Summer's Heating Up

The summer movie season traditionally starts in May, but a lukewarm first month (Fast Five, Thor, Pirates 4) has yet to get my behind into a theater seat. Things are definitely looking up though, starting tomorrow. Here's a few upcoming event movies I'm looking forward to.

X-Men: First Class // June 3

The X-Men franchise has had its ups and downs to be sure (ups: X-Men, X2, downs: X3, Wolverine). Plus, origin stories tend to be a dodgy proposition—you never know if you are going to get a Phantom Menace or a Batman Begins. But First Class has a few things going for it that have me leaning toward the latter. It's a period piece set in the '60s—a great way to boost the coolness factor. Also, early word-of-mouth is indicating that this is indeed a return to form for the franchise. But most importantly, Kevin Bacon is starring as the villain. It's about time he was in something noteworthy again. Well, besides this amazing commercial:



Super 8 // June 10

Now that J.J. Abrams has co-created Lost and directed a Star Trek film that was actually watchable, consider me invested in his work. The plot of Abrams' latest film, Super 8, has been kept under typically tight wraps. But I do know it is something of an homage to the Spielberg films of the late '70s and early '80s (Close Encounters, E.T., etc.). Just watch the trailer. It's got aliens (presumably). It's got government conspiracy. It's got coming-of-age kids as the protagonists. It's even set in 1979 so it's got the bad clothes and shaggy hairstyles. I'm tellin' ya, Abrams knows how to dangle the geek catnip.

Cars 2 // June 24

Eddie's ongoing McQueen obsession means he will be making his second ever trip to the theater after last year's Toy Story 3 experience. As for me, I trust Pixar completely at this point. Cars 2 promises a spy storyline, and I'm hoping for genre spoofing on par with The Incredibles. (No pun intended. Because they were the Parr family. Oh, nevermind.)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 // July 15

It's hard to believe The Sorcerer's Stone came out way back when I was a sophomore in college. It's been an unprecedented 10 year run for a franchise that has continued to get better as it goes along. Kristen and I have missed the last few Harry Potter movies in the theater, content to check them out on DVD. But it feels like we ought to take this last opportunity to see Helena Bonham Carter's Bellatrix Lestrange in all her cackling big screen glory. I'm sure Kristen would agree.

Cowboys & Aliens // July 29

I know very little about the source material for this one. However, I do know that in addition to starring Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford, this has pretty much the greatest movie title since Hot Tub Time Machine. At the very least, it should be better than the last sci-fi western I saw, Wild Wild West.