Since we last talked movies, I’ve gone to the theater to see Buck (a documentary showing at the local art film theater; excellent); Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2(sad to see the franchise end; this was an excellent ending, though); and Cowboys & Aliens (an interesting take on alien movies, well done, good if you like lots of explosions, and the special effects were excellent).

Rentals includedStolen(stars Jon Hamm of HBO’s Mad Men; haunting); Independence Day (from my collection; love the scene when Will Smith shoots down the alien craft and drags the alien into Area 51); Crazy Heart(not sure why it won so many awards, I don’t find drunks entertaining); Alien Trespass (fun, if you remember this is all campy cheesiness); Cleaner(with Samuel Jackson, kind of an interesting mystery but it’s also fairly predictable); I tried to watch From Paris With Love, but turned it off after about 15 minutes;In the Electric Mist (stars Tommy Lee Jones, kind of intriguing and kind of boring, all at the same time); and I started to watch Ondine, with Colin Farrell, but the Netflix Streaming version ended at 17 minutes. Sigh.

I have plans to see Captain America in the near future. I decided that Larry Crowne and Crazy Stupid Lovewere perfect rentals, so I’ll see those one of these days.

What’s in store for August, you ask? Well, in two words: Not much. (Why am I saying that so often these days?!)

 August 5 brings Rise of the Planet of the Apes, starring James Franco, Andy Serkis and Brian Cox. I have no desire to see this prequel. The classic 1968 film starring Charlton Heston is the only Planet of the Apes movie I need to see. (The four sequels in the early 1970s weren’t great, though I’ll take them over the prequel any day.) The prequel is rated PG-13.

The Change-Up , rated R, stars Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds as two friends envious of the other’s life. A body switch proves what? And in limited release, The Whistleblower, rated R, stars Rachel Weisz as a police officer serving as a U.N. peacekeeper in Bosnia.

August 12 finds 30 Minutes or Less opening at your local theater. Not yet rated, the film stars Jessie Eisenberg as the kidnapped pizza delivery guy forced to rob a bank. The film will have wide appeal, I’m sure.

More my speed is The Help, starring Emma Stone, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer, which opens August 10 and is rated PG-13. Good and bad buzz on this one; the book was a bestseller, so we’ll see how the big screen version does. Final Destination 5 is rated R, of course, and is in 3D. And the title of Glee: The 3D Concert Movie says it all.

August 19 brings One Day, rated PG-13, to the big screen. Starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess, the movie shows the two meeting on the same day for two decades. Reminds me of the Broadway play and movie Same Time, Next Year (the 1978 movie starred Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn).

Also opening this weekend: Fright Night, rated R, finds a vampire (Colin Farrell) living next door to teen Anton Yelchin who goes to a magician (David Tennant) for help in this remake of a 1985 cult classic; Conan the Barbarian, rated R and in 3D, stars Jason Momoa as the barbarian in this new interpretation of the original Robert E. Howard stories; Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D (rated PG) stars Jessica Alba, Jeremy Pivin and Joel McHale in a reboot of the popular family franchise; Griff the Invisible, rated PG-13 and in limited release, stars Ryan Kwanten as an office worker moonlighting as a superhero, and also in limited release, the R-rated Amigo, the latest from director/writer John Sayles, takes a look at the Philippine-American War.

Opening August 26, Our Idiot Brother stars Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel and Emily Mortimer in an R-rated comedy about stoner Ned and his affect on the lives of his three sisters. My only question is, why, Paul, why?

Also opening this weekend: Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, rated R and starring Katie Holmes and Guy Pearce, takes a horrifying twist as a young girl (Bailee Madison) discovers creatures in her father’s new home; Colombiana, rated PG-13, stars Zoe Saldana as an assassin after the mobster who killed her parents; and in limited release, Higher Ground, rated R, examines a woman’s struggle with her faith in an adaptation of the book This Dark World.

I might see The Whistleblower, The Help, Fright Night and Conan the Barbarian. Then again, they all might wait for my to-rent list. I see a lot of rentals in my future.

In September, look for The Debt (this one looks very good), Warrior, Drive, Moneyball (the buzz is high on Brad Pitt’s performance), KillerElite, Dolphin Tale (my niece has personally met the dolphin at the center of this feel-good movie), 50/50and Dream House. Wow, looks like things might be picking up!

What’s on your must-see list? See ya at the movies!

