I'm no fan of David Duchovny. I really liked this film. That has to tell you something ... because I don't want tell you something that spoils the story for you. Suffice to say it shows how far people are willing to go with deceptive marketing --- except in the real life event, none of the victims found out what had really happened. Full-character acting by everyone (including David), telling a story that would have fit in a TV movie but takes it up a notch, giving you food for thought about how people find themselves defining themselves as consumers.

Terry Pratchett stories turned into films have been kind of hit or miss. I'm afraid this is the former; it is true enough to the novel but never gets to that state of breathless movement forward that the book manages. In short, I was a bored by the halfway mark, and barely remember anything past that. It doesn't hold a candle to The Hogfather, which is up there with Alistair Sims' Christmas Carol and Love Actually in the list of favourite Christmas films.

At every party, there's always that moment when one guest or another wants to decide if it's time to leave. I love to catch that moment when their eyes land on the most readable wall clock in my home ... and then, they ... just ... stop. And wonder what's wrong with their heads. Add to that the interesting phenomenon that, after a while, reading that clock becomes completely natural to you. Definitely worth the investment!

Andreas Schroeder strikes again. The fraud artists who luck in or luck out in amazing fashion are described with delightful style. Just when you thought you knew how gullible or sneaky people can be, there's a new surprise in the next story. This collection includes the full story of Frank Abignail, the "hero" of the file Catch Me If You Can (Leonardo diCaprio) ... except what Frank did in real life is far more amazing than what they show in the film. I thoroughly recommend this book.

This film puts a raft of great French character and comedy actors into a classic French comedy. After the initial screwball coincidence that puts the valet together with a supermodel, the story is a series of delightful twists, than the crazy rollercoaster one might expect. And all the bit parts (family doctor, hero's roommate, private investigator) deliver on all counts. If you liked "Diner de Cons", you'll like this ... some notches down on the crazy-meter.

I have a personal issue with all the films ruined by an irritating and irrelevant voice-over narrative.
Middle Men is an exception, and Luke Wilson's story-telling narrative makes you almost believe this film was based on real events --- which it was NOT :-). Entertaining, sometimes humorous, definitely sexy. Luke Wilson, James Caan, Giovanni Ribisi and the very watchable Laura Ramsey carry off their understandable, even sympathetic, but never clean-handed characters.

If you're a fan of Richard Dawkins, I'd suggest you give this a miss ... unless you'd like to buy it as a present for some preteen for whom the notions and wonders of science are a book yet to be opened. In that case, it touches a large number of interesting phenomena, with lots of pictures.

This is a charmer of a film. Kids dealing as kids with the strange and magical. Perfect for little kids through pre-teens. And the adults are amusing without being dopes. Reminded me of some really excellent Australian films primarily about and for kids ("Dog Star", for one).

As for the actors ...

Sarah Wayne has nothing else listed in her IMDB credits; can't figure out why.
Hope it's because she found something more fun than movie acting ... and she certainly made it look like she was having fun.

Until I saw this, I always thought of Mark Harmon as some second-string TV pretty-boy, doomed to wear scrubs and speak cliches of heartfelt advice. He is apparently very good at understated humour, too. Fun to watch him take the character from a toxic workaholic ex-dad to a human being you'd really like to know.

I think this must have been Joshua Jackson's first film; does a very nice supporting job as the older brother who has the self-absorbed mind of every teenage boy, without the put-him-in-a-sack-and-drown-him obnoxiousness that movie boys are usually given.