Summer Movie Preview Part 1

Written By Robert Keyes & Ryan Connors

As we enter the summer movie season, moviegoers will have plenty of choices to make with a new big budget blockbuster film opening weekly. Here are some films to look out for in May and June:

Star Trek (May 8, 2009)
Directed by J.J. Abrams
Starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban

J.J. Abrams, a god amongst the geek world for the creation of quality shows like Alias and Lost, was tasked with the impossible: to rebirth the long-dead Star Trek franchise and bring it back to the mainstream. Well, he definitely succeeded and reviews of the film and buzz surrounding it are fantastic, not to mention the stellar ticket pre-sales. Say goodbye to the fallen Star Wars movies, Star Trek is back in town and here for the long-haul with the sequel already greenlit (before it’s even been released) and cast signed to multiple-picture contracts, we can expect several movies in this rebooted franchise. A must-see for everyone who likes sci-fi, epics, action, adventure or simply cool movies.

Terminator Salvation (May 22, 2009)
Directed by McG
Starring Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Anton Yelchin

Terminator Salvation, the fourth installment in the Terminator franchise, sets out to redeem the franchise for what fans endured in Terminator 3 and puts the characters back on track for a future look at the infamous John Connor, savior and hero of humanity against the machines. This time around, fans will see more robots and more action set in a post-apocalyptic future after the events of Judgment Day, and possibly some cameos by Terminator veteran actors Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Will this movie succeed? It certainly has the best teaser trailer of the year and if that’s any indicator, we’re all in for a treat and two more sequels.

Up (May 29, 2009)
Directed by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson
Starring: Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai

Disney/Pixar’s 2009 big screen event takes the form of the 3-D animated Up, the highly anticipated and beautiful looking adventure which follows the bitter 78-year-old man, Carl Fredricksen, as he sets out on his lifelong dream to explore the wilderness of South America. After launching his house into the skies using a plethora of colorful balloons, old Carl discovers that he’s not on this journey alone as he finds young wilderness explorer Russell at his doorstep. This fun and adventurous movie has pretty much already taken the Oscar for Best Animated Feature of 2009 and is a must-see for every one of all ages.

The Hangover (June 5, 2009)
Directed by Todd Phillips
Starring Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis

In the running for funniest movie of the year, The Hangover brings some TV favorite actors to the big screen (Bradley Cooper from Alias, Ed Helms from The Office) for a Las Vegas-set comedy. The plot follows the three groomsmen who lose their soon-to-be-wed friend during an overly-drunk night out. Typical fun, but then they wake up to a strange situation: the groom’s missing with only a few hours till the wedding, the room’s a mess, there’s an unknown baby in the room along with a live chicken and a tiger, they have a cop-car in their possession and most importantly, they have no idea how all this came about. The trailer is hilarious; the actors are great, look out for The Hangover this summer.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (June 24, 2009)
Directed by Michael Bay
Starring Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel

The sequel to one of the biggest movies of 2007 is hitting the silver screen this June. While we can expect to see more than twice the number of Transformer characters this time around, mashed together for more action scenes than before, the writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (Transformers, Star Trek) unfortunately say that we can also expect the same childish and weak humor. Regardless of that, this is the popcorn movie of the year and everyone should see it for the visual effects and sound alone.