Checking out some of the tricks and treats in the movie trailer park for this Halloween

I know,it's too soon to talk about Halloween but that doesn't stop the stores from putting out the costumes and the candy right along side the back to school stuff there.

Besides,Halloween is one of the few holidays around that's solely dedicated to fright night fun,pure and simple. It's also prime scare space for Hollywood and make no mistake,folks,the competition for your box office dollars will truly be cutthroat this season.

Let's take a tour of some of the haunting heavy hitters set to thrill you at the multiplex and see if any of them will be really terrifying or just terrible to watch:



SAW 3D: The current reigning champion of Must See Scare Cinema is ready like Freddy to bring us more terror trap thrills in what is promised to be the "final" entry in this series. I'll believe that when I see one of these flicks fail on opening weekend.

Don't get me wrong,I enjoyed the first couple of Saw films but over the course of the sequels,things have been getting more convoluted than the death traps the increasing bland characters find themselves in.

With the addition of the dreaded 3D thrown in here,the Saw franchise seems to not only have jumped the shark,they tossed it into a grinder and are spraying it all over the audience like a Gallagher concert from hell:





PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2: More sequel mania as the follow-up to the Blair Witch style small movie that became a surprise success will be out and about soon. So far,very little has been revealed regarding the plot but it look as if things will be picking up where there left off from the first one.

That's actually a good sign,since The Blair Witch Project sequel made the crucial error of becoming a movie type of movie instead of the pseudo documentary format that gave the original film it's inherent intensity. Just how long the filmmakers can pull this off is the key query to ponder over your popcorn but this second time may be worth the chilling charm:





CASE 39: The tagline for this movie is "some cases should never be opened" and that applies to the release date for this film as well. Case 39 was shot over a year ago and bounced around on the studio's schedule for quite a while ,now with an early October date granting it some big screen time.

The story stars Renee Zellweger as a social worker who rescues a little girl from her seemingly cruel parents that believe she's a demon in disguise. Turns out that maybe they were right all along,as Renee and the folks around her(including male love interest Bradley Cooper)are under supernatural assault from all sides.

The advance word on this fear flick is that it's a real stinker,so maybe waiting for home video is the best case scenario for Case 39:





MY SOUL TO TAKE: Wes Craven is back in the scary saddle again,as writer and director of this film where seven teenagers born on the night that a notorious serial killer died in their small town are possibly the targets of another local killing spree.

The main mysterious contention is that the killer was reincarnated as one of the kids under scrutiny but perhaps that notion may be simply an excuse for someone to get slaughter happy or is the Riverton Ripper really dead and gone?

This actually sounds like a good movie,so seeing 3D tacked onto it makes me wonder just how much faith the studio has in the film in terms of quality. Here's hoping that My Soul To Take is a grand enough thrill ride without needing that worn out gimmick attached to the bumper:



The scariest thing to see in a trailer these days is the announcement of 3D as a bonus feature,which is truly overstaying it's welcome. *Sigh* Is it too much to ask from Hollywood to not beat this visual trick into the ground? Subtlety may not be their forte but the persistent use of 3D in just about every other film is starting to fall flatter than a pancake with many moviegoers and turning what should be sweet scares and surprises into sour must end moments:

Daphne Kalotay dazzles with her debut dance for Russian Winter

Once internationally celebrated ballet Nina Revskaya is now living out her last years of life in the city of Boston,no longer able to dance due to age and infirmity. She lives alone,with only some correspondence from a few fans and a home care nurse to keep her company.

Haunted by the memories of her past life as a Bolshoi ballerina,madly in love with both her career and husband,respected poet Viktor Elsin,Nina decides that the time has come to sell off her vast collection of jewelry,which is almost as renowned as her dancing skills were.

Even with the formal dispersal of her jewels,particularly a set of amber earrings that hold dark remembrances of a betrayal and regret over the consequences,Nina can not help thinking about those earlier days that she longs to forget. The strongest of these thoughts involve Viktor and the first passionate moments of their romance,when she was still a struggling to be seen star of the Soviet stage:





The details of the auction are being handled by Drew Brooks,a young woman whose vast curiosity about objects from the past is about equal with her general malaise regarding the break-up of her marriage and need to find direction in life and love.

Drew is already intrigued by the assignment to assess Nina's collection when an unexpected addition to it is mysteriously donated. An amber necklace that seems to match with the similarly styled earrings and bracelet given over to the auction is given anonymously by Grigori Solodin,a professor of Russian languages at a local university.

Grigori hopes that this gift will encourage Nina to open up to him about the past,as the necklace is one of the few things he was given by his adoptive parents to link him to his biological origins. He tried to contact her before but was rebuffed by Nina each time. Drew is eager to help not only determine if the necklace is truly part of the amber set but to connect to Grigori as well. It turns out that the two of them have more in common than they think,despite the difference in their ages,including a love of poetry:





Nina,however,is less than thrilled about the reappearance of the necklace as it makes it harder for her to suppress those compelling yet unwanted reliving of those troubled times.