June’s been pretty quiet on the movie front. Since we last talked movies, I’ve seen Kung Fu Panda 2 (fun, not as good as the first one, but sweet), Queen of the Sun (a documentary on bees, very enlightening and well done), Super 8 (excellent, less about aliens and more about family, friends and loss), and rented Babylon 5: The Lost Tales (yuck, loved the series but this extra …. not so much), Ten-Inch Hero (excellent, an indie rom-com from 2007 with Jensen Ackles in the cast. Enough said.), No Strings Attached (funny, well done, a bit on the raunchy side and more depth than I thought it would have), Tangled (cute and fun) and Tron: Legacy (definitely not worth it).

The Tourist and Hereafter (new additions to my collection) are waiting in my DVD player.

I also watched from my collection The Last Starfighter (cheesy fun from the 1980s), Speed and The Replacements (what can I say? I’m a fan of Keanu Reeves, and I watch The Replacements when I need to laugh) and The Italian Job (love the Mini Coopers racing against the train).

Here we go for July.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon : Starring Shia LaBeouf, Tyrese Gibson and Josh Duhamel, with newcomer Rosie Huntington-Whitely, this third in the franchise focuses on a hidden spacecraft on the moon. Looks like some crazy special effects. Transformers: Dark of the Moon opens June 29, is rated PG-13 (but lots of violence, parents) and is being released in 3D and IMAX formats. 
 

Larry Crowne : Tom Hanks portrays a man who, after being fired for not having gone to college, decides to get his college degree, and Julia Roberts stars as a college professor who’s lost her desire to teach. You can see how this one starts out, but I’m curious as to how it ends. Larry Crowne opens July 1 and is rated PG-13.
 

Monte Carlo : Three friends (Selena Gomez, Leighton Meester and Katie Cassidy) experience a disappointing visit to Paris (really?!) until one of them is mistaken for a British heiress, and the three are whisked off to Monte Carlo. Rated PG, Monte Carlo opens July 1.
 

Also opening July 1, in limited release: Terri, the story of a plus-sized teen (Jacob Wysocki) and how his life is impacted by his rather obnoxious vice-principal (John C. Reilly), is rated R; and The Perfect Host, which stars David Hyde Pierce as a man whose dinner party is interrupted by a would-be criminal (Clayne Crawford), focuses on the dark sides of both men and is rated R. 
 

Zookeeper : In this tale, the animals do actually run the zoo, as zookeeper Kevin James discovers when he contemplates leaving his post. Voices for the animals are provided by Cher, Sylvester Stallone, Nick Nolte, Adam Sandler, Judd Apatow, Jim Breuer, Jon Favreau, Faison Love, Maya Rudolph and Bas Rutten. Might be fun, but it’ll be a rental for me. Rated PG, Zookeeper opens July 8.
 

Horrible Bosses : Jason Bateman, Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis are caught in work hell as they each face the Worst Boss Ever (portrayed by Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Aniston and Colin Farrell). And what do they decide to do? Kill the bosses, with the help of Jamie Foxx. Yep, I’ll skip this one. Rated R, Horrible Bosses opens July 8.

Also opening July 8, The Ward is from director John Carpenter, stars Amber Heard and Mamie Gummer and is rated R (of course); andIronclad, starring Paul Giamatti as King John, Jason Flemyng, James Purefoy and Brian Cox, is rated R.
 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 : The last of the franchise, Part 2 wraps up the Harry Potter legend with the final battle between Harry and Voldemort. It’s been 10 years in the making, folks, and here’s where it ends. Sadly. This is a must-see-in-the-theater for me. Opening July 15, Harry Potter is in 3D and is rated PG-13.
 

Captain America:The First Avenger : Another offering from Marvel, Captain America stars Chris Evans as the titular character, going from a CGI’d little guy to a ripped hero. The film also stars Hugo Weaving, Stanley Tucci, Tommy Lee Jones, Neal McDonough and Derek Luke. And don’t forget to stay through the credits, as you know from watching Marvel’s Iron Man and Thor. I also hear they’re already filming the Avenger movie, which will bring these three superheroes and more together on the big screen. In 3D, Captain America is not yet rated and will open July 22. 
 

Friends With Benefits : Starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis, FWB shows best friends Dylan and Jamie complicating things when they add another layer to their friendship. Supposedly a comedy, this film is low on my to-rent list. Not yet rated, Friends With Benefits opens July 22. 
 

