Summer is a time for Slip 'n Slides, Arizona Iced Tea and, best of all, adrenaline-pumping action flicks and raucous comedies. Here is a list of 10 movies to see this summer when you aren't scrambling to find a job and give your life direction.
"Sex and the City 2" (May 27): Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda are back, but they are not in the Big Apple anymore; the girls of HBO's beloved series (1998-2004) are heading to Dubai! Raise your cosmos in the air and expect relationships to crumble, old flames to be rekindled and a cameo from … Miley Cyrus?!
"Get Him to the Greek" (June 4): In this comedic spin-off of "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" (2008), British bad boy Russell Brand reprises the role of Aldous Snow, the nymphomaniac lead singer of Infant Sorrow. Capitol Records executive Sergio Roma (Sean "Diddy" Combs) sends ambitious intern and college grad Aaron Green (Jonah Hill) on a mission: to retrieve the hard-partying European love machine and bring him to the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles for a 10th anniversary concert. Get ready for a wild ride.
"The A-Team" (June 11): NBC's classic '80s television series is hitting the silver screen with a stellar cast. Liam Neeson stars as Col. John "Hannibal" Smith, the expert tactician and master of disguise who leads soldiers of fortune BA Baracus (played by Ultimate Fighting Championship bruiser Quinton "Rampage" Jackson), Templeton "Faceman" Peck (Bradley Cooper) and H.M. Murdock (Sharlto Copley).
"Toy Story 3" (June 18): This summer, Disney/Pixar will release the third installment of the "Toy Story" series with a coming-of-age story perfect for college graduates. Andy is heading off to college, so he packs up Woody, Buzz and the gang to store them in the attic. After Andy's mom mistakes the toys for trash, they end up at Sunnyside Daycare. But not everything is so sunny at Sunnyside, as the toys make a last-ditch effort to return to Andy. Why not go see this movie to reminisce about your childhood, ask "Where did all the time go?" and sob uncontrollably after graduation?
"The Last Airbender" (July 2): The Nickelodeon animated series "Avatar: The Last Airbender" (2005-2008) followed Aang, a young Airbending Avatar, through a mythical world of martial arts and elemental manipulations. After striking out with his last three feature films, M. Night Shyamalan has taken the reins for the live-action movie version of this epic series, due out in July. Here come unreal feats of martial arts, great special effects and a flying bison named Appa, all in 3-D!
"Predators" (July 9): In producer Robert Rodriguez's latest installment of the "Predator" franchise, the deadliest people on earth band together. But instead of Earth, they are on a faraway planet where they are being hunted by alien predators. Adrien Brody and Laurence Fishburne lead the human team struggling for survival in the predators' sick game. Expect unbelievable action and blood-curdling screams. Just like family game night with the Baldwin brothers.
"Inception" (July 16): From Christopher Nolan, the director of "The Dark Knight" (2008), comes "Inception," a psychological thriller. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Dom Cobb, a professional thief who infiltrates the minds of his victims in order to steal their secrets. Yet this Freddy Krueger-like criminal is presented with a new task: planting ideas rather than stealing them. With unbelievable effects and a star-studded cast, this movie promises to boggle the minds of its viewers. Literally.
"Dinner for Schmucks" (July 23): Tim (Paul Rudd) is an executive vying for a promotion. All he has to do is attend a monthly "dinner for idiots" in which Tim's colleagues bring blubbering buffoons for other partygoers to ridicule. Sounds like dinner at the Hilton household. Steve Carell plays Tim's guest, IRS goofball Barry, and Zach Galifianakis co-stars as self-proclaimed telepath Therman in this promising comedy.
"Salt" (July 23): Angelina Jolie is back in butt-kicking form as Evelyn Salt, the CIA officer accused of being a KGB defector, in what looks to be a hardcore, female-anchored version of "The Fugitive" (1993). Americans paid to see Jolie sport blonde dreadlocks as car-jacker Sway in "Gone in 60 Seconds" (2000), so there is no doubt people will pay to see the action vixen in "Salt."
"Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" (August 13): Riding the coattails of this year's "Kick-Ass" and "Iron Man 2," Bryan Lee O'Malley's comic book series comes to life under the direction of British dark-humorist Edgar Wright ("Shaun of the Dead," 2004). The film follows Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera), a hip bassist who must defeat Ramona Flower's seven evil ex-boyfriends in order to win her heart. With a lanky physique and the pugnacity of a puppy, Cera is ready to unleash the fury.
