Beat the heat
With the kids out of school, matinees offer an affordable midweek treat

July marks a decline in family-friendly DVD releases from previous months. But don’t worry: When it gets too hot to stay outside any longer, look to your local movie theater for a fun weekday retreat. Matinees begin at 10 a.m. and show on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at most theaters. Some theaters offer matinees for free while others charge a small fee. Here is a look at some of the summer matinees you might want to check out.

“Spirit: Stallion Of The Cimarron ”

Rated G

Spirit is a young, wild stallion in the early days of the Wild West. When Spirit comes across a man, his curiosity gets the better of him and he is captured. The cavalry tries to break Spirit, but he stubbornly defies them. Spirit escapes with a Native American prisoner named Little Creek only to become a prisoner of another man. When Spirit meets Little Creek’s horse, a mare named Rain, he begins to think humans may not be so bad after all. But what will he do when he has to choose between Rain and his herd of wild horses?

“Kicking & Screaming”

Rated PG

Starring Will Ferrell as Phil Weston, and Robert Duvall as Buck Weston, “Kicking and Screaming” follows this dysfunctional father-son relationship as it carries over onto the soccer field.

When Buck trades his grandson Sam to the worst team in the league, Phil agrees to coach them. Unfortunately, the children are a bit unfocused and Phil can’t whip them into shape. Things turn around when Phil brings in Buck’s neighbor and nemesis Mike Ditka to help. But when Phil gets a taste of victory he goes off the deep end. Will Phil figure out what’s important before he alienates his own son?

“Clifford’s Really Big Movie”

Rated G

Based on the long-running children’s book series “Clifford,” this movie follows Clifford and his friends as they join a carnival act that comes to town. When the act is propelled into stardom, the relationships are strained. But Clifford and the rest of the gang find out that friendship is more important than stardom.

“The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie”

Rated PG

When the evil Plankton frames Mr. Krabs for the theft of King Neptune’s crown, it’s up to SpongeBob and Patrick Star to recover it. They go on a quest to get the crown back, but the way is full of dangers and unknown hazards. To make things worse, Plankton takes over Bikini Bottom, and sends someone to stop Spongebob and Patrick. Will the two be able to save the day?

“Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit”

Rated G

The annual Giant Vegetable Competition is only days away and Wallace and Gromit have their hands full running a humane pest control outfit. Their West Wallaby Street home is filled to the brim with rabbits. Things get worse when a mysterious, beast begins attacking the town’s vegetable plots at night. The competition hostess, Lady Tottington, hires Wallace and Gromit to humanely catch the creature and save the day, but they are not the only ones after the beast. Victor Quartermaine would rather shoot the were-rabbit and secure the position of local hero for himself. Little does anyone know that Victor’s intent could have dire consequences for Wallace and Gromit.

“Robots”

Rated PG

In “Robots” a small-town robot named Rodney embarks on an adventure as he heads for the big city to pursue his dreams. With the help of his misfit mechanical friends he battles the evil corporate tyrant Phineas T. Ratche and proves that anyone can shine no matter what they’re made of. The all-star voice cast includes Hale Berry, Mel Brooks, Robin Williams and Drew Carey.

“The Polar Express”

Rated G

Adapted from the classic children’s book, “The Polar Express,” this movie follows a young boy on a magic train ride to the North Pole to restore his belief in Santa Claus. Director Roger Zemeckis used an animated process especially developed for the movie called performance capture, a step beyond the computer-generated motion capture and computer-generated sets to bring this movie to life.

“Dreamer: Inspired By A True Story”

Rated G

Horse trainer Ben Crane has high hopes for the thoroughbred Sonãdor, hopes that are dashed when the horse is injured in a brutal race. Since a crippled racing horse is, for all practical purposes, worthless, everyone suggests that Sonãdor be put down.

After pleading for the horse’s life, Ben’s daughter, Cale, sneaks out in the middle of the night to feed her popsicles and whisper encouragement. Her spirit eventually proves contagious, and as father and daughter bond over Sonãdor’s surprising recovery, the broken horse brings their family together as they train for the Breeders Cup.

New in theaters…

“Monster House”

Not Rated

A family horror film, “Monster House,” is due in theaters July 21. Three neighborhood children discover that a neighbor’s house is actually a living, breathing monster. It’s up to them to find a way to destroy the home before it devours a pack of innocent trick-or-treaters.

Although it will probably be too scary for younger children, it should provide some entertaining scares for families and children who might ordinarily look for their thrills in haunted houses and PG-13 movies.

“Monster House” has an all-star voice cast including, Steve Buscemi, Jon Heder, Kevin James, Jason Lee, Catherine O’Hara, Kathleen Turner and Fred Willard.

“Barnyard”

Rated PG

In “Barnyard,” Nickelodeon Movies offers a look at what really happens in a barnyard when the farmer’s back is turned. Scheduled for release Aug. 4, “Barnyard” is the animated tale of Otis, a carefree cow, who enjoys singing, dancing and playing tricks on humans.