Sunday, November 20, 2011

High Crimes

  • ISBN13: 9780312378820
  • Condition: New
  • Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Ashley Judd stars as Claire Kubik, a high-powered attorney whose perfect life comes down when her husband is charged with high crimes of murder. Enlisting the aid of a shrewd military lawyer (Morgan Freeman), Claire will risk her career and even her life to find the truth in this "head-snapping thriller" (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel).A welcomed reunion of Kiss the Girls costars Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman makes High Crimes a worthwhile thriller with vivid, likable characters. Efficiently directed by Carl Franklin, this military mystery doesn't have the unpredictable edginess of Franklin's Devil in a Blue Dress, but its twisting plot is sure to hold anyone's attention. Judd plays ! a successful, happily married lawyer whose husband (Jim Caviezel) is accused of killing innocent citizens during his military service in El Salvador some 13 years earlier. A cover-up implicates a powerful Brigadier General (Bruce Davison), but when Judd hires a maverick attorney (Freeman), Judd is caught in a potentially lethal trap of threats and deception. Attentive viewers will stay ahead of the action, and alleged villains are posed as obvious decoys. Still, Judd and Freeman have an appealing rapport (shared with Amanda Peet, playing Judd's vivacious sister), and Freeman's character flaws add worldly spice to yet another rich performance. --Jeff Shannon

Meet Claire Heller Chapman. A criminal defense attorney who’s made a name for herself by taking onâ€"and winningâ€"the toughest cases, Claire still manages to have a relatively calm life as a Harvard Law School professor, devoted wife, and proud mother to six-year-old Annie. Until one night, when the! family is out having dinner, a team of government agents burs! ts onto the scene…heading straight for Claire’s husband.

Tom Chapman has been arrested for an atrocious crime he swears he did not commit. Claire is desperate to believe himâ€"and prove his innocenceâ€"even when she learns that Tom once had a different name. And a different face. Now, in a top-secret court-martial conducted by the Pentagon, Claire will put everything on the line to defend the man she loves. But as the evidence keeps piling up, the less she knows who her husband really is…and the more he appears to be a cold-blooded murderer.

When (not if---the deal has already been signed) this terrific thriller gets made into a movie, you might see Morgan Freeman as a crusty lawyer who specializes in taking on the military establishment tell the actress playing ace Boston barrister and Harvard Law professor Claire Heller Chapman, "Every civilian who's ever gone into a military general court-martial and tried to attack the foundations! of the military has lost his case. No exceptions. The military is a tight, closed fraternity. They take it real serious. Military justice is a deadly serious business." Claire has to realize this as she prepares to defend her husband--the man she knows as Tom Chapman, but who the Army says is Ron Kubik-- on charges that he took part in a massacre of 87 civilians in San Salvador 13 years before. Full of doubts about Tom's innocence and her own ability to prove it in an unfamiliar arena, Claire is brought to exciting, moving life by the extravagantly gifted Joseph Finder, whose previous thrillers (Extraordinary Powers, The Zero Hour) are available in paperback.

A Bug's Life (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)

