Selasa, 29 November 2011

Watching the Detectives

  • Actors: Cillian Murphy, Lucy Liu, Josh Pais, Mark Harelik, Heather Burns.
  • Format: Widescreen, NTSC.
  • Language: English.
  • Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only).
  • Run Time: 94 minutes. Not Rated.
BREAKFAST ON PLUTO - DVD MovieBoth epic and intimate, Breakfast on Pluto uses the life of Patrick "Kitten" Braden (Cillian Murphy, Batman Begins), a queer orphan boy, to explore the hidden worlds that lie beneath so-called "normal" society--the subcultures of homosexuals, the Irish Republican Army, and prostitutes. At odds with his conservative Irish town, Patrick rebels with the fearlessness of someone whose life feels worthless. When he leaves for London, where he hopes to find his mother, he joins a touring rock band, is almost murdered, becomes assistant to a magician (Stephen Rea, The Crying Game), is arrested as an IRA terrorist, and joins a pee! p show--and those are only half of the markers on his odyssey (the movie struggles to encompass the novel by Patrick McCabe). Though the first half of the movie feel almost weightless in the headlong rush of events, a rich emotional heft sneaks up on you; by the end, Breakfast on Pluto has become almost unbearably sad and wonderfully buoyant. Murphy's superb performance is both delicate and willful, ably supported by an excellent cast, including Liam Neeson (Kinsey), Brendan Gleeson (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), and Ian Hart (Backbeat), as well as rock stars Gavin Friday and Bryan Ferry (who has a particularly creepy cameo as a serial killer). --Bret FetzerWidescreen DVD

Breakfast on Pluto, Patrick McCabe's lyrical and haunting new novel, became a #1 bestseller in Ireland, stayed on the bestseller list for months, and was nominated for the Booker Prize, one of the world's most prestigious literary awards. With wonderful ! delicacy and subtle insight and intimation, McCabe creates Mr.! Patrick "Pussy" Braden, the enduringly and endearingly hopeful hero(ine) whose gutsy survival and yearning quest for love resonate in and drive the glimmering, agonizing narrative in which the troubles are a distant and immediate echo and refrain. Twenty years ago, her ladyship escaped her hometown of Tyreelin, Ireland, fleeing her foster mother Whiskers (prodigious Guinness-guzzler, human chimney) and her mad household, to begin a new life in London. There, in blousey tops and satin miniskirts, she plies her trade, often risking life and limb amongst the flotsam and jetsam that fill the bars of Piccadilly Circus. But suave businessmen and lonely old women are not the only dangers that threaten Pussy. It is the 1970's and fear haunts the streets of London and Belfast as the critical mass of history builds up, and Pussy is inevitably drawn into a maelstrom of violence and tragedy destined to blow his fragile soul asunder. Brilliant, startling, profound and soaring, Breakfast on P! luto combines light and dark, laughter and pain, with such sensitivity, directness and restraint that the dramatic impact reverberates in our minds and hearts long after the initial impression.

Patrick McCabe hit pay dirt with his third novel, The Butcher Boy, which was short-listed for the 1992 Booker Prize, filmed by Neil Jordan, and acclaimed as "a masterpiece of literary ventriloquism." In his fifth, Breakfast on Pluto, also on the Booker shortlist, McCabe produces another inimitable voice to amuse and infuriate, mimicking perfectly the overwrought, near-hysterical style of a character whose emotional processes were cruelly halted somewhere around the age of 14, and whose tale requires English literature's highest concentration of exclamation marks.

Patrick "Pussy" Brady is recording her memoirs for the mysterious Dr. Terence, and it's quite some story. After randy Father Bernard gets carried away with his temporary housekeeper, a ! dead ringer for Mitzi Gaynor, the result is Patrick Braden, a! bandoned on a doorstep in a Rinso box and condemned to a foster home with the alcoholic Hairy Braden. Escape comes in fantasies of Vic Damone and the occasional glitzy frock, and eventually, inevitably, the rebaptised "Pussy" heads for life as a transvestite rent boy on Piccadilly's Meat Rack. But this is not just Pussy's story; as hitherto-muffled paramilitary violence blows up in her face, Pussy falls apart, providing a vivid and unsettling final comment on the human price paid in 1970s Ireland. --Alan Stewart

Conceived in a moment of mad passion by a randy Irish priest and his temporary housekeeper -- and abandoned on a doorstep in a Rinso box as an infant -- her ladyship "Pussy" (né Patrick) Braden grew up fabulous and escaped tiny Tyreelin, Ireland, to start life anew in London. In blousy tops and satin miniskirts she plies her trade as a transvestite rent boy on Picadilly's Meat Rack, risking life and limb among the city's flotsam and jetsam. But it is the 197! 0s, and fear haunts the streets of London and Belfast -- and as radioactive history approaches critical mass, the coming explosion of violence and tragedy may well blow Pussy's fragile soul asunder.

Neil (Cillian Murphy) works in a vintage video store and wishes his life could be as exciting as the movies he watches night and day. Enter Violet (Lucy Liu), a real-life femme fatale who brings enough adventure into Neil's world to make him think he has suddenly stepped into one of his favorite movies. Being with Violet might just turn out to be a lot of fun - if he lives through it.

