Walk in the Glow of Each Other's Majestic Presence

This Slate review of the movie Jumpers is amusing me this morning. A few choice bits:

Hayden Christensen is an actor of precisely one affect: a petulant, boyish entitlement so impregnable it borders on malevolence.

...jumpers live life "with all the boring parts cut out." That would definitely rule out this movie.

Only Sam Jackson could spray in a way that makes you think, man, that's some badassed spraying.

Those [Swingers and Go] were movies about amoral jerks with pitiable aspirations toward a materialistically imagined "good life." So is Jumper; but it also feels, depressingly, like a movie by one.

Last night the fabulous muffyjo volunteered to hang out with Alice while we went to see Spiderman 3 at the IMAX in Natick. As self-indulgent summer effects blockbusters go, I'll take Pirates over this, but it was fun to see Spidey webslinging his way around the city on the big, big screen. Overall, I think I'd like this franchise better if Tobey Maguire did a thing for me, but J. always enjoys Kristen Dunst and I'm willing to indulge him.

Tonight I made tilapia with balsamic butter sauce, thyme mashed potatoes and sauteed fiddleheads in honor of our guests, ironpoet and alfie1981. Alice was in a sleepy mood, so we were able to have a nice, grown-up meal together. And whoa, balsamic butter sauce! I might make it just to have on toast.

Thanks to everyone who guessed answers for my entry in the Movie Quote Meme. Of seventeen, twelve were guessed correctly. I've put in all the answers, if you're curious and want to have a look.

Studio Ghibli is doing an animated film called Tales of Ged ("Gedo Senki"). From this entry on Le Guin's website, it seems to be sort of a mishmash of various story elements from Le Guin's Earthsea books. But still, cool!

Is Star Wars "the greatest post-modern art film ever"?

Put an X by the movies you've seen.
If you get more than 70, you're a movie whore.
Copy and repost. Place your score in the subject line...

( Movie list )

I wonder by what criteria this particular set of movies was chosen.

On Sunday afternoon we went to see The Brothers Grimm with gilana. It was fine. "Better than Van Helsing" seems to be the general consensus and that it is, easily. I enjoyed the way that Gilliam pulled in motifs from many different fairy tales and some of the effects were very cool. Perhaps it's just my mood, but it didn't really engage me. But Heath Ledger was very cute and earnest.

But what I really want to talk about now is The Transporter, which we finished watching tonight. It's a reasonable mid-grade action movie--just enough plot to hold together the action sequences, a star (Jason Statham) who can do most of his own fighting and stunts, a nice supporting actor turn by François Berléand as the world-weary Marseilles cop.

( Cut to preserve the innocence of those who might someday want to see this movie. )

But do answer this, please...when's the last time you saw an actual sex scene in a movie? (No, porn doesn't count.)

EDIT: I'm specifically interested in contemporary American movies, from a sociological perspective, although tips on good foreign films are always welcome.