Gearing up for the Summer Blockbuster season? So are we. We rounded up a list of the huge blockbuster films were the most excited to see.  From Superheros to talking Teddy Bears, we’ve got the goods. So check out our list below and mark your calendars.

The Avengers is how we’ll start things off. It’s already in theaters and has prove itself worldwide to the tune of a billion dollars. I’ve seen it twice. I plan on getting the bluray, it’s worth your hard earned dollar. For a more detailed review head over to the movie review section.

Run Time: 142min.
Starring: Robert Downey, Jr. , Chris Evans ,  Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner
Director(s): Joss Whedon
Rating: PG-13
Plot: The Super Hero team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster.

Men In Black 3, is the first film from Will Smith in a long time. The second movie was pretty bad, so we hope this one is better than that. There’s always potential with this

Theatrical Release Date: 05/25/2012
Run Time: 105min.
Starring: Will Smith , Tommy Lee Jones , Josh Brolin , Jemaine Clement , Alice Eve
Director(s): Barry Sonnenfeld
Rating: PG-13
Plot: In Men in Black 3, Agents J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones) are back… in time. J has seen some inexplicable things in his 15 years with the Men in Black, but nothing, not even aliens, perplexes him as much as his wry, reticent partner. But when K’s life and the fate of the planet are put at stake, Agent J will have to travel back in time to put things right. J discovers that there are secrets to the universe that K never told him – secrets that will reveal themselves as he teams up with the young Agent K (Josh Brolin) to save his partner, the agency, and the future of humankind.

Snow White & The Huntsman is one of the movies I’m personally the most excited for. I just hope Kristen Stewart’s acting is better than the role of “Bella.” The bright side is, Chris Hemsworth is one of the leads and will probably make the movie for me, I really enjoy him.

Theatrical Release Date: 06/01/2012
Run Time: 127min.
Starring: Kristen Stewart , Charlize Theron , Chris Hemsworth
Director(s): Rupert Sanders
Rating: PG-13
Plot: In the epic action-adventure ‘Snow White and the Huntsman,’ Kristen Stewart plays the only person in the land fairer than the evil queen (Charlize Theron) who is out to destroy her. But what the wicked ruler never imagined is that the one girl threatening her reign has been training in the art of war with a huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) who was dispatched to kill her.

Prometheus is basically the prequel to the Alien films. I haven’t watched them in a really long time. Mostly because they scare the crap out of me. But I really enjoy Michael Fassbender, and I’m curious to see where they take this film.

Theatrical Release Date: 06/08/2012
Run Time: 124min.
Starring: Noomi Rapace , Michael Fassbender , Charlize Theron , Logan Marshall-Green
Director(s): Ridley Scott
Rating: R
Plot: Ridley Scott, director of ‘Alien’ and ‘Blade Runner,’ returns to the genre he helped define. With ‘Prometheus,’ he creates a groundbreaking mythology, in which a team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a thrilling journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.. enough said. But I’ll add more. Okay beyond the whole Vampire fad, the effects look awesome. Plus the whole History retold with a twist kind of thing is appealing. Tim Burton also has a hand in this film, and that’s “usually” a good thing.

Theatrical Release Date: 06/22/2012
Starring: Benjamin Walker , Dominic Cooper , Anthony Mackie , Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Director(s): Timur Bekmambetov
Rating: Not Yet Rated
Plot: Abraham Lincoln is reinvented as a vampire-killing president in this Timur Bekmambetov-directed action picture starring Benjamin Walker, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Rufus Sewell, and Dominic Cooper. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies author Seth Grahame-Smith adapts his own book for 20th Century Fox.

Magic Mike, Channing Tatum’s kind of true life stripper story. Okay so this one probably will just appeal to the ladies. But we do sit through mind numbing action flicks for our boyfriends.  So it’s well deserved.

