Here we are again, days away from one of the great rituals of moviegoing:  the Summer Movie Season.  It's appropriate that on the summer that will mark the 30th Anniversary of Star Wars, the blockbuster machine it perfected will be running louder and harder than ever, with an unprecedented number of mega-sequels and mega-tie-ins hitting screens between May 4 and Labor Day.  I thought it would be fun to put together a kind of “pre-season poll” of these Coming Things, handicapping sight unseen what the 15 best movies of the season will be simply on the noise and quality of their hype.  Never fear, I will be back on Labor Day to face the music on these picks...

1.Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
When:  July 13
Why the hype:  Have you heard of this whole Harry Potter thing?  It's the 5th movie in the series.
What it's about:  With the Ministry of Magic refusing to act against the growing Voldemort (Ralph Finnes) menace, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) joins an underground resistance determined to stop him.
Why it's gonna rock:  Because three of its' four predecessors (Chamber of Secrets was OK, but it failed to rock) did, and each of the last two has been my favorite in the series to date.  Because the darker the subject matter gets, the better the series becomes, and because an already awesome story found new life when Finnes bared his fangs for the first time at the end of The Goblet of Fire.  And I can't get over the trailer's images of wizardry spilling out into modern-day London.

2.Fantastic Four:  Rise of the Silver Surfer
When:  June 15
Why the hype:  It's the sequel to 2005's Fantastic Four
What it's about:  The wedding of Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd) and Susan Storm (Jessica Alba) is interrupted by the arrival of the Power Cosmic-wielding Silver Surfer (body of Doug Jones, voice of Laurence Fishburne), calling the Fantastic Four back into action.  The Surfer's a tough customer on his own, but wait until they meet his boss..., dare I say it, the planet-eating Galactus.
Why it's gonna rock:  Uh, I believe I just dared to say... GALACTUS!!!  The original was limited in budget and scope, but established a winning heroic quartet I can't wait to see back in action, and if the Surfer and Galactus aren't enough menace for you, Dr. Doom (Julian McMahon) is back as well.  And I love superhero weddings.

3.Spider-Man 3
When:  May 4
Why the hype:  It's the 3rd movie in the Spider-Man series
What it's about:  Peter Parker (Toby Maguire) faces his greatest challenges yet when a mysterious black substance bonds with his suit and makes him more powerful, more vengeful and more violent than ever.  A truckload of villains includes his old friend Harry (James Franco) in a new Goblin suit, the shape-shifting Sandman (Thomas Hayden Church) and, dare I say it, Venom (Topher Grace).
Why it's gonna rock:  Uh... I believe I just dared to say... VENOM!!!  The Sandman effects look out of this world.  And the Peter/Harry/Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) storyline seems ready to finally pay off on everything that's been building up since the original.  And no fear of changing horse in mid-stream with Sam Raimi back to direct for the third time and Raimi, his brother Ivan, and Alvin Sargent once again keeping the writing chores within the franchise family.

4.Transformers
When:  July 4
Why the hype:  If you've made a movie based on a beloved line of 1980's action figures and there's no hype... you're in trouble.
What it's about:  Shape-shifting alien machines both good and evil battle over energy while Earth gets trampled beneath their cool-looking feet.
Why it's gonna rock:  Because Michael Bay movies pretty much always either rock (As in The Rock, not to mention the hugely underrated The Island) or suck (Armageddon, Pearl Harbor).  Because the special effects look like nothing I've ever seen before.  And because while I'm just a couple years too old to have played with Transformers as a kid, I've always had a soft spot for giant robots.

5.Live Free or Die Hard
When:  June 27
Why the hype:  It's the 4th movie in the Die Hard series
What it's about:  Cyber-terrorists try to shut down the US economy by hacking into our computer systems on the 4th of July.  Sounds like a job for John McClane (Bruce Willis).
Why it's gonna rock:  Yeah, it's almost 20 years old, but Die Hard is still one of the best action movies ever made.  Its' sequels... not so much.  But in these troubled times, the concept of bringing one of my childhood movie heroes back to save America on the 4th of July is pretty much irresistible.  And he's got a couple of young co-stars I love, Justin Long and Mary-Elizabeth Winstead.

6.The Simpsons Movie
When:  July 27
Why the hype:  Because it's... THE SIMPSONS MOVIE!!!
What it's about:  Nobody knows for sure, but it's sure to involve TV's longest-running family's continuing adventures in their hometown of Springfield.
Why it's gonna rock:  I'm taking a leap of faith here, as the worst Simpsons season in many a year limps toward its' conclusion, but I'm guessing/hoping that one reason for that is all the work the show's writers put into the big-screen version.  Even as recently as last season's Richard Dean Anderson/outsourcing episode, The Simpsons at its' best is simply the funniest thing known to man, and the thought of having that kind of time at a summer comedy is what hype is all about.

7.Pirates of the Caribbean:  At World's End
When:  May 25
Why the hype:  It's the 3rd movie in the Pirates of the Caribbean series
What it's about:  With Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) in the belly of the Kraken, Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) must join forces with their old undead foe Captain Barbarosa (Geoffrey Rush) to save him.  But with Davy Jones and the Flying Dutchman now under the control of the East India Company, it'll take even more than their combined efforts to save the Pirate Way from the iron grip of the British Empire.
Why it's gonna rock:  Because my fingers are crossed that a climactic chapter in the POTC saga will have more oomph than last summer's disappointing follow-up to the wonderful original.  It shouldn't hurt for flamboyant villainy, with Rush and Chow-Yun Fat joining the fray, and a trailer full of Really Cool Stuff.

