Tuesday, November 8, 2011

A History of Violence [Blu-ray]

  • An average family is thrust into the spotlight after the father (Viggo Mortensen) commits a seemingly self-defense murder at his diner. Format: BLU-RAY DISC Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: R Age: 883929037926 UPC: 883929037926 Manufacturer No: 1000042712
A new edition of the hard-hitting graphic novel that inspired the Academy Award-nominated 2005 motion picture starring Viggo Mortensen, Ed Harris and William Hurt.

In this suspenseful crime story, Tom McKenna is a family man who becomes an instant media celebrity when he thwarts a robbery at his own diner â€" a robbery attempted by wanted murderers. McKenna’s newfound fame draws the attention of a group of merciless mobsters who have been looking to settle a score with him for over 20 years. Now, as the killers descend upon his small town in Middle America, the Brooklyn native must face the actions of his youth and relive his past hi! story of violence as he attempts to salvage the life he has built and keep his family out of harm’s way.

An average family is thrust into the spotlight after the father (Viggo Mortensen) commits a seemingly self-defense murder at his diner.On the surface, David Cronenberg may seem an unlikely candidate to direct A History of Violence, but dig deeper and you'll see that he's the right man for the job. As an intellectual seeker of meaning and an avowed believer in Darwinian survival of the fittest, Cronenberg knows that the story of mild-mannered small-town diner proprietor Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) is in fact a multilayered examination of inbred human behavior, beginning when Tom's skillful killing of two would-be robbers draws unwanted attention to his idyllic family life in rural Indiana. He's got a loving wife (Maria Bello) and young daughter (Heidi Hayes) who are about to learn things about Tom they hadn't suspected, and a teenage son (Ashton Holmes) who ha! s inherited his father's most prominent survival trait, manife! sting it self in ways he never expected. By the time Tom has come into contact with a scarred villain (Ed Harris) and connections that lead him to a half-crazy kingpin (William Hurt, in a spectacular cameo), Cronenberg has plumbed the dark depths of human nature so skillfully that A History of Violence stands well above the graphic novel that inspired it (indeed, Cronenberg was unaware of the source material behind Josh Olson's chilling adaptation). With hard-hitting violence that's as sudden as it is graphically authentic, this is A History of Violence that's worthy of serious study and widespread acclaim. --Jeff Shannon

Halloween Blu-ray Triple Pack(Halloween 6, H20, Halloween Resurrection)

  • 1080i/p widescreen 2.35:1/1.78:1
  • Includes Three Films, Halloween 6, H20, and Resurrection
  • 264 minutes
Original HALLOWEEN star Jamie Lee Curtis (HALLOWEEN: H2O, TRUE LIES) is back and joined by Busta Rhymes (SHAFT) and Tyra Banks (COYOTE UGLY) in the terrifying HALLOWEEN: RESURRECTION -- the latest in this electrifying horror film series! The reality programmers at DangerTainment (Rhymes, Banks) have selected Rudy (Sean Patrick Thomas -- SAVE THE LAST DANCE), Bill (Thomas Ian Nicholas -- AMERICAN PIE 1&2), and a group of thrill-seeking teenagers to spend one fun-filled night in the childhood home of serial killer Michael Myers. But the planned live broadcast turns deadly when their evening of excitement becomes a night of horror as Michael himself decides to crash the party!Number 8 in the Halloween line maintains connections to John Carpenter's original. Resurrection! picks up the thread of Halloween: H2O, with poor Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) now in a psychiatric hospital and determined to shut down homicidal Michael Myers once and for all. After this prologue, the story shifts to the old Myers house, where a TV reality show has enticed six teenagers to spend a single night in the spooky home. Needless to say, things are spoiled when Michael barges in: "I so did not sign up for this," sighs the young heroine, when the bloodletting begins. The mayhem is being broadcast live on the Internet, which makes the film a bit like Rear Window with Instant Messaging. The interesting premise is routinely handled, but that's enough to make this one of the better sequels in the series. Maybe they finally finished off Michael in this one, wink wink. --Robert HortonOriginal Halloween star Jamie Lee Curtis (You Again) is back and joined by Busta Rhymes and Tyra Banks in the terrify! ing Halloween: Resurrection, another installment in the! electri fying horror film series.

