In the Great Words of the Jeffmeister, “Let’s go to the theater, Patrollers!” Your man on the street, the Toddster, has been pretty busy checking out a lot of movies in the theater as well as wrapping up the TV season for the year and keeping track of DVDs coming out. Summer Movie Season has started with a few movies that started early. Also, included is a certain Golden Avenger that we promised a review for. Time to check out the show!

Clash of the Titans - Have you ever been moving along and something comes along that changes everything you thought you knew? That’s what happens to Perseus (Sam Worthington). Perseus finds out that he was set adrift when he was a baby and was found by a kind fisherman and his wife. It turns out that he is also the son of Zeus (Liam Neeson). As Zeus’s son grew older, Man has discovered their own way in the World and doesn’t need to rely on the Gods so much. Hades (Ralph Fiennes) decides to use Man as a weapon to drive a wedge between them. In the process, Hades kills Perseus’s adopted family and Perseus goes on a quest for revenge. Can he fulfill his mission of revenge and restore a balance between god and man?
The Toddster’s Take - Just like sequels, Remakes are also tricky propositions. The trick is finding the right balance and doing the story right. I thought this one was pretty good. It was a bit different than the original but there were a few Easter eggs that honored the original. Worthington has been on fire ever since “Avatar” and has been making a lot of movies since. There is also a rumor he might be taking over James Bond (Hope not). This one had a lot of action and the story was quite good. It doesn’t slow down. They also tried to the “3D” treatment with this movie. They need to get away from that. It’s just a gimmick and may scare movie goers away. It’s just fine in 2D.

Date Night - The things people miss when they have to become responsible. Sometimes some couples have to get a break. Just ask Phil (Steve Carell) and Claire Foster (Tina Fey). They do the same things every day going to work, picking up the kids, coming home, fixing dinner, and then the next day they get to do all over again. Phil decides they need a night out on the town. He decides to surprise Claire by taking her to the best place in town. The only problem is the reservation list is a mile long and he hijacks another couples’ reservation. This starts the craziness off to say the least when they get mistaken by a couple of crooked cops working for the District Attorney who has some pictures he doesn’t want seen. It becomes a race for the Fosters to find out the truth and stay out of trouble. Can they find a way to end the date of their lives?
The Toddster’s Take - When you see a trailer, the makers of the movie make it look really good. Not in this case. This one was just boring. It was funny in spots and the story really dragged at times. Carrell and Fey are funny but it takes awhile to get to the joke. A good movie to take that significant other to but this one wasn’t one of my favorites.

A Nightmare on Elm Street - Sleeping may become a thing of the past. Strange deaths are occurring the town of Springwood but no one seems to know why. Nancy Thompson (Rooney Mara) with her friend Quentin (Kyle Gallner) are just a couple of high school teens but things start to go from bad to worse when their friends begin to die in their sleep and they need to find out the facts before it’s too late. Until they start looking into the matter and the deaths seem to point towards a mysterious burned man named Freddy Krueger. (Jackie Earle Haley). The only problem is Freddy is dead and the only way to stop him is in the dream world. Or is there another way to stop him in the Real World?
The Toddster’s Take - This one had a mixed reaction. As I’ve mentioned before, Hollywood seems to have gotten into a bit of a rut by making classic movies that scared us before. The first was Friday the 13th. Now the same film makers have put their spin on a possible new Nightmare franchise. This film was a bit predictable and they tried some classic scares from the original with some new takes on them. Haley as the new Freddy was excellent. Robert Englund (the original actor to play Freddy) played the character as a smart aleck with a flair for evil and did it very well. Haley gets a little funny but his Freddy is just plain evil (with a capital “E”). This made it scarier. I liked that.

Iron Man 2 - The Golden Avenger returns to action as Robert Downey Jr returns to the role that put him back on the map. Tony Stark (Downey) has revealed to the World he is actually Iron Man. The stakes get higher as new enemies Whiplash (Mickey Rourke) along with Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) want to take out Stark and his armored alter ego. Also, Tony learns that the device that saved his life may actually be killing him and it makes it dangerous every time he uses his armor. He gets some help from new and old allies including War Machine (Don Cheadle), the Black Widow (Scarlet Johnannsen), and Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). Is Tony going to be able to save the day and his life for that matter?
The Toddster’s Take - I loved this movie! A great way to continue the story and the new additions to the cast were amazing. Adding a little more jeopardy to the life of Tony Stark was just what it needed. Like in the first movie, Tony had to be shown the errors of his ways. This time around, he has to get shown again but we all have to learn. Downey was terrific with the rest of the cast. Even seeing an appearance by Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury is a great way to have some clues of what is on the way. Thor and Captain America are set for next Summer. “Iron Man 3” should be interesting with an Avengers movie coming in 2012. Stay Tuned! (Stay through the credits because there is a surprise)

That’s all for this week! Before we go, I need to send a special “Thank You” to Richard Fox and the staff of the Hamilton Theater. Without their help, this column wouldn’t have been possible. Also, a special congratulations to my niece Jessica who just got married and many years of happiness. New DVDs return next week. The Toddster will return.