SNEAKS ’95 : Fall / Holiday

The end of the year is a time for more serious, as well as more sensational, fare. Look for Spike Lee to bring Richard Price’s gritty “Clockers” to the screen with John Turturro. Carl Franklin’s vision of Walter Mosley’s popular character East Rawlins stars Denzel Washington getting the job done in 1940s Los Angeles. John Travolta follows “Pulp Fiction” with Elmore Leonard’s thriller “Get Shorty.” Two Joe Eszterhas scripts, “Showgirls” and “Jade,” will open, and Martin Scorsese returns to the underworld as his inspiration in “Casino.” And yet another charming Brit, Pierce Brosnan, assumes the mantle of James Bond.

Ace Ventura Goes to Africa. Warner Bros. is mum about Ace’s next adventure, but look for exotic creatures to be in for some fun once Ace--Jim Carrey--arrives.

An American President. Michael Douglas plays a widower President who falls for environmentalist Annette Bening. Rob Reiner directs, and he co-produces with Robert Redford. Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin (“A Few Good Men”). (Columbia)

Babe, the Gallant Pig. This live-action comedy focuses on a pig who wishes he could lead the sheep around all day, like a sheep dog. (Universal)

The Baby-Sitters’ Club. Melanie Mayron, former “thirtysomething” star, directs this film based on Ann M. Martin’s popular books, focusing on the lives of seven young girls--their adventures and romantic quandaries. (Columbia)

Balto. Bob Hoskins, Eric Lloyd and Phil Collins provide voices for this animated action film about a half-husky, half-wolf hero who overcomes plenty to help bring medicine to Nome, Alaska. (Universal)

Before and After. Barbet Schroeder directs Meryl Streep and Liam Neeson in this film--inspired by Rosellen Brown’s novel--in which a couple are thrown for a spin when their son is charged with murder. (Hollywood)

Bogus. Norman Jewison directs this “Harvey”-esque yarn about a young orphan sent to be cared for by Whoopi Goldberg. Gerard Depardieu plays the title character, the boy’s imaginary friend. (Warner Bros.)

Bottle Rocket. In this comedy, which three young men ineptly pursue a life of crime but somehow manage to stumble in the direction of decency. James L. Brooks co-produces. (Columbia)

Big Bully. Tom Arnold plays a boorish shop teacher who’s pleased to learn that a successful student with whom he went to this very same school, is returning to be an instructor. (Warner Bros.)

Call Me Victor. Jeanne Moreau plays an 11-year-old boy’s great-aunt in this coming-of-age tale. (Sony Pictures Classics)

Casino. Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro, together again--this time scouring through 1970s Las Vegas, staying abreast of the exploits of Sam (Ace) Rothstein. Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci and James Woods also populate this world of betrayal and greed. (Universal)

City Hall. Al Pacino and director Harold Becker clicked on “Sea of Love,” so here they are again with this New York City political thriller. John Cusack, Bridget Fonda and Danny Aiello round out this story of a possible connection between murder and Mayor Pacino’s office. (Columbia)

The City of Lost Children. Those who brought us “Delicatessen” offer a tale of a strange land wherein the adults are obsessed with tough, precocious children who have the unique power to dream. (Sony Pictures Classics)

Clockers. Spike Lee and Richard Price adapt from Price’s unrelenting novel of drug dealers and their brutal policies of territory protection. Harvey Keitel stars as a detective who shines off a druggie’s murder confession to hone in on the feared kingpin. (Universal)

Devil in a Blue Dress. Carl Franklin directs Denzel Washington in this 1940s potboiler based on the best-selling Walter Mosley novel. Washington is Easy Rawlins, a down-on-his-luck guy offered some easy cash to locate a mysterious young woman. (TriStar)

Empire. “Pump Up the Volume” director Allan Moyle looks at the raucous atmosphere of a record store. Lotsa music, lotsa comedy, lotsa Angst . (Warner Bros.)

