Greetings movie lovers, it's time to take a look at what the cinema has to offer us for this upcoming long weekend.

Photo: Contributed - Sony

     The Amazing Spider-Man (Opens Monday July 2.)

Like most teenagers, Peter Parker is trying to figure out who he is and how he got to be the person he is today. Peter is also finding 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.

     My Take

Some people may be wondering why the studio is even bothering with yet another reboot of a character we just saw in films only a few years ago. But I say why not?

Throughout the history of film many famous fictional characters have been given the updated treatment such as Tarzan, Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, Batman and Superman. Spider-Man is arguably the most popular and famous of Marvel Comics' superheroes and I for one have always been a big fan, so I'm actually looking forward to seeing what this new creative team has in store for us.

At the helm this time is Marc Webb, who directed the wonderful offbeat romantic comedy 500 Days of Summer with Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Taking over as Spider-Man/Peter Parker is Andrew Garfield (best known for his great supporting turn in The Social Network). Emma Stone plays Gwen Stacy, who in the comic books was Peter's original love interest before he got seriously involved with Mary Jane Watson. The main villain, The Lizard, will be portrayed by Welsh actor Rhys Ifans. The rest of the strong cast includes Denis Leary, Martin Sheen, Sally Field and Campbell Scott.

I like the fact that this film is focusing on the little known story of Peter's relationship with his parents and what happened to them rather than just rehashing the exact same origin story from the 2002 film. There should be plenty of fresh material here to keep it interesting and I'm sure the action sequences will be spectacular. I'm pretty confident that this will be a huge hit so we'll most likely be seeing more Spidey films for years to come. Fine by me.

     Ted

As the result of a childhood wish, John Bennett's (Mark Wahlberg) teddy bear, Ted, came to life and has been by John's side ever since - a friendship that's tested when Lori (Mila Kunis), John's girlfriend of four years, wants more from their relationship.

     My Take

I have to say that this movie looks absolutely hilarious. Check out the uncensored redband trailer for this film to see what I'm talking about. It's going to be lewd and rude but laugh-out-loud funny and hopefully really entertaining.

Ted is written and directed by the creator of Family Guy, Seth MacFarlane, and since I'm a big fan of that show I'm looking forward to seeing his envelope pushing brand of humour on the big screen in an R-rated comedy. In addition to creating the film, Seth also provides the voice of the teddy bear come to life. It should be a lot of fun watching Mark Wahlberg have to play the straight man to a talking stuffed bear.

This has the potential to be comedy gold. Can't wait.

     Magic Mike

Set in the world of male strippers, the film follows Mike (Channing Tatum) as he takes a young dancer called The Kid (Alex Pettyfer) under his wing and schools him in the fine arts of partying, picking up women, and making easy money.

     My Take

Well, ladies, here's the film for you. I'm sure you are bristling with excitement at the prospects of watching hunks like Channing Tatum, Matthew McConaughey and Joe Manganiello shed their clothes and bare their rippling hard bodies for your viewing pleasure.

Hey, I'm secure enough in my own masculinity to admit that this might actually be a fun movie. It is after all directed by Oscar winner Steven Soderbergh, who's made some fine films including Traffic, Out of Sight, The Limey and Erin Brockovich. The story of Magic Mike is actually inspired by Channing Tatum's real life experiences as an exotic dancer, a job he performed when he was 18-years-old. Hopefully the material presented here will show the dark, seedy underbelly of this world and not just glamorize the party lifestyle. It could be a solid drama. Let me know, gals.

     People Like Us

Also out this weekend is this small drama about a salesman who, while settling his recently deceased father's estate, discovers he has a sister whom he never knew about, leading both siblings to re-examine their perceptions about family and life choices. People Like Us stars Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks, Michelle Pfeiffer, Olivia Wilde and Mark Duplass and is the directorial debut of Alex Kurtzman (writer of the Star Trek reboots, Transformers and Cowboys & Aliens).

     Six Degrees of Chuck Norris

Andrew Garfield from The Amazing Spider-Man was in Never Let Me Go (2010) with Carey Mulligan, who was in Brothers (2009) with Tobey Maguire, who was in the Walker Texas Ranger episode entitled The Prodigal Son (1994) with Chuck Norris.

Mark Wahlberg from Ted was in Three Kings (1999) with George Clooney, who was in The Descendants (2011) with Robert Forster, who was in The Delta Force (1986) with Chuck Norris.

Channing Tatum from Magic Mike was in Haywire (2011) with Ewan McGregor, who was in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) with Christopher Lee, who was in An Eye for an Eye (1981) with Chuck Norris.

     Chuck Norris Fun Fact:

When children go to bed, they take a teddy bear with them. When Chuck Norris goes to bed, he takes a grizzly bear with him.