Sandler's Zohan, Norton's Hulk Look to Kick Box Office Booty
June 1 - 19, 2008 New Releases
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Week of June 6
In Don't Mess with the Zohan, Adam Sandler wants to change careers — from top Mossad agent to New York City hairstylist. In this comedy co-written by Sandler, Robert Smigel and Judd Apatow, however, Sandler's attempts to go incognito are complicated by Emmanuelle Chriqui, as his love interest, and John Turturro as "The Phantom," a nemesis from his past. Look for cameos from Mariah Carey, John McEnroe, and Star Trek's George Takei, as well as Chris Rock and a couple of Sandler's other buddies from his Saturday Night Live days.
Kung Fu Panda, this weekend's other major release, goes the animated route in its tale of a panda (voiced by Jack Black) who learns he must save his valley from a threatening snow leopard. Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, and Jackie Chan are among instructing the reluctant slacker in martial arts.
Also opening, in limited release: Mongol, a biopic on the rise of Genghis Khan; The Promotion, with John C. Reilly and Seann William Scott as assistant grocery store managers vying for advancement; and When Did You Last See Your Father?, with Colin Firth as a writer and Jim Broadbent as his dying father.
Week of June 13
The first time Edward Norton was offered the role of the Hulk (for Ang Lee's 2003 film), he turned it down. Five years later, he makes his superhero debut in ... The Incredible Hulk! Norton co-wrote this new take on the Marvel Comics story, and stars as the genetic scientist/angry green monster; William Hurt plays General "Thunderbolt" Ross, Liv Tyler his daughter Betsy, and Tim Roth a soldier who becomes a monster himself. Look for cameos from Lou Ferrigno, who played the Hulk on TV, Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, and the Hulk's co-creator, Stan Lee.
While Bruce Banner is on the run from the army, Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel and John Leguizamo are fleeing a natural disaster that threatens the planet in The Happening. M. Night Shyamalan, who wrote and directed, told the Los Angeles Times that the sci-fi thriller was inspired by the 1956 classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Paranoia, anyone?
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Note: A "limited" release generally means that the movie will play in Los Angeles and/or New York City, but not always. Please check your local papers or theaters for these selected films.
-- A. Wu
