A new poster for the film adaptation of the late 1980s television series 21 Jump Street has been released (right; click for larger version).
Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum star, respectively, as Schmidt and Jenko, who are more than ready to leave their adolescent problems behind. Joining the police force and the secret Jump Street unit, they use their youthful appearances to go undercover in a local high school. As they trade in their guns and badges for backpacks, Schmidt and Jenko risk their lives to investigate a violent and dangerous drug ring. But they find that high school is nothing like they left it just a few years earlier — and neither expects that they will have to confront the terror and anxiety of being a teenager again … and all the issues they thought they had left behind.
The film will also feature a cameo by Johnny Depp as Officer Tom Hanson, the character he played in the original series.
Maybe we're just old fuddy-duddies, but there's little here that appeals to us. Maybe it'll be good for a couple of laughs, but the trailer — which we've embedded below — could have been rated L for Lame … or maybe YAUROOC for Yet Another Unnecessary Reimagination of a Once Original Concept.
21 Jump Street opens in theaters March 16th, 2012.
Monday, December 19, 2011
New Poster for 21 Jump Street
Review: Storm Damage by Ed Kovacs
Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: Storm Damage by Ed Kovacs.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Opens in US Theaters Tuesday, December 20th
Tomorrow, Tuesday December 20th, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has a rare early-in-the-week opening in US theaters. Adapted from the bestselling novel of the same title by Stieg Larsson — the first in his "Millennium" trilogy — the studio has made it very clear this is not a remake of the 2009 Swedish-language adaptation but an original interpretation of the book. (We're not exactly sure what the difference is here since the plots of both movies seem to mirror the book pretty closely.)
Daniel Craig stars as Mikael Blomkvist, a disgraced journalist hired by Swedish industrialist Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer) to find his daughter … who disappeared decades ago. He's joined on his quest by the enigmatic Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara), a computer hacker extraordinaire, who may — or may not — have a separate agenda to pursue.
We greatly enjoyed the Swedish-language film adaptation, calling it a superior suspense thriller — read Mr. E.'s review of Män Som Hatar Kvinnor here — and are greatly looking forward to this film, one of the few that we intend to actually venture out to a theater to see (instead of waiting for the DVD).
Watch a lengthy (8+ minute) trailer for the film below. (No spoilers; just character and plot background plus some exciting action sequences.)
Mystery and Suspense Films, New This Week on DVD (111220)
Checking through our list of films currently scheduled for release this week on DVD and/or Blu-ray disc, shown below are those that fall into the mystery, suspense, thriller and adventure categories.
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Purchase/Rental Options
Straw Dogs (2011)
Film Synopsis (from the studio): A young couple (James Marsden and Kate Bosworth) moves to a quaint southern town. Soon their perfect getaway turns out to become a living hell when dark secrets and lethal passions spiral out of control. Trapped by a pack of depraved locals led by a ruthless predator (Alexander Skarsgård), they face a night of agonizing suffering and endless bloodshed. Now their only hope for survival is to become more savage than their merciless torturers.
Adapted from the Gordon M. Williams 1969 novel The Siege of Trencher's Farm, which was also the basis for the 1971 film Straw Dogs starring Dustin Hoffman. Rated R. 110 minutes.
Watch a trailer for the film below:
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Purchase/Rental Options
Margin Call (2011)
Film Synopsis (from the studio): Set in the high-stakes world of the financial industry, this entangling thriller involves the key players at an investment firm during one perilous 24-hour period in the early stages of the 2008 financial crisis. When an entry-level analyst (Zachary Quinto) unlocks information that could prove to be the downfall of the firm, a roller-coaster ride ensues as decisions both financial and moral catapult the lives of all involved to the brink of disaster.
First shown in January 2011 at the Sundance Film Festival, this film had a limited release in the US during October 2011. Rated R. 107 minutes.
