SUMMER movies are all about wallowing in great, gooey gobs of excess. This is the season for the big (“Shrek the Third”), the loud (“Transformers”), and the uncomplicated (“Fantastic Four”) – stuff that goes perfectly with arctic air conditioning and extra-large troughs of buttery popcorn. Still, there will be times when you want some subtlety – more Zach Braff, less Michael Bay.

So rather than giving you a rundown of absolutely everything being released in the next four months (and excluding the “3” blockbusters from the previous page) our summer movie calendar offers one marquee-topping flick and one indie alternative for each of the 17 weeks. Happy viewing!

MAY 11

The Smash: “28 Weeks Later . . . ” In a sequel to “28 Days Later,” London’s declared free of the virus that turned its citizens into zombies – then one last carrier surfaces.

Why we care: Panders to our worst avian-flu imaginings.

The Sleeper: “Provoked: A True Story” Bollywood superstar Aishwarya Rai in a true story of an Indian woman who killed her abusive husband (Naveen Andrews) and was sentenced to life in prison.

Why we care: Might be good enough to wipe out memory of similarly themed J.Lo flick, “Enough.”

MAY 18

The Smash: “Captivity” Hot guy and girl (Daniel Gillies and Elisha Cuthbert) are kidnapped, held prisoner in a basement and tortured.

Why we care: Firestorm about overly torture-y billboards has predictably piqued our interest.

The sleeper: “The Wendell Baker Story” Luke Wilson’s the writer, co-director and star of this ’70s-throwback comedy about an ex-con; brother Owen co-stars, brother Andrew co-directs.

Why we care: You can never have too many Wilsons.

MAY 25

The Smash: OK, there’s “Bug” with Ashley Judd playing a bartender who becomes convinced she has parasites under her skin. But let’s just face facts: You’re going to see “Pirates of the Caribbean” and nothing else this week has much of a chance.

The sleeper: “Paprika” Trippy anime feature about a machine that lets you enter someone else’s dreams. Inevitably, it falls into the wrong hands.

Why we care: Perfect plot for sophisticated animators to really go nuts on the visuals.

JUNE 1

The Smash: “Knocked Up” Seth Rogen’s the lead in this comedy, from the director of “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” about a schlub who impregnates a one-night stand (Katherine Heigl).

Why we care: It’s a “Freaks and Geeks” reunion: director Judd Apatow, Rogen, Jason Segel and Martin Starr.

The sleeper: “Day Watch” The Russian sequel to 2006’s “Night Watch” is the follow-up in a trilogy of sprawling, high-octane Russian vampire movies.

Why we care: Takes every conceivable American action-film technique and throws it in a blender with some Russian actors.

JUNE 8

The Smash: “Surf’s Up” “It” boy Shia LaBeouf voices the lead in this animated story about a penguin who wants to be a surfer.

Why we care: If you can get past the penguin fatigue, it looks more promising than a lot of last year’s animated animal flicks.

The sleeper: “La Vie En Rose” French biopic about legendary singer Edith Piaf (Marion Cotillard), a cabaret sensation who died at 47.

Why we care: Cotillard reportedly knocks it out of the park as the long-suffering but charismatic Piaf.

JUNE 15

The Smash: “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer” Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis & Co. return as the superhero foursome, this time to battle not only Dr. Doom (Julian McMahon), but also the mysterious Silver Surfer.

Why we care: Ever since “X2,” we keep hoping another superhero sequel will surpass the original.

The sleeper: “Eagle vs. Shark” Socially awkward New Zealand woman (Loren Horsley) falls for even more socially awkward guy (Jemaine Clement, of comedy duo “Flight of the Conchords”).

Why we care: It’s the Kiwi “Napoleon Dynamite,” which will likely work both for and against it.

JUNE 22

The Smash: “Evan Almighty” Steve Carell reprises his character from “Bruce Almighty,” who’s called by God (Morgan Freeman) to build an ark.

Why we care: Anything Carell touches turns to funny.

The sleeper: “A Mighty Heart” Michael Winterbottom tells the story of Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter murdered in Pakistan in 2002. Angelina Jolie stars as his widow.

Why we care: Winterbottom brings the serious-film cred; Jolie brings the spectacle.

JUNE 29

The Smash: “Ratatouille” Pixar takes on French restaurants through the eyes of a Parisian rat (Patton Oswalt) who wants to become a chef.

Why we care: It’s Pixar. Resistance is futile.

The sleeper: “You Kill Me” (June 27) Ben Kingsley stars as a hit man who’s trying to change his life.

