Hollywood is preparing to bring out the big guns for the summer. Literally.
Not just big-budget blockbusters - but lots of oversize weaponry with ridiculous firepower.Fireballs and explosions are the order of the day - the dog days of '97, that is - as things go boom in the night from the weeks preceding Memorial Day through Labor Day. It's Hollywood's "summer."
Films like "The Fifth Element" and "Volcano" are already rattling teeth in local theaters, and beginning next week we'll also have "The Lost World: Jurassic Park," "Con Air," "Speed 2: Cruise Control," "Batman and Robin," "Face/Off" and "Men in Black" testing our dental work.
Theater screens will be ablaze, and sound systems will be going full blast morning and night until the end of August, with brash heroics from Nicolas Cage (in two films), Tommy Lee Jones (also in two), Will Smith, Bruce Willis, Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, John Tra-volta and many more.
Will we get "Titanic"? Depending on who you believe, it's either right on schedule for release on the Fourth of July weekend or it's on the verge of being pushed back to the fall. Writer-director James Cameron (the "Terminator" movies, "True Lies") is reportedly hard at work trying to meet that deadline.
There will also be some quieter fare during the summer, of course. Disney's annual animated outing is "Hercules" this year, and there's always "Free Willy 3."
Comedies get pretty silly with Michael Richards' starring debut in "Trial and Error," Danny Glover and Joe Pesci as fishing fools in "Gone Fishin'," Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon posing as cruise-ship dance hosts in "Out to Sea" and Brendan Fraser as "George of the Jungle."
Romantic comedies include Meg Ryan and Matthew Broderick spying on their exes in "Addicted to Love," Jeanne Tripplehorn and Dylan McDermott looking for each other in "'till there was you" and Julia Roberts thinks about going from bridesmaid to bride in "My Best Friend's Wedding."
Mixed in with all these are remakes, sequels and science-fiction epics. Lots of science-fiction epics.
Here's the rundown at the moment, subject to change, of course:
MAY 23
ADDICTED TO LOVE - Actor Griffin Dunne ("After Hours") makes his directorial debut with this comedy about two people (Meg Ryan and Matthew Broderick) taking revenge on the lovers who dumped them.
THE DAYTRIPPERS - This comedy, a hit at this year's Slamdance Film Festival, features one of the shortest road trips in history, as a Long Island family (including Anne Meara, Hope Davis and Parker Posey) heads to New York City to see if a son-in-law (Stanley Tucci) is having an affair.
THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK - Director Steven Spielberg and actor Jeff Goldblum return for this sequel to the 1993 blockbuster, as scientists find another island with an even greater variety of dinosaur species and then must fight off both the beasts and an evil corporation intent on "herding" them.
MAY 30
GONE FISHIN' - Two pals (Joe Pesci and Danny Glover) on a fantasy fishing trip in Florida get mixed up with a con man searching for buried treasure in this comedy, which was delayed in production due to a tragic stunt accident.
SEX AND ZEN 2 - A sequel to the infamously explicit Hong Kong sex comedy, this time focusing on the disciple
of a sex instructor who tries to raise a son and daughter. In Chinese, with English subtitles.
'TILL THERE WAS YOU - Jeanne Tripplehorn ("The Firm") has her first starring role in this light comedy about fated romance. Dylan McDermott, Sarah Jessica Parker and Jennifer Aniston (TV's "Friends") co-star.
TRIAL AND ERROR - A comedy about an actor (Michael Richards of "Seinfeld") who impersonates a trial lawyer (Jeff Daniels) after the attorney falls ill the night before his most important case.
JUNE 6
BUDDY - The true story of Gertrude Lintz (based on her book "Animals Are My Hobby"), who adopted an infant gorilla to protest the treatment of zoo animals in the 1920s. Rene Russo plays the socialite.
CON AIR - A thriller (partly filmed in Ogden, Salt Lake City and Wendover) about a pack of killers hijacking a transport plane bound for a high-security prison - and with a recent parolee (Nicolas Cage) still on board.
THE GRADUATE - A re-release of Mike Nichols' classic 1967 comedy, about a college graduate (Dustin Hoffman, in the role that made him a star) who is seduced by an older, married neighbor, Mrs. Robinson (Anne Ban-croft).
LOVE AND OTHER CATASTROPHES - Five Australian college students search for happiness in this comedy from first-time director Emma Kate Croghan, a hit at this year's Sundance Film Festival.
JUNE 13
ANGEL BABY - A dark love story (from Australian writer/-director Michael Rymer) about two former mental patients who decide to go off their medications in order to have a child.
PINK FLAMINGOS - John Waters' disgusting comedy, about two families (one led by Divine, the 300-pound transvestite who was a Waters regular) trying to out-gross each other, returns to the big screen in expanded form for its 25th anniversary.
SPEED 2: CRUISE CONTROL - Sandra Bullock returns (minus co-star Keanu Reeves), as she and Jason Patric tussle with terrorists (including Willem Dafoe) on a speeding cruise ship in this sequel to the 1994 action hit.