  • Journey inside the miniature world of bugs for bigger-than-life fun and adventure under every leaf! Crawling with imaginative characters, hilarious laughs, and colorful animation, Disney and Pixar's A BUG'S LIFE will "delight everyone -- young, old, or six-legged" ("People" magazine). On behalf of "oppressed bugs everywhere" an inventive ant named Flik hires "warrior bugs" to defend his co
In an anthill with millions of inhabitants, Z 4195 is a worker ant. Feeling insignificant in a conformity system, he accidentally meets beautiful Princess Bala, who has a similar problem on the other end of the social scale. In order to meet her again, Z switches sides with his soldier friend Weaver - only to become a hero in the course of events. By this he unwillingly crosses the sinister plans of ambitious General Mandible (Bala's fiancé, by the way), who wants to divide the ant society into a superior,! strong race (soldiers) and an inferior, to-be-eliminated race (the workers). But Z and Bala, both unaware of the dangerous situation, try to leave the oppressive system by heading for Insectopia, a place where food paves the streets. --Written by Julian ReischlWoody Allen as a worker ant with an inferiority complex? Sylvester Stallone as an affable soldier ant who discovers that digging tunnels is cool? The animation playground we all knew so well is turning into a theme park full of in-jokes for grownups. Antz explores age-old topics (one person--err, insect--can make a difference, individuality and social responsibility must exist side by side, war is hell) with comic asides and Woody Allen's funniest quips this side of PG (adults will chuckle at the socialist slogans bandied about as he campaigns for workers' rights). Sharon Stone voices the rebellious princess with a fun-loving streak that doesn't quite overcome her royal bearing and court training, but she can ! learn. Gene Hackman is all teeth (ants have teeth?) and menaci! ng grins as the Army general plotting insect-icide. This bug's-eye view of life on Earth gives Allen's neurotic nonconformist an epic adventure of microscopic proportions: a devastating war with a termite colony, an odyssey to the fabled land of plenty (a picnic ground), and a race to save his fellow workers from certain death. Other voices include Anne Bancroft as the Queen, Christopher Walken, Jennifer Lopez, Danny Glover, Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin, and John Mahoney. The computer animation isn't exactly realistic but feels as solid and contoured as puppet animation with the smoothness and slickness of traditional cel cartoons, and the character designs and animation offer a marvelous range of expressions. The PG rating includes a gritty battle sequence that may frighten youngsters. --Sean AxmakerBook Two of the Antz series finds mankind being swept from his own worlds, put to flight and scattered like cosmic dust. The Fleet has been routed. They can't stand toe to toe with t! he enemy. The only hope is that mankind can hold her worlds, but they will have to be held from the ground, and they were on their own. It has been a long time since man has been hunted by anything other than his own fellow men, but the instincts were still there.Book Two of the Antz series finds mankind being swept from his own worlds, put to flight and scattered like cosmic dust. The Fleet has been routed. They can't stand toe to toe with the enemy. The only hope is that mankind can hold her worlds, but they will have to be held from the ground, and they were on their own. It has been a long time since man has been hunted by anything other than his own fellow men, but the instincts were still there.Woody Allen as a worker ant with an inferiority complex? Sylvester Stallone as an affable soldier ant who discovers that digging tunnels is cool? The animation playground we all knew so well is turning into a theme park full of in-jokes for grownups. Antz explores age-ol! d topics (one person--err, insect--can make a difference, indi! vidualit y and social responsibility must exist side by side, war is hell) with comic asides and Woody Allen's funniest quips this side of PG (adults will chuckle at the socialist slogans bandied about as he campaigns for workers' rights). Sharon Stone voices the rebellious princess with a fun-loving streak that doesn't quite overcome her royal bearing and court training, but she can learn. Gene Hackman is all teeth (ants have teeth?) and menacing grins as the Army general plotting insect-icide. This bug's-eye view of life on Earth gives Allen's neurotic nonconformist an epic adventure of microscopic proportions: a devastating war with a termite colony, an odyssey to the fabled land of plenty (a picnic ground), and a race to save his fellow workers from certain death. Other voices include Anne Bancroft as the Queen, Christopher Walken, Jennifer Lopez, Danny Glover, Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin, and John Mahoney. The computer animation isn't exactly realistic but feels as solid and contou! red as puppet animation with the smoothness and slickness of traditional cel cartoons, and the character designs and animation offer a marvelous range of expressions. The PG rating includes a gritty battle sequence that may frighten youngsters. --Sean AxmakerEarth, that shining beacon of human magnificence, of human achievement, the very birthplace of mankind itself, now falls in line for Antz invasion.

I want to thank my readers. I know I'm not the best writer in the world but I strive to tell a good story. I do write a few run on sentences, I'll admit, but it's to pack as much information into each line as possible. To keep the story moving along. The story is why the reader is here. My greatest achievement is when people tell me they couldn't put my book down. They couldn't stop turning the pages because they wanted to know what was going to happen next. All the way through the book. That's my greatest achievement.

You may expect to see the! next installment of this series in December (this December). ! All furt her installments will be full length, as Winter is here and I will have the time to write full time.
Thank you and enjoy.Earth, that shining beacon of human magnificence, of human achievement, the very birthplace of mankind itself, now falls in line for Antz invasion.

I want to thank my readers. I know I'm not the best writer in the world but I strive to tell a good story. I do write a few run on sentences, I'll admit, but it's to pack as much information into each line as possible. To keep the story moving along. The story is why the reader is here. My greatest achievement is when people tell me they couldn't put my book down. They couldn't stop turning the pages because they wanted to know what was going to happen next. All the way through the book. That's my greatest achievement.

