Summer movies 2000

According to Hollywood's calendar, summer begins on May 5 and peters out in early August. During this period, the studios expect to earn more than 40 percent of their annual box office, and so they line up their tent-pole releases. These are the movies that anchor the schedule, escapist films with big budgets, lots of special f/x, heavy promotion and, often, the most expensive stars - Cruise, Gibson, Willis, Carrey, Ford, performers who can open big, putting lines in front of theaters that crucial first weekend.

Booking dates are locked up months in advance, particularly for the prime holidays of Memorial Day and Fourth of July. (For some reason, the Labor Day weekend is always an orphan.)

We begin this roundup of summer movies by rattling the tent poles, movies with a cumulative cost of at least $1.25 billion. Six films hit or surpass the $100-million mark, showing that Hollywood's blockbuster mania is not yet in remission. These are followed by a survey of other films on the warm-weather schedule. The dates are those currently being quoted by the studios. Many lesser releases will shift, even as the tent poles remain anchored in cement.

May 5: "Gladiator." The first weekend of the Hollywood summer kicks off with an entry from DreamWorks. This is a crucial year for this fledgling studio as it shifts from occasional production to something more like a full slate. It and its partner Universal have sunk a reported $100 million into "Gladiator," Hollywood's return after at least 30 years to the Roman sword-and-sandal epic.

The virtuous Emperor Marcus Aurelius dies, leaving the empire in the hands of his spoiled-rotten son, Commodus. And when a Roman emperor is spoiled rotten - hoo, boy! The new ruler sees the general Maximus as a threat and so sends him into the arena. Initial buzz says that fans of the genre get their money's worth. Lots of gore, though. Director Ridley Scott ("Blade Runner") is a master at creating atmosphere. Russell Crowe in the title role is being bruited as a new action superstar. This is the last film of Oliver Reed, who died during production, leaving the makers with a big problem in completing his scenes. Much fancy computer work has been laid on for this reason and for pagan splendor.

With Joaquin Phoenix, Derek Jacobi, Djimon Hounsou and Richard Harris.

May 12: "Battlefield Earth." A film treatment of a sci-fi novel by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard looks like a dicey bet at $75 million, especially with John Travolta as an alien villain under heavy makeup. But Warner Bros. hasn't got its own money in the film. Backing came from indie producer Franchise Pictures.

The story: In the year 3000, the Psychlos have enslaved Earth. Ah, but Jonnie Goodboy Tyler is a lad to put a kink in their plans. With Barry Pepper and Forest Whitaker. Patrick Tatopoulous ("Godzilla") handles the f/x.

May 19: "Dinosaur." Following the showing of a five-minute trailer at the El Capitan, Disney's showcase in Hollywood, the entire audience rose in a body and stormed the box office, demanding tickets to this new venture in animation. Well, not really - but you could tell that the audience was wowed. From what appeared on the screens, the film is a stunning mating of computerized creatures and real backgrounds. The story is less ground-breaking: A young dinosaur is separated from his kind when a meteor turns climate against his species, but he finds refuge with a family of early mammals.

Disney admits to spending $130 million. Others say it's much more. This film is rated PG because, although the lead character is awfully cute, he is, after all, threatened with extinction.

May 24: "Mission: Impossible 2." It's time to stop trying to figure out the plot of the first "Mission: Impossible" because here's the sequel. This $100 million entry is the summer's highest-profile release, almost sure to open with a bang on the Wednesday before the long Memorial Day weekend. If Paramount can't bank on Tom Cruise, things have reached a pretty pass indeed.

This time the story is about a killer virus stolen by an agent gone rogue. Action meister John Woo directs. With Ving Rhames, Dougray Scott, Thandie Newton, Anthony Hopkins, Steve Zahn.

June 2: No real tent poles today as Hollywood gives "Mission: Impossible 2" a wide berth.

June 9: "Gone in 60 Seconds." Producer Jerry Bruckheimer's annual exercise in smash-and-grab moviemaking reteams him with Nicolas Cage ("Con Air") in a story about a car-stealing gang that wants to go straight, but is forced into one last massive heist. The script takes off from a 1974 film chiefly remembered for a big car chase.

