Summer Movies

Sometimes the anticipation turns out to be the best part of a movie.

And so, for my blog's first top ten list, here are the ten summer movies I'm anticipating the most.

Obviously it doesn't mean all of these will turn out good, although I certainly hope they do. The danger of anticipation is that it often turns into disappointment. In the summer of 1999 Eyes Wide Shut and The Blair Witch Project no doubt would've been at or near the top of my list. The Sixth Sense wouldn't have even been an also ran. But at least it's always fun to be surprised.

I'll return to this list film by film throughout the summer and then I'll take a look at the whole thing again by the end of August. Hard to believe but that's only four months away.

1) War of the Worlds - I'm not sure I could be more excited for a movie than I am for this. The trailers are fantastic, Cruise and Spielberg already have one excellent sci-fi collaboration under their belt and there are rumblings this will be Spielberg's return to big, flashy, damn scary entertainment, a la Jurassic Park. I can't wait. Seriously, I want to see it now.

2) Batman Begins - I haven't been a very big fan of Hollywood's current comicbook craze (I couldn't care less about this summer's Fantastic Four) but right now I'd line up for anything directed by Christopher Nolan. It doesn't hurt that the cast here includes Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman, Ken Watanabe, Katie Holmes, Liam Neeson, Gary Oldman, Cillian Murphy and Tom Wilkinson. And hey, I like Batman. I think this one might turn out quite good.

3) Mr. and Mrs. Smith- There are a lot of reasons I should probably keep my expectations low for this one. Angelina Jolie has one of the worst track records of any talented actress working today. And right now the big thing most people know about this movie is the relationship of its stars is now unofficially official. But I like the idea of Jolie and Brad Pitt together onscreen, no matter what they're doing offscreen. And The Bourne Identity director Doug Liman knows good action movies.

4) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Again, there are some warning signs here. Tim Burton's last two movies have been Big Fish and Planet of the Apes. I didn't like either but the remake was worse. And now he's back with another remake. A remake of a movie I really like. But Burton seems to be a good fit for this material, and the movie not only stars Johnny Depp but also his exceptional Finding Neverland costar, Freddie Highmore. Burton and Depp is a combination that hasn't missed yet in my opinion, hopefully this won't change that.

5) Howl's Moving Castle - Summer's only high profile animated movie is Dreamworks' Madagascar. And it looks awful (although I'm a poor judge of those things, most Pixar movies look bad to me at first too). But this foreign import, from legendary Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki (his last film was the excellent Spirited Away), should deliver the animated goods. It's already played festivals and had an international release to great success and acclaim.

6) Bad News Bears - There are several grown-men-coach-kids'-sports comedies this summer but the only one that looks worth a damn is this, the second remake on my list. Bringing together the director of The School of Rock, Richard Linklater, and the star of Bad Santa, Billy Bob Thornton, for the story of a gruff coach who works magic with a baseball team full of delinquent kids sounds like a brilliant idea. Greg Kinnear and Marcia Gay Harden are also along for the ride but a lot will depend on the kids. Considering the fantastic casting job Linklater did on School of Rock there's not much cause for concern.

7) Me and You and Everyone We Know - My designated rep for summer at the art house is this quirky indie comedy. Across-the-board exceptional reviews, a Special Jury Prize at Sundance and acceptance into an important sidebar at Cannes suggest this 90 minute film debut from performance artist Miranda July (co-starring Deadwood's John Hawkes) is something special. I hope so.

Art house runner-ups: fellow Sundance prize winner and Cannes selection Junebug, docu Mad Hot Ballroom, Sundance sensation Hustle & Flow, foreign films My Summer of Love, 2046 and Somersault, and not-well-received-but-I-may-see-them-anyway Sundance pics Happy Endings and Pretty Persuasion.

8) Romance & Cigarettes - Another indie pic, but one so intriguing it deserves a slot of its own. John Turturro is directing James Gandolfini, Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet, Steve Buscemi, Christopher Walken, Mandy Moore, Mary-Louise Parker, Aida Turturro, Eddie Izzard and Elaine Stritch in a musical. I'd be more encouraged if this was going to Cannes but no matter what I won't miss it.

9) The Brothers Grimm - This bit of weirdness from Terry Gilliam was delayed by Miramax from a planned release last fall. Matt Damon and Heath Ledger star but the big draw is Gilliam, who at least comes up with something unusual, if not always brilliant, every time he makes a film. And if this one sucks, Gilliam's already finished with his next film...

10) The 40-Year-Old Virgin/The Wedding Crashers - Two comedies that are already being talked up as likely summer "sleepers" (although Wedding Crashers' buzz is now so loud it will be a failure if it doesn't reach $100 million). They're both promising R-ratings and they star current comedy mafia members Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn (Crashers) and Steve Carell (Virgin). I just hope they're funny, and it'd be nice if at least one was actually smart too. Mike Judge's long awaited, and currently untitled, follow up to Office Space is also on some summer release schedules and could be funnier than either of these, or not. Check back in August.

Also of possible interest: Jim Jarmusch's Cannes competitor Broken Flowers with Bill Murray, Sharon Stone, Tilda Swinton, Jessica Lange, Jeffrey Wright; Walter Salles' horror remake Dark Water with Jennifer Connelly; Robert Rodriguez's first non-Spy Kids kids movie The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl in 3-D; zombies galore in George A. Romero's Land of the Dead; Catherine Hardwicke taking on The Lords of Dogtown; Michael Bay (ew!) directing Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson (sigh) in The Island; Rachel McAdams trapped on a plane with Cillian Murphy for Wes Craven in Red Eye; Keira Knightley kicking ass in Tony Scott's Domino; Diane Lane and John Cusack hooking up for romantic fluff in Must Love Dogs; and Nicole Kidman giving summer comedy another try after last year's shameful Stepford Wives, this time with Will Ferrell, in Bewitched.