> May 9 - Daddy Day Care
>
> Eddie Murphy doesn't interest me.

Eddie Murphy interests me just so long as his name stays well away from the phrases "written by," "directed by," or "produced by." I think Murphy is one of the best comic actors of our time, but has a habit of writing, directing, and producing some horribly foul films.

> May 15 - The Matrix Reloaded
>
> When I do the standard "What summer movie are you most eager to see?" Reader Poll question, this is the movie that will make it boring by being the certain winner. I have to admit, I'm pretty pumped for this movie. I just hope that Reloaded/Revolutions expands as much upon the ideas of the first film as upon its special effects.

See, I didn't much care for the first film. I can't fault the effects, mind, but I wasn't too excited by its mythos, which appears to be a cross between standard cyberpunk and typical Oriental "hero destined to appear blah blah blah" action flicks. So I'm not terribly excited about the second film, and will probably be the only person who picks something else on aforementioned poll. Which isn't to say that this summer looks too promising anyhow.

> May 23 - The In-Laws
>
> As much as I like Peter Falk and Alan Arkin, I was not crazy about the 1979 film upon which this remake is based. The remake has the same hazards: I like Michael Douglas, and I like Albert Brooks, but I'm concerned about the film. No idea yet.

I recall trying very hard to like the original film - also being fond of Falk and Arkin - but not finding very much to like. Remakes of stale films are almost destined to be staler. So this one's off my list unless everyone enthuses over it.

> June 6 - 2 Fast 2 Furious
>
> This has got to be the dumbest sequel name ever. Coming close on the heels of "Cradle 2 the Grave," I'm seriously wondering how long before somebody titles a romantic comedy "LOL In L.A." and somebody else releases a techno thriller "d00ds 2B Feared."

Reminds me of the old Sequel Game that we used to play.

> June 6 - Man-Thing
>
> A comic book adaptation about a swamp creature that feeds off fear. The comic book genre is just one step away from B horror movies sometimes.

I always liked the comic - which was, of course, in the same vein as a B horror movie (comics in general spent a long time as B horror rags before the coming of Superman changed the whole landscape). I'm not convinced that a movie would be at all entertaining, though, since Man-Thing was only ever good in small doses.

> June 13 - From Justin To Kelly
>
> This is the pop musical starring the winner and runner up of the first season of American Idol. I like musicals, but you'd have to pay me a LOT of money to get me in the theater for this one. The clips I've seen on TV are horrid.

I'm not sure there IS enough money to get me to see this. This movie almost singlehandedly makes it worth it that I don't have TV, so I don't have to endure the advertisements.

> June 13 - Rugrats Go Wild!
>
> The Rugrats meet the Wild Thornberrys. Not my thing.

Never liked the Rugrats. Never failed to hate the Wild Thornberrys. What we need is a freaking David the Gnome movie.

> June 13 - When Harry Met Lloyd: Dumb and Dumberer
>
> I never saw the first one, but I was told I should. *shrug*

By whom? I wish to argue with him. Dumb and Dumber has the dubious distinction of being the only movie I could not suffer through the entire length of. I think it lost me around the part where they taped the head back on to the dead bird, and gave it to the blind kid to play with. The dog-car was cool, though.

> June 20 - Alex and Emma
>
> Remember when Rob Reiner made good movies? How does the man behind Stand By Me, The Princess Bride, Misery, and A Few Good Men devolve into North and The Story of Us? Still, there are more good movies in his filmography than bad, it helps that Reiner is working from an established story, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. It's about a novelist in debt to loan sharks. Loan sharks are cool.

I also remember This Is Spinaltap. I also remember Rob Reiner in All In the Family. I also remember Vittorio De Sica's later career, which was horrid in comparison to some of his great early works (Bicycle Thief comes to mind). So maybe Rob Reiner is just past his prime. Let's hope not.

> June 20 - Hulk
>
> The Superbowl trailers looked pretty bad. David Poland, at The Hot Button, says he saw more recent footage with more refined effects and that it looks better. The other thing that the Superbowl teaser didn't even hint at was the relationships between the different characters, which is something Ang Lee can be very good at. Ang Lee's career fascinates me: anybody whose filmography includes both Crouching Tiger and Sense and Sensibility is certainly versatile. I don't know that I'm more excited about this film than any other summer release, but it certainly makes me the most *intrigued*.

I dunno. These Marvel Comics summer effects montages have me a bit jaded at this point. I mean, we have THREE this summer, plus Daredevil, which hit the screen like a dead brick earlier this year. Spiderman made a lot of money. THANK YOU NOW STOP.

> June 27 - Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
>
> Just when you think the outrageousness of action movies can't get any more ridiculous, just the *trailer* of Charlie's Angels II breaks new ground in the realm of the absurd.

The first one wasn't absurd enough to be any good. This one sounds promising.

> July 2 - Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas
>
> YEAH BABY, WHOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

With a title that differs by only one word, this film starts off promising. But... Brad Pitt? Who the hell casts Brad Pitt as Sinbad? I dunno. With its lack of Lou Ferrigno and John Steiner, I might not be interested.

