Thursday, March 8, 2012

All About My Mother

  • Widescreen
  • Exclusive Interview with director Pedro Almodovar
  • Subtitles in English and French
  • Director's production notes
  • Talent files
When her teenage son is run over and killed, Madrid nurse Cecilia Roth sets out to fulfill the boy's wish to find the father he never knew. Roth's quest to locate the father--now living as a transvestite prostitute in Barcelona--brings her into the lives of a variety of fellow "lost souls," from an old friend and transsexual hooker to a nun pregnant with the missing man's baby. Winner of the Best Foreign Film Academy Award, Pedro Almodovar's "screwball drama" paean to motherhood (in all forms) also stars Penelope Cruz, Antonia San Juan. 101 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, Subtitles: English, French.In Spanish with English subtitles.After her son is killed in an accident, Manuela (Cecilia Roth) l! eaves Madrid for her old haunts in Barcelona. She reconnects with an old friend, a pre-op transsexual prostitute named La Agrado (Antonia San Juan), who introduces her to Rosa (Penélope Cruz), a young nun who turns out to be pregnant. Meanwhile, Manuela becomes a personal assistant for Huma Rojo (Marisa Paredes), an actress currently playing Blanche DuBois in a production of A Streetcar Named Desire. All About My Mother traces the delicate web of friendship and loss that binds these women together. The movie is dedicated to the actresses of the world, so it's not surprising that all the performances are superb. Roth in particular anchors All About My Mother with compassion and generosity. But fans of writer-director Pedro Almodóvar needn't fret--as always, Almodóvar's work undermines conventional notions of sexual identity and embraces all human possibilities with bright colors and melodramatic plotting. However, All About My Mother approach! es its twists and turns with a broader emotional scope than mo! st of Al modóvar's work; even the more extravagant aspects of the story are presented quietly, to allow the sadness of life to be as present as the irrepressible vitality of the characters. Almodóvar embraces pettiness, jealousy, and grief as much as kindness, courage, and outrageousness, and the movie is the richer for it. --Bret FetzerAfter her son is killed in an accident, Manuela (Cecilia Roth) leaves Madrid for her old haunts in Barcelona. She reconnects with an old friend, a pre-op transsexual prostitute named La Agrado (Antonia San Juan), who introduces her to Rosa (Penélope Cruz), a young nun who turns out to be pregnant. Meanwhile, Manuela becomes a personal assistant for Huma Rojo (Marisa Paredes), an actress currently playing Blanche DuBois in a production of A Streetcar Named Desire. All About My Mother traces the delicate web of friendship and loss that binds these women together. The movie is dedicated to the actresses of the world, so it's not s! urprising that all the performances are superb. Roth in particular anchors All About My Mother with compassion and generosity. But fans of writer-director Pedro Almodóvar needn't fret--as always, Almodóvar's work undermines conventional notions of sexual identity and embraces all human possibilities with bright colors and melodramatic plotting. However, All About My Mother approaches its twists and turns with a broader emotional scope than most of Almodóvar's work; even the more extravagant aspects of the story are presented quietly, to allow the sadness of life to be as present as the irrepressible vitality of the characters. Almodóvar embraces pettiness, jealousy, and grief as much as kindness, courage, and outrageousness, and the movie is the richer for it. --Bret Fetzer