Theatrical Release Date: 06/29/2012
Starring: Channing Tatum , Alex Pettyfer , Matthew McConaughey , Matthew Bomer
Director(s): Steven Soderbergh
Rating: R
Plot: Channing Tatum stars in this drama following an upstart male stripper (Alex Pettyfer) who is mentored by a veteran dancer, played by Tatum. Steven Soderbergh directed from a script by Reid Carolin, whose screenplay was inspired by Tatum’s work as a stripper before he made it in Hollywood.

Ted. A kid wishes his teddy bear was alive, it comes true. They grow up, and ted becomes a cynical, profane, talking teddy bear.. yes please.

Theatrical Release Date: 06/29/2012
Starring: Mark Wahlberg , Mila Kunis , Seth MacFarlane , Giovanni Ribisi
Director(s): Seth MacFarlane
Rating: R
Plot: Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane brings his boundary-pushing brand of humor to the big screen for the first time as writer, director and voice star of Ted. In the live action/CG-animated comedy, he tells the story of John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg), a grown man who must deal with the cherished teddy bear who came to life as the result of a childhood wish…and has refused to leave his side ever since.

The Amazing Spiderman reboot, if Spiderman 3 left a bad taste in your mouth like it did mine, odds are you’re weary but looking forward to this. I really like the talent they’ve lined up as far as Andrew Garfield playing Peter Parker and Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy. I loathed Tobey Maguire in the role of Parker. It never felt right and his eyes were always open too wide in the literal sense. The only thing I’m weary about is the screenwriter, Zodiac was quite boring, so hopefully he didn’t bring that baggage to Spiderman.

Theatrical Release Date: 07/03/2012
Starring: Andrew Garfield , Emma Stone , Rhys Ifans , Denis Leary , Campbell Scott
Director(s): Marc Webb
Rating: PG-13
Plot: Typical teenager Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) embraces his incredible destiny after uncovering one of his father’s most carefully guarded secrets as Columbia Pictures reboots the Spider-Man franchise with the help of director Mark Webb ((500) Days of Summer) and screenwriter James Vanderbilt (Zodiac).

The Dark Knight Rises, the final chapter in the Dark Knight saga. Christopher Nolan proves a director makes all the difference. Heck I think everyone was even okay with the Batman films that Tim Burton made, but after that, the series went to crap. Nolan breathed new life into it when he put out Batman Begins. The addition of Hardy as Bane excites me. I’m very much looking forward to this movie, it will be bittersweet.

Theatrical Release Date: 07/20/2012
Starring: Christian Bale , Michael Caine , Gary Oldman , Anne Hathaway , Tom Hardy
Director(s): Christopher Nolan
Rating: PG-13
Plot: Christopher Nolan’s Batman franchise continues with this Warner Bros. release, the third in the series. The story will pick up after the events of The Dark Knight, with Christian Bale returning as the Caped Crusader — this time pitted against the deadly Bane (Tom Hardy) and Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman (Anne Hathaway). Nolan directs from a script he co-wrote with his brother, Jonathan, working off the story by David Goyer.

The Bourne Legacy, so I’m going to be honest, I’ve only seen a couple of the Bourne films and I only remember bits and pieces. The story itself was interesting enough. I didn’t really expect them to keep the saga going without Matt Damon in the role. I was pleasantly surprised to hear Renner would be stepping in. I’m a big fan of his and I think the series will be in good hands.

Theatrical Release Date: 08/03/2012
Starring: Jeremy Renner , Edward Norton , Rachel Weisz , Joan Allen
Director(s): Tony Gilroy
Rating: PG-13
Plot: The fourth installment of the highly successful Bourne series sees the return of the franchise’s screenwriter, Tony Gilroy, this time stepping into the director’s seat for an entry which sidelines main character Jason Bourne in order to focus on a fellow estranged assassin (Jeremy Renner).

