The Iris Effect

• Ten years ago, Sarah Hathaway's gifted and troubled son, suddenly disappeared from their home in Los Angeles. Unable to deal with the doubt and guilt, her life is overcome by haunting dreams about him. Finally, after many years, a new clue turns up as to his possible whereabouts. Convinced that her son is now living abroad, she travels to Russia to begin her desperate search. In the face of on

A breath of fresh air in a stale genre, Zoe Clarke-Williams's canny look at the catty world of college cliques is the smartest dissection of the complex world of class envy, social acceptance, and the seduction of privilege since Heathers. But this drama plays it for tragedy. Local working-class girl Mia Kirshner is transformed from social outcast to campus Cinderella and adopted into the hedonistic party world of a trio of rich fun-loving sorority princesses (Meredith Monroe, Dominique Swain, an! d Rachel True), and comes out the other end in a drug-induced coma. Confidently directed and elegantly constructed in puzzle-piece flashbacks, this sensitive, sympathetic, smartly made drama is refreshingly free of glib moralizing, the rare young-adult film that twists the usual clichés and leaves its audience with more questions than answers. The DVD also features an audio commentary track by director Zoe Clarke-Williams. --Sean AxmakerFrom the moment they meet, despite their clashing cultures, Native American John Myron (Adam Beach) and Angela Wilson (Mia Kirshner) form an unbreakable bond. One fateful night, John rescues Angela from a wicked act of betrayal. Faced with its aftermath, Angela flees town, unaware that she has set in motion a chain of events that will alter the course of both their futures in this life& and the next. A timeless tale of love combined with all the power and mystery of "The Sixth Sense", Now & Forever defies reason and re-defines the bo! undaries of the human heart and soul.Forbidden desires and dan! gerous i ntrigue generate sizzling heat in this erotic thriller! At a sexy strip club called Exotica, three strangers -- an obsessive man, an erotic table dancer, and the club's mysterious D.J. -- share much more than is apparent at first glance! As their secret passions grow, they become more deeply entangled in an inescapable web of jealousy, deceit, and revenge! The powerfully seductive hit EXOTICA is gripping entertainment -- you won't be able to take your eyes off it!In spite of its atrociously misleading packaging, Exotica is a beguiling mystery by enigmatic Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan, in which people and their relationships are not what they seem. What at first appear to be disparate stories of a tormented tax auditor, a lonely pet-shop owner, and a sensitive stripper and her coworkers gradually merge to reveal a larger, interconnected portrait. The sequences involving Mia Kirshner's schoolgirl stripper are particularly engrossing because of her character's i! ntelligence and the scenes' deeper subtext. Indeed, Exotica is less about stripping than about fragile human relationships, and it is not until the truly revelatory final scene that we are able to fully absorb the film's deeper meaning. --Bryan ReesmanINNOCENTS - DVD MovieIn spite of its atrociously misleading packaging, Exotica is a beguiling mystery by enigmatic Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan, in which people and their relationships are not what they seem. What at first appear to be disparate stories of a tormented tax auditor, a lonely pet-shop owner, and a sensitive stripper and her coworkers gradually merge to reveal a larger, interconnected portrait. The sequences involving Mia Kirshner's schoolgirl stripper are particularly engrossing because of her character's intelligence and the scenes' deeper subtext. Indeed, Exotica is less about stripping than about fragile human relationships, and it is not until the truly revelatory fin! al scene that we are able to fully absorb the film's deeper m! eaning. --Bryan ReesmanI Live Here is a paper documentaryâ€"an intimate journey to humanitarian crises in four corners of the world: war in Chechnya, ethnic cleansing in Burma, globalization in Mexico, and AIDS in Malawi.


~THE BOOK~

I Live Here is a visually stunning narrative â€" told through journals, stories, images, and graphic novellas â€" in which the lives of refugees and displaced people become at once personal and global. Bearing witness to stories that are too often overlooked, it is a raw and intimate journey to crises in four corners of the world: war in Chechnya, ethnic cleansing in Burma, globalization in Mexico, and AIDS in Malawi.

The voices we encounter are those of displaced women and children, in their own words or in stories told in text and images by noted writers and artists. The stories unfold in an avalanche: An orphan goes to jail for stealing leftovers. A teenage girl falls in love i! n a city of disappeared women. A child soldier escapes his army only to be saved by the people he was taught to kill.

