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Terminator Salvation

Hits Screens: May 21
Cast: Christian Bale, Anton Yelchin
Story: We go back to the future to find John Connor and the Resistance locked in battle with Skynet, its army of Terminators and the plan to send back Arnie.
Buzz: First Bruce Wayne, now John Connor; Bale certainly isn't afraid of a challenge. No doubt it will pay off again, thanks to this potent combo of nostaligia, eye-popping action and, well, terminators!


Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Hits Screens: June 26
Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox
Story: The Decepticons are back to get Sam Witwicky, the Autobots are back to protect him. Yes, it’s exactly the same as the first one but without all the pesky set-up.
Buzz: Michael Bay and Shia LaGoof are back along with a bigger budget and IMAX scenes. We’re psyched to see Soundwave and Devastator. Biggest movie of the summer? Affirmative.


Bruno
Hits Screens: July 10
Cast: Sacha Baron Cohen
Story: A Borat-style documentary following the trend-hunting travels of flaming Austrian fashion correspondent, Bruno.
Buzz: Cohen wheels out another of his Da Ali G Show creations and although it might not reach the dizzying hype heights of Borat, Bruno will certainly provide some laughs and new catchphrases.


Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Hits Screens: July 17
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson
Story: Harry is back for his sixth year at Hogwarts and unearths more of Lord Voldemort’s backstory along with the key to defeating him.
Buzz: The penultimate Potter movie is upon us! The darkest one yet delivers a gripping dose of deceit, heartbreak and a main character death. This shit just got real!


Funny People
Hits Screens: July 31
Cast: Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen
Story: A successful comedian is diagnosed with a terminal illness and discovers a new outlook on his life and friendships.
Buzz: It feels like Judd Apatow produces a movie every month but this is only his third time directing and it looks to be a good effort. Great supporting cast including Jonah Hill and Leslie Mann.


G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
Hits Screens: August 7
Cast: Channing Tatum, Sienna Miller
Story: Did you know it stands for Global Integrated Joint Operating Entity? Well, they’re a military unit looking to take down the nefarious Cobra organization.
Buzz: Don’t judge us but this looks kind of awesome. A hot cast, hint of nostalgia and some cool action courtesy of director Stephen Sommers (The Mummy) will make this a fun ride.


Inglourious Basterds
Hits Screens: August 21
Cast: Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger
Story: A group of Jewish-American soldiers go on a Nazi killing spree in German-occupied France during WWII .Buzz: Tarantino vs. the Nazis? With a cast that includes Brad Pitt and Mike Myers with narration by Sam Jackson? Done and done. Will no doubt be the most badass film you’ll see all year.


BEST OF THE REST
Brett Erlich and Ellen Fox, hosts of Current TV ’s The Rotten Tomatoes Show, share their thoughts on the B-list of this summer’s box office contenders.


Brett: First up, Year One. On the upside is the dream team behind the film, a multigenerational horde of comedians including Jack Black, Paul Rudd, David Cross, Michael Cera, topped off by the blessing of producer Judd Apatow. On the down side, a sneak peek that aired during the Superbowl gained little traction and the film had to be re-cut after the MPAA gave it an R-rating, which doesn’t bode well box-office-wise for big budget comedies.

Ellen: My most anticipated summer movie is Public Enemies. It might prove to be the only thing that could make me miss living in Chicago. Johnny Depp as John Dillinger? Directed by sexy movie-maker Michael Mann? It would need to have a score better than The Untouchables to be one of my all-time faves but it looks to be a well-crafted gangster pic.

Brett: The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3 is a remake of a 1974 film which starred two of the greats: Robert Shaw and Walter Matthau. Here Denzel Washington plays a dispatcher trying to save passengers on a New York subway train that’s been hijacked by John Travolta. The original is a sleeper classic with a hell of an ending, and I’m excited to see this how this film lives up to it.

Ellen: I Love You, Beth Cooper is a teen vehicle for Hayden Panettiere and although it’s directed by Chris Columbus (Harry Potter 1 & 2, Home Alone), Panettiere doesn’t have the star power to open a so-so film the way Miley or Zac can. I predict a lukewarm reception and fast removal to your DVD store shelf.

The Rotten Tomatoes Show airs Thursdays at 10.30 p.m. on Current TV