Picks of the Week

Movie: 25th Hour (2002) Director: Spike Lee

Edward Norton has always delivered strong performances. Fight Club, American History X, and Rounders are just a few of them. His strongest, however, has to be in the Spike Lee Joint, 25th Hour. Norton plays Monty Brogan, a convicted drug dealer, who has one last day of freedom before serving a seven-year prison sentence. What would you do if you had one day to be with the ones you love before you went away for such a long time? Well, Monty spends it with his friends, saying goodbyes to the ones he loves. Just as anyone would agree, friends are some of the most important people you will ever meet. They're there for you in the good times and the bad.

Album: Troubadour By: K'Naan

Back in February I heard the name K'naan and thought nothing of it. After hearing "Wavin' Flag," I was very impressed by his work. For those of you who don't know, "Wavin' Flag" is the official song of the 2010 World Cup (which starts in less than 200 days!). Other songs, such as "I Come Prepared" and "Fatima" make this an album to, at the very least, give an honest listening. Rap is currently ruled by those who talk about money and apple-bottom jeans. What ever happened to meaningful lyrics? K'naan delivers those. Give this a listen if you like Mos Def, 88keys, or Common. You won't be disappointed.

Book: Shutter Island By: Dennis Lehane

When Martin Scorsese makes a film, I become obsessed with everything revolving around it. When Shutter Island was pushed back to February, my autumn film season took a huge hit. If you are like me, you were probably just as disappointed with the quality of films in what has become known as "Oscar Season." After seeing the trailer for the film, I was curious as to how the story would pan out, so I read the book. To say the least, I was amazed. It's a psychological drama of great proportions. The film's tagline really fits the novel well, and I am more excited to see Shutter Island than I was before. Lesson learned! Nothing really is what it seems.