Big-Name Film Fare Tops New Year

LOS ANGELES (AP) â€” Hide the fava beans. He's back for seconds. <br><br>The early months of the year, normally a quiet time for Hollywood, take on more bite in 2001 with the February release of ``Hannibal,''

Friday, January 5th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

LOS ANGELES (AP) â€” Hide the fava beans. He's back for seconds.

The early months of the year, normally a quiet time for Hollywood, take on more bite in 2001 with the February release of ``Hannibal,'' sequel to ``The Silence of the Lambs.''

Anthony Hopkins reprises his Oscar-winning role as Hannibal ``The Cannibal'' Lecter, the mass murderer with a taste for human liver served alongside fava beans and washed down with a nice chianti. Julianne Moore subs for Jodie Foster as FBI agent Clarice Starling, the object of Hannibal's professional, if not culinary, curiosity.

``Hannibal'' leads an unusually heavy-hitting slate of films due in theaters before Memorial Day.

There's a wealth of big-name fare: Brad Pitt in ``Snatch'' and ``The Mexican,'' the latter co-starring Julia Roberts; Jack Nicholson in ``The Pledge''; Tim Robbins in ``Antitrust''; Warren Beatty and Diane Keaton in ``Town & Country''; Robert De Niro in ''15 Minutes''; Nicolas Cage in ``Captain Corelli's Mandolin''; and Antonio Banderas and Angelina Jolie in ``Original Sin.''

``Hannibal'' takes up the story of Lecter and Starling eight years after the killer's escape from custody. Starling's once-promising FBI career has stalled, while Lecter has been indulging himself in intellectual and cannibalistic pursuits in Italy.

Their paths cross again when the killer's comfortable refuge is infiltrated by henchmen dispatched by one of Lecter's vengeful victims.

``He's been out and about enjoying himself and traveling and being near those things he loves,'' said ``Hannibal'' director Ridley Scott. ``He's a man of taste and therefore enjoys life, food, his art and paintings and artifacts, and he loves to travel. It's taken him eight years to settle, then of course, the place that he hoped would be his resting place is disturbed.''

Like many who read ``Hannibal,'' Scott was a bit disturbed with the ending, which throws Lecter and Starling together in an eye-opening way. Scott said Thomas Harris, the novel's author, was agreeable to seeing a less extreme ending for the movie.

``I would say we don't go as far as the book goes,'' Scott said. ``Our resolution is maybe more appropriate.''

Hollywood's big early-year slate stands as a springboard to a potentially colossal summer and fall at the box office. The lineup from Memorial Day weekend to year's end includes the battle spectacle ``Pearl Harbor''; Disney's animated epic ``Atlantis''; reinterpretations of ``Planet of the Apes,'' ``Rollerball'' and ``The Time Machine''; Steven Spielberg's ``A.I.''; the biopic ``Ali''; and part one of the ``Lord of the Rings'' trilogy.

There's also sequels galore, among them ``Jurassic Park 3,'' ``American Pie 2,'' ``Doctor Dolittle 2,'' ``Rush Hour 2'' and ``The Santa Clause 2.''

``Based on the titles, 2001 is going to be an incredible year of movies,'' said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. ``On paper, it looks like a record-breaking year with all the big sequels and big new films coming. You can just go down the list and see all these big event films people will be very anxious to see.''

Highlights of the early releases for 2001 (some films play in select cities, and release dates are subject to change):

JANUARY

ANTITRUST: A new hire (Ryan Phillippe) uncovers shady dealings at a computer mega-corporation run by a software dynamo (Tim Robbins).

DOUBLE TAKE: Wrongly framed, an investment banker (Orlando Jones) swaps identities with a thief (Eddie Griffin).

THE INVISIBLE CIRCUS: A teen (Jordana Brewster) explores the mystery of the death of her sister (Cameron Diaz). Christopher Eccleston co-stars.

THE PLEDGE: Jack Nicholson is a detective drawn into a murder investigation on the day of his retirement. Sean Penn directs.

SAVE THE LAST DANCE: A white, small-town teen (Julia Stiles) finds romance with a black hip-hop dancer (Sean Patrick Thomas) in Chicago.

SNATCH: Madonna's new hubby, Guy Ritchie, directs this comic heist flick that stars Dennis Farina, Benicio Del Toro and Brad Pitt.

SUGAR AND SPICE: High school cheerleaders plot a bank robbery in this comedy that features Mena Suvari, James Marsden and Marley Shelton.

THE WEDDING PLANNER: Jennifer Lopez is a wedding planner who stumbles on her own potential soul mate (Matthew McConaughey) after an auto mishap.

WITH A FRIEND LIKE HARRY...: A seemingly benign old classmate becomes more and more menacing for a vacationing family in this French thriller.