Watch a trailer for the film below:
The St. Paul Conspiracy by Roger Stelljes is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook
MystereBooks is pleased to feature The St. Paul Conspiracy by Roger Stelljes as today's free mystery ebook. We don't know how long it will be offered at this special price (typically for a limited time only or until a certain number of downloads have been completed), so we urge you to download it while it is still available for free.
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The St. Paul Conspiracy by Roger Stelljes
A Mac McRyan Mystery
North Star Press/Roger Stelljes
This is the first title in this series introducing the St. Paul homicide detective.
About The St. Paul Conspiracy (from the publisher): The morning after Halloween the city of St. Paul awakens to find that a serial killer terrorizing the blue-collar working women of University Avenue has struck for the fifth time. The citizens of St. Paul are on edge.
For thirty-two-year-old fourth-generation St. Paul Homicide Detective Michael McKenzie "Mac" McRyan, his day was going to be less stressful. His day would involve paper work, coffee, and maybe even an early trip to the pub. Then his cell phone tells him his day is about to change. A body has been found in a high-end condominium between Summit and Grand Avenues; and it's not just anyone.
"Your day just got worse," Mac tells his captain.
The victim is Claire Daniels, the Twin Cities' most prominent political and investigative reporter. Claire was stunningly attractive. She had blonde hair, blue eyes and a curvaceous body she worked on relentlessly. Claire was the desire of every man in town.
With the Daniels murder on top of the latest serial killer attack, the political and media pressure on the St. Paul Police Department only builds and places Mac in the middle of a dangerous and high-stakes murder investigation that will ultimately have national political and security implications.
Important Note: Prices can and do change without prior notice, so please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.
Download Link(s):
For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.
Hurt Machine by Reed Farrel Coleman is Today's Featured Free MystereBook
MystereBooks is pleased to feature Hurt Machine by Reed Farrel Coleman as today's free mystery ebook. We don't know how long it will be offered at this special price (typically for a limited time only or until a certain number of downloads have been completed), so we urge you to download it while it is still available for free.
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Hurt Machine by Reed Farrel Coleman
A Moe Prager Mystery
Tyrus Books
This is the 7th and most recent — published just this month — title in this series featuring the ex-NYPD cop, now private investigator.
About Hurt Machine (from the publisher): At a pre-wedding party for his daughter Sarah, Moe Prager is approached by his ex-wife and former PI partner Carmella Melendez. It seems Carmella's estranged sister Alta has been murdered, but no one in New York City seems to care. Why? Alta, a FDNY EMT, and her partner had months earlier refused to give assistance to a dying man at a fancy downtown eatery. Moe decides to help Carmella as a means to distract himself from his own life-and-death struggle. Making headway on the case is no mean feat as no one, including Alta's partner Maya Watson, wants to cooperate. Moe chips away until he discovers a cancer roiling just below the surface, a cancer whose symptoms include bureaucratic greed, sexual harassment, and blackmail. But is any of it connected to Alta's brutal murder?
Important Note: Prices can and do change without prior notice, so please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.
Download Link(s):
For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.
Mystery Godoku Puzzle for December 19, 2011
A new Mystery Godoku Puzzle has been created by the editors of the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books and is now available on our website.
Godoku is similar to Sudoku, but uses letters instead of numbers. To give you a headstart, we provide you a mystery clue to fill in a complete row or column (if you choose to use it!).
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This week's letters and mystery clue:
A D E F G I L R Y
The 7th mystery to feature Berlin PI Bernie Gunther by Philip Kerr has this title (9 letters).
We now have two weeks of our puzzles on one page in PDF format for easier printing. Print this week's puzzle here.
Previous puzzles are stored in the Mystery Godoku Archives.
Enjoy the weekly Mystery Godoku Puzzle from the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, and Thanks for visiting our website!
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Thomas & Mercer to Publish 35 Titles from Ed McBain's 87th Precinct Series
Thomas & Mercer recently announced that it would publish 35 titles from Ed McBain's 87th Precinct series of police procedurals. The first two titles, The Mugger and The Con Man, were released a few days ago as ebooks; the remaining 33 titles will be released later this month, also as ebooks. All 35 titles will be available in new trade paperback editions this coming February.
