SNEAKS 94 : SUMMER

Watch for John Grisham--this time in the guise of “The Client,” starring Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones, under the guiding hand of Joel Schumacher--to do battle with Tom Clancy, whose “Clear and Present Danger” brings back Harrison Ford as CIA ace Jack Ryan. And both must battle Arnold, who’s fighting nuclear terrorists in James Cameron’s “True Lies.” Jones also stars in “Blown Away,” as a bomber terrorizing Boston. “The Lion King,” Disney’s first animated feature since the mega-blockbuster “Aladdin,” will also bow. And “Beverly Hills Cop III” and “City Slickers II” will pick up where the last episodes left off.

Airheads. Director Michael Lehmann shrugs off “Hudson Hawk” and offers up this wacky comedy concerning three metal heads who take a radio station hostage to get their record on the air. Brendan Fraser, Steve Buscemi, Adam Sandler and Chris Farley star. (Fox)

Angels in the Outfield. Danny Glover is a player for the California Angels, who don’t have a chance to win the pennant. When some real angels float down from Above to help these masters of mediocrity, they start to see some changes in the win column. Tony Danza co-stars. (Walt Disney)

Baby’s Day Out. John Hughes has written this comedy about a real babe: Bink, a cute little 11-month-old. He’s a resilient little terror, so when he manages to get loose, the whole town begins to frantically search for him. Joe Mantegna and Lara Flynn Boyle star. (Fox)

Barcelona. Director Whit Stillman’s first venture since “Metropolitan” focuses on two cousins, both of whom share a bitter history from summers spent in Wisconsin while growing up. Suddenly they’re in Spain, it’s a tense atmosphere and four women they become involved with restart the old friction. Ted Boynton and Fred Mason star. (Fine Line)

Beverly Hills Cop III. Eddie Murphy’s back as Axel Foley, the best and baddest the Motor City has to offer. This time he’s lured to WonderWorld, an amusement park infested with a criminal element. It won’t be for long. . . . John Landis (he and Eddie kissed and made up) directs; Judge Reinhold and Hector Elizondo co-star. (Paramount)

Bhaji on the Beach. Gurinder Chadha, a British woman of Indian descent, has directed her first feature involving a diverse group of Indian women on a trip to working-class Blackpool, where they deal with the multiethnic England of today. (First Look)

Black Beauty. “Edward Scissorhands” scribe Caroline Thompson writes and directs her version of the Anna Sewell classic. Sean Bean and “Naked’s” acclaimed David Thewlis show us a time when horses were an integral part of people’s lives. (Warner Bros.)

Blankman. The guy’s got nothing . . . no money, no superpowers, not even a name. Damon Wayans is Blankman, the neighborhood crimebuster who, in his underwear and adorned with grandma’s housecoat-turned cape, battles evil with something you can’t buy--wits. David Alan Grier and Robin Givens co-star. (Columbia)

Blown Away. Big-city bomb-squad captain Jeff Bridges matches wits with big-city bomber Tommy Lee Jones in this action film. Bridges is a newlywed who hopes to retire, but Jones has other plans for him. Forest Whitaker and Lloyd Bridges also star. (MGM)

Call Me Victor. Eleven-year-old Basile has much to think about. His family is as bizarre as a family can be, and he’s just gaga over an older woman, 16-year-old Cecile. Maybe his aunt who hasn’t left the attic in three decades can help him out. French with English subtitles. Jeanne Moreau stars. (Sony Pictures Classics)

City Slickers II--The Legend of Curly’s Gold. Billy Crystal’s character is back home in suburban NYC (nurturing pet cow Norman) when he finds an old treasure map in the band of Curly’s hat. Well, he heads out West again to claim the gold, only to run into Curly’s twin brother, Duke, who’s not as cheery a fellow as his late brother. Daniel Stern and Jack Palance co-star; Paul Weiland directs. (Columbia)

Clear and Present Danger. Harrison Ford’s next turn as the CIA’s Jack Ryan finds him battling the powerful and remorseless drug cartels of Colombia. When Ryan discovers a connection between a wealthy supporter of the President and the cartel, an adventure spanning two continents begins. Willem Dafoe and Anne Archer also star. Phillip Noyce directs. (Paramount)

The Client. John Grisham’s novels have made a splash in their celluloid forms thus far, and Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones are hoping he’ll go three-for-three. Joel Schumacher directs this thriller of a young boy who witnesses a suicide and last-minute confession that puts him in mortal danger. A brilliant lawyer helps him legally keep his secret. (Warner Bros.)

