Summer is well underway, and that means big blockbusters are battling it out for that top spot at the box office. When you aren't relaxing at the beach with a good book, check out these books-on-screen adaptations that are sure to entertain (or at least get you out of the hot sun for a few hours).
In
The Amazing Spider-Man, join a re-vamped Peter Parker on a new adventure to discover his own identity by finding out the truth about what happened to his mother and father. Raised by his Uncle Ben and Aunt May, Peter becomes increasingly curious about his parents' disappearance. He finds a mysterious briefcase, which leads him to Dr. Curt Connors, the former partner of his father, and ultimately leads Spider-Man to Connors' alter-ego.
Spider-Man is not the only superhero looking for answers in his city. Batman returns for the final installment of the mega-hit franchise in
The Dark Knight Rises. What will happen when a new terrorist decides to attack Gotham City, and Batman refuses to protect the city that has labeled him a villain for the last eight years? Watch as Bruce Wayne dons the Batsuit for the last time in this hugely successful trilogy of films.
On the small screen, don't miss what A is up to on
"Pretty Little Liars," which airs Tuesdays at 8:00pm ET/PT on ABC Family. Now that Mona is locked away in a psychiatric institution, find out what happens when Spencer, Hanna, Emily and Aria realize they're not as safe as they thought they were. And while Mona liked to play with dolls, the new version of A isn't afraid to hit the girls where it hurts.
In Theaters:
Cast: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone
Director: Marc Webb
Distributor: Columbia, Marvel
MPAA rating: PG-13
Release Date: July 3rd (wide)
Based On: Spider-Man comics
Peter Parker, an outcast high schooler, was abandoned by his parents as a boy, leaving him to be raised by his Uncle Ben and Aunt May. Like most teenagers, Peter is trying to figure out who he is and how he got to be the person he is today. Peter is also finding out his way with his first high school crush, Gwen Stacy, and together they struggle with love, commitment, and secrets. As Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase that belonged to his father, he begins a quest to understand his parents' disappearance --- leading him directly to Oscorp and the lab of Dr. Curt Connors, his father's former partner. As Spider-Man is set on a collision course with Connors' alter-ego, The Lizard, Peter will make life-altering choices to use his powers and shape his destiny to become a hero.
Cast: Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Michael Cain, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anne Hathaway
Director: Christopher Nolan
Distributor: Warner Bros., DC Entertainment
MPAA rating: PG-13
Release Date: July 20th (wide)
Based On: Batman comics
Eight years after Batman took the fall for Two Face's crimes, a new terrorist leader, Bane, overwhelms Gotham's finest, and the Dark Knight resurfaces to protect a city that has branded him an enemy.
On TV:
Cast: Lucy Hale, Ashley Benson, Troian Bellisario, Shay Mitchell, Sasha Pieterse
A summer has passed since Aria, Emily, Hanna and Spencer found out about Mona being "A" and Maya's death. With the terror seemingly over and an alleged murderer now behind bars, the town of Rosewood is slowly healing from old and new wounds and trying to get back to normalcy. Each of the four girls spent their summer in different ways - Aria taking a photography class, Spencer taking college courses at Hollis, Hanna taking cooking classes with Caleb and Emily building houses in Haiti. But what looks normal for each girl is not necessarily so, as all four are hardly over what happened. With post-traumatic stress, anger and the acquisition of more secrets the four Liars are anything but fine. Now all back together and coming upon the second anniversary of Alison's disappearance, the girls find themselves back on the defensive when a shocking event rocks Rosewood.
