Shelf Lives

Image credit: View From the Top: Darren Michaels

Ordinary Decent Criminal
Cast Kevin Spacey, Linda Fiorentino, Helen Baxendale
Plot Fictionalized biography of Dublin crimelord Martin Cahill (Spacey), here called ''Michael Lynch.''
Studio Miramax
Filmed Fall 1998
What's the holdup It was released everywhere else in the English-speaking world two years ago, with reviewers comparing it unfavorably to John Boorman's 1998 film ''The General'' (a more accurate portrayal of Cahill, played by Irish actor Brendan Gleeson) -- some felt that Spacey was miscast as a macho Irish gangster. Miramax evidently expected U.S. audiences to find Spacey's casting equally laughable. What's more, the studio couldn't count on much interest in the topic; U.S. critics applauded ''The General,'' but audiences stayed away.
Expected release date None

A View From the Top
Cast Gwyneth Paltrow, Christina Applegate, Kelly Preston, Mike Myers, Rob Lowe, Candice Bergen
Plot Comedy about a woman of modest means (Paltrow) who trains to become a glamorous flight attendant.
Studio Miramax
Filmed December, 2000 to March 2001
What's the holdup Paltrow shot this before ''The Royal Tenenbaums,'' but Miramax has delayed its release three times. After 9/11, the studio decided to trim a scene where instructor Myers taught the aspiring flight crew members how to deal with terrorists. Miramax may also have wanted to avoid conflict with Applegate's other girl-buddy movie, ''The Sweetest Thing.''
Expected release date October 18, 2002

Waking Up in Reno
Cast Billy Bob Thornton, Charlize Theron, Patrick Swayze, Natasha Richardson
Plot Like ''Daddy and Them,'' also starring Thornton, it's a white-trash romantic comedy, about two Arkansas couples who mix and match on the way to a monster truck rally.
Studio Miramax
Filmed January to April, 2000
What's the holdup Who knows? Miramax has delayed the release at least four times. It had three different dates in February, the same month that the Washington Post quoted a Miramax exec as saying, ''People don't want quirky, odd Billy Bob Thornton movies.'' This from the studio that released ''Sling Blade'' and backed him on ''All the Pretty Horses'' and the still-unreleased ''Daddy and Them.''
Expected release date October 25, 2002