Ed McBain, a pseudonym used by Evan Hunter, published his first 87th Precinct title in 1956, a series of books that eventually totalled 55 in number. "The city in these pages is imaginary," he tells readers. "The people, the places are all fictitious. Only the police routine is based on established investigatory technique."
In The Mugger, the second book in the series, this mugger is special. He preys on women, waiting in the darkness … then comes from behind, attacks them, and snatches their purses. He tells them not to scream and as they're on the ground, reeling with pain and fear, he bows and nonchalantly says, "Clifford thanks you, madam." But when he puts one victim in the hospital and the next in the morgue, the detectives of the 87th Precinct are not amused and will stop at nothing to bring him to justice.
Dashing young patrolman Bert Kling is always there to help a friend. And when a friend's sister-in-law is the mugger's murder victim, Bert's personal reasons to find the maniacal killer soon become a burning obsession … and it could easily get him killed.
The Mugger was adapted into a short feature film in 1958.
In The Con Man, the fourth in the series, the titular character is plying his trade on the streets of Isola: conning a domestic for pocket change, businessmen for thousands, and even ladies in exchange for a little bit of love. You can see the world, meet a lot of nice people, imbibe some unique drinks, and make a ton money … all by conning them for their cash.
The question is: How far is he willing to go?
When a young woman's body washes up in the Harb River, the answer to that question becomes tragically clear. Now Detective Steve Carella races against time to find him before another con turns deadly. The only clue he has to go on is the mysterious tattoo on the young woman’s hand — but it’s enough. Carella takes to the streets, searching its darkest corners for a man who cons his victims out of their money … and their lives.
Later in 2012, Thomas & Mercer will publish new editions of Ed McBain's other series character, Florida criminal attorney Matthew Hope.
Scott Nicholson's Creative Spirit
To say that Scott Nicholson has a "creative spirit" (pun intended!) would be all too limiting: in addition to the thrillers he has written, he is also the author of scores of short stories, several comic series, young adult and children's books, and six screenplays.
His most recent book — Creative Spirit (Haunted Computer Books, December 2011 ebook) — is a paranormal thriller, an updated version of his 2004 novel The Manor.
After parapsychologist Anna Galloway is diagnosed with terminal cancer, she has a recurring dream in which she sees her own ghost at Korban Manor. She's compelled to visit the historic estate to face her destiny and the fate of her soul.
Sculptor Mason Jackson has come to the manor to make a final, all-or-nothing attempt at success before giving up his dreams. When he becomes obsessed with carving Ephram Korban's form out of wood, he is swept into a destructive frenzy that even Anna can't pull him from.
The manor itself has secrets, with fires that blaze constantly in the hearths, portraits of Korban in every room, and deceptive mirrors on the walls. With an October blue moon looming, both the living and the dead learn the true power of their dreams.
Creative Spirit is available from popular ebook retailers (including Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble.com, iTunes, Smashwords, and others) where you can also download preview chapters.
To learn more about Scott and his books, visit his website at HauntedComputer.com or connect with him on Facebook.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Final Price by J. Gregory Smith is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook
MystereBooks is pleased to feature Final Price by J. Gregory Smith as today's free mystery ebook. We don't know how long it will be offered at this special price (typically for a limited time only or until a certain number of downloads have been completed), so we urge you to download it while it is still available for free.
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Final Price by J. Gregory Smith
Non-Series
AmazonEncore
This, the author's debut novel originally self-published in 2009, was the winner of the 2010 Delaware Press Association Prize for Fiction and a quarter finalist in the 2009 Amazon Breakthrough Novel contest. This edition was published by AmazonEncore in 2010.
About Final Price (from the publisher): Buying a new vehicle is a big decision, but frustrated sales associate Shamus Ryan makes it a matter of life and death. He unleashes a rash of killings that wraps the Wilmington, Delaware region in fear.
