By Greg Vellante
Correspondent

The past two years have been especially generous in their offerings of summer movie fare, and it seems like each year had its own theme, as well.
Two years ago was deemed the Summer of Sequels, with more than a dozen sequels hitting theaters. Last year could unofficially be called the Summer of Superheroes, with the likes of “Iron Man,” “The Incredible Hulk,” and others scoring huge on the big screen.

The most notable achievement of last summer was indubitably “The Dark Knight,” which, due to high critical praise and strong word of mouth, went on to become the second highest grossing movie of all time, right behind “Titanic.”

There’s no telling what this summer will bring, especially since it seems to follow no specific theme. Although, with “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” and “Star Trek” already gaining momentum at the box office, the cinematic summer of 2009 is already shaping up to be a big one. Here’s a look at some of the films that will soon be coming to a theater near you.

Last weekend brought the highly anticipated release of “Angels & Demons,” an adaptation of author Dan Brown’s prequel to the popular “Da Vinci Code” novel. Director Ron Howard returns as director after a widely panned attempt at adapting “Da Vinci” into a movie, and Tom Hanks is back as the main character, symbologist Robert Langdon. The plot follows a Religion vs. Science theme, as an ancient cult resurfaces and plants a ticking time bomb somewhere in Vatican City on the eve of Conclave, the election of a new pope. Langdon and the beautiful Vittoria Vetra (Ayelet Zurer) must race against time to stop the explosion from happening, as well as other surprises. Actor Ewan McGregor also stars.

This weekend, Memorial Day weekend, brings a grab bag of entertaining options, including big-budget action, family fare and silly comedy. For action, we have “Terminator: Salvation,” which follows John Connor (Christian Bale) in his attempt to beat Skynet and its army of Terminators.

For the younger set, Ben Stiller returns as security guard Larry Daley in “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.” The film utilizes the same formula as the first, as Larry encounters various artifacts and historical figures that come to life inside the museum he works at, which is now the Smithsonian. The all-star cast includes returning members Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan, and Robin Williams, as well as new players Amy Adams, Bill Hader, Jonah Hill, and Christopher Guest, to name a few. Lastly, “Dance Flick” is the latest in the series of “spoof movies” that have surfaced over the past few years, this time skewering movies about dancing, such as “Step Up” and “Hairspray.”

The weekend of May 29th brings the 10th movie by Pixar, “Up.” The film follows 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen as he ties thousands upon thousands of balloons to his house in order to fulfill his lifelong dream of visiting the mysterious Paradise Falls in South America. Upon taking off, he realizes that a stowaway is on board, an 8-year-old wilderness explorer named Russell. The two set off on an adventure that bonds them together and has strong messages of relationships between different types of people. This will also be the studio’s first film released in 3D. Also this weekend, director Sam Raimi (of “Spiderman” fame) returns to the horror genre with the film “Drag Me To Hell”, starring Alison Lohman and Justin Long.

June begins with the weekend of the 5th, and a nostalgic trip back to the “Land of the Lost.” The comedic film revives the classic ‘70s Saturday morning TV show and delivers and updated version starring comedians Will Ferrell and Danny McBride. Also in comedy, “The Hangover” stars Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis as three groomsman who lose the groom-to-be in Vegas after a drunken night of, well, that’s what they need to find out. Lastly, “My Life in Ruins” stars Nia Vardalos as a tour guide in Greece who finds love unexpectedly while in the city.

June 12th brings audiences the heist thriller “The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3,” starring John Travolta as the mastermind behind the crime and Denzel Washington as the dispatcher on the other side of the face-off. For families, Eddie Murphy stars in “Imagine That,” a film where he plays a struggling and stressed financial executive who finds solace in his daughter’s surprisingly real, imaginary world.

June 19th delivers the comedy “Year One,” with Jack Black and Michael Cera as cavemen who go on an epic journey after being banished from their primitive village. Woody Allen returns after last year’s “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” with “Whatever Works,” starring comedian Larry David and Evan Rachel Wood. And finally, “The Proposal” stars Sandra Bullock as a publishing executive who forces her assistant (Ryan Reynolds) to marry her so she can avoid deportation back to Canada.

June 26th brings about a much-anticipated sequel to 2007’s “Transformers.” In “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, and of course, Optimus Prime, return to battle a team of Decepticon forces. On the opposite side of the spectrum, “My Sister’s Keeper,” based of the popular book, follows Anna Fitzgerald (Abigail Breslin) as she looks to earn medical emancipation from her parents (Cameron Diaz and Jason Patric), who only rely on young Anna to help their leukemia-stricken daughter Kate (Sofia Vassilieva) remain alive.

