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MOVIE HELL: Summer Sneak Preview
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MOVIE HELL
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Weekly Rants and Pants by Michael J. Legeros
"If you can't say something nice, at least have something to say."
Contents
========
- Introduction
- Where We've Been
- What's Missing
- But What About The Iceberg?
- Wide-Release Dates
- My Predictions
- And Where Are This Week's Reviews?
Introduction
============
By my count, 116 films are scheduled for release between May 9 and
August 29. Here's what I could dig up on the wide-releases, all 45
of 'em. The dates for May and June should be sewn up, but watch
out in July and August. (I'll discuss a potentially Titanic prob-
lem a little later.) I must say, this summer looks a world better
than last year. Maybe it's the breathing room between the bigger
pictures, which, thanks to some scheduling shifts, seems more than
before. Maybe it's the production histories, which, with one ex-
ception, appear to be smoother than the norm. Maybe it's nothing
more than the filmmakers, themselves. I don't know about the rest
of you, but I'm going to spend *my* summer with Steven Spielberg,
Joel Schumacher, John Woo, Jan De Bont, Luc Besson, Barry Sonnen-
field, Bob Zemeckis, and maybe, just maybe, James Cameron. And I
can't wait.
Where We've Been
================
To review, here are the numbers from last year. These are year-end
totals.
ID4 $306M ERASER $101M
TWISTER $241M HUNCHBACK $100M
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE $181M THE CABLE GUY $60M
THE ROCK $134M COURAGE UNDER FIRE $59M
THE NUTTY PROFESSOR $128M JACK $58M
A TIME TO KILL $108M TIN CUP $53M
PHENOMENON $104M DRAGONHEART $51M
Did they suck? Only a couple. DRAGONHEART, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE,
and TIN CAP were all rated lower than a "C+," the current cut-off
point for the Movie Hell Suck Zone. Other dubious achievers from
one year ago: THE FAN, FLIPPER, CHAIN REACTION, LAST MAN STANDING,
SPY HARD, STRIPTEASE, and, Saint preserve us, THE GHOST AND THE
DARKNESS. Woof!
What's Missing
==============
Some of the summer postponements include ALIEN: RESURRECTION, THE
FLOOD, L.A. CONFIDENTIAL, PLAYING GOD, STARSHIP TROOPERS, and THE
TRUMAN SHOW. All have been moved to the fall or later. And, if
you're curious, the later-year line-up includes: AMISTAD, THE BIG
LEBOWSKI, DON QUIXOTE, FLUBBER, GREAT EXPECTATIONS, HOME ALONE 3,
THE ICE STORM, THE JACKAL, KISS THE GIRLS, LES MISERABLES, THE MASK
OF ZORRO, MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL, MR. MAGOO, THE
PEACEMAKER, THE POSTMAN, PRIMARY COLORS, THE RAINMAKER, SPHERE, and
James Bond returning in TOMORROW NEVER DIES. I'm there, Dude.
But What About The Iceberg?
===========================
As of this writing, the unofficial word is that TITANIC *will* be
moved, but nobody knows where. The options include July 25, mid-
August, or, even, sometime around Thanksgiving. If the big day is
July 25, Warner's CONSPIRACY THEORY may move. If the big day is
later, in August, other studios will be joining the summer shuffle.
Then there's Paramount, one of two studios splitting the Titanic
tab. They may opt for FACE/OFF to face off on July 2, instead of
June 27, to plug the hole in the holiday weekend. Stay tuned to
the trades. With it's three-hour running time, an estimated budget
of $200M, and actual footage from the wreck-- James Cameron goes
underwater, again-- one thing is certain: we're gonna have some
fun, someday.
Wide-Release Dates
==================
May 9
o FATHER'S DAY (WB)
Billy Crystal and Robin Williams as single dads with the same
son. Cast includes Nastassja Kinski and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
Ivan Reitman (JUNIOR, DAVE) directs.
o THE FIFTH ELEMENT (Sony)
Bruce Willis as a New York cabbie trying to save the world in
2259. Cast includes Gary Oldman, Ian Holm, Milla Jovovich,
and Luke Perry. Luc Besson (THE PROFESSIONAL, LE FEMME
NIKITA) directs.
