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Summer Movie Preview:
August's adventures...
Master of Disguise
AHEM...
Release Date: August 2
Director: Perry Andelin Blake (debut)
Cast: Dana Carvey, Jennifer Esposito, James Brolin, Edie McClurg, Harold Gould
Premise: Carvey is the last in a long line of "masters of disguise," a line that goes back some 2,000 years. Brown plays his father, Gould the grandfather, and Esposito the love interest. And that is all I know and care to know.
Christine's Take: Dana Carvey was a staple of "Saturday Night Live," and went on to do several SNL movies that were box office hits (most notably Wayne's World). But the key word here is "was." Frankly, I found Carvey to be on the annoying side, and that's when he played a supporting character, so imagine how many Tylenols I'd have to pop to sit through this baby. I really don't feel like overdosing, so I'll pass on this one.
Post-Release Verdict: Still haven't touched this film, no matter how many times it played on late night cable. Wait, I did catch a part of it once, but only because I was drunk. See DVD details here.Signs
Release Date: August 2
Director: M. Night Shyamalan (Unbreakable, The Sixth Sense)
Cast: Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Rory Culkin, Abigail Breslin, Cherry Jones, Patricia Kalember
Premise: Those pesky crop circles. They pop up everywhere, and then it's so hard to get rid of them. When mysterious circles begin appearing in Pastor Graham Hess' (Gibson) farm, he becomes a local celebrity. But what does it mean, and who is responsible for this?
Notes: This supernatural thriller is opening the same day as the Sixth Sense (spooky, eh?). Although Unbreakable grossed about $100 million, it was a theatrical disaster. Shyamalan originally wanted Mark Ruffalo (You Can Count on Me) to play Graham's brother, but due to an inner-ear problem that required surgery, Phoenix was tapped to step in.
Christine's Take: I saw Unbreakable, and all I kept thinking throughout the movie was, "What did I do to you, Shyamalan?" Sure, The Sixth Sense was a masterpiece, but the follow up left something to be desired. Plus, I don't really like Gibson (you're probably wondering at this point if I like anyone - and the answer is yes). I am probably the only person alive who has fallen asleep during Braveheart, and I watched that on video five years after it was released. Despite all this, I saw the trailer for Signs a while back, and I was very intrigued by the story line. I recommend this movie, if only because I haven't recommended many so far.
Post-Release Verdict: I can't believe I recommended this film. I think I was drunk. (And the ending is fantastically bad, just like we've come to expect from aliens-invade-the-world movies.) See DVD details here.Full Frontal
Release Date: August 2 (expands later)
Director: Steven Soderbergh (Sex, Lies and Videotape, Erin Brockovich, Out of Sight)
Cast: Julia Roberts, Blair Underwood, David Duchovny, Nicky Katt, Catherine Keener, Mary McCormack, David Hyde Pierce
Premise: This "sequel in spirit" to Sodenbergh's 1989 sex, lies and videotape centres around a movie-within-a-movie concept. An actor (Underwood) falls in love with a magazine writer (Roberts) who is sent to do a feature on him (I think this is part of the movie within the movie). It follows the characters for twenty-hour hours as they cross paths with friends and lovers. Duchovny plays a shady producer, and Pierce is a sad-sack journalist. Expect lots of love triangles and intertwined pasts to surface.
Notes: This is the third movie with Roberts and Sodenbergh, which leads me to believe that they are the same person. It was shot with a 35 mm camera on a measly $2 million budget, with lots of "reality-television" style footage (fine, as long as it's not as bad as The Blair Witch, which made me very very nauseated). The production took a mere three weeks to shoot.
Christine's Take: With an ensemble cast of seasoned actors, Full Frontal should be a good movie. Sodenbergh has a unique directorial style that can turn a boring movie (Traffic) into an Oscar-winning feature. If anything, check out the website, which is very amusing (and sets the tone for the film).
Post-Release Verdict: The film's official web page has been dismantled and turned into a generic page. See DVD details here.Igby Goes Down
Release Date: August 2 (expands later)
Director: Burr Steers (debut)
Cast: Kieran Culkin, Claire Danes, Jeff Goldblum, Amanda Peet, Ryan Phillippe, Bill Pullman, Susan Sarandon, Jared Harris
Premise: Igby (Culkin) is a teenager from a rich dysfunctional family (Sarandon is his dying mother, Phillippe plays his older brother) who runs away to live with his offbeat godfather (Goldblum) and his girlfriend (Peet). Along the way, he meets the love of his life (Danes).
Notes: Premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival in May.
