Thursday's Picks (5)

Hey everyone! It's that time again...Thursday's Picks are here! I'm going to make up for last week's missing picks by making today's extra awesome! Post some on your blog too! Just make sure to grab a button and link back to us!

This Week's Movie Pick:
Life As We Know It
Release Date: October 8, 2010
Rated PG-13 (Warner Brothers)
Starring Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel

Life As We Know It is about a couple of career-driven folks who get landed unexpectedly with a baby. While that simple sentence makes the movie sound like one of those recycled storylines, there's a few things that make it stand out. For one, the main characters are not an actual couple. Hey went on one date and it was terrible, so they can't really stand each other. So when their friends are tragically killed and they are named guardians of this little baby girl, they have to try to put aside their differences and their old lives to take care of her. It seems like it would make for an interesting character dynamic.

I am such a girl, and even though I'm heavily critical of every film I see, I still love watching the romantic comedies. I especially love romantic comedies with an element of emotion and drama. Life As We Know It seems like it will deliver laughs, lovey-dovey grossness and tear-jerking moments. I think the film looks so cute. Check out the trailer for yourself.


This Week's Book Pick:
The Lost Hero
By Rick Riordan
Release Date: October 12, 2010
Hyperion Books

Summary:

After saving Olympus from the evil Titan lord, Kronos, Percy and friends have rebuilt their beloved Camp Half-Blood, where the next generation of demigods must now prepare for a chilling prophecy of their own:

Seven half-bloods shall answer the call,

To storm or fire the world must fall.

An oath to keep with a final breath,

And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.

Now, in a brand-new series from blockbuster best-selling author Rick Riordan, fans return to the world of Camp Half-Blood. Here, a new group of heroes will inherit a quest. But to survive the journey, they?ll need the help of some familiar demigods.

The upcoming week has some really great book releases, so it was really hard for me to pick just one. I can say that I am truly hyped to read The Lost Hero. Though the Percy Jackson series was a bit youthful for someone my age, I really enjoyed reading the books. When I read the first two chapters of The Lost Hero, I got really excited. I didn't feel like the story was over for the kids at Camp Half Blood, especially for Annabeth, Percy and Grover. While the three main characters from the Percy Jackson series aren't the absolute main characters in the Heroes of Olympus series, they do factor heavily in the story, and it is really great to see them again. Check out the first two chapters here.

This Week's DVD Pick:
The Karate Kid
Release Date: October 5, 2010
Rated PG (Columbia Pictures)
Starring Jaden Smith, Jackie Chan, Taraji P. Henson, Wenwen Han and Rongguang Yu

I was one of the many people who wanted to hate this movie. There are some remakes that should be untouchable, and I felt like the original Karate Kid should have been one of those holy films that no one ever tampered with. I was especially biased against it when I found out that it was not actual karate in the film, but kung fu. I mean, why not just call it The Kung Fu Kid and make the fans of the original happy? That being said, The Karate Kid was a really good movie. Jaden Smith is a pretty good actor, considering his young age and the fact that he only gets work because of his father. This movie was also the absolute best acting I have ever seen from Jackie Chan. The fight scenes and training sequences are really cool, even for someone who doesn't really care for fight movies. I definitely recommend this as a good family-friendly rental.