Spring Movie Sneak Preview, Part 1
Originally written for The Occidental.
Warner Brothers has an exciting first quarter in store for moviegoers! Here’s a peek at some of what’s coming in the next few months (names in parentheses indicate the production company).
All photos copyright Warner Bros.
The Butcher Boy
(Warner Brothers)
Based on the award-winning novel, and directed by Academy Award-winner Neil Jordan, The Butcher Boy promises to be an intense film. Francis and Joe are typical best-friends growing up in a small Irish town in the 60s. They play the adventurous games small boys always use to pass the time, but for Francis, real life is no picnic. His father (Stephen Rea, The Crying Game, Interview with the Vampire) is the town drunk, and his mother (Aisling O’Sullivan) is drifting into madness. To make things even worse, a malicious neighbor (Fiona Shaw, Undercover Blues, Jane Eyre) takes delight in tormenting Francis with his family’s troubles. As his family slowly falls apart, Francis retreats from the world, and when he is not only shunned by the town but estranged from his best friend, his anger and frustration at the world explode with shocking and violent consequences.
Dangerous Beauty
(an Arnon Milchan/Bedford Falls Production, distributed by Warner Bros.)
Based on a biography of Veronica Franco, Dangerous Beauty is directed by Marshall Herskovitz. Veronica Franco (Catherine McCormack, Braveheart) is a passionate thinker and lover, who dares to insist on women’s rights to be respected and loved, no matter their station in life. No problem, right? Not quite — Veronica lives in the decadent world of 16th century Venice, where women are little more than property. To make matters worse, she is in love with a high-born man, Marco (Rufus Sewell, Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet, Cold Comfort Farm), but comes from poor and questionable family. Unable to marry the man she loves, her mother, Paola (Jacqueline Bisset End of Summer, Airport) teachers her to be a courtesan, one of the exotic and illicit companions patronized by the rich and powerful men of Venice. Applying her impressive beauty and wit, Veronica becomes one of the most celebrated courtesans in Venice, winning power, wealth, and the love she thought she’d lost forever.
Major League III
(a Morgan Creek Production, distributed by Warner Bros.)
Gus Cantrell (Scott Bakula, “Quantum Leap,” Lord of Illusions) is a veteran minor-league pitcher at the end of his rope. Once a brilliant player, he has now thrown his last fastball. Not surprisingly, when the owner of the Minnesota Twins, Roger Dorn (Corbin Bernsen, (LA Law, Major League I and II), offers him a chance to manage their Triple-A team, the Buzz, Gus leaps at the chance. Unfortunately, the South Carolina team is not the cohesive minor league team Gus had expected — they’re a group of misfits, a wild bunch who can barely get through a single inning without some kind of mishap. Under Gus’ coaching, however, they begin winning games. Impressed, Dorn invites the Buzz to play the Twins in an exhibition game at the Metrodome. When the game ends in a draw, Gus challenges the Twins to a rematch — on the Buzz’ turf.
Major League III also stars Dennis Haysbert (Major League I and II, Heat) and Takaaki Ishibashi (Major League II).
U.S. Marshals
(Warner Bros.)
Here (in proper form) is the best, saved for last. Remember The Fugitive? Were you, like me, itching for another chance to see Tommy Lee Jones in a role obviously perfect for him? Well, here’s your chance.
In US Marshals, a spin-off of The Fugitive, we are once again with U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard, chasing a fugitive… but not Harrison Ford! This time, the man on the run is a ruthless assassin (Wesley Snipes, Demolition Man, New Jack City) who has been implicated in the murders of two diplomatic security agents in New York. He’s determined to elude pursuit while he finds out who framed him, and is very resourceful. But he isn’t Gerard’s only problem: the newest member of his team (Robert Downey, Jr.) is young and cocky, and Gerard’s not sure he can trust him yet. Joe Pantoliano, Daniel Roebuck, and Tom Wood return as Gerard’s crew of deputies we first met in The Fugitive. This is not one to miss!!