May 5, 1997

Hollywood films punctuate summer lineup

By Chad Duerksen

ith spring here and gone, Hollywood will begin releasing its summer flock of films on Friday. Three big films will see presumably big sequels. Another projected release, James Cameron's epic Titanic, may not see land after all; budget and effects problems may cause the film's release to be pushed back to November.

This summer's big film is, invariably, The Lost World: Jurassic Park. It's been four years since the events in the first film, and when the InGen Corporation plans to capture the dinosaurs for display in a San Diego park, it's up to Dr. Ian Malcom to stop them. Director Steven Spielberg re-teams with Jeff Goldblum, as well as some brand new dinosaur creations, for what should be a wild, if plotless, ride.

Hot on its heels is Batman and Robin, the fourth installment in the popular franchise. George Clooney replaces Val Kilmer as the Dark Knight, but Arnold Schwarzenegger (as Mr. Freeze) and Uma Thurman (as Poison Ivy) seem miscast as the villains. Director Joel Schumacher (Batman Forever) is said to have lightened up the tone even more, and, if the trailers are any indication, this one could crush itself under its own silliness.

Third in the string of sequels is Speed 2: Cruise Control, starring Sandra Bullock and Jason Patric (The Lost Boys). Forget the bus; this time, there's a bomb on an ocean liner, and no doubt we'll witness just about everything possible that can be done with watercraft. Patric is a far better actor than Keanu Reeves, and Willem Dafoe should make a tasty bad guy. Jan DeBont (Speed, Twister) again directs.

Testosterone flies high in Con Air, teaming Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, John Malkovich and Ving Rhames in what looks to be an explosive action flick. Cage stars as a parolee on his way home whose transport plane is hijacked by some of the world's most notorious criminals. Advanced word is fun but campy, but the fabulous cast should make this one fun to watch.

The skies are the target yet again in Air Force One, starring Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman (Bram Stoker's Dracula). Oldman plays a Russian terrorist who hijacks the private plane with the president (Ford) and his family on board. Director Wolfgang Peterson (In the Line of Fire, Outbreak) knows suspense, but the film will have to be more than a retread of last year's exciting Executive Decision to have much of an impact.

Science fiction gets a digital makeover in The Fifth Element, which opens Friday. Writer/director Luc Besson (The Profes-sional) uses the 23rd century - and some truly amazing special effects - as the backdrop of his reportedly simple tale of good vs. evil, but Bruce Willis (as an NYC cab driver) and, again, Gary Oldman (as an agent of ultimate evil) will hopefully give the film the weight it needs.

Robin Williams and Billy Crystal are dueling would-be fathers searching for what each believes to be his son in Father's Day, also opening Friday. With director Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters) at the helm, this team-up of two powerhouse comedians should bring down the proverbial house with laughter.

Nicolas Cage returns, opposite John Travolta, in Face/Off, a new action thriller from Hong Kong director John Woo. Travolta plays an FBI agent who "swaps" faces with criminal Cage to pull an undercover job. The film looks like a carbon copy of the horrendous Broken Arrow, and, if so, then this one will be just another hit and miss.

Oliver Stone is nowhere near Conspiracy Theory, starring Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts. Gibson plays a taxi driver who finds one his theories coming true, and Roberts is the Justice Dept. attorney who believes him. Directed by Richard Donner (Lethal Weapon), this one has enough star power to make it a hit, but the political conspiracy theme is quickly wearing thin.

Julia Roberts also takes on light-hearted comedy with My Best Friend's Wedding, a variation on the classic love triangle. Roberts looks and finds love in the all the wrong places - namely, with her best friend (Dermot Mulroney), who's engaged to marry another. Cameron Diaz also stars in what could be this summer's Sleepless in Seattle.

Hercules, this year's contribution from Disney, looks like a mixed bag. The trailers are hilarious, but, unfortunately, so is the animation. Featuring the voices of Danny DeVito, Paul Schaffer and James Woods as Hades, as well as songs by Alan Menken (Aladdin) and David Zippel (City of Angels), this one is an almost guaranteed blockbuster no matter - what Disney film of late isn't?

Jodie Foster and ultra-hot Matthew McConaughey (A Time to Kill) search the skies for intelligent life in Contact, directed by Oscar winner Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump). Based on the novel by Carl Sagan, this is Zemeckis' first attempt at more serious drama, so we'll see how his usual lighthearted tone measures up to the ponderous and lofty material.

Comedy and sci-fi make an odd mix in Men in Black, directed by Barry Sonnenfeld (Get Shorty). Following the adventures of two top-secret extra-terrestrial immigration agents (Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith), this one looks fun. Its tentative release date of July 2 can't hurt - look what it did for last year's similarly-themed hit Independence Day.

Michael Keaton stays serious in Desperate Measures, directed by Barbet Schroder. Keaton plays convicted murderer Peter McCabe, the only compatible bone marrow donor for cop Andy Garcia's ailing son, and sees a trip to the hospital as the perfect chance for an escape. Schroder tried suspense with Single White Female and failed, but Keaton has proven, in Clean and Sober, that he can handle drama with the best of them.

Liu Kang, Shao Kahn and the rest of the karate-chopping gang are back in the sequel Mortal Kombat Annihilation. Robin Shou returns as Liu Kang, but the rest of the cast has been replaced. The first film was a surprisingly fun diversion; this one looks like more of the same.

For anyone who's ever been dumped, Addicted to Love takes relationships to a new level. When Meg Ryan's ex-fiance hooks up with Matthew Broderick's ex-girlfriend, the two strangers decide that revenge will be sweet and, inevitably, fall in love in the process. This black comedy is said to be pretty dark, but the trailers offer lots of lighthearted laughs.

One of the most anticipated independent features is Cop Land, written and directed by James Mangold (Heavy). Set in New Jersey, where the local sheriff and big city cops don't quite see eye to eye, and headed by an all-star cast (including Sylvester Stallone, Robert DeNiro, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Peter Berg and Janeane Garofolo), Cop Land is predicted to be this year's Pulp Fiction.

Also watch for Mimic, the new horror/thriller from director Guillermo del Toro and starring Mira Sorvino (Romy and Michele's High School Reunion). A genetic experiment engineered to save the lives of thousands of children comes back twofold and begins to mimic the most dangerous predators of all: humans. The script was rewritten by both John Sayles (Lone Star) and Steven Soderbergh (sex, lies & videotape), two of the best independent filmmakers around.

Look for a bevy of smaller comedies to pepper the big action blockbusters. Alicia Silverstone fakes her own kidnapping in Excess Baggage; Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon (Grumpy Old Men) are dance instructors aboard a cruise ship in Out to Sea; Brendan Fraser (Encino Man) swings into the lead role in the live action version of George of the Jungle; Janine Turner (Northern Exposure) plays the wholesome Mrs. Cleaver in the big-screen version of TV's Leave It To Beaver; Martin Short plays a spellcaster out to aid little Mara Wilson (Miracle on 34th Street) in A Simple Wish; Danny Glover and Joe Pesci (Lethal Weapon 2) are buddies who wreak all sorts of outdoor havoc in Gone Fishin'; and Tim Robbins (The Player) teams up with carjacker Martin Lawrence (Bad Boys) for a wild ride in Nothing to Lose.

This summer boasts the biggest number of releases ever, so the competition will be fierce. But, no matter the results, this year's releases can't be any worse than last year's.

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