The summer movie season is about to open, and it's a sizzler

"Thor" opens Friday, kicking off the summer movie season.

What with all the superhero movies scheduled for this summer, things could get confusing. So just to be clear: "Conan 3-D" is a superhero movie; "Conan O'Brien Can't Stop" is not. "X-Men: First Class" is a superhero movie; "The First Grader" is not. "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" is a superhero movie; "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" is not. "Priest" is a superhero movie; "Bad Teacher" is not.
There is a new, huge action movie practically every weekend this summer, and oddly, three wedding-themed comedies in May alone. That doesn't leave much room for serious fare or anything off the beaten track, but there are bound to be some hidden gems in the following list. Movies that I'm especially looking forward to - or that I've already seen and loved - are in bold type:
MAY 6
"Thor": The god/vanquisher-of-evil-deeds may not end up being the biggest hit of the summer (I'd bet my money on the "Transformers" or "Cars" sequels), but he definitely has the biggest triceps.
"Meek's Cutoff": My favorite film of the year so far is an enigmatic, ominous Western in which a group of pilgrims wanders around 19th-century Oregon with no idea where they're going, and danger is around every corner.
"Something Borrowed": Kate Hudson returns to the genre in which she has had all of her biggest successes: vaguely mean-spirited romantic comedies. Here, she's a woman who steals her

