By Lubna Abdel-Aziz It is official -- summer is over. The falling leaves of red and gold hasten to lay the welcome carpet for the busiest of seasons, autumn. "Season of mist and mellow fruitfulness", of softer suns and yellow moons, of milder days and cooler nights, the hopeful harbinger of all meaningful activities. No longer dark, dull and soundless days, but a season hustling and bustling with scholastic, academic, cultural and political activities. A season that glitters and gleams in marbled ballrooms, ornate opera houses, crystal concert halls and modern movie theatres. Since film is the most popular, accessible and affordable form of entertainment, an eager public worldwide awaits filmdom's offerings for each season. What will turn their celluloid into gold at the box-office. The most outstanding feature is the absence of an outstanding feature -- that is there is no blockbuster production like Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, or Star Wars. Apart from Oliver Stone's Alexander the Great, such awe- inspiring, breathtaking thrills do not await us. In fact the season started with a whimper: Collateral with Tom Cruise and director Shyamalan's The Village have passed largely unnoticed. It is not inconceivable that a hidden gem altogether unperceived now may become the next major blockbuster to warm our cold nights for years to come. It has happened before with The Sixth Sense (1999), The Blair Witch Project (1999) and others, which came out of the dark to break records and make history. The parade of stars is impressive enough with Leonardo di Caprio heading the pack in the much awaited The Aviator, Martin Scorsese's biopic of eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes. The HH biography is certainly worthy of an in-depth treatment on the big screen with all the twists and turns of the wondrous life of an American original. Rich, handsome, dashing, smart, and successful, Hughes was also a daring aviator who captured the imagination of Americans during The Great Depression and for many decades to follow. The memory we retain of him may be one of a stringy-haired emaciated old freak. Scorsese chooses to showcase the young dashing Texas billionaire who takes Hollywood by storm, buys RKO studios, produces and directs Oscar-winning films and courts Hollywood's most eligible leading ladies. Playboy, cowboy, actor, director, producer, patriot, maverick, and hotel owner, Hughes was not all play and no work. He was a serious businessman, an inventor and a daring aviator who revolutionised the military aircrafts in WWII and personally tested the world's most advanced planes. Above all he is the man who introduced Jane Russell and her cleavage in 1943's The Outlaw. Scorsese avoids the darker side of Hughes, the aging lunatic, obsessed with germs, sealed away from the world in his exclusive hotel suites in Las Vegas, and in 1973 left an estate estimated at $2 billion to practically nobody. Hollywood's major heartthrob George Clooney, who in Ocean's 11 (2001) with partner/director Steven Soderbergh cleaned up at the box office, is hoping to do it again with Ocean's 12. The Rat Pack is back with Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, Andy Garcia, et al with the addition of beauteous Catherine Zeta-Jones. Will the suspenseful thefts of valuable paintings in the world's art capitals hold our attention or will we be distracted by so much dazzling beauty combined together on one screen! Fingers remain crossed for another sequel in British Helen Fielding's diary of Bridget Jones. Renée Zellwegger, who had to gain 20 lbs for the first episode of Bridget Jones Diaries, and then lose them for other projects, would not do it again for the sequel until of course she was very handsomely rewarded. Upon receiving a check for $22.5 million, tiny Zellwegger began devouring all the English scones and clotted cream in sight until she was large enough to reunite with her co-stars Hugh Grant and Colin Firth in Bridget Jones -- The Edge of Reason. If the sequel turns out to be another hit, what will her reward be the next time around? More sequels unite Robert de Niro and Ben Stiller in Meet the Fockers, a follow-up of Meet the Parents, with the same hilarious cast plus a bonus couple, Dustin Hoffman and Barbara Streisand. Music lovers rejoice. Finally the film version of Andrew Lloyd Weber's superlative Phantom of the Opera will be ready for viewing on the big screen this season, with the able Joel Schumacher wielding the director's baton. Music with a different style will surely enchant in the biography of the late jazz genius Ray Charles. Ray himself,before his death, had approved a script transposed in Braille by Director Taylor Hackford. Comedian Jamie Foxx received critical praise for getting under Charles's skin, from his blinding glaucoma to his heroine addiction, his many romances and heartbreaks, and his adamant refusal to play segregated concert dates. Perhaps you are old enough to remember Rock'n Roll idol Bobby Darren! Kevin Spacey discovered his music in his parent's library and was completely seduced by the young musician's style and contributions. Despite a short tragic life Beyond the Sea reveals a musical legacy worthy of reverential treatment. Author John Grisham is back on the screen without a secret Firm or Pelican Brief or other legal or criminal entanglements. This is Christmas with the Kranks an adaptation of his novel Skipping Christmas. Director Joe Roth unites The Santa Claus ' Tim Allen and Freaky Friday 's Jamie Lee Curtis as the hilarious Kranks who go off on a cruise for Christmas, breaking with a tradition that upsets their neighbours. Kranks is fine Christmas fare for the whole family. Children are very much on the minds of film producers this season. British author J M Barrie creator of the beloved Peter Pan is the subject of this season's Finding Neverland with Johnny Depp playing the British author and Kate Winslet, the widow Sylvia, who inspires him to explore his creative journey to a fabulous world of fantasy. The Oscar buzz is already favouring Johnny Depp as author Barrie who dreams up 'Neverland' and the 'boy who never sleeps'. A couple of animated features are de rigueur each season and the crème de la crème among Hollywood stars scramble to lend their voices to these box office gems. A Shark's Tale is the story of a humble lowly cleaner fish, Will Smith, who becomes a hero when he kills a mean shark feared by all. The shark's father Robert de Niro comes seeking revenge for his son's death while Angelina Jolie and Renée Zellwegger battle over the hero's affection. Pixar follows their phenomenal success, Finding Nemo with the Incredibles, a family of superheroes who lay low in the suburbs until they are called again for more super heroic activities. Tom Hanks teams up once more with Forest Gump 's director Robert Zemeckis in the prize-winning children's book The Polar Express by author Chris Van Allsburg. Says Zemeckis: "The book is sort of a memory of Christmas, timeless and universal." This universality is what ultimately makes a film great and profitable, and this heart-warming story about the power of belief resonates across generations and cultures. Express may well be the super hit of the season. Dreamworks is putting its money -- over $160 million of it -- on Lemony Snicket and the face of a zillion expressions, comedian Jim Carrey. Director Brad Silberling brings the best selling children's book series to the screen, to the delight of young and old alike. Carrey who plays the wicked Count Olaf, has us in stitches already. One charming adaptation of a Japanese original Shall We Dance is about a bored and weary middle aged married man who discovers beauty and excitement through the joy of dancing, which inadvertently also helps him save his troubled marriage. Will the Americanised version retain the original's simple elegance? Will stars Jennifer Lopez, Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon do credit to this tender tale, or should it have been best left alone? Over 100 films will be released by Hollywood, with over 100 shimmering stars for this golden season. It will not be hard to catch your favourite star from amongst them. Will one gem sparkle and glitter above all else in the crowded Hollywood firmament! Will one movie emerge as the unforgettable work of art that will break records, win Oscars and make history? We can only hope as we gaze in autumn's mist at her cool and inviting starry, starry skies.
