Saturday, December 31, 2011

Earth 2 - The Complete Series

  • Actors: Debrah Farentino, Clancy Brown, Jessica Steen, Antonio Sabato.
  • Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Full Screen, NTSC.
  • Language: English. Subtitles: English, Spanish.
  • Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only).
  • Not Rated. Run Time: 1025 minutes.
Rhoda and john two people whose worlds collide after a tragic accident. Their intimate drama plays out against the astounding discovery of earth 2 a parallel world that poses provocative and fascinating possibilities. Does a new earth mean a chance at another life? another destiny? another self? Studio: Tcfhe Release Date: 11/29/2011 Run time: 93 minutes Rating: Pg13Another Earth is an unusual hybrid of existential rumination on life choices, mind-bending sci-fi supposition, and challenging indie art film that moves at a pace that is often maddeningly oblique. Based on the marketing campaign,! which plays up the science-fiction angle and special effects (of which there are very few, consisting mainly of offhand composite shots), the movie seems to be trawling for an audience that may be sorely disappointed by all the roundabout and often repetitive philosophically conceptual ideas that are hard to follow. That's not to say that Another Earth isn't rich in ideas or absorbing in its own right as a meditation on how specific moments play out and affect the cascade of alternatives that follow in their wake. Using broadly impressionistic and experimental strokes, the story follows the disjointed meanderings of 17-year-old Rhoda, who causes a tragic accident while driving drunk after celebrating her acceptance into college. The collision happens when she becomes distracted by the mesmerizing planetary image glowing above her car's moon roof, which has just been identified as an exact duplicate of Earth. After four years of incarceration, she continues to suffer! terrible remorse and tries to find a way to make peace with h! erself a nd the older man whose life and family she all but destroyed, and who is now crippled by depression. Her initial self-imposed penance is to adopt the role of an anonymous maid who comes to clean his decrepit house every week. As precious few details are added to their individual and mutual evolution and motivation, the constant of the alternate Earth, which has been steadily moving closer (along with its mirror-image Moon), hovers in the day and night sky, gazed upon with wonder and a growing idea that maybe it represents the redemption Rhoda can't find on her own. A corporate contest that will allow an ordinary citizen to make a shuttle trip to Earth 2 (or is it Earth 1?) becomes the catalyst for her belief that she can fundamentally alter both their lives for the better, but the movie never shows its hand in how or if this might work. Another Earth is another of those high-minded indie dramas that relies a little too heavily on rambling structure, shaky handheld dig! ital camera, and arty shots of things like the play of light, clouds, and swirling dust motes to convey the corners of its characters' sometimes fascinating, sometimes inscrutable souls. Much has been made of the film's final shot, which is truly stunning in its unexpectedness and implications. But what those implications are will be cause for unending debate among viewers, many of who may never be able to come up with a satisfying answer. --Ted FryAnother Earth is an unusual hybrid of existential rumination on life choices, mind-bending sci-fi supposition, and challenging indie art film that moves at a pace that is often maddeningly oblique. Based on the marketing campaign, which plays up the science-fiction angle and special effects (of which there are very few, consisting mainly of offhand composite shots), the movie seems to be trawling for an audience that may be sorely disappointed by all the roundabout and often repetitive philosophically conceptual ide! as that are hard to follow. That's not to say that Another ! Earth isn't rich in ideas or absorbing in its own right as a meditation on how specific moments play out and affect the cascade of alternatives that follow in their wake. Using broadly impressionistic and experimental strokes, the story follows the disjointed meanderings of 17-year-old Rhoda, who causes a tragic accident while driving drunk after celebrating her acceptance into college. The collision happens when she becomes distracted by the mesmerizing planetary image glowing above her car's moon roof, which has just been identified as an exact duplicate of Earth. After four years of incarceration, she continues to suffer terrible remorse and tries to find a way to make peace with herself and the older man whose life and family she all but destroyed, and who is now crippled by depression. Her initial self-imposed penance is to adopt the role of an anonymous maid who comes to clean his decrepit house every week. As precious few details are added to their individual and mutual e! volution and motivation, the constant of the alternate Earth, which has been steadily moving closer (along with its mirror-image Moon), hovers in the day and night sky, gazed upon with wonder and a growing idea that maybe it represents the redemption Rhoda can't find on her own. A corporate contest that will allow an ordinary citizen to make a shuttle trip to Earth 2 (or is it Earth 1?) becomes the catalyst for her belief that she can fundamentally alter both their lives for the better, but the movie never shows its hand in how or if this might work. Another Earth is another of those high-minded indie dramas that relies a little too heavily on rambling structure, shaky handheld digital camera, and arty shots of things like the play of light, clouds, and swirling dust motes to convey the corners of its characters' sometimes fascinating, sometimes inscrutable souls. Much has been made of the film's final shot, which is truly stunning in its unexpectedness and implicati! ons. But what those implications are will be cause for unendin! g debate among viewers, many of who may never be able to come up with a satisfying answer. --Ted FryA science-fiction series with an ecological theme, EARTH 2 only ran for one season on NBC, and all 22 episodes of the program are collected here. In the distant future, the surface of the Earth has been largely destroyed, and mankind lives in space stations orbiting the planet. A group of space colonists, led by Devon Adair (Debrah Farentino) and John Danzinger (Clancy Brown), are sent to a far off planet to prepare it for colonization by the surviving population of Earth. But a mishap sends them careening off-course, crash landing thousands of miles from the proper camp site. EARTH 2 follows the band of colonists as they traverse the planet, encountering dangerous aliens and other humans who view them with distrust and suspicion. By tackling issues like ecology and colonization, EARTH 2 engages important ideas and themes in an entertaining fashion.