GE 97499 GE240RS120-DIY LFL ProLine Electronic Program / Rapid Start Ballast for 2 - F40 or F34T12

Hard Rain: A Thriller (Vin Cooper)

  • ISBN13: 9780553590029
  • Condition: New
  • Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
The setting is the flood-ravaged, evacuated town of Huntingburg, where Tom (Slater), an armored car driver, is in deep danger. A gang of thieves (led by Freeman) figures the flood is their chance to heist the money Tom is transporting from local banks. But there’s one thing the gun-carrying criminals didn’t count on â€" Tom. Come hell or high water, he’s determined to deliver the money entrusted to him. But before he does, he’ll have to survive a relentless pursuit filled with close calls, floods, uncertain loyalties and heart-stopping heroics.It may not be a disaster movie, per se, but this terminally silly thriller is certainly disastrous, and would be pointless without the novelty of its set! ting in a flooding Midwestern town during a torrential rainfall. Physically impressive but idiotic in every other respect, the movie pits an armored truck courier (Christian Slater) against a smart leader of thieves (Morgan Freeman) and a corruptible town sheriff (Randy Quaid) who are vying for possession of $3 million in cash. A waterlogged game of cat and mouse, the plot is so contrived that even the most impressive action sequences--such as a jet-ski chase through flooded high-school corridors--are robbed of their already tenuous credibility. Before long you'll be yawning as incompetent accomplices are systematically dispatched by their own stupidity, in the kind of movie where the use of power boats inevitably leads to at least one death by outboard motor. What's impressive here is the physical production itself--the effect of flooding was created by building a huge replica of downtown Huntington, Indiana, in a huge, watertight aircraft hangar in Palmdale, California! --Jeff Shannon In his critically acclaimed Rain Fall, Bar ry Eisler introduced half Japanese-half American freelance hit man John Rain, a "dashing and dangerous hero...as likable as he is lethal."* Now Eisler's back. So is Rain, the master of death by "natural causes" whose new target threatens the fragile political balance of an entire country.Barry Eisler's half-breed freelance assassin John Rain returns to Tokyo for a second outing in Hard Rain, the sequel to Eisler's stunning 2002 debut, Rain Fall. Once again Rain is working with, or at least parallel to, Tatsu, a wily veteran of Japan's FBI equivalent, who aims to cleanse the Japanese government of its systemic corruption. To further this goal, he's persuaded the ever-cautious Rain to take out Murakami, a brutal gangster and hitman who specializes in making his killings look like suicide, a specialty Rain thought was his alone. Liquidating the dangerous and elusive Murakami proves to be a difficult task, however, one that leads to personal loss for Rain, and sets! the plot on course for a climax that hits with the power of a well-delivered roundhouse kick.

Eisler builds on Rain's self-enforced isolation and loneliness as he expertly shows the reader Tokyo as channeled by Chandler, transforming the burgeoning metropolis into a noir catacomb of dimly lit hostess bars, scheming bureaucrats, shadowy intelligence agents, and outlaw martial arts dojos where thugged-up yakuza train for illicit death matches.

While the plot becomes complicated toward the novel's conclusion, Rain is a refreshing and complex character whom readers will want to see return for another installment. If you've a yen for a thriller that mixes suspense, intrigue, and action with a Japanese flavor and a hardboiled American attitude, Eisler's Hard Rain is an excellent choice. --Benjamin ReeseA powerhouse cast churns up the action in this thrill-drenched story of an armored car driver battling armed crooks and the rampaging water! s of a killer flood. Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Da! te: 04/1 1/2006 Starring: Morgan Freeman Randy Quaid Run time: 96 minutes Rating: R Director: Mikael SalomonIt may not be a disaster movie, per se, but this terminally silly thriller is certainly disastrous, and would be pointless without the novelty of its setting in a flooding Midwestern town during a torrential rainfall. Physically impressive but idiotic in every other respect, the movie pits an armored truck courier (Christian Slater) against a smart leader of thieves (Morgan Freeman) and a corruptible town sheriff (Randy Quaid) who are vying for possession of $3 million in cash. A waterlogged game of cat and mouse, the plot is so contrived that even the most impressive action sequences--such as a jet-ski chase through flooded high-school corridors--are robbed of their already tenuous credibility. Before long you'll be yawning as incompetent accomplices are systematically dispatched by their own stupidity, in the kind of movie where the use of power boats inevitably leads to ! at least one death by outboard motor. What's impressive here is the physical production itself--the effect of flooding was created by building a huge replica of downtown Huntington, Indiana, in a huge, watertight aircraft hangar in Palmdale, California! --Jeff Shannon In his critically acclaimed Rain Fall, Barry Eisler introduced half Japanese-half American freelance hit man John Rain, a "dashing and dangerous hero...as likable as he is lethal."* Now Eisler's back. So is Rain, the master of death by "natural causes" whose new target threatens the fragile political balance of an entire country.Barry Eisler's half-breed freelance assassin John Rain returns to Tokyo for a second outing in Hard Rain, the sequel to Eisler's stunning 2002 debut, Rain Fall. Once again Rain is working with, or at least parallel to, Tatsu, a wily veteran of Japan's FBI equivalent, who aims to cleanse the Japanese government of its systemic corruption. To further this goal! , he's persuaded the ever-cautious Rain to take out Murakami, ! a brutal gangster and hitman who specializes in making his killings look like suicide, a specialty Rain thought was his alone. Liquidating the dangerous and elusive Murakami proves to be a difficult task, however, one that leads to personal loss for Rain, and sets the plot on course for a climax that hits with the power of a well-delivered roundhouse kick.

