Tell No One

Francois Cluzet finds himself a suspect in his wife's murder in Tell No One (Music Box Films)

I don't envy any film opening against The Dark Knight. That's tough. But I hope the new French thriller Tell No One (opening July 18 at Landmark's Hillcrest and La Jolla Village Theaters) doesn't get completely over shadowed by the Batman. Based on American writer Harlan Coben's novel, Tell No One serves up an obsessive love story wrapped up in a thriller about murder and deception.

The Dark Knight

The Joker robs the mob while Heath Ledger steals the show in The Dark Knight (Warner Brothers)

There was a time when people thought it was crazy to try and have someone else take on the role of the Joker because no one could possibly fill Jack Nicholson's shoes. But after you see The Dark Knight (opening July 18 throughout San Diego and in IMAX at Edwards Mira Mesa Cinemas), you won't be able to think of anyone else besides Heath Ledger. Now Nicholson's Joker looks like a naughty clown while Ledger's Joker is downright nasty and disturbed (yet still oddly likable). Ledger's manically endearing performance as the unhinged psycho giving both cops and crooks nightmares is so riveting that it makes you sad for all the roles he'll never have a chance to tackle. Ledger died at the beginning of this year just after wrapping production on The Dark Knight. So this film offers his last completed performance.

When Did You Last See Your Father?

Jim Broadbent and Matthew Beard in When Did You Last See Your Father? (Sony Pictures Classics)

Just in time for father's day, a new film that explores a troubled father-son relationship. Based on Blake Morrison's book of the same name, When Did You Last See Your Father? (opening June 13 at Landmark's Hillcrest Cinemas), the film travels some rocky emotional terrain but ends with a son's guarded appreciation for his difficult parent. So the positive resolution makes this a safe choice to celebrate the holiday with.

Before the Rains

Before the Rains (Roadside Attractions)

Ismail Merchant may have died three years ago but the brand that he and fellow filmmaker James Ivory established with their canon of films lives on. The Merchant Ivory label isn't one that stands for bold innovation or wild excitement but it does assure you of a high level of craftsmanship; literate, intelligent storytelling; and usually themes of culture and class. The latest film to be presented under the Merchant-Ivory banner is Santosh Sivan's Before the Rains (opening May 16 at Landmark's La Jolla Village Theaters), a tale set in India as British rule is facing decline. [JUST ADDED: You can now listen to the Film Club of the Air discussion of Before the Rains with Tom Fudge, Scott Marks and myself.]

The inspiration for Before the Rains comes from an unexpected source -- the Israeli film by Dany Verete, The Desert Trilogy: Yellow Asphalt, and specifically the segment called Red Roofs. The story involves an Israeli farmer who has an illicit affair with his housemaid and then makes his Bedouin assistant deal with the fallout. Film producers Amotz Zakai, Doug Mankoff and Andrew Spaulding decided to transplant Verete's story to colonial India, which would then afford them the opportunity of working with cinematographer-turned-filmmaker Santosh Sivan.

Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Wallace and Gromit are off on another adventure.

Nick Park, the man behind the delightful claymation of Aardman Studios, brings a pair of his creations to the big screen for their first feature. Wallace and Gromit -- the cheese-loving, ever-tinkering human and his silent, superior dog -- team up once again, this time for The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (opening October 7 throughout San Diego).

The Curse of the Were-Rabbit finds Wallace and Gromit running the Anti-Pesto Protection Agency, a company that protects local residents from pesky creatures like rabbits. Their services are particularly important at the moment because the annual giant vegetable competition is just days away, and people are anxious over the safety of their prized veggies. Wallace (voiced by Peter Sallis) and Gromit (no voice talent credited since Gromit never speaks) specialize in the humane removal of rodents -- the rabbits are not killed but are put up at Wallace and Gromits home - and this appeals to Lady Tottington (Helena Bonham Carter providing voice talent as she also does in Corpse Bride). She has a massive bunny removal job for Anti-Pesto. Her estate is running rampant with rabbits and the cute creatures have to be gone before Lady Tottington hosts the upcoming veggie contest. Victor (Ralph Fiennes having a grand old time), however, is a hunter who would rather shoot the vermin. He would also like to marry the wealthy Lady Tottington but she seems to show little interest.

A Midwinter’s Tale

A Midwinter's Tale (Sony Pictures) 

Kenneth Branagh has tackled Shakespeare in film versions of Henry V and Much Ado About Nothing. Now he looks at the Bard from the perspective of a group of struggling actors trying to pull off Hamlet during the Christmas break in A Midwinter's Tale (opening March 22).

Joe: "I want this production to be innovative..."

Joe Harper is not in the habit of producing plays. In fact, if he had has way he'd much rather act in them. But no one's been willing to hire him as an actor for more than a year and the rejection is taking its toll on his already shaky confidence. Rather than wallow in his existential despair, Joe decides to channel his suicidal tendencies into a self-financed production of Hamlet in which he will play the melancholy Dane. He borrows money from his agent, secures a condemned church in the English countryside for his theater and then sets out to cast and mount the production over the upcoming Christmas holidays. And so begins Kenneth Branagh's delicious comedy, A Midwinter's Tale.