Oscar- and Emmy-winning actress Helen Hunt has emerged from the where-the-hell-have-you-been cold case files! Phew. It's dark and moldy in those little boxes in which Hollywood tosses its female stars of yesteryear. Hunt will soon be seen in Then She Found Me, a comedy with drama and a little romance, also starring Matthew Broderick, Colin Firth and the Divine Ms. M, Bette Midler. But what's even nicer than seeing Hunt in front of the camera is that this new film features Hunt behind the camera, as well. Then She Found Me is Helen Hunt's feature film directorial debut, and it is has received its fair share of positive press from earlier film festivals. The film is at last winding its way to a general release in April.

The movie has been adapted from a novel by Elinor Lipman of the same name, and Hunt helped to pen the screenplay. Writer, director, and star? Is that the new Hollywood version of the triple threat?

In Then She Found Me, Hunt plays an unassuming schoolteacher who finds out that she is the biological daughter of an abrasive talk show host (played by Midler) who placed her baby for adoption at birth. The pairing of Hunt with Midler as the unlikely mother-and-daughter combo is enough of a draw for me to buy a movie ticket for this one, but the story also seems interesting in that modern-day complicated twist sort of way. You see, Hunt's character is ending a relationship with a pretty annoying guy (Broderick) and beginning a relationship with a flawed but nice enough guy (Firth) who has a daughter enrolled at the school where Hunt's character teaches. Hunt's character learns that she is pregnant with her ex's baby, though she is still trying to see where her relationship will go with the new guy. Talk about dyke drama! Oh, wait — I don't think there are any lesbian characters in this; just lesbian icons. Well, anyway, here's the latest trailer:
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Wow, there are a lot of movies I haven't heard of. And at least a few I'm really looking forward to. It's time for another poster-and-trailer extravaganza!

First, the Baby Mama poster hasn't really been released yet, but I came across this snapshot of the actual paper object. Cute. Is it April 25 yet?

Next, Smart People, featuring the smart and adorable person named Ellen Page (yeah, and Sarah Jessica Parker, too, but I find her less smart and less adorable, and occasionally less human).

This film debuts April 11. Here's the trailer: … continue reading

I just came across this hilarious parody of the Juno trailer on FunnyOrDie.com. It stars J.K. Simmons, who played the dad in Juno. I can't really do it justice ... just watch.

Happy Purim!

Last night during Dancing With the Stars, the new trailer for Mamma Mia! premiered. The teaser trailer was pretty good, but the full-length one? My dancing shoes are already on!

The stage musical is ridiculous, but also ridiculously enjoyable, and it looks like the movie will fit that same groove. As if the ABBA soundtrack (22 songs!) weren't enough — and, really, what's better than ABBA? — we get Meryl Streep doing pratfalls in her overalls. That alone is worth the ticket price.

Meryl seems to be having a great time in general, what with all the dancing and drinking and screwball comedy. I can never decide which I like better: dramatic Meryl or comedic Meryl. Mamma Mia! might just give us both. She's funny, she's moving, she's handy around the house!

And I had forgotten that Christine Baranski is in Mamma Mia! She plays one of Meryl's BFFs. … continue reading

I'm not ready to commit to an entire movie for the weekend, so I thought I'd check out some trailers instead.

First, the new Speed Racer trailer surfaced this week. If Christina Ricci and Susan Sarandon weren't enough reason to see this one, this trailer has convinced me that it's worth the ticket price. Moviefone.com desribes it as "Andy Warhol meets the Jetsons." Nice!

(Watch it in hi-def here.)

Next, I hadn't even heard of Dark Matter, starring Meryl Streep, Aidan Quinn and Liu Ye.

The film tells the story of a Chinese science student who can't quite cope with the pressures of American academia. … continue reading

I’m going to be blatantly honest with you. My taste in movies usually aligns with the average 15-year-old boy. Think Superbad or Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby. I know there are all kinds of misogynistic and degrading aspects to this whole genre of films, but I simply can’t help myself. The urge to laugh at menial things is all too tempting.

That said, I can (and often do) appreciate well-made movies of a more serious nature, especially if a favorite actor is in it. That is exactly the case with Sleepwalking.

Starring Charlize Theron, alongside Nick Stahl and AnnaSophia Robb, the movie tells the story of a little girl (Robb) who must deal with her mother’s (Theron) abandonment and adjust to life with her uncle (Stahl). Stahl’s character, on the other hand, goes through his own discovery process while trying to reconcile his childhood with the predicament he finds himself in now. When I first saw the trailer for this movie, I thought it could be one of those rare movies that captures things that actually happen to real people. … continue reading

If it seems like Tina Fey is everywhere these days, well, it’s probably because she kind of is. Last week, she graced the cover of Vanity Fair to refute those ridiculous “Women Aren’t Funny” claims. This past Sunday, she was smiling up from your Parade magazine, cute as fresh-picked daisies. And, very soon, she’ll be delivering the funny in a theater near you with Baby Mama.

A new featurette for Tina and Amy Poehler’s odd-couple comedy hit the web recently, and the more I see, the more I can’t wait until April 25. The two-minute spot intersperses clips from the trailer with Tina and Amy talking about the film.

The two women play polar opposites who come together when white-collar Kate (Tina) hires working-class Angie (Amy) to be her surrogate. What ensures is what Tina calls “as close as you can get to seeing me and Amy in a movie version of Laverne & Shirley.” … continue reading

In case you haven't heard, Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson are in a movie together. I've seen so many promos and articles and trailers and interviews related to The Other Boleyn Girl, I'm a little weary and don't know if I'll even see the film, which opens today.

But the Los Angeles Times' recent "Scarlett versus Natalie" photo gallery gave the hype machine a different twist. Each photo is accompanied by facts on a particular topic (like horses, muses or education), and then a winner is declared in that area — like this:

Muses

George Lucas turned Portman into a full-fledged international star when he cast her as Padme Amidala, the woman who would become the mother of Luke and Leia, in the “Star Wars” prequel trilogy.

Woody Allen has fallen under the spell of Johansson, casting her in “Match Point,” “Scoop” and the upcoming “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” in which she reportedly has a steamy sex scene with Penelope Cruz.

"Scarlett is just a naturally great actress,” Allen has stated. ”She can do no wrong and is incapable of a bad moment. She’s very sexy, very pretty. She was just touched by God."

Winner: Johansson. Although “Star Wars” made Portman a household name, Allen is a far better director than Lucas, who seems ill at ease directing humans.

Well, fine, but Allen puts me ill at ease with his daughter-marrying ways, so I'm not sure ScarJo really wins on this point.

View the whole gallery here. One thing the Times doesn't mention is that both Scarlett and Natalie think same-sex marriage is A-OK. In a recent interview with W magazine, they spoke up on the subject: … continue reading

Ordinarily, I wouldn't be particularly drawn to a movie called Married Life, but it stars Patricia Clarkson and Rachel McAdams — two of my favorites.

It looks sort of Mad Men–esque in its sensibilities, or maybe like Far From Heaven (I adore that movie), but mixed with, uh, Fargo and American Beauty and Pushing Daisies? I should stop making comparisons, since it also looks unique. Here's the trailer so you can see for yourself: