The summer season is wrapping up and with Inception and Toy Story 3 as our only true saviors, will there be another in store this final month? There are also a number of other notable escapades before we head into the long Oscar season.

See:

10. Eat Pray Love (Ryan Murphy; Aug. 13th)

Synopsis: Happily married Elizabeth Gilbert (Roberts) takes a right turn in her life by enduring a painful divorce and proceeding to take a round-the-world journey of self-enlightenment and fulfillment.

Why You Should See It: Directed and written by the creator of Glee and Nip/Tuck, this romantic comedy  adventure features some of the most talented actors working. Even if you don’t like Julia Roberts she is joined by Javier Bardem, James Franco, Richard Jenkins and Billy Crudup. Based on the best selling novel this looks to be one of better “chick flicks”  of recent.

9. HappyThankYouMorePlease (Josh Radnor; Aug. 20th)

Synopsis: Captures a generational moment – young people on the cusp of truly growing up, tiring of their reflexive cynicism, each in their own ways struggling to connect and define what it means to love and be loved.

Why You Should See It: A Sundance crowd pleaser, this is the directorial and writing debut of How I Met Your Mother star Josh Radnor. Receiving solid reviews since its premiere, it is finally getting a small theatrical release.

8. Soul Kitchen (Fatih Akin; Aug. 20th)

Synopsis: In Hamburg, German-Greek chef Zinos unknowingly disturbs the peace in his locals-only restaurant by hiring a more talented chef.

Why You Should See It: Akin is certainly one of my favorite working directors after Head-On and Edge of Heaven. He is finally getting a crack at comedy with this ensemble piece which was nominated for the Golden Lion at Venice and went home with a special jury prize.

7. Middle Men (George Gallo; Aug. 6th)

Synopsis: In 1995, businessman Jack Harris (Wilson) partners with two enterprising troublemakers (Ribisi and Macht) to sell adult entertainment over the fledgling Internet.

Why You Should See It: It’s like Goodfellas, only with porn. It’s also Luke Wilson’s first respectable film role in quite some time and he is joined by the usually great Giovanni Ribisi.

6. Lebanon (Samuel Moaz; Aug. 6th)

Synopsis: June, 1982 – The First Lebanon War. A lone tank and a paratroopers platoon are dispatched to search a hostile town – a simple mission that turns into a nightmare. The four members of a tank crew find themselves in a violent situation that they cannot contain. Motivated by fear and the basic instinct of survival, they desperately try not to lose themselves in the chaos of war.

Why You Should See It: Taking home the Golden Lion at Venice last year, this war tale takes place entirely inside a tank. The interesting premise should provide a fascinating look at a war we normally don’t see represented on film.

5. Piranha 3D (Alexandre Aja; Aug. 20th)

Synopsis: A tremor under the surface of Lake Victoria unleashes scores of prehistoric piranhas, an event which rallies the local sheriff (Shue) who will risk everything to save her townsfolk.

Why You Should See It: If you have any doubts this won’t be one of the best times at a theater this year, check out the extremely NSFW Comic-Con footage. Hell, they couldn’t even show it at the con because of how graphic it was. Aja knows blood and now he isn’t taking himself seriously so this, by all accounts, should deliver.

4. The Other Guys (Adam McKay; Aug. 6th)

Synopsis: Two mismatched New York City detectives (Ferrell and Wahlberg) seize an opportunity to step up like the city’s top cops whom they idolize — only things don’t quite go as planned.

Why You Should See It: McKay has consistently delivered and even if you are tired of Ferrell, he is matched with the hilarious Wahlberg. For further proof just see his work in Date Night….and The Happening.

3. Flipped (Rob Reiner; Aug. 6th)

Synopsis: Despite their many differences, romance blooms between 8th grader Juli Baker (Carroll) and the boy she’s liked since elementary school, Bryce Loski (McAuliffe).

Why You Should See It: Stand By Me, The Princess Bride and When Harry Met Sally director Rob Reiner is returning to his roots in this tale of childhood love tale. Marketing seems to be dismal, but I’ve heard strong early word.

2. Animal Kingdom (Michod, Aug. 13th)

Synopsis: Tells the story of seventeen year-old J (Josh) as he navigates his survival amongst an explosive criminal family and the detective who thinks he can save him.

Why You Should See It: Our own Josie M. calls it one of the absolute best films of the year and it took home one of the top prizes at Sundance this year. This Australian crime drama also features Guy Pearce and who can deny more of that?

1. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (Edgar Wright; Aug. 13th)

Synopsis: Layabout musician Scott Pilgrim (Cera) falls for the new girl in town, Ramona Flowers (Winstead), but in order to win her heart, he must defeat her seven evil ex-boyfriends.

Why You Should See It: The hyperbole is strong with this one. Some are calling it a bigger artistic leap than Avatar and others “a generational milestone.” While I think it has a few problems, it is still mindblowingly fun and delivers beyond belief in the “I’ve never seen that before” area. An absolute must-see.

Check out what to avoid and see a matinee of on the next page >>

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