When the dust settles from this 2007 summer of sequels, one movie will stand above all others. For originality and excitement and action and special effects and flat-out fun, the hands-down winner is Transformers (Dreamworks/Paramount). When all is said and done, I'll be surprised if this testosterone-injected thrill ride doesn't finish as the top-grossing movie of the year.

We'll never know what Adrienne Shelly might have accomplished, had her life not been tragically ended by an unsolved murder in New York last fall. We can all savor a glimpse of her talent, however, by seeing Waitress (Fox Searchlight), the movie she wrote, directed and co-starred in, which is expanding to over 500 locations this Friday (May 25). Known for her performances in Hal Hartley's The Unbelievable Truth and Trust, this New York-born artist had directed several films previously -- including 1999's I'll Take You There, starring Ally Sheedy, and supernatural thriller Sudden Manhattan in 1997 -- but Waitress would have been her breakthrough ... had it not become her sad farewell.

I suspect that America's highbrow film critics aren't going to uniformly love Shrek the Third (Dreamworks). As with second sequels from The Matrix Revolutions to X-Men: The Last Stand to the current Spider-Man 3 (Sony), familiarity breeds contempt with critics. In my estimation, familiarity with  this loveable ogre and Fiona, Donkey, Puss in Boots and all the rest is why this movie will be so well-liked by moviegoers everywhere.

If Steve Carell and the gang from NBC's The Office showed up in a Wes Craven slasher movie, it would play a lot like Severance (Magnolia Films), a clever, funny film that melds typical workplace BS and horror flick conventions. It is set to open on about 35 screens this Friday (May 18) and has a chance for PTA success and box office success as it expands. From its opening sequence -- of a middle-aged, overweight man and a pair of well-endowed beauties running from a masked killer -- to its gruesome conclusion, the movie operates both as a spoof and a social commentary on workplace politics, and it never fails to entertain.

There is no question in my mind that 28 Weeks Later (Fox Atomic), the searing sequel to Danny Boyle's remarkable 28 Days Later, will stand head-and-shoulders above every horror film released this year.  It takes the rage virus that decimated England in the 2003 international hit, and adds a haunting familial twist, creating what may be the most visceral, shocking and flat-out scary movie ever made.

Paris has "20 arrondissements," or neighborhoods, each with a distinct personality. Each of them receives 5 minutes of unique attention from some of the world's finest directors in Paris, Je T'aime (First Look), a remarkable little film that is not to be missed.

My favorite aspect of Spider-Man has always been the fact that his alter ego Peter Parker is a nerd. A nebbish. As played by Tobey Maguire, he's the kind of guy you wouldn't look twice at -- let alone expect him to save the day in a form-fitting red-and-blue suit. For my taste, Spider-Man 2 had a great villain (Alfred Molina as Doc Ock), but there was too much Spidey soul-searching. Is this really worth it? Why don't I get better press? What if Mary Jane finds out?

Man does not live by highbrow movies alone. Sometimes, it's fun to check your Academy Award sensibility at the multiplex door and see a good B-movie. On the Friday before Spider-Man 3 (Sony) is unleashed upon the world, Lionsgate is giving us just that with The Condemned, starring "Stone Cold" Steve Austin

While watching the new Thinkfilm comedy The TV Set, which opened quietly at eight locations on April 6, I was reminded of an interview I conducted with David Chase, the creator of The Sopranos. He told me that when he was pitching his mob show to the networks, more than a few high-powered TV execs suggested that he eliminate the fact that Tony Soprano goes to a shrink.  Leave it to network TV guys. They always seem to miss "the point."

I'm a sucker for a good police or courtroom procedural -- big fan of CSI, Law & Order, Cold Case, etc. -- so I had a great time with Gregory Hoblit's Fracture (New Line), starring Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling. It's an absorbing showcase for two of the best actors around -- an Oscar winner and an Oscar nominee -- but also an intelligent, entertaining cat-and-mouse thriller.