MELISSA ANDERSON | DAVID FEAR | JOSHUA ROTHKOPF

Boy A

The Dark Knight
Release date: July 18
Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale have already revitalized the franchise and proved that they can take Batman into deeper, darker territory than Joel Schumacher. Throw in the late Heath Ledger playing the Joker like John Wayne Gacy on amyl nitrite poppers, and you're damn right The Dark Knight has me intrigued!

Boy A
Release date: July 23
Actor Andrew Garfield was one of the few bright spots of Lions for Lambs, so watching his portrayal of a reformed ex-con trying to put his life back together sounds like it could be a nice, chewy antidote to all that summer fizz. Plus, costar Peter Mullan (My Name Is Joe) never fails to deliver the goods, and I'm a sucker for gritty realism with a posh accent.

The X-Files: I Want to Believe
Release date: July 25
Scully and Mulder step into our lives once again after being MIA for six years, and out comes my inner sci-fi nerd. More far-fetched conspiracy theories, sexually charged banter about aliens and costarring roles for...Amanda Peet and Xzibit! I so want to believe this will be awesome.

Pineapple Express
Release date: August 8
Like most people, I'm rapidly hitting my personal Judd Apatow tipping point. (He's got a movie with his name in the credits coming out roughly every 3.5 minutes; when does this guy freakin' sleep?) But this Apatow-produced story about dope-dealer James Franco, superloyal client Seth Rogen and a bag of mondo weed that allegedly "smells like God's vagina" could very well be the season's stoner comedy über alles. Add in the fact that indie-flick navel-gazer David Gordon Green (All the Real Girls) is directing, and my interest is officially one toke over the line.

Help Me Eros
Release date: Aug 15
Longtime Tsai Ming-liang collaborator Lee Kang-sheng knocked me over with his directorial debut, The Missing, a few years back, and I've heard that his sophomore feature about two lonely people ensnared in a sexual cat-and-mouse game is just as good. Not to mention, it supposedly features several arty long takes and lots of folks gettin' nekkid. Ding!