/  Features

Ready or not, here they come: the flicks with the hot hype and those making quieter entrances

Summertime, and the movies are easy.

At least, that's the party line. Mindless entertainment, gobs of cash heaved at the screen, horserace-style box office obsession.

But let's not forget that blockbuster status doesn't preclude quality cinema. You know as much if you caught Iron Man this weekend.

Just as important, the movie calendar has become so diversified that some of the little guys can now squeeze into the hot months and rub elbows with the superheroes and broad comedies.

With this parity in mind, in mind, we've selected two tiers of movies for our annual summer preview. One group features the overexposed, those movies that have already begun screaming at you from magazine covers and billboards. Then we have the underexposed, the films that hope to make up in creativity what they lack in advertising budget.

Keep reading to see which movies made the cut:

Speedracer | Crystal Skull | Sex and the City | The Incredible Hulk | Get Smart | Love Guru | Wall-E | Hancock | Dark Knight | X-Files | Standard Operating Procedure | Mongol | Wackness | American Teen | Hamlet 2

Complete schedule by month: MAY | JUNE | JULY | AUGUST

SPEED RACER

Why you should care: The first post-Matrix directing job for the Wachowski brothers should tickle the nostalgia bones of grownup kids everywhere. The early anime TV stylings have been replaced by live-action and serious digital effects (plus a live chimp). Taking the wheel is Emile Hirsch (snubbed by Oscar for Into the Wild), with Christina Ricci riding shotgun. Go, Speed Racer, go.

Viewer beware? Remember what Hollywood did to Underdog, another vintage cartoon favorite? Live action (and a live canine) left viewers with a flea-ridden feeling. (Opens May 9).

INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL

Why you should care: Duh. It's only the return of one of the greatest action heroes ever. The whip? The hat? Ford? Spielberg? Yeah, it's been awhile since installments, but you know the theme song is already buzzing through your head.

Viewer beware? Did we mention that it's been awhile since the last one (19 years to be exact)? That much shelf time can stall a franchise's momentum. And Harrison Ford is 65. Of course he's also fighting fires in real life, so an action movie should be a piece of cake. (Opens May 22).

SEX AND THE CITY

Why you should care: Shake up some cosmos and get your shopping shoes on: Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte are back on the prowl. Well, not so much; marriage, engagement and pregnancy have followed the gals into their 40s. Big is back. And the studio is being extremely mum on pertinent details.

Viewer beware? Cherished TV shows have a way of losing their mojo en route to the big screen as they search for a longer storyline and broader audience. And when you're messing with an HBO classic, you're messing with the best. (Opens May 30).

THE INCREDIBLE HULK

Universal Pictures

The Hulk in The Incredible Hulk

Why you should care: It's not often that a franchise gets a mulligan, but that's exactly what happened with the big green fella. After Ang Lee's arty rendition fell on its face, Marvel decided to go in a different direction, with Edward Norton playing Bruce Banner and Louis Leterrier behind the camera. Hulk like second chances.

Viewer beware? That elusive quality known as buzz has not been kind (that New York Times story a couple weeks back set off some alarms). Mr. Norton is said to be displeased. If the Hulk whiffs again, he probably won't get a third big-screen strike. Hulk not like disappointment. (Opens June 13).

GET SMART

Why you should care: Steve Carell would seem to be a perfect choice for Maxwell Smart, the bumbling Agent 86. And check the rest of the cast: Anne Hathaway, Alan Arkin, Bill Murray and Terence Stamp. And the Rock.

Viewer beware? Mr. Carell's last stab at big comedy, Evan Almighty, was among the worst films of 2007. The TV series hasn't exactly been in the spotlight for a while. And the movie has been floating around in development limbo for a few years. Stay tuned. (Opens June 20).

THE LOVE GURU

Why you should care: Where ya been, Mike Myers? Oh yeah, the Shrek movies. Welcome back to live action as Guru Pitka, a Deepak Chopra-like interpersonal adviser. Mr. Myers has workshopped the character extensively, hoping for another Austin Powers-size hit. Oh, behave.

Viewer beware? Where ya been, Mike Myers? One can get rusty playing an animated ogre for too long. And for some, Austin Powers isn't the greatest reference point. Admittedly, we're in the minority. (Opens June 20).

Pixar

The titular robot in WALL-E

WALL-E

Why you should care: Pixar's short films have long held a fascination with robots. Now the hit machine delivers a trash compacting 'bot ready to shine on the big screen. The director is Andrew Stanton, who last stepped behind the camera for the greatness of Finding Nemo.

