Spotlight on Summer

Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages ... Attention, please! The circus is coming to town!

The cinematic circus, that is, destined to amaze, amuse (and, occasionally, confuse) moviegoers thronging multiplexes in the coming months.

Starting next weekend with the launch of "Iron Man 2," dozens of high-profile titles will hit local screens, from sequels ("Toy Story," "Twilight" and everything in between) to TV adaptations (led by "The A-Team") to remakes ("Robin Hood").

Las Vegas enjoys a triple-threat summer in the spotlight: "Get Him to the Greek," "The Other Guy" and "Middle Men" all filmed here.

And lest you think effects have pushed high-profile stars off the screen, such veteran A-listers as Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts and even Sylvester Stallone are back in the summer spotlight.

And now, if we may direct your attention to the center ring, here's a week-by-week guide to the top attractions at this year's Summer Cinema Circus. (Please keep in mind, however, that all release dates are subject to change.)

So drum roll, please, as the lights go down, the screen lights up and we welcome you to the greatest cinematic show on earth!

We can dream, can't we?

MAY 7

In the center ring: "Iron Man 2"

Billionaire superhero Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) resists pressure to share his secrets with the military, forging new alliances (and confronting new enemies) .

Side show: A documentary look at a year in the life of four "Babies" from Mongolia, Namibia, Tokyo and San Francisco.

MAY 14

Center ring: "Robin Hood"

Russell Crowe, reunited with "Gladiator" director Ridley Scott, steps into the role (if not the tights) of the legendary folk hero.

Side shows: In "Letters to Juliet," an American in Italy (Amanda Seyfried) embarks on a quest to find a long-ago visitor (Vanessa Redgrave); in "Just Wright," a physical therapist (Queen Latifah) falls for the basketball star (Common) she's helping to rehabilitate; Hawaii's "Princess Kaiulani" ( Q'orianka Kilcher) tries to resist American colonization.

MAY 21

Center ring: "Shrek Forever After"

The fourth chapter of the fractured fairy-tale finds Shrek stranded in a twisted version of Far Far Away -- and battling to restore his world.

Side show: Will Forte's gadget-happy "Saturday Night Live" hero "MacGruber" battles a murderous nemesis (Val Kilmer).

MAY 27

Center ring: "Sex And The City 2"

Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) and galpals Samantha (Kim Cattrall), Charlotte (Kristen Davis) and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) get away from it all in Abu Dhabi .

MAY 28

Center ring: "Prince of Persia: Sands of Time"

In this video game adaptation, the adventurous title character (Jake Gyllenhaal) and a rival princess (Bond girl Gemma Arterton) team up to battle a despot .

Side show: George A. Romeo's "Survival of the Dead" finds island residents battling zombies -- and trying to restore their undead relatives' humanity.

JUNE 4

Center ring: "Get Him to the Greek"

"Forgetting Sarah Marshall's" British rocker Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) returns, accompanied by a record company intern (Jonah Hill) assigned to escort him to L.A.'s Greek Theater .

Side shows: In "Killers," newlyweds (Katherine Heigl, Ashton Kutcher) take on unexpected enemies; comic canine "Marmaduke" (voiced by Owen Wilson) finds life just beachy .

JUNE 11

Center ring: "The A-Team"

Framed Iraq war veterans Col. "Hannibal" Smith (Liam Neeson), Lt. "Faceman" Peck (Bradley Cooper), Capt. "Howling Mad" Murdock ("District 9's" Sharlto Copley) and Sgt. "B.A." Baracus (UFC's Quinton "Rampage" Jackson) battle to clear their names.

Side shows: A retread of the 1984 favorite takes "The Karate Kid" (Jaden Smith) to China, where he learns kung fu from a master (Jackie Chan); Argentina's Oscar-winning "The Secret in Their Eyes" centers on a long-ago murder .

JUNE 18

Center ring: "Toy Story 3"

Woody, Buzz and their computer-animated compadres face Andy's departure for college -- and their departure for a day care center toybox.

Side show: Scarred bounty hunter "Jonah Hex" (Josh Brolin) tracks down a maniacal villain (John Malkovich) in a horror Western based on a comic book series.

