SIZZLE AT THE MOVIES
With “Troy” and “Shrek 2” already in theaters, the summer movie season has officially begun. Here’s a look at some of the sunny season’s most anticipated releases: THE DAYAFTER TOMORROW (Release date: May 28) Indie kid Jake Gyllenhaal (“Donnie Darko,” “The Good Girl”) teams with Dennis Quaid in a global warming disaster flick from “Independence Day.” Director Roland Emmerich.
HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN (June 4) In a move that’s sure to change the direction of the series, director Alfonso Cuaron (“Y tu mamá tam-bién”) replaces Chris Columbus in the third installment of this franchise, based on the wildly popular books by J.K. Rowling.
THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK (June 11) The sequel to “Pitch Black” stars Vin Diesel and promises to be a special effects bonanza. Diesel’s looking to rebound after dismal box office performance of his last film, “A Man Apart.”
THE STEPFORD WIVES (June 11) This comedic reimagining of the 1975 thriller about a town full of creepy, perpetually happy women stars Nicole Kidman and Matthew Broderick. Remains to be seen whether rumors of trouble both on the set and in post-production hurt the finished product.
THE TERMINAL (June 18) Tom Hanks stars as a homeless immigrant who sets up camp in an airport terminal and falls in love with Catherine Zeta-Jones. Steven Spielberg directs.
DODGEBALL: A TRUE UNDERDOG STORY (June 18) In his feature debut, writer-director Rawson Marshall Thurber — the man behind the “Terry Tate, Office Linebacker” TV ad campaign — scores a dream cast that includes Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn.
AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS (June 18) Another remake, another all-star ensemble cast. This take on the Jules Verne classic features Jackie Chan, Steve Coogan, John Cleese, Kathy Bates and the Wilson brothers — Owen and Luke.
DE-LOVELY (June 25) Irwin Winkler directs Kevin Kline and Ashley Judd in a musical about the life of composer Cole Porter.
WHITE CHICKS (June 25) FBI agents Marlon and Shawn Wayans go undercover in whiteface to protect a pair of hotel heiresses modeled after the Hilton sisters. No word on whether there’s a sex tape involved.
SPIDER-MAN 2 (July 2) The webbed box office wonder is back.
BEFORE SUNSET (July 2) Richard Linklater’s follow-up to his 1995 sleeper hit, “Before Sunrise,” reunites Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy for yet another romantic interlude in France. Worth the price of admission just to catch up with Delpy.
KING ARTHUR (July 9) Antoine Fuqua (“Training Day”) directs. Jerry Bruckheimer produces. Expect explosive action and some steamy lovin’ between sexy leads Keira Knightley and Clive Owen.
ANCHORMAN (July 9) Will Ferrell stars as San Diego’s No. 1 newscaster in a comedy from first-time director and former SNL scribe, Adam McKay. Here’s where we find out if Ferrell really is as good as advertised in “Elf.”
I, ROBOT (July 16) A sci-fi thriller with Will Smith as a cop investigating robots that kill.
Bridget Moynahan and Bruce Greenwood co-star. Scripted by “A Beautiful Mind” scribe Akiva Goldsman.
THE BOURNE SUPREMACY (July 23) Matt Damon is on the run again in the sequel to “The Bourne Identity.”
CATWOMAN (July 23) Comic book purists are outraged over rumored trespasses against the source material. Catwoman doesn’t even live in Gotham anymore! Halle Berry dons the catsuit, with Sharon Stone and Benjamin Bratt supporting.
THE VILLAGE (July 30) This M. Night Shyamalan 19th Century thriller stars Joaquin Phoenix, William Hurt, Adrien Brody, and Sigourney Weaver.
THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (July 30) Remake boasts a stellar cast that includes Denzel Washington, Liev Schreiber and Meryl Streep. Jonathan Demme hasn’t had a box office hit since 1993’s “Philadelphia,” a film that also starred Washington.
COLLATERAL (August 6) A summer flick with Oscar buzz. Tom Cruise plays a bad guy opposite Mark Ruffalo and Jada Pinkett Smith. Michael Mann (“The Insider”) directs a screenplay by Frank Darabont (“The Shawshank Redemption”) ALIEN VS. PREDATOR (August 13) It worked for Freddy and Jason so … THE PRINCESS DIARIES 2: ROYAL ENGAGEMENT (August 13) An arranged marriage doesn’t sit well with the princess, played by rising star Anne Hathaway.
WE DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE (August 13) Won the Grand Jury Prize (Drama) at Sundance. With Ruffalo, Naomi Watts and Peter Krause (“Six Feet Under”).
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 21, 2004. Read the original PDF.