Last Friday, Entertainment Weekly released its Summer Movie Preview, one of my favorite issues of the year. It looks like this summer's even more packed with movies worth seeing than usual, so while I'm listing my top 10 must-sees of the summer, I had to toss on 5 more.Wolverine (May 1st)
Like I'm going to miss out on the first big movie of the summer. Yeah, I thought X-Men 3 was an overstuffed mess, and I've always put Spider-man and Batman higher on my preferred superheroes list. But with a focus on one mutant instead of 30, and an intriguing supporting cast (Charlie!), I've got high hopes this will be remembered well come summer's end.
Star Trek (May 8th)
I've never seen a single episode of any Star Trek series. Nor have I ever seen one of the movies. But with JJ Abrams at the helm and trailers that play down the Star Trek connection, I can't wait.
Terminator Salvation (May 21st)
Christian Bale is just what John Connor needs to lose his rep as whiny and annoying (see: Edward Furlong in T2, the Sarah Connor Chronicles on TV). Rumors of an Ahnuld cameo add one more reason to check this out, but I'd show up just for the theme song.
Up (May 29th)
With The Incredibles, Ratatouille, and Wall-E, Pixar's been on a hot streak of great movies for all ages (we'll give them a pass on Cars). If Up is anywhere near as good, we may have to list the great Pixar movie as more of a summer fixture than superheroes.
Land of the Lost (June 5th)
I haven't seen the '70s show and I can't say I was excited when the movie was announced. But the trailer won me over, as did the presence of Danny McBride and Pushing Daisies' Anna Friel.
Public Enemies (July 1st)
A historical biopic with Oscar possibilities in the summer? Sounds like a nice break from sequels. As John Dillinger, Johnny Depp's found another part that fits his oddball charm, and Christian Bale makes his 2nd appearance on the list.
Bruno (July 10th)
If you've seen the redband trailer, you know this will be the funniest movie of the summer. So if you just started sighing in relief over the decline of obnoxious Borat imitators, tough luck. I'm calling it now: Bruno will be the most quoted movie of 2009.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (July 15th)
Since most of us were ready to see this at its original release date last Thanksgiving, this is a long overdue must-see. With no more books to bring us back to Hogwarts, these last few movies will be all the bigger.
Funny People (July 31st)
I'm not quite sure what to make of this Punchline-style dramedy about stand-up comics. But I do know Judd Apatow is currently 2 for 2 on movies he's directed. So that automatically makes this my (second) most anticipated comedy this summer.
Inglourious Basterds (August 21st)
Late August is a strange time to release a big movie, but there's a lot that's strange about this one. Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt, and World War II - three things that you wouldn't expect to see together in any possible combination. But from the trailer, this looks like the movie Valkyrie should have been.
And 5 more:
Angels & Demons (May 15th) - More obligation than desire, but I'll still see it.
Away We Go (June 5th) - A Sam Mendes roadtrip comedy? Absolutely.
Whatever Works (June 19th) - Like I'm missing a Woody Allen movie.
(500) Days of Summer (July 17th) - Can it still be called a sleeper hit if it's what everyone already thinks it will be?
Taking Woodstock (August 14th) - The only other movie besides Public Enemies with a shot of lasting til Oscar season, and it's Ang Lee!
