Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Blessed Is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh

  • BLESSED IS THE MATCH (DVD MOVIE)
In 1944, 22-year-old Hannah Senesh parachuted into Nazi-occupied Europe with a small group of Jewish volunteers from Palestine. Theirs was the only military rescue mission for Jews that occurred in World War II.

Narrated by Academy Award® winner Joan Allen, the multi-award-winning BLESSED IS THE MATCH follows the remarkable journey of this young Hungarian poet and diarist, paratrooper and resistance fighter. Told through Hannah s letters, diaries, and poems, her mother s memoirs, and the recollections of those who knew and loved her (including two of her fellow parachutists), the film traces her life from her childhood in Budapest to her time in British-controlled Palestine where she was drawn by the Kibbutz Movement that sought to build an independent Jewish state to her daring mission to rescue Jews in her native Hungary.

Both devastating an! d inspiring, BLESSED IS THE MATCH offers an intimate portrait of a singularly talented, courageous and complex girl who believed that one person could be a flame that burns brightly in even the darkest hours.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Rodrick Rules (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #2)

  • ISBN13: 9780810994737
  • Condition: New
  • Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Greg Heffley, the kid who made “wimpy” cool, is back in this sidesplitting sequel based on the second installment of the best-selling book series! Having rid himself of the Cheese Touch , Greg enters the next grade with his confidence and friendships intact, and an eye on the new girl in town, Holly Hills . But at home, Greg is still at war with his older brother, Rodrick, so their parents have handed down the toughest “punishment” imaginable â€" forcing the boys to spend quality time with each other. Brothers aren't supposed to get along, so it should come as no surprise that Greg and his older sibling Rodrick fight continuously. However, their mother has a different idea about what the rela! tionship between two brothers should look like, and she writes a column about it for the local newspaper, so she should know. Never one to let nature take its course, Mom tries a variety of strategies to get the boys to bond--everything from the incentive-driven "mom bucks" to punishing them by leaving them home together for the weekend while the rest of the family heads to the water park. The wild party and ensuing chaos that one would expect when two boys are left home alone happens right on schedule, but so does a surprising development in the boys' relationship with one another. Greg pours his every thought about the difficulties of surviving middle school and living with brothers into his journal in this film, which is based on Jeff Kinney's book Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules. While it's definitely a different experience to see the cartoon stick figures from the book morph into human forms in the live-action film, director David Bowers and actors Zachary G! ordon, Devon Bostick, Robert Capron, and Rachael Harris do a g! ood job of preserving the feel of the book--specifically, how each of the characters is driven by emotion and how they are often overwhelmed by their sense of mental conflict and anguish. Kids frankly state that the Diary of a Wimpy Kid films aren't as good as the bestselling books, but that doesn't mean they don't enjoy the movies or that they won't be clamoring to see them. (Ages 7 and older) --Tami Horiuchi
Whatever you do, don’t ask Greg Heffley how he spent his summer vacation, because he definitely doesn’t want to talk about it.

As Greg enters the new school year, he’s eager to put the past three months behind him . . . and one event in particular. Unfortunately for Greg, his older brother, Rodrick, knows all about the incident Greg wants to keep under wraps. But secrets have a way of getting out . . . especially when a diary is involved.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules chronicles Greg’s attempts to navigate the haza! rds of middle school, impress the girls, steer clear of the school talent show, and most important, keep his secret safe.
 
The highly anticipated sequel to the #1 New York Times bestselling book!

Boss CH6520 Chaos Series 6.5-Inch 2-Way Speakers (Pair)

  • 3/4" Mylar Dome Tweeter
  • 250 Watts Peak Power
  • Poly Coated Paper Cone
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  • Freq. Response 100Hz-18Hz
Boss Audio CH6520 Chaos Series 6.5" 2-way Speaker

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Black Sheep (Unrated)

  • An experiment in genetic engineering turns harmless sheep into blood-thirsty killers that terrorize a sprawling New Zealand farm. Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR Rating: NR Age: 796019805704 UPC: 796019805704 Manufacturer No: 80570
An aspiring gubernatorial candidate tries very hard to keep his bumbling brother out of the limelight and from helping with his campaign.
Genre: Feature Film-Comedy
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 16-JUL-2002
Media Type: DVDBLACK SHEEP - DVD Movie

Steven Seagal Collection: 4 Film Favorites - Under Siege / The Glimmer Man / Above the Law / Fire Down Below

