Compelling dramas

Whether they’re Oscar bait or not, dramas rule the early fall season. Actors like George Clooney get to put “Ocean’s” on the shelf for a bit and do some real acting. Even “Harry Potter” star Daniel Radcliffe gets a chance to build his post-Potter legacy. But not all dramas are created equal; family fare like “Goal II Living the Dream,” makes this category more of a middle than heavy weight.

“Michael Clayton”
Starring: George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton, Sydney Pollack, Pamela Gray
Director: Tony Gilroy
Story: Michael Clayton (Clooney) is a corporate “fixer” who handles the dirty work at the Kenner, Bach & Ledeen law firm. He’s burnt out, dealing with divorce and a mountain of debt. When brilliant lawyer Arthur Edens (Wilkinson) has a clash of conscience that leads him to try to sabotage a big case, the boss (Pollack) sends Clayton to reign him in. But will Clayton be able to do his job without having his own crisis of conscience?
Buzz: This looks a bit like Michael Mann’s “The Insider,” with Clooney in the Al Pacino role and Wilkinson (“In the Bedroom”) in the Russell Crowe role. If this is half as smart as that film, it should be a good ride, and could result in awards for Wilkinson or Clooney. This is the directing debut for Gilroy, who’s made his name as a screenwriter, collaborating on all three “Bourne” films, as well as “Armaggedon” and “The Devil’s Advocate.”
Web site: http://michaelclayton.warnerbros.com/
Release date: Oct. 5

“Into the Wild”

Paramount Vantage

Starring: Emile Hirsch, Vince Vaughn, Marcia Gay Harden, William Hurt, Catherine Keener, Kristen Stewart, Zach Galifianakis, Jena Malone, Brian Dierker, Hal Holbrook
Director: Sean Penn
Story: Based on the bestselling book by Jon Krakauer, the film tells the story of Christopher McCandless (Hirsch), who, after graduating Emory University, abandons all his possessions, gives away all his money, and hits the road to live in the wilderness. His journey eventually takes him all the way to Alaska. Vaughn plays McCandless’ South Dakota boss, Wayne Westerberg, while Keener plays a “rubber tramp” McCandless meets on the road. Hurt and Harden co-star as his estranged parents.
Buzz: Krakauer adapted his own book with Penn. Penn’s directorial efforts (“The Crossing Guard,” “The Pledge”) can feel dark and claustrophobic, but that should be remedied by the subject matter here. There’s almost something River Phoenix-like in Hirsch’s (“Lords of Dogtown”) vulnerability — he’s an actor who you believe can be hurt.  There’s some definite award-consideration possibilities for this film, specifically in the supporting performance categories.
Web site: http://www.intothewild.imeem.com/
Release date: Sept. 21

“Martian Child”

New Line Cinema

Starring: John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Sophie Okonedo, Bobby Coleman, Joan Cusack
Director: Menno Meyjes
Story: Cusack stars as a recently widowed science-fiction writer who adopts a 6-year-old boy (Coleman) and forms a family with an unlikely friend (Peet). The boy, however, claims to be from Mars, and Peet and Cusack, ignoring advice from Cusack’s married sister (Joan Cusack), begin to believe him.
Buzz: The film comes from a story by David Gerrold, who wrote it as a semi-fictional account of his own experience as a gay man adopting a troubled boy (though Cusack’s character isn’t gay in the film). Director Meyjes previously worked with Cusack on the indie film, “Max.”
Web site: http://www.martianchild.com/
Release date: Oct. 26

“December Boys”

Warner Independent Pictures

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Christian Byers, Lee Cormie, James Fraser, Teresa Palmer, Jack Thompson, Victoria Hill, Sullivan Stapleton
Director: Rod Hardy
Story: Based on the Michael Noonan novel, this film tells the story of four orphaned boys (Radcliffe, Byers, Cormie, Fraser) growing up in a convent in Australia. When the Reverend Mother sends them to the South Australia coast for a holiday, they meet a couple, Teresa (Hill) and Fearless (Stapleton), who may want to adopt one of them. But which one? One of the boys (Radcliffe) also meets a girl Lucy (Palmer) whom he falls in love with.
Buzz: About this non-“Harry Potter” role, Radcliffe told the Herald Sun, “It does feel like a big deal and I am nervous about how it’s going to be received, and I’m nervous about what people are going to say.” Director Hardy (a native Australian) comes from the world of TV, having helmed episodes of “Battlestar Galactica,” “Burn Notice” and “The X-Files,” among others.
Web site: http://wip.warnerbros.com/decemberboys/
Release date: Sept. 14

“King of California”

First Look

Starring: Michael Douglas, Evan Rachel Wood, Greg Davis Jr., Angel Oquendo
Director: Mike Cahill
Story: After two years in a mental institution, Charlie (Douglas) comes home to his teenage daughter Miranda (Wood). Charlie has spent his life pursuing his passions, and his latest quest takes him and Miranda to a San Fernando Valley Costco to look for Spanish buried treasure.
Buzz: After seeing it at this year’s Sundance film fest, Variety’s John Anderson wrote, “Bristling with a beard and a madman's joie de vivre, Michael Douglas brings as much twisted personality to ‘King of California’ as he has to anything since ‘Wall Street.’” Novelist Cahill makes his screenwriting and directing debut.
Web site: NA
Release date: Sept. 14

“The Final Season”

Yari Film Group

Starring: Sean Astin, Powers Boothe, Rachael Leigh Cook, Tom Arnold
Director: David M. Evans
Story: Based on a true story, this film tells the story of the Norway High School baseball team in Iowa. When winning coach Jim Van Scoyoc (Boothe) retires and the school is set to be merged with another, assistant coach Kent Stock (Astin) steps in to pull the team together.
Buzz: When the film played at Tribeca, Scott Collura of IGN.com wrote, “In this tale of a small Iowa town where the local high school baseball team is the best thing since sliced bread, the real name of the game is corn, as in corny.” Astin knows his way around inspirational sports films; he starred in “Rudy.”
Web site: http://www.finalseason.com/
Release date: Oct. 12

“Goal II Living the Dream”

Walt Disney Pictures

Starring: Kuno Becker, Alessandro Nivola, Anna Friel, Stephen Dillane, Rutger Hauer, Nick Cannon, Frances Barber, Santiago Cabrera, Miriam Colon, Kieran O'Brien, David Beckham
Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Story: After playing for the Newcastle United soccer team, prodigy Santiago Munez (Becker) gets a huge break when he’s transferred to the Real Madrid team, where he’ll get to play alongside great players like David Beckham. While his fiancé (Friel) plans their wedding back in Newcastle, Munez finds himself tempted by the lovely Jordana Garcia (Leonor Varela), and the fame and money that come with playing for a major team.
Buzz: It will be curious to see if this summer’s Beckham fever influences the box office of this film. The first film made only a little over $4 million domestically and $23 million worldwide. Director Collet-Serra’s only other feature is the Paris Hilton-starring “House of Wax.” Fans should be thrilled: “Goal 3” is already in preproduction.
Web site: http://www.bvimovies.com/uk/goal2/index.html?hbx.hrf=http://www.comingsoon.net/films.php?id=14503
Release date: Sept. 28

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