Mr. Brooks

This film had me stuck to my chair! Jacket: “Earl Brooks (Kevin Costner) has a thriving business, a devoted wife, a loving daughter … and a terrible secret. He’s a psychopathic serial killer, and no one has ever suspected him. Unable to control his horrific addiction, Brooks gives in to his sadistic, all-to-real alter ego (William Hurt) and succumbs to his murderous urges. But a pesky witness (Dane Cook) to his latest crime and a stubborn detective (Demi Moore) on the case add shocking new twists to an already terrifying game of cat and mouse.”

Starter for 10

Jacket: “James McAvoy (The Last King of Scotland) is Brian, a small town kid trying to navigate his first year at a top university, along with a ragtag group of misfit friends. Brian’s life-long dream is to compete on the quiz show University Challenge. Set to the nostalgic … music of The Cure, The Smiths and New Order, [this film] is a hilarious and heartwarming comedy that breaks all the rules … and still gets an A.”

The Lives of Others

“In East Berlin, five years before the fall of the Berlin Wall, Captain Gerd Wiesler (Ulrich Mühe) of the secret Stasi police is given the mission to spy on a celebrated writer and actress couple (Sebastian Koch, Martina Gedeck) for the German Democratic Republic. But Wiesler's loyalty begins to erode as his immersion in "the lives of others," in love, literature and freethinking, makes him acutely aware of the shortfalls of his own existence.” Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Language Film. Official Web Site

I didn't think I'd like this film because it beat "Pan's Labryinth" for the Oscar for Best Foreign Film, but I found myself entangled in the web of The Lives of Others.

The Ultimate Gift

Jacket: “Based on Jim Stovall’s best-selling novel, The Ultimate Gift sends a young man of privilege on an improbable journey. Trust fund baby Jason Stevens loves all of life’s gifts, as long as they’re bankable. But when his wealthy grandfather, Red, dies, Jason receives a most unusual inheritance: 12 tasks, which Red calls “gifts,” to challenge Jason to grow as a man. If he succeeds, the experience will not only change Jason forever, but he will discover the real meaning of wealth.” Kleenex rating: 1.

Offside

Jacket: “The Tehran soccer stadium roars with 100,000 cheering men – and only men. According to Islamic custom, women are not allowed, and the ambitious girls who manage to sneak in are caught and sent to a holding pen, guarded by male soldiers their own age. Duty makes the young men and women adversaries, but duty can’t overcome their shared dreams, their mutual attraction, and ultimately their overriding sense of national pride and humanity.”

Chalk

Jacket: “In the ‘doc’ comedy style of “The Office” and “Best in Show,” Chalk pulls you into the frantic and awkwardly painful journey of three novice teachers as they navigate one memorable school year. Director Mike Akel provides a rare and realistc teachers’ perspective into the absurd, provocative and occasionally volatile world of public education. In a country where 50% of teachers quit within the first three years, Chalk delivers an enormous dose of heart, hilarity, and hope for America’s most important institution.”

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne

(NF) The big secret here is that the Universe is governed by the Law of Attraction. If you want something, just think it, believe it and put it out there. This isn’t new, New Age jargon, it’s been around for centuries. Final analysis: Believe in yourself. Save yourself $20.

Adventure Divas

Adventure Divas: Searching the Globe for a New Kind of Heroine by Holly Morris (NF) This book makes you want to go out and change the world! This should be mandatory reading for young women everywhere. Publisher: “After years of working behind a desk, Holly Morris had finally had enough. So she quit her job and set out to prove that adventure is not just a vacation style but a philosophy of living and to find like-minded, risk-taking women around the globe. With modest backing, a small television crew, her spirited producer-mother, Jeannie, and a whole lot of chutzpah, Morris tracked down artists, activists, and politicos — women of action who are changing the rules and sometimes the world around them.”

www.adventuredivas.com

Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

(Fiction) Book 1. This is disturbingly addictive to read. I can’t wait to hack into the next two books! Season 1 on Showtime is slightly different from this book. Jacket: “Dexter Morgan appears to be the perfect gentleman. He is handsome and polite, and has been in a relationship for nearly a year and a half. Yet appearances can be deceiving, for Dexter is a serial killer who has slain many people. But in this tale, he’s the good guy, for there is one little twist — Dexter only snuffs out other murderers. When another serial killer, with an eerily similar style, starts grabbing headlines, Dexter has a fairly morbid thought. Am I being challenged?”