Pride and Glory

Jacket: "Four cops down: two dead, two likely. An NYPD drug bust has gone horribly wrong, and Detective Ray Tierney head the investigating task force. He already has ties to the case. His brother was commander of the ambushed officers. His brother-in-law, a fellow officer, often partnered with them. The more Ray uncovers, the more those family ties are tested. And the more th fraternal order starts to fray.

Edward Norton, Colin Farrell, Jon Voight and Noah Emmerich star in a gritty, tension-packed tale of a multigenerational family of cops facing hard realities and tough choices."

This film is intense. Be prepared to have a comedic chaser ready.

College on DVD

Wikipedia: "After Kevin (Drake Bell), a high school senior, gets dumped by his girlfriend Gina (Alona Tal) for being too boring, he doesn't want to go to the freshman orientation weekend at Fieldmont University, where they had planned to go together. But his best friends Carter (Andrew Caldwell) and Morris (Kevin Covais) convince him that the weekend away will help get his mind off her. Once there, one of the rowdiest fraternities on campus pretends to recruit them as pledges in return for granting them access to the college party scene. Though forced to put up with the disgusting antics of fraternity brothers Teague (Nick Zano), Bearcat (Gary Owen), Josh Tenk (Himself) and Cooper (Zach Cregger), the guys meet sorority girls Kendall (Haley Bennett), Heather (Camille Mana), and Amy (Nathalie Walker), and sparks fly. But once Teague feels threatened by Kevin's new relationship with Kendall, he takes the pre-frosh humiliation to a greater level, forcing the guys to fight back."

Your typical college film: beer, boobs and bongs. It's mildly funny, but if you want to see "the college visit" film try PCU or College Road Trip instead.

Hamlet 2 on DVD

Jacket: "One high school drama teacher is about to make a huge number 2 in this wildly irreverent and completely outrageous movie from the producers of Little Miss Sunshine. When his school's theater department is threatened to be cut, failed actor-turned-high-school-drama-teacher Dana Marschz writes a play that he hopes will solve everything: a sequel to Shakespeare's Hamlet. Now, staging on of the most politically incorrect musical theater extravaganzas ever seen, Dana and his class will put it all on the line for one controversial, conflicted night of hilarity!"

What did I just watch?! But like a train wreck I couldn't keep my eyes off of it and found myself laughing on more than one occasion. You have to be in a silly mood to sit through this one.

RocknRolla on DVD

Jacket: "I own this town." But owning is getting expensive for old-school London gangster Lenny Cole (Tom Wilkinson). A wealthier foreign mob is moving in with a riverfront property swindle. A small-timer (Gerard Butler) and his crew think they can play both sides and become big-time. Now add a hard-as-ice accountant (Thandie Newton), a rocker playing dead to boost sales, wannabe music moguls, a missing painting and a mad mosh of money and muscle, and you've got a real RocknRolla. From Guy Ritchie (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch) comes a fierce and funny caper, a smash-mouth cinematic smackdown of sex, thugs & rock 'n' roll."

LOVE IT!! Rent it, buy it or whatever ... you gotta check this out. And for the newbies, first check the aforementioned Ritchie films.

The Rocker on DVD

Jacket: "Rainn Wilson (TV's The Office) drums up huge laughs in this hilarious comedy about living in a rock 'n' roll dream . . . and waking up in a midlife crisis. Twenty years after being kicked out of his nearly famous '80s hair band, retired rocker Robert Fishman (Wilson) gets a hilarious second chance at stardom and must pull out all the stops to reclaim the rock-god throne he always thought he deserved!"


This is pretty friggin funny!

DiCaprio set to 'Beat the Reaper'

New Regency is acquiring screen rights to "Beat the Reaper," eyed as a star vehicle for Leonardo DiCaprio.

The protagonist in the novel penned by Josh Bazell is a Manhattan emergency room doctor, whose life becomes complicated when a mobster recognizes the doc from his former life as a hitman who went into the witness protection program.

The book is just being published by Little Brown, which acquired the title in an eight-house auction in 2007. Bazell, a medical intern, was in his hospital scrubs on the night shift as publishers waged a seven-figure fight for his first novel.

DiCaprio, who is Golden Globes-nominated for "Revolutionary Road," most recently completed shooting "Shutter Island" for director Martin Scorsese at Paramount. Appian Way recently completed "Orphan" at Warner Bros., and is developing a film based on the anime classic "Akira" at WB.

Clink link for full article.

Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell

Jacket: "Dr. Peter Brown is an intern at Manhattan's worst hospital. He has a talent for medicine, a shift from hell, and a past he'd prefer to keep hidden. Whether it's a blocked circumflex artery or a plan to land a massive malpractice suit, he knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men.

Pietro "Bearclaw" Brnwa is a hit man for the mob, with a genius for violence, a well-earned fear of sharks, and an overly close relationship with the Federal Witness Protection Program. More likely to leave a trail of dead gangsters than a molecule of evidence, he's the last person you want to see in your hospital room.

Nicholas LoBrutto, aka Eddy Squillante, is Dr. Brown's new patient, with three months to live and a very strange idea: that Peter Brown and Pietro Brnwa might - just might - be the same person . . .

Now with the mob, the government, and death itself descending on the hospital, Peter has to buy time and do whatever it takes to keep his patients, himself, and his last shot at redemption alive. To get through the next eight hours - and somehow beat the Reaper.

Spattered in adrenaline-fueled action and bone-saw-sharp dialogue, Beat the Reaper is a debut thriller so utterly original you won't be able to guess what happens next, and so shockingly entertaining you won't be able to put it down."

That last line is VERY true. I brought this book with me on a recent trip home and my lil sister stole it and did not return it until she was finished, which also happened to be on my way BACK to the airport. Yup, that's how good it was.

One reader compared this book to a mix between "House" and "The Sopranos." That is nearly dead on! I may have even gasped at one point while reading this. Okay, maybe twice. Forget about sleeping. Once you crack open the first page, you will NOT put it down.

City of Ember on DVD

Wikipedia: "The movie introduction explains that the City of Ember is a fully-contained city built underground to house a human community for 200 years as a shelter from an unspecified disaster. Having long since passed the 200-year mark, Ember's food supplies are becoming depleted and blackouts are increasingly frequent and longer-lasting, as the hydroelectric generator that powers the city has deteriorated. Much of the knowledge and technology from the city's near-mythic Builders and earlier generations has been lost.

Two 12-year-olds, Lina Mayfleet (Saoirse Ronan) and Doon Harrow (Harry Treadaway), who live in the City of Ember are graduating from school. They begin their assigned jobs with Lina as one of the messengers who deliver communications around the city following the collapse of the telephone system. Doon is a technician in the Pipeworks of the hydroelectric generator. Lina witnesses the city's decay as she relays messages, and Doon learns that the Pipeworks are held together with increasing amounts of patchwork. Nobody knows in detail how any of the city's systems work. After a major malfunction of the generator during the city's annual celebration, Lina and Doon conclude that Ember is in danger of imminent collapse. With the city's adult population either largely ignorant of their plight or cowed by the corrupt Mayor Cole (Bill Murray), Lina and Doon search for the clues left by the Builders showing the citizens of Ember how to save themselves."

Unfortunately, I have not read this book yet for comparison, but it was visually intriguing to watch. The adapted story seems flat so I'll definitely be putting this one in the "to-read" pile.

Max Payne on DVD

Wikipedia: "Max Payne is a 2008 American noir action film based on the 2001 video game of the same name. The film was directed by John Moore and stars Mark Wahlberg in the title role. The film centers on a cop's journey through New York City's criminal underworld as he investigates the deaths of his wife and child."

This was payne-ful to watch!!

Battlestar Galatica: Season 4.0

This is OH SO GOOD. And I will be very sad when the series ends this year.

For those who are not in the know, you must pick up the premiere mini-series and then you'll be hooked. I promise.

Bangkok Dangerous on DVD

Jacket: "As a hired assassin , Joe (Nicholas Cage) is the best in the business, but the years of stone-cold murder have takn their toll. Joe's plan to make this current assignment in Bangkok his last takes a wild turn when he violates one of the most important rules of the game. Now the hunter is the hunted in this hard-driving, action-packed thriller."


Wikipedia: "Bangkok Dangerous is a 2008 crime film written and directed by the Pang Brothers and starring Nicolas Cage. It is a remake of the Pangs' 1999 debut film of the same name, a Thai film for which Cage's production company, Saturn Films, purchased the remake rights.^[1]

The original film's main character is a deaf-mute hitman whose disability makes him a fearless, unflinching gunman. That character has been changed in the remake. During production, doll hair was added to Nick Cage's real hair to produce his unique look. ^[6]

"We'd like to keep him the same, but we understand that from a marketing point of view Nic needs to have some lines," Oxide was quoted as saying in the International Herald Tribune. "So what we’re going to do is transform his girlfriend instead into a deaf-mute. This switch will maintain the drama of communication between the two main characters."^[7]"

Oftentimes, American re-makes dilute the essence of a story and this is a prime example. I'll have to check out the original.

