With producer Jerry Bruckheimer on the job, I expected “G-Force” to be a high-action flick, even though the main characters are computer-generated guinea pigs. When I interviewed Michael Papajohn, who plays an FBI techie in the movie, he said as much: “It’s a Bruckheimer film, so trust me, there will be action.”

Still, “G-Force” struck me as two movies in one. The first half was all about the cute rodents with spy gear. We get to see some character development and watch the pigs infiltrate an “enemy camp” (a hot-shot electronics guy’s digs). The second half, however, picked up the pace and was more of the intense action I expected from Bruckheimer. Car chases and such.

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I’ve heard people say that the timing of “Confessions of a Shopaholic” isn’t great, what with all of our personal and national economics woes. But as Val Kilmer said in “Tombstone,” I beg to diffah.

“Confessions” is the perfect movie right now, because a lot of us … ahem, not me, of course … are shopaholics, but this movie shows that you can overcome it and learn to curb your spending. At least, that’s what I’m hoping.

Jerry Bruckheimer, producer of “Confessions of a Shopaholic,” says the movie is perfect for our current times.

“It’s a tale of redemption,” he says. “It’s a tale of a girl who is going on a journey, who makes mistakes as most young people do … the credit card companies love sending you credit cards so you exceed your limit and they can charge you interest. And this is a girl who overcomes her problems and figures a way out of her financial crisis, and hopefully the world will do the same thing.”

See? I knew I was right!

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I’m a huge fan of all the Sophie Kinsella books, and "Confessions of a Shopaholic" is based on her book by the same name. It’s about a woman named Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher – pronounced "I-la")) who LOVES to shop.

There are more books in the series, including "Shopaholic Ties the Knot," "Shopaholic & Sister," "Shopaholic Takes Manhattan," and "Shopaholic & Baby," so I’m really, really (picture me in my most persistent voice here) hoping they make more of these movies, with Isla Fisher in the lead role. She’s so sweet and funny, and such a great comedic actress. She’s a Lucille Ball for the new age.

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Michael Papajohn is one of the hardest working guys in Hollywood, but his road to Tinseltown actually started on the college sports fields. When a stunt job landed in his path, it changed his life forever.

Read on to learn more about Papajohn’s pivotal role in helping Peter Parker become Spider-Man, what it’s like to duke it out with Bruce Willis, and his roles in some of the hottest movies this year, including “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” “Terminator Salvation,” “Land of the Lost,” “G-Force,” and “Old Dogs.” Oh, and why he just might have to kill me!

Jane: You were drafted by the Texas Rangers in 1985, but chose instead to attend Louisiana State University on a baseball scholarship, playing starting center-fielder on the first LSU team to go to the College World Series in 1986 and 1987. What was it like going from the world of sports to the world of film and TV, doing stunts and acting? “Long strange trip” keeps popping into my head, but you’ve really had an awesome, interesting career.

Michael: I remember when I would make a great defensive play or have a great at bat in baseball, I would get a high. Then when I had an opportunity to do stunts, I got that same high on the set. When I had my first acting class, I was in a scene and the situation my character was in felt so real to me, and I got the same high. Right then, I knew I wanted to be an actor.

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The upcoming "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" isn’t due out until May 28, 2010, but we’re already starting to see footage and interviews on the fantasy adventure flick.

It’s based on a popular Ubisoft video game, and stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Dastan, a young prince in  sixth century Persia who joins forces with the exotic princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton) to prevent a villainous nobleman from getting his mitts on the Sands of Time. Clearly, this particular gift from the gods would come in handy, as it can reverse time, giving its owner the ability to rule the world.

It’s a different sort of movie for Gyllenhaal (pictured at 24th Annual Santa Barbara Film Festival in January), and I haven’t quite gotten my head around him being costumed up in a historical movie. But let’s face it. The guy’s in great shape, and that’s probably enough to get me to the theater, aside from looking like a fun action movie. Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Mike Newell, it also stars Ben Kingsley and Alfred Molina.   

Image: Newscom

I’m a huge fan of all the Sophie Kinsella books, and “Confessions of a Shopaholic” is based on her book by the same name. It’s about a woman named Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher – pronounced “I-la”)) who LOVES to shop.

There are more books in the series, including “Shopaholic Ties the Knot,” “Shopaholic & Sister,” “Shopaholic Takes Manhattan,” and “Shopaholic & Baby,” so I’m really, really (picture me in my most persistent voice here) hoping they make more of these movies, with Isla Fisher in the lead role. She’s so sweet and funny, and such a great comedic actress. She’s a Lucille Ball for the new age.

Read more

The “Shopaholic” books by Sophie Kinsella are some of my favorites in recent years. I was overly excited when I heard they were making a movie of the first one, “Confessions of a Shopaholic,” and even moreso when I heard Isla Fisher would be starring. In short, I can’t wait! It’s in theaters Feb. 13, 2009 and is about a woman close to my own heart - a woman who loves to shop. With Jerry Bruckheimer producing and P.J. Hogan directing, it’s got “smash hit” written all over it. Visit the official site, and check out the trailer: