View this you must if a fan you call yourself... Yoda in the new Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Warner Brothers)

Depending on how you look at it, George Lucas is either expanding his Star War franchise to please a rabid fan base or he's milking his one good idea yet again to exploit its popularity. The latest entry is the animated feature Star Wars: The Clone Wars (opening August 15 throughout San Diego), which -- in the SW chronology -- takes place somewhere between Episodes II and III, and continues the timeline of the short interstitial animations that ran on Cartoon Network back in 2003 that were known as Star Wars: Clone Wars ("The" has been added to "Clone Wars" for the theatrical release). An animated series of Star Wars: The Clone Wars is set to follow.

My apologies for not getting to this on its opening weekend but I think my sense of disappointment made me put it off. (Disappointment can make one very bitter and sad.) Now I know The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (opened August 1 throughout San Diego) is nothing more than a popcorn movie designed to lure summer moviegoers in the lull after Dark Knight and before the serious Oscar contenders start to roll out. But even silly pop movies have standards and this one falls short of those. Intensifying my disappointment is the fact that two of my favorite Hong Kong action stars (Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh) were cast in the film as enemies, and that promised a showdown that should have been as exciting as Jackie Chan taking on Jet Li in Forbidden Kingdom. But not even that paid off. Anyway, since I felt so shortchanged by the film, I decided to post up this behind the scene video (courtesy of Universal) about the making of The Mummy 3 as compensation. I think I enjoyed this featurette more than the movie.

Together again! David Duchovney and Gillian Anderson in The X-Files 2 (20th Century Fox)

With the new X-Files movie opening in the midst of Comic-Con, I fear I may not get to my review up until Monday. So here's a little teaser. This Friday,The X-Files proves you can go home again... or at least you can return to a cancelled TV series on the big screen. Six years after the Fox TV show was cancelled and ten years after the first X-Files movie, creator Chris Carter is bringing the characters of FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully back in a feature film. Arriving in theaters on July 25, the second film takes its title from the slogan on the poster that adorned Mulder’s office: "I Want to Believe." That title holds particular significance for series creator Chris Carter.

“I always thought of The X Files as a search for god,” Carter said, “and that was a big part of the inspiration. As for a particular religion? There is no particular religion. It was really, ‘the truth is out there’ is for me, is the mantra, but “I want to believe,” that poster on Mulder’s wall, says it all.”

Journey to the Center of the Earth in 3D! (Warner Brothers)

Journey to the Center of the Earth (opening July 11 throughout San Diego) may have been shot in 3D but the end result is completely flat and lifeless. Based on Jules Verne's classic 1864 science fiction novel about a professor, his nephew, and a hired guide who venture down a volcano in Iceland to the "centre of the Earth." From a scientific point of view, Verne's story hasn't aged well since many of the ideas raised in the book about the center of the Earth have since been proven wrong. But the book still serves up a ripping adventure yarn filled with prehistoric creatures and natural hazards. But this second feature film (there were also a handful of American and French TV movies) based on Verne's book plays out like a painfully slow version of Disneyland's Indiana Jones ride.

The B.P.R.D. Team in Hellboy II: The Golden Army (Universal)

In the interest of full disclosure I should probably reveal that I have something of a Hellboy shrine in my office. I have one of the Comic-Con exclusive Hellboy action figures (the other Hellboy figures are at home), a poster from the first film, and a prop replica of Hellboy's Good Samaritan gun (this was kindly given to me by a colleague who had two of them after dressing up like Hellboy one Halloween - thanks John Munoa!). The only thing my shrine is missing are some candles but I deemed that too much of a fire hazard. I reveal this because I want to be upfront about going into the new sequel Hellboy II: The Golden Army (opening July 11 throughout San Diego) with high hopes. Hellboy II was the film I was most looking forward to this summer. (You can also listen to my KPBS Morning Edition Film Chat.)

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (opening July 11 throughout San Diego) is probably the film I have been most eagerly awaiting this summer. I am a diehard fan of Guillermo Del Toro's work but I have been especially excited about the Hellboy sequel ever since Del Toro appeared at Comic-Con and said that the script was so good that if you read it you would cry. (That was before Universal had given the greenlight to the sequel and Del Toro was still trying to convince people it was worth it.) In anticipation of Del Toro's new film I have been watching all of his old ones, and he just keeps getting better. Anyway, I thought I would share my enthusiasm by posting a video I cut together from the clips and interviews provided by Universal in their electronic press kit (highlighting the stuff I thought was cool like using trampolines for some of the fight scenes). Ron Perlman returns as Red along with Selma Blair as Liz, Doug Jones as Abe, and Jeffrey Tambor as Tom. I hope this whets your appetite like it did mine.

Beam me up Scotty! Star Trek: The Exhibition at the San Diego Air and Space Museum (CBS Studios, Inc.)

Over the Fourth of July weekend I went to the recently opened Star Trek: The Exhibition at the San Diego Air and Space Museum, and it was a blast. I'm not a diehard Star Trek fan but I got a kick out of the exhibit nonetheless. I enjoyed The Original Series (TOS), and liked aspects of Next Generation but something such as the 2001 prequel series called Enterprise completely slipped under my radar. But for me, TOS summed up the hope, dreams, and even a bit of the rebellion of the sixties in a pop culture way that I found wonderfully appealing. The Exhibition celebrates TOS as well as the vast number of series spin-offs and films that have followed. The Exhibition allows you to go on a replica set of TOS' bridge of the Enterprise and sit in the chair that William Shatner sat in and pondered weighty decisions in. You can also stand on the Transporter from Next Gen and get a lenticular photo of yourself magically appearing and disappearing. That alone made it worth going (even though the pic cost $27, but it's so cool!)

