Amazing - Recommended
Average - Waste of Money

"Serpent Bride" by Sara Douglass RECOMMENDED
This is the first book in the new trilogy "DarkGlass Mountain." It starts off slow. The story is vast and encompassing and takes a while to set up but by the last page the reader is hooked. Sara Douglass is a master of the series and many will be waiting impatiently for the last novel to be published.
-Melissa Hubble

“30 Rock” AMAZING
The award winning sitcom produced, written and directed by the infamous Tina Fey is back. Talk about talent! This season’s episodes will feature celebrity appearances. Last week’s showing of Jennifer Aniston’s was simply high-strung. Seeing America’s sweetheart on consistent caffeine highs and slightly schizophrenic was comedy at its best. Catch it on Hulu. It’s sure to bring back memories of “Friends.”
-Jomain McKenzie

Santa Fe Cattle Co. RECOMMENDED
The food rocks and, other than the alcoholic beverages, the prices are pretty good. Take a friend or date there and get the dinner for two with steak, chicken, ribs and four sides in order to get a good feel for their cooking. And yes there can be a bit of wait, but the infinite amount of peanuts in the waiting area make the whole experience quite unique.
-Jonnathon Hicks

"Iron Man" AVERAGE
"Iron Man" has amazing special effects but lacks a little in creativity. There is the usual flawed but genuine superhero with a cute but dingy secretary that becomes his love interest, along with the bald, bearded good guy that ends up being the bad guy. Fairly predictable but with some humorous moments, “Iron Man” is an overall acceptable film.
-Katherine Cox

"Joker" AMAZING
This graphic novel gives the reader a truly original look into Batman’s true nemesis: The Joker. Told through a small-time gangster’s point of view, this story features amazing versions on many of Batman’s other villains, including The Riddler and Two-Face. This noir story fits very well with the hyper-realism the latest film introduced.
-Jonnathon Hicks

"Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist" AVERAGE
This is definitely a unique movie, and it stays true to real life—city high school life, at least. There is also a hilarious/disgusting scene involving gum and a toilet. Although there are some funny parts and a few sweet moments, Nick and Norah is overall merely an average movie.
-Naomi Bremer

“Fable II” RECOMMENDED
The sequel to Xbox’s popular “Fable” game delivers a good time to anyone with the patience to play a role-playing game. The choices that determine how good or evil your character is delve even deeper than before and are accompanied by a healthy dose of humor.
-Cynthia Mellon

“Wristcutters: A Love Story” AVERAGE
This is not a typical love story. Lead character Eugene kills himself after breaking up with his girlfriend, Desiree, only to find that people who commit suicide go on living their previous lives. Several months in, he falls in love with a girl he meets along the way. If it were not for the lame, clichéd cinematic twist at the end, this movie would actually be fairly decent.
-Katherine Cox

"Fallout 3" AMAZING
This post-apocalyptic game is set in 2277 A.D. after a nuclear war. The game is beautiful, no matter what console it’s on. The soundtrack from the future is haunting and slightly creepy, especially while the player runs through the charred ruins of Washington, D.C. Overall, it is a spectacular game that has been long-awaited by gamers everywhere.
-Melissa Hubble

"Silent Hill" RECOMMENDED
This movie is so scary the viewers will have nightmares for weeks, but it’s so compelling and interesting that they really won’t mind. The story goes far beyond the usual scary movie fare that even those who don’t like being scared will watch it.
-Melissa Hubble

"Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon" AMAZING
This film-about-a-film follows a group of journalists who have decided to make a documentary covering a local, infamous serial killer. A good mix of cleverness, satire, dark humor and slasher stereotypes makes the predictability of the plot worthwhile.
-Cynthia Mellon

"Arsenic and Old Lace" AMAZING
This old black and white film follows an advocate of bachelorhood who finds out on his wedding day (which happens to be Oct. 31) that his aunts are serial killers and his deranged, murderous cousin shows up. Despite its seemingly morbid theme, viewers will die from laughter.
-Katherine Cox

"Bizenghast" AMAZING
This graphic novel by M. Alice LeGrow showcases stunning art work and a bit of Gothic humor. "Bizenghast" follows the story of Dinah Wherever, a young girl who sees ghosts and unwittingly binds herself in a contract to a sunken mausoleum in the middle of a mysterious disappearing graveyard on the outskirts of the broken-down town Bizenghast.
-Katherine Cox

"Brutal Massacre" AMAZING
Hilarious and witty satire fills this mockumentary with tons of laughs. The films focuses on a washed-up horror film director trying to make one great film. Gunnar Hansen of "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" turns out a classic performance as the creepy homeowner of the house the film crew uses in their production. -Jonnathon Hicks

"Eagle Eye" RECOMMENDED
Although "Eagle Eye" by no means has an original plot (think: "1984"), it does have excellent acting, good cinematography and lots of tension—all components of an outstanding action thriller. It can be unbelievable at times but it’s enjoyable and never, ever slow. This is a movie worth seeing.
-Naomi Bremer

"Heavenly Sword" AVERAGE
What looks to be a simple hack and slash game with a better than average story is actually so completely hard that many will lose interest after the extremely difficult levels. One level actually makes the player control an arrow by moving PS3 controller in different directions. The story is great, but players will never see it unless they can figure out how to levitate their controller.
-Melissa Hubble

“Taxi to the Dark Side” AMAZING
This Academy Award winning documentary puts torture into perspective. The title comes from an innocent Afghan taxi driver who was arrested and tortured to death. This story branches into a harrowing detailed account of how torture of enemy combatants has evolved. This is required viewing for all Americans.
-Jonnathon Hicks

“Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins AMAZING
“Hunger Games” is a unique look into a war-ravaged future and the government’s cruel way of reminding citizens that it is in charge. Although technically a young adult novel, this is also a great story for the more mature with a well-thought out plot, solid characters and great imagery.
-Naomi Bremer

"The Force Unleashed" AMAZING
This game is an absolute must for any Star Wars fan. The storyline is wonderful and takes place between episode three and episode four. The game play is solid with a few targeting issues. Overall, it’s an excellent game.
-Melissa Hubble

"Amazing Spider-Man" #572 RECOMMENDED
The fifth installment of "New Ways to Die" brings out the best in the old web-head. But Bullseye, Norman Osborn and Anti-Venom steal the show. The action and plot remain strong, with the Thunderbolts having to rely on their "shadow member" Bullseye to hunt down Spider-Man. The last page will give any reader goosebumps.
-Jonnathon Hicks

"Pushing Daisies: Season 1" RECOMMENDED
Season one of "Pushing Daisies" is sweet and thoughtful with a truly original premise. A few characters border on overly adorable and therefore unbelievable, but the show’s wistfulness and originality make up for it before the end of the season.
-Naomi Bremer

"Chuck: Season One" AMAZING
Debuting on DVD is season one of "Chuck," a comedy about a nerd in a dead-end job who accidentally gets the contents of a spy supercomputer downloaded to his brain. Geeky and hilarious, "Chuck" is as watchable as it is implausible.
-Naomi Bremer

"Warhammer: Age of Reckoning" RECOMMENDED
While still in beta testing, and with the usual beta glitches, this new massively multi-player online game is fabulous. The in-game graphics are beautiful and the classes are incredible. Both sides of order and chaos are equally fun.
-Melissa Hubble

ECU Tiger Bookstore RECOMMENDED
Bam! Students walk in and are engulfed in a world filled with Tigers. This year the ECU Bookstore greatly increased its products. From t-shirts, key chains, jewelry and amazing candy, the Bookstore offers an impressive line of merchandise. They have a few books too.
-Luke Cypert

“Float” – Flogging Molly RECOMMENDED
This album was released back in March, but still has one listening. The album departs some from the older Flogging Molly works, adding a much more rock-like feel.
–Tomas Tillery

Goldfrapp – “Seventh Tree” RECOMMENDED
Alison Goldfrapp has returned to her ambient roots on “Seventh Tree,” leaving the dancey, electro sound of her previous two albums behind. The songs are pretty and each one is unique. It is good for chill-out purposes, but those who skipped over the softer songs on “Black Cherry” need not apply.
-Cynthia Mellon

The Faint – “Fasciinatiion” AVERAGE
The Faint’s latest album is definitely recognizable as The Faint, utilizing their signature upbeat electro sound. However, as compared to their previous albums, it seems like they’ve run out of new ideas. The level of mediocrity here is blinding, which is disappointing, given the source.
–Cynthia Mellon

The Dandy Warhols – “Earth to the Dandy Warhols” AVERAGE
The key word here is “boring.” The Dandy Warhols cast off most of their previous genre-dabbling in favor of spacey, nearly psychedelic pop rock. The songs are good. The fact that most of the songs sound the same is bad. A couple of interesting tracks break the monotony, but the album as a whole is a difficult listen.
–Cynthia Mellon

“Fortune’s Fool” AMAZING
Mercedes Lackey’s "Tales of the 500 Kingdoms" series is simply wonderful. She intertwines characters and scenes of fairy tales from all over the world and combines elements from Russian, American and Japanese folklore. It makes for a terrific novel and engrossing series.
–Melissa Hubble

“Mercenaries 2” RECOMMENDED
This game is mainly recommended for fans of "Mercenaries." It's a good game but some minor glitches may make game play a little too frustrating. The helicopter sometimes just hovers over resources that need to be picked up. Overall, though, the game is pretty good.
–Melissa Hubble

"Babylon A.D." RECOMMENDED
The futuristic movie features the return of Vin Diesel to science fiction. Shaky camera work and flawed character development keep this film from being great, but it's worth a viewing.
–Jonnathon Hicks

Robots in Disguise – "We’re in the Music Biz" AMAZING
Indie kids who are looking for something fun and obscure should look no further than Robots in Disguise. “We’re in the Music Biz” offers ten catchy tunes with a new wave influence. Though unusual at times, once the Robots have you hooked there’s no turning back.
-Cynthia Mellon

"Kushiel’s Dart" AMAZING
The beginning novel in Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel’s Legacy series is simply astounding. Her tale of gods, goddesses, wars and court intrigue is so engrossing that the 816 pages just fly by. Luckily, there are seven more novels after this one.
-Melissa Hubble

"Ultimate Spider-Man" #125 RECOMMENDED
The third chapter of the “War of the Symbiotes” arc delivers the action and clever dialogue that has made this comic a consistent hit. It manages to present the story of Venom’s return in a fresh new way, while keeping its roots true.
-Jonnathon Hicks

"Arkham Horror Expansion" RECOMMENDED
The fifth Arkham Horror expansion, "Black Goat of the Woods," is a card-only expansion, adding no board. With the introduction of difficulty cards, and as always new twists, this expansion adds a new level of fun to Lovecraftian Horror.
-Tomas Tillery

"Tropic Thunder" AVERAGE
This is a movie about making a movie—or rather, about a failed but hilarious attempt to make a guerilla-style war drama. Ben Stiller gives a merely average performance as an insecure action star, but it’s Robert Downey Jr. who truly shines as Kirk Lazarus.
-Naomi Bremer