Underrated/Overrated

UNDERRATED

Zachary Quinto: First noticed for perfecting an eyebrow-shaded glare as Sylar on NBC’s “Heroes,” Quinto has risen from being Vulcan-ized as Spock in the “Star Trek” reboot to something far more intriguing. He earned raves in a production of “Angels in America,” and his campy turn in “American Horror Story” was light-years from his shellshocked Wall Street foot soldier in “Margin Call,” a film he also co-produced. Where else can Quinto boldly go?

Van Hunt’s ‘What Were You Hoping For?’ A welcome sighting on some year-end best-of lists, this category-busting songwriter deserves a wider audience, particularly among those waiting for Prince to recapture past glories. But that diminishes what Van Hunt has done on this gleefully twisted record, which mixes soul, psychedelic funk and fuzz-rock into something original that sounds not only from another time but another planet.

OVERRATED

War-as-video game commercials: As popular as the gaming blockbuster “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3” has become, there’s something about its depiction of war as exhilarating sport in expensive-looking ads starring Jonah Hill and Sam Worthington that feels in poor taste. With American soldiers still fighting actual modern warfare half a world away, making their battles look like a fun way to spend an afternoon with friends feels like a misfire.

Pirates’ taste in movies: Piracy is no joke, and it’s wrong when people download films without paying for them. Still, there was something satisfying in December’s revelation of the most-stolen movies of the year and, not so surprisingly, they don’t resemble anyone’s Oscar ballot. “Fast Five”? “The Hangover Part II”? It’s gratifying that these films still made loads of money, but considering much of the quality involved, the pirates certainly got what they paid for.

Chris Barton