Genres

Visitors Review

valadas 2012-05-24 21:57:58

Too lukewarm

A progressive (say liberal in the American sense) teacher of ArtHistory goes from sunny progressive California to a girls' conservativeand élitist faculty in cold New England with the ambitious aim ofchanging mentalities there. A most ambitious aim in a most ambitiousmovie which in both cases remains very much under their expectations.This movie goes on the track of that other one called "Dead PoetsSociety" but has not half the force nor half the beauty and depth ofideas of the latter. From a certain moment on the liberation of woman'stheme gets in the movie's way in the form of a some cases lived by afew pupils but told and described in a rather weak way. The movie'sintentions are good but lots of other movies have dealt with thissubject in a much better and stronger way. The end is rather equivocaland dubious and we hesitate to say if the young teacher was completelydefeated after all or got at least half a victory. The only merit ofthis movie is to give a certain correct idea of American life andvalues in the fifties of last century mainly among youngsters and youngcouples and about how schools were managed and directed.

2012-05-24 14:25:47

Artsy

Some parts of this movie are just plain boring. But I give it 3 stars because some parts are interesting.

2012-05-23 22:16:25

I Just Don't Understand!

This doesn't have the best rating from the reviewers here on Amazon.com, but I think that it is a wonderful movie. It has a strong story, some very beautiful scenes, a great cast, and an enjoyable soundtrack. Katherine Watson, a bohemian from California, finally attains her dream; to teach at the highest ranked women's college in the country. She soon comes to find that instead of preparing these women for the world, the institution is simply preparing them for marriage. After coming to form extremely close bonds with some of the girls, and a rather rocky existance with others, the whole situation is wrapped up in a life altering experience that changes the way they all view the world. Give this one a try. Hopefully, you'll love it as much as I do.

2012-05-23 08:12:51

Blu-ray: A solid performance by Julia Roberts but an average film and Blu-ray release at best.