Saturday, February 25, 2012

The Devil Came On Horseback

  • An up-close, honest, and uncompromising look at the crisis in Darfur, THE DEVIL CAME ON HORSEBACK exposes the ongoing tragedy in Sudan as seen through the eyes of one American witness. Using the exclusive photographs and first hand testimony of former U.S. Marine Captain Brian Steidle, the film goes on an emotionally charged journey into the heart of Darfur, Sudan, where in 2004, Steidle became
The Devil Came on Horseback is an intense, vivid autobiographical report from the heart of violent Darfur and a call to action by a former American Marine who became a military observer for the African Union. The first extensive on-the-ground account of the genocide in Sudan, it leads us through the tragic impact of an Arab government bent on destroying its black African citizens and the frustrating complexity of international inaction. At the same time, it is a powerful memoir of one soldier's ! awakening to conscience and his awkward, heroic transformation from Marine to humanitarian. While bearing witness to unmentionable atrocities, this compelling story offers evidence that the actions of just one committed person have the power to transform the world.
Former United States Marine Brian Steidle served for six months in Darfur as an unarmed military observer for the African Union. There he witnessed first-hand the ongoing genocide, and documented every day of his experience using email, audio journals, notebook after notebook and nearly 1,000 photographs. Gretchen Steidle Wallace, his sister, who wrote this book with Brian, corresponded with him throughout his time in Darfur. Fired upon, taken hostage, a witness to villages destroyed and people killed, frustrated by his mission's limitations and the international community's reluctance to intervene, Steidle resigned and has since become an advocate for the world to step in and stop this genocide.

The De! vil Came on Horseback depicts the tragic impact of an Arab! governm ent bent on destroying its black African citizens, the maddening complexity of international inaction in response to blatant genocide, and the awkward, yet heroic transformation of a formerMarine turned humanitarian. It is a gripping and moving memoir that bears witness to atrocities we have too long averted our eyes from, and reveals that the actions of just one committed person have the power to change the world.

Former United States Marine Brian Steidle served for six months in Darfur as an unarmed military observer for the African Union. There he witnessed first-hand the ongoing genocide, and documented every day of his experience using email, audio journals, notebook after notebook and nearly 1,000 photographs. Gretchen Steidle Wallace, his sister, who wrote this book with Brian, corresponded with him throughout his time in Darfur. Fired upon, taken hostage, a witness to villages destroyed and people killed, frustrated by his mission's limitations and the inte! rnational community's reluctance to intervene, Steidle resigned and has since become an advocate for the world to step in and stop this genocide.

The Devil Came on Horseback depicts the tragic impact of an Arab government bent on destroying its black African citizens, the maddening complexity of international inaction in response to blatant genocide, and the awkward, yet heroic transformation of a formerMarine turned humanitarian. It is a gripping and moving memoir that bears witness to atrocities we have too long averted our eyes from, and reveals that the actions of just one committed person have the power to change the world.

DEVIL CAME ON HORSEBACK - DVD Movie

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Rock in Harmony - Sing in the Barbershop Quartet, Volume 2 - Book and CD Package

  • 8 Great Songs Arranged for Barbershop Quartet Singing
  • Arranged for TTBB A Cappella
  • Standard Notation
  • Book and CD Package
  • 40 Pages
BARBERSHOP 2:BACK IN BUSINESS - DVD MovieIce Cube triumphantly returns as Calvin Palmer, proud proprietor of a neighborhood barbershop in Barbershop 2. The first Barbershop was a surprise smash; even more surprising is how good this sequel is. The plot isn't much--there's a corporate haircutting chain opening across the street, leading to the usual sentiments about the importance of small businesses and neighborhoods--but the well-conceived characters and the loose, genuine banter give this movie a striking richness of feeling. Barbershop 2 cuts back and forth in time, flashing back to when Eddie (garrulous Cedric the Entertainer), the shop's oldest and most outspoken barber, first came to work for Calvin's fat! her. Glimpses of black history give weight to the modern-day struggles; most impressively, this device doesn't feel forced or cynical. Also returning are Eve, Troy Garity, and Sean Patrick Thomas; Queen Latifah (Bringing Down the House) is a new face on the block. --Bret FetzerBARBERSHOP/BARBERSHOP 2 - DVD MovieFrom the producers of Soul Food comes this "warm, generous" (The New York Times) taleabout a Chicago barbershop where razor-sharp comedy never goes out of style! Starring Ice Cube, Anthony Anderson, Sean Patrick Thomas, Eve and Cedric the Entertainer, Barbershop is both a "sweet, life-affirming movie" (N.Y. Daily News) and outrageous, bust-a-gut fun!Calvin (Ice Cube) is a would-be entrepreneur with big plans and running his family's barbershop isn't one of them. But when he impulsively sells the shop to a shady loan shark, he soon realizes just how important the neighborhood parlor is to him and just how far he'll go to get it back!With enough lively ba! nter to keep its customers happy for years, Barbershop ! is a loo se, lanky comedy with its heart--and its humor--in all the right places. Ice Cube plays Calvin, reluctant heir to his late father's barbershop on Chicago's South Side--a neighborhood institution that seems like a trap for a guy with bigger dreams. But Calvin is devoted to his employees and local customers, and when he makes an ill-considered deal with a loan shark (Keith David), the future of the barbershop hangs in the balance. There's a goofy subplot involving a stolen cash machine, but what gives Barbershop its abundant charm is its compassionate, feel-good vibe for its likable characters--not just scene-stealer Cedric the Entertainer (as Eddie the veteran barber, whose shaving lesson is a shining pearl of wisdom), but the entire well-chosen cast. It may seem like a lot of casual rap, but look and listen closely, and Barbershop will reward you with its danceable rhythms of life. --Jeff ShannonSarah Jean's Uncle Jed was the only black barber in the cou! nty. He had a kind heart and a warm smile. And he had a dream.

