4th of July weekend usually means big blockbusters to rake in the crowds and the dough for all those looking to make the most of a day without work, but since our fine country’s birthday fell on a Wednesday this year and put a wedge in many a beach vacation, the great cinematic unveiling felt more like a trickle of might-sees than the usual release of anticipation-building films. If you’re curious, check out our list of the latest flicks to hit theaters in hopes to help you figure out what to see or not to see (because isn’t that always the question?)

The Amazing Spider-man – We had pretty strong feelings about this remake after first hearing about it, and for legitimate reasons. Toby isn’t dead yet, he isn’t even in an old age home talking about his glory days as a superhero or even telling his kids about the good old days (because he doesn’t have any) and Kirsten Dunst is still a bankable box-office hottie, so why the rush to pump out a new installment of the franchise while our generation still remembers all the details of the old one? We couldn’t tell you, but we can tell you that watching Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield be adorable on every red carpet and talk show the past few weeks has kind of warmed our frigid, frigid hearts to the idea. A new story, a new cast and that new fangled 3D technology puts The Amazing Spider-man in the “see” column for a regular summer weekend.

Savages – If you love Oliver Stone films, then his latest ball-busting drug drama with an all-star cast is pretty much a no brainer. For the guys, you have Blake Lively and Salma Hayek and for the ladies, there’s Friday Night Lights stud Taylor Kitsch and a dreadlocked Aaron Johnson. But we realize that there is more to a movie than eye candy, which is why this review from New York Times movie critic A.O Scott has us more than excited to see the film. Based on the novel by Don Winslow, Stone brings to life a tale of savagery from either side of the border with all the violence and grit that inevitably accompanies any tale involving love, drugs and Benicio Del Toro.

Katy Perry: Part of Me – This movie follows in the footsteps of every recent concert documentary from the likes of the Jonas Brothers, Justin Beiber and everyone’s favorite affianced ex-Disney star, Miley soon-to-be Hemsworth, in the sense that it’s film for fans of Katy Perry and pretty much no one else. Considering she is a huge star with roughly 9,000 hit singles in the past few years, it shouldn’t be hard to pull in the cash and press for a successful film. The 3D gimmick also comes into play as does her wildly publicized marriage and divorce to comedian, Russell Brand, which is included in the film. Sadly, such heartbreak might motivate some curious parties to attend, but we think we may pass. Sorry, Katy, we still think you’re a firework/teenage dream/California girl with some serious star power.

Then there is of course still Disney’s Brave, Seth McFarlane’s dirty talking teddy bear film, Ted, Channing Tatum’s charming Cinderella story about a stripper who finds his way, Magic Mike, and some great films at Camelview that will have you feeling like you’re at the Toronto Film Festival and able to carry on a conversation with any hipster about the on-screen vs. off-screen appeal of Mark Duplass (in reference to Your Sister’s Sister, Safety Not Guaranteed and People Like Us).

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