In 2003, the film "Mona Lisa Smile" which was a loose adaptation of the novel "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" by Muriel Spark was released in theaters.The film which was released a week before Christmas did quite well at the box office (considering "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" was dominating the box office) and made over $141 million worldwide."Mona Lisa Smile" was directed by Mike Newell ("Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire", "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time", "Donnie Brasco", "Four Weddings and a Funeral") and a screenplay by Lawrence Konner ("The Sopranos", "Might Joe Young", "The Beverly Hillbillies") and Mark Rosenthal ("Planet of the Apes", "Mighty Joe Young", "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country"). The film featured cinematography by Anastas N. Michos ("What Dreams May Come", "Stepmom", "Dead Presidents") and music by Rachel Portman ("Grey Gardens" TV, "The Lake House", "Oliver Twist", "The Manchurian Candidate")."Mona Lisa Smile" takes place in 1953 when teacher Katherine Ann Watson (played by Julia Roberts, "Steel Magnolias", "Pretty Woman", "Notting Hill") from Los Angeles moves to Massachusetts to teach at Wellesley College, a conservative women's private liberal arts college.Katherine is a teacher who was quite independent at the time and wanted her students, who were very intelligent and had potential to do what they want career-wise and would suggest them to not follow the '50s ideal that a woman must get married, raise a family and not follow a career path. To not conform to the female stereotype.But in 1953, Wellesley College supported the notion that women married and not follow any career goals despite the students doing exceptionally well in school. And thus, the conservative women including the board and faculty feel that Watson should not use her class to express her liberal points of views to her students and focus on teaching art."Mona Lisa Smile" features an all-star case with Kirsten Dunst ("Spider-Man" films, "Bring it On") as Betty, the woman who doesn't get along with Mrs. Watson and is also pursuing her life as a married student; Julia Styles ("The Bourne Identity" films, "10 Things I Hate About You", "Save the Last Dance") as Joan who is highly intelligent and has a chance to go to Yale University to pursue law to be a career woman but also torn by the '50s notion that she must be a housewife and raise a family; Maggie Gyllenhaal ("The Dark Knight", "Adaptation", "World Trade Center") as Giselle, a woman who has had a difficult childhood and has had flings with the male teaching faculty; Ginnifer Goodwin ("Big Love", "Walk the Line") as Connie, the student trying to find love; and Marcia Gay Harden ("The Maiden Heist", "Damages", "Mystic River") as Nancy, the roommate of Katherine who has become a somewhat of a recluse.VIDEO:"Mona Lisa Smile" is feature in 1080p High Definition (aspect ratio of 1:85:1). The film looks much better over its DVD counterpart as skin tones are natural but the film is not vibrant as I would of hoped. There is a fine layer of grain but the film looks like it has been washed out. The detail that I was hoping to see in the Blu-ray release may be better than the original DVD release but it wasn't as brilliant, sharp or clear as I was hoping. The film has strong production quality and some scenes manage to capture the feel and look of the early '50s but the details and colors were average, not amazing on HD.AUDIO & SUBTITLES:For audio, "Mona Lisa Smile" is featured in English, French and Portuguese Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and also Thai and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1. The film is primarily a dialogue driven film. The lossless soundtrack is satisfactory for this type of film. During times where there is music, that is when you feel the soundtrack does come alive but for the most part, the film is front and center channel driven.Subtitles are in English, English SDH, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Korean, Thai, Chinese (Traditional), Chinese (Simplified), Indonesian, Arabic and Dutch.SPECIAL FEATURES:"Mona Lisa Smile" comes with the following special features in standard definition, English stereo and subtitles in Spanish, French, Dutch, Chinese (Traditional), Korean, Portuguese and Thai. * Art Forum - (6:40) The talent of "Mona Lisa Smile" discuss the art featured in the film and their thoughts on art. * College Then and Now - (14:39) Featuring footage from the film and interviews with the cast about how things have changed then and now in college for women. * What Women Wanted 1953 - (10:42) A making of "Mona Lisa Smile" and how things were back in 1953. * Music Video - Elton John "The Heart of Every Girl" - For those who love "The Heart of Every Girl", a music video by Elton John. * BD-Live EnabledJUDGMENT CALL:"Mona Lisa Smile" was for the most part an average film that was nothing spectacular but did take the early '50s and show how there were women who tried to give their students choices and showing that they didn't have a choice to follow the stereotype of women during that time. But somehow, when men write the screenplay about the women's movement, it just doesn't feel right.If anything, its success in the box office was due to Julia Roberts and the number of talents featured in the film, but its important to note that "Mona Lisa Smile" was helped with the controversy that surrounded it.It's important to note that this is a fictional story based adapted from a novel and the screenwriters are using Wellesley College as the setting. There is no historical accuracy and with that being said, sometimes its best to not use a real name of a college when these events simply didn't happen at the college. If anything, all the college did was give the filmmakers the opportunity to shoot at the school because they were going to use the name of the college no matter what.For one, the film being shot at Wellesley College and students upset that they were being disrupted from attending school and for the most part, the lack of minority students featured in the film (the filmmakers said they wanted to make it authentic to how things were in 1953) and of course, even the current and past alumni who were upset with the "distorted and demeaning portrayal" of their alma mater, prompting the President of Wellesley College to write a letter to the alumnae in regards to the film.As mentioned, the Blu-ray PQ is marginally better than the DVD release and as for special features, there is nothing new introduced into this release aside from being BD-Live Enabled.Overall, if you enjoyed the film, the upgrade in HD and lossless audio may be good if you don't own the previous DVD release but overall, "Mona Lisa Smile" is an average film and an average Blu-ray release.

Roger Ebert 2012-05-13 16:00:08

The characters involve us, we sympathize with their dreams and despair of their matrimonial tunnel vision, and at the end we are relieved that we listened to Miss Watson and became the wonderful people who we are today.

