By WALTER KIRN on Jul 03, 2009 09:14PM

Wasted Land

Nick Reding?s unnerving portrait of Oelwein, Iowa, depicts a catastrophe of Chernobylish dimensions, precipitated by the loss of jobs and the rise of methamphetamines.

By TOM VANDERBILT on Jul 03, 2009 11:45AM

Unreal Estate

In ?Busted,? The Times?s Edmund L. Andrews explains why he bought a house he couldn?t afford. In ?Our Lot,? Alyssa Katz chronicles how home lending was upended in the first place.

By CAITLIN MACY on Jul 03, 2009 02:43PM

Past-Prime Crisis

In this novel, a septuagenarian East Village couple wrestle with real estate, terrorism, real estate, an ailing dog and real estate.

By DOMINIQUE BROWNING on Jul 03, 2009 11:35AM

Goddess of Mischief

A lively, harrowing biography of the glamorous Idina Sackville, celebrated and reviled as a ringleader of the British colonial scene in 1920s Africa.

By ALAN BRINKLEY on Jul 03, 2009 10:17AM

God and Man at National Review

An engaging memoir of a young man basking in, and at times trying to escape, the aura of his famous mentor, William F. Buckley Jr.

By KATE ZERNIKE on Jul 03, 2009 11:39AM

The Baby-Industrial Complex

A new father?s memoir of modern parenting, from Buy Buy Baby to Dr. Ferber.

By KAUI HART HEMMINGS on Jul 03, 2009 09:30AM

Misery Loves Company

In this novel, middle-aged American women with major relationship problems flee to Mexico in search of repair and romance.

Jul 03, 2009 12:12PM

Wim Wenders stops Pina Bausch movie (Reuters)

Reuters - German director Wim Wenders has stopped production on the planned 3D dance film "Pina" following the death of the film's subject -- the legendary choreographer Pina Bausch.

Jul 03, 2009 07:34AM

Twilight Cast Reveals Breaking Dawn Details (E! Online)

E! Online - After Robert Pattinson confirmed he was signed on for the fourth Twilight installment, Breaking Dawn, back in Cannes, we've all been dying for more juicy deets on the hypersexualized film. (More on exactly how much naughtier the flick will be, next week.)

Jul 03, 2009 05:13AM

Czech film fest opens with Milos Forman premiere (AP)

AP - The 44th International Film Festival opened Friday in the Czech Republic with a week of events planned, including an award for French actress Isabelle Huppert and a world premiere by Milos Forman.

Jul 03, 2009 03:38AM

Potter is back: box office big bucks assured (Reuters)

Reuters - Boy wizard Harry Potter is back in cinemas later this month with the sixth installment of the movie franchise, and another box office bonanza looks assured for the Warner Bros. studio.

Jul 02, 2009 08:00PM

Belgian film offers complex portrait of Singing Nun (Reuters)

Reuters - "Sister Smile," Stijn Coninx's film on the life of the Belgian "Singing Nun," Jeanine Deckers, owes much of its success in Belgium and France to star Cecile de France.

Jul 02, 2009 07:13PM

"Asteroids" lands at Universal (Reuters)

Reuters - Universal Pictures has won a four-studio bidding war to pick up the film rights to the classic Atari video game "Asteroids."

Jul 02, 2009 04:26PM

"Ice Age" heats up box office with record opening (Reuters)

Reuters - "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" grossed a cool $13.8 million in North American theaters on Wednesday, marking Hollywood's biggest mid-week opening for an animated film.

Jul 03, 2009 06:22PM

Animated "Aster" lacking in magic (Reuters)

Reuters - A battle between good and evil is waged for the sake of a wee petal in "The Magic Aster," an animated Chinese fairy tale that's devoid of fun or personality.

Jul 02, 2009 08:01PM

Breezy "Weather Girl" could have used more edge (Reuters)

Reuters - A spirited cast headed by the engaging Tricia O'Kelley lends effervescence to "Weather Girl," a brightly written but generically directed (both by Blayne Weaver) low-budget romantic comedy that cries out for a less conventional approach.

Jul 02, 2009 08:00PM

Belgian film offers complex portrait of Singing Nun (Reuters)

Reuters - "Sister Smile," Stijn Coninx's film on the life of the Belgian "Singing Nun," Jeanine Deckers, owes much of its success in Belgium and France to star Cecile de France.

Jul 01, 2009 01:17PM

Review: Wilco delivers solid new CD (AP)

AP - Wilco, "Wilco (The Album)" (Nonesuch)

Jun 30, 2009 09:36PM

"Casanegra" shows storied city in realistic light (Reuters)

Reuters - The likes of Bogey and Bergman are nowhere to be seen in Nour Eddine Lakhmari's tour through the nocturnal underbelly of Casablanca, or "Casanegra," as the city's underclasses call it. Lakhmari picked up the prize for best director at the Taormina festival for this film about two childhood friends, young men striving to rise above the surrounding squalor.

Jun 30, 2009 09:27PM

Hindi thriller "New York" has sharp political edge (Reuters)

Reuters - In the aftermath of 9/11, more than 1,200 men, many of South Asian descent, were detained by U.S. authorities, according to the ACLU. Of these, more than 1,000 were released months and years later for lack of evidence.

Jun 30, 2009 01:43PM

Review: Compelling plot drives `Call of Juarez' (AP)

AP - The old West may have been a slower, dustier time, but it was chock full of danger, and the era is well portrayed in "Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood," an engaging new first-person shooter title from Ubisoft.