Yes, we've been here before, glancing at a promising summer slate and then feeling like we've been cheated or taken for granted once Labor Day officially closes the hot-weather movie season. Last year, for example, many moviegoers pinned their hopes on features like Pearl Harbor and Planet of the Apes and then were disappointed when neither picture lived up to mile-high expectations.
But this time around, there are enough big-ticket titles to tilt the odds in our favor. A long-awaited Spider-Man movie. A new Star Wars film. A boomer-friendly and kid-friendly Scooby-Doo feature. Another Steven Spielberg project. For younger audiences, pictures with Vin Diesel and Chris Rock; for older audiences, new works from Clint Eastwood and Woody Allen. Plus, a couple of sequels that might actually buck the trend and turn out to be entertaining. And if the summer's crop of limited releases -- including Steven Soderbergh's Full Frontal, starring Julia Roberts and David Duchovny, and John Sayles' Sunshine State, with Angela Bassett -- actually end up opening here over the next four months, so much the better.
Here, then, is a preview of 50 movies scheduled to open in Charlotte during the May-August window. And let's get together on September 1 to determine whether this summer's crop blew us away, or simply blew.
MAY 3
HOLLYWOOD
ENDING
Plot: As a has-been director (Woody Allen) embarks on what he hopes will be a comeback project, he's suddenly stricken blind and must shoot the picture without benefit of sight.
The Good: A new project from the man who gave us (among others) Annie Hall and Hannah and Her Sisters will always have potential.
The Bad: The age discrepancy between the male actors (Allen, George Hamilton, Mark Rydell, Treat Williams) and the female performers (Tea Leoni, Debra Messing) is even wider than usual, and watching Allen's own insistence on continually locking lips with women who could almost be his, um, stepdaughters is starting to seem tragic.
The Outlook: We can only hope Allen will be even one-quarter as funny here as he was on the recent Oscar telecast.
SPIDER-MAN
Plot: After being bitten by a radioactive spider, nerdy teenager Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) transforms into the most unlikely of superheroes.
The Good: Technology has finally caught up to the demands of the comic book: If the preview is any indication, the film should at least look great. The choice of director (Sam Raimi) is inspiring, as is the cast (notably Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane and Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin).
The Bad: A bubblegum script could sink the whole ship.
The Outlook: The only movie this summer that will seriously challenge Attack of the Clones for the box office crown, this will only fail to make money if by some chance the world ends on May 2.
Also: New York street gangs in the late 50s are at the center of DEUCES WILD, starring Stephen Dorff, Matt Dillon and Malcolm In the Middle's Frankie Muniz.
MAY 10
UNFAITHFUL
Plot: A husband (Richard Gere) resorts to desperate measures once he learns that his wife (Diane Lane) is having an affair with a younger man (Oliver Martinez).
The Good: Lane is one of the best unheralded actresses in the business.
The Bad: Director Adrian Lyne already mined similar territory with the cultural touchstone Fatal Attraction.
The Outlook: With a certain web-crawler still kicking butt in his second week, this is one affair that won't last long.
Also: In the comedy THE NEW GUY, the school dork (D.J. Qualls) ends up in prison, gets some lessons in being a stud from a fellow inmate (Eddie Griffin), and, after his release, attends a different school with a new image.
MAY 16
STAR WARS
EPISODE II: ATTACK
OF THE CLONES
Plot: Despite the best efforts of Jedi knight Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), apprentice Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) finds himself entering into a forbidden relationship with Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman) while simultaneously being tempted by the Dark Side.
The Good: Unlike poor little Jake Lloyd (terrible as Anakin in The Phantom Menace), Christensen received some much-needed early exposure (as well as good reviews) for his work in last fall's Life As a House, showing that he might be able to help carry this chapter. Christopher Lee appears in this outing -- a fitting tribute, since his old horror partner Peter Cushing appeared in the original Star Wars 25 years ago.
The Bad: The preview looks exciting, but that's partly because there's no Jar-Jar Binks in sight; how much of a role will he actually play in the film, and will it be enough to again incense the critics?
