This week's movie picks are 'Taken 2' and 'Dark Shadows'

It’s Wednesday, so today I give you my weekly list of movies that will open in theatres this week as well as a list of movies that will be released this week on DVD.

I hope this will serve as a useful guide as to what’s going on this week if you happen to be near a movie theatre or if you’re looking for something to drop into your NetFlix queue.

Movies that are scheduled to hit theatres this week include:

Butter (Comedy, R): Directed by Jim Field Smith and starring Jennifer Garner, Ty Burrell, Olivia Wilde, Hugh Jackman and Ashley Greene.

Escape Fire: The Fight To Rescue American Healthcare (Documentary, PG-13): Directed by Susan Fromke and Matthew Heineman.

Frankenweenie (Comedy, Family, PG): Directed by Tim Burton and starring the voices of Winona Ryder, Robert Capron, Charlie Tahan, Martin Short and Catherine O’Hara.

The House I Live In (Documentary, Not Rated): Directed by Eugene Jarecki.

Now, Forager (Drama): Directed by Jason Cortlund and Julia Halperin and starring Jason Cortlund, Tiffany Esteb, Gabrielle Maisels and Almex Lee.

The Oranges (Drama, Romance, R): Directed by Julian Farino and starring Leighton Meester, Hugh Laurie, Catherine Keener, Adam Brody and Alia Shawkat.

The Paperboy (Suspense, Drama, R): Directed by Lee Daniels and starring Nicole Kidman, Zac Efron, John Cusack, Matthew McConaughey and Scott Glenn.

Taken 2 (Action, PG-13): Directed by Oliver Megaton and starring Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen, Maggie Grace, Rade Serbedzija and Leland Orser.

V/H/S (Horror, R): Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, David Bruckner, Tyler Gillet, Justin Martinez, Glenn McQuaid, Radio Silence, Joe Swanberg, Chad Villella, Ti West and Adam Wingard and starring Calvin Reeder, Lane Hughes, Adam Wingard, Hannah Fierman and Mike Donlan.

Wuthering Heights (Drama, Romance): Directed by Andrea Arnold and starring James Howson, Kaya Scodelario, Shannon Beer, Solomon Glave and Oliver Milburn.

New DVD releases for the week of Sept. 25 include:

After Dusk They Come (Horror, R): Directed by Jorg Ihle and starring Kellan Lutz, Jewel Staite, Justin Baldoni, Marc Bacher and Nikki Griffin.

Chained (Suspense, R): Directed by Jennifer Lynch and starring Vincent D’Onofrio, Eamon Farren, Julia Ormond, Gina Philips and Jake Weber.

Dark Shadows (Horror, Comedy, PG-13): Directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green and Jackie Earle Haley.

General Election (Comedy, PG-13): Directed by Tom Morris and starring Chris Sheffield, Janeane Garofalo, Larry Miller, Maiara Walsh and Elaine Hendrix.

The Hole (Suspense, Horror, PG-13): Directed by Joe Dante and starring Chris Massoglia, Haley Bennett, Teri Polo, Nathan Gamble and Bruce Dern.

Munger Road (Suspense, Horror, PG-13): Directed by Nicholas Smith and starring Bruce Davison, Randall Batinkoff, Trevor Morgan, Brooke Peoples and Hallock Beals.

Peace, Love & Misunderstanding (Comedy, Drama, R): Directed by Bruce Beresford and starring Jane Fonda, Catherine Keener, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Elizabeth Olsen and Nat Wolff.

People Like Us (Drama, Comedy, PG-13): Directed by Alex Kurtzman and starring Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks, Olivia Wilde, Michelle Pfeiffer and Jon Favreau.

Red Lights (Suspense, R): Directed by Rodrigo Cortes and starring Cillian Murphy, Sigourney Weaver, Robert De Niro, Elizabeth Olsen and Toby Jones.

Sound of My Voice (Drama, R): Directed by Zal Batmanglij and starring Christopher Denham, Nicole Vicius, Brit Marling, Avery Kristen Pohl and Davenia McFadden.

