Best Okay, I've Been Watching All the Summer Movies, Too

Actually, I've probably seen fewer of them than a lot of you. It can be so hard to make the time to for the Terminator!

Here's what I think of what I've seen...

17 Again: This movie was so funny! I laughed at so many jokes! I had been told this was surprisingly good but still went in with my doubts. Guess I just had to see how surprisingly good it was for myself. Everyone: did you know that the nerdy friend graduated from my high school? Yup. He did.

Star Trek: Every movie should be this good. And I don't say this in the same sense that one may say "Every day should be Christmas." I literally mean that every movie that is made should be made by people working hard to make sure that the ideas are good and that the acting is good and that the audience is entertained and that the whole thing moves along and everyone leaves the movie theater a little more than satisfied. Quality should be the standard, not the exception.

Wolverine: Whatever. Logan sure looked to the sky and roared "Noooooooo!!!!" as the camera pulled back into space a whole lot in this one. Again: Whatever.

Up: Here's where I start losing friends. If you and I have talked movies then maybe I've told you how the last year or so has been rough between Pixar and I. Basically, something switched off inside of me and I'm just not buying it anymore. I hate to say that, but I need to be honest. Oh, I liked the jokes with animals, I'm not coming here to tell you that there were no good jokes in this movie but I am coming here to tell you that this was just a movie. They start the thing out by dicing a whole bag of onions right under your eyes and try to keep riding that forced emotional wave all the way through to the end...sometimes I fell for it, but I could feel myself falling for it, I could tell I was being tricked. Listen, again, just about any joke with the Dug the Dog or the bird I liked, but that keeps this thing at the level of a solid Loony Tunes short or satisfying Simpsons episode.

But the thing I really want to say is: I am done with 3D, I am against 3D. I tried so hard to find a screening of this movie not in 3D in Manhattan, basically it's impossible. 3D isn't just a gimic, it's a dirty trick and it will seriously have its way with your wallet. I want to see bright colors, I want even the things standing still to not be totally blurred. I'm done with this game.

Until Avatar.

Maybe.