【ハリウッドより愛をこめて】夏休み注目映画続々！　今年は“ヒーロー”が熱い！

公民権運動やキューバ危機が背景として描かれている中で、超人的なパワーをもつ若き2人のミュータントと、様々な偏見に対する彼らの葛藤にスポットが当てられています。キャストはこれまでのシリーズから一新し、若手実力派俳優ジェームス・マカヴォイと本年度アカデミー賞にノミネートされた注目女優ジェニファー・ローレンスの2人が競演しています。残念ながら、今回は『X-MEN』シリーズでおなじみのウルヴァリン役、ヒュー・ジャックマンは登場しないので、少し違和感がありますが、新生『X-MEN』がこれまでのシリーズ作同様にヒットできるのか、気になるところです。

みなさんはこの夏、どの映画を観にいくか決めましたか？

（text：Lisle Wilkerson）

（英語原文）

Well readers, it is that time again...just in time for summer and I am about to break down some of the exciting films that are coming to the US this summer!
So for those of you that are planning a trip to the US in the summer months, maybe you can find a few hours to escape in the world of make-believe.

This month we are getting ready for two big sequels to box office hits...the first is the follow up to "The Hangover", and is called ...very simply "The Hangover 2".Personally I loved "The Hangover" in all its wonderfulness and crazy stupidity, but I know that for some of you, this kind of "buddy flick" might not be your cup of tea.The four best friends from the first film are back together again for another member’s wedding. And this time they go all the way to Thailand and find themselves in ALL kinds of trouble. Surprised? If you have seen the original, then probably not.

The second one, is none other than the latest installment of the "Pirates of the Caribbean", and this time it features not just Johnny Depp, but also Geoffrey Rush and Penelope Cruz. However, unfortunately for Orlando Bloom fans, the hunky Australian actor won’t be in the newest "Pirates". But from what I have seen of the previews, it looks to be an action packed, comical journey as always. So I am sure that you won’t be disappointed with it.
This summer is also, without a doubt, the summer for the action super-hero...we have everything from the long awaited "Green Lantern", "Captain America: The First Avenger", and "X-Men:First Class". "Green Lantern", which has ex-hubby of Scarlet Johansson, Ryan Reynolds, as the lead character, is being directed by Martin Campbell, the director behind the "Zorro" series as well as "Casino Royale". And this is his first time to "carry the film" as we say...in other words, the movie studios are hoping that movie goers will be flocking to the theaters to see Ryan in his green spandex as he tries to save the world in a futuristic setting.
Meanwhile actor Chris Evans will be taking on the role of "Captain America" and the film will be taking place during the time period of World War II. This will be the second time for Chris Evans to travel down the journey of Marvel Comics, being that he was also in the "Fantastic Four" movies. But from what I have heard about the movie, he does a stand-up job and the movie is well worth the wait.
"X-Men" will have the golden years of the Kennedy reign, the civil rights movement, and the Cuban missile as a backdrop, and is supposed to be a film about two massively powerful mutants and their struggle against bitter prejudice. Movie goers will be seeing quite a different cast, however, with such young talent as James McAvoy and Academy Award nominated actress Jennifer Lawrence. Unfortunately the franchise’s biggest draw, Hugh Jackman, is not in this film....which is a bit strange. So it will be interesting to see if this "X-Men" can do as well as its predecessors.

OH, and need I forget that the most hype surrounding a early summer movie this year is, without a doubt, the Marvel Studios "Thor", which features Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Renee Russo, and one of my favorite British actors, the amazing Idris Elba. This movie is currently #1 in the box office and will probably be in the top five for a while. From what I understand, with this movie also being shown in 3D, the effect of the film is pretty incredible, and it seems to be quite the crowd pleaser.
So readers...have you already decided on the summer movies YOU will be going to see this year?

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