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Disillusioned by his own god, Gorr (Christian Bale), is empowered by an ancient sword of darkness and sets out to slay all other gods in the universe– including Thor (Chris Hemsworth). Wise to his challenger’s plight, Thor must call upon the help of his friends including Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Korg (Taika Waititi), and his now ex girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman). But, will their efforts be enough to stop the God Slayer before his plans impact eternity? Written by Taika Waititi and Jennifer Kaytin Robinson and Directed by Waititi, this summer time romp back to New Asgard is ripe with Waititi induced humor, often falling into the screwball and socially awkward variety, challenging the viewer to remember previous installments of Thor haven’t been really “serious” Marvel films at all, in fact, far from it, this is no different. Although, it would appear Love and Thunder has been written with kids on the brain, or at least written with them in mind, given the sub-plots of several of the Asgardian children (played by the actual children of Waititi, Hemsworth, and Bale for example), it’s a family affair, and the writing skews young. Meanwhile, it would also appear Axl Rose and rest of G n R crew are set to receive a decent royalty check for musical support, chuckles, eye rolls at the same time. Bottom line, is this the top of the pile, no, is this the bottom, no. It’s fine, it’s a feelgood chuckle fest with a few laugh out loud moments built on a large majority of existing pop culture with a saccharine finish. Not to be taken seriously, running just under two hours, Thor: Love and Thunder is rated PG-13.

Growing up in Tupelo, Mississippi Elvis Presley (Austin Butler) would take influences from the largely African American culture he grew up in and infuse them into his own special style of rock and roll. With his dashing good looks and natural instincts as a showman the world couldn’t seem to get enough of Elvis, and, combined with the marketing genius of manager/hustler Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks), Elvis would of course become The King of Rock and Roll. Detailing his rise and fall through the eyes of a near death Parker, this is Elvis.Written by Craig Pearce, Sam Bromell, and Baz Luhrmann, and Directed by Luhrmann, this fictionalized recounting of history surrounding one of the most iconic showmen to take the stage in the 20th century sets out with great ambition but falls far short of the fevered dreamlike quality and imagination that’s come to be expected from a Baz Luhrmann film. Attempts at combining the contemporary rap and hip hop with classic Elvis lack the pizzaz or storytelling quality we’ve seen in previous Luhrmann films, and to be frank the final third of the film, the Vegas years, droll on for what feels like an eternity, essentially dragging the viewer into a less than entertaining drug induced bender of gluttony and abuse. A tragic film to a tragic character in the world of Pop/Rock history, The King deserves better. Running a brutal two hours and thirty nine minutes and rated PG-13, perhaps steer clear this weekend.

A recluse inventor of generally useless items named Brian (David Earl) strikes gold when his robot named “Charles” (Chris Hayward) actually takes to life and becomes sentient. But questions about makers and masters begin to spur as Charles’ knowledge and understanding of the world grows. It’s only a matter of time before britches are outgrown, but then what? Written by David Earl and Chris Hayward and Directed by Jim Archer, this light hearted mocumentary style romp through the countryside with a robot runs at an even pace delivering a host of good chuckles and genuine smiles from start to finish. Simple in premise and delivery, the writers aren’t challenging major theories about life and humanity as one might think, but instead focus on solid archetypal character development and provide the basis of the classic quest for knowledge and growth, points for staying on target. And, running only a brisk 90 minutes, welcomes are not overstayed. Bottom line, rated PG, Brian and Charles provides the feel good warmth in our Seattle summer of grey.