The Outlook: This should mark a step up from The Phantom Menace (which, among other things, got weighed down by all that exposition), meaning that its grosses should reach the stars.
MAY 17
ABOUT A BOY
Plot: A shallow womanizer (Hugh Grant) strikes up an unusual friendship with a troubled 12-year-old boy (Nicholas Hoult) who ends up teaching him about responsibility and commitment.
The Good: A tailor-made role for Grant if ever there was one. The last film based on a Nick Hornby novel was the smashing High Fidelity.
The Bad: Will writer-directors Paul and Chris Weitz (American Pie) possess the right sensibility for this material?
The Outlook: This could become a word-of-mouth hit among those folks who can't tell the difference between a Wookie and a Ewok (and couldn't care less).
MAY 24
ENOUGH
Plot: A battered wife (Jennifer Lopez) tries to escape from an abusive marriage, but discovers that her husband (Billy Campbell) is always less than one step behind.
The Good: Director Michael Apted's movies often center on compelling female figures (Coal Miner's Daughter, Gorillas In the Mist, Nell).
The Bad: Julia Roberts' Sleeping With the Enemy covered this same ground about a decade ago, and that one wasn't anything to write home about.
The Outlook: One more dud from the actress who gave us Angel Eyes and The Wedding Planner, and it'll be the audience's turn to shout, "Enough!"
THE IMPORTANCE
OF BEING EARNEST
Plot: In 1890s England, a deception perpetrated by two suitors (Rupert Everett and Colin Firth) threatens to derail their pursuit of two lovely women (Reese Witherspoon and Frances O'Connor).
The Good: Oscar Wilde's classic play is brought to the screen so infrequently (the last major theatrical production was back in 1952), it's a good bet that art-house patrons will be snared. The cast also includes two of this year's Oscar nominees, Judi Dench and Tom Wilkinson.
The Bad: It's a Miramax production, meaning that the studio's overbearing Oscar campaign will probably commence May 25.
The Outlook: Like 1999's An Ideal Husband (from the same writer-director-producer-star combo), this should earn back its budget, with an extra couple of million to begin financing the next tony affair.
INSOMNIA
Plot: While investigating a murder in a small Alaskan town, a weary detective (Al Pacino) finds himself matching wits with the main suspect (Robin Williams).
The Good: This is director Christopher Nolan's first film since last year's Memento.
The Bad: The 1997 Norwegian original (with Stellan Skarsgard) was thoroughly uncompromising -- will this version ruin a great thing with unnecessary Hollywood flourishes?
The Outlook: Nolan has the talent to pull this off, but this might be a bit too grim for Memorial Day Weekend moviegoers in the mood for something lighter.
Also: A wild horse befriends a Native American boy in the animated fable SPIRIT: STALLION OF THE CIMARRON. Fine, but did the songs have to be by the execrable Bryan Adams?
MAY 31
THE SUM OF ALL FEARS
Plot: CIA analyst Jack Ryan (Ben Affleck), with the help of his mentor (Morgan Freeman), must uncover a deadly plot that threatens to create a nuclear faceoff between the United States and the Soviet Union.
The Good: Good Cold War plots never die; they just get updated for modern times.
The Bad: First Alec Baldwin, then Harrison Ford, now Ben Affleck -- this series is discarding leading men quicker than the James Bond franchise ever did.
The Outlook: Having already screened this one, I can state that it's a satisfying thriller, a smart choice for those seeking the perfect middlebrow entertainment.
UNDERCOVER BROTHER
Plot: An Afro-man (Eddie Griffin) from the 70s gets mysteriously transported to the present day, where he teams up with Sistah Girl (Aunjanue Ellis) to take down The Man.
The Good: The preview suggests it might be funny-stupid as opposed to simply stupid-stupid.
The Bad: I'm suspicious of the full potential of a movie that's "based on [a] popular website series."
The Outlook: The presence of several Saturday Night Live players would normally peg it as an automatic cinematic flop, but this one has "sleeper hit" written all over it.
