By Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star
While the calendar insists it won't be summer until June 21, Hollywood sees things differently.
The traditional blockbuster summer movie season now starts in May, to coincide with schools turning loose the kids. With big-budget smashes such as "Hellboy" and "Kill Bill Vol. 2" anteing up for April releases, it seems that Hollywood is constantly pushing for an earlier kick-start to the summer movie season.
Broken down by category, here are some quick glances at the top flicks vying for your entertainment dollar in the next few months. All dates are subject to change.
n Clutchers
Thrillers meant to keep you on the edge of your seat, grasping the armrests for dear life.
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Godsend (Friday)
- A couple (Greg Kinnear, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos) have their slain son brought back to life through a questionable medical procedure, courtesy of a creepy doc played by Robert De Niro.
Mindhunters (June 4)
- Val Kilmer, LL Cool J and Christian Slater are stuck on an island together. No, it's not a reality show; it's a super-secret, deadly FBI island.
The Stepford Wives (June 11)
- Nicole Kidman tries to stop herself from being assimilated in the creepy town of Stepford. If the flick is true to the 1975 thriller on which it's based, hubby Matthew Broderick won't be much help to Nicole's cause.
The Darkness (June 18)
- A teen-age girl (Anna Paquin) moves into a haunted house. The ghosts don't take too kindly to the new tenant.
The Terminal (June 18)
- Steven Spielberg is behind the camera, Tom Hanks is in front of it, and the story involves tense airport shenanigans. What more do you need to know before you Fandango the tickets?
The Manchurian Candidate (July 30)
- Denzel Washington and Meryl Streep remake the classic, updating the intrigue to the Gulf War.
The Village (July 30)
- Director M. Night Shyamalan, a rising master of suspense, sends Joaquin Phoenix to a late-1800s village burdened with dangerous mystical creatures.
Open Water (Aug. 13)
- The Sundance shark-attack hit swims its way into theaters nationwide. Megababe Blanchard Ryan looks to make a splash.
Exorcist: The Beginning (Aug. 20)
- In this long-troubled, long-awaited prequel to "The Exorcist," Stellan Skarsgard plays Father Merrin, who battles the devil in Africa.
n Snorters
These comedies will try to make you laugh - hard.
Envy (Friday)
- Ben Stiller gets jealous of his neighbor, Jack Black, who gets rich selling a dumb invention.
Breakin' All the Rules (May 14)
- When a man (Jamie Foxx) is dumped by his girl, he writes a best-selling, girl-dissing book about how to handle a breakup.
Soul Plane (May 28)
- Snoop Dogg takes flight in this comedy about a madcap, ghetto-friendly airline.
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
- Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn take each other on in a high-stakes volleyball tourney.
White Chicks (June 23)
- Black G-men (Marlon and Shawn Wayans) try to rescue white heiresses by donning "whiteface" and masquerading as women.
Anchorman (July 9)
- Losing the tight-tights from "Elf," funnyman Will Ferrell plays a fading undersea documentarian who tries to get back on track with a big project.
Napoleon Dynamite (July 16)
- This Sundance comedy smash stars a cast of unknowns. It's about an Idaho teen with no social life who devotes himself to the ways of the ninja.
n Sizzlers
These action flicks are Hollywood's best effort to knock your socks off..
Van Helsing (May 7)
- A brave professor/monster hunter (Hugh Jackman) battles Dracula, the Wolfman and Frankenstein's Monster.
Troy (May 14)
- Brad Pitt and Orlando Broom dress up in armor to impress the ladies. The special effects and war scenes should do it for the guys.
The Day After Tomorrow (May 28)
- Dennis Quaid and Jake Gyllenhaal try to hide from massive tidal waves and floods that rock the planet when environmental carelessness destroys the planet.
The Chronicles of Riddick (June 11)
- In this sequel to the rompin' action flick "Pitch Black" (2000), the interstellar criminal Riddick (Vin Diesel) does some soul searching and blows stuff up.
Around the World in 80 Days (June 16)
- Jackie Chan plays a Chinese thief who gets caught up in an eccentric wealthy man's quest to win a bet by traversing the globe in 80 days. It's a remake of the 1956 best-picture Oscar winner.
Spider-Man 2 (June 30)
- Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) spins another web as the superhero Spider-Man and contends with supervillain Doc Octopus (Alfred Molina). Kirsten Dunst again plays Spidey's just-out-of-grasp romantic interest.
King Arthur (July 7)
- The once and future king returns to celluloid every now and then, and director Antoine Fuqua ("Training Day") gives Camelot another do-over. Clive Owen plays the guy who'd better keep an eye on Guinevere (Keira Knightley).
I, Robot (July 16)
- Isaac Asimov's book, worshipped by sci-fi geeks everywhere, stars Will Smith. A robot assistant violates the law of robots and must pay the consequences.
