Have a hankering for men in tights? The Summer 2011 movie season is just for you.

Hollywood’s infatuation with superheroes reaches nerd nirvana with a barrage of comics-based heroes. Hollywood hasn’t hit 1.000 with comic book adaptations so far, witness that purrrfectly awful film starring Halle Berry, but superhero pictures are reliable blockbusters all the same. Just ask Batman.

Will Summer 2011 be remembered for kick-starting a half dozen new franchises, or the moment when audiences started tuning out these colorfully clad avengers? We’ll have to see. But for now each of these superhero films brims with sequel potential.

• “Thor” (May 6) – Marvel Comic’s golden-locked hero arrives with plenty of wind at his back. The film stars Chris Hemsworth, a relative unknown who wowed audiences during his big early scene in the 2009 film “Star Trek.” The man behind the camera isn’t an MTV video alum but a Shakespearean-trained actor/director, Kenneth Branagh. And the actress by our hero’s side is the Oscar-certified Natalie Portman. Will that be enough to sell a hero with less star appeal than Batman or Spider-Man? Never bet against a big man wielding a very big hammer.
• “X-Men: First Class” (June 3) – Movie prequels often fail to replicate the greatness of the original. Remember “Hannibal Rising?” “X-Men: First Class” should avoid such a fate. Director Matthew Vaughn proved he could deliver a dynamic super adventure with “Kick-Ass,” and the film’s main characters couldn’t be better cast. James McAvoy, playing a young, hirsute Charles Xavier, radiates braininess in every role he plays. And “First Class” should be the movie to make a fully-fledged movie star out of Mr. Magneto, Michael Fassbender. Setting the origin story in the turbulent 1960s could be enough of a wrinkle to separate the film from the flock.
• “Green Lantern” (June 17) – Ryan Reynolds seems born to play a superhero. He’s got that handsome mug, a way with a quip and abs that could deflect bullets before any super-empowering takes place. But “Green Lantern” seems the riskiest bet this season. The trailer is CGI drenched, and not in a positive way, and few outside the inner circle of Geekdom are familiar with the title character. The super ace in the hole may be Martin Campbell, the veteran director who brought the Bond franchise back from the dead with “Casino Royale.”
• “Captain America: The First Avenger” (July 22) – Chris Evans has the most experience playing a superhero. He flamed on as Johnny Storm in the mediocre “Fantastic Four” features. Here, his assignment is far more daunting – embody a superhero known as much for his moral certitude as his physical brawn.
• “Cowboys & Aliens” (July 29) – A few years ago few people would applaud letting director Jon Favreau have a crack at a super franchise. The guy from “Swingers?” What does he know about action adventure? Favreau’s “Iron Man” films changed virtually everyone’s minds on the subject. This adaptation of the 2006 graphic novel couldn’t be in better hands. And with veterans like Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford ready for action, “C&A” could be the late summer movie to beat.

(Photo: Chris Evans plays a spindly army recruit reborn as a military superman in “Captain America: The First Avenger,” hitting theaters July 22. Paramount Pictures.)

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Sequels! We got sequels! Get your red-hot sequels here!

If the 2010 Summer movie season sounds familiar it’s because you’ve seen much of it before.

The film industry’s reliance on sequels, remakes and reboots is about to hit a fever pitch, and there’s not a dang thing movie fans can do about – except have faith that a “Godfather, Part II” is lurking out there, somewhere.

• “Iron Man 2” (May 7) – Go See It: “Iron Man” proved the perfect blend of savvy filmmaking and popcorn movie elegance, and Robert Downey, Jr.’s career renaissance began the moment he invented that gun-metal gray suit. On Second Thought: Too many new characters threaten to squelch the real man of steel’s mojo, and the early reviews say the sequel can’t compare to the giddy original.

