Now, it's time for the heavyweights.
Oh sure, 1999 already has seen the return of a galaxy far, far away in "The Phantom Menace," Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman naked in "Eyes Wide Shut," some unlucky film students in "The Blair Witch Project" and films starring everyone from Michelle Pfeiffer to Bruce Willis.
But now things get serious. Over the next four months, all manner of Hollywood royalty will be featured on screen, including Harrison Ford, Meryl Streep, Denzel Washington, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Sean Penn and Winona Ryder. We've got new films from Woody Allen, Roman Polanski, John Frankenheimer, Oliver Stone and Milos Forman. We've got the sequel to "Toy Story" and the return of filmdom's favorite duo, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. We've even got more Pfeiffer and Willis, this time in the same movie.
And if you'll excuse the parochial pride, we've got "Liberty Heights," the new film from native son Barry Levinson, shot in Baltimore.
Herewith, the lineup of films scheduled to open here through the end of the year. With, of course, the usual caveat: Opening dates are subject to change (and you can bet more than a few will do just that).
September
"Love Stinks": In this "un-romantic" comedy, French Stewart (TV's "3rd Rock From the Sun") struggles to get rid of the girl. Tyra Banks, Bridgette Wilson and Bill Bellamy also star. Sept. 10
"My Life So Far": Director Hugh Hudson ("Chariots of Fire") takes us to the Scottish Highlands for this tale of a 10-year-old boy, his eccentric inventor father (Colin Firth) and his loving mother (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio). Sept. 10
"Stigmata": Patricia Arquette is a young hairdresser who begins displaying the wounds of Christ, and whose plight attracts the attention of the Vatican, which sends a priest (Gabriel Byrne) to ascertain whether the girl's sufferings are for real. Sept. 10
"Stir of Echoes": The thriller stars Kevin Bacon as Tom Witzky, a blue-collar Chicagoan whose life turns ominous after a post-hypnotic suggestion releases a subconscious power he never knew he had. Kathryn Erbe, Illeana Douglas and Kevin Dunn co-star. Sept. 10
"Blue Streak": Martin Lawrence is a jewel thief who, fresh out of jail, wants to get back the $20 million diamond he hid at what was then a construction site but is now a police precinct. His solution: Pretend to be a detective. Sept. 17
