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JANUARY
- Evita
- Madonna and Antonio Banderas star in Alan Parker's adaptation of the musical smash
- Sleepers
- A star studded cast (De Niro, Hoffman, Bacon, Pitt and Jason Patric) bring to life Lorenzo Carcaterra's true(?) story of abuse and revenge in Hell's Kitchen.
- Crash
- David Cronenberg's controversial portrayal of a seedy car accident based sexual cult. Starring James Spader and Holly Hunter.
- The Mirror Has Two Faces
- Barbara Streisand directs and stars with Jeff Bridges in this romantic comedy.
- Extreme Measures
- Hugh Grant dons the white coat with Gene Hackman for this medical based thriller.
- The Ghost And The Darkness
- Michael Douglas and Val Kilmer team up for an all action romp through the African heartland.
- That Thing You Do
- Tom Hanks makes his screenwriting and directorial debut with a cast of virtual unknowns as a 60's pop group.
- Shine
- Scott Hicks helms this true story of Australian composer David Helfgott.
- Survivng Picasso
- Anthony Hopkins returns to Merchant Ivory with the true story of Picasso's life and loves.
- Fierce Creatures
- John Cleese's much delayed sequel to A Fish Called Wanda finally hits the screens.
- The Frighteners
- Heavenly Creatures director Peter Jackson helms this tale of a ghost based scam. Stars Michael J. Fox
- The Quest
- Jean-Claude Van Damme 'directs' and stars with Roger Moore in a story of pirates, swashbuckling and martial arts.
- Flirting With Disaster
- David O. Russel's follows up Spanking The Monkey. Starring Patricia Arquette and Bad Boy's babe Tea Leoni.
- The Preacher's Wife
- Denzel Washington plays the first of the year's Angels (beating John Travolta's Michael), divinely intervening with the life of Whitney Houston.
FEBRUARY
- Mars Attacks
- Tim Burton goes mad with this CGI-heavy black comedy take on Independence Day. Stars Jack Nicholson, Pierce Brosnan, Glenn Close, Natalie Portman and Tom Jones.
- Ransom
- Apollo 13 director Ron Howard shows us his darker side as Mel Gibson fights to retrieve his kidnapped son.
- The Chamber
- The year's obligatory John Grisham adaptation stars Gene Hackman as a racist murderer sentenced to death, and bat-boy Chris O'Donnell as his lawyer and grandson.
- The Crucible
- Arthur Miller adapts his own superb play for the big screen. Stars Daniel Day-Lewis as John Proctor and Winona Ryder as Abigail.
- Hamlet
- Kenneth Brannagh's latest bardular adaptation sees him transfer the entire four-hour version of Hamlet to celluloid. The star-studded cast includes; Brannagh, Derek Jacobi, Julie Christie, Kate Winslet, Richard Briers, Billy Crystal, Richard Attenborough, Robin Williams and Dame Judy Dench.
- Michael
- Hot on the heels of fellow angel flick The Preahcer's Wife comes this tale of bad boy angel John Travolta and his experiences of Idaho. Hmmm.
- One Fine Day
- Michelle Pfeiffer stars with ER and Batman And Robin's George Clooney in yet another romantic comedy.
- William Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet
- Helpfully reminding us who wrote perhaps the most famous play of all time is Baz Luhrmann's gangster-land version of this classic love story. Stars Leonardo DiCaprio and totty-some Claire Danes.
- The Phantom
- Billy Zane dons purple leotard and gallivants daftly around the jungle.
- Portrait Of A Lady
- Nicole Kidman goes period (if you'll pardon the expression) in this angst movie. Jane Campion directs.
- Space Truckers
- Dubiously titled sci-fi tattle, starring Speed-meister Dennis Hopper
- Trees Lounge
- Steve Buscemi acts and directs as a small-time ice cream salesman.
And...
Bound, Box Of Moonlight, Cold Comfort Farm, Flirt, Fly Away Home, Harriet The Spy, In Love And War, Killer: A Journal Of Murder, Mad Dog Time, Normal Life, Powder, and Ridicule.
