Strangers in the dark, exchanging glances

There's something I really love about sitting in a cool, quiet, dark theater with a bunch of strangers watching a movie on the big screen. It is so much better than watching at home on your own TV.

So, that's how I spent about 10 hours of my vacation -- with strangers in dark, quiet theaters.

Here's what I thought (rated via my own patented Hot Dog scale with 1 Hot Dog representing a cold, dry, stale movie and 5 Hot Dogs representing a warm, fresh, succulent movie):

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead -- Pretty interesting storyline, twisty/turny, some good performances. It was a little over-the-top in parts, and I just don't care for Philip Seymour Hoffman at all, but worth seeing at matinee prices or on Netflix.

Lars and the Real Girl -- Really good offbeat dramedy. Great performances, poignant, and very funny in places. I liked it a lot.

Into the Wild -- I saw this early in the week and have thought about it every day since. It was beautiful and powerful. I loved it. And the soundtrack (by Eddie Vedder, who I generally do no like) was so perfect. You can listen to one song here.

Gone Baby Gone -- Another good movie-going experience. Written by the same guy who wrote Mystic River and very similar in tone and content. Boston crime drama. Directed by Ben Affleck with a cast that includes Morgan Freeman and Ed Harris. Enjoyable.

'You're certainly a font of nothing.'