You may expect to see the next installment of this series in December (this December). All further installments will be full length, as Winter is here and I will have the ti! me to write full time.
Thank you and enjoy.Woody Allen as a worker ant with an inferiority complex? Sylvester Stallone as an affable soldier ant who discovers that digging tunnels is cool? The animation playground we all knew so well is turning into a theme park full of in-jokes for grownups. Antz explores age-old topics (one person--err, insect--can make a difference, individuality and social responsibility must exist side by side, war is hell) with comic asides and Woody Allen's funniest quips this side of PG (adults will chuckle at the socialist slogans bandied about as he campaigns for workers' rights). Sharon Stone voices the rebellious princess with a fun-loving streak that doesn't quite overcome her royal bearing and court training, but she can learn. Gene Hackman is all teeth (ants have teeth?) and menacing grins as the Army general plotting insect-icide. This bug's-eye view of life on Earth gives Allen's neurotic nonconformist an epic adventure of micros! copic proportions: a devastating war with a termite colony, an! odyssey to the fabled land of plenty (a picnic ground), and a race to save his fellow workers from certain death. Other voices include Anne Bancroft as the Queen, Christopher Walken, Jennifer Lopez, Danny Glover, Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin, and John Mahoney. The computer animation isn't exactly realistic but feels as solid and contoured as puppet animation with the smoothness and slickness of traditional cel cartoons, and the character designs and animation offer a marvelous range of expressions. The PG rating includes a gritty battle sequence that may frighten youngsters. --Sean AxmakerMankind has expanded unimpeded across the Galaxy. Expansionist and Imperialistic before space travel, one nation against the next, later the corporations, but man was many more times so after. After space travel. First men fought over the moon and mars, and then quickly onward as fast as the fuel of greed could compel them. The Corporations owned space.
Corporate expansion into the Galaxy! didn't last long. It only lasted long enough for them to have the first alien contact, and a devastating financial loss, and mankind suddenly found itself under attack by the first alien race it had made contact with.
Since that time man has marched across the Galaxy and over every sentient race he encountered, exterminating them down to specimens and even less in most cases. Man has grown strong and numerous and now sits quiescently in control of all he purveys. Until the day an unknown intruder exits Jump without warning and breaks through the Protected Zone.
Mankind has always been the most industrious, the most technological, the fiercest, the most numerous, whatever it took to prevail, but this new enemy outnumbers man millions to one and mankind finds itself in the unusual position of having either to prevail, or face complete annihilation.
The Hswgi have been marching across the Universe for millions of years. The Hswgi are vegetarian, but their ! larvae required meat. No longer planet dwellers, truly the nom! ads they had been designed to be, they continued to raid as they always had. Mankind seemed an an easy meal.
P.S. This book has received a new full edit as of 10/27/2011.
The next installment of this series will be coming in December 2011.
Thank you and enjoy!Mankind has expanded unimpeded across the Galaxy. Expansionist and Imperialistic before space travel, one nation against the next, later the corporations, but man was many more times so after. After space travel. First men fought over the moon and mars, and then quickly onward as fast as the fuel of greed could compel them. The Corporations owned space.
Corporate expansion into the Galaxy didn't last long. It only lasted long enough for them to have the first alien contact, and a devastating financial loss, and mankind suddenly found itself under attack by the first alien race it had made contact with.
Since that time man has marched across the Galaxy and over every sentient race he encountered, exterm! inating them down to specimens and even less in most cases. Man has grown strong and numerous and now sits quiescently in control of all he purveys. Until the day an unknown intruder exits Jump without warning and breaks through the Protected Zone.
Mankind has always been the most industrious, the most technological, the fiercest, the most numerous, whatever it took to prevail, but this new enemy outnumbers man millions to one and mankind finds itself in the unusual position of having either to prevail, or face complete annihilation.
The Hswgi have been marching across the Universe for millions of years. The Hswgi are vegetarian, but their larvae required meat. No longer planet dwellers, truly the nomads they had been designed to be, they continued to raid as they always had. Mankind seemed an an easy meal.
P.S. This book has received a new full edit as of 10/27/2011.
The next installment of this series will be coming in December 2011.
Thank you and enjo! y!A funny children's (& adult) cartoon movie.Woody Allen as a ! worker a nt with an inferiority complex? Sylvester Stallone as an affable soldier ant who discovers that digging tunnels is cool? The animation playground we all knew so well is turning into a theme park full of in-jokes for grownups. Antz explores age-old topics (one person--err, insect--can make a difference, individuality and social responsibility must exist side by side, war is hell) with comic asides and Woody Allen's funniest quips this side of PG (adults will chuckle at the socialist slogans bandied about as he campaigns for workers' rights). Sharon Stone voices the rebellious princess with a fun-loving streak that doesn't quite overcome her royal bearing and court training, but she can learn. Gene Hackman is all teeth (ants have teeth?) and menacing grins as the Army general plotting insect-icide. This bug's-eye view of life on Earth gives Allen's neurotic nonconformist an epic adventure of microscopic proportions: a devastating war with a termite colony, an odyssey to! the fabled land of plenty (a picnic ground), and a race to save his fellow workers from certain death. Other voices include Anne Bancroft as the Queen, Christopher Walken, Jennifer Lopez, Danny Glover, Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin, and John Mahoney. The computer animation isn't exactly realistic but feels as solid and contoured as puppet animation with the smoothness and slickness of traditional cel cartoons, and the character designs and animation offer a marvelous range of expressions. The PG rating includes a gritty battle sequence that may frighten youngsters. --Sean AxmakerJourney inside the world of bugs in this epic of miniature proportions. Crawling with imaginative characters, hilarious laughs, and colorful animation, Walt Disney Pictures Presentation of A Pixar Animation Studios Film, A BUG'S LIFE, will "delight everyone -- young, old, or six-legged." (People Magazine) In this 2-disc set you'll step behind the scenes for a look at the innovation and teamwork t! hat resulted in this ingenious film. Loaded with bonus feature! s â€" in cluding animation not seen in theaters, abandoned sequences, and multiple surprises â€" A BUG'S LIFE COLLECTOR'S EDITION offers something for everyone from families to film lovers!There was such a magic on the screen in 1995 when the people at Pixar came up with the first fully computer-animated film, Toy Story. Their second feature film, A Bug's Life, may miss the bull's-eye but Pixar's target is so lofty, it's hard to find the film anything less than irresistible.

