Here in Virginia, it's a balmy 80-plus degrees, and that makes me feel like summer—restoring my hope in the movie business, after slogging through the thin post-Christmas fare that usually leaves me disappointed. In summer films, blockbusters rule... and this year, like no other, there is bang-for-your-buck every chance you get, and it just won't wait until July 1st! I'm hopeful that there will be more substance with this year's fireworks.

Except for the lone non-sequel, Transformers, all four of last summer's top earners received less-than-stellar reviews, as directors crammed in excessive characters and failed to provide worthwhile endings. Don't get me wrong, they all entertained; but please: is that really the ending we had hoped for Captain Jack Sparrow? Wouldn't Spider-Man have been better off with one less villain and a little more character development (and less of an emo scene)?

To help us forget nearly a year of disappointments, and to beat the summer heat, we have plenty of options before it's time to roll out the picnic blanket, head to the beach, and dive into Memorial Day weekend. Iron Man leads off the month of May, depicting one of Marvel's oldest comic book heroes, an anti-hero if there ever was one. Struggling alcoholic Tony Stark, AKA Iron Man, gets a boost from his real-life alter-ego and recovering alcoholic, Robert Downey, Jr. While none of his post-rehab work has blown me away, the trailers for the upcoming film do, and art imitating real life is certainly worth exploring.

Iron Man's jet-boosters aren't the only things with flair in May. The Wachowskis return to the silver screen with their follow-up to V For Vendetta (I think I'm the only person who saw The Invasion) with an adaptation of the 1960s anime series, Speed Racer. Low on meaningful dialogue but high on zing, the movie doesn't look like one that will be high on content, but may help you forget work for a few hours. On the flip side, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian gets reworked to be more action-oriented, and fans may find that there's deeper content behind the battle scenes and dialogue.(Okay, so that's an understatement.) For those of us who came of age in the '80s, the summer's first big, BIG return to the silver screen comes thanks to the George Lucas-Steven Spielberg-Harrison Ford trio that brings Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. For HBO (and re-run) fans, May closes with Sex and the City, the movie, but I have no feeling on that one. Score for May: Meaningful and adventurous; even Speed Racer can't lower my sights, A+.

The month of June leads off with a Jack Black-led Kung Fu Panda and Adam Sandler's Mossad-turned-hairdresser flick, You Don't Mess With the Zohan—and the month is already losing speed, even if I do enjoy Adam Sandler. But then Hellboy II: The Golden Army brings us our second comic book movie of the summer, and the idea that a demon could end up "converting" to the side of good actually intrigues me still. Questions about free will, our choice, divine inspiration and more abound—and yes, I'm still talking about a COMIC BOOK MOVIE! Then, M. Night Shyamalan returns, and while I'm the only person I know who liked The Lady in the Water, I have to believe the master craftsman will return with something truly holistic and mind-bending. What's more intriguing is the complete re-booting of The Incredible Hulk, this time with Edward Norton, and my desire to see the "other" old Marvel character of the summer get its due. Whatever happens, you won't like him when he's angry&ellips; but you might laugh your self silly at Steve Carrell's re-boot of Get Smart. June also gets a lift from the "dark" comic movie, Wanted, with Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy as assassins, and the latest Pixar flick, Wall-E, about a robot who finally finds his purpose—and adds some depth to the month. Score for June: thanks to two spoofs, a string of "duds" by Shyamalan, and the emphasis on "do-overs," I'm stuck handing out a low B to the crowd; but it might rebound.

One of my favorite summer blockbuster stars, Will Smith, leads off July in typical fashion, in a super hero movie—but the normalcy ends there. This time, in a twist, he's the apathetic super-hero Hancock, who I must imagine is up for a change of heart, or at least a vicious comeuppance. Regardless, we'll be treated to some Smith-style humor, and a few jabs at our own unwillingness to lend a hand. Two more sequels round out July, but the power of the series themselves gives them greater weight than June's sequels. The Dark Knight, complete with the mystique surrounding the sudden and tragic death of Heath Ledger, breaks halfway through the month, and I'll be soaring to the theater to watch the torn version of Bruce Wayne/Batman that Christian Bale has offered us so far. Sci-fi fans everywhere will run after me to hit the X-Files sequel out a week later, and who can't enjoy the witty banter between science (Scully) and faith (Mulder). Score for July: It's not a very deep month, but what it lacks in numbers, it makes up for in greatness: A-.

I'll close out the "summer time" with August, but the summer blockbuster trail this year will stand comparison to Bond 22 and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in November. No good blockbuster would be worth its mettle if it can't stand up next to a Bond or a Potter! Unfortunately, the studios apparently thought everyone would be basking in the rays on the beach or back to school, because the brightest star is The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Seriously, I thought Brendan Fraser was retired, but the tired series gets a lift from Jet Li. Things get a little interesting in week two, after an Apocalypse Now spoof, Tropic Thunder, headed up by Ben Stiller, Black and Downey. Clive Owen takes a turn as an Interpol agent in The International and the Star Wars series gets the animated flick The Clone Wars. Score for August: Summer really must be winding down, and for lack of an effort, I'll give the month of August a C+.

On the anti-blockbuster front, I don't see any August Rush or Juno-worthy movies coming out this summer, but Will Ferrell takes another stab at funny in Step Brothers with John C. Reilly, and James Franco joins Seth Rogen to tear it up in Pineapple Express, both "smaller" attempts.

Still, overall, this looks like a big summer, in the size of the options, and in the way that they've been artfully made. Maybe size matters, but maybe the options we're given this summer are better than some years. I'll certainly be disappointed if Indy and ol' Bats come out at flat as Captain Jack and Spidey did last summer, box office numbers or not. Either way, we'll be led by some super heroes, some anti-heroes, and probably a few villains. We'll be entertained, disappointed, and crushed, and if history is served, surprised, by the heart of the little guys and the courageousness of people we can emulate—real heroes who have their backs against the wall, and dominate.

Isn't summer great?