> July 2 - Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
>
> I love the Terminator series, but without James Cameron at the helm, I dunno. The director, Jonathan Mostow, has made two good, suspenseful thrillers, but he's not the innovator Cameron is. Sure enough, the trailer doesn't hint at anything but a pile of action set pieces. I've got a bad feeling about this.

I liked the first film and was not especially fond of the second. This third movie strikes me as being a good investment of time for those who like to see things blow up, and not really for anybody else. Mind, I like seeing things blow up as much as the next guy, but I get bored with it after a while and start wishing for some plot or characterisation or something. Or at least some naked females. I suspect the film may deliver on the last point.

> July 2 - Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde
>
> The first Legally Blonde was surprisingly good. I loved it. That bodes well, but you never know with sequels. Reese Witherspoon can make almost anything watchable, however; I've liked her even in movies I did not, such as Sweet Home Alabama. Interesting that this and Terminator 3, in which she plays a terminator, open the same day.

I dodged the first like a Matrix bullet, but I've heard it managed to be good against all odds. Who knows? I went the same route with Austin Powers - saw the trailers, figured I'd hate it, avoided it. Ended up seeing it on a bus trip and loved it. However, Austin Powers has failed to spawn a good sequel. Synchronicity? You make the call.

> July 9 - Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
>
> Stephen predicts this will be the best movie based on a ride ever, which would mean, roughly, "Better than The Country Bears!"

Yeah, well. That's only because they haven't made a movie about a merry-go-round yet. Except for Carousel. Shut up.

> In front, we've got Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, and Jonathan Pryce. Three guys I like, and one guy who gets to prove if he can be anything but an elf.

Orlando Bloom is ginky. Get that faggy elf off my screen and give me some John Rhys-Davies! He'd be a way more kickarse pirate than Johnny freaking Depp. But, hey. At least they didn't cast Walter Matthau as a pirate, unlike ACADEMY AWARD-WINNING DIRECTOR Roman Polanski.

> July 11 - The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
>
> Despite the heavy-hitting hype for this movie, I don't know of anybody -- either those who have read the graphic novels or those who haven't -- who is impressed with the trailer. It's hard not to rely too much on the trailer to judge how a movie is going to be, but I just don't see the potential. I'm fearing a disaster on the scale of The Avengers. The director doesn't impress me, either: the one film of his I've seen is "Blade," a movie that some people really like but I hated.

I'm told the film features Mycroft Holmes on a motorcycle. That is enough to get me in the theatre right there.

> July 18 - Johnny English
>
> Rowan Atkinson is funny, but he's not infallible. "Bean" was funny in spots, but it was mostly a poor adaptation of the much funnier Mr. Bean series. Johnny English is a spoof of James Bond. Austin Powers aside, Bond spoofs don't tend to work, because what people don't realize is that James Bond is *already* a spoof of more serious spy films. Making fun of something that's already got its tongue in its cheek doesn't tend to work. Still, we'll see.

I like Atkinson in Blackadder and nothing else. Mr. Bean was funny... for about the duration of one short. If this is yet ANOTHER film in which Atkinson plays Mr. Bean by a different name, I'll pass. If it's not... we'll see.

> July 25 - Seabiscuit
>
> The buzz is great on this. Every year there seems to be one summer movie with Oscar clout, last year's being Road To Perdition. This year, it's looking like it'll be Seabiscuit. The director's only other film was Pleasantville, which I loved. I'll be there.

I know nothing about it other than it has a lousy title. Reminds me of a cross between ACADEMY AWARD-WINNING DIRECTOR Roman Polanski's engaging sea epic "Pirates" and an air biscuit. Which makes me think Dumb and Dumber at sea. If it's by the guy who directed Pleasantville, I'd say I couldn't be farther off the mark. But still, I'm having fun with the title. So that's some goodwill for the movie right off.

> August 1 - 28 Days Later
>
> The IMDb describes this as Mad Max crossed with Night of the Living Dead. Sounds like "I Am Legend" ("The Omega Man").

I love postapocalyptic superman movies. Especially "Cyborg." If this film can live up to "Cyborg," well... I'm there.

> August 1 - American Wedding
>
> American Pie 3. Yawn.

Kinda makes you wonder that they've managed to fill three whole films with jokes about doing lewd things with desserts.

> August 1 - Tough Love
>
> J.Lo and B.Aff star in this hitman mob comedy thing. *shrug*

Dislike J. Lo. Don't care for B. Aff. Like the mob. It has "Get Shorty" to live up to, though, which is a tough act to follow.

> August 15 - Freddy Vs. Jason
>
> After eons in development hell, it looks like this is finally happening. If this isn't destined to be IABBBBM material, I don't know what is.

This is the one I'll be waiting for. I'm rooting for Freddy, myself, as long as they get Robert Englund to play him.

> August 19 - Leeches!
>
> We've had giant spiders, giant bugs, why not giant leeches?

Too non-threatening. Who's afraid of a monster that can be beaten by a salt shaker? Okay, a GIANT salt shaker, but still.