• An unintentionally creepy romantic comedy P.S. I Love You is saved by a grounded performance from multiple Oscar-winner Hillary Swank. Her perfect relationship is quite literally destroyed by hubby Gerard Butler's untimely death. Luckily, he's left her letters, recordings and more to help her move past his demise, and find a life all her own. The above average cast also includes Lisa Kudrow, Kathy Bates, and Buffy's James Marsters, in a decidedly less vamp-y role.

• On the opposite end of the spectrum is Over Her Dead Body, featuring desperate housewife Eva Longoria-Parker as a bridezilla who dies on her wedding day, only to return from beyond the grave to make sure her fiancée is never happy again. The film squanders the ample comic talents of Paul Rudd as Longoria Parker's living sweetie; but Rudd still manages to eke out some chemistry with his co-star, Lake Bell, as a psychic who can see Longoria Parker's ghost.

• Who would have thought the best cinematic interpretation of Bob Dylan would be played by Cate Blanchett? Director Todd Haynes took this chance when he cast six different actors as the marble-mouthed musician in I'm Not There. Though not every section is a home run, an all-star cast (which also includes Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Richard Gere) and confident direction make this a must-watch.

Continue reading "On DVD This Week - I'm Not There, Serial Mom and More" »

Steve McQueen on a motorcycle leaping 65 feet over a barbed wire fence while fleeing the Nazis -- it's one of the most memorable scenes in The Great Escape... and it certainly looks like Steve McQueen on that bike. But even though the King of Cool did much of his own stuntwork, it was Bud Ekins who actually made that spectacular jump.

Ekins, who also doubled for McQueen in Bullitt, was a renowned member of that select club of daredevils, the Hollywood stuntman. It's also an underappreciated club. Stunt performers have the guts but don't get much of the glory, risking their lives without the corresponding payday or A-list cachet. Ekins reportedly made $1,000 for that jump, while McQueen got a paycheck of $400,000 for the movie.

Continue reading "Bud Ekins Is the Real Steve McQueen in The Great Escape's Greatest Scene" »