Mia Kirshner’s journals guide us through a unique paper documentary brought vividly to life in collaboration with J.B. MacKinnon, Paul Shoebridge, and Michael Simons, with featured works by Joe Sacco, Ann-Marie MacDonald, Phoebe Gloeckner, Chris Abani, Karen Connelly, Kamel Khelif, and many others.


~THE JOURNEYS ~


Ingushetia
The border of the Russian republic of Ingushetia is not even fifty miles from Grozny, the capital city of Chechnya. Today, some 15,000 Chechen refugees live in Ingushetia. Mia Kirshner and Joe Sacco traveled here together, returning with first-person accounts, video, photographs, and other materials gathered in Nazran and Moscow. The chapter includes journals by Mia Kirshner, the story of a young refugee as told by J.B. MacKinnon, the story of a young piano virtuoso as told by Ann-Marie Ma! cdonald, and a graphic novella of Chechen refugees by Joe Sacc! o.
Burma
Ethnic cleansing by the Burmese military has displaced an estimated 500,000 to 1 million people; over 100,000 live in refugee camps along the Thailand-Burma border. Burma is also believed to be home to more child soldiers than any other country in the world. Mia Kirshner and Michael Simons took separate trips to the region; this chapter is based on their interviews, photos, and video, as well as writing by sex workers and Karen refugees. It includes journals by Mia Kirshner, as well as work by Chris Abani, Karen Connelly, J.B. Mackinnon, and a graphic novella by Kamel Khélif.

Juárez
Ciudad Juárez is a large industrial border city in Mexico across the Rio Grande from El Paso, Texas. Since 1993, young women, many of them employees of Juárez’s more than three hundred maquiladoras, or global trade zone factories, have been disappearing from the streets. Mia Kirshner and Phoebe Gloeckner made independent journeys to this region; th! is book is informed by the stories and images they brought home. It includes journals, a story of one of the victims by Lauren Kirshner, and a graphic novella by Phoebe Gloeckner.

Malawi
Malawi is one of the world’s poorest countries, and has an AIDS rate close to twenty percent. The disease touches every aspect of daily life in the African nation, introducing immense chaos, particularly in the case of orphan children. Mia Kirshner and J.B. MacKinnon made the trip to Malawi and returned with interviews, photographs, writing, and artworks. This book includes journals, a children’s story by J.B. MacKinnon with art by Julie Morstad, and the stories and artwork of boys in a local prison.IRIS EFFECT - DVD Movie

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The Way I See It: A Look Back at My Life on Little House

• ISBN13: 9780762759705
• Condition: New
• Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!

A fascinatiating, heartbreaking, and ultimately uplifting tale of self-discovery from the beloved actress who earned a permanent place in the hearts of millions when she was just a child.

To fans of the hugely successful television series Little House on the Prairie, Melissa Gilbert grew up in a fantasy world with a larger-than-life father, friends and family she could count on, and plenty of animals to play with. Children across the country dreamed of the Ingalls' idyllic life -- and so did Melissa.

She was a natural on camera, but behind the scenes, life was more complicated. Adopted as a baby into a legendary show business family, Melissa wrestled with questions about her identity ! and struggled to maintain an image of perfection her mother created and enforced. Only after years of substance abuse, dysfunctional relationships, and made-for-television movies did she begin to figure out who she really was.

With candor and humor, the cherished actress traces her complicated journey from buck-toothed Laura "Half-pint" Ingalls to Hollywood starlet, wife, and mother. She partied with the Brat Pack, dated heartthrobs like Rob Lowe and bad boys like Billy Idol, and began a self-destructive pattern of addiction and codependence. Left in debt after her first marriage, and struggling to create some sense of stability, she eventually realized that her career on television had earned her popularity, admiration, and love from everyone but herself.

