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Jason Barney: I've been "all in" on the summer movie season and have seen 15 films since late April. It is a bit easier as far as cost goes because we have a drive in theater in our region. Two films for the cost of one really helps. Going to the movies during the summer is a sweet delight for me, and there are several films I still want to catch. Some in the theaters now, some in the next few weeks.

The Lorax was great. Superior kids movie with a great message.
Salmon Fishing in Yemen is really enjoyable. Quiet, small, nice.
Chimpanzee is a great nature documentary. Would highly recommend it.
Coriolanus was awful. I had to prevent myself from walking out just to get through it.
Wrath of the Titans had great action with a couple of "duh" plot moments. It was not as bad as some say.
Pirates was the first of the drive in films. My son liked it, so that is all that matters.
Three Stooges was okay. Some funny moments, but expectations weren't exactly high.
Dark Shadows was disappointing. I like Depp and Pfeiffer, but it was disappointing.
John Carter was also disappointing. I love science fiction but was almost asleep by the end.
Deep Blue Sea is an indie film that you should avoid. Nice effort but not worth seeing, really.
Battleship Ultimately not worth seeing. If you like color on the big screen, this one is for you.
MIB3 is a good "average" summer movie. Not bad. Entertaining.
21 Jump Street - second film at the drive in. Funny, worth seeing.
Crooked Arrows is a surprisingly good indie pic that I would highly recommend. Give it a chance and it will surprise you.
Avengers was not disappointing in the least. I waited five weeks after the opening, listened to the hype, and still liked it.

Edwin Davies: The last two films I've seen in the theater are Moonrise Kingdom and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

I absolutely adored Moonrise Kingdom, which I thought did a great job of balancing its depiction of the flush of young love against the palpable sadness of its adult characters, which created a film that was both poignant and sweet, yet also incredibly funny. I have some problems with the last third, which kind of get a little too manic in places, but Anderson did such a great job of anchoring even its most extravagant moments in a some deeply felt humanity. Probably my favorite film of the year so far.

I also enjoyed The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, even if I thought going in that it was going to be the sort of wacky British comedy that I generally don't like. It wound up being a lot sadder than that, thanks to a great cast and a script that was a touch more acerbic than I expected. It is a little too tourist-y in places, and the overall direction of the film was very familiar, but the route it took to its conclusion was delightfully surprising.

I also watched We Bought A Zoo on a plane, and I'll be damned if I didn't love it. I'm not a big Cameron Crowe fan (my idea of Hell is sitting and watching Almost Famous on repeat) but the unabashed sincerity of the film really won me over. It probably helped that it reminded me a lot of Field of Dreams, which is my Dad's favorite film and therefore one I have some very fond feelings about, and that Matt Damon was so damnably winning in the central role. Maybe I'm getting all mushy these days, but I thought it was really, really good, and better than the title would have you think.

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