The 20 Hottest Summer Movies of 2011

‘Crazy, Stupid, Love.’ (July 29)

Directed by: Glenn Ficarra and John Requa
Written by: Dan Fogelman
Starring: Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, Jonah Bobo, John Carroll Lynch, Marisa Tomei, Kevin Bacon, Analeigh Tipton, Josh Groban, Liza Lapira and Joey King

Carell stars as straitlaced fortysomething Cal Weaver, who thinks he has it all: good job, nice house, great kids and marriage to his high-school sweetheart. Cal learns that all is not what it seems, however, when he discovers that his wife Emily (Moore) is having an affair and wants a divorce. Suddenly thrust back into the dating pool, hapless Cal is ill-equipped to deal with the singles scene until he meets Jacob (Gosling), a handsome, thirtysomething player who takes Cal on as his wingman, introducing him to flirty women, manly drinks and a new sense of style. But despite Cal’s makeover, the one thing that can’t be made over is his heart. Ficarra and Requa, the filmmaking team behind “I Love You Phillip Morris,” direct. (Warner Bros.)

‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ (Aug. 5)

Directed by: Rupert Wyatt

Written by: Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver

Starring: James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow and Andy Serkis

Franco may topline this action-adventure origin story “inspired by” Pierre Boulle’s “Planet of the Apes” novel, but the real star will be a computer-animated ape created by the Oscar-winning visual effects team behind “Avatar” and “The Lord of the Rings.” The CGI simian will express the emotion and intelligence to presage the epic battles that lead to the rise of the apes — and, inevitably, the fall of man. (20th Century Fox)

‘The Help’ (Aug. 12)

Directed/Written by: Tate Taylor
Starring: Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Octavia Spencer and Emma Stone

Stone (breakout star of “Easy A”) stars in this drama based on the best-selling novel by Kathryn Stockett as Skeeter, a 1960s-era Southern belle who returns from college determined to become a writer. For her first project, she decides to interview the black women who have spent their lives serving prominent Southern families. Davis co-stars as Skeeter’s best friend’s housekeeper, who is the first to open up. Neither of the women’s communities is happy about the project, but soon more helpers come forward to tell their stories, and a new sisterhood emerges. (Walt Disney Pictures)

The 20 Hottest Summer Movies of 2011

‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II’ (July 15)

Directed by: David Yates
Written by: Steve Kloves
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Tom Felton, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Jason Isaacs, Alan Rickman, David Thewlis, Julie Walters and Bonnie Wright

J.K. Rowling’s beloved fantasy-adventure series comes to an end with this 3-D finale in which the battle between the good and evil forces in the Wizarding world escalates into an all-out war on the grounds of Hogwarts. Harry Potter (Radcliffe) is called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice to vanquish Lord Voldemort (Fiennes) once and for all. For Harry, Ron (Grint) and Hermione (Watson) — as well as the landmark $2 billion-grossing franchise — it all ends here. (Warner Bros.)

‘Captain America: The First Avenger’ (July 22)

Directed by: Joe Johnston
Written by: Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely
Starring: Chris Evans, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan, Dominic Cooper, Toby Jones, Neal McDonough, Derek Luke and Stanley Tucci

In this look at the early days of the Marvel Universe set during World War II, Evans, who’s already embodied the Human Torch on-screen, stars as Steve Rogers, a wannabe soldier deemed unfit for military service. He signs up for an experimental program instead and is transformed into a supersoldier dubbed Captain America. Joining forces with Bucky Barnes (Stan) and Peggy Carter (Atwell), Captain America wages war on the evil HYDRA organization led by the villainous Red Skull (Weaving) — in 3-D. Johnston, who directed last year’s “The Wolfman,” is at the helm. (Paramount Pictures)

‘Cowboys & Aliens’ (July 29)

Directed by: Jon Favreau
Written by: Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof, Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby
Starring: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Adam Beach, Paul Dano and Noah Ringer

Director Favreau sets aside the $630 million-grossing “Iron Man” franchise to helm this Western/alien-invasion hybrid based on Scott Mitchell Rosenberg’s 2006 graphic novel. It’s 1875, New Mexico Territory, and a stranger (Craig) with no memory of his past stumbles into the Old West town of Absolution. It soon becomes clear that he’s not welcome and that no one makes a move unless ordered to do so by the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde (Ford). But when they’re attacked with breathtaking velocity and blinding lights from the sky and abducted one by one, the only hope for their survival is the curious shackle around the gunslinger’s wrist. Wilde co-stars as a mysterious traveler. (Universal Pictures)

The 20 Hottest Summer Movies of 2011

‘Bad Teacher’ (June 24)

Directed by: Jake Kasdan
Written by: Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg
Starring: Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, Lucy Punch, John Michael Higgins and Jason Segel
Diaz stars in this irreverent comedy from director Kasdan (“Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story”) as a junior-high teacher who doesn’t give an F. Foul-mouthed and hungover, she can’t wait to marry her sugar daddy and quit her day job once and for all. But when she gets dumped by her fiancé, she sets her sights on a handsome — and rich — substitute teacher (Timberlake) while fending off the advances of the gym teacher (Segel). Punch co-stars as a rival colleague. (Sony Pictures)