  • Under Siege The Glimmer Man Above the Law Fire Down Below Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: R Age: 085391174226 UPC: 085391174226 Manufacturer No: 117422
EPA Marshal Taggert tries to ferret out who is responsible for dumping toxins into abandoned mines and why the locals don't talk about it.
Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure
Rating: R
Release Date: 3-FEB-2004
Media Type: DVDHere's a movie that only a Steven Seagal fan could love. It's not nearly as good as Under Siege (the movie destined to remain Seagal's high-water mark), but not any worse than Above the Law. This time ol' Steve is an agent of the Environmental Protection Agency who's busting heads in Kentucky. He's on good terms with the local yokels (including Marg Helgenberger and Harry Dean Stanton), but locks horns with a slimy mogul (Kris Kristofferson) who'! s using abandoned mines to dump toxic waste. Along with an ecological message, Seagal serves up several broken limbs, cracked skulls, and bloody noses, and he even finds time to do some guitar picking with country boys such as Travis Tritt and Randy Travis. Once you've heard Seagal crooning a country tune, you'll be eager to see him go back to whuppin' the bad guys. --Jeff ShannonFIRE DOWN BELOW/OUT FOR JUSTICE/ON DE - DVD MovieHere's a movie that only a Steven Seagal fan could love. It's not nearly as good as Under Siege (the movie destined to remain Seagal's high-water mark), but not any worse than Above the Law. This time ol' Steve is an agent of the Environmental Protection Agency who's busting heads in Kentucky. He's on good terms with the local yokels (including Marg Helgenberger and Harry Dean Stanton), but locks horns with a slimy mogul (Kris Kristofferson) who's using abandoned mines to dump toxic waste. Along with an ecological message, Seagal! serves up several broken limbs, cracked skulls, and bloody no! ses, and he even finds time to do some guitar picking with country boys such as Travis Tritt and Randy Travis. Once you've heard Seagal crooning a country tune, you'll be eager to see him go back to whuppin' the bad guys. --Jeff Shannon 4 FILM FAVORITES:STEVEN SEAGAL - DVD Movie

An Education

  • SOUNDTRACK AN EDUCATION
When jenny a bright young school girl who longs for adulthood meets david a dashing older man he introduces her to his world of glamorous friends chic jazz clubs and her own sexual awakening. Will she let this affair ruin her dreams of attending oxford as her headmistress fears? Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 03/30/2010 Starring: Carey Mulligan Alfred Molina Run time: 100 minutes Rating: Pg13 Director: Lone ScherfigEDUCATION - Blu-Ray MovieA young girl seduced by an older man may be a common story, but An Education is no common movie. As Jenny, a precocious middle-class British schoolgirl charmed by a small-time criminal, newcomer Carey Mulligan is luminous; her face can be plain and beautiful at the same time, her eyes expressing a restless intelligence and a hungry soul. As David, the seducer, Peter Sarsgaard (Year of the Dog, Gar! den State) gives yet another rich, thoughtful performance. The script, adapted by Nick Hornby (whose novels High Fidelity and About a Boy have been made into movies), is full of unexpected details that bring every moment to life. Director Lone Scherfig (Italian for Beginners) has made sure that every character is vivid and real; even seemingly minor moments have texture and vitality. The supporting cast--including Alfred Molina, Emma Thompson, Cara Seymour (Adaptation), Dominic Cooper (The History Boys), and Olivia Williams (Rushmore)--is simply impeccable. In a small but memorable part, Rosamund Pike (Die Another Day) shows an unexpected (and marvelous) comic side. In short, An Education is a funny, smart, and compassionate movie that will launch a great career for Mulligan and be a jewel on the filmographies of everyone involved. See this movie. --Bret Fetzer


Stills f! rom An Education (Click for larger image)







!




The inspiration for the award-winning motion picture: "Candid, unsentimental and extremely funny. I read it in one glorious go, laughing and crying throughout."â€"Zoë Heller

When Lynn Barber was sixteen, a stranger in a maroon sports car pulled up beside her as she was on her way home from school and offered her a ride. It was the beginning of a long journey from innocence to precocious experienceâ€"an affair with an older man that would change her life. Barber! ’s seducer left her with a taste for luxury hotels and posh ! restaura nts and trips abroad, expensive habits that she managed to support in later life as a successful London journalist whose barbed interviews at once terrorized and fascinated her smart-set subjects.

