THESPIAN OF THE WEEK: Meryl Streep

Name:  Mary Louise Streep

AKA:  Meryl Streep

Date of birth:  June 22, 1949

From:  Summit, New Jersey

Specialty:  Actress

Four Meryl Streep Films You Shouldn't Miss:

The Devil Wears Prada

Drama Comedy

Doubt

Drama Mystery

Julie & Julia

Comedy

The Bridges Of Madison County

Romantic Drama

FANTASTIC MR. FOX

GENRE:  Animation/ Adventure/ Comedy/ Family
MADE:  2009
CAST:  George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, Willem Dafoe, Owen Wilson
DIRECTOR:  Wes Anderson
WRITER:  Roald Dahl, Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach

PLOT:  at 7 fox years Mr. Fox is having a mid-life crisis which prompts him to plot and raid the farmer's land, after which he must take responsibility and help the animal community somehow survive when the farmer decides to do something about it.

PARALLEL UNIVERSE:  Chicken Run, Ratatouille, The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou

SCORE:

DEATH BECOMES HER

GENRE:  Comedy/ Fantasy
MADE:  1992
CAST:  Meryl Streep, Bruce Willis, Goldie Hawn
DIRECTOR:  Robert Zemeckis
WRITER:  Martin Donovan, David Koepp

PLOT:  Madeline and Helen have been rivals for a very long time and they're going to be rivals for eternity when they both get their hands on a potion that can keep them young forever.

PARALLEL UNIVERSE:  Edward Scissorhands, Beetle Juice, She-Devil

SCORE:

ADAPTATION

GENRE:  Comedy/ Drama/ Crime
MADE:  2002
CAST:  Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep, Chris cooper
DIRECTOR:  Spike Jonze
WRITER:  Susan Orlean, Charlie Kaufman, Donald Kaufman

PLOT:  A screen-writer suffering from writer's block in the midst of love lost turns to his twin brother for help.

PARALLEL UNIVERSE:  Science Of Sleep, Being John Malkovich, Burn After Reading

SCORE:

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA

GENRE:  Drama/ Romance
MADE:  2006
CAST:  Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Adrian Grenier, Stanley Tucci
DIRECTOR:  David Frankel
WRITER:  Aline Brosh McKenna, Lauren Weisberger

PLOT:  A down-to-earth unfashionable young lady with dreams to become a journalist moves to New York to take a job at one of the biggest fashion magazines in the industry that can open doors for her, the job?  An assistant to the editor of the magazine, the Devil, Miranda Priestly.

PARALLEL UNIVERSE:  Marley & Me, Head Over Heels, Death Becomes Her

SCORE:

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:

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!