Brighter and more colorful than the other animated insect movie of 1998 (Antz), A Bug's Life is the sweetly told story of Flik (voiced by David Foley), an ant searching for better ways to be a bug. His colony unfortunately revolves around feeding and fearing the local grasshoppers (lead by Hopper, voiced with gleeful menace by Kevin Spacey). When Flik accidentally destroys the seasonal food supply for the grasshoppers he decides to look for help ("We need bigger bugs!"). Th! e ants, led by Princess Atta (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), are eager to dispose of the troublesome Flik. Yet he finds help--a hearty bunch of bug warriors--and brings them back to the colony. Unfortunately they are just traveling performers afraid of conflict.

As with Toy Story, the ensemble of creatures and voices is remarkable and often inspired. Highlights include wiseacre comedian Denis Leary as an un-ladylike ladybug, Joe Ranft as the German-accented caterpillar, David Hyde Pierce as a stick bug, and Michael McShane as a pair of unintelligible pillbugs. The scene-stealer is Atta's squeaky-voiced sister, baby Dot (Hayden Panettiere), who has a big sweet spot for Flik.

More gentle and kid-friendly than Antz, A Bug Life's still has some good suspense and a wonderful demise of the villain. However, the film--a giant worldwide hit--will be remembered for its most creative touch: "outtakes" over the end credits à la many live-action comedy films. ! These dozen or so scenes (both "editions" of outtakes are con! tained h ere) are brilliant and deserve a special place in film history right along with 1998's other most talked-about sequence: the opening Normandy invasion in Saving Private Ryan.

The video also contains Pixar's delightful Oscar-winning short, Geri's Game. Box art varies. --Doug Thomas

