Yes, I am all about spending time outdoors in the summer, but some days are just made for indoor activities – ’cause, you know, it does occasionally rain or get really hot in Portland. And occasionally there’s a movie that just demands you see it on the big screen.

Like Jurassic World. Even if you have a 60-inch TV screen at home, dinosaurs are best viewed on a theater screen (so is Chris Pratt – sorry, hubby, but it’s true). My kids have only seen Jurassic Park on the TV screen, so we were concerned about the intensity of these beasties on such a large scale. While my youngest did wrap around Daddy’s arm for some of the action, overall they were fine, and jabbered happily about the film all the way home. I would caution parents with children under 10, but for older children and adults, this movie is great fun. And by the way, it’s not necessary – and actually not recommended since they were not very good – to have seen the two sequels to Jurassic Park before seeing Jurassic World, but seeing the original is a good idea.

For all ages, Disney/Pixar’s Inside Out is a must-see. The characters and visuals will appeal to all ages, thought the intricacies of the plot might go over the heads of viewers under the age of 13. It is quite complex as far as plots go, but handled well. I personally thought a few minutes could have been cut out to move matters along a little faster, but in all fairness, the added footage just made you love the characters more.

We haven’t made it to The Minion Movie or Pixels yet – have you? What did you think?

Ok, this guy isn’t actually in the movie, but we love love love Lego people!