singer and single mom falls for the wrong man.
Writers: Jim Jermanok, Steve Jermanok.
Director: Dan Ireland.
So? Seductive.
Aug. 20
Thirteen
Drama
Fox Searchlight
With: Evan Rachel Wood, Holly Hunter, Nikki Reed, Jeremy Sisto.
The idea: L.A. teenager falls under the spell of some fast-paced peers.
Writers: Catherine Hardwicke and Nikki Reed.
Director: Hardwicke.
So? Reed was 13 when she co-wrote the story, based on her experiences.
Aug. 22
Bukowski: Born Into This
Documentary
Magnolia Pictures
The idea: Close look at hard-living poet.
Director: John Dullaghan.
So? True grime.
Grind
Comedy
Warner Bros.
With: Mike Vogel, Vince Vieluf, Adam Brody, Joey Kern.
The idea: Wannabes follow a skateboard star on his summer tour.
Writer: Ralph Sall.
Director: Casey La Scala.
So? Boarders hit the road.
Marci X
Comedy
Paramount
With: Lisa Kudrow.
The idea: Record exec’s daughter takes over rap label.
Writer: Paul Rudnick.
Director: Richard Benjamin.
So? Culture clash for laughs.
My Boss’ Daughter
Comedy
Dimension
With: Ashton Kutcher, Tara Reid, Jeffrey Tambor, Andy Richter.
The idea: Young exec house-sits for the boss, tries to stave off disaster.
Writer: David Dorfman.
Director: David Zucker.
So? House of mirth.
Aug. 27
Highwaymen
Thriller
New Line
With: Jim Caviezel, Rhona Mitra.
The idea: Serial killer wields a ’72 El Dorado.
Writers: Hans Bauer & Craig Mitchell.
Director: Robert Harmon.
So? Harmon directed “The Hitcher” in ’86.
To Be and to Have
Documentary
New Yorker Films
With: Georges Lopez.
The idea: In an isolated village in the French province of Auvergne, a dedicated teacher covers subjects ranging from math to making crepes.
Director: Nicolas Philibert.
So? Enlightening.
Aug. 29
Jeepers Creepers 2
Horror
UA
With: Ray Wise, Jonathan Breck.
The idea: Busload of basketball players and cheerleaders represents meals on wheels for a voracious creature.
Writer-director: Victor Salva, based on characters created by Salva.
So? Cheap thrills.
Nola
Drama
IDP/Fireworks
With: Emmy Rossum, Mary McDonnell, Steven Bauer, James Badge Dale.
The idea: Singer-songwriter leaves Kansas City for New York to search for father she never knew.
Writers: Jill Footlick & Rachel Peters.
Director: Alan Hruska.
So? Rossum, from “Songcatcher,” plays the title character.
August TBA
Angela
Drama
First Look
With: Donatella Finocchiaro.
The idea: Woman moves up in the world of Palermo’s Mafia, but struggles for respect.
Writer-director: Roberta Torre.
So? Based on true story.
Autumn Spring
Comedy
First Look
With: Vlastimil Brodsky.
The idea: To his wife’s dismay, an elderly gent keeps retirement interesting by posing as other people.
Writer: Jiri Hubac.
Director: Vladimir Michalek.
So? Pleasantly old-fashioned.
Blue Gate Crossing
Comedy
Strand
With: Chen Bo-lin, Guey Lun-mei, Liang Shu-hui, Joanna Chou, Cheng Ming-gin.
The idea: Complications ensue when a girl enlists a boy to convey her feelings for another girl.
Writer-director: Chin-Yen Yee.
So? Gender-bending Cyrano.
Civil Brand
Drama
Lions Gate
With: LisaRaye, N’Bushe Wright, Mos Def, Da Brat, Monica Calhoun.
The idea: Nurse is incarcerated among hardened criminals for killing her abusive husband, only to discover exploitation of another type -- by the justice system.
Writers: Preston A. Whitmore, Joyce Lewis.
Director: Neema Barnette.
So? Striking.
Hypnotic
Thriller
First Look
With: Michelle Camarda, Goran Visnjic, Miranda Otto, Shirley Henderson.