Answers to trivia questions: Three - Cage, Robert Duvall, Angelina Jolie. (How many Oscar winners are in the cast?) Seven. (How many years since director Dominic Sena made his last feature, "Kalifornia.") And $90 million. (How big was the budget?) With Giovanni Ribisi, Delroy Lindo, Vinnie Jones (the British footballer who made such an impression in "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels").

June 16: "Titan A.E." Fox's ambitious animation unit takes a gamble with this noncutesy sci-fier, which uses standard and computerized techniques. Will the target audience of young guys pay admission for a lot of drawings? At any rate, it looks utterly different in style and tone from Fox's first venture, the glutinous "Anastasia."

The story is rather like "Battlefield Earth" or, for that matter, George Lucas' inspirations: Earth has been subjugated by aliens, but a lad puts a spoke in their wheel.

Voices are supplied by Matt Damon, Bill Pullman, Drew Barrymore, Nathan Lane, Hank Azaria, Janeane Garofalo, John Leguizamo.

June 23: "Me, Myself and Irene." Jim Carrey does one of his split-personality numbers as good-cop Charlie and bad-cop Hank, both in love with the same woman, written and directed by those meisters of sophisticated, drawing-room repartee, the Farrelly brothers ("There's Something About Mary," $363 million box office).

Advance word on the hilarity level is mixed, but Carrey has drawing power.

June 30 (Fourth of July) : "The Patriot." Pro: The last time Mel Gibson fought the English it was in a great success, "Braveheart." And he's in character as a former soldier, hoping to live in peace on his farm, until forced to choose sides in the American Revolution. Initial buzz is strong. Con: Revolutionary War pictures never do well, "The Patriot" doesn't have its slot to itself, and it's going to be hard to show a profit with a budget of $100 million plus, particularly as it shares its opening week with two other big movies.

Roland Emmerich ("Independence Day") directs, John Williams supplies the martial airs. With Joely Richardson, Tom Wilkinson, Tcheky Karyo.

Also June 30: "The Perfect Storm." Warner Bros. has a good $120 million riding on another bet that George Clooney will become a major movie star. To be fair, a lot of the money went to Industrial Light & Magic for 100-foot waves and similar artifacts of the force-12 hurricane that slammed into the New England coast in October 1991, catching fishing boats at sea.

Big-time credits all around: director Wolfgang Petersen ("Air Force One"), cinematographer John Seale ("The English Patient"), composer James Horner ("Titanic"). With Clooney's buddy, Mark Wahlberg, as well as Diane Lane, Karen Allen, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, John C. Reilly.

Also June 30: "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle." Makers of this feature version of Jay Ward's classically wacky TV series promise new standards in blending cartoon characters in with live action. Rocky and Bullwinkle still have a solid following, but the movie has to share the July 4 weekend with two big entries.

With Robert De Niro, looking like Col. Strasser in "Casablanca," as one of the arch-villains, Rene Russo, Jason Alexander.

July 7: "The Kid." Last year, Disney dropped a little-heralded Bruce Willis movie called "The Sixth Sense" into the August doldrums and wound up with 1999's second highest-grossing movie (after "Star Wars") and an Oscar nominee. For 2000, they're going with Willis earlier in the season with a comedy under the Walt Disney logo, aimed at family audiences. Willis comedies have been a varied lot, to say the least. For this outing, the idea is to tap into what made "Big" (1988) such a hit by having him meet himself as an 8-year-old.

July 14: "X-Men." If characters such as Wolverine, Magneto, Cyclops and Sabertooth ring a bell, you're already standing in the ticket line. Otherwise, you should know that these come from a cult comic book about mutants who are shunned by other humans but who possess strange powers - a nerd fantasy if there ever was one.

The movie-geek Web sites have been drooling about "X-Men" for months. Fox is already talking about a whole series. Bryan Singer ("The Usual Suspects") directs. With Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, James Marsden, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin. Hugh Jackman plays Wolverine - a key piece of data in some circles.

Also July 14: "Numbers." Travota has another summer entry as a TV weatherman in deep money trouble. What could be easier than to rig the result of the lottery with the help of the young woman who pulls out the winning numbers? Complications ensue. Nora Ephron ("Sleepless in Seattle") directs. With Lisa Kudrow.

