The beginning of May doesn’t just mean that school is nearly finished and that the weather starts being consistently warm; it also means that all of the year’s biggest blockbusters are about to be unleashed on screens throughout the United States. After an abysmal April at the movies (save Kick-Ass, which is definitely worth a watch), moviegoers are ready for a hearty helping of big-budget blockbusters, especially those that are sequels or in the third dimension (and in the case of some titles, both).

Here is a list of my most anticipated films for May through early August, though I’m also doing the courtesy of listing titles I’m not so thrilled about, too, for convenience’s sake. The release date is listed in the parenthesis after each title.

May Picks

Iron Man 2 (5/7) – A frontrunner to be the highest-grossing film of the summer also kicks off the season, just like the first Iron Man did two years ago. Iron Man 2 follows the continuing adventures of billionaire playboy/superhero Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) as he finds new allies and dangerous new foes. Jon Favreau is returning to direct, and though it will be hard to top the original, several recent superhero sequels have improved on their predecessors (see The Dark Knight, Spider-Man 2, X2: X-Men United). With two stellar actors in Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell cast as new villains, and the always pleasing-to-the-eye Scarlett Johansson playing Black Widow, Iron Man 2 at the very least promises to be a hell of a ride.

MacGruber (5/21) – It may be hard to imagine the “MacGruber” “Saturday Night Live” sketches being fleshed out to make a decent movie, and past failures in this category vastly outnumber the successes, but there is something about the hard-R rated MacGruber that makes it appealing. Early word is that this MacGyver spoof, helmed by little-known comedic actor Will Forte, is actually a crowd-pleasing action-comedy. In a jam-packed May, one can only hope it doesn’t get lost in the fold.

And the rest… the aptly titled Babies (5/7) is a documentary about four babies from different countries and looks sickeningly adorable… Queen Latifah and Common headline an urban romantic comedy that could be Just Wright (5/14)… Amanda Seyfried follows up her surprise hit Dear John with another mail-themed flick in Letters to Juliet (5/14)… Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe team up once again for another telling of Robin Hood (5/14)…Shrek gets the 3-D treatment because Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy are strapped for cash in Shrek Forever After (5/21)… Sex and the City 2 (5/27) promises more of the same from New York’s favorite aging fashionistas… Disney tries to replicate its Pirates of the Caribbean success with Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (5/28) with Jake Gyllenhaal as the titular prince.

June Picks

Get Him to the Greek (6/4) – Though it may not be a Dracula musical, this spinoff of the 2008 comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall marks the return of flamboyant British rock star Aldous Snow (Russell Brand), who is being transported from London to the Greek theater in Los Angeles by an intern from a music label played by Jonah Hill. Hilarity and gratuitous celebrity cameos are likely to ensue.

Toy Story 3-D (6/18) – Considering Pixar’s stellar track record, it’s hard not to be excited for any film it releases. So it is doubly exciting to see that the Toy Story franchise is getting a third installment. Featuring the original voice cast, led by Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, people of all ages will likely be lining up to see Woody and Buzz’s third outing… in the third dimension.

And the rest… Marmaduke (6/4) gets the same treatment as 2004’s Garfield, which means you should avoid it at all costs…Ashton Kutcher is an assassin and Katherine Heigl is an unsuspecting woman caught in his work in Killers (6/4)…fun with genetic engineering in the sci-fi horror film Splice (6/4)…Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan star in the Karate Kid remake (6/11)…The A-Team (6/11) also gets a remake sans Mr. T…Josh Brolin is Jonah Hex (6/18) in an adaptation of the western themed comics…Adam Sandler continues providing his friends with acting jobs in Grown Ups (6/25)…Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz star in Knight and Day (6/25), which looks exactly like Killers…Twihards are sure to flock to theaters for the Twilight series’ third installment, Eclipse (6/30).

July Picks

Inception (7/16) – Christopher Nolan, who isn’t in the business of making bad films, follows up his 2008 mega-hit The Dark Knight with Inception. Featuring a distinguished cast that includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Caine and Marion Cotillard among others, the details of Inception remain a mystery. The viral Internet campaign and a couple of intense teaser trailers are all I need to be excited. Expect Inception to be a sleeper hit and possibly garner some awards buzz.

Dinner for Schmucks (7/23) – Jay Roach’s new comedy revolves the bizarre premise in which a corporate bigwig holds monthly “dinners for idiots.” Whatever executive finds the biggest idiot for the event gets offered special advantages as a reward. Though the film sounds outlandish, anything starring Paul Rudd is worth watching, and Steve Carell plays the “idiot” role he has perfected. Color me interested.

And the rest…M. Night Shyamalan directs his first kids’ movie with the live-action adaptation of Nickelodeon’s popular animated series “Avatar: The Last Airbender” (7/2)…Steve Carell leads an all-star voice cast in an animated film about the world’s greatest villain in Despicable Me 3-D (7/9)…Adrien Brody stars in the Robert Rodriguez-produced Predators reboot (7/9)…Nic Cage is a master wizard in Disney’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (7/16)…a Beverly Cleary novel comes to life in the family friendly Ramona and Beezus (7/23)…the espionage thriller Salt (7/23) returns Angelina Jolie to her most popular genre…pointless sequels galore in Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore (7/30)…the story of Beauty and the Beast gets the CW treatment in Beastly (7/30)…Matt Damon and Emily Blunt star in the Philip K. Dick inspired film, The Adjustment Bureau (7/30).

August Picks (through 8/13)

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (8/13) – Edgar Wright, the director of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, makes his first North American production with an adaptation of the comic Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Starring Michael Cera as the titular character, Pilgrim must defeat “seven evil exes” in order to win the right to date the girl of his dreams, Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). The ADD, quick-cut trailer looks wonderfully over-the-top and features fight sequences reminiscent of “Street Fighter” video games.

And the rest… Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell star in Adam McKay’s action-comedy The Other Guys (8/6)…dancing reaches a new dimension in Step Up 3-D (8/6)…a film adaptation of the bestselling book Eat, Pray, Love (8/13) stars Julia Roberts…The Expendables (8/13) is a tribute to action films of the 80s, starring the king of the action ‘80s himself, Sylvester Stallone…long distance relationships are examined in Going the Distance (8/13), a romcom starring real-life couple Drew Barrymore and Justin Long.

Sadly, this will be my last article for The University News, and I’d like to thank everyone who has read my movie reviews (and other pieces) over the past four years. It has been a lot of fun to recommend and warn the SLU community about which films to watch and which ones to skip. Though I’m leaving my post as Chief Film Writer, you can rest assured that I’ll still be watching and complaining about plenty of movies for years to come.

Thanks especially to The UNews; it has been great working with Kelley, Kat and the rest of the fantastic staff since my arrival at Reinert Hall nearly four years ago.

Finally, a special mention goes out to Will Holston, whose film snobbery over the years has helped make me look much less pretentious.