Living in the segregated South of the 1920's, where most people were sharecroppers. Uncle Jed had to travel all over the county to cut his customers' hair. He lived for the day when he could open his very own barbershop. But it was a long time, and many setbacks, from five-year-old Sarah Jean's emergency operation to the bank failures of the Great Depression, before the joyful day when Uncle Jed opened his shiny new shop -- and twirled a now grown-up Sarah Jean around in the barber chair.

With James Ransome's richly colored paintings brimming with life, this is a stirring story of dreams long deferred and finally realized.Ice Cube triumphantly returns as Calvin Palmer, proud proprietor of a neighborhood barbershop in Barbershop 2. The first Barbershop was a surprise smash; even more surprising is how good this sequel is. The plot isn't much--there's a corporate haircutting chain opening acro! ss the street, leading to the usual sentiments about the impor! tance of small businesses and neighborhoods--but the well-conceived characters and the loose, genuine banter give this movie a striking richness of feeling. Barbershop 2 cuts back and forth in time, flashing back to when Eddie (garrulous Cedric the Entertainer), the shop's oldest and most outspoken barber, first came to work for Calvin's father. Glimpses of black history give weight to the modern-day struggles; most impressively, this device doesn't feel forced or cynical. Also returning are Eve, Troy Garity, and Sean Patrick Thomas; Queen Latifah (Bringing Down the House) is a new face on the block. --Bret FetzerThese great collections let men sing four-part a cappella harmony with a professionally recorded barbershop quartet. The books include TTBB parts and the CDs feature full performances. Just turn on the CD, open the book, pick your part, and sing along!. Volume 2 songs include: The Banana Boat Song * Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight (Goodnight, It's Ti! me to Go) * Happy Together * Hello Mary Lou * In My Room * The Longest Time * Silhouettes * Under the Boardwalk.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Hypnotic Poison by Christian Dior for Women 3.4 oz Eau de Toilette Spray