A poignant, shockingly candid account of the stages in a literary lifeâ€"from promiscuity at Oxford to a stint at Penthouse to a complex marriage that enduredâ€"An Education is a classic of English memoir.SINGLE MAN - DVD MovieColin Firth gives the performance of a lifetime in A Single Man, a drama directed and adapted for the screen by fashion designer Tom Ford, who clearly has a deft vision and ability in the world of film as well. A Single Man is based on a novel by Christopher Isherwood, and Ford's--and Firth's--gift is bringing the inner-turmoil world of the novel to believable, and devastating, life on the screen. Firth may be best known as a dashing romantic-comedy hero (Pride and Prejudice, the Bridget Jones films), but in A Single Man he demonstrates nuance and depth that will stay with the viewer long after the film is over. Firth plays George, a gay British professor, living a life of true, if closeted, bliss with his partner, Jim (Matthew Goode), in the straitlaced early '60s. When Jim dies suddenly at the beginning of the film, George wrestles with how to go on without his true love--and with never being able ever to express his grief openly. The film flashes back to scenes of George and Jim and their dogs, scenes awash in warm tones, and then forward to the present, shot in subtle sepia tones that show joy has disappeared from George's life. Yet there are flashes of hope and feeling: one brief scene--showing George's seeing a dog similar to one the couple had owned, and drawing his face close to the dog's for a familiar and comforting scent--lasts but a moment yet resonates that grief and loss are felt the same by everyone, no matter what they have lost. A Single Man's cast also includes Julianne Moore, playin! g a comp lex role as George's best friend and long-ago lover--one of the only people on the planet who can know all that George is going through, yet with vast vulnerabilities of her own. Nicholas Hoult plays a student who reaches out to George, saying, "I guess I just thought you looked like you could use a friend." But it's Firth who triumphs in the film, and who drives the complex emotions--all true, all rewarding--that hold A Single Man aloft and give it its impact. A Single Man can hold its own against Brokeback Mountain as a story of love and loss that transcends any single genre. --A.T. Hurley


Stills from A Single Man (Click for larger image)











The Education score is by Paul Englishby. It features 'Smoke Without Fire' performed by Duffy 'Your Heart Is As Black As Night' performed by Melody Gardot and 'J'ai Deux Amours' performed by Madeleine Peyroux. The movie is set in 1960s London, Jenny (Carey Mulligan) is a bright 17 year old preparing to go to Oxford. After she meets a much older man (Peter Saarsgard) who smoothly romances her with flattery, stories and weekends in Paris, Jenny abandons her University plans, to the horror and consternation of her hard working father (Alfred Molina) and a teacher (Emma Thompson). Jenny must come of age and decide what is her real education. Soundtrack is by noted composer Paul Englishby (Miss Pettigrew Lives for A ! Day) and includes recognizable 60s pop songs performed by Ray Charles, Mel Torme, Juliette Greco and Percy Faith. Duffy will perform a new song written exclusively for this film. An Education is based on the novel by Nick Hornby (High Fidelity, About A Boy) and is directed by Lone Scherfig. An Education received critical acclaim this past year when it debuted at the Sundance Film Festival, as well as at the Berlin Film Festival. It opens in the U.S. on October 9 followed by releases in Europe and Australia.

Gia (Unrated Edition)

