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May 2403
Summer Preview

SUMMER PREVIEW

By Wilson Morales

Just like last summer, when the season was totally dominated by the amount of sequels that came out, this summer is no different. There won't be sequels coming out every week, but there's enough to stop any new film looking build a fan base. The sequels to Shrek, Harry Potter, Spider-Man, Pitch Black, The Bourne Identity, and The Princess Diaries should bring in fans back to the theatre. If sequels are not in this year, then it's remakes. There's a growing trend these days to remake foreign and classic films. Foreign films can be redone to lure a new audience to the story, but when you remake a classic film like "The Manchurian Candidate", you better have the right cast and the right director. Well, the teaming of Jonathan Demme and Denzel Washington should hopefully put those who loved the original at ease. What would the summer be without the use of CGI, and we'll have plenty of those with "Van Helsing", "The Day After Tomorrow", and "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban", just to name a few. Repeat viewings usually come from the kids, and every studio hopes that their family film will do that. Family films include Harry Potter, Garfield, Shrek 2, and Thunderbirds. Legendary figures will be displayed on the screen as the story of Achilles is told in "Troy" as well as a new version of "King Arthur". Marvel Comics should be increase in sales as "Spider-Man 2" comes out as well as "Catwoman", starring Oscar winner Halle Berry. And finally, if "Freddy Vs. Jason" can bring in fans of each film, then why not "Alien Vs. Predator". It will certainly be a battle at the box office for supremacy.


 

A CINDERELLA STORY
Warner Bros. Opens July 16

In this twisted and hilarious update of the classic fairy tale, high school senior Sam Montgomery (Hilary Duff) lives at the beck and call of her self-obsessed step-mother Fiona (Jennifer Coolidge) and her sinfully wicked step-sisters. Sam finds her less-than-sparkling social life wonderfully complicated when she meets her prince charming online. But when her anonymous cyber soul mate turns out to be her high school's uber-popular quaterback Austin Ames (Chad Michael Murray), Sam make a mad dash back to reality, leaving her cell phone behind just before the clock strikes midnight. Fearing rejection if her secret is revealed, Sam dodges Austin's efforts to discover the identity of his princess. Will Sam let fear hold her back or will she find the courage to be herself and claim the life she's always wanted? Her chance at happily ever after depends on it.

Cast: Hilary Duff, Jennifer Coolidge, Chad Michael Murray, Regina King

 


 

I, ROBOT
20th Century Fox Opens July 16

Will Smith stars in this action thriller inspired by the classic short story collection by Isaac Asimov, and brought to the big screen by dynamic and visionary director Alex Proyas (Dark City, The Crow). In the year 2035, robots are an everyday household item, and everyone trusts them, except one, slightly paranoid detective (Smith) investigating what he alone believes is a crime perpetrated by a robot. The case leads him to discover a far more frightening threat to the human race.

Cast: Will Smith, Bridget Moynahan, Bruce Greenwood, James Cromwell, Chi McBride, Alan Tudyk

 


 

THE BOURNE SUPREMACY
Universal Pictures Opens July 23

The Bourne Identity Following the smash worldwide success of 2002's The Bourne Identity, Universal Pictures brings the second installment of best-selling author Robert Ludlum's series to the screen with Matt Damon returning as trained assassin Jason Bourne in The Bourne Supremacy. The Bourne Supremacy re-enters the shadowy world of expert assassin Bourne (Damon), who continues to find himself plagued by splintered nightmares from his former life. The stakes are now even higher for the agent as he coolly maneuvers through the dangerous waters of international espionage--replete with CIA plots, turncoat agents and ever-shifting covert alliances--all the while hoping to find the truth behind his haunted memories and answers to his own fragmented past.

Cast: Matt Damon, Joan Allen, Brian Cox, Julia Stiles, Karl Urban, and Franka Potente.

