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Arts & Entertainment

The Full List of the Summer's Best Movies

It's summertime at the cineplex.

Ask yourself, how will you find time for them all? Fans of the summer blockbuster, you'll be busy with a DC Comics adaptation, a Michael Bay f/x extravaganza, Captain America, a remake ofConan the Barbarian, and yet another Final Destination.

Star vehicles abound including the Tom Hanks-Julia Roberts recession buster Larry Crowne, Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford swaggering through Cowboys & Aliens, and James Franco in a Planet of the Apes prequel. Did we mention that Justin Timberlake is having a busy summer?

Indie-minded filmgoers, this summer promises more than you might expect – new films from John Sayles, documentarian Errol Morris, Miranda July, and a debut from Vera Farmiga.

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Some promising pics in other categories: a comedy teaming Steve Carrell and Ryan Gosling; Rachel Weisz as a whistleblower; and the super-creepy thriller based on a soldier forced to have surgery so he could become the body double for Uday Hussein.

Here, categorized for easy-reading (we hope), are some of the summer's most notable films. Please note: Release dates are subject to change.

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ACTION-ADVENTURE

Green Lantern – What would summer be without a DC Comics superhero? Martin Campbell, who directed the winning Bond classic Casino Royale, helms this highly anticipated flick. The busy Ryan Reynolds plays the green crusader. (June 17)

Transformers — Dark of the Moon – Another inevitability of summer is a special effects mash-up directed by Michael Bay. This third part of a trilogy, in 3D, finds Shia LeBeouf, Josh Duhamel, and Tyrese Gibson re-engaged in robot wars. (July 1)

Captain America: The First Avenger – Every boy's fantasy: Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is too scrawny for military service, so he volunteers for a scientific experiment that transforms him into Captain America, a six-pack-sporting superhero. His nemesis: Hugo Weaving's Nazi weapons maker. Joe Johnston (The Wolfman) directs. (July 22)

Final Destination 5 – Yes, the fifth one. Why keep calling them final? (August 5)

Conan the Barbarian – Jason Momoa is the latest glowering, second-cousin-of-a-troglydite to bare a well-muscled chest in service to box office grosses. Rose McGowan co-stars in Marcus Nispel's remake. (August 19)

SUSPENSE

The Devil's Double – Truth is more horrifying than fiction: New Zealand native Lee Tamahori (Die Another Day) directs this thriller based on the true story of an Iraqi soldier compelled to have plastic surgery to become the body double for Uday Hussein, sadistic son of Saddam. Dominic Cooper plays Uday and his double. Ludivine Sagnier co-stars. (July 29)

The Whistleblower – While working as a U.N. peacekeeper in 1999, real-life Nebraska police officer Kathryn Boklovac (Rachel Weisz) uncovers a sex trafficking operation. Rounding out the first-rate cast are Vanessa Redgrave, Monica Bellucci and David Strathairn under the direction of Larysa Kondracki. (August 5)

The Debt – Helen Mirren, fresh from her machine-gun-toting turn in Red, stars in this remake of an Israeli film about a retired Mossad agent whose past won't leave her alone. Word is the movie has been on the shelf for eons; August is traditionally the dumping ground for Hollywood's duds; but let's remain hopeful. The peerless Mirren's co-stars include Tom Wilkinson, Ciaran Hinds, Jessica Chastain, and Sam Worthington. John Madden (Shakespeare in Love) directs. (August 31)

SCI-FI

Another Earth – Follow this, if you can: In writer-director Mike Cahill's debut, a second planet Earth is discovered on the same day as an accident that takes the lives of a young mother and her child. Left grieving on this Earth is the husband/father, who happens to be a composer (William Mapother), and the woman who caused the crash (Brit Marling). Billed as a sci-fi romance. (July 22)

Rise of Planet of the Apes – James Franco stars in this so-called "origin story" about a young scientist whose genetically altered chimp escapes the lab and starts enough trouble to fuel a franchise. (August 5)

SUMMER SCREAMERS

Super 8 – When three Ohio teenagers stay up late to make a movie with their Super 8 camera, an homage to Steven Spielberg is what results. First, a freight train crashes. Next, an alien secretly held by the Fed escapes. What's next? A close encounter? Spielberg produced for writer/director J.J. Abrams. (June 10)

Troll Hunter – Remember The Blair Witch Project? In place of the doomed witch doubters, substitute a handful of troll-hunting film students, and you might get something like Norwegian writer-director Andre Ovredal's horror-comedy mock-umentary. A hit in Norway. (June 10)

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark – Katie Holmes stars in this haunted house spook-fest co-written by Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth). (August 26)

Apollo 18 – Inspired by a space mission aborted by NASA in the 1970s, the tagline for this outer space horror pic is: "There's a reason we've never gone back to the moon." August 26)

COMEDIES

Bad Teacher – Giving a whole new meaning to junior "high" teacher is this comedy featuring Cameron Diaz as an errant, substance-abusing educator. Justin Timberlake co-stars as the wholesome substitute who may inspire sobriety lessons. Jake Kasdan directs. (June 17)

Horrible Bosses – Who can't relate? Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell, and Jennifer Aniston play nasty supervisors whose days are numbered when three employees (Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, and Charlie Day) choose to turn a common fantasy into reality and kill them. (July 1)

Friends With Benefits – Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis play friends who agree to have sex without the complications of a relationship. (If the storyline sounds familiar, it's because you saw it earlier this year in the Natalie Portman-Ashton Kutcher comedy No Strings Attached.) Rounding out the Benefits cast are Woody Harrelson and Patricia Clarkson. Will Gluck directs. (July 22)

Cowboys & Aliens – As inevitable as Jane Austen and zombies, no? Especially because it's directed by Jon Favreau (Ironman). Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford play gunslinging arch-enemies whose high noon is postponed by the arrival of space aliens. (July 29)

Crazy, Stupid, Love – Dumped by his wife, Steve Carrell's Cal gets tips in the art of seduction from Ryan Gosling's ladykiller. With Emma Stone, Kevin Bacon and Marisa Tomei. John Requa and Glenn Ficarra direct. (July 29)

The Change-Up – This inversion of Freaky Friday puts a single hunk (Ryan Reynolds) in the body of his bored, married guy buddy (Justin Bateman), and vice versa. (August 5)

Our Idiot Brother – Every family has one: Paul Rudd is the dope who lands in the hoosegow after selling weed to a uniformed police officer. The cast includes Emily Mortimer, Elizabeth Banks, Rashida Jones, and Zooey Deschanel. (August 26)

ROMANCE

One Day – Same Time, Next Year for a new generation. David Nicholls' best-seller about a long-term, short-on-contact romance is adapted for film starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Stugess. Lone Scherfig directs. (August 19)

DRAMA

The Help – Emma Stone, Sissy Spacek, Bryce Dallas Howard, Cicely Tyson, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer star in this screen version of Kathryn Stockett's best-seller. Set in the early 1960s, Stone plays the budding journalist who returns to her hometown of Jackson, Miss., where she interviews the black women who work as maids for the rich white folks. (August 5)

Seven Days in Utopia – If you found yourself in turmoil, wouldn't you like Robert Duvall to sort you out? Lucas Black plays a troubled young golfer who gets stuck in a small Texas town where Duvall's rancher helps set him straight. Melissa Leo co-stars. (August 5)

Higher Ground – Vera Farmiga's directorial debut, based on screenwriter Carolyn Briggs' memoirThis Dark World, finds her protagonist questioning her faith. John Hawkes co-stars. (August 12)

CROWD-PLEASERS

Larry Crowne – Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts co-star in this bromide for the recession-weary. Hanks plays the unemployed, economically challenged Larry, who refuses to let hard times get him down. He enrolls at a junior college where he takes a shine to a grumpy professor (Roberts). The script is by Hanks and Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding). (July 1)

