The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

A film that's certainly bound to attract this summer's oldest moviegoers is The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Even if I'm not one of them, it still attracted me a bit.

Directed by John Madden, it's based on Debborah Moggach's novel with the less wordy title These Foolish Things. Rather than make jokes about the differentiating titles, I'll do the right thing and explain the film's title.

Seven old English folks: Evelyn (Judi Dench), Muriel (Maggie Smith), Douglas and Jean Ainslie (Bill Nighy and Penelope Wilton), Graham (Tom Wilkinson), Madge (Celia Imrie) and Norman (Ronald Pickup), have found themselves on hard times. Finding no place for themselves in society, they decide to "outsource their retirement" to the titular resort in Jaipur, India.

Except when they get there, they find the place not exactly looking like its name. Its new owner, Sonny (Dev Patel), tries to maintain a positive atmosphere, but he's overwhelmed by family expectations. No longer bound by their society, the seven retirees begin to enjoy what they've missed for so long.

Among its strongest assets are its main ensemble of stars. Working with Ol Parker's screenplay, they portray their characters as likable and memorable people. With the film's dramedic tone, you'll find yourselves laughing, and emphasizing with them, not at them.

Still, it wasn't perfect as it did feel longer than it actually was. But with this great ensemble, this trip across India was certainly worth it. It's definitely worth it once you've seen all this summer's blockbusters...or avoided them.

Bully

Certainly the most controversial film currently out this year, Bully has been out for a while, but a few people still have to wait for it. I'm no longer one of those people, for now I've seen it.

It's a documentary film by Lee Hirsch, which is about the problem of School bullies. It's a problem that young people have to deal with each day, but are almost powerless to stop. A few of them have committed suicide directly because of bullying; we also see the after-effects of a few such suicides.

I'll admit that it can be quite tough to watch. However, it's also quite cathartic for those who've experienced it. Seeing that they're not alone can spur them to talk about their problems. Even though we barely get to see a bully's side of the story, we see the side effects of their actions. And hopefully, seeing their "impact" can spur them to try to be better people.

That's what the film is about, and that's a good thing.

It was initially Rated-R for its tough language, rather than the tough images and themes on-screen. As if they were trying to keep kids from being exposed to what they've already been exposed to each day in school. This film shouldn't be swept under the rug, but instead, should be seen by anyone with the interest or need to see it. Most definitely.

Men in Black 3

Just when you thought that Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones were through busting bad aliens as Agents J and K of the Men in Black, along comes Men in Black 3. And with this being number 3, this is the first in 3D.

This time, the Agents are in big trouble after the bad alien Boris (Jemaine Clement) escapes from the moon. Boris is the last survivor of some planet marauders, made so after Agent K busted him in 1969. Still bitter, Boris goes back in time to kill Agent K via a time paradox.

Once the deed is done, only Agent J can remember Agent K. Because Agent K is no longer around, Boris's fellow marauders are now free to subjugate Earth. So, it's up to Agent J to go back in time after Boris and thwart his scheme. In order to do so, he has to join up with the Agent K (Josh Brolin) of 1969.

Even in flatscreen showings, this threequel's effects are amazing. Its time travel sequences, for instance, actually felt like a theme park ride. Its elaborate non-human aliens and enhancements on the "human" aliens are amazingly unique. Its "human" aliens, created by multi-Oscar winner Rick Baker, are its most colorful asset.

It started filming without a finished script, which might certainly sound rash. But amazingly, the final product still has an entertaining style of witty humor. A good source of it is Michael Sthulbarg, as the clairvoyant alien Griffin. Even if some fans might morn two absentees from the first two films, this newcomer certainly makes up for it.

It's a decent resurrection of this franchise, even if it's not as hilarious as the first. Because of that, this is one of this summer's must-see in theaters ASAP films.

Battleship

Yes, it's Battleship. It's the board game, from Hasbro, that makes loudly proclaiming your defeat a national past time. And now, it's a movie with battleships and aliens.

Wait? How do the Aliens fit in?

They fit in because humans tried to communicate with their planet. Since their planet was just like Earth, the humans knocked on their door to see if anyone was home. Some Alien battleships show up, and a fifth screws up and crashes into Hong Kong.

The other four land in the Pacific, just near Hawaii, where some international war games are taking place. They seal off most of the fleet, so three ships have to face the invaders. When two of the ships are sunk, it's up to the stock characters on the third to save the day.

