Special needs at the movies

Advance word is starting to circulate about movies that will be released in the fall and winter, and at least three upcoming films have special-needs-related themes. In "Killer Diller," due out in November, an autistic savant pianist joins a guitar-playing car thief to jam in a jailbird band. "The Kid & I," another projected November release, is the semi-autobiographical story of a teen with cerebral palsy whose father promises to make him the star of an action movie; Eric Gores stars in a movie written by actor Tom Arnold and financed by ... Gores' dad. And while "The Ringer" doesn't exactly sound like a heartwarming Christmas release -- it's about a lowlife who pretends to be mentally challenged so he can score some cash by fixing the Special Olympics -- the Oklahoma Special Olympics site describes it as being a positive depiction of the event and the athletes, so who knows. ... My disgruntled-mom review of one recent movie I did see is at #5 on today's list of Five Fun Things to Do, following items involving sounds, silly shapes, SI accessories and cell phones.