It's summer (sort of)! Time for some laughs with "Cedar Rapids" June 25.

It's a bit spitty out today, but the weatherman says it'll clear up in plenty of time for our first comedy of the summer: Cedar Rapids!

DATE: Saturday, June 25
MINGLE TIME: 8pm
MOVIE TIME: 9:15pm-ish

Summer days have been tough to come by so far this year, but the laughs come fast and furious in this bawdy, but surprisingly sweet comedy, written by former KARE-11 TV field reporter, Phil Johnston. The movie also includes a cameo performance by a fellow local voice actor (we have the same agent) and my facebook friend, Tracey Maloney as the sensitive flight attendant.

It should be fun!

"True Grit": Out on DVD, so it's out in our backyard, Saturday, June 11

Celebrating St. Louis Park natives Joel & Ethan Coen's latest effort, we present "True Grit".

MINGLE TIME: 8pm
MOVIE TIME: 9pm-ish

It's going to be a bit of a cool night, so don't forget a jacket, sweatshirt or blankie. Pam and I have heard good things about this movie and look forward to sharing it with you.

Finally! Our 17th season begins with the 2006 documentary, "Afghan Star"!

A cold and rainy spring have set back the launch of our 2011 season, but finally beautiful weather has arrived and our movie series can begin again for its 17th year!

We held a vote for our opening film and the documentary "Afghan Star" won. It's the story of the "American Idol"-style singing competition that is trying to bring this country into the 21st Century--but not without some resistance from more traditional members of the society. As the website, afghanstardocumentary.com, says: "After 30 years of war and Taliban rule, Afghan Pop Idol is taking the nation by storm. But this is more than just a TV show. In Afghanistan, you risk your life to sing."

As you'll see in the trailer, a lot of the country is excited about this singing competition. But many of the more traditional Afghans--largely men, it would appear--still think women should stay covered up and out of sight. And if they do sing, they should be killed.

From what I've read, this is a gripping, yet uplifting documentary. At this time, Rotten Tomatoes has given it a 100% rating. So far, no one has written a less than positive review of it. It has 57 "thumbs up" reviews and 0 negatives. Read more here.