Monitor picks

From a flick on the Segway scooter to the best plane fares around, here are five things we think you'll really like.

from the June 1, 2007 edition

No easy segway

In the nonfiction DVD 10 M.P.H., two cubicle-bound coworkers who are going nowhere fast decide to make a film about, well, going nowhere fast. The duo's hook for a movie is to document their gimmicky journey from Seattle to Boston on a Segway scooter. We never truly get inside the heads of these unlikely pioneers but scenic photography and lively side characters make for a diverting trip.

You'll see it more than 'Once'

It's easy to see why Once (Rated R, for language), a musical shot on a shoestring, is tugging at audience's heartstrings. The film's "guy" and "girl" are endearingly played by real musicians who meet on a Dublin street. Both are down and out, and they instinctively turn to the bonding power of music to connect and grow stronger. Get the soundtrack for Irish troubadour Glen Hansard's powerful and haunting songs – they'll stay with you long after the images fade.

'Physics' for bookworms

Marisha Pessl raked in the accolades for her debut novel, Special Topics in Calamity Physics, now in paperback. The story of Blue van Meer's senior year in high school is half coming-of-age story, half-mystery and 100 percent clever. Organized like a course in Great Books (chapters include "Moby-Dick" and "Bleak House"), there's even a final exam at the end. (Sample question: "Blue van Meer reads too many books. T/F?") Fans of literary puzzles should run to enroll themselves in this summer school.

The quest for Lord Stanley's cup

It's a busy weekend for sports fans – the struggling Yanks and the soaring Red Sox will fight it out at Fenway, and the NBA playoffs are still raging. If you're feeling ball fatigue, why not take in some hockey? (Yeah, that's the one with the puck.) On Saturday night at 8 p.m. EST, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks square off against the Ottawa Senators in the third game of the Stanley Cup Finals. NBC's got the game – expect decent commentary and better on-ice action.

Fare game

So you've figured out how to navigate the online travel agencies. How about a site that tells you whether to buy an airline ticket now or wait for the price to drop? Farecast.com tracks the fluctuations in fares, predicts whether a ticket price will rise or fall, and, like a stock rating, recommends whether to buy or hold. It claims to be about 75 percent accurate.