Snakehead by Anthony Horowitz

The latest installment in the Alex Rider series takes us from Australia to Bangkok.  After Alex’s adventure in space he crash lands off the coast Australia.  He is rescued by authorities and held in Sydney until his “visa clears”.  However, the visa problems were just a ploy for Australian Secret Service to try to talk Alex into a mission for them.  This time the mission is to infiltrate the Snakehead organization that is responsible for most of the crime in Asia.  Australian officials are able to talk Alex into the adventure by telling him that his partner will be ASH, a former friend of Alex’s parents.  The plan is to disguise themselves as Afghans and get sent down the pipeline to Australia however, nothing ever goes according to plan in Alex’s world.

Questions are answered and new ones arise in this thrilling volume of the Alex Rider Series.  The next book, Crocodile Tears is set for release on November 12th, 2009.

Taken by Pierre Morel

Taken starring Liam Neeson (Star Wars Episode I, Schindler’s List) and Maggie Grace (Lost) is the story of  a girl kidnapped while vacationing in Paris and her father’s effort to get her back.  Kimberly the 17 year-old daughter of retired spy has been abducted into the world of human trafficking.  Her father, Bryan Mills, is immediately set into action calling upon old contacts and getting into gunfights and car chases.  After several certain death scenes that he escapes it is apparent that Mills is highly motivated (to say the least).  Ripping through the underworld, Mills muscles his way through leads until he finally finds out the truth about his daughter.

The movie was great from beginning to end.  The action was relentless and the cinematography top notch.  Coming from the minds that brought you The Fifth Element and Leon: the Professional you just know this movie will be excellent.  The effects of human trafficking are hard to watch but the story will stick with you long after the film is over.

This movie is highly recommended for action/thriller fans as well followers of Luc Besson’s work.  Liam Neeson is perfect for the role of the disenfranchised ex-spy while Maggie Grace makes a great damsel-in-distress (not to far from her role Lost).  All in all the movie is a must see for action fans, I mean check out how bad ass Liam Neeson looks without a light saber.

I Know Who Killed Me by Chris Sivertson

Lindsay Lohan’s career has seen all sorts of ups and downs.  Unfortunately, you can not get much lower than this.  I know who killed me is the story of a girl who has been abducted, tortured, and left for dead.  As she wakes in the hospital she has no idea who anyone is and is convinced that she is someone else.  The doctor’s think she has amnesia but it could be much more than they think. 

I can’t say this movie is predictable because you would need to have some elements of foreshadowing in order to predict what was coming.  Lindsay’s two roles in the movie could have displayed her dynamic acting ability, however, it showcased the opposite.  I have to say she worked well as a pre-teen for Disney, but today her best work is in the tabloids.  Terrible, terrible movie! 

Dexter & Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeffry Lindsay

After one episode I knew Dexter would be one of my favorite TV shows, after the first season it stands only behind Twin Peaks as greatest shows of all time (probably only in my mind). This series is fairly faithfully based on Jeffry Lindsay’s Darkly Dreaming Dexter. Dexter Morgan is a serial killer, but don’t let that get to you, he’s a good guy! He has a relationship, a career, and his own place…he is by no means a weirdo. Though he may have his dark side, he also has a code; Harry’s code. These are a set of rules that Dexter lives by. He never kills anyone that doesn’t deserve it. As a blood splatter analysis he is able to find people most deserving of his personal attention. The book is fascinating read and the series just brings these characters to life! Do not miss this one!

Cloverfield by Matt Reeves

With out spoiling too much, I have too say Cloverfield is a very creative film. The premise is that something has attacked the city and some people at a party who have a video camera film the chaos as it unfolds. Basically it is as if Godzilla was shot from one of the little bystanders on the street. The graphics are incredible and very believable and the point of view approach keeps the viewers in the dark as much as the characters in the film. WARNING: it has been reported that this movie cause motion sickness, it is no lie, someone in my theater threw up (I know I just had to tell you).

Casshern by Kazuaki Kiriya

After Asia wins the Fifty Year War against the robot armies of Europe, there is relative peace. However, to battle constant radiation and genetic mutation from the war science has found ‘neo-cells’ which exist only in ‘original humans’. These original humans live in Sector 7 and stayed neutral during the 50 year war, but now that they have a scientific use they have been declared enemies of the state and are rounded up for experimentation and ‘neo-cell’ extraction. When the experimentation goes horribly wrong and the ‘Original Human’ are returning from the dead more powerful than before. Now a hero must rise…will Casshern return?

This movie is amazing! Every frame of the movie is touched by flawless CGI which makes it visually stunning. The story is interesting but the effects are what will keep you into the movie. A review from the box claims it is better than the Matrix but truth be told it blows The Matrix out of the water!

Dark Water by Walter Salles

A woman (Jennifer Connelly, Labyrinth) going through a divorce is searching for an apartment for her and her daughter. She finds one in a run down apartment building in a not so great neighborhood. Though not ideal, Dahlia can not deny the low price. From the very beginning there is a presence in the apartment building and when Dahlia’s daughter makes a new friend that know one else can see, the troubles starts.

While the story is just OK, the direction is where this movie shines.  Walter Salles is master of detail and he creates a mood with his actors, Dark Water is no exception.  The movie has to be experienced from beginning to end, I recommend a comfy couch and a dark dark room.

Dark Water is a very dark movie, all the colors are drab and washed out giving the effect of dreary water all around you. A great movie to watch on a rainy night! The movie was directed by Walter Salles (Motorcycle Diaries) and was based on the novel Honogurai Mizu No Soko Kara by Koji Suzuki (author of the Ring).

Battle Royale by Koushun Takami

In a not so parallel universe Japan is run by a militaristic government where criticism is not tolerated. In order to keep
Japan in a state of control a program is enforced on a random Junior High School class. The students are taken to a secret island location, equipped with different weapons, means of survival, and are forced to kill one another. The game ends when one student is left. “Battle Royale is a Lord of the Flies for the 21st century, a potent allegory of what it means to be young and (barely) alive in a dog-eat-dog world.” This violent story explodes from the beginning and never lets up! This book has been turned into both a movie and very popular manga series. Due to its very graphic content Battle Royale is recommended for High school and up.

Koushun Takami is a reporter in Japan. His book was rejected in the final rounds of a literary contest on the grounds of its controversial subject. Battle Royale has since gone onto be a runaway bestseller in both Japanese and English.