The summer months are here; so time for warm days, weekend barbecues, Wimbledon, sweaty car journeys, seaside holidays, ice cream, and the inexplicable Film 2006 break during the movie year's busiest time. I never did understand that!
Thankfully, there'll be no summer hiatus with DMDB, as I'll be continuing to bring you the latest movie news throughout the summer. However, to prepare you for the blockbuster period, here is the Summer Showdown Special to bring you up-to-speed with the movies that will be tempting you indoors on those long sunny days...
Part 1 today, Part 2 tomorrow...
CARSPixar return with another animated tale sure to entice kiddies away from the World Cup, this time set in a world dominated by talking cars!
What's Good? Pixar never disappoint visually, and Cars has some amazing effects -- including some stunning desert landscapes along Route 66.
What's Bad? Cars is gearing up (no pun intended) to be the first Pixar disappointment, with nothing in the trailers to suggest a great story, characters or jokes to go alongside the visuals. Now, Toy Story director John Lassetter is in charge, so things could turn out okay, but it doesn't look promising. Mind you, the last Pixar film to be an expected failure was Finding Nemo...
HEAT FACTOR: Sorry, but the trailers speak for themselves. There is nothing that appeals to my inner child here beyond some great graphics.
THE DA VINCI CODEDan Brown's best-seller about a Catholic conspiracy protected by secret society The Priory Of Scio, as revealed through the works of Leonardo Da Vinci, is adapted to movie form by Ron Howard, with Tom Hanks, Audrey Tatou and Ian McKellen...
What's Good? The book may have its detractors, but it's the very definition of a "page turner" and ripe for a rollicking good Hollywood adaptation. Tom Hanks and Ian McKellen are well cast, Audrey Tatou (Amelie) makes a classy heroine, while Paul Bettany should impress as albino Monk Silas. Director Ron Howard is also a great choice -- being one of cinemas most underrated filmmakers, this should hopefully remind people of his talent...
What's Bad? There's the potential for the book's outrageous elements and false conspiratorial mumblings to drain out the plausibility, but that's a very slim concern with such a great cast and plot.
HEAT FACTOR: The books legions of fans will doubtless make this a massive success, but will it strike a chord with those who haven't read Brown's novel? Well, the involvement of Tom Hanks should ensure strong business regardless, but will The Da Vinci Code appeal to non-religious types? Perhaps... particularly if the movie reignites the book's controversy with the Catholic Church...
THE FOUNTAINHugh Jackman stars in this epic science-fiction adventure from Darren Aronofsky (Requiem For A Dream) about a quest spanning 400 years to find immortality...
What's Good? Darren Aronofsky is a truly visionary filmmaker who has cemented his reputation on the basis of just two movies -- the low-budget Pi and the emotionally fraught Requiem For A Dream. The fact he has a new movie out is very, very good news. Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz are also talented actors not be sniffed at, and the idea of this generation being given its own 2001: A Space Odyssey is very exciting...
What's Bad? Originally The Fountain was to star Brad Pitt and cost $70 million, but was canned by the studio. It was resurrected when Aronofsky halved the budget and brought in Hugh Jackman, so epic vision has been drastically reduced. But, this could probably be a good thing, as the emphasis will undoubtedly shift to characters and plot. And, hey, the $40 million budget is big enough!
HEAT FACTOR: Trust in Aronofsky! He's a personal favourite of mine, and that shows how much of an effect his short filmography has had on me. He should deliver the goods in a genre totally suited to his filmmaking style. The fact the project is wrapped in secrecy should also mean a revelatory experience for movie-goers.
IDIOCRACYA man is frozen in cold storage for a thousand years, waking up in the year 3001 to find humanity has "devolved" into a planet of idiots, where morons are celebrated...
What's Good? This is from Mike Judge - creator of Beavis & Butthead, King Of The Hill and the cult classic Office Space. I'm not a fan of B&B or KOTH, but Judge has hit upon a fantastic premise for this live-action movie with shades of Futurama...
What's Bad? I'm not a fan of Luke Wilson, who takes the lead. He could prove his worth, but he's the only undecided factor for me.
HEAT FACTOR: This should provide a lot of silly laughs. A review of the script has already hailed it as occassionally very provocative and intelligent. Sounds cool.
LADY IN THE WATERPaul Giamatti stars as Cleveland Heep, a janitor at an apartment block who discovers a water nymph living in the block's swimming pool...
What's Good? He may have hit a critical speed bump with The Village (although I enjoyed that movie, personally) but M. Night Shyamalan's remains contemporary cinemas Stephen King. So far he hasn't strayed from the supernatural in his movies, but Lady In The Water is said to be more romantic comedy than twisty-thriller. Paul Giamatti is fast-becoming an actor of real note (Sideways), but this could be the movie that introduces him to the mainstream. Likewise, Bryce Dallas Howard (the nymph) will hopefully breakout into the public consciousness (she deserved to in The Village, but hey, if she fails again she won't when Spider-Man 3 is released next year...)
What's Bad? Whatever the plus points, the premise of the movie is the worst of Shyamalan's movies. I'm not suggesting it will definitely be a bad movie, but it's definitely not a movie that demands your attention. Fans of Shyamalan should get a kick out of this, but if it's true the movie is more rom-com than scary.... will the backlash continue?
HEAT FACTOR: Potentially very good given its lead actor and writer-director, but Lady In The Water just screams complacency at the box-office this summer.
MIAMI VICEBig screen remake of Michael Mann's 80's TV show, starring Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx as Miami detectives Crockett and Tubbs...
What's Good? Cool actors (Foxx and Farrell), brilliant director (Michael Mann), and a genre/property that Mann not only created, but also perfected on the big screen. This should be a stunning cop flick.
What's Bad? The Miami Vice TV phenomenon was 20 years ago -- is a movie version, no mattern how good, just unwanted? Perhaps...
HEAT FACTOR: Time will tell whether or not audiences will be drawn to Miami Vice 21st-Century style...
THE OMEN 666A family discover their adopted son, Damien Thorn, is actually the spawn of Satan, in this remake of the 70's horror classic...
What's Good? Stars Liev Schrieber and David Thewlis are always good value, and I'm sure some creep moments will be wrung by director John Moore.
What's Bad? There really isn't any need to remake The Omen - but with the publicity-appealing date of 6 June 2006 (06/06/06) I guess Hollywood just couldn't help themselves. It's also uncertain if Satan's sprog can possible outcreep the original kid...
DMD HEAT FACTOR: This could surprise everyone, but so far it looks predictable and early test reviews suggests it doesn't stray enough from the original to make the remake worthwhile.
Coming in Part 2: Poseidon, Stormbreaker, Snakes On A Plane, Southland Tales, Superman Returns, United 93, X-Men III, Pirates Of The Caribbean II and Mission Impossible III.