We’re just getting used to daylight saving time, and summer is already upon us: The season officially begins not on June 21 but on May 7 with the arrival of “Iron Man 2.” Because, you know, Hollywood operates according to its own internal time clock.
And we’ve got a lot of movies to get through, people, from now ‘til Labor Day. We’ve got sequels, remakes, predators, babies, ogres. That’s not even counting 3-D, which brings us toys, man-eating fish, and dancers, too. So put your polarized glasses on and gaze at the following:
May 7
“Iron Man 2”: Robert Downey Jr., climbs back into his triumphant costume and — we hope — improvises a little around the script.
“Babies”: Filmmakers follow four babies in their first year of life. Guess what? Babies are funny.
“The Secret in Their Eyes”: The surprise Oscar-winner for best foreign-language film (representing Argentina) arrives, so we can find out how it could’ve beaten “A Prophet.”
“The Good, the Bad, and the Weird”: Asian craziness that deliberately takes off from the spaghetti westerns tradition.
“Paper Man”: Ryan Reynolds as an imaginary superhero and Jeff Daniels is the writer who dreamed him up.
May 14
“Robin Hood”: Russell Crowe, trying to get a little career rehab going, plays the man who robs from the rich and gives to the poor. He’s got his “Gladiator” director, Ridley Scott, on board, and with Cate Blanchett as Maid Marian the movie skews in a more grown-up direction than most summer movies.
“Letters to Juliet”: Amanda Seyfried, currently hot off “Dear John” and “Mamma Mia!”, gets another lead role as a traveler in Rome who finds a letter addressed to the titular Shakespearian heroine. And, I guess, has a romantic adventure about it.
“Just Wright”: A physical therapist (Queen Latifah) falls for an NBA player (Common) she is tending; but will he reciprocate? Funny feeling that Latifah is the main reason to see this one.
“The Secret of Kells”: The mystery film that was nominated for an Oscar in the best animated feature category finally opens. It’s a medieval adventure with Celtic flavoring.
“Casino Jack and the United States of Money”: Reportedly a scathing documentary about the crooked lobbyist Jack Abramoff, currently serving jail time for subverting the Constitution and pocketing the difference. Directed by Alex Gibney, who also did “Enron” and “Taxi to the Dark Side.”
“Princess Kaiulani”: True story of the Hawaiian princess who argued against U.S. annexation of the islands in the 1890s. The beguiling actress from “The New World,” Q’orianka Kilcher, plays her royal highness.
May 21
“Shrek Forever After”: There’s more life in the big green ogre — at least DreamWorks thinks so, which means Mike Myers &Co. are saddling up for the fourth picture in the animated franchise.
“MacGruber”: Will Forte’s “Saturday Night Live” character, a variation on TV handyman “MacGyver” (“Here, let me make a helicopter out of this tin can and a piece of string”) comes to the big screen. Val Kilmer looks hilarious as MacGruber’s nemesis.
May 28
“Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time”: Disney tries to launch a new adventure series, with a “Lord of the Rings” look, a video-game source, and Jake Gyllenhaal brandishing a sword. No word on elves or hobbits.
“Sex and the City 2”: I boldly predict this sequel will contain much talk about designer shoes, handbags and sexual prowess. Now could this happen in less than the original film’s 2½ hours?
“Survival of the Dead”: The latest zombie offering from director George Romero, the man whose “Night of the Living Dead” set the gold standard for all things re-animated.
June 4
“Killers”: Newlywed couple Katherine Heigl and Ashton Kutcher find themselves menaced by professional assassins. No comments, please, from nonfans of these two actors.
“Get Him to the Greek”: Russell Brand revives his character from “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” an obnoxious rock star, in a comedy about a hapless gofer (Jonah Hill) stuck with getting the outrageous Brit to a concert on time.
“Marmaduke”: The Great Dane from the comic strip stars in a live-action vehicle, with Owen Wilson (last seen working the canine angle in “Marley &Me”) providing the voice of Marmaduke.
“Splice”: Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley star as scientists who develop a hybrid human-animal creature. Hope this has nothing to do with the talking dog in “Marmaduke.”
June 11
“The A-Team”: Just what you were waiting for: a big-screen take on the ’80s TV show, with a cast led by Liam Neeson. He does not take the old Mr. T role.
“The Karate Kid”: More ’80s time warp: We start this franchise over with Jaden Smith (Will’s kid) as the student and Jackie Chan as the wise teacher of the martial arts.
June 18
“Toy Story 3”: It’s been more than 10 years since the last installment of this Pixar series, but given the quality of the first two movies, that might not matter. In this one, the toys have a change of scenery when their owner departs for college.
“Jonah Hex”: A comic-book western gets its shot, with Josh Brolin as a bounty hunter pressed into service against a terrorist (John Malkovich). Alleged star Megan Fox is the leading lady.
“Please Give”: From the indie quarter, “Lovely &Amazing” director Nicole Holofcener returns with another acerbic comedy, this time about a New York couple who buy estate items from grieving families at lowball prices. Rebecca Hall and Catherine Keener lead the cast.
