Summer is always an interesting time for rabid moviegoers. On the one hand, there’s no better time for escapism, visual effects and plenty of noise. On the other, it can often get very redundant and offer nothing rewarding. This summer has no less than four superhero movies and a plethora of sequels (“Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2”) that may not be worth bemoaning, but if that’s not your cup of tea, there’s a surprising amount of variety in store.
“The Tree of Life” (May 27)
“Tree of Life,” which bows at the Cannes Film Festival before heading to U.S. shores at the end of May, is director Terrence Malick’s fifth film in his nearly 30-year career. It’s his first since “The New World” in 2005, and for cinephiles, it may be the most anticipated film of 2011. Malick has a reputation for being a demanding visual perfectionist. His films subvert narrative in favor of complex interrogations into his characters’ mental states. “Tree of Life” centers on a family in 1950s America whose oldest son experiences a loss of innocence. The trailer shows off Emmanuel Lubezki’s amazing cinematography and whets the appetite for a consummate cinematic affair.
“Thor” (May 6)
There are a lot of superhero movies this summer. While “Captain America” has the draw of, well, Captain America, “Thor” comes packaged with a pretty interesting pedigree. Kenneth Branagh, best known for a series of Shakespearean adaptations in the late ’80s and ’90s, is taking the helm. And while “Thor’s” screenplay has been passed around and reworked by a stable of writers over the years, Branagh could potentially give a Shakespearean touch to this story of an exiled son. The results could push the superhero genre in a bold new direction.
“Super 8” (June 10)
J.J. Abrams doesn’t mess around when it comes to entertainment. He knows how to make it polished and fun, and he also finds ways to work in crazy plots. Whether in his parallel-universe “Star Trek” reboot or the dozens of intricacies in television series “Lost” (which he co-created), he’s shown himself a perfectly capable marshal of blockbuster entertainment. While the details of “Super 8” have been pretty hush-hush, the beautifully enigmatic trailer and the mere name-drop of Steven Spielberg as producer are enough to convince us this one is worth getting in line for.
“Cowboys and Aliens” (July 29)
When it comes to Jon Favreau’s (“Iron Man”) latest, people seem pretty divided: They’re either incredibly excited or incredibly turned off by a title as silly as “Cowboys and Aliens.” Count us in the excited column. Harrison Ford? Daniel Craig? Old West meets terrorizing aliens? This is a campy sci-fi lover’s secret dream come true.
“Crazy, Stupid, Love.” (July 29)
Every summer needs a good, offbeat ensemble comedy to balance out the action, destruction and mayhem. “Love” seems like one of the most solid bets, featuring a cuckolded Steve Carell taking on lady-killer Ryan Gosling as his mentor. The trailer has all of Carell’s best quirks on full display, and the venture into comedy for Gosling could help him break out in a genre that he’s usually antithetically positioned to. With Emma Stone and Julianne Moore rounding out the cast, it could pack quite the comedy punch.
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