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If you’re a fan of comic books, CGI animation and aging adventurers, you’re in for a hell of a summer. “Dark Knight” and “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” are competing to be the biggest movies of the year, but why stop there? Grab your popcorn, and let’s get started.
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THE RUNDOWN Box offices heating up
Summertime at the multiplex usually means sequels and movies adapted from comic books, TV shows and novels, and this year is no exception. Brandon Gray, president and publisher of Box Office Mojo, a Web site that tracks box office revenues, talked to 210SA about why Hollywood relies on these standbys.
Slab Cinema looking for a home to show its stuff
It’s about this time every year that Slab Cinema kicks off its weekly outdoor series of classic, camp and horror films. But right now, Slab Cinema is homeless in Southtown.
Summer movie feedback
Are you tired of sequels? Do you think that Hollywood is out of original ideas? Or do you like the returning characters and films that we often see? Leave your comments below. | Summer Blockbusters getting
the most buzz
‘IRON MAN’
STARS: Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges
IN THEATERS: May 2
PLOT: A billionaire industrialist builds a super weapon to fight bad guys. Based on a Marvel Comics character.
INFO: ironmanmovie.com
THE 210 TAKE: Robert Downey Jr.? Really?
‘SPEED RACER’
STARS: Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon, Matthew Fox
IN THEATERS: May 9
PLOT: A racecar driver drives really fast to fight bad guys. Based on the Japanese animated TV series.
INFO: speedracerthemovie. warnerbros.com
THE 210 TAKE: Unfortunately, it looks like the actors’ lip movements actually match their speech, thus taking away all the entertainment value of the original show.
‘INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL’
STARS: Harrison Ford, Shia LaBeouf, Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen
IN THEATERS: May 22
PLOT: A professor fights bad guys from the Soviet Union while searching for a mystical object. The fourth installment in the Indiana Jones series.
INFO: indianajones.com
THE 210 TAKE: This better justify Steven Spielberg taking poor Harrison Ford away from his shuffleboard game at Golden Acres.
‘THE INCREDIBLE HULK’
STARS: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt
IN THEATERS: June 13
PLOT: A scientist turns into a big green musclehead to battle bad guys — or is it about a man who is battling the bad guy within? Based on the Marvel Comics character.
INFO: incrediblehulk.marvel.com
THE 210 TAKE: If Ang Lee couldn’t make any green off Hulk on the big screen, why should we expect anything better from the director of “Transporter 2”?
‘GET SMART’
STARS: Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Alan Arkin
IN THEATERS: June 20
THE PLOT: With the help of a beautiful female partner with apparently infinite patience, a bumbling government agent fights bad guys. Based on the 1960s sitcom.
INFO: getsmart.com
THE 210 TAKE: This will most likely suck, but it has Steve Carell in it, so we’re there.
‘HANCOCK’
STARS: Will Smith, Jason Bateman, Charlize Theron
IN THEATERS: July 2
PLOT: A washed-up superhero is too busy drinking and womanizing to fight bad guys.
INFO: sonypictures.com/ movies/hancock
THE 210 TAKE: If you’re sick of superhero movies taking themselves too seriously, this is the one to see. Plus, Will Smith AND Jason Bateman? Our hearts are all atwitter!
‘HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY’
STARS: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Luke Goss, Thomas Kretschmann
IN THEATERS: July 11
PLOT: A kitten-loving freak from hell battles bad guys from the fantasy realm. Based on the Dark Horse Comics character; sequel to the 2004 movie “Hellboy.”
INFO: hellboymovie.com
THE 210 TAKE: It looks like Guillermo del Toro took all the creepy characters from “Pan’s Labyrinth” and made a whole movie about them. Awesome.
‘THE DARK KNIGHT’
STARS: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal
IN THEATERS: July 18
THE PLOT: Bruce Wayne constructs a new suit to fight a bad guy. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, and sequel to 2005’s “Batman Begins.”
INFO: thedarkknight.com
THE 210 TAKE: Heath Ledger as the Joker elevates a comic book movie to high art.
‘THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE’
STARS: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson
IN THEATERS: July 25
PLOT: Mulder and Scully return to fight unknown bad guys. Based on the TV series, and sequel to 1998’s “The X-Files.”
INFO: xfiles.com
THE 210 TAKE: Mmmm, second helpings of Mulder and Scully. Yes, please.
