Earlier this year I posted my 25 Films to Look Forward to Look Forward to in 2011, and while I stand behind most of those decisions half the year has gone and a lot of the films that I had only cast for at the beginning of the year now has a trailer and or I know more about so it’s time to talk about the time of year that movies make the most bucks; Summer.

We’re a little more than a week away from summer so here’re the 15 films that I must see before the summer is over. To all those who don’t know summer is represented by May to August and I’m using the US release schedule to determine which films should be in the list even though I’m sure a handful of these won’t be released in Jamaica along the summer.

15. Green Lantern (dir. Martin Campbell) – June 17th

I had massive issues with the original trailer that was released, however the WonderCon footage that was released – which I think is pretty much a four minute trailer – was pretty cool and it’s made me feel that this movie at the very least will be pretty fun and enjoyable.

14. Captain America: The First Avenger (dir. Joe Johnston) – July 22

Here’s another Super Hero movie coming out this summer that’s going to have the women, leading star and the big explosions that we all want. However, I still feel that it’s going to disappoint me and that’s why it’s so low on the list.

13. Thor (dir. Kenneth Branagh) – May 6th

That completes the treble of comic book blockbusters for 2011. Maybe it’s the 3D attached but while I know I’m going to watch them I’m just feeling very confident about these films.

12. Kung Fu Panda 2 (dir. Jennifer Yuh) – May 26th

Po is back and he looks just as unassuming as before. Three years ago this was the sleeper hit of the summer and the trailer that we got recently makes it look just as bad as it did 3 years ago, so this is me hoping that surprises just as much as it did 3 years ago and gives Jack Black a franchise that I don’t mind paying him to continue to work on.

11. Harry Potter and the Death Hallows: Part II (dir. David Yates) – July 15th

I just have to see the end. I’ve enjoyed this series overall and even though I was a bit let down by the first half of this chapter I’m still waiting for the kick-ass climax that’s being promised by this movie. I stopped reading the books at the fifth and that’s when the movies became the amazing thing for me and I’m happy to keep it that way.

10. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (dir. Rob Marshall) – May 20th

It’s a Pirates movie, and I love the Pirates movies, and by that logic I have to watch this movie. Jack Sparrow is just too fun to turn down. It’s like he just looks at me with the crappiest of plots and makes a joke or walks that quirky way and I just go “awww that Jack Sparrow be so funny…” and then my money goes away.

9. 30 Minutes or Less (dir. Ruben Fleischer) – Aug 12th

I loved Zombieland and while I think this is the only film on this list that doesn’t have a trailer out for me to show you yet, but I just can’t wait to see what Fleischer does this time around with more comedic talent on hand; Aziz Ansari, Danny McBride and Nick Swarsdon.

8. Cowboys & Aliens (dir. Jon Favreau) – July 29th

No longer contained by a franchise that must be meddled by a growing studio Favreau takes alien films and westerns mashes them together and makes it look all awesome. I can’t wait to see it.

7. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (dir. Rupert Wyatt) – Aug 5th

I just love the trailer and how brilliant the imagery looks. It’s the summer movie that reboots a franchise that I’ve only seen the horrible remake of. I need to go back and watch the original.

6. Submarine (dir. Richard Ayoade) – June 3rd

Yes the pretentious filmmaking wins in my regard. I know there’s noway that this will be released near me and I’m going to have to wait for it to come out on DVD before the year is out for me to see it but it looks so awesome and dry quick witted funny where I’m going to follow this film enthusiast just looking for life to be more than it really is.

5. X-Men: First Class (dir. Matthew Vaughn) – June 3rd

See I’m not just pretentious. Yes I want to watch it because of the director and the fact that Fassbender is in it, but there’s action. I think. It looks cool to see X-Men in the 60s.

4. The Hangover Part II (dir. Todd Phillips) – May 26th

I loved the first trip with this wolfpack, what could go wrong this time around now in Thailand. It seems illogical for the same thing to happen to them again, and for some characters to just reappear on the other side of the world, but it’ll probably make me laugh again which is what I want.

3. Super 8 (dir. J. J. Abrams) – June 10th

I love J. J. Abrams‘ previous films so far (Star Trek and Mission: Impossible III) so I can’t wait to see what he does with a pretty much original property while being produced by Spielberg. It looks like a mesh between E.T. and The Goonies where we’re going to follow these children with a Super 8 camera discover the truth behind this government cover up of this alien transport and it doesn’t look that much like a pandering kid’s film like the two I mentioned above. Love it!

2. Hesher (dir. Spencer Susser) – May 13th

It has Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Natalie Portman and Rainn Wilson and it played on Sundance and it looks just one of those real disturbing character films that will have so many tiny moments that makes the entire ride completely worth it.

1. The Tree of Life (dir. Terrence Malick) – May 27th

How this movie got a summer release baffles me. I still am not sure exactly which aspect of these characters the film will focus more on, but at this point I put my trust in Terrence Malick (even though I’ve only seen his most recent film: The New World) and I can’t wait to see who does better in the film: Brad Pitt or Sean Penn.

What’s the movie you’re looking forward to the most this summer???