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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Friday, May 19, 2006

Got your popcorn? Here's the film schedule

 •  Summer screen scene

By Jack Garner
Gannett News Service

Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick plays the devil spawn Damien in the remake of "The Omen." But are the rottweilers back?

Vince Valittuti

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Andrea Sachs (Anne Hathaway) grapples with her imperious boss — fashion magazine editor Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), in "The Devil Wears Prada," an inside look at New York publishing.

Barry Wetcher

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Hugh Jackman returns as Wolverine in the third installment of the X-Men film franchise. Patrick Stewart is back too, and Kelsey Grammer (of TV's "Frasier") joins the superhero adventure. "X-Men: The Last Stand" opens next week.

20th Century Fox

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Hell hath no fury like a superheroine in "My Super Ex-Girlfriend," starring Uma Thurman and Luke Wilson.

Myles Aronowitz

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Mark Houghton takes a reptilian trip in "Snakes on a Plane," a film whose title has spawned a cult Web site.

Myles Aronowitz

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Jason Mewes, left, reprises his role as Jay in Kevin Smith's slacker opus "Clerks II." Smith, right, plays Silent Bob.

MGM/The Weinstein Company

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Yes, the big summer movie news is the long-awaited unveiling of Ron Howard's "The Da Vinci Code." But it's not the only game in town.

Peppered between the biggies will be the usual summer assortment of comedies, sequels and action flicks.

The calendar says summer begins on June 21, but moviegoers are already getting an early jump with summer movie fare.

With the caveat that opening dates are always subject to change, here's the lineup.

"X-Men: The Last Stand": The comic-book gang, and the actors who play them, are back to engage in the so-called "war to end all wars." Is it ever smart to label a chapter in a hit franchise "the last stand"? We'll see. Patrick Stewart, Halle Berry and Hugh Jackman return. Kelsey Grammer is a new addition to the cast. Opens May 26.

"The Break Up": Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughan co-star (and apparently fall for each other in real life) in this romantic comedy as a couple who break up — but each refuses to leave the condo they share. Opens June 2.

"The Omen": This is a remake of the 1976 demonic thriller, purposefully released on June 6, 2006. Get it? Opens June 6.

"The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift": The saga of young underground racers shifts to Japan when one of the American youths (Lucas Black) flees there to avoid jail time. Opens June 16.

"The Lake House": A doctor (Sandra Bullock) and a college dropout (Keanu Reeves) live in the same house two years apart but fall in love via letters they exchange through a mailbox that somehow bridges time. Opens June 16.

"Garfield's A Tale of Two Kitties": The comic-strip cat joins his owner on a trip to England, where he's mistaken for a royal pet and enjoys the acclaim. Opens June 16.

"Click": A comedy with Adam Sandler as a workaholic architect who discovers a remote control that allows him to freeze-frame and fast-forward his life. Opens June 23.

"Waist Deep": Vondie Curtis-Hall wrote and directs this drama about an ex-con (Tyrese Gibson) pursuing a dangerous criminal who kidnapped his son in a carjacking. Opens June 23.

"The Devil Wears Prada": A comedy-drama with Anne Hathaway as a woman who gets a job with one of Manhattan's top fashion magazine editors, played by Meryl Streep. Opens June 30.

"Little Man": The latest Wayans family comedy, in which a wannabe dad (Shawn Wayans) mistakes a criminal on the lam (Marlon Wayans) for his newly adopted son. Opens July 5.

"Strangers with Candy": A prequel to the Comedy Central series about an ex-con (Amy Sedaris) trying to get her life together. Opens July 5.

"You, Me and Dupree": Owen Wilson stars in this modern twist on "The Man Who Came to Dinner." This time, he's the best man at a wedding who refuses to leave the bride and groom's abode. Kate Hudson and Michael Douglas co-star. Opens July 14.

"Pulse": An Americanization of a Japanese horror flick about the horrifying possibilities when a technological gateway is discovered between alternate universes. Kristen Bell and Jonathan Tucker co-star. Opens July 14.