FEBRUARY

DOWN TO EARTH: Chris Rock in a ``Heaven Can Wait'' update about a comedian returned to life in a borrowed body.

ENEMY AT THE GATES: Jude Law, Joseph Fiennes and Ed Harris star in a World War II duel between sharpshooters during the siege of Stalingrad.

HEAD OVER HEELS: A Manhattanite (Monica Potter) finds a beau (Freddie Prinze Jr.) who may be her dream man or a wacko killer.

THE MILLION DOLLAR HOTEL: Mel Gibson is an investigator examining the death of a billionaire's son at a seedy hotel. Wim Wenders directs.

ORIGINAL SIN: Antonio Banderas and Angelina Jolie steam things up in a sultry thriller about a Cuban merchant who takes an American bride.

THE PRICE OF MILK: Life down on the dairy farm turns sour when a woman subjects her mate to bizarre tests of his passion and devotion.

RECESS: SCHOOL'S OUT: School kids fight a deranged ex-principal who wants to eliminate summer vacation in this animated flick.

SAVING SILVERMAN: Two buddies try to rescue a pal (Jason Biggs) from his vile fiancee (Amanda Peet) by abducting her and pretending she's dead.

SAY IT ISN'T SO: Heather Graham and Chris Klein play lovers whose romance crashes when they learn they may be sister and brother. Produced by the Farrelly brothers.

SWEET NOVEMBER: Keanu Reeves is a high-pressure ad exec who takes time out to fall for a free-spirited woman (Charlize Theron).

3000 MILES TO GRACELAND: Kevin Costner and Kurt Russell in a tale of casino thieves who pull a Vegas job dressed as Elvis impersonators.

VALENTINE: Four San Francisco women are stalked by a killer over Valentine's Day weekend. David Boreanaz and Denise Richards co-star.

MARCH

ABOUT ADAM: A Dublin singer (Kate Hudson) and her family are mesmerized by the charms of her new beau (Stuart Townsend).

ANIMAL HUSBANDRY: After a soured romance, a woman (Ashley Judd) embarks on a study of men and starts a sex column under a pseudonym.

BLOW DRY: A hairdresser (Alan Rickman) teams with his ex-wife and her salon partner (Natasha Richardson and Rachel Griffiths) in a hairdressing competition.

THE BROTHERS: Four men (Bill Bellamy, Morris Chestnut, D.L. Hughley and Shemar Moore) bond and bar-hop their way through romantic pitfalls.

DEUCES WILD: Times are a-changing for a Brooklyn street gang trying to hang onto the old, tough-guy ways on the cusp of the '60s.

THE DISH: A comic portrait of Australian scientists running a satellite dish that relays images from the first moon landing. Sam Neill stars.

EXIT WOUNDS: Steven Seagal as a Detroit cop who teams with a crime lord (hip-hop star DMX) to uncover a conspiracy.

THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Michelle Rodriguez in a tale of an undercover cop who infiltrates a street-racing gang.

15 MINUTES: Robert De Niro is a homicide detective who pairs off with an arson investigator (Edward Burns) to hunt a couple of immigrant killers.

GET OVER IT: Dumped by his girlfriend, a high school student sets out to win her back. Kirsten Dunst co-stars.

JOE DIRT: A janitor (David Spade) takes a road trip to find his parents, whom he lost at the Grand Canyon when he was 8. Dennis Miller co-stars.

THE MEXICAN: Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt in a mob flick about a bagman sent to Mexico to retrieve a rare â€” but cursed â€” antique pistol.

SEE SPOT RUN: David Arquette stars as a mailman on a comic romp with an escaped drug-sniffing FBI dog.

SOUL SURVIVORS: A college freshman (Eliza Dushku) is tormented by deathly apparitions after surviving a car wreck. Wes Bentley co-stars.

SPY KIDS: The children of two retired super spies come to the rescue of their parents. Antonio Banderas stars.

SQUELCH: Two brothers (Steve Zahn and Paul Walker) pull a prank on a trucker and end up on the road trip from hell. Leelee Sobieski co-stars.

THE TAILOR OF PANAMA: John Boorman directs Pierce Brosnan and Geoffrey Rush in an adaptation of John Le Carre's darkly comic spy adventure.

TOMCATS: Jerry O'Connell plays a man whose future rides on a longshot bet to cover his gambling debts to a Vegas casino.

TOWN & COUNTRY: A big-name cast highlights this comedy about love and divorce. With Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton, Goldie Hawn, Andie MacDowell and Garry Shandling.

THE WIDOW OF ST. PIERRE: Juliette Binoche in French director Patrice Leconte's tale of a 19th century love triangle among a military officer, his wife and a death-row inmate.

APRIL

BLOW: Johnny Depp stars as an American link to Colombia's cocaine trade. Penelope Cruz, Ray Liotta and Rachel Griffiths co-star.

