Summer officially starts this weekend. Hollywood would have you think
otherwise, as some of the biggest summer movies have already opened, but I
checked the calendar, and it says summer begins on June 21st. There's still
Hulk, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, and T3 to look forward to, but there
are also plenty of other "smaller" movies that look like good bets, too.
With a look at limited releases, here are Ten Other Summer Movies to check
out. (All movies on the list are scheduled to open in limited release, at
least at first, between June 21st and September 21st. Films are listed in
order of their release, though release dates are subject to change.)
Swimming Pool (July 2nd)
French director François Ozon has been steadily gaining a following in the
United States, having a minor breakthrough in 2001 with Under the Sand,
starring Charlotte Rampling, and then adding to that in 2002 with 8 Women,
which featured Ludivine Sagnier among its ensemble cast. He is quickly
establishing the genre of the "Ozon film" and has made himself one of those
auteurs whose films you want to watch just because he directed it. Swimming
Pool is his first film primarily in English, which should help give him and
even wider audience in the US. Rampling and Sagnier are back for Swimming
Pool, so perhaps it could be called Two Women. Rampling plays an uptight
mystery writer hoping to spend a quiet vacation at her publisher's chateau.
Her solitude is interrupted by the appearance of the publisher's young and
sexually adventurous daughter. It sounds a bit like a sexier odd couple,
though it also features a murder that makes it something of a thriller too.
Sex, murder, nudity? Those blockbusters don't have anything on that.
The Embalmer (July 11th)
Let's see if I have this plot correct. A middle-aged homosexual dwarf
taxidermist (Peppino) becomes enamored with his handsome young assistant
(Valerio). When the assistant falls for a young lady (Deobrah), the jealous
Peppino tries to sabotage the relationship, setting up a tragic love
triangle. And it's apparently based on a true story. That should be enough
to make you want to see it right there, but if you need more convincing, the
film was also nominated for nine Davids (Italian Oscars), winning two of
them.
Dirty Pretty Things (July 18th)
In a London hotel where people come to do dirty things, it is up to the
staff (many of whom are illegal immigrants) to make them look pretty. When
the front desk clerk, an illegal Nigerian immigrant, makes a gruesome
discovery in a hotel room, his illegal status does not allow him to take the
normal route of going to the authorities. He takes on the investigation
himself with help from other immigrants, including a Turkish maid (played by
Audrey Tautou), to whom he is attracted. Director Stephen Frears is
probably best known for work he did quite a bit ago now (Dangerous Liaisons,
The Grifters), but even his "lesser" works have had value, which is enough
to make his latest, a thriller mixed with social commentary on the dirty
secret of immigrant labor worth a look.
Buffalo Soldiers (July 25th)
The film with the ever-changing release date due to its controversial nature
will finally open - maybe. The film has been pushed back more than the
Cincinnati Bengals' offensive line because it depicts characters who happen
to be American soldiers in a negative light. The film takes place just
before the fall of the Berlin Wall at an U.S. Army base in West Germany. At
a time when the cold war is about to end, a supply officer (played by
Joaquin Phoenix) does a good side business on the black market dealing in
everything from household supplies to drugs and weapons. He is able to
operate with ease under an inept commander (Ed Harris), but when a strict
new sergeant (Scott Glenn) is transferred to the base with his rebellious
daughter (Anna Paquin), his life gets more complicated. The film was
purchased by Miramax on September 10, 2001 at the Toronto Film Festival, and
the following day's events have made it impossible to find a window to
release the film. When it played at Sundance, it was met with anger from
some vocal (and apparently water bottle chucking) audience members.
Camp (July 25th)
Based on director Todd Graff's real life experiences at a summer performing
arts camp, Camp was a hit with audiences at Sundance. The kids at camp
Ovation are a bit different that the average teenager. A picture of Steven
Sondheim is a more likely decoration than a poster of a movie star and mix
tapes contain more show tunes than songs from Britney or Justin. But at
Camp Ovation they find a home with kids who think the same way they do.
Camp is a bit like a mix between Fame and Meatballs for the new millennium,
and when the talented cast of unknowns breaks into song, they make the
Kelly, Justin, Ruben, and Clay Idols sound tone deaf by comparison. Sit
back and enjoy these oddballs in what could become the feel-good hit of the
summer.
Lucia, Lucia (July 25th)
With Amores Perros, Y Tu Mamá También, and El Crimen del Padre Amaro, films
from Mexico are the hip thing these days. Lucia, Lucia is the latest import
from south of the border (its original title is La Hija del Canibal, or The
Cannibal's Daughter). When Lucía (played by All About My Mother's Cecilia
Roth) learns that her husband has disappeared, she sets out to learn what
has happened to him. She is joined by two men, a charismatic younger man
(played by Mexican television hunk Kuno Becker) and a more seasoned
gentleman (played by Carlos Álvarez-Novoa). On her journey she learns that
her life was not what it seemed, but she also learns through her new friends
much about life outside of her previously limited world.
