15) Suspended Animation (October 31st)

If you want to garner the interest of at least a contingent of us here at BOP, the phrase "crazed cannibal sisters" is a good way to start. When Hollywood animator Tom Kempton goes on vacation to snowy Northern Michigan, he runs into trouble when he becomes lost and separated from his friends during a snowmobile outing. He finds refuge in a remote cabin, but unfortunately for him, that cabin is inhabited by the aforementioned sisterly duo. Director John Hancock's biggest box office success, Prancer, also took place in a snowy clime, albeit with a completely different tone. He is, however, also an Oscar nominated director (in the short film category), and most importantly in this case, the director of the cult horror film, Let's Scare Jessica to Death. While gore and cannibalism and psychotic sisters and a remote cabin are usually enough ingredients to make for an appetizing film, the fact that the director has psychological horror in his background adds the spice to make us really hungry for this one.

14) Millennium Actress (September 12th)

This lush animated film from Japanese director Satoshi Kon (Perfect Blue) is one of the first movies to be handled by the new distribution arm of DreamWorks, Go Fish. The setup for the story is rather unique: a movie studio has gone out of business and the building is being torn down. A documentary maker is putting together a history of the studio and chooses as his subject one of its most famous actresses, a woman who is now living a solitary, Garbo-esque existence. As they literally jump into her story, the movie celebrates both cinema and the classic actresses of the past. Far from a typical "anime" film, it is a beautiful example of the art that is emerging from East Asia today.

13) The Singing Detective (October 24th)

The Singing Detective is all about the return of Robert Downey, Jr., who is an enormously talented performer when his demons aren't getting the best of him. In this film, which premiered at Sundance earlier this year, he plays a man with demons of his own, suffering from illness and dementia due to an extreme case of psoriasis. A writer of detective novels, in his bedridden fever he reworks his first novel by inserting himself as the lead character and playing the story out in his mind. Although the critical response has been varied, we still can't wait to see Downey play a character that is so allusively reflective of his personal life.

12) The Human Stain (September 26th)

Pedigree, pedigree, pedigree. From source material to filmmakers to cast, no other film this fall can match the pedigree of The Human Stain. The film is based on the best selling and PEN/Faulkner Award winning novel by Philip Roth about a college professor whose career unravels when he makes a possibly racist statement. This exploration of race and racism becomes even more complicated when the professor's hidden heritage becomes revealed. Taking on this complex tale are director Robert Benton (two Oscars, four nominations) and a cast that includes Anthony Hopkins, Nicole Kidman, Ed Harris, and Gary Sinise (two Oscars, nine nominations among them). Pedigree alone isn't a guarantee of success (see: The Shipping News), but it's hard to ignore the talent behind this film.

11) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (October 17th)

It's the truest of movie-going maxims. Everything is better with a chainsaw. Bruce Campbell knew it, the writers of Lilo & Stitch knew it, and Tobe Hooper damn sure knew it. Now, we are standing on the brink of a Michael Bay production, which updates the story for jaded modern audiences who are less inclined to watch a horror film from three decades ago. There is a certain symmetry to the fact that The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is being re-made. After all, it was one of two films loosely based on the story of Ed Gein. The other is Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece, Psycho, and we all know what Gus Van Sant, Vince Vaughn and Anne Heche did with that one. Most speculation has been predicated upon the assumption that a Michael Bay production of a horror classic will be an equally sacrilegious undertaking. BOP is choosing to fly in the face of convention on this one, though. We just don't think you can mess up the story of Leatherface chasing after a terrified group of stranded hippies. And the fact that the trailer kills (no pun intended) seals the deal.

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