National Treasure: Book of Secrets: Golden Fry Bread

The makers of this film don’t take themselves seriously and neither should you. It’s the Disney franchise’s version of a McDonalds Happy Meal – slick packaging filled with warmed over tidbits of bland, inoffensive fare – and getting about the same appraisal from the critics a the Big Mack does from the American Heart Association. But audiences seem to love it just about as much as they do their burgers and fries, a phenomenon more worthy of analysis than its breezy, insubstantial plot.

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The Kingdom: Arabian Spinach

Finally, a political thriller that does it. Nails our real enemies, instead of the usual Hollywood villains -- those insipid, unimaginative, politically correct stereotypes guaranteed not to offend.

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The Brave One: Ultimate Greek Sala Recipe

This is the thinking man’s vigilante film, peppered with artsy NPR radio monologue as well as quotes by D. H. Lawrence and Emily Dickinson. But there’s plenty of badass, too, and Jodie Foster wears her compulsive vengeance like second skin, blowing away bad guys with a driven lethal fury as cold as it is addictive.

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Nanny McPhee: Raspberry Trifle with Sherry Drizzle Recipe

They’ve successfully rid themselves of seventeen nannies, and the teeming brood of seven is ready to take out this new one in record time. But Nanny McPhee – from her twin hairy warts to her crookedly magical stick – is a force to be reckoned with. Let the games begin.

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Away from Her: Apple Sour Cream Cake Recipe

If you long for a break from summertime’s endless froth, be sure to see this starkly unsentimental portrait of a couple coping with the ruthless unraveling of Alzheimer’s disease. The radiant Julie Christie lends the film intrinsic beauty and class, making her inevitable mental eclipse perhaps easier or more difficult to watch.

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