May 14
o SPRUNG (Trimark)
Four friends (Tisha Campbell, Joe Torry, Paula Jai Parker,
and Rusty Cundieff) in search of the perfect mate. Cundieff
(TALES FROM THE HOOD, FEAR OF A BLACK HAT) also directs.
May 16
o NIGHT FALLS ON MANHATTAN (Para)
1970's crime drama starring Andy Garcia, Richard Dreyfuss,
and Lena Olin. Adapted from Robert Daley's novel "Tainted
Evidence." Sidney Lumet (GUILTY AS SIN, Q&A) directs.
May 23
o ADDICTED TO LOVE (WB)
Matthew Broderick and Meg Ryan meet and fall in love while
spying on their ex's. Academy Award-nominated short film
director Griffin Dunne makes his feature film debut.
o THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK (Uni)
Sequel with Jeff Goldblum returning and a cameo from Richard
Attenborough. Cast includes Julianne Moore, Peter Stormare,
and Pete Postlethwaite. Stephen Spielberg again directs.
May 30
o GONE FISHIN' (BV)
Danny Glover and Joe Pesci reunite as two stooges with a
boat. Christopher Cain (THE AMAZING PANDA ADVENTURE)
directs.
o TRIAL AND ERROR (New Line)
Michael Richards as an actor subbing for his friend the
lawyer (Jeff Daniels). Jonathan Lynn (MY COUSIN VINNY)
directs.
June 6
o BUDDY (Sony)
Rene Russo raises an infant gorilla. Cast includes Robbie
Coltrane, Irma P. Hall, and Paul Reubens. Directed by
Caroline Thompson (BLACK BEAUTY).
o CON AIR (BV)
Nicholas Cage aboard a hijacked prison plane. Cast includes
Ving Rhames, Steve Buscemi, John Cusack, and John Malkovich.
Jerry Bruckheimer (THE ROCK) produces and Simon West directs.
June 13
o SPEED 2: CRUISE CONTROL (Fox)
Sequel with Sandra Bullock, Jason Patric, and Willem Dafoe.
Cast includes Tim Conway, Lois Chiles, and Bo Svenson. Jan
de Bont (TWISTER, SPEED) again directs.
June 20
o BATMAN AND ROBIN (WB)
Fourth installment starring George Clooney, Chris O'Donnell,
Alicia Silverstone, Uma Thurman, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Joel Schumacher (A TIME TO KILL, BATMAN FOREVER) again
directs.
June 27
o FACE/OFF (Para)
Arch enemies John Travolta and Nicholas Cage swap faces in
the near future. Cast includes Joan Allen, Gina Gershon,
Harve Presnell, and Margaret Cho. John Woo (BROKEN ARROW,
HARD TARGET) directs.
o HERCULES (BV)
Animated musical with lots of voices, including Danny DeVito,
Matt Frewer, Bob Goldthwait, Rip Torn, and James Woods as
Hades, Lord of the Underworld. Ron Clements and John Musker
(ALADDIN) direct.
o MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING (Sony)
Romantic comedy with Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, and
Cameron Diaz. P.J. Hogan (MURIEL'S WEDDING) directs.
July 2
o MEN IN BLACK (Sony)
Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith as agents of a super-secret,
extraterrestrial immigration agency. Adapted from the comic
book. Barry Sonnenfield (GET SHORTY, THE ADDAMS FAMILY)
directs.
o OUT TO SEA (Fox)
Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau as con men masquerading as
cruise-ship dance hosts. Cast includes Dyan Cannon, Hal
Linden, and Brent Spiner. Martha Coolidge (THREE WISHES,
ANGIE) directs.
o TITANIC (Para)
Love on the rocks, plus some modern-day treasure hunting.
Cast includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Bill Paxton,
Kathy Bates, and Billy Zane. James Cameron (TRUE LIES,
TERMINATOR 2) directs. Release date likely to change.
o WILD AMERICA (WB)
Three brothers (Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Devon Sawa, Scott
Bairstow) encounter weird, wild, and wonderful things over
the course of a single summer. Directed by William Dear
(ANGELS IN THE OUTFIELD, HARRY AND THE HENDERSONS).