‘THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR’
STARS: Jet Li, Brendan Fraser, Maria Bello
IN THEATERS: Aug. 1
PLOT: A father and son fight a bad mummy. Third installment in “The Mummy” series.
INFO: mummy3trailer.com
THE 210 TAKE: The sequel sucked, so hey, why not make a threequel? Well, it worked for “Pirates of the Caribbean.”
Summer Comedies
‘SEX AND THE7 CITY: THE MOVIE’
STARS: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon, Chris Noth, Jennifer Hudson
IN THEATERS: May 30
PLOT: Bad guys figure in this movie too, but this time it’s four women whining about them. Based on the popular HBO series.
INFO: sexandthecitymovie.com
THE 210 TAKE: Carrie thinks her prince has come; it doesn’t work out; her friends comfort her with pink alcoholic beverages and jokes about bikini waxes. There, we just saved you $8.50.
‘YOU DON’T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN’
STARS: Adam Sandler
IN THEATERS: June 6
THE PLOT: An Israeli soldier fakes his own death so he can become a hairstylist in New York.
INFO: youdontmesswithzohan.com
THE 210 TAKE: Judd Apatow of “Knocked Up” and “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” fame co-wrote this comedy!!! We heart him!!!
‘STEP BROTHERS’
STARS: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Mary Steenburgen
IN THEATERS: July 25
THE PLOT: Two grown stepbrothers live with their parents. Apatow had a hand in this too.
INFO: sonypictures.com/movies/ stepbrothers
THE 210 TAKE: See, “You Don’t Mess With the Zohan.”
‘PINEAPPLE EXPRESS’
STARS: Seth Rogen, James Franco, Rosie Perez, Bill Hader
IN THEATERS: Aug. 8
THE PLOT: Two stoners run from a crooked cop. More Apatow, not that we’re complaining.
INFO: sonypictures.com/movies/ pineappleexpress
THE 210 TAKE: Rogen + stoner humor = we’re first in line.
‘TROPIC THUNDER’
STARS: Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr.
IN THEATERS: Aug. 15
THE PLOT: Actors filming a movie about the Vietnam War are suddenly thrust into a real war.
INFO: tropicthunder.com
THE 210 TAKE: This looks promising, especially if Stiller is as adept at mocking actors as he is mocking models (see his last directorial effort, 2001’s “Zoolander”).
Summer family films
‘THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN’
STARS: Ben Barnes, Liam Neeson, Tilda Swinton
IN THEATERS: May 16
PLOT: Adventurous siblings return to the magical land of Narnia, where they must replace an evil king with the rightful heir to the throne. Based on the book by C.S. Lewis.
INFO: narnia.com
THE 210 TAKE: Dude, Prince Caspian is freaking HOT.
‘KUNG FU PANDA’
STARS: The voices of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, Ian McShane
IN THEATERS: June 6
PLOT: A lazy panda must become a kung fu master to save his village. Animated.
INFO: kungfupanda.com
THE 210 TAKE: It’s a PANDA doing KUNG FU. What more do you need to know?
‘WALL-E’
STARS: The voices of Sigourney Weaver, John Ratzenberger, Kathy Najimy, Fred Willard
IN THEATERS: June 27
PLOT: A lonely robot falls in love in 2805.
INFO: apple.com/trailers/disney/walle
THE 210 TAKE: This is a Pixar flick, which means it has to be good. The writer and director, Andrew Stanton, also directed “Finding Nemo,” and he co-wrote “Toy Story,” “Toy Story 2,” “Monsters Inc.” and “Finding Nemo.”
‘SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS 2’
STARS: Blake Lively, Alexis Bledel, Amber Tamblyn, America Ferrera
IN THEATERS: Aug. 8
PLOT: Now in college, four girlfriends continue their journey into adulthood nourished by their friendship, which is symbolized by a pair of shared jeans. A sequel to 2005’s “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.”
INFO: sisterhoodofthetraveling pants2.com
THE 210 TAKE: We were hoping to see the pants’ travels lead them into drugs, prostitution and maybe a card-counting scheme in Vegas, but, eh, this’ll work.
‘JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH 3D’
STARS: Brendan Fraser
IN THEATERS: July 11
THE PLOT: A scientist, um, journeys to the center of the Earth. In 3-D. Based on the Jules Verne novel.
INFO: journey3dmovie.com
THE 210 TAKE: This looks pretty cool. And as Jon Stewart would say in “Half Baked,” it’d be even cooler ..... ON WEED.
Jessica Belasco | 210SA
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