The Dark Knight Rises

3 Paws
Seen recently at Aksarben Cinema

What do you do when it's 106 degrees outside on a Sunday afternoon if you're not a scorpion? You go to the movies.

Christian Bale is the best Batman ever, and director Christopher Nolan sends him out in exquisite style, even though The Dark Knight Rises is too long and too loud and his Gotham populace gives up too easily. My only other quibble - Tom Hardy's Bane. I found him uber creepy in the trailers, but the more I heard him blather on and on in the film, the more he reminded me of the Cookie Monster with an expanded vocabulary.

But, back to the good stuff. The well-known cast members (Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt) are good. Two unknown cast members - a pair of older prisoners who counsel a beat up and broken Bruce Wayne while he's in the hole - as well as the film's score, are better. And the ending - which neatly ties together a series of clues we've been given but don't recognize as clues at the time - is the best.

An addendum:
Movie houses are my refuge from the world. Watching a security guard patrol through them is supposed to make you feel better, but it doesn't. It only makes you think about the awful thing that happened to an innocent group of people who just wanted to see a film. Don't let guns keep you out of the theater. Keep guns out of the theater.

Bonus Bones: 2
Look for a pair of police dogs during one of the mass hysteria scenes (there are many).

To Rome with Love

2.5 Paws

Seen recently at the Marcus 20 Grand Cinema

I think Woody is over his creepy period - his film wives are getting older.

This one reminds me of a Bob and Bing "Road" picture - it's full of winks to the audience, slapstick moments and musical numbers. It's also full of Woody - Woody doing Woody (which makes sense), Jesse Eisenberg doing Woody, Ellen Page doing Woody - enough, already. How much neurosis does one film need?

The all-star cast has its hits (Judy Davis as Phyllis, Alec Baldwin as John, Penelope Cruz as Anna) and one big miss - Roberto Benigni as Leopoldo. Hey, I appreciated Life Is Beautiful. Then he had to go and ruin it all by acting like a complete nutter during his best actor acceptance speech (it was more like a gaudy parade) at the 1999 Academy Awards. If he'd just tone his volume down a bit, I could take him in very small doses.

If you're not traveling this summer, it's a good armchair vacation.

Bonus Bones: 0

I don't think Woody's a dog person.

The Amazing Spider-Man

2.5 Paws

Seen recently at Aksarben Cinema

It's a little like cheating on Tobey Maguire with his younger, skinnier brother.

Andrew Garfield's Peter Parker is a bit too cool and too mean for my liking. He lacks that endearing quality that made Maguire so appealing in his multiple turns as the comic book icon. The rest of the cast makes up for it, though.

Heavyweights Martin Sheen and Sally Field (Uncle Ben and Aunt May) add credibility to this tale we know so well, Emma Stone's Gwen Stacy is as gosh darn perfect as you'd expect her to be, and The Lizard (Rhys Ifans) has just enough vulnerability at his core to make him a pretty good villain. A quick plea to the underrated Denis Leary, who plays Gwen's dad - make more serious movies, please.

The action is easy to follow and fun to watch, but it might not be enough for those who like to leave the theatre with their ears ringing.

Bonus Bones: 0

No dogs, but lots of lizards.

Moonrise Kingdom

3 Paws

Seen recently at Film Streams

My favorite Wes Anderson film is The Royal Tenenbaums. It's a masterpiece of storytelling, style and heart, and it's on my top 10 list of movies ever made. I wanted to love this one almost as much, so I entered the crowded theatre with high hopes, not unlike those lucky Brits with tickets to today's Wimbleton men's singles final to see countryman Andy Murray take on the legendary Roger Federer.

In case you're not a tennis fan, Murray lost. There was a lot to like about his approach to the match, though, and his runner-up acceptance speech will no doubt make him one of the most cheered-for players on the tour. Moonrise Kingdom turned in a similar performance for me. The child leads (Kara Hayward as Suzy and Jared Gilman as Sam), despite their best efforts, can't support the heft of Anderson's thoughts.

If you were alive in 1965, though, you'll marvel at Anderson's attention to detail, from Suzy's white knee-high socks to the braided oval rugs in the Bishop house. (My two oldest brothers were Boy Scouts in Troop 66, so all the neckerchiefs and merit badges and jamborees in the film are part of my collective family memory.) You'll want to book a vacation on this magical island, where you can swim and read overdue library books and listen to vinyl on a battery-operated record player. At least I do.

Bonus Bones: 5

Alas, poor Snoopy. I thought Scouts were supposed to be trustworthy.

Safety Not Guaranteed

3 Paws

Seen recently at the Dundee Theatre (still musty, but not for long)

Summer is all about the blockbuster, but every once in a while, you come across a little gem that deserves to be seen by the masses.

This film is a must see for anyone who's ever felt like a weirdo, either because of what you look like or what's going on inside your head that others can't see. Writer Derek Connolly's script seems to have avoided the Hollywood cleansing process, so its quirky charm, honesty and ending all made the final cut.

The relatively unknown cast really sold the story, which is - well - out there. My favorite is Jake M. Johnson's Jeff, a veteran magazine writer who's tired of his own charades. His fist pump during the final scene is exactly how I felt. I just don't think it would have worked with a bunch of A-listers.

Bonus Bones: 0

Maybe they're cat people in the Pacific Northwest, but I didn't see any of those, either.

First Position

3 Paws

Seen recently at the Dundee Theatre (still musty, but not for long)

I'm a sucker for a dance movie, particularly if it involves tights and tutus. Grace, power and discipline have always eluded me, so I'm fascinated by those who can harness all three to create something magical for others to experience.

This documentary, which follows six dancers from around the world who compete in the Youth America Grand Prix, is fast-paced, honest and insightful. I have no idea how kids that age deal with that amount of pressure, where five minutes on stage can impact the direction your life will take from there on out. And although the actual dance sequences are fun to watch, the family relationships behind each dancer - some wonderful, some cringeworthy - take center stage.

The best part? Things turn out pretty well for the one I was rooting for the most.

Bonus Bones: 4

I think I counted four dogs among the families of the six dancers, but they didn't get a lot of screen time.