While I was there I saw both kids and adults take pleasure in playing Captain Kirk, and I saw quite a few dads passing on their love of the show to a new generation. There are props and costumes from TOS as well as from Next Gen. The models of the various versions of the Enterprise are impressive in their detail but the glittery orange biohazard suit from the episode The Naked Time is delightfully cheesy (note I use the word "cheesy" with nothing but great affection). You can also get an up close look at one of the tribbles that caused so much trouble, various phasers, and communicators. You will also find a quote from Martin Luther King, Jr. praising Uhura for inspiring people of color in the sixties. That's the kind of broad appeal the series gained.

TOS left a mark not only on a generation of sci-fi and fantasy fans but also on the entertainment industry and the world of science. Comic book artist and publisher Jim Lee is a fan of TOS and he pointed out that shows like TOS "stir up the imagination, they stir up the powers of creativity. You look at our cell phones and exploring space, these things might not happen without shows like these. It inspires the next wave of scientists and explorers."

So looking at my cell phone and the Star Trek communicator on display, I have to agree. Star Trek serves up a legacy worth celebrating and The Exhibition provides a fun and fitting tribute. So boldly go forth and enjoy. The San Diego Air and Space Museum is located in Balboa Park (2001 Pan American Plaza). For information call (619) 234-8291 or visit their website at www.aerospacemuseum.org.

TRIVIA: The Exhibition points out that Captain Kirk never actually said "Beam me up, Scotty!" But he did say, "Scotty, beam me up."

WALL-E and cockroach buddy. (Disney/Pixar)

If you are planning some family time this 4th of July weekend, there's actually a film that might make everyone happy - the latest Pixar/Disney venture WALL-E (opened June 27 throughout San Diego). The story is simple and sweet enough to keep the youngest family members happy yet the animation and storytelling is sophisticated enough to impress the adults. And, if I'm to go by what the KPBS Teen Critics have to say, WALL-E serves up a love story that teenage girls AND boys can both embrace. Now that's no easy feat.

Is Will Smith just another last action hero in Hancock? (Columbia)

Will Smith is a performer who's built up a lot of good will on the part of audiences. People like him, they really like him. Maybe it's all those years coming into their living rooms as the Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Or maybe it was the promise offered up by the truly fine work he did in his debut Six Degrees of Separation. Or maybe it's the blockbuster appeal of his films Independence Day and Men in Black. Well whatever it is, Smith is going to have to bank on that audience good will if he's to survive unscathed from his latest outing Hancock (opening July 2 throughout San Diego).

WALL-E (Pixar/Disney)

By Raymond Mai

I'll honestly say that I walked into WALL-E (opened June 27 throughout San Diego) not knowing what to expect. I looked at the trailer and I read a little about the movie, but not even that provided much information. So I sat in my seat at the preview only knowing that this movie was really hyped up. But after 103 minutes, I applauded along with the rest of the audience.

Pixar's WALL-E starts off in a New York-like city on a deserted earth. You figure out soon enough that a company called Buy 'n Large has developed WALL-E machines to clean up the earth while all the humans have flown off in a giant spaceship called the Axiom to escape the mess. Sadly, you'll also figure out that there is only one functional WALL-E (voiced by Ben Burtt) and he goes through a daily routine of collecting unique items and stacking cubes of trash until they become, well, a skyscraper. One day, a spaceship enters the trash filled atmosphere of earth and lands not far from the city. A robot comes out of the machine by the name of EVE (Elissa Knight), though Wall-E pronounces it EVA. A series of events happen and EVE fires her cannon at WALL-E while he tries to get closer to her. This stubborn robot never gives up and eventually he makes friends with EVE. This leads to WALL-E showing her a plant he has found. Because it's her directive to find plant life, she stores the plant and then shuts down. WALL-E goes out of his way to protect EVE yet she doesn't come out of this state. Soon the same spaceship from earlier comes to pick her up and WALL-E grabs hold of the spaceship and follows her back to the Axiom. There, you find out what has happened to the people of earth 700 years later and how their body mass has increased dramatically. The captain (Jeff Garlin) is soon faced with the decision to stay with the original plan of coming back to earth or follow the override orders and stay on the spaceship. He is soon attacked by AUTO (A Mac Speech Recognition Voice) and it's up to WALL-E, EVE, the captain, and the people of earth to get back to earth.

While WALL-E was on earth, I literally whispered to my brother, "The graphics are pretty nice." Though it kind of let up when you are in the spaceship sequence, the animation was done well. As you might have realized from my past reviews, I'm a sucker for character development. I like to see the personalities of all the characters develop. This movie does exactly that and I even fell for how WALL-E was so innocent and lovestruck yet he gets himself caught up in an adventure. The love story was a great addition to the movie. It stuck in my mind -- I wondered if WALL-E would ever get EVE as they tried to save the people of earth. I also liked seeing EVE express no interest in WALL-E, but as he goes out of his way to be with EVE she starts to fall for him as well. I also had a lot of good laughs in the movie. To top it off, this movie had a good message to send to the people of earth. Basically, it says, "If you keep up screwing with the earth by dumping trash everywhere, the earth will turn on you and become uninhabitable." Along with that, "you will live on a spaceship for the rest of your life, gain 300 pounds, and your bones will start to shrink." I have no problem with this movie though some people might not like the fact that there is not much dialogue. Out of all the movies I've seen this year, WALL-E (rated G for all audiences) is definitely my favorite one. This very entertaining movie deserves a 5 out of 5 stars from me.

Raymond Mai is a soon to be sophomore at Mount Miguel High School where he's on the football and baseball team. When he is not studying or playing a sport, he loves to have fun, whether it's watching movies or just kicking it behind the TV with his Nintendo Wii. He enjoys the opportunity to voice his opinions about movies.