Organized Chaos

The summer movie season officially kicks off on Friday with the release of “Iron Man,” and the rest of this year’s crop is promising.

Summer has always been the best time for moviegoers, especially when network television stations provide the deluge of cruddy shows and reality muck. Big summer openings are always exciting, with packed house the norm. Although I’ve noticed Panama City doesn’t get as amped for movies as in other places I’ve lived.

But it’s still a good time.

The group features three superhero movies (well four with Will Smith’s comedic take as one), with my pick for “The Dark Knight” to rule over “Iron Man” and “The Incredible Hulk.” There are several sequels in the summer season, which runs into August. The most anticipated sequel, aside from Batman, is “Indiana Jones 4.”

Without further delay, here’s a look at this year’s summer movies. The first few are on my list as can’t miss. I’ll add the complete summer list, with links, near the end of this post.

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Those seeking an enjoyable summer moviegoing experience must purchase a ticket to “Transformers.”

Finally, a movie captures the imagination of my childhood, bringing me back to the days of the wildly successful cartoon. It had all the ingredients for fun, including smart writing, a comedic touch and;the classic battle of good vs. evil.

Like the giant robots, “Transformers” is more than meets the eye. A major portion of the movie plays like a comedy, with crisp lines delivered with precision from both human and robot counterparts. The final stages of the movie, with an epic battle between the Autobots and Decepticons, is tense and riveting.

I had high expectations and every one of them was met. This wasn’t a letdown like “Spider-Man 3″ or “Superman Returns.” This was everything I hoped for.

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I took in a movie at The Grand Theatre in Pier Park on Sunday. I would say some older, more dingy establishments should take notes.

I went to see “Shrek the Third” with my wife and our friend. I would suggest going to the Grand as soon as you can. As far as watching Shrek, you can skip that as it wasn’t funny or entertaining.

We were in what I would guess was one of the smaller theaters in the place. However, the screen stretched from the floor to the ceiling and the side walls. We were seated in the third-to-last row, and it was a strain at times, though I was able to recline in the seat to get a better view.

I’m pretty easy when it comes to my theater-going experience. I want good sound, a clear picture and a clean seat (the ones without the gunk on them, which is probably a combination of things you don’t want to think about.) The Grand supplied them all, and I’d assume it will be the same way in the coming years since Pier Park wants to have a certain upscale image.

The AC was low when we first sat down, but it cranked up in time. Other places either have too much or not enough AC, plus many of them are lacking fresh air and have a certain stench floating about.

I’m thinking that one or two theaters in the area will be out of business if they don’t make significant improvements soon.

For now, driving to Pier Park isn’t such a bad idea. Plus, the prices are better out there ($5.50 for a matinee until 6 p.m. and $7.50 after 6 p.m.)

Anyone else frequent the new place?

I so wanted to like “Superman Returns.” I so wanted to be taken back to my childhood when I watched the first two Superman films with much delight.

And when the opening credits rolled, featuring the original score by John Williams, and the funky circa 1978 graphics were plastered on the screen, I was jazzed. I was excited. I knew that this could rekindle those bygone days.

Then I watched the movie.

For those unaware of the story, Superman returns from a five-year trek to find lost remnants of his home planet, Krypton. Never mind he is faster than the speed of light. Never mind that he could probably check the whole galaxy in a matter of months.

UPDATE, June 30, 2:10 p.m.: I was mistaken about how Superman took his journey. You see, he used a ship because his powers would decrease as he traveled away from the sun. But, the movie still failed to explain where he got the ship and why he was driving with nothing on but a pair of shorts. And why can the Kryptonians, who are so advanced, not know how to land a ship?

Never mind his selfish journey left the Earth without a savior. But then again, Lois Lane, his love interest, wrote a scathing editorial titled, “Why the World Doesn’t Need Superman.” The world, or more accurately, she, was trying to get him out of her life like any scorned woman would.

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