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August movies

A look at what's hitting the theaters in August

By STEVE PERSALL
Published May 19, 2005

[Photo: Warner Bros.]

The Dukes of Hazzard

	Coming to a darkened room near you Some things old, a handful new, some borrowed plots and a bit of boo: Summer films again marry the proven and the preposterous to lure fans to the movie theater. May movies June movies July movies August movies Also on the way

AUGUST 5

The Dukes of Hazzard - Rev up the General Lee, the good ol' boys are back. Johnny Knoxville and Seann William Scott play Bo and Luke Duke, Southern hunks harassing a local tyrant (Burt Reynolds). Willie Nelson co-stars as Uncle Jesse, while Jessica Simpson slips into Daisy Duke's short-shorts.

The Pink Panther - Forty years after Peter Sellers created a classic comedy character, Steve Martin takes over as Inspector Clouseau for a prequel. The murder of a soccer coach and theft of a priceless diamond send him bumbling for clues.

3001 - Writer-director Mike Judge (Office Space) creates a futuristic social satire in which a soldier (Luke Wilson) awakens from suspended animation in a dumbed-down world, making him the smartest man alive.

Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo - What did we do to deserve this? Somebody still thinks Rob Schneider is funny, or else he wouldn't make a sequel to a crass 1999 comedy about a hapless male escort.

The Aristocrats - Nearly 100 comedians tell the same joke, arguably the dirtiest of all time because it's all in the raunchy delivery. Penn Jillette's documentary wowed the Sundance Film Festival. All those blushing cheeks contrasted nicely with the snow.

Four Brothers - John Singleton directs a film loosely based on John Wayne's western, The Sons of Katie Elder. Pop star Andre 3000 (Benjamin) and three siblings avenge the murder of their mother in present-day Detroit.

The Skeleton Key - Kate Hudson (Almost Famous) returns from new motherhood to play a caretaker involved with voodoo in New Orleans. Sounds big, but not easy.

Domino - Based on a true story, the daughter of actor Laurence Harvey leaves her modeling career to become a bounty hunter. Keira Knightley (Pirates of the Caribbean, King Arthur) is tough enough to handle the role.

The 40-Year-Old Virgin - One of the funniest people on television, Steve Carell (The Office, The Daily Show), stars as a sexually inexperienced man trying to end that situation.

Red-Eye - Rachel McAdams plays a woman kidnapped on a jet airliner, whose father will be killed if she doesn't cooperate with an assassination. Where's the emergency exit when you need one?

Valiant - Disney's animated offering for the summer is set in World War II, when a pigeon (voiced by Ewan McGregor) flies vital messages across the English Channel for the Royal Air Force. Somehow this doesn't seem as much fun as Chicken Run.

The Cave - Cave divers discover ghastly creatures underwater. Now you can tell the summer movie season is coming to a close, and the dog days are setting in.

The Underclassman - Young detective (Nick Cannon, Drumline) goes undercover at a private school to smash a stolen car ring.

Backwater - Teenagers seek deliverance from maniacal rednecks in Louisiana's swamps. Cue the weird kid with the banjo.

[Last modified May 18, 2005, 10:13:28]