Through hard work, tenacity, sobriety, and the blessings of a solid marriage, Melissa has accepted her many different identities and learned to laugh, cry, and forgive in new ways. Women everywhere may have idolized h! er charming life on Little House on the Prairie, but Me! lissa's own unexpectedly honest, imperfect, and down-to-earth story is an inspiration.LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE:COMPLETE - DVD MovieLittle House on the Prairie, one of television’s top family dramas of all time, is finally available in a complete 60-disc DVD collection! In September of 1974, Little House on the Prairie made its television debut, and it has remained an all-time American family classic ever since. A top-rated series throughout its nine season run, the show’s timeless themes of love, morality and rich family values continue to capture the hearts of viewers around the world through its continued syndication. Based on the best-selling books by Laura Ingalls Wilder which chronicled the dramatic, gripping adventures of a young pioneer family’s struggle to build a new life for themselves on the American frontier of the 1870s, Little House on the Prairie was nominated for 17 Emmy® and three Golden Globe® awards.

Stills from Little House on the Prairie (click for larger image)

When other girls her age were experiencing their first crushes, Melissa Sue Anderson was receiving handwritten mar! riage proposals from fans as young, and younger, than she was.! When ot her girls were dreaming of their first kiss, Melissa was struggling through hers in front of a camera. From age eleven in 1974 until she left the show in 1981, Melissa Anderson literally grew up before the viewers of Little House on the Prairie.

Melissa, as Mary, is remembered by many as Â"the blind sister”—and she was the only actor in the series to be nominated for an Emmy. In The Way I See It, she takes readers onto the set and inside the world of the iconic series created by Michael Landon, who, Melissa discovered, was not perfect, as much as he tried to be. In this memoir she also shares her memories of working with guest stars like Todd Bridges, Mariette Hartley, Sean Penn, Patricia Neal, and Johnny Cash.

In addition to stories of life on the set, Melissa offers revealing looks at her relationships off-set with her costars, including the other Melissa (Melissa Gilbert) and Alison Arngrim, who portrayed Nellie Oleson on the s! how. And she relates stories of her guest appearances on iconic programs such as The Love Boat and The Brady Bunch.

Filled with personal, revealing anecdotes and memorabilia from the Little House years, this book is also a portrait of a child star who became a successful adult actress and a successful adult. These are stories from Â"the other Ingalls sister” that have never been told.

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The Girl in the Park

• GIRL IN THE PARK (DVD MOVIE)

