Every year around this time, I try to watch Home for the Holidays. This is my Turkey Day equivalent to most people’s December obsession, A Christmas Story.

If you:

• Have a dysfunctional family, and/or
• Have a sense of humor

…then you will like Home for the Holidays. Go rent it.

Directed by Jodie Foster (who you wouldn’t normally equate with ‘fun’) in 1995, Home for the Holidays is a mixed bag of comedy and poignancy. Family gatherings for holidays are frequently disastrous, and this clan is no exception. And talk about great casting: Anne Bancroft, Geraldine Chaplin, Claire Danes, Robert Downey Jr., Charles Durning, Steve Guttenberg (!), Holly Hunter, Dylan McDermott, David Strathairn and Cynthia Stevenson.

W.D. Richter wrote the screenplay for Home for the Holidays, which only strikes me as odd because his previous work included Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Brubaker (for which he earned an Oscar nomination in 1981). He seemingly took a ten year hiatus, and then returned to the big screen with Stealth in 2005. Now that is what I call a random career.

Although I’ve only seen it two times, my other favorite Thanksgiving film is Pieces of April. Written and directed by Peter Hedges (who also wrote/directed the current release Dan in Real Life, as well as penned screenplays for About a Boy and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape), Pieces of April is Katie Holmes’ best work to date. Regardless of how you view her now as Mrs. Tom Cruise, Holmes has quietly showcased her true talent in a variety of other small films with similar independent spirits and stellar casts (The Ice Storm, Go, Wonder Boys, The Gift, Thank You for Smoking). Pieces of April follows Holmes’ misadventures as she attempts to host Thanksgiving for her maladjusted family. Co-star Patricia Clarkson earned a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nod for her portrayal of Holmes’ bitter mother. Frankly, Clarkson is golden, and I’d be content just to watch her read the ridiculously lengthy instruction manual for my cell phone.

Gobble gobble. Happy Thanksgiving to my 14 subscribers, 6 or so regular commentators, and all of you other mystery readers!

All week, I absorbed the extensive writer’s strike coverage on UnitedHollywood, Deadline Hollywood Daily and TV Guide’s Strike Watch. But I managed to peel myself away to watch a few films and shows…

THIS WEEK

MOVIES

• Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (theater; cast=A, script=B, direction=C)
  
• A Mighty Heart (DVD; Jolie deserves an Oscar nod)
  
• Mr. Brooks (DVD; Kev should play evil more often)

TV

• Brothers and Sisters (love the cast and chemistry)
• Dexter (Jennifer Carpenter & Keith Carradine are fantastic together)
  
• Heroes (should have been the 1st episode of the season; finally intriguing again)
  
• The Office (last new episode until strike is resolved)
• Private Practice (I heart Cooper & Violet…but separately)
• Project Runway (the most flamboyant cast yet; bring on the drama!)
• Weeds (I can no longer hide my crush on Mary-Louise Parker)

THIS WEEKEND/NEXT WEEK

MOVIES

• Away From Her (DVD)
• Into the Wild (theater)
  

TV

• Friday Night Lights (oh Landry…)
• The Amazing Race (stresses me out just to watch, but still the best reality competition on TV)

So what have you seen lately that you loved on the big or small screen? Come on, don’t be shy.

Every year there is one movie that I pin all hopes and expectations on. My 2007 Must-See Movie is Juno, director Jason Reitman’s follow-up to the fantastic Thank You For Smoking. I am a strong believer in word-of-mouth, buzz, great marketing and just enough of a teaser trailer; Juno has all of that and more.

This is the best news I’ve heard all week. According to USA Today’s Pop Candy, Damages has been renewed for 2 seasons! Obviously the resolution of the writer’s strike will determine when the next season begins filming and airing. But at least FX finally announced the renewal.

TiVO Tonight
Heroes
Weeds

And now I’m off to see Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead.

If you love television, you support the Writers Guild of America. If you own, rent or go to movies, you support the thousands of writers on strike on both coasts.

Obviously there are hundreds of blogs out there with strike perspectives. So which are you reading?

Does the name Brooke Smith ring a bell? It should, and it will. Up until now, she was what I would deem a character actress (although some people object to that designation); one of those women on TV and in films that you recognized but couldn’t place.

In my estimation, Smith is criminally underrated, but she is finally on the verge of making that transition from part time to major player on the small screen. Though most know her now as the newly hired Dr. Hahn on Grey’s Anatomy, I have been following her career for a while. Here is quick look at some of her more high profile work:

1991. Silence of the Lambs. Smith was the infamous girl in the well.

1996. First appearance on Law & Order. Also appeared in 2005 and 2007.

2001. Starred in Series 7: The Contenders, a disturbing film about a reality television show which rewarded contestants for murdering one another.

• It was written & directed by Dan Minahan, who has directed several episodes of Grey’s Anatomy.
• Her co-star was Glenn Fitzgerald, who is currently playing Rev. Brian Darling on Dirty Sexy Money.