BOOK OF LOVE: Three men cope with women reluctant to commit to their romantic relationships. Robin Givens stars.

BRIDGET JONES' DIARY: Trying to rein in her wild life, a woman (Renee Zellweger) begins a saucy account of her adventures. Hugh Grant co-stars.

CAPTAIN CORELLI'S MANDOLIN: Nicolas Cage is a mandolin-picking Italian officer in Greece who woos the village doctor's daughter (Penelope Cruz) during World War II.

DRIVEN: Sylvester Stallone stars as a down-and-out car-racing legend who plays mentor for a rookie. Burt Reynolds co-stars.

THE FORSAKEN: A motorist is drawn into a horror nightmare when he picks up a hitchhiker who turns out to be a vampire hunter.

FREDDY GOT FINGERED: MTV comic Tom Green co-wrote, directed and stars as a slacker battling his father's expectations.

THE GLASS HOUSE: An orphaned sister and brother come under the care of their parents' best friends, who may prove hazardous to the youths' health. Diane Lane and Leelee Sobieski star.

THE GOLDEN BOWL: Nick Nolte and Uma Thurman in a Merchant-Ivory film about a father and daughter whose new spouses are romantically involved.

HEARTBREAKERS: Sigourney Weaver and Jennifer Love Hewitt are mother-daughter grifters: Ma marries 'em, offspring seduces 'em. Gene Hackman co-stars.

JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS: Rachael Leigh Cook, Tara Reid and Rosario Dawson star as the comic-book power-pop trio. Parker Posey and Alan Cumming co-star.

JUST VISITING: Jean Reno and Christian Clavier reprise their roles in an American version of the French time-travel comedy ``Les Visiteurs. Christina Applegate co-stars.

KINGDOM COME: Whoopi Goldberg, LL Cool J, Jada Pinkett Smith and Toni Braxton head the cast of this comedy about a funeral gathering.

THE KING IS ALIVE: Jennifer Jason Leigh and Janet McTeer in a story of tourists stranded in the African desert who stage ``King Lear'' to pass the time.

MONKEYBONE: Live-action and animated fantasy about a comatose cartoonist (Brendan Fraser) trapped in his own creation. Bridget Fonda and Whoopi Goldberg co-star.

PLUTO NASH: Eddie Murphy is a brassy club owner in the year 2087 fighting lunar gangsters in this sci-fi comedy.

POKEMON 3: THE MOVIE: The animated adventures continue as the ``pocket monsters'' discover a new group of Pokemon with awesome powers.

ROCK STARS: A salesman who plays in a tribute band is tapped to sub for the singer in his favorite band. Starring Mark Wahlberg and Jennifer Aniston.

MAY

AMERICAN OUTLAWS: Jesse James and gang ride again in this comic western. The cast includes Colin Farrell, Timothy Dalton and Kathy Bates.

CATS & DOGS: Animation mixes with live action in this tale of the battle between humanity's two favorite pets. Jeff Goldblum stars.

THE HEIST: Writer-director David Mamet returns to the crime caper with this jewel-thief adventure. Gene Hackman and Danny De Vito head a big cast.

THE MUMMY RETURNS: Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz and the gang return to kick the stuffing out of a ratty old corpse again.

THE NEW GUY: A nerd gets a makeover as he transfers to a new school and transforms himself into a cool heartbreaker.

SHREK: Mike Myers is the voice of a hermit whose space is invaded by homeless fairy-tale characters in this animated tale. Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and John Lithgow add their voices.

UNSCHEDULED SPRING RELEASES

ALONG CAME A SPIDER: Morgan Freeman reprises his ``Kiss the Girls'' role as a detective in this murder thriller.

BORN ROMANTIC: Three London men search for lost loves and new loves. The cast includes Craig Ferguson, Ian Hart, Jane Horrocks and Catherine McCormack.

BUYING THE COW: The heat is on for a bachelor (Jerry O'Connell) who starts squirming when his girlfriend mentions marriage.

THE CENTER OF THE WORLD: A socially challenged engineer spends an erotic weekend in Vegas with a stripper.

CROCODILE DUNDEE IN LOS ANGELES: The comic Aussie hero (Paul Hogan) goes walkabout again. Linda Kozlowski reprises her role from the first two flicks.

GHOST WORLD: Two cool teens (Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson) re-examine their world and romantic lives as they depart high school.

HOOKING UP ETHAN: The big geek on campus blackmails three college cheats into getting him a date with a brainy beauty.

POOTIE TANG: A big-screen version of the super-cool superhero sketch that originated on Chris Rock's HBO show.

RING OF FIRE: Kiefer Sutherland, Daryl Hannah and Molly Ringwald in a tale of brotherly bonding in the bull-riding ring.