  • Packaging for this product may vary from that shown in the image above
  • This item is not for sale in Catalina Island
Praise for HYPNOTIC: "I love her sass, her voice, her authenticity. You have to care about Rose." ~Jacquelyn Mitchard, Oprah's Book Club, NY Times bestseller. ~ Sixteen year old Rose Heart and senior quarterback Chaz Calloway risk everything to be together. Dangerously trapped between enemy football coach fathers and torn apart by searing tragedy in sudden death overtime, it's apparent Chaz is not exactly mortal. Rose must now decide how far she'll go to save the one she loves. But can she really make the ultimate sacrifice and give a vampire her blood? ~ A first kiss has never been more breathtaking than the one in this Hypnotic excerpt: 'Chaz centers the rose in the space between our lips. "With this rose, I thee vow to wed you, Rose Heart, until death do us part." ' H! YPNOTIC is Romeo & Juliet meets the Superbowl. A heartbreaking, young adult paranormal romance about disastrously forbidden love between a vampire quarterback and a rival coach's daughter. Exquisitely written by Marja Healy, once nominated for the Pushcart Prize, many passages are so gut wrenching and spellbinding, it's impossible to choose a favorite. And you'll never find a more riveting touchdown than the one in Hypnotic. Hypnotic discusses grief in regards to the loss of a beloved parent with unusual tenderness. This is a coming of age love story like no other. Hypnotic contains no extreme language or sexual situations. Suitable for 9th grade and up. Perfect for those who enjoyed Twilight and My Blood Approves.Praise for HYPNOTIC: "I love her sass, her voice, her authenticity. You have to care about Rose." ~Jacquelyn Mitchard, Oprah's Book Club, NY Times bestseller.

~ Sixteen year old Rose Heart and senior quarterback Chaz Calloway risk everything to be toget! her. Dangerously trapped between enemy football coach fathers ! and torn apart by searing tragedy in sudden death overtime, it's apparent Chaz is not exactly mortal. Rose must now decide how far she'll go to save the one she loves. But can she really make the ultimate sacrifice and give him her blood? ~

A first kiss has never been more fatally beautiful than the one in this Hypnotic excerpt: 'Chaz centers the rose in the space between our lips. "With this rose, I thee vow to wed you, Rose Heart, until death do us part." '

HYPNOTIC is Romeo & Juliet meets the Superbowl. A heartbreaking, young adult paranormal romance about disastrously forbidden love between a vampire quarterback and a rival coach's daughter. Exquisitely written by Marja Healy, once nominated for the Pushcart Prize, many passages are so gut wrenching and spellbinding, it's impossible to choose a favorite.

And you'll never find a more riveting touchdown than the one in Hypnotic.

HYPNOTIC discusses grief in regards to the loss of a belo! ved parent with unusual tenderness. This is a coming of age love story like no other.

HYPNOTIC contains no extreme language or sexual situations. Suitable for 9th grade and up. Perfect for those who enjoyed Twilight and My Blood Approves.

Get hypnotized by HYPNOTIC's book trailer on Marja Healy's page, link below.

And start your adventure with XANZEER: Ghost Ship of the Living Dead, a teen urban fantasy romance.Praise for HYPNOTIC: "I love her sass, her voice, her authenticity. You have to care about Rose." ~Jacquelyn Mitchard, Oprah's Book Club, NY Times bestseller.

~ Sixteen year old Rose Heart and senior quarterback Chaz Calloway risk everything to be together. Dangerously trapped between enemy football coach fathers and torn apart by searing tragedy in sudden death overtime, it's apparent Chaz is not exactly mortal. Rose must now decide how far she'll go to save the one she loves. But can she really make the ultimate sacrifice an! d give him her blood? ~

A first kiss has never been mor! e fatall y beautiful than the one in this Hypnotic excerpt: 'Chaz centers the rose in the space between our lips. "With this rose, I thee vow to wed you, Rose Heart, until death do us part." '

HYPNOTIC is Romeo & Juliet meets the Superbowl. A heartbreaking, young adult paranormal romance about disastrously forbidden love between a vampire quarterback and a rival coach's daughter. Exquisitely written by Marja Healy, once nominated for the Pushcart Prize, many passages are so gut wrenching and spellbinding, it's impossible to choose a favorite.

And you'll never find a more riveting touchdown than the one in Hypnotic.

HYPNOTIC discusses grief in regards to the loss of a beloved parent with unusual tenderness. This is a coming of age love story like no other.

HYPNOTIC contains no extreme language or sexual situations. Suitable for 9th grade and up. Perfect for those who enjoyed Twilight and My Blood Approves.