If I could only watch one movie at the theatre this week, it would be “Taken 2,” and if I had to pick just one DVD to rent this week, it would be “Dark Shadows.”

In the end, let me know if you get a chance to watch any of the new movies in theatres this week or if you’ve already seen any of the movies that have just been released on DVD. What did you think about them? Which would you recommend? Let us know in the comments section below.

Daily Weather Observations for Wed., Oct. 3, 2012

Temp: 55.8 degrees F (13.2 degrees C)

Rainfall (past 24 hours): 0.0 inches

Humidity: 82 percent (Humid)

Conditions: Partly cloudy; birds audible and visible; bees visible; dogs audible in the distance; security lights still on in the distance; dew on the ground; spider in the rain gauge; moon visible.

Winds: 0.0 mph (No wind)

Barometric Pressure: 29.61 inHg.

Week to Date Rainfall: 1.8 inches

Month to Date Rainfall: 1.8 inches

Year to Date Rainfall: 60.75 inches

Local Weather Alerts: None.

Alabama River Stage at Claiborne Lock and Dam (gage height in feet):
Today: 15.83 feet
Yesterday: 11.01 feet
Change: +4.82 feet
Flood Stage: 42.0 feet

NOTES: Today is the 276th day of 2012 and the 12th day of Fall. There are 88 days left in the year.

Readings taken at 0700 hrs Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily, just west of the Monroe-Conecuh County line, near Excel, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.42834°N Lon 87.30131°W. Elevation: 400 feet above sea level. CoCoRaHS Station No. AL-MN-4, Station Name: Excel 2.5 ESE.

2012 British Fantasy Award winners announced

The winners of this year’s slate of British Fantasy Awards were announced on Sunday during the British Fantasy Convention, FantasyCon 2012, at the Royal Albion Hotel in Brighton, U.K.

For those of you unfamiliar with these awards, they were first awarded in 1971 and BFS members and the members of FantasyCon 2011 and FantasyCon 2012 selected this year’s nominees and the winners. This year’s awards include awards in the following categories – Best Fantasy Novel, Best Horror Novel, Best Novella, Best Short Story, Best Anthology, Best Collection, Best Non-Fiction, Best Artist, Best Small Press, Best Magazine and Best Graphic Novel.

The winners and nominees in the “book” categories included:

- Best Horror Novel Winner – “The Ritual” by Adam Nevill

- Best Fantasy Novel Winner – “Among Others” by Jo Walton

- Best Anthology Winner – “The Weird,” edited by Jeff and Ann Vandermeer

- Best Collection Winner – “Everyone’s Just So So Special” by Robert Shearman

- Best Magazine/Periodical Winner – “Black Static”

- Best Comic/Graphic Novel Winner – “Locke and Key” by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez

- Best Non-Fiction – “Supergods: Our World in the Age of the Super Hero” by Grant Morrison

The other nominees in the Best Novel category were:
- “The Heroes” by Joe Abercrombie
- “11.22.63” by Stephen King
- “Cyber Circus” by Kim Lakin-Smith
- “A Dance With Dragons” by George R.R. Martin

The other nominees in the Best Anthology category were:
- “A Book of Horrors,” edited by Stephen Jones
- “House of Fear,” edited by Jonathan Oliver
- “Gutshot,” edited by Conrad Williams

The other nominees in the Best Collection category were:
- “Rumours of the Marvellous” by Peter Atkins
- “Mrs. Midnight” by Reggie Oliver
- “A Glass of Shadow” by Liz Williams

The other nominees in the Best Non-Fiction category were:
- “Lest You Should Suffer Nightmares: A Biography of Herbert Van Thal” by Johnny Mains
- “Nightmare Movies: Horror on Screen Since the 1960s” by Kim Newman
- “Studies in Terror: Landmarks of Horror Cinema” by Jonathan Rigby
- “Case Notes” by Peter Tennant

The other nominees in the Best Magazine category were:
- Interzone
- SFX
- The Horror Zine

The other nominees in the Best Graphic Novel category were:
- “Animal Man” by Jeff Lemire and Travel Foreman
- “Batwoman” by J.H. Williams III and W.Haden Blackman
- “The Unwritten” by Mike Carey and Peter Gross
- “The Walking Dead” by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard

The other winners on Sunday were:

Best Novella – “Gorel and the Pot Bellied God” by Lavie Tidhar

Best Short Fiction – “The Coffin-Maker’s Daughter by Angela Slatter

Best Screenplay – “Midnight in Paris” by Woody Allen

Best Small Press - Chomu Press

Best Artist - Daniele Serra

In the end, how many of this year’s award winners and nominees have you had the chance to read? Which did you like or dislike? Which would you recommend and why? Let us know in the comments section below.

