Summer Film Previews

Spider-Man 2
STARRING: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Alfred Molina, James Franco
DIRECTOR: Sam Raimi
WRITERS: Michael Chabon, several others
PREMISE: Sony spends and recoups another shitload of money.
OUTLOOK: Seems like a winner, reuniting the forces that capably succeeded the first time out. Molina takes over villain duties as tentacle-thrashing Doctor Octopus. More of the cheeseball humor of Raimi (the Evil Dead movies) would be welcome, but perhaps screenwriter Chabon (Pulitzer Prize-winner for his novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay) will add some weird literary pedigree to this pricey pulp.

The Stepford Wives
STARRING: Nicole Kidman, Bette Midler, Matthew Broderick, Christopher Walken
DIRECTOR: Frank Oz
WRITERS: Paul Rudnick (In & Out), Ira Levin (original novel)
PREMISE: Dark, comedic remake of paranoid-sexist 1970s sci-fi movie about suburban horror and systematic wife replacement.
OUTLOOK: The producers pulled a bait-and-switch on Kidman, luring her with promises of fanciful costar John Cusack, then replacing him with middle-aged Ferris Bueller. Entire production sounds similarly confused, and after The Score, it's impossible to trust Oz in the director's chair. The theme is ridiculously threadbare, too: Ask your female boss to phone you from her Escalade to tell you how the movie's oppression relates to her.

The Terminal
STARRING: Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Stanley Tucci, Chi McBride
DIRECTOR: Steven Spielberg
WRITERS: Sacha Gervasi (The Big Tease), Jeff Nathanson (Catch Me If You Can)
PREMISE: Realizing that they don't yet have all the money in the world, Hanks and Spielberg decide to team up and make another movie together. Spielberg has an entire airport terminal built on a soundstage, and Hanks does a funny accent.
OUTLOOK: It's Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg. What part of that don't you get? It's probably critic-proof, but the concept -- a guy living in an airport because he can't go back to his fictional foreign country or enter the U.S. -- sounds kinda painful, as does Hanks' Boris Badenov voice.

White Chicks
STARRING: Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Brittany Daniel, James King
DIRECTOR: Keenen Ivory Wayans
WRITERS: Assorted Wayanses and friends
PREMISE: African-American FBI agents go undercover as, essentially, the Hilton sisters.
OUTLOOK: Since blondes and black men absolutely never fraternize in American society, this movie should build the vital bridges of tolerance and understanding.

JULY

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
STARRING: Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd
DIRECTOR: Adam McKay
WRITERS: Ferrell, McKay
PREMISE: Will Ferrell mugs a lot as a sexist San Diego newscaster in 1973.
OUTLOOK: The trailer suggests easy summer retro laughs with no surprises.

Before Sunset
STARRING: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy
DIRECTOR: Richard Linklater
WRITERS: Linklater, Delpy, Hawke
PREMISE: The romantic Yank and Frog from the 1995 film Before Sunrise reunite nine years later.
OUTLOOK: From Slacker to School of Rock, Linklater throws his heart into his work. This quickie sequel (shot in 15 days) may deliver the same offhand charm and believable characters as its predecessor. This time, Hawke pretends that he's an author -- an obvious case of art reflecting life.

The Bourne Supremacy
STARRING: Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Joan Allen, Brian Cox
DIRECTOR: Paul Greengrass
WRITERS: Tony Gilroy, Brian Helgeland, Robert Ludlum
PREMISE: This time, Jason Bourne must clear his name (whatever it is) following brutal assassinations.
OUTLOOK: The first one proved a pleasant surprise, and this sequel promises lots of dark intrigue all over Germany, Russia and India. In particular, the work of Greengrass holds appeal; his documentary-style Northern Ireland riot re-enactment Bloody Sunday was stunning. Production here was apparently rushed, but whatever its flaws, at least it don't feature no Affleck.

Catwoman
STARRING: Halle Berry, Sharon Stone, Benjamin Bratt, that French dude from the Matrix sequels
DIRECTOR: Pitof (one word, like Madonna; he's a former effects guy for Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro)
WRITERS: John D. Brancato and Michael Ferris (Terminator 3)
PREMISE: Jettisoning the Batman connection altogether, Halle Berry dons a Mouseketeer-meets-Matrix stripper outfit as Patience Philips, a graphic designer who gains catty superpowers.
OUTLOOK: Had this film come out in 1993, starred Michelle Pfeiffer and been directed by Tim Burton, we'd be talking megahit. But Halle's costume looks stupid (can't wait for the inevitable drag-queen version, though), the trailer is lame (she likes sushi) and Mattel recently canceled plans for a Barbie tie-in. Expect Gigli comparisons before the year is out as well as endless puns (Cat-astrophe). Sadly, this will probably cancel out any chance of the real Catwoman character appearing in the new Christian Bale Batman franchise.

I, Robot
STARRING: Will Smith and some robots
DIRECTOR: Alex Proyas
WRITERS: Jeff Vintar (Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within), Akiva Goldsman (Lost in Space)
PREMISE: Smith plays a detective investigating a crime that may be the first-ever murder of a human by a robot. Because, y'know, according to Isaac Asimov's three laws of robotics, the metal guys aren't supposed to do that.
OUTLOOK: Apparently the screenplay bears very little resemblance to Asimov's book, and the teaser trailer has been laughed at by fanboy types online, mostly because the CG robots aren't very convincing. But there's hope. First of all, the CG is far from finished at this stage. And second, although not all of Proyas' films have been hits (Dark City and Garage Days failed to make Crow-level dough), they're always interesting to look at.