Evan Rachel Wood

Down in the Valley
$7.99
The acting, I agree, is fine. I was prompted to pursue this after reviews of, 'Elvis' to which it is likened. It possesses nothing like the turmoil building within 'Elvis' though. In fact, accomplished as Norton is in this, the nuanced complexity wrought by Gael Garcia Bernal makes this urban cowboy, childish in any sense of the word. The direction hasn't the pacing of the aforementioned. Now, all these misgivings are only applicable if you are expectingthe suspense of, 'Elvis'. I liked Morse, as usual. He seems to have the law enforcer gig whenever required,'Dancer in the Dark', 'Indian Runner'. Not an endearing critter here, but he's learn't a thing or two by the time of the improbable comeuppance on the corny western filmset...a scene that is just too cute, too predictable, for its own merit.

King of California
$14.98
... and an adroit portrayal of a nut-case California libertarian dysfunctional father with a heart (or possibly a whole chest) of gold. If you've ever lived in California, especially southern, you're excused; you don't need to see it, you can just sit on a step-ladder in your patio and watch your neighbors. Otherwise, you might not feel too bad about wasting an hour-and-a-half on a film that aspires to be as wildly sardonic as a Coen Brothers movie, but ends up as sappy as Gidget.

Oh yeah, the young woman, Evan Rachel, deserves another chance, in a stronger role. But please, don't cast her as a precocious seventeen-year-old again!

Little Secrets
$12.99
We borrowed this movie from a friend for my daughters to watch in the car during a trip. Both of my daughters loved it, but especially my 8 year old. She wants to watch this every day, quotes lines from it, and talks about it. It's a good story with good lessons for young kids. With all the trash out there for kids today...this one stands out. And my daughter wouldn't let me rest until I bought it for her after I had to return the borrowed one.

Running With Scissors
$14.94
An exceptionally well-done adaptation of the book. Unlike a typical film, where the screenwriter thinks he or she knows better than the original bestselling author, Ryan Murphy (who also directed and produced this film) trusts the original material enough to adapt the majority of it. The casting for this movie is superb too - from the surprising appearance of Joseph Fiennes as the mentally deranged 35-year-old Bookman, who has an affair with the protagonist, to Annette Bening cast as the protagonist's mother, a woman who comes further apart at the seams with each scene we see her in to Rachel Evan Wood and Gwyneth Paltrow as the perfect fit sisters and daughters of the psychiatrist who adopts the main character.