 


 

CATWOMAN
Warner Bros. Opens July 23

Catwoman is the story of shy, sensitive artist Patience Philips (Halle Berry), a woman who can't seem to stop apologizing for her own existence. She works as a graphic designer for Hedare Beauty, a mammoth cosmetics company on the verge of releasing a revolutionary anti-aging product. When Patience inadvertently happens upon a dark secret her employer is hiding, she finds herself in the middle of a corporate conspiracy. What happens next changes Patience forever. In a mystical twist of fate, she is transformed into a woman with the strength, speed, agility and ultra-keen senses of a cat. With her newfound prowess and feline intuition, Patience becomes Catwoman, a sleek and stealthy creature balancing on the thin line between good and bad. Like any wildcat, she's dangerous, elusive and untamed. Her adventures are complicated by a burgeoning relationship with Tom Lone (Benjamin Bratt), a cop who has fallen for Patience but cannot shake his fascination with the mysterious Catwoman, who appears to be responsible for a string of crime sprees plaguing the city.

Cast: Halle Berry, Benjamin Bratt, Sharon Stone, Lambert Wilson, Michael Massee, Alex Borstein

 


 

THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE
Paramount Pictures Opens July 30

A psychological thriller, "The Manchurian Candidate" stars Denzel Washington as Army Major Bennett Marco, a career soldier who grows suspicious about his experience in Desert Storm after Squad Sergeant Raymond Shaw (Schreiber), son of the powerful Senator Eleanor Shaw (Streep), becomes a candidate for Vice President.

Cast: Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, Liev Schreiber, Jon Voight, Kimberly Elise, Jeffrey Wright, Ted Levine

 

 


 

OPEN WATER
Lions Gate Films Opens July 30

Based on a true story of two married scuba divers left behind by a careless boat crew, Director Chris Kentis then speculates on the shark-infested journey that followed.

 

 

 

 

 


 

SHE HATE ME
Sony Classics Opens July 30

Tells the tale of Wharton-educated biotech executive John Henry Armstrong who gets fired when he informs on his bosses, launching an investigation into their business dealings by the Securities & Exchange Commission. Branded a whistle-blower and therefore unemployable, Jack desperately needs to make a living. When his former girlfriend Fatima, a high powered businesswoman and now a lesbian, offers him cash to impregnate her and her new girlfriend Alex, Jack is persuaded by the chance to make easy money. Word spreads and soon Jack is in the baby-making business at $10,000 a try. Lesbians with a desire for motherhood and the cash to spare are lining up to seek his services. But, between the attempts by his former employers to frame him for security fraud and his dubious fathering activities, Jack finds his life, all at once, becoming very complicated.

Cast: Anthony Mackie, Kerry Washington, Dania Ramirez, Whoopi Goldberg ,Jim Brown, Rosario Dawson, Woody Harrelson, Monica Bellucci, Ossie Davis, John Turturro, Sarita Choudhury, Lonette Mckee, Paula Jai Parker, Q-Tip, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Ellen Barkin

 


 

THE VILLAGE
Buena Vista Opens July 30

In M. Night Shyamalan's "The Village," the Academy AwardŽ-nominated filmmaker who brought you "The Sixth Sense" and "Signs" assembles an all-star cast, including Academy AwardŽ-nominees Joaquin Phoenix and Sigourney Weaver and Academy AwardŽ-winners Adrien Brody and William Hurt, to bring to the screen the thrilling tale of an isolated village confronting the astonishing truth that lies just outside its borders. At first glance, this village seems picture perfect, but this close-knit community lives with the frightening knowledge that creatures reside in the surrounding woods. The evil and foreboding force is so unnerving that none dare venture beyond the borders of the village and into the woods. But when curious, headstrong Lucius Hunt plans to step beyond the boundaries of the town and into the unknown, his bold move threatens to forever change the future of the village.

Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Adrien Brody, William Hurt, Joaquin Phoenix, Brendan Gleeson, Celia Weston, Judy Greer, Michael Pitt, and Bryce Dallas Howard

 


 

COLLATERAL
Dreamworks SKG August 6

The film takes place on a single night. After a cabbie picks up a passenger, he and his car are taken hostage as a killer travels around Los Angeles to conduct his business. Cruise will play the lead role of a contract killer. Foxx would play Max, the meek cab driver who picks up a passenger (Cruise) who takes him hostage.

