Week’s movie releases: Gore to more Michael

Looks as if the coming week should work a bit better for lovers of all things cinema, from the gore freaks to the Francophiles … not to mention vampire fans.

Here’s what’s on the schedule:

“Amelia” : Still unsure of what exactly to do with Hilary Swank, even with her two Best Actress Oscars, Hollywood has dyed her hair, given her a Katharine Hepburn clipped accent and cast her as the doomed aviatrix Amelia Earhart. The good news: The film was directed by India-born filmmaker Mira Nair (“Monsoon Wedding”) and cowritten by Ronald Bass (“Snow Falling on Cedars”) and Anna Hamilton Phelan (“Girl, Interrupted”).

“Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant” : Based on the novels of Irish writer Darren Shan, this Paul Weitz (“American Pie”) film was written by Brian Helgeland (“Mystic River”). It’s all about a kid who agrees to become a vampire, a good-natured one that is, who goes on the road with a circus troupe and ends up battling a band of rogue blood-suckers.

“Saw VI” : At this late date, do you really need a plot synopsis?

“The Boys Are Back” : Clive Owen plays an Australian sportswriter who, following the death of his wife, finds himself raising two boys. Scott Hicks (“Shine”) adapted Simon Carr’s novel.

“Astro Boy” : Based on the old television series, this animated film uses CG effects to enliven the adventures of a robot who, whatever he does, can’t replace the real boy his creator lost.

“Lorna’s Silence” : The Belgian-brother filmmaking duo, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (“La promesse,” “L’enfant”), return with this story about Albanian immigrants who use a drug dealer to achieve their dream of owning their own business.

And over at the Magic Lantern:

“Thirst” : Chan-wook Park, the Korean director of such films as “Old Boy” and “Lady Vengeance,” gives us this film about a man who, following a failed medical experiment, becomes – you guessed it! – a vampire!

Also:

“This Is It” : Beginning at 9 p.m. Tuesday, this cobbled-together collection of videos will feature the late Michael Jackson as he prepared for his London series of shows. Jackson fans should love it, at least.

Happy viewing.

Below: The trailer for “Thirst.