Minggu, 20 November 2011

Death Defying Acts

  • During Harry Houdini's tour of Britain in 1926, the master escapologist enters into a passionate affair with a Scottish psychic. Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: NR Age: 796019815512 UPC: 796019815512 Manufacturer No: 81551
During Harry Houdini's tour of Britain in 1926, the master escapologist enters into a passionate affair with a Scottish psychic.

Stills from Death Defying Acts (Click for larger image)


Death Defying Acts would more aptly be titled Houdini’s Whirlwind Romance as it focuses less on the famed magician’s skills and more on what kind of secret lovers he may have had. In this historical drama, ravishing con-artis! ts, Mary McGarvie (Catherine Zeta-Jones), and daughter, Benji ! (Saoirse Ronan), play two sharp girls ready to take Houdini (Guy Pearce) for a ride. Set in 1920s Scotland, the plot centers on a contest Houdini hosts in Edinburgh to find a psychic medium who can channel his deceased mother. Mary, tired of pick-pocketing to stage fake magic shows, desperately wants Houdini’s $10,000 cash prize and auditions successfully for the role of (real) medium. From there, passions flare up as they negotiate how much of their magic is sheer trickery. Director Gillian Armstrong’s (Little Women) rendition of Houdini’s life depicts him as a regular joe struggling to convince his pragmatic business manager, Sugarman (Timothy Spall), that magic and science are connected. Scenes in which Houdini trains for and then tests his boundaries and skills during famous theater acts, are highly entertaining and well re-created. Scenes in which McGarvie and her daughter read characters for clues to rig their paranormal hoaxes are equally well-done, and Zeta-Jone! s is gorgeous as a spiritualist. But when Mary and Houdini collide, their definitions of magic turn to mush through Hollywood translation, as something semi-equivocal to faith in love. This unfortunate injection of melodrama in an otherwise smart film cancels out its better parts. Do Houdini fans really want to see him, on screen, grappling with CG angels as he floats, straitjacketed, in his sealed water tank? I doubt it. Still, Death Defying Acts stars Houdini, which automatically makes for some fun. â€"Trinie Dalton

Fool's Gold (Widescreen Edition)

  • Condition: New
  • Format: DVD
  • Widescreen; Color; NTSC
Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson go for the gold (and the diamonds, emeralds and rubies) as a just-divorced couple who bicker and banter their way through an adventure- and laugh-packed undersea treasure hunt. McConaughey is Finn, in love with his ex (Hudson) and in deep with gangster Bigg Bunny. After eight years of searching, Finn gets a clue to the whereabouts of the Queen’s Dowry, a fabulous fortune that mysteriously disappeared in the Caribbean in 1715. Now all he has to do is get the gold, get the girl and get going before Bigg Bunny gets him. Directed by Andy Tennant (Hitch), Fool’s Gold glitters with danger, action, romance, comedy, great one-liners â€" and a great time to be had by all!The "gold" of the title refers to an elusive pirate's booty, but it just as easily could mean the sun-washed glistening shores ! of Florida, or the sumptuously tanned bodies of its appealing stars, Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey. The whole film is awash in golden highlights, and the scenery and cinematography make the experience akin to taking a tropical holiday. Hudson and McConaughey reprise the chemistry they first exhibited in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, sparking and tangling and kvetching, while all the while the audience knows, of course, they adore each other and are perfect for each other. McConaughey is a dreamer, on the trail of a sunken pirate's treasure, and Hudson his now-ex-wife, a historian who prefers life to be a little more sedate. McConaughey, as Finn, delivers impassioned speeches to Hudson, as Tess, saying, "You want history? It's in the ocean, lady!" Before you can say Romancing the Stone, Tess and Finn are grudgingly reunited in search of the booty. If the plot doesn't contain many surprises, the froth of the stars' chemistry is amiable and makes for a perf! ect date movie. Scuba divers may find McConaughey's antics bel! ow the s urface to be wildly unbelievable and usually fatal, but in the end viewers will root for him to surface, and recapture the heart of his lady love. --A.T. Hurley

