PREVIEW

Summer 2003 Movie Preview

Bigger, Louder & More of What You’ve Seen Before

By Sara Michelle Fetters

Summertime is coming, and you can just see all the studio executives in Hollywood sitting on the edge of their seats with childlike glee. This is the time when the big money is made in tinsel town, where risk-taking and originality take a back seat to profit shares and 50-million dollar opening weekends.

Still, 2003 has the potential to be extremely interesting on a variety of levels. Not only does this summer represent the return of the talented Wachowski brothers, there are also a few dozen or so promising foreign and independent films littering the landscape that appear interesting. Is it possible that another My Big Fat Greek Wedding success story could be amongst them? Will 2003 boast a Spider-Man level 400-million smash? Can a movie be as big a loser as last summer’s The Adventures of Pluto Nash?

I haven’t clue and, to be totally honest, am not even sure I care. With so many sequels, remakes and formulaic sounding pictures on the docket once again this summer, it’s really hard to get worked up about it all. Still, there are a few I’m more than a bit interested in. Some major surprises in casting and directing choices have made even some of the most routine sounding films suddenly interesting.

What follows are the ten films I want to see more than any others in order of release date. Here’s to hoping they turn out as well in reality as they appear to look on paper. I’m also going to end my column with some predictions. Each summer we seem to have become more interested in what a film has made at the box office so I might as well take a chance on prognosticating which movies will be the biggest winners – and losers – at the 2003 ticket counter.

MAY

X-Men 2 (May 2) – If it weren’t for a little film starring some guy from Speed, this would be the sequel to see in 2003. What Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects) brought to the original cannot be commended more, and with far more studio support this time around there is no telling where he will take this superhero spectacular the second time around. It’s going to be a hit whether it is good or not, but here’s hoping the surprising smarts represented in the first film continue to manifest their presence.

Down With Love (May 15) – The trailer alone for this frothy-looking throwback romance has me salivating. Not only do Ewan McGregor and Renée Zellweger make the cutest movie couple since the young Kenobi danced the light fantastic with the former Ms. Cruise, Peyton Reed’s flare and dynamically light touch seems to be exactly what this Doris Day/Rock Hudson inspired pic would require. At the very least, Zellweger’s costumes and dresses alone have me in the door on opening day.

Matrix Reloaded (May 15) – What is there to say that hasn’t been said? The hype has already begun in full force making Neo’s return the most eagerly anticipated since some Hobbits went on a quest to destroy a ring. Like that series, will the two Matrix films (Revolutions completes the saga this November) live up to all the hype, or will the Wachowski’s crumble under all the pressure? Bet on the former but also expect loud cries of indignation at Revolutions mid-fight conclusion. Talk about cliffhangers.

Finding Nemo (May 30) – The gang at Pixar is back, and the folks at Disney couldn’t be happier. This time, the plot revolves around a fishy father named Marlin (Albert Brooks) trying to rescue his son Nemo (Alexander Gould) from the clutches of a family tank far, far away from the deep blue see. With the help of a forgetful fish named Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), can this unique duo purport the rescue of a lifetime and return little Nemo to his rightful place under the sea?

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