July 11
o CONTACT (WB)
Adaptation of Carl Sagan's sci-fi novel. Cast includes Jodie
Foster, Matthew McConaughey, James Woods, Angela Bassett,
John Hurt, and (!) Rob Lowe. Robert Zemeckis (FORREST GUMP)
directs.
o A SIMPLE WISH (Uni)
Martin Short's fairy godfather battles Kathleen Turner's
fairy godmother. Cast includes Teri Garr, Amanda Plummer,
Aidan Quinn, and Robert Pastorelli. Michael Ritchie (THE
SCOUT, COPS AND ROBBERSONS) directs.
July 16
o NOTHING TO LOSE (BV)
Tim Robbins is the advertising executive, Martin Lawrence
is the carjacker and you can take it from there. Steve
Oedekerk (THE NUTTY PROFESSOR, ACE VENTURA: WHEN NATURE
CALLS) directs.
July 18
o GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE (BV)
Brendan Frasier as the cartoon character with the cool theme
song. Sam Weisman (BYE, BYE LOVE, D2: THE MIGHTY DUCKS)
directs.
o MIMIC (Miramax)
Genetic engineering thriller starring Mira Sorvino, Jeremy
Northam, Josh Brolin, Charles Dutton, and Giancarlo
Giannini. Writing credits include John Sayles and Steven
Soderbergh. Guillermo Del Toro (CRONOS) directs.
July 25
o AIR FORCE ONE (Sony)
Harrison Ford is the Chief Executive. Gary Oldman is the
terrorist holding him and his family hostage. Wolfgang
Petersen (IN THE LINE OF FIRE, OUTBREAK) directs.
o CONSPIRACY THEORY (WB)
Patrick Stuart, Julia Roberts, and Mel Gibson as a crazed
cabbie with a theory that the government doesn't want known.
Richard Donner (ASSASSINS, MAVERICK) directs.
July 30
o 187 (WB)
Samuel L. Jackson as a school teacher who returns to the
classroom a changed man after a brutal assault. Cast
includes John Heard and Kelly Rowan. Kevin Reynolds
(WATERWORLD, RAPA NUI) directs.
August 1
o COPLAND (Miramax)
Sly Stallone's suburban cop goes up against NYPD goodfellas
Ray Liotta and Robert De Niro. Cast includes James Caan,
Janeane Garofalo, Harvey Keitel, Michael Rapaport, and Robert
Patrick. James Mangold (HEAVY) directs.
o EVENT HORIZON (Para)
Sci-fi about a space ship sucked into an another dimension.
Cast includes Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill, Kathleen
Quinlan, and Joely Richardson. Paul Anderson (SOLDIER,
MORTAL KOMBAT) directs.
o LEAVE IT TO BEAVER (Uni)
Well, why not? Christopher McDonald and Janine Turner star
as Ward and June Cleaver. Cast includes Erik von Detten
and newcomer Cameron Finley as the Beav. Andy Cadiff
directs.
o MORTAL KOMBAT: ANNIHILATION (New Line)
Sequel, duh, starring Robin Shou, Talisa Soto, Deron McBee,
supermodel Irina Pantaeva, and Lynn Red Williams. MORTAL
KOMBAT cinematographer John Leonetti directs.
o PICTURE PERFECT (Fox)
Ad exec Jennifer Aniston concocts a fictional boyfriend from
Kevin Bacon's photo. Cast includes Illeana Douglas and
Olympia Dukakis. Glenn Gordon Caron (LOVE AFFAIR, CLEAN AND
SOBER) directs.
August 8
o AIR BUD (BV)
Family film about a golden retriever that shoots hoops. I
don't make this stuff up. The cunning canine made his debut
on David Letterman. Directed by Charles Martin Smith (FIFTY/
FIFTY, TRICK OR TREAT).
o DESPERATE MEASURES (Sony)
Andy Garcia is the cop with a sick son. Michael Keaton is
the multiple murderer with the matching marrow. Barbet
Schroeder (SINGLE WHITE FEMALE) directs.
o STEEL (WB)
Shaquille O'Neal stars as the armor-clad DC Comics superhero.
Cast includes Annabeth Gish, Irma P. Hall, Judd Nelson, and
Richard Roundtree. Kenneth Johnson directs.