Crooklyn. Joie Lee, brother Spike and Alfre Woodard star in Spike’s next look at the African American experience. This time it’s the early ‘70s, and we’ll follow a young family in New York as they struggle to achieve better things after the preceding turbulent decade. Spike Lee co-writes, directs and produces. (Universal)

D.R.O.P. Squad. Spike Lee exec-produces and appears briefly in this film, whose title acronym stands for a group called Deprogramming and Restoration of Pride, which fights for improved representation of blacks in the media. They descend upon upscale black ad execs in hopes of reawakening black consciousness. Eric Lasalle stars. (Gramercy)

Eat Drink Man Woman. Sihung Lung and Ah-Lea Gua, perhaps best known as the elderly parents in director Ang Lee’s “The Wedding Banquet,” star in this subtitled tale of the greatest chef in all of Taipei. His three very independent and very unmarried daughters keep things interesting. Lee directs. (Samuel Goldwyn Co.)

Exit to Eden. Director Garry Marshall brings Anne Rice’s novel alive, with Dana Delany playing the lead mistress of Eden, the Disneyland of sexual fantasies. When adventurous photojournalist Paul Mercurio comes around, she gives true love a try. Little does she know he’s sought after by ruthless jewel thieves. (Savoy)

Fausto. Fausto, 17 and an orphan, forms an emotional bond with the tailor for whom he apprentices. In time, the young man will develop a knack for creating innovative and funny dresses, and in so doing will endear himself to his eccentric neighbors. (Miramax)

The Flintstones. John Goodman dons a saber-toothed tiger suit as Fred, with Rick Moranis as neighbor Barney Rubble. When Fred gets a promotion at Slate & Co. quarry, things really change for that modern Stone Age family. Elizabeth Perkins, Rosie O’Donnell, Kyle MacLachlan, Halle Berry and Elizabeth Taylor co-star. (Universal)

Foreign Student. Robin Givens stars in this romantic comedy as a student at an elite Southern college in the segregated 1950s. Her relationships become strained when she falls for a French athlete who matriculates there on a scholarship. (Gramercy)

Forrest Gump. Robert Zemeckis directs this odyssey that begins in the 1940s, when Sally Field is abandoned by her husband to care for her small boy. Tom Hanks plays the child, who grows up, still childlike in many ways, during the next three decades to achieve some stunning accomplishments across the globe. Robin Wright is Forrest’s very special friend. (Paramount)

Getting Even With Dad. Macaulay Culkin gets even with Ted Danson in this comedy from director Howard Deutch (“Pretty in Pink”). Danson’s a chump-change crook just out of prison who’s about to concoct his final heist when 11-year-old son Macaulay is suddenly dropped off for a week of fun ‘n’ games. (MGM)

Highlander III: The Magician. Christopher Lambert returns as the superpower of the title, with New York City his destination in this installment. Mario Van Peebles plays the vicious Kane, who has disguised himself as a magician to use his megapowers to kill Highlander once and for all. (Miramax)

I Love Trouble. Julia Roberts and Nick Nolte continually strive to one-up each other as rival reporters for competing Chicago newspapers. They’re from totally divergent schools of thought, occasionally clash in their approach--but they end up melting in each other’s arms. Charles Shyer directs. (Touchstone)

In the Army Now. MTV personality Pauly Shore continues his successful association with Disney in this comedy following Shore from boot camp into actual battle. No director thus far. (Hollywood)

Just in Time. Norman Jewison directs Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey Jr., with Tomei on her way to Italy to find--and fall in love with--the soul mate chosen with the help of a Ouija board so long ago. Instead she runs into Downey Jr., who refuses to let her out of his adoring sight as she maintains her quest. (TriStar)

Lassie. Daniel Petrie directs this family film, starring an eighth-generation descendant of the original collie. When the Turner family up and moves from Baltimore to Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, they make a home for the lost dog that will soon save them from some nasty neighbors during a land dispute. Lorne Michaels produces; Tom Guiry and Richard Farnsworth star. (Paramount)

The Lion King. Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons and James Earl Jones provide articulation for the creatures in this animated story of lion cub Simba. Forced into exile by a nasty uncle after the death of his father the King, Simba meets a wart hog, a fast-talking meerkat and others on the way to adulthood. Elton John and Tim Rice provide songs. (Disney)