8.Evan Almighty
When:  June 22
Why the hype:  It's the sequel to 2003's Bruce Almighty.
What it's about:  Evan Baxter (Steve Carell) has left TV news behind for a new career in politics, but it's all jeopardized when God (Morgan Freeman) tells him he must build an ark.
Why it's gonna rock:  I don't think I've had a chance to say it on this site yet, but I do often say that the best sequels are to mediocre movies, and Bruce Almighty left a lot of the potential of its' premise unrealized.  This time, things look a lot more encouraging, with lots of animals, lots of special effects, and a plot that allows other characters to actually notice that something strange is going on (and with the huge white Noah beard Evan grows, who wouldn't?!?).  Besides, I love a good movie flood!

9.Underdog
When:  August 3
Why the hype:  It's the big-screen version of another Saturday Morning animated favorite
What it's about:  When a clumsy watchdog (voice of Jason Lee) is exposed to a secret chemical, he gains superpowers he must use to protect Capitol City from the evil Simon Barsinister (Peter Dinklage)
Why it's gonna rock:  I loved this cartoon as a kid, and the advance trailer makes it clear the dog's a hoot.  I haven't seen any stills or footage yet, but the notion of The Station Agent's Dinklage as Simon Barsinister just fills me with glee.

10.1408
When:  July 13
Why the hype:  Stephen King source material and one awesome trailer.
What it's about:  A writer (John Cusack) obsessed with the supernatural since the death of his daughter checks into an infamous hotel room from which no one has ever checked out.
Why it's gonna rock:  Again, I point to that trailer.  When you can get snow blowing inside a haunted hotel room, I'm there.  Plus, I'm a big John Cusack guy, and Samuel L. Jackson looks to be at his bombastic best.

11.Fanboys
When:  August 17
Why the hype:  Hey, anything Star Wars-related needs hype!
What it's about:  In 1999, four childhood friends connected by their love of all-things Star Wars trek across the country in hopes of stealing a copy of Episode 1:  The Phantom Menace for a dying friend.
Why it's gonna rock:  Sight unseen, there's just something about that pitch that strikes my inner geek as ridiculously poignant, and now that George Lucas has signed off on the film and authorized the use of his many trademarks, it can only get better.  Granted, Episode 1 is far and away the worst of the Star Wars films, but through the tears, will I even notice...?

12.Mr. Brooks
When:  June 1
Why the hype:  We love to watch good guys like Kevin Costner get all evil.
What it's about:  Earl Brooks (Costner) is a respected businessman and philanthropist who also happens to be a crazed serial killer who carries on imaginary conversations with an even crazier alter-ego (William Hurt).  When a photographer (Dane Cook) gets a shot of him in action, it begins a cat-and-mouse game that also involves a police detective (Demi Moore).
Why it's gonna rock:  Because I was one of the thirteen people who saw 3,000 Miles to Graceland and witnessed just how inspired All-American Boy Costner can be when he goes psycho.  And the trailer's scenes of he and Hurt laughing their asses off about how evil they are make me think he's found a perfect partner in hammy crime.

13.Hairspray
When:  July 20
Why the hype:  It's the film version of the Broadway version of John Waters' 1988 film.
What it's about:  An overweight girl (Nikki Blonsky) becomes part of a local TV dance show and helps to make outsiders of all kinds cool.  John Travolta starts as, uh, her mother.
Why it's gonna rock:  I have a love/hate relationship with movie musicals, but this one looks like a winner.  It's gonna be a hoot to see Travolta in that dress and to hear him sing again.  In fact, the cast is full of people I can't wait to hear, particularly Christopher Walken and Michelle Pfeiffer. 

14.Ratatouille
When:  June 29
Why the hype:  It's from a little company called Pixar.
What it's about:  A young French rat dreams of becoming a chef.
Why it's gonna rock: Simpsons-trained Brad Bird returns to the Pixar director's chair (if there is such a thing...) for the first time since the marvelous The Incredibles.  And even without Pixar's well-deserved good name, the trailer looks like a fun underdog story.

15.Black Sheep
When:  June 22
Why the hype:  It's pretty much just me, but have you SEEN that trailer?!?
What it's about:  A low-budget sci-fi horror comedy from New Zealand about genetic experiments that turn sheep into bloodthirsty killers.
Why it's gonna rock:  As I've said on the site before, I'm a sucker for those cheesy Sci-Fi Channel Saturday Night Movies with their courageous bands of humans against armies of killer animals, and this looks like a pitch-perfect satire.  It might prove to be a one-joke premise, but the notion of a fearsome BAAAAAA strikes me as so hilarious that it just might be able to carry a full 90 minutes on its' own no matter how good or bad the rest of it is.  Now, I just need to get this IFC Films release someplace where I can see it!

And yes, there's plenty more Summer fare that may or may not rock... also on my radar are Lucky You (May 4), Delta Farce (May 11), Ocean's Thirteen (June 8), Eagle vs. Shark (June 15), DOA:  Dead or Alive (June 22), You Kill Me (June 27), License to Wed and Rescue Dawn (July 4), I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (July 20), No Reservations and Skinwalkers (July 27), The Bourne Ultimatum, Hot Rod and Resurrecting the Champ (August 3), Rush Hour 3 (August 10), and The Invasion, Penelope and Wristcutters:  A Love Story (August 17).  More than enough cool-looking flicks to make for one busy summer.  And that rocks.