“City of Your Final Destination”: A return to the literary-adaptation field for director James Ivory (“Howards End”) after a layoff; Anthony Hopkins and Laura Linney star.
June 25
“Grown Ups”: What are the concerns of aging goofballs? Adam Sandler’s new one will explore this urgent question, in the company of old friends Chris Rock, David Spade, Kevin James and Rob Schneider.
“Knight and Day”: Secret agent Tom Cruise gets regular gal Cameron Diaz mixed up in international intrigue; could this be an impossible mission?
“Micmacs”: A lark from “Amelie” director Jean-Pierre Jeunet, in which a man joins a gang of underground kooks after being shot in the head. It’s a comedy.
July 2
“Twilight Saga: Eclipse”: Teenage werewolves and vampires return in another installment of the heavy-breathing series, in which Bella will undoubtedly have to make some sort of agonizing choice.
“The Last Airbender”: M. Night Shyamalan’s first movie adapted from another source, a Nickelodeon cartoon series titled “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” I wonder why the dropped the “Avatar” part.
“Twelve”: Upper-class teens do the drug scene in Manhattan, directed by Joel Schumacher, who made the worst “Batman” movies.
July 9
“Despicable Me”: A self-styled evil genius (voiced by Steve Carell) plots to steal the moon in this 3-D animated comedy.
“Predators”: This revival of the “Predator” series (you didn’t really think it was a revival of the “Pride and Prejudice” series?) features a tough cast and a fun-loving producer in Robert Rodriguez, so fanboys are right to be modestly hopeful.
“The Kids Are All Right”: First off, kudos for spelling “all right” correctly. This might also be a good movie, a tale of teens seeking out their biological father, a man who has no connection to their lesbian parents (Julianne Moore, Annette Bening).
“Cyrus”: An indie from the Duplass brothers (“The Puffy Chair”) about a man (John C. Reilly) who is smitten by a woman (Marisa Tomei), only to learn that her adult son (Jonah Hill) is something of a handful.
July 16
“The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”: Let me get this straight: Nicolas Cage plays a sorcerer in modern New York who enlists an unsuspecting mortal (Jay Baruchel) to help protect mankind from evil. Actually, all right, I buy that.
“Inception”: Winner: Least Exciting Title for Summer Movie Season. Leonardo DiCaprio leads the way in this mind-bender about a society suffering from dream control. Directed by Christopher Nolan, who made the best “Batman” movies.
July 23
“Salt”: It’s about time for Angelina Jolie to get her action-hero vibe on, and this spy thriller (originally written for a male character) ought to do the trick.
“Dinner for Schmucks”: Remake of a French farce about a group that invites an idiot (here, Steve Carell) to dinner, so they can ridicule him. Paul Rudd co-stars.
“Ramona and Beezus”: Family comedy based on successful children’s books by Beverly Cleary.
July 30
“Get Low”: 1930s backwoods tale of an old coot (Robert Duvall) who throws a funeral for himself while he’s still alive. Bill Murray and Sissy Spacek co-star.
“The Adjustment Bureau”: A Philip K. Dick story provides the springboard for this sci-fi thriller, with Matt Damon and Emily Blunt as the leads.
“I Love You Phillip Morris”: Straight guy Jim Carrey suddenly realizes his true orientation, and becomes devoted to Ewan McGregor — a much-delayed movie that has its basis in a true story.
“Beastly”: A youth-geared take on “Beauty and the Beast,” with Vanessa Hudgens as, I think, the beauty part.
“Cats &Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore”: Sequel in the ongoing domestic-animal war.
August 6
“The Other Guys”: A couple of desk jockeys (Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg) are pressed into service for riskier police work. Comedy ensues.
“Step Up 3-D”: Another sequel — and this time they’re dancing right at you, in 3-D.
August 13
“The Expendables”: Sly Stallone tries to keep his late-career resurgence going, directing and co-starring in this convention of tough guys: Jason Statham, Jet Li, Mickey Rourke, et al.
“Eat Pray Love”: Julia Roberts plays a woman on a round-the-world journey, based on a memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert.
“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”: Based on a graphic novel and directed by the “Shaun of the Dead” guy (Edgar Wright), this one has Michael Cera facing down his beloved’s ex-boyfriends — seven in all.
August 20
“Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang”: Emma Thompson’s zany character returns in another kid-friendly picture about the alternate-reality Mary Poppins.
“The Switch”: Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman star in a skewed comedy about a turkey baster and its after-effects. No, there will be no explanation from here.
August 27
“Going the Distance”: The ups and downs of long-distance romance, essayed by that real-life crazy couple, Drew Barrymore and Justin Long.
“Piranha 3-D”: Not since “Jaws 3-D” — well, maybe forget about that one. The fish have been awakened, etc., etc., and you can take off your glasses now.
Film fest
No summer would be complete without the longest film festival in America, the Seattle International Film Festival, which this year runs from May 20 to June 13.
And for the first time this year, SIFF extends its reach to Everett with a week’s worth of movies, May 27 to June 3, at the Everett Performing Arts Center.
The full line-up of films will be available on May 6 at the SIFF website, www.siff.net/festival/
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
