Movies This Week: Inside the Transformers Crowne

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Page One Inside the New York Times

We won't see fireworks in town this July 4, because it's too darn hot and too damn dry. No rain, no fireworks, no respite. I wonder if ticket sales in Austin theaters are up this year simply because the A/C in movie theaters is so arctic. Have you been watching more movies in theaters than usual this summer?

If new movies aren't appealing to you, Austin has the usual wealth of special screenings, indoors and out. I'm tempted to see Ghostbusters at Blue Starlite tonight or Saturday; they're offering s'mores kits with "real Stay-Puft marshmallows" to enjoy with the film. Alamo Ritz brings back the documentary Queen of the Sun: What are the Bees Trying to Tell Us? on Wednesday night. Austin Film Festival's Texas Family Film Series screens Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius tomorrow afternoon at the Texas Spirit Theater, and writer/director John Davis will hold a Q&A afterward ... and admission is free.

Don't forget to check our Free (and Cheap) Summer Movie Guide for plenty of affordable moviegoing options in and around Austin.

Movies We've Seen:

Larry Crowne -- Tom Hanks co-wrote, directed and stars in this movie about a middle-aged man forced by tough economic times to return to school. Rod Paddock unexpectedly loved it; in his review, he calls it a "true gem" and says it's one of his favorite movies of 2011. I am a bit nervous of anything involving Nia Vardalos these days, but Rod's pretty convincing. (wide)

Page One: Inside the New York Times (pictured above) -- This documentary about the Gray Lady screened in Austin during SXSW this year. In his SXSW review, Rod Paddock said it "shines a light on the difficulty of real news reporting in the world of media convergence and content aggregation." (Violet Crown)

Transformers: Dark of the Moon -- The latest in the series based on childhood toys "has the attention span of a ten-year-old kid after a six pack of Yoohoo," Mike Saulters says in his review. Still, he recommends the 3D movie even to Michael Bay-haters. (wide)

Other Movies Opening in Austin:

Monte Carlo -- This female-led comedy of errors didn't screen for Austin critics. It stars Leighton Meester (whom I only know from interesting photos on Go Fug Yourself), Selena Gomez and Andie MacDowell. (wide)

Bbuddah... Hoga Tera Baap -- IMDb has no real info about this Bollywood movie. (Tinseltown South)

Delhi Belly -- You've got to love the title of this Bollywood film; unfortunately, I can't find any details about it. (Tinseltown South)