Last Holiday

Rating: PG-13

Movie Release Date: January 13, 2006

DVD Release Date: May 2, 2006

Plot 411: A conservative woman finally learns how to enjoy life when she is told she only has weeks to live.

Review: Queen Latifah stars as Georgia, a clerk at a department store who dreams about becoming a chef. After a freak accident, she is examined and told she has brain tumors. She decides to spend her remaining days enjoying life and quits her job. She withdraws all the money from her bank and jets off to an exotic locale where she reinvents herself as a wealthy woman. Her carefree, kind nature touches everyone at the hotel, including Chef Didier (Gerard Depardieu). This film was an interesting twist on the regular rom-com as it was more about self-discovery and self-acceptance than about the love thing. Georgia's love interest, by the way, is her co-worker Sean, played by LL Cool J. The film was uplifting and inspiring despite the heavy-handed message that we should all cherish our lives and live them to the fullest. Still, Latifah has a wonderful pressence on screen that is almost infectious. She has good comedic timing and isn't afraid to look dumb. LL Cool J is pretty stiff during his scenes but that could be due to all those muscles. Also in this film are Timothy Hutton and Alicia Witt.

Watch It: For a good dose of shop-therapy.

Skip It: Because really it's just another rom-com.

Any Given Sunday

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: December 22, 1999

DVD Release Date: September 1, 2000

Plot 411: A once-great football team has had several bad years and the new owner and veteran coach butt heads on coaching methods.

Review: Coach D'Amato (Al Pacino), who has led the Miami Sharks to several championships over the years, is caught in the crosshairs of new owner Christina (Cameron Diaz), who has just inherited the team from her father. Believing that D'Amato is over-the-hill and his teaching methods are outdated, she hires a new offensive coordinator (Aaron Eckhart) to breathe some life into the team. Christina is a shrewd woman and successful finances is a top priority for her. Because of this and many losing seasons, she plans on replacing D'Amato at the season's end. When injuries strike the team, third-string quarterback Willie Beamen (Jamie Foxx) leads the team to several wins after some initial setbacks. He soon becomes arrogant and this causes friction between him and many of the other players. This movie gives audiences a good look at the inner workings of professional sports - the good and the bad. It comments on how the sport is promoted, scrutinizes the coaching and players, their motives and commitments, looks at the luxurious and lavish lives that the players' families are privy to and the corruption within the sport. It's a stark contrast to the typical fan's point of view and also parodies many within professional football. Also in this film are LL Cool J, James Wood, Dennis Quaid, Lauren Holly, Matthew Modine and John C. McGinley.

Watch It: For one of Diaz's few serious roles. She's actually pretty good in this one.

Skip It: If a straight football movie is what you're looking for. This is more about the people than it is about the sport.

Mind Hunters

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: May 7, 2004 (Thailand) / May 13, 2005 (USA)

DVD Release Date: September 20, 2005

Plot 411: A group of FBI profiler trainees are tested when their test becomes reality and people start dying.

Review: This is a psychological thriller that keeps you guessing and on the edge of your seat. A serious contribution to the film world it is not. However, it is filled with lots of suspense and violence, and I dare say most CSI fans would enjoy it. Cops, killers, cop killers - what more could you ask for in a police thriller? A group of young FBI agents training to become profilers travel to a small island to take part in a simulated case. However, when their leader is killed and their boat to the mainland is destroyed, fingers reach for triggers as everyone now becomes a suspect. One by one the agents are killed. Each one dies a death specific to their personality. This makes the movie even more interesting as the killer is not just sick and twisted but also intelligent and devious. The movie is made of an ensemble cast: LL Cool J, Jonny Lee Miller, Kathryn Morris, Val Kilmer and Christian Slater.

Watch It: If you enjoy putting puzzle pieces together, blood and guts.

Skip It: If you think violence on tv is overrated.