The Secret Lives of Dentists (August 1st)
Two of the most overlooked performances of last year belonged to Campbell
Scott (Roger Dodger gained him praise, but the Oscars failed to notice) and
Hope Davis (her supporting performance was the true gem in About Schmidt,
though it was overshadowed by Kathy Bates' showier role). Their presence
alone, playing a married couple (both are dentists, hence the title) in the
midst of a crisis, puts The Secret Lives of Dentists on the list of films
worth giving attention. When Dave (Scott) suspects that his wife may be
having an affair, he retreats partially into an imaginary world as a defense
mechanism to avoid the fact that his marriage may be ending. Seeing through
his skewed viewpoint adds a twist to the normal film about a disintegrating
marriage.
American Splendor (August 15th)
Is it a biopic? A comic book adaptation? A docudrama? A comedy? It's all
of the above and winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Best Dramatic Feature at
Sundance this year. Based on the comic books by Harvey Pekar and Joyce
Brabner, it's also one of the few summer films that's likely to be
remembered come Oscar time (at the very least for acting and screenplay).
Pekar's comic book writing usually focused on the mundane aspects of life,
but his unique point of view elevated those everyday events to literary
levels. His no-bull and more than a bit irascible temperament made him a
celebrity beyond the comic book world, including several stints as a guest
on the Letterman show. With brilliant performances by Paul Giamatti as
Pekar and Hope Davis as Brabner and a unique approach to storytelling that
includes having the actors interacting with the real-life people they are
playing in parts, American Splendor will likely not just be one of the best
films of the summer, but one of the best films of the year.
Thirteen (August 20th)
The good girl who is influenced to get involved in sex, drugs, and crime by
a bad influence tends to be the realm of After School Specials, but this
film co-starring and co-written (when she herself was thirteen) by Nikki
Reed promises to take a more candid look at teenagers gone bad. Also
starring Holly Hunter as the mother of the good girl (played by Evan Rachel
Wood, a standout from television's Once & Again) who goes bad under Reed's
influence, Thirteen is sure to frighten parents when they see what some
children that age are up to. Sure to feature standout performances, a
non-idealized look at the potential pitfalls of being a teenager is a
welcome change of pace from the normal films featuring casts from that
demographic.
Dirt (August 29th)
The fact that this film has had a successful run on the festival circuit is
one reason to look forward to this film. Looking through the cast list and
seeing a character defined simply as "pregnant crack ho" is another. The
plot reads like a blueprint for offbeat. When Junior and Scooter's mother
dies, it becomes obvious that they need a woman around the house to take
care of them. When strippers and hookers don't work out, they take the next
logical step - kidnapping the local grocery store clerk to take care of
them. When her husband burns down their house they, again, take the next
logical step and become bank robbers. I admit it: sometimes I'm a sucker
for just plain bizarre, but this sounds like it could be a fun movie
excursion in the late summer when you want to avoid all of the big studios
dumping their garbage anyway.
French director François Ozon has been steadily gaining a following in the
United States, having a minor breakthrough in 2001 with Under the Sand,
starring Charlotte Rampling, and then adding to that in 2002 with 8 Women,
which featured Ludivine Sagnier among its ensemble cast. He is quickly
establishing the genre of the "Ozon film" and has made himself one of those
auteurs whose films you want to watch just because he directed it. Swimming
Pool is his first film primarily in English, which should help give him and
even wider audience in the US. Rampling and Sagnier are back for Swimming
Pool, so perhaps it could be called Two Women. Rampling plays an uptight
mystery writer hoping to spend a quiet vacation at her publisher's chateau.
Her solitude is interrupted by the appearance of the publisher's young and
sexually adventurous daughter. It sounds a bit like a sexier odd couple,
though it also features a murder that makes it something of a thriller too.
Sex, murder, nudity? Those blockbusters don't have anything on that.
Let's see if I have this plot correct. A middle-aged homosexual dwarf
taxidermist (Peppino) becomes enamored with his handsome young assistant
(Valerio). When the assistant falls for a young lady (Deobrah), the jealous
Peppino tries to sabotage the relationship, setting up a tragic love
triangle. And it's apparently based on a true story. That should be enough
to make you want to see it right there, but if you need more convincing, the
film was also nominated for nine Davids (Italian Oscars), winning two of
them.
In a London hotel where people come to do dirty things, it is up to the
staff (many of whom are illegal immigrants) to make them look pretty. When
the front desk clerk, an illegal Nigerian immigrant, makes a gruesome
discovery in a hotel room, his illegal status does not allow him to take the
normal route of going to the authorities. He takes on the investigation
himself with help from other immigrants, including a Turkish maid (played by
Audrey Tautou), to whom he is attracted. Director Stephen Frears is
probably best known for work he did quite a bit ago now (Dangerous Liaisons,
The Grifters), but even his "lesser" works have had value, which is enough
to make his latest, a thriller mixed with social commentary on the dirty
secret of immigrant labor worth a look.
