Fall films look shaky, but there may be hope
■ Chan, Spacey and
Travolta head up some of
the back-to-school movies.
By Sean McCarthy
Staff writer
Welcome back from movie hell, stu
dents. Judging by the pictures showing
at the $ 1.75, summer is officially over.
It’s no surprise most of the summer
blockbusters are now featured only on
the discount screens. And after one of
the weakest summers in recent memory,
the fall outlook seems about as dim as
the summer. There are plenty of the
weak filler movies studios dump into
theaters in September and October, and
the holiday blockbusters range from a
few “can’t miss” to mostly sickening.
Still, some good releases are worth
checking out. Here’s the lowdown so far
- release dates are subject to change.
Aug. 28
“Rush Hour”
New Line Cinema
The king of ass-kicking karate with
a slapstick farce, Jackie Chan, teams up
with motor-mouth Chris Tucker (“The
Fifth Element”). Rumor has it Chan was
dissatisfied with the film, one of the few
of his made in Hollywood . Chan’s
biggest hits, “Rumble in the Bronx” and
“Supercop,” all were made and released
overseas before they ever hit American
shores. Hollywood may try to tone
down Chan’s rapid-fire action scenes in
favor of Tucker’s comic style. For
Tucker fans, this will probably be a
must-see. For Chan fans, this looks like
a potential headache. $$
“54”
Miramax Studios
This year’s “Boogie Nights,” which
was last year’s “Pulp Fiction,” “54” will
mark the drama debut of Mike Myers in
a major studio release. The film focuses
on the legendary “54” club, in which
sex, alcohol and drugs had free reign in
the ’60s and ’70s. So far, the reaction to
the film has been mixed. It could be
another profound statement about life in
the ’70s (a la “Boogie Nights”), or it
could be Myers playing Austin Powers
again - only this time not for laughs.
$$$
Oct. 9
“Holy Man”
Hollywood Pictures
Eddie Murphy and Jeff Goldblum
star m this comedy/satire aimed at cable
shopping channels. When the ratings of
a shopping channel start to plummet,
executives enlist the help of a spiritual
guru to be its on-air personality. The
film has the potential to be a great black
comedy, but might end up another “The
Distinguished Gentleman” instead.
Released before the big holiday movies
come out, this film has the chance to do
some decent business on the heels of
weak competition. $$
Oct. 16
“Happiness”
Now Good Machine
Director Todd Solondz last gave us
the disturbing, brilliant junior high
drama, “Welcome to the Dollhouse.”
Now, he’s bound to incite protesters in
this film that confronts our era’s new
worst disease: pedophilia. The film
hopes to give Lara Flynn Boyle
(“Threesome”) a decent role as one of
three lustful sisters. This is the biggest
test of what an audience can stomach in
theaters since “Godzilla.” $$$
Oct. 30
“John Carpenter’s Vampires”
Columbia Pictures
Woo! Finally, a horror movie that’s
released near Halloween. Based on the
John Steakley novel, “VampireS,” this
film puts James Woods in the much
coveted role of a vampire hunter, which
has been reprised by such greats as
Jason Patric, Anthony Hopkins and
recently Wesley Snipes. Word of cau
tion: It features a Baldwin brother
(Daniel). John Carpenter is one of the
most uneven directors for horror
movies, ranging from heralded classics
to outright bombs. Horror buffs, check
it out. For the rest of us, wait for the
video game. $$
Nov. 20
“A Bug’s Life”
Disney
Kevin Spacey is the voice of
Hopper, the leader of a vicious group of
grasshoppers. And these grasshoppers
terrorize the heroic, lovable ants, who
are forced to retaliate. This is from the
same team that did “Toy Story,” one of
the better Disney movies to come out in
the past few years. And it will be cool to
see Spacey do a role that allows him to
get a bit wild. Seeing big ants on drink
ing glasses will allow Burger King or
McDonald’s to push this movie down
our throats. $$$
“I Still Know What You Did Last
Summer”
Columbia
Let’s get it on! What better film to
go against a sure-fire Disney smash
than a teenage slasher film sequel? Man
with a meat hook returns to terrorize the
survivors of the last movie. Jennifer
Love Hewett may not be enough to
bring in the masses this time. True, it is
the only major horror film of the holiday
season, but many fans seriously burned
by “Scream 2” will consider skipping
this holiday flick. $$
Dec. 18
“Prince of Egypt”
DreamWorks SKG
An ambitious, animated retelling of
the story of Moses and the 10
Commandments, “Prince of Egypt”
will no doubt lure in the masses caught
up in the Christmas spirit. Even non
Christians should be lured in just for the
jaw-dropping cast of characters. Along
with Val Kilmer as the voice of Moses,
“Prince of Egypt” boasts some of the
most distinctive voices in Hollywood:
Patrick Stewart, Danny Glover, Ralph
Fiennes, Sandra Bullock and Michelle
Pfeiffer. A huge cast and decent anima
tion should make this movie the biggest
threat to Disney’s “Bug” flick. $$$
“You’ve Got Mail”
Warner Bros.
To ’90s yuppies and people who are
clamoring for the next date movie: Your
crisis ends here. Tom Hanks and Meg
Ryan are paired together again, this time
as competing booksellers. They despise
each other and everything their opposite
character stands for. They do have one
thing in common: They both have a
secret sweethearts on the Internet. Yup,
you guessed it, they are each other’s
secret squeeze. You may hate these sort
of movies, but get ready for this movie
to be topic of conversation from all your
co-workers. It’s likely to be one of the
biggest box-office draws of the holiday
season. $$$
Dec. 22
“My Favorite Martian”
Buena Vista
When the hell are they going to do a
big-budget movie of “Alf”? Buena
Vista, apparently aching for punish
ment, releases this update of the old sit
com three days before Christmas. Will it
spell box-office success? People will
hopefully be starving for the more seri
ous films by this time. Plus, kids will
probably want to see the animated holi
day releases. Look for this film to go to
video quicker than “Mr. Magoo.” $
Dec. 25
“The Thin Red Line”
Twentieth Century Fox
Almost a sure-fire Oscar contender
for director Terrence Malick, who ini
tially had a six-hour WWH epic on his
hands. You can see why with the cast:
John Travolta, John Cusack, Bill
Pullman, Sean Penn and Nick Nolte
among others. Audiences pulverized by
“Saving Private Ryan,” the other sure
fire Oscar bet, may not be willing to wit
ness another heart-wrenching vision of
WWff. $$$$
COUBTESY PHOTO
In rural New Mexico on the eve of the 21st century, Jack Crow (James Woods, center) leads members of Team Crow, a contingent of mercenaries sent by
the Vatican to destroy a nest of vampires, in the Columbia Pictures presentation “John Carpenter’s Vampires,” which premieres Oct. 30.
The Cash Curve
$$$$ - Well worth checking out, even if you forgot your
student ID.
$$$ - Still good. Definitely worth a discount showing.
$$ - Average. Now we’re heading towards the $1.75 the
ater. Even then, wait until you can rent it cheaper on video.
Stay home, read a book or study instead.
$ - Avoid at all costs. Get active as well: Write the studio
and grill them on why such tripe cost $40 million.
