Summer Is Here

Ah, contentment. It's a gorgeous day in the DC area, and I'm at peace. In case you missed the memo, my lovely husband with the adorable smile and rakish charm and I bought a new house recently. (Like Stef, we had to do something to help this lagging economy.) And now I'm really enjoying the fruits of that labor. I'm reclining on our concrete back patio, which I have decided to henceforth refer to as "the lanai" as an homage to The Golden Girls. I'm munching on cheese balls and sipping a vodka & cranberry (the vodka is this stuff from Transylvania - ooo, spooky!). Around me I hear the robins chirping and a dog barking. Our resident blue jays are working on their nest in our magnolia tree. And to my left, some lovely tulips are in full bloom, while across the way, a red azalea is bursting forth in a fiery display.

This can only mean one thing - summer is coming! And to prepare me for this, Entertainment Weekly has released that most crucial of issues - the summer movie preview. What a great thing to read while the squirrels try to figure out where ScottE hid the bird feeder.

Anywho, as I read through, I was struck by several upcoming films, and others left me cold. Thus I present to you a sampling, broken into a few major categories.

1. Movies that I should be excited about, but I'm not:

- Indiana Jones - Yes, I was an Indy fan back in the day. And it does feature Cate Blanchett as some kind of Nazi dominatrix. So why am I not thrilled? Maybe it's that it's been so long and I've forgotten how fun it can be. Maybe I think Ford is getting too old. Maybe I'm just creeped out that he's still with Calista Flockhart.

- Iron Man - One of the more underappreciated comic books from the past, I guess I'm just not thrilled by the trailers I've seen. I do think Robert Downey Jr. is a good choice (the lead character is an alcoholic, after all). But where's that "Ooh, ahh!" excitement?

2. Movies that any one in their right mind is excited about:

- Sex and the City - Duh! Sadly I'll be out of town the weekend of the premiere, so either I have to score a sneak preview invite, or I plan a full-fledged Cosmo party event for when I get back. Man, how I miss these girls!

- Prince Caspian - The first Narnia movie was very, very good - and the second book is my favorite. when I saw the preview recently, I couldn't erase the grin from my face. Woot!

- Wall-E - It's Pixar, and there's a cute robot with big eyes. Considering I was so moved by that post-apocalyptic non-human short film awhile back, this one will spell by doom.

- Mamma Mia! - Meryl Streep + Christine Baranski + Julie Walters + ABBA music = ZOMG awesome!!! Did I mention that my British husband Colin Firth is in it? *swoon*

3. Movies I want to like, but I'm just not sure I can:

- The Happening - This is the latest from M. Night Shyamalan, who has the ability to scare the crap out of most anybody. I like the cast (Mark Wahlberg & Zooey Deschanel), but is it too creepy?

- Pineapple Express - I've had so much fun at Judd Apatow movies, but is it possible I'm burned out?

- Transsiberian - This sounds like an intriguing thriller about a harrowing train ride from Bejing to Moscow. I'll see it if ScottE goes with me!

4. Movies that I shouldn't be so excited about, and will be filed under "guilty pleasures:"

- Get Smart - The TV show was corny, but I still think Steve Carell is genius, and I have a total heterosexual crush on Anne Hathaway.

- The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 - OK, I'll admit it - I rented the first one and I LIKED IT. Yeah, I did! And I'm not a 17 year-old girl! Sue me! Also, Amber Tamblyn is awesome.

- The House Bunny - What looks like a very predictable movie in which a former Playboy bunny becomes housemother to the loser sorority shouldn't be good. But it stars the hilarious Anna Faris (of the Scary Movie franchise), who cracks me up to no end. And I like The Girls Next Door.

- Hamlet 2 - A movie about a bad high school theater director which features Elisabeth Shue as herself. I've loved her since the days of Adventures in Babysitting; sign me up, and don't fuck with the babysitter!