Total Recall, this is another one of those films that I haven’t seen in a very long time. I know they aren’t on Mars for this version, but I don’t really see how that’s imperative to the story. I like Colin Farrell, so I’m curious to see what he does with this re make. The big question.. will there be a three boobed woman?

Theatrical Release Date: 08/03/2012
Starring: Colin Farrell
Director(s): Len Wiseman
Rating: Not Rated
Plot: Mega-producer Neal H. Moritz attempts to update Paul Verhoeven’s campy sci-fi classic Total Recall with this Columbia Pictures production. Based on the Philip K. Dick We Can Remember It for You Wholesale short story, the plot details the path of a man who wrestles with reality when he is summoned to Mars while under the control of virtual-reality memory implants.

Lawless, I’ll be honest, I really don’t know too much about this film beyond that it’s a true story about a group of outlaw brothers during prohibition. I like the cast that they’ve lined up for it. So right now for me, that’s the biggest selling point.

Theatrical Release Date: 08/29/2012
Starring: Shia LaBeouf , Tom Hardy , Jessica Chastain , Jason Clarke , Guy Pearce
Director(s): John Hillcoat
Rating: Not Yet Rated
Plot: ‘Lawless’ is the true story of the infamous Bondurant Brothers: bootlegging siblings who made a run for the American Dream in Prohibition-era Virginia. In this epic gangster tale, inspired by true-life tales of author Matt Bondurant’s family in his novel “The Wettest County In The World,” the loyalty of three brothers is put to the test against the backdrop of the nation’s most notorious crime wave.

Drake performs at the Gexa Energy Pavillion (copyright Rachel Parker)

Wednesday night, rapper Drake lit up the Gexa Energy Pavillion on his Club Paradise tour. The rapper packed the venue to its seams, undoubtedly proving he’s the hottest thing in hip hop right now. He hit the stage pretty promptly around 9:30, walking through a set of screens with several faces on it singing along to a choir track as Drake did his thing. The charismatic rapper worked the stage from side to side, dancing as if he was walking on air. It was obvious at that point the audience was going to be in for a fun show. Let’s be honest, those in attendance like Drake because they just do. Me being super critical of his set would just be ridiculous. It would be like me trying to actually write a serious review about a band like One Direction. That said, I don’t honestly see any reason to believe that Drake is changing the face of hip hop in any way. He isn’t laying new ground. But, what he is doing, is giving fans a good time and putting out consistent albums they like. Drake has loyal fans, who come to his shows for that reason. I don’t see his popularity fading any time soon, and for good reason. People will pay good money (some to the tune of the 300 dollar VIP packages) as long as they are entertained. Drake does just that, maybe not 300 dollars worth, but enough to fill the seats at every show.

Grade: A+

The movie event of the year has finally hit theaters. Marvel’s The Avengers blasted its way into theaters today. It’s been a project that’s been buzzed about since Iron Man. The fans then soon found out that they were bringing in Joss Whedon and that was all we had to hear. Expectations for the film at that point were going to be high. Whedon has brought us great things like Firefly, Toy Story, and of course Buffy.

ROBERT DOWNEY JR., JOSS WHEDON, CHRIS HEMSWORTH, CHRIS EVANS Ph: Zade Rosenthal © 2011 MVLFFLLC. TM & © 2011 Marvel. All Rights Reserved.

So The Avengers pretty much picks us up where Thor and Captain America left us. I say both films because Captain was pretty much an origin flashback story, but it familiarized us with the weapon that would be used in this film. Where Thor comes in, Loki is the one causing all the problems on earth.

I truthfully don’t want to give too much of the film away. But the gist of the matter is, Loki comes to earth with evil plans. He’s backed by a race from another realm and they plan to take over earth. The only way to stop him is for the Avengers Initiative to assemble and take him on.

My biggest concern knowing that Whedon was at the wheel, was not quality of content, but having such a large ensemble cast full of big names. Making sure no character was thrown to the wayside. Sad to say, it has happened in films like this before. But my concerns were quickly stamped out.