Not only were terrible things happening to those around her during those fearful years of Stalin's reign in post-WWII Russia who were seen as enemies of the state for one reason or another,Nina's rise to fame was clouded by jealousy and rivalry of a childhood girlfriend who had come back into her personal and professional life.

What happened between those two and the misunderstandings and hasty choices made because of them is the main reason for Nina's silence about the past. As much as she longs to be relieved of such a burden,revealing the truth of what her actions did to those she claimed to love that lead to tragic endings for those concerned is just as difficult to bear:





Russian Winter is Daphne Kalotay's first novel and what a debut it makes! From the pre-chapter descriptions of the jewels in Nina's collection to the poems of Viktor Elsin included at key points during the narrative,this book is as graceful as any prima ballerina taking the stage.

The quiet elegance of the characters draws you in as much as the mystery of the necklace and what Nina did that causes her such deep seated regret.

Kalotay clearly did quite a bit of research here in creating the realities for her fictional players to function in and her hard work pays off,blending both detail and emotion to bring forth a thoughtfully enriching novel of truth and consequences of the heart.

I am happy to help spread the good word for this wonderful debut novel as part of the Russian Winter Blog Tour,which began at Story Circle Book Review and continued onward to such great places as Booking Mama,Book Club Girl and She Is Too Fond of Books. The next two stops on the tour are set to be at Historical Fiction Notebook and Bloggin'bout Books,which I hope you all check out as well.

Russian Winter is a hidden gem of a book that I truly hope doesn't stay out of the spotlight for long. It's a beautifully composed tale of reflection and repose that allows the reader as well as the characters to see past their mistakes and take hold of the life that's before them now:

Check out some of these big books opening up on the small screen this season

Just as Hollywood tends to release more based on the book films into a theater near you around this time of year,TV networks also follow suit. Certain books seem to lend themselves to being viable for one film format or the other but even those boundaries are changing as we speak.

It used to be a mainstay feature of broadcast networks to adapt books for movies and regular series but for many reasons,cable has taken over that fictional-nonfictional frontier rather neatly and nicely.

In some ways,this is a good development since the amount of leeway granted towards the content of certain material is much broader on most commercial cable outlets than the traditional Big Three networks. Also,more time can be given to bringing out character development and depth of themes interlaced within the written work. Then again, creative shortcuts are sometimes a necessary evil in translating the original book to fill the alloted time slot.

For example,tonight on Lifetime,a made for TV movie based on David Ebershoff's The 19th Wife will make it's debut and judging by the promotional clips for the film,the focus here will be more on the modern day murder mystery sections of the novel that shine a much needed light on polygamy practices still going on today:



While that is a major driving point of the book,it was juxtaposed with the historical fiction depiction of Eliza Young,the official "19th wife" of Brigham Young and how she lead the way to exposing the evils of polygamous life back in the early 19th century.

The murder mystery plot is juicer material to work with for a two hour movie plus commercials,I grant you,but it would be a shame if all of the Eliza Young story line was completely set aside. The movie may be very good but some of the folks who view might be a tad surprised at what really lies between the pages of the book if they chose to pick it up(which I highly recommend):





One book that will definitely get a total 360 viewing of it's contents is Boardwalk Empire,the true life account of the rise and reign of gangsters in Atlantic City during the heyday of Prohibition.

Nelson Johnson's historical depiction of this time period has been made into a 12 part series produced by Martin Scorsese and stars Steve Buscemi as Nucky Thompson,one of the pivotal players on that scene.

The show is set to air on HBO,starting this upcoming Sunday and it does look like quality goods. How well it will go over with audiences is too soon to tell but criminal escapades never really fall out of style,regardless of time and place,so it has a strong shot at getting a steady grip on the pop culture pulse here:





Just in time for Halloween,AMC plans to air a series based on Robert Kirkman's graphic novel,The Walking Dead. That's right,folks-we're getting some zombie TV!

The main thread of the plot has a comatose police officer waking up to a world of undead flesh eaters and searching for his wife and child who he believes are still alive. Along the way,he encounters other survivors looking for a safe haven and plenty of the undead seeking fresh snacks,so to speak.

I know some of you horror fans out there might be saying "Hey,28 Days Later did that first!" but in all fairness,that concept of a unconscious guy dealing with a strange new existence upon revival was done in Day of the Triffids originally. So,everyone chill and give this show a fair chance,especially since it looks pretty damn cool:





Translating one artistic medium to another form is a tricky business but if handled with care and attention to the important details,the adaption process can be smooth sailing for all concerned.