Father of the Bride II. Steve Martin, Diane Keaton, Martin Short and Kim Williams return (as does director Charles Shyer) for this new installment. When daughter announces she’s pregnant, Martin gets nervous, then his wife drops a similar bomb. (Touchstone)

Four Rooms. A quartet of hip writer-directors--Quentin Tarantino, Allison Anders, Alexandre Rockwell and Robert Rodriguez--direct the action in four L.A. hotel rooms on New Year’s Eve. Tim Roth, Bruce Willis, Jennifer Beals and Madonna star. (Miramax)

The Gaslight Addition. Demi Moore, Melanie Griffith, Rosie O’Donnell and Rita Wilson are four longtime friends who reunite when one of them prepares for the birth of her first child. (New Line)

Get Shorty. The Elmore Leonard book gets director Barry (“Addams Family”) Sonnenfeld’s treatment, with John Travolta the two-bit punk dispatched to Hollywood to collect a gambling debt. He quickly finds himself a major player in the movie biz. (MGM)

Goldeneye. Pierce Brosnan debuts as James Bond, in the latest edition of one of the most durable motion picture franchises ever. The title refers to a devastating satellite positioned to render massive suffering on Earth. (United Artists)

Goldiggers. Christina Ricci plays a girl who leaves L.A. for Washington state, where she befriends Anna Chlumsky. (Universal)

The Grass Harp. Truman Capote’s short story becomes a film starring Walter Matthau, Jack Lemmon, Sissy Spacek and Cicely Tyson. The comedy centers on two sisters at odds after one has ensconsed herself in a treehouse filled with quirky types. (New Line)

Hackers. “Backbeat” director Iain Softley switches gears with this quick-moving cyberpunk thriller detailing the microprocessing exploits of a few PC wizards, one of whom gets them in trouble with a laptop invasion. (United Artists)

Heat. Pacino and De Niro . . . it’s got a nice ring to it. Director-writer Michael Mann guides this story of an L.A. cop (Pacino) who becomes fixated on a deadly thief (De Niro) and his “colleagues” who are taking Los Angeles to the cleaners. (Warner Bros.)

How to Make an American Quilt. Whitney Otto’s bestseller weaves its way onto the screen, with Winona Ryder, Ellen Burstyn, Anne Bancroft and Alfre Woodard starring for director Jocelyn Moorhouse. When Ryder’s beau proposes, she goes to grandma and her great-aunt, who tell love stories as they make the wedding quilt. (Universal)

I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times. The life of Brian Wilson, the driving force behind the Beach Boys, is documented here by record producer Don Was. John Cale, David Crosby and Linda Ronstadt are among several who reminisce. (Palomar)

Jade. Three red-hot actors--”NYPD Blue’s” David Caruso, “The Last Seduction’s” Linda Fiorentino and “Bullets Over Broadway’s” Chazz Palminteri--star in this thriller from director William Friedkin and screenwriter Joe Eszterhas. (Paramount)

Jumanji. Robin Williams has been hexed for 25 years by the ancient board game to which the title refers. Kirsten Dunst plays one of the children who free him, but wild and bizarre creatures are also liberated, prompting Williams to save the town. (TriStar)

Last of the Dogmen. When Montana bounty hunter Tom Berenger is recruited to nab three AWOL convicts, he finds them dead. Anthropologist Barbara Hershey decides to help him sort out what happened. (Savoy)

Lawnmower Man II. Patrick Bergin takes over in this sequel that will certainly involve fantastic visuals and dastardly deeds. (New Line)

Let It Be Me. “Dirty Dancing” screenwriter Eleanor Bergstein wrote and directs this romantic tale of psychiatrist Campbell Scott, who takes dance lessons for his upcoming wedding to Jennifer Beals. Patrick Stewart and Leslie Caron also star. (Savoy)

Loch Ness. Ted Danson plays a hapless zoologist who is sent by his boss to Scotland to see what he can find out about the mythical beast. (Gramercy)

