chip@t4test.UUCP (Chip Rosenthal) (05/28/84)
The "Arts & Books" section of Sunday's San Jose Mercury had an article
("Summer Movies", Glen Lovell) on this summer's movies, including a
very comprehensive list of what will be showing. Below you will find
the portion of the list which covers movies with release dates in May
through July. If I can ever get my fingers to straighten out again,
I'll send out a Part II covering August and September.
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"Streets of Fire" (Friday).
Walter Hill's follow-up to "48 HRS" sounds like "The Wild
One" crossed with Hill's own "The Warriors" and every other
Howard Hawks Western. Michael Pare, who struck out in
"Eddie and the Cruisers," returns as an urban bounty hunter
who rides to the rescue of a kidnapped punk-rocker (Diane
Lane). Promises lots of fancy MTV lighting and state-of-
the-art mayhem.
"Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" (Friday).
Picks up where "Star Trek II" leaves off, with the "burial"
of Spock on the planet Gensis, which turns out to be in the
throes of "speeded evolution." Once again, it's Kirk, Dr.
McCoy and Scotty vs. the Vulcans. But what of Spock? Nimoy
is not listed as an actor in the film's credits.
"Once Upon a Time in America" (Friday).
Sergio Leone's first film in more than a decade is a "darkly
brooding" gangster epic starring Robert DeNiro and James
Woods as Brooklyn immigrants who gun their way to the top of
the heap. Originally intended as a sprawling two-parter,
"OUATIA" was shortened to three hours, then drastically cut
again after poor Boston previews. It's now being called
this year's "Heaven's Gate." Also with Tuesday Weld and
Elizabeth McGovern.
"Killpoint" (Friday).
Ultraviolent caper about an assault on a police arsenal and
the special task force that goes after the gangland thieves.
With Leo Fong, Cameron Mitchell and -- "In his toughest and
roughest performance since
"Top Secret" (June 8).
An anything-for-a-laugh spoof of all espionage/World War II
films by the team that masterminded "Airplane!" Omar Sharif
has a cameo.
"Gremlins" (June 8).
A comic-book fable about a furry Christmas gift that multi-
plies and wreaks havoc on a small Midwestern town. The
creatures of the title evolve (when doused with water) from
cuddly Ewoks to maniacal Muppets. Directed by Joe Dante
("The Howling") and produced by Spielberg. With Hoyt Axton,
Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates and Polly Holliday as Kingston
Falls' very own Wicked Witch of the West.
"Beat Street" (June 8)
This one is brazenly being pushed by Orion Pictures as "a
cross between South Bronx graffiti artists. With Rae Dawn
Chong, last seen doing the cavewoman bit in "Quest for
Fire."
"Ghostbusters" (June 8).
Columbia Pictures has a lot riding on the $38 million
spectral-effects comedy starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd
and Harold Ramis as scientists who, after being fired from
their jobs, start their own ghost extermination business.
Directed by Ramis, whose previous summer hits include "Cad-
dyshack" and "National Lampoon's Vacation." Sounds like
loads of fun.
"The Pope of Greenwich Village" (June 22).
Micky Rourke ("Diner") and Eric Roberts ("STAR 80") play New
York City cousins who run afoul of the mob in this adapta-
tion of the Vincent Patrick best seller. Directed by Stuart
Rosenberg, whose other outsider films include "Brubaker" and
"Cool Hand Luke."
"The Karate Kid" (June 22).
Some are predicting big things for this modest comedy-
adventure about a new kid in town (Ralph Macchio of "The
Outsiders") who learns martial arts from an old master (Pat
Morita) to protect himself from high school bullies. Our
hero has his day at the San Fernando Valley Karate Tourna-
ment. If this sounds like a cross between "My Bodyguard"
and "Rock," that's because director John G. Avildsen (of
"Rocky," Save the Tiger" fame) intended it that way. Morita
and Macchio share some very funny scenes, though the cathar-
tic ending rings false.
"Rhinestone" (June 22).
Dolly Parton and Sylvester Stallone team for another varia-
tion on the G.B. Shar's "Pygmalion." Parton plays a
nightclud singer who bets she can turn an average New York
cabbie (Stallone) into a country-Western sensation.
Directed by BoB Clark, of "Porky's" and "A Christmas Story"
fame.
"Cannonball Run II" (June 29).
