What It’s About?: Set waaaaaay back in 1987, Adventureland revolves around the still virginal James Brennan, a smart college grad whose dashed European vacation plans and career desperation lead him to take a summer job running games and handing out crummy stuffed animals at a Z-grade amusement park. It’s there that he falls hard for his colleague, Em, a pretty but emotionally confused girl who is having a secret affair with older-married-guy Mike Connell, an aspiring musician and the park’s resident handyman. Over the course of the summer, the employees of this pathetic Disneyland party hard, smoke weed and most importantly learn about love and relationships while being forced to hear “Rock Me, Amadeus” played continuously on the park’s piped-in music system.

Who’s In It?: The whole cast is superb, led by Jesse Eisenberg (The Squid and the Whale, The Education of Charlie Banks), who is simply terrific in a breakthrough performance that proves Michael Cera is not the ONLY one who can play nerdy-but-thoughtful young guys trying to navigate their life’s path down the winding road of uncertainty. Eisenberg, as James, deftly manages writer/director Greg Mottola’s (Superbad) droll dialogue with effortless timing and delivery. Kristen Stewart, as Em, shot this role before Twilight and is sensational – her best screen work yet. As his slacker best friend, Joel, Martin Starr underplays it nicely creating a three-dimensional character in just a few scenes. Hot newcomer Margarita Levieva is hysterical as Lisa P, the park’s resident tease and gossip, while SNL stalwarts Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig do their usual flawless comedic thing as the Adventureland owners. Ryan Reynolds is the perfect jerk as the joint’s self-appointed married skirt-chaser.

What’s Good?: Expectations might be: It’s just another gross-out teen comedy. But the real surprise is the sweet nature of the script and strongly-etched characters. Working in the world’s worst job is a good starting place for Mottola’s musings on love and relationships – and it’s just as pertinent now as in the time the film is set. For those who still have a jonesin’ for all things ’80s, the nifty soundtrack full of choice items from the era is retro-cool (except for that “Rock Me Amadeus” tune).

What’s Bad?: It’s a key plot point, but it’s hard to see why Stewart’s character would get so attached to such a slimy married guy like the one Reynolds plays.

Favorite Scene: A restaurant scene where James pours his heart out to Em and reveals his virginity for the first time is very funny and painfully honest.

Best Downer Line: In giving Em a custom-made gift, the morose James says: “I made you a tape. These are my favorite bummer songs – pit of despair stuff.”

Bottom Line: Hollywood.com rated this film 3 1/2 stars.

What It’s About?: Set in 1957 and designed to be mistaken for the corny B-monster movies of the era, Alien Trespass focuses on a group of characters who encounter an alien named Urp whose spaceship has crash-landed in the Mojave Desert, inadvertently setting loose another creature on board: the terrifying Ghota, a monster bent on destroying everything in its path including Earth. In order to defeat him, Urp takes over the body of a local astronomer and bands together with small-town citizens to save civilization.

Who’s In It?: A game cast tries to make us believe in this hokum from a more innocent time – and mostly succeed. All with a straight face, “Will & Grace’s” Eric McCormack plays the pipe-smoking Dr. Ted Lewis, the astronomer whose body has morphed into that of the visiting alien, Urp. Making her motion-picture debut as a waitress who shows great courage in the face of this monstrous crisis, Jenni Baird is sweet and convincing. As the skeptical police chief and his officer, Dan Lauria and Robert Patrick (The Unit) are right out of the kind of bad B-movie Alien Trespass is trying to clone. Lewis’ wife Lana is played by Jody Thompson, channeling any number of ’40s or ’50s buxom film starlets who populated these pre-feminist roles.

What’s Good?: Director/producer R. W. Goodwin is a veteran of TV’s The X-Files and exhibits a real fondness for the far less sophisticated brand that started the sci-fi genre in the first place. It’s no Airplane!-style spoof but gets laughs in such a good-natured way that this nifty homage could have been released in 1957, and no one would have ever known the difference.

What’s Bad?: Unless you’re really into ’50s movies like It Came From Outer Space and Invaders From Mars, this sly but very tame takeoff will probably have you headed for the lobby well before the end credits.

Netflix Or Multiplex?: You won’t have long to wait for this thing to land on DVD shelves, so a better bet is to hold off and rent it with a couple of the real B-movies that inspired it. What better triple-feature matinée could there be?

Bottom Line: Hollywood.com rated this film 3 stars.

What It’s About?: Although it’s the fourth one in the series, it plays almost like a direct sequel to the first with ex-con and fugitive Dominic Toretto and now-agent Brian O’Connor reluctantly reunited by the death of a friend and a mutual quest to stop a sociopathic drug kingpin from bringing tons of his product into the U.S. To do this, they must infiltrate a group that moves heroin across the border through a series of dangerous and almost impenetrable caves.

Who’s In It?: For The Fast and the Furious fans, this fourth edition is nirvana, bringing all four of the original stars back together led by Vin Diesel as the firebrand Dominic and Paul Walker as the reformed Brian, who has now moved to the other side of the law. Basically required to utter a few phrases and chase bad guys for two hours while letting their stuntmen do the heavy lifting behind the wheel, these two are like watching a couple of old pros back doing what they do best. Let’s face it: Neither one of their careers was exactly burning up the movie business, so this move suits them well, and they look great in the parts. Also back is Jordana Brewster as Mia, Dom’s sister and Brian’s love interest, and Michelle Rodriguez as the tough-as-nails Letty, Dom’s girlfriend.

What’s Good?: It’s the STUNTS, stupid. What else would you go to this speed-fest for? And they are bigger and more elaborate than ever as director Justin Lin (Tokyo Drift) knows fans expect. The almost nonstop demolition derby is so full of vrooooom-and-zoom sounds and visual effects that it’s dizzying after a while. But they are undeniably well-executed, turning this edition into an experience that’s more like a NASCAR event than a movie.

What’s Bad?: Sad to say the acting levels haven’t really improved in the decade this franchise has been percolating, but it won’t matter for fans who come strictly for the action. Some of those action set pieces though are awfully contrived and bordering on cartoon-ish.

Favorite Scene: Easily the sequence where Dom and Brian must penetrate mountainous caves, which have tricky and winding rocky raceways carved throughout. It’s ludicrous but lots of fun – like taking a ride on a real Space Mountain. An earlier scene where Brian relies on his GPS device for directions during a high-speed chase also gets the adrenaline going.

Best Piece Of Life Advice: “I learned nothing really matters unless you have a code.” Or was that a Coke? It’s hard to tell with all the sound effects.

Bottom Line: Hollywood.com rated this film 3 stars.