Last summer’s movie season showed that although sure things do exist — at least as long as they have “Star Wars” in the title — long shots still can be a better bet than presumed favorites.
This time last year, “Wild Wild West” was set to be the big mid-summer popcorn movie, “Eyes Wide Shut” had generated almost as much anticipation as “Episode I,” “The Sixth Sense” was just another movie starring Bruce Willis and a kid (remember “Mercury Rising”?), and “The Blair Witch Project” was a cheap little indie film looking to attract a respectable cult audience.
This summer kicks off with another presumed sure-thing sequel, Tom Cruise in the oh-so-hiply titled “M:I-2,” but the two pre-July 4 would-be blockbusters are less formula-bound: Mel Gibson fighting the American Revolution in “The Patriot” and George Clooney getting battered by “The Perfect Storm.” When the year’s biggest hit so far is a gladiator movie, anything goes.
The following is this summer’s release schedule, based largely on information provided by the studios. Specific release dates are given when available and, as always, are subject to change.
May
“M:I-2.” Yup, that’s what Paramount is officially calling what less cool people might refer to as “Mission: Impossible 2.” Tom Cruise is back, teamed with Hong Kong action director-stylist John Woo (“Face/Off”) and a screenplay from Robert Towne (who wrote the impenetrable original). Much conflict was reported from the set of this one, including a supposed last-minute whacking job to earn it a PG-13. Wednesday.
“Shanghai Noon.” Jackie Chan’s long-awaited follow-up to “Rush Hour” finds our acrobatic hero playing a Chinese imperial guard who travels to the Wild West and teams up with an American thief (Owen Wilson) to save a kidnapped Chinese princess (Lucy Liu). Friday.
“Passion of Mind.” Demi Moore, in her first film since “G.I. Jane,” plays a New York career woman and a woman living in southern France; one of them is real and one is a dream, and she’s not sure which is which. Directed by Alain Berliner (“Ma Vie en Rose”), the movie co-stars Stellan Skarsgard and William Fichtner. Friday.
“Bossa Nova.” Amy Irving plays a former flight attendant and widow living in Rio de Janeiro in this romantic comedy about couples either breaking up or hooking up. Directed by Irving’s husband, Bruno Barreto. Friday.
“Beau Travail.” A new recruit throws off the balance of a French Foreign Legion troop in East Africa in this drama from French director Claire Denis (“Nenette and Boni”). Friday.
June
“Big Momma’s House.” What’s the deal with black comedians wanting to slap on layers of makeup, fat padding and a dress? Martin Lawrence beats Eddie Murphy to the screens this summer as an FBI agent who disguises himself as a hefty Southern granny to protect a single mother (Nia Long) and her son. June 2.
“Running Free.” This horse tale follows a foal named Lucky who’s born in 1914, separated from his workhorse mother on the way to Africa and battles harsh desert life and a mean stallion named Caesar. Sound familiar? It was called “Hoofbeats” in last summer’s preview. June 2.
“The Color of Paradise.” This acclaimed Iranian film, from director Majid Majidi, explores the relationship between a blind, gifted 8-year-old boy and his father, who wanted to leave him at a boarding school permanently. June 2.
“Gone in Sixty Seconds.” This summer’s thriller from producer Jerry Bruckheimer (“The Rock,” “Armageddon”) stars serious actor-turned-action-star Nicolas Cage as a retired car thief who returns to the racket to save his gone-crooked kid brother (Giovanni Ribisi). Co-starring Angelina Jolie and directed by Dominic Sena (“Kalifornia”). June 9.
“Shaft.” Pop culture regurgitates another ’70s icon as “Boyz N the Hood” director John Singleton transports New York’s baddest cop into the new millennium, sort of. Samuel L. Jackson (who reportedly did not get along with the director) is playing the crime-fighting nephew of the original John Shaft (Richard Roundtree, who’s back). June 16.
“Titan A.E.” Animators Don Bluth and Gary Goldman, who last teamed on the girl-friendly “Anastasia,” try to lure in the boys with this futuristic, Japanese anime-resembling tale of a rebellious teen (voiced by Matt Damon) who zips through space to find a legendary spacecraft. Also featuring the voices of Bill Pullman, Drew Barrymore, Nathan Lane, John Leguizamo and Janeane Garofalo. June 16.
