Summer movie extravaganza

As we all prepare to go on our long-awaited and much-deserved holidays, KRS film distributors unveil their list of summer releases, something else to look forward to in those lazy, hazy, dazy, crazy days of summer.

At the KRS promo reel launch, general manager Charles Pace acknowledged that, although May is not usually a very good month for sales, thanks to Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull "the tables have turned" with the response of the public exceeding KRS's expectations.

Mr Pace explained that, so far this year, KRS released 82 films. Eight of them played for eight weeks or more and about 14 films were withdrawn after one week of being released, so poor were the sales.

The first five months of this year were dominated by adventure, action movies and dramas. Among the gems released this year were sleeper hit The Bank Job, the period adaptation The Other Boleyn Girl, the action-packed sequel Rambo and the family adventure The Waterhorse: Legend Of The Deep, dealing with Nessie of Loch Ness.

This month sees the release of three major motion pictures, which are predicted to set the box office on fire both locally and internationally. First up for release this week, is the highly-anticipated Sex And The City big screen spin off , spawned from the hit TV series that bears the same name. This will undoubtedly satisfy the female target audience while others who missed out on the TV series would want to see what the fuss is all about.

The balance is soon struck by a film that should tickle the taste buds of a wider audience, with the release of the comic book adaptation of the much-loved The Incredible Hulk. This can be looked upon as either a sequel to Ang Lee's Hulk or else a complete revamp of Marvel's Green Hero.

Bound to be a favourite with children worldwide is the sequel The Chronicles of Narnia - Prince Caspian, which reunites the children from the first film who return to the mystical world of Narnia.

Come July, amid the releases of Kung Fu Panda, Wanted, Hancock, W.A.L.L.-E, The Forbidden Kingdom, the two most anticipated films are the big screen musical adaptation Mamma Mia! and The Dark Knight.

The second is the highly-awaited sequel to Batman Begins, which will poignantly see the late Heath Ledger in his final role as the malevolent Joker.

A cinema date not to be missed is July 5 when KRS will be launching the 13th edition of The National Cinema Day.

August kicks off with the adventure threequel The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor, while Mike Myers is set to prove that his career did not end with Austin Powers as he appears in the comedy The Love Guru.

August also sees the awaited comeback of FBI Agents Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) with their strange phenomena in The X-Files: I Want to Believe.

Furthermore, Adam Sandler proves he has a licence to style hair as well as kill in You Don`t Mess With The Zohan, while Get Smart's bumbling CIA agent makes a leap to the big screen alongside Guillermo del Toro's Hellboy 2: The Golden Army.

The perfect end-of-summer treat for the younger picture-goers will be Children's Cinema Day, which will be the second one to be held this year.

It will take place on August 30, coupled by the releases of the period drama The Duchess and the adventure The Boy On The Striped Pyjamas in September.