Saturday, January 7, 2012

Gram Parsons: Fallen Angel

  • This definitive biography chronicles a Southern Gothic saga and is a fascinating look at "The Grievous Angel" and the heartbreakingly beautiful music he created. Dispelling myths that have grown to surround Gram, Fallen Angel shows us the essence of his artistry; it is a truly revealing account of his life and ongoing influence. On September 19, 1973, the musician and heir to a million-dollar f
Johnny Knoxville (Jackass: The Movie, Walking Tall) shows off star power in his firstleading role as the hard-drinking, motorcycle-riding rock 'n' roll manager Phil Kaufman. When legendary singer Gram Parsons dies, Kaufman steals the body to keep his promise to make Joshua Tree Gram's final resting place. Chased by the cops, Gram's father and Gram's psycho ex-girlfriend, Betty (Christina Applegate), Kaufman embarks on a darkly comic adventure deep into the desert. Based on a truestory, this reckless ro! ad movie exceeds all limits.Johnny Knoxville (Jackass: The Movie, Walking Tall) shows off star power in his first leading role as the hard-drinking, motorcycle-riding rock 'n' roll manager Phil Kaufman. When legendary singer Gram Parsons dies, Kaufman steals the body to keep his promise to make Joshua Tree Gram's final resting place. Chased by the cops, Gram's father and Gram's psycho ex-girlfriend, Betty (Christina Applegate), Kaufman embarks on a darkly comic adventure deep into the desert. Based on a true story, this reckless road movie exceeds all limits.Soundtrack to 2003 biopic, starring Johnny Knoxville & Christina Applegate, features music by Starsailor, Primal Scream, Lemonheads, Gram Parsons, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Evan Dando, Wilco, Gillian Welch and more. Slipcase. Absolute. 2004.Johnny Knoxville (Jackass: The Movie, Walking Tall) shows off star power in his firstleading role as the hard-drinking, motorcycle-riding rock 'n' roll manager Phil Kaufman. Wh! en legendary singer Gram Parsons dies, Kaufman steals the body! to keep his promise to make Joshua Tree Gram's final resting place. Chased by the cops, Gram's father and Gram's psycho ex-girlfriend, Betty (Christina Applegate), Kaufman embarks on a darkly comic adventure deep into the desert. Based on a truestory, this reckless road movie exceeds all limits.This definitive biography chronicles a Southern Gothic saga and is a fascinating look at "the Grievous Angel" and the heartbreakingly beautiful music he created. Dispelling myths that have grown to surround Gram, Fallen Angel shows us the essence of his artistry; it is a truly revealing account of his life and ongoing influence. Fallen Angel features music from Gram Parsons’ groundbreaking career with The International Submarine Band, The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers, as well as his highly acclaimed solo albums. Featured interviews include Peter Buck, James Burton, Emmylou Harris, Chris Hillman, Phil Kaufman, Bernie Leadon, Avis Bartkus Parsons III, Gretchen Parsons Carpenter, Diane ! Parsons, Polly Parsons, Keith Richards, Dwight Yoakam, and more.Cynics have suggested that death is a shrewd career move for some artists, and when it comes to singer-songwriter Gram Parsons, whose life, work, and demise are chronicled in Fallen Angel, they may be right. Although undeniably talented, Parsons never had a hit and made just six albums, and only one of them (the Flying Burrito Brothers' The Gilded Palace of Sin) is a bona fide classic. That's one reviewer's opinion, anyway. Yet three decades after he died (in 1975, at age 26), Parsons is revered as a country rock pioneer, a significant influence on Keith Richards and the Rolling Stones, and a colossal talent who never got his due. While that may all be true, what's beyond dispute (and it's confirmed by the great majority of those interviewed in director Gandulf Henning's documentary) is that Parsons was a screw-up, a drunk and drug abuser who squandered his opportunities and dug himself an early g! rave, even by rock star standards. It wasn't all his fault. An! y kid wi th a family background like his (his father committed suicide and his mother died from the ravages of alcoholism… possibly with the assistance of her second husband, Parsons' stepfather, who was a big drinker himself) is bound to have, shall we say, issues; Parsons was also well off financially, a fact that many interviewees (most notably Chris Hillman, who played with him in the Byrds and the Burritos) suggest might have attributed to his lack of driving ambition. Richards, duet partner Emmylou Harris, and other former bandmates are on hand to tell the tale, along with his widow, various surviving relatives, and close friends and associates. There's lots of Parsons' music on the soundtrack, as well as excerpts from a couple of Burritos promo films and some interesting footage of him singing with Harris. In the end, the film's most haunting moments concern the events that followed Parsons' death, when road manager Phil Kaufman commandeered (stole, actually) his casket and ! drove it to California's Joshua Tree National Monument, where he set it on fire, apparently according to the singer's wishes. Now that is the stuff of legend. --Sam Graham