MARCH
- Star Wars: Special Edition
- Luke, Leia, Han and Darth return once again to the big screen as audiences across the world go ga-ga for the new CGI rendered battled sequences and "lost" footage. Pity they couldn't change General Nadeem's haircut. Soon to become the biggest grossing film of all time?
- The English Patient
- Weepie romance film starring Ralph Feinnes and Juliette Binoche. Oscars anyone?
- Space Jam
- Michael Jordan meets someone who can act as he helps out Bugs Bunny and cartoon pals take on some nasty aliens at that inexplicably popular sport of basketball.
- Liar Liar
- Another shameless, "hilarious" Jim Carrey vehicle. It's got something to do with a lawyer who has to tell the truth but if you're a Carrey fan (and you'd have to be to want to see any of his films after the dire Cable Guy) you won't care anyway.]
- Jerry Maguire
- Tom Cruise tries to act again. Oh dear. Cameron Crowe directs this tale of a ruthless sports agent who decides to turn "nice". Regarding Henry anyone?
- The Evening Star
- Sequel to Terms Of Endearment. Soppy chick flick drivel starring Shirley MacLane, Bill Paxton and others.
- The Saint
- Ex-Batman Val Klimer stars opposite Leaving Las Vegas and Back To The Future's Elizabeth Shue in the latest Hollywood remake of a cult TV show. Whatever next, Blankety Blank?
- Turbulence
- Delayed release of the eagerly anticipated aeroplane hijack based action/thriller starring Ray Liotta.
- Eddie
- Whoopi "Jumping Jack Flash" Goldberg stars in the month's second basketball related movie. This time about a female NY Knicks fan who becomes the team's new coach. Sheesh.
- And...
- Ghosts Of Mississipi, Swann, The Funeral, House Of America, Mother, Mother Night, Snow White In The Black Forest, The Relic, and The Woodlanders.
APRIL
- The Empire Strikes Back: Special Edition
- Hailed by many as the finest of the Star Wars saga (and therefore the finest film ever made). George Lucas/Irvin Kershner's epic centrepiece to the finest ever trilogy gets revamped effects and extra footage. Here we go again.
- Return Of The Jedi: Special Edition
- Hot on the heels of it's older brothers, Star Wars III gets an all new end scene and sophisticated CGI spaceships. Hail waanqi Jabba.
- Con Air
- Boy does this one look good. Nicholas Cage and John Malkovich in the year's second 'plane based action flick. Score by Speed's musical meister Mark Mancina. Simon West directs.
- Dante's Peak
- Beating Volcano to a UK release date is Roger Donaldson's lava-based disaster movie. Stars 007 Pierce Brosnan and Terminator 2 hard-bitch Linda Hamilton. Looks promising.
- Donnie Brasco
- Mike Newell directs Al Pacino and Johnny Depp in a 70's biopic of the eponymous anti-mafia cop. The Anti-Godfather? Can't wait.
- Fever Pitch
- Pride And Prejudice's Colin Firth stars in the big screen adaptation of Nick Hornby's top footy novel.
- And...
- Night Falls On Manhattan, Everyone Says I Love You, Blood And Wine, The Associate, Excess Baggage, Kiss The Girls, Lerger Than Life, Twin Town, Men, Women: A User's Manual, Self-Made Hero, Trojan Eddie.
MAY
- The Devil's Own
- Brad Pitt as a bad guy? Oh wait, Harrison Ford's in it, now I understand. Irish cop versus nasty Irish terrorist.
- The People Vs. Larry Flint
- Woodey Harrelson stars as Larry Flint, owner of Hustler magazine who was tried by the American justice system for his pornographic publishings. Also stars Courtney Love.
JUNE
- GI Jane
- Oh God. Demi Moore stars as female US soldier in boring chick flick cum action film. Yet another Moore turkey?
- Absolute Power
- Clint Eastwood directs and stars as a burglar who breaks into a millionaire's security riddled mansion only to see the rich man's wife get murdered. The ever-present Gene Hackman co-stars.
- The Fifth Element
- Celebrated Leon director Luc Besson's sci-fi flick stars ultimate a-list action hero Bruce Willis and Bevery Hills 90210's Luke Perry in a search for water. Twelve Monkeys meets Waterworld?
