The Omnibus

Issue date: 5/13/04 Section: The Gallery

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This summer's movie line-up promises to bring loads of laughter, love, fear and excitement. With several sequels to previous box office hits, the Summer 2004 movie releases include several must-see films. Listed in order by their release dates, here are a few movies students will not want to miss.

May 14:
"TROY." An adaptation of Homer's great epic, "The Iliad," this film follows the siege of Troy. After 10 bloody years, the time comes for the war to end, but the Greeks are not going to leave without taking the city. Directed by Wolfgang Petersen, "Troy" stars Brad Pitt as Achilles, Eric Bana as Hector, Diane Kruger as Helen, Brian Cox as Agamemnon and Peter O'Toole as King Priam.

"Breakin' All the Rules." When it comes to getting dumped, one man has written the book. Jamie Foxx stars in this revenge-oriented romantic comedy as a guy inspired by his fiancée (who dumped him) to publish a break-up handbook for men. This "how-to" best seller suggests men should break up with their girlfriends first, causing a hilarious series of errors.

May 21:
"Shrek 2." Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, John Lithgow and Conrad Vernon lend their voices to another animated adventure about the ornery ogre with a trash-talking donkey. The film picks up right where the first movie ended. Shrek and Fiona return from their honeymoon to find a letter from Fiona's parents inviting the newlyweds over for dinner. The only problem is they have no idea their daughter is now an ogre.

Another twist in the plot occurs when a fairy godmother discovers Fiona and Shrek are married. She reminds the king about a deal they agreed on years ago: that Fiona would marry Prince Charming (her son). The king then hires a cat named Puss-in-Boots (a sword fighting cat and ogre slayer) to kill Shrek.

May 26:
"RAISING HELEN." This heartwarming comedy stars Kate Hudson as a carefree, New York City glamour girl who tames down her lifestyle to care for her sister's three kids suddenly orphaned when their parents perish in an auto accident.

May 28:
"The Day After Tomorrow." This film features Dennis Quaid as an intrepid scientist who has only 48 hours to save the planet from the cataclysmic change that shifted the Earth's climate from global warming to the brink of another Ice Age. During this special effects-driven epic, the scientist must get to his young son in New York, which is being taken over by the ice age.

June 4:
"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban." The third installment in J.K. Rowling's children's series has its wizard hero (Daniel Ratcliffe) and his Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry classmates mixed-up with a convicted murderer (Gary Oldman) who has escaped from prison.

June 11:
"GARfield: the movie." "It ain't the Cat in the Hat." This fat, furry feline created by cartoonist Jim Davis in 1978 finally makes his way to the movie screen for an animated adventure. When Jon Arbuckle, Garfield's owner, buys a second pet, a dog named Odie, the wisecracking Garfield competes for the affection and attention of their master. But when Odie is kidnapped by a mean dog trainer, Garfield comes up with a way to rescue his fellow pet.

Bill Murray provides the voice for the fat, furry feline along with a celebrity cast, including Jennifer Love Hewitt, Mo'Nique Imes-Jackson, Brad Garrett, Jimmy Kimmel, Nick Cannon and Debra Messing.

June 18:
"The Terminal." Stephen Spielberg directs Tom Hanks in this romantic comedy about a refugee from Eastern Europe fleeing from the civil war in his homeland. The immigrant is denied entry into the United States because the time of his landing coincides precisely with the point at which the war causes his country to no longer exist, meaning his passport and paperwork are no longer valid. As a man without a home, he takes up residence in the terminal itself, befriending the staff of the airport and falling in love with an airline flight attendant.

June 25:
"The Notebook." Adapted from the Nicholas Sparks novel, this romance revolves around a retired salesman (James Garner) reviving a post-World War II relationship with an old flame (Gena Rowlands) who now suffers from Alzheimer's in a nursing home. The couple's story is read from a notebook by an old man who regularly visits a woman in a nursing home.

"Two Brothers." This film is a wildlife epic, set in Cambodia in the 1920s. The movie traces the adolescent ordeals faced by two sibling tigers that were separated as cubs. After years of one being trained as a circus performer and the other trained to kill, they are reunited as enemies by an explorer who inadvertently forces them to fight each other.

June 30:
"Spider Man 2." While Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) is beset with numerous personal problems, the Marvel Comics superhero Spider Man must save the planet again, this time confronting a brilliant, mad scientist known as Dr. Octopus (Alfred Molina). Also returning are Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Ted Raimi, Elizabeth Banks and Bruce Campbell.

July 7:
"King Arthur." The often-told tale of the Knights of the Round Table gets refreshed as a more realistic portrayal of "Arthur" is presented. The film will focus on the history and politics of the period during which King Arthur supposedly ruled instead of the mystical elements of the tale on which past Arthur films have focused. This action-oriented costume drama stars Clive Owen as Arthur, Stephen Dillane as Merlin, Keira Knightley as Lady Guinevere, Hugh Dancy as Sir Galahad and Ioan Gruffudd as Sir Lancelot.

July 23:
"Catwoman." Halle Berry handles the title role in this spin-off of the Batman feline formerly played on the big screen by Michelle Pfeiffer and in the TV series by Eartha Kitt. Here, the character has been transformed from a villainess into a shy, sensitive soul with an alternative superhero ego.

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