They aren't close to going home.

When you’re a kid summers are for playing in the sprinklers, taking long bike rides and going to the movies with your friends. Cross one of those pastimes off your youngster’s list with the weekly movie series beginning May 27 at Queen Creek Performing Arts Center, 22149 E. Ocotillo Road.

Plot-twisting puzzlers are a bubble market in the movies these days, with an arms race of "Inception"-like reality reversals that flip like a coin until dizzy audiences lose all interest in how it lands.

Hardboiled and dyed, plastic and filled with coins, or chocolate and oozing white and yellow fondant, eggs are a hot commodity this time of year.

In a week when North Korea posted a homemade video showing the U.S. Capitol building being destroyed by a missile, what more logical response could Hollywood offer than a macho thriller about a Secret Service agent who takes on North Korean terrorists who attack the White House? The first of two similarly themed action dramas set for this year ("White House Down" arrives in June), "Olympus Has Fallen" will put to the test the question of whether American audiences are ready, 12 years after 9-11, to watch, strictly as disposable popcorn entertainment, a film in which the United States and some of its most prominent landmarks are devastated by foreign terrorists.

In countless films about emergencies, crimes and police work, the 911 dispatcher is but a bit player, an anonymous, robotic voice briefly heard on the other end of a breathless call made by our movie's main players.

Over the years, I’ve been invited to some over-the-top Oscar parties, where guests arrive in evening gowns and top hats, and popcorn buckets full of movie candy and DVDs are given away as door prizes.

It seemed like a tall order. I wanted an edible gift that was fast and easy to make, inexpensive, wouldn’t spoil or need to be refrigerated, and that kids could be involved in.

‘End of Watch’

If you’re throwing a baby shower for a relative or friend, creating a suitably festive atmosphere is part of the fun.

When asked what piqued their interest about Pomegranate Cafe’s monthly movie nights, Patty Immekus was quick to tell an anecdote about her friend Karen DeDonato, sitting next to her at a small table painted magenta.

Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack.

Phoenix Public Library kicks off two summer reading programs on Tuesday, May 29. Designed to encourage kids and teens to read during their summer break, the programs feature prizes and go through July 28.

On April 18, you published the article “Smart Spending.” Although the tips mentioned were useful, some could take up more time and possibly more money than necessary. Although I’m only 14, I know four easier and cheaper ways to save money at the movies.

Hollywood wants your money. From “The Hunger Games” to “The Avengers” to “The Dark Knight Rises,” studios are rolling out big draws this year to get more people into theater seats. But catching a movie several times a year is expensive.

The big game on Super Bowl Sunday usually brings with it big eats.

The big game on Super Bowl Sunday usually brings with it big eats.

Louisville, Ky. • Long before his dazzling footwork and punching prowess made him a three-time world heavyweight boxing champion known as Muhammad Ali, a young Cassius Clay honed his skills by sparring with neighborhood friends and running alongside the bus on the way to school.

Members of the Pecos Senior Center in Ahwatukee Foothills aren't your typical seniors.

Members of the Pecos Senior Center in Ahwatukee Foothills aren't your typical seniors.