 is Dexter, a forensic police officer by day, serial killer by night. The only hitch is that he only kills other serial killers and vicious criminals. While not quite a vigilante, he makes peace with his sickness by only “taking out the garbage.” This funny and thrilling drama was one of my favorite shows of last year and along with the terrific comedy <EM>Weeds</EM>, is really helping Showtime steal viewers away from HBO. Season two starts up September 30, so if you haven’t seen the first, better get to it! Missing this show is criminal (and now you know what Dexter does to criminals).<BR></FONT><BR></DIV></p>
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The Ultimate Gift – Sweet and Sappy
 dies, he tries to save his grandson (Fuller) from becoming a horrible person like the rest of his family. By making him earn his inheritance, the young man learns about the many gifts life is able to give you when you don’t have everything served to you on a silver platter. This is a sappy mess, but I bought into it fully. I enjoyed the characters, the story, and the lesson. This is a squeaky clean film that makes for a great family viewing.<BR></FONT></FONT></DIV></p>
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The Lives of Others – The Government is Listening…
The Lives of Others
Rated R for some sexuality/nudity
German with English subtitles
Release Date: August 21, 2007
Perhaps the biggest surprise of this year’s Oscar ceremonies occurred when a little German film titled The Lives of Others beat out the Spanish hit Pan’s Labyrinth for Best Foreign Language Film. After all, hardly anyone had even heard of the movie, and it hadn’t opened in even the larger markets yet (other than New York and L.A.). I have to admit that I was a little upset – until I saw this breathtaking film. Set in East Germany a few years before the fall of the Berlin Wall, an ambitious Stasi policemen (the late Ulrich Muhe) is ordered to bug the home of a writer (Sebastian Koch) that might be involved in illegal activity. Billed as a thriller, the pic evolves into a beautiful drama with an absolutely perfect ending. The DVD contains deleted scenes, featurettes, and an interesting commentary by the director spoken in English without the slightest hint a German accent.