When she is warned that her next asthma attack may be her last, Whoopi Goldberg tries to heal the rifts in her extended family, which includes estranged husband Ving Rhames and adult children Mekhi Phifer, Kimberly Elise, Tichina Arnold, and Anika Noni Rose. What could be an excessive melodrama (this family goes through EVERY dramatic adult situation possible) is highly elevated by the cast. Led by Whoopi, they give strong performances across the board and create realistic behaviors and reactions to the over-the-top storytelling. It results in a heartfelt tale of family.

Set during the 1999 WTO protest in Seattle, this film follows the experiences of several fictional characters who participate in the events and are affected directly by the escalating violence. Not being long experienced in large scale protests, this had been the first one I was personally aware of that incorporated large planning and police countermeasures, so I was curious as to how the film would present them. Unfortunately the large number of characters really overwhelms the true story and the reasons behind the protest and the escalation. The mostly uninteresting personal lives of the characters takes precedence over the actual timeline of events and the decisions that were made at the time.

After accidentally shooting a young woman while illegally poaching deer, Sam Rockwell finds himself hunted by her criminal acquaintances. Slow paced with a well-trod plot, the film is anchored by a solid performance by Rockwell whose every action is shadowed by his struggles to keep a job and his family. He’s also not hurt by a strong supporting cast that includes William H. Macy, Jeffrey Wright, and a fairly unrecognizable Jason Isaacs.