The reality programmers at DangerTainment (Rhymes, Banks) have selected Rudy (Sean Patrick Thomas, The Fountain), Bill (Thomas Ian Nicholas, American Pie) and a group of thrill-seeking teenagers to spend one fun-filled night in the childhood home of serial killer Michael Meyers. But the planned live broadcast turns deadly when their evening of excitement becomes a night of horror as Michael himself decides to crash the party.Number 8 in the Halloween line maintains connections to John Carpenter's original. Resurrection picks up the thread of Halloween: H2O, with poor Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) now in a psychiatric hospital and determined to shut down homicidal Michael Myers once and for all. After this prologue, the story shifts to the old Myers house, where a TV reality show has enticed six teenagers to spend a single night in the spooky home. Needless to say, things are spoiled when M! ichael barges in: "I so did not sign up for this," sighs the young heroine, when the bloodletting begins. The mayhem is being broadcast live on the Internet, which makes the film a bit like Rear Window with Instant Messaging. The interesting premise is routinely handled, but that's enough to make this one of the better sequels in the series. Maybe they finally finished off Michael in this one, wink wink. --Robert HortonHALLOWEEN: RESURRECTION
The reality programmers at DangerTainment have selected a group of thrill-seeking teenagers to spend one fun-filled night in the childhood home of serial killer Michael Meyers. But the planned live broadcast turns deadly when their evening of excitement becomes a night of horror as Michael himself decides to crash the party.

HALLOWEEN: H2O
Now the headmistress of a private school, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) is still struggling with the horrifying, 20-year-old me! mories of the maniacal killer Michael Myers...when he suddenly! reappea rs with a vengeance. Laurie's rebellious son, his girlfriend, and the school security guard will become Michael's newest victims unless Laurie can conquer her greatest fears and put evil in its place once and for all.

HALLOWEEN: THE CURSE OF MICHAEL MYERS
In a single horrifying night, Michael Myers' masked reign of terror changed Halloween forever. Now, six years after he was presumed dead in a fire, Myers has returned to kill againâ€"and this time there's no escape. As the homicidal fury builds to a spine-tingling climax, the long-hidden secrets of the screen's most maniacal murderer are revealed...with shocking results.Halloween: H2O
Now the headmistress of a private school, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) is still struggling with the horrifying, 20-year-old memories of the maniacal killer Michael Myers...when he suddenly reappears with a vengeance. Also starring Josh Hartnett, Michelle Williams, LL Cool J and Joseph! Gordon-Levitt.

Halloween: Resurrection
Reality programmers select a group of thrill-seeking teenagers to spend one night in the childhood home of serial killer Michael Meyers. But the broadcast turns deadly when Michael himself decides to crash the party. Starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Tyra Banks, Busta Rhymes, Katee Sackhoff, Ryan Merriman, Sean Patrick Thomas and Thomas Ian Nicholas.

Halloween VI: The Curse of Michael Myers
In a single horrifying night, Michael Myers' masked reign of terror changed Halloween forever. Now, six years after he was presumed dead in a fire, Myers has returned to kill againand this time there's no escape. Starring Paul Rudd, Donald Pleasence and Kim Darby.

Mothers Boys
After Jude Madigan (Jamie Lee Curtis) abruptly deserts her family, her husband (Peter Gallagher) and their young sons slowly build a happy new life with another woman. But when ! Jude unexpectedly returns three years later, her dangerous obs! ession t o reclaim her former life threatens to destroy everything. Also featuring Vanessa Redgrave.Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)1080i The sixth entry in the series has Dr. Sam Loomis once again in pursuit of the homicidal Michael Myers. Now driven by a satanic power, Myers chases his grown niece and her child to his midwestern hometown of Haddonfield. Although the town is trying to overcome it's past history of nightmarish bloodletting, a local radio shock jock is stirring things up again and the unlucky residents of Myers' former house are turning up dead. Halloween: H2O (1998)1080i After faking her death and changing her name to evade the murderous Michael Myers, Laurie Strode, now a teacher at a Southern California private school, is again targeted by her nemesis. Most of the school goes away on a trip, but her son John stays behind along with his girlfriend and a couple of other kids. John is now the age that Laurie was when Michael first attacked her friends, and she is scared and seemingly over- protective. But her fears are proved right when Michael returns to town, stalking first the teens and then Lauie herself. Halloween: Resurrection (2002)1080p The nurses at Grace Anderson Sanitarium tell stories of patient Laurie Strode. She's the sister of the murderous legend Michael Myers - and 3 years ago, she thought she had destroyed her sibling for good.