Of course,some changes are inevitable and far from likely to please everyone in the audience,particularly those who read the book first. Sometimes,however,it can be a good idea to exercise a little flexibility in your personal standards and take the best that you can get out of the experience.

After all,having a little of what you originally liked about the material is better than having none at all:

Is Easy A an easy way to make teens enjoy required reading?

Getting a strong promotional push lately is the upcoming teen comedy Easy A,starring Emma Stone as Olive,an average high school girl who decides to help her gay guy friend out by not contradicting the rumors about the two of them getting it on at a weekend party.

The fallout from this leads Olive to sell her fakeout services to other outsider boys in school and as a symbol of her social defiance,she starts wearing a red letter A on her clothes using the classic novel The Scarlet Letter as her inspiration.

Granted,the differences between Olive and Hester Prynne are a vast chasm in more ways than one(for one thing,Olive doesn't have a baby with an unnamed father or a crazed pretending to be still dead husband to deal with)but parallels are obviously being drawn here to bring this material up a higher notch on the teen romcom scale:





This isn't the first time that classic literature has been used as the slim basis for launching a teen romantic comedy,altho the results are rather mixed indeed. Some books do lend themselves well to movie modernization while others are clearly stretching it thinner than a pair of size zero jeans.

You can quickly trace this trend back to 1990,when Amy Heckerling brought us Clueless,which took Jane Austen's Emma right into the chic shallow center of the 90210 generation. This movie is still considered one of the best teen flicks of that time period,loved by both pop culture fans and Austen enthusiasts alike.

Since Austen was a social satirist,amongst other things,to begin with,transporting her characters from their small country village to the just as small venue of an upscale high school was truly a perfect fit in terms of format. The film did inspire a short lived TV sitcom version but it's everlasting appeal is almost as strong as the original novel is:





A few years later,Shakespeare was snapped up for the same audiences with Taming of the Shrew as the plot line marker for Ten Things I Hate About You.

Instead of forcing the cranky Kat to get married,however,so that her sweet little sister Bianca could be available on the love market,just setting her up on a date with the offbeat yet manly Patrick was enough to satisfy the romantic misunderstandings and clash of personalities required for this rather raunchy romp to suit the PG-13 crowd.

Despite the dated tone of Shakespeare's battle of the sexes story,the movie was actually smart and funny, with a TV series adaptation made several years later that is still going strong. While both the film did use a less sophisticated yet stylish word play for it's characters,it wisely retained some of the sharper elements of wit and emotional development for which the original play is known for:





A weaker entry in this category took on another Shakespearean tale of mismatched lovers,Twelfth Night,but instead of sly wit and clever gender role related mockery,the cast of She's The Man had clumsy locker room jokes and kick to the crotch punchlines to offer up to audiences.

Since the initial intent of the film seemed to be to create a star vehicle for then NickTeen sensation Amanda Bynes,it's no wonder that the Shakespeare aspects of the story line were so sloppily done. On the bright side,at least Amanda's fanbase weren't subjected to a TV spin-off of She's The Man,a true blessing for all concerned:





Whether or not Easy A will actually induce any of it's target audience to read The Scarlet Letter(and not just the Cliff Notes version)is hard to say at this point. Nevertheless,using the film to encourage classic reading for teens is a good move for any teacher or parent setting up a reading schedule this season.

Even such tried and true material as Romeo and Juliet can be livened up with a fresh set of faces that showcase the time honored themes of tortured love as relevant to the teens of today as it was to the star crossed lovers of yore. Or in the slightly altered musical words of Mary Poppins,a spoonful of cinematic sugar makes the classical medicine go down that much better:

Top Chef D.C.'s Singapore surprise,Vampire Diaries return tonight and Mad Men's Don & Peggy show

The Final Four contenders on Top Chef D.C. started off the next to last leg of the season in Singapore by checking out local street food with guest judge Seetho as their guide.

At the end of the tour,Padma announced that the last Quickfire challenge was for each of them to make their own version of Singapore street food( that had to be cooked in a wok),with the winner getting an unexpected reward of immunity(something that Top Chef hasn't done before,this late in the game).

Despite Angelo being the biggest Asian cuisine fan of the group,it was Ed who won this round for his stir fry noodles with black pepper sauce and lobster. This was quite a stunner but not the only one to crop up here.



The Elimination challenge was a team challenge,having all of them make Southeast Asian dishes for a party of eighty people hosted by Dana Cowin of Food & Wine magazine. All of the food served was to be made to order and only a hour given to set up the kitchen. During the planning stage,everyone agreed to make one dish apiece,due to the time constraints.

However,Judge Tom stopped by as the actual food prep was under away and expressed his concern that there wouldn't be enough items on the menu. He told them all to make a second dish,to which Ed replied that it was his intention to do so from the start,something that his fellow contenders were not thrilled to hear.



