Rosario Dawson

The largely engaging class-reunion dramedy "10 Years" allows audiences to pretend they went to high school with the likes of Channing Tatum, Justin Long, Rosario Dawson, Anthony Mackie and Kate Mara. But at some point, they are also going to have to pretend the film, written and directed by Jamie Linden (the screenwriter of "Dear John" and the fine "We Are Marshall"), is deeper and more essential than it actually is; there's a lot of been-there, done-that going on. That said, this very distant, slightly more youthful cousin to "The Big Chill" presents a convincing version of a 10-year high school reunion, one that eschews excess and melodrama for a wistful visit with a clutch of decent guys and gals who've chugged forward over the last decade, some more happily - and expectedly - than others.

Don't look to be entranced by "Trance. " It starts out like a house afire, but by the time it's over we're the ones feeling burned. A slick heist tale with more twists than sense, this is one movie that ends up outsmarting itself. Both the good and the bad things in "Trance" are traceable to director Danny Boyle, who assembled the capable cast (James McAvoy, Vincent Cassel, Rosario Dawson) and has long wanted to film this project. As co-written by Joe Ahearne (whose 2001 British TV movie was the basis for this production)

Having been famously discovered while sitting on her front stoop in New York City, Rosario Dawson has moved smoothly from rough-edged indie-fare like "Kids" to sleek, big-budget extravaganzas such as "Men in Black II." Though her latest film, Oliver Stone's "Alexander," in which she appears alongside high-wattage co-stars Angelina Jolie, Colin Farrell and Val Kilmer, has received a thumping in the media, her unbridled enthusiasm for the project is downright infectious.

The largely engaging class-reunion dramedy "10 Years" allows audiences to pretend they went to high school with the likes of Channing Tatum, Justin Long, Rosario Dawson, Anthony Mackie and Kate Mara. But at some point, they are also going to have to pretend the film, written and directed by Jamie Linden (the screenwriter of "Dear John" and the fine "We Are Marshall"), is deeper and more essential than it actually is; there's a lot of been-there, done-that going on. That said, this very distant, slightly more youthful cousin to "The Big Chill" presents a convincing version of a 10-year high school reunion, one that eschews excess and melodrama for a wistful visit with a clutch of decent guys and gals who've chugged forward over the last decade, some more happily - and expectedly - than others.

A heavily bearded man in his late 30s is shifting nervously on the sidewalk outside La Conversation cafe on Los Angeles' Westside. With a Sharpie in one hand and a few ripped-out magazine pages in the other, he musters the courage to make his approach. "Um, hello ... I have this magazine, and I've gotten everyone else's autograph and yours is the only one I don't have yet," he stammers. His hands are shaking and his forehead is beaded with sweat.

Don't look to be entranced by "Trance. " It starts out like a house afire, but by the time it's over we're the ones feeling burned. A slick heist tale with more twists than sense, this is one movie that ends up outsmarting itself. Both the good and the bad things in "Trance" are traceable to director Danny Boyle, who assembled the capable cast (James McAvoy, Vincent Cassel, Rosario Dawson) and has long wanted to film this project. As co-written by Joe Ahearne (whose 2001 British TV movie was the basis for this production)

America might be facing severe job shrinkage, but once in a while you still find a position opening up that hasn't been available for some time. Like this one: "romantic leading lady in a Will Smith drama." That vacancy has been filled in "Seven Pounds" by Rosario Dawson, who's better known for her prominent roles in indie films than her smaller ones in studio pictures. The film, in theaters Friday, pivots rather crucially on Smith's deeply cynical character falling hopelessly in love.

Since her debut in 1995's controversial "Kids" at age 16, Rosario Dawson has appeared in blockbusters ("Men in Black II"), epics ("Alexander"), musicals ("Rent"), acclaimed indies ("A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints") and cult favorites ("Grindhouse," "Sin City"). Perhaps her most acclaimed performance so far was in 2008's "Seven Pounds. " Her personal favorite, though, may be the little-seen rape-revenge drama "Descent" (2007), which she also produced. She wishes more people had seen it. "It bums me out. That movie was the beginning of being a better actor, being able to call myself an actor.

