Many people believe that garlic, a close relative of the onion, does more than add zest to a pot of spaghetti or a slice of pizza. Over thousands of years, many different cultures have used garlic for medicinal purposes, culinary uses and even superstitious practices. However, recent research has helped debunk the myth of garlic as a “cure” for heart disease and high cholesterol, although it can be used to treat other ailments.

According to wikipedia.org, garlic has been used for food since ancient Egyptian times. Greek and Roman soldiers ate it, and to this day, garlic is a prevalent ingredient in Mediterranean, Chinese, Vietnamese and other ethnic cuisines.

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“Christmas with Paula Deen: Recipes and Stories from My Favorite Holiday” Simon and Schuster Adult Publishing Group This book is an intimate look at Paula’s family, filled with recipes and holiday anecdotes, complete with family photos, and of course, her famous Southern charm.

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Director Guy Maddin shows a joyful love and earnest respect for the history of cinema in his film, “Brand Upon the Brain!” (Canada/US, 95 min, 35mm, 2006). The film is shot beautifully in high-contrast black-and-white, and employs the use of many early cinematic techniques, like title cards.

At times, “Brand Upon the Brain” feels like a silent film that was given sound; the soundtrack is at times nondiegetic (its sound has no on-screen source), and feels like more like an expression of the film than a direct soundtrack.

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“This place is very college student,” said my non-college student dining companion as we took our seats at Oakland Trattoria on a dreary Monday evening.

Its ideal location on Oakland Avenue and the extremely laid back atmosphere add to the hype among University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee students of the now locally famous college eatery that many have nicknamed, “the Trat.”

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“Spider-Man 3” (two disc special edition), Sony Pictures As Spider-Man’s relationship with Mary Jane falls apart, he is tempted by the power of an alien suit. Dir. Sam Raimi. Starring Toby Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco and Topher Grace.

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Video games have continued to wage their never-ending war on the youth of this great nation. I have forgot one of the earliest battles that they launched to destroy the lives of parents, this attack attacked them at home, right at their kitchen table.

When “Super Mario Bros. 2 “came out it was an instant success, what people didn’t realize is that it was teach children that vegetable can and will kill you.

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After a three year hiatus, the Arizona foursome known as Jimmy Eat World have stepped back in front of the spotlight with a brand new album.

“Chase This Light” marks the band’s sixth album, their last being 2004’s “Futures.” The sheer quality of that album allowed the band to transcend from typical emo group, to artists truly worth paying attention to. Songs like “Futures” and “Night Drive” have helped keep this CD near the top of most collector’s piles.

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Seeing good films makes my job very easy. But, seeing incredible films make my job a tad tougher. Why you ask? Because, then I have to come up with all the little details in the film that make it incredible.

This is the case for “Lars and the Real Girl.” Starring Ryan Gosling, the film is about a lonely man who lives in his brother’s garage and avoids his sister-in-law’s attempts to integrate him with the world.

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Before we begin our adventure about pirates and ninjas today, let me say this: In the real world, ninjas would simply poison the rum of pirates. Hell, they probably did poison the rum of pirates.

Now that the real world has its answer to which faction would win, let us take a gander at the glamorized life of these to professions.

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For a long time, the world touted France as the fashion capital, everywhere else barely secondary. Over the past 50 or so years, this has changed, with nationality and location becoming less important. As indication of this power shift, one of the greatest (or possibly the greatest) American fashion legends turns 40.

Ralph Lauren started his company in 1967 as a tie maker, and has seen it grow to a $4.3 billion empire. Women alone can shop from nine different lines ranging from the very high end (Collection) to the department store label (Lauren Ralph Lauren). And that is just for women. The options are endless, ranging from children’s clothing, men’s wear, home and more.

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“Lars and the Real Girl,” starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Mortimer Academy Award Nominee Ryan Gosling plays a man whose shyness is keeping him a prisoner in the world. However, he gains a dose of self confidence when he falls in love with a life-size doll named Bianca.

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Under last Wednesday’s full moon, modern rock conundrums Queens of the Stone Age filled the Rave with their unique brand of hypnotic rock that would make even the most trained an docile dog hop the fence to run wild with the pack.

This summer saw the release of QotSA’s fifth studio album, “Era Vulgaris” to generally positive reviews. The album was a departure from their previous effort Lullabies to Paralyze, which lead singer Josh Homme has proclaimed numerous times to be one of the lower points in the band’s career.

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I must admit that while I am not a longtime “Rent” fanatic, ever since I first heard the music of this rockopera, I have been a Rent-aphile. I of course, own the soundtrack and know every single word to every single lyric, I have seen the live version in Chicago, as well as the film version that came out two years ago. I love the bohemian spirit, and appreciate the historical importance of “Rent,” as well as its delightful subversive nature.

So on Friday night, while many college students were dressed up for Halloween and out drinking, I was more than content to be sitting in a packed Milwaukee Theatre watching a performance of “Rent.”

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The University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee Theatre Department kicked off their 2007-2008 season with “Seven Guitars” this past Tuesday evening. The raw script, written by August Wilson, is a portrayal of seven African-Americans living together in the harsh times of Pittsburgh in 1948.

Director Bill Wilson did a wonderful job of helping the audience understand that “Seven Guitars” is as humorous as it is heartbreaking. Each character in the play holds a key to the story’s success, and this rang out true in UWM’s production.

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If the argument can be made that video games are as dense an art form as film, then one also has to accept the fact that they both share similar peaks, as well as similar valleys.

For every “Legend of Zelda,” there’s a “Superman 64.” For every “Half-Life,” there’s a “Daikatana” (brownie points to anyone who remembers that catastrophe of a game).

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It’s always an experience seeing a film at the Oriental Theatre, whether it be watching “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” at midnight and participating in the “virgin” rituals, or experiencing an Oscar-worthy film on a Friday night. But an experience not shared as often is viewing a film that was made the same year as the Landmark Theatre’s opening way back in the day. Oriental Theatre Day on Oct. 18, 2007 commemorated the 80th Anniversary of the theatre’s opening. To celebrate this event, the original gangster film, “Underworld” was screened, which also debuted 80 years ago. The night began with an organ playing as the theatre was filled with patrons. Many in attendance were participating in a gangster look-alike contest, with prizes awarded to the best dressed. After these pre-film festivities, the curtains came up, and the film began with the Alloy Orchestra performing the amazing live sound.

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March 2008 will mark the 5th anniversary of the war in Iraq. This historical landmark of our generation’s war is a great time to reflect on what has happened in the past five years. Unlike past wars, soldiers have been able to keep elaborate diaries and first hand accounts to what is happening in the Persian Gulf. With technology abroad, they have also been able to keep blogs and send more letters home than ever before. Because so many soldiers are recording their actions in Iraq, many have returned to give first hand stories to even writing their own books about the war. No matter the stance on the war, these books are an important history lesson for Americans back home. They are the best way to understand what fighting is like for the men and women currently serving. Here are a few that have become staples in telling the soldier’s story in Iraq.

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It is Trick or Treat time again, and it seems that Apple Computers has decided that they will hand out a tasty free candy to all kids who use their iTunes software.

For the month of October, iTunes is letting people download a 60-minute film titled “Zombie Prom” in celebration of Halloween.

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