With Fast Five, aka The Fast & The Furious 5, The Summer Movie Season officially kicks off this weekend. Summertime is when the studios release their biggest blockbusters in an effort to capitalize on the kids being out of school and people on vacation who are looking for an escape. Here are the 10 movies I'm most looking forward to this summer.

1. HARRY POTTER & THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2 - The Harry Potter movie series officially comes to a close on July 15. In my opinion these movies have gotten better and better since Harry Potter and The Sorcerers Stone debuted in November of 2001.
2. SUPER 8 - It appears this movie is about an alien on the loose in a small Texas town. It comes from J.J. Abrams who brought us such great TV shows as Alias and Lost and popular movies like the Star Trek reboot and Mission Impossible 3. Oh yeah, and some guy named Steven Spielberg is producing. The Film opens June 10.
3. THE HANGOVER 2 - Can the sequel really be as funny as the first movie? Well, if it's even half as funny it's still money well spent in my book. Opens May 27.
4. XMEN: FIRST CLASS - This film tells the origin story of the two mutants who started it all: Professor X and Magneto - Best friends who became bitter enemies. Opens June 3.
5. THOR - So far this comic book movie about the ancient God is getting rave reviews. Plus its got Natalie Portman. Opens May 6.
6. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES - Johnny Depp returns as Jack Sparrow. These movies are fun and that's all we're really looking for in the summer - fun! Opens May 20.
7. COWBOYS AND ALIENS -From John Favreau, the guy who directed Iron Man, comes a film that mixes two of my favorite film genres - Westerns & Aliens. Plus its got Harrison Ford. Opens July 29.
8. CAPTAIN AMERICA - Apparently Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk and Thor are all tied together by Captain America who is referred to as The First Avenger. This movie reportedly sets the stage for The Avengers movie set to open in the Summer of 2012. This one however, opens July 22.
9. RISE OF THE APES - This film is sort of a prequel to the original Planet of The Apes films of the 60s. It stars James Franco and allegedly tells the story of how the primates became super intelligent and eventually took over the earth. Opens August 5.
10. THE SMURFS - The cartoon from the 80s was my favorite animated show as a kid. This is a bit of nostalgia for me and the fact that Katy Perry is providing the voice of Smurfette doesn't hurt either. Opens July 29.

Did I leave off a movie you are looking forward to? E-mail: wgogolya@middletownpress.com or leave a comment below.