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                   MOVIE HELL: Summer Sneak Preview

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MOVIE HELL
==========

Weekly Rants and Pants by Michael J. Legeros
"If you can't say something nice, at least have something to say."


Contents
========

  - Introduction
  - Where We've Been
  - What's Missing
  - But What About The Iceberg?
  - Wide-Release Dates
  - My Predictions
  - And Where Are This Week's Reviews?


Introduction
============

By my count, 116 films are scheduled for release between May 9 and 
August 29.  Here's what I could dig up on the wide-releases, all 45 
of 'em.  The dates for May and June should be sewn up, but watch 
out in July and August.  (I'll discuss a potentially Titanic prob-
lem a little later.)  I must say, this summer looks a world better 
than last year.  Maybe it's the breathing room between the bigger 
pictures, which, thanks to some scheduling shifts, seems more than 
before.  Maybe it's the production histories, which, with one ex-
ception, appear to be smoother than the norm.  Maybe it's nothing 
more than the filmmakers, themselves.  I don't know about the rest 
of you, but I'm going to spend *my* summer with Steven Spielberg, 
Joel Schumacher, John Woo, Jan De Bont, Luc Besson, Barry Sonnen-
field, Bob Zemeckis, and maybe, just maybe, James Cameron.  And I 
can't wait.


Where We've Been
================

To review, here are the numbers from last year.  These are year-end 
totals.

  ID4                    $306M      ERASER                 $101M
  TWISTER                $241M      HUNCHBACK              $100M
  MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE    $181M      THE CABLE GUY           $60M 
  THE ROCK               $134M      COURAGE UNDER FIRE      $59M
  THE NUTTY PROFESSOR    $128M      JACK                    $58M
  A TIME TO KILL         $108M      TIN CUP                 $53M  
  PHENOMENON             $104M      DRAGONHEART             $51M 


Did they suck?  Only a couple.  DRAGONHEART, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, 
and TIN CAP were all rated lower than a "C+," the current cut-off 
point for the Movie Hell Suck Zone.  Other dubious achievers from 
one year ago:  THE FAN, FLIPPER, CHAIN REACTION, LAST MAN STANDING, 
SPY HARD, STRIPTEASE, and, Saint preserve us, THE GHOST AND THE 
DARKNESS.  Woof!


What's Missing
==============

Some of the summer postponements include ALIEN: RESURRECTION, THE 
FLOOD, L.A. CONFIDENTIAL, PLAYING GOD, STARSHIP TROOPERS, and THE 
TRUMAN SHOW.  All have been moved to the fall or later.  And, if 
you're curious, the later-year line-up includes:  AMISTAD, THE BIG 
LEBOWSKI, DON QUIXOTE, FLUBBER, GREAT EXPECTATIONS, HOME ALONE 3, 
THE ICE STORM, THE JACKAL, KISS THE GIRLS, LES MISERABLES, THE MASK 
OF ZORRO, MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL, MR. MAGOO, THE 
PEACEMAKER, THE POSTMAN, PRIMARY COLORS, THE RAINMAKER, SPHERE, and 
James Bond returning in TOMORROW NEVER DIES.  I'm there, Dude.


But What About The Iceberg?
===========================

As of this writing, the unofficial word is that TITANIC *will* be 
moved, but nobody knows where.  The options include July 25, mid-
August, or, even, sometime around Thanksgiving.  If the big day is 
July 25, Warner's CONSPIRACY THEORY may move.  If the big day is 
later, in August, other studios will be joining the summer shuffle.  
Then there's Paramount, one of two studios splitting the Titanic 
tab.  They may opt for FACE/OFF to face off on July 2, instead of 
June 27, to plug the hole in the holiday weekend.  Stay tuned to 
the trades.  With it's three-hour running time, an estimated budget 
of $200M, and actual footage from the wreck-- James Cameron goes 
underwater, again-- one thing is certain:  we're gonna have some 
fun, someday. 


Wide-Release Dates
==================

May 9

  o FATHER'S DAY (WB)
      Billy Crystal and Robin Williams as single dads with the same
      son.  Cast includes Nastassja Kinski and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.  
      Ivan Reitman (JUNIOR, DAVE) directs.

  o THE FIFTH ELEMENT (Sony)
      Bruce Willis as a New York cabbie trying to save the world in   
      2259.  Cast includes Gary Oldman, Ian Holm, Milla Jovovich,   
      and Luke Perry.  Luc Besson (THE PROFESSIONAL, LE FEMME 
      NIKITA) directs.

