Underrated/Overrated

UNDERRATED

‘Jeff, Who Lives at Home’ (2011): Written and directed by “mumblecore” graduates Jay and Mark Duplass, this movie masquerading as another man-child comedy (right down to its Apatow-friendly star Jason Segel) is aiming much higher. Focusing less on the fun and freedom of never growing up and more on the search for connection that touches all ages, Segel and costars Ed Helms and Susan Sarandon help tell a subtly touching yet still funny story.

Neil deGrasse Tyson: The unflappably genial former host of PBS’ “Nova ScienceNow” and frequent guest on the talk show circuit, including “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart” and “Real Time With Bill Maher,” proves that science can be not just funny and engaging but also essential. Now teamed with Seth MacFarlane to remake Carl Sagan’s “Cosmos” for a new generation, DeGrasse Tyson is a stellar choice to walk in big footsteps.

OVERRATED

Natalie Portman: An actor’s post-Oscar arc is never disappointing enough to inspire a retraction from the film academy, but Portman seems determined to try. The painful trifecta of “Your Highness,” “No Strings Attached” and “Thor” has found Portman acting as natural on-screen as her oaken turns in the “Star Wars” prequels. Outside of “Black Swan’s” tortured overachiever, she still hasn’t touched her best work in “The Professional” and “Beautiful Girls.”

‘4-D’ cinema: Because you have not adequately pledged fealty to your local cineplex in recent years, efforts are underway to take films to the next dimension (mathematical considerations of such a move aside). From a moviegoing standpoint, this means getting poked in the back, sprayed with water or otherwise physically assaulted while eating popcorn, which almost makes sense considering how little these pictures offer to move you on any other level.

chris.barton@latimes.com