SNEAKS ’95 : Summer

A lazy, hazy season of the familiar--Bruce Willis (“Die Hard 3”), “Batman” (starring Val Kilmer as the revamped superhero, taking on both Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones), Kevin Costner (“Waterworld”), Michael Crichton (he wrote “Congo”) and Steven Spielberg (he executive-produced “Casper”)--and the more offbeat: Denzel Washington in the thriller “Crimson Tide,” Tom Hanks in “Apollo 13,” Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood in “The Bridges of Madison County” and Sylvester Stallone in the dark, futuristic world of “Judge Dredd.”

Amelia and the King of Plants. Christian Slater stars as a love-struck florist who grabs the attention of workaholic financier Mary Stuart Masterson. (New Line)

Angus. Kathy Bates and George C. Scott help newcomer Charles M. Talbot, who stars in the difficult title role of an overweight teen who tries desperately to enjoy life just like other kids. (New Line)

Apollo 13. Director Ron Howard and Tom Hanks go from “Splash” to splashdown in this big-budget re-enactment of the lunar mission that shut down 200,000 miles from Earth. For three days the Earth held its breath--for two hours you may hold yours. Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris and Kathleen Quinlan also star. (Universal)

Bad With Numbers. When a gifted high school senior (Jason London) finds out that Harvard won’t have him if his math numbers do not improve, he desperately hires a tutor (Tia Carrere). (Savoy)

Batman Forever. Holy casting change! Val Kilmer is in, adding some youth and buff to the role of Caped Crusader. Tommy Lee Jones (Two-Face) and walking gold mine Jim Carrey (Riddler) provide malice, while Nicole Kidman and Chris O’Donnell are, respectively, Bruce Wayne’s romantic interest and Robin. Joel Shumacher takes over the directing, with Tim Burton now merely producing. (Warner Bros.)

Beyond Rangoon. Patricia Arquette and Frances McDormand are sisters who head for a vacation to the Far East, but Arquette’s passport is stolen. It is during her extensive search for the document that she discovers the true sense of friendship and courage. John Boorman directs. (Columbia)

Birds of a Feather. Broadway stalwart Nathan Lane stars in this Mike Nichols-directed remake of the smash comedy “La Cage aux Folles.” Elaine May adapts the earlier farce that showed an older gay couple playing straight when a son brings home his fiancee. (United Artists)

The Boys. Winona Ryder stars with Lukas Haas in this modern-day twist on the beloved Snow White story. When wild-living Ryder falls off her horse one day, a group of boys from a nearby boarding school tend to her wounds. She falls again, this time for Haas. (Touchstone)

Braveheart. The studio’s heart was indeed brave, entrusting star-director Mel Gibson with $35 million for this, his second feature. There’s plenty of action and romance in this 13th-Century tale of a Scottish hero who returns to his homeland after England’s cruel king assumes power. (Paramount)

The Bridges of Madison County. Clint Eastwood directs and stars with Meryl Streep in this highly anticipated film version of the publishing phenomenon. Eastwood is the photojournalist and Streep the Italian American farm wife with whom he shares a four-day tryst. (Warner Bros.)

Carrington. Christopher Hampton’s directorial debut, starring Emma Thompson as the androgynous young painter Dora Carrington, examines her eccentric relationship with Bloomsbury writer Lytton Strachey. (Gramercy)

Casper. Steven Spielberg produces this childhood fantasy, starring Christina Ricci as the young girl who can communicate with the friendliest ghost. Bill Pullman plays her dad, who tangles with a not-so-friendly Cathy Moriarty. (Universal)

Clueless. Amy Heckerling wrote and directs this romantic comedy about a Beverly Hills teen who’s quite a pain-in-the-derriere. Not only is she filthy rich, but she must control all aspects of all things for all those around her. Alicia Silverstone stars. (Paramount)

Congo. Frank Marshall directs Michael Crichton and John Patrick Shanley’s adaptation of Crichton’s shelf-buster novel of a primatologist (Dylan Walsh) and a supervisor with a computer conglomerate (Laura Linney) who seek out the lost city of Zinj for very different reasons. Crichton wrote the book on this kind of stuff. (Paramount)

Copycat. The name refers to a San Francisco killer whose modus operandi is to chillingly re-create infamous serial murders. Forensic psychiatrist Sigourney Weaver fears wide-open spaces but nevertheless teams with ambitious cop Holly Hunter to bring the scum down. (Warner Bros.)

