My, how time flies. Just yesterday, we were lamenting 2005’s less than stellar summer at the box office, with overall grosses way down from previous years. But here we are again, gearing up for another fun-filled season at the movies. Will it be a repeat of last year? Or will the list of blockbuster hopefuls renew moviegoers’ summer season faith? That remains to be seen.
Scary Movie 4 jump started things a bit with a $40 million opener over the Easter weekend. But the true summer onslaught kicked off with the action spectacular Mission: Impossible III. Directed by Lost’s J.J. Abrams, new dad Tom Cruise returns as secret agent Ethan Hunt, this time dueling with a sadistic arms dealer (Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman) while trying to protect his girlfriend (Michelle Monaghan). With Tom dangling precariously from something dangerous, moviegoers are bound to happy.
But there’s so much more–and who better to tell moviegoers what to look forward to than Hollywood.com movie critics Kit Bowen and Brian Marder? Here are their picks for movies likely to heat up the big screens this summer.
Kit’s Picks
Poseidon (May 12) 
Plot Boiler: It’s a story we are all very familiar with: New Year’s Eve on a cruise ship. A giant rogue wave turns the ship upside down. A handful of surviving passengers–including a card shark (Josh Lucas), a father and daughter (Kurt Russell and Emmy Rossum), a single mom (Jacinda Barrett) and a suicidal man (Richard Dreyfuss)–try to make their way to the top, er, bottom of the ship to find a way out and get rescued. Just plain good old-fashioned disaster flick fun.
Heat Index: This Poseidon isn’t just a remake of a ‘70s cult classic, it’s an adventure. And who better to bring more suspense in the water than director Wolfgang Petersen, the guy who gave us Das Boot and The Perfect Storm? I can’t think of anyone besdies maybe James Cameron.
The Da Vinci Code (May 19) Plot Boiler: Its summary defies an easy wrap-up but suffice to say it revolves around professor Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks), who becomes embroiled in a labyrinth to uncover a closely guarded historical and religious secret, hidden in Da Vinci’s works. Or something like that. Along for the ride is a French cryptologist (Audrey Tautou), a historian (Ian McKellen), a Paris detective (Jean Reno) and an albino monk (Paul Bettany) intent on stopping them.
Heat Index: Ah, the intricacies and controversies that is the Da Vinci Code. For all of us who read Dan Brown’s bestselling book, this adaptation has us all atwitter. But according to Oscar-winning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, who had to spruce up the action a bit, it was not an easy task bringing the story to the screen. Director Ron Howard also kept his set very closely guarded to maintain that element of surprise. Don’t worry, guys. No matter what you do, fans will bypass the Catholic protestors and go see this in droves.
X-Men: The Last Stand (May 26) Plot Boiler: All the usual suspects are back (Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Hugh Jackman, Famke Janssen, Rebecca Romijn), plus a bunch of new mutants (Kelsey Grammer, Ellen Page, Ben Foster, Vinnie Jones). While the X-Men are still trying to maintain a balance between mutants and humans, radical factions from both sides want war–and Jean Grey comes back eeeeevil. Oh, and a cure for mutancy may also be close at hand.
Heat Index: When original X-Men director Bryan Singer dropped out of this third installment to direct another superhero movie, Superman Returns, there was a moment of dread. Could new director Brett Ratner (Rush Hour) pick up the reins and continue the same super-charged intensity of the first two? We can’t be 100 percent positive, but if the trailer is any indication, Ratner seems to have nailed it on the head.
The Break-Up (June 2) Plot Boiler: This romantic comedy from director Peyton Reed (Down with Love), about a couple who breaks up but continues living together in their co-owned condo, might sound a bit War of the Roses run of the mill. Yet, in the capable hands of comedic stars Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston, you know its at least going to be done right.
Heat Index: Yes, this is the film that brought lovebirds Vaughn and Aniston together in real life, thus creating the Vaughniston. Some people will probably see Break-Up out of curiosity, much like they did with last year’s hit Mr. & Mrs. Smith, which saw the Brangelina romance blossom. But honestly, Break-Up just looks hilarious.
Lady in the Water (July 21) Plot Boiler: Any film which tagline reads “A bedtime story…by M. Night Shyamalan” immediately gets our attention. Apparently inspired by stories Shyamalan would tell his two young daughters before bed, the story follows a lowly apartment complex superintendent (Paul Giamatti) who rescues a “narf” or a kind of sea nymph (Bryce Dallas Howard) from the communal swimming pool and tries to help her get back home.
Heat Index: OK, so what if the writer/director may be veering off from his usual eerie stuff? So what if there are no dead people, aliens or…wait, there are mythical creatures, just not the scary kind. That’s fine by us. Shyamalan could make an American Express commercial in which he sits in a restaurant and imagines all kinds of weird things going on around him, and we’d be tickled intrigued. Oh, yeah, that’s right. He’s done that, too.
Snakes on a Plane (Aug. 18) Plot Boiler: Four words: Snakes. On. A. Plane. Pretty simple. How did they get there? Oh, some mobster let them loose to get rid of a star witness on the flight. Nice.
