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June movies

A look at what's hittingt he theaters in June.

By STEVE PERSALL
Published May 19, 2005

	[Universal Studios]
	Cinderella Man
	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

JUNE 1

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants - Four girlfriends (Alexis Bledel, Amber Tamblyn, America Ferrera, Jenna Boyd) taking different paths stay in touch by sharing a well-worn pair of blue jeans. Should be worth watching for the product placements of laundry detergent alone.

Cinderella Man - Mix Rocky and Seabiscuit and you have Ron Howard's biography of boxer Jim Braddock, who inspired Americans during the Great Depression. Russell Crowe plays Braddock, with newlywed Renee Zellweger as his worried wife and Paul Giamatti (Sideways) as his manager. Designed for Academy Awards consideration, but the movie (previewed earlier this month) gets a split decision.

Lords of Dogtown - One of the best films of 2001 was the documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys, which traced the roots of skateboarding in 1970s California. Now it's a feature film directed by Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen), starring Emile Hirsch, Heath Ledger, Johnny Knoxville and Nikki Reed.

High Tension - French slasher movie about college students stalked in the woods. Do screams require subtitles?

Mr. and Mrs. Smith - No, that isn't how Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie register at hotels to fool the tabloids. They play a married couple, each unaware that the other is a professional assassin until they're hired to kill each other. Think Prizzi's Honor combined with The War of the Roses.

The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl in 3-D - Robert Rodriguez can't stop tinkering with 3-D filmmaking, while headaches caused by Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over linger. A young boy (Cayden Boyd) imagines he's fighting crime with his favorite superheroes.

The Honeymooners - Update of the classic sitcom, with Cedric the Entertainer's waistline standing in for Jackie Gleason's as bus driver Ralph Kramden. Could go to the moon, Alice, or join Ed Norton in the sewers.

The Bridge of San Luis Rey - Third film version of Thornton Wilder's novel about a Peruvian tragedy that prompts a priest (Robert De Niro) to seek divine causes.

Rock School - Not to be confused with Jack Black's hit movie School of Rock, this is a documentary about Paul Green, a failed rock musician who opened an academy for teenage headbangers.

Batman Begins - The title promises a different approach to the Caped Crusader's legacy, and director Christopher Nolan (Memento) is an artist who can do it. Christian Bale bulked up to fit into the Batsuit after starving himself for The Machinist. Michael Caine, Liam Neeson and Morgan Freeman co-star, and Robin the Boy Wonder is nowhere in sight.

The Perfect Man - Add Heather Locklear to the endless list of movie babes who can't find dates. Hilary Duff plays her daughter, posing as a secret admirer sending cards and flowers. Chris Noth (Mr. Big in HBO's Sex and the City) should fill the bill when Mom wants to meet her suitor.

Herbie: Fully Loaded - Those lines, that acceleration. No, we're not talking about Lindsay Lohan, but Herbie, the magical Volkswagen she drives on the NASCAR circuit, in another sequel to 1969's The Love Bug.

Bewitched - Another TV remake, but with a twist: Rather than duplicating the 1960s sitcom, director Nora Ephron makes a movie about making a sitcom about a man married to a witch. Will Ferrell plays a self-centered actor whose co-star (Nicole Kidman) really is a witch with a nose twitch.

Land of the Dead - George A. Romero is tired of people remaking his zombie trilogy, so he'll give fans a new taste of terror. Survivors of Romero's night, dawn and day of the living dead retreat inside a walled city for their final stand.

War of the Worlds - Steven Spielberg goes extraterrestrial again, but these aliens aren't cute or melodic. They're bent on destroying Earth, unless an everyman (Tom Cruise) and his daughter (Dakota Fanning) do something about it. Could be the most action packed Independence Day weekend movie since, well, Independence Day.

[Last modified May 18, 2005, 10:01:06]