schappe1 2012-05-13 04:57:38

An Admirable Book-end

I went to `Mona Lisa Smile' in search of a film that didn't look like avideo game. Such treasures are rare and valuable these days. While I did notfind it truly memorable, I appreciate any film that is about recognizablepeople living recognizable lives. I agree that the characters tend to be`types' and that the film may be a too broadly written version of the 1950'sand life at Wellesley College in particular. But I am forgiving.The acting performances are all fine by a collection of youthful yetaccomplished performers. In a man's world and a man's cinema, it's rare tosee almost an entire cast of females expressing what it is to be a woman.Julia Robert's character does seem to be a refugee from the 1960's paying avisit to the 1950's in the kind of time-warp that's popular in today'smovies. The fact that she's `from California' hardly explains it. But she isa good actress and portrays the young teacher who refuses to be intimidatedby her students or the administrators well. Julia Stiles comes off the bestof the students, torn between a career and a marriage and finally rebellingagainst Roberts by choosing marriage. Kristen Dunst tackles the role of ayoung woman trying to be like her mother who realizes that she hates hermother. She seems a bit too `nice' to be convincing in her bitchy scenes andthat makes her transformation less effective. Maggie Gyllenhaal has receiveda lot of praise for the portrayal of the promiscuous `free spirit' but infact her character is also the least conflicted. Ginnifer Goodwin is justlooking for love and fails to find it thanks to Dunst. She is very good buther character is not as interesting as Stiles' or Dunst's.Much has been made of this being a female version of `Dead Poet's Society',a film from 14 years ago about a teacher at an all-boy's school in 1959battling conformity. The implication is that `Mona Lisa Smile' lacksoriginality. Actually, aside from the surface comparisons, (which includereferences to the McCarthy era in each), I find the stories essentiallydifferent. In fact, MLS probably has a little more depth. DPS is essentiallythe story of one of the boys in his fight against his controlling father.Here all the main student roles are about equal in emphasis. It's alsorelated not just to 50's conformity but also the role and plight of women insociety. DPS was it self compared to `The Prime of Ms. Jean Brodie', anotheressentially different film from 20 years before that. There is also `ThePaper Chase', `To Sir With Love', `Up the Down Staircase', `The BlackboardJungle' and `Goodbye Mr. Chips'. The fact that more than one film is abouta teacher and his or her students doesn't make then carbon copies ofeachother and if we can have three `Matrix' films in between them, it's OKto have more than one film about teachers. When MLS comes out on video, rentit and DPS together. They make admirable book-ends.

westreal 2012-05-13 07:14:37

The Truth About Life

Wherever women and men have battled,wherever the stakes werehigh...something happened.This is the story of one of those days..rightafter the second world war..when American culture was trying to comeback to life.The movie itself has spots and dots about that era..and wecould easily see & feel this trough music,art,and all the surroundings.Coming back to the story..it's obvious that it centers on Julia Robertsbut we cannot oversee the other two (Julia Styles and Kirsten Dunst).Indeed a good and well directed movie.Makes you wonder about manythings in life..about what you really want and what you actually get !Enjoy this movie,explore it's characters and let the music sway you onemore time !

2012-05-12 23:00:46

Is it worth sitting through this with your wife/girlfriend?

Okay, this is obviously a chick flick. So, if you want to rent the Fast and the Furious, or watch Wrestlemania this ain't yer cup-o-tea!However, if you're the average guy who can sit through a typical drama you'll get through this one fine, and might even like it. It's essentially Dead Poets Society, but with women characters. And despite the way it's billed it's not that serious or dramatic or feminist.Julia Roberts, Julia Stiles and Kirsten Dunst all give good performances. The plot is somewhat predictable, the message obvious.In short, my expectations were low and I was pleasantly surprised. So if your girlfriend or wife insists on renting this, don't despair. There are worse ways to spend an evening (and then next week they'll have to sit through X-Men 2 with you!).

2012-05-11 01:24:49

review of "mona lisa smile"

We watched the movie "Mona Lisa Smile" for our English lessons at school. We watched it, because we had the topic " gender roles" and so in our opinion the movie was very interesting and supported the topic. The movie shows on the one hand how a emancipated woman carry through the society of the 50's and on the other hand how the society don't understand and accept her behaviour. When the view of the people were very conservatively, it was tradition that young women get married and became housewives and mothers, even when they were talented and put down excellent school exams. No exception make there the graduates of the famous Wellesley College in Massachusetts. Katherine Watson(Julia Roberts) a young free-mental lecturer for history of art wants to teach not only history of art to her pupils, but to encourage rather a striving for self-sufficiency and independence and also to break out of the long-existing traditions. Only once it pushes thereby on refusal, from arrogant young ladies, who have above all their future role as wife, mother and perfect hostess in the view. She is also criticized from her colleagues, because of her unusual teaching methods. The author not only shows the life of Katherine, but also of some students at the college like the sexually curious Giselle(Maggie Gyllenhaal)and the bright Joan (Julia Stiles).In our opinion the acting achievement of the female main characters are very good and sympathetic.