  • It's late 70's New York. Studio 54, designer jeans, drugs and disco. This is the outrageous, breathtaking story of the first fashion super-model - her rise to the top, and her fall caught up in a whirlwind of drugs, sex and celebrity.Running Time: 126 min. Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: NR Age: 026359154027 UPC: 026359154027 Manufacturer No: 91540
DANCING AT THE BLUE IGUANA - DVD MovieAt the Blue Iguana, in the heart of LA's San Fernando Valley, the lives of five strip club dancers converge over the course of one week. Angel (Daryl Hannah), attempts to qualify as a foster mother; Jasmine (Sandra Oh), is a clandestine poet who finds love at a coffee house reading; Jo (Jennifer Tilly), faces an unplanned pregnancy; Stormy (Sheila Kelley), confronts her bewildering past and Jesse (Charlotte Ayanna) gets a tough introduction to life in LA. This glimpse into the oft-misunderstood worl! d of the strip club bares each girl inside and out both onstage and off, providing an insight to the story behind the dance. This is a double feature dvd that includes: "Another Day In Paradise" starring Melanie Griffith and James Woods and "Dancing At The Blue Iguana" starring Daryl Hannah, Jennifer Tilly and Sandra Oh.At the Blue Iguana, in the heart of LA's San Fernando Valley, the lives of five strip club dancers converge over the course of one week. Angel (Daryl Hannah), attempts to qualify as a foster mother; Jasmine (Sandra Oh), is a clandestine poet who finds love at a coffee house reading; Jo (Jennifer Tilly), faces an unplanned pregnancy; Stormy (Sheila Kelley), confronts her bewildering past and Jesse (Charlotte Ayanna) gets a tough introduction to life in LA. This glimpse into the oft-misunderstood world of the strip club bares each girl inside and out both onstage and off, providing an insight to the story behind the dance. Dancing at the Blue Iguana DVD New Special Features: Documentary by Daryl Hannah "Strip Notes", Letter Box, 5.1 Dolby Digital, Production Commentary, Trailer, Director Commentary, Scene Access, Alternate Scenes, Interactive Menus, English and Spanish Subtitles Dancing at the Blue Iguana DVD New Special features: Full Screen version, Trailer Gallery, 2.0 Surround Audio, And More!, Interactive MenusIt's the Late 70's in New York - Studio 54, designer jeans, drugs and disco. One girl is living life in the fast lane. She can have any man or woman she wants. Sex, money, glamour, fame - it's all within her reach. She's a Goddess. She's A Star. Her name Is Gia. There's a reason why Cindy Crawford was dubbed "Baby Gia" when she first hit the modeling scene. Indeed, Crawford, now the world's best-known supermodel, greatly resembled model Gia Carangi, who went from high school to the cover of British Vogue in less than two years. Carangi appeared on many more covers of Vogue (French, British, Italian, and American) and Cosmopolitan before dying of complications from AIDS (she was an IV heroin user) in 1986. Now most people recognize Carangi's name from this powerful HBO film that stars Golden Globe-winner Angelina Jolie, who comes by her talent honestl! y. Jolie is the daughter of veteran actor Jon Voight, and her own training as a model serves her well--she has the moves. Throughout, she's heartbreaking--as no doubt the real Carangi was--effective, and stunning.

With good source material (Stephen Fried's A Thing of Beauty: The Tragedy of Supermodel Gia), Jolie's stunning performance, and strong directing by Michael Cristofer, the movie goes beyond the merely sensational. The script was cowritten by Cristofer and novelist Jay McInerney, whose Bright Lights, Big City covers similar territory. As a cautionary tale, Gia works. But to watch Jolie in her character's tragic self-destruction is utterly compelling. --N.F. Mendoza

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Bordertown

  • BORDERTOWN (DVD MOVIE)

First published in 1934, Border Town brings to life the story of Cuicui, a young country girl coming of age during a time of national turmoil. Like any teenager, Cuicui dreams of romance and finding true love. She's spellbound by the local custom of nighttime serenades, and she is deftly pursued by two eligible brothers. But Cuicui is also haunted by the imminent death of her grandfather, a poor and honorable ferryman who is her only family. As she grows up, Cuicui discovers that life is full of the unexpected and that she alone will make the choices that determine her destiny.

A moving testament to the human spirit, Border Town is a beautifully written novel, considered Shen Congwen's masterpiece for its brilliant portrayal of Chinese rural life before the Communist revolution.

A powerful story of life on the border between the United Sta! tes and Mexico, Bordertown is based on the hundreds of women working in American-owned factories who have been brutally raped and murdered in Juarez, a city gripped by fear. The attacks have been covered up by the local authorities, and still continue today.

When editor of the Chicago Sentinel George Morgan (Sheen) sends ambitious reporter, Lauren Adrian (Lopez), to Juarez, Mexico to investigate the murders, what she finds is the story of a lifetime. Eva, a young woman who was raped and left for dead in the desert, is the only woman to survive an attack. Unable to go to the police for help, she turns to a local newspaper run by Diaz Alfonso (Banderas), former friend and colleague of Lauren s. Hiding Eva is incredibly dangerous, but Lauren knows that publishing her story is the only way to expose the truth behind the murders. She is determined to find Eva s attackers but soon finds herself immersed in a dangerous web of corruption that extends to both sides of the bo! rder.
The long-intertwined communities of the Oglala Lakot! a Pine R idge Reservation and the bordering towns in Sheridan County, Nebraska, mark their histories in sensational incidents and quiet human connections, many recorded in detail here for the first time. After covering racial unrest in the remote northwest corner of his home state of Nebraska in 1999, journalist Stew Magnuson returned four years later to consider the border towns’ peoples, their paths, and the forces that separate them. Examining Raymond Yellow Thunder’s death at the hands of four white men in 1972, Magnuson looks deep into the past that gave rise to the tragedy. Situating long-ranging repercussions within 130 years of context, he also recounts the largely forgotten struggles of American Indian Movement activist Bob Yellow Bird and tells the story of Whiteclay, Nebraska, the controversial border hamlet that continues to sell millions of cans of beer per year to the Â"dry” reservation. Within this microcosm of cultural conflict, Magnuson explores the odds ! against community’s power to transcend misunderstanding, alcoholism, prejudice, and violence.

