That cool buzz starts here

>> Pussycats, cannibals and dinosaurs are in season

by MATTHEW HAYS

Undoubtedly Oscar bait for 2002, Josie and the Pussycats is the film to look out for this season. The popular Archie comic-book spinoff stars Tara Reid and Parker Posey, in a tale of an all-girl band that's set to take the planet's youth by storm. Not to be missed! This film will undoubtedly set off multiple debates about literary adaptations--the biggest book to hit the big screen since Emma. (Late March)

Hotties Angelina Jolie and Antonio Banderas slut it up in Original Sin, director Michael Cristofer's tale of mad, lusty obsession, Cuban vacations and murder. The bathtub scene, we're told, is essential viewing for Banderas buffs. (Late Feb.) Sex and murder merge once more in Valentine, a film about some longtime girlfriends (among them Denise Richards), all of whom begin to receive sordid and threatening notes in the mail after one of their friends dies. The press kit makes it sound too scary for words, so if you have a heart condition, you may want to stay away from this one. (Opens in Feb., just in time for Valentine's Day.)

Also to be placed carefully on your I'll-just-curl-up-in-a-fetal-position-and-die-if-I-miss-it list should be House of 1,000 Corpses, a horror film starring Sid Haig and Karen Black, directed by rock superstar Rob Zombie of White Zombie fame. Drag that special someone to this movie--the evening will undoubtedly help the relationship last a long, long time. (March)

For snooty, highfalutin, art-loving types, The 19th annual International Festival of Films on Art screens from March 13-18. Also, the Goethe-Institut is running a series of The Films of Weimar, which will include entries by such talented Huns as Fritz Lang and F.W. Murnau, from next Thursday, Jan. 25 to March 8.

The daunting stuff of sequels haunts the new year. Believe it or not, they've actually gone ahead with Jurassic Park 3 (poor Sam Neill is back for the paycheque), with Téa Leoni as the script's latest blonde. And there's Hannibal, the much-anticipated followup to Jonathan Demme's Best-Picture-winning Silence of the Lambs. Yes, Anthony Hopkins is back, but Demme, Jodie Foster (for my money, the only woman who can play Clarice Starling) and Scott Glenn all refused to return, citing severe dissatisfaction with Thomas Harris's novel. Julianne Moore has stepped in as Starling, while Ridley Scott has taken over the reins as director. It's anyone's guess how this will transpire, especially considering Scott's hit-or-dud record (believe it or not, this man helmed both Alien and G.I. Jane). (Opens Feb. 9)