An onslaught of summer screen-sizzlers

An ungodly number of movies will open around town between this week and Labor Day; here are some that caught my eye. Please note that all release dates are tentative, and as changeable as Lindsay Lohan's hair.

Big loud movies

Summer, for many of us, is all about popcorn and really loud movies — and what could be louder than "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" (May 25) or "Spider-Man 3" (May 4)? Well, perhaps "Transformers" (July 4), the dueling-alien-races adventure from noisemaster Michael Bay ("Armageddon," "Pearl Harbor"), or "Live Free or Die Hard" (June 27), starring Bruce Willis (also known as "Die Hard 4").

Matt Damon gets all shifty and elusive for the spy thriller "The Bourne Ultimatum" (Aug. 3), co-starring Joan Allen as an ultra-cool CIA boss lady. Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker re-team for "Rush Hour 3" (Aug. 10), Nicolas Cage and Julianne Moore fight a terrorist group in "Next" (April 27) and Stone Cold Steve Austin gets all peaceful and Zen in a corrupt Central American prison in "The Condemned" (April 27). Not.

You never know, these days, when a movie might contain an explosion, but those who prefer quiet should be safe with "Becoming Jane" (August), a biopic about the early years of Jane Austen (played by a Prada-free Anne Hathaway). Also likely to fit into the category is "The Flying Scotsman" (May 4), the fact-based story of a Scottish champion cyclist (Jonny Lee Miller), and "Rocket Science" (Aug. 17), directed by Jeffrey Blitz (who made the fine documentary "Spellbound"), about a teenage boy struggling with his stuttering problem.

In between screenings of "Shrek the Third" (May 18), "Nancy Drew" (June 15), "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" (July 13) and "The Simpsons Movie" (July 27), will the kids be sitting around movie-less? Nope; there's always Disney/Pixar's "Ratatouille" (June 29), the animated tale of a rat who dreams of becoming a chef; it sounds cute as a button, and as a bonus the kids will learn how to pronounce "ratatouille." Nostalgia buffs and their offspring might enjoy "Underdog" (Aug. 3), inspired by the '60s/'70s cartoon series. The animated comedy "Surf's Up" (June 8) continues the Penguin Takeover of the Multiplexes, and "Bratz" (Aug. 10) is inspired by the well-accessorized fashion dolls that share its name. And sounds just a little bit scary.

If summer just isn't summer without screams and gnashing of teeth, rest assured that "Hostel: Part II," with the special bonus of two "Desperate Housewives" actors in the cast (Roger "George" Bart, Richard "Karl" Burgi), arrives June 8. Rob Zombie's "Halloween" remake arrives Aug. 31 (a little early for trick-or-treating); Christopher Smith's "Severance," about a corporate retreat gone horribly and bloodily wrong, opens June 8.

Lindsay Lohan headlines "I Know Who Killed Me" (summer, TBD), about a young woman abducted by a serial killer. "1408" (July 13), which is not a historical drama but an adaptation of a Stephen King short story, stars John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson. Ashley Judd holes up in a creepy motel room in the psychological thriller "Bug" (May 25), directed by William "The Exorcist" Friedkin. And the zombie horror sequel "28 Weeks Later," taking place in an emptied-out London, arrives May 11.

It's summer, people. Don't hold your breath. But a few films this season just might have some staying power come end-of year-awards time. "Evening" (June 29), based on Susan Minot's novel about a dying woman looking back on her life, has a remarkable ensemble cast: Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Claire Danes, Vanessa Redgrave and Toni Collette. Sarah Polley's "Away from Her" (May 11), acclaimed at several film festivals, stars Julie Christie and Gordon Pinsent as a long-married couple facing Alzheimer's disease. Michael Winterbottom ("Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story," "In this World") directs "A Mighty Heart" (June 22), the story of murdered journalist Daniel Pearl; it stars Angelina Jolie and Dan Futterman.

Don Cheadle is getting good buzz for his work in Kasi Lemmons' "Talk to Me" (July 13), the story of a radio host in '60s Washington, D.C. The Australian drama "Jindabyne" (May 11) is well-pedigreed: It's directed by Ray Lawrence ("Lantana"), stars Laura Linney and Gabriel Byrne and is based on a Raymond Carver short story. And there's something potentially appealing about John Dahl's hit-man comedy/drama "You Kill Me" (June 29), starring Ben Kingsley, Téa Leoni and Luke Wilson.

Laughing matters

There's a curious wedding theme to many of this summer's comedies, including "License to Wed" (July 4) with Robin Williams as a marriage counselor, "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry" (July 20) about a pair of straight firefighters (Adam Sandler, Kevin James) who pose as a gay couple to receive domestic partnership benefits, and "Wedding Daze" (Aug. 17), in which Jason Biggs spontaneously proposes to a waitress. "Knocked Up" (June 1), Judd Apatow's follow-up to "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," seems the next logical step — except that the couple (Katherine Heigl and Seth Rogen) have barely met.