July 21: "What Lies Beneath." Director Robert Zemeckis ("Forrest Gump") has kept this production under wraps. We know that it's a thriller about an academic couple who become involved with a coed who has died, thus sharply limiting her dating options. And it cost $80 million, much of it in salaries for stars Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer. The story is based on an idea by Steven Spielberg.

July 28: "Hollow Man." Kevin Bacon gets to star in a top-of-the-line release as a scientist who discovers a serum that makes him vanish. Yes, we're back in Claude Rains country with a retread of "The Invisible Man." We can only hope that the setting has a mild climate, because to stay invisible, the main character has to run around nude.

With Elisabeth Shue. The erratic Paul Verhoeven directs, and Sony's crack f/x unit shows its stuff with a $100 million budget.

Also July 28: "Nutty Professor II: The Klumps." Eddie Murphy returns as the overweight professor who has an alter ego in the slick Buddy Love. This time Janet Jackson provides the love interest for both, and Murphy does multiple duty as various members of the professor's family. The movie has a big nut for a comedy: $90 million, much of it in prosthetics for Murphy.

August 4: "Space Cowboys." NASA meets AARP when aging astronauts have to come out of mothballs to fix a satellite in orbit or else something simply dreadful will happen.

Clint Eastwood directs and stars. With Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, James Garner, William Devane, Loren Dean, Courtney Vance.

After this, tent-pole releases abruptly stop, given Hollywood's penchant for putting its biggest movies early in the summer. But there is a lot more on offer for the season as the following sampling shows:

"I Dreamed of Africa." Inspired by the true story of Kuki Gallman, whoever she is, the script tells of a woman who gives up a comfortable life to move to the wilds of the Dark Continent with her small son and new husband.

Hugh Hudson ("Chariots of Fire") directs. With Oscar-winner Kim Basinger, Vincent Perez and Eva Marie Saint. May 5.

"Up at the Villa." A story by W. Somerset Maugham looks into the expat community in Florence shortly before World War II, as a penniless widow has to choose between an elegant marriage of convenience or real passion. Philip Haas ("Angels and Insects") directs. With Kristin Scott Thomas, Sean Penn, James Fox, Anne Bancroft, Jeremy Davies. May 5.

"The Wisdom of Crocodiles." Jude Law plays an irresistible fellow, like his character in "The Talented Mr. Ripley" - only this time, he's the one who may be a killer. With Elina Lowensohn, Timothy Spall. May 5, limited.

"Center Stage." There seems to be a widespread desire to revive the musical. Here director Nicholas Hytner ("The Madness of King George"), noted for his stage work, includes a lot of dance in a saga of young hopefuls trying to make the cut for a ballet company.

With Amanda Schull, Zoe Saldana, Peter Gallagher. May 12.

"Hamlet." The Shakespeare boom continues with his most famous play moved to New York; the C.E.O. of Denmark Corp. dying under mysterious circumstances and his son (Ethan Hawke) moping about it. Initial buzz: brave, but not entirely successful, though Ophelia has a great mad scene in the Guggenheim Museum.

With Bill Murray, Kyle MacLachlan, Liev Schreiber, Sam Shepard, Julia Stiles. May 12. ("Love's Labor's Lost" gets Hollywoodized this season; "Othello," retitled "O," goes the contemporary route in the fall.)

Foxxy move: "Held Up." Jamie Foxx made a TD in a straight role as the conflicted football star in "Any Given Sunday." Now he's back to comedy in which everything happens to him, including being taken hostage in a convenience-story holdup. With Nia Long, Barry Corbin. May 12.

"Cirque de Soleil." The Cirque and the giant-screen IMAX process seem meant for each other. We'll see how the combination actually works in this 40-minute film, shot in various locales. May 19, limited.

"Road Trip." If you're in a committed relationship, would you cheat - and then mistakenly mail the video to your significant other? Having done just this, the lead character here has to race across country to retrieve the tape.

With Breckin Meyer, Seann William Scott, Amy Smart, MTV's Tom Green. May 19.

