A Prairie Home Companion is a film about the last program of a live radio variety show by the same name. With a host of acting talent, this cacophony of kooky characters somehow seamlessly melds into a graceful, albeit haphazard waltz. The understated, dry humor is delivered with smooth precision and the country music swathes its viewer in cozy familiarity. As in most ensemble films, tangential stories are bound to surface, which brings me to the only fault I could find in this movie... Where's the plot? Without this driving force, a film can go nowhere, no matter how elegant its aimless strides.

Verdict - This is the kind of movie best seen at home in bed with a cup of cocoa and popcorn where I can enjoy while hubby falls asleep comfortably and uninhibited.

Riding the wave of 'Superman Returns', My Super Ex-Girlfriend looks like a spin-off with no centripetal force. Uma Thurman plays the psycho-super hero licking her wounds and exacting vengence on Luke Wilson for breaking up with her.

In theory this could have been a cute movie - harmless fun that, with proper release timing, might have made some people some money. However, instead of a lively spoof, this film is bogged down by very grey visuals, dismal acting and no momentum.

There are different types of comedies, some subtle and understated, others more physical even slapstick. This film attempts the latter, therefore relying heavily on the actors' abilities regarding body language, facial expression and chemistry. They do not deliver. Both actors come across flat and one-dimensional. A very drab Wilson could have incorporated more debonaire into his character, and Uma, while slightly better, has diffculty combining neurotic and cute and sexy, despite her extensive experience playing each of these roles separately.

It seems that the extra pounds Luke Wilson has put on have encumbered his comic skills as well. While attempting the regular-guy look, his plastered hair affords him the charisma of a toad, uncannily resembling Adam Sandler in 'Little Nicky'. Why would glamorous Uma fall for him? Perhaps she would not, though never have I seen Uma's glow so wan. The dark hair makes her face absolutely gaunt and haggard. Superman only needed glasses to convince the clueless Lois Lane he was Clark Kent. Then why in this spin-off comedy must Ms. Thurman compromise her super-model visage?

The trailer, of course, shows the best this movie has to offer. Even here the brightest thing about it is the choice of peppy background music.

Verdict - Anything but super, the only way to salvage this film would be if "Super Ex" found herself a "Super Beau", so that we can all move on in our lives.

Little Miss Sunshine is yet one more independent road-trip movie, though this one actually seems worth the ride. The Hoovers, a fragmented family of misfits, embark on a cross-country trek to the "Little Miss Sunshine" pageant, the pinnacle of aspirations of its junior member, Olive.

Forgive me for gushing, but this looks like a delicious little movie that does everything right. A crowd-pleaser, no doubt, this film pokes fun at its characters with such wit, while loving them to pieces. The acting - superb. The entire cast manages a happy coexistence between the endearing and ridiculous, they truely feel like family. The washed-out color palate visuals, so appropriate for the dusty ride. And the screenplay... ahhh...finally someone who can write.

Both trailers are great. The first is a more sober, nonetheless hillarious, introduction to the family. Trailer 2 is fabulous; fast-pace, punchline after punchline leaving the impression that unlike most comedies, where all the goodies are in the trailer, this movie is bursting at the seams with humor.

Verdict - A gem! My personal must-see of the summer.

In The Puffy Chair, the Duplass brothers' premiere production, "Peter Pan" (Josh/Mark Duplass) and "Wendy" (Emily/Katherine Aselton) set off on a quest for the fountain of youth in the form of a giant purple Lazy Boy Josh plans to present to his father as a birthday gift. On the way one very lost boy, his brother Rhett, joins them.

This is a movie about the post-college generation still floating in limbo, grasping at their evanescent youth in spite of their biological clocks. More likely to watch cartoons, read comic books and play in a band, this group just refuses to grow up. Commitment of any sort - taboo, above all the holy union of matrimony. Whether this film is a sly critique or glorification is hard to say. Surely there is much to criticize, yet Josh is presented as "normal" compared to his neo-flower-child brother (i.e., at least Josh doesn't spend hours contemplating his navel). My guess is that Mr. Pan drops Wendy for twisting his arm to grow up. Contrary to her assertion, she doesn't love him anyway, but her own prosaic dream of marriage and its ensuing appendices. Dad doesn't seem too happy with his present, either.

The film has the look and feel of reality t.v., a genre so popular among the twentysomething crowd it is about. The digital camera extreme close-ups cater to these voyeuristic tendencies, while the fuzzy fade-outs may represent their emotional maturity (or their pot-head state of consciousness). The acting is relaxed and genuine. The screenplay may just be too authentic and ineloquent to be tolerable (Does Josh call his girlfriend "dude" instead of a more gender-appropriate term of endearment because he is conserving precious virgin brainspace?).

As for the trailer - one must always bestow special allowances upon "indie" films. If the movie is a comedy, please show us a few jokes in the trailer.

Verdict - This movie is made by, about and for the escapist, self-centered 20+ generation, attracting mainly its constituents.