Hitman Blood Money

  • Blood Money system - The cleaner the hit, the more money you receive -- spend it on equipment, weapon upgrades, information and bribing witnesses to reduce your notoriety
  • Improved AI makes the game more challenging -- guards will follow blood trails, investigate suspicious items and behavior
  • Agent 47 has a number of new moves and can now climb, hide, scale ledges and automatically pass low obstacles
  • Customizable weapons - Modify for sound, rate of fire, damage, reload speed, accuracy and zoom
  • New gameplay techniques - Distract enemies, make your kills look like accidents, dispose of bodies in various ways, use human shields & plant decoy weapons
HITMAN - DVD MovieIt’s hard not to feel like one has entered a certain dimension of video-game logic while watching Hitman, a lightly enjoyable action-suspense movie indeed based on a popular and bloody game ab! out a mysterious hired gun with a bar-code tattoo on his bald head and a number (47) in lieu of a name. Living like a chaste monk while slipping past borders to kill his targets, 47 (Timothy Olyphant of Deadwood) moves like a determined shark and speaks softly to his contact at the enigmatic "the Organization," which raises cast-off children to become well-paid assassins. Fruitlessly pursued by an Interpol cop (Dougray Scott) who can never get sovereign governments to cooperate, 47 has no trouble slipping in and out of countries to ply his trade. Until, that is, he’s set up to take a fall in Russia by shooting a national leader who is promptly replaced by a lookalike double. Suddenly on the run, 47 has to retrace his steps and formulate a lethal plan for extricating himself from a trap. Caught in the chaos is the lovely Nika (Olga Kurylenko), forced into sex slavery by 47’s new enemies and the one person who seems uniquely qualified to break through 47’s many p! ersonal barriers. Directed by France’s Xavier Gens, Hitma! n fe atures loads of bloody mayhem and unabashed moments of pulp absurdity, such as a scene in which 47 and three other Organization killers agree to fight one another respectfully, then proceed to pulverize each other with swords and fists. As fodder for gamers, however, Hitman is packed with visuals and dramatic moments that seem so odd on the big screen until one realizes they are basically placemarkers for the video-game edition. --Tom Keogh

Beyond Hitman


Hitman Video Games

Hitman Books and Game Guides

More from Timothy Olyphant



Stills from Hitman







Martin Scorsese's The Departed barely touched on his sto! ry. Now radio talk-show sensation, crime reporter, and Boston ! Herald c olumnist Howie Carr takes us into the heart of the life of Johnny Martorano.
 
For two decades, Martorano struck fear into anyone even remotely connected to his world. His partnership with Whitey Bulger and the infamous Winter Hill Gang led to twenty murders... for which Johnny would serve twelve years in prison. Carr also looks at the politicians and FBI agents who aided Johnny and Whitey, and at the flamboyant city of Boston, which Martorano so ruthlessly ruled.
 
A plethora of paradoxes, Johnny Martorano was Mr. Mom by day and man-about-town by night. Surrounded by fast-living politicians, sports celebrities, and showbiz entertainers, Johnny was charismatically colorful--as charming as he was frightening. After all, he was, in the end... a hitman.
 
 
 
Disc 1: Widescreen Feature **Forced Trailers - Alien vs. Predator: Requiem, Hitman Teaser Trailer, Hitman Theatrical Trailer

**In t! he Crosshairs Featurette **Digital Hits Featurette **Instruments of Destruction Featurette **Para-Ordnance P18.9 Featurette **Blaser R93 LRS2 Featurette **M16 Featurette **FN F2000 Featurette **Micro Uzi Featurette **M240 Featurette **Settling the Score Featurette

