You knew this was coming; the Oscars are finished, the awards for serious-minded movies with lofty themes all given out. And now, it's SUMMER BLOCKBUSTER TIME.
This is my favorite time of the year. I love the big, loud, brash, fun, take-me-away-from-it-all-to-the-zombie-apocalypse movies. If somebody can combine an adventure with some witty dialogue, some thrills and chills, and some romance, I'm all over it.
I can't possibly list every movie coming out this summer, and there are some I mean to avoid at all costs (The Three Stooges, anyone?). There are more that I'm on the fence about, and will wait for reviews to decide if I'm going.
Maybe:
21 Jump Street (March 16) – I liked the TV show back in 1987, when Johnny Depp played Tom Hanson, undercover cop. This one looks more like a low-brow comedy, but Depp's supposed to have a cameo.
The Cabin in the Woods (April 13) – Normally I avoid straight horror/slasher films, but this one's written by Joss
Whedon, and stars Chris Hemsworth and Bradley Whitford. Whatever it is, it's going to be clever.
The Raven (April 27) – Edgar Allen Poe hunting a serial killer who takes inspiration from Poe's writing. With John Cusack as Poe.
Battleship (May 18) – Okay, I loved The Transformers. So I'm willing to give a game-turned-movie the benefit of the doubt. Probably. And it stars Liam Neeson, Alexander Skarsgard, and Taylor Kitsch.
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (June 22) – I haven't read the book, but I'm keeping an open mind. And I do like Rufus Sewell and Dominic Cooper.
Total Recall (August 3) – I'm still not sure if I liked the original or not, but the remake could be interesting. Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale.
There are also 2012 summer movies that I KNOW I'm going to go see, probably on opening day, and without knowing or caring what the reviews say:
John Carter (March 9) – I don't know why they left off the rest of the title, unless they thought people wouldn't go see a movie about life on Mars. But I'll go see anything adapted from Edgar Rice Burroughs. And I do like Taylor Kitch, James Purefoy, and Mark Strong.
Mirror Mirror (March 30) – The first of two Snow White movies this summer. This one's played for laughs, with Julia Roberts as the evil stepmother/queen. Sean Bean is there, too.
The Avengers (May 4) – This is the ONE. I can't wait. Joss Whedon writes and directs the return of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, the Hulk, Hawkeye, and Black Widow. Squee!!
Dark Shadows (May 11) – Tim Burton's take on the old soap opera about vampires, etc. But why, oh why, do they have to make Johnny Depp look so goofy? Starring Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Lee, and…Alice Cooper.
Men in Black III (May 25) – Josh Brolin as the young Tommy Lee Jones when Will Smith goes back in time to save the planet.
Snow White and the Huntsman (June 1) – the other Snow White movie, with Kristen Stewart being mentored by huntsman Chris Hemsworth, and Charlize Theron as the queen.
Prometheus (June 8th) – the prequel to Alien, directed by Ridley Scott. The tagline is "In space, someone can hear you scream". Ooh, I have shivers. Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Noomi Rapace, and Guy Pearce star.
Brave (June 22) – It's Pixar, and it's about a Scottish princess. Need I say more?
The Amazing Spider-Man (July 3) – I'm willing to give a reboot a try, and I'll j
ust hope it's as good as X-Men: First Class and Star Trek were at starting over.
The Dark Knight Rises (July 20) – the third and final movie in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, with Batman facing off against Bane. And Catwoman shows up, too. Christian Bale, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Anne Hathaway.
The Bourne Legacy (August 3) – Fallout from Matt Damon's Jason Bourne reaches out to pull in another agent. Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton.
And okay, even if it's not a summer movie, I have to at least mention The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, coming out on December 14th. (Picture me doing the happy dance.)
Are you looking forward to any of the movies I mentioned? Are there any you're going to skip? Did I miss listing a movie you want to see? Do you love summer movies?