The Venture Bros.: Season Four, Vol. 1

  • VENTURE BROS. SEASON 4 VOLUME 1 (DVD MOVIE)
Four adopted brothers come together to bury the woman who raised them. At the funeral, the brothers discover that their mother was murdered, and they look to seek revenge.Bound by love for their slain adoptive mother, the brothers in Four Brothers form a unique quartet that gives John Singleton's film a razor's edge of redemption. It's a thin edge, to be sure, because while Singleton's urban Western pays homage to the Blaxpoitation films of the '70s (as he did with his remake of Shaft), it walks a fine line of credibility with a mythic vengeance plot (recalling John Wayne's 1965 hit The Sons of Katie Elder) that endorses violence as the last resort of a family under siege. When a saintly foster mother (Fionnula Flanagan) is gunned down in a convenience store, her only adopted sons (two white, two black, played respectively by Ma! rk Wahlberg, Garrett Hedlund, Tyrese Gibson and Andre Benjamin) go after the killers, only to discover that their mother's death was not a random event. As they uncover a sticky web of criminal activity involving a local kingpin (Chiwitel Ejiofor), the character-driven plot races toward an inevitable showdown, with ex-con Wahlberg leading the way. Making excellent use of blue collar locations in Detroit, Singleton keeps the action moving fast enough that the film's lack of realism is easily ignored, and the well-drawn characters (including Terrence Howard as a tenacious detective) lend emotional dimension to an otherwise familiar revenge scenario. Four Brothers is manipulative, but it's filled with grace notes of rugged working-class humanity, and it definitely holds your attention. --Jeff ShannonFour adopted brothers come together to bury the woman who raised them. At the funeral, the brothers discover that their mother was murdered, and they look to seek rev! enge.Bound by love for their slain adoptive mother, the brothe! rs in Four Brothers form a unique quartet that gives John Singleton's film a razor's edge of redemption. It's a thin edge, to be sure, because while Singleton's urban Western pays homage to the Blaxpoitation films of the '70s (as he did with his remake of Shaft), it walks a fine line of credibility with a mythic vengeance plot (recalling John Wayne's 1965 hit The Sons of Katie Elder) that endorses violence as the last resort of a family under siege. When a saintly foster mother (Fionnula Flanagan) is gunned down in a convenience store, her only adopted sons (two white, two black, played respectively by Mark Wahlberg, Garrett Hedlund, Tyrese Gibson and Andre Benjamin) go after the killers, only to discover that their mother's death was not a random event. As they uncover a sticky web of criminal activity involving a local kingpin (Chiwitel Ejiofor), the character-driven plot races toward an inevitable showdown, with ex-con Wahlberg leading the way. Making excelle! nt use of blue collar locations in Detroit, Singleton keeps the action moving fast enough that the film's lack of realism is easily ignored, and the well-drawn characters (including Terrence Howard as a tenacious detective) lend emotional dimension to an otherwise familiar revenge scenario. Four Brothers is manipulative, but it's filled with grace notes of rugged working-class humanity, and it definitely holds your attention. --Jeff ShannonFour adopted brothers come together to bury the woman who raised them. At the funeral, the brothers discover that their mother was murdered, and they look to seek revenge.Bound by love for their slain adoptive mother, the brothers in Four Brothers form a unique quartet that gives John Singleton's film a razor's edge of redemption. It's a thin edge, to be sure, because while Singleton's urban Western pays homage to the Blaxpoitation films of the '70s (as he did with his remake of Shaft), it walks a fine line of ! credibility with a mythic vengeance plot (recalling John Wayne! 's 1965 hit The Sons of Katie Elder) that endorses violence as the last resort of a family under siege. When a saintly foster mother (Fionnula Flanagan) is gunned down in a convenience store, her only adopted sons (two white, two black, played respectively by Mark Wahlberg, Garrett Hedlund, Tyrese Gibson and Andre Benjamin) go after the killers, only to discover that their mother's death was not a random event. As they uncover a sticky web of criminal activity involving a local kingpin (Chiwitel Ejiofor), the character-driven plot races toward an inevitable showdown, with ex-con Wahlberg leading the way. Making excellent use of blue collar locations in Detroit, Singleton keeps the action moving fast enough that the film's lack of realism is easily ignored, and the well-drawn characters (including Terrence Howard as a tenacious detective) lend emotional dimension to an otherwise familiar revenge scenario. Four Brothers is manipulative, but it's filled with grace notes o! f rugged working-class humanity, and it definitely holds your attention. --Jeff ShannonFour adopted brothers come together to bury the woman who raised them. At the funeral, the brothers discover that their mother was murdered, and they look to seek revenge.Bound by love for their slain adoptive mother, the brothers in Four Brothers form a unique quartet that gives John Singleton's film a razor's edge of redemption. It's a thin edge, to be sure, because while Singleton's urban Western pays homage to the Blaxpoitation films of the '70s (as he did with his remake of Shaft), it walks a fine line of credibility with a mythic vengeance plot (recalling John Wayne's 1965 hit The Sons of Katie Elder) that endorses violence as the last resort of a family under siege. When a saintly foster mother (Fionnula Flanagan) is gunned down in a convenience store, her only adopted sons (two white, two black, played respectively by Mark Wahlberg, Garrett Hedlund, Tyr! ese Gibson and Andre Benjamin) go after the killers, only to d! iscover that their mother's death was not a random event. As they uncover a sticky web of criminal