The Summer movie season officially kicks off Friday with “Thor” (though “Fast Five” apparently had other ideas). Here’s my list of the 5 movies I’m most looking forward to seeing this Summer. It was hard for me to choose only five, since I’ll be seeing at least 20 over the next four months, and many of them look great, so I’m including a few honorable mentions.
Honorable Mentions:
“Super 8” – (June 10) An interesting story though we don’t know much about the plot. Directed by J.J. Abrams (the creator of “Lost”). Could be a surprise hit.
“Cowboys & Aliens” (July 29) – Directed by “Iron Man”‘s Jon Favreau and starring Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford. A classic western/alien invasion story – very original. Looks like tons of action and excitement.
Top 5:
#5:
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” (July 15) – A grand finale that looks like it’ll be an all-out action film. I hope that’s the case, considering “Part 1” had hardly any action. No, I’m not going back and watching all the other films, but maybe diehards will.
#4:
“Winnie the Pooh” (July 15) – Everyone’s back! The animation looks terrific and the trailer sets it up to be not only funny (with lots of honey), but also emotional. Every time I see a clip for “Winnie the Pooh”, it puts a smile on my face, and I hope that occurs througout the entire film.
#3:
“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” (May 20) – Johnny Depp returns (after a long 4 years) as Jack Sparrow, along with Geoffrey Rush. Penelope Cruz and Ian McShane join the cast. The story is intriguing, and “Pirates 4” looks to have loads of action and the charm we always get from Capt. Jack.
#2:
“Kung Fu Panda 2” (May 26) – Po and the Furious Five have to save Kung Fu. Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman and company are joined by Gary Oldman. The animation looks fantastic and the action looks even better than in the original. I’m ready for more laughs and more Kung Fu!
#1:
“Cars 2” (June 24) – Lighning McQueen and Mater are going international. McQueen is taking part in the World Grand Prix, and Mater may be a spy. Exotic locations with fancy and detailed new cars. Mater is now the star, so there should be lots of laughs. But with Michael Caine and Emily Mortimer voicing British agents, you can also expect tons of action. The Paul Newman tribute should be nice as well.
Hopefully it’s going to be a record-breaking summer at the box office and that most of these films are actually worth spending your money to see.