JUNE 7
BAD COMPANY
Plot: After a CIA agent is murdered, his good-for-nothing twin brother (Chris Rock) is targeted by a veteran spy (Anthony Hopkins) to serve as his replacement.
The Good: The charismatic Rock needs just one good vehicle to break out on the silver screen.
The Bad: This was moved from last year due to a terrorist subplot, and given the soft performances of Collateral Damage and Big Trouble, it's still unclear whether audiences are bothered by this sort of thing (then again, it could simply be because those other two titles stank).
The Outlook: It's doubtful most moviegoers will want a piece of this Rock.
DIVINE SECRETS
OF THE YA-YA
SISTERHOOD
Plot: With the help of her friends, a writer (Sandra Bullock) pieces together the life story of her eccentric mother (Ellen Burstyn; played in flashbacks by Ashley Judd).
The Good: This adaptation of Rebecca Wells' novels (Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and Little Altars Everywhere) comes from writer-director Callie Khouri, who won an Oscar for penning Thelma & Louise. The cast also includes James Garner, Maggie Smith and The Others' housekeeper Fionnula Flanagan.
The Bad: Unless it works as counterprogramming, this sort of Southern-fried family tale generally works better in the fall and winter seasons.
The Outlook: With that cast, expect plenty of older moviegoers to find their niche for the summer.
JUNE 14
THE BOURNE IDENTITY
Plot: Suffering from amnesia, world renowned spy Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) tries to figure out his identity even as he's being pursued by various assassins.
The Good: Director Doug Liman, known for the Gen-X comedies Swingers and Go, might add an interesting perspective to this adaptation of Robert Ludlum's bestseller. The strong international cast also includes Franka Potente (Run Lola Run), Clive Owen (Gosford Park) and Chris Cooper (Lone Star).
The Bad: Coming a mere two weeks after the similar spy game The Sum of All Fears (starring Damon's best buddy Ben Affleck) could seriously limit its grosses.
The Outlook: It should earn a decent amount, but whether it'll be enough to warrant turning it into a franchise title remains to be seen.
SCOOBY-DOO
Plot: With the help of their scaredy-cat dog, those meddling kids solve yet another mystery, this time in the flesh.
The Good: The CGI-created Scooby is a concept that could work. If they don't dumb it down, this could play equally well with the kids and their parents, all of whom presumably grew up watching the venerable cartoon series.
The Bad: Given its across-the-board appeal, it's disappointing they cast this with stiff actors primarily adored by teens (Freddie Prinze Jr., Matthew Lillard, Sarah Michelle Gellar).
The Outlook: Unless they completely, totally, irrevocably flub it (think The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle), this is a guaranteed money machine.
WINDTALKERS
Plot: During World War II, a Marine (Nicolas Cage) is assigned to protect a Navajo soldier (Adam Beach) whose native tongue serves as an unbreakable code used for sending top secret messages.
The Good: The last time Cage teamed with director John Woo, the result was Face/Off, one of the few decent action flicks of recent years.
The Bad: We Were Soldiers excepted, the current spate of war movies all imitate Saving Private Ryan in one way or another; will this one be original enough to buck the trend?
The Outlook: Originally set for release late last year, the wait might actually have benefited this one by moving it away from the period's other war efforts.
JUNE 21
LILO & STITCH
Plot: In this animated feature, a little Hawaiian girl "adopts" a rambunctious critter from outer space.
The Good: After watching DreamWorks' Shrek poke all sorts of holes in the Disney mystique, it's good to see the studio lighten up by doing likewise to their own products (those early Lilo previews are a, um, stitch). The soundtrack features Elvis Presley classics, not stomach-churning new tunes by the likes of Sting or Phil Collins.
The Bad: Did the E.T. reissue steal some of this film's thunder?
The Outlook: A wild card for Disney, but after watching their more traditional fare like Atlantis: The Lost Empire sink without a trace, this looks like a winning hand.
