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By Bob Strauss and Glenn Whipp
Film Writers

Ah, summer, the time when fish are jumpin' and BIG STUDIOS have it easy, taking turns releasing their blockbusters.

Sometimes, though, they have to get, ahem, creative and come up with something we like to call COUNTERPROGRAMMING.

On July 16, for instance, you have your choice of "The Dark Knight," the thrill-ride "Batman" sequel or "Mamma Mia!" the frothy musical with ABBA songs. (Hmmm, admit you like "Dancing Queen" or go see a weird guy with an eared suit ...)

Some dates, however, bring very different choices. Take May 16: You can catch "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian," the second film based on the Christian writer C.S. Lewis' fantasy series, or the indie documentary-style "Bloodline," which takes that "Da Vinci Code" conspiracy thing of Jesus and Mary Magdalene having offspring even further. And then there is "The X-Files: I Want to Believe," but that's for believers in the TV show, and not until July 25.

And once in a while, there is the clash of the titans … comic ones, anyway. On June 20, Steve Carell is Agent 86 in "Get Smart" while Mike Myers becomes "The Love Guru."

So peruse the list and make your plans. The blockbuster dates are pretty much set in granite. Next May already has on its schedule "Star Trek" and "X-Men" prequels along with "Terminator" and "Night at the Museum" sequels.

The smaller studios and indies may change their minds about release dates, but what the "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" (July 11), we're here to keep you up to date.

>MAY 2
ANAMORPH: Willem Dafoe's detective tracks a serial killer who operates just like a serial killer he thought he'd killed years ago. (IFC)

THE FAVOR: Guy takes care of dead ex-girlfriend's son. (Seventh Art)

FUGITIVE PIECES: Polish man orphaned in World War II deals with lingering trauma. (Samuel Goldwyn)

HATS OFF: 90-year-old New York actress gets her own documentary! (Canobie)

IRON MAN: Munitions mogul becomes crime-fighting superhero. Robert Downey Jr. stars. (Paramount)

MADE OF HONOR: "My Best Friend's Wedding," gender-reversed with Patrick Dempsey. (Columbia)

REDBELT: David Mamet joins the fight club in this story of a principled martial-arts instructor lured into professional fighting. (Sony Pictures Classics)

SON OF RAMBOW: Two weird mismatched English kids bond over efforts to make their own "Rambo" sequel in this charming '80s dramedy. (Paramount Vantage)

STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE: Documentary superstar Errol Morris' ("Thin Blue Line") take on the Abu Ghraib incident. (Sony Classics)

SWIMMING IN AUSCHWITZ: Six female Holocaust survivors tell their tales. (Bala Cynwyd)

A WALK INTO THE SEA: DANNY WILLIAMS AND THE WARHOL FACTORY: For the eight people who are still fascinated by this stuff. (Arthouse)
 
>MAY 9
THE BABYSITTERS: Circle of teen child-minders morphs into call-girl ring. (Peace Arch)

BEFORE THE RAINS: Brit and local have adulterous affair in 1930s India. (MIP)

THE DHAMMA BROTHERS: Documentary about Eastern meditation inside an Alabama prison. (Balcony)

THE FALL: Video wiz Tarsem spent years shooting this oddball fantasy all over the world in the most striking locations he could find. "Pushing Daisies' " Lee Pace stars. (Roadside Attractions)

I FOR INDIA: An Indian family's new life in Great Britain is recounted through home movies. (Icarus)

MISTER LONELY: Diego Luna plays a Michael Jackson impersonator. Then the movie gets weird. (IFC)

OSS 117: CAIRO, NEST OF SPIES: French spy spoof. (Music Box)

A PREVIOUS ENGAGEMENT: Wife sees her ex while vacationing with her husband. (Buccaneer)

SPEED RACER: Wachowski Brothers ("Matrix") make a family film … really? … based on the 1960s Japanese cartoon series about a kid driver battling nefarious forces. Emile Hirsch stars. Also in IMAX. (Warner Bros.)

TURN THE RIVER: Pool hustler plays to regain custody of her son. (Screen Media)

WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS: Annulling an alcohol-fueled ceremony at a Sin City wedding chapel isn't easy when, the next morning, the guy wins a $3 million slot machine payoff with the girl's quarter. Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz star. (20th Century Fox)

>MAY 16
BLOODLINE: Documentary traces the possibility that Jesus and Mary Magdalene had babies, thus making "The Da Vinci Code" a badly written work of nonfiction rather than fiction. (Cinema Libre)

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN: The second film adapted from C.S. Lewis' fantasy series takes place 1,300 years later in Narnia time, but the kids from our world are only a year older. (Disney)

HOW THE GARCIA GIRLS SPENT THEIR SUMMER: Three generations of a Mexican-American family find love and humor in the hot months. With America Ferrera and Elizabeth Pena. (Maya)

