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:
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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.