Keep your expectations low.

"Star Wars," "Avengers" and "Jurassic Park" are back in 2015, but Hollywood seems to have forgotten about 2014. Marvel gifted us the solid "Captain America" sequel in April, leaving very little to be excited about the next four months.

The official summer movie season starts this weekend with "The Amazing Spider-Man 2," which appears to be a giant preview for the totally amazing Spider-Man movie we'll get two years from now (be it 'Spider-Man 3' or 'Sinister Six' or WHATEVER).

Hey, let's try to stay positive. At least "Orange is the New Black" returns to Netflix in June.

"Amazing Spider-Man 2" - The Green Goblin is back! Remember him from two other Spider-Man movies? It's not James Franco this time, and I'm still not sure if that's a good or bad thing.

"Neighbors" - New parents Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne battle the rowdy frat boys next door. Good buzz on this one, even though there's nothing funny about real frat guys barfing on your pansies.

"Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return" - 'Oz' is in the public domain, meaning any rinky-dink animation studio can now soil your fond childhood memories.

MAY 16

"Godzilla" - A stellar marketing campaign and a great cast (Bryan Cranston!) elevates the King of the Monsters into must-see territory. Then again, we were all excited to see that other "Godzilla" movie back in 1998 too.

"Million Dollar Arm" - Don Draper meets "Moneyball" meets "Slumdog Millionaire."

MAY 23

"X-Men: Days of Future Past" - The last couple "X-Men" movies have been solid ("The Wolverine," "First Class"), and this one is based on one of the best stories from the comics. Let's stay cautiously optimistic.

"Blended" - Dear America: Stop giving your money to Adam Sandler.

MAY 30

"Maleficent" - Live-action spectacle starring Angelina Jolie as Sleeping Beauty's nemesis. It will make a ton of money, but these fairy-tale blockbusters have a history of being terrible ("Jack the Giant Slayer," "Alice in Wonderland," "Oz the Great and Powerful," etc.).

"A Million Ways to Die in the West" - Comedy Western from the inexplicably popular Seth MacFarlane, featuring an inexplicably strong supporting cast (Liam Neeson and Charlize Theron).

Limited release films worth seeking out in May:

"God's Pocket" - One of Phillip Seymour Hoffman's final films, directed by "Mad Men" star John Slattery.

"Chef" - Jon Favreau ditches the blockbusters to direct/star in this indie comedy.

JUNE 6

"Edge of Tomorrow" - Tom Cruise is having a "Groundhog Day" moment in his new science-fiction spectacle.

"The Fault in our Stars" - Beloved YA novel comes to the big screen with YA starlet Shailene Woodley ("Divergent") in the lead. Ask a teenager.

JUNE 13

"22 Jump Street" and "How to Train Your Dragon 2" - Sequels to surprisingly good movies. Both look solid, but expect diminishing returns.

JUNE 20

"Jersey Boys" - The Broadway smash hits the big screen, and it's directed by... Clint Eastwood?

"Think Like a Man Too" - Kevin Hart endures more advice from the host of "Family Feud."

JUNE 27

"Transformers: Age of Extinction" - Michael Bay's fourth outing with the robots in disguise and this time... I really, really, really, really don't care.

Limited release

film worth seeking out in June:

"The Rover" - The Australian outback gets an apocalyptic makeover as Guy Pearce wages war against an entire gang of ruthless troublemakers.

JULY 2

"Tammy" - Melissa McCarthy, Susan Sarandon and their potty-mouths take a humorous road trip.

"Earth to Echo" - Finally, a found-footage movie for the kiddies! It's about kids who text message with an alien. Really.

JULY 11

"Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" - Set a few years after the 2011 reboot, the new film focuses on ape leader Caesar (motion-capture extraordinaire Andy Serkis) clashing with the last humans on Earth. James Franco didn't survive the plague from the original film... is that a good or bad thing?

"And So It Goes" - Rom-com from Rob Reiner starring Diane Keaton and Michael Douglas. Welcome back to 1985!

JULY 18

"Jupiter Ascending" - Strange looking sci-fi adventure starring Channing Tatum, directed by the Wachowskis ("The Matrix," "Cloud Atlas"). It will either be brilliant or unwatchable.

"Planes: Fire and Rescue" - Disney's "Cars" spinoff will squeeze more bucks from unsuspecting parents (myself included, sadly). Pixar, by the way, is still not involved in this series.

JULY 25

"Hercules" - The Rock is a gigantic freight train of a man, so it makes sense that he's playing a guy who can body slam mythical creatures.

Limited release

films worth seeking

out in July:

"Begin Again" - The director of "Once" is back with another twee-indie musical, this time with recognizable faces like Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo.

"Boyhood" - Richard Linklater (the "Before" trilogy) made this coming-of-age drama over the span of a decade, and he used the same kid (Ellar Coltrane) as he went from age 5 to 18.

"Life Itself" - The acclaimed documentary celebrating the life of critic Roger Ebert.

"A Most Wanted Man" - The other "final" Phillip Seymour Hoffman movie centers on a terror crisis.

AUG. 1

"Guardians of the Galaxy" - Big space gamble featuring some lesser-known players in the Marvel comic book universe. A terrific first trailer and a cast headlined by "Parks and Recreation" breakout Chris Pratt - there may still be hope for Summer 2014.

AUG. 8

"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" - I've got 30 years of unabashed affection for the cornball franchise, and I still can't get excited about this Michael Bay-produced blockbuster. The Turtles look like live-action Shreks.

"Lucy" - Scarlett Johansson in full-fledged action star mode with this adventure from genre guru Luc Besson ("The Fifth Element," "Taken").

AUG. 15

"The Expendables 3" - Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson and Wesley Snipes join the crowd of aging action stars in a franchise that's never been as fun as it should be.

"The Giver" - Beloved YA science-fiction hits the big screen with power players Meryl Streep and Jeff Bridges. Then again... Taylor Swift also appears.

AUG. 22

"Sin City: A Dame To Kill For" - Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez return to their blood-soaked noir universe. Nine years after the original release, this feels like an afterthought. Mickey Rourke, Josh Brolin and noted thespian Lady Gaga star.

Get more summer movie talk at www.NorthwestPodcasts.com. Tyler Wilson can be reached at [email protected].