Eisler builds on Rain's self-enforced isolation and loneliness as he expertly shows the reader Tokyo as channeled by Chandler, transforming the burgeoning metropolis into a noir catacomb of dimly lit hostess bars, scheming bureaucrats, shadowy intelligence agents, and outlaw martial arts dojos where thugged-up yakuza train for illicit death matches.

While the plot becomes complicated toward the novel's conclusion, Rain is a refreshing and complex character whom readers will want to see return for another installment. If you've a yen for a thriller that mixes suspense, intrigue, and action with a Japanese ! flavor and a hardboiled American attitude, Eisler's Hard Rain is an excellent choice. --Benjamin ReeseIn his critically acclaimed Rain Fall, Barry Eisler introduced half Japanese-half American freelance hit man John Rain, a "dashing and dangerous hero...as likable as he is lethal."* Now Eisler's back. So is Rain, the master of death by "natural causes" whose new target threatens the fragile political balance of an entire country.DROP ZONE/HARD RAIN - DVD MovieTwelve bones are missing.
 
When a U.S. colonel is found murdered in his Istanbul home, the grisliest detail is the one that links his murder to another that soon follows. To Special Agent Vin Cooper, it looks like there’s a serial killer at large in Turkey.
But looks can be deceiving.

Onetime lovers, now the uneasiest of partners, Vin Cooper and Special Agent Anna Masters follow a trail of clues from Istanbul to Iraq and beyond. The victims were not selected at random. What look! ed like ritual was rife with clues. As evidence of a conspirac! y snakes up the chain of command, these two seasoned special agents must dodge bullets, defuse bombs, and avoid being buried alive in their desperate effort to short-circuit a plan for world domination more audacious than they could ever have imagined.

The Believer

  • Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, The Believer is a daring and gripping portrayal of a young Jewish man living an impossible contradiction as a neo-Nazi. Inspired by real events, the film tells the story of Danny Balint (Ryan Gosling) and his struggle between destroying his own people and being drawn back to Judaism. Starring Ryan Gosling (Murder By Numbers) in a cri
Dan Dunne (Ryan Gosling) is a young inner-city junior high school teacher whose ideals wither and die in the face of reality. Day after day in his shabby Brooklyn classroom, he somehow finds the energy to inspire his 13 and 14-year-olds to examine everything from civil rights to the Civil War with a new enthusiasm. Rejecting the standard curriculum in favor of an edgier approach, Dan teaches his students how change works ' on both a historical and personal scale ' and how to think for themselves.

! Though Dan is brilliant, dynamic, and in control in the classroom, he spends his time outside school on the edge of consciousness. His disappointments and disillusionment have led to a serious drug habit. He juggles his hangovers and his homework, keeping his lives separated, until one of his troubled students, Drey (Shareeka Epps), catches him getting high after school.

From this awkward beginning, Dan and Drey stumble into an unexpected friendship. Despite the differences in their ages and situations, they are both at an important intersection. Depending on which way they turn ' and which choices they make ' their lives will change.

!

Sometimes people are attrac! ted to e ach other because of their differences. When there's a nebulous attraction between a teacher and a young teenage child--as in the superb Half Nelson--the relationship has all the makings of confused disaster. Though there are a few uncomfortable moments when it's not obvious whether Dan (Ryan Gosling) and Drey (Shareeka Epps) might cross the line, the attraction between the pair is culled less from sexual tension than desperation. Dan is an idealistic history teacher in an inner-city school. Drey is one of his brightest students. For both, drugs represent something that may help them escape their worlds. He takes drugs to dull his dissatisfaction with himself. She views drugs as a possible way to better her life, even though she knows her brother's foray into that trade landed him in jail. Bleakly filmed and well told, Half Nelson soars because of the immaculate acting by Gosling and Epps. With his impish smile, Gosling provides a character that is at once disa! rming, alluring, and pitiful. As the young girl who's already seen too much hardship in her life, Epps plays her part with just the right amount of hardened raw emotion. While the ambiguous ending may not please fans weaned on happy Hollywood finales, it's a fitting and believable close to a thought-provoking film. --Jae-Ha Kim

Stills from Half Nelson (click for larger image)



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Beyond Half Nelson at Amazon.com