• “Sex and the City 2” (May 27) – Go See It: The sassy, sexy foursome return for all-new adventures, hoping to prove Grrl Power is still alive and well at the cineplex. This time around, Carrie and co. go to Dubai and run into the too good to be true Aidan (John Corbett) along the way. On Second Thought: The first “Sex” wasn’t all that memorable, pandering to the female fan base while leaving the original show’s sophisticated storytelling in the dust. Can part 2 realistically reverse that trend?
• “Toy Story 3″ (June 18) – Go See It:  Buzz, Woody and the gang are back for all-new adventures. Do you really need to hear anything else? On Second Thought: Could the all powerful Pixar actually create another “Toy Story” as good as the first two installments? Just how much Pixie Dust does this studio actually possess?
• “Shrek Forever After” (May 21) – Go See It: Mike Myers’ best role isn’t Austin Powers, it’s playing the voice of the irrepressible green ogre. And with “Shrek 3″ disappointing critics and fans alike, the franchise is itching to end on a high note: On Second Thought: Can fans realistically expect a creative rebound for a series running on fumes the last time ’round? And the new film’s reliance on an “It’s a Wonderful Life” gimmick seems like a reboot within a remake.
• “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” (June 30) – Go See It: Edward and Bella appeared ready to take their relationship to the next level, as the kids are wont to say, at the tail end of “New Moon.” But that pesky, hunky Taylor Lautner keeps getting in the way. “Twilight” faithful don’t need to hear another syllable.  On Second Thought: Director David Slade is a steep step down from either Catherine Hardwicke (“Twilight”) and Chris Weitz (“New Moon”). And how are they able to crank out these Twi-sequels so quickly?
• “Predators” (July 9) – Go See It: Casting an Oscar winner like Adrien Brody in the leading role is a fine way to ground some silly sci-fi fun. On Second Thought: Danny Glover proved in “Predator 2″ he was no replacement for the Governator. Will Brody suffer a similar fate? And will the foul taste left by the two “Alien vs. Predator” films hurt this reboot?

Tomorrow: And … action! A look at the action-adventure films coming out way this summer.

(Photo: DreamWorks Animation’s “Shrek Forever After” releases May 21, 2010 and is distributed by Paramount Pictures. Shrek Forever After ™ & © 2010 DreamWorks Animation LLC. All Rights Reserved.)

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Can word of mouth power a summer movie better than a fast food tie-in or mention on “American Idol?”

Today’s movie marketers aren’t so sure.

My latest piece for boxoffice.com looks at the staying power of this year’s summer movies. No matter how big a movie may open, it’s all but doomed to drop precipitously in its second week.

Even “Star Trek,” a film with near universal praise from critics and movie goers alike, dropped morethan 42 percent from its first to second weekend in theaters.

That could end up as the smallest percentage dip from a blockbuster all summer long.

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Now we know why Logan – AKA Wolverine – is in such a cranky mood.

“X-Men Origins: Wolverine” tells the backstory behind the most intriguing mutant in the “X-Men” trilogy, the man with the steel claws and the permanent scowl.

It’s the role which made Hugh Jackman a star, and the indomitable Aussie does all that’s asked of him in this caffeinated prequel.

The actual story behind Wolverine, though, is far too complicated for its own good.

“Origins” begins in the 1800s, with a young Logan and his brother, Victor, getting chased out of their home after a double killing. The credit sequence follows the mutant siblings, now young men and played by Jackman and Liev Schreiber, fighting war upon war and, somehow, never aging.

Flash forward to the present, and the brothers haven’t spoken in years. Logan found himself a construction job and a honey of a gal (Lynn Collins) while Victor is among the missing.

But soon the brothers’ old boss comes a calling, a military man (Danny Huston) who once used their mutant powers to help him defeat enemies across the globe.

Exhausted yet? This only scratches the surface of the back story, the various character motivations and the crush of fellow mutants who clog the screen.

Every few minutes another action scene erupts, and while they’re mostly thrilling they often don’t connect with the rest of the story, or with the audience.

