Here's a look at upcoming movies through the end of the year. Release dates are subject to change. Many of these dates reflect very limited release (usually New York and Los Angeles, in order to qualify for Oscars). Many of us will have to wait until next year to see some of these films.

Nov. 21

Black Knight: Martin Lawrence is a fast-talking con man with plans to rise above the pedestrian job he has at a medieval theme park. From 20th Century Fox.
The Devil's Backbone: Director Guillermo Del Toro (Cronos) examines the fears of an orphan during the Spanish Civil War. Federio Luppi (Cronos) and Marisa Paredes (All About My Mother) star. Limited release from Sony Pictures Classics.
Out Cold: Snowboarders take matters into their own hands when a tycoon plans to turn their getaway into an upscale resort. From Touchstone Pictures. 
Sidewalks of New York: Writer-director Ed Burns' look at Manhattan through the lens of interviews and vignettes. Limited release from Paramount Classics, expanding Nov. 30.
Spy Game: Tony Scott (Enemy of the State and Crimson Tide) directs this thriller starring Robert Redford as a CIA operative about to retire, but he has one last mission: to save his protégé (Brad Pitt) who has been jailed in Beijing on charges of attempting to break a prisoner out of China. It's the first time the two actors have worked together since Redford directed Pitt in 1992's A River Runs Through It. A side note: Universal considered postponing the movie's release in light of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. While the studio opted to keep everything the same, the tragedy did prompt a minor change in the trailer (and presumably the movie itself): eliminating an overhead shot of an intact Pentagon. From Universal Pictures.
The Way We Laughed: An Italian drama about two brothers who immigrate to Turin from Sicily in the late 1950s. Limited release from New Yorker.

Nov. 23

In the Bedroom: Drama centering on a couple whose only child is involved in a love affair that ends tragically, and everyone's response to it. The cast includes Sissy Spacek, Marisa Tomei and Tom Wilkinson (The Patriot). Spacek and Wilkinson won the Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. Todd Field directs, scripts and produces his feature debut. Limited release from Miramax Films, expanding Dec. 25.

Nov. 30

ABCD: Drama about two first-generation Asian Indian immigrant children growing up in the United States. The title, by the way, stands for American Born Confused Desi—if that clears anything up. Limited release from Eros Entertainment Inc.
Behind Enemy Lines: Gene Hackman stars in a Bosnian war drama about an American pilot shot down after photographing evidence of war crimes. From 20th Century Fox.
The Affair of the Necklace: A woman (Hilary Swank) plans to steal a priceless necklace in an attempt to regain her place in French society after it was stripped from her by King Louis XV. Limited release from Warner Bros. 
Texas Rangers: Dylan McDermott leads a group of unlikely heroes in Texas during the 1870s. The cast also includes James Van Der Beek, Randy Travis, and Rachael Leigh. From Miramax Films.

Dec. 5

Pinero: Benjamin Bratt, in his first leading role, stars as the Puerto Rican poet-playwright-actor Miguel Pinero. His urban spoken-word poetry served as a precursor to rap and hip-hop in the 1970s. Limited release from Miramax Films.

Dec. 7

The Business of Strangers: Stockard Channing (TV's The West Wing), as a hard-nosed businesswoman, fires Julia Stiles (O) from her job but the two later form an unlikely friendship. Limited release from IFC Films.
Ocean's 11: Star-filled reprise of the 1960 film about the attempted simultaneous robbery of five Las Vegas casinos. The cast includes George Clooney, Matt Damon, Carl Reiner and Julia Roberts, who is re-teaming with her Erin Brockovich director, Steven Soderbergh. From Warner Bros.
No Man's Land: Winner of the best screenplay prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival. Limited release from MGM/UA.

