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Starting this Friday, summer is unofficially here! Why unofficially? Because technically summer doesn’t start until the summer solstice, which is June 21. Well I say balderdash! Here in California, it’s already sunny and beautiful. So what way to better way to start summer than with the start of the movie blockbusters? Sounds good to me.

Without further ado, here is part 1 of the top movies of this summer (through the end of May):

April 26- Pain and Gain

Based on a true story, this movie stars Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and is directed by Michael Bay. It tells the story of two bodybuilders sick of living the poor life. As a result, they come up with idea to kidnap a gym regular (Tony Shalhoub) who is a wealthy businessman.  However, after the businessman survives an attempted murder, he hires a private investigator (Ed Harris) to catch the criminals.

This movie looks to be rather predictable yet entertaining, especially since Michael Bay is directing. If you’ve seen any Bay movies (Bad Boys, Bad Boys II, any of the Transformers series, among others), you know that the plot won’t be anything mind blowing or revolutionary. What it will be is action packed and full of explosions. Coupled with the star power of Wahlberg and The Rock, it should be an entertaining couple hours. On an unrelated note, looking at the casting lists Mike Benitez as Moaning Patient. Interesting to say the least.

May 3- Iron Man 3

Our first summer blockbuster is here, and the first of many superhero movies. Returning Robert Downey, Jr,  Gwyneth Paltrow, and Don Cheadle, the story continues after the events of The Avengers. Tony Stark must face the Mandarin, a supervillain and the archenemy of Iron Man. Stark is broken down and appears to be beaten and must embark on a journey to find those responsible for ruining his life.

As a huge fan of the Marvel series, I can’t wait to see this movie (you will definitely find me at the midnight premier). Robert Downey, Jr. has been brilliant in his role as Tony Stark and his witty, sarcastic humor never ceases to make audiences laugh. However, in the first trailer they show a defeated Stark being consoled by a small boy. It was a brief moment in the trailer, but still concerning as it was way too predictable. Still, this should be a great start to the summer.

May 10- The Great Gatsby

I don’t know about you, but talking to random people, this is looking to be the most anticipated movie of summer. Nearly everyone read the book in high school and the excitement around this movie has been growing for months. With a phenomenal cast of Leonardo Dicaprio as Jay Gatsby, Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway, Carey Mulligan as Daisy and Joel Edgerton as husband Tom Buchanan, the movie follows the life of millionaire Jay Gatsby, his ostentatious parties, and chase life love Daisey during the Roaring Twenties.

This is a must see for me. For one, I think Leo is the best actor of the past 15 years, so I’ll basically see any movie he is in. Second, Gatsby is a timeless story and novel. In preparation for the movie, I just finished rereading the book, and it was just as gripping as I remembered. Third, the trailer looked damn good.

May 15- Star Trek: Into Darkness

The follow up to 2009’s Star Trek: Into Darkness returns director/producer J.J. Abrams (Lost, Alias, Mission Impossible III, Super 8, and the next Star Wars movie), Chris Pine as Captain Kirk, and Zachary Quinto as Spock. In the sequel, the crew of the USS Enterprise must face an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization. Earth is in a state of crisis, and Captain Kirk has a score to settle with a one man weapon of mass destruction.

I’ve always identified more with Star Wars than with Star Trek, but the last movie was fantastic. Plus, the geek side of me loves big explosions and big starships.

May 24- Hangover 3 and Fast and Furious 6

From a movie standpoint, this may be the most entertaining day of the summer. Notice I said entertaining, not best. While neither movie will win any awards next February, both should leave audiences delighted and with wide grins.

Fast & Furious 6 returns Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Jordana Brewester, and Michelle Rodriguez. It is Rodriguez’ return that provides the drama in this movie. After Fast 5, the crew is wealthy, but they still can’t return to the US due to their heavy criminal record. Luke Hobbs (The Rock) offers the crew a deal; full pardons for their crimes if they will help take down a mercenary organization. The kicker? The second in command is Dominic Toretto’s (Vin Diesel) thought-dead lover Letty (Rodriguez).

Past movies have stretched the imagination and thrilled audiences with high speed chases, fast cars, beautiful girls, and non-stop action. Fast 5’s roid rage filled one on one battle between Vin Diesel and the Rock was the greatest since the original Pokemon’s Mew vs. Mewto. Now they will be teaming up? Count me in.

After the disappointment of Hangover II, the crew returns one last time for another crazy adventure. While II was basically an exact replica of the original, the third looks to break from the mold. This time, no bachelor party, no wedding. Instead, Alan (Zach Galifianakis) has to escape from a mental institution with help from the “wolf pack” of Stu (Ed Helms) and Phil (Bradley Cooper). Even though I was frustrated by Hangover II, the initial trailers look like a much fresher, original take on the series.

May 31- After Earth

Featuring the dynamic father-son duo of Will and Jaden Smith, this science-fiction thriller (directed by M. Night Shyamalan) follows General Cypher Raige (Will Smith), a wise but cold father, and his teenage son Kitai (Jaden Smith) who is a Ranger recruit with a tendency towards mischief. Earth was abandoned by humanity after a series of catastrophic events. Society has been re-established on Nova Prime, a planet light years away from earth. After urging by his wife, General Raige takes his son on a mission back to earth. “The ship travels into an asteroid field and crashed on Earth, killing everyone except a critically injured Cypher and Kitai, who is forced to embark on a perilous journey across uncharted terrain, coming across evolved animals that now dominate the planet, as well as an unstoppable alien creature that escaped during the crash, to signal for help” (Wikipedia).

Other than Wild Wild West and Hancock, Will Smith has yet to disappoint me (and Hancock was hardly his fault. He wasn’t the one who included the worst plot twist in recent history). Will Smith is on the list with Leo and Ryan Gosling for actor’s who I will see whatever they are in. Plus, a father-son sci-fi thriller? I couldn’t ask for much more, since I think my dad is way past the days of chasing aliens.

So there you have it. Part 1 of the summer movies. Clearly, these first 7 movies promise to deliver laughs, thrills, and action. Other than Pain & Gain, this group has tremendous potential to deliver some quality cinema, and for that I’m extremely excited. Tune in next week for part 2.

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Image: ishootreno