by Abel Horwitz
Daily Lobo
It's that time of year where the big-budget action films and surprisingly funny comedies finally emerge from the sludge that is generally known as a weekend at the movie theater.
I find myself looking forward to films coming out in the summer months more than I do any other time of the year, and this summer there's a handful of films that I can't wait for.
Kicking off this movie season is "Mission: Impossible 3," which opens May 5. Tom Cruise is insane, but, you have to admit, he's made some damn good films. "M:I3" is far more than a vehicle to show Cruise is still a relevant actor.
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It's the directorial debut of J. J. Abrams, the mastermind behind the television series "Alias" and "Lost." Not only are these two shows incredibly entertaining, but the first episode of each series, which were both directed by Abrams, are as heart-racingly amazing as anything that has ever been shown on TV. Thinking of what the guy who directed the first episode of "Lost" can do with a feature-length action film gives me chills.
On May 19 comes the worldwide release of "The Da Vinci Code." Starring Tom Hanks and directed by Ron Howard, this film is based on Dan Brown's vastly popular novel of the same name. The notion that a book as poorly written as The Da Vinci Code could ever be as successful as it has been angers me to no end, but, admittedly, I'm still going to go check this one out.
The plot, which revolves around the bloodline of Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church's cover-up of said lineage, is intriguing. Fans of this book flocking to the theaters shouldn't expect to see anything new, but for the four people still left on this Earth who haven't read the book, this film should be interesting.
June 30 marks the opening of "Superman Returns." Director Bryan Singer, who has twice proven he can make a great comic book film with the "X-Men" series, brings the top superhero back to the big screen. Unknown actor Brandon Routh fills Superman's tights, while Kevin Spacey plays Lex Luthor. Last time Singer and Spacey made a movie together, it was "The Usual Suspects." Excited yet?
As far as comedies go, Jack Black, Will Ferrell and Steve Carell are all coming out with promising movies.
Black hits first on June 16 with "Nacho Libre," a film about Mexican wrestling. Directed by Jared Hess, the director of "Napoleon Dynamite," and penned by "School of Rock" writer Mike White, this film has funny written all over it.
On July 28, Carell stars in "Little Miss Sunshine." Partially filmed in Albuquerque, the film revolves around a dysfunctional family on a road trip to California.
On Aug. 4, Ferrell arrives in NASCAR glory in "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby." Co-starring Sacha Baron Cohen, most famously known as the magnificent Ali G, "Talladega" has much promise.
It looks like Pixar's perfect record at making amazing movies is still going strong with "Cars" on June 9. Johnny Depp makes girls swoon again with "Pirates of the Caribbean 2" on July 7, and M. Night Shyamalan lets his imagination go wild on July 21 with "Lady in the Water."
But, truly, none of these films matter compared to the magnificence that will arrive on Aug. 18. Both "Clerks II" and "Snakes on a Plane" are scheduled for release on this day. "Clerks II" marks the return of Kevin Smith to the place where his career began, and "Snakes on a Plane" promises to put venomous snakes on an airplane with Samuel L. Jackson. I couldn't be happier. This is going to be a great summer.
Trailers for all these films - minus "Snakes" and "Clerks," unfortunately - can be found at quicktime.com.
