In his feature film debut, director Bryan Gunnar Cole imagines an otherworldly America in the not-too-distant future where the draft has been reinstated to fight the global war on the terror and a new generation is face with the prospect of military service. In the center of it all are three conflicted friends: Aaron (Elija Wood), a budding novelist; George (Chris Klein), a corporate lawyer; and Dixon (Jon Bernthal), a cab driver.

The Good:
Elija Wood’s performance was excellent (of course). He played the conflicted, dual-personality writer with perfection. He has a way to make himself so much part of the character that draws you completely in. Ginnifer Goodwin, for her brief time on screen (see the bad), was simply engaging. Every scene she was in, your focus was completely on her. Also, Jon Bernthal put forth a performance I hadn’t seen from him before. His strong, conflicted character was the star of the movie, even given some of the terrible dialog he had to say.

The Bad:
Chris Klein was dreadful in this movie. His expression never changed, and I was never able to identify with him at all. Ginnifer Goodwin was wasted playing his wife. Her longest scene was relegated to one not part of the narrative (video tape). The editing was all off. We jumped from place to place, time to time, without much guidance. Also, being called “Day Zero”, I would have expected at least a feeling of how many more days they had until ‘the day’. We only got 3 points in a time-line: 30 days, next Saturday, and tomorrow.

What could be good or bad was the lack of a single message in the film. It bounces, unconvincingly, from pro-war to pro-peace, sometimes in the same scene which takes you out of the film. Having both sides of the issues represented in the movie would have worked, if they hadn’t made the arguments so weak.

Conclusion:
“Day Zero” had allot of potential. One could imagine that it would have been better had it been picked up for theatrical release and had a second look. I get the feeling what we got on the DVD was the directors cut. I give it a “Good to See”.

For another review, go here.

I’ll give more of a family update next time. I just wanted to say hello, I’m sorry, and I’m back. I hope that’s ok. Roman’s trial is starting in the next few months so that’s got everyone on edge, but Bill wants us to try to stay out of it all?which is hard on Nicki and easy on me. But, again, I’ll get into all of that next time.

I hope that they continue to update the blog this off-season. It is a great way to keep die-hard fans interested in the show during the long Hiatus. I’m still waiting for news of Season 3 production. It was rumored to be rushed because of the impending writer’s strike, so I would expect we should be hearing something soon.

Margene’s blog hints at Roman’s trial. I really do hope that they don’t spend the bulk of next season on the trial. I’d much rather see more character evolution from the rest of the family.

This week, Bill resorts to a new tack to try to bring down his nemeses. Preparing for the festivities surrounding Salt Lake City's Pioneer Week parade, the Henricksons are rocked by the appearance of an unexpected guest. Margene comes clean to Ana about her relationship with "Phil" and then takes up her cause with her sisterwives–and Bill.

Spoilers

No cliffhanger? That was my first reaction. I've been so accustomed to cliff hangers in season-enders that it felt strange not to have one. But, it was nice to have many of the numerous open storylines come to a close. I'm glad Barb didn't leave, but instead reasserted herself as 'boss lady'. Who would have guested that Adaleen would provide Barb with the advice that she needed. Though the speech to Pam was supposed to be Barb's big scene, Margene stole it away with the huge gaping expressing on her face.

The revelation that Lois had been the mastermind behind Wanda's attempted murder spree was anti-climactic. I didn't expect that Wanda was going to poison Roman, and it appears that they've closed the door on it. The Wanda sub-plot was a very entertaining this season, it is too bad it appears to be over. Evil Lois is a compelling character and we might get to see her more often in season 3.

As Don Embry said, Bill "pulled it off". I was a little to neat for me; I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop in the last 2 minutes. It appears they want to start next season with a semi-clean slate. With the family now being more public, will Sara now feel more of the strain? Will Bill and Ben have problems at work? Will the Embry's get outed? Is Alby crazier than his father? In all it was a good ending to a terrific season.

Love was always a little hit-or-miss with me, but these last seven episodes have made me a believer. Easily the best show of the summer. And can we just take a moment to bask in the awesomeness that is Ginnifer Goodwin? That girl is acting her ass off this season. I've already reserved a spot on our 2008 Dream Emmy Ballot for her. Ditto GraceZabriskie, who brings such joy to my life I almost want to hand her a wad of cash every time her nutzilla alter ego shows up on my screen.

Ditto I say! Ginnifer (Margene) and Grace (Lois) are absolutely unbelievable this season. I dare to say that there has been no better acting on television this entire year. Although, I think that it is too much to hope that Love will get any Emmy 'love' this year. The show is so smart, and the acting is so superb, it is a shame that it'll probably go unrecognized.

Do you love Margene and Lois as much as I do? You have to agree they steal the show whenever they are on screen. What are Margene's chances at an Emmy? Does she deserve it?

Goodwin was certain that she blew one of the [Big Love's] key auditions with some hijinks of her own. It's with a blush of embarrassment that she recalls doing her screen test with Bill Paxton, who was already cast as family patriarch Bill Henrickson. When she was asked to perform a scene with Paxton, whom she had never met, she entered the audition room, shook his hand, then jumped up on him and started kissing him wildly.

It is a very good article. I've always found Margene very sweet and lovable. If you've listen to any of the commentary tracks on the Big Love season 1 DVDs, then you know that Ginnifer gives off the same vibe. It's great to see little articles like this that shows her in such a good way.

What is your opinion of Ginnifer? Have you seen much of her other work? If anyone in the Williamstown area gets to see the performance, give us a review.