And the new mutants could use a tweak or two. Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am is a snore as a teleporter, “Lost’s’ Dominic Monaghan lacks screen time as Bolt, and Taylor Kitsch’s Gambit could be intriguing if his powers weren’t so vague.

And that leaves Jackman and Schreiber, two fine actors who commit to the material – and a Gold’s Gym membership, apparently. But who knows what’s going on between them at any given  moment? Ambiguity in a film, even a comic book movie, can enrich a story, but the plot strands presented here need a few more drafts.

“X-Men Origins: Wolverine” delivers the requisite action, a grotesquely overdeveloped Wolverine and enough “whoa,” moments to justify its existence.

But films like “Spider-Man” and “The Dark Knight” have taught us to expect so much more from comic book features.

(Photo: Hugh Jackman returns to the role that made him a star in “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.”)

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Need proof that summer movies don’t have to include car chases, explosions or conflicted superheros?

Consider “Once” and “Little Miss Sunshine,” two indie gems from 2006 which lingered in theaters all summer long. Independent films often get lost in the movie release shuffle, but it’s hard to think of better counter-programming to battle back against the next “Harry Potter” or “Transformers” sequel.

Here’s a peek at some smaller films which could be worth your while this summer:

• “The Hurt Locker” (June 26) – Director Kathryn Bigelow (“Point Break”) promises the first Iraq War movie, and one which doens’t paint U.S. soldiers as monsters a la “Redacted.”  FUN FACT: The actors had to work in 120-degree heat on location in Jordan.
• “The Brothers Bloom” - (May 15) Rian Johnson’s follow up to his sneaky teen noir “Brick” debuted at the Starz Denver Film Festival late last year. It’s a trippy comedy that’s just sly enough to blow past its plot problems. FUN FACT: “Bloom” was shot in four Eastern European countries.
• “Dead Snow” (June 12) – Nazi zombies. Do you need to read anything else? FUN FACT: It’s a Norwegian horror comedy.
• “Soul Power” (July 10) – Remember the Rumble in the Jungle? Well, before that iconic boxing match they threw an R&B concert like no other featuring James Brown and B.B. King. FUN FACT: WWTW interviewed Brown a few years back before he taped a TV show in Washington, D.C. The Godfather of Soul was wearing hair curlers … and he couldn’t have been more polite.
• “All the Boys Love Mandy Lane” (July 17) – The director of “The Wackness” delivers a whacked-out horror flick with a killer title and a gorgeous lead actress – “The Informers’” Amber Heard. FUN FACT: Heard has six films lined up for 2009 including “Zombieland” co-starring Woody Harrelson.
• “Paper Heart” (Aug. 7) – Sure, Michael Cera teeters on the edge of over-exposure, but this fascinating quasi-documentary sounds too interesting to pass up. It’s a meditation on love by the director, comic actress Charlyne Yi (“Knocked Up”). FUN FACT: The doc shows Cera falling for Yi, a development which caused the film to take new shape mid-shooting.

(Photo: Jeremy Renner (“28 Weeks Later”) plays a U.S. soldier tracking down IEDs in “The Hurt Locker.”)

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Summer movies are pre-packaged and vacuum sealed to provide maximum entertainment.

The season still manages to throw us some curve balls, films that dare to divert from the blockbuster boilerplate.

And thank goodness for that, since summer needs a jolt of unpredictability to give the sure things some competition.

The following films could be summer sleepers – or the latest excuse to run for the comfort of another sequel or remake.

• “Bruno” (July 10) – Sacha Baron Cohen can pull off scene-stealing moments (“Talladega Nights”) and voice-over hilarity (“Madagascar”), but his mock-documentary “Borat” announced a major new talent had arrived. But “Bruno,” based on his fey fashion journalist character, follows the same Candid Camera meets Punk’d template as “Borat.” Can Cohen capture lightning in a bottle twice? FUN FACT: Congressman Ron Paul is one of Cohen’s comedy victims this time around.
• “Public Enemies” (July 1) – Johnny Depp and Christian Bale star in this tale of the real-life bank robber John Dillinger from overrated auteur Michael Mann. On paper it can’t miss, but adult minded dramas have been tanking of late (“The Soloist,” “State of Play,” “Body of Lies”). “Enemies” could get lost in the blockbuster haze. FUN FACT: John Dillinger killed 10 people during his crime spree, including a sheriff.
  
• “The Hangover” (June 5) – Every summer worth a darn needs an R-rated sleeper, and “The Hangover” could be it. A bunch of pals congregate for a buddy’s bachelor party, and boy do they regret nearly everything they did in the process. FUN FACT: Co-star Nick Galifianakis’s cousin, Nicholas Galifianakis, works as a newspaper cartoonist.
• “Funny People“  (July 31) – Comedy king Judd Apatow returns with his third feature. So why isn’t a movie from the mind behind “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and “Knocked Up” in the “sure things” department? Take a less than hilarious trailer that gives away the whole story and add Adam Sandler as the lead and you have a few serious question marks. FUN FACT: Apatow is married to Leslie Mann, who stars in all three of his directorial efforts.
• “Drag Me to Hell” (May 29) – Sam Raimi (The “Evil Dead” trilogy) returns to his bloody roots after a decade stuck in Spidey’s web. “Hell” looks like a blast, but the untested Alison Lohman is asked the carry the film, and Raimi’s final “Evil Dead” chapter lacked the spirit of the first two flicks. FUN FACT: Raimi is connected to a remake the great Asian action film “House of Flying Daggers.”

(Photo: Zach Galifianakis as Alan holds Baby Tyler, Bradley Cooper as Phil and Ed Helms as Stu in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ comedy “The Hangover,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo by Frank Masi)

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You can never experience your first baseball game again, or the moment when you pedaled a bicycle without a parent running alongside you.

But the right summer movie can make you feel like a kid once more for two blissful hours.

It’s why the blockbuster season continues to draw movie goers away from those sun-drenched days and starry nights.

Even if, on occasion, they must suffer through a “Love Guru” or “Wild Wild West.”

WWTW kicks off its three-part summer movie preview with The Sure Things – films guaranteed to score big at the box office even if they don’t deliver the goods.

• “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” (May 1) – Hugh Jackman’s hairy alter ego is first out of the summer movie gates, assuming you didn’t already watch him via that illegal download. The “X” franchise didn’t reach the heights of the first two “Spider-Man” installments, but it scored with its rogues gallery of mutants and socially aware subtext. But “Wolverine” director Gavin Hood (“Rendition”) has never helmed an action pic before. FUN FACT: The first “X-Men” comic debuted in 1963.
• “Star Trek” (May 7) – J.J. Abrams of “Lost” fame boldly goes where no franchise reboot has gone before. His mission? Win over new Trekkies without enraging Trek Nation. Good luck with that. It doesn’t help that the early clips feel more like “Star Trek: 90210″ than the space opera we know and love. FUN FACT: The original “Star Trek” series featured television’s first interracial kiss between William Shatner and Nichelle Nichols.
• “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” (May 22) – More top flight actors (Amy Adams, Christopher Guest, Ricky Gervais), more comedy aimed at the kiddie set. FUN FACT: The short-lived “Ben Stiller Show” (1992-93) featured Andy Dick, Janeane Garofalo and Bob Odenkirk of “Mr. Show” fame.
• “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” (June 24) – Michael Bay. Sequel. Noise. More noise. Ka-ching goes box office. Scratch, scratch goes WWTW’s head. Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox return for another round of Transforming action and mayhem. FUN FACT: Co-star Megan Fox’s next film is “Jennifer’s Body,” a horror film scripted by Diablo Cody (“Juno.”)
• “Terminator Salvation” (May 21) – Few people cared about a fourth “Termnator” film until Christian Bale signed on as its star. Bale’s talent – and penchant for picking quality material, pushed the film into the buzz stratosphere. FUN FACT: McG, the film’s director, was born Joseph McGinty Nichols.
• “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (July 15) – Isn’t Daniel Radcliffe 30 by now? The workhorse franchise returns, and while the HP films are remarkably consistent -and keep some of the best character actors employed – the series isn’t gaining momentum as it should. FUN FACT: Co-star Emma Watson will be attending Yale University in the fall.

