Rhona Mitra in "Doomsday"
courtesy of Universal Home Entertainment
“The End Is Near”

Adding to the gloom and doom we face every day there is now a DVD out titled “Doomsday.” If it didn’t have Rhona Mitra as the star I would not be interested in the least. BUT our girl Rhona has been on the verge of stardom for quite a few years. Her biggest break came when she was cast as a “Tara” on “The Practice”/”Boston Legal.” After that she disappeared for a while but now is back as the lead in this sci fi thriller titled “Doomsday.” I am not big on that kind of movie but if it has Rhona as the star, well count me in!

In “Doomsday” she plays Eden Sinclair, a member of the Scottish Army of the future. Half of the country has been wiped out by a virus but recent surveillance photos have shown signs of life. Eden’s job is to take a team into the quarantined area and find out if there is a cure for the virus. For whatever reason she agrees to go.

Her boss on the outside is Bill Nelson (Bob Hoskins), a man who appears to know and respect her. He gives her a pep talk before she leaves and says he will be awaiting her return. She seems to respond well to that kind of positive pep talk.

Once inside the “forbidden area” she finds there are many, many people who survived the plague. The only trouble is they are all crazy, blood-thirsty killers. Eden and company have one close call after another. Eventually they make their way to a castle in which resides Dr. Kane (Malcolm McDowell). He is supposed to be the head guru over here and also the key to the cure. The only problem is he won’t cooperate and wants to kill Eden and company.

All of this plays out in a pretty fast-paced fashion. There is a lot of blood and gore and everyone is expendable in this cast. You can be sure the entire team is not going to make it back home alive.

Mitra is quite good in her “wonder woman” type role. She has her smolder cooking and she looks physically fit. I could have watched her for a couple of more hours. The problem is that everyone else in the film is forgettable, including McDowell. He has grown into a caricature of himself and hasn’t turned in a good performance in years.

If you like doomsday/sci fi thrillers this one is okay. It doesn’t show us anything really new in this genre but having Mitra on board was enough for me. She manages to keep the whole thing interesting.

Selena Gomez is quickly becoming the hottest new star on the Disney Channel thanks to her series “The Wizards of Waverly Place.” Gomez is quite pretty and quite the good little actress. She manages to make the show fun for kids and even enjoyable to adults.

Disney has combined four episodes form this series into a new DVD titled “The Wizards of Waverly Place: Wizard School.” Gomez is featured in all four episodes along with David Henrie and Jake T Austin who play her brothers, as well as Maria Canals-Barrera and David Deluise who play their parents. This is one of the best cast series on TV and all participants help make this show the fun hit that it is.

Make sure you get this DVD with all the episodes as well as some bonus fun. It will keep your kids (and you) entertained.

Whereas “The Wizards of Waverly Place” is all live action, the fun-filled “Phineas and Ferb” is animated. The show, which now has episodes out on DVD titled “Phineas and Ferb: The Fast and the Phineas,” was created by Dan Provenmire of “Family Guy” fame, and Jeff “Swampy” marsh of “The Simpsons” renown. 

It is a fast-paced, song filled, madcap adventure which your kids will surely enjoy. So get it and let the animated magic start to work. Plus there are numerous bonus features on this DVD.

For more adult fare pick up the “The Hills: The Complete Third Season” which is now out on DVD. Once again you can have a bird’s eye view of Lauren Conrad’s life, and can also watch the antics of Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt.

There is a lot going on in this California bonanza about the good life there. Lauren, Audrina, Whitney and Heidi are all beautiful and interesting. It is like spy-tv and that appeals to the watcher in us all.

If you are a “Heroes” fan then you know who Ali Larter is. She is one of the best things about that show and she is the best thing about the movie “Marigold.” This film combines American beauty with Indian charm as Larter and Salman Khan interact.

The film is fun and romantic as the two cultures meet. Then you add some music and it is a real treat. So take in “Marigold” and have a pleasant evening – no fuss, no drama, just enjoyment.
 

 

 

 

 

©2008 Jackie K. Cooper

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