Summer Movie Lineup

Baseball has been America’s pastime since the days when movies were a gleam in the man-in-the-moon’s eye.

But now that we’re more than three decades into the summer blockbuster era (which began in 1975 when "Jaws" broke the $100 million mark at the box office), moviegoing has had an equally valid claim to the America’s-pastime title.

Especially this summer, as the annual seasonal epidemic of Sequelitis Hollywooditis rages unabated, reviving stand-up-and-cheer heroes from Indiana Jones to Batman and movie versions of TV favorites from "Sex and the City" to "Speed Racer." To say nothing of Will Smith as a boozy superhero ("Hancock"), an all-singing, all-dancing Meryl Streep ("Mamma Mia!") and Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher discovering that "What Happens in Vegas" might just lead to a happy ending — and a box-office jackpot.

So (everybody sing!) take us out to the theater, take us out with the crowd, to gobble some popcorn and popcorn flicks. (We don’t care if it all makes us sick!) And let’s root, root, root for some winners, in between all the wrecks. For it’s one, two, three shows a day at the multiplex!

Play ball!

TODAY

Leadoff hitter: "Iron Man"

The pitch: Captured by insurgents, billionaire weapons manufacturer Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) builds a suit of armor that keeps him alive — and inspires the creation of the title superhero.

Also in the lineup: Patrick "Dr. McDreamy" Dempsey as a desperate "bridesmaid" determined to break up his best friend’s wedding in "Made of Honor," plus the hit indie "The Visitor," about a New York professor (Richard Jenkins) who discovers an immigrant couple living in his apartment, and "The Year My Parents Went on Vacation," an award-winning Brazilian coming-of-age tale set in the tumultuous year of 1970.

MAY 9

Leadoff hitter: "Speed Racer"

The pitch: "Matrix" mavens Larry and Andy Wachowski revamp the cult cartoon about the speed-demon title character (Emile Hirsch), who teams with a former rival ("Lost’s" Matthew Fox) to avenge his brother’s death.

Also in the lineup: The comedy "What Happens in Vegas," with Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher battling over a mega-jackpot and an insta-marriage, plus the David Mamet-directed martial arts drama "Redbelt," featuring Chiwetel Ejiofor and Tim Allen.

MAY 16

Leadoff hitter: "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian"

The pitch: The charming Pevensie siblings return to the magical realm they first discovered in 2005’s "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," helping the title royal (Ben Barnes) regain his throne from his evil uncle.

Also in the lineup: "Ugly Betty’s" America Ferrara leads the cast in the comedy-drama "How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer," about a Mexican-American family in an Arizona border town.

MAY 22

Leadoff hitter: "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"

The pitch: Almost two decades after hanging up his whip and fedora in 1989’s "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," title hero Harrison Ford, director Steven Spielberg and Indy creator George Lucas reteam for a fourth adventure featuring Cate Blanchett (as Indy’s Soviet nemesis), Shia LaBeouf (as his rebellious sidekick) and Karen Allen (back as Indy’s "Raiders of the Los Ark" sweetheart, Marion Ravenwood).

Also in the lineup (May 23): The comedy "Son of Rambow," about two British kids who film a homemade "Rambo" tribute.

MAY 30

Leadoff hitter: "Sex and the City: The Movie"

The pitch: After a four-year hiatus, Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Samantha (Kim Cattrall), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Charlotte (Kristin Davis) return for more shoe love — and, perhaps, true love.

Also in the lineup: Julianne Moore as a society matron caught up in murder in the fact-based "Savage Grace," plus the Liv Tyler-Scott Speedman horror outing "The Strangers" and the comedy "The Foot Fist Way."

JUNE 6

Leadoff hitter: "You Don’t Mess With the Zohan"

The pitch: Adam Sandler plays an Israeli secret agent who fakes his death so he can reinvent himself — as a New York hairstylist.

Also in the lineup: The animated "Kung Fu Panda," plus John C. Reilly and Seann William Scott as supermarket rivals competing for "The Promotion."

JUNE 13

Leadoff hitter: "The Incredible Hulk"

The pitch: Edward Norton replaces 2003 "Hulk" star Eric Bana as troubled physicist Bruce Banner, who’s on the verge of discovering a cure for his rages when he encounters the even-more-nightmarish Abomination.

Also in the lineup: Writer-director M. Night Shyamalan’s apocalyptic thriller "The Happening," with Mark Wahlberg.

JUNE 20

Leadoff hitter: "Get Smart"

The pitch: Steve Carell steps into the shoes (phone-equipped, we presume) of Don Adams, who played bumbling superspy Maxwell Smart in the classic ’60s sitcom; Anne Hathaway takes over as sultry sidekick Agent 99.