Christine's Take: Ignore the pornographic title and check this movie out. I'm not sure if I'd buy the romantic angle though, seeing as how Danes looks too old for Culkin (Danes is 23, Culkin is 19 - but looks like he's 16).
Post-Release Verdict: Kieran seems to be headed for good things, choosing offbeat projects that showcase his acting chops. See DVD details here.Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams
Release Date: August 7
Director: Robert Rodriguez (From Dusk Till Dawn, The Faculty, Spy Kids)
Cast: Daryl Sabara, Alexa Vega, Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino, Steve Buscemi, Ricardo Montalban, Matt O'Leary, Emily Osment
Premise: Carmen (Vega) and Juni Cortez (Sabara) are back, and this time they're challenged by another pair of Spy Kids, Gary and Gerti Giggles (for my sake I hope they kick the Cortez kids' ass). When the adult spies are taken out of commission again, it's up to the kids to save the world. There's something about a stolen "Transmooker" device, and the titular island where a shifty scientist (Buscemi) lives.
Notes: Hallelujah, there are no talks for a third Spy Kids movie because the actors are aging too quickly (hello, it's called puberty). The original movie took in $113 million domestic. Emily Osment is the little sister of Haley Joel Osment.
Christine's Take: I saw the first movie (I think I was drunk, why else would I rent it?) and it sucked lemons. The plot was contrived, the acting wooden, the characters two-dimensional caricatures. Would I sit through this crap again? I'd rather watch Lil' Bow Wow playing basketball. Buscemi, call your agent now (Banderas, it's too late for you). I decree that no one shall watch this movie. No one!
Post-Release Verdict: Domestic gross: $85 million. Does no one listen to me? That was a rhetorical question. I blame this franchise for the slew of spy kids/superhero kids films that we will later be bombarded with. See DVD details here.The Good Girl
Release Date: August 7 (limited)
Director: Miguel Arteta (Chuck & Buck)
Cast: Jennifer Aniston, Jake Gyllenhaal, Zooey Deschanel, John C. Reilly
Premise: A young married woman (Aniston) is bored of her marriage to a pothead housepainter (Reilly). She starts an affair with a department store co-worker who thinks he's Holden Caulfield (the protagonist from Catcher in the Rye - and yes, I hate phonies too).
Notes: Premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January and was bought by Fox Searchlight Pictures for $4 million.
Christine's Take: Aniston is smart to stick to low-budget indie films. It's a great way to expand your résumé while you're busy with other projects, and gives Aniston a chance to spread her acting range beyond her hair. Hopefully this will open doors for Aniston when "Friends" ends next year.
Post-Release Verdict: Has "Friends" been off the air for that long? It just seems like yesterday that I saw Ross bleach his teeth into glow-in-the-dark monstrocities. Wait - it was yesterday, what with syndication allowing me to catch "Friends" three times a day. Saw this on television the other night. It's a great little film; a little slow but worth a look. Aniston and Reilly, especially, shine as a hapless married couple. See DVD details here.Blood Work
Release Date: August 9
Director: Clint Eastwood (Space Cowboys, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil)
Cast: Clint Eastwood, Jeff Daniels, Wanda De Jesus, Anjelica Huston
Premise: Retired FBI agent Terry McCaleb (Eastwood) has recently had a heart transplant. When Graciela Rivers (De Jesus) approaches him to investigate the death of her sister, Gloria (whose heart do you think Terry has?), he finds that it may be the work of a serial killer he was trailing for years.
Notes: Adapted from a novel of the same title by Michael Connelly, who based his book on the real-life story of heart transplant recipient Terry Hansen. The book's hero, Terry, was supposed to be in his fifties, but Eastwood (who's 71) bumped up his age.
Christine's Take: Damn, Eastwood looks good for 71. I hope when I'm 71 I look that good. But enough of those I'm-retired-but-one-last-job deals that Eastwood has become so fond of. If I had a penny for every time Hollywood churned out these kind of scripts, I wouldn't be a millionaire, but I could probably buy a car.
Post-Release Verdict: This film came and went quietly, but Eastwood made good on his promise to come back, and he did in 2004 with Million Dollar Baby. And that film's not even about a detective on his last job! The growth, she is good. See DVD details here.Jackass: The Movie
Release Date: August 9
Director: Jeff Tremaine (debut, creator/writer/producer of "Jackass")
Cast: Johnny Knoxville, Ryan Dunn, Bam Margera, Steve O
Premise: Big-screen version of the controversial MTV television show, which was on the air…well, I can't remember when because I don't get MTV, but it only lasted two seasons.
Notes: Many may remember the flack "Jackass" received when some teenagers tried the show's stunts at home and got injured. I hope their parents use the settlement money to buy their kids some common sense.