August 15
o CALL IT LOVE (Miramax)
Young alcoholic (Sean Penn) seeks his former wife (Robin
Wright) and the child he's never met. Cast includes John
Travolta. Nick Cassavetes (UNHOOK THE STARS) directs a
script written by his late father.
o EXCESS BAGGAGE (Sony)
Rich girl Alicia Silverstone fakes her own kidnapping and
then gets kidnapped. Cast includes Benicio del Toro and
Christopher Walken. Marco Brambilla (DEMOLITION MAN)
directs.
o FREE WILLY 3 (WB)
Just shoot me now. Jason James Richter returns to protect
Willy and his family from illegal whalers. Sam Pillsbury
directs.
o HOW TO BE A PLAYER (Gramercy)
Bill Bellamy instructs on how to succeed at the art of
infidelity. Lionel Martin directs.
o A SMILE LIKE YOURS (Para)
Romantic comedy about a young couple (Greg Kinnear and Lauren
Holly) trying to have a child. Cast includes Joan Cusack,
Jillian Hennessy, and Christopher McDonald. Keith Samples
(EVENING STAR) directs.
August 22
o SPAWN (New Line)
Michael Jai White stars as the Image Comics superhero. Cast
includes John Leguizamo, Martin Sheen, D.B. Sweeney, and
Theresa Randle. Effects artist Mark Dippe directs.
o WIDE AWAKE (Miramax)
Ten-year old boy (Joesph Cross) goes in search of God. Cast
includes Denis Leary, Dana Delany, and Rosie O'Donnell.
Directed by M. Night Shyamalan (PRAYING WITH ANGER).
August 29
o DEAD MAN ON CAMPUS (Para)
Comedy about the college myth of the "dead man clause" and
the two guys in search of a suicidal roommate. Alan Cohn
directs.
o HOODLUM (MGM/UA)
1930's mob drama starring Andy Garcia, Lawrence Fishburne,
and Tim Roth. Cast includes William Atherton, Vanessa
Williams, and Clarence Williams III. Bill Duke (SISTER ACT
2, DEEP COVER) directs.
o KULL THE CONQUEROR (Uni)
Herculean hunk Kevin Sorbo stars as Robert E. Howard's
sword-and-sorcery hero. Cast includes Tia Carrere, Karina
Lombard, Litefoot, and (!) Harvey Fierstein. John Nicolella
directs.
The Predictions
===============
Erring on the side of conservative, here are a handful of box-
office predictions. These are estimated end-of-summer totals.
THE LOST WORLD $250M
MEN IN BLACK $200M
BATMAN AND ROBIN $150M
HERCULES $135M
FATHER'S DAY $125M
AIR FORCE ONE $100M
CON AIR $100M
SPEED 2 $100M
FACE/OFF $80M
THE FIFTH ELEMENT $80M
Though all the young dudes will be turning out for FACE/OFF and THE
FIFTH ELEMENT, I'm not sure if either is a sure thing. Safer bets:
SPEED 2, CON AIR, and AIR FORCE ONE. By sea or by air. FATHER'S
DAY should do fine, opening as early as it is. HERCULES, which
should also do fine, has me wondering if we're all a little tired
of all things Disney. BATMAN AND ROBIN has the cast, but, perhaps,
a little too much camp. MEN IN BLACK, however, *may* just be the
summer movie to beat. That is, after JURASSIC PARK 2. Both are
Steven Spielberg productions.
And Where Are This Week's Reviews?
==================================
Forthcoming. AUSTIN POWERS: INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY is a real
downer. The credits sequence is groovy, baby, but the rest of the
movie is psychedelic slop. Side-splitting in spots, but certainly
no more than twenty-minutes worth. (The problem is the script,
which Mike Myers also wrote. The jokes are often poorly timed, or
repeat themselves, or call too much attention to themselves. Too
much bathroom humor, too.) I hope to catch THE DAYTRIPPERS before
Friday. And watch this space, later this week, for an early report
on THE FIFTH ELEMENT. See you in Hell.
Copyright 1997 Michael J. Legeros
Movie Hell is a trademark of Michael J. Legeros
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keywords: film movie review mike michael legeros raleigh carolina
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Originally posted to triangle.movies