PICKS OF THE WEEK
“The Informant!” — Matt Damon stars as Mark Whitacre, a chubby executive turned FBI informant in this hilarious Steven Soderbergh comedy about the 1990s Archer Daniels Midland price-fixing scandal.
I know. When I first heard that Matt Damon was going to star in a movie about a conspiracy concerning livestock feed, I thought, “What the heck?” But believe me, this is a movie that has all the wackiness of a Marx Brothers comedy combined with the same social awareness and passion that Soderbergh brought to “Erin Brockovich.” Damon’s character is brilliant: a pudgy buffoon who imagines himself to be James Bond, but he’s really more Maxwell Smart. “The Informant!” is one of the best films of 2009, and after watching it, you’ll agree.
“The September Issue” — For nearly a quarter century, Anna Wintour has been the head of Vogue magazine, the bible of the fashion industry. Her reputation for being a ruthless and strong-willed dynamo was the basis for Meryl Streep’s character in “The Devil Wears Prada” and for Edna Mode in “The Incredibles.” “The September Issue” is a brilliant, entertaining look at the chaos behind the scenes of putting together the September 2007 issue of Vogue — the year’s largest and most influential edition. If you love “Project: Runway,” and dishy, catty drama, then this hot, two-disc mess is just for you.
“Motherhood” — Uma Thurman stars as Eliza, a stay-at-home mom who tries to pull it all together during one crazy day where she has to plan and set up her 6-year-old’s birthday party, keep her car from being impounded, save her bicycle, touch base with her best friend, help her scatter-brained husband and get around to writing her blog about being a mom. It’s all wacky, madcap fun for moms in the audience, but frankly, if Uma isn’t wielding a katana and bisecting masked yakuza, I’m not really that interested.
“Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths” — DC Comics has a solid track record with their direct-to-DVD animated films, and “Crisis on Two Earths” is yet another solid release. In this film, the Justice League (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and others) must travel to a parallel Earth where they must defeat the Crime Syndicate — an evil version of themselves. It’s kind of like that old “Star Trek” episode “Mirror, Mirror” without the goatees.
TV SERIES
“Jersey Shore” Season 1
“Nurse Jackie” Season One
“Night Court” The Complete Third Season
“Trailer Park Boys” Countdown to Liquor Day
“Project Runway” Season Six
“FlashForward” Season One, Part 1
“Human Spark With Alan Alda”
“The Universe” The Complete Season Four
“Ghost Hunters” Season Five, Part One
“My Three Sons” Season Two, Vol. 1
“Adam-12” Season Four
“Midsomer Murders” Set 14
© 2010 King Features Synd., Inc.