Money Train. Joseph Ruben (“Sleeping With the Enemy”) directs Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes in this action film, in which two New York decoy policemen are involved in a subway hijacking worth millions. (Columbia)

Moonlight and Valentino. Elizabeth Perkins is stunned when her loving husband is struck by a car and killed one morning. Her sister, her ex-stepmom and her best friend help her cope. Gwyneth Paltrow, Kathleen Turner and Whoopi Goldberg co-star. (Gramercy)

Mr. Holland’s Opus. Richard Dreyfuss and Glenne Headly star, with Dreyfuss as Carl Holland, a piano teacher who has put off his own concert piece for years in deference to his students. Stephen Herek directs. (Hollywood)

Multiplicity. Michael Keaton stars for director Harold Ramis as a man whose myriad commitments combined with the strictures of a 24-hour day leave him perpetually overstretched. If he could only clone himself. . . . (Columbia)

The Net. Sandra Bullock stars in this high-tech movie centering on a computer systems analyst who plummets headlong into danger after tapping into an off-limits system. Irwin Winkler directs. (Columbia)

Never Talk to Strangers. Rebecca De Mornay plays the victim this time, a criminal psychiatrist who is viciously stalked while toiling on a stressful serial rapist case. Antonio Banderas co-stars. Directed by Sir Peter Hall. (TriStar)

The Nick of Time. Director John Badham tackles this suspense film centering on a law-abiding fella whose daughter is abruptly snatched by a deadly gang. Want her back? Sure--just obey our instructions and assassinate California’s governor. (Paramount)

The Nutty Professor. “Ace Ventura” director Tom Shadyac teams up with Eddie Murphy for this remake of the Jerry Lewis classic. Murphy goes from brilliant, schlubby scientist Sherman Klump to the utterly charismatic Buddy Love--only to revert to Klump at the worst possible moments. (Universal)

Primal Fear. From the William Diehl novel comes this pull-no-punches tale of the murder of an archbishop and the ensuing trial. The ambitious defense attorney will set hair on end with his outlandish tactics. Gregory Hoblit directs; cast yet to be revealed. (Paramount)

The Run of the Country. Albert Finney heads the cast in a Peter Yates film about the love an Irish family holds for each other--and for country. Screenplay by Shane Connaughton (“My Left Foot”). (Columbia)

The Saint. Phillip Noyce directs this version of the Simon Templar legend, with David Brown and Robert Evans as producers. They’re still hunting for an actor to succeed Roger Moore, but post-communist Russia will definitely be the setting. (Paramount)

Scenes for the Soul. A trio of stories melt into one, as we follow three young buddies who become strongly drawn to the same woman in a highly unusual liaison. George Brashear stars. (Savoy)

Screamers. Based on a Philip K. Dick sci-fi yarn, this one stars Peter Weller and tells of another planet that has been overtaken by duplicating robots that also evolve. Their objective: supplanting the human race. (Triumph)

Seven. David Fincher directs this psycho thriller starring Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt as homicide detectives who track a serial killer perpetrating crimes based on the seven deadly sins. (New Line)

Sgt. Bilko. Phil Silvers made him famous, and Steve Martin will carry the torch as the gambling, freewheeling leader of men who must somehow miraculously prevent his base from getting axed by the Pentagon. (Universal)

Shanghai Triad. Powerhouse Chinese director Zhang Yimou brings back actress Gong Li in a tale of the lust, greed and revenge inherent in Shanghai’s 1920s opium wars. (Sony Pictures Classics)

Showgirls. Paul Verhoeven directs and Joe Eszterhas has written what will likely be another controversial film, this one about Las Vegas nude dancing. Kyle MacLachlan and Elizabeth Berkley star; the focus is on one very independent dancer’s travails on stage and off. (United Artists)

A Simple Plan. No word on director or cast for this comedy about two brothers and a low-rent buddy who stumble upon a huge amount of cash at the site of a plane crash. (Savoy)