When Life's Not Working: 7 Simple Choices for a Better Tomorrow

DOGMA INCLUDES BONUS DIGITAL COPY

  • DVD
  • comedy
  • thrilling
  • fantasy
  • angels
When two banished angels find a loophole that will allow them back into heaven at the cost of humankind an unsuspecting mortal woman two prophets and the thirteenth apostle are the only ones who can stop them. Special features: subtitles in english spanish and french talent files and murch more. Studio: Ingram Entertainment Release Date: 07/26/2005 Starring: Ben Affleck Matt Damon Run time: 130 minutes Rating: R Director: Kevin SmithKevin Smith is a conundrum of a filmmaker: he's a writer with brilliant, clever ideas who can't set up a simple shot to save his life. It was fine back when Smith was making low-budget films like Clerks and Chasing Amy, both of which had an amiable, grungy feel to them, but now that he's a rising director who's attracting top talent and tackling bigger themes, it might behoove ! him to polish his filmmaking. That's the main problem with Dogma--it's an ambitious, funny, aggressively intelligent film about modern-day religion, but while Smith's writing has matured significantly (anyone who thinks he's not topnotch should take a look at Chasing Amy), his direction hasn't. It's too bad, because Dogma is ripe for near-classic status in its theological satire, which is hardly as blasphemous as the protests that greeted the movie would lead you to believe.

Two banished angels (Ben Affleck and Matt Damon) have discovered a loophole that would allow them back into heaven; problem is, they'd destroy civilization in the process by proving God fallible. It's up to Bethany (Linda Fiorentino), a lapsed Catholic who works in an abortion clinic, to save the day, with some help from two so-called prophets (Smith and Jason Mewes, as their perennial characters Jay and Silent Bob), the heretofore unknown 13th apostle (Chris Rock), and a sexy,! heavenly muse (the sublime Salma Hayek, who almost single-han! dedly st eals the film). In some ways Dogma is a shaggy dog of a road movie--which hits a comic peak when Affleck and Fiorentino banter drunkenly on a train to New Jersey, not realizing they're mortal enemies--and segues into a comedy-action flick as the vengeful angels (who have a taste for blood) try to make their way into heaven. Smith's cast is exceptional--with Fiorentino lending a sardonic gravity to the proceedings, and Jason Lee smirking evilly as the horned devil Azrael--and the film shuffles good-naturedly to its climax (featuring Alanis Morissette as a beatifically silent God), but it just looks so unrelentingly... subpar. Credit Smith with being a daring writer but a less-than-stellar director. --Mark EnglehartWHEN TWO BANISHED ANGELS FIND A LOOPHOLE THAT WILL ALLOW THEM BACK INTO HEAVEN AT THE COST OF HUMANKIND, AN UNSUSPECTINGMORTAL WOMAN, TWO PROPHETS AND THE THIRTEENTH APOSTLE ARE THE ONLY ONES WHO CAN STOP THEM. SPECIAL FEATURES: SUBTITLES IN EN! GLISH, SPANISH AND FRENCH, TALENT FILES AND MURCH MORE.Kevin Smith is a conundrum of a filmmaker: he's a writer with brilliant, clever ideas who can't set up a simple shot to save his life. It was fine back when Smith was making low-budget films like Clerks and Chasing Amy, both of which had an amiable, grungy feel to them, but now that he's a rising director who's attracting top talent and tackling bigger themes, it might behoove him to polish his filmmaking. That's the main problem with Dogma--it's an ambitious, funny, aggressively intelligent film about modern-day religion, but while Smith's writing has matured significantly (anyone who thinks he's not topnotch should take a look at Chasing Amy), his direction hasn't. It's too bad, because Dogma is ripe for near-classic status in its theological satire, which is hardly as blasphemous as the protests that greeted the movie would lead you to believe.