NOISE: Manhattan-ite doesn't like noise. (ThinkFilm)

REPRISE: Young lions muse on the here-and-now and what-might-have-beens. (Miramax)

ROMAN DE GARE: French film noir from French film nutty auteur Claude Lelouch. (Samuel Goldwyn)

TURN THE RIVER: Pool-hustler looks to win back her son from alcoholic ex-husband. (Screen Media)

UNSETTLED: Israeli surfer dudes get kicked off their Gaza Strip beach. (Resonance)

UP THE YANGTZE: Documentary cruise up China's big river before the Three Gorges Dam changes everything. (Zeitgeist)

WATER LILIES: French synchronized-swimming girls get crushes on boys and each other. (Koch Lorber)

>MAY 22
INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL: Adventure tale of about a fedora-wearing paleontologist (you may have heard of him) who finds himself in a wide variety of crazy predicaments. With Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett and Shia LaBeouf. (Paramount)

>MAY 23
BLINDSIGHT: Blind Tibetan teens climb Mount Everest. (Robson)

THE CHILDREN OF HUANG SHI: Journalist helps rescue orphans in 1930s China. (Sony Pictures Classics)

POSTAL: A topical action comedy from Germany's most beloved bad director, Uwe Boll. (Event)

REFUSENIK: Documentary about the movement to rescue Soviet Jews. (Abramorama)

SANGRE DE MI SANGRE: Illegal immigrant has identity stolen. Ain't America great? (IFC First Take)

SURFWISE: Nice Jewish doctor drops out, takes his wife and nine kids surfing. It's a documentary. (Magnolia)

WAR, INC.: John Cusack produced and stars in this satire of Middle East chicanery. With Hilary Duff. Yes, you read that right. (First Look)

>MAY 30
BIGGER, STRONGER, FASTER: Steroids doc. (Magnolia)

CHOP SHOP: Auto body work is tough for a young Latino orphan. From the acclaimed director of "Man Push Cart," Ramin Bahrani. (Koch Lorber)

THE EDGE OF HEAVEN: Turks have troubles in Turkey and Germany in this latest passion-and-politics piece from "Head-On's" Fatih Akin. (Strand)

THE FOOT FIST WAY: Film school grads' comedy about a tae kwon do loser became a hit with top Hollywood funnymen; now the no-budget film's not only getting released, but star Danny McBride has roles in the upcoming "Pineapple Express" and "Tropic Thunder." (Paramount Vantage)

HOLLYWOOD CHINESE: Documentary covers the history of Chinese participation and depiction in American movies. (Deep Focus)

SAVAGE GRACE: High-society marriage comes apart at seams; only child sides with mother in a lethal fashion. Julianne Moore stars. (IFC First Take)

SEX AND THE CITY: The cosmos breaks out the cosmos as HBO comedy queens Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon reunite on the big screen. (New Line/Warner Bros.)

THE STRANGERS: Liv Tyler gets terrorized. (Rogue)

STUCK: Woman hits homeless man, who gets lodged in her windshield. She parks the car in her garage, waiting for him to die. Man has other ideas. Stephen Rea and Mena Suvari star. (ThinkFilm)

>JUNE 6
THE GO-GETTER: Kid steals a car, finds himself on the road. (Peace Arch)

KUNG-FU PANDA: Slothful panda does some kung-fu fighting in latest from DreamWorks Animation. Also in IMAX. (DreamWorks)

MISS CONCEPTION: Heather Graham wants a baby right now. Well, in nine months. Remarkably, she has trouble finding a volunteer father. (First Look)

MONGOL: Genghis Khan gets his biopic. (Picturehouse)

MOTHER OF TEARS: Italian horror maestro Dario Argento completes the Three Mothers trilogy many of us were unaware he was making. His daughter Asia stars.

THE PROMOTION: Supermarket employees vie for the coveted manager's job. John C. Reilly and Sean William Scott star. (Dimension)

YOU DON'T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN: Adam Sandler is an Israeli commando who tries to start a new life as a New York hairdresser. Judd Apatow had something to do with it, so it might be funnier than "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry." (Columbia)

>JUNE 13
THE ANIMATION SHOW: Cool animated shorts at the Nuart. Mike Judge and Steve Dildarian host the opening night.

THE HAPPENING: M. Night Shyamalan ushers in the apocalpyse. Mark Wahlberg stars. (20th Century Fox.)

