4th quarter promises end to mediocrity
By MATT NANIA
Scene Movie Editor
What a year it's been. Or at least, what a first nine months it's been.
The sentiment among filmgoers as the calendar turns to its final months is similar to what was felt in September of last year, before the release of audience favorites "Almost Famous," "Requiem for a Dream" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." The beginning three quarters of the year had (have) ultimately failed to deliver, and now it's up to the fall movie season to save the day.
It's not a terrible position to be in, as far as the year in cinema goes. Fall is traditionally the time when the best films are released, even though in years past, top-notch products have snuck by in the spring or summer. In fact, the one remarkable film of 2001 so far — Christopher Nolan's "Memento" — hit theaters in a platformed release during March and April.
But the big guns are held back for October, November and December. Even January isn't out of the question. Steven Soderbergh won an Academy Award for directing "Traffic," which had its wide release earlier this year.
The past three months certainly haven't been much help as far as quality is concerned. There have been a number of box office successes, including August's "Rush Hour 2," which currently ranks second among the year's list of highest-grossing films at $215 million.
July had its hits as well. "Jurassic Park 3" and "Planet of the Apes" have grossed a combined $350 million. The family hits "Cats & Dogs" and "The Princess Diaries" and the chick flick-y "America's Sweethearts" and "Legally Blonde" account for nearly $400 million — all of them either passed or nearly made it to the $100 million mark.
But the only film to receive any measurable acclaim in July, August or September was Alejandro Amenabar's "The Others," which grossed a relatively modest $80 million (and still going strong). It was hailed as a return to the stylish ghost stories of old, but aside from some artistic awards, it's not the sort of film that will be a major contender at next March's Oscar ceremony.
September was something of a subdued month of releases, with a number of factors keeping things on the lowdown.
Studios traditionally line up their worst releases for late August and early September, as a sort of a buffer period between the summer noisemakers and the quality films of autumn.
The World Trade Center and Pentagon terrorist attacks put a dent in box office receipts, although one suspects that if the average moviegoer had not attended a movie in the first three weeks of September, he wouldn't have missed much anyway.
Like the first nine months of 2001, the next three ultimately hold some disappointment for film fans, but they should deliver far more often as well.
The end of October sees Robert Redford and "Sopranos" star James Gandolfini squaring off in the dramatic prison movie "The Last Castle." Johnny Depp and Heather Graham investigate the mystery of Jack the Ripper in "From Hell." And Kevin Spacey looks to light up the screen with Jeff Bridges in "K-Pax," a drama equal parts sentimental and supernatural.
November will see the release of the first of the year's two long-awaited fantasy films, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." The other is the principal installment in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy — "The Fellowship of the Ring" — which debuts in mid-December. Also in December, Will Smith will don the boxing gloves to play the great Cassius Clay in "Ali" — a starring turn that harkens back to 1999, when Denzel Washington made a mostly thankless appearance as Rubin Carter in "The Hurricane."
A number of top-notch directors also deliver their goods in the year's final month: Steven Soderbergh has the crime caper "Ocean's Eleven," starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and many others; Cameron Crowe will follow up "Almost Famous" with the Tom Cruise-Penelope Cruz romance-suspense-thriller "Vanilla Sky;" "The Green Mile's" Frank Darabont will go all Capra-esque for the period drama "The Majestic," starring Jim Carrey; Ron Howard, in hopes of finally receiving an Academy Award, will release "A Beautiful Mind," starring Russell Crowe; and Wes Anderson, the eccentric creator of "Rushmore," premieres "The Royal Tenenbaums," starring Gene Hackman, Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow and Luke and Owen Wilson.
It's a powerful lineup, and one that may eventually be worth waiting for. Even though the first three quarters of 2001 have been relatively shallow, quarter number four looks to be the year's real treat. And if not, then 2002 is only 90 days away.
All Scene Stories for Thursday, October 11, 2001