activity involving a local kingpin (Chiwitel Ejiofor), the character-driven plot races toward an inevitable showdown, with ex-con Wahlberg leading the way. Making excellent use of blue collar locations in Detroit, Singleton keeps the action moving fast enough that the film's lack of realism is easily ignored, and the well-drawn characters (including Terrence Howard as a tenacious detective) lend emotional dimension to an otherwise familiar revenge scenario. Four Brothers is manipulative, but it's filled with grace notes of rugged working-class humanity, and it definitely holds your attention. --Jeff ShannonBound by love for their slain adoptive mother, the brothers in Four Brothers form a unique quartet that gives John Singleton's film a razor's edge of redemption. It's a thin edge, to be sure, because while Singleton's urban Western pays homage to the Blaxpoitatio! n films of the '70s (as he did with his remake of Shaft), it walks a fine line of credibility with a mythic vengeance plot (recalling John Wayne's 1965 hit The Sons of Katie Elder) that endorses violence as the last resort of a family under siege. When a saintly foster mother (Fionnula Flanagan) is gunned down in a convenience store, her only adopted sons (two white, two black, played respectively by Mark Wahlberg, Garrett Hedlund, Tyrese Gibson and Andre Benjamin) go after the killers, only to discover that their mother's death was not a random event. As they uncover a sticky web of criminal activity involving a local kingpin (Chiwitel Ejiofor), the character-driven plot races toward an inevitable showdown, with ex-con Wahlberg leading the way. Making excellent use of blue collar locations in Detroit, Singleton keeps the action moving fast enough that the film's lack of realism is easily ignored, and the well-drawn characters (including Terrence Howard as a t! enacious detective) lend emotional dimension to an otherwise f! amiliar revenge scenario. Four Brothers is manipulative, but it's filled with grace notes of rugged working-class humanity, and it definitely holds your attention. --Jeff ShannonBound by love for their slain adoptive mother, the brothers in Four Brothers form a unique quartet that gives John Singleton's film a razor's edge of redemption. It's a thin edge, to be sure, because while Singleton's urban Western pays homage to the Blaxpoitation films of the '70s (as he did with his remake of Shaft), it walks a fine line of credibility with a mythic vengeance plot (recalling John Wayne's 1965 hit The Sons of Katie Elder) that endorses violence as the last resort of a family under siege. When a saintly foster mother (Fionnula Flanagan) is gunned down in a convenience store, her only adopted sons (two white, two black, played respectively by Mark Wahlberg, Garrett Hedlund, Tyrese Gibson and Andre Benjamin) go after the killers, only to discover that their m! other's death was not a random event. As they uncover a sticky web of criminal activity involving a local kingpin (Chiwitel Ejiofor), the character-driven plot races toward an inevitable showdown, with ex-con Wahlberg leading the way. Making excellent use of blue collar locations in Detroit, Singleton keeps the action moving fast enough that the film's lack of realism is easily ignored, and the well-drawn characters (including Terrence Howard as a tenacious detective) lend emotional dimension to an otherwise familiar revenge scenario. Four Brothers is manipulative, but it's filled with grace notes of rugged working-class humanity, and it definitely holds your attention. --Jeff ShannonQuestions are answered and truths are revealed. Learn how Henchman 21 copes with life without 24. See what happens when Brock and the Venture family are forced to part ways. Discover the final fate of H.E.L.P.eR. And all the while, the balance of the free world hangs in the hands ! of Dean Venture, who must kill Hitler.The first half of the Venture Bros.' fourth season might be subtitled The Venture Bros. Grow Up, since so much change is afoot for the hapless Hank and Dean Venture, their scientist dad Rusty, and bloodthirsty bodyguard Brock Samson; naturally, most of these formative moments are utter disasters, as befits the Venture family, and all of it delivered in the most inventive and frequently hilarious ways. Season 4 opens with the Venture compound under assault and Samson (voiced by Patrick Warburton) out of commission due to an explosion; Samson eventually rejoins his old outfit, the G.I. Joe-esque SPHINX, which requires the reformed arch-villain Sgt. Hatred (voiced by Christopher McCulloch, a.k.a. series cocreator Jackson Publick) to step in and mind the boys. Meanwhile, Dean (Michael Sinterniklaas) is reluctantly groomed by his father (James Urbaniak) for a life in super-science, and Hank (McCulloch) searches for a father figure to replace Brock. Candidates include Hatred and Captain Suns! hine (Batman regular Kevin Conroy), whose interest in Hank is decidedly prurient. There are also surprises afoot for necromancer Dr. Orpheus (Steven Rattazzi) and daughter Triana (Lisa Hammer), as well as the Monarch's Henchman, 21 (cocreator Doc Hammer), and the rise of the delusional Phantom Limb (Urbaniak) as a threat to the Ventures. It's a lot to digest, so newcomers are advised to backtrack and check out the first three seasons before diving in; Venture vets, however, will revel in the razor-sharp dialogue, the skewering of pop-culture sacred cows, and the terrific vocal performances by every member of the cast, with Urbaniak, Rattazzi, and McCulloch as standouts. Best of all, the rest of the season, which includes one of the series' most clever outings, the noir-inspired "Everybody Comes to Hank's," is still to come. Extras include witty, informative commentary by Publick and Doc Hammer on every episode, as well as a battery of deleted scenes and a very amusin! g abandoned cold opening that finds 21 ruining the Monarch's m! ock inva sion of the Venture compound. Buyers should know that the eight episodes presented on the single-disc set are uncut. --Paul Gaita

