‘Hot Rod,’ ‘Hot Fuzz,’ haute fun in summertime

We can’t tell if you’ll talk about: “Hot Rod.” This movie is confusing us. We’re big fans of the star, Andy Samberg, who blasted to fame with that “Lazy Sunday” short on “SNL,” but we’ve watched the trailer several times and we never even crack a smile. We know people who are convinced there’s funny stuff in there that the trailer isn’t showing us. We want to believe them. (Friday)

You could talk about: “Masters of Science Fiction.” We like sci-fi. It’s imaginative and neat, and when it’s good, it’s smart and thought-provoking too. But for some reason we don’t pursue it unless someone shoves it in our face. This week ABC does just that with the launch of its four-part series “Masters of Science Fiction.” Famous brainiac Stephen Hawking hosts, and the first hourlong episode stars classy actors Judy Davis and Sam Waterston. (Saturday)

You should talk about: “Hot Fuzz.” We get sent DVDs all the time and keep most of them in a shopping bag under our desk. But this movie from the “Shaun of the Dead” creators went straight into the “keep” pile and five hours later was popped into the DVD player at home. Hilarity! (Tuesday)

You might talk about: The politics of dolls. The release of “Bratz,” a movie based on the popular doll line (with “a passion for fashion” and collagen lips) inspires discussion about how fast kids are growing up these days (ultimately not that much faster than they ever did), the future of Barbie (as her Dream House is replaced by the Bratz Movie Mansion), and how healthy it is for girls to play with dolls whose feet are permanently in high-heel position. (Friday)

We can’t wait to talk about: “The Bourne Ultimatum.” The tightly controlled action movie is such a relief after all those showy blockbusters. Plus, we’re sort of in love with Matt Damon these days. Quiet. Strong. Not ridiculous. We’ve been waiting for this movie all summer long. (Friday)

-- Deborah Netburn