SUMMER MOVIE PREVIEW: Not a lot of excitement this summer

Summer is generally my favorite movie season.

Not this year, though.

While I'm excited for the new X-Men flick at the beginning of summer and the third Expendables flick at the end of summer -- there's not a lot in the middle that's calling to me.

Sure, I'm mildly interested in A Million Ways to Die in the West -- but I'm completely uninspired by this summer's science fiction offerings and big summer blockbusters (I was over the Transformers franchise after the first movie).

Still, there are a few gems out there.

May 22

X-Men: Days of Future Past: This is probably the flick I’m most looking forward to this summer. Mixing the old cast of the X-Men movies with the new cast and bringing Singer back to right the ship has “win” written all over it.

May 23

Cold in July: This thriller about a man (Michael C. Hall) that kills a burglar and then checks out the funeral looks like it has a lot of promise. Don Johnson returns to some serious acting roots in this one – although it’s probably one of those flicks that I’ll wait to see On Demand.

Blended: This Drew Barrymore/Adam Sandler comedy about two families on vacation together proves that – as likeable as both stars are -- their schtick is really old.

May 30

A Million Ways to Die in the West: This Seth MacFarlane comedy western boasts a fun cast (Charlize

Theron, Liam Neeson, Amanda Seyfried, Neil Patrick Harris) and just enough laughs to promise an insulting and hilariously fun time.

Maleficent: This update of Disney’s Sleeping Beauty has Angelina Jolie as the title witch and Elle Fanning as her “arch enemy.” The trailers are appropriately creepy, but Jolie has turned off a lot of viewers. I guess we’ll have to wait and see how things turn out.

June 6

The Fault in Our Stars: This is a sad sack teen movie (reminiscent of that Mandy Moore “I’m dying and different” flick from about a decade ago). This is another sick teenagers in love storyline, this time starring Ansel Elgort and Shaileen Woodley (who I can’t quite seem to like).

Edge of Tomorrow: Tom Cruise tries to prove he’s still an action hero in this time-bending flick that sees Cruise’s character stuck in a time loop.

June 13

How to Train Your Dragon 2: Looks cute and well animated. Nice kid flick.

22 Jump Street: The first movie was terrible, so I’m not expecting much from this Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill follow-up.

The Rover: Everyone’s favorite sparkling vampire, Robert Pattinson, tries to dirty up his image in this movie about murderous carnies and a gang of bandits.

June 20

Think Like a Man Too: Kevin Hart, Regina Hall, Michael Ealy and Taraji P. Henson return for this follow-up to 2012’s sleep hit. It’s pretty much just laughs and hijinks – but I’m a big Ealy fan so I’ll check it out on video at some point.

June 27

Transformers: Age of Extinction: You really only watch these movies for the special effects (because the stories are pretty weak). Personally, I’ve never been a fan of Mark Wahlberg’s “acting” – but I know people out there love him. I’ll probably pass on this one.

July 2

Tammy: Susan Sarandon dons a wig to play Melissa McCarthy’s grandmother and the two go on a road

trip. You had me at Melissa McCarthy.

July 4

Begin Again: Keira Knightly and Mark Ruffalo join together for this musical movie that looks fairly interesting – if a bit confusing. It might be worth a look.

July 11

And So It Goes: Michael Douglas and Diane Keaton show that love isn’t only for the young in this Rob

Reiner film. Both leads are likeable – so I’ll probably see it at some point.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: Keri Russell and Gary Oldman anchor this follow-up to 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes. I didn’t like the first one, so I’m guessing I won’t like this one either.

July 18

Jupiter Rising: In this science fiction dud – which looks more like a science fiction soap opera than

anything else – Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis are trying to accomplish something mystical. I can’t muster the energy to care.

The Purge: Anarchy: Last summer a claustrophobic little flick about people having one night to commit any kind of murder they want was a surprise hit. So, of course, the filmmakers decided to give it a bigger budget and make the action (read: violence) as widespread as possible. The first flick was a hidden gem. This one looks like it’s completely missed the point.

June 25

Sex Tape: Several couples try to spice up their sex life with sex tapes and hijinks ensue. As much as I like Jason Segel, I’m pretty much over Cameron Diaz.

Hercules: Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) plays the mythical hero in what looks to be possibly the worst movie of the summer. The good news is, there’s always a chance it will be so bad it’s good.

A Most Wanted Man: In one of his final roles, Philip Seymour Hoffman plays a calculating German intelligence operative who’s stalking a potential Islamic terror suspect. It’s an interesting premise and an interesting actor.

August 1

Guardians of the Galaxy: Chris Pratt, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana and Dave Bautista take

on the Marvel super hero group in what could be a big hit – or a really big miss. I’m going to at least check it out.

Child of God: Some deep material for James Franco here – which I will probably check out On Demand in a few months.

August 8

The Hundred-Foot Journey: Helen Mirren stars in this culture-clash tale that looks a little dry for my taste.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The heroes on the half shell are back – but casting Megan Fox in anything makes me leery about checking out the flick.

August 15

The Expendables 3: Mel Gibson, Harrison Ford and Wesley Snipes join the action-packed guilty pleasure

that I can’t help but be giddy for. These movies make me laugh. I’m a child of the 1980s – sue me.

August 22

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For: Mickey Rourke, Josh Brolin, Jessica Alba and Rosario Dawson join Robert Rodriguez for another stylized outing in noir fun.

What do you think? What movie are you looking forward to?