The homicide cases fall to State Police Detective Paul Chang, formerly with the NYPD. Never Chinese enough for his domineering mother, yet too different to be accepted as traditionally American, he's spent his life straddling two cultures. From a young age, bullying in New York's Chinatown gave rise to a vigilante-inclined alter-ego he calls "The Dragon." His ex-partner, Nelson Rogers, is his closest friend and biggest burden. Always a misfit, Nelson left the NYPD following a nervous breakdown.
When the bodies pile up and the pressure mounts, Chang calls in Nelson to apply his uncanny insight that made the two an effective team in New York. Seen through the eyes of both the killer and detective, Final Price follows a car salesman's murderous rampage.
Important Note: Prices can and do change without prior notice, so please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.
Download Link(s):
For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.
Mr. E. Reviews Blitz
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I didn't have high expectations for this direct-to-DVD release but I was surprised: this is actually a pretty good movie. Though rough around the edges, the well-developed thriller storyline moves along briskly with credible performances by all the principals.
Read the full text of our review at Mr. E. Reviews Blitz.
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Mr. E. Reviews is your source for mystery, suspense, thriller, and crime drama reviews of television and film.
Review: The End of the Line by Stephen Legault
Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: The End of the Line by Stephen Legault.
Warner Bros. Acquires Film Adaptation of The Devil in the White City
A year or so ago we reported that Leonardo DiCaprio's production company had acquired the film rights to The Devil in the White City, the true story of a mass murderer, who killed scores of mostly young women around the time of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.
Now we're learning that Warner Bros. has acquired the project and hired Graham Moore to write the adapted screenplay. DiCaprio is still expected to star as Henry H. Holmes, the serial killer.
Subtitled "Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America," the book tells the story of two men: Architect Daniel Hudson Burnham, the brilliant director of the World's Fair of 1893 in Chicago, the builder of many of the country’s most important structures, including the Flatiron Building in New York and Union Station in Washington, D.C.; and Henry H. Holmes, a young doctor who, in a malign parody of the White City, built his "World’s Fair Hotel" just west of the fairgrounds — a torture palace complete with dissection table, gas chamber, and 3,000-degree crematorium. Burnham overcame tremendous obstacles and tragedies as he organized the talents of Frederick Law Olmsted, Charles McKim, Louis Sullivan, and others to transform swampy Jackson Park into the White City, while Holmes used the attraction of the great fair and his own satanic charms to lure scores of young women to their deaths.
(Related article: Deadline.)
The Clinch Knot by John Galligan is Today's Featured Free MystereBook
MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Clinch Knot by John Galligan as today's free mystery ebook. We don't know how long it will be offered at this special price (typically for a limited time only or until a certain number of downloads have been completed), so we urge you to download it while it is still available for free.
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The Clinch Knot by John Galligan
A Ned "Dog" Oglivie Fly Fishing Mystery
Tyrus Books
This is the third (of four to date) mystery in this series.
About The Clinch Knot (from the publisher): The Dog is in Livingston, Montana, daydreaming about fishing the Stone and, as usual, subsisting on Swisher Sweets, vodka-Tang, and the hope that pretending to forget will be enough.
He's forged a few tenuous friendships, and now finds himself watching from the bank as troubled local girl Jesse Ringer leads D'Ontario Sneed into the swift current of young love. It's sweet, really … but some of the locals object to the relationship on the basis of Sneed's skin color.
Then the unthinkable: vibrant, wild Jesse is found shot in the head, and Sneed is passed out in her car, gun beside him, window seams taped, and engine running. Sneed is hospitalized for severe carbon monoxide poisoning and can't string together a sentence to defend himself, so it falls to the Dog.
If only the Dog could run from his life without ending up in the tangle and snarl of the lives of others. A man who wants to lose himself in the current must be careful of his backcast; it'll always keep him tethered to a life he's trying to forget.
Important Note: Prices can and do change without prior notice, so please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.
Download Link(s):
For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.