MINORITY REPORT
Plot: In a future society in which murderers are arrested before they even commit the crime, the head of the police outfit (Tom Cruise) goes on the lam after being accused of a killing he has yet to perform.
The Good: Steven Spielberg is the director. This is based on a short story by Philip K. Dick, whose other works led to the screen versions of Blade Runner and Total Recall.
The Bad: If Spielberg didn't purge all the Kubrick from his system with A.I. Artificial Intelligence, this may likewise prove to be too sterile and cerebral for summer audiences.
The Outlook: Spielberg and Cruise could both use a popular hit about now, and based on the compelling preview, this might do the job.
Also: After getting kicked out of the NBA, a basketball player (Miguel A. Nunez Jr.) poses as a woman in order to join a female league in JUWANNA MAN, a long-delayed comedy filmed in Charlotte.
JUNE 28
MR. DEEDS
Plot: In this remake of Frank Capra's Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, pizzeria owner Longfellow Deeds (Adam Sandler) leads an entirely different lifestyle after he inherits $40 billion.
The Good: Sandler is easier to take when he's playing "appealing" (The Wedding Singer) as opposed to "obnoxious" (Little Nicky), which bodes well for this project. Winona Ryder will add spunk as the love interest, while John Turturro will add laughs as Deeds' butler.
The Bad: If Gary Cooper gets wind of this, he'll be rolling in his grave.
The Outlook: After burning his fan base with the unwatchable Little Nicky, Sandler should win them back with this seemingly innocuous piffle.
Also: HEY ARNOLD! THE MOVIE, based on the popular Nickelodeon series, finds the animated kid with the odd-shaped head taking on a powerful land developer.
JULY 3
MEN IN BLACK II
Plot: When an alien disguised as a lingerie model (Lara Flynn Boyle) tries to take over the world, Agent J (Will Smith) turns to former partner Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) to help him out. The only catch: Agent K had his memory wiped clean at the end of Men In Black and now blissfully spends his days as a postal employee.
The Good: MIB was that rare big-budget summer sci-fi blockbuster that clicked on all cylinders, giving this one a shot at recapturing at least some of the magic.
The Bad: Someone unwisely decided not to bring back Linda Fiorentino, who was great in the first film and will be sorely missed this time around.
The Outlook: Profits will be back in the black.
THE POWERPUFF
GIRLS MOVIE
Plot: Townsville's diminutive superheroines -- Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup -- once again square off against master villain Mojo Jojo.
The Good: The hip animated series is one of the more tolerable cartoons presently populating the airwaves.
The Bad: The show's got a sizable following, but most of its fans aren't the ones with easy access to the family bank account.
The Outlook: Girl power prevails enough for this to make back its cost.
JULY 12
LIKE MIKE
Plot: A 14-year-old kid (Lil Bow Wow) becomes a basketball star after donning a pair of sneakers that sport the initials "M.J."
The Good: Professional scene-stealers Eugene Levy and Crispin Glover have supporting roles.
The Bad: Just what we need: another glorification of overexposed diva Michael Jordan.
The Outlook: It's probably more commercially sound than, say, Like Ike (Turner) or Like Spike (Lee), but its grosses will still prove to be, like, threadbare.
REIGN OF FIRE
Plot: Twenty years from now, dragons rule the earth, and it's up to a small band of humans (including Matthew McConaughey and Christian Bale) to extinguish their flames.
The Good: Director Rob Bowman knows his way around fantasy (he's a driving force on TV's The X-Files).
The Bad: I still have bad memories of that dopey Dragonheart with Dennis Quaid.
The Outlook: It should burn up the box office for a couple of weeks, then flame out.
ROAD TO PERDITION
Plot: Based on the graphic novel, this Depression-era drama centers on a hit man (Tom Hanks) whose life is changed by the deaths of his wife and son.
The Good: Recent films based on graphic novels and comics have mostly been winners (From Hell, Ghost World). The cast also includes Paul Newman, Jude Law and Jennifer Jason Leigh. The director is Sam Mendes, tackling his first feature since winning the Oscar for American Beauty.
