I'm not going to lie, Summer 2010 is looking pretty dire for movie-goers. There are way too many sequels, remakes and adaptations slated for release and precious few of them look like they'll even be worth the price of the ticket, let alone enjoyable works of cinema. I'm no snob, I don't expect the summer blockbusters to be anything more complex than slick entertainment to get people out of the heat, but I still prefer them to be better than overpriced insults. That said, there are a few movies slated for the long days that look pretty interesting. Here's a quick look.

I Love You Phillip Morris

Don't let the title fool you. This unusual comedy has nothing to do with Big Tobacco and everything to do with the true crime tale of Steven Jay Russell, a con man who escaped from prison to reunite with his cell mate, with whom he had fallen in love. The film marks the long-awaited return of Jim Carrey to what we in the biz like to call "good movies". Carrey plays Russell, while Ewan MCGregor plays his love interest Phillip Morris. I Love You Phillip Morris looks like the kind of bright, raucous and deceptively smart comedy that works so well in the summer months. Reviews out of Sundance and the few foreign markets where the film has already played seem to confirm this. It's also exciting to finally see a mainstream American film in which the main characters are gay but the whole film isn't preoccupied with the politics and shock of homosexuality. I Love You Phillip Morris will premiere in selected theaters on April 30th.

Splice

There's nothing quite like a good creature-feature. After a few iffy productions in the late 90's and early 00's, monster movies have more or less disappeared. At best, the monsters tend to play second fiddle to a high concept camera gimmick, such as in Cloverfield and Paranormal Activity. The new Guillermo del Toro produced movie Splice brings the beasty back into a more traditional role, though with a particularly creepy twist. Adrien Brody and the woefully under-utilized Sarah Polley play scientists who go a little overboard with their genetic experiments. During a project concerned with splicing the DNA of various animals, they decide to introduce some human genes into the recipe. The result is "Dren", a monstrous partial-human who will no doubt bring various kinds of havoc down on those around it. The excellent cast, stirring visuals and awesomely bizarre creatures promise to make Splice a fun outing for science fiction fans. It's due out on June 4th.

Leaves of Grass

Edward Norton is an amazing actor with maybe the widest range of anyone currently working on the screen. His biggest limitation is consistently the other actors around him. When he's paired with the right people (re: Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham-Carter in Fight Club) he's sublime, but when he's forced to carry the weight of a substandard cast the results can be painful. Writer/Director/Actor Tim Blake Nelson decided to remedy this problem by casting Norton as two characters. It's no small thing to play identical twins, especially when they're goofy opposites. Based on the previews, Norton does an excellent job and has a lot of fun in the process in Leaves of Grass. He plays a set of twin brothers, one of whom is a pot dealer in the sticks and one who's a highly respected professor. When a ruthless criminal played by Richard Dreyfuss calls for the former's death, the latter gets wrangled into helping him escape. I have no doubt that this movie is going to be stupid, but it's going to be the right kind of stupid, just like any good pot comedy. The release date for this one isn't final yet, but signs point to June or July.