Maybe it’s the delayed summer heat forcing us indoors, but my wife and I have recently seen two first-run movies right after they opened, a rarity for us.

I enjoyed Judd Apatow’s Funny People more than I thought I would and more than his other two flicks. Yes, it’s big, sprawling and doesn’t entirely hang together, but the performances and dialogue are winning. It also, as Ross Douthat astutely points out, has something of a conservative “family values” message, but a darker and more realistic one than his other films. And not the kind that makes for easy translation to a political platform.

Another movie I didn’t initially have much enthusiasm for seeing but ended up liking was Julie & Julia. Meryl Streep as Julia Child was fantastic, as you’d expect (as was Stanley Tucci as her husband Paul). Like most of the critics, I foudn Julie Powell’s story less than compelling and would’ve preferred an entire movie dedicated to Julia’s life. (And was any movie more designed to make you hungry after watching it? This vegetarian might not have been able to resist a bowl of Julia’s beef bourguignon had it been presented.)

Really looking forward to District 9, which comes out later this month. If the heat keeps up, I may just see it.