I had an absolute blast watching the film. It was everything I was hoping and expecting it to be. Every hero gets their moment to shine. Joss Whedon knows how to do it right. The film is non stop, never a dull moment, everything it should it be. The cast is top notch, most of them already leading their own films. I’m a big fan of Chris Hemsworth as Thor and who doesn’t love Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man. To my surprise Scarlett Johansson gets to take the lead much more than I was expecting. Mark Ruffalo makes a nice replacement as Hulk and Renner is always a joy to watch on screen. I unfortunately don’t see the Hawkeye charcter having his own movie, but he’s good with the group. I’m not saying he couldn’t, I just don’t know where it would go? I however would love to see an Avengers 2. I’m sure it’s a huge undertaking, but I don’t think I’m alone in this.

If you were thinking about going to see it, don’t waste time thinking, just go. You’ll have fun and you’ll love it. If you haven’t seen the lead up films, you may want to pick them up as sort of an orientation. Contrary to popular belief, there’s nothing wrong with a good fun action film every once in a while, and The Avengers delivers.

Now the painstaking wait for Iron Man 3 and Thor 2. Sigh.

The Nascar Sprint Cup Series returned to Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday for the Samsung Mobile 500. The race for the chase is on and when the weekend began Greg Biffle was the points leader. Few could have predicted he would leave Texas still leading, not to mention a win under his belt to validate his lead.

The Samsung Mobile 500 win marked the 18th win for Roush Motorsports at the Texas Motor Speedway, the most of any team at the track. The race also set a record for fewest cautions with only two being called, also making the race a very quick one.

Biffle’s battle to win the race wasn’t an easy one, but when he finally made his way up to the front of the pack again on lap 304, he had a big 3 second lead on Jimmie Johnson. The number 16 car led off and on during the race for a total of 90 laps. Biffle said he had to “dig deep” to pull off the win and get past Johnson, and also talked about the wind factoring in, making the cars incredibly difficult to handle.

Second place finisher Johnson dominated the race for 156 laps, but that wasn’t enough, once again falling just short of bringing 200 wins to the Hendrick Motorsports team. However Johnsons finish and lap leading gained him much needed points in the chase. Mark Martin came in third, Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth make up the rest of the top 5.

Rounding out the top 10 were Martin Truex Jr., Kasey Kahne, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, and Dale Jr. Brad Keselowski who was among the top 10 at the start had fuel pressure issues and was almost black flagged on lap 212. His team replaced his fuel cell and got him back on the track, but he finished more than 20 laps down.

The current point standings in the Chase for the Cup are Biffle, Kenseth, Earnhardt Jr., Truex Jr, Harvick, Hamlin, Stewart, Johnson, Newman, Bowyer, Edwards, Menard. The top ten finishes for Kahne, Gordon, and Martin gave them a needed boost in the standings, but they will need to keep it up if they want to be real contenders later this year.

As always at this point, I truly believe it’s anyones game. However, as of right now it looks like it’s going to be a Roush and Hendrick dominated top 12.

Curt (Chris Hemsworth), Holden (Jesse Williams), Jules (Anna Hutchison), Marty (Fran Kranz) and Dana (Kristen Connolly) in THE CABIN IN THE WOODS.

Grade: A

You know when Joss Whedon sets out to direct a horror film, it’s not going to be your average horror film. Cabin in the woods which is now in theaters is the latest endeavor from Joss and it’s been long over due.

So a group of college kids head to a cabin in the woods for a fun weekend. Basic premise right? Yeah not exactly. This film has so many twists and surprises, some that will make your jaw drop. So if you think you’re going into your generic horror film, you’re very mistaken. I wouldn’t judge this book by its cover.

The thing that worries me about the public’s reception of the film, is that those going in for a good scare will be disappointed. It’s truly not that scary. It’s incredibly Joss Whedon though and if you’re a fan of Joss, then you know what that means. Expect the unexpected.

