Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Fans of “Laguna Beach” will love the first season of The Hills, which follows Laguna’s Lauren Conrad as she attends fashion school in Los Angeles and works as an intern at Teen Vogue magazine. OK, so that’s the premise for this quasi-reality MTV series. But in reality, the show is an excuse to watch pretty young people make out, break up, get back together, and break up some more.
During her recent three-week trip to Vietnam, actress Jordana Spiro made do with just one backpack. “Really, there’s almost nothing you can’t buy there if you need it,” she says. “It’s a completely amazing place and I’d go back in a second.”
“Sparkle” tells the rags-to-riches (and rags again, for some of the characters) tale of three sisters with gorgeous voices. There’s Sister (Lonette McKee), Sparkle (Irene Cara, Fame), and Delores (Dwan Smith), who team up with a couple of players (including a very young Philip Michael Thomas, pre-Miami Vice) to form a singing group.
Equal parts Romeo and Juliet and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Shinobi offers breathtaking cinematography, appealing actors, and ninjas. What more could a movie fan ask for?
In Because I Said So, Diane Keaton outdoes any pushy parent trying to marry off their children. On the eve of her 60th birthday, Daphne (Keaton) decides that she will find a suitable suitor for her youngest daughter Milly (Mandy Moore). Never mind that Moore was barely into her 20’s when she shot the film and easily could pass as a high-school senior. The film asks us to believe that an otherwise smart, loving mother would push marriage on a young woman who obviously wasn’t ready for that kind of commitment.
By Jae-Ha Kim Amazon.com Utilizing aerial shots and a soundtrack that includes folktunes as well as classical masterpieces by Beethoven, Wagner, and Strauss, Visions of Germany is a feast for the eyes and ears. Broken […]
One of the few spin-offs that actually equals the original in terms of quality, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit has another stellar season in its third year. Detectives Olivia Benson (Emmy winner Mariska Hargitay) and Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) continue to investigate sexually-based crimes with compassion and vigor.
A reality series in the loosest sense of the genre, “Jamie Kennedy’s Blowin’ Up” delves into the world of hip-hop by way of comedy. It’s not a bad effort either. The MTV series is equal parts ad-libbed and scripted, but the actors on the show are so good that you’d swear they were just a couple of clueless knuckleheads trying to become rap stars.
Flavor of Love goes through the motions of being a real reality show, but it doesn’t try that hard. It’s obvious Flav is taking advantage of his popularity while he can and that the women are hoping their participation will help launch their modeling/acting/singing careers. But no one in their right mind actually believes that Flav will marry any of these unusual women.
At its core, “Stomp the Yard” is a romantic drama disguised as a dance film. Or is it the other way around? DJ (Columbus Short) is a troubled teen from Los Angeles who gets a chance for a better life when he is admitted into Atlanta’s privileged Truth University. Just when he thought he had escaped a life of gangs, DJ finds himself in the middle of a “war” between two upper-crust fraternities where stepping (a popular dance form) is their weapon of choice.
By focusing on controversial congresswoman Cynthia McKinney–who has been a vocal opponent of President George W. Bush and his administration–and a few others, Inaba doesn’t lose the viewer with too many subjects.
A complicated movie about the Central Intelligence Agency and its agents, “The Good Shepherd” isn’t your typical spy movie. Though it stars Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie–actors with considerable experience in the action-espionage genre–“The Good Shepherd” requires that they play more subdued and (much less interesting) characters here.
When “liberators” don’t understand the country they’re trying to help, the end result can be well meaning, but diluted. In the documentary The Beauty Academy of Kabul, filmmaker Liz Mermin focuses on a group of American hair stylists who travel to post-Taliban Afghanistan to teach local women how to beautify themselves and their customers.
Based on the true-life story of Chris Gardner, a San Francisco salesman forced at times to shelter his young son (played by Smith’s adorable look-alike offspring Jaden Smith) in a men’s room, there is little suspense to “The Pursuit of Happyness” in terms of Chris’ outcome. (His story and eventual accomplishment as a successful and wealthy Chicago businessman was well-publicized on the newsmagazine show 20/20.)
A comedy aimed at the inner kid in all of us, “Unaccompanied Minors” provides a few laughs and some good acting by its young thespian stars. But the hyuck fest doesn’t offer enough substance, or even some so-bad-it’s-good vignettes, to hold the viewer’s interest for long.
A taut series filled with drama as well as great chemistry between its two lead stars, Bones is a strong addition to Fox’s television lineup. Debuting in 2005 to favorable critical reviews, the series shares an audience of fans with the CSI franchise. Smartly written and well-acted, the first season of Bones focuses on the collaborations between FBI special agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz, Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel), whom Booth somewhat sarcastically nicknames “Bones.”
A disturbing film about a recovering drug addict trying to regain control of her life, “Sherrybaby” succinctly depicts what can happen when want and desire aren’t offset by control. In this bleak indie film, Sherry Swanson (Maggie Gyllenhaal, Stranger Than Fiction, Secretary) has just been released from a three-year stint in prison. Dressed in her inappropriate uniform of a halter top and oh-so-high platform heels, she goes to brother’s house to see her 5-year-old daughter, Lexie (Ryan Simpkins).
The movie has some sweet moments, but doesn’t spend enough time delving into the challenges of being part of an Asperger’s couple. The problems that they have in their relationship (insecurity, commitment and communication problems) really aren’t that different from that of your “normal” couple.
A slapstick comedy starring Matthew Broderick and Danny DeVito, “Deck The Halls” tackles the Christmas spirit with lights, music, and plenty o’ pratfalls–none of which makes much sense in this floundering film. Steve Finch (Broderick) is a persnickety dentist who enjoys being the town’s go-to guy when it comes to all things Christmas. Buddy Hall (DeVito) is his new neighbor–a car salesman who finds that decorating the exterior of his house in bright, garish decorations and lights makes him feel like the big man he never was
A compelling film that delves into the lives of young women with eating disorders, the HBO documentary Thin offers sobering insight into why anyone would sacrifice her health for the pursuit of unrealistic body perfection. Set in a Florida clinic that specializes in treating patients with bulimia (binge eating followed by self-induced vomiting) and anorexia (consuming barely enough to survive), the film introduces viewers to four women.