In Hollywood, summer starts in May, or even earlier ... give it a few more years and there'll be an Avengers tie-in movie ringing in the season in early February. This weekend's "summer" blockbuster is Star Trek Into Darkness, directed by J. J. Abrams, who was recently tapped to helm at least the first film in the "Star Wars sequel trilogy." Lotta stars in J.J.'s eyes these days. At least he's having fun with it so far (my review of Darkness after the jump).

Also this week: he'll soon be playing the villain in Man of Steel, speaking of summer blockbusters, but Michael Shannon first appears as a based-on-truth hitman in the very fine Iceman, reviewed here by Dennis Harvey. Also of interest, the first Himalayan Film Festival is now underway in various Bay Area theaters; I take a look at the doc-heavy line-up here.

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This week: two, count 'em two, series dedicated to oft-overlooked films produced outside the mainstream, dedicated to the seamier things in life: "I Wake Up Dreaming 2013" at the Roxie (Dennis Harvey's take here), and "Girls! Guns! Ghosts! The Sensational Films of Shintoho" at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (I drool here.)

Short takes on wider releases below, including The Great Gatsby, a film adaptation that finally realizes F. Scott Fitzgerald's deathbed wish: that one day, his most beloved work would be shot in garish 3D. Clearly, only suckers read books anymore. Read more »