Movie Guys: Expect cinematic sizzle at summer box office
Friday, May 14, 1999 | 10 a.m.
Welcome to our annual summer movie preview. Before we begin, let's assume that you know all about "Star Wars: Episode 1 -- The Phantom Menace," the most anticipated film of the century, OK? So there's no need to mention it again.
Still, with more than 100 films slated for release this summer, there is bound to be something for everyone: Genetically-mutated Great White sharks, mechanical spiders, haunted houses, giant iron robots, witches, Tarzan, and the Muppets in outer space. Plus, the return of the work of some of Hollywood's most respected directors (David Cronenberg and the late Stanley Kubrick, to name a few.)
Remember, some movies may be subjected to the Hollywood Shuffle -- dates change. So be sure to check local listings before you head out to the theater. We do:
On the Marquee: "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me."
On the Bill: Mike Myers, Heather Graham, Elizabeth Hurley, Robert Wagner and Rob Lowe.
On the Credits: Directed by Jay Roach.
On the Storyboard: As Austin Powers would say, "Yeah, baby, yeah!" Mike Myers' groovy International Man of Mystery is back, and he has his mojo working. ... Well, he will, as soon as the superagent travels back to the 1960s where his nemesis, Dr. Evil (yes, Myers again), has sucked it out of him. With characters ranging from Felicity Shagwell ("Boogie Nights' " Graham), Ivana Humpalot and a pint-sized Dr. Evil clone named Mini-Me, the laughs seem inevitable. There is no question what the hottest sequel slated for this summer will be.
On the Calendar: "Austin Powers" shags his way into theaters June 11.
On the Marquee: "Tarzan."
On the Bill: The voices of Tony Goldwyn, Minnie Driver, Glenn Close, Roise O'Donnell, Nigel Hawthorne and Brian Blessed.
On the Credits: Directed by Kevin Lima and Chris Buck.
On the Storyboard: Disney Chairman Michael Eisner surprised this year's conventioneers at ShoWest and presented an almost-completed "Tarzan" -- an unheard of move from a studio that traditionally keeps its films under wraps until they're completed. The film promises to be a marvel of animation, loaded with action. The sure ticket for every souped-up teenage boy after getting a taste of "The Phantom Menace" the month before.
On the Calendar: "Tarzan" swings into theaters June 18.
On the Marquee: "Big Daddy."
On the Bill: Adam Sandler, Jon Stewart and Joey Lauren Adams.
On the Credits: Directed by Dennis Dugan.
On the Storyboard: After last year's success of "The Wedding Singer" and "The Waterboy," Adam Sandler is on top of the comical world. His latest feature employs his unique brand of humor to face the challenges of parenthood when he accepts custody of a 5-year-old in order to impress his soon-to-be-ex-girlfriend. With the re-teaming of director Dennis Dugan ("Happy Gilmore") and Sandler -- plus his string of box office hits -- fans should expect nothing less than another one!
On the Calendar: "Big Daddy" opens June 25.
On the Marquee: "South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut."
On the Bill: The voices of Trey Parker, Matt Stone and Issac Hayes.
On the Credits: Directed by Trey Parker.
On the Storyboard: Is this film too much too late? "South Park's" ratings have taken a nose dive on Comedy Central, and the question is: Has the appeal of Kenny, Cartman, Kyle and Stan, the foul-mouthed elementary school kids of Colorado, finally diminished with viewers? We think they have more mileage in them. Their new film, which boasts of being completely offensive and uncut, will earn its R rating and have parents washing their childrens' mouths out with soap soon after opening weekend. It should be one funny film.
On the Calendar: "South Park" hits theaters June 30.
On the Marquee: "Wild, Wild West."
On the Bill: Will Smith, Kevin Kline, Kenneth Branagh and Salma Hayek.
On the Credits: Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld.
On the Storyboard: Yes, this was a television show in the 1960s and, no, the theme song is not the original series theme but one lifted from an '80s tune of the same name. Two government agents (Smith and Klein) must stop an evil scientist (Branagh) from assassinating the president. It promises humor, romance and lots of James Bond-like gadgets and weapons, old West-style. It even has a giant mechanical spider from which the villain shoots fireballs of doom. It's sure to be one of the summer's biggest hits. Saddle up, partner.
On the Calendar: "Wild, Wild West" shoots up the screen July 2.
On the Marquee: "Muppets From Space."
On the Bill: Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Jeffrey Tambor, David Arquette, Andie MacDowell and F. Murray Abraham.
On the Credits: Directed by Timothy Hill.
On the Storyboard: In Muppet fashion, Gonzo and his buddy, Rizzo the Rat, are on an interstellar quest to find his long-lost relatives (who are actually aliens from a distant planet). Along for the journey is Kermit and the usual zany gang, who embark on an extraterrestrial adventure that has them all searching for Gonzo's past. Hot on their trail, however, is paranoid government agent K. Edgar Singer, who looks to spoil their plans. "Pigs in Space"? Kids will love it.
On the Calendar: "Muppets From Space" invade theaters July 14.
On the Marquee: "Eyes Wide Shut."
On the Bill: Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Sydney Pollack, Alan Cumming and Leelee Sobieski.
On the Credits: Directed by Stanley Kubrick.
On the Storyboard: Here is the official synopsis from the Warner Bros. press kit for the film: "A story of jealousy and sexual obsession." That doesn't say too much, now does it? We've all seen the teaser trailer of naked Kidman and Cruise, standing embraced in front of the mirror -- hot stuff. It's the late Kubrick's last film, and the powers that be are tight-lipped as to the story and explicit sexual content. We don't know what to expect, but it should be unforgettable.
