THE MOVIE: The Longest Yard (May 27) THE STARS: Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Burt Reynolds, James Cromwell THE DIRECTOR: Peter Segal THE SKINNY: A remake of the 1974 tough guy dramedy starring Reynolds as an imprisoned former pro quarterback who leads a team of inmates against the guards. THE DRAW: Former SNL castmates Rock and Sandler team up for the first time on film. Director Segal (“Tommy Boy,” “Anger Management,” “The Nutty Professor II”) has a knack for bringing out the best in superstar comedic actors, so big laughs should be in store. Reynolds, playing a coach this time around, reportedly steals numerous scenes. THE VERDICT: Rock is a very funny man who has yet to connect with the right material on the big screen. Perhaps playing second fiddle to Sandler, rather than trying to carry the film on his own, will yield better results than, well, the other films he’s made thus far. The possibility of a fumble, however, seems likely.
THE MOVIE: Lords of Dogtown (June 3) THE STARS: Heath Ledger, Emile Hirsch, Johnny Knoxville, Victor Rasuk, Nikki Reed, John Robinson THE DIRECTOR: Catherine Hardwicke THE SKINNY: A dramatization of skateboard legend Stacy Peralta’s rad documentary “Dogtown and Z Boys,” which chronicles the birth of modern vert-style skating in Southern California. THE DRAW: The creative team is on a hot streak. Peralta co-wrote the script with Hardwicke, who’s in great demand following her critically acclaimed debut, “Thirteen.” THE VERDICT: With its sexy young cast, killer soundtrack and bad-ass attitude, this one promises to have the X- Games Generation way stoked.
THE MOVIE: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (July 15) THE STARS: Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore, Helena Bonham Carter, Annasophia Robb, Christopher Lee THE DIRECTOR: Tim Burton THE SKINNY: A remake of “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory,” about a young boy who wins the opportunity to meet the world’s most famous candymaker. THE DRAW: Depp playing Wonka. THE VERDICT: Sweeeeeeeeet!!!!!
THE MOVIE: War of the Worlds (June 29) THE STARS: Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Tim Robbins THE DIRECTOR: Steven Spielberg THE SKINNY: Martians invade earth, and one man tries to save his family. THE DRAW: Spielberg has been known to make pretty good movies from time to time, and with a record $200,000 million budget to work with on “WOTW,” you can bet eyes will be a’poppin. Cruise is arguably the biggest star of all time and young Fanning has yet to make a disappointing movie. The odds are definitely in this picture’s favor. THE VERDICT: It has all the makings of a major motion picture event.
Mr. And Mrs. Smith (June 10) THE STARS: Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Angela Bassett, Adam Brody THE DIRECTOR: Doug Liman THE SKINNY: Pitt and Jolie play a bored married couple leading double lives as contract killers. After they’re hired to “hit” each other, their passion is reignited. THE DRAW: In case you haven’t heard, Pitt was married to “Good Girl” Jennifer Aniston when he shot this movie, and now he’s romantically linked to the sometimes-controversial Jolie. THE VERDICT: The juiciest scandal to hit Hollywood in years has got people buzzing about the Smiths. Gossip-mongers should turn out in droves, and many will likely hyperventilate seeing the statuesque stars do the nasty onscreen. It’s rumored that Liman and Jolie didn’t quite see eye to eye during production, but that’s not always a bad thing. We’ll see … THE MOVIE: Batman Begins (June 15) THE STARS: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Katie Holmes, Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy, Tom Wilkinson THE DIRECTOR: Christopher Nolan THE SKINNY: Chronicles the origins of the noirish superhero. THE DRAW: The word around Hollywood is that Bale is hands-down the best “Batman” of them all. No word yet on what Michael Keaton thinks about that assessment. THE VERDICT: This will go down as the most memorable of the summer blockbusters.
THE MOVIE: The Wedding Crashers (July 15) THE STARS: Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Vince Vaughn THE DIRECTOR: David Dobkin THE SKINNY: A comedy about a pair of dyed-in-the-wool players who sneak into weddings to meet women. THE DRAW: Vaughn and Wilson are two of the funniest guys in show business, and McAdams one of its hottest actresses. THE VERDICT: Flip a coin, cuz this one could go either way.
THE MOVIE: Hustle & Flow (July 15) THE STARS: Terrence Dashon Howard, DJ Qualls, Ludacris, Anthony Anderson, Isaac Hayes THE DIRECTOR: Craig Brewer THE SKINNY: A rapper-deejay from Memphis takes his shot at the big-time. THE DRAW: Every year, there’s a darling of the Sundance Film Festival, and Brewer’s gritty musical drama is it in ’05. THE VERDICT: It won’t do anything close to “8 Mile” numbers, but there’s an audience out there in the streets hungry for the hustle.
THE MOVIE: Bad News Bears (July 22) THE STARS: Billy Bob Thornton, Greg Kinnear, Marcia Gay Harden THE DIRECTOR: Richard Linklater THE SKINNY: Yep, another remake — this one about a booze-addled little league coach who turns a group of misfits into winners. THE DRAW: Someday you can tell your grandchildren you were there when Hollywood officially ran out of original ideas. THE VERDICT: I’d like to write this movie off now on general principle, but with Thornton, Linklater (“Slacker,” “The School of Rock”) and the guys who penned “Bad Santa” on board, there’s a chance it could be worth seeing.
THE MOVIE: The Brothers Grimm (July 29) THE STARS: Matt Damon, Heath Ledger, Monica Bellucci, Jonathan Pryce THE DIRECTOR: Terry Gilliam THE SKINNY: The legendary spinners of tall tales are put to the test when they encounter real black magic. THE DRAW: Gilliam (“The Fisher King,” “Twelve Monkeys”) is a true visionary, and the cast is very appealing. THE VERDICT: The prospects for “Grimm” are anything but. Could be the perfect antidote for those suffering from “Lord of the Rings” withdrawal.
THE MOVIE: The Pink Panther (Aug. 5) THE STARS: Steve Martin, Kevin Kline, Jean Reno, Beyonce Knowles, Emily Mortimer THE DIRECTOR: Shawn Levy THE SKINNY: A remake? This is getting ridiculous! THE DRAW: The cast. The characters. The theme song. The warm feeling of familiarity. THE VERDICT: I miss Peter Sellers.
THE MOVIE: Romance and Cigarettes (Aug. 19) THE STARS: James Gandolfini, Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet THE DIRECTOR: John Turturro THE SKINNY: A musical about a love triangle. THE DRAW: Tony Soprano sings the blues! THE VERDICT: Sounds like “Chicago,” only way cooler.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 20, 2005. Read the original PDF.