“Boys and Girls.” Guess what? Opposites attract! That’s what Ryan (Freddie Prinze Jr.) and Jennifer (Claire Forlani), who hated each other as kids and teens but dig each other in college, learn. The bright side: “She’s All That,” the last movie by director Robert Iscove, was better than it sounded. June 16.
“Fantasia 2000.” After playing in IMAX theaters for four months, Disney’s anti-climactic follow-up to its 1940 musical cartoon classic hits the regular mall screens. June 16.
“Me, Myself and Irene.” The Farrelly brothers, following up their smash “There’s Something about Mary,” and Jim Carrey, following up his disappointing “Man on the Moon,” try to rekindle their “Dumb & Dumber” magic and then some with this comedy about a crazy cop whose split personalities fall for the same woman (Renee Zellweger). June 23.
“Chicken Run.” “Wallace and Gromit” creators Aardman Animations make their big-screen bow with this clay-animation tale of ticked-off chickens who rebel against a nasty farmer’s wife. Featuring the voices of Mel Gibson, Miranda Richardson, Jane Horrocks and Timothy Spall. June 23.
“Love’s Labour’s Lost.” Leave it to Kenneth Branagh to adapt Shakespeare’s “Love’s Labour’s Lost” as a 1930s Hollywood musical with the director-actor, Alicia Silverstone, Alessandro Nivola (“Mansfield Park”) and others singing classics by Cole Porter and Irving Berlin. June 23.
“Butterfly.” A teacher (Fernando Fernan Gomez) helps a shy young boy (Manuel Lozano) deal with a scary world — and the Spanish Civil War — in this drama from Spanish director Jose Luis Cuerda. June 23.
“Sunshine.” Ralph Fiennes plays men in three successive generations of a Hungarian family in this epic film directed by Istvan Szabo (“Mephisto”) and co-written with playwright Israel Horovitz. June 23.
“The Patriot.” The directing-producing team of Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin try to prove they can do more than just summer schlock (“Godzilla,” “Independence Day”) with this big-ticket American Revolution story starring Mel Gibson as a militia leader who fights the British alongside his son (Heath Ledger). June 28.
“The Perfect Storm.” Director Wolfgang Petersen (“Das Boot,” “Air Force One”) faces the formidable challenge of crafting a straightforward thriller out of Sebastian Junger’s very-episodic book about a mammoth 1991 East Coast storm that devastated a fishing fleet and rescue workers. George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg are among the seamen getting bashed around by what look like some very impressive computer-generated waves. June 30.
“The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle.” Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale are real people (Jason Alexander and Rene Russo), but the beloved squirrel and moose remain cartoons in this “Roger Rabbit”-style big-screen update of Jay Ward’s classic animated series. With Robert De Niro as Fearless Leader. June 30.
“Groove.” Said to be the more mainstream of the two rave-scene movies that played at Sundance (the British “Human Traffic” was released earlier this month), Greg Harrison’s indie film takes place during one night of dancing, partying and youthful romance in San Francisco’s underground clubland. June 30.
July
“Scary Movie.” Dimension Films, which brought us the “Scream” movies, now presents the official parody, directed by Keenan Ivory Wayans and starring Carmen Electra, Shannon Elizabeth and a couple of Wayans who aren’t Damon. It had better be half decent or the review headlines will read, “Stupid Movie.” July 7.
“But I’m a Cheerleader.” When the panicky parents of a teen cheerleader (Natasha Lyonne) suspect that she’s a lesbian, they send her off to a “rehabilitation” camp led by an ex-gay man (an out-of-drag RuPaul Charles). There she discovers her true feelings in this indie comedy directed by first-timer Jamie Babbit. July 7.
“Disney’s The Kid.” Gak! That’s the name? If they’re that desperate, why not just call it “Another Movie Starring Bruce Willis and a Little Boy”? Willis plays a successful but unhappy 40-year-old whose spirits are raised when he meets an 8-year-old version of himself (Spencer Breslin). Directed by the habitually syrupy Jon Turteltaub (“Phenomenon,” “Instinct”). July 12.
“Boricua’s Bond.” This debut film from writer-director Val Lik, who’s only 21, follows the friendship between a young painter (Frankie Negron) and a newcomer in his South Bronx neighborhood (Lik) as they’re accused of a crime they didn’t commit. With appearances by the late rapper Big Pun and model Tyson Beckford. July 12.