Rosario Dawson has remarkable diction for someone who talks so quickly ? and, as she readily points out, someone who never formally trained in acting, a point that has shadowed her for more than a decade. "It's been the past couple of years that I thought I could say that I'm an actor," says Dawson in rapid-fire speech. She was discovered on her Manhattan stoop as a teen and cast in 1995's "Kids," but with that stroke of fortune came a haunting insecurity. "I was waiting for that Apollo [Theatre]

"The Secret Life of Bees" won outstanding film of 2008 at the 40th annual NAACP Image Awards on Thursday evening. The female-driven drama also won outstanding director for Gina Prince-Bythewood. Will Smith and Rosario Dawson were named outstanding actor and actress for "Seven Pounds." Taraji P. Henson won supporting actress for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," and Columbus Short earned supporting actor honors for "Cadillac Records."

Rosario Dawson has remarkable diction for someone who talks so quickly ? and, as she readily points out, someone who never formally trained in acting, a point that has shadowed her for more than a decade. "It's been the past couple of years that I thought I could say that I'm an actor," says Dawson in rapid-fire speech. She was discovered on her Manhattan stoop as a teen and cast in 1995's "Kids," but with that stroke of fortune came a haunting insecurity. "I was waiting for that Apollo [Theatre]

Since her debut in 1995's controversial "Kids" at age 16, Rosario Dawson has appeared in blockbusters ("Men in Black II"), epics ("Alexander"), musicals ("Rent"), acclaimed indies ("A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints") and cult favorites ("Grindhouse," "Sin City"). Perhaps her most acclaimed performance so far was in 2008's "Seven Pounds. " Her personal favorite, though, may be the little-seen rape-revenge drama "Descent" (2007), which she also produced. She wishes more people had seen it. "It bums me out. That movie was the beginning of being a better actor, being able to call myself an actor.

"The Secret Life of Bees" won outstanding film of 2008 at the 40th annual NAACP Image Awards on Thursday evening. The female-driven drama also won outstanding director for Gina Prince-Bythewood. Will Smith and Rosario Dawson were named outstanding actor and actress for "Seven Pounds." Taraji P. Henson won supporting actress for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," and Columbus Short earned supporting actor honors for "Cadillac Records."

America might be facing severe job shrinkage, but once in a while you still find a position opening up that hasn't been available for some time. Like this one: "romantic leading lady in a Will Smith drama." That vacancy has been filled in "Seven Pounds" by Rosario Dawson, who's better known for her prominent roles in indie films than her smaller ones in studio pictures. The film, in theaters Friday, pivots rather crucially on Smith's deeply cynical character falling hopelessly in love.

Having been famously discovered while sitting on her front stoop in New York City, Rosario Dawson has moved smoothly from rough-edged indie-fare like "Kids" to sleek, big-budget extravaganzas such as "Men in Black II." Though her latest film, Oliver Stone's "Alexander," in which she appears alongside high-wattage co-stars Angelina Jolie, Colin Farrell and Val Kilmer, has received a thumping in the media, her unbridled enthusiasm for the project is downright infectious.

A heavily bearded man in his late 30s is shifting nervously on the sidewalk outside La Conversation cafe on Los Angeles' Westside. With a Sharpie in one hand and a few ripped-out magazine pages in the other, he musters the courage to make his approach. "Um, hello ... I have this magazine, and I've gotten everyone else's autograph and yours is the only one I don't have yet," he stammers. His hands are shaking and his forehead is beaded with sweat.

At the premiere of "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" last month, a clutch of impassioned animal activists gathered on Hollywood Boulevard. But they weren't there to throw red paint on fur-coat-wearing celebrities. Instead, one demonstrator — dressed in a full-body monkey suit — had arrived with a sign complimenting the filmmakers: "Thanks for not using real apes!" The creative team behind "Apes" used motion-capture technology to create digitalized primates, spending tens of millions of dollars on technology that records an actor's performance and later layers it with computer graphics to create a final image — in this case, one of a realistic-looking ape. "There are some performing animals that actually do have a more fulfilling life, but apes, you could probably say that's not the case," director Rupert Wyatt said.

QUENTIN TARANTINO really knows how to get old in style. Hollywood's former mauvais garcon celebrated his big 4-4 birthday at the "Grindhouse" premiere after-party held March 26 near the historic Orpheum Theatre, where he used to watch early exploitation films when he was young. 1. The writer-director huffed 'n' puffed and blew out all his candles and led his peeps, 2. including Vanessa Ferlito, left, and Rosario Dawson, on a careening conga line. 3.