Friday, December 30, 2011

Hairspray: Deluxe Edition

  • In 1962 Baltimore, chunky Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) dreams big: land a gig on the see-and-be-seen TV teen-scene hit The Corny Collins Show, win the heart of the nicest and cutest boy in school (Zac Efron), and strike a blow for civil rights. And whaddaya know it all comes true! Boppin with all the joy of the long-running, award-winning Broadway musical smash and blazing with sublime star powe
In 1962 Baltimore, chunky Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) dreams big: land a gig on the see-and-be-seen TV teen-scene hit The Corny Collins Show, win the heart of the nicest and cutest boy in school (Zac Efron), and strike a blow for civil rights. And whaddaya know â€" it all comes true! Boppin’ with all the joy of the long-running, award-winning Broadway musical smash and blazing with sublime star power (including John Travolta and Christopher Walken as Tracy’s devoted, dance-happy mom and dad),! “Hairspray earns knockout status for its humor, heart and high spirits. …a plus-size bundle of fun” (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone).
It's rare that a movie captures the intensity and excitement of a live Broadway musical production while appealing to a broader movie-going audience, but the 2007 Hairspray is an energetic, powerfully moving film that does just that. A remake of the 1988 musical film Hairspray, the new Hairspray is a film adaptation of the 2002 Broadway musical and features more likeable characters than the original film and an incredible energy that stems from a great cast, fabulous new music, and the influence of musical producer Craig Zadan. What remains constant throughout all three versions of Hairspray is the story's thought-provoking exploration of prejudice and racism. Set in Baltimore in 1962, the film opens with chubby girl Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) singing her heart out in a rendition ! of "Good Morning Baltimore" that, while admittedly a bit too ! long, se ts the farcical tone for the film. Viewers quickly become immersed in Tracy's teenage world of popular television dance shows, big hair, the stigma of being different, and the first hesitant steps toward racial integration within a segregated world. The Corny Collins (James Marsden) television dance show is a teenage obsession in Tracy's world and Link Larkin (Zac Efron) is every girl's dream partner, so when a call for auditions goes out, Tracy skips school to try out, but is rejected by station manager Velma von Tussle (Michelle Pfeiffer) because of her large size and the threat of competition for Velma's own daughter Amber (Brittany Snow). Perseverance and the support of her friend Penny (Amanda Bynes), father Wilbur (Christopher Walken), and negro dancer Seaweed (Elijah Kelley) lead Tracy to the spotlight and the chance of a lifetime, but more and more Tracy discovers that fairness and equality for those who are different does not come without a fight and that sacrifi! ces must be made to effect change. While the message is serious, Hairspray is first and foremost a comedy with stellar performances by John Travolta as Edna Turnblad (who ever imagined Saturday Night Fever's iconic star would appear onscreen as a woman?), Christopher Walken, and Michelle Pfeiffer. Part of what makes Hairspray so powerful is the exceptional music composed by Marc Shaiman, including songs newly composed for the movie like "Ladies' Choice," "The New Girl in Town," and "Come So Far," and the awesome vocal talents of Queen Latifah (Motormouth Maybelle) and a cast of heretofore musically-unknown actors like Nikki Blonsky, Zac Efron, and Brittany Snow who really can sing. Notable trivia includes Jerry Stiller's appearance in both versions of the film (as Wilbur in the 1988 film and as Mr. Pinky in this 2007 rendition), and a cameo appearance by 1988 director and screenplay writer John Waters. Hairspray is one of the best films of th! e year--it's powerfully moving entertainment that leaves you e! nergized and motivated to fight for what you believe in. --Tami Horiuchi

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Friday the 13th, Part VI: Jason Lives (Deluxe Edition)

  • Condition: New
  • Format: DVD
  • AC-3; Color; Dolby; Dubbed; DVD; NTSC; Subtitled; Widescreen
Jason rises from the grave to wreak havoc upon a new group of unsuspecting campers in the ultra-bloody rampage Friday The 13th: Part VI: Jason Lives - Deluxe Edition. As a child, Tommy Jarvis killed mass-murderer Jason Voorhees. But now, years later, he is tormented by the fear that maybe Jason isn't really dead. Determined to finish off the infamous killer once and for all, Tommy and a friend dig up Jason's corpse in order to cremate him. Unfortunately, things go seriously awry, and Jason is instead resurrected, sparking a new chain of ruthlessly brutal murders. Now it's up to Tommy to stop the dark, devious and demented deaths that he unwittingly brought about in this terrifying horror film that will take you to the grave and back!

Curious George Matching Game

  • Memory skills
  • Encourages turn-taking and playing together
  • Lightweight and portable for easy on-the go-fun
  • Through research, invention and thousands of play-tests, we understand how to make great games for kids and families
  • 72 picture tiles
"This is George. He lived in Africa. he was a good little monkey, and always very curious."
 
With these words, H.A. and Margret Rey introduced the world to Curious George, and the world has loved him ever since. The tales of this cheerful and resilent little heror have kept generations of readers enthralled and entertained. This lavish 70th Anniversary edition includes an introduction by Leonard S. Marcus, Publisher's Perspective by Anita Silvey, retrospective essay by Dee Jones with photographic album of Margaret and H. A. Rey, and the seven original tales of Curious George: Curious! George, Curious George Gets a Medal, Curious George Flies a Kite, Curious George Rides a Bike, Curious George Goes to the Hospital, Curious George Takes a Job, and Curious George Learns the Alphabet. Â Ã‚ This volume also includes two audio CDs with recordings of the seven stories--more than one hour of storytelling!
 
