Written by Colin and Emily Gunn. Studio: Gunn Productions. Running time: 54 minutes.

I loathe feminism as much as I love Colin Gunn’s documentaries. So when I learned that he and his wife, Emily, had co-written a movie exposing feminism in all its satanic gore, I joyously tore into it.

If you are even remotely interested in politics you have probably heard Elizabeth Warren’s speech delivered almost spontaneously at one of her campaign rallies and then later at the Democrat Convention. President Obama had been playing lightly but consistently on the same anti individualist/anti property theme and, probably more important, in unscripted answers such as he gave to “Joe the Plumber.” After Warren delivered her arguments in favor and defense of a collectivized society, Obama “doubled down” as the saying goes and it became the overall Democrat theme. 

While some actors are more than content to play their niche character, others work hard to be seen as something different. While some fall totally flat, others nail their roles as someone completely opposite. Check out some of the best quick change artists who revamped their careers by taking a breakout role.

Actor Sean Penn got more than he bargained for when he ran into former co-star Maria Conchita Alonso recently during a chance meeting at the Los Angeles International Airport.

According to reports, the actress, who co-starred with Penn and actor Robert Duvall in the 1988 crime drama Colors, wanted to confront Penn about his support for Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez.

Alonso, who was born in Cuba, was raised in Venezuela.

According to the UK’s Daily Mail, when Alonso spotted Penn at the airport she walked up to him to tell him that she was “appalled” that he supported Chavez.

Fatima Jabbe, the Gambian actress, entrepreneur and politician, has carved a niche for herself by being an inspiration to a new generation of Gambian youths who see her as a role model. In this interview with correspondent Emeka Umejei, held at the World Travel Market (WTM) Custom House, London, she speaks about her failed marriage, her career and her life.
 
Q: Your role in the famed Mirror Boy has won you several awards including British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and Zulu African Film Academy Awards (ZAFAA) and so on, how does it feel?
 
Fatima Jabbe: It feels fantastic because it is not every day you do something and the world notices what you do. So, if you started doing something and the world is singing your praises, then you know you are on the right part. So, I feel good and happy.
 
Q: It appears the excitement over Mirror Boy is on the wane. What is next for you?

Entering 2011, few companies were hotter than Netflix. The movies by mail giant that slew one-time market leader Blockbuster, had moved aggressively into video streaming, once again dominating its market even against strong competition from the likes of Hulu.

Seemingly, no one could stop Netflix, but the company became its own worst enemy. A price increase angered legions of previously loyal customers. Then the company announced that it would split in two, with the Netflix brand focused on video streaming and a new brand and Website, under the name Qwikster, handling distribution of DVDs by mail.

The company’s moves led to a massive customer exodus with the company expecting as many as 1 million people to walk away from its services. Moreover, analysts pointed out that the name of the new service, Qwikster, diluted the brand and didn’t make sense.

With the economy faltering again, partisanship at its highest and protests springing up around the country, it seems pretty trivial to think about pop culture. However, when I found out the Star Wars saga was being released in a bundle on Blu-ray Disc, I was excited and filled with hope.

You see, I would love to see the original films restored and released in high-definition, but I knew it was too good to be true. Reports began trickling in that several key scenes in the movie were being slightly altered and that’s when I had enough. Star Wars finally pushed me over the edge.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a huge Star Wars fan. When I was in elementary school, I remember the first time I watched a Star Wars film (it was Return of the Jedi since my mom mixed up the order). Even though the storyline was a bit confusing since I hadn’t seen the previous ones, I was immediately enthralled by the magic and wonder it offered.

Super 8 opened at theaters this weekend to generally warm critical reviews. The JJ Abrams (Lost, Fringe) / Steven Spielberg (Close Encounters, E.T.) brings together two science fiction juggernauts from different eras (the 1970s and the 2000s) and mixes them together in a new and novel way. Does it work?

Generally, it does. Spielberg’s influence comes via the film’s setting in the 1970s and the use of a cast of ambitious kids discovering something novel, both in themselves and in the the world around them. In the case of the Super 8 kids, they find not only a paranormal mystery, but courage, love, determination, and self-respect. For parents, these are kids as we’d like them to be. Smart, interested in things other than sex, drugs and rock and roll. In fact, obsessions with all three of those things are depicted in Super 8 as the sole province of losers.

From Abrams comes a palpable sense of evil and conspiracy (not to mention something terrifying and monstrous). The conspiracy comes by way of a secret operation embedded in the U.S. Air Force that wantonly and flagrantly violates the rights of the citizens living in a small American town.

Many reviewers have noted of Super 8 that it is less intricate and somehow less edgy than they expected from an Abrams flick. It does seem that way, but looking deeper reveals much more.

As a child star Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor burst into Hollywood, quickly earning a reputation as a rising talent. She lived up to her potential as a star and shined brightly in front the the camera, giving audiences award winning performances throughout her life. After a long storied career, punctuated at times by both scandal and health problems, Taylor died on Wednesday at the age of 79 of congestive heart failure, a condition she suffered from for several years.

Taylor found success early. The 1944 film, National Velvet, made Elizabeth Taylor an instant star with her brilliant performance. She was only 12. Starring opposite Mickey Rooney, Taylor plays Velvet Brown, a young, spirited girl who is determined that her beloved horse, the Pie, can win England’s Grand Racing Event.

Growing up in front of the camera, as an adult Taylor made a memorable appearance in the 1958 drama Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Starring as Maggie and appearing with Paul Newman, the film was the fifth Tennessee Williams play to be adapted for the big screen. The film is about a husband, Brick (Newman), an ex-football hero and alcoholic who thwarts his wife Maggie’s affections. The movie is packed with twists and turns that include injury, greed, lust, suicide, terminal illness, suspicion and desperation. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof received six Academy Award nominations including one for Elizabeth Taylor as Best Actress.

Shakespeare comes to the backyard in the new animated flick Gnomeo & Juliet.

The new animated film packs the usual visual exuberance in the form of exaggerated color and expressions that viewers have come to expect in this genre, and as such the appeal for children is obvious, though, as Julia Rhodes points out for California Literary Review, the movie “is actually directed toward adults more than kids.”

As for the story, credit is due to Kelly Asbury for the screenplay adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic. Setting the story amongst the rivalry between the red and blue gnomes is obvious in hindsight. In fact, it seems such an obvious idea, one wonders why this wasn’t done sooner. Of course, to say the idea is obvious is not to say it is simultaneously a good idea.