Get hypnotized by HYPNOTIC's book trailer! on Marja Healy's page, link below.

And start your adventure with XANZEER: Ghost Ship of the Living Dead, a teen urban fantasy romance.Tropical fruit, citrusy and mango-like aromas. Light, acidic and very tart at palate entry; the midpalate is refreshing, intensely juicy and almost sour. Aftertaste leans heavily on the tartness. - Paul (8/1/2003) - 85-89: Very Good/Recommended LiquorDiscover the secrets of written persuasion!

"The principles of hypnosis, when applied to copywriting, add a new spin to selling. Joe Vitale has taken hypnotic words to set the perfect sales environment and then shows us how to use those words to motivate a prospect to take the action you want. This is truly a new and effective approach to copywriting, which I strongly recommend you learn. It's pure genius."
-Joseph Sugarman, author of Triggers

"I've read countless book on persuasion, but none come close to this one in showing you exactly how to put your readers! into a buying trance that makes whatever you are offering the! m irresi stible."
-David Garfinkel, author of Advertising Headlines That Make You Rich

"I am a huge fan of Vitale and his books, and Hypnotic Writing (first published more than twenty years ago), is my absolute favorite. Updated with additional text and fresh examples, especially from e-mail writing, Joe's specialty, Hypnotic Writing is the most important book on copywriting (yes, that's really what it is about) to be published in this century. Read it. It will make you a better copywriter, period."
-Bob Bly, copywriter and author of The Copywriter's Handbook

"I couldn't put this book down. It's eye opening and filled with genuinely new stuff about writing and persuading better. And it communicates it brilliantly and teaches it brilliantly-exemplifying the techniques by the writing of the book itself as you go along."
-David Deutsch, author of Think Inside the Box, www.thinkinginside.com

"Hypnotic Writing is packed with so much great information it's har! d to know where to start. The insights, strategies, and tactics in the book are easy to apply yet deliver one heck of a punch. And in case there's any question how to apply them, the before-and-after case studies drive the points home like nothing else can. Hypnotic Writing is not just about hypnotic writing. It is hypnotic writing. On the count of three, you're going to love it. Just watch and see."
-Blair Warren, author of The Forbidden Keys to PersuasionIntroduced in 1998. Fragrance notes: strong scent of jasmine, with lower tones of amber, almond and woods. Recommended use: romantic.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Hearts in Atlantis

  • Based on a Stephen King novella, the film is set in the small-town Connecticut of 1960 and centers around an 11-year-old fatherless boy, whose life is changed when an eccentric man with a psychic gift boards at his home. Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: PG-13 Age: 085392208128 UPC: 085392208128 Manufacturer No: 22081
Although it is difficult to believe, the Sixties are not fictional:

THEY ACTUALLY HAPPENED.

No matter the format, Stephen King's work is spellbinding because the author himself is spellbound. The first hugely popular writer of the TV generation, King published his first novel, Carrie, in 1974, the year before the last U.S. troops withdrew from Vietnam. Images from that war -- and protests against it -- had flooded America's living rooms for nearly ten years. In Hearts in Altantis, King mesmerizes readers with fiction deeply rooted in the Sixties! , and explores -- through four defining decades -- the haunting legacy of the Vietmnam War.

