Thursday's Picks (11)

Welcome back to Thursday's Picks, my weekly declaration of the best upcoming books, movies and DVDs coming out in the next week! You know the drill: I choose one book, one movie and one DVD to recommend that is coming out in the next week so that you can go out and get yourself entertained! Anyone can participate in the magic! Just post a comment or a blog post telling me what your recommendations are! If you do a blog post with your recommendations, don't forget to snatch a button from the right sidebar. I want to know what you guys are into, so play along!

Now, for my picks! Warning: I had a really tough time with the DVD pick for this week, so there may be some discussion of more than one title. There is just too much awesome coming out this week!

This Week's Movie Pick:
All Good Things
Release Date: December 3, 2010 (already available in some theaters)
Rated R (Weinstein Company)
Starring Ryan Gosling, Kirsten Dunst, Frank Langella, Phillip Baker Hall and Jeffery Dean Morgan


Summary (Courtesy of Moviefone:)

Inspired by the most notorious missing person's case in New York history, 'All Good Things' is a love story and murder mystery set against the backdrop of a New York real estate dynasty in the 1980s. Produced and directed by Andrew Jarecki (director of the Academy Award-nominated doc 'Capturing the Friedmans' and producer of 'Catfish'), the film was inspired by the story of Robert Durst, scion of the wealthy Durst family. Mr. Durst was suspected but never tried for killing his wife Kathie who disappeared in 1982 and was never found. The film stars Ryan Gosling, Kirsten Dunst and Frank Langella as the powerful patriarch, and captures the emotion and complexion of this real-life unsolved mystery.

I love a good murder mystery. Anything that makes you think is worth watching. This film not only looks thought-provoking and interesting, but the fact that it is based on actual events gives you that super-sleuth feeling, like you can solve the crime. I love that feeling. Top it all off with the fact that it stars the tasty Ryan Gosling and one of my older guy crush's dopplegangers, and you've got yourself a great film. (Side note: my older guy crush I'm referring to in this case is Robert Downey Jr., whom Jeffrey Dean Morgan could be related to.) This film seems mysterious, sexy, scary and great. That's a win in my book. You should also know that this movie will be available on demand through Comcast the day it hits theaters, so stay home and check it out!


This Week's Book Pick:
Goddess of Legend
Written By P.C. Cast
Release Date: December 7, 2010
Penguin Group

Summary (Courtesy of Barnes and Noble):

After her car plummets off a bridge, Isabel, a world-weary photojournalist, struggles between life and death when she's saved by the Water Goddess-with one tiny caveat: Isabel must travel to another time to seduce the legendary Lancelot du Lac away from Queen Guinevere.
The handsome knight is a dream for any woman in any century. But Isabel is the one who's seduced by King Arthur. For Isabel, a deal is a deal. Now, the King watches as fate takes from him the mysterious beauty he has come to worship, knowing all too well that any interference on his part could destroy the kingdom he loves.

P.C. Cast has shown she is uber-talented with the House of Night series, and she's ventured out into historical fiction with Goddess of Legend. I'm a big fan of historical fiction, or any fiction that can mesh well with things that are thought to be non-fiction. I think it's really cool that Cast is taking on the legend of King Arthur with a fantasy twist and some of our present-day lives sprinkled in. I look forward to getting my hands on this book and it's accompanying Goddess Summoning series. Unfortunately, there's no book trailer to post to get you all excited about this one, so you'll just have to take my word for it. Or you can check out P.C. Cast's website for details about the entire series.

This Week's DVD Pick:
The Other Guys
Release Date: December 14, 2010
Rated R (Columbia Pictures)
Starring Mark Wahlberg, Will Ferrell, Michael Keaton, Eva Mendes, Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson


Summary (Courtesy of Moviefone):

Set in New York City, 'The Other Guys follows Detective Allen Gamble (Will Ferrell), a forensic accountant who's more interested in paperwork than hitting the streets, and Detective Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg), a tough guy who has been stuck with Allen as his partner ever since an unfortunate run-in with Derek Jeter. Allen and Terry idolize the city's top cops, Danson and Highsmith (Dwayne Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson), but when an opportunity arises for the Other Guys to step up, things don't quite go as planned.

This movie has to be one of the funniest movies I have ever seen in my life. This is the number one reason why The Other Guys got picked over the other incredible DVD releases of this week. I know, it's blasphemy for me to choose a Will Ferrell comedy over The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. If I had picked Inception or Shrek Forever After, maybe some of you would have forgiven me. I even broke the rules by choosing a DVD that doesn't come out till next week. But The Other Guys? Really?

How could you choose them over me, Liz? Why?! *sob*

How are we supposed to forgive this, Liz?

Trust me. This movie is flipping hilarious. I was glued to my seat through the whole thing in the theater, laughing so hard I had trouble breathing. I felt like this movie deserved the spotlight in spite of all the other greatness I could have chosen. This should be on everyone's to-rent list, at the very least. I know I'll be seeing it again. You know you can trust me, because I don't want no scrubs. (See the movie so you can get that reference!!!)