Holy summer movies, Batman!

“Supercross”
Starring: Steve Howey, Mike Vogel, Daryl Hannah, Robert Patrick, Aaron Carter, Cameron Richardson, Ryan Locke, Carolyn Garcia
Director: Steve Boyum
Story: Set in the high-octane world of Supercross, this film tells the story of two brothers (Howey and Vogel) who become competitors and rivals. Sophia Bush (“One Tree Hill”) plays the love interest. Richardson plays a female Supercross rider.

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Buzz: This looks like your basic, summer popcorn movie, designed solely to tap into that teenage boy market. The only thing that’s surprising about that this one is that it didn’t go straight to video.
Web site:  http://www.supercrossmovie.com/

“Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo”

Columbia Pictures

Starring: Rob Schneider, Eddie Griffin, Jeroen Krabbé, Arija Bareikis, Oded Fehr, Til Schweiger
Director: Mike Bigelow
Story: When his pimp (Griffin) is implicated in the murders of great European gigolos — and no, I’m not making that up — Deuce Bigalow (Schneider) decides to clear his friend’s name and goes back to work as a male prostitute to do it. The catch, he does it in Europe.
Buzz: It’s amazing what films merit sequels these days. This looks nothing but stupid, but if that’s your cup of tea, you’ll probably enjoy it. The first film made over $65 million in the U.S., which isn’t great until you consider that it only cost $18 million to make. That’s the reason sequels like this one get made: easy money. Director Bigelow (just a coincidence with the name) takes over for Mike Mitchell.
Web site:  http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/deucebigaloweuropeangigolo/

“Four Brothers”

Paramount Pictures

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, Andre Benjamin, Garrett Hedlund, Terrence Dashon Howard, Taraji P. Henson, Sofia Vergara
Director: John Singleton
Story: Wahlberg, Benjamin, Gibson and Hedlund star as four brothers who reunite for their adopted mother’s funeral. When they realize that foul play might have been the cause of her death, the brothers decide to track down the killer and avenge her murder.
Buzz: Remember when it seemed like Singleton was going to be the next big thing? That was way back in 1991, when “Boyz in the Hood” came out. He’s never really lived up to that promise, but it’s hard not to hope for something a bit better than what he’s done lately (“Baby Boy,” “2 Fast, 2 Furious”). Benjamin (also known as Andre 3000 from Outkast) was one of the only good things about the dreadful “Be Cool.”
Web site: NA

“The Skeleton Key”

Universal Pictures

Starring: Kate Hudson, Gena Rowlands, Peter Sarsgaard, John Hurt, Joy Bryant
Director: Iain Softley
Story: Kate Hudson stars as a live-in nurse hired to take care of an elderly woman’s (Rowlands) aging husband (Hurt) in a decrepit mansion in Louisiana. She decides to investigate the mysterious goings-on at the house using a skeleton key to open all the doors. She discovers some terrifying secrets. Sarsgaard co-stars as a local attorney who is working on the old couple’s estate. Bryant plays Hudson’s best friend.
Buzz: Softley has a rather mixed track record as a director. On the one hand, he made the really good Beatles biopic, “Backbeat.” On the other, he helmed the disastrous “K-Pax.”  With the success of movies like “The Ring” (which “Skeleton Key’s” screenwriter also wrote) everyone is getting in on the horror-thriller genre these days. Sarsgaard (“Garden State,” “Kinsey”) is one of the better young character actors around — and he, along with Hurt and Rowlands, should lend some acting talent to the proceedings.
Web site:  http://www.theskeletonkeymovie.com/

“The Great Raid”

Miramax

Starring: Benjamin Bratt, James Franco, Connie Nielsen, Marton Csokas, Mark Consuelos, Joseph Fiennes
Director: John Dahl
Story: Set in the Philippines in 1945, this film tells the true story of Lt. Colonel Mucci (Bratt) and Captain Prince (Franco) who lead the 6^th Battalion behind enemy lines to liberate over 500 American POWs.
Buzz: John Dahl (“Red Rock West,” “Last Seduction”) is a great director who’s had a couple of missteps (“Joy Ride,” “Rounders”) — let’s hope he gets back on track here. It’s hard to say if Bratt (“Law & Order”) has the acting chops to pull this role off, although Dahl was able to make Peter Berg (“Last Seduction”) seem sexy, which was no easy feat.
Web site:  http://www.miramax.com/thegreatraid/

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