DOUBT

GENRE:  Drama/ Mystery
MADE:  2008
CAST:  Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams
DIRECTOR:  John Patrick Shanley
WRITER:  John Patrick Shanley

PLOT:  Set in a New York Catholic school, a priest is questioned about his relationship with a certain student which brings about questions of his history as a priest.

PARALLEL UNIVERSE:  Au Revoir Les Enfants, Capote, Deliver Us From Evil

SCORE:

SUNSHINE CLEANING

GENRE:  Comedy/ Drama
MADE:  2008
CAST:  Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin, Steve Zahn, Clifton Collins Jr.
DIRECTOR:  Christine Jeffs
WRITER:  Megan Holley

PLOT:  For the welfare of herself and her son, a young woman goes in to business for herself as a crime scene clean-up service in order to make more money.  With her younger sister in tow she finds that this job isn't all that it is said to be.

PARALLEL UNIVERSE:  Thank You For Smoking,  Julie & Julia,  Little Miss Sunshine

SCORE:

JULIE & JULIA

GENRE:  Biographical/ Comedy
MADE:  2009
CAST:  Amy Adams, Meryl Streep, Chris Messina, Stanley Tucci
DIRECTOR:  Nora Ephron
WRITER:  Nora Ephron, Julie Powell, Julia Child, Alex Prud'homme

PLOT:  Julie Powell an aspiring writer puts her dream to become a writer on hold as she works 9 to 5 for a job that can pay the bills.  Julie loves to cook and as a way to relieve her stress she begins a blog that goes through all the recipes in Julia Child's cookbook.

PARALLEL UNIVERSE:  Sunshine Cleaning, You've Got Mail, When Harry Met Sally, Little Miss Sunshine

SCORE:

NOTE:  When I'm down in the dumps this is the film that I watch, it's light, uplifting and it's about cooking!  The director and writer, Nora Ephron also responsible for "You've Got Mail", "Sleepless In Seattle", "When Harry Met Sally" and many other romantic comedies, Ephron directed and wrote "Julie & Julia" in the same fashion and feel as her other hits.  If you're a fan of Ephron's previous works you will be sure to like this film as well.  And bravo to Meryl Streep who did a fantastic job as Julia Child!