**Deleted Scenes - Ovie's Pool Scene, Hospital Scene, A Different Train Platform, Udre's Death

**Alternate Ending **Gag Reel

Disc 2: Digital Copy **Portable Digital Copy of HitmanIt’s hard not to feel like one has entered a certain dimension of video-game logic while watching Hitman, a lightly enjoyable action-suspense movie indeed based on a popular and bloody game about a mysterious hired gun with a bar-code tattoo on his bald head and a number (47) in lieu of a name. Living like a chaste monk while slipping past borders to kill his targets, 47 (Timothy Olyphant of Deadwood) moves like a determined shark and speaks softly to his contact at the enigmatic "the Organization," which rais! es cast-off children to become well-paid assassins. Fruitlessl! y pursue d by an Interpol cop (Dougray Scott) who can never get sovereign governments to cooperate, 47 has no trouble slipping in and out of countries to ply his trade. Until, that is, he’s set up to take a fall in Russia by shooting a national leader who is promptly replaced by a lookalike double. Suddenly on the run, 47 has to retrace his steps and formulate a lethal plan for extricating himself from a trap. Caught in the chaos is the lovely Nika (Olga Kurylenko), forced into sex slavery by 47’s new enemies and the one person who seems uniquely qualified to break through 47’s many personal barriers. Directed by France’s Xavier Gens, Hitman features loads of bloody mayhem and unabashed moments of pulp absurdity, such as a scene in which 47 and three other Organization killers agree to fight one another respectfully, then proceed to pulverize each other with swords and fists. As fodder for gamers, however, Hitman is packed with visuals and dramatic moments that ! seem so odd on the big screen until one realizes they are basically placemarkers for the video-game edition. --Tom Keogh

Beyond Hitman


Hitman Video Games

Hitman Books and Game Guides

More Action and Adventure on Blu-ray



Stills from Hitman







Hitman: Blood Money brings back the world's greatest assassin, Agent 47. A series of hits have eliminated a number of assassins from the ICA, Agent 47's contract killing firm. Sensing that he may be the next target, he travels to America where he attempts to carry on with business as usual. That means killing -- a lot of it. New to the world of getting paid for killing? Prepare to become a hitman with an all-new training mode Pathfinder engine provides im! proved tracking and movement with realistic enemy behavior and interaction Soundtrack by BAFTA-winning composer Jesper Kyd

The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.: The Complete Series

  • Condition: New
  • Format: DVD
  • Box set; Closed-captioned; Color; Dolby; DVD; Subtitled; NTSC
Elvis and President Kennedy find each other in a Texas nursing home and do battle with a mummy feeding off the residents.
Genre: Feature Film-Comedy
Rating: R
Release Date: 7-SEP-2004
Media Type: DVDMud Creek, Texas, is about to get all shook up. When mysterious deaths plague the Shady Rest retirement home, it's up to an aging, cantankerous "Elvis" (Bruce Campbell) and a decrepitand black"JFK" (Ossie Davis) to defeat a 3,000-year-old-Egyptian mummy with a penchant for sucking human souls! Can the King show the world that he can still take care of business? Don Coscarelli directs and Bruce Campbell stars as the King of Camp in this intentionally over-the-top schlockfest. Bubba Ho-Tep is partially about Elvis Presley and partially about the titl! e character, an Egyptian cowboy zombie, but mostly it is about camp. The movie is equal parts story and back story. We learn through narration and flashback how Elvis didn't really die, ending up instead in a rest home in East Texas with JFK (played by Ossie Davis), who was dyed black and had his brain removed, presumably for reasons of national security. Campbell and Davis realize that something strange is going on when their rest-home compatriots start dropping off suspiciously. The whole movie leads up to a final showdown to the death with the Egyptian cowboy zombie who has been sucking the souls of their fellow residents because he thought no one would notice. The movie unfolds a bit slowly; it is, after all, a geriatrics-fight-Egyptian-cowboy-zombie movie. However, one wishes this self-conscious movie's pacing took its cue from the atypically fast-moving zombie instead of from the senior-citizen Elvis and JFK. In the end, though, Campbell is flawless as the aged King; ! his accent, intonations, glasses, and trademark karate are at ! the same time sincere and over the top. --Brian SaltzmanDon Coscarelli directs and Bruce Campbell stars as the King of Camp in this intentionally over-the-top schlockfest. Bubba Ho-Tep is partially about Elvis Presley and partially about the title character, an Egyptian cowboy zombie, but mostly it is about camp. The movie is equal parts story and back story. We learn through narration and flashback how Elvis didn't really die, ending up instead in a rest home in East Texas with JFK (played by Ossie Davis), who was dyed black and had his brain removed, presumably for reasons of national security. Campbell and Davis realize that something strange is going on when their rest-home compatriots start dropping off suspiciously. The whole movie leads up to a final showdown to the death with the Egyptian cowboy zombie who has been sucking the souls of their fellow residents because he thought no one would notice. The movie unfolds a bit slowly; it is, after all, a geriat! rics-fight-Egyptian-cowboy-zombie movie. However, one wishes this self-conscious movie's pacing took its cue from the atypically fast-moving zombie instead of from the senior-citizen Elvis and JFK. In the end, though, Campbell is flawless as the aged King; his accent, intonations, glasses, and trademark karate are at the same time sincere and over the top. --Brian SaltzmanSomething evil is stirring in the small mining town of Gold Lick, and it's not happy. Guan-di, the Chinese protector of the dead with a strange affinity for bean curd, has been awakened by reckless teenagers, and now his bloody crusade to wipe out the town's entire population can only be stopped by one man - Bruce Campbell (the guy who starred in all three Evil Dead movies and Bubba Ho-tep), B-move star and deadbeat ex-husband extraordinaire, who's recruited to be their unwitting savior. Thinking the whole scenario's a publicity prank, Bruce is distracted from his mission by a hot mom and fan boy! s aplenty-- but when our hero has to face off against a dark f! orce mor e fearsome than a Hollywood agent, the laughs and screams start flying!