Viewer beware? Not so much. I could say something about how there's not much dialogue (other than robotese), but let's keep it real: Pixar hasn't made a bad movie yet, and there's no reason to anticipate a dud now. Plus the title character looks like a classic mix of old-school kitsch and Pixar futurism. (Opens June 27).

HANCOCK

Why you should care: It's July. It's Will Smith. It must be a hit. But this one sounds like something a little different: an ornery, alcoholic superhero looking to fix his image through the help of a marketing guru (Jason Bateman). A mean Will. I like it.

Viewer beware? But the Fresh Prince is so nice. And he looks kind of like Method Man in the posters. Which is great for Wu-Tang fans, but maybe not summer moviegoers. Are we ready for an unkempt, hard-drinking superhero who sleeps on park benches? Or will parents just not understand? (Opens July 2).

THE DARK KNIGHT

Warner Bros. Pictures

Christian Bale in The Dark Knight

Why you should care: Many reasons. Heath Ledger's death casts a long shadow over the second film of the new Batman cycle, and his Joker looks like a doozy of a villain. The first installment was one of the best superhero movies ever ­ and also, appropriately, quite dark. Perhaps best of all, Katie Holmes is nowhere to be found. Can't wait.

Viewer beware? One man's intriguing possibilities could be another's disturbing prospects. This is not heartthrob Heath; it's a heavily made-up psycho setting off lethal explosions in Gotham City. As I said, can't wait. (Opens July 18).

THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE

Why you should care: Agents Mulder and Scully go searching for further metaphysical adventures, joined by Amanda Peet and rapper Xzibit. Would you be shocked to learn that plot details are being kept under wraps? But word is that the relationship between our two sleuths will be front and center.

Viewer beware? The X-Files once thrived as part of the TV zeitgeist. But its place has since been filled by the likes of Lost and Heroes. Is the truth still out there? One good sign for newcomers: It's a standalone story, so confusion should be minimal. We think. (Opens July 25).

STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE

Why you should care: Errol Morris is the gold standard of documentary filmmakers, a director who could also pass for a philosopher. His look at the Abu Ghraib photos and the context in which they were taken is, like most of his films, an examination of truth, perception and human frailty.

Viewer beware? This is now the third Abu Ghraib doc (Taxi to the Dark Side won this year's documentary Oscar). So even if it's the best, and the most ambitious, it may strike some as stale news. And there will always be a large segment of the population that never wants to see those photos again. (Opens May 23).

MONGOL

Why you should care: Think of it as Genghis Khan: The Early Years. Russian director Sergei Bodrov dramatizes the forces that shaped the future tyrant, including early orphanage, early love and enslavement. He also mixes in some dandy action sequences. He plans on making at least one sequel; too bad The Wrath of Khan is already taken.

Viewer beware? Some might not be up for a Mongolian epic set in times long past. In other words: "Gee, Martha, they're not just speaking in a funny language; they also have such strange costumes." (Opens June 20).

Sony Pictures Classics

Mary-Kate Olsen and Ben Kingsley in The Wackness

THE WACKNESS

Why you should care: For those who care about such matters, this Sundance hit has the purest hip-hop soundtrack ever. Ev-er. It's a coming-of-age story set in 1994 New York; the time and place suggest why the beats are so smokin'. We're talking Nas, Biggie and many other vintage flavors.

Viewer beware? The story isn't quite as hot as the music, and Ben Kingsley's pot-smoking shrink is never all that believable. (Youngsters Josh Peck and Olivia Thirlby, however, are excellent). Still a must for hip-hop heads. (Opens July 18).

AMERICAN TEEN

Why you should care: It's an intimate and endearing documentary look at four teenagers navigating the trying waters of high school life in little Warsaw, Ind. Director Nanette Burstein takes time to get to know them all, from the struggling basketball star to the pair of social square pegs.

Viewer beware? It doesn't have the affectations of what we're used to from teens on TV (i.e., The Hills). Which, from over here, is a major recommendation. And the popular girl might make you really angry. (Opens Aug. 1).

HAMLET 2

Why you should care: In the spirit of Waiting for Guffman comes this Sundance smash about a high school drama teacher (the great British comedian Steve Coogan) who decides it would be a good idea to stage a sequel to Hamlet. As a musical. Elizabeth Shue plays herself. As a nurse.

Viewer beware? Mr. Coogan's acerbic wit is an acquired taste, and the film is already getting slammed on the Web. Which leads me to think it's probably pretty good. (Opens Aug. 27).

– Chris Vognar

Published in The Dallas Morning News: 05.04.08