On the Calendar: "Eyes Wide Shut" opens July 16.
On the Marquee: "The Blair Witch Project."
On the Bill: Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard and Michael Williams.
On the Credits: Directed by Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick.
On the Storyboard: The big buzz at this year's Sundance Film Festival, "The Blair Witch Project" borders on fantasy and horror. Three filmmakers take a daring journey into the woods of Maryland to document a witch who is rumored to live among the trees -- but they never return. Praised for its original premise and lack of blood and gore, the film's success centers on suspense and preys upon the fear of the unknown. The question: Is it real or not?
On the Calendar: "The Blair Witch Project" terrorizes theatergoers July 16.
On the Marquee: "The Haunting."
On the Bill: Liam Neeson, Lili Taylor, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Owen Wilson and Bruce Dern.
On the Credits: Directed by Jan De Bont.
On the Storyboard: Director De Bont entertained summer audiences with his effects-driven "Twister" and fast-action "Speed." But his next feature is quite different, quite spooky, actually. Based on Shirley Jackson's 1959 novel "The Haunting of Hill House," the film stars ex-Jedi Liam Neeson portraying a doctor who performs a psychological experiment -- an eerie experiment that sends three subjects into a haunted house. The film promises to be not only eye-candy with its visual effects, but littered with creepy sound effects that add to the terror. It promises to be much scarier than De Bont's last (unintentional) horror film, "Speed 2: Cruise Control."
On the Calendar: "The Haunting" haunts theaters July 23.
On the Marquee: "Deep Blue Sea."
On the Bill: Samuel L. Jackson, Thomas Jane, Saffron Burrows, LL Cool J and Michael Rappaport.
On the Credits: Directed by Renny Harlin.
On the Storyboard: Why don't sharks get cancer? We may have your answer. "Deep Blue Sea" is "Jaws" meets "Jurassic Park." A group of scientists searching for a cancer cure end up fighting for their lives as their marine facility begins to sink. Their genetically enhanced Great White sharks escape from the tank and pick off the scientists one by one. With director Renny Harlin ("Die Hard 2," "Cutthroat Island"), we are guaranteed lots of action and gore. We are excited about this one.
On the Calendar: "Deep Blue Sea" attacks from below July 30.
On the Marquee: "Mystery Men."
On the Bill: Ben Stiller, Hank Azaria, William H. Macy, Paul Reubens, Janeane Garofalo and Wes Studi.
On the Credits: Directed by Kinka Usher.
On the Storyboard: Since this summer is without a caped crusader, a web-slinging Spidey or a hidden S beneath a mild-mannered reporter, Hollywood offers up the next best thing ... well, sort of. This ensemble action-comedy, based on the Dark Horse comic, has seven lame superhero wannabees defending Champion City from the villainous Casanova Frankenstein (Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush) after the beloved real superhero, Captain Amazing (Greg Kinnear), is abducted. If all goes well, you can certainly bet on a possible franchise.
On the Calendar: "Mystery Men" save the world Aug. 6.
On the Marquee: "The Iron Giant."
On the Bill: The voices of Jennifer Aniston, Cloris Leachman, John Mahoney and Harry Connick Jr.
On the Credits: Directed by Brad Bird.
On the Storyboard: A giant robot from outer space falls to Earth and befriends a small, 9-year-old boy named Hogarth. This animated feature from director Brad Bird ("The Simpsons") lives out every kid's fantasy -- finding a robot from outer space in your back yard and having it do your bidding. The 50-foot metal giant has a craving for metal, and wins the heart of Hogarth as he tries to hide him from the townspeople. With excellent animation and possessing a retro '60s look and feel, "The Iron Giant" looks like a hit for the Warner Bros. animation department.
On the Calendar: "The Iron Giant" falls to Earth Aug. 6.
On the Marquee: "Teaching Mrs. Tingle."
On the Bill: Katie Holmes, Barry Watson, Helen Mirren, Marisa Coughlin, Molly Ringwald and Jeffrey Tambor.
On the Credits: Directed by Kevin Williamson.
On the Storyboard: "Scream" scribe Williamson makes his directorial debut with -- what else? -- a comedy-thriller, originally titled "Killing Mrs. Tingle." Holmes (a Williamson regular on his hit TV teen drama "Dawson's Creek") plays a high school student who kidnaps her hellish teacher and jeopardizes her chances of getting a scholarship. Rather dark and in the same ball park as "Heathers." We don't know what is more interesting: The unusual comical plot, or the camera work by the man who helped rejuvenate the ailing horror genre.
On the Calendar: "Teaching Mrs. Tingle" commences Aug. 20.
Name That Flick
How many sequels were there to the original 1932 horror classic "The Mummy"? Link Young knew. He was the first to call and tells us that there were four more films in Universal's classic horror series: "The Mummy's Hand" (1940), "The Mummy's Tomb" (1942), "The Mummy's Ghost" (1944), and "The Mummy's Curse" (1944). Way to go, Link!
For this week, give us a call if you know who said this quote and in what film: "That's no moon. It's a space station." If you think you know, call the Movie Guys Hotline at 225-9026, or e-mail us at [email protected]. Be sure to spell your name and leave your daytime phone number, and if you're the first correct caller/e-mailer, we will print your name right here in our column for the entire Las Vegas Valley to read. Be sure to check out our review of "Star Wars: Episode 1 -- The Phantom Menace" Tuesday in the Sun. See you then.
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