After an explosive summer that saw such hits as Spider-Man, Men in Black II, Star Wars Episode II and Austin Powers in Goldmember, the big screen forecast for the fall looks to be dim with only a few films worth leaving campus to see.
         SIGNS – M. Night Shaman, the director who burst onto the Hollywood scene with The Sixth Sense and disappointed millions with Unbreakable, returns with Signs. Shaman’s film, to star Mel Gibson and hit theaters on August 2, will continue his trademark style of pushing the envelope of the unknown as he delves into the mysterious world of alien crop circles. Despite the failure of Unbreakable, Signs still has great potential and will probably stand out as one of the fall’s only must-see picks.
         RED DRAGON – Brett Ratner (Rush Hour 2) is set to direct the final installment of the Anthony Hopkins Silence of the Lambs trilogy due out on October 4. The prequel, which will be a remake of the 1986 film Manhunter, takes place before Silence, and follows FBI Agent Will Graham (Edward Norton) as he must use Dr. Hannibal Lecter’s criminal intellect to help catch a serial killer. Although it will be nice to have a version of Red Dragon/Manhunter without the annoying 1980s synthesizer score, finishing off with a continuation to Hannibal and wrapping up the Clarice Starling/Lecter story would have been a more fitting conclusion.
         THE SANTA CLAUSE 2: THE MRS. CLAUSE – Disney’s sequel places Santa (role reprised by Tim Allen) in a difficult position when he must recruit a Mrs. Claus in order to keep the title. To replace him while he’s out flirting, he creates a clone to run the North Pole. Unfortunately it is movies like this, Big Trouble and Jungle2Jungle that make one wonder why Allen left a good thing like Home Improvement to pursue a movie career in the first place.
         HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS – In another of the fall’s only must-sees, J.K. Rowling’s novel comes alive in the continuation to The Sorcerer’s Stone. In the film, due out November 15, Daniel Radcliff’s character Harry Potter is warned against returning to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft, but goes anyway to complete his second term. However, when mysterious voices begin speaking from the walls, Potter and his crew of classmates find themselves in greater danger than they could have expected. Given the record-breaking success of the first installment, returning director Chris Columbus will be under great pressure to produce again, but while the sequel will probably not live up to its original, it should be entertaining and fun for those of all ages nonetheless.
         DIE ANOTHER DAY – The 20^th film in the James Bond series (21^st as those who count Casino Royale would argue) also marks its 40^th anniversary and sees Pierce Brosnan reprise his role as the agent under fire for the third time since adopting the character in 1995’s Goldeneye. Featuring Academy Award-winner Halle Berry, as only the second Oscar winning “Bond girl” in history (behind Kim Basinger), the film promises to be action-packed and full of innuendos, but may lag as the first 007 movie since From Russia With Love in 1963 (except for Live and Let Die) without the comic wit of Q (whose retirement in The World Is Not Enough coincided eerily with the real life death of actor Desmond Llewellyn only weeks after the film’s theatrical release).
         THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS – Elijah Wood returns on December 18, 364 days after the release of the original, to subject audiences to the middle three hours of the LotR trilogy where young Frodo will continue his quest to destroy the ancient ring he was entrusted with in the first film. However, while you can’t completely count out a movie with Liv Tyler on the bill, this one may be for true fans only.
         However, for those uninterested in Hollywood’s fall roster, the season’s DVD lineup may be a little more appealing. Scheduled for home release will be special editions of Gremlins and Pulp Fiction as well as original releases of Ernest Goes to Camp, Monsters Inc., The Simpsons: Season 2, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and Disney’s second “Platinum Edition” masterpiece, Beauty and the Beast.