Includes Collectible 24-page MY NAME IS BRUCE comic book inside

Special Features:
-Feature-length commentary with director/actor Bruce Campbell and producer Mike Richardson
-Documentary: Heart of Dorkness The Making of My Name is Bruce
-Featurettes: Bruce On..., Beyond Inside the Cave: The Making of CaveAlien 2, Kif s Korner, Awkward Moments with Kif, Love Birds, Hard Truth News from Hollywood The Real Bruce Campbell
-CaveAlien 2 Trailer, My Name is Bruce Trailer
-Poster Art Gallery, Props Art Gallery, Photo GalleryCult film and TV star Bruce Campbell (Burn Notice) lampoons his own B-movie legacy with My Name is Bruce, an agreeably goofy horror-comedy which pits him--well, a version of him, anyway--against a malevolent Asian spirit in order to save a die-hard fan. Campbell also directed Bruce, and brings a loose, kitchen-sink vibe to the proceedings, which! has teenager and die-hard Bruce Campbell fan Jeff (Taylor Sharp) kidnap his idol in order to save his small town from an ancient Chinese demon. Unfortunately, the movie Bruce Campbell is a broken-down, booze-swilling reprobate who lacks even an ounce of the insouciant charm of his screen persona in Evil Dead 2 or the Hercules series, and proves woefully inadequate in dispelling the monster. But as films ranging from Cat Ballou and My Favorite Year to Galaxy Quest and Three Amigos! have proven, the unwavering belief of a fan can bring out the hero in even the worst heel, and Bruce rises to the occasion in the picture's final third. Obviously, Bruce is slated towards fans of Campbell's eccentric screen c.v., and aficionados will undoubtedly appreciate the endless slew of nods to his previous films, as well as cameos by many of his co-stars, including Ted Raimi in multiple roles (one of which is a Chinese gentlema! n that gives Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany's ! a run fo r his money in the stereotype department). Campbell himself remains the movie's chief selling point; his knack for physical humor (read: self-abuse) and pulpy line readings have lost none of their charm, which does much to override some of the flick's flotilla of stale gags. Campbell's sense of humor is also given free reign on the commentary track, which he shares with producer Mike Richardson; the DVD, which comes with a 24-page comic book adaptation from Dark Horse, also includes an amusing making-of featurette, as well as a spoofy tell-all mockumentary on the "real" Bruce Campbell, and a trailer for the atrocious film-within-a-film, Cavealien 2. -- Paul Gaita

