"Easy A" and "Salt" (now on Instant Watching, I might add)

Recent additions to Netflix streaming and to Starz as well (no coincidence, that, due to the deal the two companies have) are these two female-fronted 2010 movies. I really liked one, and the other--well, I could barely stay awake for it.

That's not necessarily an indictment in and of itself. Since the birth of my newest child, I've found myself dozing off in my easy chair even during movies and TV shows I love. So if something is weak or just bland, well, it hardly stands a chance.

Let's start with the snoozer first, Angelina Jolie's "Salt." Well, Philip Noyce directed it, but the movie is all about her, right? That's how it was marketed, too. I used to be a big fan of Angelina Jolie, Action Star--hell, I paid to see BOTH "Tomb Raider movies." But now--forgive me--she just isn't what she used to be for whatever reason, and she is no longer the credible ass kicker (OK, credible in a movie way) she used to be. Nor does she have the "Hey, ogle me" aura she did then.

So, yeah, when I sit down to watch "Salt," I'm expecting a good story, and it just never comes together. I somehow guessed a major plot development, one that's supposed to be a big deal, very, very early, and I'm never good at that sort of thing. I don't think it makes the movie terrible per se, but discerning it so early lessened my enjoyment of "Salt." Just a generic action/thriller that barely--and I mean barely--kept me awake. Come to think, it wasn't the movie that kept me awake as much as the beverage.

"Easy A," however, is a delight, a testament to the charm and charisma of Emma Stone. Stone is a highlight of films like "Superbad" and "The House Bunny," but here she proves she can carry a movie. I look forward to seeing more of her in these kind of light but intelligent roles.

Not that "Easy A" is the most sophisticated of screen comedies--it kind of beats the "Scarlet Letter" connection over your head so you understand the inspiration for the plot, for one thing. I found myself straining to buy that plot, in fact, in which Stone agrees to let a fellow student claim he had sex with her, but then escalates it as other credibility-seeking boys make deals with her to get her approval to say that they did it. There's probably some commentary in here about why guys can get away with this but Stone's character is labeled a slut, but the story is much more straightforward than a treatise on social mores. Stone IS ostracized, though, in a way that doesn't really ring true with me. More importantly, it's hard to believe Stone would take this as far as she does.

Straining to accept the story is worth it, though, because there is a lot of humor in the screenplay as well as a solid effort, often successful, to infuse heart. Some of the adults are as misguided here as the kids, and I like the way the movie sort of attempts to show the messiness of relationships and sexual politics. Stone's parents, played by Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson, are almost but not quite over the top in their kindness and accessibility, and it's nice to see them have fun as a loving couple that stands in stark contrast to some of the other selfish men and women who populate the movie.

It's funny, ultimately you feel good about most of what's going on, and Stone is great. I saw "Easy A" on video, but it's probably the kind of movie you can revisit on cable, or Netflix, with ease and get something out of it each time.