The Bad: Hanks has been on such an incredible roll (dating back to 1992, 10 of his last 12 movies have grossed over $100 million), he's bound for a fall at some point. . .
The Outlook: . . .but not this time. Even if its box office take is less than expected, this could still be a year-end award contender.
Also: The surf scene is the setting for BLUE CRUSH, starring Kate Bosworth and Michelle Rodriguez as two buff girls who take to the waves and eventually test their skills in a major surf competition. . . THE CROCODILE HUNTER: COLLISION COURSE and JACKASS: THE MOVIE are both based on wildly popular (and completely different) cable TV shows.
JULY 19
EIGHT LEGGED FREAKS
Plot: A chemical spill in a small town causes the local arachnid population to mutate into giant manhunters.
The Good: The preview makes it look like good cheesy fun -- with that title, who could take it seriously?
The Bad: Intentional campiness doesn't always work; see Anaconda or Spaced Invaders.
The Outlook: Might find its groove among young audiences weaned on beer and bongs.
K-19: THE WIDOWMAKER
Plot: During the Cold War, a Russian submarine captain (Harrison Ford) must decide between obeying his superiors or saving the lives of his men.
The Good: Submarine flicks often offer sweaty thrills. Ford's equally imposing co-star is Liam Neeson.
The Bad: Director Kathryn Bigelow (Point Break, Strange Days) has yet to make a movie of merit. Ford's Russian accent may break our suspension of disbelief.
The Outlook: Not as potent as Ford's past summer blockbusters, this should score a mid-range hit.
STUART LITTLE 2
Plot: Stuart the mouse (voiced by Michael J. Fox) tries to rescue a fellow rodent (Melanie Griffith) from the clutches of a nasty falcon (James Woods).
The Good: The original Stuart Little made my skin crawl, so you're asking the wrong person.
The Bad: See "The Good."
The Outlook: Eight Legged Freaks Meet Stuart Little -- now that I'd pay to see.
Also: Several teens use the Internet to thwart killer Michael Myers (or at least until AOL inadvertently cuts them off) in HALLOWEEN: RESURRECTION, starring Busta Rhymes, Tyra Banks and that glutton for punishment, Jamie Lee Curtis.
JULY 26
AUSTIN POWERS
IN GOLDMEMBER
Plot: Dr. Evil (Mike Myers) and Fat Bastard (Myers again) team up with the villainous Goldmember (Myers once more), and only the secret agent with the bad teeth (you have to ask who?) can stop them.
The Good: Audience favorite Mini-Me (Verne J. Troyer) returns. Michael Caine joins the festivities as Austin's father. Look for cameo appearances by (among others) Kevin Spacey, Gwyneth Paltrow and Danny DeVito.
The Bad: The reputations of the first two films are better than the actual movies themselves. With a new gross-out comedy seemingly being released every week, will this series' outrageousness now seem passe'?
The Outlook: The profits promise to be as obscene as the content.
Also: THE COUNTRY BEARS, starring animatronic creatures not unlike the ones you see at Chuck E. Cheese, centers on the hirsute members of a singing group contemplating a reunion tour.
AUGUST 2
SIGNS
Plot: A farmer (Mel Gibson) wonders whether he's having a close encounter of the third kind after he notices strange symbols carved into his crop field.
The Good: Writer-director M. Night Shyamalan knows a thing or two about sustaining mood -- he's the guy behind The Sixth Sense.
The Bad: If, like Sense and Unbreakable, this is a big build-up toward a twist ending, Shyamalan may quickly become dismissed as a one-trick pony.
The Outlook: Signs of life at the box office.
XXX
Plot: A sports thrillseeker (Vin Diesel) discovers that his exceptional athletic abilities are perfect for transforming him into a new breed of government agent.
The Good: After commanding the screen in Pitch Black and The Fast and the Furious, Diesel seems poised to take his career to the next level.
The Bad: The stunts are gonna have to be really cool for this to be anything more than a formula action flick.
