Happy Friday!

Friday is my favorite day of the week. Why, you ask? Because it means a whole new round of movie openings, and this weekend is particularly noteworthy. First of all, the big popcorn movie to start another summer of blockbusters--Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. I'm a huge fan of this franchise. For one thing, it's Disney, which means pure magic. For another, Johnny Depp...it could be said he is one of the greatest actors of our time, and yes, my personal favorite. I always enjoy the roles he chooses. There's speculation on if the fourth movie will do well or not, since this is the first without Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley, but it's also been said they were a drain on the third movie. I'm not saying I agree. Side note: my kids just watched Curse of the Black Pearl Sunday night and LOVED IT! Even though they're young, they just don't scare easily, and also, the first of the series is a bit more Disney-fied than the rest, with the skeleton crew evoking fun memories of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney World.

A second choice is Happythankyoumoreplease. This movie is a big deal in the Columbus area since writer/director Josh Radnor is a Bexley native. He's actually making an appearance at the Drexel Theatre in Bexley tonight to introduce the film and do a Q&A after the 7:30 showing. I would love to be there but can't make it this time. The movie about a group of young adults searching for connection is also a Sundance award winner.

And last but not least, Woody Allen's latest film is Midnight in Paris, starring Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams. This movie showed at the Cannes Film Festival last week and was met with mixed reviews, but I'm looking forward to it. It's a postcard look at Paris and since I've never been there, that's the Paris I'd like to see for now.

Also opening this week...Bloodworth, Cost of a Soul, and Louder than a Bomb. If anyone is out there this weekend, I'd love to hear thoughts on what you see. Happy Friday!