June 1, 2004

By Steven Snyder

If box office receipts are truly all that matter to major movie studios, then summer is their favorite time of year.
This summer, in particular, has already been a record-breaking one in terms of dollars. Between hits like “Van Helsing,” “Troy,” “Shrek 2,” “The Day After Tomorrow” and last weekend’s “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” the industry is savoring its endless stream of blockbusters and $100 million weekends.
The big question of 2004 is one of stamina: Can this trend continue beyond the July 4 peak?
Here’s your summer guide for the remainder of what Hollywood hopes will be a historic season at the movies.

JUNE 11

“The Chronicles of Riddick”

An unofficial sequel to the 2000 action film “Pitch Black,” “Riddick” stars Vin Diesel again as the convict who can see in the dark and now finds himself caught in the middle of a galactic war. If successful, it could pave the way to two more “Black” sequels.

“Garfield”

The comic strip comes to life in this CG film.

“The Stepford Wives”

Nicole Kidman and Matthew Broderick play a married couple who move to the up-scale neighborhood of Stepford only to notice that the bland and robotic wives of Stepford families seem a little too perfect

JUNE 16

“Around the World in 80 Days”

This reinvention of the Jules Verne novel and 1956 feature film stars Jackie Chan as a Chinese thief who steals a valuable jade Buddha and then escapes with an eccentric London inventor, who is vying to win a bet that he can make it around the globe in 80 days.

JUNE 18

“Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story”

A sure-fire hit comedy starring Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn, about a group of friends who compete in a professional dodgeball tournament to save their favorite athletics club

“The Terminal”

A Steven Spielberg film starring Tom Hanks: What more do you need? Hanks plays a dislocated foreigner in this romantic comedy who must take up residence in an airport terminal

JUNE 23

“White Chicks”

A role-reversal comedy of both gender and race, both Marlon and Shawn Wayans must impersonate white teenage girls in order to protect the heiress of a hotel fortune

JUNE 25

“The Notebook”

A bittersweet romance about a retired salesman who regularly visits an elderly woman to read from her notebook only to realize that the romance on the pages involves both her and him.

JUNE 30

“Spider-Man 2”

The long-awaited sequel to the 2002 blockbuster places more emphasis on college-bound Peter Parker’s inner turmoil, as he struggles with being both a college student and a superhero

JULY 7

“King Arthur”

Starring Clive Owen, this “Arthur” promises to be a more politically and action-oriented update to the famous story of the round table.

 

JULY 9

“Anchorman”

Will Ferrell continues to rise in Hollywood prominence. This time around, the former SNL star headlines his own comedy feature as a local TV anchorman who finds his dominance threatened by an ambitious female newscaster, played by Christina Applegate.

 

JULY 16

“I, Robot”

Will Smith stars in this sci-fi thriller as a futuristic police detective investigating a murder that may involve a robot – a fact which may jeopardize the future of the human race.

 

JULY 23

“The Bourne Supremacy”

Riding the home video success of 2001’s “Bourne Identity,” this sequel finds Bourne (Matt Damon) on the offensive, as he races to discover who has stolen his identity and assassinated a Chinese leader

“Catwoman”

Halle Berry stars in this new hopeful superhero franchise, as a graphic artist who is killed, brought back to life by a cat and then dons her superhero persona to avenge her murder

JULY 30

“The Manchurian Candidate”

This remake of the 1962 classic stars Denzel Washington as a Gulf War veteran who remembers being brainwashed by the enemy while imprisoned with a comrade who is now running for political office. He must reach his old friend before the enemy has time to infiltrate America’s government.

 

“The Village”

The newest M. Night Shyamalan thriller, about a remote town surrounded by woods inhabited by a mysterious force.

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AUGUST QUICK HITS

AUGUST 6

“Collateral”

A Tom Cruise thriller about a cabbie who realizes his passenger is a hit man on a day-long crime binge

 

AUGUST 13

“The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement”

This sequel to the 2001 hit finds Mia dealing with issues of being a royal leader, including those of arranged marriages

“Alien vs. Predator”

Long-awaited by fans of both series, this action epic pits one band of supernatural killers against the other in, of all places, Antarctica

 

AUGUST 20

“Exorcist: The Beginning”

A prequel to the 1973 horror classic, “Beginning” tells the story of a young Father Merrin’s first encounter with demonic forces

THE BIG 3

With so many studios vying for your summer dollars, it’s sometimes hard to find the good titles amid the chaos of June, July and August.

While I already think “Shrek 2” may end up being the best mainstream film of the summer, her are my picks for three films that promise to rise above the pack:

1. “The Terminal”

One only needs to hear the names Spielberg and Hanks to realize why this makes the list. The last time these two collaborated on a light-hearted affair was the precious 2002 caper “Catch Me If You Can.”
The premise this time, however, about an immigrant stranded in an airport who finds love, should give Hanks more time to build a character and should make “The Terminal” an unlikely, warm-hearted foil to the bombastic action films on other screens.

2. “Collateral”

Directed by the brilliant Michael Mann, this story about a cab driver who suspects his passenger of being a hit man committing crimes could be a success along the lines of 1994’s “Speed.” Starring Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx, it will likely have the chemistry that sets the best action films apart.

3. “The Village”

The latest chapter from renowned horror director M. Night Shyamalan (“The Sixth Sense”), “The Village” is far simpler than his other recent films. While “Unbreakable” bordered on a superhero film and “Signs” involved alien invaders, “The Village” is simply about a town of sixty people, fearful of the unknown, surrounded in every direction by something they cannot see or understand.

 

 

THE INDIE SCENE

Just as mainstream Hollywood films open on thousands of screens nationwide, and dozens of screens locally, many smaller films open downtown on one or two screens in hopes of attracting even a few serious movie fans.
For independent films, the summer months often prove to be the most challenging. Here are five notable titles that will soon be reaching a theater near you:

“The Agronomist.” A gripping and well-received documentary about Jean Dominique, who served as a political voice for the common man in Haiti until his assassination, it is a film that tells the posthumous story of a real life hero.

“Control Room.” A divisive yet exceedingly popular documentary about the Arab news channel Al-Jazeera, this look inside one of the world’s news leaders seeks out answers about the Mideast that the American media has been unable to answer.

“The Corporation.” A scathing indictment of America’s corporate culture, this filmed commentary summarizes and elaborates upon the recent corporate scandals that have, to some degree, torn this country apart.

“Before Sunset.” A sequel to 1994’s “Before Sunrise,” which featured a couple with only one night in Vienna to share, “Sunset” witnesses their reunion nine years later and their rediscovery of old feelings and questions.

“Twentynine Palms.” An experimental, existential linking of sex and violence, “Palms” has shocked audiences around the world with its story of two, confined lovers who wander the landscape until their lust begets violence and they turn on each other.