Cast: Tom Cruise, Mark Ruffalo, Jamie Foxx , Jada Pinkett Smith, Dennis Farina, Irma Hall

 

 

 


 

SHALL WE DANCE?
Miramax Opens August 6

Richard Gere plays a workaholic lawyer whose life and marriage take an unexpected twirl when he follows a beautiful woman (Jennifer Lopez) to a Chicago dance studio and becomes a clandestine ballroom dance competitor. This is a remake of the popular Japanese film from 1997.

Cast: Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez, Susan Sarandon, & Stanley Tucci

 

 

 


 

THUNDERBIRDS
Universal Pictures Opens August 6

When dangerous situations exceed the limitations or ordinary military and international security forces, the world calls upon the high-tech assistance of International Rescue--a mysterious band of fearless adventurers and their fleet of awesome, imaginatively engineered vehicles known as: Thunderbirds! Hidden from the world, Tracy Island, a lush patch of land situated in the remote waters of the South Pacific, is home to brilliant entrepreneur and former astronaut Jeff Tracy (Bill Paxton) and his five sons. It is also the headquarters of Tracy's top-secret organization, International Rescue - and it is under siege. Master criminal The Hood (Sir Ben Kingsley) has breached island security, intent on commandeering International Rescue's fleet of five highly advanced rescue vehicles, each designed to accomplish a specific task. Deploying Jeff and his four eldest sons on a mission, The Hood finds his plans obstructed by Jeff's youngest son Alan (Brady Corbet), who will do anything to save the Tracy family and the Thunderbirds. From Working Title Films, Thunderbirds is a live-action feature film based on the hit British television series of the 1960s, which followed the perilous exploits of the Tracy family.

Cast: Bill Paxton, Anthony Edwards, Sophia Myles, Brady Corbet, Soren Fulton, Vanessa Anne Hudgens and Ben Kingsley

 


 

ALIEN VS. PREDATOR
20TH Century Fox Opens August 13

The iconic monsters from two of the scariest film franchises ever, battle each other on Earth for the first time on film. The discovery of an ancient pyramid buried in Antarctica sends a team of scientists and adventurers to the frozen continent. There, they make an even more terrifying discovery: two alien races engaged in the ultimate battle. No matter who wins, we lose.

Cast: Sanaa Lathan, Raoul Bova, Lance Henriksen, Ewen Bremner

 

 


 

THE PRINCESS DIARIES 2: THE ROYAL ENGAGEMENT
Walt Disney Pictures Opens August 13

Where the smash hit "The Princess Diaries" ended, the fun begins as Mia (Anne Hathaway) is ready to assume her role as princess of Genovia. But no sooner has she moved into the Royal Palace with her beautiful, wise grandmother Queen Clarisse (Julie Andrews) than she learns her days as a princess are numbered Mia's got to lose the tiara and immediately take the crown herself. As if getting ready to rule wasn't enough, the stakes for Mia have never been higher with Genovian law stating that princesses must be married before being crowned, Mia's in for a parade of suitors who'd all like to be her king. In the quest for a groom, comedy and complications rule the day as the cast and filmmakers behind the first film, including director Garry Marshall ("Pretty Woman," "Runaway Bride"), return for this hilarious romantic comedy.

Cast: Anne Hathaway, Hector Elizondo, Heather Matarazzo, John Rhys-Davies, Callum Blue, Caroline Goodall, Chris Pine and Julie Andrews

 


 

ANACONDAS: THE HUNT FOR THE BLOOD ORCHID
Sony Pictures (Screen Gems) Opens August 27

A scientific expedition is sent to the jungles of Borneo to search for a rare black orchid by a powerful pharmaceutical company that hopes the orchid can be used to unlock the secrets of youth and immortality. What they discover is that the orchid is already being used by a powerful group... a swarm of giant snakes that derive their super strength, size and vitality from the flowers, and extremely large snakes are also extremely hungry snakes...

Cast: Johnny Messner, Morris Chetnut, Eugene Byrd, Salli Richardson, Peter Curtis, Nicholas Gonzalez, Kadee Strictland, and Carl Yune


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