Christine's Take: Like The Crocodile Hunter Movie, I can't possibly imagine how a reality-based television show would translate in a feature-length movie. Sure, you get more crazy stunts, and now you can see them better on a bigger screen, but the novelty will wear off soon and you'll wonder why you spent $12 to watch this when you could've been down at Chapters, reading their books for free.
Post-Release Verdict: Knoxville has since outgrown his "Jackass" persona in exchange for being the poor man's Vince Vaughn. Oh, and then Steve O did an episode of MTV's "Cribs" once, and he had a nice house. This was "Jackass'" last hurrah, so see it for its nostalgic potential. See DVD details here.xXx
Release Date: August 9
Director: Rob Cohen (Dragonheart, The Skulls, The Fast & the Furious)
Cast: Vin Diesel, Samuel L. Jackson, Asia Argento, Marton Csokas, Eve
Premise: Vin Diesel is back, living his life ¼ of a mile at a time. For those ten seconds, he's free. Okay, sorry, I couldn't help myself. Xander Cage (Diesel) is an extreme sport enthusiast who is recruited by a top-secret government agency to be a spy (think James Bond, without the eloquence or elegance). The baddies in this movie are a Russian crime ring, Anarchy 99, headed by Yorgi (Csokas). Hey, what's Shaft doing in this movie?
Notes: High hopes for this one - Diesel is already signed on for the sequel. Sony invested $90 million into this film, obviously hoping Diesel can charm the general public like he did with The Fast and the Furious, which took in an impressive $145 million. Asia Argento is the daughter of famed Italian horror director Dario (Suspiria, Creepers).
Christine's Take: Eh, if you're looking for a good action movie, you can't get a better bet. If you're looking for something deeper, look elsewhere.
Post-Release Verdict: As we saw in xXx: State of the Union, Vin Diesel was not there. And I don't refer to his "acting." I mean he was not in the film at all. It seems that between films, Diesel dropped out of the project because of salary demands or some such diva-like behaviour. The two people who saw this film and were subsequently polled by me said it was an okay film. I mean, they didn't cry or anything, so I took it to mean "okay." See DVD details here.The Adventures of Pluto Nash
Release Date: August 16
Director: Ron Underwood (Mighty Joe Young, Tremors, City Slickers)
Cast: Eddie Murphy, Randy Quaid, Rosario Dawson, Peter Boyle, Pam Grier, Jay Mohr
Premise: Pluto Nash (Murphy) is the owner of a nightclub on the moon. The mob want to buy his club, but he won't let them. Dawson plays a young singer, Quaid the robot sidekick, Grier Pluto's mom, Mohr the best friend, and Cleese a computerized chauffeur.
Notes: Originally scheduled for a January 2002 release. Murphy shot this movie one full year before Showtime.
Christine's Take: Murphy is a touch-and-go comedic actor. Some of his stuff is good, other stuff not so good. I haven't seen many commercials or trailers for this movie, but they should be popping up soon. Use your own discretion. I decree nothing.
Post-Release Verdict: I hardly remember this film at all, so it's safe to say that it's a forgettable flick. See DVD details here.Blue Crush
Release Date: August 16
Director: John Stockwell (crazy/beautiful)
Cast: Michelle Rodriguez, Kate Bosworth, Mika Boorem, Matthew Davis, Sanoe Lake
Premise: Two young women (Rodriguez, Bosworth) enter Rip Masters, a traditionally all-male surfing competition. There's something about someone falling in love with a hunky football player. Then there's more surfing.
Notes: Beware - this is only the first in a slew of surf movies scheduled for release.
Christine's Take: Sounds utterly uninteresting. Is Rip Masters even a real competition? If it is, I think they should call it something else, like Surf Masters or simply, Dude! See, I'd probably have more fun thinking up of stupid names for the surfing competition than watching this movie. The only good thing here is that if Michelle Rodriguez ever gives up acting she can easily find a job as a boxer, car racer, zombie killer, and now, professional surfer.
Post-Release Verdict: I was fortunate enough to catch this movie on television a couple of weeks ago. (Yes, I never actually pay money to see movies in a theatre or on DVD.) Save for some nice Hawaiian island shots and cameos by actual real-life surfers, it was as fluffy as the Downey bear. (The part where Kate Bosworth tries to sass a football player in the beach resort is so laughable it's like Britney Spears trying to rap.) And Rip Masters, as Google informs me, isn't a real surfing competition. See DVD details here.Simone
Release Date: August 16
Director: Andrew Niccol (Gattaca)
Cast: Al Pacino, Chris Coppola, Catherine Keener, Jay Mohr, Jason Schwartzman
Premise: A washed up filmmaker (Pacino) makes a comeback when the star of his new movie, Simone, becomes an overnight sensation. Problem is, Simone was digitally created.