The Bourne Supremacy (July 23)
- Reprising his spy routine from 2002's "The Bourne Identity," Matt Damon heads into another espionage adventure.
Catwoman (July 23)
- Halle Berry continues her "interesting" career path following her best-actress Oscar win. This time, she dresses up in a skimpy outfit and plays a leather-clad criminal/vigilante.
Collateral (Aug. 6)
- Jamie Foxx plays a man who inadvertently gets involved with a contract killer (Tom Cruise).
Thunderbirds (Aug. 6)
- In the year 2065, a former astronaut and his sons form a rescue squad. Bill Paxton and Ben Kingsley launch into orbit.
Alien vs. Predator (Aug. 13)
- Science fiction worlds collide when aliens from "Alien" and the Predator from "Predator" lock grotesque horns. Paul W.S. Anderson ("Resident Evil") is behind the camera.
Anacondas (Aug. 27)
- Did anyone ask for a follow-up to 1997's "Anaconda"? No? Well, here's one anyway, with Morris Chestnut in the cast.
n Skippers
Romantic love stories aimed at making that heart of yours miss a beat.
Laws of Attraction (Friday)
- Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore pay homage to Tracy-Hepburn romantic comedies of yesteryear with this quick-witted tale of loving lawyers tangling in the courtroom.
Raising Helen (May 26)
-Hard-partying Kate Hudson finds herself an adopting mother when her sister dies. She also strikes up a romance with a clergyman (John Corbett).
The Notebook (June 25)
- A retired salesman visits an old lady, peeks into her notebook and discovers a love story from her youth. Nick Cassavetes ("John Q") directs.
Shall We Dance (August 6)
- Jennifer Lopez and Richard Gere remake a 1996 Japanese romantic comedy about - what else? - dancing.
n Juniors
Movies squarely aimed at the youngsters
Mean Girls (Friday)
- Lindsay Lohan and writer/actress Tina Fey try to draw giggles in this story of high school social pitfalls.
New York Minute (May 7)
-Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen bring their sister act to the silver screen - not to be confused with their made-for-TV movies - in this adventure film set in the Big Apple.
Shrek 2 (May 21)
- Parents are at least as giddy as their kids about this sequel to the hilarious 2001 computer-animated, mock fairy tale. The voice cast, including Eddie Murphy as Donkey, is back.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (June 4)
- Critics are excited that the third Potter adaptation is directed by Alfonso Cuarón. Kids are psyched because it's another chance to see Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) engage in wizardry.
Garfield (June 11)
- More computer-animated fun (hopefully), as the fat, greedy comic-strip cat climbs his way onto the movie screen.
Two Brothers (June 25)
- Human Guy Pearce ("Memento") is upstaged by animals in this drama. The title refers to two adolescent tigers that grow up in captivity and overcome man-made obstacles.
Sleepover (July 9)
- In the summer after eighth grade, friends, including former "Spy Kid" Alexa Vega, gather for a slumber party.
A Cinderella Story (July 16)
- Underage actress/songstress Hilary Duff slips on the glass slippers in a modern retelling of "Cinderella." Duff, in the role of a San Fernando Valley high schooler, must overcome her wicked stepmother and ugly stepsisters to find Prince Charming.
The Princess Diaries 2 (Aug. 11)
- So what's an American girl to do after she discovers her hidden lineage and assumes princess-ship of a small European country? Our daughters will drag us to this Anne Hathaway comedy sequel to find out.
Yu-Gi-Oh! (Aug. 13)
- The popular Japanese card game/animated TV show subject, with bizarre creatures galore, hits theaters.
Benji Returns: Rags to Riches (Aug. 27)
- It's been a long time since the last Benji flick - so long you may think this will be a doggie zombie movie. But no, we've got a new, live Benji.
° Contact reporter Phil Villarreal at 573-4130 or prv@azstarnet.com
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The exorcist
(1973)
Exorcist: The beginning
(Aug. 20)
Around the world in eighty days (1956)
Around the world in 80 days (June 16)
Camelot
(1967)
King Arthur
(July 7)
North by Northwest
(1959)
The Bourne Supremacy
(July 23)
The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
The Manchurian Candidate (July 30)
Old is new this summer
Old films and the new ones that they inspired.
"The Exorcist (1973)"
"Exorcist: The Beginning" (Aug. 20)
"Adam's Rib" (1949)"
"Laws of Attraction" (Friday)
"The Manchurian Candidate" (1962)
"The Manchurian Candidate" (July 30)
"Around the World in Eighty Days" (1956)
"Around the World in 80 Days" (June 16)
"Knights of the Round Table" (1953) and "Camelot" (1967)
"King Arthur" (July 7)
"Dracula" (1931)
"Van Helsing" (May 7)
"North by Northwest" (1959)
"The Bourne Supremacy" (July 23)
"The Stepford Wives" (1975)
"The Stepford Wives" (June 11)