Two banished angels (Ben Affleck ! and Matt Damon) have discovered a loophole that would allow th! em back into heaven; problem is, they'd destroy civilization in the process by proving God fallible. It's up to Bethany (Linda Fiorentino), a lapsed Catholic who works in an abortion clinic, to save the day, with some help from two so-called prophets (Smith and Jason Mewes, as their perennial characters Jay and Silent Bob), the heretofore unknown 13th apostle (Chris Rock), and a sexy, heavenly muse (the sublime Salma Hayek, who almost single-handedly steals the film). In some ways Dogma is a shaggy dog of a road movie--which hits a comic peak when Affleck and Fiorentino banter drunkenly on a train to New Jersey, not realizing they're mortal enemies--and segues into a comedy-action flick as the vengeful angels (who have a taste for blood) try to make their way into heaven. Smith's cast is exceptional--with Fiorentino lending a sardonic gravity to the proceedings, and Jason Lee smirking evilly as the horned devil Azrael--and the film shuffles good-naturedly to its climax (featu! ring Alanis Morissette as a beatifically silent God), but it just looks so unrelentingly... subpar. Credit Smith with being a daring writer but a less-than-stellar director. --Mark EnglehartOne of the most talked-about movies of the year is also one of the funniest! In this hilarious comic fantasy from writer/director Kevin Smith (Clerks, Chasing Amy) two banished angels (Ben Affleck and Matt Damon) find a loophole that would get them back into Heaven. The only snag? They'll be destroying existence in the process. In an effort to stop them, The overworked Voice of God (Alan Rickman)taps cynical mortal Bethany (Linda Fiorentino) to save the world by preventing the angels from reaching their unholy destination: New Jersey! Throw in two unlikely prophets named Jay and Silent Bob (Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith), the quick-witted yet little-known thirteenth apostle (Chris Rock) and a sexy, former muse with a case of writer's block (Selma Hayek) and you! 've got an hysterical and thrilling race against time packed w! ith an a ll-star cast.Kevin Smith is a conundrum of a filmmaker: he's a writer with brilliant, clever ideas who can't set up a simple shot to save his life. It was fine back when Smith was making low-budget films like Clerks and Chasing Amy, both of which had an amiable, grungy feel to them, but now that he's a rising director who's attracting top talent and tackling bigger themes, it might behoove him to polish his filmmaking. That's the main problem with Dogma--it's an ambitious, funny, aggressively intelligent film about modern-day religion, but while Smith's writing has matured significantly (anyone who thinks he's not topnotch should take a look at Chasing Amy), his direction hasn't. It's too bad, because Dogma is ripe for near-classic status in its theological satire, which is hardly as blasphemous as the protests that greeted the movie would lead you to believe.

