Summer movie shakedown

photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures Arizona Daily Wildcat Kenny, Cartman, Kyle and Stan watch Wendy ice skate in "South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut." Notice Stan hasn't barfed yet. It opens in theaters June 18.

May 7

"The Mummy"

The latest in special effects extravaganzas, "The Mummy" rouses yet another monster legend of yore for a thriller set in the Sahara Desert in 1923, starring Brendan Fraser as an intrepid adventurer.

May 14

"Arlington Road"

Jeff Bridges, Tim Robbins and Joan Cusack star as contemporary suburbanites in a town where everything is not as peaceful as it looks and where radical activists secretly devise deadly plots.

May 19

"Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace"

This is a little low-budget film that probably no one is going to see, directed by some first-time kid named Lucas. Check it out if you have nothing better to do. There's also a bunch of no-name actors in it and some B-rate special effects. (Oh, come on. What can we really say that you don't already know?)

"The Love Letter"

An unsigned love letter becomes the subject of much speculation in a small New England town in this romantic comedy featuring Kate Capshaw, Tom Selleck and Ellen DeGeneres.

May 28

"Notting Hill"

Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts play the unlikely couple in a film about what happens when a small shop owner meets one of the world's biggest movie stars. (Grant is the shop owner, by the way.)

"The Thirteenth Floor"

Virtual reality becomes frighteningly real as two computer programmers manage to recreate the LA of 1937 in a perfect simulation. When the boundaries between the realities start to merge, though, the experiment takes a deadly turn.

June 4

"Limbo"

A story that leaves the viewer hanging, with the task of deciding the end for himself, Limbo focuses on a trio of people trying to start their lives anew in a harsh Alaskan wilderness.

June 11

"Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me"

It doesn't really matter what we say about this one - you're all going to see it anyway, right? Mike Myers brings back his shagadelic secret agent persona, accompanied by Heather Graham as the latest in femmes fatales.

"The General's Daughter"

An all-star cast, including John Travolta, Timothy Hutton and James Woods, features in this story of murder, deception and buried secrets, which all comes to light when the daughter of a top military man is found dead. (There is a book by the same name you can read first if you are feeling enterprising.)

June 18

"South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut"

It was bound to happen sooner or later. In this case, sooner. Kyle, Stan, Cartman and Kenny hit the screen for their full-length feature debut.

"The Thomas Crown Affair"

Pierce Brosnan is a millionaire who becomes bored with his life, so he enters a life of crime, which comes along with an affair with the seductive Catherine Banning (Renee Russo), and the pursuit of an unrelenting New York cop (Dennis Leary).

June 25

"Big Daddy"

Adam Sandler's latest stars the comedian as a guy who adopts a five-year old boy in an attempt to prove to his ex-girlfriend that he is capable of taking on responsibility. It doesn't work, but he's still stuck with the kid.

July 2

"Wild, Wild West"

Will Smith and Kevin Kline play a special agent and his nemesis in a wild west setting, spun off from the TV show of the same name.

photo courtesy of Universal Pictures Arizona Daily Wildcat Jim, played by Jason Biggs, learns about women, and, apparently, a brown bag, from Eugene Levy in "American Pie." See it July 9th.

"American Pie"

Four high school seniors make a pact with each other to lose their virginity by prom night in a film that is being heralded as the first movie to accurately depict teenage life in a long time.

"The Astronaut's Wife"

Johnny Depp and Charlize Theron play an astronaut and his wife in a tale that involves a mysterious happening in outer space, an echo of terror, and a relationship that slowly dissolves amidst the chaos.

"Dick"

Two girls, played by Kirsten Dunst and Michelle Williams, stumble onto a room full of secrets in the White House after taking a wrong turn during a tour. President Nixon wants to know just how much they found out, so he appoints them to walk the presidential dogs in an effort to get them to talk.

July 16

"Dudley Do-Right"

Brendan Fraser plays the classic cartoon character in a live action version of the adventures of everyone's favorite clueless Mountie.

"Eyes Wide Shut"

The final film from cinematic giant Stanley Kubrick will finally be released, after much speculation and secrecy surrounding its production. Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman star in the highly anticipated tale of sexual intrigue.

July 23

photo courtesy of Universal Pictures Arizona Daily Wildcat Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy laugh it up in "Bowfinger," opening July 23.

"Bowfinger"

Steve Martin teams up with Eddie Murphy in the saga of a man who is down on his luck financially (Martin) and the big scam he dreams up in a final attempt at success. This marks the first time the two legendary comedians have teamed up on screen.

"The Haunting"

Based on Shirley Jackson's The Haunting Of Hill House, this tale of the supernatural takes place in a truly haunted house, starring Liam Neeson and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

"Inspector Gadget"

Another cartoon hits theaters in live-action form, starring Matthew Broderick as the hapless inspector with all the cool built-in devices.

July 30

"Muppets From Space"

Gonzo discovers that his family roots may actually lie on another world when he begins a quest to discover his past. The government is not happy with his revelations and seeks to put the smack down on the much-tossed-about muppet.