From a wreck, Bullock's career picking up speed

Sandra Bullock is now officially the movie star they can’t kill.

A few short years after she broke through with Speedin 1994, Bullock appeared out-for-the-count with flops such as Hope Floatsand Practical Magic. Then she made the hugely successful (and hugely terrible) Miss Congenialityand it looked as if the world was hers again. Not quite.

Another half-decade of disasters (alleviated slightly by her contribution to the Oscar-winning ensemble piece Crash) followed, and analysts began counting the days until she appeared in a TV sitcom.

This year, the Bullock market has become even more volatile. The Proposal, in which she chased Ryan Reynolds round Alaska, secured the biggest ever US takings for a romcom released in summer. Hooray! Then came the badly reviewed, singularly unpopular All About Steve. Boo!

Well, guess what. She's back again. Last week, The Blind Side, in which Bullock plays the adopted mother of a black American football player, knocked the second Twilightflick off the top spot at the Thanksgiving box-office. The surging word- of-mouth success of The Blind Side– it was on its second week of release when it pipped New Moon– has even triggered talk of awards glory for Sandy. It sounds like just the sort of "inspirational" true-life drama that brings Oscar nominations for admired veterans. So don't bet against the Bullock.