Why we care: Directed by John Dahl, who one day will craft a worthy follow-up to 1994’s “The Last Seduction.”

JULY 4

The Smash: “Transformers” The Deceptacons and the Autobots battle it out on planet Earth, Michael Bay- style!

Why we care: Doesn’t seem possible to take the concept of kiddie toys as scary alien invaders seriously – but you never know.

The sleeper: “Joshua” (July 6) New twist on the “Bad Seed” story, with Vera Farmiga and Sam Rockwell as parents of creepy 9-year-old boy.

Why we care: Farmiga and Rockwelboth have the chops to carry any film.

JULY 13

The Smash: “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” Fifth installment of the J.K. Rowling saga sees Hogwarts overtaken by a fascistic leader.

Why we care: Each successive Potter pic gets a little farther afield from being just a kids’ movie.

The sleeper: “Talk to Me” Don Cheadle stars as rabble-rousing ’60s radio DJ and ex-con Ralph Waldo “Petey” Green.

Why we care: Three reasons – Martin Sheen, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Cheadle.

JULY 20

The Smash: “I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry” Adam Sandler and Kevin James are fireman buddies who marry to get health benefits.

Why we care: Can Sandler play gay without turning it into Mr. Roper-style caricature?

The sleeper: “Hairspray” Film version of the Broadway musical, stars John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken and Amanda Bynes.

Why we care: Travolta in a fat-lady suit!

JULY 27

The Smash: “The Simpsons Movie” Feature version of the insanely long-running show sees Homer tasked with saving the world . . . from himself, as usual.

Why we care: Penned by the original writers, this could be a return to original, impeccable comedy.

The sleeper: “No Reservations” Catherine Zeta-Jones’ type-A chef becomes the guardian of her young niece, softens up and falls for fellow chef Aaron Eckhart.

Why we care: Eckhart, never the soft-and-cuddly type, is a good bet for a non-mushy romantic comedy.

AUG. 3

The Smash: “Hot Rod” Stuntman Andy Samberg attempts the ultimate jump to raise money to cure his abusive stepdad – so he can beat him up.

Why we care: Produced by Will Ferrell, this looks like “Talladega Nights Lite” – and that’s just fine by us.

The sleeper: “The Ten” David Wain (“Wet Hot American Summer”) directs series of comic vignettes based (loosely, one presumes) on the Ten Commandments.

Why we care: All-star cast includes Adam Brody, Paul Rudd, Jessica Alba, Famke Janssen, Winona Ryder, Liev Shreiber, Gretchen Mol, Oliver Platt.

AUG. 10

The Smash: “Stardust” Epic fantasy about young man trying to find his way back from a magical world. Stars Claire Danes, Robert De Niro, Sienna Miller and Michelle Pfeiffer.

Why we care: Based on a novel by acclaimed “Sandman” comic creator Neil Gaiman.

The sleeper: “Rocket Science” A teenage boy with a major stuttering problem tries to get the girl by joining the debate team.

Why we care: Won director award at Sundance.

AUG. 17

The Smash: “The Invasion” Update of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” stars Nicole Kidman as a psychiatrist who discovers what’s causing an alien plague.

Why we care: Kidman can clearly do creepy well, as in “The Others.”

The sleeper: “King of Kong” Old-school video game champions battle to be the best Donkey Kong player.

Why we care: Every so often, a documentary gets us totally engrossed in a random subculture – could “Kong” be this year’s?

AUG. 24

The Smash: “Virgin Territory” Hayden Christensen and Mischa Barton as Florentines in the Middle Ages who escape to the countryside during the Black Plague.

Why we care: This is why Barton left “The O.C.” Was it worth it?

The sleeper: “The Hottest State” Ethan Hawke writes, directs and appears in this adaptation of his novel about a Texan who moves to New York to make it as an actor.

Why we care: Hawke’s proven he can direct (“Chelsea Walls”) and write screenplays (“Before Sunset”) as well as act – can he juggle all three?

AUG. 31

The Smash: “Halloween” Rob Zombie’s remake of John Carpenter’s 1978 horror classic ups the gore ante but leaves the William Shatner mask pretty much intact.

Why we care: Zombie’s already proven himself a horror virtuoso with “House of 1000 Corpses,” its sequel and a “Grindhouse” trailer.

The sleeper: “Atonement” Keira Knightley and James McAvoy star in this adaptation of the Ian McEwan novel.

Why we care: Director Joe Wright did great things with Knightley in “Pride and Prejudice.”