Dec. 14

Not Another Teen Movie: A send-up of teen comedies, directed by Joel Gallen (who did the MTV Movie Awards spoofs Being Tom Cruise and Sex and the Matrix). From Columbia Pictures.
The Royal Tenenbaums: An entrepreneur (Ben Stiller), playwright (Gwyneth Paltrow) and a tennis star (Luke Wilson) return about the time their father (Gene Hackman) decides he should patch up relationships with his kids. Anjelica Huston is the mother in this off-center family. Limited release from Touchstone Pictures, expanding Dec. 21 and again Dec. 28.
Vanilla Sky: Director-writer Cameron Crowe (Almost Famous) re-teams with his Jerry Maguire star (Tom Cruise) in this adaptation of the Spanish film of romantic obsession, Open Your Eyes. Cruise plays a New York adman who drops Cameron Diaz in favor of Penelope Cruz. From Paramount Pictures.

Dec. 19

Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring: Before J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter made it big, there was J.R.R. Tolkien's classic. Elijah Wood is the boy hero of the film version. There's a lot riding on the success of this one—it's the first of a trilogy and the other two were filmed at the same time as this one. From New Line Cinema.

Dec. 21

Joe Somebody: Tim Allen, embarrassed in front of his daughter during a fight over a parking space, vows to regain her respect by training for a rematch. But he finds out that's not the way to go about it. From Twentieth Century Fox.
Gangs of New York: Set in the 1840s, Martin Scorsese directs this tale set against battles between the Irish and earlier immigrants in New York City. The cast includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Daniel Day-Lewis and Liam Neeson. Limited release from Miramax Films.
How High: Rap stars Redman and Method Man have a plan to ace their college entrance exams. Trouble is, what they're smoking will only get them so far at Harvard. From Universal Pictures.
Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius: Jimmy, from the Nickelodeon cartoon, does all the usual stuff other boys do—play with his dog, battle evil, save his parents. From Paramount Pictures.
Kate & Leopold: A 19th-century duke time travels to modern-day New York where he meets Meg Ryan. Limited release from Miramax Films.
The Majestic: Jim Carrey stars as a blacklisted screenwriter who gets amnesia and then is mistaken for a soldier who is presumed dead. After directing The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, Frank Darabont paroles himself from helming a movie set inside a prison. From Warner Bros.

Dec. 25

Ali: Will Smith stars in a biopic about the Muhammad Ali, focusing on the 10 years starting in 1964 when the legendary boxer defeated Sonny Liston to become the world's heavyweight champ. Will Smith stars in the title role, Jon Voight is sportscaster Howard Cosell and Michael Mann (The Insider) directs. From Columbia Pictures.
A Beautiful Mind: Russell Crowe is a math genius pressed into service by the CIA in the latest from director Ron Howard. Co-starring are Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris and Christopher Plummer. Limited release from Universal Pictures, expanding Jan. 4.
The Shipping News: Director Lasse Hallstrom (The Cider House Rules and Chocolat) goes for his third straight Oscar nomination for best picture with an adaptation of Annie Proulx's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. In it, Kevin Spacey stars as a single dad who returns to his native Newfoundland. Julianne Moore and Dame Judi Dench round out a cast that at one time John Travolta and Kelly Preston were expected to lead. Limited release from Miramax Films, expanding Jan. 4.

Dec. 26

Gosford Park: Director Robert Altman jumps the pond for a humor-filled mystery set on an English estate during the 1930s. The cast includes Helen Mirren, Emily Watson, Jeremy Northam, Michael Gambon, Maggie Smith and Kristin Scott Thomas. Limited release from USA Films.
Monster's Ball: Billy Bob Thornton is a death-row worker who kills a man (Sean P. Diddy Combs), and then becomes involved with his wife (Halle Berry). Limited release from Lions Gate Films.

Dec. 28

Black Hawk Down: Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Tom Sizemore, and Sam Shepard star in a war drama about a U.S. mission in Somalia that goes wrong. Limited release from Columbia Pictures.
Charlotte Gray: Cate Blanchett is a Scottish woman who infiltrates war-torn France in 1942 to search for her husband. Billy Crudup also stars in this adaptation of the Sebastian Faulk novel. Limited release from Warner Bros., expanding Jan. 11.
I Am Sam: A mentally challenged man (Sean Penn) fights for the custody of his young daughter. His attorney is Michelle Pfeiffer; the opposition is led by Richard Schiff (The West Wing). Limited release from New Line Cinema, expanding Jan. 11.