Joan Cusack

In My Sister's Keeper, young Anna knows that she was genetically engineered and brought into this world in order to serve as a donor for her ailing sister, Kate. Well, My Sister's Keeper was engineered to make people cry — over and over and over again, for two hours. Anna sues her parents for medical emancipation, and by the end of this movie I wanted to file for emotional emancipation.

Anna (played sweetly by Abigail Breslin) was conceived after her parents, Sara (Cameron Diaz) and Brian (Jason Patric), learned that their young daughter Kate (the teenage version played by Sofia Vassilieva) had leukemia and their other child, Jesse (Evan Ellingson), was not a perfect match to be a donor for his sister. Throughout her life Anna has been required to give all sorts of things from her body to help keep Kate alive and now, at the age of 11, Anna finds a lawyer (Alec Baldwin) to sue her parents for medical emancipation. The lawsuit comes at a critical time: Kate's kidneys are failing, and without one of Anna's kidneys, Kate will die — soon. The story unfolds in a series of flashbacks that fill in some blanks about the family's journey up until this point. The flashbacks are interspersed with scenes of the present-day situation as Kate's condition worsens and Sara, a former lawyer, prepares to fight her youngest daughter in court. For more on this terribly sad movie, read more

The irony of releasing a movie about shopping right as the nation's economy is flailing is not lost on many. Confessions of a Shopaholic could have probably gone in one of two ways: Exacerbating the general sense of frustration and helplessness, or providing us with a fun, satisfying escapist's jaunt. Thankfully, it's pure escapism — and not just because of the script, which is surprisingly tight, or the editing which makes the narrative clip along briskly, rarely dwelling in sentimentality. No, this movie is wonderful, happy escapism largely because of Isla Fisher in the role of Becky Bloomwood: Bumbling, adorable, joyous shopper extraordinaire.

Fisher plays Rebecca Bloomwood, a journalist with an intense shopping habit. Like a drug addict or alcoholic, she literally appears to have no restraint when it comes to spending money — even when she is thousands of dollars in debt. Her practical friend Suze (Krysten Ritter) tries to help her rethink her financial situation, but Becky's addiction runs deep and it's going to take a great deal to make her hit rock bottom. The stakes are raised when Becky ends up working at a financial magazine — with a dashing cutie of a boss, Luke (Hugh Dancy) — and receives acclaim for being able to explain money matters in layman's terms. But as she gains more fame, an ornery debt collector (Robert Stanton) is hot on her trail, harassing her about her debts and posing a threat to her new image as a sensible financial writer. You'll have to see the film (and I hope you do!) for all of the funny storylines, but for more of my take, read more

Cameron Diaz took a break from filming after her father's sudden passing last month, but she was back to work with her costar Joan Cusack on the set of My Sister's Keeper in LA yesterday. In this drama she plays a mom, so I'm guessing her wardrobe won't be as fun party girl as hers in What Happens In Vegas, but it's Cameron and she looks fabulous in just about anything. This movie sounds like a bit of a departure for funny Cameron, but this woman wants it all and she's got the winning smile and attitude to succeed at anything.

JFX Online

War, Inc. is one of those head-scratchers where I'm at a loss as to whether or not this movie will be good, or even watchable. Starring John Cusack (who's also a credited writer on the film), it looks like one of those cynical, dark comedies where the goal is to make you think, "That's so absurd! The world isn't like that! Or is it?" See also: Wag the Dog.

Signs pointing to good/watchable movie include: both Cusacks on screen together (I love seeing Joan again!), smart twists on current events, and a darkly romantic sub-plot between the lovely Marisa Tomei and John Cusack.

Signs pointing to maybe not-so-watchable are: a whole lot going on — lots of characters, effects, music, bombs, journalists, etc.; and Hilary Duff playing a "Centeral Asian pop star" with an accent that is just. . .strange. Plus, she drops a scorpion down her pants.

War, Inc. opens in limited release May 23. To check out the trailer for yourself and tell me what you think, read more

• Though she seems slightly young for the role, Joan Cusack will be playing the mother to Isla Fisher's character in the Shopaholic movie, Variety writes. John Goodman has been cast as her dad.
• Allison Janney will voice a character in Fox's proposed animated series The Pitts, Zap2it reports.
• Paris Hilton will star as herself on My Name is Earl when the show returns April 3 with a one-hour episode, the Associated Press reports.
• The CBS '70s-set swinger drama Swingtown will premiere in May, writes the Hollywood Reporter.
• Janet Jackson's new album topped this week's charts, Billboard reports.
• According to Variety, Away From Her and Eastern Promises were the big winners at Canada's big award ceremony, the Genies.

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Every Wednesday on BuzzSugar, I post a Recast challenge, where I ask you to choose new actors for a classic TV show or movie. The reader who submits the best cast wins a BuzzSugar t-shirt!

I know, I know, I know — Say Anything is perfect and adorable as it is. The characters are classic, the original performances are probably burned into your head for the rest of time. But still, if you could recast this movie now with new actors, who would you pick to play Lloyd Dobler and Diane Court? What about Diane's father James, and Lloyd's sister Constance?

Leave your entry in the comment section below, and I'll pick one winner to feature Tuesday, November 13, complete with a "new" cast photo.

To see a list of characters to recast and a photo of the BuzzSugar t-shirt, read more

The premise for Martian Child is almost unbearably adorable: a sci-fi writer adopts a little boy who thinks he is from Mars. The writer is a lonesome widower searching for meaning in his life. The little boy is an odd duck outcast with a tendency to steal things. The quirky duo provide each other with companionship and love.

Basically, that's the story. It's not particularly layered or nuanced or deep. What makes it compelling are the actors who bring brightness to these fairly cut-and-dry roles. The boy playing the painfully awkward Dennis has this wispy high-pitched voice that is so strange-sounding you sometimes wonder if he really is an alien. Cusack, having become this year's Gloomy Dad of the Year (what with Grace Is Gone and 1408) manages to still garner sympathy with the same puppy-dog faces he always uses. It's not the most outstanding film ever, but it's sweet enough, and to find out why, read more

All this talk about weddings on the Sugar network lately has made me fondly remember one of my all-time favorite wedding-themed movies: In & Out.

Directed by Frank Oz, In & Out follows high school drama teacher Howard Brackett who is about to get married to his fiance of three years, Emily (Joan Cusack) when a former student (Matt Dillon) publicly reveals in his Oscar acceptance speech that he thinks Howard is gay. Thus, the little town of Greenleaf, Indiana town goes crazy trying to find out the truth about Howard. Tom Selleck plays a local TV news anchor determined to get the scoop.

Joan Cusack is absolutely hilarious in this film, her lispy speech and deadpan innocence combining to make an endearing jilted bride. Favorite line: "Was there, um... any other time you could have told me this?!" Priceless.