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Dan in Real Life

If you choose "Bonus Features" from the main menu and have "Outtakes" underlined when move the cursor down you will see a new option appear that reads "One More?" The hidden feature is a brief montage of Steve Carrell asking for additional takes from a few scenes. It is certainly not the most exciting hidden feature, but it was interesting to see how they let him improvise some of his non-speaking scenes.

And even though you didn't ask, there is a great featurette on making the music with Sondre Lerche.

Ed Miller: I was with a girl once. Wasn't a squaw, but she was purty. She had yellow hair, like uh... oh, like something. Dick Liddil: Like hair bobbed from a ray of sunlight? Ed Miller: Yeah, yeah. Like that. Boy, you talk good. Dick Liddil: You can hide things in vocabulary.

2004 Red Blend Orphelin

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Data mining is the industry of the 21st century. Commercial companies collect information about us from thousands of sources—credit cards, loyalty programs, hidden radio tags in products, medical histories, employment and banking records, government filings, and many more—then analyze and sell the data to anyone willing to pay the going rate. Some people approve, citing economic benefits; others worry about the erosion of privacy.

But no one has been prepared for a new twist: A psychotic killer with access to the country's biggest data miner—Strategic Systems Datacorp—is using detailed information to work his way into the lives of victims, rape, rob and kill them and then blame unsuspecting innocents for the crimes. The killer's voluminous knowledge of the victims and his ability to plant damning evidence mean that even the most vocal protests of innocence go ignored by the police and juries.

The perp has, in short, found a perfect means to literally get away with murder—until one of his fall guys turns out to be Lincoln Rhyme's cousin, Arthur, who is facing certain conviction for first-degree murder. Though the two Rhymes haven't had any contact for years, Lincoln agrees to look into the case. In the process he unravels a spider web of crime that the killer, known only as Unknown Subject 522, has woven.

Rhyme, Amelia Sachs and the cast of the previous Rhyme books find themselves up against their most insidious villain, a man obsessed with collecting—from junk on the street to intimate details about our lives to the ultimate trophy: human lives themselves, which he sees as mere streams of data. This is a man proficient with razors and guns, but whose most dangerous weapon is information, which he wields with ruthless precision against those he targets on whim . . . and against those who try to stop him.

"How," Rhyme says, "can you defend yourself against the man who knows everything?"

As the invisible 522 attacks his pursuers through identity theft and outright torture and murder, the stymied police have to turn to the likely source of the data the killer uses—the eerie and monolithic Strategic Systems Datacorp, headed by the legendary data mining pioneer, Andrew Sterling, whose "mission" is the creation of a global empire based not on politics or money but on information.

"Knowledge is power," Sterling continually reminds.

And for Lincoln Rhyme, the case has an added dimension: Arthur's reemergence draws him back to his childhood and teen years and forces the criminalist to grapple with a tragedy from his past he has avoided for decades.

The Broken Window is classic Deaver fare: Taking place over three frantic days, the novel features dozens of twists and turns, fascinating, highly researched details—about identity theft, data mining and threats to privacy, as well as forensic science—and, of course, offers the typical multiple surprise endings the author is known for crafting.

The Broken Window will be released in hardcover in the USA and Canada on June 3, 2008, and in the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand on July 24, 2008.

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"That's the duty of the old," said the Librarian, "to be anxious on behalf of the young. And the duty of the young is to scorn the anxiety of the old." They sat for a while longer, and then parted, for it was late, and they were old and anxious.

A love story set against the backdrop of the 1960s amid the turbulent years of anti-war protest, mind exploration and rock 'n roll, the film moves from the dockyards of Liverpool to the creative psychedelia of Greenwich Village, from the riot-torn streets of Detroit to the killing fields of Vietnam. The star-crossed lovers, Jude (Jim Sturgess) and Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood), along with a small group of friends and musicians are swept up into the emerging anti-war and counterculture movements with "Dr. Robert" (Bono) and "Mr. Kite" (Eddie Izzard) as their guides. Tumultuous forces outside their control ultimately tear the young lovers apart, forcing Jude and Lucy -- against all odds -- to find their own way back to each other.

The movie was very much like Billy Joel's Movin Out in how it set characters in the appropriate time period and made them face situations represented in the music, but instead of Billy Joel, Across the Universe uses songs only by The Beatles. And I was amazed to find out how many of the songs I would have sworn were not by The Beatles.

In Across the Universe we see much of the 1960s American culture through the lives of a few young adults. When Jude comes to the US from England (Liverpool!) he makes some friends who will challenge the way he sees the world - as the world changes around him.

All of the songs were sung by the cast, whether it was Jim Sturgess (Jude), Evan Rachel Wood (Lucy), or anyone else. The singing was great, the song choices were great, and the scenes into which they were incorporated were great. I'm not sure if I should praise the writers or the director or both for the scenes picked and the cast member(s) chosen to sing. There was at least one time when the singing was done by someone who was seemingly just an extra in the film and it was very powerful for me.