First published in 1934, Border Town brings to life the story of Cuicui, a young country girl coming of age during a time of national turmoil. Like any teenager, Cuicui dreams of romance and finding true love. She's spellbound by the local custom of nighttime serenades, and she is deftly pursued by two eligible brothers. But Cuicui is also haunted by the imminent death of her grandfather, a poor and honorable ferryman who is her only family. As she grows up, Cuicui discovers that life is full of the unexpected and that she alone will make the choices that determine her destiny.

A moving testament to the human spirit, Border Town is a beautifully written novel, considered Shen Congwen's masterpiece for its brilliant portrayal of Chinese rural life before the Communist revolution.

First published in 1934, Border Town brings to life the stor! y of Cuicui, a young country girl coming of age during a time ! of natio nal turmoil. Like any teenager, Cuicui dreams of romance and finding true love. She's spellbound by the local custom of nighttime serenades, and she is deftly pursued by two eligible brothers. But Cuicui is also haunted by the imminent death of her grandfather, a poor and honorable ferryman who is her only family. As she grows up, Cuicui discovers that life is full of the unexpected and that she alone will make the choices that determine her destiny.

A moving testament to the human spirit, Border Town is a beautifully written novel, considered Shen Congwen's masterpiece for its brilliant portrayal of Chinese rural life before the Communist revolution.

Company town. Blighted community. Beloved home. Nestled on the banks of the Rio Grande, at the heart of a railroad, mining, and smelting empire, Smeltertown--La Esmelda, as its residents called it--was home to generations of ethnic Mexicans who labored at the American Smelting and Refining Company in El ! Paso, Texas.

Using newspapers, personal archives, photographs, employee records, parish newsletters, and interviews with former residents, including her own relatives, Monica Perales unearths the history of this forgotten community. Spanning almost a century, Smeltertown traces the birth, growth, and ultimate demise of a working class community in the largest U.S. city on the Mexican border and places ethnic Mexicans at the center of transnational capitalism and the making of the urban West. Perales shows that Smeltertown was composed of multiple real and imagined social worlds created by the company, the church, the schools, and the residents themselves. Within these dynamic social worlds, residents forged permanence and meaning in the shadow of the smelter's giant smokestacks. Smeltertown provides insight into how people and places invent and reinvent themselves and illuminates a vibrant community grappling with its own sense of itself and its place ! in history and collective memory.Featuring 28 Episodes. In 188! 0, Pemmi can lay at the western edge of the Great Plains. Nearly a decade later, surveyors of the 49th parallel reached the community of 180 to find it straddling the new Canada-U.S. border. Pemmican became Bordertown. It wasn't until the mud had settled that Bordertown's awkward, if not unique, character came to light. Law and order were dealt with on one side by Clive Bennett, a Mountie, and on the other by U.S. Marshal Jack Craddock. Whiskey traders, buffalo hunters, gold prospectors, silver miners, drifters and drunks kept the lawmen busy. Still, clashes were inevitable; they shared an office divided only by a black line--the 49th parallel. Acute rivalry in the pursuit of justice was further complicated by their pursuit of the same woman. Marie Dumont was a widowed Parisian, a sensitive lady of considerable breeding and the town's doctor.