‘Transformers: Dark of the Moon’ (July 1)

Directed by: Michael Bay
Written by: Ehren Kruger
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, John Malkovich, Patrick Dempsey, Alan Tudyk, John Turturro, Ken Jeong, Frances McDormand and Tyrese Gibson

The third installment in Bay’s big-screen treatment of the 1980s Hasbro toy line will come at you in 3-D as the Autobots learn of a Cybertronian spacecraft hidden on — you guessed it — the dark side of the moon, and race against the Decepticons to reach it. LaBeouf returns as Sam Witwicky and is joined by Victoria’s Secret model Huntington-Whiteley, replacing Megan Fox as his love interest. (Paramount Pictures)

‘Larry Crowne’ (July 1)

Directed by: Tom Hanks
Written by: Tom Hanks and Nia Vardalos
Starring: Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Bryan Cranston, Cedric the Entertainer, Taraji P. Henson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Wilmer Valderrama, Pam Grier, Rami Malek, George Takei, Grace Gummer and Jon Seda

Hanks writes, directs and stars in only his second feature as a helmer, a topical dramatic comedy set during the modern-day recession. Likable, affable Larry Crowne (Hanks) was a superstar team leader at the big-box company where he’s worked since serving in the Navy — until he got downsized. With nothing to do — and a mortgage to pay — he enrolls in college to start over. There, he befriends a colorful community of outcasts also looking for a second chance and develops a crush on one of his teachers (Roberts), who’s lost her passion for teaching — and her husband. (Universal)

The 20 Hottest Summer Movies of 2011

‘Super 8’ (June 10)

Directed/Written by: J.J. Abrams
Starring: Gabriel Basso, Kyle Chandler, Joel Courtney, Ron Eldard, Noah Emmerich, Elle Fanning, Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee and Zach Mills

From producer Steven Spielberg and writer-director Abrams, who directed the recent “Star Trek” reboot and created TV’s “Lost,” comes this sci-fi thriller set in the summer of 1979. While making a Super 8 movie, a group of kids in a small Ohio town witness a catastrophic train crash. They start to suspect it was not an accident, and soon unusual disappearances and inexplicable events attract the attention of the local deputy (Chandler) as well.

‘Green Lantern’ (June 17)

Directed by: Martin Campbell
Written by: Greg Berlanti, Michael Green, Marc Guggenheim and Michael Goldenberg
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong, Angela Bassett, Tim Robbins, Temuera Morrison, Jay O. Sanders, Taika Waititi and Jon Tenney

Long sought after to don superhero tights, Reynolds has only recently taken up the mantle, appearing as Captain Excellent in “Paper Man” and Deadpool in “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” a spinoff of which is in the works. Here, he plays Hal Jordan, a gifted and cocky test pilot who is tapped to join the Green Lantern Corps, a brotherhood of warriors sworn to keep intergalactic order with the help of rings that grant them superpowers. Hal is the first human to harness the infinite powers of the ring, but his very humanity may make him the greatest Green Lantern of all. Lively (“The Town”) co-stars as his fellow pilot and childhood sweetheart; Campbell, who relaunched the James Bond series with Daniel Craig as 007, directs.

‘Cars 2’ (June 24)

Directed by: John Lasseter
Featuring the voices of: Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, Bonnie Hunt, Tony Shalhoub, Cheech Marin, Jason Isaacs, Joe Mantegna, Peter Jacobson and Thomas Kretschmann

Lasseter, who directed Pixar’s first feature, “Toy Story,” and now serves as chief creative officer of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, helms this sequel to 2006’s $244 million-grossing computer-animated hit. Lightning McQueen (Wilson) and redneck tow truck Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) take their act overseas as Lightning competes in the first-ever World Grand Prix to determine the world’s fastest car. Their adventures lead them to the streets of Europe and Japan, where they get caught up in international espionage with British superspy Fin McMissile (Caine) and spy-in-training Holley Shiftwell (Mortimer). “Cars 2” hits the road in Disney Digital 3-D and Imax 3-D. 

The 20 Hottest Summer Movies of 2011

‘Bridesmaids’ (May 13)

Directed by: Paul Feig
Written by: Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig
Starring: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Ellie Kemper, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Melissa McCarthy

Why do boys get to have all the fun? In this “Hangover” for the distaff set, Wiig stars as Annie, a woman whose life is a mess. Although lovelorn and broke, when she finds out her lifelong best friend (Rudolph) is engaged to be married, she pulls out all the stops, bluffing her way through the expensive and bizarre rituals that come with being maid of honor while herding a group of colorful bridesmaids. (Universal Pictures)

‘Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides’ (May 20)

Directed by: Rob Marshall
Written by: Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio
Starring: Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Ian McShane, Kevin R. McNally, Astrid Berges-Frisbey, Sam Claflin and Geoffrey Rush