I was pleasantly surprised with the movie, I was expecting to be really scared. But instead I was more amused than anything else. Which is exactly what I want to be. So if you have an open mind and want to check out something fresh, check this one out.

image copyright universal pictures

Grade: A-

10 years or so in the making, and the gang is all back. I remember watching the first American Pie when I was in High School. I was completely thrilled to hear about the whole cast getting back together to make a fourth film. So did it live up to my expectations?

The gang heads back home for their “10 year” actually 13th year high school reunion. Jim and Michelle have a kiddo, Oz has a successful broadcast career, Kevin is a house husband, Finch is a mystery, and as usual Stiffler is Mr. Party. Then there’s Jim’s dad, the crowning jewel of the franchise.

I don’t really want to give the plot away, what little plot there is. That is by no means an insult, but these films all have been rather simple minded, leaving plenty of rooms for big laughs. American Reunion doesn’t disappoint either. It’s a good time, raunchy, sometimes heart felt movie. It’s exactly what we’ve come to expect from the series, and a better film than the past two.

I’m pretty sad to know this will more than likely be the last one of the American Pie series. They all hold a special place in my heart. I know if I want to laugh I can count on this franchise. If you go check this out, you can count on a good time, and your face will probably hurt a little from laughing so much.

Grade: A+

The highly anticipated screen adaptation of “The Hunger Games” hits theaters today. If you haven’t heard of this series you must be living under a rock.. located somewhere in the bottom of the grand canyon. But if you aren’t savvy, we’ll give you a bit of a run down.

In the future what was the U.S. has become known as Pan Am, a country consisting of 12 districts. Each district is responsible for a different commodity, such as coal, electronics, etc. In the past there was an uprising against the capitol, and as punishment each year the “Hunger Games” are held. Each district choses a boy and a girl between the ages of 12-18 to represent them in a fight to the death, with one lone victor.

The hype surrounding these films has been enormous. The books have been wildly successful, and it’s only grown with the progression of filming. Naturally this causes high expectations and that’s a dangerous thing. I try to go in with no expectations, but for this film that was not the case. It’s difficult to not have high expectations with something like this. Kind of like when Spielberg makes a film. You expect it to be pretty damn epic.

The Hunger Games does not disappoint. I truly was blown away with it. If this was a Michael Bay film, it would have focused on the whole “Sci Fi Future” aspect way more than it should have. But a director like Gary Ross grounds the film firmly in a realistic world, only briefly touching on the Sci Fi when the tributes are in The Capitol. It’s exactly how you would picture it from the books. It’s exactly how it needs to be, and nothing more. So many would have tried to over do it, and Gary Ross has seasoned it to perfection.

Jennifer Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth star as Katniss and Gale in the Hunger Games. Image thanks to Lionsgate.

Jennifer Lawrence carries then film as Katniss, and proves why she’s on par to be one of the hottest leading ladies in a long time. The character in the film is a strong female, someone girls to look up too, and that’s refreshing in a “teen novel” adaptation. Lawrence’s performance as Katniss is heartbreaking at times, she is a true talent and I just want to see more of her.

Josh Hutcherson who’s the other tribute from district 12, Peeta, gets to be a little charmer.  His character is relying on his charisma to carry him in the competition. Josh is most popular from the “Journey” films, but will finally make a true transition to a household name with this series of films. It will put him on the radar of Adults as well as the kids that grew up watching him in movies like Zathura or Bridge to Terabithia.

As for the other main player Liam Hemsworth, he doesn’t get too much screen time. From what I understand, he will be more important in the next films. I’m not going to lie, I totally have a thing for both Hemsworth brothers. They are gorgeous and practically hypnotic on screen.

Lenny Kravitz, Woody Harrleson, & Josh Hutcherson in the Hunger Games. Image thanks to Lionsgate.