Blood & Chocolate

  • Languages - English, French
  • Subtitles - English, French, Spanish.
  • Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1
  • Dolby Digital 5.1

As a young girl living in the remote mountains of Colorado, Vivian (Bruckner) watched helplessly as her family was murdered by a pack of angry men for the secret they carried in their blood. Vivian survived the attack by running into the woods and changing into a wolf. Ten years later, Vivian is living a relatively safe and normal life in Bucharest, Romania. Vivian spends her days working in a chocolate shop and nights trawling the city̢۪s underground clubs, fending off the reckless antics of her cousin Rafe, and his gang of delinquents he refers to as "The Five."

Vivian̢۪s life begins to unravel when she has a chance encounter with Aiden (Dancy), an artist researching Bucharest̢۪ ancient art and relics for his next graphic novel. Aiden pursue! s Vivian until she relents and begins to see him, but she can̢۪t bring herself to tell him the truth - and lives in fear of showing him who she really is. Even though Vivian has sworn never to kill, she is as much an animal as she is human, and her love for Aiden threatens to cast him to the very wolves who saved her life and who are waiting for their chance to hunt him as prey.

Stills from Blood & Chocolate (click for larger image)







Beyond Blood & Chocolate at Amazon.com


Gothic Horror on DVDs

More from Olivier Martinez

DVDs of "Things That Go Bump"

When graphic novelist Aiden (Hugh Dancy) travels to Bucharest to research the loup garou legend, he nearly gets devoured in the latest female werewolf film, Blood and Chocolate. In the tradition of Werewolf Woman and Ginger Snaps, Blood and Chocolate stars Vivian Gandillon (Agnes Bruckner), a girl who's forced to face her lupine tendencies in order to discover how capable of loving Aiden she really is. Based on a book by Annette Curtis Clause, the film chronicles the lives of the remaining loup garou who are an extended Romanian family waiting for their pack leader, Gabriel, to select his new mate. His desire for Vivian means trouble when her wish to be with Aiden results in her revea! ling too much about the clan's secretive lifestyle. In this fi! lm, were wolves look fully human until their eyes glow with colored contact lenses while they fly through the air to then land as full-fledged wolves. Gone are the days, apparently, of films showing the transformation in all its hairy, explosive detail. A lack of scenes describing the werewolf metamorphosis make this film more a love story than a monster tale, though two forest gatherings in which the loup garou hunt human sacrifices offer some grizzly satisfaction. Unlike the aforementioned femme werewolf films, Blood and Chocolate features a girl fighting her urge to kill in a bid to unite humans with her brethren, making this movie the most peaceful in its genre. With a tame wolf as protagonist, the potential nightmare is really just a pleasant dream to unite the two disparate worlds. The question is: Do we want that to happen? --Trinie Dalton

