Sleeper Recommendations.

This is a blog where I recommend a few things media that have flown under the radar a bit. They're great and the world should know about them.

Film: In Bruges

It's the movie that scored several Golden Globe noms and even a best actor (comedic) win for Colin Farell. It even just got an Oscar Nomination for Best Originl Screenplay which, in my opinion it absolutely deserves. It's also a film very few people have seen or heard of. I've never seen a film that so completely utilized the concepts of set-up and pay-off. Watch closely and you'll see that nearly everything that's mentioned earlier in the film is touched on later on. But that's just the film geek in me talking. This film isn't so artsy that it's not enjoyable. It's very much the opposite. Like Grosse Pointe Blank (one of my favorite films) it takes a hilarious view at men who do murder for a living. It's the type of work a talented actor like Farell belongs in. Over the past few years he's been wasted in mindless action movies, here he's able to be funny and charming and even vulnerable at times. I loved watching his completely rude, un-pc, but tragically repentant character. Do yourself a favor and at least rent it.

Books: Flash Fiction: 72 Very Short Stories
This book was assigned to us in my English class this semester to give us both quick examples of narrative styles and as a guide to concise writing. It also happens to be very entertaining. As you can tell from the title, it's a book of 72 very short stories from various different authors. In fact, no story is longer than 750 words and they're all about 2 pages long. Why is this great? Well if you're like me you don't have a ton of time to read these days. Here are stories you can read in just a few minutes. They vary in theme and style. Some are very humerous, some are very serious. Some are grounded in reality and some are complete fantasy. All are worth reading. Especially since it wont take up much of your day.

TV: Burn Notice
Ok, there's not a ton of depth to this one. It's a guilty pleasure. But everyone who knows me knows I don't feel guilty about my pleasures and will freely admit them. Burn Notice is currently in its second season on USA and I worry it'll be its last. I'm not sure it's catching on as well as it's sea of quirky detective shows. It's about a former spy who's been "burned" or black-listed and exiled to Miami. While he tries to figure out who burned him he uses the knowledge and skills gathered in his life as a spy to help every day people with their problems.
You can tell by now that this show isn't Mad Men or Weeds. There's not a ton of depth or social commentary to it. It wont be strutting around with bucket-loads of Emmies. It's more of, like I said, a guilty pleasure. You get to see Jeffrey Donovan as a spy kicking ass and essentially reciting every recipe from The Anarchist's Cookbook (in one episode he tells how to melt someone's engine block, build a flash grenade, and bullet-proof your own car all using items you can find at the grocery store) while interacting with his only two - very amusing - friends.
Oh, and Bruce Campbell's in it.

Music: Natalie Walker
I accidentally stumbled upon Natalie Walker's myspace page when I saw her on the friend list of some obscure featured artist that I don't even remember. Her music impressed me so much more. Since then I've downloaded her entire "Urban Angel" album and sampled as much of her work as I could. The music itself is soft, dreamy electronic with somewhat bluesy vocals. It's perfect for relaxing or snuggling up with someone. Also, I have a huge crush on her. But that came AFTER I found her music. So I'm not being biased. Good songs to start with would be "Crush" or "Quicksand." If you like what you hear, keep listening.

Internet: Cracked.com
The comedy magazine that used to be second to Mad as gone exclusively digital now (Michael Scott must've been crushed to find his subscription discontinued). The web site is filled with hilarious articles, blogs, and lists spanning various categories. Read over a list of urban legends that are actually true, a list of the most disturbing sex toys (that do exist and are for sale), or why it sucks worse to be single than you thought (lower pay and short life expectancy?). It's become my biggest time waster on the net. Give it a look sometime, but you'll be clicking links to other articles so often you'll think you're at wikipedia. Make sure you have some time on your hands.

That's all for now.