Summer film festival.

As July approaches, some people feel eager anticipation for the Fourth of July holiday or for their summer trips. Around here, though, July instills in us an all-out PANIC! With one month of summer in the books, July makes us get serious about our "things to do before school starts" list. That's why we've been to Six Flags twice in two weeks, why I'm not sleeping much because of chores around the house, and why we pulled out the calendar Monday and started listing all the summer movies we want to see before August. Top of the list? Wall-E.

The Dubs give it four thumbs up! We loved this film—not surprising considering it's from Pixar. We went in expecting a cute robot movie and found, as Brett says, a nice example of sociological science fiction. This movie, appropriate for all ages, offers a scathing commentary on contemporary American society. I especially liked how much was communicated without dialogue.

We always stay for the credits, and Wall-E is a perfect example of why. While almost everyone else was gathering their children and trash, talking about their dinner plans, we were enthralled with the movie's postscript, told through history's evolving art styles (hieroglyphics, impressionism, etc.). Very cool—and a nice treat for those of us who don't leave just because words appear on the screen. (Iron Man's another one. There's a HUGE scene after the credits that comic fans would not want to miss, but all but seven people in our theater did miss it.)

And how awesome is the twilight show at Fossil Creek? Can't beat $4.50 to see a brand-new movie! We've been heading to Harkins or Rave for first-run films, but wow, that twilight price is a bargain and the theater had a huge screen and great sound.

Next on our list was Kung Fu Panda. The onslaught of Happy Meal toys and Kohl's Cares for Kids stuffed animals helped fuel our desire to see this one. (Yes, we are victims of the marketing machine.) A friend was spending the night with us, so I took her, Ryan and Katie to catch this Jack Black movie.

We all liked it, especially Katie. Honestly, if we hadn't just seen Wall-E the night before, I might've enjoyed it more, but I couldn't help comparing the two. Especially entertaining were the action sequences, animated versions of archetypical martial arts scenes found in films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, not to mention Jackie Chan movies. (Jackie Chan voices one of the characters, too!)

Bottom line: Wall-E, A. Kung Fu Panda, B-. Staying for the credits, A+. $4.50 twilight prices, A++++!