What better times to waste several $10 bills at the movies than spring and summer? Here are some upcoming comedy, action, and horror films for you to enjoy — or not. I have yet to see them, but with official movie trailers practically giving away half the film, I’d say my assessment is still pretty valid.

The Ruins

Release Date: April 4, 2008

Director: Carter Smith

Cast: Jena Malone (“Saved!”), Joe Anderson (“Becoming Jane”), Jonathan Tucker (“The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” [2003]), Shawn Ashmore (The “X-Men” series)

American tourists never learn, do they? They’re always meddling, prying things that shouldn’t be pried, annoying natives and the like. The college-aged ones are especially prone to torture and bloody deaths. But you would think that after watching countless numbers of horror movies with the same generic plot, we would at least be hesitant of traversing foreign territory, even if the films are “just movies.” The characters in “The Ruins” would disagree — but they pay for it dearly, of course.

In the official trailer, we’re introduced to a group of five friends vacationing in Mexico and doing typical vacation things like swimming and sunbathing. Out of nowhere, one of them decides to visit the ancient Mayan ruins just for kicks because, you know, unearthing ancient burial sites is so much fun. The other friends inevitably agree to tag along, and off they go to meet their impending deaths. Along the way, they encounter and stupidly ignore some natives who deliver an ominous warning to stay away from the ruins, thereby establishing the film’s dark tone and guaranteeing that all hell is about to break loose. (The natives are never wrong in these types of movies. You hear that, tourists? THEY ARE NEVER WRONG.)

Now, the thing that really gets me about these kids is that they don’t just go to the ruins to do ordinary tourist-y things like take photos, take a tour, or whatever. They actually go inside an ancient, abandoned Mayan archaeological dig with nothing but ropes and flashlights — after the natives vehemently warn them of some old, random curse. It doesn’t even matter what the curse is; the fact that they could be so dumb as to march their way into some foreign Mayan ruin — no wait — DESCEND into the darkness of a Mayan ruin, is just baffling to me. From there, the movie is totally predictable: they’re in pitch-black darkness, they hear suspicious noises, one of them suddenly gets dragged away from the group by an unknown thing, blah blah blah. Apparently, the “killer” in this film is a bunch of vines. Yes, vines. Vines that grow under your skin and make you sick, I guess. In other words: mindless (lack of) entertainment.

The Dark Knight

Release Date: July 25, 2008

Director: Christopher Nolan

Cast: Christian Bale (“American Psycho”), Heath Ledger (“Brokeback Mountain”), Maggie Gyllenhaal (“Secretary”), Morgan Freeman (“Million Dollar Baby”)

“The Dark Knight,” which is the sequel to 2005’s “Batman Begins,” is definitely one of the most hyped movies of the summer. The official trailer doesn’t really give much hint of a story or what the film is going to be about, but this isn’t surprising. After all, who doesn’t know Batman? And I’m sure the filmmakers/producers are expecting it to be popular for reasons other than a captivating plotline. While Christian Bale, who has come to be quite a respected actor in the industry, makes his return as the infallible hot guy in a tight bat-suit, the movie will really be talked about for the role of the Joker, played by recently deceased actor Heath Ledger. I tend to think that knowing one of the main leads is dead somewhat diminishes the exciting action-adventure feel to the movie, but I suppose Heath Ledger’s unexpected tragedy would also encourage you to see his very last film, as it is one more chance to see him alive. But enough with the sadness.

The movie itself does not look exceptionally promising, but it doesn’t have to. I am sure most action movie buffs will enjoy it just because it’s Batman. There are plenty of explosions, fast cars, feisty females and general action goodness to hold your attention. I did find Gyllenhaal’s placement slightly odd, though, especially considering her usual off-beat indie fare. But Bale, Ledger, and a small part from Morgan Freeman basically guarantee some well-played roles. Ledger, in particular, looked positively entrancing. And to be honest, you wouldn’t really be able to tell that it’s him without knowing beforehand; his accent and face are totally indiscernible. This may seem like a pointless observation, but considering that the roles of Batman and Joker have been played by multiple actors over the years (remember Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson from the 1989 version?), I think it’s important to totally remove yourself, as an actor, from the character. I want to see Batman fighting off evil villains and speed racing through the streets in his Batmobile. I don’t want to see Christian Bale playing Batman and doing all those things. Anyway, I’d probably burn another $10 hole in my wallet to see this. You should too.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Release Date: April 18, 2008

Director: Nicholas Stoller

Cast: Kristen Bell (“Veronica Mars”), Jason Segel (“How I Met Your Mother”), Mila Kunis (“That '70s Show”), Jonah Hill (“Superbad”)

If you’ve been to San Francisco recently, you may have seen some ads with mysterious lines like “I’m so over you, Sarah Marshall” and “My Mom always hated you, Sarah Marshall.” I don’t remember what I initially thought these were referring to, but look no further than this light-hearted comedy produced by Judd Apatow, the same maker of hits like “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and “Knocked Up” for the answer. The trailer makes this movie out to be no different from any other standard girls-night-out type of romantic comedy, but Apatow has established a reputation for insanely funny characters. His plots may not be that original, but who cares when you can watch Steve Carell spew obscenities whilst getting his chest waxed? And most people will probably recognize another actor from Apatow films: Jonah Hill, the foul-mouthed, chubby high school senior from “Superbad” making an appearance as a restaurant host in this film. So at least Sarah Marshall is guaranteed to be somewhat funny.

As far the story goes, we meet Jason Segel’s character as a down-on-his-luck guy who is dating a famous TV star, Kristen Bell’s character. Unfortunately, Bell dumps him at the beginning of the movie for a dirty but popular British rock star with unbelievably greasy hair and the desire to bed multiple women (they always want the bad guys, don’t they?). As the San Francisco ads apparently show, Segel desperately wants to forget about Bell and attempts to use one-night stands as a coping method. When that doesn’t exactly work as planned, he decides to take a relaxing trip to Hawaii — only to end up at the same hotel as Bell and her new rocker boyfriend and to make a reservation for the table directly across from theirs. Insert witty one-liners, sexual innuendo and dirty jokes, and there you have a film that’s probably going to be moderately popular but definitely not on the same level as “Superbad.” In that case, don’t waste your time or money.

Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay

Release Date: April 25, 2008

Directors: John Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg

Actors: John Cho, Kal Penn

So my review for this movie is pretty simple: go see it. I found the first Harold and Kumar film to be absolutely hilarious, and the trailer for its sequel promises even more crazy antics and hysterical one-liners. In keeping with all the buzz about terrorism, Harold and Kumar this time find themselves imprisoned in the infamous Guantanamo Bay detention center after Kumar is mistaken for a suicide bomber. The duo’s problems begin when Kumar is asked to step aside at an airport security checkpoint for a “random” check. Luckily, the two eventually get through but are attacked by fellow passengers when an old lady hallucinates and imagines Kumar to be a long-bearded and turbaned terrorist. Though Kumar is initially the only one taken into custody, Harold is forced to come along because “North Korea and Al-Qaeda are working together.” Somehow, in the midst of all this hilarity, Harold and Kumar escape from Guantanamo and end up at George Bush’s ranch house, where more political satire is sure to occur. When I can find myself laughing out loud at a two-and-a-half minute trailer, the movie is guaranteed to be some good mindless entertainment. Definitely check this one out.