Summer promises blast of movies

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Catching up with all the new summer releases will be a challenge this year, as nearly 130 new movies are slated to hit theaters between now and Labor Day. Still, after last week’s record-breaking, $128 million showing by “Shrek 2,” we’re now officially into it: The summer movie season has begun.

What’s waiting in the wings? Plenty. Moviegoers can expect a summer season down with more fireworks, more sequels, more special effects, more fluff, more romance, more over-the-top.

How much more? This much more: Starting today, the CGI powerhouse “The Day After Tomorrow” crashes into theaters, carrying with it a flood of hurricanes, tsunamis, scores of tornadoes and one major deep freeze, one that I hopedoesn’t extend to the script.

The film is an end-of-the-world potboiler starring Dennis Quaid and Jake Gyllenhaal, with global warming being blamed as the culprit behind several colossal storms wrecking our cities. Are audiences ready to see New York City fall on the big screen? Sure they are. Expect a huge opening with long lines.

Also opening tonight is “Raising Helen,” the umpteenth romantic comedy starring Kate Hudson, who has squandered her appeal with a run of weak movies since her excellent, star-making performance in “Almost Famous.” Good luck to her. If her past six films are any indication, she’ll need it. More promising is “Soul Plane,” a very funny-looking twist on the “Airplane!” franchise that brings a riotous, urban vibe to theaters with stars D.L. Hughley, Mo’Nique and Snoop Dogg.

Those seeking a dose of cinematic deja vu won’t be left wanting this summer, as a bevy of sequels abound. Chief among them are the third installment in the Harry Potter franchise, “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” (June 4), “Spider-Man 2” (June 30) with Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst, “The Bourne Supremacy” (July 23) with Matt Damon and Franka Potente, and “The Chronicles of Riddick” (June 11), which is a sequel – of sorts – to Vin Diesel’s well-done 2000 hit, “Pitch Black.”

Also returning to theaters are a handful of radical remakes, including the much-anticipated “The Stepford Wives” (June 11), with Nicole Kidman, Bette Midler, Christopher Walken and Glenn Close, as well as “Shall We Dance” (Aug. 6), a romantic comedy with Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez, and Jonathan Demme’s recharged version of “The Manchurian Candidate” (July 30), which boasts Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep and Lieve Schreiber. The film is inspired by John Frankenheimer’s 1962 classic, one of the best satirical thrillers ever about political intrigue and warfare. Timely stuff – and it should complement the cynical mood of the country. But what might not be so timely for the movie is that it opens in July amid some of the most anticipated movies of summer, including the new Will Smith sci-fi thriller, “I, Robot” (July 16), Halle Berry’s “Catwoman” (July 9), and Matt Damon’s “The Bourne Supremacy,” which opens July 23, just a week before “Candidate.” That film also is about government cover-ups, and it might just steal a good deal of “Candidate’s” thunder.

Also opening in July are “Anchorman” (July 9), the news anchorman satire starring Will Ferrell; Antoine Fuqua’s “King Arthur” (July 7), with Clive Owen starring in what he hopes will be a breakout role as Arthur; and M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Village,” a suspense movie set in 19th century Pennsylvania that hopefully will surpass the director’s last two films, “Unbreakable” and “Signs.”

In August, Tom Cruise follows his disappointing “The Last Samurai” by playing an assassin in Michael Mann’s promising thriller “Collateral” (Aug. 6). Also opening are the independent chiller, “Open Water” (Aug. 6), with stranded scuba divers fending off exhaustion and sharks at sea; and “Exorcist: The Beginning” (Aug. 20), which was slated to open a year ago but now closes this year’s dog days of summer. Let’s hope it doesn’t howl.

Those seeking something more substantial won’t be left stranded this summer, as a popular film festival returns for its seventh season, along with six weeks of classic noir films from the River City Cinema Society.

On July 9-18, the 7th annual Maine International Film Festival once again is set for Waterville, with this year’s Mid-Life Achievement Award going to Academy Award-nominated actor and director Ed Harris, who will be on hand for the event. Festival programmers will mount a retrospective of Harris’ work, which includes “The Truman Show,” “Pollack,” “A Beautiful Mind” and “The Hours.”

Those who attend the full event can expect dozens of films from all areas of Maine, the country and the world, as well as a celebration of Maine filmmakers, set for July 10. The event will include a screenwriting symposium, the 27th annual Maine Student Film and Video Festival, the Maine Filmmaker’s Forum and a reception. More information about the festival is on the Web at www.miff.org.

Finally, starting July 9 is one of this summer’s brightest high points. The River City Cinema Society will present Noir Beneath the Stars in Pickering Square in Downtown Bangor. The event is free and open to the public (bring your lawn chairs), with six noir classics being shown: “The Big Sleep” on July 9, “The Thin Man” on July 16, “Mildred Pierce” on July 23, “The Thin Man” on July 30, “Strangers on a Train” on Aug. 6, and “The Asphalt Jungle” on Aug. 13. More information is at www.rivercitycinema.com.

Have a great summer.

Christopher Smith is the Bangor Daily News film critic. His reviews appear Mondays and Fridays in Style, 5:30 p.m. Thursdays on WLBZ 2 Bangor and WCSH 6 Portland, and are archived at RottenTomatoes.com. He can be reached at BDNFilm1@aol.com.

The Video-DVD Corner

Renting a video or a DVD? NEWS film critic Christopher Smith can help. Below are his grades of recent releases in video stores. Those in bold print are new to video stores this week.

Big Fish ? B

Brother Bear ? B

Calendar Girls ? B+

Dirty Pretty Things ? A-

Fog of War ? A

Gothika ? D

Ghosts Of The Abyss ? C+

The Haunted Mansion ? C

House of Sand and Fog ? B+

In America ? A-

Kill Bill, Vol. 1 ? A

The Last Samurai ? C

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers ? A-

Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King ? A-

Lost in Translation ? A

Love Actually ? B+

The Magdalene Sisters ? A-

Matchstick Men ? A-

Miracle ? B+

Open Range ? B+

Osama ? A-

Paycheck ? D

Peter Pan ? B+

The Rundown ? B

Scary Movie 3 ? B

School of Rock ? B+

Stuck On You ? D+

Swimming Pool ? B+

Sylvia ? B-

Thirteen ? B+

The Triplets of Belleville ? A

Torque ? D

21 Grams ? A

Under the Tuscan Sun ? B+

Veronica Guerin ? B

The Weather Underground ? A-

Welcome to Mooseport ? D

Win a Date with Tad Hamilton ? C+