You know those movies you go to see simply because of the cast, telling yourself, "with Meryl Streep and Claire Danes, it has to be good, right?" And how sometimes you discover that no amount of good acting can make up for terrible lines, a boring plot, or bad directing?

This week on Who Thought THAT Was a Good Idea?, Lori and I count down the five most god-awful movies we were innocently duped into watching because of the cast, only to end up feeling burned, wishing we had those two hours of our life back (not to mention the $20 we forked out for the DVD/movie ticket). … continue reading

Entertainment Weekly recently issued a list of the 25 best action movies. I skimmed it so fast, I almost sprained something, because very few of the movies appealed to me. I'm just not big on big exploding things. There are exceptions, of course (like The Matrix and the original Star Wars trilogy), but I tend to prefer films in which character development prevails over plot development — or at least doesn't disappear entirely in a flaming fireball or a rain of bullets.

So here's my list of inaction movies. In these films, the fireworks occur inside the characters' heads. Maybe the characters talk a lot; or maybe they think a lot but say very little; or maybe they actually do a lot, but the doing is less important than how they feel about what they've done. Or maybe it's not so much about a lack of action as an abundance of brain activity. Or maybe I'm overthinking it. Nah! Anyway, here they are. (The quintessential inaction movie is, of course, My Dinner With Andre (1981), but I'm not including it here because, hello? No women.)

13. Clockwatchers (1998)
It's right there in the title: In this movie about temporary office workers, all the characters do is watch the clock and plan to prepare to get ready to change their lives. It's like 9 to 5 on quaaludes. But I can't think of four people I'd rather watch do nothing than Toni Collette, Parker Posey, Lisa Kudrow and Alanna Ubach (she also happens to be my favorite part of Legally Blonde). Don't miss Debra Jo Rupp (the mom from That '70s Show) as the paranoid, pernicious head of personnel.

The trailer even crows, "In a world where nothing ever happens ..." … continue reading

I've blogged about the movie Evening a couple of times already, and despite my reservations about the treacly trailer, I'm excited to see it tonight. The list of names on the poster still stops me in my tracks. And sometimes it almost worries me — is it really safe to put that many great actresses in one location? Isn't that just inviting the universe to fold in on itself or something? Luckily, many of them didn't actually have scenes together, so that allays my concern. Take, for example, Mamie Gummer, daughter of Meryl Streep: They play the same character (the younger and older versions of her), so they're not on the screen together.

It must be strange to be Mamie. I mean, Meryl is her mom. What is dinnertime like? "Mom, could you pass the Oscar-winning ketchup?" And what are heart-to-heart talks like? "I need to talk to you about something, but could you not slip into a Polish accent for this conversation, please?"

Nah, I bet Meryl's a cool mommy. And Mamie's been getting some attention despite that very long Streep shadow. New York magazine has interviewed her twice recently (excerpts are here and here). Here are my favorite bits: … continue reading

Take a look at this poster for the movie Evening:

First, can you believe all of those women are in the same movie? It's like The Hours on crack. Several of those names would be impressive on their own, and in certain pairs (like Streep/Close, Collette/Redgrave) I'd be gape-mouthed. But six super lady stars in one film? (I'm counting Danes, Collette, Redgrave, Richardson, Streep, and Close as superstars.) I'm gobsmacked.

Once I get past the mind-blowing litany of names, though, I have to ask: What the hell kind of order are they in? … continue reading