ULEE'S GOLD - A withdrawn beekeeper (Peter Fonda) is forced to care for his two granddaughters in Victor Nunez's drama, which premiered at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival.
JUNE 20
BATMAN AND ROBIN - It's George Clooney's turn to don the bat suit as the caped crusader fights two baddies, Mr. Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman) with the help of two sidekicks, Robin (Chris O'Donnell) and Batgirl (Alicia Silverstone).
JUNE 27
FACE/OFF - Action director John Woo reteams with "Broken Arrow" star John Travolta with this thriller, about a detective (Travolta) who uses plastic surgery to steal the identity of a terrorist (Nicolas Cage).
HERCULES - The latest Disney animated musical is about the mythological "labors" of the heroic son of Zeus - and bears no relation to the hit TV series. Voices include Danny DeVito, James Woods and Charlton Heston.
LOVE SERENADE - Writer/-director Shirley Barrett won awards at last year's Cannes Film Festival for this dark romantic Australian comedy, about two twentysomething sisters who fall in love with the same man.
MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING - Perpetual bridesmaid Julia Roberts gets an invitation to the wedding of her best friend (Dermot Mulroney, who is marrying Cameron Diaz) and realizes she may be in love with him.
TEMPTRESS MOON - Chen Kaige's powerful followup to "Farewell My Concubine" is about a woman who falls in love with her brother-in-law in 1920s China, and played at this year's Sundance Film Festival. In Chinese, with English subtitles.
JULY 2
MEN IN BLACK - Dark-suited security agents Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones must stop an intergalactic assassin in this comedic sci-fi/thriller from director Barry Sonenfeld ("Get Shorty," "The Addams Family") and producer Steven Spielberg.
OUT TO SEA - Aging con men Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau pose as dance instructors to seduce wealthy widows and other passengers on a cruise ship in this grumpy old comedy.
TITANIC - James Cameron's epic, 3-hour retelling of the sinking of the famed cruise ship in 1912, with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet leading the cast.
WILD AMERICA - Three brothers (including Jonathan Taylor Thomas, of TV's "Home Improvement") set out on a roadtrip to photograph wildlife in this lightweight children's comedy.
JULY 11
A SIMPLE WISH - Mara Wilson ("Miracle on 34th Street") must stop an evil fairy godmother (Kathleen Turner) from taking over the world, and her only ally is a bumbling, affirmative-action-mandated male pixie (Martin Short).
CONTACT - A sci-fi/thriller, based on Carl Sagan's science-fiction bestseller, about mysterious signals from space that may contain blueprints for an interstellar vessel. Jodie Foster, James Woods and Matthew McConaughey head an all-star cast.
MRS. BROWN - The true story of one of history's most unusual relationships, between a horse-riding coach (Billy Connolly) and Queen Victoria (Judi Dench), who met in 1864 following the death of Prince Albert.
NOTHING TO LOSE - A madcap comedy about a despondent advertising executive (Tim Robbins) who agrees to help carjacker Martin Lawrence pull off a daring heist.
JULY 16
GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE - Yet another '60s cult cartoon gets live-action film treatment as Brendan Fraser plays the most bumbling apeman in the jungle, who tries to save his true love (Leslie Mann) from danger.
JULY 18
MIMIC - A biomedical thriller, scripted by John Sayles and Steven Soderbergh, about genetically engineered mutant insects running amok in New York. Mira Sorvino stars.
MONEY TALKS - The writers of "Toy Story" scripted this tale, about a petty criminal accused of being a cop killer. Television reporter Charlie Sheen is the only one who can prove the man's innocence.
JULY 25
AIR FORCE ONE - Terrorist Gary Oldman and his cronies hijack the presidential plane, with Chief Executive Harrison Ford and his family on board. Glenn Close plays the first female Vice President.
CONSPIRACY THEORY - Mel Gibson and his "Lethal Weapon" and "Maverick" director Richard Donner reteam for this thriller about a cabbie (Gibson) who uncovers a presidential assassination plot. Julia Roberts and Patrick Stewart co-star.
GOOD BURGER - A full-length, big-screen version of the "Good Burger" restaurant comedy sketches (featuring teen stars Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell) from Nickelodeon's "All That" series.
WIDE AWAKE - Questions about life from a 10-year-old boy help a group of adults (including Rosie O'Donnell, Dana Delany and Denis Leary) recapture their youth.
AUG. 1
COP LAND - Stars Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro took salary cuts for this police drama/-thriller, about a deaf small-town sheriff who uncovers corruption in the New York police department while investigating a murder. Co-stars include Harvey Keitel and Janeane Garofalo.
LEAVE IT TO BEAVER - Newcomer Cameron Finley plays "The Beav," as the beloved TV sitcom comes to the big screen. Stepping into Ward and June Cleaver's shoes are Christopher MacDonald ("Happy Gilmore") and Janine Turner (from TV's "Northern Exposure").