Steal Big, Steal Little. The spotlight is on director Andy Davis, who follows up “The Fugitive” with this Andy Garcia vehicle, a rollicking tale of love, greed and secret agendas. (Savoy)

Strange Days. Director Kathryn Bigelow has cast Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, Juliette Lewis and Tom Sizemore in this high-tech romantic thriller. Fiennes plays Lenny Nero, a guy who can enable you to experience the dream--or nightmare--of your choice. James Cameron co-writes. (Fox)

The Stupids. John Landis directs this live-action rendition of this nonsensical family made famous in the bestselling kiddie books. Mr. and Mrs. Stupid, their no-I.Q. kids Buster and Petunia and a dimwitted cat are determined to stay at the bottom of the heap. (Savoy)

Sudden Death. Director Peter Hyams and Jean-Claude Van Damme breezed through “Timecop,” so they’re doing it again, this time with terrorists aspiring to blow the seventh game of hockey’s Stanley Cup finals to smithereens. (Universal)

Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead. Andy Garcia plays mobster Jimmy the Saint, who plans one last nasty job for the ex-boss. Things go completely haywire and the group must leave town, but Gabrielle Anwar makes it tough for Jimmy to go. (Miramax)

Three Wishes. Martha Coolidge directs Patrick Swayze, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Joseph Mazzello. Mastrantonio accidentally hits scruffball Swayze, then invites him and his charming dog into her home, where he makes a profound impact. (Savoy)

Toy Story. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen provide voices in this computer-animated fantasy of a group of toys that take on a life of their own. Old-timey playthings such as Mr. Potatohead join new creations for the fun. (Walt Disney)

T-Rex. Whoopi Goldberg takes a silly turn as a police detective who’s teamed up with a 65-million-year-old dinosaur who fancies cookies. (New Line)

Unstrung Heroes. Diane Keaton directs, with Andie MacDowell, John Turturro and Michael Richards starring in this look at a boy in 1960 New York who’s carted off to live with his three oddball uncles when things at home get weird. (Hollywood)

Untitled Basketball Project. Rhea Perlman stars for co-producer (and husband) Danny DeVito in this comedy of Brooklynesque proportions about a girls gym teacher who takes on the unenviable task of coaching the boys varsity hoops team. (TriStar)

Untitled Julia Roberts Project. Lasse Halstrom directs Roberts, Dennis Quaid, Robert Duvall, Kyra Sedgwick and Gena Rowlands in this drama of colorful Southern horse-raising women and the not-so-colorful men in their lives. Screenplay by Callie Khouri (“Thelma & Louise”). (Warner Bros.)

Untitled Robert Rodriguez Sequel. Rodriguez shot “El Mariachi” on a tight budget, but now he can afford Antonio Banderas, who plays the revenge-seeking musician who takes on the dreaded Mexican drug lord Bucho, with assistance from Steve Buscemi and Salma Hayek. (Columbia)

The Usual Suspects. Kevin Spacey, Chazz Palminteri and Kevin Pollak top this cat-and-mouse thriller that starts with five notorious thieves, incarcerated courtesy of the NYPD. The story shifts to L.A. and culminates with a heist of $91 million. (Gramercy)

The Viking Sagas. Ralph Moeller (“Universal Soldier”) takes on the role of a new and powerful hero in this tale taking place in dank, dark medievel times. Michael Chapman directs. (New Line)

Village of the Damned. An unseen force invades an idyllic California town; soon afterward, all the women become pregnant. Ten children are born, and nine survive to ply their evil and deadly telepathic powers. John Carpenter writes and directs. (Universal)

Waiting to Exhale. Acclaimed actor Forest Whitaker takes a directing break in this big-screen version of Terry McMillan’s bestseller about four African American women. Whitney Houston and Angela Bassett star. (Fox)

A Whisper in the Attic. A young couple moves away from annoying urban life to enjoy the relative serenity and comfort found in a small New England village. Robert Harmon (“The Hitcher”) directs. No cast yet. (Paramount)