Wo young women work as maids in a maui resort community.With othing else to do with their time the girls decide to surf. Hey become very good and enter an all-male contest. Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 03/28/2006 Starring: Kate Bosworth Matthew Davis Run time: 105 minutes Rating: Pg13 Director: John StockwellNot to be confused with the 2002 feature film of the same title, Blue Crush is billed as the original all-girl surfer's movie, and it's guaranteed to please devotees of the sport. It's a mixed blessing, however, because it assumes familiarity with the sport and its superstars, dispensing with any educational or historical detail that would appeal to neophytes. After all, how can this film be dedicated to Rell Sunn (the pioneer of female competitive surfing, who died in of breast cancer in 1998 at age 47) and fail to explore her illus! trious career? This haphazard approach extends to profiles of the young women who regard Sunn as their hero; we learn little of their backgrounds and how they rose to prominence on the waves. Blue Crush works best as a globetrotting, music-video tour of surfdom's prime locations (Samoa, Hawaii, the Gold Coast, South Africa) hosted by the sport's most prominent competitors, including several (Rochelle Ballard, Megan Abubo, Sanoe Lake, Keala Kennelly, Kate Skarratt) who appeared in Universal's popular feature. It's a lot of fun, especially if you "hang ten" on a regular basis. --Jeff ShannonAcademy Award® Winner Geoffrey Rush, Kate Bosworth, Danny Huston and International sensation Jang Dong Gun star in this boldly original film that blends intense martial arts action with a dazzling visual style. After a lifetime of training in swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat, the world’s most dangerous fighter (Jang) flees his homeland to start a new life in the Ameri! can West. But soon the hunter becomes the hunted, and now the ! legendar y warrior must wage a fierce, all-out battle against a renegade gang of outlaws and a pack of murderous assassins from his own past."This is the story of a sad flute, a laughing baby, and a weeping sword," a voice intones at the beginning of The Warrior's Way. It's also a story in which bullets fly, blood flows, and the body count mounts to the point where you'll need a calculator to keep track, often to the accompaniment of a Verdi opera. Writer-director Sngmoo Lee's film centers on a lone warrior named Yang (Jang Dong-gun), "the greatest swordsman in the history of mankind," who has managed to wipe out all of his enemies save one, that being an adorable infant whom he refuses to murder, much to the displeasure of his boss, the leader of a band known as the Sad Flutes. For reasons never quite explained, our exiled hero soon finds himself in a thoroughly dilapidated town in the American west, where a half-finished ferris wheel looms and the inhabitants consist mainly ! of a bunch of worn-out circus performers (clowns, bearded lady, midget ringmaster, the whole shebang), the town drunk (Geoffrey Rush, a very long way from his Oscar-winning performance in Shine), and a beautiful young woman (Kate Bosworth, sporting a ridiculous accent) whose family was slaughtered by a local bad guy known as the Colonel (Danny Huston, suitably sadistic). Yang improbably takes over the town's laundry service, plants a garden, and cares for the baby, but we know it won't be long before his real talents will be needed--and sure enough, when the Colonel and his band of filthy wretches ride back into town, followed not long thereafter by a platoon of acrobatic ninjas sent to dispatch our hero, Yang and the locals have their hands full. All of this is fairly ridiculous, but the movie has a surreal, painterly look (imagine a cross between Dali, Fellini, and a graphic novel) that's never less than engaging. Jang is no Olivier, to say the least, but he's hand! some and charismatic, and although the ending holds few surpri! ses (esp ecially once he instructs the Bosworth character in "the warrior's way"), genre fans are likely to be enchanted. --Sam GrahamImagine meeting your favorite big-screen idol and he winds up idolizing you! That's what happens to Rosalee (Kate Bosworth, Blue Crush), a star-struck small-town girl, who wins a date with handsome Hollywood hunk Tad Hamilton (Josh Duhamel, TV’s Las Vegas). And while it may be Rosalee's dream-come-true, it means complete chaos for her best friend, Pete (Topher Grace, TV’s That ‘70s Show). He's the boy back home who's deeply, hopelessly - and secretly -in love with her, too.To improve their client's tarnished image, the managers of movie heartthrob Tad Hamilton (TV star Josh Duhamel) trump up a contest in which an innnocent middle-American girl will win a date with the hunk. A West Virginia grocery clerk named Rosalee (Kate Bosworth, Blue Crush) wins, much to the dismay of her friend Pete (Topher Grace, Traffic), who's secr! etly in love with her. A summary of the romantic triangle that follows won't capture the charm of Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!. Though formulaic in structure, the movie is constantly surprising and engaging in its details. All romantic comedies should have such a smart script, understated but spot-on acting (Grace, Bosworth, and Duhamel are delightful and given excellent comic support from Nathan Lane, Sean Hayes, Ginnifer Goodwin, and Gary Cole), and clean, clear direction (from the director of Legally Blonde, another formulaic but irrepressibly fun movie). --Bret FetzerGIRL IN THE PARK - DVD Movie

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Havoc (Unrated Version)

• A group of wealthy Los Angeles teenagers try to become part of the "gangsta" lifestyle but soon run into trouble when they come face to face with a real gang of Latino drug dealers.Running Time: 92 min. Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: NR Age: 794043843228 UPC: 794043843228 Manufacturer No: N8432

