WELCOME TO SUMMER MOVIES 2004!

Here you have come to a place where I give my thoughts of upcoming summer movies. Which ones will be blockbusters, which ones will be flops. There will be lots of movies coming out, I'll just review ones I think are worth anything or possible ones that are more anticipated. Check back here for updates for which I will give my reviews after I have actually seen the movie. Keep in mind, some of these movies will not be available to watch until after July 4th or so.
Disclaimer: If you keep your expectations low for any movie you're going into to see, you will have a better chance of enjoying the film.

Coming out May 7th, Van Helsing (rated PG-13), may not have the title name to be considered attractive, but I believe this movie will be a good start for the summer blockbusters. This movie will get people into the mood for action packed, summer movies. By no means will it be a really big summer blockbuster, but people are interested in lore about the Wolfman, Dracula, and Frankenstein's monster. And to think we'll get the chance to watch Hugh Jackman hunt them down, is all the more appealing. And don't forget the English beauty Kate Beckinsale is also in this movie.

Kev's prediction: ~$120 million mark in America.
Compared to: X-Men did $158 million

Now that I've seen it: Definition: It was a great film to start the summer movies off. Of course it'll be a little too scary for kids under 13, so don't take them unless they like vampires. But it wasn't gory beyong gross and it had a ton of action in it. This is a movie with action every step of the way. To sum it all this move was fun!

Coming out May 14th, Troy (rated R), has an ensemble of actors which I think will be my personal favorite of the summer. Starring Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom, Sean Bean, Brian Cox, Peter O'Toole and Diane Kruger (Helen) this war epic is ready to go! Since I love ancient times and war movies, you can't get any better than this. Taking place thousands of years B.C., this is the epic tale of the Trojan War. The battle scenes look more awesome than anything before, the storyline is well known, so it seems that this could be a hit right from the get-go. Of course my expectations will be low in order for me to enjoy and cheer all the more for this movie, but I don't know how many people will flock to go see this movie. I mean, it should do great, because it has a love story in it which will bring more women audiences, and it has swords which takes care of the men. But being rated R will stop it from grossing super blockbuster type dollars. All in all, it should be a movie worth seeing this summer.

Kev's prediction: ~$190 million, possibly closer to breaking 200.
Compared to: Gladiator did $188 million.

Now that I've seen it: This movie is sad, but I forgot the Illiad story I studied in college. Once you remember the story, then the sad ending will fall back into place in your mind. Though this movie wasn't as good as Gladiator, I enjoyed it. There's too many shots of naked Brad Pitt, but all-in-all, it was a good movie; not great by any means, but good enough to enjoy. I figure some may be disappointed in this film though since it's not the glory I was expecting. Just remember, I am Hector!!! What a noble kind of guy.

Coming out May 21st, Shrek 2 (rated PG), should be another fun film continuing the Shrek story. Starring voices again will be the great cast with Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and John Lithgow . Basically this sequel is about Shrek and Fiona coming back from their honeymoon to meet her parents. Not knowing who she married or the fact of her status we shall see how her parents "try to fix" things. Although sequels never do better than the orginal, I'm sure that because this is a computer animated and not a traditional animated film, it will bring in more audiences. With the great humor and storyline of the first, this sequel should follow the same standards. The soundtrack to the first film really worked out too. Instead of composing an entire soundtrack from scratch, they borrowed songs already done and they fit well into the movie. I am curious what they will do for this second film. The first movie worked so well, because it added more adult-aimed humor and had the "Disney" type magic because the some of the producers of Dreamworks had come over from Disney Studios. Dreamworks hasn't made the greatest of cartoons, but quality will probably be put into this film. Afterall, so far, all computer animated films have a record of great success whether they be from Disney or not.

Kev's prediction: ~$210 million.
Compared to: Shrek did 268 million, Signs did 228 million.

Now that I've seen it: This movie was great just like the first one. My friend and I laughed many times during this fun animated film. Boy was I wrong when I predicted how much it would make. This movie is now going to break over $300 million by the first week of June! Well, just goes to show you that people really enjoyed the first and have been cheerfully satisfied with this sequel as well. This movie has heart, just like the first, so all audiences are welcome to watch this fairy tale in a modern era.

Coming out May 28th, The Day After Tomorrow (rated PG-13), is brought to you by the same producers as "Independence Day". With that said, there should be some pretty awesome graphics and stunning special effects. Starring Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Ian Holm, I don't think this cast will bring in the audiences; only the special effects will do that. This movie is about the world coming to an end from catastrophic events caused by Mother Nature and not aliens from outerspace. Because I saw the movie "The Core" which was about the same idea of Earth coming to an end because of nature, this movie will not be a blockbuster. "The Core" was actually pretty good, mainly because I thought it was going to be stupid. This film however has some major backers in the special effects department though. With no big names to the film and no cool, main "bad guy" this film will do poorer than expected. It still might be worth seeing though in the theater for the effects you can't get at home.

Kev's prediction: $120-150 million...any more if turns out to be better than I thought.
Compared to: Independence Day did 306 million, The Core did 31 million.

