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Summer movie preview act-tacular 2: electric boogaloo
2004.05.08 — Entertainment | Movies | Movie Analysis | by Andrew Cole
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Excalibur probably won't be drawn from a stone. Pity. [official site] |
Late summer brings more blockbusters, but not the megapictures of early summer. A couple of these could become sleeper hits, if there is such a thing as a blockbuster sleeper. Probably not.
King Arthur (July 7)
The Arthur legend gets a historical treatment for once, with Clive Owen as the king and Keira Knightly as his buff Guinevere. It's set further back in time than usual, closer to the time of Roman occupation when a Saxon-fighting chieftain may have really lived. No word yet on whether or not it will feature a killer bunny rabbit. It's written by no one special and directed by Antoine Fuqua, who—despite having a cool name—has so far had limited success.
Anchorman (July 9)
Will Ferrell is an television news anchorman in the 1970s. Christina Applegate, Steve Carrell, and others support. I'm not sure how long a one-joke premise like this could last, but Ferrell is always good for a laugh. On the other hand, Christina Applegate has never been in a good movie.
I, Robot (July 16)
Will Smith is a detective of the future, puzzling thru a murder mystery involving robots in Isaac Asimov's story. Asimov's work has been done before, but not very well. Alex Proyas, who kind of specializes in cult hits, directs. It was written by Akiva Goldsman, who hit with A Beautiful Mind after a string of mediocre scripts. If good treatments of Philip K Dick's works were possible, surely Asimov can get the same.
Catwoman (July 23)
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Who is that masked woman? Halle Berry! Who else would fight crime in a leather brassiere? [official site] |
Halle Berry wriggles into a catsuit (well, pieces of a catsuit) to take up the role of Catwoman, but not fighting Batman and not in Gotham City. Then what's the point, you ask? Maybe there isn't one. Director Pitof is French, after all, and better known as a visual effect designer than as a director. Sharon Stone stops by. It was written by the team of Broncato and Ferris, the guys who wrote The Game and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, which didn't completely suck.
The Bourne Supremacy (July 23)
Matt Damon and Franka Potente reprise their roles as a couple on the run in another Robert Ludlum adaptation following The Bourne Identity. Relative unknown Paul Greengrass captains this time, so all bets are off, but Brian Helgeland's screenplay could see it thru.
The Village (July 30)
Not a gender-bending comedy about inhabitants of Greenwich Village, this is a period thriller about legendary terror that haunts the woods around a Pennsylvania village. M Night Shyamalan has already made a big name for himself in his young career with a string of quirky hits that he generally writes and directs himself. If he can tear himself away from the clever-clever twist ending, his village might be worth visiting. A-listers Joaquin Phoenix, William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, and Adrien Brody think so.
Collateral (August 6)
Tom Cruise is a contract killer who forces cab driver Jamie Foxx to drive him from hit to hit. Written by Oscar-nominated Frank Darabont (The Green Mile, The Shawshank Redemption) and directed by hit-or-miss Michael Mann, this has a good chance, but not a great chance. I mean, come on, Jamie Foxx is in it.
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Sky Captain's poster hails the pulp era. [official site] |
Alien vs Predator (August 13)
Either an extremely weird courtroom drama or the dumbest idea for a horror movie at least since Freddie vs Jason, this travesty of logic is brought to you by the double-threat hack-writer/hack-director Paul Anderson. Lance Henriksen was somehow enticed to appear, but otherwise it's a young cast you might only have seen in small roles in other, better movies. Avoid on principle.
Sky Captain & the World of Tomorrow (September 17)
Rescheduled for the fall, this Jude Law/Gwyneth Paltrow/Angelina Jolie vehicle is now too late for summer. But it could be a fun ride, with the 1930s setting and vintage sci-fi theme. First-time writer/director Kerry Conran got attention by creating 3-D computer-generated sets and producing a storyboard and software that would allow him to paste in live actors whenever he got them.
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