i happened across a good movie

on cable ( it was showtime and i watched it on demand)

here's the cast listing:

Arden		Toni Collette
Arden's Mother		Piper Laurie
Cop #1		Donnie Smith
Cop #2		Michael Raysses
Reporter		Earl Carroll
Grocery Checker		Dorothy Beatty
Grocery Store Customer		Eva Loseth
Rudy		Giovanni Ribisi
Leah		Rose Byrne
Therapist		Joanie Tomsky
Derek		James Franco
Murray		Christopher Allen Nelson
Beverley, Leah's Mother		Mary Steenburgen
Leah's Father		Bruce Davison
Party Girl		Kate Mulligan
Ruth		Mary Beth Hurt
Carl		Nick Searcy
Storage Customer #1		Dan Callahan
Storage Customer #2		Gus Buktenica
Melora		Marcia Gay Harden
Detective		Bobby Hosea
Del		Lee von Ernst
Rosetta		Kerry Washington
Ashley's Caretaker		Carla Jimenez
Ashley		Gillian Pernoll
Ashley		Elizabeth Pernoll
Krista		Brittany Murphy
Candy Store Boy		Daniel Leavitt
Candy Store Girl		Lea Nicole Carranza
Candy Store Mom		Amy Benedict
Tarlow		Josh Brolin
Mother		Stephanie Mace
Food Court Girl		Paige Pelletier
Food Court Girl		Madison Pelletier
Tom		Dennis Keifer

it's called the dead girl. it's a true ensemble cast and story. it's five DIFFERENT tales that intersect. let me warn you though, there are NO car chases, no spies, no jewelry heists, no glam, no mindless action sequences. what there IS is a story (well stories), sadness, sickness, bittersweet happiness, life and death. oh, there IS a dead girl too.

the entire cast was perfect. from piper laurie's shrew to brittany murphy's effed up prostitute. from marcia gay harden's gentle out of touch with reality mother (she is redeemed in the end) to rose byrne's tortured sister. from nick searcy's insanity to mary beth hurt's (who is almost unrecognizable) insanity. from kerry washington's not really so callused prostitute to james franco's gentleness and understanding.

if you've got showtime, give it a look. don't expect a ton of smiles though, it's not that type of movie.


photo: kerry washington, karen moncrieff, marcia gay harden
Photo by Jesse Grant WireImage.com