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• Following the successes of Garden State and The Last Kiss, Zach Braff has a new romantic comedy coming out this summer. It's called The Ex and his co-stars include Amanda Peet and Mia Farrow, but this time Zach was not on directing duty. For that we wait til 2008 and his remake of the Danish film Open Hearts.

• Two of my favourite European actors, Julie Delpy and Daniel Bruhl, are to co-star in a new film directed by Miss Delpy herself. It's called Deux jours à Paris, and Daniel plays Lukas, an ex-boyfriend of Julie's character Marion. It looks like it's going to be quite similar to her Before Sunset/Sunrise films, so should be worth seeing. But where is Daniel in the trailer?

• Ali Larter is great as Niki/Jessica in Heroes, but her new 'caveman comedy' Homo Erectus looks completely terrible. Personally I'm looking forward to the show's buffest hottie Santiago Cabrera (Isaac Mendez) branching out onto the big screen, so he can play a less annoying character and I can worship him freely!

Posted by Jessica at 4:54 PM | | | Permalink

This was only the second Almodovar film I've seen, but already I understand the great appreciation he receives as a director. This is a clever and unusual film, but still accessible and easy to understand. The plot was dramatic and surprising, and typically Almodovar is its combination of shocking circumstances with ordinary domestic life. I don't want to give away too much of the plot, because its charm is how it reveals itself, but let's just say there's a lot of death and incest! Yet as shocking as that sounds, the film isn't about shocking its viewer, but instead endearing us to the wonderful characters.



The five female characters who lead the film are not perfect but all very likeable. They span three generations - Raimunda (played by Penelopé Cruz), her sister Soledad and their friend Agustina, plus Raimunda's daughter, Paula, and Raimunda and Soledad's mother, Irene. These women are strong and funny and inspiring throughout. The only men in the film are peripheral characters, and none of the women end the film being swept off their feet by some handsome bloke. This is really a film about the power of strong women when they work together, not against each other as they often do in films.



Volver is just as impressive visually as its dialogue and plot. The style is simple but so colourful, which gives it a vibrancy to match its characters personalities. Penelopé Cruz looks amazing in every scene, which does make it rather hard to believe that her character is just a poor working woman, but her acting seems good so she deserves the part. This film has a real feel-good charm, and it's the kind that even people who wouldn't normally watch arty or foreign films would still enjoy, as its dramatic storyline and engaging characters transcend language barriers.

Posted by Jessica at 5:27 PM | | | Permalink

I was obsessed with Seth on The OC for the first series and a half, but one day I suddenly switched alliances to Ryan and I haven't looked back since. Still, I'm interested in what all of the cast members do next (except Misha Barton, who is rubbish) so I'll probably go and see this new movie starring Adam Brody as a young man torn between two neighbours of his dying grandmother's, who happen to be mother and daughter. It looks really cheesy and the trailer seems to give away pretty much the whole story, but for us OC die-hards it might be worth a watch. Adam is also in a film called The Ten which co-stars Paul Rudd, who I was quite obsessed with in the days of Clueless and Romeo And Juliet, so I think I'll be seeing that no matter what it's about! Probably won't be catching Smiley Face, however, but the trailer's worth watching to see Adam with dreadlocks!

Posted by Jessica at 11:30 PM | | | Permalink