Heat Index: Admit it. When you first heard this title you thought, “Oh, come on!” But this little thriller, directed by David Richard Ellis (Cellular, Final Destination 2) and starring Samuel L. Jackson, somehow got a huge word of mouth following on the Internet. So big, in fact, that when the filmmakers thought to change the title to something a little less obvious, the outcry was enormous. Then they decided to add more gore and naughtiness to up it to an R rating. Excellent.
Honorable Mentions:
The Omen (June 6)–A remake of another ‘70s cult classic in which a young couple (Julia Stiles, Liev Schreiber) find out they are raising the Antichrist. Can’t get better than that.
Cars (June 9)–Pixar’s latest CGI offering about a spoiled, suped-up car (Owen Wilson) who learns to drive in the slow lane when he detours in a small town.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (July 7)–Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), part two. Now, he has to deal with the likes of soul-stealing Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) with a little help from his friends (Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom).
[PAGEBREAK] Brian’s Picks
Nacho Libre (June 16)
Plot Boiler: By day, Ignacio (Jack Black)–aka “Nacho”–works as a cook in a Mexican orphanage. By night, he masquerades as a wrestler, doing his part to help save the orphanage from closure.
Heat Index: The real-life sub-plot is what really intrigues us here: Libre is co-writer/director Jared Hess’ sophomore effort. His rookie outing? Napoleon Dynamite, the biggest cultural phenomenon since Beanie Babies. Can Hess strike gold twice, this time with a huge star, exponentially bigger budget and unrealistic expectations? Hess’ heart attack fodder aside, this has the makings of a quaint, offbeat, outlandishly hilarious vehicle for Black. Plus, screenwriter Mike White (School of Rock, The Good Girl) is also on board. Cross your fingers, hope to die laughing!
Click (June 23) Plot Boiler: Michael Newman (Adam Sandler) is living the professional life–never enough time for the job, and never enough time for the wife (Kate Beckinsale) and kids. His problem’s solved when a mysterious man (Christopher Walken) sells him a universal remote that enables him to start and stop it all with the click of a button. That is, until the remote starts overruling his choices!
Heat Index: We all know that Sandler won’t ever do anything to the proverbial “bar” except maybe lower it, but he’s always good for at least a few laughs for us–and a few hundred million bucks for studios. This role (a) has his name written all over it and (b) reunites him with his Waterboy and Wedding Singer director Frank Coraci. There hasn’t been a safer bet since we had his team of misfits beating the prison guards in last year’s The Longest Yard. Gotta have at least one guilty pleasure you’re (secretly) excited for this summer, and, as The Santa Clause 3 doesn’t come out till November, this is it!
Superman Returns (June 30) Plot Boiler: Following a (very) long visit to the lost remains of Krypton, the Man of Steel (Brandon Routh) returns to our humble earth, only to realize things have changed. Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) has managed to move on without him, as has society. And that damn Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) is a pest!
Heat Index: Warner Bros.’ great blue hope brings us nothin’ but sheer, unbridled excitement. This is the juggernaut summer movies are all about, folks, and it’ll challenge, if not pummel, the other biggies in the race for the Top Earner crown. We have the utmost trust in director Bryan Singer, who cut his teeth on a quaint Oscar winner called The Usual Suspects and then honed his comic-book franchise-starting skills on this little indie project named X-Men. We also liked Singer’s restraint in bringing on a decidedly non-Ocean’s Eleven cast here. Spacey’s an evil genius who, bald, resembles Dr. Evil; Bosworth could’ve had Jessica Alba’s burgeoning career years ago if she wanted it, but she wisely waited for this role to surpass her; and Routh…well, he certainly looks the part. Either way, his overnight stardom is set to hit him like a ton of bricks come June 30. Gold bricks, that is. His anonymity is gone like Clark Kent in a phone booth.
World Trade Center (Aug. 9) Plot Boiler: On September 10, 2001, this title could’ve implied anything–perhaps even a fictional terrorist attack on the WTC, with, say, Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer attached to direct and produce. But now it’s self-explanatory. Amid the unprecedented chaos of 9/11, two Port Authorities officers become trapped beneath the rubble of the Twin Towers. Nicolas Cage, Maria Bello and Maggie Gyllenhaal headline the vast ensemble.
Heat Index: It almost feels insensitive to be “excited” for this, but it’s not a film so much as an event, and its importance underscores the challenges that movies are meant to present. Hollywood is only going to get one crack at retelling this side of this tragedy–at least for the foreseeable future–and we couldn’t handpick a more fitting auteur than Oliver Stone to get the chance. Don’t expect his version to pull any punches, but don’t expect to not have a break between rounds either. WTC could emerge as one of the most polarizing films ever, so it’s hard to not at least appreciate a director who jumps at this opportunity. Ready or not, here it comes, a month shy of 9/11’s five-year anniversary. And for those too wary to buy a ticket, which is understandable, just imagine what the “Bruckheimer-ization” of this event is going to look like in 60 years, the amount of time between the FX-travaganza of Pearl Harbor and its namesake. Now that blasphemy is something to fear.