The Complete Adventures of Curious George will be treasured by George's many fans, young and old.
Created by Margret Rey and her husband H.A. Rey, the mischievous monkey Curious George has delighted millions of readers for more than 50 years with his hilarious hijinks. After the birth of Curious George in 1941, six titles completed the series, which have since been translated into 12 languages. This wonderful 416-page collector's edition (with all seven of the original Curious George titles in one colorfully illustrated volume) features Curious George, Curious George Takes a Jo! b, Curious George Rides a Bike, Curious George ! Gets a Medal, Curious George Flies a Kite, Curious George Learns the Alphabet, and Curious George Goes to the Hospital. The intrepid monkey--who represents the insatiably curious (and invariably accident-prone) soul in all of us-- captures the heart of everyone he meets. (Picture book)A fun game of picture matching with Curious George and friends! It's the classic game of matching and memory-now featuring everybody's favorite monkey! Flip over two tiles to find colorful pictures of Curious George and his friends. Did you find a match? If so, keep them in your scoring pile and take another turn. If not, turn them back over-but try to remember what pictures they had for later in the game. Collect the most pairs to win!

Book of Shadows: Blair Witch Project 2 - Movie Poster - 30 X 40

  • Brand New Original 2000 Theatrical Release UK Quad Movie Poster
  • New and Unused
  • Double Sided.
This thoroughly second-rate follow-up to the groundbreaking (and highly profitable) horror flick The Blair Witch Project--produced by Blair Witch directors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez--plays with the notions of reality and fantasy that surrounded the hype of the original movie, and attempts to throw in some scares along the way. A year after the release of the original film, a group of five Blair Witch aficionados--four out-of-towners led by one seriously unhinged "tour guide"--venture into the woods outside Burkittsville, Maryland, on a tour of the sites made famous by missing documentarians Heather, Mike, and Josh. After a drunken night of camping out in hopes of communing with the spirit of the Blair Witch, the five wake up to find that their seemingly innocent s! leep may have been disturbed somehow. But what exactly happened? If you're expecting suspense of the first degree and a horrifying payoff similar to the one that climaxed the first film, you'll be sorely disappointed. After retreating to an old, run-down broom factory (get it? Broom factory? Blair Witch? Oh well...), the five go over their videotapes of the night in question to get some answers, and basically wind up screaming at each other for the remainder of the film, and shedding some blood along the way. Documentary filmmaker Joe Berlinger (of the highly acclaimed Paradise Lost and Brother's Keeper) proves that he should definitely stick to nonfiction filmmaking, and the entire cast is grating and unpleasant, aside from a scene-stealing turn by Kim Director as a goth chick with attitude to burn and a no-nonsense approach to this Blair Witch stuff. Strictly for hard-core Blair Witch fans only, and even then this sequel may prove to disappoint. --! Mark Englehart IN OCTOBER 1994, THREE STUDENT FILMMAKERS D! ISAPPEAR ED
IN THE WOODS NEAR BURKITTSVILLE, MARYLAND,
WHILE SHOOTING A DOCUMENTARY...

FIVE YEARS LATER, THE FILM THEY SHOT BECAME
ONE OF THE MOST PROFITABLE MOTION PICTURES IN HISTORY.

People across America were stunned by the runaway success of "The Blair Witch Project(TM) " -- none more so than the residents of Burkittsville. Suddenly the little western Maryland farming village was flooded with tourists seeking mementos of the fabled Blair Witch. Road signs disappeared, backpackers clogged local hiking trails, graveyards filled with enthusiasts trying for a firsthand glimpse of the supernatural.

While most Burkittsville residents -- in particular Sheriff Ron Cravens -- were angered by this wave of visitors, others took a more pragmatic approach. Like Jeff Patterson, who started up a business called the Blair Witch Hunt. At first, Patterson simply sold caps, T-shirts, and coffee mugs over the Internet. Then he decided to lead a group of four tourists into th! e Black Hills himself.

If you saw the film "Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, " you know what happened to Jeff Patterson, Kim Diamond, Stephen Ryan Parker, Tristen Ryler, and Erica Geerson.

BUT YOU ONLY KNOW HALF THE STORY UNTIL YOU READ THIS BOOK.

Compiled with the aid of noted paranormal journalist D.A. Stern, the material gathered herein reveals:

The secrets hidden in Jeff Patterson's troubled past The research Stephen and Tristen conducted for their book "The Blair Witch: Hysteria or History?" The eerie similarity between the Blair Witch and the little-known seventheenth-century legend of Bloody Sam Caine The genesis of the Blair Witch HuntPhotos and news reports relating to the caseThis thoroughly second-rate follow-up to the groundbreaking (and highly profitable) horror flick The Blair Witch Project--produced by Blair Witch directors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez--plays with the notions of reality and fantasy that surrounded the hype of ! the original movie, and attempts to throw in some scares along! the way . A year after the release of the original film, a group of five Blair Witch aficionados--four out-of-towners led by one seriously unhinged "tour guide"--venture into the woods outside Burkittsville, Maryland, on a tour of the sites made famous by missing documentarians Heather, Mike, and Josh. After a drunken night of camping out in hopes of communing with the spirit of the Blair Witch, the five wake up to find that their seemingly innocent sleep may have been disturbed somehow. But what exactly happened? If you're expecting suspense of the first degree and a horrifying payoff similar to the one that climaxed the first film, you'll be sorely disappointed. After retreating to an old, run-down broom factory (get it? Broom factory? Blair Witch? Oh well...), the five go over their videotapes of the night in question to get some answers, and basically wind up screaming at each other for the remainder of the film, and shedding some blood along the way. Documentary filmmaker Joe B! erlinger (of the highly acclaimed Paradise Lost and Brother's Keeper) proves that he should definitely stick to nonfiction filmmaking, and the entire cast is grating and unpleasant, aside from a scene-stealing turn by Kim Director as a goth chick with attitude to burn and a no-nonsense approach to this Blair Witch stuff. Strictly for hard-core Blair Witch fans only, and even then this sequel may prove to disappoint. --Mark Englehart Original 2000 Theatrical Release British Quad Movie Poster.
Measures 30" x 40" (inches)
The poster is double sided, rolled, and unused and will be shipped to you packed in plastic tubing and then inside strong pvc pipe for maximum protection.