Living with a Black Dog: His Name Is Depression

  • ISBN13: 9780740757433
  • Condition: New
  • Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
BLACK DOG - DVD MovieAn ex-con daredevil trucker must reinfect himself with white-line fever in order to save his wife and kid from nasty gunrunners in this enjoyably mindless, twisted-metal-fest from the director of Passenger 57. Longtime MIA action stud Patrick Swayze (who snagged the part after Kevin Sorbo had to suddenly vacate due to health problems) is even more expressionless than usual in the lead role, but helmer Kevin Hooks compensates with a seriously rocking country soundtrack, some pleasantly eccentric supporting characters (including erstwhile crooner Randy Travis and a way-over-the-top Meatloaf as a psychotic trucker preaching damnation by the dashboard light), and--most importan! tly--a whole lot of rolling iron getting smashed in spectacularly kinetic fashion. A low-down, down-home, cotton-picking flick that blows up real good. --Andrew WrightAn ex-con daredevil trucker must reinfect himself with white-line fever in order to save his wife and kid from nasty gunrunners in this enjoyably mindless twisted-metal-fest from the director of Passenger 57. Longtime MIA action stud Patrick Swayze (who snagged the part after Kevin Sorbo had to suddenly vacate due to health problems) is even more expressionless than usual in the lead role, but helmer Kevin Hooks compensates with a seriously rocking country soundtrack, some pleasantly eccentric supporting characters (including erstwhile crooner Randy Travis and a way-over-the-top Meat Loaf as a psychotic trucker preaching damnation by dashboard light), and--most importantly--a whole lot of rolling iron getting smashed in spectacularly kinetic fashion. A low-down, down-home, cotton-picking f! lick that blows up real good. --Andrew WrightOne! in four women and one in six men will suffer from depression at least once in their life. Few are immune. It was the greatly admired Winston Churchill, a depression sufferer for much of his life, who nicknamed this human condition "Black Dog."

Living with a Black Dog is perhaps the most useful book ever created about depression. In simple text and strongly supportive illustrations, this slim volume examines, explains, and demystifies one of the most widespread and debilitating problems afflicting modern society.

Whether you've struggled with your own Black Dog for years, wondered why you're feeling sort of "ruff" lately, or known someone shadowed by a dark canine, Living with a Black Dog is for you. Artist and writer Matthew Johnstone, a depression sufferer himself, delivers a moving and uplifting insight into life with this unsavory companion. Even better, the book shows the strength and support to be found within and around us to tame this shaggy beast and ultim! ately bring it to heel.

Johnstone's book doesn't pretend to have all the answers. It doesn't resort to simple "dog tricks" for dealing with depression. But Living with a Black Dog does deliver understanding, hope, and the assurance that Black Dog days are not forever.

Annapolis (Full Screen Edition)

  • Working-class tough guy Jake Huard (James Franco) gets a chance to make good when he's accepted into the famed Annapolis Naval Academy, but his buddies and dad back at the shipyard doubt he'll last a month. The film moves through his first year at the academy, culminating in the big boxing tournament, which is Huard's chance to get revenge against his stoic-beyond-the-call-of-duty seni
Filled with intense action, ANNAPOLIS is an inspirational tale of courage and honor that will keep you riveted. As hard as it is to get into the most elite military academy in the country, surviving behind its walls is beyond belief. Young Jake Huard (James Franco) has always known he has what it takes to make the grade. But once inside, everything Jake thought he knew is challenged in ways he never could have imagined. Standing between him and his lifelong ambition of becoming an officer in the U.S. Navy is hi! s company commander -- Midshipman Lt. Cole (Tyrese Gibson), a relentless and merciless battle-seasoned Marine. Thrilling and exhilarating, ANNAPOLIS reaffirms the power of believing in your dreams.A boxing movie done up in Naval Academy drag, Annapolis stars James Franco (Spider-Man, Tristan & Isolde) as Jake Huard, a shipbuilder's son who wants to prove to his father--and to himself--that he can cut it as a Naval officer. But at the Academy he runs afoul of a hard-nosed training officer named Cole (Tyrese Gibson, Four Brothers), who does all he can to drive Huard out of the school. They end up settling their differences in the boxing ring during the Academy's annual competition. Annapolis is a bundle of cliches, from Huard's interracial mix of roommates to the lessons he learns about teamwork, but it's an efficient and vigorous bundle of cliches. Director Justin Lin (Better Luck Tomorrow) keeps the pace swift and the visuals snappy, parti! cularly in the boxing scenes. Franco and Gibson work hard to o! utdo eac h other's burning gazes; both are handsome men of modest acting talent, but they suit their roles reasonably well. Also featuring Jordana Brewster (The Fast and the Furious), Donnie Wahlberg (Saw II), and the always charming Chi McBride (Roll Bounce). --Bret Fetzer

Fast & Furious (Two-Disc Special Edition) [Blu-ray]