It's sort of like a naval combination of GI Joe and Transformers, both of whom are also Hasbro properties. At front and center is director Peter Berg (Hancock), who proudly displays the film's massive budget. There's tons of explosions, property destruction and heavy artillery. Chances are, you'll remember the destruction more than the characters who have to endure it.

There's an exciting music score provided by Steve Jablonsky, who also did the Transformers films. Despite the audible carnage, it still makes itself memorable in the end. There's not many memorable scenes that don't involve Battleships, but there's one in the beginning that really does. It involves the inept robbery of a convenience store by the rogue hero (Taylor Kitsch) set to The Pink Panther Theme.

Other than the heavy artillery, Battleship is an average cinematic exercise. It's decent enough filler while one waits for this summers' biggest guns, but it's not that outstanding. In other words, this Battleship is hit bad, but it's still staying afloat.

Dark Shadows

Airing from 1966-1971, the Gothic Soap Opera Dark Shadows has already seen cinematic life with House of Dark Shadows and Night of Dark Shadows. And now, with star Johnny Depp and director Tim Burton, it is back to cinematic life for a new take.

In around 1756, the Collins family moves from England into their own Maine town Collinsport. While they make their fortunes in fishing, their son, Barnabas (Depp), earns the wrath of the witch Angelique (Eva Green). For revenge, Angelique kills Barnabas's family and true love, turns him into a vampire and has him buried. In 1972, a construction crew digs up Barnabas and satisfies his long-lasting thirst.

He returns home to his family manor to find it occupied by his descendants. Seeing the family business is in disarray, Barnabas sets himself in charge to bring back his family glory. But first, he has to deal with a rival company, whose CEO is the very witch responsible for his condition.

Those who know and enjoy Tim Burton's style won't be disappointed with this latest effort. It has colorful scenery, even more colorful costumes and that quirky Gothic atmosphere. The actors he assembles into the environment are also quite reliable in their roles. As Barnabas, Depp gets the film's best laughs from his adjusting to the modern day world. Many of the other supporting characters, from groundskeeper Willie Loomis (Jackie Earle Hayley) and psychiatrist Dr. Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter), are delightfully quirky.

But still, this isn't a well-mixed blend of comedy and horror. It starts off as seriously Gothic, turns comedic once Barnabas is freed and goes back to serious in the finale. In contrast, the TV show was actually quite campy and the earlier films were more "un-dead" serious. For many a viewer, this is quite jarring; however, it also felt like an exaggerated Soap Opera. That might've been what they were going for, and it should've been developed more.

Unlike Burton's previous film, Alice in Wonderland, this is a flatscreen-only presentation. So, the question is now whether to see this at all. My recommendation is that if you want to see it, then see it. Even though it has an identity crisis, it still has a few fun parts that make it worth the trip.

The Avengers

This is why Marvel got its own movie studio. This is why Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk , Thor and Captain America made it to the big screen in the past few years. And now, Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) has assembled The Avengers. And the end result is greater than the sum of its parts.

Loki (Tom Hiddleston), the Asgardian villain of Thor, survived his descent into oblivion in that film. He comes to Earth, seeking the Cosmic Cube (from Captain America) for his new alien pals, the Chitauri. In return, the Chitauri will subjugate the Earth for him.

In response, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) assembles the aforementioned Marvels back to the big screen. Also aboard are Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), supporting characters from Iron Man 2 and Thor. But their conflicting personalities aren't so marvelous, especially the Hulk's (Mark Ruffalo, replacing Edward Norton). They'll just have to work it out if they expect to stomp the bad guys.

While it does refer to its predecessors, the film's plot is so straightforward that the references don't render it incomprehensible. It's a real feet considering the cultural pedigree assembled here. 

On both 3D and Flatscreen formats, there's no shortage of big action scenes. But thanks to having Joss Whedon as a co-writer, there's no shortage of fun either. A lot of the fun comes from the quips and banter of such characters as Iron Man and The Hulk. A few of those moments got the loudest laughs and applause from my audience.

At around two and a half hours, the film spends its time wisely in the pursuit of entertainment. In its mission to remind its audience why superheroes are fun, it succeeds. And whatever Marvel and its new distributor, Disney, have in store, they'll all be eagerly anticipated.