My summer movie wrap up

This was a busy summer for me - so many movies, so little time. Thankfully, I was able to see all the movies I wanted to, as well as a few I wish I'd missed. I've decided to make a list of all the movies I've seen this summer, along with a quick mini-review for each. Keep in mind that within the next few months most of these movies will be available on Dish Network Pay-Per-View.-X-Men Origins: Wolverine- Wow, this one was disappointing, and I'm a fan of the X-Men franchise (though not of superhero movies in general). The first movie was passable, the second one blew me away, and the third tried balancing too many ideas at once but was still decent. I was really expecting Wolverine to be on par with X2, but it is easily the worst of the bunch.

The effects are terrible, the script meanders, and there are one too many missed opportunities here. Gambit was the only highlight of the film for me, but his character still felt out of place and pointless in the film.-Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian-I enjoyed the first one, which was a funny romp that was great entertainment for people of any age. The sequel follows in the same vein, and is just as enjoyable. For once a sequel that measures up to its predecessor.-Star Trek-this was a great movie to kick off the summer. This was everything that the new Star Wars films hoped to be and failed miserably at. The effects were amazing, the story was engaging, and there was plenty of character driven drama to help you care about the members of the Starship Enterprise. I am not a "Star Trek" fan at all, having never watched any of the old movies or the series, but this one succeeded by pleasing fans of the series as well as being completely accessible to people who aren't familiar with the franchise.-Drag Me To Hell-Sam Raimi's much heralded return to horror. This movie didn't excite me too much, mainly because I am not a fan of Raimi's Evil Dead series. It was okay, but nothing great.

It's certainly better than most horror movies that are released these days, but still not enough for me to give it a strong recommendation. See it if you're looking for a schlocky horror film that doesn't take itself too seriously and doesn't skimp on the bodily fluids.-UP- this was my favorite Pixar movie since Finding Nemo. I saw it in 3D, but unlike some other animated movies, this wasn't made just for the sake of having things fly out at you from the screen. The 3D simply enhanced the story, which was sweet and surprisingly heartfelt. Definitely another winner from Pixar, and one of their best efforts.-The Hangover- one of the best comedies I've ever seen and definitely in the running for the best movie I've seen all year. The laughs are totally consistent throughout and the four leads have great chemistry. Zach Galifianakis came out of nowhere and completely stole this movie. I suspect he has great things ahead for him as an actor. I'm glad this movie has enjoyed a long successful run in theaters because it deserves it. I can't wait to add this one to my DVD collection.-My Sister's Keeper- I'm not ashamed to admit I cried. Yes I'm a sap. My sister-in-law read the book and said the book was better, but with nothing to compare it to, I thought this was a great film, though I would have preferred to rent it because it's not a must-see at the theater. People were very critical of Cameron Diaz's performance, but I thought she was excellent.

This is without a doubt a tearjerker, so bring the tissues!-Land of the Lost- mildly humorous due to the presence of Will Ferrell, but there isn't much to this. It doesn't try to be serious, and remains tongue-in-cheek the entire time, but I still wasn't overly impressed, not enough to recommend it.-Bruno-unlike the hilarious Borat, this one felt like it was trying a little too hard. The situations seemed too set up, and the peoples' reactions were almost a little too unbelievable. Not as funny as Borat, but good for a few giggles.-Orphan- one of the biggest surprises of the summer for me. I really wasn't expecting this to be anything special, but to my surprise it is a gem in a rash of crappy horror movies. The studio who put this out, Dark Castle, has only made one good horror film in my opinion (2005's House of Wax) and this is just as good, if not better, than Wax. The great thing is that the movie is two hours long so they give you time to get to know the lead characters. That way you are more invested in them and are genuinely concerned for their safety as the horror grows around them. Isabelle Fuhrman, who plays the orphan Esther, is simply amazing and sometimes I had to keep reminding myself that she's only twelve! If a less capable young actress had played Esther, this movie would not have worked on the level it did. All of the child actors in this are outstanding, which is rare considering most children in movies come across as snide and annoying.

A treat for horror fans.-Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen- the first one that came out in 2007 is one of my guilty pleasures, and I loved it despite all of the usual Michael Bay trappings (extreme close-ups, music video cinematography, frenetic action scenes). The trailer for this summer's sequel really made it look amazing, but that couldn't have been further from the truth. The movie itself was horribly rushed and contained non-stop CGI action for 2 hours straight. Now, some of you might say having a lot of action is cool, but when you literally jump from one action scene to another, it becomes so grating and boring that you start praying for some downtime and quiet character interaction. The problem with this was that there was no downtime in between, so you never got a chance to breathe and appreciate the action when it happened. I just became desensitized to it. Plus there were a lot of surprisingly crude jokes that just weren't needed. I'm no prude or anything, but the first movie didn't need to resort to those jokes so why did this one? I never thought I would be so bored with a movie about fighting robots.-G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra- Though the action here was on par with Transformers as far as its over-the-top silliness, there was something much more genuine and fun about this movie.

They made an attempt to connect you to the characters through backstory and exposition, and unlike Transformers, there was downtime in between the action setpieces that made you look forward to what was coming. Reminded me of those fun action movies I used to watch when I was a kid. I will definitely be getting this on DVD.-Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince-I was gearing up for the worst with this one, only because the last Harry Potter film, 2007's Order of the Phoenix, was the first film in the franchise that actually disappointed me. But this one really surprised me with how much I enjoyed it. Some fans said it was too boring with not enough action, but I found it to be a slow boil with intriguing drama and great character material that's leading us up to the final two films. I am not one of those viewers who need constant action to be entertained, and I actually appreciate character study and development much more than things blowing up. It is now tied with the third film, Prisoner of Azkaban, for my favorite in the series.-The Final Destination- a fun entry in the Final Destination franchise.

Don't expect anything thought provoking or even intense. I think the filmmakers assumed after three films they've done enough of the slow build and tension thing, so here they resort to black comedy. I'm glad I saw it in theaters because this was one of my most anticipated movies of the year. I was a little let down, but the film is growing on me since I last saw it. It will fit nicely as part of my Final Destination DVD collection.-Halloween II- I saw this movie as a part of a double feature Saturday with The Final Destination. It, along with Destination, was one of my most anticipated movies of 2009. I absolutely loved it and I don't know why this movie is getting so much hate. I think people are afraid of things that are different and go beyond the boundaries, and that's exactly what Rob Zombie did here. Instead of staying within the limits of a standard slasher film sequel setup, Zombie took these characters to an entirely different level. All of them have been severely affected by the events from the first movie. It is a bleak and depressing film, very gritty, and at times hard to watch, but it is a horror film that makes you think and engages your mind. We need more horror movies like this.Overall, the honor of Best Film of the Summer goes to either The Hangover or Halloween II. They are both completely different movies, making it hard to choose just one, so we'll call it a tie for now.

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By: Frank Bilotta