Notes: Originally scheduled to be released on October 12, 2001.
Christine's Take: The plot of the movie is clever - with all the digital enhancements in movies nowadays it's hard to see what's real anymore. One of the reasons I watch certain movies is because of how they will turn out and, with Simone, I'm really curious about how they will treat the notion of a computerized movie star creating so much media hype.
Post-Release Verdict: A-ha! Finally, a film where I can speak from experience. They say curiosity killed the cat, and so did Simone kill two hours of my day. The film takes a light-hearted look at celebrity idolizing and studio politcs, but it doesn't even begin to scratch the surface in terms of depth or satirical statements. See DVD details here.Swimfan
Release Date: August 16
Director: John Polson (Siam Sunset)
Cast: Erika Christensen, Jesse Bradford, Shiri Appleby, Dan Hedaya, Kate Burton
Premise: New girl Madison (Christensen) falls for champion swimmer Ben (Jesse). But Ben already has a girlfriend, (Appleby), and besides, he doesn't like psychotic women.
Christine's Take: Zzz. What's that? I have to give you an opinion? About what? Swimfan? That's what you woke me up for? That's it, our friendship is over.
Post-Release Verdict: After a bundle of teen flicks flopped fantastically, Hollywood thankfully realized that it needed another cash cow. Thanks to one of my favourite surfing sites, I was able to get my hands on the plot. Not a very smart film, and terribly clichéd. See DVD details here.The Tuxedo
Release Date: August 16
Director: Kevin Donovan (debut)
Cast: Jackie Chan, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jason Isaacs, Debi Mazar, Peter Stormare, James Brown
Premise: Chan New York is a taxi driver, or chauffeur, or both, I'm really not sure. Well, he does something that involves driving. When a rich client is hospitalized, Chan finds his computerized tuxedo and puts it on, giving him supernatural power of combat, camouflage and seduction. Hewitt is along for the ride as a rookie undercover cop.
Notes: This movie's release date could be subject to change - it's a fairly quick release and there could still be post-production tweaks to be made. Dreamworks is hoping you will shell out lots of money so they can make a sequel. Filmed in Toronto.
Christine's Take: I love Jackie Chan and his work. Hewitt, not so much, but I'm willing to overlook that. Recommended.
Post-Release Verdict: At first I thought I saw this film, but then I realized what I actually saw was The Medallion. Which either means I'm going senile, or that Jackie Chan's movies are quickly becoming uninspired and generically ho-hum. See DVD details here.One Hour Photo
Release Date: August 21 (limited)
Director: Mark Romanek (Static)
Cast: Robin Williams, Connie Nielsen, Michael Vartan, Gary Cole, Erin Daniels, Eriq La Salle
Premise: Seymour Parrish (Williams), or Sy the Photo Guy as everyone calls him, becomes obsessed with a young family (Nielsen and Vartan) when they drop off some pictures to be developed.
Notes: Premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, might also be screened at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.
Christine's Take: Robins is trudging into darker and darker roles, first with Death to Smoochy and more recently with Insomnia. I'm not too sure that audiences are receptive to a non-Patch Adams Robins, but if that's the path that he wants to take, the more power to him.
Post-Release Verdict: Unfortunately, audiences don't seem to be too receptive to a darker Williams. But it doesn't really matter anyway, since Williams is worth millions and could probably retire right now if he wanted to. Upcoming project The Night Listener rounds out his trek into the dark side, and then Williams revisits Mrs. Doubtfire (in the form of a sequel) in 2006. See DVD details here.Drumline
Release Date: August 23
Director: Charles Stone III (debut)
Cast: Nick Cannon, Orlando Jones, Zoe Saldana, J. Anthony Brown, GQ
Premise: A young steel drummer (Cannon) from Harlem takes a scholarship to Atlanta University. He has trouble fitting in, but eventually everything comes up rosy as he leads his school marching band to victory (what, to the Marching Band Olympics?)
Notes: Have you seen him before? Cannon is a Nickelodeon on-air personality ("Snick House," "TEENick," and "The Nick Cannon Show").
Christine's Take: I'm probably not going to see this movie because it will bring up horrible memories of when I was in my high school band and then I'll have to go to therapy again.
