Alternative Summer Movie Picks

The Hurt Locker

If you've had your fill of Terminator, Transformers and Harry Potter, check out these other great films at a theater near you. The Hurt Locker stars Jeremy Renner as a technician in an elite Army bomb squad unit in Iraq. The gripping, suspenseful action/drama is out now.

By John Halecky

(500) Days of Summer

Boy meets girl. Boy falls for girl. Girl ends up dumping boy. Boy tries to figure out what went wrong. That's the plot of the surprise indie hit (500) Days of Summer, now in wide release, and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel.

Away We Go

The comedy Away We Go follows the journey of an expectant couple as they travel the U.S. in search of a place to put down roots and raise a family. The delightful crowd-pleaser is also now in theaters.

Cheri

Michelle Pfeiffer plays a courtesan to a much younger man in the period piece, Cheri. Oh, to be that younger man...

Cold Souls

Paul Giamatti plays, well, Paul Giamatti in Cold Souls, a surreal comedy about an actor who has his soul extracted and put on ice. Cold Souls is now in limited release.

Food, Inc.

If you're in the mood for a documentary, Food, Inc. (in limited release) explores America's corporate controlled food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that's been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of the government's regulatory agencies, the USDA and FDA.

In the Loop

In the fast-paced political satire In the Loop, US/UK relations are strained when the wrong thing is said at the wrong time. The dark comedy stars "Sopranos" alum James Gandolfini.

Moon

It's practically a one-man show for Sam Rockwell in the sci-fi thriller Moon, the directorial debut of David Bowie's son, Duncan Jones. Rockwell plays an astronaut who's coming unhinged as he nears the end of his 3-year mission alone on the moon...in theaters now.

Paper Heart

Just released on 8/7 is Paper Heart, a movie that combines elements of documentary and traditional storytelling to bring a fresh perspective to modern romance.

Ponyo

Now that Up is slowly lifting out of the theaters, Disney is making its way with Ponyo, an animated adventure centered on a 5-year-old boy and his relationship with a goldfish princess who longs to become human. The family film opens on 8/14.

Shrink

Kevin Spacey is not your ordinary Shrink. He's a psychiatrist with an A-list Hollywood clientele who's slowly losing control. Making the rounds now on the art house circuit.

Spread

Ashton Kutcher and Anne Heche star in this lurid tale of a good-looking lothario who sleeps his way into a life of privilege in Hollywood. Spread opens (pun intended!) on 8/14.

Which alternative summer movies did we miss? Let us know at editorial@fandango.com.