Summer Time '98 Part 3
- Late Summer: Armageddon to Avengers
By Jeffery Sanders 19©98.

In this installment of Summer Time, I'll preview the films coming out in July and August. This summer has an unbelievably strong July, and unfortunately the huge amount of films will handicap the chance of having one huge 200M+ hit. Judging from the box-office, it looks like this summer with produce no 200M hits, but rather many 75-150M hits. This is good new for smaller films (A Perfect Murder) and bad news for big movies (Armageddon, Godzilla). I'll review the summer's B.O. in detail when September rolls around. In the meantime...

July 1998:

July 1st

Armageddon - The second meteor flick landed with a thud in theaters on Wednesday. Early B.O. is extremely disappointing and bad reviews spawned negative word of mouth. The film reportedly cost almost $175M. Ouch!!!!! The movie might not even beat out the more dramatic comet flick Deep Impact ($145M)!
My Prediction - $135M - This figure might even be wishful thinking. I think this will still make it the highest grossing Willis movie!

July 10th

Lethal Weapon 4 - How Lethal can this series still be? IV is an unlucky number (just ask George Clooney and Sigourney Weaver). However Rocky IV was the best since the first one! Anyways, never actually having seen a Lethal Weapon movie I won't even bother with the film, but will you? I'm willing to bet it'll pull a healthy crowd, but with Chris Rock along with Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Renee Russo, and Joe Pesci it may strike gold. Still, previews show a serious case of sequelitis. Note: This summer's only sequel.
My Prediction - $90M - Not very lethal!

Small Soldiers - The buzz on the playground is...huge!!! Adults as well as four year olds have anticipated this adventure for months. State of the Art FX involving toy soldiers that come alive to wreak havoc will pull a big crowd. Hopefully the film will be as good as it's ads and, if it is, it very well could be the highest grossing movie of the summer. It does face stiff competition from LW4 and it is sandwiched between Armageddon and Zorro. I know I'll be their opening weekend.
My Prediction - $120M - Come on, join the Commando Elite!

Madeline - It has potential, but unfortunately hasn't been marketed very well (seen an ad? Me neither!). It will draw small girls (ALA Spice World), since it is about a little French girl in a sort of boarding house, but it is a small film next to the big A, SS, LW4 and the big Z. If the film is good, though, it could pull a Babe (the pig movie). But I doubt it!
My Prediction - $25M - It's not that Bad a Hat! (inside Madeline joke)

July 15th

There's Something About Mary - Something indeed, this crude, rude movie has breakout appeal. Filled with incredibly fun P.C. gags it will draw a good crowd of teens seeking fun entertainment. Directed by the Farelly bros. (who need a hit after Kingpin) it stars Matt Dillon, Ben Stiller and that delicious blonde from The Mask, Cameron Diaz. Commercials are making people scream with laughter, but it has alot of competition.
My Prediction - $40M - Many people will discover what there is about Mary.

July 17th

The Mask of Zorro - OLE!!! Million of kids with be swashbuckling with plastic Zorro swords in a few weeks, I guarantee! This swashbuckling epic has been garnering excellent reviews and word of mouth and should perform very well. It will attract Women (Antonio Banderas), Men (Catherine Zeta Jones) and Kids (Zorro!). I'd be surprised if a new franchise wasn't born with this!
My Prediction - $140M - Has a chance for #1 of Summer

July 22nd

Disturbing Behavior - In the tradition of Scream and I Know...this teen thriller comes to theaters with a built in audience, then again so did Can't Hardly Wait which didn't exactly ignite the B.O. Still this is a horror, and with TV's Dawson's Creek star Katie Holmes, it is generating quite a buzz. With a killer soundtrack to boot this could play well with the under 30 crowd despite the R rating.
My Prediction - $30M - Not a Scream, Not Last Summer, it's Disturbing!

July 24th

Jane Austen's Mafia - Funny title, funny trailer, but it probably will be crushed between fanfare for better film's. A spoof on a 26 year old movie probably won't attract youngster's, which is who the trailer is aimed at. Lloyd Bridges last film.
My Prediction - $15M - Give it a week or two, then see it at the cheap theater

July 29th

The Parent Trap - A remake of the Hayley Mill's Kiddie comedy of the same name this film has no buzz to speak of. While kiddy films have been doing well this summer, I doubt anyone will care, even little girls who will probably still be full from Madeline. It stars Dennis "Never had a hit" Quaid! Whopitty-Do!
My Prediction - $15M - Once again, Whopitty-Do!