JULY
- The Lost World
- Jurassic Park 2. Speilberg meets Crichton meets Golblum meets CGI dinosaurs. This WILL become tha highest grossing film of all time.
- Batman And Robin
- George Clooney takes over from Val Kilmer's impressive dark knight, and teams up with Batman Forever left over Chris O'Donnell as Robin and Clueless star Alicia Silverstone as Batgirl. Arnie gets an outing as Mr. Freeze and the prolific Uma Therman turns in as Poison Ivy. Joel Schumacher helms again after his drastic but successful alteration of Burton's Gotham City in Batman and Batman Returns.
AUGUST
- Speed 2: Cruise Control
- Sandra Bullock and new beau Jason Patric are stuck aboard a doomed boat. Like Die Hard, Speed movies are fast becoming a genre in their own. We've had Die Hard On Alcatraz (The Rock), Die Hard In Hong Kong (Hard Boiled), now it seems we're set for a spate of bomb vs time/speed limit movies; Speed On A Boat, Speed In A Lift, what next Speed On Roller Skates?
- Men In Black
- Tommy Lee Jones and ID4 star Will Smith as intergalactic witness protection agents (kinda) in this sc-fi comedy. Get Shorty's Sonnenfeld directs.
- Starship Troopers
- Paul Verhoeven swaps naked women for aliens and ray-guns in this no-holds-barred sci-fi war flick. Looks very promising.
THE REST OF '97
- The Flood
- Watery mayhem with Christian Slater and Morgan Freeman.
- Copland
- Stallone, De Niro and Ray Liotta star in this low-budget tale of corruption in the police.
- A Life Less Ordinary
- The Mask's Cameron Diaz stars with the ubiquitous, yet superb Ewan McGregor, Holly Hunter and Get Shorty/Ransom/Broken Arrow star Delroy Lindo in Danny Boyle's romantic tale of angels (again) and luurve.
- Volcano
- Dante's Peak 2? Volcano chooses to swap the year's earlier magma-related release's pragmatism for plain silliness as Tommy Lee Jones (again) and Anne Heche fight to survive in a lava-laden downtown LA.
- James Bond XIIX
- As yet untitled, but Pierce Brosnan returns as 007. Filming begins in February, though not at Goldeneye's home studio Leavesden, thanks to work on the Star Wars prequel trilogy, on which 20th Century Fox have already reportedly dished out $120 million just to modify the studio!
- Air Force One
- Harrison Ford as the president as his private plane is overrun by a psychotic Gary Oldman. For the second time this year (after Mars Attacks) Glenn Close plays the first lady.
- Alien: Resurrection
- Sigourney Weaver, her long dead Alien 3 Ripley having been cloned returns as an Alien/Ripley hybrid that ain't to friendly. Winona Ryder of all people steps in to kick ass. If it's half as good as either of the first two it'll be an instant classic.
- Hercules
- Disney trades in the specially written storylines of Toy Story and The Lion King, for the safer ground of Greek mythology. Aimed supposedly at a more adult audience and with Danhy DeVito and James Wood voicing, it looks sure for smashdom.
- Titanic
- T2/Aliens/True Lies director James Cameron takes on a tour of the doomed cruise ship. With Twister/Apollo 13's Bill Paxton and Kate Winslet.
- And...
- Addicted To Love, Lolita, Mad City, NcHale's Navy, Intimate Relations, Secret Agent, That Old Feeling, Hoods, Jungle To Jungle, Beavis and Butthead Do America, Maximum Risk, High School High, Gridlock, Mon Homme, Unforgettable, Roseanna's Grave, Commandments, Kull The Conqueror, Reach The Rock, Out To Sea, My Fellow Americans, Temptress Moon, A Simple Wish, Picture Perfect, The Borrowers, Paradise Road, A Thousand Acres, The Brothers Grimm's Snow White, Stiff Upper Lips, Cats Don't Dance, Eight Heads In A Duffel Bag, Edwards and Hunt, Lawn Dogs, Sarajevo, The Shadow Conspiracy, Home Alone 3,. Paws and Babe 2.
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