I've not been able to understand the storm by which Evan Rachel Wood has taken the film industry. But she was good in this role, but more in her non-talking scenes. Her emotions are great, but I find that most of the time she comes off as too young. Separately, I thought she did a great job singing.

The movie starts well and ends well after a short break in the middle. I thought the story took a dump for a while when working in the psychodelic 60s, but that part did feature a brilliant cameo by Bono. The story was VERY artsy. Sometimes it was a little over-the-top, others it was beautifully artistic. I really enjoyed Across the Universe and the more I think about it, the more I realized how much I liked it.

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Joe Oramas: Hey listen, if you guys do something later, can I join you? Finbar McBride: We're not gonna do something. Joe Oramas: No, I know, but if you do, can I join you? Finbar McBride: We're not gonna do something later. Joe Oramas: Okay, but, if you do? Finbar McBride: Okay. Joe Oramas: Cool.

Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson

We were going out stealing horses. That was what he said, standing at the door to the cabin where I was spending the summer with my father. I was fifteen. It was 1948 and one of the first days of July.

Trond's friend Jon often appeared at his doorstep with an adventure in mind for the two of them.

But this morning was different. What began as a joy ride on "borrowed" horses ends with Jon falling into a strange trance of grief. Trond soon learns what befell Jon earlier that day -- an incident that marks the beginning of a series of vital losses for both boys.

At age sixty-seven, Trond has settled into a rustic cabin in an isolated part of eastern Norway to live the rest of his life with a quiet deliberation. A meeting with his only neighbor, however, forces him to reflect on that fateful summer.

Petterson's subtle prose and profound vision make Out Stealing Horses and unforgettable novel -- an achingly good read.

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Loving him was particularly tricky because he was inaccessible in a sort of wacky way. Like so many of these twenty-something guys he was a perpetual traveler in outer space. What are you guys looking for out there? Trysts with aliens? I don't get it. Never have. He was one of those men who could talk articulately about anything -- food or movies or music or current events -- but you could discern in the middle of his conversation that he had commenced to brood about something else that was not making its way into the mix. Right at the table he'd disappear on you and you couldn't get him back.

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters

In this hilarious, critically-acclaimed arcade showdown, an unprecedented rivarly rocks the electronic world to its core! Join novice gamer Steve Wiebe on his quest to destroy the top score of gaming legend Billy Mitchell, the uncontested champion of the Donkey Kong world for over 20 years -- and find out which of them can truly claim the title King of Kong!

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Paul Edgecomb: They usually call death row the Last Mile, but we called ours the Green Mile, because the floor was the color of faded limes. We had the electric chair then. Old Sparky, we called it. I've lived a lot of years, Ellie, but 1935 takes the prize. That was the year I had the worst urinary infection of my life. That was also the year of John Coffey and the two dead girls.

Critics are calling Ben Affleck's directorial debut "mesmerizing." (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone) When two young private detectives (Casey Affleck, Good Will Hunting, and Michelle Monaghan, Mission: Impossible III) are hired to take a closer look into the mysterious disappearance of a little girl, they soon unravel a multitude of twists and turns where nothing is what it seems. Ultimately they must risk everything -- their relationship, their sanity, and even their lives -- in the search to find her. Casey Affleck and Morgan Freeman are electrifying, and Amy Ryan (Capote) delivers "a vibrant, knockout performance" (Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times) in this edge-of-your-seat crime drama. Gone Baby Gone "will have you talking long after it's over." (Christy Lemire, The Associated Press)

When a young girl is taken from her home in broad daylight, a young private detective is her only defense against the child-kidnapping statistics. To get her alive, she must be found almost immediately and the clock has already been ticking. The detective, an unlikely toughguy, is getting little help from the police and no help at all from the girl's mother. He will have to face many physical and moral conflicts if he hopes to find her.

This movie was very good, but I liked it for the story and not the acting. Casey Affleck was very unbelievable as the hard-nosed private detective who pushed the limits to get the answers he wanted. Michelle Monaghan was in the movie just so there was a pretty girl on screen occasionally. The back of the DVD acclaims Morgan Freeman's performance, but it only does so to mention he's in the movie so you'll have another reason to want to see it. His part is minor and he is good as always, but it is too small of a part to base your decision on. But there was some good acting among all this.

Amy Ryan was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for her role as the missing child's uncooperative mother. She was great, and her performance is worth seeing if you like to catch up on the Oscar nods.

Maybe my fanboy bias will come through a little here, but I can't help it; I am a big Ed Harris fan. He shares a lot of scenes with Casey, which helped neutralize how ridiculous the young Affleck was at times. He does good work, but Amy Ryan is still your star.

The story is almost classic pulp in the way it had some over-the-top dialogue and a quickened pace. It moves along very fluidly and I never had that "check my watch and see how much is left" itch.

Another thing I should mention - and I wish I had links to support this - is Ben Affleck's directorial debut. I have heard/read many reviews of this movie that say that Ben has shown on which side of the camera he belongs (my apologies for not being able to give credit to the originator of that comment). I'm afraid that is more of a jab at his much maligned career on-screen rather than praise for his successful first-attempt at directing, however. But for whatever little it's worth, I thought he added to the feel of the movie, especially with the shots of the Boston neighborhoods that reminded me of what Spike Lee did for New York in Clockers (and pretty much every other movie he's made).

