Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Headed by an all-star cast of women, The Secret Life of Bees is the heartwarming and well-told story of a young girl who finds love and acceptance from a trio of independent sisters. “The Secret Life of Bees” is based on the bestselling book of the same name by Sue Monk Kidd and centers around the plight of 14-year-old Lily (Dakota Fanning).
Comedian Jamie Kennedy is used to getting laughs in the United States, thanks to his work in the “Scream” films and his TV show “The Jamie Kennedy Experiment.” But making foreign audiences laugh wasn’t something he felt confident he could accomplish.
Based on the bestselling novel of the same name, “The Memory Keeper’s Daughter” is an emotional drama dealing with a family secret that eventually destroys a family. David (Dermot Mulroney) and Norah (Gretchen Mol) are the perfect couplel; he is a highly regarded physician and she is his beautiful, young, blond wife.
A feel-good drama, Fireproof has a strong agenda: stay married, lead an honest life, and let your faith in a higher power help guide you. A still boyish-looking Kirk Cameron (Growing Pains) stars as Caleb Holt, a mercurial-tempered firefighter whose marriage is on the rocks.
In this fantasy set in the real world, kind-hearted Amanda is drawn to Harold when he clumsily introduces himself to her while she’s eating lunch. The audience can see that she has substance, but all Harold can see is her beauty and his lack thereof.
Lana (Haylie Duff, 7th Heaven) is the alpha female in her sorority. Renowned for having the hottest girls on campus, Omega Kappa screens out its pledges based primarily on their looks. Lana wants to admit sexy, lithe Emily (Laura Ashley Innes, Malcolm in the Middle), but there’s a catch. She can only join if there’re no legacies–daughters of previous sorority sisters–who want to join.
Alfre Woodard is Alice Pratt, a modest woman who owns a small, homey diner. Kathy Bates is Charlotte Cartwright, the much-divorced board member of a top corporation founded by one of her husbands. Viewers are asked to suspend their beliefs in reality that this mismatched pair from different socioeconomic, moral, and ethnic backgrounds could have enough in common to put up with each other, much less be best friends. And yet in his homespun way, writer-director Perry–who also has a small role in the film–makes it work.
Loosely based on the 2001 Korean romantic comedy of the same name, My Sassy Girl follows a young couple that was brought together by unusual circumstances. Charlie (Jesse Bradford, Flags of Our Fathers) finds Jordan (Elisha Cuthbert, 24) drunk and passed out in a subway station. Worried that she’ll be harmed, he makes sure she gets home safely.
Beautifully filmed and soothingly narrated by Bernard Hill (The Lord of the Rings trilogy), Wild China takes an expansive look at the fourth largest country in the world.
“Sex and Death 101” presents an intriguing premise: If you were given a list of all the people you were destined to sleep with, would you give up what you currently have to fulfill that prophecy?
A body-swapping comedy, “It’s a Boy Girl Thing” takes a look at what happens when contentious next door neighbors have to literally live in each other’s body for a while.
A sweet family drama about a girl and her misunderstood horse, Moondance Alexander focuses on a teenager who is longing to fit into a world where she is considered an oddball.
“What Happens in Vegas” is a comedy waiting to happen. It takes an old premise (drunk strangers regretting their decision to get married in Las Vegas) and adds in a dilemma (a $3 million slot machine win) that could’ve been easily resolved.
A quirky independent film featuring some strong acting by an eclectic cast, “Just Add Water” captures the desolate spirit of a group of trailer park inhabitants who have little hope of ever escaping their mundane lives.
With his name prefacing each movie, Perry has developed a franchise that doesn’t fail to deliver what his fans are accustomed to: some variation of a dysfunctional family comedy and the appearance of his most famous character Madea–a cranky grandmother played by Perry himself that manages to draw laughs, even when her inclusion sometimes is superfluous.
Set in the summer of 2003 when parts of America experienced a severe power outage, “Blackout” focuses on the eclectic residents of a New York neighborhood who fought–and banded together–to survive the ordeal.
A love story set amidst the chaos and horror of World War II, Dresden tells the tale of a beautiful young German nurse who falls in love with an injured British pilot.
A tale of two sisters competing for the same king, The Other Boleyn Girl uses historical facts as window dressing for this work of fiction that is entertaining, if not wholly believable. Anne Boleyn (Natalie Portman) is the doe-eyed vixen ordered by her power-hungry uncle to bewitch King Henry VIII (Eric Bana). Her shy sister Mary (Scarlett Johansson) has always been in Anne’s shadow; Anne is prettier, more accomplished, and desired by many men.
Set in the 19th century, when Japan was closed to the West, “Silk” offers an unusual love story revolving around Herve (Michael Pitt), wife Helene (Keira Knightley) and the young unnamed beauty to whom he has never shared a conversation (played by Sei Ashina).
Hottie Chris Pine plays Danny, who has never had a serious girlfriend. His annoying but well-meaning brother Larry (Eddie Kaye Thomas) is intent on helping Danny lose his virginity by hooking him up with several inappropriate women.