Kris Rasmussen: June 2009 Archives

All movies based on successful novels are going to suffer by comparison with the book for those that have an attachment to the book. Jodi Picoult's bestseller "My Sister's Keeper" was a deeply moving, thought-provoking novel that touched women, in particular, of all ages. It certainly is Picoult's best novel in my opinion, so when I saw the trailer for the movie adaptation, I couldn't help but cringe a little. Cameron Diaz as the mom? Cutsey Abigail Breslin as the younger daughter? Despite such misgivings, I did my best to keep an open mind as I went to a preview of the movie.

The story centers around a tough subject to tackle-- the idea of creating life for organ donation to save another--and while the movie does have some heart-wrenching moments, it never fully delivers the dramatic impact that it could.

Even though I am a film buff, I would be the first to say that the Oscars is slowly but surely marching itself into pop culture obscurity. Yesterday's announcement that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will "broaden the tent" by including ten pictures in the Best Picture category, doubling the category in size, is yet another example of how out of touch with America the Academy really is.

According to the trades, the producers of the awards show decided after doing a post-mortem of last year's ceremony, that adding more movies to the category would help the show and convinced the Academy this was a great idea. As near as I can tell, the theory is that having ten movies might pave the way for more commercial films to also sneak into this elite category that tends to always focus on "important" movies.

At about this time every summer I begin to look desperately for a change of pace at the Cineplex. I am tired of action packed blockbusters, and even broad, recycled comedies like "The Proposal" don't quite do for it for me. This summer's anecdote to my movie-going dilemma is "Easy Virtue." It's a remake-- sort of--of a lesser known play by British playwright Noel Coward. It is a period piece set in the Roaring Twenties and is a war of the classes. While the movie is slight on plot it is full of glitz and glam and downright silliness while reuniting two of British film's elite--Kristin Scott Thomas and Colin Firth--alongside serious actress wannabe Jessica Biel. While not as great as other movies of this genre, "Easy Virtue" is easy enough to enjoy as a carefree summertime distraction.

Certainly the best documentary I saw at the Waterfront Film Festival recently was a collection of inspiring stories that made up "A Fierce Light: When Spirit Meets Action." Filmmaker Velcrow Ripper ("Scared Sacred") globe trots around the world looking at a vast range of people protesting various social issues and examines the notion that social action is most effective when it is deeply rooted in some form of spirituality. The documentary has received awards at numerous film festivals and it is slowing rolling out into theaters this summer with a positive, grassroots buzz growing.

The movie was motivated by the tragic loss of a co-worker in a protest in Oaxaca, Mexico. After that loss, Ripper delved deeper into the connection between faith and activism and the documentary shows footage as varied as celebrity Daryl Hannah sitting in a tree protesting the destruction of farm land in California that is to be turned into a warehouse site, to conversations with Archbishop Desmond Tutu. In each vignette, the point is made that compassion and a desire to peacefully connect with others is the means to true, lasting change.

Watch the trailer below. You can check out numerous other clips on the film's website.

Talk shows as well as the blogosphere were a flutter yesterday with several juicy D-list Christians on reality shows doing some pretty stupid stuff. I don't relish in their individual shortcomings, as much as I am encouraged that maybe this is the teensiest beginning of the fall of reality TV as a genre.

Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt were out and about yesterday discussing the ephinanies they had while shooting "I am Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here," which include Spencer being baptized by actor Stephen Baldwin. But almost everywhere the beautiful couple went they received a Spedi Smackdown including rebukes from Al Roker on "The Today Show" and Whoopi Goldberg on "The View." During an interview, among other questions, Roker asked Montag if she was proud of her diva behavior on the reality show, to which she eventually responded "Yes."

TNT has certainly been successful at creating summer series centered around strong female characters, whether it's my favorite "The Closer," "Raising the Bar" or it's big hit, "Saving Grace." I felt like the first two seasons of TNT's police drama...

One of the more entertaining movies I saw last weekend at the Waterfront Film Festival was the romantic comedy " The Answer Man." Jeff Daniels plays a poor man's Deepak Chopra named Arlen Faber. Arlen wrote a self-help book many...

Just when I thought I wouldn't have to hear any more debate about Miss USA Carrie Prejean and her religious beliefs regarding gay marriage, the news came late in the afternoon yesterday that Prejean has been fired from her position...

It's that time of year for road trips, day trips to the beach, picnics, and other warm weather activities. And of course, to go along with all of that summertime fun, what's better than some fun music? My personal playlist...

Yes, I am a self-professed theater geek, but regardless of that fact, I don't understand why the Tonys aren't celebrated more or why the show doesn't draw bigger numbers. As award shows go, it's the theater folks who know how...

Though there still may be a few weeks before I can dip my toes in Lake Michigan without freezing, summer is unofficially here. My workload lessens a bit and I am free to waste time on my favorite activities, including...

The Cinderella story of Scottish singer Susan Boyle ended Saturday night when she performed on the "Britain's Got Talent" finale. Though she was an odds-on favorite to win, the dance team Diversity beat her with a stunning performance, leaving Susan...