ALL ABOUT STEVE

Mary Horowitz, played by talented Sandra Bullock, is told by her worried boss to “be normal.”

Unfortunately, she’s anything but normal. After hearing these two words, the local paper’s crossword puzzle-maker vows that she will try to live life as a normal woman.

However, Horowitz’s awkward, gawky personality repels her from trying to be ordinary. She loves wearing her flashy red boots, carries copious amounts of meaningless knowledge, gets excited very often and easily, and is, nevertheless, insanely infatuated with the charming cameraman Steve Muller, portrayed by the infamous “The Hangover” star Bradley Cooper.

While Sandra Bullock previously starred in impressive romantic comedy movies such as “The Proposal” and “Miss Congeniality,” “All About Steve” has failed to receive the same praises. Bullock and Cooper portray their characters well, but even these adored celebrities cannot save the movie from its mundane, cliché storyline.

The first two-thirds of the movie show Horowitz stalking Muller as he works from Arizona to Oklahoma to Texas and to Colorado, along with his assistant Angus and CCN reporter Harman Hughes. He constantly tries to avoid her.

The only highlight of the movie is the unexpected ending that follows right after the climax, at which point she discovers the intrinsic value of simply being herself. The unforeseen finale helped to save the movie.

VERDICT: The amateur jokes and exaggerated physical entertainment induce a few giggles, but this romantic “not-so-comedy” film appears insignificant compared to other brilliant comedies produced by Sandra Bullock.

- Sara Lim

FOOD, INC.

“Food, Inc.” is an important movie. Let’s put it this way: if you eat American food, you must watch this film.

In this well-executed documentary, filmmaker Robert Kenner traces the history of America’s food from farm (or factory) to grocery store shelves. Where, he asks, does our beef actually come from? Our corn? Our soybeans? Even our fruits and vegetables? The answer, Kenner says, is surprising.

In just over an hour and a half, Kenner discusses every aspect of America’s overinflated, multinational food industry, including, but not limited to, its effect on the environment and our country’s health, the well-being of the industry’s employees, and the hidden corruption that propels the industry.

According to Kenner, American food is produced in a morally ambiguous environment and we, as consumers, fall prey to the marketing and manufacturing practices of the corrupt companies that control the majority of American food production. Our meat and vegetables are genetically modified, plants are sprayed with harmful pesticides, and regulatory agencies such as the FDA and USDA mask these problems behind a distorted veil.

Kenner’s claims aren’t just unfounded opinions. The film features interviews with farmers, public officials and field experts such as Michael Pollan, author of “The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals” and a leading authority on commercial farming.

But if you’re easily disturbed, be warned: The film features grisly scenes from America’s biggest factory farms, documenting every aspect of the meat production process from birth to slaughter.

What is perhaps most convincing is the proposed solution to America’s growing food problem: going back to the basics and giving power back to the consumer. Small-scale, pesticide-free farms are better for the environment, our health and our country’s farmers.

VERDICT: Although Food, Inc., is certainly not a film for the faint of heart, it provides a comprehensive and necessary exposé of the food industry and the dangers therein.

- Brittany Forrestal