I saw a while mess o' movies this past week

I wish I could say I'm caught up. But I really want to see "No Country for Old Men," "Juno," "Lars and the Real Girl" and others.

Here are a few I've seen the past few days in the theater, on DVD or on cable:

"Charlie Wilson's War" -- Fascinating slice of history. Philip Seymour Hoffman ran away with the movie as a cocky spook who knows how to get the job done.

"Hoax"-- I can't believe this never made it to local theaters. Another piece of history most people knew very little about -- the guy who wrote the fake Howard Hughes book. It's one of Richard Gere's best performances in years, and the film keeps you on edge all the way through as you find out how somebody would sell the skeptical publishing biz on this.

"The Good German"-- I didn't get how a movie with George Clooney, Tobey Maguire and Kate Blanchett wouldn't make it to local theaters. Now I know. This is a film class film. Lots of interesting stylistic stuff to discuss. But the characters are unlikable, vaguely conceived and the story is ultimately unsatisfying.

"Unleashed" -- I thought this was a Jet Li kung fu movie. No. It's really a quite touching film about somebody raised as an attack dog who learns about life through music and love.

"Separate Lies"-- Great acting. Story is ho-hum.