"Small-Time Crooks." Woody Allen's annual entry stars himself and Tracey Ullman as an ex-con and his manicurist wife who decide to return to crime. With Hugh Grant, George Grizzard, Jon Lovitz, Elaine May, Elaine Stritch. May 19.

"Passion of Mind." Demi Moore could use a career boost, and maybe she will get it as a widow living with her daughters in the south of France. She invents an alter ego, a hard-hitting career woman in New York, only to wake up as that person. With Stellan Skarsgaard. May 26, limited.

Chan on the case: "Shanghai Noon." Jackie Chan has taken on some big jobs in his time, but can he withstand the onslaught of Tom Cruise, whose big movie is opening the same day? The on-screen Chan is a member of the Chinese Imperial Guard here to seek a kidnapped princess. Owen Wilson ("Armageddon") is his American partner as the producers hope for the chemistry that made "Rush Hour" (1998) a hit. With Vince Vaughn, Steve Buscemi. May 26.

"Big Momma's House." Martin Lawrence may well extend his crossover appeal when he does a Doubtfire. He's a cop who has to go undercover - as a loud-mouth old lady down South. With Nia Long. June 2.

"Boys and Girls." Freddie Prinze Jr. has another vehicle as a young man who wants to stay best friends with a young woman, but she's kidnapped by Klingons and subjected to ... Didn't fool you, did it? With Anna Friel, Claire Forlani. June 2.

"Running Free." Writer Jean-Jacques Annaud ("The Bear") returns to an animal's point of view in this tale of a stallion in Namibia. Russian director Sergei Bodrov ("Prisoner of the Mountains") is in charge. June 2, limited.

"The St. Francisville Experiment." Three student filmmakers go into the woods ... no, that was last year's "The Blair Witch Project." This time, we see the record of a psychic, a ghost hunter, a filmmaker and an historian going to a Louisiana house haunted by slaves who died there. June 2, limited.

"Groove." The rave scene gets celebration when word goes out to gather at a San Francisco warehouse. An ensemble cast includes Lola Glaudini and Hamish Linklater. June 9, limited.

The Bard on Broadway: "Love's Labor's Lost." Kenneth Branagh threw out a lot of the Bard's seldom-performed play, reset it in the '30s and tossed in a bouquet of Gershwin and Berlin show tunes. Though not everyone in his cast is quite up to the signing and dancing demands, initial reports say the movie actually works. With Alessandro Nivola, Alicia Silverstone, Nathan Lane, Matthew Lillard. June 9.

"Sunshine." Ralph Fiennes sets himself an acting challenge - you were expecting maybe "The Avengers Deux"? - by taking one role per generation in this saga of a wealthy Hungarian Jewish family , the Sonnescheins, as they face the crises of the 20th century. This English-language saga from noted director Istvan Szabo has impressed those who have got an early look. June 9, limited.

"Shaft." Samuel L. Jackson represents a new generation in this remake of the 1971 film, said to hone a new level of edge. John Singleton ("Boys in the Hood") directs. With Vanessa Williams, Jeffrey Wright, Christian Bale ("American Psycho"). Richard Roundtree's back, too. June 16.

"Boricua's Band." Latino pop star Frankie Negron makes his movie debut as a young artist in the South Bronx who has to fight homeboys, as well as agents. Val Lik directs and co-stars. June 23, limited.

"Chicken Run." Audiences have been known to emerge woozy from laughter at Park's brilliant claymation in such short films as the Oscar-winning "A Close Shave." Now he and his Plasticene attempt to go the length in a tale about a British chicken farm where the inmates suspect that they face a sticky end if they don't make like "The Great Escape."

This has the potential to be the year's funniest movie. Voices by Mel Gibson, Miranda Richardson, Jane Horrocks. June 23.

"Trixie." Emily Watson plays a security guard who wants to be a private investigator in a comedy from Alan Rudolph ("Afterglow"). With Dermot Mulroney, Nick Nolte, Nathan Lane, Will Patton. June 30, limited.