Even with the last minute additions they all had to whip up,there wasn't a lot of major drama in the kitchen(beyond some mix-ups in communicating with the wait staff).

Angelo made it to the Final Three,thanks to his lamb tartare with rambutan ceviche,and it's a good thing that he had two dishes since his shrimp broth with dumplings was considered to be way too salty.



Kevin will be joining him,mainly due to the 63 degree egg with pearl tapioca and radish condiment that was a runaway hit with the judges. They liked his clam chowder flavored Southeast Asian style as well,but the egg was a big risk for this round and it turned out beautifully.



Ed already had his ticket to the Final Three but he didn't slack off in his cooking for this challenge,something that the judges appreciated very much. The sweet and sour pork with rice cakes was a crowd pleaser but it was the banana fritters with chili paste that truly went over like gangbusters. The only complaint about that dish was that anyone who tasted it wanted more. Ed was the winner yet again,making Angelo not a happy camper at all.



More miserable than Angelo was Kelly,who had to pack her knives and go. While her chilled cucumber-yogurt soup and seared pawns were considered to be decent dishes,they didn't really stand out much.

She tried her best,but Kelly's food always struck me as the middle of the road cuisine so it wasn't too shocking to see her sent home at this point. Better luck next time,hon.

Congrats to the guys who made it to the Finale and it looks like Angelo is going to need some along with a big bowl of chicken soup. He takes ill just before the last challenge and may not be able to cook. Hope he gets better in time because that's the worst way to lose out on such a big opportunity.



One of the most intriguing character connections on Mad Men is the one between Don and Peggy,who have gone beyond the typical secretary/boss level into mentor/protege mode and emerging in this fourth season as competitive colleagues.

Don's still in charge but Peggy is determined to get credit for her creative contributions and tired of putting up with his harsh assessments of her skills. The two of them are very alike,personality wise,which lead to their after hours office cash this week.

Don insisted on getting their Samsonite campaign right,as a way of avoiding the news about the death of Anna(who kept his Dick Whitman secret well)while Peggy wanted nothing more than to celebrate her birthday by having a romantic dinner with her boyfriend who chose to invite her whole family along as a surprise(which is the worst thing in the world to subject her to).

That lead to Peggy breaking up with him and reluctantly joining Don back in his office. In a way,it's no surprise that with such tensions building up inside them,Don and Peggy vented their inner fury out at each other big time. It was quite the bloodsport indeed:





Things did get better from there and even when a drunken Duck showed up to cause trouble,Don attempted to defend Peggy's honor(which he really couldn't pull off,being more than four sheets to the wind at that point)and more of an amends was made between them.

While Don and Peggy are not a romantic couple(which is probably a good thing for both of them),they do appear to be soul mates of some sort. Perhaps under way different circumstances,the two of them could be an ideal match but clearly not in their lifetime. Where their relationship will end up ultimately is uncertain but one thing is for sure-Don and Peggy need each other,if only as emotional sounding boards to help make it through the night:





The second season of The Vampire Diaries starts tonight,with plenty of doppelganger hijinks as Catherine decides to make her presence known. Yes,folks,we're going with the ancient evil lookalike ex-girlfriend vs. the sweet bearing a striking resemblance current girlfriend story line here.

One of the things that I loved about this show is it's open embrace of ye olde cliches mixed with teen soap opera plot devices. Quite a few cliffhangers were introduced last season which should be resolved nicely but the main attraction is definitely going to be the Are You Elena or Catherine game? that everyone will have a chance to play-should be fun to watch,indeed!:



RANDOM NOTES:

PROJECT RUNWAY: Congrats to Michael C for winning another challenge,which upset his design detractors yet again. While some may say that he's not as innocent as he appears to be,I'm still rooting for him. I truly don't sense anything inherently bad about Michael C(he may be a bit catty but so what?)and I don't believe Ivy's claim that he went around badmouthing her work during an open to the public viewing.

The best part about his win is just how petty his fellow designers acted about,which makes for the best revenge as their true colors are shining brightly on screen:

Flights of family friendly fantasy are winging their way to a theater near you

While this season is prime back-to-school time for both kids and adults,there are a good number of family friendly fantasy themed film fare set to hit the multiplexes. Even if you don't have a kid on hand to take to one of these,a great excuse to make for seeing them by yourself is that many of them are based on books that you need to read.

First up in the pecking order is Legend of the Guardians:The Owls of Ga'Hoole,based on the series by Kathryn Lasky,which tells the story of a young owl named Soren(voiced by Jim Sturgess)who seeks out the fabled protectors of his flock to save his loved ones from invasion by a power hungry pack of warrior birds.