Ghost Dog - Way of Samurai - Whitaker Jarmusch 11x17 Poster

  • 11x17 INCHES
A black hitman goes by the name Ghost Dog and lives by the code of the samurai.
Genre: Feature Film Urban Action
Rating: R
Release Date: 21-OCT-2003
Media Type: DVDForest Whitaker makes an unlikely modern samurai with his laser-sighted pistols, shabby street clothes, and oddly graceful gait--but then Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai is an unusual film. Quirky, contemplative, and at times absurd, it's just the kind offbeat vision we've come to expect from the fiercely independent Jim Jarmusch (Stranger than Paradise, Dead Man). Whitaker is Ghost Dog, a mysterious New York hit man who lives simply on a tenement rooftop and follows a code of behavior outlined in Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai (passages of this book are interspersed throughout the film). When the local mob marks him for death in a complicated cod! e of Mafiosi-style honor, Ghost Dog sends a cryptic message to his foes. "That's poetry. The poetry of war," remarks mobster Henry Silva, with sudden respect upon reading the verse. He could be describing the ethereal beauty of Jarmusch's vision, full of wonderful imagery (a night drive across town seems to float in time) and off-center humor. Though it briefly stalls in a series of assassinations (Jarmusch is no action director), it settles back into character-driven drama in a quietly epic showdown, equal parts samurai adventure, spaghetti western, and existential crime movie. The film is likely too unconventional and offbeat for general audiences, but cult-movie buffs and Jarmusch fans will appreciate his idiosyncratic vision. He finds a strange sense of honor in the clash of Old World traditions, and salutes his heroes with a skewed but sincere respect. --Sean AxmakerForest Whitaker makes an unlikely modern samurai with his laser-sighted pistols, shabby street cl! othes, and oddly graceful gait--but then Ghost Dog: The Way! of the Samurai is an unusual film. Quirky, contemplative, and at times absurd, it's just the kind offbeat vision we've come to expect from the fiercely independent Jim Jarmusch (Stranger than Paradise, Dead Man). Whitaker is Ghost Dog, a mysterious New York hit man who lives simply on a tenement rooftop and follows a code of behavior outlined in Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai (passages of this book are interspersed throughout the film). When the local mob marks him for death in a complicated code of Mafiosi-style honor, Ghost Dog sends a cryptic message to his foes. "That's poetry. The poetry of war," remarks mobster Henry Silva, with sudden respect upon reading the verse. He could be describing the ethereal beauty of Jarmusch's vision, full of wonderful imagery (a night drive across town seems to float in time) and off-center humor. Though it briefly stalls in a series of assassinations (Jarmusch is no action director), it settles back into character-dr! iven drama in a quietly epic showdown, equal parts samurai adventure, spaghetti western, and existential crime movie. The film is likely too unconventional and offbeat for general audiences, but cult-movie buffs and Jarmusch fans will appreciate his idiosyncratic vision. He finds a strange sense of honor in the clash of Old World traditions, and salutes his heroes with a skewed but sincere respect. --Sean AxmakerForest Whitaker makes an unlikely modern samurai with his laser-sighted pistols, shabby street clothes, and oddly graceful gait--but then Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai is an unusual film. Quirky, contemplative, and at times absurd, it's just the kind offbeat vision we've come to expect from the fiercely independent Jim Jarmusch (Stranger than Paradise, Dead Man). Whitaker is Ghost Dog, a mysterious New York hit man who lives simply on a tenement rooftop and follows a code of behavior outlined in Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai (passages of this book are interspersed throughout the film)! . When t he local mob marks him for death in a complicated code of Mafiosi-style honor, Ghost Dog sends a cryptic message to his foes. "That's poetry. The poetry of war," remarks mobster Henry Silva, with sudden respect upon reading the verse. He could be describing the ethereal beauty of Jarmusch's vision, full of wonderful imagery (a night drive across town seems to float in time) and off-center humor. Though it briefly stalls in a series of assassinations (Jarmusch is no action director), it settles back into character-driven drama in a quietly epic showdown, equal parts samurai adventure, spaghetti western, and existential crime movie. The film is likely too unconventional and offbeat for general audiences, but cult-movie buffs and Jarmusch fans will appreciate his idiosyncratic vision. He finds a strange sense of honor in the clash of Old World traditions, and salutes his heroes with a skewed but sincere respect. --Sean Axmaker

Monday, January 16, 2012

Flashbacks Of A Fool [Blu-ray]