The film with the ever-changing release date due to its controversial nature
will finally open - maybe. The film has been pushed back more than the
Cincinnati Bengals' offensive line because it depicts characters who happen
to be American soldiers in a negative light. The film takes place just
before the fall of the Berlin Wall at an U.S. Army base in West Germany. At
a time when the cold war is about to end, a supply officer (played by
Joaquin Phoenix) does a good side business on the black market dealing in
everything from household supplies to drugs and weapons. He is able to
operate with ease under an inept commander (Ed Harris), but when a strict
new sergeant (Scott Glenn) is transferred to the base with his rebellious
daughter (Anna Paquin), his life gets more complicated. The film was
purchased by Miramax on September 10, 2001 at the Toronto Film Festival, and
the following day's events have made it impossible to find a window to
release the film. When it played at Sundance, it was met with anger from
some vocal (and apparently water bottle chucking) audience members.
Based on director Todd Graff's real life experiences at a summer performing
arts camp, Camp was a hit with audiences at Sundance. The kids at camp
Ovation are a bit different that the average teenager. A picture of Steven
Sondheim is a more likely decoration than a poster of a movie star and mix
tapes contain more show tunes than songs from Britney or Justin. But at
Camp Ovation they find a home with kids who think the same way they do.
Camp is a bit like a mix between Fame and Meatballs for the new millennium,
and when the talented cast of unknowns breaks into song, they make the
Kelly, Justin, Ruben, and Clay Idols sound tone deaf by comparison. Sit
back and enjoy these oddballs in what could become the feel-good hit of the
summer.
With Amores Perros, Y Tu Mamá También, and El Crimen del Padre Amaro, films
from Mexico are the hip thing these days. Lucia, Lucia is the latest import
from south of the border (its original title is La Hija del Canibal, or The
Cannibal's Daughter). When Lucía (played by All About My Mother's Cecilia
Roth) learns that her husband has disappeared, she sets out to learn what
has happened to him. She is joined by two men, a charismatic younger man
(played by Mexican television hunk Kuno Becker) and a more seasoned
gentleman (played by Carlos Álvarez-Novoa). On her journey she learns that
her life was not what it seemed, but she also learns through her new friends
much about life outside of her previously limited world.
Two of the most overlooked performances of last year belonged to Campbell
Scott (Roger Dodger gained him praise, but the Oscars failed to notice) and
Hope Davis (her supporting performance was the true gem in About Schmidt,
though it was overshadowed by Kathy Bates' showier role). Their presence
alone, playing a married couple (both are dentists, hence the title) in the
midst of a crisis, puts The Secret Lives of Dentists on the list of films
worth giving attention. When Dave (Scott) suspects that his wife may be
having an affair, he retreats partially into an imaginary world as a defense
mechanism to avoid the fact that his marriage may be ending. Seeing through
his skewed viewpoint adds a twist to the normal film about a disintegrating
marriage.
Is it a biopic? A comic book adaptation? A docudrama? A comedy? It's all
of the above and winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Best Dramatic Feature at
Sundance this year. Based on the comic books by Harvey Pekar and Joyce
Brabner, it's also one of the few summer films that's likely to be
remembered come Oscar time (at the very least for acting and screenplay).
Pekar's comic book writing usually focused on the mundane aspects of life,
but his unique point of view elevated those everyday events to literary
levels. His no-bull and more than a bit irascible temperament made him a
celebrity beyond the comic book world, including several stints as a guest
on the Letterman show. With brilliant performances by Paul Giamatti as
Pekar and Hope Davis as Brabner and a unique approach to storytelling that
includes having the actors interacting with the real-life people they are
playing in parts, American Splendor will likely not just be one of the best
films of the summer, but one of the best films of the year.
The good girl who is influenced to get involved in sex, drugs, and crime by
a bad influence tends to be the realm of After School Specials, but this
film co-starring and co-written (when she herself was thirteen) by Nikki
Reed promises to take a more candid look at teenagers gone bad. Also
starring Holly Hunter as the mother of the good girl (played by Evan Rachel
Wood, a standout from television's Once & Again) who goes bad under Reed's
influence, Thirteen is sure to frighten parents when they see what some
children that age are up to. Sure to feature standout performances, a
non-idealized look at the potential pitfalls of being a teenager is a
welcome change of pace from the normal films featuring casts from that
demographic.
The fact that this film has had a successful run on the festival circuit is
one reason to look forward to this film. Looking through the cast list and
seeing a character defined simply as "pregnant crack ho" is another. The
plot reads like a blueprint for offbeat. When Junior and Scooter's mother
dies, it becomes obvious that they need a woman around the house to take
care of them. When strippers and hookers don't work out, they take the next
logical step - kidnapping the local grocery store clerk to take care of
them. When her husband burns down their house they, again, take the next
logical step and become bank robbers. I admit it: sometimes I'm a sucker
for just plain bizarre, but this sounds like it could be a fun movie
excursion in the late summer when you want to avoid all of the big studios
dumping their garbage anyway.
