I can always appreciate an actress who chooses roles for a reason other than their ability to perform at the box office. Zooey Deschanel is that kind of girl (as in, my kind of girl.) Her bit part in Almost Famous led to several other projects that were both bigger and smaller, from indie projects to major motion pictures. It's almost like she cares about the craft or something!

Seriously though, my own love for her aside, Zooey is a talented actress who went from playing a small town Gothic sales clerk in The Good Girl to a narcissistic singing Santa's helper in Elf. From there she was a depressed actress (Winter Passing), a creative teacher (Bridge to Terabithia), and, oddly enough, Sarah Jessica Parker's roommate in Failure to Launch (which I couldn't bring myself to see, but I'm sure she was as good as you could be in such a train wreck of a film.)

This summer, Zooey stars alongside Mark Wahlberg in M. Night Shyamalan's thriller, The Happening. She plays Alma, Marky Mark's wife who is somewhat aloof and charming in an otherwise quite upsetting film about apocalyptic violent suicide.

I must admit, she was one of the main reasons I went to see the film. She has a great track record so far (I forgive her misstep in Failure to Launch) so I gave her the benefit of the doubt. As to not ruin it for those who have yet to see the film, I will say that at least Zooey's big eyes are wide and intense a lot and she doesn't have any intimate scenes with Mark or any other males (because suicide isn't sexy and neither are dudes.) … continue reading

I have mixed feelings about M. Night Shyamalan. I loved The Sixth Sense — and no, I didn't figure it out before the end. Unbreakable was interesting, as was Signs. Then things started going downhill. The Village — meh. Lady in the Water — awful. But I'll give The Happening a try for one simple reason: Zooey Deschanel.

Deschanel stars with Mark Wahlberg in this "paranoia thriller about a family on the run from an apocalyptic threat to humanity." I guess "paranoia thriller" is a new genre. Or a description of my first date with a woman. The trailer is creepy, to say the least. … continue reading