It’s tempting to look at the Summer 2011 movie season and say, “that’s a wrap.”

After “Cowboys and Aliens” lassoes a few thousand theaters this weekend the biggest summer guns will already have fired.

But August promises an array of movies which could rival the best of what we’ve already seen. In fact, this August might be as good, if not better, than the previous May, June or July. At least we won’t have to suffer through “Green Lantern” again.

• “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” – Prequels drive me to distraction, but as “X-Men: First Class” proved they can be handled with the proper balance of reverence and originality. James Franco leads a battalion of digital apes in the story behind the story. I’ll still miss Roddy McDowall no matter how good it might be.
• “Our Idiot Brother” – Paul Rudd. Elizabeth Banks. Zooey Deschanel. Emily Mortimer. My nonsexual male crush plus three actresses I adore. Yes, I’m already hooked.
• “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” – One of my childhood horror faves is being reborn, and Guillermo del Toro is overseeing it all. I still get chills when I hear those otherworldly voices calling out for … Sally … we want you … Sally!
• “Fright Night” – My enthusiasm for this unnecessary remake continues to climb. Why? Colin Farrell should make a nasty, albeit charismatic vampire, and the whole Bat Next Door concept remains a good one.
• “The Change Up” – Another body switch comedy? Is this “Vice Versa: The Next Generation?” Just wait. Jason Bateman plays a family man who switches bodies with his playboy bud (Ryan Reynolds). Great casting, and the trailer hints at something more than just a one-note yukfest.

(Photo: Academy Award-winning visual effects house WETA Digital, has created a CG character – Caesar – for “Rise of the Planet of the Apes.” Twentieth Century Fox)

Related posts:

1. 3D can wait … Blu-ray is for right now
2. Summer ‘11 Movies: The Best of the Rest
3. Summer ‘08 Awards: Part II

In most years, “(500) Days of Summer” would be a light, genre-breaking delight, and nothing more.

This year, that’s probably enough to earn the film some Oscar talk.

That’s the sorry state of this year’s film lineup, but it’s also a reminder Academy voters should share some love with movies that put a bounce in our collective step.

And “Summer” does just that thanks to its adorable leads and a willingness to flout rom-com conventions.

“Summer” stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Tom, a failed architect making ends meet as a greeting card scribe. The job bores him, but it does introduce him to Summer (Zooey Deschanel, redefining the cliche “cute as a button”).

The pair flirt awkwardly but soon become an item. He thinks he’s found The One. She gets an allergic reaction to the word “commitment.”

But neither emotional tic is treated superficially. Instead, their romantic ups and downs play out over roughly 500 days – hence the title – in time shifting fashion.

One minute the pair are fighting like an old married couple, the next they’re flirting at IKEA during the early stages of their courtship.

Director Marc Webb, making an impressive feature length debut, shreds the “boy meets girl” formula with alacrity. A narrator keeps the segmented film in a semblance of order, leaving just enough room for an enchanting musical number featuring Tom celebrating the love of his young life.

Gordon-Levitt and Deschanel couldn’t be any more perfect together, which makes the actress’ botched pairing with Jim Carrey in “Yes Man” all the more jarring.

The former “Third Rock from the Sun” star continues to build an career to be savored – we’ll forgive him “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.”

“(500) Days of Summer” hangs on a melancholy through line, but is so full of joy and unbreakable truths that even stubborn romantics will fall – hard – for it.

NOTE: The film will be released on DVD and Blu-ray Dec. 22. This review is based on a screener version of the theatrical film.

(Photo: Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel fall in – and out – of love in “9500) Days of Summer.” Photo Credit: Chuck Zlotnick)

Related posts:

1. ‘Precious’ – The Oscar race begins
2. ‘Milk’ – Pen Sean in for another Oscar
3. ‘Yes Man’ – Carrey can’t say no to gimmick comedy