By David Reese staff reviewer
It seems as though it will be another summer filled with blockbusters, including Travolta's "Battlefield Earth" (May 12) and the highly anticipated return of the "Mission Impossible" series starring Cruise and directed by John Woo of "Face/Off" and "Broken Arrow" fame (May 24). The high-profile comic book adaptation of "X-Men" starring Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos will be released on July 14th. Oscar winners Nicolas Cage ("Leaving Las Vegas") and Angelina Jolie ("Girl, Interrupted") are "Gone in 60 Seconds" on June 9. If action is not your cup of tea, but you like to have your tummy tickled, many high-profile comedies will be featured. Murphy brings lovable Sherman Klump back in "The Nutty Professor 2: The Klumps," also starring Janet Jackson in her first role since 1993's "Poetic Justice." Carrey and girlfriend Renee Zellweger ("Jerry Maguire") star in "Me, Myself, and Irene" directed by "There's Something About Mary" creators, the Farrelly brothers. Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung (CBS' "Martial Law") and Lucy Liu ("Ally McBeal") star in an action, comedy and western film titled "Shanghai Noon." Shawn and Marlon Wayans star, and Keenan Ivory Wayans directs in a "Scream" comedy spoof, "Scary Movie," expected on July 7.
For all of those romantics out there, I do not think this is your summer. Julia Roberts has already made her big film of the year, and her next one is not due until late 2000 or early 2001 ("The Mexican," also starring Brad Pitt). But for all of those love-crazed movie watchers, movies with underlying romantic plots will include on-again, off-again real-life lovers Gwyneth Paltrow and Ben Affleck in Affleck's film, "Bounce," which arrives on July 28. Freddie Prinze Jr. will star in the teen romance "Boys and Girls" on June 2nd. Affleck's best friend, Damon, is a triple threat this summer. Besides his voice featured in "Titan AE," he will star in "All the Pretty Horses" and the Robert Redford-directed "The Legend of Bagger Vance," co-starring Will Smith. All in all, what the summer movie season brings us is nothing new: a little comedy, a little romance and a lot of action. I'm really not too excited about any movies except for "Mission Impossible 2" and the Paltrow-Affleck film, only due to the fact that Paltrow is starring, of course. Below are some of the summer movies and release dates, which are subject to change at any time:
"Gladiator" starring Russell Crowe (Drama/Action)
May 12 "Battlefield Earth" starring John Travolta (Sci-fi/Action)
May 24 "Mission Impossible 2" starring Tom Cruise (Action/Adventure/Mystery)
May 26 "Shanghai Noon" starring Jackie Chan (Action/Western)
June 2 "All the Pretty Horses" starring Matt Damon (Drama/Western) "Boys and Girls" starring Freddie Prinze Jr. (Comedy) "Love's Labour's Lost" starring Kenneth Branagh (Romance/Musical)
"Gone in 60 Seconds" starring Nicolas Cage (Action/Crime)
June 16 "Duets" starring Gwyneth Paltrow (Comedy) "Shaft Returns" starring Samuel L. Jackson (Action/Crime) "Titan AE" with voices of Damon and Drew Barrymore (Animated)
June 23 "Me, Myself, and Irene" starring Jim Carrey (Comedy)
June 28 "The Patriot" starring Mel Gibson (Epic)
June 30 "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle" starring Jason Alexander, Rene Russo and Robert DeNiro (Comedy) "The Perfect Storm" starring George Clooney (Action/Adventure/Drama)
July 4 "Loser" starring Jason Biggs and Mena Suvari (Comedy)
"Scary Movie" starring Shawn and Marlon Wayans (Comedy)
July 14 "Nurse Betty" starring Morgan Freeman and Renee Zellweger (Comedy) "Thomas and the Magic Railroad" starring Alec Baldwin (Family) "X-Men" starring Patrick Stewart and Halle Berry (Action/Adventure)
July 28 "Bounce" starring Paltrow and Ben Affleck (Drama/Romance) "The Hollow Man" starring Kevin Bacon and Elisabeth Shue (Sci-fi) "The Nutty Professor 2: The Klumps" starring Eddie Murphy (Comedy) "What Lies Beneath" starring Michelle Pfeiffer (Horror/Mystery/Thriller)
Aug. 4 "The Legend of Bagger Vance" starring Damon and Will Smith (Drama) "Navy Diver" starring Cuba Gooding Jr. and Robert DeNiro (Drama) "Space Cowboys" starring Clint Eastwood and Tommy Lee Jones (Sci-fi)
Aug. 18 "The Cell" starring Jennifer Lopez and Vince Vaughn (Thriller)
David Reese |
The summer movies are starting early this
year, May 5 to be exact. The long-awaited Ridley Scott film, titled "Gladiator,"
starring Oscar nominee Russell Crowe ("The Insider"), looks to
be the first film to set the summer box office on track. Tom Cruise, Samuel
L. Jackson, John Travolta, Jim Carrey, Mel Gibson, Eddie Murphy, Clint
Eastwood and Matt Damon are just a few of the actors who will be bringing
movies to a theater near you this summer.
The family film market has slim pickings
this summer. "Titan AE" (June 16), with the voices of Damon,
Drew Barrymore and Nathan Lane, may whet appetites, as may the live-action
and animated film of "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle,"
starring Jason Alexander ("Seinfeld"), Rene Russo ("The
Thomas Crown Affair") and Robert DeNiro, opening June 30. Peter Fonda,
Alec Baldwin and Mara Wilson ("Mrs. Doubtfire") head the cast
of "Thomas and the Magic Railroad," which I assume will have
the best shot at attracting the family audience, on July 14.
May 5
June 9
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