An-ti-ci-pa-tion. It’s making me wait.

Whether it’s blockbusters or ketchup, anticipation is an unscientific measure of quality. Tentpoles and Heinz come slower than a one-legged dog when called, but are they worth the wait? BuddyTV  asked me to rate this summer’s major motion pictures in terms of my excitement level. I have ranked them below, from most eagerly awaited to most hopefully avoided, along with some short, snarky parentheticals explaining my reasoning. (Please, feel free to disagree right here on this blog post.)

UP   (Pixar is undefeated. Can they go 10 for 10?)

PUBLIC ENEMIES   (I don’t care if Michael Mann is an ass, he’s also a brilliant filmmaker)

BRUNO   (Can Sacha fool America again? Really?)

TERMINATOR SALVATION (I’ll be back… yet again.)

MANAGEMENT (I love Steve Zahn!)

NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 2 (Great cast)

THE TAKING OF PELHAM 1-2-3 (Enjoyed the original; love Denzel, loathe Travolta)

(500) DAYS OF SUMMER (Worth it for Zooey alone)

IMAGINE THAT (written by my friends, a must see)

DRAG ME TO HELL (Sam Raimi‘s return to form!?!)

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS (The trailer looks awful, but QT still deserves a look)

THE HANGOVER (If only for Mike Tyson singing Phil Collins)

THE HURT LOCKER (Welcome back, Kathryn Bigelow)

FUNNY PEOPLE (Adam Sandler dying? Wish fulfillment?)

JULIE & JULIA (For Streep and Adams)

THE BOAT THAT ROCKED (Still getting my sea legs)

G.I. JOE  (Okay, I was a boy once. Once!)

TRANSFORMERS 2 (Revenge of the silly!)

LAND OF THE LOST (Hated the series, why should I enjoy the cheese on the big screen?)

H2: HALLOWEEN 2 (MacDowell, Malcolm in the middle… of mayhem. Rob Zombie mayhem!)

THE UGLY TRUTH (They said it, not me)

G-FORCE (Better than an ICE AGE re-tread, methinks)

ICE AGE: DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS (Um, not quite Pixar)

HARRY POTTER AND THE… umpteenth, full-blooded disappointment?

SHORTS (Briefly interested)

I LOVE YOU, BETH COOPER (I love you not, Chris Columbus.)

ALIENS IN THE ATTIC (Bats in the belfry?)

MY SISTER’S KEEPER (Good book… might be better to re-read it)

YEAR ONE (Didn’t they make this with Ringo Starr already? CAVEMAN?)

THE PROPOSAL (Say I don’t)

MY LIFE IN RUINS (Nia Vardalos? Ugh. MY BIG FAT I DON’T GIVE A CRAP!)

DANCE FLICK (Yipes! More Wayans!)

LITTLE ASHES (Um, the veggie vampire as Dali? Pass.)

ANGELS & DEMONS (Still wish I hadn’t seen the first one)