Anna Nicole’s last feature film ‘Illegal Aliens’ on DVD

Before her death, Anna Nicole had planned to make a move toward the big screen in memorable roles which would garner her respect as a serious actress. Illegal Aliens was her rocky start at doing so.

Smith’s son Daniel is credited as an associate producer for his work on the film which costars Joanie Laurer (formerly known as the WWF’s Chyna) as the villain. Almost too eccentric to be worded by even the most verbose among us, the makers describe the film as “‘Charlie's Angels’ goes sci-fi, with a touch of ‘Men In Black’ thrown in for good measure, when three aliens morph into super-hot babes and arrive to protect the earth from the intergalactic forces of evil.

Guided by Syntax, their holographic mentor, these Illegal Aliens are willing to use every trick in the book and every sexy outfit in their wardrobe to accomplish their mission!” Anna tops the cake by uttering her trademark line “Like my body?” and parodying the real life character she created for herself by playing ‘Lucy’ as an empty headed blonde with a toddler’s voice; a persona which she made famous.

Mirroring Smith’s public persona, nothing about the movie is serious or has any artistic quality; everything is to be taken at face value. This last work by Smith and son Daniel, before his death due to a recreational drug overdose and her death which was eventually attributed to an accidental mixing of prescription drugs, won’t garner any movie awards unfortunately (save for a Golden Raspberry) but it will no doubt become part of the Hollywood tragedy archives.

Now available on DVD:

Notes on a Scandal, Fox Searchlight Pictures, 20th Century Fox
Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett are somewhere between friends and enemies in this drama/thriller about a female teacher caught fornicating with a teenaged male student by her closeted lesbian mentor who wants nothing more than to trade places with the student. It’s easily one of the best of 2006.
My Rating: A 

The History Boys, Fox Searchlight Pictures
A pack of bright, funny guys (according to British standards) in pursuit of sex, sport, and admission to an elite Ivy League University bounce between their maverick English teacher, a young and shrewd professor hired to up their test scores, and a headmaster obsessed with results. This lite British comedy is one of many that treat homosexuality as an ultimately present, but unwanted guest in the film. It’s not a necessarily integral part of the plot, but without it, the dilemma of the story would be much more boring. While not comparable to American comedy, the British never disappoint.
My Rating: C-

Dreamgirls, Paramount Pictures
I suppose this one needs no introduction as the hit of 2006 that made Jennifer Hudson a household name and Beyonce too for some people. An all girl, 1960’s R&B trio reminiscent of the Supremes struggle from local talent shows to the national stage after a sly record producer (Jamie Foxx) promises them fame and fortune with his Motown-esque label.
My Rating: C-

The Fountain, Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution, 20th Century Fox
Three parallel stories about love, death, spirituality, and the fragility of existence as told through the odyssey taken on by one man (Hugh Jackman) in his thousand-year struggle to save the woman he loves. Its rating lies in how abstract and existential the film plays, with a plot that is almost impossible to follow if one hadn’t read it before watching.
My Rating: D+