We love the drive-in!

Ah, the drive-in. “My Boyfriend's Back” and other '60s fare pouring out of the loud speakers. The smell of popcorn wafting through the air. Children laughing and running all over the place while their parents set up mini-living rooms in the back seats of their vans and SUVs ...

And experiencing all of it has become a rite of summer for Kates and I since we've lived here ...

After spending much of the day at our city's downtown festival -- sampling the cuisine of some of the eateries, getting some good deals at a few of the shops, touring the city's decrepit old theater (which was fascinating and oh so sad at the same time ...) and taking in a new state-of-the-art gym -- Kates and I talked about wanting to see “Ocean's 13.” But when we opened the newspaper for movie times, we noticed the lineup at the drive-in and couldn't pass it up. “Ocean's 13” and “Shrek the Third.” Nice!

We packed the cooler, headed to the Pig for some chicken, deli foods and sodas and we were off. We got the drive-in just as the gates were opening and claimed a spot just a couple rows back from the screen, slightly to the right of the center aisle. Perfect.

We picnicked in our little green machine, listened to the Cubs game on the radio and read our respective periodicals. (I had this week's EW. Great interview with George Clooney and Brad Pitt.)

Then, just before 9, the screen was illuminated and we settled in for “Shrek.”

... I can see why the critics noted this one was geared more toward adults.

In this third installment, Shrek and Princess Fiona are preparing for a little one (obvious by the title, right?) but the meat of the story centers on Prince Charming who's bitter about his lowly place in the fairytale society, and he gathers all of the fairytale villains -- Captain Hook, witches, those apple-throwing trees from Wizard of Oz, the evil step-mother, Rumpelstiltskin -- and hatches a plan to take over the kingdom. But, as usual, Shrek, Donkey, and his fairytale friends are too smart and wholesome to let that happen. And an unlikely heir joins them in the crusade ...

No, it won't go down as my favorite of the trilogy, but it holds its own. And it's still good for some healthy belly rolls. And much of them in this one, I thought, came by way of Antonio Banderas' Puss; he was easily my favorite character of the film ...

After a short intermission, George Clooney and the boys were taking the screen for “Ocean's 13.” Going in, it was hard to know what to expect: The film was getting good reviews, but “Ocean's 12” was so inexplicably awful, it was easy to imagine “13” being another failure. And “Ocean's 11” was so snap happy good, I couldn't imagine 13 topping it ...

But when the credits started rolling, I decided “Ocean's 13” had fallen somewhere in the middle. In “13,” we have Ocean and his rat pack back in Las Vegas with a plan to rob another glitzy casino, owned by Willy Bank (Al Pacino) on its opening night. And this time, when their plan hit’s a snag, they call on nemesis casino owner Terry Benedict to help them …

Like “11,” the film gives you a front row seat to the heist plans from start to finish, with come good comic relief mixed in throughout. But I never got the feeling that the stakes were very high ... That, and Ellen Barkin is no Julia Roberts ...

If “11” was a 10, I'd give “13” about a seven ... “Ocean's 12”? A two.