JUNE 25

Center ring: "Knight & Day"

Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz team for this globe-trotting, spies-on-the-run romp from "3:10 to Yuma" director James Mangold.

Side shows: In "Grown-Ups," high school pals Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Kevin James, Rob Schneider and David Spade reunite; an Ozark Mountain girl (Jennifer Lawrence) tracks down her drug-dealing dad in "Winter's Bone" ; and a young Hasidic Jew (Jesse Eisenberg) smuggles Ecstacy for an Israeli drug cartel in "Holy Rollers."

JUNE 30

Center ring: "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse"

Bella (Kristen Stewart) approaches high school graduation -- and finds herself torn between vampire love Edward (Robert Pattinson) and werewolf hunk Jacob (Taylor Lautner).

JULY 2

Center ring: "The Last Airbender"

The 12-year-old title character (Noah Ringer), the latest element-controlling Avatar, battles the forces of evil in this adaptation of the Nickelodeon cartoon from director M. Night Shyamalan .

JULY 9

Center ring: "Predators"

Those pitiless alien killers are back, tracking down a new generation of warriors in an update of the 1995 sci-fi actioner featuring Adrien Brody and Laurence Fishburne.

Side shows: In "Despicable Me," orphans cause the villainous Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) to reconsider a moon-stealing scheme; and man-child "Cyrus" (Jonah Hill) complicates life for his mom (Marisa Tomei) .

JULY 16

Center ring: "Inception"

Leonardo DiCaprio, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page and Joseph Gordon-Levitt headline this mind-bending drama about dream thievery from "Dark Knight" writer-director Christopher Nolan.

Side show: Nicolas Cage and Jay Baruchel team up in "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," a live-action fantasy inspired by Mickey Mouse's "Fantasia" adventures.

JULY 23

Center ring: "Salt"

Angelina Jolie plays a CIA officer accused of spying for the Russians in this thriller from director Phillip Noyce ("Clear and Present Danger").

Side shows: In "Dinner for Schmucks," an executive (Paul Rudd) dines with a dweeby IRS agent (Steve Carell); and "Ramona and Beezus" adapts Beverly Cleary's tale of the title Quimby sisters .

JULY 30

Center ring: "Charlie St. Cloud"

Zac Efron ("High School Musical," "Hairspray") headlines this romantic drama about a small-town college student whose bright future is clouded by tragedy, which features Kim Basinger, Donal Logue, Amanda Crew and newcomer Charlie Tahan.

AUG. 6

Center ring: "The Other Guys"

Bumbling Big Apple cops (Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg) get a chance to break open a big case in an action comedy .

Side shows: "Middle Men" follows the fact-based adventures of an Internet porn pioneer (Luke Wilson); New York street dancers team up with an NYU freshman in "Step Up 3-D."

AUG. 13

Center ring: "Eat Pray Love"

Julia Roberts stars in this adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert's best-selling memoir about a post-divorce around-the-world journey .

Side shows: Sylvester Stallone leads a team of mercenaries that includes Jason Statham, Jet Li and Dolph Lundgren in "The Expendables," ; Michael Cera takes on his new girlfriend's evil ex-boyfriends in "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World."

AUG. 20

Center ring: "Takers"

A hard-boiled detective (Matt Dillon) disrupts a high-tech bank heist in this crime thriller .

Side shows: In "The Switch," Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman discover they share a lot more than friendship; an impoverished guy (Bow Wow) tries to keep his winning "Lottery Ticket" a secret ; and supernanny Emma Thompson is back in "Nanny McPhee Returns."

AUG. 27

Center ring: "Going the Distance"

The challenges of a long-distance relationship inspire this romantic comedy featuring real-life sweeties Drew Barrymore and Justin Long.

Side shows: In "Piranha 3-D," Elisabeth Shue, Ving Rhames and Richard Dreyfuss (among others) discover the fish are biting; a documentary crew films "The Last Exorcism" performed by a troubled minister; and Milla Jovovich is back and kicking butt in "Resident Evil: Afterlife."