Chris Rock has long been fascinated by the angst surrounding the hot-button topics of marriage, fidelity, and the battle of the sexes–and has made it prime territory for his unique brand of comedy. So when he recently encountered a film considered a true classic on the subject of married life's frustrations and temptations–Eric Rohmer's internationally acclaimed “Chloe in the Afternoon”–he was struck with a typically irreverent thought: why not transform this serious French story of human foibles and moral dilemmas into a far edgier American comedy

Toronto Film Festival 1994–Up until now, Peter Jackson, the brilliant New Zealand director, was mostly known to the film festival and arthouse circuits for his offbeat, sci-fi and horror flicks (Bad Taste, Braindead) that achieved cult status internationally. That should change, however, with the release of his new, breakthrough film, Heavenly Creatures, a powerful dramatization of a real l954 murder case, in which two innocent girls committed a terrible crime. The film has won two prestigious international citations: the Venice Festival Silver Lion and the Toronto Festival Metro Media Award.

I'm a great believer in continuity and I felt that we should follow up 28 Days Later by working together again, and the premise of the script was so intoxicating. Nobody's made a movie about the Sun, and the Sun is the single thing more important than any other thing. If it blinks out, we're all dead in 8 minutes, and yet nobody's made a film about it. I thought, 'that's fantastic'–Danny Boyle

Breaking box-office records, The School of Rock is one of the best-reviewed films of the year–despite anxiety by the filmmakers and Paramount studio before this rock 'n' roll family comedy received its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, in September. Rated PG-13, School of Rock may be one of the few American movies around that could be attended–and enjoyed–by both parents and children, a rare sight in today's cinema.

I felt a profound connection with the story of Lahiri's novel. Out of all my films, The Namesake is probably the most personal. When I read Jhumpa's book it was like I had just met a person who completely understood my grief, who knew the cocoon I was in and everything I was experiencing and I told myself that I must buy the rights immediately–Mira Nair