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.

Movies I have no doubts about and will see 

“Iron Man” (opens Friday)

Robert Downey Jr. stars in what many are saying will be the best comic book movie of the season. Again, I think Batman will eclipse it, with it being Heath Ledger’s final movie and all. But don’t get me wrong, “Iron Man” will be a wonderful romp.

There will be plenty of laughs, plenty of explosions and plenty of stars to be had. Downey is joined by actors Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges as well as director Jon Favreau.

Note: We have encountered some problems with the implementation of YouTube videos on our Wordpress blogs. The video sometimes fails to load and says something along the lines of “sorry, this video is no longer available.” This also has happened on other sites, such as Wasteofspace (Myspace).

If this happens, simply reload the page and click anywhere else but on the play button. You’ll then be taken to YouTube to view the video. Please come back to the blog and participate in comments!

Click here to view the embedded video.

“The Dark Knight” (July 18)

“Batman Begins” restarted and recharged a series that was seriously lagging with the horrid “Batman and Robin.” Christian Bale’s turn as Bruce Wayne/Batman rivaled Michael Keaton’s. “The Dark Knight” will bring the rethought story to a whole new level.

“The Dark Knight” is Heath Ledger’s final film, and most accounts say his turn as the Joker is exactly what was needed. The Joker had to be a lunatic, but one who could be your friend one minute, snap the next then go out for a drink. This could be the best villian portrayal in a long while.

Click here to view the embedded video.

“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” (May 22)

Who cares that Harrison Ford is 900 years old? Who cares that action-adventure movies have evolved? This is Indiana Jones, which set the standard all those years ago. It’ll do the same this time around. Oh, and the new Mr. Blockbuster Shia LaBeouf is in it, too.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Other movies I’ll be seeing: “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” (May 16), “The Incredible Hulk” (June 13), “Hancock” (July 2), “Hellboy 2: The Golden Army” (July 11), “The X-Files: I Want to Believe” (July 25), “Step Brothers” (July 25).

Movies that I won’t waste my time on but others are sure to like

“Sex and the City: The Movie” (May 30)

Wow now there’s something else to lose two hours of our lives. And, man Sarah Jessica Parker looks rough these days.

“The Happening” (June 13)

M. Night Shymalan took my last dollar with the dung fest of “The Lady in the Water” and the even worse “The Village.”

“Speed Racer” (May 9)

Great for the kids, but so-so for the adults. Lots of special effects and probably stupid jokes.

Some of the other movies showing this summer

“Made of Honor” (Friday) 

“Kung Fu Panda” (June 6)

“You Don’t Mess with the Zohan” (June 6)

“Get Smart” (June 20)

“The Love Guru” (June 20)

“Wall-E” (June 27)

“Wanted” (June 27)

“Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (July 2)

“Meet Dave” (July 11)

“The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emporer” (Aug. 1)

“Pineapple Express” (Aug. 8)

“Tropic Thunder” (Aug. 15)

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The John Landis directed film features several classic Jim Abrahams and David Zucker comedy skits. Most of them are tasteless, but funny in their own ways. No one is safe in this movie, as they are equal opportunity offenders.

The movie ends with a parody of Enter The Dragon. There’s one scene where the master is doling out punishment and a defiant man curses and says there’s nothing he can do to harm him. Then he’s told he’ll be taken to Detroit, which is the ultimate punishment.

Oh, poor Detroit.

There’s plenty of foul language and nudity to go around in “The Kentucky Fried Movie.” A little of both never hurt anyone.

Youtube video clip after the jump.

Here’s a clip from the final spoof. It’s one of the cleaner ones among those found on youtube.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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To this point, I’ve come up with yet another new semi-regular entry on my blog, Hidden Movie Gems. These blogs will detail some of my favorite movies that are off the beaten path, including some you may not be familar with.

The first Hidden Movie Gem is “They Live.”

“They Live” is a 1988 cult classic directed by the great John Carpenter. It stars professional wrestler Roddy Piper as a downtrodden construction worker who happens upon a box of sunglasses, and these are no ordinary sunglasses, mind you.

Piper’s character, appropriately named Nada, as if he means nothing and has nothing to live for, can see aliens pretending to be humans when he puts on the glasses. He also opens up a world of sumbliminal messaging, where the aliens are attempting to take over the world.

Of course, the aliens would rather rule the world than let the meddlesome human ruin their plans. The correlations to real life are everywhere, including the juxtiposition of the aliens as a controlling government using manipulation to keep the people down.

“They Live” also features one of the best fight scenes in movie history between Piper and Keith David, who plays Frank. The two fight because Nada is trying to convince Frank to put on the glasses. The fight is rumored to be “real,” as Carpenter told them to simply go at it and see what happens.

I’d attach the fight scene from youtube, but my memory tells me there’s some colorful language. So, feel free to find it on your own at youtube.

Here’s the trailer for “They Live,” which also showcases some memorable lines, such as one about bubble gum and kicking tail.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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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.