Cowboys and Aliens : Very high on my must-see list, Cowboys and Aliens stars Daniel Craig as the mystery man wearing a strange bracelet, and Harrison Ford as the man who owns Absolution, a town in the desert Arizona territory. As an alien ship starts abducting people, the town folks must band together to stop the invasion. Rated PG-13, Cowboys and Aliens opens July 29.

Also opening July 29, Crazy, Stupid, Love, which stars Steve Carell as a family man propelled into single life, also stars Julianne Moore and Ryan Gosling and is rated PG-13; and The Smurfs, which stars Neil Patrick Harris and Jayma Mays as the humans helping out the Smurfs (voiced by Jonathan Winters, Katy Perry, Alan Cumming, George Lopez, Paul Reubens, Kenan Thompson, Jeff Foxworthy and Fried Armisen) against the evil Gargamel (Hank Azaria), is in 3D and has yet to be rated.

Further out, I’d keep an eye on a few August releases: Riseof the Planet of the Apes, The Change-Up, 30 Minutes or Less, The Help (most definitely!), One Day, Fright Nightand Conan the Barbarian.

Any recommendations for your fellow moviegoers?

See ya at the theater!

While I love to talk movies, I’ve been allowing the real world to interfere with my writing about them. (Sorry, Dave!) So I’m going to play catch up today. I also have a few books waiting in the wings for future reviews. Stay tuned!

The last time we talked about movies, it was February and the Academy Awards. Hope you’ve all seen The King’s Speech. Well worth the rental, believe me!

So it’s been kind of quiet for me and the cineplex. Heavens, I just noticed I haven’t told you what I’ve seen since December! Yikes!

January: True Grit (good); Black Swan (good but disturbing and difficult to watch); The Mechanic (not that great, even for a Jason Statham action flick).

February: Unknown (not bad, worth a rental); and rentals, Toy Story 3 (good), Winter’s Bone (depressing and difficult to watch), The Social Network (not worth it), The Town (decent action, Jeremy Renner and Ben Affleck are good), Saving Grace (fun but not great), The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (the third in the Swedish trilogy is well done, again difficult to watch, as are the first two).

March: The Company Men (depressing but well done), The Adjustment Bureau (very good!), and rentals Miss Pettigrew Lived for a Day (worth the rental) and The Children of Huang Shi (well done , based on a true story, but I didn’t like the ending). 
 

April: Source Code (good with a neat twist), Hanna (definitely not worth it), and rentals How Do You Know (better than I expected) and Kinky Boots (fun).

May: Fast Five (I’ve seen the others in the series so had to see this one too), Thor (good action and special effects, light on plot, of course), Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (fun, not much to it, though); and rental Just Wright (fun, lightweight).

For Memorial Day weekend, we have opening The Hangover Part II (no, thank you), Kung Fu Panda 2 (eventually), and The Tree of Life (in limited release, and I’ll probably see it eventually).

So what’s coming up in June? Not much, I’m afraid.

The first weekend of the month brings X-Men: First Class to the big screen. I enjoyed the others in the franchise, so this is one of the ones I’ll probably see in the theater. We also have the limited release of The Beginners with Ewan McGregor and Christopher Plummer. This one looks very good, and I hope it plays somewhere near me.

On June 10, Super 8 opens. With Elle Fanning and Kyle Chandler, and directed by J.J. Abrams, Super 8 looks pretty good. I like science fiction and aliens, so this might be one to see in the theater. We also have in limited release a Norwegian release, The Troll Hunter, which might be worth seeing.

For the June 17 weekend, Green Lantern, starring Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively and Peter Sarsgaard, opens. I think I’ll go see this one in the theater, as the special effects look pretty awesome. Although, if it’s playing only in 3D, I’ll skip it. Also opening this weekend is Jim Carrey’s latest, Mr. Popper’s Penguins. I just saw the trailer for this one, and it looks like fun. A limited release is a documentary titled Buck, about a horse whisperer.

The last weekend of the month brings Cars 2 to your local theater. Lots of great voices, and even a couple of well-known race car drivers are on the list. Darrell Waltrip voices the character of Darrell Cartrip, and Jeff Gordon voices Jeff Gorvette. Looks like fun. An indie selection, A Better Life, looks pretty good, though I doubt if it makes it into many theaters.

You might keep an eye on July:Transformers: Dark of the Moon opens July 1, and the Harry Potter series concludes with The Deathly Hallows Part 2 on July 15. We also have another comic book coming to the screen with Captain America:The First Avenger opening July 22. And a big one for me will be Cowboys and Aliens, which opens July 29.

What’s on your to-see list? See ya at the movies!