You all may not be ready to head to the movie theaters to see the latest releases. This series, "Great Films of the 21st Century" is a chance to catch up on great films of the recent past on whichever streaming service you're using. I hope soon it will be safe for all of us cinephiles to get back to the theaters.  Adaptation Four stars Director: Spike Jonze Stars: Meryl Streep, Nicolas Cage, Chris Cooper, Tilda Swinton Rated: R Mixing film genres and subgenres more often than not comes across forced and artificial. Director Spike Jonze and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, though, are uncommon with an uncommon film here. Their collaboration, "Adaptation," is just such an amalgam. But it is an engrossing, engaging film done with consummate skill and purpose.  Though it borrows bits for its mosaic, it is startlingly creative. Kaufman and Jonze piece together biography, Hollywood satire, comedy, romance, drama of self-actualization and a thriller with an overarching th...

  Many are still choosing to stream movies from home rather than venturing out to movie theaters. While it's great to see brand new movies from the comfort of our couches, there some great movies available from years past you should check out. Here is a look at my top 10 from 2009. I have to admit, 2009 was a particularly difficult year to pick the 10 best films of the year. And I wouldn't have it any other way. I am sure a convincing argument could be made for any one of these 10 films could be at the top of this list. But the overall quality was so good, I couldn't find one that stood clearly head and shoulders above the rest. I particularly like it when there is no clear favorite. Then it paves the way for lesser-known films like "Slumdog Millionaire" to get some well-deserved recognition. There were slightly fewer films released in 2009 than in previous years, especially in the last quarter of the year when studios release the films they think have a chance at...