The likes of Emily Blunt,Hugo Weaving and Helen Mirren lend their vocals to this film and Zack Snyder(300,Watchmen)helms the director's chair here,so there should be plenty of visual pop and wonder for audiences of all ages to marvel at onscreen:





The success of the newer film versions of the Chronicles of Narnia has lead to a third one being made and set to come out this December. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader returns two of the four Penvensie siblings,along with their cousin Eustace,to Narnia and reunites them with now King Caspian aboard the title ship to find former allies who will help to save the realm once again.

Along the way,old friends will join them and a few former foes as well. I must confess to not having seen the second Narnia movie,Prince Caspian,yet but with such epic enticement as this new chapter,there's certainly strong incentive to add this to my completed list of fantasy film lore:





Last,and I suspect the least,of the films on deck in this genre is another adaptation of Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels. Jack Black stars as a modern day would be travel writer eager to impress the lady of his dreams by going off on a solo ocean cruise as part of his first big assignment.

Naturally,he becomes lost at sea and winds up in Lilliput. From what I gather,most of the plot deals with that aspect of the original story and judging by the trailer,Jack Black's innate goofiness is meant to carry the rest of the movie. While Black is a funny guy there,this just seems like an Easy Bake oven version of a classic tale. Looks can be deceiving,so we'll have to wait and see on this one(or wait for home video release instead):





The one thing that these films have in common besides their genre is that they will all be available in 3D,a gimmick that's quickly wearing out it's welcome for me.

Don't get me wrong,for fantasy and action films 3D is a nice little bonus to offer to audiences(especially considering the price of admission these days)but it seems like every other mainstream movie has IMAX,3D and a partridge in a pear tree effect to make movie going more like an amusement park ride literally.

It'll even be included in the two part Harry Potter finale films,which are an event in and of themselves as it is. Then again,the fact that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be more expanded in content and details than all of the other Potter movies combined is more than enough reason to want the best bells and whistles attached to it that Hollywood has to offer.

Of course,it'll be awhile until we get our Harry Potter film fix,so checking out one of the other flicks mentioned here should stave off some of that anticpation,even if only a brief moment or two:

Emma Donoghue's Room opens the door to a tale of terrifying wonderment

In Room is where Jack,now five years old,lives with his Ma and has never gone beyond the walls nor out of the Door,which is locked by a special number code from the Outside.

He is happy to spend his days with his beloved mother,playing all sorts of games until bedtime,where he sleeps in Wardrobe in order to avoid running into Old Nick,who keeps them there but only shows up at night.

Jack is happy most of the time,despite not being able to have a treat until Sunday(brought at whim of Old Nick) or being allowed a pet,due mainly to love and attention his Ma gives him in their small space that Jack sees as his whole world,but now that he's getting older,the time is coming for him to know the truth of their situation and the need to pull away from this seemingly safe but slowly destructive trap they're in:





Ma tries to explain to Jack that many of the things he has seen on TV are not just made up,that Outside is a real place with many people,places and things. When she was nineteen,Old Nick kidnapped Ma and locked her away in his shed,where she gave birth to Jack in the very Room in which they're kept still some years later.

Ma is now 28 and her frustrations at her confinement as well as her growing concerns about Jack's future lead to making a daring plan of escape,especially since Old Nick may be in danger of losing his house which could lead to wiping more than one of his sinister slates clean from detection by the authorities.



Jack finds it hard to be brave but does so for Ma,and they manage to get out of the clutches of Old Nick but their story doesn't end there. News of Jack and Ma's harrowing experience makes them a media sensation,something that neither of them are prepared to deal with as they start the process towards becoming part of the wider world.

As Ma struggles to not only help Jack cope but get her own head on straight,Jack is both frightened and fascinated by his new surroundings. His keen intelligence makes him curiouser and curiouser to discover the newness around,including getting to know his Grandma and letting Dr. Clay at the mental health clinic help him adjust to things.

Yet,fears about losing his closeness with Ma and finding out that not everything in Outside is as friendly as it looks makes Jack's road to recovery a tricky one indeed:





At first glance,Room might seem like TV movie of the week material but by allowing the story to be narrated by Jack,Emma Donoghue was able to mold this novel into a strongly moving story that refuses to come across as such and delivers it's message of triumphing over horrifying circumstances without any cloying sentiment.

Jack's innate innocence and authentic mindset of a clever child who in many ways is treated like an equal ally by his mother in their struggles to keep body and mind intact makes him a very human character to root for and even be amused by at times.

This book is literally a riveting tale of survival and developing inner strength that I actually stayed awake until all hours of the night to finish. Much like Jack and Ma,it was hard to leave this story where it was for very long.

Room is due out at a bookseller near you on September 13 and no doubt that it will be in high demand,due in part to the novel making the short list for this year's Man Booker Award.

