Superman Returns: a lot of fun. I'm not a huge fan of the buffoonish Lex Luthor as set up by the original movies, but Spacey does a good job of taking what Hackman did and giving it depth. I prefer the comic book evolution of Superman into a kind of elder statesman of heroing, but the movie still filled me with a sense of wonder and teared me up on occasion.

Pirates 2: also a lot of fun, if more sloppily paced. Both movies push the three hour mark, but you notice it more with Pirates. Still, Cap'n Jack Sparrow is fun regardless, and Bill Nighy as Cthulhu Davy Jones is a suprise treat. Swashes are buckled in fine campy style.

A Scanner Darkly: Linklater's Waking Life techniques shine in this movie, which acts like a visually administered drug. This is easily the best PKD adaptation going. I expected to hate Keanu Reeves -- to find his presence jarring -- but his slack-jawed performance was perfectly appropriate. The real standout, though, is Robert Downey, Jr., who makes this movie worth seeing all by himself.