The early months of the year are often viewed as the dog days of Hollywood, but many quality films are released during that period. Here are what appear to be the highlights of the first batch of 2004 releases. Release dates are subject to change.
JANUARY
The Big Bounce. Adaptation of an Elmore Leonard novel starring Owen Wilson as a drifter who is lured into the shady Hawaiian underworld by a beautiful woman.
The Butterfly Effect. Ashton Kutcher goes back in time to alter events in his life, but his back-and-forth travels adversely affect the world around him.
Mindhunters. An FBI training camp is put to the test when it is discovered a serial killer is among them. Val Kilmer stars as the trainer.
FEBRUARY
Against the Ropes. Meg Ryan stars in this biography of Jackie Kallen, a woman who managed the careers of several major boxers.
Barbershop 2. The sequel to the surprise 2002 hit. Ice Cube returns as the owner of a barbershop on Chicago’s South Side that serves as a neighborhood gathering place.
50 First Dates. Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore team up again in this comedy about a veterinarian who romances a girl with short-term memory. Every encounter is like a first date.
Kill Bill: Vol. 2. Quentin Tarantino’s revenge saga continues with Uma Thurman tracking down the rest of the gang who tried to kill her. This installment will be more like a spaghetti Western.
The Passion of Christ. The most controversial film in recent memory will be released on Ash Wednesday. Director Mel Gibson chronicles the last 12 hours of Christ’s life. The Pope’s approved, but others have been sharply critical.
Twisted. Ashley Judd stars as a cop who becomes the center of a murder investigation, because all her ex-lovers are dying off mysteriously. Samuel L. Jackson co-stars as another cop.
Welcome to Mooseport. An ex-President (Gene Hackman) decides to run for mayor of a small town. The race becomes one of his most difficult when he is challenged by a hardware store owner (Ray Romano).
MARCH
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Jim Carrey’s girlfriend (Kate Winslet) undergoes an experiment that erases all her memories of him. Carrey then subjects himself to the same treatment. The script is from the twisted mind of Charlie Kaufman.
Dawn of the Dead. Ving Rhames stars in this remake of the gore classic about a group of people protecting themselves from zombies in a shopping mall.
Jersey Girl. Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are back together again, at least on the big screen, in Kevin Smith’s romantic comedy drama about a music promoter and a book editor.
The Ladykillers. Tom Hanks stars in the Coen Brothers remake of the Alec Guinness-Peter Sellers classic heist comedy. The location has been moved to a New Orleans riverboat casino.
Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed. The second installment of the live-action version, starring an animated dog.
Spartan. David Mamet directed this thriller about a government agent (Val Kilmer) who uncovers a sinister White House plot while trying to rescue the President’s kidnapped daughter.
Starsky and Hutch. Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson star in this big screen version of the popular ’70s television cop shop. Snoop Dogg also appears as Huggy Bear.
APRIL
The Alamo. A small band of Americans defend a Texas outpost against the Mexican army. This account purports to be more accurate than previous film versions.
Godsend. A couple approaches a stem cell expert (Robert De Niro) to illegally clone their dead son, but the clone is not what they expected.
Hellboy. Ron Perlman stars in this adaptation of a graphic novel (comic book) about a demonic human who investigates paranormal occurrences.
Man on Fire. Denzel Washington stars as an ex-marine who becomes a bodyguard to protect a wealthy family. When the daughter is kidnapped and murdered, he seeks revenge.
The Punisher. Another dark comic book adaptation. This one is about an undercover agent who becomes a black-cloaked vigilante.
Secret Window. Johnny Depp stars in the Stephen King adaptation as a writer who is stalked by a psycho (John Turturro) who claims Depp stole his idea.
Walking Tall. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson stars in this loose remake of the ’70s independent hit about an ex-soldier who cleans up the crime in his town with a two-by-four.
The Whole Ten Yards. Jimmy the Tulip (Bruce Willis), a hitman living in suburbia, returns in this sequel to The Whole Nine Yards. Matthew Perry is back as Jimmy’s neighbor.
MAY
The Day After Tomorrow. Roland Emmerich (Independence Day) unleashes another special effects extravaganza this time showing the cataclysmic events caused by global warming.
Shrek 2. The voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz return in this sequel to the blockbuster computer animated film about a likable ogre.
Troy. The epic story of the Trojan War in 1193 B.C. gets the big screen treatment with Brad Pitt as Achilles and Eric Bana as Hector. This is just the beginning of a swarm of Gladiator-inspired movies.
Van Helsing. Hugh Jackman stars as the legendary vampire hunter who was created by Bram Stoker to be Dracula’s adversary.
This article appears in Dec 18-24, 2003.