Stills from My Name is Bruce (Click for larger image)
Based on the Bram Stoker Award nominee short story by cult author Joe R. Lansdale, Bubba Ho-tep tells the "true" story of what really did become of Elvis Presley. We find Elvis (Bruce Campbell) as an elderly resident in an East Texas rest home, who switched identities with an Elvis impersonator years before his "death", then missed his chance to switch back. Elvis teams up with Jack (Ossie Davis), a fellow nursing home resident who thinks that he is actually President John F. Kennedy, and the two valiant old codgers sally forth to battle an evil Egyptian entity who has chosen their long-term care facility as his happy hunting grounds.The world's favorite western/sci-fi/comedy/action cult hit rides again! Here on 8 discs is the complete series abou! t Brisco (Bruce Campbell), a tough-as-rawhide cowpoke, debonai! r ladies ' man and Harvard-educated smarty-britches who roams from Frisco to Jalisco in pursuit of outlaws who killed his father...and in search of a mysterious orb possessing out-of-this world powers. Hot lead and cool anachronisms await Brisco as he and his sidekicks - including Comet, the intellectual equine who doesn't know he's a horse - fight for justice in the way, way, way-out West. Put your boots in your stirrups, your tongue in your cheek and join the fun. Let's play cowboys and aliens.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary
Documentary
Featurette
Other
Documentaries:The History of Brisco County: A behind-the-scenes documentary with cast and creator.
Featurette:1.) "Tools of the Trade" - mini featurettes on special aspects of the show narrated by Bruce Campbell. 2.) "A Brisco County Writer's Room" - Roundtable discussion with the writers & producers fo Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.
Other:1.) "A Readi! ng From The Book of Bruce" 2.) "Brisco's Book of Coming Things" - interactive menu launching mini-featurettes about the signature references to futuristic elements of the show, narrated by Bruce Campbell.

A science fiction-Western and comedy-drama with echoes of The Wild Wild West and Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.: The Complete Series is uniquely entertaining. Anchored by the comically heroic style of likable B-movie actor Bruce Campbell, Adventures lasted one television season in 1993-94. But it left behind a full 27 episodes (including two two-part stories) full of classic TV Western production values and a running storyline that resembles The X-Files after awhile.

Campbell plays Brisco County Jr., a bounty hunter and son of a legendary U.S. marshal (R. Lee Ermey) gunned down by the villainous John Bly (Billy Drago) and his band of misfits. The younger Brisco is hired by a consortium of busines! smen to protect their interests from the likes of Bly, and whi! le he's dedicated to that cause, Brisco is also determined to avenge his father's murder. Helping him do a little of both is a fussy attorney, Socrates Poole (Christian Clemenson); a rival bounty hunter, Lord Bowler (Julius Carry); a wacky inventor, Professor Wickwire (John Astin); and a sultry saloon singer, Dixie (Kelly Rutherford). Rockets, mysterious orbs, and superhuman strength are some of the delightfully out-of-their-element phenomena that find themselves alongside more conventional cowpoke ingredients, including a horse so smart he can chew the ropes binding Brisco's hands. For the most part, the stories stand alone. But as the season progresses, a lot of things get weirder, albeit in a good way: the truth about Bly and his connection to a golden orb everyone wants, for example, are certainly unexpected. But the show is always dazzling, often satiric ("Oy!" Dixie exclaims when Brisco outlines the steps involved in stopping a runaway wagon they're trapped within), yet hearte! ning in an old-fashioned way. Special features include Campbell's reading of a chapter about the series in his autobiography. --Tom Keogh

Big Man Japan

  • BIG MAN JAPAN (DVD MOVIE)
BIG MAN JAPAN is an outrageous portrayal of an original superhero. As Big Man Japan, Daisato inherited the role of defending Japan against a host of bizarre monsters. He receives high-voltage electroshocks which transform him into a stocky, stick-wielding giant several stories high.
However, where his predecessors were revered as national heroes, he is an outcast among the citizens he protects.

City of Men

  • As Seen on the SUNDANCE CHANNEL From the team behind the Academy Award®-nominated feature CITY OF GOD, including directors Fernando Meirelles (THE CONSTANT GARDNER) and K tia Lund comes the hit Brazilian television series CITY OF MEN, a comedy/drama about two teenage boys growing up in a dangerous Rio de Janeiro slum starring Darlan Cunha and Douglas Silva, featured in the motion picture tha
As Seen on the SUNDANCE CHANNEL

From the team behind the Academy Award®-nominated feature CITY OF GOD, including directors Fernando Meirelles (THE CONSTANT GARDNER) and Kátia Lund comes the hit Brazilian television series CITY OF MEN, a comedy/drama about two teenage boys growing up in a dangerous Rio de Janeiro slum starring Darlan Cunha and Douglas Silva, featured in the motion picture that inspired this series.