The cast is quite large and I can’t list everyone, but I did quite enjoy Woody Harrelson as Haymitch. The thirteen year old Amandla Stenberg is a scene stealer as Rue, and will be a fan favorite of the film. Willow Shields who plays Primrose, the little sister of Katniss, is great even though she’s in the film quite briefly. All in all it’s a killer cast full of talented actors and actresses.

The Hunger Games are taking on quite a few comparisons to The Twilight Saga, but as far as I’m concerned there are no true similarities. Everywhere a movie like the Twilight Saga goes wrong, the Hunger Games goes right. Instead of taking everything from the book and going as literal as you can with it, they bend a little. Because some things just don’t look quite practical on screen. For example the “Muttations” could have ruined the film if done wrong, but Gary Ross went practical and has created one amazing film. Even at a 2 and a half hour run time, the movie flies by. I can’t wait for the next one now.

Our recommendation is to go see this movie now, it’s just THAT good. It’s one that I’m going to want to own when it comes out on Bluray. I plan on going to see it again with friends this weekend. Despite its popularity with the teen crowd, it’s a great movie for adults as well. Don’t forget to take some tissues, there are a few tear jerking moments.

Just a quick note of caution to parents taking their kids to see it. It’s a movie about a killing game. There is violence, there is blood, there are kids killing kids. It’s about as PG-13 as you could get it without it taking an R rating for violence. So to parents thinking about taking young kids. Just be aware.

A couple of weeks ago the Hunger Games cast came to Dallas for a fan event at the Galleria. While in town we had the chance to participate in an interview with Josh Hutcherson, Isabelle Fuhrman, and Jacqueline Emerson. Check out our interview below, and don’t hesitate to see the film on Friday when it hits theaters everywhere.  May the odds be ever in your favor.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDzJ5qunHSg

Current points leader, Greg Biffle, during last years Samsung Mobile 500.

Okay not so savvy on NASCAR? Maybe you’re just out of the loop this season. Well we have a bit of a refresher course for you. We have the scoop on who’s hot this season, past season champs, and past Texas Motor Speedway race winners.  So keep reading and you’ll be all ready to head out to the Samsung Mobile 500 this Saturday night.

First things first. We’re still in the race for the chase. Anything can still happen, but currently the points leader is Greg Biffle. Many of the big names are still outside the top 12, including Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, and Kasey Kahne (who’s particularly had a bad start to the season with his new Hendrick team, with many wrecks contributing to his standings.)

The 2011 Samsung Mobile 500 winner Matt Kenseth.

This years Daytona 500 champ Matt Kenseth, was last years Samsung Mobile 500 winner. He will surely be looking to defend his title as reigning champ. The 2011 Sprint Cup winner Tony Stewart won the Fall race at TMS, and would surely love to take home another pair of six shooters.

Jimmie Johnson who’s had a rough start to the season as well, will be looking to gain some points, as well as Dale Jr. who’s had a great start this season. Dale Jr. will be looking to secure another top ten finish at Texas, a track he’s particularly good at. Then there’s Carl Edwards, he finished second in the chase last year and is barely in the top 12 in points this year. He will also be looking to snag the win on Saturday and gain some points in the race for the chase.

Fan friendly Edwards has had good luck at Texas in the past. Carl came in second in the chase last year.

It should be an interesting race Saturday night.  By the fall race everything should be more clear cut, but right now it’s all about gaining points.

But don’t think that Race weekend is just about the race. If you get to the speedway early Saturday, (which we recommend because of traffic) You’ll be able to catch Foreigner in the pre race concert. Also during the course of the weekend, various drivers will also be making appearance on the Midway before the races.

For a more detailed list of events taking place you can visit www.texasmotorspeedway.com

Tickets for the race are also still available on the website.

Recently we sat down and chatted with funny guy Will Farrell about his latest comedy “Casa de mi Padre,” and much much more.  Check out our video below, and then go see this hilarious film on Friday!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=32CS03pKsFc