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My Sister's Keeper
$28.98
I read Jodi Picoult's book, My Sister's Keeper, so I thought I'd be prepared for this film. I wasn't.

A child with leukemia is tough subject matter no matter what format one uses to convey the story. Both the novel and the film had flaws, but neither had the flaw of storytelling. Anyone with an interest in family dynamics and can stomach the truly heart-wrenching drama of how disease interferes with the dream of a perfect family, will find meaning in this film. If the material is too sensitive--too painful--stay away.

The flaw I found in the book was the lack of physical character description. This, by the way, is evident in nearly all the Picoult novels I've read. The film version of My Sister's Keeper, of course, gives one faces and voices. The acting--particularly by Sophia Vassilieva (Kate) and Abigail Breslin (Anna) certainly adds to the poignancy and the story. ** I didn't go through as many tissues while reading.** But overall, I didn't like the adaptation--the indecision on behalf of the writers on whether or not to stick to the individual characters' first-person narratives (as they do in the opening scenes) or to take it to a series of present-day scenario to a series of flashbacks. The ending was also changed.

Overall, even though it's not a film I'd watch again, I'm glad I saw it--especially to put faces on the characters. Bravo to the casting crew.

Michele Cozzens is the author of It's Not Your Mother's Bridge Club.

The Accidental Husband
$24.96
This is supposed to be a romantic comedy. It isn't very funny, and frankly, it isn't terribly romantic either. The script for the movie focuses too much on trying to create funny scenes and not enough on character and plot development. It's almost as if the movie expects viewers to be so acquainted with the typical romantic comedy plots that it cuts corners and jumps straight to some scenes with no buildup. If you are willing to make these mental jumps, you might like this movie. If not, it may seem kind of clunky. All three of the actors doing the main characters do a pretty nice job of acting here and in spite of a few embarrassingly dumb scenes, they shine in this movie.

The plot centers around a fireman whose life is ruined when his fiancee listens to a local radio love doctor and breaks off the marriage. To get back, he has his teenage computer hacker neighbor create a fake marriage certificate that shows she is married to him. As the radio show doctor tries to get an annulment, the two have to hang out in many situations and end up finding out they enjoy each other's company. There is never really a lot of conflict between the two that you would expect in this kind of situation and it doesn't seem terribly apparent why she would leave her own fiancee, who seems like Mr. perfect, but I guess that's what has to happen in this kind of movie. This is most definitely a mediocre movie in many ways, but it's watchable and if you are an Uma Thurman fan you might want to check it out.

All About Steve
$29.99
Sandra Bullock's over the top charm just isn't enough to save this horrible script. This has to be one of the worst comedies i've seen in while. I can't believe Bradley Cooper went from one of the best comedies ever (The Hangover) to this. Sandra Bullock also amazed me with her role in my pick for Best Romantic Comedy of the year, The Proposal. What happened? This movie is supposed to be funny but it doesn't deliver. It's about this nerdy woman falling for this news camera man who could careless about her. She follows him all over the country trying to prove her love when clearly he does not want to be with her. This could have been very funny but most of the jokes fall flat. With the exception of the always humourous performance of Thomas Hadden Church, nothing in this movie is really funny. Sandra Bullock is a great actress but her character is extremely annoying in this film. You are supposed to feel sorry for her but it's impossible. She is a walking contradiction, If she's suppose to be so intelligent how is that she can't see this guy does not want her. Was she blinded by love? No, because at the end she comes to her senses and walks away from him like he's a complete nobody. I don't think this one is even worth renting. It's a complete waste of time unless you are a huge Sandra Bullock fan like me. Then it's almost worth it.

Funny People
$29.98
This is what Hollywood is calling humor these days? Must of been written by the lowly out of work writers during their strike! Crude, demeaning and a waste of my time!