A List Of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago

BEAR IN MIND, I HAVEN'T SEEN FIRST DAUGHTER: For all the hate we've given to Katie Holmes of late, I want to take a moment and note a film that's underseen and that she's good in--The Gift (and, no, I'm not just saying that because Holmes has an extended topless scene in the movie). After small-town Southern girl Jessica King (Holmes) disappears, her parents hire a local woman with psychic gifts (Cate Blanchett) to investigate, leading to a variety of suspects, including her smarmy fiancee (Greg Kinnear), an abusive man (Keanu Reeves), and the local retarded kid (Giovanni Ribisi). With a script co-written by Billy Bob Thornton, direction by Sam Raimi, and a cast littered with H!ITG!'s, including Michael Jeter, Gary Cole, J.K. Simmons, and John Beasley, I never understood why it never got more than about 800 screens. Blanchett's performance in particular is quite good, and the others don't disappoint either. Pick it up on video--it's well worth your time.