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“Spider-Man 3” is considered by many as the crown jewel of the 2007 summer movie season, but since this is summer, there won't be a shortage of high-profile movies unspooling in theaters every weekend. From sequels to chick flicks, superheroes to action stars, the summer can always be relied on to deliver major business to movie studios. With that in mind, take a look at 20 of the most anticipated movies releasing in theaters this summer.
‘28 WEEKS LATER'
Release date: May 11
Stars: Rose Byrne, Jeremy Renner
Plot: Six months after the Rage virus spread through London (as seen in “28 Days Later”), a carrier of the virus enters the quarantined city, and all hell breaks loose once again.
The 210 take: Summer. A sequel. Surprise, surprise.
Watch the trailer
‘GEORGIA RULE'
Release date: May 11
Stars: Jane Fonda, Lindsay Lohan
Plot: A rebellious teenager (guess who) is sent to live with her grandmother (Fonda) for the summer.
The 210 take: Lohan plays a bad-girl/sex kitten. That's a stretch.
Watch the trailer
‘SHREK THE THIRD'
Release date: May 18
Stars: Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy
Plot: When his father-in-law gets sick, ogre Shrek is looked upon as the next king of the Land of Far, Far Away.
The 210 take: Who needs the king's crown? Being married to even the voice of Cameron Diaz would be enough ..... except maybe for Justin .....
Watch the trailer
‘PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END'
Release date: May 25
Stars: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley
Plot: Good pirates take on bad pirates in one final showdown.
The 210 take: This unnecessary sequel's working title was “Pirates of the Caribbean: We Can Always Use More Money.”
Watch the trailer
‘KNOCKED UP'
Release date: June 1
Stars: Katherine Heigl, Seth Rogen
Plot: A career woman (Heigl) gets knocked up by a loser (Rogen) during a one-night stand.
The 210 take: You saw how this premise worked out for Britney Spears.
Watch the trailer
‘HOSTEL: PART II'
Release date: June 8
Stars: Lauren German, Bijou Phillips
Plot: Three hot American women are lured into a Slovakian hotel where torture and murder await.
The 210 take: Nudity and violence, such rarities in today's movie climate.
Watch the trailer
‘OCEAN'S THIRTEEN'
Release date: June 8
Stars: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon
Plot: Danny Ocean (Clooney) rounds up his crew for yet another heist.
The 210 take: Thirteen is an unlucky number. Could that curse yield a Ben Affleck cameo?
Watch the trailer
‘FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER'
Release date: June 15
Stars: Jessica Alba, Ioan Gruffudd
Plot: The Fantastic Four take on a new foe — the Silver Surfer.
The 210 take: Fantastic Four. Dr. Doom. Silver Surfer. Alliteration runs wild in this franchise.
Watch the trailer
‘EVAN ALMIGHTY'
Release date: June 22
Stars: Steve Carell, Lauren Graham
Plot: Congressman Evan Baxter (Carell) is summoned by God (Morgan Freeman) to build an ark for an upcoming flood.
The 210 take: With a budget of roughly $140 million, this is the most expensive comedy in history. How about spending some of those millions for someone to come up with a good plot?
Watch the trailer
‘LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD'
Release date: June 27
Stars: Bruce Willis, Timothy Olyphant
Plot: John McClane (Willis) is back, this time to take on an Internet-based terrorist group.
The 210 take: You can tell times have changed when even stereotypical bad guys in formulaic action flicks are Internet-based.
Watch the trailer
‘SICKO'
Release date: June (date TBD)
Stars: Michael Moore
Plot: Rogue documentary filmmaker Michael Moore takes a look at the 45 million people in America without healthcare.
The 210 take: If Moore's history is any indication, this is somehow going to be all Bush's fault.
More info here
‘TRANSFORMERS'
Release date: July 4
Stars: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox
Plot: Rival alien forms bring their beef to our planet, leaving our future up to chance.
The 210 take: A summer action flick directed by Michael Bay, of “Pearl Harbor” and “The Island”? Sounds Oscar-caliber.
Watch the trailer
‘HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX'
Release date: July 13
Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint
Plot: Voldemort is returning, and things are not going so well for Harry (Radcliffe) in his fifth year at Hogwart's.
The 210 take: Radcliffe is almost 18 now. Up next in the franchise — “Harry Potter and the Fake ID.”
Watch the trailer
‘I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU CHUCK AND LARRY'
Release date: July 20
Stars: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Jessica Biel
Plot: Two straight firefighters (Sandler and James) pretend to be a gay couple to receive domestic partner benefits.
The 210 take: Sandler and James pose as a gay couple, and Sandler has a shot with Jessica Biel. Adam Sandler movies are always so believable.
Watch the trailer
‘HAIRSPRAY'
Release date: July 20
Stars: John Travolta, Nikki Blonsky
Plot: Portly Tracy Turnblad (Blonsky) lands a spot on a local dance show in 1962 Baltimore.
The 210 take: Apparently, the Scientologists don't mind John Travolta dressing in drag. Tom Cruise, on the other hand .....
Watch the trailer
‘THE SIMPSONS MOVIE'
Release date: July 27
Stars: The Simpsons
Plot: Homer must save the world from a disaster that, as it so happens, was his fault in the first place.
The 210 take: This looks cool. It would have been cooler about 10 years ago.
Watch the trailer
‘THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM'
Release date: Aug. 3
Stars: Matt Damon, Paddy Considine
Plot: Jason Bourne (Damon) is back, searching for clues to his past while avoiding a government agency that's hot on his trail.
The 210 take: Attention youth of America: Jason Bourne is your James Bond, so get ready for about 25 of these films over the next few decades.
Watch the trailer
‘RUSH HOUR 3'
Release date: Aug. 10
Stars: Chris Tucker, Jackie Chan
Plot: Cop buddies Carter (Tucker) and Lee (Chan) accidentally get involved with the Chinese Triad (they're the bad guys) while in Paris.
The 210 take: Have you seen the first two? If so, you've already seen this one, too.
More info here
‘THE INVASION'
Release date: Aug. 17
Stars: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig
Plot: A plague is sweeping the world, so a psychiatrist (Kidman) and her colleague (Craig) attempt to find a cure.
The 210 take: Aren't world-savers always the most good-looking, and properly groomed, people?
More info here
‘HALLOWEEN'
Release date: Aug. 31
Stars: Malcolm McDowell, Brad Dourif
Plot: Rob Zombie directs an updated remake of the 1978 horror classic, featuring famous madman Michael Myers.
The 210 take: If Zombie directs this film like he has others, Michael Myers will drive a '68 Mustang convertible, don a wife-beater and listen to Southern rock.
More info here |