Crimson Tide. “Top Gun” director Tony Scott tackles this political thriller starring Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman. When a nuclear submarine responds to an urgent message to hit a Russian missile site, a mutinous situation arises on board in the face of global annihilation. (Hollywood)

Cutthroat Island. Renny Harlin directs his wife, Geena Davis, in this mega-budgeted 1650 tale of relentless pirates, a spunky maiden and a suave gambler. Matthew Modine (stepping in for Michael Douglas) co-stars. (MGM)

Dead Presidents. “Menace II Society” directors Allen and Albert Hughes examine a Vietnam vet who encounters nothing but grief as he resorts to violent crime after trying to assimilate into society. Larenz Tate stars. (Hollywood)

Die Hard: With a Vengeance. Original director John McTiernan returns with Bruce Willis, this time with Jeremy Irons and Samuel L. Jackson rounding out the fun. Irons plays Simon, a brilliant, vengeful terrorist keen on blowing the smithereens out of New York. Jackson is McClane’s reluctant partner. (Fox)

Double Happiness. Sandra Oh plays a Chinese actress who agrees to marry a nice lawyer from China to appease her folks. Things get really sticky when she falls for a non-Asian university student. (Fine Line)

The Dumbo Drop. Director Simon Wincer leads Danny Glover and Ray Liotta in this fun-filled romp about a tough Green Beret who repays the Vietnamese villagers who rescued him by replacing a cherished elephant that perished during the mission. (Walt Disney)

Fair Game. Police detective William Baldwin defies strict orders from up high and selflessly protects a young attorney from high-tech assassins in Miami. And who can be surprised? The lawyer is played by Cindy Crawford, in her feature debut. (Warner Bros.)

Faithful. Cher and Chazz Palminteri head up this Paul Mazursky film based on Palminteri’s comedy-thriller of a play. When philandering Ryan O’Neal hires Chazz to kill wife Cher, she initiates a cat-and-mouse scenario with her would-be assailant. (Savoy)

First Knight. It took some time for director Jerry Zucker to follow up “Ghost,” but here it is: Sean Connery plays King Arthur in this romantic Round Table fantasy-adventure, but it is through Richard Gere’s eyes as Lancelot and his dangerous love for Lady Guinevere (Julia Ormond) that the tale unfolds. (Columbia)

Forget Paris. Forget “City Slickers 2,” pleads Billy Crystal, and allow him to regroup with this comedic drama also starring Debra Winger. Crystal wrote, directs and plays a single basketball ref who meets American-in-Paris Winger and considers calling a timeout on bachelorhood. (Columbia)

Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home. Willy’s happily cruising the Pacific Northwest with his brother and sister and whale buddies. When an oceanic disaster separates Willy from family, his young human pal Jesse is off to save him again. (Warner Bros.)

Getting Away With Murder. Ethics professor Dan Aykroyd falls into the predicament of his life when he learns that kindly neighbor Jack Lemmon is, in fact, a Nazi war criminal. The prof decides to take matters into his own hands. Oh, it’s a comedy. (Savoy)

Heaven’s Prisoners. Alec Baldwin plays a hardened New Orleans cop, Dave Robicheaux, who finally tosses in the badge and settles into life on the bayou with wife Kelly Lynch. But a bizarre plane crash draws him back into the fray when his family is viciously threatened. Phil Joanou directs. (Savoy)

The Indian in the Cupboard. Frank Oz directs this adventure based on the Lynne Reid Banks bestseller about Omri, a 9-year-old boy whose birthday presents include a miniature plastic Indian who comes to life. Adapted by Melissa Mathison (“E.T.”). (Paramount)

Jack and Sarah. Richard E. Grant plays Jack, a full-time attorney forced to single-handedly raise his little Sarah. Samantha Mathis plays an American waitress he asks to look after the child, much to the chagrin of his mother and others. (Gramercy)

Johnny Mnemonic. This 21st-Century thriller concerns a high-tech courier (Keanu Reeves) who’s on the run when he learns that the chip implant in his brain contains priceless data. Will he become road kill on the info superhighway? Written by cyberpunk author William Gibson. (TriStar)

Judge Dredd. Sylvester Stallone is Dredd, a futuristic jurist known for his brutal law decisions. When an arch-nemesis frames him for murder, Dredd rolls up his robe sleeves and unleashes terrible retribution while possibly even saving his own planet. With Armand Assante and Diane Lane. (Hollywood)

Little Panda. This story, filmed in the jungles of China, tells of an American boy who visits his dad to watch him care for this scarcest of species. What the boy sees--ruthless poachers and all--helps him mature in many ways. Stephen Lang stars. (Warner Bros.)

