Adam Sandler's movies haver never represented the apex of cultural awareness, but they do tend to grapple, if somewhat brashly, with the finer points of human relations. In his latest raunchfest, You Don't Mess with the Zohan, the insolent comic creates "his stupidest character ever" (as an audience member muttered five minutes into last night's New York preview screening), but it's also his most symbolic one: Sporting a hyperbolic flair for disco music and using hummus as toothpaste, hardened Israeli soldier Zohan is a bloated creature of Semitic extremes.

Overall, however, the movie uses metaphors more than stereotypes. When Zohan and a furious Palestinian terrorist (John Turturro) use paddles to bat a live grenade back and forth, the result is a lowbrow editorial cartoon.

Upon surfing over to Variety this morning, I noticed an article titled "U Orders up Burger Pitch." Right away, I was under the assumption that Universal had snatched up a comedy pitch that revolved around burgers (like, the kind you eat), but immediately realized (after reading the first few lines) that they were talking about The Illusionist director Neil Burger. Still, those brief thoughts lingered around, thus prompting me to pick up a tasty burger for lunch. Thanks Variety! Perhaps I shall sue you for inadvertently making me gain weight. But anyway ...

Universal Pictures has picked up an untitled pitch, not for a comedy, but a contemporary drama to be co-written (along with Dirk Wittenborn) and directed by Neil Burger. Oh, but there will be no magicians in this tale -- we're looking at a film about bad guys fighting bad guys for the chance to do bad things without law enforcement getting in the way. Sounds good, eh? Set in New York, concerns over an imminent terror threat (what else is new?) have the cops on high alert, which has subsequently shut down crime and forced the regular old friendly criminals out of work. Hell-bent on being able to still make money off their illegal activities, the criminals band together to track down the terrorists ... and, well, the whole thing sounds a bit cheesy on paper. It's supposed to be a drama, but for some reason I can't get snapshots from My Blue Heaven out of my mind. Why is that?

Apparently the State Department isn't convinced that director Richard Kelly (Donnie Darko) isn't a terrorist. According to Jeff Wells at Hollywood Elsewhere, Kelly's passport has been held "under review" in good old Washington, D.C., bastion of freedom, because some guy named James Kelly is on their terrorist watch list, and Kelly's full name is James Richard Kelly.

All this means that Kelly, whose film Southland Tales premieres at Cannes, which opens May 17 -- and is in competition for the top prize at the fest -- may not be able to be there to enjoy his moment in the spotlight. Now, I'm all for keeping terrorists from blowing up planes and committing other dastardly deeds, but really, doesn't it seem there ought to be some easier way for the State Department to differentiate between a (relatively) well-known film director and a potential terrorist than making his mom dig up his junior high yearbook?