UNDERRATED / OVERRATED

ANNUAL OVERLOOKED AND UNDERRATED

The American Cinemateque’s second film series at the Egyptian Theatre (Jan. 11 to 20, www.americancinematheque.com) screens movies that fell between the cinematic cracks. Among this year’s under-loved: A double bill by the perennially underrated Sam Fuller (“Run of the Arrow” and “Merrill’s Marauders”). Only two of the films shown are available on DVD, so you’ll need to get off the couch.

SUSHI GO 55

While the lunch special at Sushi Gen in Honda Plaza is undeniably first-rate, you have to arrive ludicrously early to score a table. And, sorry, but we don’t eat raw fish at 10:30 a.m. Fortunately, we stumbled upon the inexplicably unsung Go 55 (333 S. Alameda St., suite 313), which serves five super fresh pieces of sushi, a hand roll and miso soup, all for a sawbuck.

TED.COM

TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an annual conference that started in 1984 and this site is the videotaped archive of the resulting speeches from the world’s biggest brains -- like James Watson on discovering DNA and Jane Goodall on what separates us from the apes (not much). YouTube for people who think.

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TECHNO HORROR

We are fatigued by wannabe Japanese horror movies (a la “One Missed Call”) in which people are stalked, terrorized and killed by evil text messages, phone calls, e-mails, videos, computer ghosts, etc. Filmmakers need to find another way to work out their neo-Luddite fantasies.

RELIGION AS ACCESSORY

TMZ.com -- that bastion of investigative journalism -- reported on Jan. 4 that actress Mischa Barton “appears to have turned to God” following her arrest for drink and drug offenses. Said a person who observed her coming out of the Good Shepherd Catholic Church: She was “looking very pious, wearing a white, virginal dress. She was carrying a church brochure.” A white dress and a brochure? Barton must be really serious about this religion thing!

PRECIOUS FOOD

Those very small portions of exorbitantly priced, daintily arranged food created by high-end chefs who hand pick their ingredients at the local farmers market. The sort of menus that make foodies salivate like Pavlov’s dog. Foodie. The mere mention of the word makes us want to strap on a bib and eat with our hands.