Going Long: Training for Triathlon's Ultimate Challenge (Ultrafit Multisport Training Series)

  • ISBN13: 9781934030066
  • Condition: New
  • Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Erin (Drew Barrymore) and Garrett (Justin Long) strike sparks for a summer fling in New York City but neither expects it to last once Erin heads home to San Francisco and Garrett remains behind for his Big Apple job. But after six romantic weeks, neither is sure they want it to end. So despite opposing coasts, naysaying friends and family and unexpected temptations, the couple just might have found something like love. And helped by a lot of texting and late-night phone calls, they might actually go the distance. Going the Distance sparkles with wit and true romance--something of a rarity among mass-market romantic comedies. Drew Barrymore and Justin Long, who have been a couple in real life, us! e their personal chemistry to effective ends in the film. They play Erin and Garrett, geography-crossed lovers who, after a whirlwind romance of six weeks in New York ("Keep it light! Keep it light" they both say, futilely), try to see if they can keep the love fires burning when Erin must move to the West Coast. There are predictable pitfalls and speed bumps that populate any romantic comedy, as well as a sublime supporting cast of friends and siblings. Especially notable is Christina Applegate as Erin's sister, Corinne, jaded and hilarious, and fiercely protective of her sister. But the charm of Going the Distance is in the winsomeness of its main stars. Barrymore and Long seem to be acting effortlessly, and their enjoyment of each other's company lets the audience feel a part of the romance. First-time screenwriter Geoff LaTulippe is less focused on zingers that are hard to believe as dialogue, and more on the subtle ways people get to know each other, and enjoy e! ach other--especially with humor. Director Nanette Burstein (d! ocumenta ries including American Teen and The Kid Stays in the Picture) keeps the action moving deftly and lets the two stars shine--even as they long for one another across the miles. Erin and Garrett's stab at phone sex is laugh-out-loud funny, yet their tender, tentative connection feels real and warm. Going the Distance lets its likable stars cross the finish line, and bring the audience along with them. --A.T. HurleyBuckle your seat belts for extreme comedy National Lampoon(r) is taking you on the road! In the bawdy tradition of American Pie and EuroTrip, this rapid-fire fun fest is the ultimate coming-of-age experience, where the envelope gets pushed, the rules get broken and the laughs come a mile a minute! When three hard-up high school grads jump in an RV and skip town, they have no idea it's going to be the most outrageous ride of their lives! Encountering every kind of cross-country crazinessfrom meeting beautiful hitchhikers and Avril Lavigne t! o running afoul of the law, two brutal bar babes and a bigwig on the music scene (Jason Priestley) these helplessly hedonistic horndogs are in for the ultimate education!

Going Long is the most comprehensive guide to racing long-course triathlons ever written. Combining science with personal experience, Friel and Byrn prepare every triathlete, from the working age-grouper to the podium contender, for success in triathlon̢۪s ultimate endurance event. Sport-specific chapters outline training for each triathlon discipline and describe drills to improve form and efficiency. A newly expanded section on training the mind explores the all-important psychological aspects of racing, including goal-setting and visualisation. A detailed appendix includes key training sessions, workout examples, and strength training progressions.

Going Long has long been the best-selling book on the subject of training for the long course. With expanded content ! and a new, two-colour format, this second edition is once agai! n the pr emier sourcebook for triathletes who are serious about succeeding in the long-course distance.

 


Sunday, December 25, 2011

Legion [Blu-ray]

  • Condition: New
  • Format: Blu-ray
  • AC-3; Color; Dolby; Dubbed; Subtitled; Widescreen
Two-time Academy Award® nominee Ethan Hawke plays Edward Dalton, a researcher in the year 2019, when an unknown plague has transformed the world’s population into vampires. As the human population nears extinction, vampires must capture and farm every remaining human, or find a blood substitute before time runs out. However, a covert group of vampires makes a remarkable discovery, one which has the power to save the human race.While Daybreakers presents vampiric traits that distinguish its vampires from others in the many films that have ridden 2009's vampire movie wave, there is a lack of humor here that makes this film sour compared to sweeter ones like Cirque du Freak: A Vampire's Assistant. Maybe that's because the plot in this horror feature from Peter and Michael Spierig! (Undead) is more akin to zombie films like 28 Days Later. The year is 2019, and nearly all humans are converted vampires searching in vain for blood during a blood shortage, as they drain remaining humans into extinction. Nightly, CNN airs segments about the Blood Crisis, while vampire citizens around the globe attack each other like cannibals. Humans are farmed like cattle while tied to blood-draining machinery in the top-secret pharmaceutical corporation run by evil CEO Charles Bromley (Sam Neill). Sound like a heavy-handed metaphor for our oil wars? Daybreakers can definitely be viewed in that light, as a story about greed and consumption. Stylistically, it looks like a cross between Alien and Batman, with its Giger-esque set design and blue-tinted hue to represent night fallen on society. The lead actors help to salvage this movie. Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke), chief hematologist at Bromley, straddles the vampire and human wo! rlds, with the aid of humans Lionel "Elvis" Cormac (Willem Daf! oe) and Lisa Barrett (Harriet Minto-Day), to search for a blood replacement to placate the starving masses. These three protagonists carry the film, though not well enough to call Daybreakers any sort of genre breakthrough. --Trinie Dalton

