Summer Movies

I love summer for its horrid heat and scorching afternoons while my PG and E bill hits the roof.....wait that is why I don't like summer. I DO like summer because of all the awesome movies that I have been waiting all year to come out are released!! Here is my take on some of the year's blockbusters (keep in mind that I am partial to movies based on comic books and I don't watch anything rated R or looks like I would regret having watched). Now that you know that I don't see many movies during the year - here is my report. One more note, I will rate the movie by how much of my ten dollars it was worth to go and see:

TMNT - I took my oldest two kids to this movie and my wife. I loved it. I am glad the turtles are back in animation (computer animation is a nice and needed upgrade) because it opens them up to a lot more creative story lines and ninja moves. I loved the stone warriors and a lot of the new characters they introduced (Max Winters, Shredder's daughter). I think the turtle storylines of other movies have played enough on the Rafael is a rebel storyline and they should move on from there, but otherwise very good. This movie was worth nine of my dollars.

Next - I went to this one with a group of guy friends (Umm - I think it had something to do with Jessica Biel and our wives not wanting to see us drool). This movie was very entertaining and had a good pace. Jessica Biel's role was a little weak and I kept waiting for her to take on some of the action. It did not happen. I liked the premise of the story but some of the plot threads were weakened by Nicholas Cage's narrow ability to see the future. Julianne Moore was pretty unconvincing as a tough FBI agent but likeable in her role. It was definitely a unique story line. This movie was worth about six of my dollars.

Spiderman 3 - I went to this one with my wife on a date and it was opening night. I loved it! I am a huge Spiderman fan and I liked what was presented. I have heard the movie catch a lot of flack from people but I think it is undeserved. A lot of changes are made in comic book movies and that is just the way it goes to make years of comics solid for the movies. I thought S3 did a great job of introducing Sandman and Venom and giving us another Goblin with a twist. I kept expecting Gwen Stacey to die but she did not, but that was my only surprise. I think Tobey Maguire is a clever Peter Parker and pulls off his character well. Remember - Peter Parker is a geek. He is the kid you picked on in school and did not do well in social situations. Add to that super powers and you have a confused and torn kid. This movie was worth all ten of my bucks.

Shrek 3 - I took my two oldest to see this movie. This is a good old fashioned Shrek movie with lots of laughs for everyone and a good message. I loved the idea of the plot and the anticpation of seeing Shrek and Fiona's kids. This movie is about being comfortable being you and stepping up to do things you didn't think you could do. All of the great people from the past stories are back including some new great ones like Merlin and Artie. In classic Shrek fashion, the last half of the movie is packed with action and tight situations the characters must escape from. This movie was worth all ten of my bucks.

POTC At World's End - I went to see this one with my brother since finding a sitter is a little hard right now with a newborn (don't worry my wife has now seen it also). I loved this movie. It wraps up the trilogy nicely and again adds some new characters that make it interesting. The most interesting ones are Sao Feng who is one of the pirate lords and Jack Sparrow's father played by Keith Richards. The movie is funny and intense as are the previous two movies. I would have changed one small detail at the end but other than that I thought it was great. The plot is a little complicated and keeping track of who is betraying who can be a little overwhelming. Make sure you stay all the way through the end of the credits for an extra scene. This movie was definitely worth all of my ten dollars.

I am drooling about what is around the corner. Expect reviews from FF2, Transformers, and HP Order of the Phoenix in the near future. Yoda says "See all of these movies you will, but skip "next" - you may want to."