Blockbuster hit? Film it again, Sam

Our film critic Nicholas Barber looks ahead to a summer of blockbuster sequels

Yes, the summer of "three-quels" rolls on.

We've already had Spider-Man 3 and Pirates of the Caribbean 3, and Clooney's crew is reuniting for Ocean's 13 next week. After that Mike Myers will be torturing us with his Scottish accent once again as the jowly green giant in Shrek the Third (out 29 June; pictured, right). Grim American reviews haven't stopped two more episodes being announced.

Paris Je T'aime (29 June) is a portmanteau of 18 five-minute films, each one set in a different arondissement of the French capital, and each with a different director. Steve Buscemi, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Elijah Wood, Emily Mortimer and Natalie Portman are just a few of the tourists.

Meanwhile, Bruce Willis is back as John McClane in Die Hard 4.0 (4 July), wise-cracking terrorists to death for the first time since 1995. That all-American opening date can't be an accident, especially considering the working title was "Live Free Or Die Hard". At least it makes a change from all those Part Threes.

And, for another change, a Part Five, as Harry and chums are shunted from their usual pre-Christmas slot in Harry Potter & The Order Of the Phoenix (13 July). It was considered the worst book of the series, but the London-by-broomstick sequences in the trailer have a definite oooooh factor.

Few films have been as long-awaited as The Simpsons Movie (27 July), which was first mooted 18 years ago. Mercifully, they haven't gone for computerised, 3D, Shrekish animation.

Less eagerly anticipated, perhaps, is a big-screen re-release of Goldfinger (28 July), the definite Connery 007 movie, with the definitive Bassey theme song. Will people pay to see a film that's been on TV so many times? Some enterprising cinema manager should put it on a double bill with Casino Royale, just so we can see how the first and latest Bonds really measure up against each other.

Please check listings; all dates are subject to change; next week, classical music Further browsing Relive all of your favourite 'Simpsons' episodes at their official website, www.thesimpsons.com

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