The Outlook: XXX equals $$$.
AUGUST 7
SPY KIDS 2: THE ISLAND OF LOST DREAMS
Plot: In their latest adventure, the Cortez kids (Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara) are joined not only by their super-spy parents (Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino) but also by their grandparents (Ricardo Montalban and Holland Taylor).
The Good: This brings back most of the original cast (including Alan Cumming) and adds Steve Buscemi and Bill Paxton to the mix.
The Bad: The first film earned near-unanimous raves, but it's hard for critical lightning to strike twice.
The Outlook: By distancing itself from the season's other family fare -- and by providing kids with one final fling as they head back to school -- this should prove to be one of August's top earners.
AUGUST 9
BLOOD WORK
Plot: A retired FBI agent (Clint Eastwood) with a recent heart transplant tries to solve the murder of the woman whose heart he ended up with.
The Good: The 71-year-old Eastwood often isn't afraid to play his age (Woody Allen, take note), which invariably makes his characters more interesting than the usual run-of-the-mill macho men.
The Bad: Although based on a novel, the plot sounds like Return to Me played for tragedy rather than romance. Eastwood's last couple of crime dramas (Absolute Power and True Crime) have been disappointments.
The Outlook: Space Cowboys turned out to be a surprise hit a couple of summers ago, but this one doesn't have that film's original hook or vibrant co-stars going for it.
Also: The new kid in town (Traffic's Erika Christensen) obsesses over a hunky swimmer (Jesse Bradford) in the thriller SWIMFAN.
AUGUST 16
THE ADVENTURES
OF PLUTO NASH
Plot: In the year 2087, a nightclub owner (Eddie Murphy) who runs a joint on the moon finds himself being pressured by gangsters to sell his property.
The Good: The supporting cast includes such reliable character actors as Peter Boyle, Luiz Guzman and John Cleese.
The Bad: This sounds like the sort of desperate enterprise that almost killed Murphy's career in the early 90s. It's been sitting on the shelf for close to two years, meaning even the studio doesn't know what to do with it.
The Outlook: A pothole in Murphy's recent resurgence, but not enough to cause any long-term damage.
Also: An Italian waiter named Pistachio Disguisey (Dana Carvey) uses his ability to change his appearance at will to stop a criminal mastermind (Brent Spiner) in THE MASTER OF DISGUISE. . . A process server (Matthew Perry) finds himself trapped between both sides (Elizabeth Hurley and Bruce Campbell) in an impending legal matter in the romantic comedy SERVING SARA. . . After his leading lady walks off the set, a filmmaker (Al Pacino) recasts the role by using a completely computer-generated being in SIMONE, co-starring Catherine Keener, Winona Ryder and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos.
AUGUST 21
ONE HOUR PHOTO
Plot: A nebbish (Robin Williams) who works in a photo shop develops an unhealthy fascination with one of the families he services.
The Good: After years of Patch Adams squishiness, it's good to see Williams again stretching by taking villainous roles in Death to Smoochy, Insomnia and now this.
The Bad: Of course, the drawback could be if Williams ends up giving the same reserved-psychotic performance in both this and Insomnia.
The Outlook: It won't make a nickel, but it might do wonders for Williams' future career choices.
AUGUST 23
A GUY THING
Plot: After waking up in bed with a mysterious woman (Julia Stiles) on the heels of his bachelor party, a man (Jason Lee) panics upon realizing he might have cheated on his beloved (Selma Blair).
The Good: Is there anybody who actively dislikes any of these three talented young actors?
The Bad: Screwball comedy is hard to pull off successfully, and I'm not sure if the director of Snow Day (Chris Koch) is the guy for the job.
The Outlook: Might be charming, but in the waning days of summer, who'll be hanging around in theaters to find out?
Also: A drummer from Harlem (Nick Cannon) finds success at a Southern university in the comedy DRUMLINE. . . A college student (newcomer Laura Regan) majoring in psychology is tormented by a series of recurring nightmares in THEY. *
