I love summer movie season. When I get Entertainment Weekly’s summer movie preview issue in my mailbox, I get super excited and begin to make a list of all the movies I have to see – and it’s always lengthy (never mind the fact that many of these movies will turn out to be clichéd, big budget, Hollywood movie machine disappointments – it’s all about the anticipation, people).

Nevertheless, looking over my list, I am slightly embarrassed about the amount of time and money I spent at the movies this summer. But what the hell – it was really hot, and you can’t beat that AC.

And so, without further delay, my summer movie roundup.

Loved:

• Harry Potter 7.2: Exactly what I expected, and I find comfort in that consistency. I found myself tearing up throughout, but – oddly, I think – the moment that made me cry the most was when the teachers started casting protective spells around Hogwarts. I got chills.
• Bridesmaids: This could go in the “loved” category on the strength of Kristen Wiig’s penis impression alone. But there are also numerous other reasons I loved it – like the hot Irish cop, the stellar use of Wilson Phillips, and the fact that Melissa McCarthy pretty much steals every scene she’s in.
• Crazy Stupid Love: I just loved this movie. Sweet and funny, and all the emotions rang true. I loved that it all built to a sort of wacky, crazy, chaotic scene (if you’ve seen the movie: the part with the homemade putt putt golf course in their backyard). And – Ryan Gosling? Impossibly sexy.
• The Help: I pretty much walked into this movie knowing I would love it. And I did. First, Viola Davis? Made of awesome. She totally owns the movie. Second, Jessica Chastain? Definitely the next big thing. Her white trash, kooky housewife was my favorite storyline.

Liked:

• Friends with Benefits: Wanted to love this movie. Mila! Justin! Witty banter! But, mostly, I ended up just liking it. Definitely solid, and better than most of its genre (though the movie employs rom com clichés, it’s at least self-aware about doing so). Also, I really disliked that the doctor Mila Kunis dates turns out to be a complete douche. I thought it would’ve been more powerful if he’d actually been a good guy, and she had to come to the realization that he just wasn’t right for her.
• Super 8: This was another one that I really wanted to love. I felt like I could have loved a movie that was just about those kids, about them making movies, about them growing up. I did not need there to be a government-covering-up-an-alien-monster plot, and that’s what held this movie back for me. But, seriously, all those kid actors? Excellent. If she doesn’t go the way of Lohan, Elle Fanning is totally going to be a movie star.
• Monte Carlo: Yeah, I am slightly embarrassed about putting this under “like” and not “meh.” It’s a complete guilty-pleasure movie, but one that I enjoyed (guiltily) nevertheless. I always get sucked into movies that involve completely unrealistic and romanticized European travel (see: my love for the movie “Chasing Liberty,” which I know on a rational level is terrible but nonetheless love). Also – I totally want the shirtdress Leighton Meester wears in the movie.
• X-Men: I was surprised by how much I liked this movie – and I even briefly flirted with putting it in the “love” column. I’ve never really gotten into superhero movies, but with James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender as the leads, you can’t go wrong.
• One Day: Loved this book, and had extremely low expectations for the movie and how Hollywood would inevitably butcher it (see: My Sister’s Keeper). My low expectations caused me to be mildly surprised that the movie didn’t outright suck. But, it wasn’t great either – the book spans two decades, and it was always going to be tough for the film to cover all that without seeming choppy. And why oh why did they have to cast Anne Hathaway? Her accent was SO distracting, and it kept slipping towards Scottish. Very odd.

Meh:

• Horrible Bosses: This got solid reviews, but it didn’t do much for me. It was funny at times, but not hilarious. And, I kept thinking, are these three guys really going to murder somebody? How can you like protagonists who are aiming to be killers? I mean, I know it’s just a movie, and an exaggerated comedy at that, but that kept bugging me.
• Something Borrowed: I considered making a fourth category for this movie, and it would go something like, “employs every dumb romantic comedy cliché in the book and drags on interminably toward a thoroughly unsatisfying conclusion.” In that regard, the movie’s pretty much in a class of its own. Why do I pay to see movies like this?