Publication Date: Friday, May 06, 2005
The films of summer
The films of summer
(May 06, 2005) This year's crop promises something for everyone
by Jeanne Aufmuth
It seems a bit premature to be talking things summer when the rains have barely waned, but thus is the way of the capricious film industry. The game kicks off in early May, paving the way for the big hitters to come out and play in box-office heavy June and July.
Summer 2005 is fraught with anticipation, borne of an abundance of comic book adaptations and buzz-worthy sequels. "Batman Begins" and "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" has them lining up and camping out at the Cineplex in droves.
Owner of the coveted First Friday (May 6) is Ridley Scott's "Kingdom of Heaven" starring a freshly muscled Orlando Bloom as a disillusioned 12th century blacksmith whose spiritual journey becomes part and parcel of the infamous Battle of Hattin pitting Christians against Muslims in an ugly, crazy skirmish. Consider it a Crusades version of "Gladiator;" a huge spectacle of a film that screams A-list testosterone.
May promises to be a cinematically strong month rife with a smooth blend of action and intelligence.
For those who like their drama down and dirty Paul Haggis' "Crash" (May 6) is a recipe for bitter emotion and the pain of hatred and racism. For the comedy crowd its happy trails ahead as Jane Fonda and Jennifer Lopez go mano-a-mano as a brittle mother-in-law to her son's common waitress/temp wife in "Monster-In-Law" (May 13).
What can I say about Star Wars (May 19) that hasn't already been said? Expect excess CGI, light-saber duels (five!) and the moment we've all been waiting for: Anakin crossing over to the dark side as Darth Vadar.
Notable potentials: Daniel Craig in "Layer Cake" and the sweeter-than-sweet "Mad Hot Ballroom."
June heralds the overdue return of Russell Crowe as a big screen heavyweight contender in Ron Howard's Cinderella Man (June 3). Oscar shoulda-been-a-contender Paul Giamatti co-stars as his loudmouth manager/trainer and Renée Zellweger as Crowe's patient wife.
The latest Batman sequel (June 17) makes its bow as a $150 million production helmed by "Memento's" Christopher Nolan. Nolan's skewed vision paired with Christian Bale (American Psycho, The Machinist) in the rubber suit promises edge upon edge.
Summer wouldn't be summer without a dose of Spielberg, in this case mounting another close encounter in the much-anticipated sci-fi thriller "War of the Worlds" (June 29) starring Tom Cruise, Tim Robbins, and ubiquitous child-star Dakota Fanning. The tabloid-happy pairing of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie portraying a couple of unhappily married assassins is comic and dramatic fodder in "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" (June 10).
Notable indies: "My Summer of Love," quirky nature film "March of the Penguins" and the pulse-pounding documentary "Rize."
Personally speaking I like July more thought-provoking than action-adventure-ish and I'm going to get my wish. Sure there's the comic faithful crowd-pleaser "Fantastic Four" (the superpowers come out to play July 8) and Johnny Depp bringing his jittery idiosyncrasies to the table in the classic re-imagining of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (July 15).
But thank goodness for Jennifer Connelly in Hideo Nakata's darker-than-dark thriller aptly titled "Dark Water" (July 8) and my hard-and-fast choice for Most Highly Anticipated -- Terrence Howard finally getting his star-making break in the pimp-rap-jive Sundance fave "Hustle and Flow" (July 15).
If you like it alternative, there's "Happy Endings" and the studly paraplegic rugby players of "Murderball."
August is traditionally reserved for cinematic backwash but I'm pinning hopes onto Jim Jarmusch's Broken Flowers (August 5) starring Bill Murray as an aging Don Juan and Steve Martin's turn as Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther remake (a bold move that could crash and burn spectacularly on Aug. 5). The theater trailer for Wes Craven's Red Eye (Aug. 9) is scary as hell and who doesn't love a couple hours in the dark with Cillian Murphy, even if he is a serial killer?
John Singleton (Boyz n the Hood) jumps back into the game with the edgy crime drama Four Brothers (Aug. 12) starring Mark Wahlberg, André Benjamin and Tyrese Gibson.
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