Wednesday: Summer ’09’s Risky Business - films which could be great … or could get lost in the blockbuster shuffle.

Friday: Best of the Rest - The indie films which could spell movie goers from the sequel and remake parade.

(Photo: Hugh Jackman bares his claws in “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” the first big summer movie of ‘09 – photo credit: Michael Muller)

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Movie critics are paid to be dispassionate assessors of the latest film releases.

But they’re human, too.

So, to prep for the summer movie season, WWTW checked in with a few movie critics and film bloggers to find out which film’s they’re dying to see:

• Kyle Smith, The New York Post/KyleSmithOnline: “Funny People.” “After ‘40-Year-Old-Virgin’ and ‘Knocked Up,’ Judd Apatow is the leading comedy filmmaker.”
• Nell Minnow, AKA Movie Mom: “Paper Heart: “I love big summer movies and of course I can’t wait for ‘Transformers,’ ‘The Taking of Pelham 123,’ and ‘Harry Potter.’  But I am perhaps most looking forward to the off-beat romances like ‘Paper Heart,’ with Michael Cera and his real-life girlfriend Charlyne Yi, which looks very fresh and real and winning.”

• Joe Leydon/Variety/Moving Picture Blog: “Funny People” “I’m eager to see what Judd Apatow does next.
• Vic Holtreman, Owner/Editor-in-Chief of Screen Rant: “Star Trek” “Huge fan of the original series but no so hung up on “canon” that I’m bent out of shape about the changes in the new film. The franchise needed a reboot desperately and this may be just the film to revive the brand.”
• Pat Piper, Lazy Eye Theatre: “Terminator: Salvation/Up/Funny People” – I’m interested to see what becomes of “Terminator: Salvation” and, yes, I know that means that I’m saying I’m interested in a McG film. And I’m also excited about “Up.” Pixar has paved a nice path for animation and I’m looking forward to seeing if they continue along it. And finally, I’m interested in seeing “Funny People.” “40 Year Old Virgin” and “Knocked Up” were not solid storylines to me. It just seemed like a series of gags trying to pass as a story. “Funny People” might be the film where everything clicks. Or it may just be another Apatow comedy.

(Photo: The “Star Trek” movie reboot is among the more anticipated films of the summer.)

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Not all blockbusters are created equal.

And for every “The Dark Knight” we get “Hancock,” a film that can’t live up to the summer movie hype.

But here’s WWTW’s picks for the five movies at the top of the “can’t wait to see ‘em” list for ‘09:

• “Inglourious Basterds” – Quentin Tarantino. WWII. Summer movie season. The original was a blast, but expect QT to put his very own stamp on the source material.
• “Terminator: Salvation” – Why on earth would an actor with the chops – and b.o. clout – 0f Christian Bale sign up for a sequel unless he spotted something very, very good in the material. Plus, if WWTW doesn’t list his new film here he could go off on another rant.

• “Bruno” – The first R-rated trailer is a gas … but it also has an air of desperation about it. But “Borat” remains the most uniquely riotous movie of the past decade, so betting men shouldn’t count “Bruno” out.
• “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” – The best bet for superhero action this summer, and it looks loaded with mutants. ‘Nuff said.
• “Star Trek” – Yeah, I know. I’m buying into the hype, and the early trailers make it look like “Star Trek: 90210.” But J.J. Abrams is a smart fellow, and I’m betting he won’t blow the chance to restore a beloved franchise to its former glory.

(Photo: Christian Bale stars as John Connor in Warner Bros. Pictures’ action/sci-fi feature “Terminator Salvation.” Photo by Richard Foreman)

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