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Highlights of the filmgoing season
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The Matrix Reloaded
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May 23 -- Instead of waiting in long lines to catch a fourth screening of The Matrix Reloaded, guys allow their dates to drag them away from the bacchanal in Zion to discover they might actually be Down With Love. But, of course, few are willing to admit it, despite that cute 1960s Manhattan couple, Renée Zellweger and Ewan McGregor.
May 30 -- This summer's cars vs. cars battle belong to the subway-rattling Mini Coopers at the heart of the caper remake The Italian Job and the South Beach street racers in 2 Fast 2 Furious, the inevitable sequel to the 2001 hit movie. Leggy Charlize Theron gets behind the wheel in Italian Job, while heartthrob Paul Walker returns to the driver's seat for 2 Fast 2 Furious. Where audiences choose to sit has everything to do with sexual preferences.
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The Italian Job
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June 13 -- Tell this to your analyst: On the way back from a beautiful vacation in the City of Lights (that's Paris, for those of you not into cute nicknames), you find yourself stranded in an airport with actors Jean Reno and Juliette Binoche. Of course, you immediately feel like the third wheel. No wait, you're just watching the film Jet Lag.
June 20 -- Longtime collaborators Ang Lee (director) and James Schamus (writer/producer) meld highbrow themes involving myth and male rage with the pop culture world of superhero comics in The Hulk, their big-budget adaptation of the popular Marvel Comics character. Promotional tie-ins include Hulk Rorschach tests and Prozac pills dyed a distinctive "Hulk" green.
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Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life
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July 4 -- The calendar declares this holiday weekend as summer's halfway point, yet from a summer movie junkie's perspective it's pretty much over, man. The last of the fireworks-worthy blockbusters took place two days ago. There might be a couple of overcooked burgers on the grill like Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, but that's it.
July 9 -- Free spirit Johnny Depp takes a mainstream dip courtesy of director Gore Verbinski's (The Ring) adaptation of the Disney theme park ride Pirates of the Caribbean. The film is a family-friendly adventure starring Depp as a kindhearted pirate whose high seas enemy is a living skeleton. Will Depp's die-hard fans from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Dead Man watch him here?
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Pirates of the Caribbean
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July 11 -- Fight blockbuster fatigue by catching artist Mark Fox's 40-minute projected video installation "Forty Days (elegy for the GREAT HALL)" at the Cincinnati Art Museum, one of eight works comprising his exhibition Dust. Stick around the museum for an evening movie program featuring Fox's stop-motion film work, as well as a selection of short films from like-minded artists.
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Underneath Cincinnati
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Aug. 3 -- Do young filmmakers aspire to be the next Stan Brakhage, making avant-garde films, or Wachowski Brothers wannabes, responsible for the next generation of special-effect blockbusters? Underneath Cincinnati, a one-night festival of short independent films, offers a quick litmus test on the current state of mind of indie filmmakers. The event takes place at the SSNOVA performance space in Brighton Corner, as far removed from a suburban multiplex as a venue can be.
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Freddy Vs. Jason
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Aug. 8 -- Shaolin Soccer, Stephen Chow's Hong Kong action comedy, arrives in U.S. cinemas. The kung fu-soccer combination is just the crazy kick that audiences need. What's next, a movie face-off between cheesy slasher-film kingpins? Wait, Freddy vs. Jason opens next week.
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thirteen
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Aug. 20 -- thirteen, the latest serious teen drama difficult for teenagers to see due to its R-rating, opens in art house cinemas. A hit at this year's Sundance Film Festival, thirteen tells the story of two troublemaking teen protagonists who see sex and drugs as a means to popularity. Teens would relate to it if they manage to see it. Then again, its R-rating didn't stop these same teen moviegoers from catching American Wedding, the latest film in the American Pie series.
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Jeepers Creepers 2
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Aug. 29 -- The 2003 blockbuster season comes to an unofficial end with the release of summer's most puzzling sequel, Jeepers Creepers 2. The teen-chewing monster from the first Jeepers returns to taste a busload of basketball players and cheerleaders. Writer/director Victor Salva returns for the second installment, but I don't think he polled audiences about wanting another Jeepers movie.
Sept. 1 -- Was Summer 2003 just a dream, the latest faux reality concocted by The Matrix? Speaking of which, we plan to catch one last showing of The Matrix Reloaded on the big screen before The Matrix Revolutions begins this fall.
-- TT CLINKSCALES AND STEVE RAMOS
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Previously in Cover Story
Chic on the Cheap How to dine at Cincinnati's 30 priciest restaurants without breaking the bank
By Felix Winternitz
(May 14, 2003)
That's the Way I Feel About You Women's Issue 2003: Men and their women
(May 7, 2003)
'M' Is for It's Finally Alright A son's reconciliatory lament
By Larry Gross
(May 7, 2003)
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