“X-Men.” Comic-book fans are geeked out while folks who quit slapping down their quarters after “Spiderman” are saying, “Huh?” about the fuss over Bryan Singer’s (“The Usual Suspects,” “Apt Pupil”) live-action adaptation of the all-time best-selling series. Patrick Stewart (Prof. Charles Xavier), Halle Barry (Storm), Hugh Jackman (Wolverine) and Famke Janssen (Jean Grey) are good superheroes. Ian McKellen (Magneto) leads the bad guys. July 14.
“Untitled Nora Ephron Project.” This black comedy starring John Travolta was called “Numbers” until Warren Beatty reportedly asserted his ownership of that title. Figure you’ll soon hear a new name for Ephron’s supposed departure from cutesy-poo romantic comedy to a caustic tale about a weatherman (Travolta) who rigs a state lottery with the help of the TV ball girl (Lisa Kudrow). July 14.
“What Lies Beneath.” This psychological thriller from director Robert Zemeckis stars Harrison Ford as a college professor whose wife (Michelle Pfeiffer) suspects he had an affair with a student who killed herself. Expect lots of computer effects from the filmmaker behind “Forrest Gump” and “Death Becomes Her.” July 21.
“Pokemon the Movie 2000.” Some nasty force has thrown the Pokemon universe out of whack, and trainer Ash and those collectible critters must set things right. Pikachu! Pikachu! Pikachu! Pikachu! July 21.
“The In Crowd.” A beautiful but troubled young woman (Lori Heuring) is accepted in a rich clique at a country club — at least until she attracts the attention of the studly tennis pro (Matthew Settle) lusted after by the clique leader Brittany (Susan Ward). Directed by Mary Lambert (“Pet Sematary”). July 21.
“Chuck & Buck.” Designed to give you the willies, this digitally shot Sundance entry follows a childish 27-year-old (Michael White, who wrote the script) as he relentlessly pursues his fixation on his boyhood buddy Chuck (Chris Weitz). Directed by Miguel Arteta (“Star Maps”). July 21.
“Loser.” A nice, nerdy Midwesterner (Jason Biggs of “American Pie”) feels like an out-of-place dork at New York University until he gets to know a girl (Mena Suvari of “American Pie” and “American Beauty”) who’s dating a professor (Greg Kinnear). Amy Heckerling (“Clueless”) directed this comedy. July 21.
“Mad about Mambo.” An upper-class Belfast girl (Keri Russell of TV’s “Felicity”) aims to win a regional Latin dance contest, but she’s less enchanted by her rich boyfriend/partner (Theo Fraser Steele) than a working-class soccer player (William Ash), who also knows a step or two. Another holdover from last summer’s schedule. July 21.
“Thomas and the Magic Railroad.” This big-screen version of the kids’ TV series “Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends” mixes live action and model animation as it tells the tale of 11-year-old Lily (Mara Wilson), who takes the wrong train to see her grandfather (Peter Fonda) and winds up in Shining Time with a magical conductor (Alec Baldwin). July 26.
“Nutty Professor II: The Klumps.” Eddie Murphy plus fat padding and pounds of makeup returns as Sherman Klump, his beefy family and the ever-obnoxious Buddy Love in this sequel directed by Peter Segal of “Tommy Boy” fame. The plot involves Sherman trying to get rid of Buddy before the abrasive alter-ego ruins his wedding plans to a university colleague played by Janet Jackson. July 28.
“Wonderland.” Three generations of a working-class family get together in London with emotionally challenging results in this drama from filmmaker Michael Winterbottom (“Welcome to Sarajevo,” “Jude”). July 28.
“The Eyes of Tammy Faye.” The ever-chipper, ever-mascara’d Tammy Faye Bakker-Messner is the subject of this relatively sympathetic documentary, which recounts the rise of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker’s Christian television empire, Jim’s fall into disgrace and the apparent villainy of Jerry Falwell during the whole mess. July 28.
“The Wisdom of Crocodiles.” Jude Law, in what sounds like the flip side of his “The Talented Mr. Ripley” role, plays a serial seducer and murder suspect who meets his match in a moody beauty (Elina Lowensohn). This Miramax shelf-dweller was released in Britain in 1998. July.
