Summer movie preview 2009

Harry Potter, Wolverine, Star Trek, Transformers and Terminator lead an action-packed summer

By Geoff Berkshire and Matt Pais, Metromix

In case you haven't heard, the movies are hot again. The box office hits have been flowing at a steady pace all year long and that's got Hollywood more excited than ever for a summer that's brimming over with proven concepts and big stars.

There's at least one sequel a month from May through August (three alone in May: "Terminator: Salvation," "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" and "Da Vinci Code" follow-up "Angels & Demons"; plus prequel "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" and a rebooted "Star Trek").

Also, major stars like Johnny Depp ("Public Enemies"), Will Ferrell ("Land of the Lost") and Denzel Washington ("The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3"); major directors like Quentin Tarantino ("Inglourious Basterds"), Judd Apatow ("Funny People") and Ang Lee ("Taking Woodstock"); and plenty of options for fans of romantic comedies ("The Proposal," "The Ugly Truth," "(500) Days of Summer," "Paper Heart") and horror ("Drag Me to Hell," "Orphan," "H2: Halloween 2" and "Final Destination: Death Trip 3D").

All that plus we haven't even mentioned the new "Transformers" or "Harry Potter."

So, in the spirit of optimism, here are 30 reasons to get excited for the summer movie season.