November Movies

As for the inevitable comparisons to the best-selling ''Da Vinci Code,'' Bruckheimer just shrugs. ''The audience we'll be entertaining, chances are they didn't read it. And the ones who did will be attracted to this, so we win either way.'' WHAT’S AT STAKE Not much now that Bruckheimer's left King Arthur behind and is back to what he does best: chase scenes and explosions. (Nov. 19)

Kinsey

The ratings board must have had a field day with this one. Neeson stars as Alfred Kinsey, the notorious academic who shocked an entire nation with his 1948 study ''Sexual Behavior in the Human Male.'' ''He was half scientist, half preacher,'' says Condon, the screenwriter of ''Chicago'' and writer-director of ''Gods and Monsters.'' ''It was just fascinating trying to figure out what kind of guy could pull this off. What kind of guy in the 1940s could travel around the country and get people to talk so honestly about this incredibly intimate part of their lives?''

In today's post -- Janet Jackson climate, Kinsey's story suddenly doesn't seem so dated. Says Sarsgaard, who plays Kinsey's bisexual assistant Clyde Martin: ''Think about the biggest scandal in American politics in the last 20 years. Was it Iran-contra? No. Was it weapons of mass destruction? No. It's a bl -- job in the 'Oral Office.''' Given its subject matter, ''Kinsey'' includes graphic images of genitalia, both in the flesh (Sarsgaard's, to be exact) and in scientific photos. Still, says Sarsgaard, ''this is the least sexual movie about sex ever. The way it's talked about is entirely clinical the whole time.''

For Linney, who appears as Kinsey's wife, Clara, it offered a chance to reunite with Neeson, who also played her spouse on Broadway in ''The Crucible.'' ''I've never done a play with someone and then done a movie,'' she says. ''The difference that gives you is tremendous. Most people would have to make this movie twice to get to the point where we were at the very beginning.''

Despite the placid set, the crew is bracing for conservative reaction to the touchy content. ''People just flip out. They feel like the fabric of American society is coming undone,'' marvels Linney. ''People have been having sex since the beginning of time, and hopefully they'll keep doing it.'' WHAT’S AT STAKE It's ''A Beautiful Mind'' for the kinky set! But strong reviews will be imperative to bring in crowds beyond the curiosity seekers. (Nov. 12)