Depp and Rush, along with screenwriters Elliott and Rossio, are about all that return for this fourth installment of the $ 1 billion “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise that finds Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) and Barbossa (Rush) seeking the Fountain of Youth. Cruz replaces Keira Knightley’s spunky heroine as a woman from Sparrow’s past whom he’s either in love with or in great danger from. When she forces him aboard the Queen Anne’s Revenge, the vessel of formidable pirate Blackbeard (McShane), Sparrow finds himself on yet another adventure. Academy Award-nominated Marshall (“Chicago”) takes over directing duties from Gore Verbinski, who collaborated this spring with Depp on “Rango.” (Walt Disney Pictures)

‘Kung Fu Panda 2’ (May 26)

Directed by: Jennifer Yuh Nelson
Featuring the voices of: Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross, James Hong, Gary Oldman, Michelle Yeoh, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Victor Garber

In this sequel to the animated blockbuster from DreamWorks that grossed $215 million domestically, Po (Black) is now living his dream as the Dragon Warrior, protecting the Valley of Peace alongside his friends and fellow kung-fu masters, the Furious Five: Tigress (Jolie), Mantis (Rogen), Crane (Cross), Viper (Liu) and Monkey (Chan). But Po’s new life of awesomeness is threatened when a powerful new villain plans to use an unstoppable weapon to conquer China and destroy kung fu. Po must uncover the secrets of his mysterious origins to unlock the strength he needs to succeed. Nelson, who worked as a story artist on the original film, directs her feature debut.

The 20 Hottest Summer Movies of 2011

‘The Hangover Part II’ (May 26)

Directed by: Todd Phillips
Written by: Scot Armstrong, Todd Phillips and Craig Mazin
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Ken Jeong, Mike Tyson and Justin Bartha

In this follow-up to the $277 million-grossing “Hangover,” Phil (Cooper), Stu (Helms), Alan (Galifianakis) and Doug (Bartha) travel to exotic Thailand for Stu’s wedding. Stu is determined that his bachelor party not be a sequel to the last one they all attended, so he plans a safe, subdued prewedding brunch. But nothing can prepare the guys for what happens in Bangkok. Phillips returns to direct. 

‘The Tree of Life’ (May 27)

Directed/Written by: Terrence Malick
Starring: Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Jessica Chastain

Pitt and Penn play father and son in this impressionistic history of a 1950s Midwestern family with three boys from imagistic auteur Malick. The film follows the eldest son, Jack (played as an adult by Penn), from the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as he tries to reconcile his complicated relationship with his father (Pitt), seeks answers to the origins and meaning of life and questions the existence of faith. Chastain co-stars as the mother.

‘X-Men: First Class’ (June 3)

Directed by: Matthew Vaughn
Written by: Jane Goldman, Ashley Miller, Jamie Moss and Zack Stentz
Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Rose Byrne, January Jones, Jennifer Lawrence, Oliver Platt and Kevin Bacon

Five years since the “X-Men” last appeared together on the big screen as a team, the $785 million franchise gets a reboot of sorts based on a story by the original’s director Bryan Singer. Before mutants revealed themselves to the world, and before Charles Xavier (McAvoy) and Erik Lehnsherr (Fassbender) took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were best friends discovering their powers for the first time. Together they worked to prevent a nuclear Armageddon, but in the process a grave rift opened — the start of the eternal war between Magneto’s Brotherhood and Professor X’s X-Men. “Kick-Ass’” Vaughn directs; Oscar nominee Lawrence co-stars as Mystique, and “Mad Men’s” Jones plays Emma Frost.

The 20 Hottest Summer Movies of 2011

The top 20 films that will keep us inside air-conditioned movie theaters on even the sunniest days this season:

‘Thor’ (May 6)

Directed by: Kenneth Branagh
Written by: Ashley Edward Miller, Zack Stentz and Don Payne
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård, Colm Feore, Ray Stevenson, Idris Elba, Kat Dennings, Jaimie Alexander, Josh Dallas, Tadanobu Asano, Clark Gregg, Rene Russo and Anthony Hopkins

Marvel Comics’ hammer-wielding God of Thunder (Hemsworth), powerful but arrogant, reignites an ancient war with his reckless behavior and is banished to live among humans on modern-day Earth. But when the most dangerous villain of his world sends its darkest forces to invade his new home, Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero. Trading Shakespeare for comic books, director Branagh and Oscar winner Portman bring artistic credibility to the proceedings. (Paramount Pictures)

‘Priest’ (May 13)

Directed by: Scott Stewart
Written by: Cory Goodman
Starring: Paul Bettany, Karl Urban, Cam Gigandet, Maggie Q, Lily Collins, Brad Dourif, Stephen Moyer and Christopher Plummer

Bettany has carved a career out of playing various roles in high-concept religious-themed blockbusters, from the self-flagellating albino numerary of “The Da Vinci Code” to the Archangel Michael who defends the human race against God’s wrath in “Priest” director Stewart’s “Legion.” In this postapocalyptic action thriller based on the graphic novels by Min-Woo Hyung, he plays a legendary Warrior Priest from the last Vampire War now living in obscurity among the downtrodden in the dystopian cities ruled by the Church. When his niece (Collins) is abducted by a murderous pack of vampires, Priest breaks his sacred vows, venturing beyond the city walls to save her. (Sony Pictures)