Stills from Daybreakers (Click for larger image)


Two-time Academy Award® nominee Ethan Hawke plays Edward Dalton, a researcher in the year 2019, when an unknown plague has transformed the world’s population into vampires. As the human population nears extinction, vampires must capture and farm every remaining human, or find a blood substitute before time runs out. However, a covert group of vampires makes a remarkable discovery, one which has the power to save the human race.Stills from Daybreakers (Click for larger image)

At a remote desert truck stop the fate of the world will be decided. Evils armies are amassing. Armed & united by the archangel michael a group of strangers become unitting soldiers on the frontlines of the apocalypse. Their mission: to protect a waitress & her unborn child from the demonic legion. Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 05/11/2010 Starring: Paul Battany Lucas Black Run time: 100 minutes Rating: RAs pure ! check-your-head-at-the-door popcorn entertainment, the apocalyptic action-horror hybrid Legion delivers in nearly every frame--its story of a band of strangers fighting an army of angels and demons for the fate of mankind is proudly loud, bullet riddled, and knee-deep in gore and CGI. That doesn't mean it's particularly good or even coherent--the story has renegade angel Michael (a glum Paul Bettany) come to the aid of diner owner Dennis Quaid (equally glum) and his patrons (a cross-section of stereotypes embodied by a capable cast, which includes Lucas Black, Charles S. Dutton, Tyrese Gibson, Kate Walsh, and Jon Tenney) as a host of heavenly and diabolical beings, dispatched by an angry God, descend on the diner with the intent of killing waitress Adrianne Palicki (Friday Night Lights), whose unborn child may be the salvation of humanity. The orgy of special effects--endless hails of bullets and a menagerie of unpleasant demonic creatures, the most unsettling! of which is the ice cream man (Doug Jones, Hellboy)--i! s eye po pping but ultimately repetitive, and since no character rises above a cipher in director Scott Stewart's script (cowritten with Peter Schink), the whole affair feels unwieldy and eventually tiresome under a barrage of hackneyed dialogue. Naturally, Legion ends with the possibility of a sequel, though one wonders where the story can go after Armageddon. --Paul Gaita


Stills from Legion (Click for larger image)











James Reece (J! onathan Rhys-Meyers), personal aide to the U.S. Ambassador to ! France, is secretly moonlighting as a low-level CIA operative. Looking for more action, Reece accepts a job that teams him with wise-cracking special agent Charlie Wax (John Travolta), a trigger-happy loose cannon sent to Paris on a mission of international importance. Now, Reece finds himself on the wildest ride of his life as the new partners pull out all the stops to annihilate the enemy in this explosive, white-knuckle, non-stop thriller.An uncomplicated, moderately entertaining action film, From Paris With Love offers an enthusiastic performance by John Travolta as a just-this-side-of-crazy agent and Jonathan Rhys Meyers (The Tudors) as the low-level operative newly partnered with him. Outwardly an aide to the U.S. Ambassador in France, James Reese (Rhys Meyers) is also a low-level CIA operative, tasked with generally mundane duties. Then his inside contact offers him a high-level assignment that could lead to a promotion to full agent. All Reese has ! to do is drive CIA agent Charlie Wax (Travolta) around Paris on an undisclosed mission. But Wax is a shoot first, don't bother with questions kinda guy, and the straitlaced Reese quickly finds himself riding shotgun to a killing-spree through Paris' underground drug sub-culture. The drugs lead the obviously opposite duo to a hidden terrorist cell, and they race to stop the suicide bombers' plot. Wax's wise-cracking, one-on-many fight scenes are adequately entertaining--especially when he flings bad guys down a curving staircase, as Reese tries to avoid getting hit by the bodies--but the action generally leaves you wanting more. An undesirable characteristic in an action movie. Based on a story by Luc Besson, (The Fifth Element and The Transporter movies), one can't help wonder if the complexity of the story and characters could have been improved if he'd written the screenplay himself. However, the simplistic story offers a few surprises and laugh! -worthy one-liners. The climactic final chase scene--Agent Wax! hanging out the window of a speeding Audi, armed with heavy artillery and a driver with nerves of steel, as he attempts to stop one phase of the planned attack--is as impossible as one could hope for in this kind of movie. And hearing Travolta call his burger a “royale with cheese” is almost worth the rest of the movie. --Jill Corddry

Stills from From Paris with Love (Click for larger image)

In this terrifying glimpse into the “American Dream” gone wrong, an unexplainable phenomenon has taken over the citizens of Ogden Marsh. One by one the townsfolk are falling victim to an unknown toxin and are turning sadistically violent.  People who days ago lived quiet, unremarkable lives are now depraved, blood-thirsty killers. While Sheriff Dutton (Timothy Olyphant) and his pregnant wife, Judy (Radha Mitchell), try to make sense of the escalating violence, the government uses deadly force to close off all access and won’t let anyone in or out â€" even those uninfected.  In this film that Pat Jankiewicz of F! angoria calls “disturbing,” an ordinary night becomes a ho! rrifying struggle for the few remaining survivors as they do their best to get out of town alive.This 2010 remake of a somewhat obscure 1973 George Romero picture injects a mysterious virus into the water supply of a small Iowa town, and the consequences are… well, you didn't expect the consequences to be positive, did you? The movie is called The Crazies, after all. So when local folk begin acting a mite peculiar, it just means they've gone to the well too often--literally. Borrowing the structure of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, the remake gets off to a clumsy start, but as the noninfected rally around the sheriff (Timothy Olyphant) and his doctor wife (Radha Mitchell), the action becomes streamlined and reasonably inventive. Director Breck Eisner has a particular knack for finding ingenious ways of killing people (a knife through the hand becomes a useful tool for the sheriff in one turn-the-tables moment), and he's been wise enough to hire respectable actor! s for the top-lined duties; along with Olyphant and Mitchell, there's also Joe Anderson (Across the Universe) as a loyal, amped-up deputy. If the movie misses the tart social-context stuff that Romero does so well, it at least fills the bill when it comes to the chase-and-escape business of a contemporary horror picture. The spate of such 21st-century remakes of 1970s horror pictures misses the raw, raggedy unease of those low-budget projects, but if you're going to make a slick new update, The Crazies is the way to do it. --Robert Horton