Congratulations to Emma Donoghue and here's hoping that this will be the start of many more honors to come for this amazing book. Room is truly hard to exit,as it's trapped characters are lost souls that you come reluctant to leave on their journey yet like Jack and Ma,a path towards a better and fuller life is the best gift that they and this story can give as well as recieve:

Some pop culture potpourri to tide you over this holiday weekend

The last hurrah of the summer season is upon us,folks,and like many of you,I will be taking a blogger's day off on Labor Day Monday.

However,I didn't want to leave all of you without anything to amuse yourselves with,so take your time in checking out these pop cultured related video clips.

Spend some of these remaining lazy,crazy,hazy days of summer reading a good book,like Joyce Maynard's aptly named Labor Day now out in paperback(she has a new hardcover that sounds pretty good as well and no,I haven't read it yet)or whatever you need to catch up on(so need to finish The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,stat!). There are plenty of movie marathons on TV as well,so you shouldn't find a dull moment to mull over but if you do,here are a handful of cures for the common entertainment:

BOOK REVIEW MAN TO THE RESCUE: The book critic for the Washington Post,Ron Charles,has been making his own video reviews lately,starting with Mona Simpson's "My Hollywood." His new one is for the much lauded Freedom by Jonathan Franzen,which Charles likes but doesn't hesitate to point out the flaws in the narrative and poke some fun at the overexposure the novel's been getting. I hope more and more book critics will follow his lead to spread the good word on lit online as well as off:





HOLDING OUT FOR A HEROINE: The lack of attention given to female superheroes by Hollywood on both the movie and TV front is a sore subject with diehard comic book fans and casual observers on the sidelines as well.

Despite what some may think,guys are less than thrilled about not seeing the strong women they've read about for years being ignored by the media(and strictly not due to seeing super powered gals in skimpy outfits either).

The fellas at Crazy Sexy Geeks did a piece on this,talking to regular folks and interviewing Buffy alumna Amber Benson(who has become a rather successful author of both print and graphic novels)and also offering up some excellent recommendations for further reading. This is a great topic of discussion done with a sense of humor and some real thought put into it(a little bit of Twilight mocking here,you have been warned):





A DOUBLE EDGED DOSE OF MACHETE: One of the big releases at the multiplex this weekend is Machete,an intentionally over the top B movie based on a mock trailer made by Robert Rodriguez for his double feature duet with Quentin Tarantino,Grindhouse.

Rodriguez decided to make this pumped up parody into a reality,using many of the stars featured in the original trailer such as Cheech Marin,Jeff Fahey and Danny Trejo as the leading man.

Several big name actors were added on also like Robert DeNiro,Jessica Alba,Michelle Rodriquez and Steven Seagal as the bad guy,believe it or not. For your viewing pleasure,I offer you a cinematic compare and contrast between the original fake trailer and the one for the fully completed film:

GRINDHOUSE VERSION(some brief nudity,you have been warned!):



BIG SCREEN VERSION:





IS THIS THE RIGHT ONE TO LET IN?: One of the spookier vampire films to come out in the past several years was the Swedish fear flick,Let The Right One In,about a troubled pre-teen boy who becomes dangerously involved with the vampire girl next door.

As is the way with many a well received foreign film,an American remake has been made,starring Chloe Morentz(best known as Hit Girl from Kick Ass)as the forever young vampirella.

While most folks will insist upon only seeing the original,this new version may well be worth a look. Director/screenwriter Mike Reeves has said he made this movie as his own personal take on the first film as well as the novel upon which in was based. Let Me In is set to hit the big screen this October,so soon enough we'll see how true that mission statement is:



WANT TO SEE SOMETHING REALLY SCARY?: Granted,I had a few pop music star crushes in my day but this Justin Bieber deal is getting to be way too much there. Fortunately,the gang at The Key of Awesome have a healthy humorous take on the whole situation:



Well,I wish everyone out there a happy Labor Day weekend or at least a restful one.Even if you have to do some back to school shopping there,keep a happy thought or two in mind-for many of you pushing and shoving to get those pens and pencils on sale,it won't be you having to trot or dance down those hallowed halls of learning again:

Top Chef D.C. reaches for the savory stars,a True Blood cliffhanger and Mad Men's Peggy calls a bluff in the buff

It's getting down to the wire on Top Chef D.C.,as the remaining six chefs scrambled to make the final rounds. For the Quickfire challenge this time,each one of them had to pair a wine offered up by Dana Cowin(editor of Food & Wine magazine)with a complimentary protein.

Angelo managed to reclaim some of his earlier mojo and won a trip to London with his sauteed foie gras with fennel salad. This was the last high stakes QF for the season,so Angelo's win here was a real confidence booster for him.