Babylon A.D. on DVD

Jacket: "In the darkly futuristic world of Babylon A.D., the rules are simple: killed or be killed. Vin Diesel stars as Toorop, a ruthless mercenary hired to smuggle a mysterious young woman from the post-apocalyptic confines of Eastern Europe to the glittering megalopolis of New York City. Hunted at every turn, Toorop transports his charge across a nightmarish wasteland only to uncover a shocking secret that will bring the entire world to its knees."


Wikipedia: "Director Mathieu Kassovitz was very unhappy with the distributors, 20th Century Fox, producers and other partners. He described the film as "pure violence and stupidity" and stated that "parts of the movie are like a bad episode of 24." ^[17]

American artist Khem Caigan designed the sigil that appears as a tattoo on the right side of Toorop's neck - an emblem which originally appeared in the Schlangekraft Necronomicon in 1977. [An example of ripping off the classics. No amount of tattoos would help this film.]


The story is muddled, the look is copied from classic sci-fi films and you're left thinking "what the hell did I just watch?". Don't waste your time.

Joker by Brian Azzarello

Jacket: "I didn't know the particulars as to why, but he was . . . Joker was being released from Arkham Asylum ...

So begins this searing look at the crazed world and cracked mind of the Joker . . . the crowned king of Gotham City rackets.

Joker is getting out of the madhouse and, though he's laughing, he's not happy. While away, his fellow rogues have sliced and diced his chunk of the pie and sold it off for scrap - thinking he was gone for good. But now Joker's back on the street and eager to make Gotham bleed like it's never bled before.

During this long night of the soul, he'll cross paths with the likes of The Penguin, Two-Face, Killer Croc, Harley Quinn, The Riddler and, of course, The Batman . . . and heaven help them all.

Told through the eyes of his loyal (but naive) henchman Johnny Frost, JOKER is a true noir crime novel - a harrowing journey into a city of rain-soaked streets, dirty sheets and nothing but bad choices."

Slash Film Review: "Azzarello, known for writing hardcore violence into his comics, calls it “the most violent thing I’ve ever written.” Brian reteams with Lex Luthor: Man of Steel artist Lee Bermejo to “show an even darker and more disturbing side to the most dangerous man in Gotham.”

Bean: All I can say is WOW. This is the type of story you'd love to see on the big screen, but with all the blood and gore, it wouldn't get a rating. All the more reason to pick this one up!

The Wackness on DVD

Wikipedia: "It's the summer of 1994, and the streets of New York are pulsing with hip-hop. Luke Shapiro (Josh Peck) is a socially uncomfortable teenage pot dealer with no friends, issues with his parents, and a whopping lack of confidence with girls. He trades weed for sessions with his therapist, Dr. Squires (Ben Kingsley), whose wife (Famke Janssen) is slipping away from him. Squires - a drug-addled shrink with a receding hairline and a state of mind slouching back to adolescence - is a terrible role model. But the two of them forge a friendship based on a mutual need: neither one has a girlfriend. The intergenerational duo set off on a crawl that takes them all over New York, where they encounter several of Luke's "business associates," including a dreadlocked pixie (Mary-Kate Olsen), a one-hit-wonder (Jane Adams), and Luke's supplier (Method Man). Luke has long had an aching crush on Dr. Squires' way-out-of-his-league stepdaughter, Stephanie (Olivia Thirlby), and is stunned at his good luck when she returns his affections. Luke's innocent first love experience with Stephanie becomes a life lesson that sets him on the pathway towards adulthood. And when Squires breaks down, it is up to the younger man to throw the older one a lifeline."

For the thirty-somethings, this film is nostalgic. The soundtrack is dope, as it includes tracks from the golden age of hip-hop, which has yet to be outdone.

Pineapple Express on DVD

Jacket: "... A lazy stoner (Seth Rogen) is the sole witness to a murder by an evil drug lord (Gary Cole) and a corrupt cop (Rosie Perez). Marked for death, he runs for his life, dragging his dazed dealer (James Franco) and his supplier (Danny McBride) with him on a hilarious pot-fueled adventure."

Sit back, turn off the brain and chillax for this one.

Golden Globe Winners

Movies to check out:

• The Wrestler (Mickey Rourke wins Best Actor award!!)
  
• Waltz with Bashir
• The Reader
• Revolutionary Road
• Slumdog Millionaire (sweep!!!)
  