It's a scream: "Scary Movie." Here's all you need to know about this comedy: It's an amalgam of two scripts, "Scream if You Know What I Did Last Halloween" and "Last Summer I Screamed Because Friday the 13th Fell on Halloween," thus making it reasonably likely that we're in for a spoof of the horror flick. And it's a Wayans family production with Keenan Ivory directing and starring, along with sibs Marlon and Shawn. Initial audience reports: pretty funny but no hoot. July 7.

"Coyote Ugly." Piper Perabo is getting good early buzz as an aspiring singer-songwriter who moves to New York only to find herself gaining fame as one of a group of enterprising barmaids who draw customers and media with their antics. Jerry Bruckheimer, who made "Flashdance" back when, hopes for equal luck here. July 12.

"The Loser." Jason Biggs ("American Pie") plays a most unpromising college freshman who nevertheless finds a soulmate in stunning Mena Suvari ("American Beauty"). A patriotic film, obviously. Amy Heckerling ("Clueless") directs. With Greg Kinnear. July 21.

"Pokemon the Movie 2000." Difficult business question: Warner Bros. gets Pokemon movies for as little as $5 million from the Japanese producers. The last one, released only eight months ago, brought in $85 million domestically. So what would you do? This time out, kids, six new Pokemon characters make their debuts, including the legendary Lugia, who sets out to save the world - rather a popular calling this year. July 21.

"Thomas and the Magic Railroad." The kids' TV series goes up a screen size. Off we go to Shining Time, where the Magic Railroad runs. With Alec Baldwin, Peter Fonda, Mara Wilson. July 26.

Rock's hard place: "I Was Made to Love Her." In 1941, "Here Comes Mr. Jordan." In 1978, "Heaven Can Wait." Now the story is recycled yet again. This time it's Chris Rock who dies before his time and gets sent back to earth as a rich guy whose wife has just bumped him off. Then he/they meet a beautiful woman. Paul Weitz ("American Pie") and brother Chris direct. With Regina King, Mark Addy, Chazz Palminteri. July 28.

If this schedule holds, Rock's movie will go up against Eddie Murphy's "Nutty Professor 2" - which was written by the Weitz Brothers.

"Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her." Rodrigo Garcia is a noted cinematographer and son of famed novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Now he's a promising director, thanks to a film that was well received at Sundance.

Like "La Ronde" or "Magnolia," it tells interlocked stories that take place in the San Fernando Valley. The ensemble cast includes Glenn Close, Cameron Diaz, Calista Flockhart, Holly Hunter, Gregory Hines, Noah Fleiss. Sometime in July.

"Whipped." Can men and women enjoy mutual friendship as well as sex? Writer-director Peter Cohen attempts to get to the bottom of this pressing issue. With Amanda Peet. July undated, limited.

"The Legend of Bagger Vance." Such is the play-it-safe character of this year's summer roster that this film seems like a daring entry. Robert Redford directs this story, based on Steven Pressfield's novel, about a golfer in the '50s who wins fame by taking the advice of his black caddy.

With Will Smith, Matt Damon, Charlize Theron.

"Saving Grace." When a widow faces privation, there's only one thing to do - grow marijuana. Good smoke signals on this film that recalls the glory days of Britcoms; several distribs fought over it at Sundance. With Brenda Blethyn, Craig Ferguson. Aug. 4, limited.

"Bait." Another Jamie Foxx comedy - and (assuming it's OK to say this) another from one of a batch of black comics who are beginning to dominate the field. He could easily take the romantic action franchise. Here he's a guy locked up for stealing prawns, which is far more serious than heisting shrimp. He soon finds himself involved in a theft of gold from the Federal Reserve and wishes he were back in jail.

With David Morse, Kimberly Elise, Mike Epps. Action specialist Antoine Fuqua directs. Aug. 11.

"Bedazzled." Dudley Moore and Peter Cook appeared in the 1967 original. This time Elizabeth Hurley is the devil who grants Brendan Fraser his fondest wishes - on the usual terms, of course. Harold Ramis directs and co-writes along with Larry Gelbart. Aug. 11.

Ready for closeup: "Cecil B. Demented." John Waters' latest has the season's best title and a promising plot: A freelance moviemaker and his scruffy Sprocket Holes gang kidnap a big movie star and force her to act in - ugh! - and indie. With Stephen Dorff, Melanie Griffiths and Waters regular Ricki Lake. Aug. 11, limited.