The Elimination challenge asked the chefs to cook a stylish dish that could be freeze dried for astronauts,using a few of the guidelines provided by the space program's nutritionist. Sugary foods don't travel well in space,plus big chunks of anything are another no-no but spicy flavors get an A-ok.

The completed dishes were served at the Goddard Space Center,to the judges(including special guest Anthony Bourdain)and several NASA folks along with living legend Buzz Aldrin. The winner would have their food made for the next space shuttle flight and get to watch one of the two upcoming launches in person.



All of the food was so well done that even Bourdain wasn't able to whip out a snarky comment or two there. The most drama he did have was a couple of disagreements with his good buddy Eric Ripert(they do really like each other,according to Bourdain's latest book,Medium Raw)over the quality of certain plates.

Ed's yogurt marinated lamb with couscous croquette impressed Bourdain with it's authentic Moroccan flavor but Ripert thought it was an overworked dish. While there were a few concerns about how well the dish could be converted for outer space consumption,everyone at the table seemed to like it.



There was also a clash over Angelo's ginger glazed short ribs and pickled mushrooms with a pea puree(what is it with pea puree this season?). Ripert thought the whole thing was too acidic and Judge Tom complained about the strong sweetness of the ginger,which was one of the culinary concerns for this challenge.

Bourdain,however,loved it and Angelo had another back to back win,sending him off to the finals which will be held in Singapore. It's the first time a Top Chef finale has been set overseas,so that should be pretty amazing to check out.



As to who would not go to Singapore,I thought it might be Kevin. He chose to serve a New York strip steak with onion rings and a corn puree,wanting to give the astronauts a taste of homestyle comfort cuisine.

A nice idea and the food was great but keeping the onion rings crispy in translation would be tricky,not to mention that Bourdain felt Kevin was playing it safe with his food choices there.



Surprisingly,Tiffany was asked to pack her knives and go. While her pan seared halibut with coconut curry and jasmine rice had a very pleasing fish sauce,Ripert was perplexed by the pea shoots on the plate.

There was a touch of disconnect in this dish,due to the lack of mussels that Tiffany had planned to add to the plate. Unfortunately,the mussels froze solid in the fridge during prep,which killed them and rendered that element unusable.

I was sad to see her go but on the other hand,Tiffany did win 20 grand and a trip to Paris,thanks to those high stake QFs,so she'll be able to start off her upcoming marriage with style. She will be missed,regardless of that. Best of luck to you,Tiffany,in all of your future endeavors.

Next time on Top Chef,the rest of the gang will be fighting it out to get a spot in the Final Three over in Singapore and that should an exciting as well as educational experience for all concerned.



This fourth season of Mad Men has been intriguing as we watch the new ad agency of Sterling Cooper Draper Price struggle to keep above water in such a competitive and changing marketplace and with a nifty win at the Clio awards last episode,things appear to be looking up business wise.

For some,at least-Peggy has a stronger presence at SCDP but she's still trying to get more respect,not only from Don but her own staff as well. When sent to a hotel with the obnoxious and supposedly sexual liberated new art director Stan to finish up work on a campaign over the weekend,Peggy is tired of hearing the jerk call her a prude and challenges him to bare it all,literally.

In the end,he turns out to be all talk and is the first one to flinch. Peggy has a long way to go in the battle of the sexes here but this small victory(especially small on Stan's part,if you know what I mean)is definitely worth savoring for now:





The cruelest bit of business on the last episode of True Blood is that HBO is making us wait until September 12 to see the finale. *Sigh*You know,some of us will be home this Sunday night and would've like to cap off Labor Day weekend with a True Blood viewing party-just saying!

Anyhow,they did deliver on ending things on a real cliffhanger as Eric convinced Russell to drink Sookie's magic blood in order to step out into daylight safely. While Russell was willing to try,he insisted on Eric going first. In true Viking warrior fashion,Eric agreed,knowing that the daywalker effects of fairy blood were temporary at best.

While it's reasonable to assume that Eric will probably survive his sun scorching, who knows what will happen next as more and more plot twists reach their conclusions such as Hoyt's crazy mother popping up again(I knew that annoying new girlfriend of his reminded me of his mom for a reason!)and Sam having a major emotional breakdown there. Oh well,this should make for a truly riveting finale,particularly to see if both Eric and Russell go out in a real blaze of glory:



RANDOM NOTES:

THE EMMYS: Congrats to those who won last Sunday,such as Mad Men for Best Drama,Betty White for her SNL stint and Top Chef in the Outstanding Reality Competition category.

If you're disappointed in who won,lost or wasn't fully represented at the Emmys this year,I offer you this amusing interactive "choose your Emmy Winner" series of humorous clips,courtesy of It's Just Some Random Guy. Just click on to the links placed within this video and see such genre favorites as True Blood,Lost and Dexter take some top honors and a few punch lines at their expense:

Some classic rereads suitable for capturing the spirit of autumn days to come

Happy September,folks-while many will mourn the end of another summer,a few like me are eager to embrace the changing leaf colors,crisp cool breezes and slow yet steady pace of things that are part and parcel of the approaching fall season.

