Thank Goodness It's Summer Sequels, Comedies & Shoot-'em-ups Things Are Warming Up At The Movies

Hey, what did you expect - Fellini? Summer's here, and the time is right for sequels (to everything from " 'Crocodile' Dundee" to "Caddyshack," ''Arthur" to "Rambo," "Short Circuit" to "Poltergeist"), silly comedies ("The Great Outdoors," "Funny Farm," "License to Drive"), bang- bang shoot-'em-ups (Arnold Schwarzenegger's "Red Heat," Clint Eastwood's ''The Dead Pool" and Bruce Willis's "Die Hard") and gimmicky star vehicles (Eddie Murphy's "Coming to America," Tom Cruise's "Cocktail," Pee-wee Herman's "Big-Top Pee-Wee").

But, as usual, if you look closely, you'll find some interesting stuff amid the pap. The summer of 1988 will see new films by some of the most interesting directors - Jonathan Demme ("Married to the Mob"), John Sayles ("Eight Men Out"), Paul Mazursky ("Moon Over Parador"), Costa-Gavras ("Betrayed") and Francis Coppola ("Tucker") - and featuring some of our most talented actors - Robert De Niro ("Midnight Run"), Sean Connery ("The Presidio"), the team of Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin ("Big Business") and John Cleese ("A Fish Called Wanda").

There will, in any case, be a lot to choose from, as Hollywood, energized by the video revolution, continues its prolific ways. What follows is a tentative - very tentative - schedule of the summer's releases. See you at the movies.

TODAY

'CROCODILE' DUNDEE II. In the production notes Paramount distributed for this film, which is the sequel to the most successful movie of 1986, star Paul Hogan is quoted as saying: "The movie develops the relationship between Mick and Sue in the same fun way in which their story began in the first movie." Now, did Hogan really say that, or did Larry Speakes make it up?

RAMBO III. Sly Stallone slathers on the body oil one more time, as taciturn John Rambo kicks some tail in Afghanistan.

FRIDAY

EAT THE RICH. British satire.

JUNE 3

FUNNY FARM. Mirth abounds as Chevy Chase plays a New York sportswriter who chucks it all for an "idyllic" life in Vermont. Directed by George Roy Hill, who might make this more interesting than it sounds. Then again, he might not.

BIG. Just what you've been waiting for - the fourth kid-in-a-man's body story of the year. Tom Hanks stars; Penny Marshall directed.

KING LEAR. A truly weird concoction: Jean Luc-Godard's retelling of Shakespeare's tragedy, starring Norman Mailer, Molly Ringwald, Burgess Meredith and Woody Allen.

JUNE 8

DISTANT HARMONY. Documentary about Luciano Pavarotti's visit to China. Big country, big guy.

JUNE 10