Summer is the best time for moviegoers–and the financial lifeline of the movie industry.
But while some of last summer’s biggest hits were sequels–Shrek 2, The Bourne Supremacy, and Spider-Man 2–the ’05 blockbuster season is ripe with remakes, including The Longest Yard, Mr. And Mrs. Smith and The Honeymooners.
So it’s not surprising a handful of these remakes, or “re-imaginings,” made our list of the Top 10 summer movies we’re most excited to see. (There will be a few snubs and a few shockers, but it’s all in the spirit o’ summer).
Note: To utilize our very innovative box office prognosticator, we’ve employed three movies that were all phenomena in their own right from last summer to serve as financial indicators of our guess-timates: Napoleon Dynamite (surprise hit), Shrek 2 (as expected) and King Arthur (surprise dud).
10. The 40 Year Old Virgin
The players: Steve Carell (Anchorman), Catherine Keener (Being John Malkovich), Paul Rudd (Clueless); directed by Judd Apatow.
Summer-y summary: As if virgin-dom at 40 isn’t difficult enough, a lifelong geek (Carell) has to suffer the ridicule and matchmaking of his co-workers. But his peers only have his best interest in mind, trying to break him out of his shell. So to speak.
Why the excitement? Talk about starting off with a controversial pick, huh? Following his turn as the smarmy and pathetic boss on TV’s The Office, Carell‘s star is rising. So playing a 40-year-old virgin would be simply too irresistible to pass up. Throw in the cast of stalwarts and the fact that it’ll provide a welcome respite from more typical stunt-filled, special-effects laden summer movies, Virgin could score. So to speak.
Napoleon Dynamite, Shrek 2 or King Arthur? Napoleon Dynamite. Could Virgin be that indie everyone gravitates to? Don’t be surprised if it is. Opens Aug. 19.
9. The Longest Yard
The players: Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Burt Reynolds; directed by Peter Segal.
Summer-y summary: In this remake, er, re-imagining, a washed-up former football star (Sandler) finds himself in prison after some reckless behavior. Once there, he is forced to assemble a respectable football team out of his fellow inmates to play against the prison guards. But he soon finds out that putting together even a decent squad is not such an easy task.
Why the excitement? Sandler. Audiences love him and studio heads love to bank on him. With the added dynamic of good friend Rock and appearances from hip-hopper Nelly and Burt Reynolds (star of the 1974 original), it seems to be the can’t-miss sports flick of the summer.
Napoleon Dynamite, Shrek 2 or King Arthur? Shrek 2. Sandler has become enough of a major box office draw to any film he’s in a sure bet. Opened May 27.
8. Mr. and Mrs. Smith
The players: Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Vince Vaughn; directed by Doug Liman.
Summer-y summary: Think The War of the Roses meets Prizzi’s Honor with a twist–better-looking megastars. A husband and wife (Pitt and Jolie) are each assassins, unbeknownst to one another. But when they are hired to kill each other, and in the process rediscover their love for one another, the sparks fly, quite literally.
Why the excitement? Love or a mere marketing ploy? The pairing of such A-listers would’ve been enough for most, but now people will flock to Mr. and Mrs. Pitt, er, Smith in hopes of seeing some steamy real-life connection manifested. Oh, and the story sounds pretty good, too.
Napoleon Dynamite, Shrek 2 or King Arthur? Shrek 2. Prior to the media craze surrounding Pitt and Jolie‘s off-screen “friendship,” the outlook might’ve been different for the movie. But this is just a classic example of a movie not only steaming ahead in spite of its controversial buzz but also because of it. Opens June 10.
7. Hustle & Flow
The players: Terrence Howard (Crash), D.J. Qualls (Road Trip), Anthony Anderson (Kangaroo Jack); directed by Craig Brewer.
Summer-y summary: A Memphis pimp (Howard) finds himself at a crossroads and decides to reinvent himself as a rapper. When he hears that a superstar rapper is coming to town, he gets ready for the hustle of his life.
Why the excitement? Many reasons, the main one being Howard himself. He has always been the quintessential character actor, whose name you can never remember but whose enigmatic and superb performances you can never forget. One hopes Hustle will give Howard the recognition he finally deserves.
Napoleon Dynamite, Shrek 2 or King Arthur? Napoleon Dynamite. Hustle was a smash hit at the esteemed Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and backed by MTV Films and cool hip-hop undertones, this could be the surprise sleeper of the summer. Opens July 15.
6. The Wedding Crashers
The players: Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Rachel McAdams (The Notebook); directed by David Dobkin.
Summer-y summary: Two sex-lorn men (Wilson and Vaughn) find what they’re looking for when they decide to crash weddings and take advantage of their lovelorn counterparts–the lonely, desperate single women in attendance. Except it backfires one of the guys falls in love with a bridesmaid. D’oh!
Why the excitement?. Who better to scam the ladies than Wilson and Vaughn, card-carrying members of the Frat Pack–which also includes Luke Wilson, Ben Stiller and Will Ferrell.
Napoleon Dynamite, Shrek 2 or King Arthur? Shrek 2. The fact these guys keep making one hysterical movie after another together easily puts Crashers as the best chance to be the most lucrative comedy of the year. Hands down. Opens July 15.
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5. Cinderella Man
The players: Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger, Paul Giamatti; directed by Ron Howard.
Summer-y summary: Set against a backhanded theme of redemption, Cinderella Man is an inspiring real-life story of the Depression-era boxer James Braddock (Crowe), who does whatever is necessary to provide for his family during a very tough time in which the world seemingly turned its back on him.