The Films of Ryan Gosling

More Oscar Nominated Roles at the Amazon.com Oscar Store

The Soundtrack

Sometimes you find love where you'd least expect it. Just ask Lars (Academy Award-Nominee* Ryan Gosling), a sweet but quirky guy who thinks he's found the girl of his dreams in a life-sized doll named Bianca. Lars is completely content with his artificial girlfriend, but when he develops feelings for Margo, an attractive co-worker, Lars finds himself lost in a hilariously unique love triangle, hoping to somehow discover the real meaning of true love. Offbeat and endearing, this romantic comedy takes a fresh look at dating and relationships and dares to ask ! the question: What's so wrong with being happy?To some, Lar! s and th e Real Girl will play as comedy; to others, tragedy. Though Craig Gillespie (Mr. Woodcock) allows Lars Lindstrom (a mustachioed Ryan Gosling, miles away from Half Nelson) a happy ending, the road is far from smooth. This rumpled Midwesterner couldn't be more miserable. His brother, Gus (Paul Schneider, All the Real Girls), and sister-in-law, Karin (Emily Mortimer, Lovely and Amazing), fall over themselves to cheer him up, but Lars cannot be moved; he’s been like that since childhood. Then a porn-addicted co-worker hips him to the lifelike Real Doll. The next thing everyone knows, Lars has a new girlfriend named Bianca. She's from Brazil, she's shy, and she uses a wheelchair. She's also made of silicon. (Because Lars is a devout Christian, hanky-panky is out of the question.) Since he's finally emerging from his shell, his doctor, Dagmar (Patricia Clarkson), advises Gus and Karin to play along with the "delusion." Soon the whole town, including Marg! o (Kelli Garner), who harbors a not-so-secret crush on her officemate, gets in on the action, forcing Lars to rejoin the human race or crawl deeper into psychosis. Written by Six Feet Under's Nancy Oliver, Lars and the Real Girl is built around such a preposterous premise, it's hard to know whether to laugh or cry. Fortunately, the actors play it straight. Gosling does his best to make Lars sympathetic, but Schneider and Mortimer, fully convincing in their concern, are the true heart and soul of this odd little film. --Kathleen C. Fennessy


Beyond Lars and the Real Girl


More from Ryan Gosling

Lars and the Real Girl Soundtrack

More Comedies from MGM


Stills from Lars and the Real Girl

Blue Valentine is the story of love found and love lost told in past and present moments in time. Flooded with romantic memories of their courtship, Dean and Cindy use one night to try and save their failing marriage. Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams star in this honest portrait of a relationship on the rocks.Love blooms and dies at the same time in the delicate dance between Oscar nominees Ryan Gosling (Half Nelson) and Michelle Williams (Brokeback Mountain). Gosling's Dean, a high-school dropout, works for a New York moving company. While relocating a frail widower into a retirement home, he spots Cindy, a nursing student who's visiting her grandmother, but the film actually begins six years later. Married with a daughter, they live in rural Pennsylvania. Heavy drinker Dean's looks are fading, while Cindy still turns heads. In his elegantly constructed second feature, writer-director Derek Cianfrance pirouettes between past and present, with each ! scene commenting on the next (set to the bittersweet tones of ! Brooklyn band Grizzly Bear). The Dean of the early years pursues Cindy, who resists at first, but a spontaneous date ends with her tap dancing (badly) and him singing (not so badly). She leaves her domineering boyfriend (Mike Vogel) for this attentive stranger, leading to scenes of intimacy that are far more suggestive than pornographic--even if the MPAA briefly rated the film NC-17. Later, when the family dog goes missing, the cracks in their marriage intensify, so Dean arranges for a night of romance, which plays out like a negative image of their first date. If the two actors, who are very good, are meant to carry equal weight, Gosling has the more difficult task. It's harder to like the clingy, insecure Dean, who loves more intensely and less wisely, but that makes Gosling's the braver performance. --Kathleen C. FennessyBELIEVER - DVD Movie

Homegrown : Widescreen Edition

  • Widescreen
HOMEGROWN - DVD MovieReleased to only a handful of theaters in the spring and summer of 1998, Homegrown was neglected by nervous distributors who couldn't figure out how to market a movie about marijuana farmers. As a result, hardly anyone saw this cleverly plotted comedy-thriller about three experienced pot growers in northern California (Billy Bob Thornton, Hank Azaria, and Ryan Phillippe) who guard their valuable outdoor crop against raids by the cops and unwanted competitors. When their mysterious leader is apparently murdered, Thornton assumes the dead man's identity to arrange one last, lucrative bumper-crop deal, but pulling off the scam proves to be a lot harder than they'd anticipated. While the three potheads seek refuge with an old colleague (Kelly Lynch) and routinely sample their goods (which explains the film's theatrical obscurity), Homegrown turns into! a taut thriller fueled by equal parts comedy and paranoid tension--an update of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre with marijuana instead of gold! Featuring cameo roles for Jamie Lee Curtis, Ted Danson, and John Lithgow, this entertaining film fell victim to the misguided fear that it promotes drugs and illegal activity. If anything, it promotes interesting characters, catchy dialogue, and a welcomed alternative to mainstream Hollywood comedies. --Jeff Shannon
Swap the annuals for edibles, creating attractive beds and containers that both beautify the yard and provide a bounty of fresh produce

 
As a trained chef-turned-professional kitchen garden designer, Marta Teegen knows what a difference freshly harvested vegetables can make to a mealâ€"and how easy it is to ensure seasonal vegetables are always available when you need them. She touts the joys creating front yardâ€"friendly raised beds and container gardens that take up o! nly a small amount of space and look beautiful to boot, and sh! ares ide as for tucking productive gardens in other small nooks and corners.

 
Teegen’s unique cuisine-based planting methods mean herbs, vegetables, and edible flowers grow next to each other in comingled plotsâ€"quickly, reliably, and efficiently. You'll find more than 40 top picks for small-space vegetables that yield big and are trouble-free, plus a variety of menus and 50 recipes for fresh and delicious summer dishes.

 
With food prices on the rise and concern over pesticide residues on produce ever present, the number of home owners growing vegetables nearly doubled in the last year. Homegrown shows that even urban and suburban dwellers can grow their own vegetables in easy-to-tend plots and spaces.