Stills from The Crazies (Click for larger image)









Tyrel Sackett was born to trouble, but vowed to justice. After having to kill a man in Tennessee, he hit the trail west with his brother Orrin. Those were the years when decent men and women lived in fear of Indians, rustlers, and killers, but the Sackett brothers worked to make the West a place where people could raise their children in peace. Orrin brought law and order from Santa Fe to Montana, and his brother Tye backed him up every step of the way. Till the! day the job was done, Tye Sackett was the fastest gun alive.


From the Paperback edition.Tyrel Sackett was born to trouble, but vowed to justice. After having to kill a man in Tennessee, he hit the trail west with his brother Orrin. Those were the years when decent men and women lived in fear of Indians, rustlers, and killers, but the Sackett brothers worked to make the West a place where people could raise their children in peace. Orrin brought law and order from Santa Fe to Montana, and his brother Tye backed him up every step of the way. Till the day the job was done, Tye Sackett was the fastest gun alive.


From the Paperback edition.Academy Award® winners Anthony Hopkins (The Silence of the Lambs) and Benicio Del Toro (Traffic) tear up the screen in this action-packed thriller. Lawrence Talbot (Del Toro) is lured back to his family estate to investigate the savage murder of his brother by a bloodthirsty beast. There, Talbot must! confront his childhood demons, his estranged father (Hopkins)! , his br other’s grieving fiancée (Emily Blunt, The Devil Wears Prada) and a suspicious Scotland Yard Inspector (Hugo Weaving, The Matrix Trilogy). When Talbot is bitten by the creature, he becomes eternally cursed and soon discovers a fate far worse than death. Inspired by the classic Universal film that launched a legacy of horror, The Wolfman brings the myth of a cursed man back to its iconic origins.The mist rising over the moors feels right, and so does the slant of moonlight coming over a Victorian village-scape. And if the moon is full, this must be The Wolfman, Universal's 2010 attempt to revive one of the crown jewels in its deservedly legendary horror stable. Benicio Del Toro takes on the old Lon Chaney Jr. role of Lawrence Talbot, an American visitor to his ancestral home in England. Talbot's brother has recently been torn to bits by a beast in the forest, leaving behind a grieving fiancée (Emily Blunt) and a not-visibly-grieving father (Anthony Hopkins). Th! is central situation seems drained of blood even before the full-moon transfigurations begin to bloom, and Del Toro's Talbot--an actor by trade, which raises interesting possibilities for a story of a man divided by different personalities--is mystifyingly blank. The intriguing casting of Del Toro (what an opportunity for a cool werewolf!) comes to naught as Talbot seems to languish on the periphery of his own story. Hugo Weaving tries to generate some interest as the police inspector on the case, but he too is defeated by the combination of mechanical storytelling and bland computer-generated werewolves. The script skips from one exposition scene to the next, but nothing registers long enough to create character, tension, or the slimmest desire to see what happens in the next scene. Every once in a while director Joe Johnston (Jumanji) finds a grand staircase or CGI fog that conjures up the atmosphere of the old Universal horror classics, but otherwise this is a clu! eless affair--not as bad as Van Helsing, but flat-out d! ull. The movie can't even find a way to get the old Gypsy lady (Geraldine Chaplin stepping into Maria Ouspenskaya's tiny shoes) to deliver a proper recitation of screenwriter Curt Siodmak's great "Even a man who is pure in heart" doggerel from the 1941 film. Instead, it's thrown away in a voice-over at the beginning--one hairy way to start the movie. --Robert HortonStudio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 05/11/2010 Run time: 109 minutes Rating: Pg13As pure check-your-head-at-the-door popcorn entertainment, the apocalyptic action-horror hybrid Legion delivers in nearly every frame--its story of a band of strangers fighting an army of angels and demons for the fate of mankind is proudly loud, bullet riddled, and knee-deep in gore and CGI. That doesn't mean it's particularly good or even coherent--the story has renegade angel Michael (a glum Paul Bettany) come to the aid of diner owner Dennis Quaid (equally glum) and his patrons (a cross-section of stereotypes emb! odied by a capable cast, which includes Lucas Black, Charles S. Dutton, Tyrese Gibson, Kate Walsh, and Jon Tenney) as a host of heavenly and diabolical beings, dispatched by an angry God, descend on the diner with the intent of killing waitress Adrianne Palicki (Friday Night Lights), whose unborn child may be the salvation of humanity. The orgy of special effects--endless hails of bullets and a menagerie of unpleasant demonic creatures, the most unsettling of which is the ice cream man (Doug Jones, Hellboy)--is eye popping but ultimately repetitive, and since no character rises above a cipher in director Scott Stewart's script (cowritten with Peter Schink), the whole affair feels unwieldy and eventually tiresome under a barrage of hackneyed dialogue. Naturally, Legion ends with the possibility of a sequel, though one wonders where the story can go after Armageddon. --Paul Gaita


Stills from Legion (Cli! ck for larger image)












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