Clerks II (Aug. 18) Plot Boiler: The tale of slacker antiheroes Dante (Brian O’Halloran) and Randal (Jeff Anderson) continues here as the two, now in their thirties, are forced to search for new livelihoods. They wind up working at a fast food joint, which would seem an even better place to harbor their shenanigans. The rest of the gang returns, with new additions Rosario Dawson, Ethan Suplee and Wanda Sykes providing vulgar funnies.
Heat Index: Director Kevin Smith’s post-Clerks career never really took off as expected–rhetorical question: Did you see Jersey Girl?–with only one commercial success (Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back) and one critical (Chasing Amy), and it’s been even slower going for the stars of the 1994 indie, O’Halloran and Anderson. So it’s safe to say we’re not the only ones relieved and excited for this reunion. We do, however, approach with equal trepidation. Clerks was so embraced because it was an embodiment of everything that’s fun and risky and spontaneous about independent filmmaking; it was lo-fi because of budgetary constraints, and it was verbose, witty and obscene because there was nothing to lose. So when we see big-name additions, the spontaneity can’t help but be diminished. That said, it only adds to our anticipation!
Idlewild (Aug. 25) Plot Boiler: This musical takes place in the 1930s South. It follows a mouthy performer/club manager, Rooster (Antwan “Big Boi” Patton), and his shy piano player/partner, Percival (Andre Benjamin), as they try to make an honest living for themselves and pursue a dream during the Prohibition era. Gangsters, harassment and overall oppression will not make this an easy task.
Heat Index: For the tone-deaf, the two aforementioned lead actors comprise rap duo Outkast; they don’t play by the rules with their music releases and, not surprisingly, they don’t conform when it comes to their lone movie collaboration–which inspires our awe and confidence here. Idlewild has been through what is known as “development hell”–it was originally slated for release in 2005 and again early ‘06, and it was initially an HBO project–but that’s likely due more to their perfectionism mentality than a poor product. Barber, their frequent music-video collaborator, is making his feature directorial debut, and a stellar cast including Terrence Howard, Ving Rhames, Cicely Tyson and Macy Gray has us singing praises already. But we’re most psyched to see the hit-making machine that is Outkast shake up the movie biz like it’s a Polaroid picture!
Honorable Mentions:
Over the Hedge (May 19)–Bruce Willis, Garry Shandling and others lend their voices to this Dreamworks CGI-fest, but it’s Steve Carell, thanks to his newsreel from Bruce Almighty, who excites us most.
Miami Vice (July 28)–By this point in the summer we’ll need a vice, and why not indulge in the Colin Farrell/Jamie Foxx/Michael Mann remake of the ‘80s TV show? It’ll either be funnily bad or mildly entertaining–maybe both.
The Ant Bully (Aug. 4)–Another animation extravaganza, this time boasting half of Hollywood as a cast (Nicolas Cage, Julia Roberts, Paul Giamatti and Meryl Streep are just a few). And while ants might not be as cute as, say, penguins, you’ll think twice about squashing them after seeing this one.
[PAGEBREAK] Here’s a Few Others to Watch Out For
Just My Luck (May 12): Lindsay Lohan’s first attempt at grown-up comedy as a young New York professional who suddenly turns very unlucky after sharing a kiss with a stranger.
A Prairie Home Companion (June 9): Lohan joins Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, Kevin Kline and Garrison Keillor in Robert Altman’s send-up on Keillor’s long-running radio show.
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (June 16): The cars are flyin’ fast once again on the streets. This time it’s in Tokyo where drivers like Lucas Black and Bow Wow get into the underground world of drift racing.
The Devil Wears Prada (June 30): This time Meryl Streep plays a boss from hell, working over lowly employee Anne Hathaway at a major New York fashion magazine.
You, Me and Dupree (July 14): Owen Wilson plays a guest who has overstayed his welcome, intruding on the lives of newlyweds Matt Dillon and Kate Hudson.
Monster House (July 21): Another motion-capture technique, á la The Polar Express, which turns vocal talents Steve Buscemi, Jon Heder and Maggie Gyllenhaal into CGI characters. The story revolves around a house terrorizing the neighborhood and the kids who decide to fight back.
Super Ex-Girlfriend (July 21): Luke Wilson plays a hapless fellow who dumps his girlfriend (Uma Thurman), only to discover she’s a superheroine, who is a little more than spiteful about the break up. From director Ivan Reitman.
I Could Never Be Your Woman (July 28): Michelle Pfeiffer is back, playing a beleaguered producer of a failing TV sitcom who falls for a younger actor (Paul Rudd) cast on the show. From Clueless director Amy Heckerling.
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (Aug. 4): Will Ferrell is at it again. This time he’s a NASCAR driver living life large. Also stars John C. Reilly and Da Ali G’s Sacha Baron Cohen.
The Reaping (Aug. 11): Hilary Swank plays a former Christian who debunks religious myths for a living, only to end up in a small town, knee-deep in the ten deadly plagues.
For a complete look at what’s coming up this summer, check out Hollywood.com’s Movie Calendar.
