The summer months are traditionally when all the huge-budget blockbuster popcorn flicks are released. Besides offering thrills and state-of-the-art special effects (and maybe a plot, if you’re lucky), air-conditioned theaters are a great place to escape the summer heat and just unwind for a couple hours.

1.) “Iron Man” (May 2)

At this point, the ubiquitous movie pick for the summer, “Iron Man” is a slick, exciting film from a very capable director. This has possibly the best cast of any comic book movie to date, starring Robert Downey, Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges and Gwyneth Paltrow. As “Superman Returns” proved, a good director, strong cast and all the marketing push in the world won’t guarantee a great movie but “Iron Man” nonetheless has the potential to be on par with “Spider-Man 2″ and “Batman Begins.”

2.) “Speed Racer” (May 9)

The first movie directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski since the “Matrix” trilogy, this candy-colored, family-friendly adaptation of a 40 year-old Japanese cartoon has been getting fantastic feedback from preview screenings. It’s about a young man (Emile Hirsch, “Into the Wild”) who takes on authority by competing in death-defying, frenetic automobile races. The special effects and camera techniques on display here, which work to recreate the effects and feel of the television show, have never before been implemented in live action.

3.) “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” (May 22)

Whether Harrison Ford’s greatest foe in the newest “Indiana Jones” film is the Soviet Army or arthritis is a mystery, Director Steven Spielberg and producer George Lucas know how to make a fun adventure film and having old pros Ford and Karen Allen (”Raiders of the Lost Ark”), along with current golden boy Shia LaBeouf (”Transformers”), doesn’t hurt.

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