Thursday's Picks (18)

Hello again, bloggy buddies! Sorry for the lateness of today's post, and for totally bailing on Time Travel Tuesday again. If you knew how crazy this week has been, you would understand, so take my word for it. Anyway, it's Thursday again, so it's time for Thursday's Picks. Below you'll find the skinny on my recommendations for the book, film and DVD releases of the week. I love your feedback, so tell me what sparks your interest this week! I have a button you can grab on the sidebar if you want to do your own post, so feel free to do so. I didn't get much feedback on the new format, so I'm just going to assume you like it and stick with it. Enjoy!

This Week on Thursday's Picks: In Her Skin, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger and Desires of the Dead

In Her Skin
Release Date: February 11, 2011
Unrated (IFC Films)
Starring Kate Bell, Ruth Bradley and Sam Niell
Summary (courtesy of Moviefone):

This stark, disturbing drama recreates a series of tragic events that racked Australia in March 1999 -- which local police acknowledged as one of the most inexplicable and senseless cases in memory. Kate Bell stars as Rachel Barber, a 15-year-old high school student living with her parents in Melbourne. Seemingly perfect -- beautiful, intelligent, talented, well-adjusted, and poised for wonderful things -- Rachel draws endless hostility from her neighbor and former babysitter, Caroline Reid (Ruth Bradley). Caroline seems to lack every advantage that Rachel possesses -- she's an overweight, homely 20-year-old with terrible skin, chronic depression, and a dysfunctional relationship with her parents. Full of bitterness and self-loathing, Caroline drums up an evil plan that will take Rachel's life. When Rachel then disappears, her parents immediately notify the police. The authorities are unfazed -- misinterpreting Rachel as just another adolescent runaway -- and can scarcely foresee the horrifying truth about the young woman's fate. First-timer Simone North directs; Sam Neill co-stars as Caroline's distant and uncomprehending father. 

In Her Skin seems like a good, creepy film. The fact that this really happened makes it that much more scary, because you never know what people are capable of. There isn't much background to draw on for the director or most of the cast, so I can't say I chose it for any of that. Sam Neill is really the only person associated with the film that I've even heard of, and I'm not usually too impressed with his work, so I'm hoping the first-time director and the rest of the cast can make up for that. I didn't have a ton of options (unless I'm 13 and like boys that look like girls), but I think this one is a pretty good option.

Desires of the Dead (the Body Finder Series)
Written by Kimberly Derting
Release Date: February 15, 2011
Publisher: HarperCollins
Summary (courtesy of Barnes and Noble):

The missing dead call to Violet. They want to be found.
Violet can sense the echoes of those who've been murdered—and the matching imprint that clings to their killers. Only those closest to her know what she is capable of, but when she discovers the body of a young boy she also draws the attention of the FBI, threatening her entire way of life.
As Violet works to keep her morbid ability a secret, she unwittingly becomes the object of a dangerous obsession. Normally she'd turn to her best friend, Jay, except now that they are officially a couple, the rules of their relationship seem to have changed. And with Jay spending more and more time with his new friend Mike, Violet is left with too much time on her hands as she wonders where things went wrong. But when she fills the void by digging into Mike's tragic family history, she stumbles upon a dark truth that could put everyone in danger.

I've heard a lot of great things about Kimberly Derting's Body Finder, so the follow up is also hitting my to be read list. It's really interesting to see a YA series with bits of macabre mixed in. I like to think this series is what The Sixth Sense could have been if they had a teenage girl as the lead and someone better than M. Night Shyamalan to write it. I'm excited to get my hands on this series, even though the last thing I need is to get hooked on another series.

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger
Release Date: February 15, 2011
Rated R (Sony Pictures)
Starring Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins, Freida Pinto and Naomi Watts
Summary (courtesy of Moviefone):

Woody Allen's 'You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger' follows a pair of married couples, Alfie, (Anthony Hopkins) and Helena (Gemma Jones), and their daughter Sally (Naomi Watts) and husband Roy (Josh Brolin), as their passions, ambitions, and anxieties lead them into trouble and out of their minds.
After Alfie leaves Helena to pursue his lost youth and a free-spirited call girl named Charmaine (Lucy Punch), Helena abandons rationality and surrenders her life to the loopy advice of a charlatan fortune teller.
Unhappy in her marriage, Sally develops a crush on her handsome art gallery owner boss, Greg (Antonio Banderas), while Roy, a novelist nervously awaiting the response to his latest manuscript, becomes moonstruck over Dia (Freida Pinto), a mystery woman who catches his gaze through a nearby window.
Despite these characters' attempts to dodge their problems with pipe dreams and impracticable plans, their efforts lead only to heartache, irrationality, and perilous hot water.
Taking its title from the prediction fortune tellers use to beguile their marks, 'You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger', illustrates with wry humor how easy it is for our illusions to make fools of us all.

Every girl needs a little romance once in a while, even if it's a Woody Allen romance. Sometimes films like this are just a little too real. You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger seems like it will make you grateful for what you have, or make you realize how ridiculous some of us act when we try to pursue an idealized version of happiness. Sometimes we need a reminder of that.