INDIE BAIT

Buck – You've seen The Horse Whisperer. Now meet the real deal in first-time documentarian Cindy Meehl's portrait of Wyoming equine expert Buck Brannaman. (June 17)

Page One: Inside the New York Times – Ever wanted a peek inside the workings of one of the world's greatest newspapers? Andrew Rossi's documentary, filmed over the course of more than one year, puts viewers inside the news organization at a time of tremendous transition. (June 17)

Conan O'Brien Can't Stop – When Conan O'Brien was summarily dumped as host of The Tonight Show, he did not go quietly. He went on the road. Filmmaker Rodman Flender filmed O'Brien on a 32-city comedy tour. (June 17)

Terri – Indie fave John C. Reilly plays a small town vice principle whose concern for a troubled, overweight 15-year-old (Jacob Wysocki) leads to weekly counseling sessions. Azazel Jacobs directs. (July 1)

Tabloid – Documentarian Errol Morris is drawn to complex characters. This time, he uses the camera to probe the psyche of Joyce McKinney, a beauty pageant queen who became a fixture of the British tabloids in the 1970s when she was accused kidnapping and raping a young Mormon man. (July 15)

The Future – Indie fave Miranda July (Me and You and Everyone We Know) returns with a comedy about struggling thirtysomethings. A Sundance fave. (July 29)

Amigo – Intelligent script guaranteed: The U.S. occupation of the Philippines at the turn of the 20th century is the subject of writer/director John Sayles' latest drama. Joel Torre and Garret Dillahunt star. (August 19)

'TWEEN PIX

The Art of Getting By – A potentially charming 'tween coming-of-ager with a grownup Freddie Highmore (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) starring as an alienated high school slacker who attracts the attentions of good-girl Emma Roberts. (June 17)

Monte Carlo – The stuff of summer fantasies comes true when disappointed teens (Selena Gomez, Leighton Meester, and Katie Cassidy) have their less-than-fabulous European vacation transformed by a misunderstanding: One of them is mistaken for a British heiress, and the four-star hotels, limo rides and handsome hotties quickly follow. Thomas Bezucha (The Family Stone) directs. (July 1)

Fright Night – Anton Yelchin plays the suburban teen whose next door neighbor is  a vampiric Colin Farrell. (August 19)

FOR THE KIDDIES

Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer – Ever wanted to do something wild with your summer? Third-grader Judy Moody (Jordana Beatty) has plans to ride an elephant and track Big Foot all with the help of her little brother, Stink (Parris Mosteller). Enthusiastically supporting the duo is their Aunt Opal (Heather Graham). John Schultz's movie is based on Megan McDonald's popular children's book series. (June 10)

Mr. Popper's Penguins – A lonely New York businessman finds himself in possession of six penguins. Waiter, more fish? Angela Lansbury co-stars under the direction of Mark Waters (Mean Girls). (June 17)

Cars 2 – Sequelitis is a summer plague, but we mind it less when it brings a Pixar retread. Driving the plot of this animated comedy is race car champ Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson), who is headed to Europe for the Grand Prix. Emily Mortimer, Michael Cain, and Larry the Cable Guy lend their voices. John Lasseter directs. (June 17)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 – David Yates helms the last installment about the boy wizard (who isn't such a boy anymore) and his battles with the evil Voldemort. (July 15)

Winnie the Pooh – A.A. Milne's children's classic is narrated by Monty Pythoner John Cleese who chronicles the action in the Hundred Acre Wood. Directed by Stephen Anderson and Don Hall. (July 15)

Smurfs 3D – In 3D. What else do you need to know? (August 5)

Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World – Writer/director Robert Rodriquez must need a mortgage payment. Evil timekeeper (Jeremy Piven) threatens to destroy the world. To the rescue ride a retired secret agent (Jessica Alba) and her stepkids (Rowan Blanchard and Mason Cook). (August 19)

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