Top Five Movies of Mia Kirshner

I think this is a first for me when I?ve been looking at the filmography of an actress: I found a book. At the top of Mia Kirshner?s?page on IMDB, there?s a sentence labeled ?Trivia? and it says, ?Has written a book called ‘I Live Here’.?

Lovely Mia

I?ll admit that my jaded mind?s first thought was that it was ghost written, something simple or just a celebrity cash grab. I decided to look at?Amazon and I knew that I?d like to read this. There is a contribution from Joe Sacco (a graphic novelist who has written about areas hit by war and conflict in books like ?Palestine? and ?Safe Area Gorazde?) about Chechnya and the other sections of the book creatively tackle issues in Mexico, Burma and Malawi.

So, thanks to Mia for making me want to substitute a bit of educational reading when I thought I wanted to watch a movie. However, once my eyes get heavy at the end of a night of reading, I can always turn on one of Mia?s top five movies as a better way to ease myself into sleep.

5. Murder in the First

One of the many things where I disagree with the conventional thinking is the area of courtroom dramas. I don?t care for them at all. Since we?re talking about books, I love ?To Kill a Mockingbird? the book. I could care less for the movie. That said, at least most courtroom and lawyer based movies will be competently done. ?Murder in the First? with its great cast including William H. Macy, Gary Oldman, Stephen Tobolowsky, Kevin Bacon and Mia, certainly fits that bill.

4. Love and Human Remains

Like ?Singles? for twentysomethings in Seattle, this is the Canadian version for twentysomethings trying to find love in Edmonton. You could do worse than young pretty people trying to find love.

3. Not Another Teen Movie

Yeah, I?m not proud of this listing, but I blame the likable cast led by Mia, Chris Evans and future ?Tiny Nipples? Eric Christian Olsen. Plus, since Mia gets to parody the kissing scene in ?Cruel Intentions,? well, that?s just a bonus.

2. The Black Dahlia

On the opposite side of courtroom dramas, there are period pieces involving sensational murder investigations. I eat those up, sometimes to my own regret. (I?m looking at you, ?From Hell.?) ?The Black Dahlia? like ?Hollywoodland,? ?Chinatown? and ?L.A. Confidential? gets bonus points for taking place in Los Angeles.

1. Exotica

I knew as soon as I decided to do Mia?s list that this would be on top. Sure, there?s frequently going to a strip club to have a stripper dress up as a schoolgirl to dance for you. Who wouldn?t like that? But, then the depth of the characters and the great acting from Mia, Elias Koteas and Bruce Greenwood make this film haunt your thoughts long after the screen goes white after the credits stop.

Agree? Disagree? Which movies would make your Mia Kirshner top five?