  • Condition: Average
  • Format: Blu-ray
  • AC-3; Color; Dolby; DTS Surround Sound; Dubbed; Special Edition; Subtitled; Widescreen
Fugitive Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) partners with former cop Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) on the opposite side of the law in exotic Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. There they are hunted by a high-powered US strike force led by their toughest Fed (Dwayne Johnson) and an army of corrupt cops working for a ruthless drug kingpin. To gain their freedom and win this ultimate high-stakes race, they must pull off one last job -- an insane heist worth $100 million.More is less is generally the case with blockbuster sequels these days, with budgetary bloat often overshadowing the qualities that made the original film click with audiences. The Fast and the Furious movies, however, somehow manage to spin doughnuts around this concept of diminishing returns, with each inst! allment becoming more ridiculously entertaining. Fast Five may be the most overblown entry in the series to date (which is saying quite a bit), but there's a dunderheaded earnestness to it that's hard to resist. This time around, Vin Diesel and Paul Walker and Co. go for an Ocean's 11 vibe--swapping out the Armani and martinis for Ed Hardy and Muscle Milk--as the gang go on the lam in Rio following a botched train heist. On the lookout for one final big score, they set their sights on bankrupting the local kingpin (an admirably straight-faced Joaquim de Almeida), calling in seemingly every character in the mythos for help. Stuff goes vroom and boom in mass quantities. Perhaps realizing that the formula may be in danger of reaching its shelf date, returning director Justin Lin here livens things up by bringing in Dwayne Johnson as a federal agent with a fearsome grudge. When he and Diesel eventually throw down, the building-busting destruction recalls the immor! tal War of the Gargantuas. Viewers in the mood for a li! ttle log ic with their explosions may initially scoff, but by the time the final chase scene rolls around (an outrageously sustained kinetic set piece that would make Wile E. Coyote proud) it's tough to keep back the grins. Heaven only knows what the next sequel will bring (Send them back to colonial times? A race against Cthulhu in outer space? Pit them against Dick Dastardly and Muttley?), but there's every confidence that these folks will somehow pull it off. --Andrew WrightGet ready for "five times the action, excitement and fun" (Shawn Edwards, FOX-TV) as Vin Diesel and Paul Walker lead a reunion of all-stars from every chapter of the explosive franchise built on speed. Fugitive Dom Toretto (Diesel) partners with former cop Brian O'Conner (Walker) on the opposite side of the law in exotic Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. There they are hunted by a high-powered U.S. strike force led by its toughest Fed (Dwayne Johnson) and an army of corrupt cops working for a ruthless drug kingpin! . To gain their freedom and win this ultimate high-stakes race, they must pull off one last job - an insane heist worth $100 million. Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges, Matt Schulze, Sung Kang, Gal Gadot, Tego Calderon, Don Omar, Elsa Pataky, Joaquim de Almeida Directed by: Justin LinGet ready for “five times the action, excitement and fun” (Shawn Edwards, FOX-TV) as Vin Diesel and Paul Walker lead a reunion of all-stars from every chapter of the explosive franchise built on speed. Fugitive Dom Toretto (Diesel) partners with former cop Brian O'Conner (Walker) on the opposite side of the law in exotic Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. There they are hunted by a high-powered U.S. strike force led by its toughest Fed (Dwayne Johnson) and an army of corrupt cops working for a ruthless drug kingpin. To gain their freedom and win this ultimate high-stakes race, they must pull off one last job - an in! sane heist worth $100 million.More is less is generally the ca! se with blockbuster sequels these days, with budgetary bloat often overshadowing the qualities that made the original film click with audiences. The Fast and the Furious movies, however, somehow manage to spin doughnuts around this concept of diminishing returns, with each installment becoming more ridiculously entertaining. Fast Five may be the most overblown entry in the series to date (which is saying quite a bit), but there's a dunderheaded earnestness to it that's hard to resist. This time around, Vin Diesel and Paul Walker and Co. go for an Ocean's 11 vibe--swapping out the Armani and martinis for Ed Hardy and Muscle Milk--as the gang go on the lam in Rio following a botched train heist. On the lookout for one final big score, they set their sights on bankrupting the local kingpin (an admirably straight-faced Joaquim de Almeida), calling in seemingly every character in the mythos for help. Stuff goes vroom and boom in mass quantities. Perhaps realizing tha! t the formula may be in danger of reaching its shelf date, returning director Justin Lin here livens things up by bringing in Dwayne Johnson as a federal agent with a fearsome grudge. When he and Diesel eventually throw down, the building-busting destruction recalls the immortal War of the Gargantuas. Viewers in the mood for a little logic with their explosions may initially scoff, but by the time the final chase scene rolls around (an outrageously sustained kinetic set piece that would make Wile E. Coyote proud) it's tough to keep back the grins. Heaven only knows what the next sequel will bring (Send them back to colonial times? A race against Cthulhu in outer space? Pit them against Dick Dastardly and Muttley?), but there's every confidence that these folks will somehow pull it off.

