Tybout: Getting pumped for summer flicks

Summer movie previews in newspapers are like the GameDay rosters they pass out at basketball… Summer movie previews in newspapers are like the GameDay rosters they pass out at basketball games — any self-respecting fan has already committed the big names to memory and needs no additional 411.

For a moment, I’m ashamed to say, I’d intended to give you just that: a dispassionate rundown of this summer’s blockbusters. But you watch TV. You surf the World Wide Web. I know you, like most of America, have heard of the following films: “Iron Man 2,” “Toy Story 3,” “Eclipse,” “Robin Hood,” etc.

Instead, I decided to make a list of the summer movies you might not have heard of — those film absent from the Super Bowl ad line-up. So I present, in chronological order, the hopeful underground hits of the summer, coming to select cities near you:

“Exit Through the Gift Shop” (April 16): Bringing the Internet’s handheld camera mayhem to the silver screen, “Gift Shop” is the story of one French shopkeeper’s attempt to capture legendary street artist and recluse Banksy on film. Does the shopkeeper get into a lot of crazy hijinks? Is there a lot of cool underground graffiti? The trailer and reviews seem to indicate “yes” on both counts.

“The Good, the Bad, the Weird” (April 23): Making its New York debut this month after a run in Korea, this over-the-top play on the Western follows three criminals as they race across the 1930s Manchurian desert following a mysterious map. What does the map lead to? It doesn’t matter — there are plenty of comically sensational battles to keep viewers hooked.

“Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll” (May 5): Debuting in America at the Tribeca Film Festival, this British biopic of punk legend Ian Dury (“Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick”) seems to follow, at first glance, your standard music movie formula: stunning lead performance, standard storyline.

It’s not often, though, that a biopic’s leading actor can claim King Kong and Gollum as his most famous roles. Playing himself for once, rather than a computer-generated avatar, Andy Serkis is the perfect fit for the polio-stricken musical icon — boasting both a rich emotional palate and an uncanny control of the body.

“Splice” (June 4): Like “Cloverfield,” this sci-fi thriller is playing hard-to-get — attracting audiences with tantalizing teasers that reveal a painfully limited amount of information. Here’s two things, though, the film already has to its credit: It’s produced by “Pan’s Labyrinth” mastermind Guillermo del Toro, and it’s a study of evolution gone awry a la “Jurassic Park.” Do you really need to know the details?

“I Am Love” (June 18): I know, it sounds melodramatic, especially when pronounced by its Italian title, “Io sono l’amore” — and it is, to some degree. But the film’s intense, bordering on scary trailer and the rave reviews it’s been receiving from our friends in the U.K., indicate “I Am Love” is much more than a soap opera. Amidst stunning cinematography and an overpowering score, British actress Tilda Swinton plays Emma, a Russian immigrant wedded to a rich businessman in Milan. To no one’s great surprise, Emma ends up falling for a young family friend, and a sweeping, passionate affair ensues. Your perfect highbrow escape from lowbrow blockbusters.

“Inception” (July 16): Okay, this might be a bit more mainstream, but “Inception” demands mention because it marks the return of Christopher Nolan, the auteur behind “The Dark Knight” and “Memento.” Looking, from the awe-inspiring teaser, like a throwback to Nolan’s earlier high-concept thrillers with millions more dollars going into production, “Inception” promises to be, if nothing else, a giant and satisfying mind-f*ck. Seriously, watch the trailer. If you like Nolan as much as I do, your excitement might verge on that of a 13-year old “Twilight” fan watching the “Eclipse” preview.