July 3rd kicks off the month with Michael Mann’s crime drama “Public Enemies,” starring Johnny Depp as American gangster John Dillinger and Christian Bale as FBI agent Melvin Purvis, the man attempting to thwart the Chicago crime spree of the 1930s. In the summer’s second animated offering, “Ice Age; Dawn of the Dinosaurs” brings back the characters of Manny (Ray Romano), Sid (John Leguizamo), Diego (Denis Leary), and countless others, as they experience the uprising of dinosaurs. Similar to “Up,” this film will also be released in 3D.

Sacha Baron Cohen looks to conquer the weekend of July 10th with his follow-up to “Borat,” the satire “Bruno.” Just as he tackled racial tension and bias with “Borat,” he looks for “Bruno” to do the same in regards to homosexuality. Also being released that weekend is the teen comedy “I Love You, Beth Cooper,” based on the popular book. Paul Rust stars as a nerd named Denis who, during his high school graduation valedictorian speech, proclaims his love for popular girl Beth Cooper (Hayden Panettiere).
July 17th delivers the most anticipated movie of the summer season. Considering that “Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince” was originally supposed to be released in November, this eight month wait has been especially grueling for hardcore fans. The film follows Harry’s sixth year at Hogwarts. Unlike the past two films, “Half-Blood Prince” is only rated PG, which raises questions about how much they cut from the story. In limited release this weekend, the romantic comedy “(500) Days of Summer” stars Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as lovers who meet and fall for each other.

July 24th contains probably the oddest release of the summer. “G-Force” from Disney follows a specially trained squad of guinea pigs who are sent on a mission to stop a diabolical millionaire from taking over the world. Vera Farmiga stars in the eerie film “Orphan” about a couple that adopts a 9-year-old girl named Esther — a child who may be hiding some rather sinister intentions. And lastly, “The Ugly Truth” stars Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler as co-workers who make a bet with each other and may end up falling for one another in the process.

Director Judd Apatow delivers his third directorial feature on the weekend of July 31st with “Funny People,” starring Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann, and Eric Bana. Sandler stars as a famed comedian who develops terminal cancer and takes a fledgling comic (Rogen) under his wing, forming an undeniable friendship. The film looks to follow in the footsteps of raunchy yet highly heartfelt Apatow creations such as “The 40 Year Old Virgin” and “Knocked Up.” On much cleaner family fare, “Aliens in the Attic” stars “High School Musical” star Ashley Tisdale as a member of a group of teenagers who must protect their vacation home in Maine from aliens.

The month of August starts with the weekend of the 7th, where the highly anticipated release “G.I. Joe: Rise of The Cobra” hits theaters. The action-packed film stars Dennis Quaid, Channing Tatum and Marlon Wayans. In “Julie & Julia,” Amy Adams stars as Julie Powell, a secretary who attempts to spice up her life by chronicling her attempt to cook all 524 recipes in Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking in one year. Meryl Streep stars as Julia Child. Director Robert Rodriguez attempts to attract kids with his release of “Shorts,” about a group of friends who discover a colorful, wish-granting rock.

The weekend of Aug. 14 has a high assortment of various offerings. In the Sci-Fi/Horror genre, this weekend alone brings us “A Perfect Getaway,” about a couple vacationing on an island filled with murderous psychopaths, “Final Destination: Death Trip,” the fourth film in the “killer” franchise, and “District 9,” a film involving extraterrestrial who take refuge in South America. On a lighter, fluffier note, “Bandslam” stars Alyson Michalka and Vanessa Hudgens as a popular girl and an outcast who bond over their love of music and decide to enter their school’s Battle of the Bands competition. Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams star in “The Time Traveler’s Wife,” a romantic drama with some sci-fi elements mixed in. And lastly, for a comedic offering, “The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard” follows the antics that occur within the used-car liquidating business, with help from comedic actors Jeremy Piven and Ed Helms.

Shrouded in mystery and intrigue, Aug. 21 brings to theaters Quentin Tarantino’s release of “Inglorious Basterds,” starring Brad Pitt as the leader of an American-led killing squad known as “The Basterds” who terrorize the Nazis in German-occupied France during WWII. Being Tarantino, only one thing is certain — there will be blood. There’s no gore to be seen in “Post Grad,” starring Alexis Bledel as a post-college graduate who can’t seem to land a job and is forced to move back in with her unconventional family.

The summer ends on a rather low note, as the weekend of the 28th releases the Rob Zombie sequel “H2,” a follow-up to his revamp of the “Halloween” franchise. Hopefully, the home stretch of summer can be revived by “The Boat That Rocked,” a comedy set in the ‘60s about a group of rogue disc jockeys who run an illegal radio station aboard a ship in the middle of Britain’s North Sea.

Well that’s the summer for all of you movie junkies out there. So load up on your popcorn and get ready for an eventful summer.