Two banished angels (Ben Affleck and Matt Damon) have discovered a loophole ! that would allow them back into heaven; problem is, they'd destroy civilization in the process by proving God fallible. It's up to Bethany (Linda Fiorentino), a lapsed Catholic who works in an abortion clinic, to save the day, with some help from two so-called prophets (Smith and Jason Mewes, as their perennial characters Jay and Silent Bob), the heretofore unknown 13th apostle (Chris Rock), and a sexy, heavenly muse (the sublime Salma Hayek, who almost single-handedly steals the film). In some ways Dogma is a shaggy dog of a road movie--which hits a comic peak when Affleck and Fiorentino banter drunkenly on a train to New Jersey, not realizing they're mortal enemies--and segues into a comedy-action flick as the vengeful angels (who have a taste for blood) try to make their way into heaven. Smith's cast is exceptional--with Fiorentino lending a sardonic gravity to the proceedings, and Jason Lee smirking evilly as the horned devil Azrael--and the film shuffles good-na! turedly to its climax (featuring Alanis Morissette as a beatif! ically s ilent God), but it just looks so unrelentingly... subpar. Credit Smith with being a daring writer but a less-than-stellar director. --Mark EnglehartPacked with stars including Ben Affleck (GOOD WILL HUNTING), Chris Rock (NURSE BETTY), Shannon Elizabeth (AMERICAN PIE), Jason Lee (ALMOST FAMOUS), and more, this wildly irreverent comedy is actor/director Kevin Smith's hilarious finale to the adventures of Jay and Silent Bob that began in CLERKS and ran through MALLRATS, CHASING AMY, and DOGMA! When best buddies Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith) discover that a major motion picture is being based on their likenesses, they head for Hollywood to claim the big movie money they deserve. But when the dopey duo learn that they've been cut out of the cash, they set out to sabotage the flick at all costs! Featuring a host of celebrity cameos set to a hot hit soundtrack, Jay and Silent Bob's raucous cross country road trip is a crash course in the rules of the road ! with a nonstop assortment of outrageous characters that will have you laughing out loud!With sidesplitting dialogue and rampant profanity, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back reunites Kevin Smith's dynamic duo in supreme lowbrow style. It's the fifth comedy in Smith's celebrated New Jersey "trilogy." Here Quick-Stop potheads Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith) wreak vengeance on Hollywood, where Miramax is making a "Bluntman & Chronic" feature inspired by J. and S.B., but without their permission. En route from Jersey to La La Land, Jay and his "hetero life mate" encounter sexy jewel thieves (including the delightful Shannon Elizabeth), a precocious orangutan, a dimwit wildlife marshal (Will Ferrell), and a nonstop parade of in-jokes, harmless (yet controversial) gay jokes, and splendid celebrity cameos. While gently biting the Miramax hand that feeds him, and paying affectionate homage to the Star Wars saga, Smith sheds all inhibitions to give Jay and Sile! nt Bob a stellar sendoff that's nasty, sassy, and undeniab! ly hilar ious. --Jeff ShannonImaginative theology and a bigger-than-usual budget make Kevin Smith's (CHASING AMY, CLERKS) fourth film a kind of post-Catholic fantasy that only a comic-book enthusiast of his caliber could dream up. It concerns banished angels, Loki (Matt Damon) and Bartleby (Ben Affleck) who, after a few millennia in Wisconsin, discover a loophole in Catholic doctrine that would allow them back into heaven--but prove the fallibility of God and destroy the universe. As they make their way to New Jersey to receive a plenary indulgence, God dispatches a seraphim (Alan Rickman) to recruit lapsed-Catholic Bethany (Linda Fiorentino) to stop the angels. She finds help in muses, prophets (Jay and Silent Bob), and the forgotten 13th apostle, Rufus (Chris Rock). Before long, all hell breaks loose (literally), and God (Alanis Morrisette) has to put in an appearance of her own. Smith's controversial (and very funny) film is powered by his trademark dialogue, ripe with obse! rvations on pop culture, religion, and bodily functions Included bonus digital copy for your PC & PSP must be redeemed by 06/17/09

Extra Strength H-Balm 11 ML FORCES OF NATURE Extra Strength Remedies

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FORCES OF NATURE - DVD MoviePlane crashes, pickpockets, hurricanes--heaven and hell is moving to prevent our able hero Ben (Ben Affleck) from marrying his sweetie (Maura Tierney) in Savannah. At every turn he runs into someone else despairing about the woes of married life. And of course, temptation proves overwhelming in the face of traveling companion Sarah (Sandra Bullock), the wild woman whom he can't seem--or doesn't want--to lose.

After a wayward bird flies into the engine of his airplane, Ben is forced to find another way to his wedding. He finds himself stuck with Sarah, whom he carried from the plane after she was whacked in the noggin by his laptop. The heat betwe! en them is unmistakable, and the drama in the film comes from the "will he or won't he," both in terms of sleeping with Sarah and meeting up with his bride. Forces of Nature is a fun and sentimental road-trip film, but Ben is such a strait-laced noodge, you can't help but want him to fall flat on his face just a little. Bullock is the life of this film, although her free-spirited ways get a bit tired (responsibility is not all bad). The highlight of this movie, though, is definitely the cinematography. The beautiful rain shots and the colors of the scenes lend to the unsettling mood. While the jokes are not rip-roaring, Forces is to be reckoned with for those times when a lighthearted film is what you need. --Jenny BrownFORCES OF NATURE - DVD Movie

Slippery when wet…


Forces of Nature, Book 1


From her first kiss to her first sight of dolphins dancing on the waves, Alexia Colten has always held a special place i! n her heart for Jaffrey’s Cove. Now that she’s back to hel! p her gr andmother settle into a home, she discovers this place has lost none of its remembered magic. In fact, it seems more magical than beforeâ€"and more erotic.


After she’s gifted with a beautiful, dolphin-etched medallion, she finds herself surrounded by the golden boys of summers past. Her body is filled with longings she can’t explain and dreams of blue lights that turn into lovers.


Joshua Marley and his cousin Anthony are merfolk, a people capable of living beneath the waves as either dolphin or human. Alexia holds the medallion that marks her as the next in line to lead their peopleâ€"if she can prove she can transform. Working in tandem, they’re sure they can arouse her passion and protect her from those who would use her simply to gain power.


But their strength alone may not be enough to help her face the challenge of her new position…


Warning: This title contains a conniving granny, naked men in the surf and shifters! who take fun in the water to new depths. Snorkels not required.

Slippery when wet…


Forces of Nature, Book 1


From her first kiss to her first sight of dolphins dancing on the waves, Alexia Colten has always held a special place in her heart for Jaffrey’s Cove. Now that she’s back to help her grandmother settle into a home, she discovers this place has lost none of its remembered magic. In fact, it seems more magical than beforeâ€"and more erotic.


After she’s gifted with a beautiful, dolphin-etched medallion, she finds herself surrounded by the golden boys of summers past. Her body is filled with longings she can’t explain and dreams of blue lights that turn into lovers.


Joshua Marley and his cousin Anthony are merfolk, a people capable of living beneath the waves as either dolphin or human. Alexia holds the medallion that marks her as the next in line to lead their peopleâ€"if she can prove she can transform. ! Working in tandem, they’re sure they can arouse her passion ! and prot ect her from those who would use her simply to gain power.


But their strength alone may not be enough to help her face the challenge of her new position…


Warning: This title contains a conniving granny, naked men in the surf and shifters who take fun in the water to new depths. Snorkels not required.

In recent years, we've seen just how unpredictable - and dangerous - weather can be. Flash floods. Tsunamis. Class 5 hurricanes. Freak ice storms. Catastrophic mudslides. Nature has not only changed the face of the Earth, but also the lives of those who've found themselves in its fierce path. With award-winning and never-before-seen footage, Full Force Nature captures extreme weather in all its terrible beauty, and the stories of those who've survived it.

FEATURING 12 EPISODESH-Balm Extra Strength is 100% pure and natural composed of Certified Organic extracts which are proven to neutalize the herpes virus in laboratory studies.

Mr. Bean's Holiday (Widescreen Edition)