“The Broken Hearts League.” The studio is describing this comedy, about several gay men (including Dean Cain and Timothy Olyphant) on a weekend baseball team, as a gay “Diner.” First-timer Greg Berlanti wrote and directed, and the cast also features John Mahoney, Nia Long and Mary McCormack. July.
August
“Hollow Man.” Kevin Bacon plays an arrogant scientist whose head gets even bigger when he turns himself invisible, but his fellow scientists (Elisabeth Shue, Josh Brolin) can’t see how big his head really is getting because, you know, he’s invisible. Paul Verhoeven (“Starship Troopers,” “RoboCop”) directed this thriller. Aug. 4.
“The Legend of Bagger Vance.” Robert Redford, the director not the actor, returns with a mystical story of a World War II veteran-turned-golf pro (Matt Damon) who’s assisted in a tournament by a caddie with mysterious powers (Will Smith). Featuring Charlize Theron. Aug. 4.
“Space Cowboys.” Clint Eastwood directed and stars in this adventure about a group of Air Force pilots who, 42 years after losing their planned a space mission to a NASA monkey, regroup to fix a satellite that otherwise will slam into Earth. Co-starring Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland and James Garner. Aug. 4.
“Coyote Ugly.” Jerry Bruckheimer delivers a chick flick of sorts with this tale of an aspiring young songwriter (Piper Perabo) who takes a job at a wild New York club and winds up performing atop the bar. Aug. 4.
“Saving Grace.” This broad, giggly British comedy, starring Brenda Blethyn as a widow who starts selling marijuana to pay the bills, was an audience favorite at January’s Sundance Film Festival. Aug. 4.
“Bedazzled.” Harold Ramis co-wrote (with Larry Gelbart and “Analyze This” writer Peter Tolan) and directed this loose remake of the Peter Cook/Dudley Moore 1967 comedy of the same name. Brendan Fraser plays the nerd who makes a deal with the Devil (Elizabeth Hurley, beautifying the Cook role) but finds that getting everything you wish for doesn’t necessarily win you the girl (Frances O’Connor). Aug. 11.
“The Replacements.” All of you “Matrix” fans who wondered what Keanu Reeves would do next, here’s the answer: He plays a scab quarterback in a football comedy from the director of “Grumpier Old Men” (Howard Deutch). Gene Hackman is the cranky coach who recruits Reeves, Jon Favreau and others to play on a replacement team when the pro footballers go on strike. Aug. 11.
“Texas Rangers.” No, not the story of George W. Bush’s days as a baseball team owner but a western about a ragtag group of crimefighters (including Dylan McDermott, James Van Der Beek and Randy Travis) that takes aim at some nasty renegades led by Alfred Molina. Rachael Leigh Cook is the main female prize in this latest effort from “Lake Placid” director Steve Miner. Aug. 11.
“Godzilla 2000.” This umpteenth Japanese “Godzilla” sequel (as opposed to a followup to the American blockbuster stinker) pits the honkin’ big lizard against a really, really old, rock-shaped alien life form that just woke up. Aug. 11.
“Girl on the Bridge.” A suicidal girl (Vanessa Paradis) signs on to be the human target of a circus knife-thrower (Daniel Auteuil) in the latest, well-reviewed film from French director Patrice Leconte (“Ridicule”). Aug. 11.
“The Cell.” This reputedly grisly thriller stars Jennifer Lopez as a scientist who tries to get inside the mind of a comatose, especially nasty serial killer (Vincent D’Onofrio) as an FBI agent (Vince Vaughn) tries to find someone he kidnapped. Directed by first-name-only-please Tarsem, who made R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion” video. Aug. 18.
“Cecil B. Demented.” John Waters’ latest wacked-out comedy stars Stephen Dorff as the head of a group of cinema terrorists who kidnap a Hollywood star (Melanie Griffith) and force her to star in an underground film. Featuring such Waters regulars as Ricki Lake, Mink Stole and the ever-fabulous Patricia Hearst. Aug. 18.
“Autumn in New York.” Richard Gere, as the chick-magnet owner of a hot New York restaurant, falls for a younger, pretty woman, played by Winona Ryder and not Julia Roberts, in this romance directed by Joan Chen. Aug. 18.