For more information about this year’s slate of winners and nominees and the British Fantasy Awards visit http://www.britishfantasysociety.co.uk.

Daily Weather Observations for Tues., Oct. 2, 2012

Temp: 63.1 degrees F (17.3 degrees C)

Rainfall (past 24 hours): 0.1 inches

Humidity: 82 percent (Humid)

Conditions: Mostly cloudy; birds audible and visible; standing water from recent rain; security lights still on in the distance; dew on the ground; spider in the rain gauge; mushrooms visible in the grass.

Winds: 0.1 mph out of the Southwest.

Barometric Pressure: 29.30 inHg.

Week to Date Rainfall: 1.8 inches

Month to Date Rainfall: 1.8 inches

Year to Date Rainfall: 60.75 inches

Local Weather Alerts: None.

Alabama River Stage at Claiborne Lock and Dam (gage height in feet):
Today: 11.01 feet
Yesterday: 7.02 feet
Change: +3.99 feet
Flood Stage: 42.0 feet

NOTES: Today is the 275th day of 2012 and the 11th day of Fall. There are 89 days left in the year.

Readings taken at 0700 hrs Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily, just west of the Monroe-Conecuh County line, near Excel, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.42834°N Lon 87.30131°W. Elevation: 400 feet above sea level. CoCoRaHS Station No. AL-MN-4, Station Name: Excel 2.5 ESE.

BUCKET LIST UPDATE – No. 558: Sell something on the Internet

I scratched another item off my bucket list late last Thursday night when I finally sold something on the Internet. I know this isn’t one of those “Climb Mount Everest” type of bucket list items, but it’s always something I’ve wanted to do.

Three people inspired me to try this. First, my wife has always encouraged me to find a way to reduce the number of old books that I have at home. I literally have a lifetime’s worth of books in my little room of a man cave, and I figured that selling some of them might be a good way to make some extra money and please my wife.

Second, several years ago, my cousin Shelly Peacock of College Station, Texas told me about how she actually paid some of her bills by going to yard sales on the weekend. She’d look for items that she thought other people would be interested in buying and then put them on eBay. From the way she talked, she made a decent amount of money this way, and I was intrigued.

Third, back in August, a coworker told me about how she’d bought and sold used textbooks online a number of times. The way she talked, setting up a seller account on Amazon was easy. Turns out, she was right.

It took me about an hour or so to get my Amazon “storefront” up and running. They even let me give it a cool name, Peacock’s Books. Over the past several weeks, I listed books that I’ve already read and have readily available here at home. I assigned them prices and waited for the orders to roll in. To me, the whole thing reminded me a lot of fishing. You put the bait on the hook and wait for someone out there in the world to bite.

It took almost three weeks, but I landed my first customer last Thursday night after I’d gone to bed. When I woke up Friday morning, I had an e-mail in my inbox that said that some guy in Conneaut Lake, Pa. (pop. 708) had ordered my copy of Apsley Cherry-Garrard’s “The Worst Journey in the World.” At first, it panged me to part with one of my all-time favorite books, but I that I can always buy another copy if I want. I do hope that the buyer enjoys reading the book as much as I did, because it’s awesome.

A few hours later, armed with the buyer’s address, I went down to the Excel Post Office and put the book in the mail. While there, I learned that the cheapest way to mail a book is to send it “book rate.” Altogether, it cost me a little over $5 to mail the book because I had to buy an envelope at the post office, which cut into my profit some. Amazon gave me a $3.99 allowance for shipping, so anything over that cut into what I stood to make on the sale. Lesson learned.