THE INCREDIBLE HULK: This time, they're trying to do it right. So, naturally, they hired totally Hulk-like Edward Norton to play the monster-hero's alter ego. Liv Tyler gets terrorized again. (Universal)

QUID PRO QUO: Semi-paralyzed reporter discovers freaky subculture of able-bodied people looking to become disabled. (Magnolia)

WHEN DID YOU LAST SEE YOUR FATHER: A son remembers his dying father. Jim Broadbent and Colin Firth star. (Sony Pictures Classics)

>JUNE 20
BRICK LANE: Bangladeshi woman comes to London for loveless, arranged marriage. (Sony Pictures Classics)

GET SMART: Agent 86 gets Bourne again. Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway star. (Warner Bros.)

KIT KITTREDGE: AN AMERICAN GIRL: The doll comes to life ... as Abigail Breslin! (Picturehouse)

THE LOVE GURU: Mike Myers plays a New Age holy man. (Paramount)

MY WINNIPEG: Guy Maddin "docu-fantasia." (IFC)

>JUNE 27
ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD: Werner Herzog goes to Antarctica. Seems kind of inevitable, doesn't it? (THINKFilm)

EXPIRED: Traffic cops in love. (MCR)

GUNNIN' FOR THAT #1 SLOT: Elite high-schoolers have hoop dreams in this doc that features now-former UCLA star Kevin Love. (Oscilloscope Pictures)

MEET BILL: Jessica Alba helps Aaron Eckhart transcend his unappreciated life. NOT to be confused with Eddie Murphy's "Meet Dave." (First Look)

NOW AND LATER: Crooked banker takes up with free-spirited Latina. (Cinema Libre)

RED ROSES AND PETROL: Dysfunctional Irish family gathers for patriarch Malcolm McDowell's wake. (World Wide)

TRUMBO: The blacklisted screenwriter's letters are read by Michael Douglas, Paul Giamatti, Liam Neeson, Donald Sutherland and other Hollywood luminaries. (Samuel Goldwyn)

THE UNKNOWN WOMAN: Nanny goes snooping. (Outsider)

WALL-E: Far-future garbage droid falls in love. Latest Pixar animated feature makes cautionary environmental statement. Directed by Andrew Stanton, who did the company's best, "Finding Nemo." (Disney)

WANTED: Angelina Jolie is a superassassin in this cartoonish-looking adaptation of a pretentious comic book (y'know, the ones that call themselves "graphic novels"). (Universal)

>JULY 2
HANCOCK: Will Smith: alcoholic superhero. 'Nuff said. (Columbia)

>JULY 3
THE WACKNESS: Drug dealer falls for the daughter of his pothead psychiatrist. Ben Kingsley stars. (Sony Pictures Classics)

>JULY 4
CHRIS & DON: A LOVE STORY: Doc about the long relationship between author Christopher Isherwood and artist Don Bachardy. (Zeitgeist)

DIMINISHED CAPACITY: Man suffering from memory loss helps Alzheimer's-afflicted uncle sell a rare baseball card. Alan Alda, Matthew Broderick star. (IFC)

GONZO: THE LIFE AND WORK OF DR. HUNTER S. THOMPSON: But what about the drugs and firearms? (Magnolia)

THE LAST MISTRESS: Catherine Breillat + Asia Argento = Unrated. Contains graphic nudity. (IFC)

TELL NO ONE: French thriller involving a pediatrician, his dead wife and alarming stuff on the Internet. (Music Box)

>JULY 11
CONTEMPT: Re-release of Jean-Luc Godard's scathing look at the film business. With Brigitte Bardot, Jack Palance and Fritz Lang as himself! (Rialto)

HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY: Because the first movie about the superhero with the sawed-off Satan horns just wasn't enough. At least Guillermo del Toro is directing again. (Universal)

JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH 3-D: Who knew the world was waiting for a Brendan Fraser movie like this? Even if it is the first feature shot in digital 3-D. (New Line/Warner Bros.)

KENNY: Australian port-a-potty operator visits a Nashville convention of like-minded individuals. We have no appropriate quip for this one. (Xenon)

MEET DAVE: Eddie Murphy plays a teeny-tiny space alien who comes to Earth disguised as a computerized, normal-sized Eddie Murphy, as opposed to the fat-suit-wearing Eddie Murphy. Same shtick though. (20th Century Fox)

RELIGULOUS: "Borat" director Larry Charles follows political humorist Bill Maher around the world as he talks to people about their beliefs. (Lionsgate)

>JULY 18
THE DARK KNIGHT: Much-anticipated "Batman" sequel featuring the late Heath Ledger's turn at The Joker. Christopher Nolan again directs. Also in IMAX. (Warner Bros.)

LOU REED'S BERLIN: The 1973 album, not the German city. It's a concert doc. (Weinstein Co.)

MAMMA MIA!: The popular stage show! The dopey ABBA songs! Meryl Streep! How can you resist it? (Universal)

SPACE CHIMPS: Wacky monkeys become astronauts! (20th Century Fox)

>JULY 23
BOY A: Juvie lifer has trouble coping with life on the outside. (Weinstein Co.)