The idea: Hypnotherapist’s ability to look into subjects’ minds leads him into the search for a killer.
Writers: Nick Willing and William Brookfield; based on the novel “Doctor Sleep,” by Madison Smartt Bell.
Director: Willing.
So? Efficient chills. Visnjic played the kind-hearted thug in “The Deep End.”
The Princess Blade
Fantasy
ADV Films
With: Hideaki Ito, Yumiko Shaku, Shiro Sano, Yoichi Numata, Kyusaka Shimada.
The idea: Futuristic samurai tale about an exiled royal and her outlaw band of assassins.
Writer-director: Shinsuke Sato.
So? Hard-boiled kicks.
Wonderland
Drama
Lions Gate
With: Val Kilmer, Lisa Kudrow, Kate Bosworth, Dylan McDermott, Josh Lucas, Frankie G., Tim Blake Nelson, Carrie Fisher, Eric Bogosian, Christina Applegate, Janeane Garofalo, Natasha Gregson Wagner.
The idea: Multiple-homicide investigation leads to ruined porn star John Holmes.
Writers: James Cox & Captain Mauzner and Todd Samowitz & D. Loriston Scott.
Director: Cox.
So? So L.A. in the ‘80s.
Sept. 5
The Order
Thriller
Fox
With: Heath Ledger, Shannyn Sossamon, Mark Addy, Benno Furmann, Peter Weller.
The idea: Young priest journeys to Rome to investigate the mysterious death of his mentor.
Writer-director: Brian Helgeland.
So? Occult chills.
Summer TBA
Exorcist: The Beginning
Horror
Warner Bros.
With: Stellan Skarsgard, Gabriel Mann, Clara Bellar, Billy Crawford.
The idea: Prequel to “The Exorcist” follows Father Lankester Merrin (Skarsgard here, Max von Sydow in the 1973 original) on his first devilish adventure in post-WWII Africa.
Writers: William Wisher and Caleb Carr.
Director: Paul Schrader.
So? Spooky.
Gasoline
Drama
Strand
With: Maya Sansa, Regina Orioli.
The idea: A mother’s accidental death complicates matters for her daughter and her daughter’s lover.
Writers: Monica Stambrini, Ellen Stancanelli, AnneRitte Ciccone.
Director: Stambrini.
So? Combustible.
Jersey Guy
Drama
Castle Hill
With: Steve Parlavecchio, Arthur Nascarell.
The idea: Nursing-home worker is tempted by the bright lights of Manhattan.
Writers: Christ Zois and Elia Zois.
Directors: Elia Zois.
So? Abel Ferrara collaborator Christ Zois (“The Blackout,” “New Rose Hotel”) teams here with son Elia.
Ken Park
Drama
Monograph Films
With: Adam Chubbuc, Amanda Plummer, Bill Fagerbaake.
The idea: Stark look at the lives of skate kids in a central California town.
Writer: Harmony Korine.
Directors: Ed Lachman and Larry Clark.
So? “Kids” filmmakers Clark and Korine reunite to collaborate with cinematographer Lachman (“Far From Heaven”) on his directing debut.
The Secret Lives of Dentists
Drama
Manhattan Pictures
International
With: Campbell Scott, Hope Davis, Denis Leary, Robin Tunney.
The idea: Probes the complex and stormy marriage of two successful dentists.
Writer: Craig Lucas, based on the novella “Age of Grief,” by Jane Smiley.
Director: Alan Rudolph.
So? Eccentric.
Suddenly
Drama
Empire Pictures
With: Carla Crespo, Tatiana Saphir, Veronica Hassan, Beatriz Thibaudin.
The idea: Buenos Aires salesgirl’s boredom ends when she’s kidnapped by two punkish lesbians.
Writers: Diego Lerman, Maria Meira.
Director: Lerman.
So? Sharp, tender.
The Three Marias
Drama
Empire Pictures
With: Marieta Severo, Julia Lemmertz, Maria Mendonca, Luia Meriana.
The idea: Romantic betrayal and revenge in 1970s Brazil.
Writers: Heitor Dhalia, Wilson Freire.
Director: Aluizio Abranches.
So? Improbable but unsettling.