The CITY is a shantytown located in one of the many mountains of Rio de Jan! eiro. The MEN are two 13-year-old kids, Laranjinha and Acerola. This series brilliantly mixes humor and reality to explore life in the "favelas" and in particular the indomitable spirit of two best friends growing up in one of most volatile communities in the world.Brazilian TV series City of Men is a dazzling, propulsive, and fiery exploration of life in a chaotic Rio de Janeiro slum, seen through the eyes of Acerola (Douglas Silva) and Laranjinha (Darlan Cunha). These two boys prove to be amazingly charming tour guides to a world by turns terrifying and exhilarating. Using the jam-packed storytelling that made the movie City of God such a revelation, the first episode alone is a marvel, merging the history of Napoleon with a cutting analysis of drug lords and class structure in the poverty-ridden neighborhood. The other three episodes of the first series carry on this riveting approach, mingling social observation with rich, compelling characters. From the s! econd series on, the show becomes less overtly political and m! ore abou t Acerola and Laranjinha's passage from youth to adulthood (embracing, with humor and pathos, the adolescent boys' obsession with sex)--though every episode has some sly or startling observation about race, wealth, and gender. Each series is filmed a year after the previous one, so the boys literally grow before our eyes; it's impossible to watch and not feel deeply involved as Acerola woos a girl named Cristiane and ends up a way-too-young father, or as an innocent prank escalates into a life-and-death struggle. Some episodes teeter on the brink of silliness--one of the last ones has the boys engaging in absurd cross-dressing--but the briskness of the writing and the charisma of Silva and Cunha carry the show through. Add to this the dynamic musical score of Brazilian pop and samba, and you have essential viewing. World music has already found popularity in the U.S.; welcome to a masterpiece of world television. --Bret Fetzer

Get Him to the Greek (Single-Disc Edition)

  • Condition: New
  • Format: DVD
  • AC-3; Color; Dolby; Dubbed; DVD; Subtitled; Widescreen; NTSC
A RECORD COMPANY INTERN IS HIRED TO ACCOMPANY OUT-OF-CONTROL BRITISH ROCK STAR ALDOUS SNOW TO A CONCERT AT L.A.'S GREEK THEATER.

The Da Vinci Code

  • ISBN13: 9780307474278
  • Condition: New
  • Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
PREMIUM MASS MARKET EDITION

#1 Worldwide Bestsellerâ€"More Than 80 Million Copies Sold

As millions of readers around the globe have already discovered, The Da Vinci Code is a reading experience unlike any other. Simultaneously lightning-paced, intelligent, and intricately layered with remarkable research and detail, Dan Brown's novel is a thrilling masterpieceâ€"from its opening pages to its stunning conclusion.With The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown masterfully concocts an intelligent and lucid thriller that marries the gusto of an international murder mystery with a collection of fascinating esoteria culled from 2,000 years of Western history.

A murder in! the silent after-hour halls of the Louvre museum reveals a sinister plot to uncover a secret that has been protected by a clandestine society since the days of Christ. The victim is a high-ranking agent of this ancient society who, in the moments before his death, manages to leave gruesome clues at the scene that only his granddaughter, noted cryptographer Sophie Neveu, and Robert Langdon, a famed symbologist, can untangle. The duo become both suspects and detectives searching for not only Neveu's grandfather's murderer but also the stunning secret of the ages he was charged to protect. Mere steps ahead of the authorities and the deadly competition, the mystery leads Neveu and Langdon on a breathless flight through France, England, and history itself. Brown (Angels and Demons) has created a page-turning thriller that also provides an amazing interpretation of Western history. Brown's hero and heroine embark on a lofty and intriguing exploration of ! some of Western culture's greatest mysteries--from the nature! of the Mona Lisa's smile to the secret of the Holy Grail. Though some will quibble with the veracity of Brown's conjectures, therein lies the fun. The Da Vinci Code is an enthralling read that provides rich food for thought. --Jeremy Pugh

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