  • The Bean also provides a complete comfort with its Ergonomic S shape that molds to your body
  • The Bean exercise chair uses a rocking motion to allow you to automatically combine three exercises in one
  • Work your entire body at home with no pain Comfortable shape supports your body while the rocking action does all the work
  • Bubble-top comfort offers total back support, Complete stability allows you to exercise with proper form
  • University tests prove that The Bean increases muscle activity up to 72 percent over regular exercises
THE BOARD OF A FAMED BRITISH MUSEUM HAS FINALLY FIGURED OUT HOW TO DISPOSE OF THEIR MOST USELESS EMPLOYEE,MR. BEAN,BY SENDING HIM TO AMERICA WITH THE PAINTING OF WHISTLER'S MOTHER. BEAN ISLOOSE AND LOS ANGELES WILL NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN!Translating Rowan Atkinson's Mr. Bean character from British television to the big screen takes a bit o! f a toll, but there are some hilarious sequences in this popular comedy. Bean, a boy-man twit with a knack for getting into difficult binds (and then making them worse and worse and worse), is a London museum guard who is sent to Los Angeles in the company of the famous painting Whistler's Mother. He's mistaken as an art expert by the well-meaning curator (Peter MacNicol) of an L.A. museum, but Bean's famously eccentric behavior soon causes the poor guy to almost lose his family and job. The insularity of Bean's TV world is sacrificed in this film, and that change diminishes some of the character's appeal. But Atkinson is a man naturally full of comedy, and he doesn't let his fans down. --Tom Keogh Rowan Atkinson (Johnny English, Blackadder) stars as the iconic Mr. Bean, who never fails to leave a trail of merry mayhem and side-splitting laughter in his wake. His exploits have earned MR. BEAN a slew of awards and an international cult following, and now every ! one of his live adventures is conveniently packed up in one ti! dy box.< br>
Included in this collector s set are all 14 episodes of the landmark original series that introduced Mr. Bean to an adoring, if confused, world, as well as his two feature films Mr. Bean: The Movie and Mr. Bean s Holiday. And if that s not enough, a bonus helping of Mr. Bean: The Animated Series features him in the role he was drawn to play. It all adds up to the ultimate serving of Bean, so pull up a chair and dig right in.

Contents Include

THE WHOLE BEAN
BEAN: THE MOVIE
MR. BEAN S HOLIDAY
BONUS: THE ANIMATED SERIESBEAN THE MOVIE Call him hilarious. Call him laugh-out-loud funny. But whatever you do, call him BEAN. In the comedy that rocked America, Rowan Atkinson is the outrageous Mr. Bean, sent on a mission to California to escort the world famous painting of Whistler's Mother to its new home in the Grierson Gallery. He's also clumsy, crazy, wacky, wild, and certainly not someone you'd entrust one of the world's most valuable paintings to. Wi! th only hours to go before the official unveiling by the museum's benefactor, General Newton (Burt Reynolds), something terrible has happened to Whistler's Mother and only one man has the power to put it right. The only problem is... that man is BEAN. JOHNNY ENGLISH He knows no fear. He knows no danger. He knows… nothing! When the priceless Crown Jewels are stolen, bumbling Johnny English (Rowan Atkinson) is the only secret agent in the country (literally!) who can solve the crime. His prime suspects: a sinister businessman (John Malkovich) and a beautiful woman (Natalie Imbruglia) with a mysterious interest in Johnny's top-secret mission. Can the clueless superspy save the day without denting the nation's pride… or his super-cool Aston Martin?Meet Ivy and Bean, two friends who never meant to like each other. This boxed set is a delightful introduction to these spunky characters. It includes the first three books in the Ivy and Bean series, and a secret treasure-hiding ! boxwith a cool surprise inside!He captured the hearts of milli! ons of v iewers worldwide. His movie grossed nearly a quarter of a billion dollars worldwide. He's been called the most embarrassing man on the planet. Now the entire Mr. Bean series, the British comic phenomenon created by Rowan Atkinson (Blackadder, Four Weddings and a Funeral), is finally available in one complete package.Bean, Bean, maniacal nut / The more you watch, you bust a gut! First unleashed in 1989, this sketch series was embraced by PBS viewers in the United States. In the tradition of the great silent clowns, Rowan Atkinson created a character with universal and multi-generational appeal (the sketches have little dialogue and are driven by often ingenious physical comedy). Like Bart Simpson, the resourceful, mischievous, and sometimes malevolent Bean is the inner child incarnate who acts on the impulses polite society normally represses. Atkinson has described Bean as "a 9-year-old boy, with an apparent lack of worldly experience, but an ingenuit! y that is quite clever in dealing with problems presented to him." These problems include not knowing a single answer on an exam, tactfully disposing of a revolting restaurant meal, changing into his swimsuit at the beach without first removing his pants, and, most hilariously, getting a turkey stuck on his head (a classic bit reprised in the ill-conceived 1997 feature film).