Mainstream rhetoric has made a concerted effort to polarize African Americans and Latinos, emphasizing differences in language and religion, while designating one or the other as the “favored minority” at wi! ll. In Witness, Amalia Mesa-Bains and bell hooks invite us to reexamine this politically popular binary and consider which differences are manufactured and which are real.

In Witness, Mesa-Bains and hooks explore their own similarities and differences, sharing the ways their childhoods, families, and work have shaped their political activism, teaching, and artistic expression. Drawing on shared experiences of sexism, classism, and racism, hooks and Mesa-Bains show how people from divergent cultural backgrounds can work together for radical social change.

While the black/Latino divide and the increasing cross-community political collaboration has been addressed in progressive newspapers and magazines, Witness, an inclusive call to reflect and act, is the first of its kind to look at these issues in depth. And Amalia Mesa-Bains, a pioneer scholar and producer of Chicana art, with bell hooks, one of the most acclaimed of African American theo! ristsâ€"prove an unparalleled match for the job.

bel! l hooks< /b> is one of the leading public intellectuals of her generation. She has written extensively on the emotional impact of racism and sexism, particularly on black women, as well as the importance of political engagement with art and the media. In her recent work on love, relationships, and community, she shows how emotional health is a necessary component to effective resistance and activism.

Amalia Mesa-Bains is an artist, curator, and writer who has initiated comprehensive exhibitions of Latino art, including Chicano Art: Resistance and Affirmation and Mi Alma, Mi Tierra, Mi Gente: Contemporary Chicana Art. Her artwork incorporates various aspects of Chicano/a history, culture, and folk traditions, exploring religion, ritual, and female rites of passage. She won a MacArthur Fellowship in 1992.

In this follow-up to Taste Pure and Simplewinner of the James Beard Cookbook AwardMichel Nischan takes his philosophy of healthy cooking fr! om garden to kitchen. Inspired to provide his growing family with meals as full of flavor as those he'd enjoyed at his mother's table, Michel planted a garden of his own. The result was a delicious array of recipes based on the best the gardenor, if you're not that fortunate, the organic produce in the farmers' market or grocery storehas to offer. Sweet tomatoes and bitter lettuces, peppery radishes and succulent strawberriesthese are but a handful of fruits, herbs, and vegetables that, served alone or combined with quality meats and poultry, ripened cheeses, or whole grains, inspired these 80 seasonal recipes, each one as good for the body as it is for the palate. Including a superb chapter on extending the harvest, full of fruit preserves and jams, pickled vegetables, sauces, salsas, flavored oils, spice mixes, and even a few refreshing drinks, Homegrown Pure and Simple is a book that not only conveys the sheer joy of feeding family and friends well, but also takes! healthy cooking to an excitingand deliciousnew level.DVD

Gone in 60 Seconds [Blu-ray]

  • GONE IN 60 SECONDS (BLU-RAY DISC)
Academy Award(R)-winners Nicolas Cage (1996 Best Actor, LEAVING LAS VEGAS; ADAPTATION, MATCHSTICK MEN) and sexy Angelina Jolie (1999 Best Supporting Actress, GIRL INTERRUPTED; LARA CROFT TOMB RAIDER) ride an unstoppable wave of speed and adrenaline in this hot, egdy action hit from high-octane producer Jerry Bruckheimer (PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL, PEARL HARBOR). Legendary car booster Randall "Memphis" Raines (Cage) thought he'd left the fast lane behind -- until he's forced out of retirement in a do-or-die effort to save his kid brother (Giovanni Ribisi, LOST IN TRANSLATION, TV's FRIENDS) from the wrath of an evil mobster! But with speed to burn and attitude to spare, Memphis hastily reassembles his old crew -- a rogues' gallery including Academy Award-winner Robert Duvall (1983 Best Actor, TENDER MERCIES; OPEN RANGE) -- and floor! s it in a full-throttle race to pull off the ulimate car heist: 50 exotic beauties in 24 hours -- and the cops are already on to them! Directed by Dominic Sena and written by Scott Rosenberg, GONE IN 60 SECONDS is an action-packed thrill ride that comes out fast and never slows down.Kip Raines (Giovanni Ribisi) is a cocky young car thief working with a crew to steal 50 cars for a very bad man whose nickname is "The Carpenter." Being young and cocky, Kip messes up, so it's up to his big brother, Randall "Memphis" Raines (Nicolas Cage), to come out of car thief retirement and save him. With a cast that includes Robert Duvall, Angelina Jolie, Delroy Lindo, Cage, and Ribisi, it would be easy to say this story wastes all their talents--which it does, but that's not the point. This is a Jerry Bruckheimer film. A good story and complex characters would only get in the way of the action scenes and slow the movie down. No, Gone in 60 Seconds (based on the cult 1974 film of ! the same name) is not about the stars as much as it's about ca! rs. Fast cars. Rare cars. Wrecked cars. All cars. Too bad director Dominic Sena (Kalifornia) doesn't come across as more of a gearhead; he seems less interested in fast cars than fast cuts. But is this movie fun? Absolutely, and it's fun because it's so stupid. With pointless car chases and hackneyed dialogue in one of the most predictable plots of the year, Gone in 60 Seconds is a comic film that's not quite a parody of itself, but darn close. --Andy SpletzerFasten your seat belts for the ride of your life as Jerry Bruckheimer's high-octane hit reaches a new gear in a revolutionary high-definition format. Nicolas Cage and Angelina Jolie go full throttle as they try to pull off the ultimate heist -- 50 exotic cars in 24 hours! The action revs up like never before on Blu-ray disc. Experience every jaw-dropping chase scene in stunning 1080p. Feel the screech of the tires and the roar of the engines presented in 5.1 48 kHz, 24-bit uncompressed audio.! Enjoy GONE IN 60 SECONDS like never before -- with a pristine high-definition picture and theater-quality sound.Kip Raines (Giovanni Ribisi) is a cocky young car thief working with a crew to steal 50 cars for a very bad man whose nickname is "The Carpenter." Being young and cocky, Kip messes up, so it's up to his big brother, Randall "Memphis" Raines (Nicolas Cage), to come out of car thief retirement and save him. With a cast that includes Robert Duvall, Angelina Jolie, Delroy Lindo, Cage, and Ribisi, it would be easy to say this story wastes all their talents--which it does, but that's not the point. This is a Jerry Bruckheimer film. A good story and complex characters would only get in the way of the action scenes and slow the movie down. No, Gone in 60 Seconds (based on the cult 1974 film of the same name) is not about the stars as much as it's about cars. Fast cars. Rare cars. Wrecked cars. All cars. Too bad director Dominic Sena (Kalifornia) doesn't com! e across as more of a gearhead; he seems less interested in fa! st cars than fast cuts. But is this movie fun? Absolutely, and it's fun because it's so stupid. With pointless car chases and hackneyed dialogue in one of the most predictable plots of the year, Gone in 60 Seconds is a comic film that's not quite a parody of itself, but darn close. --Andy Spletzer

