Sure, there are five new wide or semi-wide releases this weekend, but don’t feel overwhelmed! Only two are worth seeing. You can ignore the others completely. Thank goodness!

The good ones are “The Bourne Ultimatum,” which is every bit as good as its 2004 predecessor (I note that most of my review of that movie applies to the new one, too); and “Hot Rod,” a very odd and baffling comedy that will either make you laugh a lot or else have absolutely no effect on you whatsoever.

Then there’s “El Cantante,” a biopic about salsa singer Hector Lavoe, whom I’d never heard of and who, if this film is to be believed, must have been a selfish, sallow-faced, uninteresting lout; “Underdog,” the live-action version of the old cartoon, which is approximately as bad as you’d expect it to be; and “Bratz,” based on the line of slutty dolls for young girls, which is even worse than you’d expect it to be, if such a thing is possible.

Worth noting: “Bratz” and “Transformers”: both live-action movies based on dolls; both featuring Jon Voight in supporting roles. Yes, the same Jon Voight who’s won a Best Actor Oscar and been nominated for three others. That Jon Voight.

Dawn and I were discussing this the other night. Why would Jon Voight agree to appear in these silly movies that are based on toys?

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