East Carolinian

Wars in space. Wars on earth (both ancient and sci-fi). Sequels, prequels and remakes. These are just a few things we can expect for an exciting summer movie season that is ahead of us.

Over the last few years, Hollywood has been trying to figure out exactly what date the summer movie season actually starts. Most people agree it's Memorial Day weekend, while some say May 1. So let's have a quick look at the films that open in theaters this summer between the time we leave ECU and come back.

The first weekend in May gives us Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven with Orlando Bloom and Eva Green. This is yet another film in the same realm of Gladiator and Troy. Also in the month of May, we have Will Ferrell's comedy movie Kicking and Screaming which also stars Robert Duvall and former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka. The animated film Madagascar, produced from the makers of Shrek, also opens in May. This film shows several animals trying to escape the zoo where they are housed so they can escape back to the land where they were taken. Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Cedric the Entertainer, Jada Pinkett Smith and David Schwimmer provide some of the character's voices.

Memorial Day weekend brings two very big movies to the screen. The first is the Adam Sandler's remake of the 1974 football film The Longest Yard. Also opening that week is the highly anticipated Star Wars: Episode III - The Revenge of the Sith. This is the third and final installment of the prequels to the classic Star Wars trilogy. This movie will rake in more cash than any other film this summer.

The month of June brings us more great films. Ron Howard's latest film, Cinderella Man, opens June 3. This is a boxing film about legendary boxer Jim Braddock staring Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger and Paul Giamatti. On June 10, we are treated to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in Mr. and Mrs. Smith, a film in which Pitt and Jolie star as a married couple who are both professional assassins and don't even know it, until their next assignment is to kill one another. Also opening that same weekend is Cedric the Entertainer's new comedy, The Honeymooners. The anticipated Batman prequel, Batman Begins, opens on June 17. This version stars Christian Bale as the Caped Crusader with Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Liam Nesson, Gary Oldman, Ken Wantanabe, Cillian Murphy and Katie Holmes rounding off an all-star cast. On June 24, we get Lindsay Lohan staring in a new Herbie installment, Herbie: Fully Loaded. We will also find Will Ferrell and Nicole Kidman in Bewitched. This, however, is not a direct remake of the TV series. Ferrell stars as an actor who wants to resurrect his career by reinventing the famous TV show. He casts Nicole Kidman as the lead, not knowing that her character is really a witch. Finally for this month, June 29 brings us Steven Spielberg's modernized remake of the H.G. Wells novel War of the Worlds. Staring Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning and Tim Robbins, this film looks to be one of the biggest summer movie, second only to Star Wars.

July is usually the biggest month for summer blockbusters. We start off with the Martin Lawrence middle school basketball comedy Rebound on July 1. The following weekend, we get Jennifer Connelly's horror film Dark Water, which is another Japanese horror remake from the creators of The Ring. Also that weekend, we get the anticipated comic book adaptation of Fantastic Four staring Ioan Gruffudd, Michael Chicklis, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans and Julian McMahon. July 15 brings us The Wedding Crashers, a comedy staring Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn and Christopher Walken. Tim Burton's wacky rendition of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, staring Johnny Depp and his young Finding Neverland costar Freddie Highmore. On July 22, look out for Billy Bob Thornton in the remake of the classic baseball comedy The Bad News Bears. Also on that day, catch Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson in Michael Bay's sci-fi thriller The Island. July 29 brings us Jessica Biel and Academy-Award winner Jamie Foxx in Stealth, a thriller about bringing military equipment with artificial intelligence under control.

The summer season goes out with a bang in the month of August. First up, on August 5, Vin Diesel stars in Doom, the adaptation of the classic video game. Also on that day, the big screen adaptation of "The Dukes of Hazzard" is released, staring Johnny Knoxville, Sean William Scott and Jessica Simpson. Also, Steve Martin stars as Inspector Jacques Clouseau in a new rendition of The Pink Panther. "Beavis and Butthead" creator Mike Judge releases his new film on that first week of August. It is a futuristic comedy staring Luke Wilson, and it does not have a title yet. August 12, we get the sequel to Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, which is titled Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo. August 19 gives us the new Tony Scott film Domino, an action/thriller film staring Keira Knightley and Mena Suvari.

And with that, we are right back here to start another semester at ECU. Every weekend from the time we get out until the time we come back is filled with a bunch of great movies. This summer has the chance to be one of the biggest summer seasons in recent memory. So head to the movies when you need a break from the sun and the sand. There will be plenty of good flicks to choose from this summer.

This writer can be contacted at features@theeastcarolinian.com.

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