--Andrew Wright

Vin Diesel and Paul Walker reteam with Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster for the ultimate chapter of the franchise built on speed! When fugitive Dominic Torett! o (Diesel) returns to Los Angeles to avenge a loved one’s de! ath, it reignites his feud with agent Brian O’Conner (Walker). But, as they race through crowded city streets and across international lines, they must test their loyalties by joining together to bring down a shared enemy. From big rig heists to precision tunnel crawls, Fast & Furious takes you back into the high-octane world, which lives for speed, drives for the rush and breaks all the rules!Fast & Furious is high octane torque-er porn that puts the franchise back on course after drifting in Tokyo. With the original cast once again in the driver's seat, we are good to go with a this-time-it's-personal plot and spectacular race and chase set-pieces that exceed the promise of the stripped-down title, beginning with an awesome highway hijacking of an oil truck led by former street racer Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel, at his glowering and gravel-voiced best). Dom is a fugitive in the Dominican Republic, but after a devastating personal loss, he is driven by revenge to return to Los A! ngeles to bring down an elusive drug smuggler. He is reunited with Brian O'Connor (Paul Walker), the undercover FBI agent who let him go eight years earlier. Brian, also on the case, must come to terms with Dom and make amends with Dom's sister (Jordana Brewster), whom he betrayed in his original pursuit of Dom. Fast & Furious is just the ticket for putting your mind on cruise control. From a see-what-you've-got racing challenge through the streets of L.A. to the illicit kicks of the street-racing subculture (this is extreme PG-13), there is nothing cheap about these thrills. A record-shattering opening weekend at the box office could mean faster and more furious action to come, but if this is the franchise's last time around the block, it goes out a winner. --Donald Liebenson

Stills from Fast & Furious (Click for larger image)
Vin Diesel and Paul Walker reteam with Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster for the ultimate chapter of the franchise built on speed! From big rig heists to precision tunnel crawls, Fast & Furious takes you back into the high-octane world to race through crowded city streets and across international lines!Fast & Furious is high octane torque-er porn that puts the franchise back on course after drifting in Tokyo. With the original cast once again in the driver's seat, we are good to go with a this-time-it's-personal plot and spectacular race and chase set-pieces that exceed the promise of the stripped-down title, beginning with an awesome highway hijacking! of an oil truck led by former street racer Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel, at his glowering and gravel-voiced best). Dom is a fugitive in the Dominican Republic, but after a devastating personal loss, he is driven by revenge to return to Los Angeles to bring down an elusive drug smuggler. He is reunited with Brian O'Connor (Paul Walker), the undercover FBI agent who let him go eight years earlier. Brian, also on the case, must come to terms with Dom and make amends with Dom's sister (Jordana Brewster), whom he betrayed in his original pursuit of Dom. Fast & Furious is just the ticket for putting your mind on cruise control. From a see-what-you've-got racing challenge through the streets of L.A. to the illicit kicks of the street-racing subculture (this is extreme PG-13), there is nothing cheap about these thrills. A record-shattering opening weekend at the box office could mean faster and more furious action to come, but if this is the franchise's last time around the block, it g! oes out a winner. --Donald Liebenson
Stills from Fast & Furious (Click for larger image)

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Blast From the Past

  • BLAST FROM THE PAST (DVD MOVIE)
Studio: New Line Home Video Release Date: 11/09/2010Coasting on the successes of Gods and Monsters and George of the Jungle, Brendan Fraser turns in yet another winning performance in this fish-out-of-water comedy in which Pleasantville meets modern-day Los Angeles, with predictably funny results. Fraser stars as Adam, who was born in the bomb shelter of his paranoid inventor dad (a less-manic-than-usual Christopher Walken), who spirited his pregnant wife (Sissy Spacek, in fine comic form) underground when he thought the Communists dropped the bomb (actually, it was a plane crash). Armed with enough supplies to last 35 years, the parents bring up Adam in Leave It to Beaver style with nary any exposure to the outside world. When the supplies run out, and dad suffers a heart attack, Fraser goes up to modern-day L.A. for some shopping and lon! g-awaited culture shock. More of a cute premise with lots of clever ideas attached than a fully fleshed out story, Blast from the Past is also supposed to be part romantic comedy, as the hunky Adam hooks up with his jaded Eve (Alicia Silverstone) and tries to convince her to marry him and go underground. The sparks don't fly, though, because Silverstone is saddled with the triple whammy of being miscast, playing an underwritten character, and suffering a very bad hairdo. Fraser, however, carries the film lightly and easily on his broad, goofy shoulders, mixing Adam's gee-whiz innocence with genuine emotion and curiosity; only Fraser could pull off Adam's first glimpse of a sunrise or the ocean with both humor and pathos. Also winning is Dave Foley as Silverstone's gay best friend, who manages to make the most innocuous statements sound like comic gems. --Mark Englehart

