As temperatures are starting to rise with the approach of summer, so too is the competition at movie theaters, as the Hollywood studios parade out their big releases. Plenty of options are available over the next few months – so much, in fact, that the following is a fairly truncated list of the new flicks coming soon. First up are releases for May and June, followed next week by July and August. Remember, release dates are subject to change.
MAY
“Iron Man”
Starring Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges and Gwyneth Paltrow
Directed by Jon Favreau
Taking on the early-May slot that the “Spider-Man” franchise has gotten rich from, another comic book hero takes to the screen, with an unlikely Downey in the metal suit of the title character. Plenty of promotion has gone into this, and big money should follow. Just not “Spider-Man”-sized money. (May 2)
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“Made of Honor”
Starring Patrick Dempsey, Michelle Monaghan, Kevin McKidd
Directed by Paul Weiland
The best friend of a woman agrees to be her man of honor at her pending wedding. Trouble is, he realizes he loves her now and tries to find a way to express his feelings before her big day. The other trouble is this movie sounds quite familiar. Anybody else thinking “My Best Friend’s Wedding” here? Still, this is Dempsey’s best chance yet to become a movie star on top of his TV star status with “Grey’s Anatomy.” (May 2)
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“Speed Racer”
Starring Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon, Matthew Fox
Directed by Andy and Larry Wachowski
In their first directorial effort since “The Matrix” trilogy, the Wachowski brothers are tackling a cult classic Japanese animated TV show as a live-action feature. Sure, the dazzling visuals appear to be there, but is there enough of a built-in audience for this to truly become a hit? (May 9)
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“What Happens In Vegas”
Starring Cameron Diaz, Ashton Kutcher, Queen Latifah, Lake Bell, Dennis Farina
Directed by Tom Vaughn
Diaz and Kutcher star as a couple of down on their luck people who get drunk, then marry in Las Vegas – only to regret the decision the next morning. Throw in a $3 million win on a slot machine and the two find a reason to try to stick together, as both want the money and a divorce. A judge forces them to try to make the marriage work and freezes the money in the process. Wow, even for a Hollywood romantic comedy, this premise is a little shaky. (May 9)
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“The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian”
Starring Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley, Anna Popplewell
Directed by Andrew Adamson
As the first sequel in “The Chronicles of Narnia” series, most everyone is back that helped make the 2005 film a big hit. A third film in the series is already being filmed, with a 2009 release scheduled. Guess the filmmakers are betting this one will do well at the box office – a safe bet, to be sure. (May 16)
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“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”
Starring Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen, Ray Winstone and Shia LaBeouf
Directed by Steven Spielberg
After the completion of the third “Indiana Jones” film in 1989, it was assumed that was the end of the series. But fast forward nearly 20 years later, and here we go again. This film looks to be sticking to the old-fashioned action, stunts and humor that made the first three successful. The success of this one should be easy to predict. It’s only a matter of how much money it makes and how fast it’s earned. (May 23)
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“Sex and the City: The Movie”
Starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis, Chris Noth
Directed by Michael Patrick King
The hit HBO series has made it to the big screen after numerous attempts, and picks up four years later with the four leading ladies, as Carrie (Parker) prepares to get married. This one might be defined as the “chick flick” of the year. Certainly a good counter-programming effort to “Indiana Jones.” (May 30)
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JUNE
“Kung Fu Panda”
Starring the voices of Jack Black, Jackie Chan, Dustin Hoffman, Lucy Liu, Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogen
Directed by Mark Osborne and John Stevenson
Well, what would summer be without another animated talking animal movie? This one features a panda bear recruited by Kung Fu masters (who also happen to be animals) to protect their homeland from an evil leopard. Kids will probably love this, but the tolerance level for adults might be tested. Still, a good cast is providing voices here, which might help. (June 6)
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“You Don’t Mess with the Zohan”
Starring Adam Sandler, John Turturro, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Nick Swardson and Rob Schneider
Directed by Dennis Dugan
While it would be nice to see Sandler operate outside his comfort zone more, such as in “Punch-Drunk Love,” this script is actually an interesting collaboration between Sandler, Robert Smigel and the omnipresent Judd Apatow. Sandler plays a Mossad agent who fakes his death to emerge in New York as – wait for it – a hairdresser. Did I mention this is a comedy? (June 6)
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“The Incredible Hulk”
Starring Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt
Directed by Louis Leterrier
Forget the 2003 film directed by Ang Lee and starring Eric Bana and Jennifer Connelly. That’s what the makers of this movie relaunch of the comic book character are wanting you to do. It helps having Norton on board, who also reportedly contributed to the script under an alias. The action will also be much more ramped up, which should appeal to a wider audience. (June 13)
Official Web site
“The Happening”
Starring Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo
Directed by M. Night Shyamalan
Having taken a critical and box office beating for his last film, “Lady in the Water,” Shyamalan is in need of a hit. Sure, the trailer to this one looks good, making allusions to an impending deadly force arriving in a city. But one begins to wonder if the writer-director is willing or able to make any other kind of movie beyond atmospheric thrillers. (June 13)
Official Web site
“The Love Guru”
Starring Mike Myers, Jessica Alba, Justin Timberlake, Romany Malco, Meagan Good
Directed by Marco Schnabel
Having taken a fairly long break from movies, Myers returns as the title character in this comedy, playing another outrageous character with an accent. As a love expert, he’s employed to help a star hockey player win back his wife. Myers, who also co-wrote the movie, could seemingly play these kind of characters in his sleep. Hopefully, this won’t be too much of a retread of past successes. (June 20)
Official Web site
“Get Smart”
Starring Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson, Alan Arkin, Terence Stamp
Directed by Peter Segal
Still looking for a movie that might launch him as a film star, it’s questionable that a big-screen adaptation of a 1960s TV show will do the trick for “Get Smart” star Carell. After all, most of the audience going to see this will probably have never seen the small screen version. But Carell as a bumbling action star does have its appeal. (June 20)
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“WALL•E”
Starring the voices of Sigourney Weaver, Jeff Garlin, Fred Willard, John Ratzenberger, Kathy Najimy
Directed by Andrew Stanton
Disney and Pixar Animation have collaborated on a futuristic film involving an inquisitive robot and its adventures in space. OK, so that’s a kind of vague description of the story, but it’s from the same director of “Finding Nemo” and Pixar hasn’t made a bad film yet. So it’s hard to imagine this won’t be worth seeing. (June 27)
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