Little Big League. When the Minnesota Twins’ fictional owner Jason Robards dies, he leaves the club to his 12-year-old grandson. Luke Edwards plays the boy, who takes the unusual strategy of “discovering the child within” to get the team back on top. Andrew Scheinman directs. (Columbia)

The Little Rascals. A nationwide search is on to cast the unforgettable knee-high characters we’ve come to love. Penelope Spheeris will direct the brand-new exploits of Spanky, Alfalfa, Buckwheat, Darla and the rest of Our Gang. (Universal)

Low Down Dirty Shame. Keenen Ivory Wayans plays a luckless private eye who gets what he thinks may be a nifty missing persons case. Turns out this person’s in the witness protection program for fingering a vicious drug lord, so Wayans has his trenchcoat full this time. Joe Roth, Roger Birnbaum produce. (Hollywood)

The Mask. Jim Carrey plays an ordinary bank clerk whose drab days are behind him now that he’s obtained a very special ancient mask. Richard Jeni is the co-worker and buddy who just can’t believe what happens to his pal when he dons his new face covering. (New Line)

Me Let’s Hope I Make It. Lina Wertmuller directs this tale of an elementary schoolteacher who requests an assignment in northern Italy, only to be inadvertently sent to a poor village near Naples. Paolo Villaggio plays the chagrined educator who does his best to spin gold from straw in the classroom. Italian with English subtitles. (Miramax)

Milk Money. Melanie Griffith is the streetwise woman who rescues three young boys who have drifted in from rural locales in hopes of seeing a living, breathing naked woman. They’ve pooled their school money to do this, and is widower dad Ed Harris mad. Richard Benjamin directs. (Paramount)

Mi Vida Loca. Angel Aviles stars in the next from “Gas Food Lodging” director Allison Anders. Anders also wrote this semi-autobiographical look at several young Latina women and their triumphs and travails in L.A.’s Echo Park. (Sony Pictures Classics)

Moondance. An Irish drama about two young brothers who become the men of their decaying old house upon the death of their dad. Mom always seems to be gone, and that’s good because their aunt has just invited a German girl to stay for the summer. (Miramax)

My Summer Story. Director Bob Clark goes back to his “A Christmas Story” well in this follow-up to the 1983 gem. This one stars Charles Grodin and Mary Steenburgen, with Kieran Culkin as the Parker kid. The boy’s passion for top-spinning is interrupted by a dad who wants him out fishing this particular summer. (MGM)

Natural Born Killers. Oliver Stone directs this violent satire (Quentin Tarantino is one of the writers) that takes an unflinching look at brutal murderers and how the American media portray them. Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, Robert Downey Jr. and Jack Palance head the cast. (Warner Bros.)

The Next Karate Kid. Ralph Macchio is out, Hilary Swank is in as Hollywood proclaims 1994 its Year of the Woman. Noriyuki (Pat) Morita returns, this time taking the granddaughter (Swank) of an old war buddy and transforming her into a deadly peace-keeping machine. (Columbia)

North. Director Rob Reiner’s newest revolves around Elijah Wood, who plays an 11-year-old who feels unappreciated by his parents and so sets off on a world search to find the “perfect” mom and dad. Bruce Willis, Jon Lovitz, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Jason Alexander all help him out. (Columbia)

A Perfect Season. A comedy of two brothers--one a former football hero, the other a big-hearted klutz. When they face each other in opposing Pee Wee football teams, the laughs should follow. (Warner Bros.)

Princess Caraboo. Phoebe Cates plays Caraboo, the mysteriously exotic woman who appears in a small English village around 1817. The rich aristocrats are certain she’s Javanese royalty, but newspaperman Stephen Rea decides to investigate her origins. He falls in love, and an adventure commences. (TriStar)

Renaissance Man. Danny DeVito is Bill Rado, a Madison Avenue advertising guy who finds himself out of a job. Desperate, he takes a temporary gig with the Army to teach English to a bunch of misfits. His radical methods get results. Gregory Hines co-stars for director Penny Marshall. (Touchstone)

The River Wild. Meryl Streep and husband David Strathairn hope to spice up their marriage with a white-water rafting trip. They and son Joseph Mazzello are having a great time until menacing strangers put a deadly damper on their fun. Curtis Hanson (“The Hand That Rocks the Cradle”) directs. (Universal)