The Agatha Christie Miss Marple Movie Collection (Murder at the Gallop / Murder Ahoy / Murder Most Foul / Murder She Said)

  • Murder She Said (1961): Margaret Rutherford's debut as Agatha Christie's Miss Marple Murder at the Gallop (1963): Murder and mystery start with a funeral Murder Most Foul (1964): Miss Marple joins a theatrical troupe whose specialty is death scenes. Murder Ahoy (1964): Miss Marple takes the helm in a seagoing whodunit Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: MYSTERY/SUSPENSE Rating: NR Age:&nbs
How She Move is an energetic, gritty and ultimately inspiring coming of age tale about a gifted young woman who defies all the rules as she step dances her heart out to achieve her dreams. Featuring a fresh cast of new discoveries, this Sundance Film Festival hit marks the feature film debut of the electric RUTINA WESLEY, with street-style step sequences by top choreographer Hi Hat and special appearances by R&B singer-songwriter Keyshia Cole and comedian DeRay Davis. Bursting with raw talent and intelligence, Raya ! Green (WESLEY), the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, has always been the family’s one great hope. She won the rare chance to break out of their drug and crime-infested neighborhood when she was accepted into the exclusive Seaton Academy. But when her sister dies of an overdose, the family is shattered and Raya is forced to return to the place she tried so hard to escape.Dare you to keep your feet still while watching How She Move, a rip-roaring salute to Jamaican-influenced step-dancing with an infectious backbeat. The film will appeal to fans of other dance tributes like Stomp the Yard but also to fans of High School Musical, Bring It On and other teen let's-put-on-a-show empowerment films. The story is set in Toronto's thriving Caribbean-immigrant community, though there are nods to American 'hoods as well. While the drama is a bit short on plot, there's no shortage of action or star power. The film's lead, the dynamic Rutina Wesley, plays Ra! ya Green, an honors student whose life is shattered by the dea! th of he r sister, and by her unwilling return from her private school to her urban neighborhood. But young Raya's spirit is indomitable, as shows the tough neighborhood boys she's every bit a dance force to be reckoned with as they are. Her dancing gives this film its sweet patina of grrl power on top of its fabulous choreographed moves. Also don't miss the great soundtrack, featuring Missy Elliott and Busta Rhymes. How she move? Pretty darn great. --A.T. HurleyFrom producer Jennifer Lopez comes a danceable, dynamic story about the unifying power of the music within us all. When life in the South Bronx gets too hot for rapper Rob (Omarion Grandberry, You Got Served), he flees to Puerto Rico and a father he never knew. After half-brother Javi introduces Rob to the seductive rhythms of Reggaeton, the two find that their music, and cultures, have more in common than they ever imagined. But to bring their musical hybrid to the world, can they survive the grudges and gunpla! y that await them back in New York City? To find out, grab the disc, watch the film and Feel the Noise.Feel the Noise fits in with other dance-heavy films such as Stomp the Yard, Step Up, and You Got Served. The young hero in this film (which comes courtesy of Jennifer Lopez's Nuyorican Productions) serves up former B2K heartthrob Omarion Grandberry as Rob, a fledgling rapper who gets into trouble in New York. Fearing for her son's life, his mother ships him off to Puerto Rico to live with his father Roberto(Giancarlo Esposito) and half brother Javi (Victor Rasuk). Rob and Roberto have a strained relationship, but the two half-brothers quickly bond over their love of music. With the help of a girl Rob is sweet on, the two find themselves on the brink of a bonafide music career--that may bring Rob back to Harlem. Set against a backbeat of reggaeton music (which combines elements of reggae, hip-hop, and salsa), the film has its work cut out.! The genre is little known to much of the film's demographics ! (teenage rs), and Grandberry is likeable, but he's not a convincing leading man. His role requires simmering sexuality; he provides adorableness, but the moviegoer is never convinced that he is anything but a nice boy. Zulay Henao is lovely as Rob's sexy and sweet girlfriend, but the two actors don't share much chemistry. Lopez makes a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo near the end of the movie, which has one misstep too many to be anything more than a guilty pleasure. --Jae-Ha KimSay "I do" to "madcap comedy" (Box Office) and "exuberant farce" (Film Daily) in this feel-good romp about one groom, two wives and one delightfully daffy honeymoon! Starring Doris Day, James Garner and Polly Bergen, Move Over, Darling is "a funny, funny film!" (Hollywood Citizen News) that's the perfect union of "humor, romance and heart" (The Hollywood Reporter)!