>JULY 25
AMERICAN TEEN: Documentary about … omigod … four Indiana teenagers. (Paramount Vantage)

BAGHEAD: Guy who's not the Elephant Man wears bag on head. (Sony Pictures Classics)

BRIDESHEAD REVISITED: Michael Gambon stars in this feature-film version of the Evelyn Waugh novel. (Miramax)

THE LONGSHOTS: Girl quarterback leads team to Pop Warner glory. Fred Durst directs! (Dimension)

STEP BROTHERS: Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly are two unevolved dudes who live with their parents, then … reluctantly … with each other when said parents marry. Judd Apatow had something to do with it, so it might be funnier than "Semi-Pro." (Columbia)

THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE: Who doesn't after waiting a decade for the second "X-Files" movie? (20th Century Fox)

>AUG. 1
CHOKE: Sex addict spends days working as a historical re-enactor, nights scamming restaurants by pretending to choke on his chow. Based on Chuck Palahniuk's novel. (Fox Searchlight)

FROZEN RIVER: Single moms get into border smuggling. (Sony Pictures Classics)

THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR: Who knew the world was waiting for a Brendan Fraser movie like this … even with Jet Li as the mummy. (Universal)

THE ROCKER: '80s hair band drummer gets second shot at rock stardom. Rainn Wilson stars. (20th Century Fox)

SWING VOTE: The outcome of a presidential election rests on the vote of a single American: Kevin Costner. And you thought the country was in trouble before. (Touchstone)

>AUG. 8
BOTTLE SHOCK: Story of the California winemaker who first bested the French. (Freestyle)

ELEGY: Ben Kingsley is a professor who likes his coeds a little too much, and new student Penelope Cruz way too much. (Samuel Goldwyn)

HELL RIDE: Biker exploitation flick. (Dimension)

PINEAPPLE EXPRESS: Seth Rogen and James Franco are two stoners on the run from crooked cops and murderous dealers. Judd Apatow had something to do with it, so it might be funnier than "Spider-Man 3."

THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS 2: Apparently, that pair of jeans still has some magic left in its denim. (Warner Bros.)

TOWELHEAD: Lebanese teen asserts herself in the Houston suburbs. "Six Feet Under"/"American Beauty" writer Alan Ball's directing debut. (Warner Independent)

>AUG. 15
HENRY POOLE IS HERE: Guy just wants to be left alone, gets bothered when a stain on his wall is mistaken for a religious apparition. Luke Wilson, George Lopez. (Overture)

MIRRORS: Abandoned store's mirrors harbor spooky secrets! (20th Century Fox)

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS: Animated "Star Wars" spin-off, the prelude to the upcoming Cartoon Network series. (Warner Bros.)

TROPIC THUNDER: Actors making a war movie find themselves in a real firefight. Ben Stiller stars, writes and directs; the cast features Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr. and Nick Nolte. (Paramount)

>AUG. 22
THE ACCIDENTAL HUSBAND: Relationship expert Uma Thurman discovers that she's married to a guy she doesn't know on the eve of her perfect wedding. (Yari)

BANGKOK DANGEROUS: Nicolas Cage plays an international hitman. True story: Bangkok became really dangerous when the Thai army staged a coup during the film's production. (Lionsgate)

CROSSING OVER: Border patrol officers deal with illegal immigrants in Harrison Ford's other movie this summer. (Weinstein Co.)

FLY ME TO THE MOON: Flies hitch a ride on Apollo 11, trying to become the first insects on the moon in this 3-D animated movie. (Summit)

HAMLET 2: High-school drama teacher stages politically incorrect sequel to the Shakespeare classic. (Focus)

THE HOUSE BUNNY: Disgraced Playboy employee Anna Faris whips a sorority of losers into shape. (Columbia)

MAN ON WIRE: Documentary about the Frenchman who walked the tightrope between the Twin Towers in 1974. (Magnolia)

WILD CHILD: Emma Roberts is an L.A. brat shipped off to an English boarding school. (Universal)

>AUG. 29
BABYLON A.D.: Vin Diesel still makes movies, apparently … this one about a mercenary and a woman host to an organism meant to be a genetically modified Messiah. (20th Century Fox)

COLLEGE: Fraternity high jinx. (MGM)

SUKIYAKI WESTERN DJANGO: Japanese spaghetti western. With Quentin Tarantino, no less. (First Look)

TRAITOR: Don Cheadle plays a former U.S. undercover agent whom the FBI thinks might now be a Muslim terrorist. (Overture)

VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA: Oddly named comedy from the prolific Woody Allen. (Weinstein Co.)

>AUGUST UNSCHEDULED
ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE: Oft-delayed teen horror comedy. Don't wait up. (Senator)