GREENFINGERS... is the probably the best movie you've never heard of produced by Trudie Styler (Mrs Sting to you). It stars Clive Owen as a hardened prisoner whose life is changed by a garden. It's one of those based on a true story, quirkly feelgood Brit films that also stars Helen Mirren. Clive is just one of the most manly men around (did you see him in King Arthur?), making almost anything he's in worth it, but this transcends its Clive-itude to be a fine movie on its own.
BRIDE AND PREJUDICE... a second effort from the director of BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM, this singing & dancing take on the classic Pride & Prejudice sets the story in Amritsar, India, where the Bakshi family's 4 daughters must be married off... according to their mother. Enter handsome American Mr Darcy (Martin Henderson), and the wealthy Bingleys, Indians who live in London. Sparks fly between Lalita (Aishwarya Rai) and Darcy, while her older sister falls hard for Mr Bingley (LOST's and Barbara Hershey's Naveen Andrews) and vice versa. It's more light-hearted and Bollywood lovable than full of deep emotion, but this story is evergreen. Of course, lately I love everything Indian so much that I don't even care that my dentist's answering service is in Bangalore, but I found this a fun movie for a hot summer night.
MUST LOVE DOGS... is good if you do love dogs and don't mind a so-so romantic comedy. The supporting cast was funny, but the leads (divorced DIANE LANE and JOHN CUSACK) seemed more awkward than romantic to me. Okay for a slow night.
THE BEST OF EVERYTHING... a melodramatic romp through 1959 NYC follows 3 'career' girls during their first months on the job at a publishing company. Boss JOAN CRAWFORD is a hard-bitten careerist, WALTER PIGEON pinches all the girls, Radcliffe grad HOPE LANGE is conflicted, Actress/secretary SUZY PARKER in involved in a tragic romance, and ingenue DIANE BAKER gets in all kinds of 'trouble' with boyfriend ROBERT EVANS. The cast alone is intriguing, but what really made it worth the time was the working girl fashion, the brand-new Seagram building, and a glimpse back to the day when having a job, especially a big-publishing NYC job, made a girl both adventurous and a bit wild.
JUNEBUG... A very personal feeling movie; man returns home to rural North Carolina with big-city girlfriend and remembers what he loved and why he left. Amy Adams, as the frustrated sister-in-law who yearns for the bigger world, was nominated for an Academy Award.
NATIONAL TREASURE...a surprisingly fun adventure movie, as Nick Cage and Diane (Helen of Troy) Kruger search for some ancient Masonic treasure. Beats the pants off Da Vinci Code, offers up some real American history, and gives Diane a chance to remove the stigma of her wooden Helen.
MONSOON WEDDING...I just love these Indian stories, with their warm family dramas, big spectacular events, rocking Indian music, and, of course, the red wedding sari. Here, modern India meets ancient custom when a young couple and their families gather for an arranged wedding...complicated by the bride's and groom's first meeting, dark family secrets, and a love-crazed caterer for comic relief.
THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS... not for a fun popcorn date, but an examination of the events leading up to the Algerian independence movement in 1957 told in a gritty, realistic style by director Gillo Ponti. Informative, provocative, and still timely.
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: the Miniseries and Season One... if you are a sci-fi fan at all, this is the show to watch and get hooked on. You've got plenty of time to catch up; Season Two will be released on DVD soon enough, and Season Three doesn't start until October....
HAPPY ENDINGS... an enjoyable tale from director Don Roos (The Opposite of Sex) that looks at the relationships of a batch of misfit Angelenos. More fun than CRASH, but just as revealing. Roos' movies have delivered some of Lisa Kudrow's most memorable screen performances, and here she is great.
BEWITCHED... not as bad as I expected, and it has some sparkling moments nestled among the duds. It was a revelation to see Nicole Kidman playing such a light role; she really shines, and Will Ferrell is funny, but the material leaves them hanging more than a few times.