Steve Carell as a congressman and Morgan Freeman as God (spot-on casting, no?) star in "Evan Almighty" (June 22), Parker Posey plays a distressed singleton in "Broken English" (June 22), and John Travolta plays stage mother Edna Turnblad in the movie-turned-musical-turned-back-into-a-movie "Hairspray" (July 20). And those who love Rowan Atkinson's adorably clueless Mr. Bean will happily anticipate "Mr. Bean's Holiday," arriving Aug. 31.

Art & music

Plenty of movies this summer about musicians, of all kinds. "La Vie en Rose" (June 15) features Marion Cotillard ("A Good Year") as French chanteuse Edith Piaf. "El Cantante" (Aug. 1) stars Marc Anthony as salsa musician Hector Lavoe; his off-screen wife Jennifer Lopez co-stars. "The Hip Hop Project" (May 18) is a documentary about New York kids who express themselves through hip-hop; the French drama "The Page Turner" (May 18) follows a young woman bent on revenge after her dreams of becoming a classical pianist are thwarted. "Once" (June 15), a prizewinner at Sundance, is an Irish musical about a busker and an immigrant girl. And just to throw a little art into the mix: Milos Forman's "Goya's Ghosts," about the Spanish painter Francisco Goya (Stellan Skarsgård) and his muse (Natalie Portman), opens July 20.

Been wondering what Michael Moore's been up to, after all the uproar over "Fahrenheit 9/11"? He'll be back in movie theaters this summer (date TBD) with "Sicko," an exposé of the American health-care industry. Danny Boyle's long-awaited "Sunshine," a futuristic drama in which the sun is dying, also arrives this summer, and Curtis Hanson's much-rescheduled gambling comedy "Lucky You," starring Eric Bana and Drew Barrymore, arrives (allegedly) May 4. And, for all of you who burned up seattletimes.com looking for stories on the Enumclaw-area horse-sex scandal in 2005 (it was, for the record, the most-accessed story of the year), local filmmaker Robinson Devor's documentary take on it, entitled "Zoo," opens May 11.

Faces in the crowd

Movie-star vehicles abound this summer, featuring the faces you know as well as your own. George Clooney leads the pack in "Ocean's 13" (June 8), which reunites the gang from the first two films back in Las Vegas, where they belong. Catherine Zeta-Jones plays a romantically challenged chef in "No Reservations" (July 27), a remake of the charming German film "Mostly Martha." Michelle Pfeiffer, too long absent from the screen, graces the fantasy "Stardust" (Aug. 10), based on Neil Gaiman's novel.

The busy Lindsay Lohan plays a rebellious teen (hmm, there's a stretch) in "Georgia Rule" (May 11), also starring Jane Fonda and Felicity Huffman. Kevin Costner, Demi Moore and William Hurt slink around in the psychological thriller "Mr. Brooks" (June 1); Nicole Kidman does likewise, more blondly, in the "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" remake "The Invasion" (Aug. 17). And Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon turns up alongside Christina Ricci in "Penelope" (Aug. 17), a comedic fable about a young woman dealing with a family curse.

From Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi comes "Offside," (May 11), in which a group of Iranian women tries to crash a men's-only soccer game. "Day Watch" (June 1), from Russia, is a sequel to "Night Watch," in which the war between light and dark continues. Luc Besson directed the black-and-white romance "Angel-A" (June 22) about a con artist and the angelic woman who helps him; Daniel Auteuil stars as a friendless businessman in "My Best Friend" (July 13), from French filmmaker Patrice Leconte ("The Man on the Train"). The Italian film "The Golden Door" (August), a big winner at last year's Venice Film Festival, is about a Sicilian family of peasants dreaming of seeing the New World. And Julie Delpy, better known for her work as an actress ("Before Sunrise," "The Hoax"), directs and stars in the romantic comedy "Two Days in Paris" (July), opposite Adam Goldberg.

What, no baseball movies? What kind of a summer is this? Nonetheless, on the sports-movie front, there's "Gracie" (June), Davis Guggenheim's drama about a teenage girl determined to play competitive soccer; "The Comebacks" (August), about a perpetually losing football team; and "Hot Rod" (Aug. 10), a comedy about a motorcycle stuntman (Andy Samberg).

A little bit of everything

Finally, for the ultimate cinematic smorgasbord, look ahead to the Seattle International Film Festival, coming May 24-June 17 and featuring hundreds of films of every imaginable description. Rest up beforehand (www.seattlefilm.org).

Moira Macdonald: 206-464-2725 or mmacdonald@seattletimes.com