• Frost/Nixon
• Milk
• Happy-Go-Lucky
• In Bruges (now on DVD)

For TV, 30 Rock and Mad Men won again ... woo-hoo!

Click link for full list.

You Don't Mess with the Zohan on DVD

Wikipedia: "The film is about Zohan Dvir (Hebrew: זוהאן דביר), Israel's hero and its greatest counter-terrorism army commando who, after growing tired of his Israeli post-draft's standing service, fakes his own death in order to pursue his dream: becoming a hairstylist in New York City. The story was written by Sandler, Judd Apatow, and Robert Smigel."

Silly slapstick and probably offensive to just about everyone. Enjoy!

Burn After Reading on DVD

Jacket: "An all-star cast, including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton and John Malkovich, come together in this outrageous spy comedy about murder, blackmail, sex addiction and physical fitness!

When a disc filled with some of the CIA's most irrelevant secrets gets in the hands of two determined, but dim-witted, gym employees, the duo are intent on exploiting their find. But since blackmail is a trade better left for the experts, events soon spiral out of everyone's and anyone's control, resulting in a non-stop series of hilarious encounters!"

This is the kind of film you have to watch a couple of times to fully appreciate. On to the second viewing.

Suze Orman Free Book Download

Get your copy of Suze Orman's latest book, Suze Orman's 2009 Action Plan, for free!

Download Suze Orman's 2009 Action Plan in English.*
This book is copyrighted. You may view and download the file, but you may not copy the file or share or forward it to any other person. Offer expires at 11:59 p.m. CT on Thursday, January 15.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor on DVD

IMDb: "In the Far East, trouble-seeking father-and-son duo Rick and Alex O'Connell unearth the mummy of the first Emperor of Qin -- a shape-shifting entity who was cursed by a wizard centuries ago."

Oh why do they keep making sequels! This was painful to sit through.

Mama Mia on DVD

We were just curious to find out who the father was! This is for the die-hard musical fans.

Traitor on DVD

Jacket: "[This is] a taut internatioal thriller set against a puzzle of covert counter-espionage operations.

When straight-arrow FBI agent Roy Clayton (Guy Pearce) investigates a dangerous international conspiracy responsible for a prison break in Yemen, a bombing in Nice and a raid in London, all clues seem to lead back to former U.S. Special Operations officer, Samir Horn (Don Cheadle). But a tangle of contradictory evidence emerges, forcing Clayton to question whether his suspect is a disaffected former military operative - or something far more complicated.

Obsessed with discovering the truth, Clayton tracks Horn across the globe as the elusive ex-soldier burrows deeper and deeper into a world of shadows and intrigue."

This is definitely worth seeing. Yes, the truth is complicated.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

Official Site: "Once, in a house on Egypt Street, there lived a china rabbit named Edward Tulane. The rabbit was very pleased with himself, and for good reason: he was owned by a girl named Abilene, who treated him with the utmost care and adored him completely. And then, one day, he was lost.

Kate DiCamillo takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the depths of the ocean to the net of a fisherman, from the top of a garbage heap to the fireside of a hobos camp, from the bedside of an ailing child to the bustling streets of Memphis. And along the way, we are shown a true miracle: even a heart of the most breakable kind can learn to love, to lose, and to love again."

This is an AMAZING story! Already a classic with children and adults alike, and now I know why. This is a story you have to read again and again.

Eagle Eye on DVD

Jacket: "... Shia LeBeouf and Michelle Monaghan star as strangers ripped from their ordinary lives when thy are "activated" as part of a high-tech assassination plot. Through blistering chases and shocking twists they try to escape - but where do you go when the enemy is everywhere?"

Think modern-day "War Games." 

Ghost Town

Jacket: "A spirited romantic comedy, Ghost Town is the story of Bertram Pincus (Ricky Gervais), a cranky Manhattan dentist who develops the unwelcomed ability to see dead people. But when a smooth-talking ghost (Kinnear) traps Bertram into a romantic scheme involving his widow Gwen (Tea Leoni), they become entangled in a hilarious predicament between the now an the hereafter!"

This was pretty funny, but when isn't Ricky Gervais. Watch for the scene when Tea accidentally calls him by his real name, Ricky.

Maldeamores (Lovesickness) on DVD

Jacket: "From executive producer Benicio del Toro comes a film about love at all ages. A child's first kiss. A man who can't grasp rejection. An elderly love affair. Passion defeats reason again and again in this film about the eternal search for love."

You'll be roaring with laughter by the first scene. This is a film about the reality of love. At every age it's different and at times it isn't pretty.

I definitely want to see more Puerto Rican films like this!!