Top 5 summer movies

From highly-anticipated blockbusters to small Sundance favorites, summer is never a dull season at the movies. Starting Friday, moviegoers can say goodbye to uneventful weekends at the multiplex as summer movie season officially begins. Here are five summer movies I'm particularly looking forward to:

Iron Man 2 (May 7): Most superheroes go to great lengths to protect their true identities. Not Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). At the end of the first installment of John Favreau's smash-hit franchise, Stark revealed that he is Iron Man. In "Iron Man 2," he has to deal with the ramifications of that. Gwyneth Paltrow is back as Pepper Potts and Don Cheadle steps into the role of James Rhodes, who gets a superhero alter ego of his own this time around.

Stark also has to contend with three villains: Whiplash (Mickey Rourke), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell). Hopefully "Iron Man 2" will follow in the footsteps of "X2" and "The Dark Knight" and fare even better than its predecessor, but trying to balance three villains could land the film in "Spider-Man 3" territory.




The A-Team (June 11): As soon as Bradley Cooper jumps out of a plane with a parachute attached to a tank and starts firing mid-air, you know you've got an insanely fun movie on your hands. "The A-Team" looks over-the-top and ridiculous, the perfect combination for an enjoyable summer blockbuster that isn't meant to be taken seriously. With an overload of action and explosion and a cast including Cooper, Liam Neeson and "District 9" star Sharlto Copley, what's not to love?




Toy Story 3 (June 18): It's been more than a decade since the last "Toy Story" film graced the big screen, but the series is just as beloved as ever. If anyone knows how to deliver an amazing sequel, it's Pixar. This time around, Andy is heading off to college and Buzz (Tim Allen), Woody (Tom Hanks) and the gang are shipped off to a daycare center.

If it's anything like the previous two films, "Toy Story 3" should be funny and touching for kids and adults alike. Pixar has yet to release a bad movie, so it will be a complete shock if "Toy Story 3" doesn't deliver.




Inception (July 16): Not much is known about Christopher Nolan's follow-up to his last directorial success, "The Dark Knight." But Nolan has earned a reputation for telling such original, engaging and mind-bending stories that "Inception" is still one of the most highly-anticipated movies of the summer.

The story involves dream invasion, the complexities of the mind and the quest to steal an idea. It will undoubtedly be complex, and it boasts the talent of Leonardo di Caprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Cillian Murphy, Marion Cotillard, Michel Caine and Ken Watanabe.




Scott Pilgrim vs.The World (Aug. 13): Yes, this looks like Michael Cera playing Michael Cera again, this time in the big screen adaptation of the "Scott Pilgrim" graphic novel series. But this ecclectic vehicle is from the brilliant mind of "Hot Fuzz" and "Shaun of the Dead" director Edgar Wright. As Scott (Cera) tries to defeat the seven evil exes of his new girlfriend, comic book stylings mesh with live action in the most colorful, delightful way.




Honorable mention - The Kids Are All Right (July 7): This Sundance favorite puts a new spin on the dysfunctional family dramedy. A lesbian couple (Annette Bening, Julianne Moore) are living happily with their teenage kids (Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson), but the kids feel like they're missing a father figure. They track down the sperm donor that fathered both of them (Mark Ruffalo), and all five try to adjust to their new family dynamic.

The film received rave reviews at Sundance for being topical without letting politics outshine the relationship aspect of the story.