Thursday, September 6, 2001
September’s movies previewed - THE COMMENTARY
By Joseph Planta
VANCOUVER -- And so it’s September. School starts and we near the onset of fall. In the movie business, not as much money is made in the remainder of the calendar year, but the more prestigious pictures are dropped in the hopes of attracting a curt nod from Oscar. The good people at the Academy have short attention spans so it seems. In this space today, lemme give a shotty look at what to expect at the old box office come September.
When I went to see The Score about a month ago -- a terrific thriller of a picture starring Robert De Niro, Marlon Brando and the remarkable Ed Norton -- I happened to catch the trailer for Hardball. No, the CNBC talkfest hosted by loudmouth Chris Matthews hasn’t had a big screen adaptation. It happens to be a ‘based on a true story’ flick starring Keanu Reeves and Diane Lane. Reeves plays a shifty character who ends up coaching a bunch of inner-city kids playing little league ball. Hardball bows September 14th.
Helen Hunt lookalike Leelee Sobieski, who’s played in Eyes Wide Shut and as Joan Of Arc, hits the screens on the 14th with The Glass House. It’s a thriller that co-stars Diane Lane and character actor Stellan Skarsgård as legal guardians who have to look after Sobieski after her parents die.
Rock Star stars Mark Wahlberg and Friends’ Jennifer Aniston. It’s a picture inspired by Judas Priest’s front man Rob Halford being replaced by Ripper Owens. Wahlberg plays a salesman who is drafted to rock star by night in a film that opens on the 7th.
Ben Stiller co-writes, directs and stars in Zoolander. Based on a sketch co-dreamed up by Stiller, the film tells the tale of a male model named -- would you believe -- Derek Zoolander. Jerry Stiller, Ben’s dad, plays an agent that discovers bone structure perfect Zoolander and leads him to the wonderful world of modelling. The satire opens on September 28th.
Owing to Mariah Carey’s recent mental meltdown, Glitter’s release looks in jeopardy. The picture plot’s Carey as an inner-city warbler who rises to full divahood. Tentative release is pegged for September 21st.
On that day (the 21st) you’ll also be able to catch Liam, a Stephen Frears helmer about Liverpool in the 1930s. All of course seen through a Catholic chap’s eyes.
The Musketeer stars Justin Chambers, Mena Suvari, Tim Roth, Catherine Deneuve and Stephen Rea. Based on the Three Musketeers, Peter Hymes (the film’s director) employs Xin Xin Xiong as cinematographer. The result is an inventive Hong Kong style look at this classic reinvention of a timeless classic. Musketeer bows on September 7th.
Scott Hicks, who made his directorial debut helming Shine, returns with Hearts In Atlantis. Starring Sir Anthony Hopkins, it’s a film of a Stephen King novel adapted by William Goldman. Hearts flutters into theatres on September 28th.
Two Can Play The Game stars Vivica A. Fox as a businesswoman who finds love in Morris Chestnut (yes, he is her co-star) who in turn cheats on her. It’s a scheming tale scripted by Mark Brown who wrote Def Jam’s How To Be A Player. Game opens on September 7th.
Look for Michael Douglas in Don’t Say A Word. Opening on the 28th, Word sees Douglas as a doctor who’s daughter is kidnapped. The story goes on, but I won’t. Director Gary Felder says that the film is a “combination of a psychological thriller and a mystery.”
Get Shorty’s director, Barry Sonnenfield, showcases Big Trouble. It’s a big cast that includes Tim Allen, Rene Russo, Stanley Tucci, Janeane Garafalo, Dennis Farina, Jason Lee and Tom Sizemore, among others. It’s an all-star romp based on a Dave Barry novel and it opens on September 21st.
Training Day, directed by Antoine Fuqua, stars Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke. The pitch is that its about a good cop who is tempted to go bad. It opens on the 21st.
And on the 21st Sidewalks of New York opens starring Edward Burns and Heather Graham. It tells the story of New Yorkers falling in and out of love. Also in the picture are Stanley Tucci and Brittany Murphy.
Now I am terribly indebted to the August 24/31 2001 issue of Entertainment Weekly. Their comprehensive movie coverage allows me the perspective I hope I’ve provided in the column previous.
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