May 14

  o SPRUNG (Trimark)
      Four friends (Tisha Campbell, Joe Torry, Paula Jai Parker, 
      and Rusty Cundieff) in search of the perfect mate.  Cundieff
      (TALES FROM THE HOOD, FEAR OF A BLACK HAT) also directs.

May 16

  o NIGHT FALLS ON MANHATTAN (Para)
      1970's crime drama starring Andy Garcia, Richard Dreyfuss, 
      and Lena Olin.  Adapted from Robert Daley's novel "Tainted
      Evidence."  Sidney Lumet (GUILTY AS SIN, Q&A) directs.

May 23

  o ADDICTED TO LOVE (WB)
      Matthew Broderick and Meg Ryan meet and fall in love while  
      spying on their ex's.  Academy Award-nominated short film 
      director Griffin Dunne makes his feature film debut.

  o THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK (Uni)
      Sequel with Jeff Goldblum returning and a cameo from Richard
      Attenborough.  Cast includes Julianne Moore, Peter Stormare, 
      and Pete Postlethwaite.  Stephen Spielberg again directs.

May 30

  o GONE FISHIN' (BV)
      Danny Glover and Joe Pesci reunite as two stooges with a 
      boat.  Christopher Cain (THE AMAZING PANDA ADVENTURE) 
      directs.

  o TRIAL AND ERROR (New Line)
      Michael Richards as an actor subbing for his friend the
      lawyer (Jeff Daniels).  Jonathan Lynn (MY COUSIN VINNY) 
      directs.

June 6

  o BUDDY (Sony)
      Rene Russo raises an infant gorilla.  Cast includes Robbie
      Coltrane, Irma P. Hall, and Paul Reubens.  Directed by 
      Caroline Thompson (BLACK BEAUTY).

  o CON AIR (BV)
      Nicholas Cage aboard a hijacked prison plane.  Cast includes
      Ving Rhames, Steve Buscemi, John Cusack, and John Malkovich.
      Jerry Bruckheimer (THE ROCK) produces and Simon West directs.

June 13

  o SPEED 2: CRUISE CONTROL (Fox)
      Sequel with Sandra Bullock, Jason Patric, and Willem Dafoe.
      Cast includes Tim Conway, Lois Chiles, and Bo Svenson.  Jan          
      de Bont (TWISTER, SPEED) again directs.

June 20

  o BATMAN AND ROBIN (WB)
      Fourth installment starring George Clooney, Chris O'Donnell,
      Alicia Silverstone, Uma Thurman, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
      Joel Schumacher (A TIME TO KILL, BATMAN FOREVER) again 
      directs.

June 27

  o FACE/OFF (Para)
      Arch enemies John Travolta and Nicholas Cage swap faces in 
      the near future.  Cast includes Joan Allen, Gina Gershon, 
      Harve Presnell, and Margaret Cho.  John Woo (BROKEN ARROW, 
      HARD TARGET) directs.

  o HERCULES (BV)
      Animated musical with lots of voices, including Danny DeVito,
      Matt Frewer, Bob Goldthwait, Rip Torn, and James Woods as
      Hades, Lord of the Underworld.  Ron Clements and John Musker
      (ALADDIN) direct.

  o MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING (Sony)
      Romantic comedy with Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, and
      Cameron Diaz.  P.J. Hogan (MURIEL'S WEDDING) directs.

July 2

  o MEN IN BLACK (Sony)
      Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith as agents of a super-secret,
      extraterrestrial immigration agency.  Adapted from the comic 
      book.  Barry Sonnenfield (GET SHORTY, THE ADDAMS FAMILY) 
      directs.

  o OUT TO SEA (Fox)
      Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau as con men masquerading as
      cruise-ship dance hosts.  Cast includes Dyan Cannon, Hal 
      Linden, and Brent Spiner.  Martha Coolidge (THREE WISHES,
      ANGIE) directs.

  o TITANIC (Para)
      Love on the rocks, plus some modern-day treasure hunting.
      Cast includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Bill Paxton,
      Kathy Bates, and Billy Zane.  James Cameron (TRUE LIES,
      TERMINATOR 2) directs.  Release date likely to change.

  o WILD AMERICA (WB)
      Three brothers (Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Devon Sawa, Scott 
      Bairstow) encounter weird, wild, and wonderful things over 
      the course of a single summer.  Directed by William Dear
      (ANGELS IN THE OUTFIELD, HARRY AND THE HENDERSONS).