In the end, I enjoyed scratching another item off of my bucket list. It wasn’t a biggie, but I do count it as a confirmed kill. How many of you out there have ever sold anything on the Internet? What did you sell? Have you ever made any serious money this way? Is it something you do often? Let us know in the comments section below.

Yesterday's News from The Evergreen Courant for Oct. 1, 2012

19 YEARS AGO
OCT. 7, 1993

“Braxton C. Counts Jr. has been hired by the Conecuh County Commission to fill the vacant county engineer’s position. Counts brings 43 years experience in highway engineering and construction to the post.”

“A special gathering was held last Thursday recognizing the area’s doctors. The event was sponsored by the Evergreen-Conecuh County Chamber of Commerce and was held at the Evergreen Inn. Pictured during the event are Chamber President Marc Williams, Chairman of the Board at Evergreen Hospital Bill McKenzie, Hospital Administrator Gil McKenzie, Dr. Joe Westwood, Dr. Tom Hartman, Dr. Myriam Leonardo, Dr. Fred West, Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Rosalyn Skipper and Dr. H.P. Kinsey. Drs. Mark Roberts and Stanley Barnes were unable to attend.”

“There’s always something new and different about Heritage Day, and this year is no exception. The annual celebration is set for Sat., Oct. 16, but the festivities begin this Saturday with the Miss Heritage Pageant at Ed Reid State Technical College’s Wiley Salter Auditorium at 7 p.m.
“The featured entertainment for Heritage Day will be the Country Comic from Yazoo City, Mississippi… Jerry Clower. Tickets are on sale at several area businesses and the Chamber of Commerce office to see and hear Clower’s hilarious show Saturday night at Brooks Memorial Stadium.
“Clower will not be alone as the River Road Band will be the opening act.”

34 YEARS AGO
OCT. 5, 1978

“Earl Windham reports .28 of an inch of rain on Sept. 26 and .20 on Sept. 29. Total rainfall for September was only 1.64 inches. Ole Earl said: ‘Well, dear Ole Bob, the weather is still dry, but we are having some cool nights and we will get the rain when we need it.”

“Bud Evers was awarded the Eagle Scout Badge, the highest rank in the Boy Scouts, at an impressive ceremony held Saturday night at the Evergreen United Methodist Church. Bud’s proud parents, Mr. and Mrs. Clarence E. ‘Buddy’ Evers, are standing by him. Sharing their pride are Assistant Scoutmaster Eddie Edeker and Scoutmaster Mabry Stuckey of Evergreen Troop 40 and Tommy Johnston of Brewton, District Order of the Arrow advisor.”

“Brothers achieving the Eagle Scout rank are Jack Weaver and Joey Weaver, sons of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Weaver, Brewton. The two boys are the grandsons of Mr. and Mrs. W.G. Booker and the late Mr. and Mrs. J.B. Weaver, all of Route 1, Evergreen.”

“The Evergreen City Council adopted a budget of $1,040,317 for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 1979 at its meeting Tuesday night. This is the first time the city’s budget has ever topped the million dollar mark.”

“Tal Stuart III, president of the Conecuh County Cattlemen’s Association, has been named to lead the October Beef Month Celebration in Conecuh County for 1978.”

49 YEARS AGO
OCT. 3, 1963

“Bower Memorial Baptist Chapel will be constituted into a full, cooperating Southern Baptist Church on Sunday afternoon at 2:30. The service will be conducted at the Chapel on Pecan Street and everyone is invited to attend.
“The constitution of the Bower Church fulfills the dreams and prayers of a group who held their first meeting on Jun 29, 1958, in the home of the late Mr. and Mrs. M.V. Bower on Pecan Street.”

“Palmer Smith has accepted a position in the pharmacy department of the Conecuh Drug Co., owner J.S. Dunn announces. He began his duties at the local drug store last week.
“Smith is a native of this county, growing up in Belleville and Evergreen. He graduated from the Evergreen High School in 1958, where he was an outstanding student. He earned his degree in pharmacy from Howard College, graduating in May of this year.”

