The Entertainer, Installment 2

Title: She's Out Of My League

Notable Cast Members: Jay Baruchel

Why?: Because I love Jay Baruchel, and have since Tropic Thunder and, retroactively, Undeclared.

Three Thoughts: Any movie set in Pittsburgh - especially when it didn't have to be because of historical circumstances or plot devices - is fine with me. I enjoyed this one a great deal, although there are scenes that would prevent me from recommending it to friends whose senses of humor are not as uncouth as mine can sometimes be. Overall, a standard romantic comedy story improved by a main star I like and a number of moments that wound up being far funnier than they should have been.

Title: Fanboys

Notable Cast Members: Jay Baruchel (again), Kristen Bell

Why?: Because the other day, I was in line at Best Buy when I ran into my friend John, who was buying (among other things) this DVD. He said it was about a handful of Star Wars fans who go on a quest to steal Episode 1 from Skywalker Ranch, and it was awesome. He has good taste, so I listened to him and got it from Netflix.

Three Thoughts: John was right, this movie was great. To enjoy it, it helps to have some semblance of background knowledge in the Star Wars field, but a simple respect for how someone can love a movie so much is really all you need to appreciate it. Just like She's Out Of My League, the movie is also vastly improved by its illustrious cast.

Title: State by State: A Panoramic Portrait of America

Authors: Various; edited by Matt Weiland and Sean Wilsey

Why?: I read about one of the essays contained within on a year-end best-of list last December.

Three Thoughts: A collection of essays about the United States; one per state, some written by natives, some by outsiders. Some were great, and some dragged like crazy, but since none was more than 10 or 12 pages, it was OK. I really liked Kansas (about the author's first visit to the state while touring with a band), Georgia (by a Chinese man who moved there in his 20s), Indiana (about the author's return to the state after leaving, and her love for her father), New Jersey (written by Anthony Bourdain, who I quite enjoy), Oklahoma (by S.E. Hinton), South Dakota (by a Manhattanite who randomly decided to vacation there), and Vermont (written like a mini-comic book), among others.

Title: The Young Victoria

Notable Stars: Emily Blunt, who I like even though she's marrying my boyfriend

Why?: I heard about it because there was a lot of Oscar buzz surrounding Blunt's performance, and the story appealed to my inner history nerd.

Three Thoughts: Very well acted, and the buzz she received was well deserved. Not being a student of British history, I can't comment much on the accuracy of the story. That being said, even if it was inaccurate, the liberties they took with it made for a good movie.