July 11

  o CONTACT (WB)
      Adaptation of Carl Sagan's sci-fi novel.  Cast includes Jodie
      Foster, Matthew McConaughey, James Woods, Angela Bassett, 
      John Hurt, and (!) Rob Lowe.  Robert Zemeckis (FORREST GUMP) 
      directs.

  o A SIMPLE WISH (Uni)
      Martin Short's fairy godfather battles Kathleen Turner's 
      fairy godmother.  Cast includes Teri Garr, Amanda Plummer,
      Aidan Quinn, and Robert Pastorelli.  Michael Ritchie (THE 
      SCOUT, COPS AND ROBBERSONS) directs.

July 16

  o NOTHING TO LOSE (BV)
      Tim Robbins is the advertising executive, Martin Lawrence
      is the carjacker and you can take it from there.  Steve
      Oedekerk (THE NUTTY PROFESSOR, ACE VENTURA: WHEN NATURE
      CALLS) directs.

July 18

  o GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE (BV)
      Brendan Frasier as the cartoon character with the cool theme
      song.  Sam Weisman (BYE, BYE LOVE, D2: THE MIGHTY DUCKS)
      directs.

  o MIMIC (Miramax)
      Genetic engineering thriller starring Mira Sorvino, Jeremy 
      Northam, Josh Brolin, Charles Dutton, and Giancarlo  
      Giannini.  Writing credits include John Sayles and Steven 
      Soderbergh.  Guillermo Del Toro (CRONOS) directs.

July 25

  o AIR FORCE ONE (Sony)
      Harrison Ford is the Chief Executive.  Gary Oldman is the
      terrorist holding him and his family hostage.  Wolfgang
      Petersen (IN THE LINE OF FIRE, OUTBREAK) directs.

  o CONSPIRACY THEORY (WB)
      Patrick Stuart, Julia Roberts, and Mel Gibson as a crazed
      cabbie with a theory that the government doesn't want known.
      Richard Donner (ASSASSINS, MAVERICK) directs.

July 30

  o 187 (WB)
      Samuel L. Jackson as a school teacher who returns to the 
      classroom a changed man after a brutal assault.  Cast 
      includes John Heard and Kelly Rowan.  Kevin Reynolds 
      (WATERWORLD, RAPA NUI) directs.

August 1

  o COPLAND (Miramax)
      Sly Stallone's suburban cop goes up against NYPD goodfellas
      Ray Liotta and Robert De Niro.  Cast includes James Caan, 
      Janeane Garofalo, Harvey Keitel, Michael Rapaport, and Robert 
      Patrick.  James Mangold (HEAVY) directs.

  o EVENT HORIZON (Para)
      Sci-fi about a space ship sucked into an another dimension.
      Cast includes Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill, Kathleen 
      Quinlan, and Joely Richardson.  Paul Anderson (SOLDIER, 
      MORTAL KOMBAT) directs.

  o LEAVE IT TO BEAVER (Uni)
      Well, why not?  Christopher McDonald and Janine Turner star 
      as Ward and June Cleaver.  Cast includes Erik von Detten       
      and newcomer Cameron Finley as the Beav.  Andy Cadiff 
      directs.

  o MORTAL KOMBAT: ANNIHILATION (New Line)
      Sequel, duh, starring Robin Shou, Talisa Soto, Deron McBee, 
      supermodel Irina Pantaeva, and Lynn Red Williams.  MORTAL 
      KOMBAT cinematographer John Leonetti directs.

  o PICTURE PERFECT (Fox)
      Ad exec Jennifer Aniston concocts a fictional boyfriend from
      Kevin Bacon's photo.  Cast includes Illeana Douglas and
      Olympia Dukakis.  Glenn Gordon Caron (LOVE AFFAIR, CLEAN AND
      SOBER) directs.

August 8

  o AIR BUD (BV)
      Family film about a golden retriever that shoots hoops.  I 
      don't make this stuff up.  The cunning canine made his debut 
      on David Letterman.  Directed by Charles Martin Smith (FIFTY/
      FIFTY, TRICK OR TREAT). 

  o DESPERATE MEASURES (Sony)
      Andy Garcia is the cop with a sick son.  Michael Keaton is 
      the multiple murderer with the matching marrow.  Barbet 
      Schroeder (SINGLE WHITE FEMALE) directs.

  o STEEL (WB)
      Shaquille O'Neal stars as the armor-clad DC Comics superhero.   
      Cast includes Annabeth Gish, Irma P. Hall, Judd Nelson, and 
      Richard Roundtree.  Kenneth Johnson directs.