Coming out June 4th, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (rated PG), is the third installment of the Harry Potter movies. Starring the now familiar faces of Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, and Gary Oldman, this should continue on the success of the series. This movie is about Harry's third year at Hogswarts, beginning the film during the summer just before school starts. The notorious Sirius Black has escaped and is now looking for Harry! The characters are getting older, but because of the wonderous success of the books, that should not take away from younger viewers. What will be taken away is just the matter of the fact that this is the third movie. With the exception of Lord of the Rings, the third movie of a series still does not do better than the first. I think they came out with this movie a little later than they should, but switching to a summer release is the next best alternative than the usually Thanksgiving time previous releases. As before, I am eager to see how this one turns out expecting a delightful amount of fantasy with magic and fun-filled storyline. For strategy purposes, since none of my friends will be caught dead in line for this movie with me, I'll have to take along a little cousin or two, telling people "Yes, I brought my little cousins so they could see Harry Potter"... or I could do what I did last Harry Potter movie: "What? I thought this was the line for the new James Bond movie???" haha!

Kev's prediction: ~ $240 million.
Compared to: The first Harry Potter did $317 million, second did $262 million.

Coming out June 16th, Around the World in 80 Days (rated PG), is a surprising movie to come out. Why is it surprising? Well because it stars Jackie Chan, with guest appears by Kathy Bates, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Luke and Owen Wilson, etc. Now the title of the movie explains the storyline and since it is a remake from the 1956 original, it could be a fun movie. I don't know how they chose Jackie Chan as the leading role, but since I am a fan, I'll give this movie a chance. I'll have to see the previews before I decide if I want to spend the money for theater viewing or just wait for it on DVD. Overall, this movie is not a summer blockbuster and probably could have waited for another time of year to be released. However, since it should be a lighter movie, it may be a choice to go to while other movies are packed.

Kev's prediction: ~$65 million.
Compared to: Shanghai Knights which did $60 million.

Coming out June 18th, Garfield: The Movie (rated PG), should be the unpredictiable surprise summer movie. Starring Bill Murray (the voice of Garfield), Breckin Meyer, and Jennifer Love Hewitt , mixed reviews are coming in. The basic storyline goes that Garfield wants Odie out of his home, but when Odie is dognapped, Garfield has to spring into action to save his friend. On one hand everyone loves Garfield, but will this movie be another botch like "Cat in the Hat"? Taking an unorthodox technique with a computer animated Garfield and putting him in real life settings. Closet thing that comes to mind is how Gollum was created in Lord of the Rings. Of course you don't have to worry Garfield will look that scary, he won't be the same we are use to from his comic strip and tv cartoon drawings. That might have some effect to how many people will want to watch this movie. I think this movie will fair ok, but not be a summer blockbuster. It reminds me to much of when Godzilla came out as an expected summer hit. Well, the movie changed Godzilla too much and the movie never did great enough for a sequel (which was planned, but after the first one did not live up to expectations, has been put on hold indefinitely). I don't know if I'll see this movie or wait for it on DVD. If more previews come to change my mind, I just might have to see another family aimed summer movie.

Kev's prediction: $100 million.
Compared to: The Cat in the Hat which did $100 million.

Coming out June 30th, Spiderman 2 (rated PG-13), is going to be without a doubt the summer blockbuster of 2004. Everyone already knows this. Starring Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, and Alfred Molina , we should see another comeback of the masses for this movie. The basic storyline goes where we are two years later with Peter Parker. Trying to live the life of super hero and college student are taking their toll. He also is conflicted with his love for Mary Jane, the bitterness towards Spiderman from his friend, and a new villian, Dr. Octavtius aka Dr. Octopus. Now being prejudice towards the first Spiderman, because it upstaged StarWars that summer (2002), I can be glad to know this is a sequel and there is no competition from StarWars: Episode 3 this year...although I wouldn't mind them going head to head. Anyways, sequels don't do as well as the first one, but that's nothing to worry about. If you liked the first Spiderman, you'll probably really enjoy this one. The sequel they have worked and taken out what they didn't like about the first one and now have experience to what is expected from the audience. Plus with the visual display of our man Spidy and the new cool villan Dr. Octopus, the fun factor on this movie will be sky high for summer movie goers. Besides, they know it'll be great because it's coming out just before July 4th weekend. Ring a bell to movie's whom have done this with super success in the past???

Kev's prediction: $340 million.
Compared to: Spiderman which did $404 million, Finding Nemo and Lord of the Rings 2 which both did ~$340 million.

Coming out July 7th, King Arthur (rated PG-13 or R), probably will end up the movie that had potential, but failed. Starring Clive Owen, Stephen Dillane, Keira Knightley, and Ioan Gruffudd , this cast for this movie looks like garbage for a summer hit. I only know Keira Knightly because she was the hot woman from Pirates of the Caribbean. The storyline speaks for itself because we all know about King Arthur and the many films done on the subject. Only this time they are trying to do the story more based on the real King Arthur or whoever his real name was and not on King Arthur the legend. So it adds to its own twist and own version, but this movie looks like it is lacking just too much. Plus there are scenes of Guinevere looking like a mad warrior, which in my opinion is just to get women's rights groups happier for the matter. I think she looks stupid because she's all suppose to be a queen and besides, she's too skinny to fight. If they wanted a warrior fighting queen, go get Xena. At least Lucy Lawless is more realistic looking to kicking ace. I'll probably see this one only on DVD just because I like the time period and lore.

Kev's prediction: a mere ~$50 million.
Compared to: First Knight which did only $37 million and that even had Sean Connery!

Other movies of interest but not worth my time writing about:

Anchorman, Starring Will Ferrell, July 9th
Catwoman, Starring Halle Berry, July 23rd
Alien vs. Predator, August 13th

For more listings and info go to Movie Web