Five years after losing his first wife Ellen (Day) at sea, Nick (Garner) is finally ready to have her declared legally dead, get remarried ! and settle down to a peaceful second marriage! But wedded bliss becomes marital mayhem when Ellen turns up alive -- with a hilarious, hair-brained scheme to win back her husband, put a stop to the honeymoon and give first love a second chance-at happily-ever-after!Doris Day, the perky, chaste adult star of an odd collection of winking 1960s sex comedies, takes the Irene Dunne role in this remake of the comedy classic My Favorite Wife. As the survivor of a five-year ordeal on a desert island, she returns home the very day her husband has remarried. James Garner, trading his Maverick impish humor and con man cool for a mugging performance of double takes and pratfalls, is her overjoyed husband who is too cowardly to tell his neurotic bride (Polly Bergen). All of this, naturally, leads to a ridiculously complicated plot that combines door-slamming sex farce with mistaken identities (Day poses as a Swedish masseuse) and a goofy sped-up car chase. Chuck Connors, wh! o costars as Day's hunky, he-man island mate "Adam," leads a t! opnotch supporting cast that includes sassy Thelma Ritter as Garner's no-nonsense mother, Don Knotts as a nervous shoe salesman enlisted by Day to impersonate Adam, Fred Clark at his indignant best, and John Astin and Pat Harrington in early roles. Edgar Buchanan practically steals the film as a gruff, irascible judge who growls through the legal circus that forms the film's chaotic climax. The cast for the most part rises above the tepid script and bland direction and Day sings two songs. Interestingly, this remake was originally developed for Marilyn Monroe and Dean Martin as the never completed Something's Got to Give. --Sean AxmakerMurder She Said (1961): Margaret Rutherford's debut as Agatha Christie's Miss Marple Murder at the Gallop (1963): Murder and mystery start with a funeral Murder Most Foul (1964): Miss Marple joins a theatrical troupe whose specialty is death scenes. Murder Ahoy (1964): Miss Marple takes the helm in a seagoing whodunitNever mind purists w! ho bemoan Margaret Rutherford's incarnation of Agatha Christie's celebrated spinster sleuth. These four British films, produced between 1961 and 64, are jolly good, regardless of their tenuous connection with Miss Marple as written, or with Christie herself. One of the films, in fact, Murder Ahoy, is an original screenplay credited as "an interpretation of Miss Marple." And two others, Murder at the Gallop and Murder Most Foul were based on books featuring Christie's other famed detective, Hercule Poirot." But no matter. The redoubtable Rutherford indelibly makes Marple her very own, or, as she proclaims to Inspector Craddock (Charles Tingwell), with whom she locks horns throughout all four films, "I am always myself." Rutherford makes a formidable first impression in Murder She Said, based on Christie's 4:50 from Paddington, in which the armchair sleuth goes undercover as a servant after witnessing a murder on a train. In Murder at the! Gallop, based on After the Funeral, where there's ! a will, there's murder. In Murder Ahoy, Marple discovers a ship of thieves. In Murder Most Foul, Marple deadlocks a jury and joins a theatrical troupe to prove the defendant's innocence.

The Marple films are endearingly modest productions, redeemed by peerless performances and mostly sharp scripts. Ron Goodwin's theme music used in all four films is an irresistible piece of '60s symphonic pop that's a classical gas. None of the actors are suspect. Rutherford gets able support from her real-life husband, Stringer Davis, who portrays Marple's Watson-esque sidekick. Venerable character actors Robert Morley and Ron Moody enliven Gallop and Foul, respectively. And in Murder She Said, that's Joan Hickson, who would go on to acclaim as Miss Marple in the celebrated BBC series (also available on DVD). But it's tough to steal a scene from Rutherford, whose Marple displays a keen mind, and, in Ahoy, surprising prowess with a sword! --Donald Li! ebenson