pal's (Ginnifer Goodwin's) flame and then, on the eve of her wedding to him, may be the victim of a switchback.
"Jumping the Broom": More nuptials-themed comedy: Two families unite uneasily at a swank wedding.
"Bill Cunningham New York": Funny, compassionate and heartbreaking, it's a documentary look at the mysterious octogenarian who photographs fashionable New Yorkers for the New York Times.
"The Cave of Forgotten Dreams": Probably the only way you're ever going to see the world's most ancient artworks - the astounding, 30,000-year-old paintings on cave walls in France.
MAY 13
"Bridesmaids": If you heard Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, the late Jill Clayburgh, Melissa McCarthy and Jon Hamm were all in a comedy about a woman who freaks out about her pal's wedding, you'd probably hope it would be really, really funny. And it is!
"Priest": Vampires, an apocalypse, a crime-fighting priest. That old story.
"Everything Must Go": Two names you might not expect to see linked - Will Ferrell and short-story writer Raymond Carver - are involved in this Carver adaptation about a man re-evaluating his life.
"Hesher": If you're keeping track, this is Natalie Portman's fourth movie of the year (she's also in "Thor"). The Oscar winner plays one of the people who falls under the spell of Hesher (played by Joseph Gordon Levitt), a profane drifter who pulls them out of the doldrums.
"Incendies": A nominee for this year's foreign-film Oscar, this Canadian drama is about adult twins trying to fulfill their late mother's unusual legacy.
MAY 20
"Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides": Capt. Jack's back, and this time, he has Penelope Cruz and Judi Dench with him.
"The Beaver": It's a puppet that troubled Mel Gibson (in a fine performance that echoes his real-life woes) uses to relate to the world. Jodie Foster directed this inconsistent but compelling drama.
"Forks Over Knives": The documentary's message? You should be a vegetarian.
"Circo": Documenting a Mexican circus that has been on the road for more than a century.
MAY 27
"The Hangover Part II": An uproarious trailer has me pumped for a second outing with our boozy, unlucky friends Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms.
"Kung Fu Panda 2": These days, the voice of Jack Black seems to be a bigger star than the rest of him (see "Gulliver's Travels," "Year One").
"Midnight in Paris": Raising your expectations: It stars Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Carla Bruni. Lowering them: It's the latest from Woody Allen.
"Queen to Play": It's a big week for Gallic romance. This one stars Sandrine Bonnaire and a French-speaking Kevin Kline.
"The First Grader": Based on the true story of an octogenarian Kenyan who goes back to school. From the beginning.
JUNE 3
"X-Men: First Class": An origins story featuring a nifty cast of up-and-comers: Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, January Jones.
"The Tree of Life": Co-produced by our own Bill Pohlad, it's the long-awaited latest from unprolific Terrence Malick showing how the life of one man (Sean Penn) was shaped. Our first hint about whether it's any good should come from next week's Cannes Film Festival, where it will screen for the first time.
"13 Assassins": They're on a dangerous mission to kill an evil landowner. Word is this thriller from Japanese maestro Takishi Miike is spectacular.
JUNE 10
"Super-8": The dandy trailer combines the sensibilities of director J.J. Abrams ("Lost") and producer Steven Spielberg. Set in the '70s, it's about a group of kids who are making a movie when they accidentally photograph something they were not meant to see.
"Judy Moody and the Not-Bummer Summer": Tries to do for girls what "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" did for boys.
"The Robber": Thrilling true-life adventure about an Austrian guy with two complementary skills: He's a bank robber and a distance runner.
JUNE 17
"Mr. Popper's Penguins": Jim Carrey stars in an adaptation of the kids' book about a man whose life gets complicated when he becomes the foster parent of rambunctious, tuxedoed pets.
"Green Lantern": Ryan Reynolds risks superhero fatigue. (P.S. Does anyone have strong feelings about this particular superhero?)
"Beginners": Christopher Plummer is also in "Priest," but he gets a meatier role in this drama, based on the true story of an elderly man who comes out of the closet.
"Submarine": From England, a coming-of-age story that stars the hugely talented Sally Hawkins.
"Just Like Us": Muslim comics on tour.
"The Trip": Another road movie. This one follows Steve Coogan and a friend on a chatty, improvised-feeling journey across northern England.
JUNE 24
"Cars 2": Has there ever been a bad Pixar animated film? (Answer: No.)
"Bad Teacher": The comedy's titular evocation of "Bad Santa" is probably deliberate: Cameron Diaz stars as a teacher whose interest in the well-being of her pupils is suspect.
"A Better Life": A Mexican-American, in this country illegally, struggles against long odds to create a better life for his son in a thoughtful, suspenseful drama.
"Conan O'Brien Can't Stop": What he can't stop doing is twofold: comedy, worrying.
"Project Nim": A smash hit at the Sundance Film Festival, this documentary about efforts to communicate with a chimp was directed by the guy behind the brilliant "Man on Wire," James Marsh.
JULY 1
"Larry Crowne": Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts in a warm comedy about an average Joe who remakes his life.
"Transformers: Dark of the Moon": The first two "Transformers" movies are awful, but I'm intrigued by this one because director Michael Bay has said he knows he needs to do better and because it has one very unlikely star, Frances McDormand. I can't wait to find out what she's doing here.
"Page One": Writer David Carr is our guide on a lively tour of the inner workings of the New York Times.
"Monte Carlo": Three friends on an adventure in the glittery vacation spot.
"The Art of Getting By": Teenage love, with Freddie Highmore and Emma Roberts (giving her Aunt Julia a run for the box-office money this weekend).
JULY 8
"Horrible Bosses": Three employees (Jason Sudeikis, Jason Bateman, Charlie Day) plot to kill the folks who sign their timecards (Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell, Kevin Spacey).
"One Day": Can Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturridge do justice to the terrific novel about a British man and woman who meet on the same day every year for two decades?
"Zookeeper": He's Kevin James. Expect hijinks.
"The Last Mountain": Is it one of the most beautiful parts of Appalachia? Or the answer to this country's coal needs?
JULY 15
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2": Hard to believe it's almost over, isn't it?
"Winnie the Pooh": An animated adventure for the little ones.
"Terri": A high school misfit comedy in a John Hughes vein, it focuses on a hefty loner in a small town.
JULY 22
"Captain America: The First Avenger": Chris Evans stars as this summer's third-most-biceppy superhero (Thor and Conan get the gold and the silver).
"Friends With Benefits": This year's third comedy about pals who have sex stars Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis.
"Beats, Rhymes and Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest": The journey of a reunited band that's due for a revival.
JULY 29
"Cowboys & Aliens": There has been a weirdly huge amount of publicity about the fact that, title notwithstanding, it's not a comedy. What is it? An adventure that stars Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig and that is not funny. Got it?
"Crazy Stupid Love": Julianne Moore leaves Steve Carell, who then gets romantic advice from smooth-talking, shirt-not-wearing Ryan Gosling.
"The Smurfs": Really?
"The Devil's Double": Saddam Hussein's son was a superbad guy. So bad that the only way he could avoid being killed was by hiring a double (played here by Dominic Cooper) to pose as him.
"Tabloid": Forget that title. The new doc from Errol Morris ("The Fog of War") is about a beauty queen who kidnaps a missionary.
"Snow Flower and the Secret Fan": Based on the novel about two girls who defy the 19th-century rules for Chinese women.
AUG. 5
"Rise of the Planet of the Apes": James Franco plays a power-mad scientist whose experiments with primates have an unfortunate side effect: worldwide rebellion and carnage. Oops.
"The Darkest Hour 3-D": The director of "Right at Your Door" (about viral contamination - check it out!) is back in doom-and-gloom territory. This one features aliens who want to wipe us out.
"The Change-Up": Jason Bateman's second summer comedy is one of those body-switching ones, and he gets a pretty good deal since the other body is Ryan Reynolds' with the arms and the butt and the six-pack.
"Life, Above All": The story of a young girl in South Africa.
"Sarah's Key": I'll watch anything with Kristin Scott Thomas in it. Here, she's an American reporter investigating Frenchmen who collaborated with the Nazis during World War II.
"Another Earth": When a parallel solar system is discovered, a troubled woman wonders if it can help her right her wrongs.
AUG. 12
"The Help": From your book club to movie screens everywhere, it features a ton of fine actresses - Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Allison Janney, Sissy Spacek, Bryce Dallas Howard, Cicely Tyson - in a comedy/drama about a Southerner's effort to tell the story of the African-American women who helped raise her and her friends.
"Don't Be Afraid of the Dark": Based on that creepy '70s TV movie about little people who live in our fireplaces. With Katie Holmes and Guy Pearce.
"30 Minutes or Less": Last time director Ruben Fleischer and star Jesse Eisenberg teamed up, it was for "Zombieland." Let's hope they can repeat the magic with a comedy about hapless thieves who try to rob a bank.
"The Future": Writer/director/star Miranda July follows up her captivating "Me and You and Everyone We Know" with another tightly focused drama in which adopting a cat alters a couple's lives.
AUG. 19
"Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World": This time, Jessica Alba is helping the spy "kids" (Let's be real: They're no longer kids) fight crime.
"Fright Night": Anton Yeltsin discovers that living next door to a vampire (Colin Farrell) sucks.
"Conan 3-D": His pecs will literally be popping into your face.
"The Tree": When her dad dies, an Australian girl becomes convinced his soul lives on, covered with leaves, played on by squirrels and standing in her yard.
"Dirty Girl": Two outcasts go on a road trip in the 1980s, which means the Culture Club and Spandau Ballet are probably along for the ride.
AUG. 26
"Our Idiot Brother": Paul Rudd plays him. Zooey Deschanel, Elizabeth Banks and Emily Mortimer play his sisters, who are sick to death of him.
"Final Destination 5": The fifth, but smart money says not really final, outing for the often-clever horror franchise in which graphic, creative death canbe cheated for only so long.
Source : twincities