  • FLASHBACKS OF A FOOL BLU-RAY (BLU-RAY DISC)
Daniel Craig delivers a startling performance as Joe Scott, a washed-up Hollywood star adrift in a haze of sex, drugs and squandered fame. But when he receives news of the sudden death of his childhood best friend, Joe flashes back to his younger self (played by Harry Eden of Oliver Twist) in his small English seaside village and the summer of innocence and tragedy that would change his life forever. Olivia Williams (The Sixth Sense), Claire Forlani (CSI:NY) and Eve co-star in this powerful drama about love, loss and one man’s journey to redemption, executive produced by Daniel Craig and featuring songs by Scott Walker, David Bowie and Roxy Music.Leading man Daniel Craig apparently made Flashbacks of a Fool (he was also one of the executive producers) in between stints as James Bond, and you can see why he was attract! ed to it; Joe Scott, the character he portrays in this film, could hardly be less like the suave, ever-resourceful 007. Ensconced in a fab, oceanfront Malibu crib, Joe is a movie star on the skids. Hooked on coke and drink, engaging in group gropes with dumb Hollywood bimbos, he’s sunk so low that his sassy assistant (Eve) calls him "a disgrace to white folks," and even his agent is sick of him, which is somewhat akin to a parasite dissing its host (it’s a measure of writer-director Baillie Walsh’s script’s lack of depth that we never really see what made Joe so great in the first place, or so bad now). When a call comes that a childhood friend has died, Joe decides to return to his native England for the funeral, whereupon an extended flashback kicks in. Young Joe (Harry Eden), it seems, was as randy and hopelessly naïve as a lot of teenage boys. Though he had the hots for the sexiest young thang in town (a coastal village that’s as lovely in its way as the Cali! fornia setting, both of them handsomely photographed by cinema! tographe r John Mathieson; the locations, in fact, are probably the most attractive element of the film), he also wasn’t immune to the advances of Evelyn (Jodhi May), the older married woman who lives next door. And when a tragedy involving Evelyn’s daughter struck while she and Joe were in flagrante, Joe handled it by leaving town, never to return--until now, that is. He discovers that his late pal’s widow is the same young girl Joe’d had his eye on, but otherwise his homecoming is a strangely muted affair; not a lot happens, which pretty much applies to the film overall. In the end, Flashbacks of a Fool has its touching moments, but it might have turned out better had it been both shaken and stirred. --Sam Graham

Stills from Flashbacks of a Fool (Click for larger image)











Daniel Craig delivers a startling performance as Joe Scott, a washed-up Hollywood star adrift in a haze of sex, drugs and squandered fame. But when he receives news of the sudden death of his childhood best friend, Joe flashes back to his younger self (played by Harry! Eden of Oliver Twist) in his small English seaside village and the summer of innocence and tragedy that would change his life forever. Olivia Williams (The Sixth Sense), Claire Forlani (CSI:NY) and Eve co-star in this powerful drama about love, loss and one man s journey to redemption, executive produced by Daniel Craig and featuring songs by Scott Walker, David Bowie and Roxy Music.Leading man Daniel Craig apparently made Flashbacks of a Fool (he was also one of the executive producers) in between stints as James Bond, and you can see why he was attracted to it; Joe Scott, the character he portrays in this film, could hardly be less like the suave, ever-resourceful 007. Ensconced in a fab, oceanfront Malibu crib, Joe is a movie star on the skids. Hooked on coke and drink, engaging in group gropes with dumb Hollywood bimbos, he’s sunk so low that his sassy assistant (Eve) calls him "a disgrace to white folks," and even his agent is sick of him, which is somewhat! akin to a parasite dissing its host (it’s a measure of writ! er-direc tor Baillie Walsh’s script’s lack of depth that we never really see what made Joe so great in the first place, or so bad now). When a call comes that a childhood friend has died, Joe decides to return to his native England for the funeral, whereupon an extended flashback kicks in. Young Joe (Harry Eden), it seems, was as randy and hopelessly naïve as a lot of teenage boys. Though he had the hots for the sexiest young thang in town (a coastal village that’s as lovely in its way as the California setting, both of them handsomely photographed by cinematographer John Mathieson; the locations, in fact, are probably the most attractive element of the film), he also wasn’t immune to the advances of Evelyn (Jodhi May), the older married woman who lives next door. And when a tragedy involving Evelyn’s daughter struck while she and Joe were in flagrante, Joe handled it by leaving town, never to return--until now, that is. He discovers that his late pal’s widow is! the same young girl Joe’d had his eye on, but otherwise his homecoming is a strangely muted affair; not a lot happens, which pretty much applies to the film overall. In the end, Flashbacks of a Fool has its touching moments, but it might have turned out better had it been both shaken and stirred. --Sam Graham

Stills from Flashbacks of a Fool (Click for larger image)












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