MORTAL KOMBAT: ANNIHILATION - Martial-arts fighters try to save the world from an inter-di-men-sional demon in this sequel to the 1995 surprise hit, based on the video game.
PICTURE PERFECT - A lonely ad executive (Jennifer Aniston) invents a fictional boyfriend, using a snapshot she found. Complications arise when she bumps into the guy (Kevin Bacon) in real life.
AUG. 8
AIR BUD - A family comedy about a basketball-catching golden retriever, who runs away from his cruel master and befriends a lonely 12-year-old yearning to play on his school's basketball team.
DESPERATE MEASURES - A serial killer (Michael Keaton) gets loose in a hospital after he escapes a bone-marrow transplant procedure for the son of a police officer (Anmdy Garcia).
STEEL - NBA superstar Sha-quille O'Neal stars as a nuclear physicist turned armored crime-fighter in this superhero adventure, based on the comic-book series (actually a spinoff from the "Superman" comics).
AUG. 15
FREE WILLY 3 - More boy-meets-killer-whale adventures, as the aquatic hero and his friend Jesse (Jason James Richter) try to stop some illegal whaling activity.
HOW TO BE A PLAYER - MTV "veejay" Bill Bellamy stars as a Lothario who's so successful (and so heartless) with the ladies that anthropologists decided to study him.
187 - High school teacher Samuel L. Jackson learns that things are the same everywhere after he moves from Brooklyn to California following an attack by a student.
AUG. 18
SHALL WE DANCE? - This Japanese comedy has a mild-mannered businessman attracted to a woman he sees through a window at a dance studio, which prompts him to take up ballroom dancing. In Japanese, with English subtitles.
AUG. 22
L.A. CONFIDENTIAL - Crooked cops, corrupt newspapermen and even Howard Hughes are caught up in a conspiracy in this film version of James Ellroy's novel, which stars Kim Basinger, Kevin Spacey and Danny DeVito.
SPAWN - Todd MacFarlane's comic-book "hero from hell" comes to the screen in the person of Michael Jai White, who must fight evil forces (including John Leguizamo as the demonic "Clown") in order to reclaim his humanity.
AUG. 29
HOODLUM - Laurence Fishburne executive produced and plays Bumpy Johnson in this true-life gangster flick, in which he teams up with Lucky Luciano (Andy Garcia) to take on Dutch Schultz (Tim Roth).
KULL THE CONQUEROR - One of Robert E. Howard's "other" sword-fighting heroes gets the big-screen treatment, with Kevin Sorbo (TV's "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys") playing the slave-turned-king.
SCHEDULED WITHOUT FIRM DATES
BLISS - In order to save their marriage, a young couple (Sheryl Lee and Craig Sheffer) seeks counseling from an eccentric sex therapist (Terence Stamp) in this controversial comedy/drama.
COMMANDMENTS - After his wife dies in an accident, Aidan Quinn sets out to break all of the biblical commandments one by one in this dark comedy, which prompts him to pursue his sister-in-law (Courtney Cox).
EVENT HORIZON - Sci-fi/-thriller about a spaceship that returns to Earth years after its mysterious disappearance into an alternate dimension. Stars include Lawrence Fishburne, Sam Neill and Kathleen Quinlan.
EXCESS BAGGAGE - Rich teen Alicia Silverstone fakes her own kidnapping, but winds up on the lam with car thief (Benicio Del Toro) who is being chased by a former CIA hitman (Chrisopher Walken).
FOR ROSEANNA - Jean Reno ("The Professional") goes to extreme measures to keep his neighbors alive so his wife (Mercedes Ruehl) can be buried in the overcrowded local cemetery in this dark comedy (originally titled "Roseanna's Grave").
LE SAMOURAI - Reissue of the 1967 gangster drama, which influenced Quentin Tarantino, about an existential Parisian hitman (Alain Delon) on the run from both police detectives and the powerful men who hired him.
LOVE! VALOUR! COMPASSION! - A big-screen adaptation of Terrence McNally's award-winning Broadway play about a group of gay men weekending at a country house. Jason Alexander (TV's "Seinfeld") stars.
NIGHTWATCH - Director Ole Bornedal remakes his low-budget Dutch thriller about a night watchman at a morgue who is suspected of being a serial killer. "Train-spotting's" Ewan McGregor stars with Nick Nolte in a script co-written by Bornedal and Steven Soderbergh ("sex, lies and videotape").
THE QUIET ROOM - A 7-year-old girl decides to stop talking and begins slipping into a fantasy world when it appears her parents are going to divorce in this eccentric Australian drama.
TOUCH - Another Elmore Leo-nard book comes to the screen in this comedy, with Skeet Ulrich ("Scream") as a substance abuse counselor who finds he has healing powers. Bridget Fonda, Christopher Walken and Tom Arnold co-star.
TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES, N.M. - This action-thriller was filmed in Utah and marks the directing debut of Keifer Sutherland, who also stars as an ex-con caught up in a heist gone bad.