Things I've learned (so far) on "staycation"

"WALL•E" is an instant classic. The only thing keeping Pixar and Andrew Stanton's beautiful science-fiction masterpiece from a best-picture Oscar nomination will be the still-prevalent opinion that "cartoons are for kids." In fact, two people who accompanied me to Monday's White Sox victory over the Indians scoffed when I told them "WALL•E" was one of the best films I had ever seen. Animation is a medium, not a genre, and "WALL•E" proves that intelligent, adult, and even, dare I say, transcendant films can be made this way. And remember: With filmmakers leaning on CGI as a crutch more and more, nearly every Hollywood film is animated in some way. Don't discount "WALL•E" -- or any animated film, for that matter -- just because it's animated.

I should never doubt Steve Carell. The trailers for "Get Smart" promised a stilted, unfunny flick more concerned with action than comedy. The studio should fire whomever put the marketing campaign together, because "Get Smart" is laugh-out-loud funny, and boasts perfect comic timing from all involved. (Maybe "special consultants" Buck Henry and Mel Brooks directed half the movie, for all we know.) Carell is both subtle and over-the-top, as the film requires him to be, and he carries this behemoth of a movie on his short shoulders. That Anne Hathaway isn't half-bad either...

There's a remake of "The Matrix" playing in theaters right now. It's called "Wanted," and it stars James McAvoy as office drone Neo -- er, Wesley -- who is lured into a secret society by Trinity -- er, Fox -- under the tutelage of the wise African-American leader, Morpheus -- er, Sloan. After undergoing extensive and grueling training in weapons and hand-tphand combat, he rises above his humdrum existence to lead a rag-tag band of rebels against the forces of evil. And he does it all in slow-motion, while dancing around the screen like a "Crouching Tiger" and firing more bullets than Michael Jordan in the 1992 NBA Finals. Predictably, this rehash is nowhere near as good as "The Matrix," although it does boast a train-wreck sequence better than those in both "The Fugitive" and "Under Siege 2."

"Hancock," like its titular hero, has an identity crisis. The new Will Smith blockbuster is a total mess. It's rather obvious that the film, which was originally titled "Tonight, He Comes," was intended as a much quieter, much more grown-up movie, but the Fresh Prince and a $150 million budget meant it was time to cut away the character moments and amp up the superhero special effects. The result is a 90-minute film that feels much, much longer, and which doesn't know if it's a comedy, an action movie, or a human drama. There's one thing it certainly is not: Good.

There's nothing better than going to U.S. Cellular Field on a beautiful summer night. See, I used to think that summer nights couldn't get better than bleacher seats at Wrigley, but three straight trips to The Cell with winning baseball changed my mind this week.

"Guitar Hero: Aerosmith" isn't worth the money. I played through expert mode in about four hours, failing only one song along the way, and I have no desire to play any of it again. That being said, it's still easier to nail quick solos on "GH" than it is on "Rock Band," despite the latter's addition of the tapping buttons higher up on the neck of the guitar.

And finally ... Mangoes are the tastiest thing ever. That is all.