August 15

  o CALL IT LOVE (Miramax)
      Young alcoholic (Sean Penn) seeks his former wife (Robin 
      Wright) and the child he's never met.  Cast includes John
      Travolta.  Nick Cassavetes (UNHOOK THE STARS) directs a 
      script written by his late father.

  o EXCESS BAGGAGE (Sony)
      Rich girl Alicia Silverstone fakes her own kidnapping and 
      then gets kidnapped.  Cast includes Benicio del Toro and
      Christopher Walken.  Marco Brambilla (DEMOLITION MAN)  
      directs.

  o FREE WILLY 3 (WB)
      Just shoot me now.  Jason James Richter returns to protect 
      Willy and his family from illegal whalers.  Sam Pillsbury 
      directs.

  o HOW TO BE A PLAYER (Gramercy)
      Bill Bellamy instructs on how to succeed at the art of 
      infidelity.  Lionel Martin directs.

  o A SMILE LIKE YOURS (Para)
      Romantic comedy about a young couple (Greg Kinnear and Lauren
      Holly) trying to have a child.  Cast includes Joan Cusack, 
      Jillian Hennessy, and Christopher McDonald.  Keith Samples 
      (EVENING STAR) directs.

August 22

  o SPAWN (New Line)
      Michael Jai White stars as the Image Comics superhero.  Cast
      includes John Leguizamo, Martin Sheen, D.B. Sweeney, and
      Theresa Randle.  Effects artist Mark Dippe directs.

  o WIDE AWAKE (Miramax)
      Ten-year old boy (Joesph Cross) goes in search of God.  Cast
      includes Denis Leary, Dana Delany, and Rosie O'Donnell.  
      Directed by M. Night Shyamalan (PRAYING WITH ANGER).

August 29

  o DEAD MAN ON CAMPUS (Para)
      Comedy about the college myth of the "dead man clause" and 
      the two guys in search of a suicidal roommate.  Alan Cohn 
      directs.

  o HOODLUM (MGM/UA)
      1930's mob drama starring Andy Garcia, Lawrence Fishburne, 
      and Tim Roth.  Cast includes William Atherton, Vanessa 
      Williams, and Clarence Williams III.  Bill Duke (SISTER ACT 
      2, DEEP COVER) directs.

  o KULL THE CONQUEROR (Uni)
      Herculean hunk Kevin Sorbo stars as Robert E. Howard's 
      sword-and-sorcery hero.  Cast includes Tia Carrere, Karina 
      Lombard, Litefoot, and (!) Harvey Fierstein.  John Nicolella 
      directs.


The Predictions
===============

Erring on the side of conservative, here are a handful of box-
office predictions.  These are estimated end-of-summer totals.

  THE LOST WORLD         $250M      
  MEN IN BLACK           $200M      
  BATMAN AND ROBIN       $150M      
  HERCULES               $135M      
  FATHER'S DAY           $125M      
  AIR FORCE ONE          $100M
  CON AIR                $100M
  SPEED 2                $100M
  FACE/OFF                $80M
  THE FIFTH ELEMENT       $80M


Though all the young dudes will be turning out for FACE/OFF and THE 
FIFTH ELEMENT, I'm not sure if either is a sure thing.  Safer bets:  
SPEED 2, CON AIR, and AIR FORCE ONE.  By sea or by air.  FATHER'S 
DAY should do fine, opening as early as it is.  HERCULES, which 
should also do fine, has me wondering if we're all a little tired 
of all things Disney.  BATMAN AND ROBIN has the cast, but, perhaps, 
a little too much camp.  MEN IN BLACK, however, *may* just be the 
summer movie to beat.  That is, after JURASSIC PARK 2.  Both are 
Steven Spielberg productions.


And Where Are This Week's Reviews?
==================================

Forthcoming.  AUSTIN POWERS: INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY is a real 
downer.  The credits sequence is groovy, baby, but the rest of the 
movie is psychedelic slop.  Side-splitting in spots, but certainly 
no more than twenty-minutes worth.  (The problem is the script, 
which Mike Myers also wrote.  The jokes are often poorly timed, or
repeat themselves, or call too much attention to themselves.  Too
much bathroom humor, too.)  I hope to catch THE DAYTRIPPERS before 
Friday.  And watch this space, later this week, for an early report 
on THE FIFTH ELEMENT.  See you in Hell.

Copyright 1997 Michael J. Legeros
Movie Hell is a trademark of Michael J. Legeros

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Originally posted to triangle.movies


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Copyright 2001 by Michael J. Legeros -Movie Hell™ is a trademark of Michael J. Legeros