“Judge E.T. ‘Short’ Millsap, veteran Monroe County judge of probate, died Tuesday night in Monroeville following a long illness. Judge Millsap was a native of this county, growing up in and near Evergreen.”

“CHANUTE AFB, Ill. – Civil Air Patrol (CAP) Cadet Elmer Marvin Padgett of Evergreen, Ala. has completed a week-long aerospace age orientation course here.”

“MARION, Sept. 27 – Cadet James T. Ward of Evergreen has been selected as a member of the Marion Institute White Knights, famous precision drill team at the 122-year-old military preparatory school and junior college.”

64 YEARS AGO
OCT. 7, 1948

“New city officials who were elected at the recent election on Sept. 20, 1948 were sworn in by City Clerk J.H. Thornley at special meeting called for this purpose Monday night, Oct. 4. These officials will serve for the ensuring four years.
“Mayor J.H. Robison and Councilman R.G. Kendall are the only members of the city’s old governing body who are returning for another four-year term. New councilmen who will serve are H.H. Beasley, H.J. Kinzer, Zell Murphy and O.B. Tuggle.
“Organization of the council and appointment of committees will be taken up at the next regular meeting to be held Tues., Oct. 12.”

“Announcement was made this week that Emmett Murphy had sold the City Café to Mr. and Mrs. J.H. ‘Bud’ Hooks of Troy. The new owners assumed management Monday morning. Mr. Murphy has not announced his future plans. He will be with the new owners for the next two weeks until they can become familiar with operation of the café.”

“The Navy recruiter from Pensacola, Fla. will be in Evergreen every Wednesday in the vicinity of the post office building.
“Enlistments are open to all men between the ages of 17 and 30 inclusive. Men may enlist for three, four or six years. Eighteen-year-olds may enlist for one year.”

79 YEARS AGO
OCT. 5, 1933

“Mr. Hugh Hagood, former tax assessor of this county, has accepted a position with the Federal Land Bank of New Orleans, in the appraisal department having assumed his duties week before last.”

“Mrs. Catherine Stallworth left Saturday for Chicago, where she will attend the World’s Fair, as the guest of the American Legion, having recently won the title of ‘Miss Evergreen’ in a popularity contest sponsored by that organization.”

“Mr. W.T. Straughn has accepted a position with the Evergreen Pharmacy. He was formerly connected with this firm, having left here about three years ago, and has a large number of friends here who welcome him back. Mrs. Straughn will not be here this winter, having accepted a position to teach in Thomasville.”

“Miss Clyde Foshee, field worker for the local R.F.C., left Saturday to visit relatives and attend the Century of Progress in Chicago.”

“John Murphy and Jack Wild left Wednesday to visit the World’s Fair, making the trip through the country.”

“EX-SERVICE MEN: Friday night, Oct. 13, is regular meeting for Alma Martin Post No. 50. Make every effort to be there. There is important news for us. It will be to your interest to attend the meeting.”

Daily Weather Observations for Mon., Oct. 1, 2012

Temp: 72.9 degrees F (22.7 degrees C)

Rainfall (past 24 hours): 1.7 inches

Humidity: 86 percent (Humid)

Conditions: Mostly cloudy; birds audible; standing water from recent rain; security lights still on.

Winds: 3.3 mph out of the Southeast.

Barometric Pressure: 29.09 inHg.

Week to Date Rainfall: 1.7 inches

Month to Date Rainfall: 1.7 inches

Year to Date Rainfall: 60.65 inches

Local Weather Alerts: None.

Alabama River Stage at Claiborne Lock and Dam (gage height in feet):
Today: 7.02 feet
Yesterday: 8.69 feet
Change: -1.67 feet
Flood Stage: 42.0 feet

NOTES: Today is the 274th day of 2012 and the tenth day of Fall. There are 90 days left in the year. Today is World Vegetarian Day.

Readings taken at 0700 hrs Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily, just west of the Monroe-Conecuh County line, near Excel, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.42834°N Lon 87.30131°W. Elevation: 400 feet above sea level. CoCoRaHS Station No. AL-MN-4, Station Name: Excel 2.5 ESE.