July 31st

The Negotiator - With one of the most boring, trite trailers in theaters, this film is not exactly getting alot of positive buzz. In fact, most moviegoers are planning to stay away from the film! This action stars Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey. No doubt, two of the coolest actors on the planet. Each star has had their highs (Pulp Fiction, Usual Suspects) and lows (anybody remember 187?) Unfortunately, the trailer is just so awfully awful. Warner Bros. has another flop on it's hands!
My Prediction - $20M - Anybody want to Negotiate?

BASEketball - HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Have you seen the trailer!!! Funny, Funny, Funny! It's sick, juvenile and stupid - but what do you expect from the creators of South Park! The comedy about a hybrid sport is causing quite a buzz with college kids as well as nine year olds. Premiere Magazine predicted BASEketball to reach the $110M domestic mark. I don't know, but I do no it will be a summer sleeper hit!
My Prediction - $75M - You're exited? Feel my nipples!

August 1998:

August 5th

Halloween: 20 Years Later - Boo! A Slasher from the past returns in all it's glory - or not. Actually according to some early reviewers this new Halloween (part 7, and the first one with Jamie Lee Curtis since part 2) is pretty awful! According to others, though, it's as good as the first one. We'll have to wait till August to find out, but it's guaranteed to make money even if it stinks. Buzz is high and so is anticipation, but it may fall fast if it's as bad as its stupid H20 nickname.
My Prediction - $45M - If it's mediocre. If it's great add 20M. If it's awful subtract 20M.

August 7th

Snake Eyes - Nic Cage tries a thriller that looks smarter than his usual Bruckheimer action flick. That doesn't mean it's any good. The trailer is lukewarm and buzz is low, but mediocre. Brian DePalma usually scores, so does Cage, but this may be an exception. It's about an assassination at ...a boxing match??!!? I think that in August, Cage will roll the dice and come up...
My Prediction - $50M ... Snake Eyes!

Ever After: A Cinderella Story - With a beautiful trailer this looks like a real winner. I've had two E-mails asking me about the music in the film (Hi Carlos! Hi Eryne!), so this film will probably have high soundtrack sales. Tickets too. It's pretty far away from any other female orientated flick this summer and Drew Barrymore is on a streak after The Wedding Singer and Scream. Basically it is a fairy-less version of Cinderella filled with gorgeous cinematography of France. Looks good, sounds great! #1 Date film of the Summer!
My Prediction - $40 - Happily Ever After

Summer Pretty much ends in Mid August, but coming up a week later is a big blockbuster: The Avengers, with Uma Thurman, Ralph Fiennes, and Sean Connery. Unfortunately, late August is usually a dumping ground for bad studio releases so don't expect a movie as good as the trailers.

Trailers:

Here are a few QuickTime or Real Video movie trailers that are downloadable. I've included a review of each trailer with the link

Armageddon - Big, Big, Big! Loud noises and bright saturated colors populate this typically Bruckheimer trailer. You've probably already seen it so - who cares!

Small Soldiers - An amazing, fun and cool trailer. Special Effects are top-notch and the trailer does a great job at introducing the story and characters. It really is a blow-away trailer...It'll blow you away!

There's Something About Mary - Short but very funny trailer! It is a TV commercial but contains the very funny, very physical psycho dog! Guaranteed at least on big laugh!

The Mask Of Zorro - A rousing trailer that build high anticipation. Amazing stunts and great story telling make up a long, but worth it, commercial. Perfect for a collection! Prominently feature Catherine Zeta Jones bountiful cleavage. Engarde!

Jane Austin's Mafia - A juvenile yet sporadically hilarious commercial for what looks like a mediocre movie in which all the good gags are in the ads. Still, it's worth downloading for some really funny, albeit stupid, jokes. Run Florist, Run!

Disturbing Behavior - A very cool trailer with some awesome lines and scenes. Though it may be a little to Dark it introduces the plot nicely and includes my personal favorite song of the moment - Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Danger.

The Negotiator - Slow and Boring ad! Too dark, too! Don't even bother.

BASEketball - A really, really, really funny ad! The third stupid, yet funny movie of the month looks like the best. The relatively large download is seriously worth some great comedy.

Ever After: A Cinderella Story - Worth downloading for the awesome Techno-fluttery music! Drew Barrymore's charm shines through in this ad. Same goes with Angelica Houston's evilness. Reminiscent of the DiCaprio/Danes Romeo and Juliet.

In September I will recap the summer and rate it like I did to previous summers in Summer Time: Part 1. Have a great Summer! Your pal, Jeff.

Contact Jeffery Sanders by E-Mail.