Summer movies:Part 1

Take a look at some of the movies hitting the screen this summer. There’s a movie for everyone from art-house films to blockbuster animationsEMRAH GÜLERISTANBUL - Turkish Daily News
The dry season for movies has now officially started. With little more than a dozen films hitting the theaters in the coming months, the most anticipated movies of the summer are listed here. There's a movie for every taste, from art-house award winners to literary adaptations and CGI animations. Watch this space for Summer movies: Part 2 next week.

Buddha Collapsed Out of Shame
The Sofia Coppola of Iranian cinema, director Hana Makhmalbaf is the daughter of famous director Mohsen Makhmalbaf. This heart-breaking tale of a small girl in Taliban Afghanistan was directed by Makhmalbaf when she was only 19. Little Baktay's struggle to go to school under the oppressive Taliban regime that bars girls' right to education won three awards at the Montreal and San Sebastian film festivals. The film's name is a reference to the centuries-old giant Buddha statues destroyed by the Taliban.
Why all the fuss?
Having won awards at two different festivals, the movie also won the FIPRESCI Film Critics award at the recent Flying Broom Women's Film Festival in Ankara, with a Turkish writer, Burcu Aykar Şirin, among the prestigious jury.
Release date: June 20

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
One of the most anticipated movies of this summer, the second film in the C.S. Lewis fantasy series �The Chronicles of Narnia� will hit the screens next month. In �Prince Caspian,� the Pevensie children will face new adventures in the magical realm of Narnia. The children will reprise their roles, with Ben Barnes playing Prince Caspian and Liam Neeson as the voice of Aslan. A little reminder for pop culture fans: Check for similarities between the island the Pevensie children will find themselves in, and the mysterious island in the TV phenomenon �Lost.�
Why all the fuss?
If you've watched the first movie in the series, �The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,� you'll know what all the fuss is about. If not, think back of the time when you were waiting for the sequel to the first �Lord of the Rings� or �Harry Potter� movie.
Release date: July 11

Kung Fu Panda
The hero of the latest DreamWorks animation film is a lazy and chubby panda with dreams of becoming a great Kung Fu fighter one day. Working in his family's noodle shop in ancient China, Po finds out that he is the chosen hero of an ancient prophecy to save the Valley of Peace. In this story of transformation, Po needs to become a master Kung Fu warrior in order to fulfill his heroic role. While Jack Black provides the voice of the slacker-turned-warrior protagonist, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu and Angelina Jolie lend their voices to the other characters.
Why all the fuss?
DreamWorks is the studio that brought us the �Shrek� movies, �Bee Movie,� and �Madagascar.� We are yet to see an average animation from the studio.
Release date: July 4

Mamma Mia!
Adapted from the West End musical of the same name, the film features songs from ABBA in a story that has nothing to do with ABBA. On the eve of her wedding, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) brings together three possible fathers to the same Greek island where she was conceived more than two decades ago. Meryl Streep plays Sophie's mother, while the father candidates are played by Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgard. Although a couple of original songs from the stage musical like �Thank You For the Music� and �Knowing Me, Knowing You� were removed from the film, the U.S. hit �When All is Said and Done� was included in the movie.
Why all the fuss?
�Mamma Mia!� has been a success on stage for almost a decade now. And nobody can deny the magical touch of Hollywood when it comes to musicals.
Release date: July 18

Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Ready to see more of Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi? The very first animated �Star Wars� to be released in theaters is going to hit the screens here on the same date as in the United States. The movie will serve as a pilot for the upcoming CGI animated TV series of the same name. The Clone Wars between the Confederacy of Independent Systems and the Galactic Republic take place between �Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones� and �Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.� Anakin and Obi-Wan will go on a search for the kidnapped son of Jabba the Hutt. Actors from the original films, including Samuel L. Jackson, will lend their voices.
Why all the fuss?
An animated �Star Wars� in theaters? This is what some audiences have been waiting for the past three decades.
Release date: Aug. 15

Inform,14.06.08