Vote for Summer.

With the film industry apparently on the same schedule as Pepperdine, the summer movie season begins tomorrow, four days into May. But after the cinematic desert of the last two months, this oasis is more than welcome.

Here is my take on the big releases of the summer, ordered by how eager I am to see them. Links are to the trailer whenever possible...

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix--If I could pick one movie to see this summer, this would be it. And I haven't even read the book yet, so NO SPOILERS PLEASE! Just the trailer is enough to get me juiced though. I'm psyched for my Two Weeks o' Potter. (July 13th)

Live Free or Die Hard--Nudged out mostly because this at this point I don't know what will happen in Harry 5. Bruce Willis will undoubtedly be good in the role he invented, and the trailer looks sweet. It probably won't be great, but it will be great fun. (June 27th)

Ocean's Thirteen--The trailer makes it look as though the cast has gotten back to the irreverent nature that made the original so much fun. Good. (June 8th)

The Bourne Ultimatum--Jason Bourne seems like a nice guy; he's just misunderstood. Now he gets his revenge. Or something. Should be a good ride. (August 3rd)

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End--No, the second one wasn't that good, treading water for three hours. But the third one promises to go places in a big way and provide big summertainment en route. Plus Keira Knightley actually looks like a woman. I'm excited. (May 25th)

Spider-Man 3--I've said it a billion times. Unlike Batman or Superman, Spider-Man doesn't do much for me. Just check out my review of #2. But with two or three or four quality villains and strong interpersonal conflict, this one oozes potential. And I'm going to the midnight showing in four hours. Woo. (May 4th)

Ratatouille--I haven't bothered to learn much about this one yet, but it's the latest from Pixar, so I'm sure it will be good. (June 29th)

Transformers--It's like Independence Day, except with giant robots instead of aliens and Shia LeBeouf instead of Will Smith. Those are both negative substitutions, but this still seems like a classic Fourth of July movie in which the planet unites against mechanical forces of evil. (July 6th)

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer--I'm not exactly sure why, but this appeals to me. Maybe it's the slight twist of the villain being in the title. I didn't even see the original in theaters, and this one really seems more like a classic see-on-DVD release. But I'm intrigued. (June 15th)

Evan Almighty--Steve Carell first caught the eyes of movie-goers in Bruce Almighty, and now his plastic-faced character gets the sequel treatment as the man God (Morgan Freeman) commissions to build an ark for all the pairs of animals. I like the concept, but I'm not convinced it will be very good. (June 22nd)

Rush Hour 3--I wasn't wild about either prequel, although both were passable. Releasing a third movie six years after the second one, when neither star is on the rise, seems like a bad idea. (August 10th)

The Simpsons Movie--This one shouldn't actually be that bad, but I'm not a big fan of The Simpsons, so I probably won't bother to see it. But if you're a fan, go for it. (July 27th)

Shrek the Third--I think the best thing about this will be its unique title. The trailer was cringe-worthy, painfully packed with pop culture references and bad jokes. This one promises to officially put the franchise in neutral, if not reverse. I'm not paying money for it. (May 18th)

If I missed anything, feel free to elaborate. Otherwise, enjoy the summer.