Also in the lineup: Wacky Mike Myers as "The Love Guru," a comedy spoof with Jessica Alba and Justin Timberlake.

JUNE 27

Leadoff hitter: "Wall*E"

The pitch: Pixar’s latest animated tale introduces a garbage-compacting robot, stranded on an abandoned 29th-century Earth, who follows an alluring probe droid back to her mother ship.

Also in the lineup: Angelina Jolie plays a kick-butt assassin training mild-mannered, vengeance-minded James McAvoy in "Wanted."

JULY 2

Leadoff hitter: "Hancock"

The pitch: A boozed-up, formerly invincible superhero (Will Smith) recruits a marketing expert (Jason Bateman) to rehabilitate his tarnished image in this comedy-drama featuring Charlize Theron.

Also in the lineup: Abigail Breslin stars as the plucky Depression-era "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl."

JULY 11

Leadoff hitter: "Hellboy II: The Golden Army"

The pitch: In writer-director Guillermo del Toro’s sequel to his 2004 comic-book adaptation, Hellboy (Ron Perlman) and his team try to save Earth from creatures plotting a takeover.

Also in the lineup: An extra-terrestrial Eddie Murphy hits New York in "Meet Dave," plus Brendan Fraser in "Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D," the first live-action narrative feature shot in digital 3-D.

JULY 18

Leadoff hitter: "The Dark Knight"

The pitch: Back after his smash 2005 resurrection in "Batman Begins," the moody, brooding Caped Crusader (Christian Bale) takes on the Joker (the late Heath Ledger).

Also in the lineup: Singing-and-dancing queen Meryl Streep joins Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth in the ABBA musical, "Mamma Mia!," plus the animated comedy "Space Chimps."

JULY 25

Leadoff hitter: "The X-Files: I Want to Believe"

The pitch: FBI agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) reteam in this sequel to their first 1998 big-screen investigation (not to mention the TV series that left the airwaves in 2002).

Also in the lineup: "Talladega Nights" teammates Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly as comedic "Step Brothers," plus Ice Cube and "Akeelah and the Bee’s" Keke Palmer in the family comedy "The Longshots."

AUG. 1

Leadoff hitter: "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor"

The pitch: It’s the third time around for two-fisted Brendan Fraser, who heads to China to take on Jet Li — and China’s terra-cotta army come to life.

Also in the lineup: Kevin Costner as a beer-guzzling loser whose "Swing Vote" may decide the next presidential election, plus "The Office’s" Rainn Wilson as "The Rocker" and Emma Thompson and Matthew Goode in the literary adaptation "Brideshead Revisited."

AUG. 8

Leadoff hitter: "Pineapple Express"

The pitch: Hapless stoners (Seth Rogen, James Franco) witness a murder — and run for their lives — in a comedy co-written by Judd Apatow and directed by "Snow Angels’ " David Gordon Green.

Also in the lineup: America Ferrara, Blake Lively, Alexis Bledel and Amber Tamblyn reunite in "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2," plus the 3-D animated "Fly Me to the Moon."

AUG. 15

Leadoff hitter: "Tropic Thunder"

The pitch: When the studio pulls the plug on their bloated-budget Vietnam war movie, the self-absorbed stars (Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black and Ben Stiller, who also directs) head into the jungle to battle real-life bad guys.

Also in the lineup: The animated "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," plus Uma Thurman in the romantic comedy "The Accidental Husband," Kiefer Sutherland in the chiller "Mirrors" and Luke Wilson as a disillusioned suburbanite who finds new hope in "Henry Poole Is Here."

AUG. 22

Leadoff hitter: "Crossing Over"

The pitch: Illegal immigration conflicts power "The Cooler" director Wayne Kramer’s ensemble drama featuring, among others, Harrison Ford, Sean Penn, Ray Liotta and Ashley Judd.

Also in the lineup: Nicolas Cage as a hit man in "Bangkok Dangerous," plus Steve Coogan as a hapless actor-turned-high school drama teacher in "Hamlet 2" and Anna Faris as a Playboy bunny playing sorority house mother in "The House Bunny."

AUG. 29

Leadoff hitter: "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"

The pitch: In writer-director Woody Allen’s latest, a Spanish painter (Oscar-winner Javier Bardem) finds himself caught between two American students (Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall) and his unstable ex (Penélope Cruz).

Also in the lineup: Don Cheadle as a CIA agent infiltrating a terrorist group in "Traitor" and Vin Diesel as a post-apocalyptic mercenary in "Babylon A.D."

Contact movie critic Carol Cling at ccling@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0272.