"Pathfinder": An action drama in which a Viking boy is raised by a Native American tribe and eventually helps them battle the Norsemen. Opens July 14.

"Lady in the Water": The latest strange tale from M. Night Shyamalan (of "The Village") about an apartment super (Paul Giamatti of "Sideways" ) who discovers a woman (Bryce Dallas Howard) rising from the complex's pool, and learns she's from some storybook neverland. Opens July 21.

"Monster House": In this teen horror flick, three young folks discover the neighboring house is a living, breathing monster. Opens July 21.

"My Super Ex-Girlfriend": An average Joe (Luke Wilson) dumps his superhero woman (Uma Thurman), and boy, is he sorry. Opens July 21.

"Miami Vice": The white-linen-chic '80s TV series is now on the big screen with Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx as the new Crockett and Tubbs. Creator Michael Mann is also at the helm, which bodes well. Opens July 28.

"Barnyard": A cartoon in which the farmer's away, so the animals play. Opens July 28.

"John Tucker Must Die": A teen comedy in which three jilted girls set up the creep who broke their hearts with a fourth girl who is guaranteed to break his heart. Opens July 28.

"Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby": A NASCAR comedy with Will Ferrell as a driver facing competition from within his team. Oscar nominee Amy Adams co-stars. Opens Aug. 4.

"The Ant Bully": A kid floods an ant colony with his water gun, and is then magically shrunken down to insect size and forced into hard labor in the ruins. Starring the voices of Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Regina King, Nicolas Cage and Paul Giamatti. Opens Aug. 4.

"The Visiting": A sci-fi thriller in which psychiatrist Nicole Kidman discovers the roots of an alien invasion. Moreover, her son may hold the key. Opens Aug. 11.

"Zoom": A comedy in which a former superhero is recruited to whip a ragtag bunch of superhero recruits into shape. Tim Allen, Chevy Chase and Courteney Cox co-star. Opens Aug. 11.

"The Reaping": A supernatural thriller with Hilary Swank as a disillusioned former missionary who must regain her faith to stop a catastrophe. Opens Aug. 11.

"Accepted": A teen comedy about a high-school grad who confounds his parents with his business savvy as he approaches college. Justin Long stars. Opens Aug. 11.

"Snakes on a Plane": You've seen the blog, now see the movie. A thriller with a basic but effective premise: A crate full of snakes is let loose on a plane by an assassin looking to create a major diversion. Oh yeah, Samuel L. Jackson stars. Opens Aug. 18.

"Clerks II": The further adventures of the convenience-store serfs and their hangers-on. Rosario Dawson joins the regulars. Once again, Kevin Smith writes and directs. Opens Aug. 18.

"Beerfest": Jay Chandrasekhar and Nat Faxon co-star in this action-comedy about two brothers who travel to Oktoberfest in Germany, and get involved in beer brawls that combine a fight club with drinking games. Opens Aug. 25.

"DOA: Dead or Alive": An action thriller, based on a popular videogame and co-starring model Devon Aoki (daughter of Benihana founder Rocky Aoki) and Sarah Carter. Opens Aug. 25.

"Crossover": Two college basketball players debate what to do with their futures, as the NBA tries to lure them with riches. Wayne Brady and Anthony Mackie co-star. Opens Aug. 25.

"Idlewild": A musical drama set in a black community in the Prohibition-era South, telling a tale of musicians, entrepreneurs and gangsters tied to a popular speakeasy. Ben Vereen, Antwan "Big Boi" Patton and Andre Benjamin (the rap duo Outkast), and Paula Patton co-star. Opens Aug. 25.

"How to Eat Fried Worms": A family saga, based on Thomas Rockwell's book about a boy who takes on a classroom bully. Opens Aug. 25.

"Stormbreaker": An action-adventure with a 14-year-old (newcomer Alex Pettyfer) forced to become a reluctant spy after the mysterious death of his uncle (Ewan McGregor). Mickey Rourke co-stars. Opens Sept. 1.

"Crank": A thriller with Jason Statham going on a high-speed 24-hour rampage when he finds out he's been poisoned and that his girlfriend (Amy Smart) is in trouble. Opens Sept. 1.