Burt Reynolds and the gang (Dom DeLuise, Dean Martin, Sammy
Davis, etc.) return for more cross-country mayhem in this
sequel to 1981's noisiest (and trashiest) hit. Hal Needham
is back in the director's chair, and Shirley MacLaine has
her first post-Oscar outing as a "show business nun." Among
the 24 guest stars you'll be able to spot are Frank Sinatra,
Sid Caesar, and Susan Anton.
"Conan, the Destroyer" (June 29).
The original hulk, Arnold Schwarzenegger, returns as the
legendary hero who has it in for evil kings and fire-
spitting dragons. If nothing else, this sequel to the tur-
gid 1982 "Conan" promises the summer's most bizarre casting.
Joining Arnie in his noble quest are new-wave singer Grace
Jones and basketball giant Wilt Chamberlain. Directed by
Richard Fleischer, whose endless list of credits includes
"20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" and "Fantastic Voyage."
"Bachelor Party" (June 22).
No, not a remake of the old Paddy Chayefsky drama. This one
is being hailed as a raunchy comedy from the folks who
penned "Police Academy." Tom Hanks stars as a groom-to-be
who spends his last moments of bachelorhood at an especially
wild stag party. A parallel plot follows his fiancee's
night-before fling. Directed by Neal Israel, of "Tunnelvi-
sion" fame.
"The Last Starfighter" (July 13).
An ingenious update of Universal's "This Island Earth"
(1955). Lance Guest stars as a bored youth who is recruited
by aliens to help save their besieged planet. Directed by
Nick Castle from a clever script by Jonathan Betuel. Lots
of humor and "Star Wars" quality special effects. With
Robert Preston and (under an amazing reptilian mask) Dan
O'Herlihy.
"The Muppets Take Manhattan" (July 13).
It's "Broadway or Bust" for Kermit, Miss Piggy and the gang
in this third Muppet feature. Miss Piggy is rumored to get
Kermit to the alter in this one. Directed by Jim Henson.
"The New Kids" (July 13).
This exploitation number comes from Sean Cunningham of
"Spring Break"/"Friday the 13th" fame. It's described as a
"tale of terror in which youthful sparring ultimately
becomes a vicious vendetta."
"The Neverending Story" (tentative July 20).
This elaborate fantasy combines ideas and effects from "The
Wizard of Oz" and "The Dark Crystal." The story line, taken
from Michael Ende's novel, concerns the odyssey of a 10-
year-old Bastian, who is drawn into "a timeless world of
fabulous creatures"--among them, the Racing Snail, the Night
Hob, and a flying dragon named Falkor. Special effects
supervised by Brian Johnson ("The Empire Strikes Back,"
"Alien").
"Best Defense" (July 20).
Dudley Moore and Eddie Murphy co-star in this comedy about a
defense engineer (Moore) and the luckless soldier (MurphY)
assigned to field-test his "annihilator" tank. With Kate
Capshaw, who can be seen in "Indiana Jones."
"Purple Rain" (tentative July 27).
Prince makes his feature debut in this Minneapolis-set story
about an alienated youth who channels his anger into his
music. Sound track includes nine Prince songs, including
"Let's Get Crazy" and the title cut. Co-starring Apollonia
Kotero of Apollonia 6.
"Cheech and Chong as the Corsican Brothers" (July 27).
Holywood's favorite potheads say they're through with mari-
juana jokes. Their latest, a sendup of the Dumas classic
about identical twins separated at birth, is supposed to be
wild and wacky PG-rated fun. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. played
both roles in the 1941 swashbuckler.
"Jungle Book" (July 27).
Disney's only summer offering is a re-release of the 1967
favorite which ranks with "Snow White" and "Fantasia" as the
studio's most profitable animated feature. It is also the
last cartoon feature to be overseen by Walt Disney himself.
The source is Rudyard Kipling's tales of Mowgli, who is
raised by wolves; the voice-overs were done by Phil Harris,
Sebastian Cabot, George Sanders and Louis Prima.
"Electric Dreams" (July 27).
A backward San Francisco architect uses his home computer to
court a beautiful musician in the apartment above him. The
result: a MTV-inspired "fairy tale for all ages." Starring
Lenny Von Dohlen, Virginia Madsen and Maxwell Caulfield.
Directed by Steve Barron, whose music videos include "Billie
Jean" with Michael Jackson.
--
Chip Rosenthal, Intel/Santa Clara
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