BEST BETS AT THE BOX OFFICE
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1. The Killer Inside Me (June 18) - Casey Affleck stars in this adaptation of the sordid Jim Thompson pulp crime novel. Ben’s little bro stars as a Texas deputy sheriff who hides a horrible secret that eventually consumes him. Jessica Alba and Kate Hudson costar in this film that’s being compared to the work of director David Lynch (Blue Velvet) after its successful opening at the Toronto International Film Festival. This one sounds like a good alternative to the slam-bang action flicks that will be cluttering the multiplex.

2. Toy Story 3 (June 18) – I’m always a bit leery of sequels, but with the success of the second entry in this series from Pixar Studios and the fact that all of the original talent is on board here, this followup has all the signs of being a success. After their owner Andy heads to college, Woody, Buzz and the rest of his toys end up being donated to a local daycare center. Will they be able to survive after not being played with for years? Will Andy come back to retrieve them? I’ll let you know as I will be first in line for this one.

3. Knight and Day (June 25) - Tom Cruise stars as a rogue secret agent intent on protecting a scientist the government wants to control and Cameron Diaz is the lovely innocent who gets swept into his adventure. As directed by James Mandgold (Walk the Line), this action-comedy is reminiscent of North by Northwest and True Lies, and looks like a whole lotta fun. While both of these stars have fallen out of favor with audiences in recent years, this feature looks like it will remind us of why we loved Cruise and Diaz in the first place.

4. Inception (July 16) – Director Christopher Nolan takes a break from the Batman franchise to tackle a mind-bending adventure about dream thieves who are able to enter a person’s mind and steal their ideas, which are then used by corporations for profit. Warner Brothers and Nolan have been mum about specific plot details but the film’s trailer and its cast, which includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Michael Caine and Ken Wantanabe, make this one of the most intriguing films of the season. Be prepared to be wowed and surprised.