2012-05-10 11:12:49

Balanced points of view

What I like about this movie is what a great job it does in balancing the points of view about feminism and identity. Most movies take a single argument and defend it. This one presents independence, family, career, etc. as all equal choices...with the ultimate issue being what's right for each person is something you have to find on your own. What works for one person maynot be right for everyone. That's a hard position to take in a movie, and this one does a great job.

2012-05-04 01:43:23

Mona Lisa Smile

A nice female coming of age story;a little choppy in places, a good "Chick Flick" to be enjoyed on a lazy afternoon .

Kirk Honeycutt 2012-05-03 07:00:54

The film's dogged insistence in re-fighting the cultural wars of the '50s without shedding any new light on either side reduces nearly all the characters to shallow mouthpieces for predictable points of view.

jeromec-2 2012-04-26 03:11:14

Good thoughtful movie if we suspend disbelief.

Let me start by saying that I like Julia Roberts. I like the kind ofbrittle tough although essentially vulnerable woman that she hasdeveloped over the years.In Mystic Pizza, Julia played a waitress who was dating someone whoseprimary interest in her was a sort of reverse status thing. She wastaken home to give his parents a bad time. Julia knew this. He did notgain any points with her. She was much more aware of human motivationsthan he was, but she dated him hoping that she was wrong. She gave himthe benefit of her doubt.Same characteristic in Pretty Woman. She was much more aware of whatshe was than Richard Gere. She makes him climb the fire escape on herterms, not his.Ms. Roberts creates a smart vulnerable clever woman. She cannot helpthat she also turns out to be very likable, even when she is not so.People I know do not like her in Notting Hill at all. They think Juliaplays a ditz. I disagree. It takes her a bit to grow up enough torealize that fame is not everything. She has to know that camera beautywill not last forever. She can mouth the words, but she does not yetfeel them. It takes time to learn to live our principles.Many great actresses have created variations on the same woman.Certainly, it's true of Ingrid Bergman, who created the innocent, sexy,vulnerable, obedient and very lovable character in such movies asCasablanca and For Whom the Bell Tolls. Certainly, no one would eversay that she did not deserve her awards just because her characters allresembled one another.The clever woman she creates in Mona Lisa Smile does not trouble me.Her dialog and delivery more than make up for her obvious limitationsand her students, where they students and not just making a movie,would be well aware of this. They like her not because she knowseverything, but because she wants them to be the best of what they arecapable of being.It is not that she despises home and marriage. She despises the trapthat the 1950's created for women. She saw it as enslavement. Herstudents saw it as a fulfillment of a woman's prime directive dictatedby Mother Nature herself.The struggle is a very real one. In a way, the movie pleads for areturn for more traditional values: what we are currently doing has notworked. Maybe those in the 50's had a point. Maybe not. However,Julia's character is wise enough to accept the possibility that bothways have their place: neither should be lived without exploring theother.She has a point. We ought to listen.

Mick 2012-04-25 06:26:01

Intelligent and compelling

I liked this movie a lot. Rather than blood and guts, special effects,loudnoises, drug-taking, profanity and nudity, there's a compelling story andbelievable characters. It's a film dealing with women's issues, but itdoesn't hate men. It's intelligent without being pretentious. This isoneof those movies like they supposedly don't make any more.The story is about a young teacher who goes to a stuffy women's college inthe year 1953 and the challenges that come from her attempts to get thestudents to think for themselves despite the establishment's mandate thatshe comply with their agenda of turning out model housewives.It's one of the best-acted American films in many years, featuring abeautifully nuanced performance by today's biggest female star, JuliaRoberts. Ms. Roberts, as the teacher, may well be taking home her secondOscar next spring. I feel pretty sure that Kirsten Dunst will win thesupporting Oscar for her role as a mean little bitch because her characterundergoes the biggest change and Dunst plays the hell out of it. There isalso fine work by Julia Stiles (as a bright student who opts fordomesticityover a career), Marcia Gay Harden (as a repressed conformist), MarianSeldes(as the college president), Maggie Gillenhall (as a horny student), JulietStevenson (as a nice lesbian), Ginnifer Goodwin (as the chubby victim ofthelittle bitch) and Dominic West (as the faculty lothario). Mike Newell'sdirection is top-notch. The screenplay by Lawrence Konner and MarkRosenthall says a lot and says it with a sly sense of humor. There aremanysurprises along the way, too.The film recalls such golden oldies as THE CORN IS GREEN, GOODBYE MR.CHIPS,THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE and THE GROUP. However, it's realistic,rather than sentimental. I hope this movie is a big hit and will mark areturn to serious storytelling in movies. Strongly recommended forintelligent people of all ages.

