Movies
It’s not always easy to adapt a popular novel to film, because there is usually a built-in community of ardent fans of the book poised to nitpick and grouse about how Hollywood ruined it. And it doesn’t help the producers to open a major release without any star power. Therefore, “The Kite Runner” has a couple of strikes against it before it even hits theaters. However, director Marc Forster’s screen version of the wildly successful Khaled Hosseini novel figures to receive a much more positive reception than, say, the movie that came out of “The Da Vinci Code.” In “Kite,” a young man returns to Afghanistan to revisit some haunting memories and right some old wrongs. It’s a tough sell for mainstream American audiences, unless all those people who read the book and loved it put aside their concerns and bring a friend to the theaters his week. (Paramount Vantage, opens Friday)
Television
Movie extras usually don’t care about getting respect. After all, there’s little chance the industry will create a special Oscar for extras, or that they’ll get a choice table at The Ivy because they work as extras. But Andy Millman (Ricky Gervais) is not your ordinary extra. In his quest for recognition, he wound up making the transition from nobody to somebody, from extra to star of his own cheesy sitcom. But now he’s not happy. Now he wants more. Now he wants to be Jackie Gleason, Lucille Ball and Jerry Seinfeld rolled into one. He wants respect. The 80-minute finale of season two of “Extras” finds our man Andy doing whatever he has to do to realize his dreams. The finale features guest stars George Michael and chef Gordon Ramsay. No word on who will be performing as extras on “Extras.” (HBO, Sunday, 9 p.m.)
Music
Pink Floyd was as influential as it was idiosyncratic. The people who were fans of Floyd were fanatical. Then there were people who just didn’t get it. For Floyd freaks, the ultimate box set is out in time for the holidays. “Oh by the Way” is a 16-disc collection of Floyd’s entire catalog. It includes all 14 of the band’s studio albums, starting from 1967’s “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn” right on through to 1994’s “The Division Bell.” Each of the discs is dressed up in sleeves with original artwork, plus there’s a poster and more goodies. The typical Pink Floyd fan rarely left his room, preferring to lock himself in and groove to the somber strains of “Dark Side of the Moon” or some other Pink musical treat. This massive set is for that special Floyd fan in your life. Just be warned that after you give it to him, you may never see him again. (Capitol Records)
DVD
One of the best movies of 2007 will probably not get even a mention when Academy Award nominations are announced. That would be “The Bourne Ultimatum.” Sure, it’s a genre picture. Lots of butt-kicking and car chases. But thanks to a crack production team working along with ace director Paul Greengrass, as well as the rousing Matt Damon as Jason Bourne, “The Bourne Ultimatum” is about as superb a thrill ride as has come out of Hollywood in many moons. “Ultimatum,” the third and quite possibly last in the series – although don’t bank on it – is out on DVD this week with a decent amount of bonus features for a first issue, consisting mostly of fun “making of” stuff as well as a commentary by the director. Perhaps they’ll put out a special edition eventually with footage from the Oscars, but don’t get your hopes up. For now, enjoy this. (Universal Studios Home Entertainment)
Books
A tale of identity theft and elder abuse. It must be the holidays! Well, yes and no. Those topics, in and of themselves, don’t put a smile on anyone’s face around Christmas and New Year’s. But when they’re incorporated into the latest Sue Grafton novel, they’re cause for celebration. “T is for Trespass” is Grafton’s latest in the Kinsey Millhone crime series, and quite possibly her darkest. Not only does she tell the story from the point of view of her usual main character, but she also shifts to the voice of Solana Rojas, a sociopath who is up to all kinds of no good. A dogged investigator never takes a day off, which is why Millhone begins suspecting Rojas of scheming while the latter takes care of an elderly neighbor. It seems Grafton never takes any time off from writing either, although here’s hoping she enjoys some much-deserved time off after she gets to “Z is for Zonked.” (Penguin)