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EMPIRE
PLOT: The attempt of a South Bronx gangster (John Leguizamo) to go straight by forming an alliance with a Wall Street banker (Peter Sarsgaard) encounters some unexpected difficulties.
THE LOWDOWN:This is the first release of Arenas Entertainment, a new Latino film label aligned with Universal Pictures... The cast also includes former Bond girl Denise Richards, Isabella Rossellini and Sonia Braga.
EQUILIBRIUM
PLOT: In the near future, expression of all human emotions (and their triggers, such as art and literature) has been strictly forbidden, which spells trouble for a law enforcement officer (Christian Bale) who suddenly begins to develop feelings for a woman (Emily Watson).
THE LOWDOWN: Kurt Wimmer, whose only previous directorial credit is for the Brian Bosworth video title One Tough Bastard, wrote and directed what sounds like a cross between such sci-fi staples as Logan's Run, THX-1138 and Fahrenheit 451.
DECEMBER 13
THE HOT CHICK
PLOT: A high school cheerleader (Rachel McAdams) wakes up one day to find that she's been transformed into a 30-year-old man (Rob Schneider), definitely a problem with both the prom and a cheerleading competition coming up.
THE LOWDOWN: There are Oscar contenders, there are big-budget extravaganzas, and then there are tossaway movies designed to placate folks who still consider their first viewing of Dumb and Dumber to be akin to a religious experience. This arrives courtesy of the same joes who made Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, so take a guess which camp this falls into.
MAID IN MANHATTAN
PLOT: A chambermaid (Jennifer Lopez) at a ritzy Manhattan hotel finds her life turning into a fairy tale after a charming politician (Ralph Fiennes) mistakes her for a fellow guest and begins to woo her.
THE LOWDOWN: This sounds woefully pedestrian, though the presence of Fiennes, Bob Hoskins (as a hotel manager) and director Wayne Wang (The Joy Luck Club, Smoke) might elevate it.
STAR TREK: NEMESIS
PLOT: The Enterprise crew, led by Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart), must determine whether the Romulans truly want peace or are planning a sneak attack on Earth.
THE LOWDOWN: There are rumors that this will be the last Star Trek film to feature the Next Generation gang... Look for appearances by Kate Mulgrew and other members of Next Generation's sister shows such as Star Trek: Voyager.
DECEMBER 18
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS
PLOT:In the second installment of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic trilogy, Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) encounter the wretched Gollum, Strider (Viggo Mortensen) continues to rally the troops against the dark forces of Saruman (Christopher Lee), and Gandalf (Ian McKellen) makes a surprising reappearance.
THE LOWDOWN: It's a virtual repeat of Winter 2001, when The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone dominated the season (Potter barely won at the box office, $317 million versus $313 million, but Fellowship compensated with all those Oscar nominations); expect this season to be no different... The third chapter, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, will be released December 17, 2003.
DECEMBER 20
ANTWONE FISHER
PLOT: A naval psychiatrist (Denzel Washington) tries to help a violent sailor (Derek Luke as the title character) confront the demons from his past.
THE LOWDOWN: Fisher wrote the script based on his own life, while Washington makes his directorial debut... Sounds somewhat similar to Good Will Hunting, but it will be interesting to see what Washington brings to the other side of the camera.
GANGS OF NEW YORK
PLOT: In 1860s Manhattan, an Irish-American immigrant (Leonardo DiCaprio) seeks revenge on the influential bigwig (Daniel Day-Lewis) who murdered his father years earlier.
THE LOWDOWN: Martin Scorsese's long-delayed production was finally set to open on Christmas Day but was moved because another DiCaprio title, Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can, has already claimed that spot... The supporting cast includes Cameron Diaz, Liam Neeson and Iris Oscar winner Jim Broadbent.
RABBIT-PROOF FENCE
PLOT: Three Aboriginal girls who have been separated by the Australian government from their families to be trained to work as maids for wealthy white families trek over a thousand miles in the Outback in an effort to get back home.
THE LOWDOWN: Kenneth Branagh is one of the few "name" players attached to this based-on-fact drama... Director Phillip Noyce (Clear and Present Danger) has two films coming out during this period, the other being The Quiet American.
STANDING IN THE SHADOWS OF MOTOWN
PLOT: This documentary centers on the Funk Brothers, a group of musicians assembled by Berry Gordy to back up the Motown stars through the 60s and early 70s.
THE LOWDOWN: As the press notes state, "By the end of their phenomenal run, this unheralded group of musicians had played on more number ones hits than the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, Elvis and the Beatles combined -- which makes them the greatest hit machine in the history of popular music"... The film includes several new live performances with the Funk Brothers backing up Ben Harper, Chaka Khan, Joan Osborne and others.