bamatommy 2012-04-19 13:00:29

Oscar-worthy and NOT a "chick flick"

Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, and Marcia Gay Harden all haveexcellent performances in this excellent film. Julia is a first-yearteacher at an exclusive all-female university in 1953. She runs into a lotof trouble with the school, and some of the students, because she dares tothink for herself instead of blindly accepting the conventional wisdom.

Daniel M. Kimmel 2012-04-19 03:48:54

The performances here are winning, with [Julia] Roberts not afraid to share the screen with several younger actresses who are among the best and brightest in Hollywood today.

2012-04-17 21:14:11

Jean Brodie Meets The Group

As a former college professor, Seven Sisters graduate, and fan of indie films, I must admit I was not optimistic about this movie. I was right. Watching the movie, I was constantly reminded of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, a brilliant movie about turn-of-the-century Scottish schoolgirls based on Muriel Spark's novel. Some scenes were eerily similar, such as the "girls" standing around an art studio, wearing little schoolgirl hats, giggling at a painting. Brodie girls giggled over sex; these women giggled over unfamiliar modernism. Mona Lisa's theme seems familiar: progressive teacher influences students, questions traditional values, develops romantic interests, and fights insensitive administrators The theme works in secondary school settings, like Brodie and Dead Poets Society, because teachers can influence children of that age, especially in private schools. In college, especially by senior year, faculty members play a lesser role among students, who learn more from peers. A movie about college women entering a new age would be better focused on the students themselves. Mona Lisa Smile includes some minor but annoying inconsistencies. Art 100 would be a freshman course -- but most of the women seem to be seniors. It's hard to imagine these women would be turned off by (let alone giggle at) contemporary art. Seven Sisters colleges have always been intellectually demanding, yet we never see these students studying or even speaking eloquently. These girls resemble sorority sisters of Legally Blonde more than students at an elite college. The scene where a married woman returns to campus after a two-week honeymoon seems especially silly. Wellesley students would expect consequences from failing to turn in a paper on time. Professors at top schools rarely count attendance toward a grade and publicly reprimanding a student -- especially in this mean-spirited, almost catty style -- would be inappropriate anywhere. Watson wouldn't teach just one class -- she would have two or three more, each semester. As an inexperienced teacher out of her element, she'd be overwhelmed. And after a day of teaching, many professors eagerly seek companionship from other faculty so they can commiserate about their frustrations! Even today, professors still must follow the departmental descriptions of their courses. When a class gets listed as "History of art from ancient times to the Impressionists," that's what you teach. You might bring in contemporary works to make comparisons but you can't go off on a tangent of your own. It's unprofessional and possibly unethical. Watson violates boundaries when she encourages a student to attend law school. Giving her an application -- even helping her complete the application -- seems legitimate. But, like many mentors, Watson became overly invested in her mentee's decisions. Coming to the student's house with a handful of law school folders - that's way out of line. So is touching students to make a point. And I've never heard of a college that gives student files to professors. Apart from logistics of paperwork in the pre-photocopy era, only advisors and administrators would be likely to have access.The "old college days" theme would have worked well if a student had been the main character. Mary McCarthy's The Group, though dated, does give us a glimpse into college life in the era when women were free enough to experience some of the world, but not protected by birth control and social approval. Wendy Wasserstein's Uncommon Women and Others shows student life at a women's college much later and with considerably more realism, humor and style. Alternatively, we could get a realistic movie focused on a female college professor. She'd surely be scared about her own prospects in an alien world. Gail Godwin's novel The Odd Woman captures some of that feeling -- but it's neither glamorous nor especially fun to watch. In any case, stories about "the way we were" rarely seem fresh anymore. I recommend viewing the real thing. Track down a copy of The Best of Everything, a magnificent fifties period piece showing the working world these women would enter. The ultimate irony: While Watson urges Wellesley women to take their careers seriously, she doesn't seem focused on her own. Rather than crusading for a vague cause and gaining short-term popularity, she'd have done better to leverage her Wellesley experience for her own success. Then she'd help far more women over the course of her lifetime.