Buck Hood Hoodlum Hunting Knife

  • Blade Length: 10" (25.4 cm)
  • Blade Material: 5160 Carbon Steel
  • Carry System: Black, heavy duty nylon, M.O.L.L.E. compatible sheath
  • Handle Material: Micarta
  • Weight: 14.6 oz (22.0 g)
OscarÂ(r) nominees* Laurence Fishburne, Tim Roth and Andy Garcia set the screen ablaze in this riveting crime thriller exploding with spectacular gun battles and brutal action. In 1930s' New York, Bumpy Johnson (Fishburne) rules the Harlem numbers racket with a rare combination of honor, dignity and strength. But when savage gangster Dutch Schultz (Roth), threatens his reign witha series of bloody attacks, Bumpy knows that the only way to win is to play Dutch's deadly game. Asa vicious war spins madly out of control, so does Bumpy's personal life, and soon the mobster realizes that his only way out is to instigate a dangerous plan involving one of the most feared and powerful gangst! ers in history...mob chieftan Lucky Luciano (Garcia). Featuring outstanding supporting performances by Vanessa Williams and the legendary Cicely Tyson, Hoodlum is a thrilling, electrifying and suspense-filled adventure! *Fishburne: Actor, What's Love Got to DoWith It (1993); Roth: Supporting Actor, Rob Roy (1995); Garcia: Supporting Actor, TheGodfather III (1990)A flawed but admirably ambitious gangster movie, Hoodlum aspires to be a kind of Harlem-based equivalent to The Godfather, and while it falls short of that lofty goal it's still got plenty of qualities to make it well worth seeing. It's the first film to tell the story of Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson (charismatically played by Laurence Fishburne), an ex-convict who dominated the Harlem numbers racket during the 1930s and '40s. As he rises to power he gains equally powerful enemies, including hotheaded Bronx gangster Dutch Schultz (Tim Roth) and the suave mobster Lucky Luciano (Andy Garcia). Determined ! to defend his Harlem turf against these invaders, Bumpy eclips! es the " policy queen" Stephanie St. Clair (Cicely Tyson) and becomes a self-styled Robin Hood figure, attracting the attention of a community servant (Vanessa Williams) who must confront the brutality of Bumpy's business. A must-see for anyone who likes gangster movies, Hoodlum is certainly not a masterpiece, but sharp performances and some powerful scenes make it an interesting look at a little-known chapter in criminal history. --Jeff Shannon
He set out to be the good son, but the streets had a different plan.

Born to one of the city̢۪s most notorious crime families, Shai Clark has always managed to be a good kid. A college hoops star, Shai shunned the world that his father had created and focused on his dreams of going pro. Tommy, Shai̢۪s trigger-happy older brother, is next in line for the throne and rules under his father through brute force. But Poppa has bigger plans for Shai.
The situation soon turns ugly when Poppa is murdered and Tommy is re! moved from the equation. Suddenly Shai finds himself at the head of his father̢۪s empire and the streets are thrown into chaos. It is then that he must decide whether to pursue his own dreams or put his father̢۪s affairs in order. Unable to sit idly by while the Clarks̢۪ underworld empire is pillaged, Shai takes up his father̢۪s mantle and brings his game to the streets. He quickly learns that there are two sides to every coin, and the streets hold no mercy for the weak.
Hoodlum chronicles three generations of Trinidadian immigrants and their rise to power in the New York City heroin trade.
A K̢۪wan classic.

One of the niftiest "B" gangster films of the "noir" era tells the story of ex-con Vincent Lubeck (a solid performance by Reservoir Dogs' Lawrence Tierney) on parole because of the pleadings of his mother, with orders to stay clean for five years. Working for his brother at a gas station, Lawrence looks for an easy way to make money. He ! calls in some of his old associates and they rob an armored ca! r where several people are killed. Edward Tierney (real-life brother of Lawrence) makes his screen debut delivering a promising performance, and the rest of the cast offer excellent performances in this tough, fast-paced dramatic film from the director of Dillinger, based on actual news accounts of the plight of many ex-cons.The Hoodlum is built for ultimate survival. Based on Ron Hood's design and built to Buck's quality standards, the Hoodlum helps ensure survival in extreme conditions. It is light enough to carry in a sheath, but heavy duty enough for any task out in the wilderness. The handle is built with a Shock Mitigation System (SMS) to alleviate shock and wasted energy when chopping. It has a large finger choil for providing control while whittling or other detailed activities. A groove is cut into the blade spine for scoring bone, bending wire, removing pots from a camp fire, or other small tasks. Also, the Micarta handles can be removed to create a spear by lashing a bra! nch to the tang of the blade. There is an integrated hammer and lanyard hole in the butt of the handle and it comes with a heavy duty nylon sheath. The Hoodlum will serve all your survival needs from protection to food prep while out in the wilderness.

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