"Godzilla 2000." Not a sequel to the big-budget 1998 film but a return to its Japanese roots, the monster takes on Tokyo again in this production from Toho Studios. Aug. 11.

"Impostor." There's no gratitude in this world. An engineer invents a sovereign weapon against aliens only to be accused of being an alien himself. With Gary Sinese, Vincent D'Onofrio, Tim Guinee, Tony Shaloub, Madeleine Stowe. Aug. 11.

"Save the Last Dance." Another semi-musical. White, small-town Juliet meets poor, black Romeo at a Chicago high school; despite general opposition, they find fulfillment on the dance floor. The producers invite comparison with "Saturday Night Fever." With Julia Stiles, Sean Patrick Thomas. Aug. 11.

"The Cell." A scientist gets really, really close to a comatose serial killer in an effort to find a young girl he has kidnapped. With Jennifer Lopez, Vince Vaughn, Vincent D'Onofrio. Aug. 18.

"The Way of the Gun." Christopher McQuarrie, Oscar-winning screenwriter of "The Usual Suspects" adds a director's hat, too. He has two long-time friends get the quick-money itch and kidnap a woman carrying a child for a wealthy, barren couple. With Ryan Phillippe, Benicio Del Toro, Juliette Lewis, James Caan, Taye Diggs. Aug. 18.

"The Crew." More cute mobsters: Burt Reynolds and Richard Dreyfuss are among elderly hoods who band together to save their Miami retirement home from oncoming yuppies. With Seymour Cassel, Dan Hedaya, Jennifer Tilly. Aug. 25.

Keanu komedy: "The Replacements." Warner Bros. decided to bring this football comedy into the summer lineup rather than waiting for the fall, as originally planned. Keanu Reeves is a washed-up player, and Gene Hackman is not much better as a coach; both get another chance when a strike takes the main teams off the field. With Jon Favreau, Rhys Ifans (as a star soccer kicker from Wales).

"Screwed." Delicate title, eh? Anyway, a chauffeur kidnaps his employer's dog, but when the mutt gets away, the rich owner thinks that it's the chauffeur who has been abducted. Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski ("Man on the Moon") bow as directors. With Norm MacDonald, Dave Chappelle, Danny DeVito, Elaine Strich. Aug. 25.

"Steal This Movie!" Who would have thought '60s radical Abbie Hoffman would rate a biopic? Early reports: Vincent D'Onofrio (who made a wonderful monster in "Men in Black") is terrif as Hoffman, but the rest of the movie isn't as strong. With Janeane Garofalo, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Kevin Pollak. Aug. 25, limited.

"Texas Rangers." TV's James Van Der Beek and Dylan McDermott saddle up in a script based on a project Sam Peckinpah never got around to. "In a land without justice, one legendary man is chosen to lead a group of unlikely heroes ... ." Anyway, Van Der Beek made a successful transition to the big screen in "Varsity Blues," and McDermott's limp movie career changed to stardom on the tube. Steve Miner directs. With Vincent Spano, Alfred Molina and much testosterone. Aug. 25.

"Buying the Cow." Why buy the cow, runs the adage, when you can get milk for free? A young fellow follows this policy when his girlfriend begins to zero in. With Jerry O'Connell, Bridgette Wilson. Sometime in August.

"Head Over Heels." Prinze again, this time implausibly as a possible literal ladykiller, is the man of her dreams for a young New Yorker who also happens to have four gorgeous models as her roommates. With Monica Potter ("Patch Adams"). Sometime in August.

"Skipped Parts." Smart kid, immature mom. This time around, the characters are a young mother, not ready to settle down, and her son, who starts to learn about love in small-town Wyoming. With Jennifer Jason Leigh, Bug Hall, Brad Renfrow, Drew Barrymore. Sometime in August.

"Urban Legend: The Final Cut." It's back to bloody business at Alpine U. Of course, how final this sequel is depends on how well it does at the box office. With Jennifer Morrison, Joseph Lawrence. Sometime in August.

(c) Copley News Service

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Author: Charles Britton