Post-Release Verdict: Outside of a couple of television commericals, which helped me to place Saldana as Kit from Crossroads, I didn't hear much about this film. There was a song from JC Chavez of *NSYNC, and Tara Reid was in the video, looking less high than usual. See DVD details here.Serving Sara
Release Date: August 23
Director: Reginald Hudlin (House Party, The Ladies Man, Boomerang)
Cast: Elizabeth Hurley, Matthew Perry, Bruce Campbell, Cedric the Entertainer
Premise: Perry has the job (and good luck) of serving Hurley papers from her husband (Campbell), who is currently in Texas. Hurley convinces Perry to go cross-country with her to Texas to save her fortune.
Notes: Serving Sara had a budget of $20 million. Production was halted for two months when Perry had to check into rehab - again. Bruce Campbell, for all you trivia buffs, played Ash in the cult Evil Dead series.
Christine's Take: Am I the only one that thinks Chandler is not as funny as he used to be? So Perry went to rehab, it doesn't mean the "Friends" writers should punish him. Looking forward for this movie, if only because I'm a sucker for those romantic comedies.
Post-Release Verdict: Outside of a few laughs, this film was a miss. Campbell is his usual campy self, and saves whatever scenes he appears in. As for the improbable premise that Hurley's husband would cheat on her - who does he think he is, Hugh Grant? See DVD details here.They
Release Date: August 23
Director: Robert Harmon (Nowhere to Run)
Cast: Laura Regan, Marc Blucas, Dagmara Dominczyk, Ethan Embry, Jon Abrahams
Premise: Julie (Regan), a graduate psychology student, suffers from night terrors and childhood nightmares. Could those horrible things she saw as a child actually be real? Blucas plays her boyfriend.
Notes: It's the director's first movie in nine years (after doing Nowhere to Run with Jean Claude Van Damne I'd take a nice, long vacation too). Filmed in Vancouver with a budget of $17 million.
Christine's Take: Probably a really bad thriller. Just look at the title - they couldn't have called it something else? I know "It" worked for Stephen King and "Them" was also taken, but "They" doesn't add as much impact. Might as well have called it "He" or "She" or "Us" or some other pronoun. Anyway, as you can tell by the lack of thought for the title, the movie should be just as unimaginative.
Post-Release Verdict: The film sucked. See DVD details here.Possession
Release Date: August 30 (limited)
Director: Neil LaBute (Your Friends and Neighbors, In the Company of Men)
Cast: Gwyneth Paltrow, Aaron Eckhart, Jeremy Northam, Jennifer Ehle
Premise: Eckhart and Paltrow are two scholars researching two poets, Randolph Ash (Northam) and Christabel LaMotte (Ehle), respectively. But their paths cross when Eckhart finds that Ash, a married man, was having an affair with LaMotte, a chaste spinster. Soon the two find themselves wrapped up in the romance of the past.
Notes: Based on a 1990 novel, Possession: A Romance, by A.S. Byatt (Angels and Insects), which won a Booker Prize. If you're scrambling to get your old English Lit. book to look up details on these two poets, don't bother - Ash and LaMotte are fictional characters.
Christine's Take: I recommend this movie, not for the two stars or the director, but because of the story. Should be very romantic and very dramatic, so bring some Kleenex along. If you're not a fan of period pieces or long dramas, skip this one.
Post-Release Verdict: I haven't seen the film, but reviews seem to be favourable. Disparate comments seem to centre around the pace and subject of the film. See DVD details here.Slap Her, She's French
Release Date: August 30
Director: Melanie Mayron (The Baby-Sitters Club)
Cast: Piper Perabo, Jane McGregor, Alexandra Adi, Trent Ford, Nicki Lynn Aycox, Jesse James
Premise: A French foreign exchange student (Perabo) comes to a small Texas town highschool with her sights set on usurping the most popular girl (McGregor).
Notes: Released in Germany on January 31, 2001.
Christine's Take: When I saw the cover of this movie, I thought it was released in the 80's, what with the fuzzy, distorted cartoonish cover. But it was made in 2001, and Piper Perabo, my favourite Coyote Ugly bartender, stars. Touted as a teen comedy, I really can't name a reason why you should see this movie, except that Mayron also directed The Baby-Sitters Club, and that was one of my favourite series growing up. Of course, that's really irrelevant, but as you've noticed, I always try to inject some trivial personal information into my writing.
Post-Release Verdict: The offensive title has been changed to She Gets What She Wants, and yet, I've still never heard of it. (It's possible this film never had a North American release.) At least the cover on the DVD looks better than the original poster. See DVD details here.And that's it folks, another season at the multiplex previewed. Happy movie-going, and I'll see you in the fall. By then the ticket prices should be so ridiculously overpriced that I'd have to sell my first-born to watch a movie, and my second-born to get popcorn. ¤ C.Ho.
[ From The Bourne Identity to Scooby-Doo. Part I of our Summer 2002 Movie Preview. ]