It's 1985. Richard Nixon is still president, the country is on the verge of nuclear war with the Soviet Union, and costumed heroes come out of retirement to solve the murder of one of their own. Welcome to the alternate reality of "Watchmen," a one-of-a-kind film not to be missed, according to Lauren Piester.

Rebecca Bloomwood is a magazine journalist with an addiction to shopping. Despite her own mountain of debt, she winds up working for a financial magazine advising others on how to manage their money. A clever premise, but "Confessions of a Shopaholic" ends up like every other chick flick. Is that so bad? Revathi Maturi weighs in.

Oh no, another superhero movie. ""Watchmen" might turn out to be pretty good, but there will be a better choice in town Friday: "The Class," a French film set in a Parisian high school. It opens at Boardman's, and it gets Laura's approval. Check inside for more entertainment picks.

It's going to be a great week if you're a fan of The Jonas Brothers — their 3D concert movie hits the theaters. For fans of, um, deeper stuff, there's "Waltzing With Bashir," an Oscar-nominated Hebrew-language animated film about the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon. Check inside for music, DVD, and video game picks. And don't forget the Insect Fear Film Festival on Saturday!

Every year she can remember, Lauren Piester has watched the Academy Awards. This year was slightly different: Instead of just watching, she live blogged the event. If you missed it in real time Sunday night, here's a transcript of Lauren's live blog of the 81st Oscars, a show dominated by the surprise hit of the year, "Slumdog Millionaire."

Lauren Piester does believe "Milk" should be on any list of 2008's best films, but she can't help but wonder how much of its Oscar nomination for best picture came from its rather Oscar-y subject matter and genre. But don't let that keep you away from a first-rate movie featuring some of the year's best performances, led by Sean Penn in the title role.

Why do some political groups turn to violence to achieve their goals? Why do some ideologues romanticize the use of terror? "The Baader Meinhof Complex" tells the story of a violent left-wing revolutionary group that seized headlines around the world in the 1970s. Reviewer Eleni Yannelis found this German-language film to be a fascinating and Oscar-worthy treatment of the subject.

A biopic might not have been the best way to address the issues raised by the life and death of gay activist Harvey Milk, according to reviewer Laura Dripps. But with superb acting and an important story to tell, there's no doubt that the Oscar-nominated film is worth seeing.

In 1977, British broadcaster David Frost interviewed former president Richard Nixon about his time in office — including the Watergate scandal that forced him to resign. Both men were hoping to rehabilitate their names, Nixon by defending his actions, Frost by getting Nixon to admit his guilt. Out of this real-life drama, according to Will Fernandez, has come one of the best pictures of the year.

The story of five women, four men, and their complex "love web" is portrayed in "He's Just Not That Into You." Surprisingly, though, this is not a story about high school students. There are hilarious laugh-out-loud moments accompanied by scenes that make you want to cry. Hear what Lizzy Warner has to say about this new release.

The standard description of "Taken" is that it's about a retired CIA operative (Liam Neeson) who tracks down the gang of sex traffickers who kidnapped his daughter in Paris. But after seeing the movie, Deborah Ladd would call that a subplot. In reality, "Taken" is all about how awesome Neeson is. And that's just fine with her.

"Slumdog Millionaire" does not disappoint. This a wonderful story of life, loss, and love told in an uncanny way that will have anyone believing in the power of destiny. Rachel Skoza's review of the improbable tale of Jamal Malik's search for his true love is the first in a series of Gargoyle reviews of this year's best-picture nominees.

Gamers rejoice! Finally a good week for video game releases, led by "F.E.A.R. 2," and Gordon Ruan can barely contain his excitement. Will Fernandez is enthusiastic as well about the week's new CDs. The new films and DVDs aren't so hot, but if you're looking for frothy entertainment, you could do worse than "Confessions of a Shopaholic."

Hold on — just two more weeks before Agora Days and a much-needed break from the winter blahs. Meanwhile, there's always Hollywood to keep us entertained. "Coraline" looks like the best bet in movie theaters this week, while there's plenty to choose from in music and DVDs, not so much in games.

Every year Lauren Piester gets excited to find out who got nominated for the Oscars, and every year she's disappointed to find out that it's a list full of movies she didn't see and actors she doesn't care about. She ends up rooting just for the one or two movies she saw. So, on that note, here are the Academy's nominees along with Lauren's picks for the 2009 Oscars.