Farce of the Penguins : Widescreen Edition

  • Widescreen
It's mating season...

Meet Carl (Bob Saget) and Jimmy (Lewis Black), two cold penguins on a desperate mission to get themselves some hot booty. After years of empty one-night stands, Carl wants more than a piece of penguin tail. He wants the love of the beautiful Melissa (Christina Applegate). Now it's up to Jimmy to help his neurotic friend win her heart and find his dream girl. The only thing that stands in their way is...a seventy-mile trek across Antarctica. It's a road trip like no other, as these two best bros make their way to a penguin island paradise. From director and comedian Bob Saget, comes a raunchy, yet heart-warming comedy like no other.

Get ready for a stiff and dirty ride! May the FARCE be with you...Between Snakes On A Plane and Farce of the Penguins, one really wonders what Samuel Jackson has been smoking. This Jackson-narrated m! ockmentary of March of the Penguins, written and directed by Bob Saget (America's Funniest Home Videos), highlights the penguins' lascivious side, as the male's march inland to find mating partners. Overdubbed with human voices, Farce stars three penguins, Carl (Bob Saget), a neurotic, insecure bird whose search for true love has so far been in vain, Jimmy (Lewis Black), a mobster-like father figure who encourages Carl to keep up hope, and Marcus (Tracy Morgan), a smooth, African American penguin with a self-professed huge penis. Miles away, as the men journey inward, fighting off seals and engaging in therapy sessions with snowy owls along the way, Vicky (Mo'nique) tells Melissa (Christina Applegate) that someday her Prince Charming will come, which, predictably, he does. Watching penguins discussing the meaning of life, questioning their annual masochistic hike through tundra, or wondering if they have eating disorders is funny for about ten minutes. ! Samuel Jackson, the ultimate omniscient narrator, furthering t! he story between scenes is also odd and laughable. But Farce of The Penguins relies on its lewd humor for laughs, and though it is disarming to see waddling birds cuss, Farce's one-liner gets old. Yes, penguins have sex. Farce of the Penguins is a fun idea perhaps taken too far. Nonetheless, there is always something pleasing about anthropomorphizing animals, especially for lovers of crude sex jokes. --Trinie DaltonStudio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 02/05/2008 Run time: 80 minutes Rating: RBetween Snakes On A Plane and Farce of the Penguins, one really wonders what Samuel Jackson has been smoking. This Jackson-narrated mockmentary of March of the Penguins, written and directed by Bob Saget (America's Funniest Home Videos), highlights the penguins' lascivious side, as the male's march inland to find mating partners. Overdubbed with human voices, Farce stars three penguins, Carl (Bob Saget), a neurotic, insecure! bird whose search for true love has so far been in vain, Jimmy (Lewis Black), a mobster-like father figure who encourages Carl to keep up hope, and Marcus (Tracy Morgan), a smooth, African American penguin with a self-professed huge penis. Miles away, as the men journey inward, fighting off seals and engaging in therapy sessions with snowy owls along the way, Vicky (Mo'nique) tells Melissa (Christina Applegate) that someday her Prince Charming will come, which, predictably, he does. Watching penguins discussing the meaning of life, questioning their annual masochistic hike through tundra, or wondering if they have eating disorders is funny for about ten minutes. Samuel Jackson, the ultimate omniscient narrator, furthering the story between scenes is also odd and laughable. But Farce of The Penguins relies on its lewd humor for laughs, and though it is disarming to see waddling birds cuss, Farce's one-liner gets old. Yes, penguins have sex. Farce of the Pen! guins is a fun idea perhaps taken too far. Nonetheless, th! ere is a lways something pleasing about anthropomorphizing animals, especially for lovers of crude sex jokes. --Trinie Daltondvd

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