When things get tough for Carys Reitman (Bijou Phillips) she goes to strangers' funerals to unwind. But after a funeral service mix-up, Carys unexpectedly finds herself in possession of a dead woman’s engagement ring and in love with the grieving fiancé (Ian Somerholder). Also starring Jane Seymour and Danny Masterson.If she is very, very lucky, the first album by Papa John Phillips's other singing daughter will be remembered as a camp classic, the ultimate document of the 1990s' veneration of supermodel/hellions. Backed by bland, anonymous alternawhatever, with the occasional pi! ano ballad thrown in, she spends the entire disc attempting to emote like Alanis--exactly like Alanis. It doesn't work: Bijou's vocal tone is even thinner than she is, and though every song but the one she wrote at 13 has been buffed up by tune doctors, the lyrics stumble from one howler to another ("You joker, you soaker / She's sleeping with your chauffeur"). A collaboration with Luscious Jackson's Jill Cunniff has a sweet, sunny vibe, but there's not much else but novelty value to recommend this. --Douglas WolkTART - DVD MovieWelcome to the Blues and mystery of Dark Streets. Chaz Davenport (Gabriel Mann) is a dashing playboy who has it all: a hot nightclub, two glamorous singers (Bijou Phillips, Izabella Miko) and the most seductive music ever created playing from his stage. But when he enlists help to look into the sinister circumstances surrounding his father's death, Davenport's life spirals out of control. Dark, sexy and sensuous, this music-driv! en journey smolders with a smoking hot score and a soundtrack ! that inc ludes 9 original songs with vocal performances by Solomon Burke, Natalie Cole, Etta James, Dr. John, Aaron Neville, Bijou Phillips, Richie Sambora, Toledo and More!Studio: Peace Arch Home Entertain Release Date: 11/04/2008A group of wealthy Los Angeles teenagers try to become part of the "gangsta" lifestyle but soon run into trouble when they come face to face with a real gang of Latino drug dealers.After making her name in The Princess Diaries, Anne Hathaway takes a radical detour with this edgy independent drama. As Allie, a wealthy gangsta wannabe, she makes no excuses for her delinquent behavior: "We're just teenagers and we're bored." When her Pacific Palisades posse, including pal Emily (Bully's Bijou Phillips), starts hanging out with a Latino gang (including Six Feet Under's Freddy Rodríguez), they learn what thug life is really about. Hathaway couldn't be more game: She swears, she fights--she disrobes (several times). Written and directed by ! Oscar winners Stephen Gaghan (Traffic) and Barbara Kopple (American Dream), Havoc plays like a B movie, in the vein of the superior crazy/beautiful, and was released straight to video. For Hathaway fans, it's a chance to see this young talent in a very different light, but for Gaghan and Kopple followers, this lurid morality tale is sure to come as a letdown. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

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Suspense Four Film Set

• SUSPENSE 4 MOVIE PACK (DVD MOVIE)

How well can you really know the one you love? OscarÂ(r) nominee* Nicholas Kazan explores this question in his "sensuous, deadly game of romantic cat-and-mouse" (Roger Ebert) that features "terrific" (The Hollywood Reporter) performances by James Spader and Mädchen Amick and weaves "a tight web of suspense" (Playboy)! After a bitter divorce, wealthy architect Ray (Spader) fears he'll never love again until he bumps into sexy, sophisticated Lena (Amick) and sparks begin to fly. Before long, they are happily married and have a family. But when Ray's suspicious nature gets the best of him and he begins to investigate Lena's past, what he finds may not only threaten the state of their marriage but also Ray's life! *1990: Adapted Screenplay, Reversal of FortuneWHEN JUSTICE FAILS
A serial killer is murdering suspected rapists and shearing their he! ads as a bizarre trademark. Detectives Tom Chaney (Jeff Fahey, TV's Lost) and Rod Lambeau discover a connection: many were prosecuted by beautiful attorney Katy Wesson (Marlee Matlin, TV's The L Word). As Chaney falls for Katy while the investigation continues, he unravels her dark, complicated past...one that may be key to solving the case.

SHADED PLACES
A group of high school friends are invited by Emily (Christina Applegate, TV's Samantha Who?) to her cabin for a relaxing weekend of reminiscing. But Emily has a disturbing secret to share. One that connects them all...forever. As the friends dig through their pasts, they find themselves in the midst of an explosive nightmare that, at any moment, threatens to become a deadly reality.

THE LIFE BEFORE THIS
After a holdup goes awry, two gunmen open fire on several people at a cafe. A flashback replays the day of each of the victims inc! luding a dating middle-age woman (Catherine O'Hara, ! Home Alo ne), an unethical attorney (Joe Pantoliano, Memento), a grieving bug exterminator (Academy Award® nominee Stephen Rea, V for Vendetta), a troubled college student (Sarah Polley, Dawn of the Dead), a TV star's daughter, and a peer pressured pre-teen. These victims learn quickly that a single moment can change everything.

THE LIST
After a powerful judge is caught with Gabrielle, (Mädchen Amick, TV's Twin Peaks) a high-class call girl, an all-out war of revenge and murder unfolds in this thrill-a-minute crime drama.
In court, Gabrielle produces a list of her wealthy clients to Judge Richard Miller (Ryan O'Neal, TV's Bones). If the list is used as evidence, reputations will be ruined. Powerful men will fall. Families will be broken. Judge Miller is threatened--show it to no one. But some are willing to do more than threaten to keep the list from becoming public. Some are w! illing to murder...

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