Navigating the summer blockbuster field

As usual, the year’s prime-grossing release dates are jam-packed with cinematic offerings for every film sensibility, from old-fashioned comedy to modern technical wizzadry. To help you sort through the celluloid, recess senior writer Sarah Brodeur has compiled a weekend-by-weekend guide for which films to fill your summer nights with. Consider it a parting gift.

friday may 6

Don’t Miss:

Kingdom of Heaven—Ridley Scott crusades epic

Change of Pace:

Crash—Altman-esque drama about crime in Los Angeles

Popcorn Piece:

House of Wax—remake w/Paris Hilton, Chad Michael Murray, Elisha Cuthbert, etc.

friday may 13

Don’t Miss:

Kicking and Screaming

Change of Pace:

Layer Cake—British gangster a la Snatch with Sienna Miller and Daniel Craig

Popcorn Piece:

Mad Hot Ballroom—NYC kids compete in a ballroom dancing contest.

thursday may 19

All of the Above:

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith—What can we say that hasn’t been said ad nauseum?

friday may 27

Change of Pace:

Madagascar—latest DreamWorks CGI offering about zoo animals returning to the wild

Popcorn Piece:

The Longest Yard—remake with Chris Rock and Adam Sandler

friday june 3

Don’t Miss:

Lords of Dogtown—fictional retelling of the documentary about the origins of skateboarding

Change of Pace:

Cinderella Man—Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger, Paul Giamatti do boxing during the depression.

Popcorn Piece:

Rock School—documentary about an actual rock school for kids, like the movie

friday june 10

Don’t Miss:

Mr. & Mrs. Smith—Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are married assassins who are hired to kill each other.

Change of Pace:

Howl’s Moving Castle—latest from the great Hayao Miyazaki

Popcorn Piece:

The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl—Robert Rodriguez does his family thing.

friday june 17

Don’t Miss:

Batman Begins

Change of Pace:

My Summer of Love—British Oscar for best British film—similar to Heavenly Creatures

Popcorn Piece:

The Perfect Man—the summer’s obligatory Hilary Duff movie

friday june 24

Don’t Miss:

George A. Romero’s Land of the Dead

Change of Pace:

March of the Penguins—documentary about penguins on their annual trek across the Antarctic

Popcorn Piece:

Herbie: Fully Loaded—Lindsay Lohan and a VW bug with a mind of its own

friday july 1

All of the Above:

The War of the Worlds—Steven Spielberg does bad aliens.

friday july 8

Don’t Miss:

Murderball—documentary about wheelchair rugby

Change of Pace:

Dark Water—Jennifer Connelly in a wet t-shirt

Popcorn Piece:

Fantastic Four—comic book shlock

friday july 15

Don’t Miss:

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Change of Pace:

Hustle and Flow—Memphis pimp aspires to become a rapper.

Popcorn Piece:

The Wedding Crashers—Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn crash weddings/maybe fall in love.

friday july 22

Don’t Miss:

The Bad News Bears—Richard Linklater remake with Billy Bob Thornton and Greg Kinnear

Change of Pace:

Last Days—Gus Van Sant’s pseudo-documentary about Kurt Cobain

Popcorn Piece:

The Island—Michael Bay does clones with Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson.

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