Summer movies are sizzling hot
Critic's Corner
By DNA Smith

Steve Carrell stars as United States spy Maxwell Smart in "Get Smart." The funny spy film is touted as one of the best films of the summer.

With so many great movies being released this summer, it's impossible to review only one a week, so I'm doubling up this week so I can do justice to films like "Wall-E," "The Dark Knight," "Hellboy 2" and others.

The first is "Wanted," a highoctane, adrenaline rush of a flick that any action movie fan doesn't dare miss. Holy moley, what a ride.

The film stars James McAvoy as Wesley Gibson, a regular dude with a cruddy job who is enlisted by a secret society that trains him to unlock his dormant superhuman powers so that he can kill the guy who murdered his father (who was also a member of the "Fraternity.") Aiding Gibson is the uber-hot and aptly named Fox (Angelina Jolie), and the sage leader Sloan (Morgan Freeman).

The action is non-stop, graphic over-the-top, and I enjoyed every second of it. Definitely check it out.

The next film you should see is "Get Smart." I know. 86 percent of all movies based on classic TV shows suck, but "Get Smart" is the rare exception.

Title: Wanted Running time: 90 minutes. Rating: R Grade: B+

Steve Carrell is perfectly cast as secret agent Maxwell Smart, and Anne Hathaway as Agent 99 is the perfect foil. The chemistry between them is comedy gold.

The plot is pretty straightforward: An evil spy ring, KAOS, has infiltrated the U.S. intelligence agency CONTROL and outed all its agents. So, intelligence analyst Maxwell Smart is made an agent in order to bring down a plot by KAOS to kill the president (James Caan) using a bomb made with stolen nuclear material.

What makes "Get Smart" so enjoyable is that the filmmakers didn't try to copy the slapstick and Catskills comedy stylings of the original series. Instead, they made a great spy movie in its own right - and THEN added some comic elements to it.

Add to the mix a bevy of celebrity cameos, and "Get Smart" is a great way to spend a summer afternoon in the theater.

(c) 2008 King Features Synd., Inc.

Title: Get Smart Running time: 112 minutes. Rating: PG-13 Grade: B+