THERE are some features we can’t get enough of: Jude Law’s cheekbones, Angelina Jolie’s pillow lips – Kirsten Dunst’s sporty, sexy-best-friend’s grin.
The game gamin stars in “Wimbledon,” one of the fall’s most highly anticipated comedies. Opening Sept. 17, it pits the “Spider-Man” sweetheart against Paul Bettany (“Master and Commander”), who moves from sidekick to romantic lead as a journeyman player who gets a shot at tennis’ most prestigious title. Talk about your love matches.
Here’s what else we’re looking forward to:
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie (Sept. 17): The look of a ’20s art movie -and a fast-paced story about robots invading earth.
Mr. 3000
Bernie Mac, Angela Bassett (Sept. 17): Sitcom star Mac is a cocky baseball star forced out of retirement when it’s discovered he’s three hits short of the 3,000 needed for the Hall of Fame. Charles Stone III, the guy behind “Drumline” and Budweiser’s “Whassup?” ads, directs.
Silver City
Chris Cooper, Thora Birch, Richard Dreyfuss (Sept. 17): Cooper’s inarticulate gubernatorial candidate, Dickie Pilager, bears more than a passing resemblance to George W. Bush in this sprawling satire from writer-director John Sayles.
Head in the Clouds
Charlize Theron, Stuart Townsend (Sept. 17): Real-life lovers Theron and Townsend star as a fashion photographer and a schoolteacher in this Paris-set wartime romance from John Duigan (“Flirting”). Penelope Cruz plays a Spanish Civil War refugee.
The Forgotten
Julianne Moore, Dominic West (Sept. 24): Is she crazy, or is the world lying? That’s the question in this “Memento”-like thriller, in which Moore plays a woman searching for her 8-year-old son – whom everyone says never existed.
The Last Shot
Matthew Broderick, Alec Baldwin (Sept. 24): Broderick plays the nebbish in this comedy about a wannabe indie-film director who’s actually a front for an FBI sting operation. Baldwin plays the agent in charge.
The First Daughter
Katie Holmes (Sept. 24): The “Dawson’s Creek” darling plays a president’s daughter. And no, she’s not telling jokes at the GOP convention – she’s eluding her Secret Service bodyguards and finding love on the sly in D.C.
A Dirty Shame
Tracey Ullmann, Johnny Knoxville (Sept. 24): John Waters directs this over-the-top comedy about a ring of sex addicts out to take over the world. Knoxville is their Christ-like leader; Ullmann, a kinky housewife.
Shark Tale
Voices of Will Smith, Jack Black, Robert De Niro (Oct. 1): DreamWorks swims into theaters with this cartoon about a mouthy fish (Smith) who gets crosswise with some tough-guy sharks. Renee Zellweger, Angelina Jolie and Martin Scorsese have supporting voice-overs.
Ladder 49
Joaquin Phoenix, John Travolta (Oct. 1): This film was written before 9/11, but it’ll be hard not to recall the real-life tragedy watching this drama about a fireman (Phoenix) trapped in a burning building. Travolta leads the rescue team.
I (heart) Huckabees
Jude Law, Jason Schwartzman, Dustin Hoffman, Lily Tomlin (Oct. 1): “Rushmore” fans will rejoice in the latest brainy comedy from David O. Russell, starring Hoffman and Tomlin as “existential detectives.”
Taxi
Jimmy Fallon, Queen Latifah (Oct. 1): “Saturday Night Live” veteran Fallon jumps to the big screen in this remake of Luc Besson’s action comedy. Expect high-speed chases and wisecracks.
Friday Night Lights
Billy Bob Thornton (Oct. 8): A small-town Texas high-school football team, led by one tough coach (Thornton), seeks the state championship in this uplifting movie from Brian Grazer (“A Beautiful Mind”).
Shall We Dance?
Jennifer Lopez, Richard Gere (Oct. 15): A post- “Gigli” J.Lo plays a dance instructor who helps a shy student (Gere) open up in this remake of a Japanese art film.
Team America World Police
Voices of Matt Stone and Trey Parker (Oct. 15): Political Web sites right and left are already enraged about this satire from the “South Park” guys, whose animated marionettes skewer everyone from Bush fans to Michael Moore types.
Stage Beauty
Billy Crudup, Claire Danes, Rupert Everett (Oct. 15): The costume drama features Everett as the 17th century English king who finally let women act on London’s stages. Danes plays an aspiring actress; Crudup, her competition.
Sideways
Paul Giamatti (Oct. 15):The latest quirky comic-drama from Alexander Payne (“Election,” “About Schmidt”) stars indie favorite Giamatti (“American Splendor”) as a hack journalist whose head spins on a wine-tasting tour through the Napa Valley.
Alfie
Jude Law, Susan Sarandon (Oct. 22): The ubiquitous Law stars in this remake of the 1966 Michael Caine film about a cad who loves ’em and leaves ’em.
Surviving Christmas
Ben Affleck, Christina Applegate (Oct. 22): The former action star (“Paycheck”) takes a shot at comedy, playing a man who, on the advice of his therapist, persuades a family to adopt him for the holidays.
The Grudge
Sarah Michelle Gellar (Oct. 22): Remakes of creepy Japanese horror movies have become a Hollywood staple since “The Ring.” Now Gellar stars in a remake of “Ju-on,” as a woman who moves into a violently haunted house. The Machinist Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh (Oct. 22): Bale lost 60 pounds to play a sleep-deprived madman in this moody psychological thriller, from the director of “Next Stop Wonderland.”
Ray
Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington (Oct. 29): He used to be a comedian, but Foxx has reinvented himself as a serious actor. He plays late R&B star Ray Charles in the early ’60s, when Charles battled drug addiction.
The Incredibles
Voices of Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter (Nov. 5): The team behind “Monsters, Inc.” and “Finding Nemo” returns with this animated comedy about retired superheroes’ return to action.
Birth
Nicole Kidman (Nov. 5): Kidman, in a pixie-short haircut, plays a widow who’s about to remarry when a young boy tells her that he is her husband reincarnated.
Polar Express
Voices of Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari (Nov. 5): Hanks plays five different parts in this computer-animated version of the 1985 children’s classic about a boy who takes a train to Santa’s native land.
After the Sunset
Pierce Brosnan, Salma Hayek (Nov. 12): He’s not James Bond anymore, but Brosnan does suave intrigue better than anyone. Here he plays a jewel thief doing one last heist with his wife (Hayek).
National Treasure
Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger (Nov. 17): Not since Indiana Jones has there been an archaeologist who kicks butt the way Cage does in this Jerry Bruckheimer thriller. Kruger (Helen of “Troy”) co-stars as a sexy curator.
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
Renee Zellweger, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth (Nov. 19): At the end of “Bridget Jones’s Diary,” it looked as if our Cinderella (Zellweger) and Prince Charming (Firth) would live happily ever after. Well, maybe not.
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie
Voices of Tom Kenny, Jeffrey Tambor (Nov. 19): Squidward, Patrick, Mr. Krabs and SpongeBob hit the big screen with a splat.
Bad Education
Gael Garcia Bernal (Nov. 19): Pedro Almodovar directs this tale about a transvestite (Bernal) and the priest who abused him as a child.
