Movie delights that await you in the dark

So — enough of 2005 already. The new year is already bubbling up with movies, many highly anticipated. You might already know about the biggest ones, like "Superman Returns" (June 30), "The Da Vinci Code" (May 19), "Casino Royale" (Nov. 17), the Pixar animated comedy "Cars" (June 9) and enough remakes and sequels to sink the Titanic.

But here are 10 films that I'm especially looking forward to, for a variety of reasons. Some are big, some not so big, but all have me eagerly anticipating that moment when the lights dim in the theater. Note that all dates are tentative and could well change; the movie calendar is ever-shifting.

"The Departed" (fourth quarter 2006). Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio team up yet again (after "Gangs of New York" and "The Aviator") for this crime drama, set in South Boston but based on the 2002 Hong Kong film "Infernal Affairs." Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Ray Winstone and Alec Baldwin, among others, play cops and mobsters in a story of corruption, in which both sides learn there is a mole in their midst. Sounds like rich material for the busy Scorsese, now in his fifth decade of filmmaking.

"The Devil Wears Prada" (June 30). I suspect this might be one of those rare cases in which the movie is much better than the book. Meryl Streep plays magazine editor Miranda Priestly (a thinly disguised version of Vogue editor Anna Wintour), a screechingly elegant, stiletto-heeled harpie who makes the life of her assistant (Anne Hathaway) a living hell. Does anyone doubt that La Streep, whose sly comedic turn in "Prime" was one of 2005's overlooked pleasures, can hit this one out of the park? Not this writer, and I can't wait to see her in the outfits, too.

"For Your Consideration" (Sept. 22). Christopher Guest and his genius improv troupe set their sights on an irresistible target: the movie business, and specifically the strange rituals of the awards season. Those of us who already have "Waiting for Guffman," "Best in Show" and "A Mighty Wind" committed to memory are awaiting this one with the eagerness of, say, a Norwich terrier or a folk neuftet; like those films, it should reward multiple viewings.

"The Good German" (fourth quarter 2006). Steven Soderbergh enters unusual territory (for him, that is): a period drama, set in post-World War II Berlin. Cate Blanchett and George Clooney play a pair of former lovers caught up in a murder mystery. Paul Attanasio (Oscar-nominated for "Quiz Show" and "Donnie Brasco") wrote the screenplay, from Joseph Kanon's novel. As is his habit, Soderbergh shot the film himself (under his cinematographer pseudonym Peter Andrews) — and word is that this one, like Clooney's "Good Night, and Good Luck," is that rare Hollywood feature filmed in black and white.

"Little Children" (fall 2006). Tom Perotta's novel "Election" inspired a terrific film; here's hoping his equally good "Little Children" will do likewise. Directed by Todd Field (whose splendid debut was "In the Bedroom"), the film features Kate Winslet, Jennifer Connelly and Patrick Wilson ("Angels in America") as bored suburbanites whose lives intermingle at the playground where their well-heeled toddlers play. Jackie Earle Haley, known to a generation as Kelly Leak in the original "Bad News Bears," ends a 13-year absence from the screen to play Ronald McGorvey, the neighborhood sex offender.

"Notes on a Scandal" (TBD 2006). Another one based on a terrific book — and with a cast that sounds like perfection. Cate Blanchett plays Sheba, an art teacher attracted to a prep-school student; Judi Dench is her older colleague Barbara, who becomes her defender. Zoë Heller's novel (released in the U.S. under the title "What Was She Thinking?") becomes a meticulous and darkly funny character study that inspires ever-shifting loyalties in the reader; let's hope Richard Eyre's film version, adapted by Patrick Marber ("Closer"), is just as delicious.

"Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest" (July 7). Two words: Johnny Depp. Five more words: Bill Nighy as Davey Jones. Two last words: I'm there.

"Snakes on a Plane" (Aug. 18). I had to include this one because, really, could there possibly be a better and more informative title for a movie? There are snakes, and they're on a plane. Samuel L. Jackson is in it, and Julianne Margolies, and there's some sort of plot involving an assassination, but really, think about it: "Snakes on a Plane." Those of us generally too freaked out to attend snake movies (yes, that would be me) may have to reconsider, or at least get some therapy prior to Aug. 18.

"Stranger Than Fiction" (Nov. 10). As a filmmaker, Marc Forster refuses to be categorized: His work ranges from gritty drama ("Monster's Ball") to sweet nostalgia ("Finding Neverland") to mystifying thriller ("Stay"). So it's logical, I suppose, that his next film would be a comedy starring Will Ferrell. Forster, in town a while back for a "Neverland" interview, told me that the film is about "an IRS agent who suddenly has a voice in his head, a narrator in his life who tells him that he's going to die." The supporting cast includes Dustin Hoffman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Queen Latifah, Emma Thompson and Kristen Chenoweth. With Forster, expect the unexpected.

"Thank You For Smoking" (March 17). I'm cheating a bit here, because unlike the others on this list, this movie I've seen already: at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it created huge buzz and a bidding war between studios. Based on the satirical novel by Christopher Buckley, Jason Reitman's film features Aaron Eckhart as a tobacco lobbyist struggling to promote his product. Virtually everyone in this black comedy is cheerfully corrupt (Eckhart and his drinking buddies, an alcohol spokeswoman and a gun lobbyist, refer to themselves as the Merchants of Death), and it's all thoroughly irreverent and bracingly smart. Never mind the title; you might even call this film a breath of fresh air.

Moira Macdonald: 206-464-2725 or mmacdonald@seattletimes.com