For six seasons, Sarah Jessica Parker became synonymous with playing the phrase “single and ready to mingle” on Sex and the City. Her subsequent non-Sex movie roles have always steered clear of Carrie Bradshaw territory, including her latest DVD offering, I Don’t Know How She Does It.
SJP’s character of Kate Reddy is the antithesis of the role that she is best known for, what with her juggling act of being a career gal-on-the-go who has to make sure she finds time to connect on the home front – where she is the main breadwinner – with husband Richard (Greg Kinnear) and their two children.
Not helping matters on her already stretched-to-the-limit life comes in the form of working with a powerful executive (Pierce Brosnan); and two differing opinions on the title of the film and how to go about doing so. Can she pull it off? It’s SJP … what do you think! Available now.
Another Happy Daynot only has the distinction of being a Sundance Award Winning film (for screenplay), but it also has what you would call a stellar ensemble cast. The acting roster is headed up by Ellen Barkin, who also produced the film and plays Lynn, a sensitive woman who is besieged by her family during a weekend gathering at the estate of her parents (Ellen Burstyn and George Kennedy).
The clan has gathered for the wedding of Lynn’s estranged son, with her other three children in tow, and the stage is soon set for the drama to surround the day, like a cloud pregnant with the chance of an emotional downpour.
Her young son (Ezra Miller) gets the ball rolling by verbally berating his mother and telling the rest of the family exactly what he thinks of them; while her daughter (Kate Bosworth) does her hardest to keep her demons-at-bay.
Aside from trying to keep her fractured immediate family from exploding further, Lynn has to contend not only with her two extremely judgmental sisters (Diana Scarwid and Siobhan Fallon), but her ex-husband (Thomas Hayden Church) and his quick to anger new wife (Demi Moore).
The day is loaded with emotional landscapes to traverse, which are ripe with landmines that seem to go off at the slightest provocation, as long buried feelings come to the surface. Available now.
The Year That Dolly Parton Was My Momis set in the decade that brought us bellbottoms and the Bicentennial; it is the latter ’70s reference that gives us a glimpse into Elizabeth Allison Gray (Julia Sarah Stone) and her world that is loaded with imagination for the 11-year-old.
When she learns that her young life has, in fact, been nothing short of a lie, she hits the road and runs away on a quest to find her true self in more ways than one. What ensues is a cross-country journey for the pre-teen, which takes her to the borders of identity and understanding herself in ways she never expected in this coming-of-age tale. Available now.
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Kellie Pickler
100 Proof
American Idol alum Kellie Pickler returns to the country music fold, for the first time in four years, with her attempt to get into the “serious artist” category. She delves into more serious subject matter on the album’s first cut, “Tough.” The topic-at-hand is drawn from her rather tumultuous childhood relationship with her father, and how it has turned her into the title of the song, rather than having it lay her low.
Her father also crops up again on “The Letter (To Daddy),” which outlines her poignant observation of the strengths he brings to the table as a man. “Where’s Tammy Wynette” is a catchy toe-tapper that is a more fun-filled entry and sounds a bit like fellow AI contestant Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats,” with its tale of teased up blond hair and hussies lookin’ to fight her for her man.
“Stop Cheating on Me,” sounds like a throwback to the days when Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn ruled the country and western airwaves. While “Long As I Never See You Again,” “Turn The Radio On And Dance” and “Mother’s Day” gives her dumb blonde persona a mature make-over. Available now.