peterghsd 2012-04-17 08:24:01

Honest attempt to capture a culture

More than a star vehicle, this film makes an honest attempt to capture theculture of an elite all women's college in the mid-50s. The plot hasHollywood twists but comes out okay. Julia Roberts is getting morebeautifulas she ages. This movie is worth a trip to a big screen movie house. I sawit at a free sneak preview in a small Seattle theater. Good effort. Strongrecommendation.

al_von26 2012-04-14 02:17:36

Mona Lisa - - - Maggie!

'Mona Lisa Smile', i thought was a reasonably good film. Although iwouldn't class it as a personal favourite, i did quite enjoy it. Theplot (or storyline) wasn't all bad (infact quiet bearable as i couldeasily watch the film another couple of times) but what made it mostwatchable to me was the performance of Maggie Gyllenhaal (GiselleLevey). All characters in the film were very well played, but Maggiewas truly exceptional. Never before have i seen a supporting roleplayed so well and with such ease. At every scene she appeared i wasamazed, and basically prayed for her coming on screen. Not only was itthe talent that lead the role being played so well, but also the actualcharacter itself. Giselle had a depth that in every scene grew, not atany stage did her character change who she was, but we as the audiencelearn more of her, and understand the person she really is. Not onlywas she the sexual active class member sleeping with her Spanishteacher and so called 'whore', but she was a friend, a shoulder to cryon and a complete individual who stood for what she believed (as isuppose the majority the characters in this film did). I was, and stillam every time i watch 'Mona Lisa Smile', intrigued by Maggie. She is awonderful actress with such talent! She played her character toperfection, and the performance touched and inspired me. This was agood film that i enjoyed. The story was good, the cast was better, butprobably the most underlying reason for my liking this film was MaggieGyllenhaal, a true great with an unbelievably bright future.

Jason Alley 2012-04-13 18:38:56

It's hard to take a "message" movie seriously when it's so phony (*1/2)

Julia Roberts, in her first misstep since the toxic "America's Sweethearts",stars as Katherine Watson, a "free-thinking" "bohemian" art teacher whocomes to Wellesly's Women's College ("the most conservative college in thenation") in 1953 to teach and encounters conflict because of her teachingstyle (which is apparently not only "free-thinking" and "bohemian", but"subversive" too!) after attempting to get the women to appreciate modernart. Of course, after all the required plot points are surpassed, there's ahappy ending when we realize that she touched all of her students' lives andthey'll never forget her and blah, blah, blah. Yuuuuuuuuuck. I'm all for movies about encouraging original thought and fighting traditionand being yourself, but it's hard for me to take seriously when it'spresented in such broad strokes that it's as if Katherine and a select fewof her students are the only real humans and everyone else are heartless,bloodless, alien pod people. The other humans (you know, fellow "free-thinking", "subversive""bohemians") are played by Julia Stiles, Ginnifer Goodwin, and MaggieGyllenhaal (who predictably gives the only memorable performance).The pod people are everyone else, but especially Kirsten Dunst as a studentwho vocally opposes Katherine's teaching with dialogue like "Don't disregardour traditions just because you're subversive!" and the gorgon-like campusPresident (Marian Seldes). Of course Dunst is only a pod person until herhusband cheats on her and she realizes Katherine was right all along, justin time for the heartwarming ending (whew! that was a close one!).I feel mean for beating up on this harmless little puppy of a movie, butwhen a movie's trying to be "serious" and bungles it pretty much every stepof the way and so badly, it's hard not to. Every character is a stereotype,every situation a cliche, everything in general feels completely phony, andas a result the good message that it's trying to impart is renderedmeaningless. Too bad about Julia Roberts. I hadn't liked her movies for a very long time,but then, all of a sudden, she started becoming interesting, takingnon-typical roles in good movies like "Ocean's Eleven", "Full Frontal","Erin Brockovich" and especially the extremely underrated "The Mexican".Let's hope she gets going in the right direction again.