Why the excitement? The re-teaming of A Beautiful Mind‘s Crowe and director Ron Howard is a sure thing. And with Zellweger, as the supportive wife, and Giamatti, as the embattled manager, you’ve got yourself a formidable ensemble. This could be the Oscar contender of the summer (sorry, Deuce Bigalow)–that is, if the Academy can remember back this far.
Napoleon Dynamite, Shrek 2 or King Arthur? Shrek 2. This will most likely not be a summer blockbuster as we’ve come to know it, but its tremendous star power could propel Cinderella Man to Oscar gold. Opens June 3.
4. Charlie & the Chocolate Factory
The players: Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore; directed by Tim Burton.
Summer-y summary: This remake of the trippy 1971 original aims to be different. Meaning, no songs. Director Burton instead relishes the idea of exploring the seed of Willy Wonka, what makes him tick, as it looks back at his childhood and sees how he turned into the candy magnate we all love and fear. Of course, there’ll be some Oompa Loompas in it, too.
Why the excitement? Two reasons: Depp and Burton. The pairing of these like-minded wackos (not really crazy, of course) has made for some kooky classics, including Edward Scissorhands and Ed Wood. Charlie doesn’t look to be any different, but coming off the how truly classic the story is, could make this particular collaboration one of their most memorable.
Napoleon Dynamite, Shrek 2 or King Arthur? King Arthur. Or not. While Charlie has all the signs of becoming a classic of the cult variety, it could also go the other way. It might be too overwhelming for kids, and its antics perhaps too James and the Giant Peach-ish for adults. But Depp should be enough of a draw, if it can keep up the momentum. Opens July 15.
3. Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
The players: Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Samuel L. Jackson; directed by George Lucas.
Summer-y summary: In the finale, Obi-Wan Kenobi is sent by the Republic to bring down remaining Separatists Count Dooku and General Grievous. You know what that means: massive fight scenes galore! Also in the cards is Anakin Skywalker (Christensen) making the not-so-seamless transition into the evil Darth Vader. But you already knew all this, didn’t you?
Why the excitement? The reasons are clear and many, but the main one is that this marks the end of an era. This was the franchise to beat all franchises. Or at least until the special-edition DVD hits stores, loaded with never-before-seen scenes.
Napoleon Dynamite, Shrek 2 or King Arthur? Shrek 2. Are you kidding me? It’s already proven to be the financial hit of the summer and perhaps of all-time. Opened May 19.
2. War of the Worlds
The players: Tom Cruise, Tim Robbins, Dakota Fanning; directed by Steven Spielberg.
Summer-y summary: Spielberg directs this updated version of H.G. Wells’ classic 1898 novel, complete with contemporary subplots, including a 21st century-ish deadbeat dad (Cruise). But all that takes a backseat to the angry aliens invading our turf and Spielberg‘s trademark elaborate special effects. Both concrete structures and humanity’s sanity will be put to the test.
Why the excitement? In a summer face-off between George Lucas and Spielberg, what could be better? Plus the sci-fi driven Spielberg returns to his bread-and-butter and pairs up again the world’s Biggest Movie Star. And did we mention those special effects? Hell, yes, we’re excited!
Napoleon Dynamite, Shrek 2 or King Arthur? Shrek 2. Big budget + Cruise + Spielberg = big profits at the box office. It’s a tried and true formula and Worlds is almost as much a sure thing as is the Star Wars finale, give or take a few hundred million bucks. Opens June 29.
1. Batman Begins
The players: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Katie Holmes; directed by Christopher Nolan.
Summer-y summary: Nolan brings us back to the beginning to show how and why Bruce Wayne (Bale) became Batman. No question will be unanswered regarding the Caped Crusader’s tumultuous past and subsequent path to revenge.
Why the excitement? For starters, there is no one we’d rather see given the opportunity to resuscitate a stale franchise than Memento‘s Nolan, save perhaps Tim Burton, the original director. The innovative filmmaker dares this Batman to be different, enlisting an ensemble cast of hard-working actors, including. Bale, who very well may become a major star. Batman Begins also stars Holmes, who, thanks to her recent real-life hook up with Tom Cruise, could prove beneficial. What a coincidence that they’ll also be starring in two of the most anticipated movies of the summer. Hmmm….
Napoleon Dynamite, Shrek 2 or King Arthur? King Arthur. What? A flop? Why, that’s just crazy talk. But is it? Even with Nolan at the helm, it could be misunderstood and not quite kitschy enough to lure in the teenage demographic. But keep in mind that all the sub-par Batman films before still made loads of money at the box office. Opens June 17.
Honorable Mentions: It’s tough to not include a Will Ferrell movie when he’s starring in two this summer–Kicking and Screaming (May 13) and Bewitched (June 24), but them’s the breaks. Other notables “re-imaginings” include Bad News Bears (July 22), with Billy Bob Thornton; The Pink Panther (Aug. 5) with funnyman Steve Martin; The Dukes of Hazzard (Aug. 5), with Johnny Knoxville, Seann William Scott and Jessica Simpson; and The Honeymooners (June 10), with Cedric the Entertainer and Mike Epps. And then the typical summer fare, such as the obligatory CGI cartoon (Madagascar, May 27), the sci-fi-tinged (Stealth, July 29) and the flat-out sci-fi (The Island, July 22).
Yeah, it’s jam-packed, but that’s just how we like it.
