> May 16 - Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones

In the box office race with Spiderman, Episode II made an estimated 9.2 million in weekend 5. Spiderman made 10.3 million in weekend 6. Episode II won't catch up.

> May 31 - The Sum of All Fears

Estimated 30% drop for weekend 3. Pretty good.

> June 7 - Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
> June 14 - Scooby-Doo
> June 14 - Windtalkers

The consensuses on these are all bad. I haven't seen any of them, but what I gather is that Ya-Ya is on auto-pilot and fails to create so much as a character; Scooby Doo is a mess; and Windtalkers may really truly be John Woo's worst film. Windtalkers is supposed to be about an important role Navajo Indians played in World War II, with the development of an uncrackable code that was instrumental to the Allies. But the Indian characters are relegated to caricatures in supporting roles, and the code itself is only used twice, both times to communicate things the Enemy already knows. It seems like the problem was a clash between the director and the choice of material. Woo does what he does well, but it sounds like he's not suited for this material any more than he was suited for the ridiculous Mission: Impossible II. The thing is, I bet Woo could do a really great war movie with the right storyline, but unless my ultimate take on Windtalkers will differ from those of everybody I'm reading, this isn't it.

I'll probably see Windtalkers eventually, but I have no interest in the other two. I don't pass up Sandra Bullock movies that often, either.

Scooby Doo made an estimated 56 million this weekend, which would have been stunning just a couple of years ago but is now yet another humongous opener. My guess is that it'll drop off quick, as it appears to be not only a wreck of a movie but one that offers little to those not already fans of the show. The box office rule of thumb: first weekend is about expectations and marketing; second weekend is about the movie.

> June 14 - The Bourne Identity

Saw this today. I liked it. I haven't read the book, and if I guess right, those who have may not appreciate this: I saw all kinds of subplots that I suspect are probably quite elaborated upon in the novel but which are only given cursory treatment here. However, I did find the Bourne character intriguing and convincing. It's interesting how he represents two divergent character types that audiences find compelling: we like watching everyday people we can relate to, and we like watching superhero secret agents who know everything you never knew there was to know about fighting, infiltrating, spying, and staying alive. Bourne is both: he can do all that, but he doesn't even know where he is. Consequently, we watch the events of the film through the same eyes: everything is to new us, just as it is new to him. Oh yeah, and the action rocks.

The movie loses some steam after Bourne figures out who he is and what he needs to do, but it reaches a fair conclusion nonetheless. I recommend it.

> June 21 - Minority Report

Ebert's review won't get published until Friday, but here's what he wrote about it in a column published today:

"After seeing Steven Spielberg's 'Minority Report,' my mind was churning with amazement and curiosity. Talking to Spielberg and his star, Tom Cruise, I found myself not an interviewer but simply a moviegoer, talking the way you do when you walk out of a movie that blindsides you with its brilliance."

> July 12 - Road To Perdition

A longer preview for this aired before "The Bourne Identity," and now I actually have a sense of what this movie is about, not that I necessarily appreciate that. At any rate, I am psyched for this now. It looks fantastic.

I don't know how Tom Hanks manages to secure great roles so consistently. I'm not sure there is an actor out there -- at least not one in a position to take advantage of it -- who has such a keen sense for material that appeals to both critical and commercial tastes. I mean, really: Cast Away, The Green Mile, Toy Story 1/2, Saving Private Ryan, Apollo 13, Forrest Gump, and Sleepless In Seattle, just within the last ten years. All landslide successes, both with critics and at the box office. It's certainly premature to list The Road To Perdition among them, so this paragraph is a total aside. And it's not entirely good judgment of material, either: Hanks was instrumental in *making* those movies as good as they are. But it wasn't ALL his doing.

Later this year, Hanks reunites with Steven Spielberg in "Catch Me If You Can." Fun, fun.

--

I also saw a trailer for a movie I missed in my original post:

July 19 - K-19: The Widowmaker

Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson in a submarine movie? COOL! Ok, so I'm weary of the cliche about a bravado captain hero taking a submarine below its maximum safe depth and listening to the boat creak as the water presses in upon it. And I'm weary of the other submarine cliche where.... Aw, forget it. Submarine movies rule. Russian submarine movies rule. Russian submarine movies that pair up Ford and Neeson *must* rule.