Seen and Not Reviewed - May 31 to June 26

The Foot Fist Way (2 Buckets) - Much of this indie-comedy, which is spearheaded by a committed performance from lead Danny McBride, is downright mean-spirited. But to dismiss the entire movie as such would show arrogance that equals that of the aforementioned passages themselves. There's a lot of hilarious stuff on display here; the most outrageous of which comes from a certain scene in which McBride's white-trash Tae-Kwon-Do-instructing protagonist delivers a beating to client "little Stevie" because the kid's dad has allegedly slept with his "sensei's" wife. The Foot Fist Way may not be a success on all counts, but it'll be worth a home-viewing for a chuckle (and perhaps a shock or two) when it is released on DVD.

Get Smart (3 Buckets) - Steve Carell is funny, Anne Hathaway is hot, and "Get Smart" is an inspired choice for a retro-TV-show-to-film-adaptation. That all being said, the movie isn't as good as it could've been, but it's still an enjoyable and entertaining experience. The plot may be paper thin and the action may be derivative, but I repeat: Steve Carell is funny, Anne Hathaway is hot, and "Get Smart" is an inspired choice for a retro-TV-show-to-film-adaptation. How could one go wrong?

The Happening (1-1/2 Buckets) - I've prided myself for sticking with M. Night Shyamalan through thick and thin--I even kinda-sorta liked the critically-lambasted Lady in the Water for its abstract values--but this is a piece of crap. Liberal-guilt meets bad dialogue meets unmoving apocalypse-plotting. Wish ya the best of luck next time, Shyamy.

The Love Guru (2 Buckets) - Not as bad as everybody seems to be proclaiming, but still pretty useless nonetheless. Meyers at least manages to milk a few laughs out of the otherwise-lifeless material, which has supposedly been sitting on shelves and enduring dozens of unsuccessful test screenings over the last few years, but proves nowhere near as consistent as he has been in years passed. At least Jessica Alba and Meagan Good look as good as they ever have.

Then She Found Me (3 Buckets) - Helen Hunt's directorial debut doesn't even approach the realm of plausibility, but it's a mostly-endearing experience for its well-crafted melodramatic values. Hunt herself is terrific in the lead-role and, despite awkward characters, Matthew Broderick and Colin Firth do the best they can to support her.

When Did You Last See Your Father? (2 Buckets) - There isn't anything inherently wrong with this British-import from Anand Tucker, but the movie is presented in such a dark, morose tone that it becomes downright coma-inducing. Sure, I thought Colin Firth's portrayal of a man who realizes he never really knew his dad right before losing him forever was compelling, but only enough so to prevent me from nodding off. A little light onscreen next time, please?