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CHRYSTAL - DVD MovieThe naive eighteen year old Chrystal has long had a fascination for rubber, a fascination that her stepmother Lady Arlen has heartily encouraged. Under the woman’s guidance, Chrystal has already enjoyed the sensuous feel of the rubber garments in her wardrobe. But now there’s to be a ‘new uniform’, one especially designed to conform seamlessly to Chrystal’s youthful body, based on a series of exacting measurements. With her sexuality beginning to bloom, her fetish for rubber only increases with the pr! ospects of her new attire. However, Lady Arlen’s plans for her charge take a number of unanticipated and, indeed, diabolical twists that Chrystal never expected. She’s taken to the garment’s maker, Mr. Eversham, who will take on the meticulousness task of fitting the uniform to her bodyâ€"a process that will take several hours. Each new article, from the stringent corset to the face mask to the horrid boots and mittens, give Chrystal cause for alarm. Soon she’ll be covered head to toe in her beloved rubber. However, rubber is not the only unusual aspect to her new clothes. With unique electronic features as part of its design, the uniform will not only be capable of giving her intensely erotic stimulation in her crotch and breasts, it will allow for both sensory deprivation and electro-punishment beyond her wildest imaginings. Nothing about this is what Chrystal expected. Soon she’ll be trapped in a prison of rubber with no escape, her body no longer her own to co! ntrol, her fate determined by strangers, and her contact with ! the outs ide world quickly dwindling away. In this chilling first person account of Chrystal’s descent into slavery, the horror of her predicament amplifies with each new step she’s required to take.The naive eighteen year old Chrystal has long had a fascination for rubber, a fascination that her stepmother Lady Arlen has heartily encouraged. Under the woman’s guidance, Chrystal has already enjoyed the sensuous feel of the rubber garments in her wardrobe. But now there’s to be a ‘new uniform’, one especially designed to conform seamlessly to Chrystal’s youthful body, based on a series of exacting measurements. With her sexuality beginning to bloom, her fetish for rubber only increases with the prospects of her new attire. However, Lady Arlen’s plans for her charge take a number of unanticipated and, indeed, diabolical twists that Chrystal never expected. She’s taken to the garment’s maker, Mr. Eversham, who will take on the meticulousness task of fitting the unifo! rm to her bodyâ€"a process that will take several hours. Each new article, from the stringent corset to the face mask to the horrid boots and mittens, give Chrystal cause for alarm. Soon she’ll be covered head to toe in her beloved rubber. However, rubber is not the only unusual aspect to her new clothes. With unique electronic features as part of its design, the uniform will not only be capable of giving her intensely erotic stimulation in her crotch and breasts, it will allow for both sensory deprivation and electro-punishment beyond her wildest imaginings. Nothing about this is what Chrystal expected. Soon she’ll be trapped in a prison of rubber with no escape, her body no longer her own to control, her fate determined by strangers, and her contact with the outside world quickly dwindling away. In this chilling first person account of Chrystal’s descent into slavery, the horror of her predicament amplifies with each new step she’s required to take.Tired of being ! cheated on, lied to, mistreated, and misunderstood, Chrystal J! ohnson m akes the decision to remove herself from the dating scene. No longer distracted by the drama commonly associated with dating, Chrystal's sole focus and purpose in life remains fixedly on her two children, Jade and Hunter. Unexpected events, however, interrupt Chrystal's day-to-day routine, forcing her to complete an internal assessment of her views about herself and the world. The translucent nature of events that attack her at an alarming rate have the ability to knock her down into a depressed daily existence or lift her up to a well-deserved level of joy. The only thing Chrystal must do is ask herself a question. It's an intricate question that requires an honest answer. It's the question that every woman eventually has to ask herself. Simply put, the question asks: What will complete me; what will make me whole? If only the answer could be ... Chrystal Clear.
Tired of being cheated on, lied to, mistreated, and misunderstood, Chrystal Johnson makes the decision to r! emove herself from the dating scene. No longer distracted by the drama commonly associated with dating, Chrystal's sole focus and purpose in life remains fixedly on her two children, Jade and Hunter. Unexpected events, however, interrupt Chrystal's day-to-day routine, forcing her to complete an internal assessment of her views about herself and the world. The translucent nature of events that attack her at an alarming rate have the ability to knock her down into a depressed daily existence or lift her up to a well-deserved level of joy. The only thing Chrystal must do is ask herself a question. It's an intricate question that requires an honest answer. It's the question that every woman eventually has to ask herself. Simply put, the question asks: What will complete me; what will make me whole? If only the answer could be ... Chrystal Clear.
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Good Luck Chuck (Unrated Widescreen Edition)

  • Actors: Dane Cook, Jessica Alba, Dan Fogler, Connor Price, Troy Gentile.
  • Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC.
  • Language: English. Subtitles: English, Spanish.
  • Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only).
  • Not Rated. Run Time: 96 minutes.
Studio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 09/09/2008 Run time: 101 minutes Rating: UrIn a perfect world, Good Luck Chuck would've captured the humor of Superbad and the raunch of the American Pie films. But what we're left with, instead, is a raunchy film with an anemic storyline. Cursed as a child with a hex that prevents him from finding true love, Charlie "Chuck" Logan (Dane Cook) finds that the women he dates find the men of their dreams immediately after they've dumped him. For a guy who enjoys dating beautiful women, it doesn't seem like such a horrible thing. ! But then he meets and falls for beautiful and klutzy Cam Wexler (Jessica Alba). Charlie wants to have a meaningful relationship with her, but how can he make her fall in love with him without losing her to some unknown man waiting to sweep her off her feet? Good Luck Chuck isn't an original movie; Cook and Alba make for an attractive couple that exudes warm chemistry. And Alba proves that while she may be famous for her body, she's quite adept at physical comedy. Dan Fogler doesn't fare as well. He has the thankless role of playing Charlie's obnoxious best friend Stu, a borderline perv plastic surgeon who proudly displays a set of Pamela Anderson's breast implants in his office (which, coincidentally enough, is located right next door to Charlie's). The dialogue is crass and the direction is all over the place. Everything is played for laughs, but little actually is very funny in this comedy. This movie actually could've used a bit more good luck. And lots more wit.! --Jae-Ha Kim
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