Atkinson has enjoyed some mainstream success stateside. He was the nervous minister ("...your awfully wedded wife") in Four Weddings and a Funeral, and the voice of Zazu in The Lion King. But he mainly enjoys cult status among British comedy aficionados as a founding member of Not the Nine O'Clock News and the star of the Black Adder series. Bean is his crowning creation. In addition to all 14 episodes, this generous boxed set contains previously unaired sketches, Comic Relief appearances, and a segment about Bean's creation, which serves as a nifty introduction for the! uninitiated. It also contains a preview for the new Mr. Be! an a nimated series. This seems redundant. As this collection hilariously demonstrates, Bean is already animated enough. --Donald LiebensonThe Bean Deluxe is an all-in-one workout tool that offers the benefits of a stability ball, incline bench and back pain rehab device all rolled into one product. The ultimate exerciser to shape and tone your body The Bean Deluxe is longer, more comfortable and even more effective. The Bean is perfect for all fitness levels and has an exercise for every part of the body.Rowan Atkinson (Bean, Love Actually, Johnny English) returns to his iconic role as the comical and endearing Mr. Bean in this outrageous comedy adventure! Mr. Bean (Atkinson) can't believe his luck when he wins a camcorder and an all-expense-paid vacatio Welcome back, Mr. Bean! After a too-long hiatus, it's a breath of fresh air to see you out and about, innocent as ever, unwitting in the havoc you wreak and clueless in the chaos you cause. In Mr. Bean's Holiday (! the title echoes Jacques Tati's breezy 1953 classic Mr. Hulot's Holiday), the resourceful man-child Bean (Rowan Atkinson) wins a church raffle that packs him off to the beaches of the south of France. But getting there is all the funny, as he is detoured by one mishap after another. En route, he comes to the "aid" of a Cannes Film Festival judge's young son, who is separated (no thanks to Bean) from his father at the train station. Bean also stumbles upon a commercial shoot directed by a stereotypical egomaniacal American filmmaker (Willem Dafoe), and crosses paths with an aspiring actress (a charming Emma de Caunes) also on her way to Cannes. Mr. Bean's Holiday, an upgrade over the 1997 feature Bean, was a box-office smash around the world, but in the States, not so much. Here, the shock gag has replaced the sight gag, and this G-rated Holiday might be considered by more jaded viewers as out of step with contemporary tastes (unlike Borat,! there is not a mean-spirited bone in Bean's gangly, malleable! body). But in the classic tradition of the silent-movie clowns, Bean's visual comedy is universal and requires little translation (there are limited subtitles in this film). Younger children will find a kindred spirit in Bean, who exists in some kind of state of grace, whether trying to digest a disgusting seafood dinner or hilariously lip-syncing to an opera in a public square. --Donald Liebenson

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Penguin Classics)

