Next week I’ll be back on the radio (I’m seeing Kick Ass 2), so I thought I’d make a little summary of the stuff I’ve watched over the summer.

• The Wolverine

Most people I follow have put this film slightly above the “not bad” mark. It has some genuine moments: the opening is emotionally solid, the fighting is fun, and Wolverine is a badass. The plot itself, while more compelling than the first, fell flat a lot of the time. When the giant samurai showed up, I thought it looked appropriately awesome, but its place in the actual plot was never really explained. He needed it to live forever? Because he would from then on defend his company with glowing hot swords? Ok. Some of the characters’ motivations were barely touched upon, and because of the lack of subtitles, I felt a bit left out in the cold. All in all, “better than the unspeakable Wolverine: Origins” is all this one can manage. Dice roll: 3

• TiMER

I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I clicked this movie on Netflix because I had originally read the concept in a fanfic (I will never reveal which fandom it belonged to). Basically, it’s set in a world like ours, the only difference being everyone gets a clock on their wrist at 16 that counts down to the day you’ll meet your true love. It sounds a lot worse than it is, I promise. Compared to all the other brain dead romantic comedies I’ve seen this year, TiMER somehow managed to be sweet while not shying away from the questions its premise raises. Sure, it’s definitely more comfortable just getting to the happily every after moment, but there’s a refreshing breeze of honestly throughout the film. If a girlfriend wants to watch a chickflick, this will definitely be the lesser of two evils 90% of the time. Dice roll: 3

• Olympus Has Fallen

I haven’t seen White House Down but please tell me it’s better than this. I don’t understand how Gerald Butler gets put in movies like this when he could be working on projects ten times more interesting. Predictable from start to finish with only a couple of knife stabbings to break the otherwise bland shootings, the characters all behave as if 9/11 never happened, and the “big danger” that absolutely needed three people to activate, can be reversed over the phone. Danger over. Big finish. Dice roll: 2

• Paul

I’ve already reviewed this. I just wanted to say I rewatched it, laughed my ass off, and can’t wait for The World’s End. Dice roll: 5