It began and ended with a booming voiceover by Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen), who as many of you may know from the cartoons, is a triumphant hero who dies to save mankind. Seeing him on screen made me feel like a kid again.
Of course, there were few scenes with the ominuous Megatron, but this movie was obviously a setup for two sequels. I’m sure we’ll see Megatron again, and my only hope is that the same crew returns for each movie because the tone of “Transformers” was perfect.
This was what summer movies are supposed to be, complete with an enticing teaser trailer for an unamed movie due out next year (word is it’s “Cloverfield” though that’s a code name for the monster movie supposedly taped with camcorders, much like the horrible “Blair Witch Project.”).
“Transformers,” as it has been said, will blow you away. It will again the next time I see it, which will be quite soon.
Update, Fourth of July: “Transformers” took in $8.8 million in preview screenings on Monday. It showed on about 3,000 screens and was expected to open on 4,000 screens on Tuesday. I’d say about 70 or so people were in the theater with me (8:30 p.m.). The first showing, 8 p.m. at Regency, had close to 200. I’m sure The Grand also did well.
Your thoughts? Did you like the film? Hate it?
Let me know. I’m on vacation, and I’ll check back periodically to see what’s on your mind.

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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?

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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.

She won a fancy Pulitzer Prize for the editorial, which she later incorrectly calls an article. Yay for Lane, played by Kate Bosworth, who looks EVERY bit her 23 years of age. She seemed more like a rookie rather than a veteran journalist.

This is a character who can’t tell Superman is Clark Kent and vice versa. Yet when he has his glasses off, he feels vulnerable. Again, never mind the fact there is a pivotal scene near the end where he has his glasses off and she fails to deduce what everyone already knows.

This is also a character who asks how many �f’s are in catastrophic. Someone pointed out that the scene first appeared in the comics, but that only furthers my theory that Lane is the worst reporter in the history of mankind and she has not one shred of intelligence.

Bosworth as Lane was stale. She was wooden. She was boring.

Brandon Routh, also a woody kind of guy in this flick, portrays Kent and Superman in such a way that you forget he’s on the screen. That was a good thing. That might have been the best thing to watch a Superman movie without Superman.

Superman’s lust for Lane is apparent, but she has moved on with her life with Richard (James Marsden) and a son, Jason (Tristan Lake Leabu). Cloning is illegal. Casting a guy who looks like Christopher Reeve is not.He spends several scenes “stalking” her by eavesdropping and peeking into her house. He also has a habit of staring at people and things in a creepy manner.

Wait, there’s more.

Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor is adequate, but it may be time to move away from Luthor as the main villain of the series. In “Returns” Luthor seeks to basically become a real-estate tycoon while killing off most of the planet.

And he wants to kill Superman. He’s close in doing so, but the use of good ol’ kryptonite is inconsistent. Also, I’d tend to think kryptonite in the blood stream would not be beneficial to Superman.

Then there’s the last epic scene in which kryptonite plays a vital role. But the effect of said kryptonite fits the needs of the story, rather than being a constant in the equation.

But again, never mind that.

Never mind the supporting characters were also dry and unimaginative.

Jimmy Olsen, played by Sam Huntington, reminded me of Tucker Carlson from CNN. Parker Posey as the conflicted Kitty Kowalski, was annoying and kept me hoping Luthor would bump her off.

And I think I would have liked Frank Langella reprising his role as Skeletor rather than Perry White. At least the film would have been interesting that way.

Never mind that the CGI is at times akin to “Clash of the Titans.” Never mind the Christian symbolism at the end of the film. Never mind that Bryan Singer will make a lot of cash off this film, that is, after he deducts the reportedly high $200-plus million budget.

And never mind that there will be a sequel to “Returns,” scheduled to come out in 2009.

What you should mind is “Batman Begins” and “Spider-Man 2″ were vastly superior films that set the bar for “Returns.” Singer missed the mark. Maybe he was caught up in showing us scene after scene of a CGI and actor portrayed Superman flying through the air countless times.

The best thing about “Returns” was the “Spider-Man 3″ trailer and the final credits. A few people clapped at the end of the film. I don’t think it was because they were happy. I think it was because they were rustled from their slumber and made an involuntary twitch.

“Returns” was supposed to take me back to the days when a superhero movie was something fresh and new. Instead, it made me wish for the grave.

It was that bad.

But I’m taking solace in the fact that “Spider-Man 3″ comes out in less than a year. Thank you, Hollywood.

For those who may be surfing here for the first time, or are just shy, please leave comments. I’d like to know your thoughts.

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The first was the Gator Gathering at the Senior Center in Panama City Beach with University of Florida men’s basketball coach Billy Donovan as the guest speaker.
This is the first time in recent memory that someone other than a member of the football coaching staff headlined the Panhandle’s gathering. Donovan earned the extra travel days when he won the school’s first national basketball championship.

The second event was the early premiere of “Superman Returns” at Regency Stadium 11. The special feature began at 10 p.m., with a full day of screenings slated for Wednesday.

For those salivating for more Superman info, surf over to the Returns Web site.

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