As the characters in Hearts in Atlantis are tested in every way, King probes and unlocks the secrets of his generation for us all. Full of danger, full of suspense, and most of all full of heart, Stephen King's new book will take some readers to a place they have never been able to leave completely.With his idiosyncratic blend of patrician airs and boyish charm, narrator William Hurt provides a wonderful complement to this wildly imaginative collection of short stories by author Stephen King. Hurt carefully weaves the disparate elements into a cohesive whole, embracing the subtle complexities of each character; one moment a wizened sadness leaks into his voice as a haunted old man, pursued by demons, asks his 11-year-old lookout, "You know everyone on this street, on this block of this street anyway? And you'd know strangers? Sojourners? Faces of those unkno! wn?" Then, in a profound yet almost imperceptible switch, he ! exposes the boy's naive enthusiasm, "I think so." Right about here your neck hairs will stand at attention. Hurt's peculiar vocal style is in perfect pitch to King's dark, surreal vision of growing up amid the monsters of post-Vietnam America. (Running time: 21 hours, 20 CDs) --George Laney Bobby befriends a new lodger in the boarding house where he lives and learns that he has strange powers and is being hunted by people called the lowmen.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 3-FEB-2004
Media Type: DVDFans of The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption will feel a similar affection for Hearts in Atlantis, a Stephen King adaptation that again finds the horror writer in more mainstream waters, with a bit of dabbling in the supernatural. When mysterious out-of-towner Ted Brautigan (Anthony Hopkins) moves into the boarding house that 11-year-old Bobby Garfield (Anton Yelchin) shares with his self-i! nvolved mother (Hope Davis), Bobby jumps at the chance to befriend an adult who talks to him straightforwardly. Ted enlists Bobby to read him the newspaper daily--and to keep an eye out for the "low men" bent on capturing Ted, who possesses a strange mind-reading power. Hopkins is in fine form, ably matched by the phenomenal young Yelchin, but director Scott Hicks (Shine) more often than not flattens out the dramatic arcs of the story, despite all the intriguing turns the film takes. Thankfully, though, the schmaltz factor is kept to a minimum, making Hearts in Atlantis a heartfelt coming-of-age drama. --Mark Englehart

Full of It

Heat [Blu-ray]

  • When Al Pacino and Robert De Niro squarer off, HEAT sizzles. A tale of a brilliant L.A. cop (Pacino) following the trail from a deadly armed robbery to a crew headed by an equally brilliant master thief (De Niro). Val Kilmer, Jon Voight, Tom Sizemore, Ashley Judd and Natalie Portman co-star. Format: BLU-RAY DISC Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: R Age: 883929073337 UPC:&nb
When Al Pacino and Robert De Niro squarer off, HEAT sizzles. A tale of a brilliant L.A. cop (Pacino) following the trail from a deadly armed robbery to a crew headed by an equally brilliant master thief (De Niro). Val Kilmer, Jon Voight, Tom Sizemore, Ashley Judd and Natalie Portman co-star.Having developed his skill as a master of contemporary crime drama, writer-director Michael Mann displayed every aspect of that mastery in this intelligent, character-driven thriller from 1995, which also marked the first onscreen pairi! ng of Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. The two great actors had played father and son in the separate time periods of The Godfather, Part II, but this was the first film in which the pair appeared together, and although their only scene together is brief, it's the riveting fulcrum of this high-tech cops-and-robbers scenario. De Niro plays a master thief with highly skilled partners (Val Kilmer and Tom Sizemore) whose latest heist draws the attention of Pacino, playing a seasoned Los Angeles detective whose investigation reveals that cop and criminal lead similar lives. Both are so devoted to their professions that their personal lives are a disaster. Pacino's with a wife (Diane Venora) who cheats to avoid the reality of their desolate marriage; De Niro pays the price for a life with no outside connections; and Kilmer's wife (Ashley Judd) has all but given up hope that her husband will quit his criminal career. These are men obsessed, and as De Niro and Pacino know,! they'll both do whatever's necessary to bring the other down.! Mann's brilliant screenplay explores these personal obsessions and sacrifices with absorbing insight, and the tension mounts with some of the most riveting action sequences ever filmed--most notably a daylight siege that turns downtown Los Angeles into a virtual war zone of automatic gunfire. At nearly three hours, the film qualifies as a kind of intimate epic, certain to leave some viewers impatiently waiting for more action, but it's all part of Mann's compelling strategy. Heat is a true rarity: a crime thriller with equal measures of intense excitement and dramatic depth, giving De Niro and Pacino a prime showcase for their finely matched talents. --Jeff Shannon

Gigantic

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