Gone Baby Gone was a great story and one that leaves watchers tangled up in the same moral dilemmas the characters faced. I enjoyed the puzzles the plot created and how they were put together. Some performances weren't the best, but Amy Ryan was very deserving of the Oscar nomination she received for this part and maybe you should see it just to judge for yourself if she should have won, if nothing else.

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Emma Russell: Who are you? Simon: Nobody has a clue. Least of all me.

Late one night, Charlie Baxter wakes with a start from a bad dream and decides to take a walk through his Ann Arbor neighborhood. After catching sight of two lovers entangled together on the fifty-yard line of the football field, he comes upon Bradley W. Smith, a friend and fellow insomniac, who convinces Charlie to listen to the first of many tales that will become a luminous narrative of love in its sublime, agonizing, and eternal complexity.

We meet Kathryn, Bradley's first wife, who leaves her husband for another woman, and Diana, Bradley's second wife, whose cold, secretive nature makes her more suitable as a mistress than as a spouse. We meet Chloe and Oscar, whose dreams for their future together are more traditional than their multiple body piercings and wild public displays of affection might suggest. We meet Esther and Harry Ginsberg, Bradley's neighbors, whose love for their lost son persists despite his hatred of them. And we follow Bradley, ex-husband, employer, and friend, on his journey toward conjugal happiness. The community of souls found in The Feast of Love is unforgettable -- as is the perfect symphony their harmonized voices create.

An author takes a walk one night to combat his insomnia and he bumps into a neighbor who becomes his muse for a new book. This neighbor promises new perspective on the oft discussed topic of love. Many stories follow that cover various contexts for the often illusive thing; there is husband-wife love, wife-lover love, boy-girl love, parent-child love, boss-employee love, lonely man-mysterious girl love and more.

I will admit that I let my expectations get the better of me as I began to read. I allowed myself to (I feel) be lead to believe that the two men who could not sleep would share and discuss a selection of anecdotes on the subject. There would be third-person retelling of a story about love and two men, romantic or skeptic, would give it depth.

In place of that the book was first-person retelling of the stories from characters who were too ordinary to be entertaining. The Feast of Love was very Jerry Seinfeld, very quick to emphasize themes that occur in almost all of our lives. I have never developed an appreciation for this.

Charles Baxter was a surprisingly talented writer. He sprinkled the book with some wonderful literary gems, but the story as a whole lacked in substance. I think that anyone who reads The Feast of Love would highlight/underline/jot down/post on the web many snippets, or gems, and no two people would necessarily be moved by the same ones. From that angle, I liked that there was a broad mix.

Without the occasional silver-lining excerpt, The Feast of Love was an unremarkable book. The story was intended to be full of ordinary people, but I'm not sure they were supposed to seem so...plain. Admittedly I thought the book was headed in a different direction and my disappointment and bias is on record. I liked parts of The Feast of Love, but not the book in its entirety.

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...and all of a sudden I realized how much he meant to me. I found myself wanting to say that I hoped Roy Lee would always be my friend, and that I could be his, no matter what happened to us or where we went or how far apart we were. I settled for hitting him on the shoulder and then letting him hit me back, a good balled fist to the shoulder that hurt. That said everything I wanted to say without letting the words get in the way of it, anyway.

You've never seen anything like Sunshine, the stunningly original sci-fi action-adventure from groundbreaking director Danny Boyle (28 Days Later).

It is the year 2057, the sun is dying and mankind faces extinction. Earth's last hope rests with a courageous crew of eight men and women on a mission to ignite the fading star with a massive nuclear weapon. Deep into their voyage, out of radio contact with Earth, their mission begins to unravel and they find themselves fighting not only for their lives, but for the future of us all. With twists and turns you won' see coming, this pulse-pounding journey to the sun is a nonstop thrill ride.

The fate of the universe rests on the shoulders of a small crew of surprisingly young and good looking scientists. They must deliver their payload - a giant nuclear weapon - directly to the center of the sun. Theirs is the second such mission and there is neither time nor resources available to send a third; without the success of their mission, the fading sun will die. They try to make their way to the sun without burning up to drop off the bomb, but things start to go wrong.

This story was pretty creative. I liked it from the major premise down to the details of the ship that was taking them to the sun. It had been a long time since I had seen a sci-fi thriller like this, and I think it is safe to admit that it is a genre of film I enjoy. The only concern I would have is originality.

While I feel there was a lot of originality in Sunshine, this movie was eerily similar to Event Horizon. I think they are different enough to enjoy separately, but alike enough that you won't be able to watch them back-to-back.

I thought the makers did a great job casting this film. They took some names and faces which are just beyond the reach of mainstream. Desipite any possible similarities to other sci-fi movies that take place in a futuristic outer space, I liked Sunshine.

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