Summer: And they're off.

"Why Bother?" asks the AV Club right there in the headline of its big summer preview, each of the movies broken down by: "What it's about"; "Why it's probably a waste of time"; "Why it might be worth seeing anyway"; and helpfully, "Suggested alternate activity."

But here we are, with Mission: Impossible III opening the season already, and Salon's Stephanie Zacharek finds it "serviceably entertaining." More from Manohla Dargis in the New York Times, Scott Foundas in the LA Weekly, Ann Hornaday in the Washington Post, Peter Bradshaw in the Guardian, the Times of London, Sukhdev Sandhu in the Telegraph, Kenneth Turan in the Los Angeles Times, Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times, James Rocchi at Cinematical, Keith Phipps for the AV Club, Brett Michel and Peter Keough the Boston Phoenix, Andrew Wright in the Stranger, Sheri Linden in the Hollywood Reporter and Rob Nelson in the City Pages.

"With Snakes on a Plane and World Trade Center opening on the same day, this summer won't be offering the usual escapist fare," writes Peter Keough, introducing the Boston Phoenix's preview package.

David Gritten does the Telegraph's; and the Washington Post has its special section up and running.

Which ones are teens looking forward to? Patrick Goldstein has the data in the Los Angeles Times, and Anne Thompson notes that they've done well picking box office winners in the past.

None of these movies will bust blocks unless they get the marketing right, argues David Poland.

Tireless SuicideGirls interviewer Daniel Robert Epstein talks with Bryan Singer about Superman Returns.

Cinematical presents a "Pre-Poseidon Guide to 70s Disaster Flicks!"

Garth Pearce has a Da Vinci Code backgrounder in the Times of London.

Online viewing tip. Movie City News has found quite a nice version of the trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. Now that looks like it could well be a fun summer movie.

Posted by dwhudson at May 5, 2006 6:04 AM