10 Must-See Blockbuster And Artsy Movies This Summer

Summer is is the best time to go to the movies with friends and family. Summer 2012 makes no exception. Below, I've proposed a selection of 10 must-see flicks, ranging from the ever-returning big-budget Hollywoodian movies to more intellectual and artsy feature films. Enjoy! 

1. The Dark Knight Rises (Christopher Nolan)

THE most anticipated film of the summer. Eight years after Batman took the fall for Two Face's crimes, a new terrorist leader, Bane, overwhelms Gotham's finest, and the Dark Knight resurfaces to protect a city that has branded him an enemy.

2. Prometheus (Ridley Scott)

Ridley Scott Alien prequel. A team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race.

3. Cosmopolis (David Cronenberg)

Riding across Manhattan in a stretch limo in order to get a haircut, a 28-year-old billionaire asset manager's day devolves into an odyssey with a cast of characters that start to tear his world apart.

4. Dark Shadows (Tim Burton)

An imprisoned vampire, Barnabas Collins, is set free and returns to his ancestral home, where his dysfunctional descendants are in need of his protection.

5. God Bless America (Bobcat Goldthwait)

On a mission to rid society of its most repellent citizens, terminally ill Frank makes an unlikely accomplice in 16-year-old Roxy.

6. Moonrise Kingdom (Wes Anderson)

A pair of young lovers flee their New England town, which causes a local search party to fan out and find them.

7. Avengers (Joss Whedon)

Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. brings together a team of super humans to form The Avengers to help save the Earth from Loki and his army.

8. Seeking a Friend For the End of the World Trailer (Lorene Scafaria)

As an asteroid nears Earth, a man finds himself alone after his wife leaves in a panic. He decides to take a road trip to reunite with his high school sweetheart. Accompanying him is a neighbor who inadvertently puts a wrench in his plan.

9. On the Road (Walter Salles)

Dean and Sal are the portrait of the Beat Generation. Their search for "It" results in a fast paced, energetic roller coaster ride with highs and lows throughout the U.S. Based on Jack Kerouac's generation-defining novel. 

10. Beasts of the Southern Wild  (Benh Zeitlin)

Faced with her father's fading health and environmental changes that release an army of prehistoric creatures called aurochs, six-year-old Hushpuppy leaves her Delta-community home in search of her mother.

And many others: (The Dictator, To Rome with Love, Take This Waltz, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Men in Black III, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Bourne Legacy, Total Recall, The Campaign)