2001 was a big year for entertainment with movies like “Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring.” 2002 is setting up to be another promising year for entertainment. Hollywood is the first to offer up the big releases of the year. This weekend alone, two films from completely different ends of the cinema spectrum are making their debuts at the box office.
“Kung Pow: Enter the Fist” is what happened when writer-director Steve Oedekerk got his hands on the 1976 karate flick “Savage Killers” and added new footage to it, including a flying cow dispensing milk ala “The Matrix.” In order to create “Kung Pow,” Oedekerk made himself the star, digitally adding new footage and effects to “Killers” and re-dubbing some of the dialogue.
If viewers are looking for more serious fare, there is the Ridley Scott directed action flick “Black Hawk Down.” Ewan McGregor and Josh Hartnett star as two of the 100 elite American soldiers who get trapped in Somalia during a rescue mission. For Hartnett, it is yet another war movie, his most recent effort before being last summer’s action fest “Pearl Harbor.” For director Scott, it is the follow-up effort to the Academy Award winning epic “Gladiator.”
Also opening this weekend is the Disney film “Snow Dogs.” Cuba Gooding, Jr. stars as a Miami dentist who finds himself named in a will. When he arrives in Alaska to claim his inheritance, he discovers that he has received a pack of sled dogs. If that was not enough, Gooding’s character finds himself being bothered by a local mountain man who wants the dogs for himself.
The rest of the year can pretty much be summed up with one word: sequel.
Leading off the pack is the second in the new “Star Wars” series. “Star Wars Episode Two: Attack of the Clones” is already under fire before its release because of the title. “Episode Two” will take place ten years after the events of “Episode One.” Anakin Skywalker (played this time by Hayden Christensen) has become an accomplished Jedi apprentice while Obi-Wan Kenobi (another role by Ewan McGregor) has become the teacher. The mission for the two Jedi this time is to protect the life of Padame Amidala (Natalie Portman) who is being threatened by radicals.
Expect to see a long line of fans at the movie theater when “Attack of the Clones” opens on May 16.
Showcase Cinemas in Maumee already has ads placed for “Men in Black 2.” Most of the cast from the first film, including Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, are on board for the sequel. Among the new faces in the cast are former “Jackass” host Johnny Knoxville whose role is credited as “Two-Headed Alien.” According to the movie news site upcomingmovies.com, the film is scheduled for a July 3 release.
If aliens are not your thing, perhaps swinging British spies are. “Austin Powers in Goldmember” marks the third in the Mike Myers’ helmed comedies. Like the previous installments, expect a great deal of cameos. This time stars like Britney Spears, Danny DeVito, and Kevin Spacey will be making appearances as themselves. Myers will not only be playing both Austin Powers and Dr. Evil but he will also be taking on the role of Goldmember. Like with “Men in Black 2,” many of the stars from “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me” are returning. However, Destiny’s Child member Beyonce Knowles is a new face as nemesis Foxy Cleopatra. A tentative release date of July 26 has been set for “Goldmember.”
Of course, not every highly anticipated movie for 2002 is going to be a sequel. Comic book fans will finally get to see Spider Man on the big screen. Last year the movie was making headlines because of changes that there made to teaser posters following the attacks on September 11. Tobey Maguire has the lead role. In this film, Spider Man is going to be a nerdy high school student. Willem Dafoe will be the Green Goblin, and Kirsten Dunst will be Mary Jane Watson.
Aaliyah’s death in August cast a dark shadow on “Queen of the Damned.” After her brother was brought in to help with the dubbing of her dialog, the film is set to be released next month. “Damned” is based on the Anne Rice novel. Lestat, who was last seen in “Interview With the Vampire,” returns as a rock star whose music awakens the queen of vampires. Aaliyah’s final role is that of Queen Akasha while Stuart Townsend takes on the role of Lestat.
After winning critical raves in “Vanilla Sky,” Tom Cruise returns with “Minority Report.” Steven Spielberg is the director of the film, which is based on a short story by Philip K. Dick. The story takes place Washington D.C. in the year 2054. The police now have a psychic technology that allows them to arrest and convict murderers before they can even go and commit their crimes. Cruise’s character is a member of this Precrime unit until he is accused of a future murder. “Minority Report” is set for a June 28 release.
Summer would not be summer without a cartoon musical from the people at Disney. This summer, however, there will be slightly different offering coming from the mouse. “Lilo ‘ Stitch” tells the story of a young Hawaiian girl named Lilo who adopts an ugly little dog that she names Stitch. Now, Stitch is not your ordinary dog. He is a genetic experiment that escaped from an alien plant before he crash-landed on Earth. Like every other Disney cartoon, there will be a lesson to learn for everyone. Disney is also hyping up the fact that the songs in the film are classics from Elvis Presley. “Lilo ‘ Stitch” hits theaters on June 21.
Movie release dates are subject to change. Check the movie listings or with the movie theater before you head out to the show.