The Scout. Albert Brooks plays a talent recruiter for the Yankees about to be let go when he discovers a major baseball force south of the border. Brendan Fraser is the marvelous pitcher Brooks comes up with, and he has some major league quirks as well. Michael Ritchie directs. (Fox)

S.F.W. What that’s short for we can’t tell you in a family paper, but the story revolves around a kid from the suburbs who becomes a media sensation after surviving a protracted nationally televised hostage crisis. Stephen Dorff finds out how unattractive it can be to be a hero du jour. OK, it’s short for “So ----ing what?” (Gramercy)

The Shadow. This action-imbued drama features Alec Baldwin as Lamont Cranston and his better-known alter ego. John Lone is archvillain Shiwan Khan, the last descendant of Genghis Khan, with Penelope Ann Miller as Cranston’s friend and more. (Universal)

Speed. Keanu Reeves plays a SWAT cop who must remedy a deadly situation when a crowded bus is let loose on the freeways of L.A. The tricky part is that the vehicle has been rigged with an explosive set to blow the bus to bits once it slows to under 50 m.p.h. Dennis Hopper and Sandra Bullock also star. (Fox)

Stargate. Kurt Russell is a no-nonsense military tough and James Spader a brilliant Egyptologist who unearths a mysterious object from the Great Pyramids. This find thrusts them millions of light years away, where they encounter a strange world headed by enigmatic ruler Jaye Davidson (“The Crying Game’s” surprise). (Distribution pending)

Summer Camp Movie (tentative title). Young Andy’s shuffled off to camp and he doesn’t really want to go. He forms bonds with all the other misfits, and they actually take on those bullying kids called the Wolves. (Gramercy)

Terminal Velocity. Charlie Sheen is a sky-diving instructor hellbent on excitement who finds himself in big trouble when student Nastassja Kinski plummets to her death on his watch. As he desperately attempts to clear his name, he comes across some information that leads him to believe he’s been duped. (Hollywood)

Timecop. This futuristic actioner sends Jean-Claude Van Damme back through time to see if he can stop a corrupt politician from irrevocably changing the future. While here, he’s got some business of his own to square. Ron Silver co-stars; Peter Hyams directs. (Universal)

Tom and Viv. Willem Dafoe is poet T. S. Eliot and Miranda Richardson his aristocrat wife, Vivienne. This tale of turbulent passion and, ultimately, a doomed love affair, takes place between the wars in London. (Miramax)

A Troll in Central Park. He’s a troll, but a good-natured one, so he’s unceremoniously cast out of the nasty troll kingdom and exiled to the New York City park in this animated film. He meets a little girl there and brings much happiness to her. Voices include Dom DeLuise, Cloris Leachman and Jonathan Pryce. (Warner Bros.)

True Lies. Arnold Schwarzenegger hopes to rebound from you-know-what with yet another collaboration with “T2” director James Cameron. The former Mr. Universe plays a government agent trained to thwart nuclear terrorists--he can even speak six languages! What he can’t seem to do is keep his marriage to Jamie Lee Curtis on track. (Fox)

Twist of Fate. Steve Martin stars as a loving adoptive father who must fight bitterly to save his young girl from the clutches of her biological father, who has announced his intentions to raise the child. Martin wrote the script directed by Gillies MacKinnon; Gabriel Byrne and Catherine O’Hara co-star. (Touchstone)

The Yellow Dog. Bruce Davison and Mimi Rogers star in this family adventure of a teen boy separated from his father at sea, only to wash ashore in the rugged wilderness of the Pacific Northwest. His life is made easier when he befriends a trusted canine. (Fox)

Wide-Eyed and Legless. Julie Walters is stricken with a mysterious debilitating flu (could it be psychosomatic?) and is soon bedridden. Jim Broadbent plays the loving husband whose sense of humor becomes therapeutic for both of them. That is, until he is drawn to another woman. . . . (Miramax)

Wyatt Earp. Kevin Costner hooks up with director Lawrence Kasdan once more in this look at the Earps from the 1860s to purt’ near the turn of the century. We’ll follow deadeye Wyatt from youth to middle age, as fellow actors Dennis Quaid, Gene Hackman, Jeff Fahey, Mark Harmon and Michael Madsen fill out the scenery. (Warner Bros.)

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