Sabtu, 19 November 2011

August Rush

  • There?s music in the wind and sky. Can you hear it? And there?s hope. Can you feel it? The boy called August Rush can. The music mysteriously draws him, penniless and alone, to New York City in a quest to find ? somehow, someway ? the parents separated from him years earlier. And along the way he may also find the musical genius hidden within him.Experience the magic of this rhapsodic epic of the
AUGUST follows Tom Sterling (Josh Hartnett) as an aggressive, young dot-com entrepreneur who fights to keep his start-up company afloat. Tom finds himself on a personal and professional downward spiral as he struggles to reunite with girlfriend Sarrah (Naomie Harris), attempts to regain control of his company from his apathetic investor Ogilvie (David Bowie), and must deal with age-old family wounds with his father, David (Rip Torn) and his brother Joshua (Adam Scott). The film also stars Emmanuelle! Chriqui as Morela and Andre Royo as Dylan.The specter of September 11th looms over August--there are numerous indications that it’s set in 2001, and the title alone is an ominous indication of the imminence of that awful day--but watching this 2008 offering, one gets the feeling that even if Tom Sterling knew 9/11 was coming, he wouldn’t change a thing. As written by Howard A. Rodman, directed by Austin Chick, and portrayed by John Hartnett, Tom is almost completely unlikable. A dot-com entrepreneur in those heady days before the techno bubble burst and internet companies like his Land Shark went directly south, Tom’s hipper than his neck tattoo, disdainful of his competition, borderline abusive to his younger, meeker brother (the technical brains behind the company they founded together), hostile to his parents, and a jerk to his former girlfriend, the one person he actually seems to care about. He’s also a master at talking loud and saying absolutely nothi! ng. One of the filmmakers’ conceits is that we’re never to! ld exact ly what it is that Land Shark does; Tom mouths some nonsense about providing "bleeding-edge, mission-critical, cross-platform, robust, scale-able architectures," but the company’s principal function, as his dad (Rip Torn) puts it, seems to be to provide office space for his young employees to eat Oreos and play computer solitaire, and when Land Shark meets the fate of others of its ilk, it’s mighty hard to care. No flies on Hartnett--the guy is a star, and rarely less than watchable. But August is a cold film, in both look and feel, and even a brief but memorable scene near the end with David Bowie as the one character who seems able to talk straight won’t keep you from wanting to take a shower when it’s all over. --Sam GrahamOriginally published in 1983, this bestseller is a compelling portrait of a young woman's experience in psychotherapy.There’s music in the wind and sky. Can you hear it? And there’s hope. Can you feel it? The boy called August ! Rush can. The music mysteriously draws him, penniless and alone, to New York City in a quest to find â€" somehow, someway â€" the parents separated from him years earlier. And along the way he may also find the musical genius hidden within him. Experience the magic of this rhapsodic epic of the heart starring Freddie Highmore (as August), Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Terrence Howard and Robin Williams. "I believe in music the way some people believe in fairy tales," August says. Open your heart and listen. You’ll believe, too.Music has long been considered a universal language with the power to bring people together, but can the simple act of playing music possibly unite a child with a mother and father who live in two different cities and don't even know of the child's existence? Having shared one extraordinary night, classical cellist Lyla Novacek (Keri Russell) and Irish singer and songwriter Louis Connelly (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) were a union meant to be that w! as torn apart by circumstances and a protective father (Willia! m Sadler ). After eleven years, both Lyla and Louis have given up performing only to find that they are unhappy and searching for a sense of fulfillment that will ultimately lead both artists back to music and performing. Evan (Freddie Highmore) is an 11-year old orphan who's grown up hearing music in everything around him and is convinced that his real parents want him and will find him with the help of music. Driven by his innate musical genius and a powerful compulsion to perform before the world, Evan runs away from the orphanage and is initially taken in by a street man known as Wizard (Robin Williams) who encourages his musical talent and renames him August Rush and, later, by a local priest who arranges for August to receive a Julliard education. August is a child prodigy who excels beyond even the wildest expectations and earns the opportunity of a lifetime--a chance to perform in front of an enormous audience in New York's Central Park. The question is; can his performa! nce possibly reach the audience August really craves? While elements of this film are completely unbelievable (take August's instant prowess on the guitar or his immediate and sophisticated grasp of musical notation and musical theory), the message of the universality of music and the notion that "the music is all around us, all you have to do is listen" is both compelling and powerful. --Tami Horiuchi
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