Mary Reilly. Julia Roberts plays Reilly, an innocent maid to one Dr. Jekyll, as interpreted by John Malkovich. Director Stephen Frears and Oscar-winning scribe Christopher Hampton (“Dangerous Liaisons”) see to it that Jekyll’s transformations into “assistant” Hyde is hideous fun. (TriStar)

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie. Clear clean outta the way, folks, ‘cause they’re coming to the big screen! Paul Freeman plays one of the older folks in this, the MMPRs’ very first feature. (Fox)

Nine Months. Chris Columbus wrote and directs this frantic look at two couples and their long, comic paths to maternity. Hugh Grant, Tom Arnold, Julianne Moore and Joan Cusack star; Jeff Goldblum and Robin Williams cameo. (Fox)

A Pig’s Tale. Graham Sack plays a 13-year-old who is doomed to spend his entire summer break at Kamp Kipperman, where the rich kids rule the day. But soon he and the members of his Pig Pen club turn the tables. (Gramercy)

Pocahontas. Mel Gibson is just one of the voice actors in one of the year’s certain event films. The relationship between the independent Native American woman and handsome English settler John Smith will propel the animated feature, punctuated by songs from Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz. (Walt Disney)

Private Parts. Those of you pining for “The Adventures of Fartman,” do not despair; Howard Stern will grace a screen near you after all, in an adaptation of his best-selling autobiography. (Savoy)

Rob Roy. Liam Neeson plays the legendary Scottish Highlander, with Jessica Lange starring as his fiercely independent wife. Michael Caton-Jones directs this tale of Robert Roy MacGregor, a man of mythical strength and courage. (United Artists)

Sabrina. Harrison Ford wanted a little romantic recuperation after “Clear and Present Danger,” so he’s selected director Sydney Pollack’s version of the 1954 Billy Wilder dandy about two wealthy brothers who fall for the chauffeur’s daughter. (Paramount)

Safe. Julianne Moore stars in this sci-fi-tinged look at a suburban mom who becomes a victim of a strange malady that may or may not be attributable to the environment. (Sony Pictures Classics)

The Scarlet Letter. Demi Moore plays the Nathaniel Hawthorne heroine, with Gary Oldman as the reverend who fathers her child in puritanical 17th-Century Boston. Robert Duvall also stars; Roland Joffe directs the Douglas Day Stewart adaptation. (Hollywood)

Species. Roger Donaldson directs this thriller in which a nearby galactic civilization transmits “friendly” instructions regarding human DNA. Ben Kingsley stars; H. R. Giger (“Alien”) designed the creature. (MGM)

Stretch Armstrong. Jay Dubin directs this kiddie fantasy following the exploits of Stretch, one of the most popular action figures of all time. (Walt Disney)

Tenderfoots. Daniel Stern plays a sloppy, kid-hating guy who’s accused of a crime he didn’t commit. So what he does is hide out with a bunch of 10-year-old Scouts on their first camping trip. (Fox)

Timemaster. A 12-year-old goes on an adventure through time and space seeking his lost parents. Starring Pat Morita and Joanna Pacula. (Shapiro/Glickenhaus Entertainment)

Under Siege II: Dark Territory. Steven Seagal, after directing “On Deadly Ground,” lets Geoff Murphy call the shots in this sequel, a kind of “Under Siege” on a train. Eric Bogosian plays the Tommy Lee Jones role. (Warner Bros.)

Virtuosity. Director Brett Leonard has Denzel Washington playing an ex-cop with a pained past. Suddenly, the former flatfoot finds himself all over 1997 L.A. looking for a computer-generated personality on a rampage. (Paramount)

Waterworld. Kevin Costner plays the Mariner, the only man who can save this future world-without-land from Dennis Hopper and his marauding pirates. Jeanne Tripplehorn joins the Mariner in attempting to save the soggy planet. Kevin Reynolds directs. (Universal)

While You Were Sleeping. Sandra Bullock is a lonely subway token collector who admires a man from afar. When he’s mugged and left in a coma, she ostensibly becomes his fiancee. (Hollywood/Caravan)

Wigstock: The Movie. RuPaul and musical dance darlings Deee-lite top this wacky and tacky look at the 10th anniversary of Wigstock, the transvestite festival that overtakes New York’s East Village each year. (Samuel Goldwyn Co.)

Wings of Courage. This latest IMAX spectacle, about 1930 aviators, stars Craig Sheffer, Tom Hulce, Elizabeth McGovern and Val Kilmer. Jean-Jacques Annaud directs. (Sony Pictures Classics)