A Summer of Wild Rides

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The summer hasn’t actually started yet, but the blockbusters are already launching.  Last weekend, we went to see Wolverine.  It’s full of action and has a nice take on the character.  As a former (but not current) X-Men geek, I thought it tied in nicely with what I remembered of the character’s backstory.  My son, who’s more up on the latest developments, agreed.  As a Gambit fan, however, he lamented the size of Gambit’s role.  I do think the character was great and hope to see him again.  It was a fun movie, but I could’ve done with a bit less impaling.

This weekend, my guys are taking me to Star Trek.  I can hardly wait.   I’ve loved Trek since discovering it in the summer of 1972, and this film looks like a worthy successor.  Anticipation, of course, opens the door for disappointment, so I’m being cautiously optimistic.  Considering that the New York Times gave the film a rave review, though, I’m letting the optimisim creep upward.

On May 21, of course, comes Terminator:  Salvation with Christian Bale stepping into John Connor’s shoes.  The preview looks intriguing.  I loved the original Terminator film.  Linda Hamilton did a great job with Sarah’s transformation from frightened waitress of “mother of the future.”  Michael Biehn, of course, was spot-on perfect as Kyle Reese, so much so that the guy Fox cast in the role on the TV series (which I hear they’re cancelling, alas), never had a prayer of measuring up.  Biehn fans may be interested to know he’s on the guest list of DragonCon.

June 4 brings the return of one of my favorite TV series, Burn Notice. Jeffrey Donovan, Gabrielle Anwar, and Bruce Campbell make a terrific team, with wry humor and great chemistry, and Sharon Gless is wonderful is Mike Westin’s mother.  Plus stuff blows up a lot.  What’s not to like?

Our family’s eagerly awaiting July 15 and the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.  We think Alan Rickman will deliver a masterful performance as Snape.  Even if we didn’t, we’d be going.  We love the books and have been, overall, delighted with the movies.

We’ll close out our summer at DragonCon.  In addition to Michael Biehn, the guest list includes Leonard Nimoy (!) and a host of Stargate and Star Trek actors.  There are also some terrific writers coming, including Lois McMaster Bujold, Sherrilynn Kenyon, and Charlaine Harris.  There will also be tens of thousands of fans, so we’re steeling ourselves for long lines to get into panels.

What are your summer plans?  Which movies or TV shows are you anticipating?  Which ones have you seen (please avoid posting spoilers for now), and what did you think?

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