Last winter clung to Rochester for an awfully long time. No sane person could have possibly faulted you for choosing to park yourself in a warm, cozy theater rather than engage in some bone-chilling outdoor "fun." But now that the days are both lovelier and longer, your conscience might be pressuring you to stay outside and enjoy the all-too-brief summer of Western New York. My advice? Muffle that nagging voice with a bucket of popcorn, drown it with root beer, then Junior-Mint the hell out of it. Summer-movie season is upon us, and there's so much to see! Besides, once the weekend rolls around, it'll probably be raining anyway.

So here are a gaggle of summer-screen highlights laid out in convenient alphabetical fashion, for those who are into that sort of thing.

A is for Aziz Ansari: The sketch comedian ("Human Giant") turned sitcom scene-stealer ("Parks and Recreation") co-stars in "Zombieland" director Ruben Fleischer's "30 Minutes or Less," a comedy about a meek pizza-delivery boy (Jesse Eisenberg) forced to rob a bank. (8/12)

B is for "Beginners": Perhaps the peerless Christopher Plummer will finally win that elusive Oscar for his performance in Mike Mills' autobiographical dramedy about an elderly man who announces to his son (Ewan McGregor) that he is gay. (7/8)

C is for "Crazy, Stupid, Love.": This romantic comedy stars Steve Carell as a newly single dad navigating the dating scene with the help of cocky bachelor...Ryan Gosling!? OK; I'm in. (7/29)

D is for "The Debt": Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson, and "Avatar" hero Sam Worthington lead the cast in the latest from John Madden ("Shakespeare In Love"), a spy thriller about a trio of retired Mossad agents whose past catches up with them. (8/31)

E is for Emma Stone: The smoky-voiced charmer plays Skeeter in the eagerly awaited adaptation of "The Help," a drama set in 1960's Mississippi about the changeable relationships between white households and the African-American women who work for them. (8/12)

F is for Franco: Does he even need a first name anymore? Oscar nominee-soap star-college student James Franco headlines "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," an origin story set in modern-day that reveals how scientists might be to blame for ultimate simian supremacy. (8/5)

G is for "The Guard": This blend of buddy-cop flick and fish-out-of-water tale stars Don Cheadle as a by-the-books FBI agent forced to work with Brendan Gleeson's rural Irish sergeant on a narcotics case. (7/29 ltd.)

H is for Harrison Ford: Indiana Jones teams up with James Bond (a/k/a Daniel Craig) for Jon Favreau's sci-fi Western "Cowboys and Aliens," with the invasion occurring in 1873 Arizona. (7/29)

I is for Idiot: Paul Rudd isn't really an idiot; he just plays the title character in the Jesse Peretz comedy "Our Idiot Brother," opposite Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, and Emily Mortimer as his frustrated sisters. (8/26)

J is for Justin Timberlake: JT has a busy, R-rated summer ahead of him: first up is "Bad Teacher," playing the object of hot-mess Cameron Diaz's desire (6/24), then he co-stars with Mila Kunis in "Friends With Benefits," which has nothing to do with full medical coverage. (7/22)

K is for Kevin Spacey: The Oscar winner plays one of the "Horrible Bosses" in this dark comedy about three guys - Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis - who conspire to murder their respective supervisors. (7/8)

L is for "Larry Crowne": In director Tom Hanks' second feature - 15 years after "That Thing You Do!" - he stars as as a middle-aged man who returns to school and develops a crush on Julia Roberts' similarly lost teacher. (7/1)

M is for Michael Winterbottom: One of cinema's most underappreciated filmmakers returns with "The Trip," a comedy travelogue that watches Steve Coogan and his best friend Rob Brydon bicker and chew their way through the restaurants of Northern England. (7/15)

N is for Nim Chimpsky: A chimpanzee raised like a human child in a Manhattan brownstone during the 1970's is the subject of "Project Nim," documentarian James Marsh's follow-up to the Oscar-winning "Man On Wire." (7/8 ltd.)

O is for "One Day": Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess star for Danish filmmaker Lone Scherfig in this love story that observes as two people meet on the same day over a period of 20 years. (8/19)

P is for Prime: You know Optimus; now meet his ancestor Sentinel (voiced by the great Leonard Nimoy) when "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" travels to space and back for the final, Megan Fox-free showdown between the Autobots and the Decepticons. (7/1)

Q is for Quidditch: What? There's no time for games, people: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" concludes with its action-packed Part 2. (7/15)

R is for Ryan Reynolds: First he stars as the DC superhero in "Green Lantern" (6/17), then he plays a fun-loving bachelor who gets all Freaky-Friday with Jason Bateman's family man in "The Change-Up" (8/5).

S is for "Submarine": This coming-of-age tale from British comedian Richard Ayoade tells the story of an awkward 15-year-old trying to both woo a classmate and extinguish the spark between his mum (Sally Hawkins) and an old flame (Paddy Considine). (July)

T is for "Terri": Azazel Jacobs follows up the acclaimed "Momma's Man" with this bittersweet comedy about the friendship between an overweight teenage loner (Jacob Wysocki, in his feature debut) and his assistant principal (the invaluable John C. Reilly). (8/12)

U is for Utopia: It's the Texas setting of "Seven Days in Utopia," starring Lucas Black as a frustrated golf pro who takes a step back from the tour with the help of Robert Duvall's eccentric rancher. (8/12)

V is for Vera Farmiga: The Oscar nominee for "Up In The Air" makes her directing debut with "Higher Ground," in which she stars as an evangelical Christian woman navigating life, love, and faith. (8/12 ltd.)

W is for Wayne Wang: The director of "The Joy Luck Club" revisits the bond between women with "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan," a drama about two girls contending with the patriarchal society of 19th-century China. (8/5)

X is for "X-Men: First Class": James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender star as Charles Xavier and Eric Lehnsherr in the Matthew-Vaughn directed origin story detailing their friendship as well as the rift that resulted in Professor X and Magneto.

Y is for Yelchin: Anton, that is. After portraying Chekov in "Star Trek," the busy up-and-comer takes on the increasingly interesting Colin Farrell as the vampire-next-door in this 3D remake of the 80's cult classic "Fright Night" by "Lars and the Real Girl" director Craig Gillespie. (8/19)

Z is for " Zookeeper": Yeah, it's got Kevin James and animals with the voices of Adam Sandler, Sylvester Stallone, and Cher, but what was I supposed to do? I really needed a Z. (7/8)

Oh! Please don't forget that release dates are subject to change...