I enjoyed the performances in this film. As Roy, Woody Harrelson channels the small-town aw-shucks nature of his Woody Boyd from Cheers, whereas Ben Kingsley (as Grinko) continues an incredible run this year. Is there a nationality that this guy can’t play? This tale of an innocent couple caught up way over their head in criminal acts echoes the work of Alfred Hitchcock. If fact, when Jessie first discovered that Roy was missing from the train, I thought for a minute that this film may actually be a remake of Hitch’s 1938 classic The Lady Vanishes, which we actually got a couple of years ago with the Jodie Foster vehicle Flightplan. But Transsiberian is a terrific thriller. Director Brad Anderson and co-screenwriter Will Conroy keep us on our toes, and we are never quite sure where the film is taking us next. I think Hitchcock would be proud.

I don’t want to give you the impression that I find no redeeming value in Tropic Thunder. It’s fun to spot the many references to classic war films like Saving Private Ryan—a rare moment in which I did burst into laughter—and Platoon. There’s also a delightful Indiana Jones moment for Jack Black’s heroin-addict character. I also enjoyed some of the film’s The Player-like satire; but most of the moments that generated laughter from the promotional screening audience resulted from the gross-out gags and excessive cursing. Maybe I’ve just become inoculated to that approach after having seen so many films that thrive on that kind of humor. Still, maybe where Tropic Thunder goes wrong is its failure to create characters to care about. I didn’t give a darn whether Stiller and company got out of the jungle alive or not. Cruel? Maybe. But hey, this is Hollywood.

The battle animation is top notch, with dazzling color and detail. Fortunately, the technical quality makes up for what is, plot-wise, a pretty routine story with dialogue that has been uttered in various forms hundreds of times by cowboys, cops, soldiers, spacemen, and super heroes through decades of films, movie serials, television shows, and cartoons. Of course, that is nothing new for the Star Wars franchise. It has always borrowed heavily and recognizably from these genres, and that is partly why it works so well. People love a ripping action story altered slightly, but with the basic premise—good guys battle bad guys and, after several hardships, near escapes, and fights, they finally triumph—intact. The target audience will, however, enjoy it more than their older brothers and sisters—and their parents. I doubt the retread plot and dialogue will win new devotees to the leagues of Star Wars enthusiasts.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 is told well enough that a significant portion of the male population might not merely tolerate it, but possibly enjoy it—and it is, without a doubt, an acceptable and appropriate date movie. How do I know this? Well, anecdotally, my wife and I both rolled our eyes through the first Pants movie; in the second, only I did. If you want to impress your date, take her to see this. Pay attention, too, so you can talk about the movie later, Mr. Sensitivity; you may launch your relationship into new and stronger territory. And you might even enjoy the movie well enough to actually grunt some meaningful dialogue afterward.

To be sure, Boy A treads a lot of familiar ground while it explores the breadth of the “leopards can’t change their spots” vs. “clothes make the man” spectrum. We’ve seen loads and loads of bullying tales, of stories about abused children, of well-meaning examinations of the psyches of criminals, petty and otherwise. So why did this tragic saga of disaffected youth and its consequences work so well for me? Top of the list is Andrew Garfield’s performance as Jack, playing the type of open-mouthed lostness that Anthony Perkins perfected. The film’s flashback structure also works rather well, as tired a device as it has become. Mark O’Rowe’s screenplay and John Crowley’s direction seamlessly interleave the scenes from Jack’s past in a fashion that reminds me of Waterland, one of the best films of the flashback genre. But if you believe that convicted killers are best left locked away for good regardless of remorse or repentance, you will have little patience for Boy A and his plight—or for this story.

I didn’t particularly enjoy Hell Ride while I was watching it (though I was never bored), and I still don’t think it’s that great of a film; but after mulling over it during the drive home, I’m beginning to appreciate the film for what it is and what it was trying to be. It’s a B-movie, and a fairly well-made B-movie at that. It’s also no surprise to find Quentin Tarantino’s name attached to this project as executive producer. The film works like a grindhouse cross between a biker movie and a spaghetti western—exactly the kind of film we know Tarantino loves most: campy, overblown, and very, very violent. This seems like one of those films that you’d never seek out to watch, but you might find to be a fun interruption to your late-night channel surfing. Of course, after being edited for content, there’d only be about an hour of this film left.

This is no simple tale of familial favoritism: it’s truly an epic tale of biblical proportions, offering insight into the kinds of rifts that tear nations apart even after five thousand years—and into the kind of spiritual healing that’s free for the taking, if only we can get past the stammering impotence of God’s servants long enough to hear the haunting beauty that calls to us through the Gospel. One of the prophetic voices of the Old Testament promised that the Messiah would turn hearts of stone to hearts of flesh. If you let it, The Stone Angel might just do for you what very real, flesh-and-blood, pot-smoking and Bible-wielding angels manage to do for Hagar.

The film follows the band to concerts and political rallies, and exhorts you to feel the loss of the Iraqi war—and our responsibility to do something about status quo-living here in the good ol’ USA. Love your country enough to change it, so to speak. The most interesting part of the film (and the only real conservative voice) comes from an Atlanta concert when the band breaks into “Let’s Impeach the President.” The previous appreciative crowd began to turn on CSNY, and the chorus of boos becomes obvious. Much of the fan reaction is disgust, disappointment, and—for some—rage in the likeness of Tourette’s Syndrome. If you are a CSNY fan and want to see some good new and old mixes—and can put away your political badge—then this film is for you. However, if you are a card-carrying Republican, born on the 4th of July, this film will only anger you.

Space Chimps is a fun movie, even though I expected far less than the film actually delivered. The creatures are none too scary, and the good guys—the chimps as well as the friends they acquire while on their mission—are, admittedly, pretty cute. Several positive themes and lessons are woven into the movie as well: friendship, self-sacrifice, and mutual understanding, in addition to numerous others. Another important message within Space Chimps is that none of us is immune from taking advantage of those weaker than ourselves—a clear and gentle reminder for each of us. This is one of those rare occasions where a simplistic story is at least entertaining enough to keep adults interested.

From Indy to Caspian, theaters are packed with people anticipating exciting effects, heroes in peril, witty repartee, and crowd-pleasing endings. So how does a relatively “smaller” film—one with only one big star, little advance buzz, and not as much money spent on production… although quite a bit, still—get a summer audience? Make it 3D! And make it PG, too so that it can be a family event. In Journey to the Center of the Earth, Brendan Fraser slips into his well-used Mummy “scientist accidentally roped in to an adventure” bit and heads up this (actually) fairly entertaining jaunt into Jules Verne’s imagination. Oh… and it’s in 3D!