Howdy folks, Bobert here. The Summer Movie Season is about to hit Warp Factor 8 this weekend, as a long-time and much-loved Sci-Fi Classic gets a facelift and an injection of fresh young blood. As you’d expect there are scant few Big Studio alternatives available for folks who like their films firmly set on Planet Earth, with only one other flick getting a wide release. But for those of you lucky enough to be in those cities Hollywood likes to refer to as “Select Markets”, there’s a smorgasbord of choices available ranging from Foreign flicks to Docs. Go beyond the break to see what I’m blabberin’ about…

In Wide Release…

Whenever someone asks whether or not I’m a “Trekkie”, I flat out say no. To be utterly truthful, I will admit to loving the original TV series from the ’60s. I grew up on the Trek films of the ’80s and ’90s, and occasionally enjoyed the new generation of STAR TREK shows and movies that littered the Cinematic and Television landscape of the last 20 plus years. But I’ve never been to a convention, I’ve never worn Vulcan ears, and I don’t know a lick of Klingon. What I love are the characters, specifically the infinitely entertaining dynamic between James Tiberius Kirk, Spock, and Dr. Leonard McCoy. And I also love the ideals STAR TREK strives for, where a future full of hope, tolerance, and exploration is as real and tangible as the one we reside in. This new STAR TREK may attempt to appeal to a larger audience, but as long as those themes and characters remain intact, there’s no reason why long-time fans can embrace it wholeheartedly. I tried introducing my fiance to the whole STAR TREK saga, starting with the Shatner/Nimoy TV series, followed up by the Animated show from the ’70s (not bad by the way), and began exposing her to the original cast movies. I made sure that she saw nothing of NEXT GENERATION, or VOYAGER, or any other iteration of the franchise. I was quite glad to see she didn’t hate it, and in fact seemed game whenever I brought out the animated series and movies. If a total non-geek can enjoy the original stuff, I can only imagine the kind of fandom J.J. Abrams’ pseudo-reboot (apparently they don’t like referring to it as such) will muster. We’ll find out this weekend when STAR TREK returns to the Big Screen… [Update: Saw STAR TREK last night on the big Big Screen, or IMAX if you prefer. Full review forthcoming...] So what do you put up against something as huge as the new adventures of Kirk. Spock, and Bones? NEXT DAY AIR! Uh, what? For folks who have absolutely no desire to watch dudes with pointy ears and epic space battles, you get a Comedy about a couple of bumbling small time hoods that find themselves in possession of 10 kilos of cocaine. Its all just a terrible mistake, but it sets into motion what looks like a Guy Ritchie flick (SNATCH, ROCKNROLLA) for the urban crowd. I think I’ll be skipping this one, but by all means, have at it you STAR TREK hating nay-sayers…

In Limited Release…

Another ensemble drama about multiple lives intersecting, POWDER BLUE features Patrick Swayze, Forest Whitaker, Kris Kristofferson, Ray Liotta, and Jessica Biel (playing a stripper — and much rejoicing ensues). But as we all know, a talented cast can still result in very bad movies, especially under the premise of a “Multiple Lives Connected” type deal. Some films manage to offer something new, like 11:14 or RUNNING SCARED. While others, like CRASH or THE AIR I BREATHE, offer nothing worthwhile. Vietnamese director Timothy Linh Bui hasn’t directed a feature since 2001′s GREEN DRAGON, another flick he did with Swayze and Whitaker. Will this be his comeback flick? Well having Biel sliding around on a stage pole certainly won’t hurt. Look for this one in select cities starting today… Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN’s Charolastras Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal reunite for the first time since Alfonso Cauron’s breakout film in RUDO Y CURSI! And its fitting that not only does Alfonso (along with fellow Mexican filmmakers and friends Guillermo del Toro and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu) produce it, his little brother Carlos writes and directs. The Dramedy is about two brothers living in a small rural Mexican town that vie for a spot on a Professional Mexican Soccer team. So it’s sort of a Sports flick too. With the actors involved, and the talent behind the camera, this looks to be one of the big little surprises of the Summer. Hopefully a wider release is just around the corner… And for all the tweeny boppers that are still gushing over Robert Pattinson, the dude from TWILIGHT, you can get your fix before NEW MOON comes out with LITTLE ASHES. In it he plays a young Salvador Dali as he arrives at a university in Madrid, encountering future Spanish luminaries like the poet Federico Garcia Lorca (played by Javier Beltran) and aspiring filmmaker Luis Bunuel (brought to life by Matthew McNulty). Lorca and Dali meet and immediately develop a closer than normal friendship, soon engaging in an intimate and intense relationship. But when Dali no longer wants any part of it, Lorca’s obsession only grows stronger.The film assumes the alleged affair between the two artists actually occurred, despite Dali in real-life completely denying the whole thing and outright saying “I wasn’t homosexual”. First-time feature film screenwriter Philppa Goslett doesn’t seem to care about any of that, more than happy to indulge in the soap operatics. British film director Paul Morrison is happy to oblige by lending his talents. Probably not what the giddy screaming Pattinson fans are looking for though. But for those of you that are; it will likely show up at a Art House theatre near you, so keep an eye out…

Documentaries, Foreign Flicks, and Other Stuff…

Well that’s all folks. For cinephiles living in the Sacto area like myself, be sure to give the Baseball Drama SUGAR a shot this weekend. Its playing at The Tower Theatre and is sure to be a worthwhile flick. Until next time, this is Bobert saying — See ya at the Movies!