While it's still too soon to pull out those comfy sweaters and Thanksgiving decorations just yet,there is a pop culture way to set up for the season that won't have you breaking more sweat than you've already done these past couple of months.

Reading certain books,particularly classics,which you know so well but haven't touched in quite a while can stir those seasonal feelings within you.

I know that rereading may seem like an easy fix,double that for classic titles,but they do say that you pick up more nuances in the book with each reading,so use that as your excuse(I know I will!)there. Whether you've read these particular titles before or haven't gotten to them yet,here are a handful of classic rereads that I tend to turn to around this time of year:



PERSUASION

Since this was the first novel by Jane Austen that I ever read,Persuasion has a special place in my heart and personal library but it invoke fall for me in so many ways.

Anne Elliot is in what her family and contemporaries of that day would consider in the autumn of her life,with most of her youth and beauty being drained away over the years nursemaiding her self centered relations.

Even her former love interest Captain Wentworth(who re-enters her social sphere in a much better position than when he first entered it)notices the change in her appearance,remarking on it within earshot of Anne's spoiled sister Mary who artlessly reported it back to her as "You were so altered he should not have known you again."

Granted,Mary is not the most reliable relater of events but the overall first impression Anne makes upon the world is rather clear. Over time and due partly to spreading her wings beyond the small scope which she has been emotionally exiled to,Anne becomes more invigorated in spirit and that begins to reflect in her personal appearance as well.

It's so pronounced a change than even Sir Walter,her vain father,takes notice of Anne's "improved" looks but ultimately,it's not Anne's face that leads Captain Wentworth back into her arms. It's the sweetness and devotion of her heart that wins the day and causes Anne to make her years of lonely autumn turn to the warm love that sends her and Wentworth into a springtime of their lives:





HOUSE OF MIRTH/AGE OF INNOCENCE

Edith Wharton's tales of Old New York are sort of the dark side of Austen's world,which did have similar consequences for ladies who didn't follow the rules or marry well but Jane preferred to give her heroines as happy an ending as she could there.

In The House of Mirth,Lily Bart is also reaching the end of her social salad days as her eligibility in the marriage market is drawing quicker to a close than she fully realizes.

Unlike Anne Elliot,however,much of Lily's woes are brought on by her own foolishness and unwillingness to settle for what she thinks is not good enough for her. Her missteps take her down a steep path towards social ruin that makes Lydia Bennett's bad marriage seem like a welcome relief.

Lily's true soul mate amongst her acquaintances is Selden,a man with his own commitment issues yet being a man in that day and age allows him much more freedom in that arena than Lily can and still be considered respectable. While Selden is sympathetic to her situation,his personal boundaries are as hard to over come as hers:





In The Age of Innocence,it's Newland Archer's determination not to make a wrong move that drives him towards a life and marriage of comfortable yet quiet despair. As much as he loves the free spirited nature of Ellen Olenska,Newland is not ready to take the risks that would give him happiness both with her and in the direction that his whole life ultimately takes.

If you think about it,Age of Innocence is a slow motion tragedy of the soul as by the end of the story,the brightest memory that Newland still secretly cherishes above all else is that time with Ellen and even when presented with the chance to get together with her in a respectable manner many years later,he prefers to cling to that golden moment in his mind than taste the reality of what could be:





HOWARDS END

I haven't read E.M. Forester in a good long while,yet I do remember preferring this book to A Room With a View or Passage to India. The title refers to a house and estate owned by the Wilcox family,whose dying matriarch wishes to pass on to Margaret Schlegel,a young woman of her recent acquaintance that treasures the glories of the past as well as appreciates the coming changes in the world around her.

The remaining Wilcoxes are quick to suspect a con,but Margaret's good nature and total obliviousness to materialism becomes apparent upon further contact. The elder Mr. Wilcox eventually woos Margaret and marries her,bringing more than one unexpected consequences not only to his immediate family but her's as well.

The true theme of the book is to bridge the distances between the old and new generations-"only connect." While it wasn't too successful in this literary case,the story shows that making the honest effort to do so is a worthwhile achievement in itself,particularly in affairs of the heart:



While plenty of folks out there will only be cracking open a classic as fulfillment of a required course of study,I hope that they will find some enjoyment in these stories beyond the classroom.

Instead of tuning out the talking points about the assigned book as soon as the teacher moves on to the next assignment,perhaps some of them will plug into their intellectual IPods and keep on rocking with the themes and ideas presented on the pages. I know how geeky that sounds but autumn is prime geek time,folks,so just roll with it: