Here are a few movies I've rented lately:

Grizzly Man: This is a documentary about a guy named Timothy Treadwell, who spent thirteen summers in Alaska living amongst and filming the grizzlies. When I say he lived amongst them, I mean he lived right up with them...way too close than any responsible person would. As proof, he and his girlfriend were eventually eaten by a bear. The film was made by another documentary filmmaker who got ahold of Treadwell's footage and interviews the people who knew him. Excellent. Fascinating. George Will made a very good column out of this movie and March of the Penguins: Penguins, People and a Grisly Bear Tale

The 40 Year Old Virgin: Cute, funny, kind-hearted. Better than I expected. It was probably a half-hour too long, though. Worth the rental.

The Great Raid: The "based on a true story" of a raid by US Marines Army Rangers to free a group of soldiers -- survivors of the Bataan Death March -- being held in Japanese captivity before they can be slaughtered by their Japanese captors. Excellent. Shows the true face of Japanese War Crimes without the PC gloss. We were the good guys. This is part of the reason. Rent.

The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl: This was originally 3D when it was released in the theaters and I don't understand why the DVD people don't put a 3D version on the disc in addition to the regular release for those who have or want to make their own glasses. Anyway, this wasn't all that bad. It also totally held my five year old's attention, which is unusual for a non-animated feature. Verdict: Good for kids.

Blade: Trinity: This is the third in Wesley Snipes' "Blade" movies. Blade is the vampire hunter who's half vampire himself. These movies always have plenty of cool action and special effects. I thought this one was the weakest of the Blade films plot-wise, but there's plenty of the expected action. Jessica Biel is a hotty. If they do another one, they really need to make the vampires more "vampiric" -- something they've lost. Instead they just seem like people dressed in Matrix clothes with cheap prosthetic fangs. Everyone lisps. I enjoyed it, but don't expect much. Did Natasha Lyonne get fat?

Underworld: Vampires v. Werewolves. This is part 1. Part 2 is in theaters now, I think. Cool effects and visuals. Kate Beckinsale is cool. OK story. Once again, the vampires are a little bit generic. Rent and enjoy.

Last one: Van Helsing: Van Helsing is a vampire hunter. Kate Beckinsale is his vampire hunting partner. The quality of the film is very similar in some way to Underworld. Visuals and effects are very cool. Again, worth the rental, just don't pick too many nits.