“The Way of the Gun.” In the directorial debut of “The Usual Suspects” writer Christopher McQuarrie, two career criminals (Ryan Phillippe and Benicio Del Toro) kidnap a pregnant surrogate mom (Juliette Lewis) and find themselves in a whole mess of confusion. Aug. 25.
“The Crew.” Richard Dreyfuss and Burt Reynolds are together at last as retired gangsters who scheme to thwart a plan to turn their Miami senior-citizen hotel into a high-rent residence for young beach-dwellers. With Carrie-Anne Moss (of “The Matrix”) as a cop detective. Aug. 25.
“Bring It On.” This comedy stars Kirsten Dunst as a high-school cheerleading captain who discovers that her squad’s routines have been ripped off from a hip-hop high-school team headed to the same national competition. Aug. 25.
“Steal This Movie!” Sixties renegade Abbie Hoffman lives again in this biopic starring Vincent D’Onofrio as the No. 1 Yippie and Janeane Garofalo as his wife, Anita. With Kevin Pollack, Jeanne Tripplehorn and Kevin Corrigan (as Jerry Rubin). Aug. 25.
“Highlander: Endgame.” You asked for another “Highlander” movie, you got one. (Wait, you didn’t ask?) As usual, Christopher Lambert stars. Aug. 25.
“Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her.” This arty drama, which debuted at Sundance and was bumped from a spring release, features the star-powered female ensemble of Glenn Close, Cameron Diaz, Calista Flockhart, Holly Hunter, Amy Brenneman and Kathy Baker as a group of women whose lives become entangled. August.
“Whipped.” Three skirt-chasing guys get their shorts in a knot over an elusive hottie (Amanda Peet) in this comedy from first-time filmmaker Peter M. Cohen. August.
“Blow Dry.” This British comedy, from “The Full Monty” writer Simon Beaufoy, stars Alan Rickman as a formerly formidable hairdresser who tries to get his chops back in a national hairstyling competition with the help of his ex-wife (Natasha Richardson) and the woman she left him for (Rachel Griffiths). August.
“The Five Senses.” A girl disappears, and five characters’ five senses are engaged to solve the mystery and resolve their own personal crises in this drama from Canadian filmmaker Jeremy Podeswa. August.
“An Affair of Love.” Nathalie Baye stars in this French movie about a woman and man (Sergi Lopez) who meet through a newspaper ad and engage in an anonymous, steamy affair that escalates in unexpected ways. Directed by Frederic Fonteyne. August.
“Crime + Punishment in Suburbia.” This slick celebration of beautiful-loser teens, with a bit of Dostoyevsky thrown in somewhere, stars Vincent Kartheiser as a loner who spies, “American Beauty”-style, on a high school hottie (Monica Keena) as her life falls apart. First-timer Rob Schmidt directed this Sundance entry. August.
“The St. Francisville Experiment.” Four experts in the paranormal (played by unknowns) venture into a haunted house, and their cameras capture all the scary stuff that happens there. Supposedly, the distributors say, the footage you watch is real. Can you say “The Haunting” meets “Blair Witch”? August.
“Skipped Parts.” In 1963 Wyoming, a mom (Jennifer Jason Leigh) acts silly while her 14-year-old son (Bug Hall) behaves maturely and discovers what puberty is all about in this comedy directed by Tamra Davis (“Billy Madison,” “Guncrazy”). August.
Month undetermined
“I Was Made To Love Her.” The writing-directing team of brothers Chris and Paul Weitz follow up last summer’s “American Pie” with a remake of Warren Beatty’s 1978 film “Heaven Can Wait” (as well as 1941’s “Here Comes Mr. Jordan”). It stars Chris Rock as a comedian who dies before his time and thus is returned to Earth in the body of a white millionaire.
“Save the Last Dance.” Shot in Chicago, this music-filled drama stars Julia Stiles as a girl who, after her mother’s death, moves in with her father, enrolls in an all-black school and nabs herself a handsome dance partner (Sean Patrick Thomas). According to the studio, it echoes “Dirty Dancing,” which is supposed to be a good thing.
“Blood Simple.” The Coen brothers’ grisly comic noir debut — starring Frances McDormand, Dan Hedaya, M. Emmet Walsh and John Getz — returns 16 years later in a new “director’s cut.”
