Touch the Sound - A Sound Journey With Evelyn Glennie

• In RIVERS AND TIDES, German documentarian Thomas Riedelsheimer explored the enchanting and hypnotic "nature" art-installations of Andy Goldsworthy. Now, with TOUCH THE SOUND, he turns his camera on nearly deaf percussionist Evelyn Glennie, who experiences sound as a kind of touching or vibration. Using Glennie's unique musical sensibilities as a jumping-off point, Riedelsheimer introduces the

From the director of Driving Miss Daisy comes this compelling, heartwarming and inspiring true story of a father (Pierce Brosnan) who faces impossible odds to keep his family together. Times are tough in Dublin, Ireland. But no one has it tougher than Desmond Doyle when his wife runs off and his beloved daughter Evelyn and two young sons are sent to an orphanage by the government.Enlisting the help of loyal friends (Julianna Margulies, Stephen Rea) and a feisty American lawyer (Aidan Quinn), he takes his! case to Ireland's Supreme Court in a history-making quest to topple an ironclad law and win back the custody of his children!With a gentle tug at the heartstrings, Evelyn tells the true story of an imperfect father whose devotion brought much-needed change to rigid Irish law. It's a labor of love for star and coproducer Pierce Brosnan, who brings just the right touch of Everyman charm to his role as Desmond Doyle, a struggling Dublin tradesman, father of three, and chronic pub-crawler whose wife abandons their family the day after Christmas, 1953. Desmond's a loving father who's boyishly irresponsible; Irish law dictates the removal of his children to stern Catholic orphanages, and his battle for custody is aided by two lawyers (Stephen Rea, Aidan Quinn) who seize this opportunity to revolutionize the courts. With straightforward, unobtrusive style, director Bruce Beresford draws fine performances from Brosnan, Julianna Margulies (as a barmaid who inspires Desmond's! sobriety), and especially young Sophie Vavasseur in the title! role as Desmond's bright, determined daughter. Sentimental without being saccharine, Evelyn is simple, well made, and bursting with genuine Irish spirit. --Jeff ShannonJosie’s come a long way from being an average human chick who just wants to sex-up a vampire. She’s dated, mated, and killed one of the world’s richest vamps and is currently seeing a mysterious, blood-slurping hottie named Walker.

Now, Josie must adjust to the realities of a steady relationship with a vampire, which isn’t all exciting parties, hot sex and moonlit walks. And with a vamp who’s anxious to push their relationship to the next phase as mortality bears down on his human’s fragile body, the pressure for Josie to commit is on.

Can their night-day romance survive leaving Josie’s character and individuality intact, or will the secrets of the supernatural community crush her spirit and her chance at a permanent vampire mate?

*Title is a 140-page novel! la.

WARNING: This is not your regular paranormal romance. This series explores the realities (such as they might be) of humans having relationships with vampires and uses a chick lit style to get there. Oh yeah--and the characters within are fallible and not entirely heroic.

You've been warned...

For more fun, visit Vamplure.com!

EXCERPT

PART 1â€"HOW TO GET YOUR VAMPIRE TO SHARE

Vampires are possessive with their property, their lovers (which are not more than a step above property), their information, and their personal history. It is not often a human woman is lucky enough to find one who shares memories of his youth during post-coital lounging.

After a lifetime of dating humans, the best way for you to adjust to the possessiveness of your vampire lover is to revel in it, accept it, and take his attention for the compliment that it is…

---Excerpt from VampLure Magazine

Ch! apter 1

Dusty. Texas is dusty. Sure, maybe not all ! of Texas is dusty, but the part that my superhot vampire boyfriend and I were driving through was decidedly dusty. Even in the dark of nightâ€"which was when we had to driveâ€"I could see the powdery dirt rising from the road as our tires stirred it up. Fortunately, we didn’t need to have the windows open in the old Ford since Walker, the aforementioned superhottie, had finally gotten the truck’s air conditioning fixed. Unfortunately, Walker was pro-nicotine and without the windows down, I was stuck inhaling the obnoxious fumes of his chain-lit smokes.

“You know Nicotene-o, you might not get any sex tonight if you keep blowing your nasty-ass cigarette smoke in my face,” I said.

Walker’s head turned from the endless expanse of highway ahead and his eyes, partially hidden behind hanks of his layered, dirty blond hair, found mine. He lifted one eyebrow and quirked his thin lips in a smug, sexy way that turned my genitals into a penis pep squad and had th! em sending an SOS up to my brain for some sexlike activity.

After sucking in, and blowing out, one more puff of smoke, he answered me. “And why’s that, my little hyperbolic chamber?” If I were honest, watching his thin but soft lips tug at the cigarette was one of the sexiest things ever, but I didn’t want those lips tugging at anything but my skin, which meant I was actually jealous of tobacco.

“Because your cigarette smoke makes my eyes red, and that makes me tired. It also gives me a headache andâ€"”

“Josie, a headache is the oldest excuse in the bookâ€"”

“â€"and you’re old enough to know.” I interrupted to fit in one of my favorite rankling comments.

Any human in a relationship with a vampire is automatically at a disadvantage in terms of life span, strength, and speedâ€"boning up on your banter and flinging it at every opportunity could be the only edge you’ve got. Of course, you also need t! o be ready for your sexy blood aficionado to fling it back.
“Exactly, so don’t think that’s going to work on me. I know how to get you where I want youâ€"headache or not.” As he spoke, Walker’s hand slipped from the steering wheel and onto my knee, where it began a heroic and purposeful journey up my thigh.

Josie’s come a long way from being an average human chick who just wants to sex-up a vampire. She’s dated, mated, and killed one of the world’s richest vamps and is currently seeing a mysterious, blood-slurping hottie named Walker.

Now, Josie must adjust to the realities of a steady relationship with a vampire, which isn’t all exciting parties, hot sex and moonlit walks. And with a vamp who’s anxious to push their relationship to the next phase as mortality bears down on his human’s fragile body, the pressure for Josie to commit is on.

Can their night-day romance survive leaving Josie’s character and individuality intact, or will the secrets of the supernatural community crush her ! spirit and her chance at a permanent vampire mate?

*Title is a 140-page novella.

WARNING: This is not your regular paranormal romance. This series explores the realities (such as they might be) of humans having relationships with vampires and uses a chick lit style to get there. Oh yeah--and the characters within are fallible and not entirely heroic.

You've been warned...

For more fun, visit Vamplure.com!

EXCERPT

PART 1â€"HOW TO GET YOUR VAMPIRE TO SHARE

Vampires are possessive with their property, their lovers (which are not more than a step above property), their information, and their personal history. It is not often a human woman is lucky enough to find one who shares memories of his youth during post-coital lounging.

After a lifetime of dating humans, the best way for you to adjust to the possessiveness of your vampire lover is to revel in it, accept it, and take his attention for the compliment that it is…
---Excerpt from VampLure Magazine

Chapter 1
Dusty. Texas is dusty. Sure, maybe not all of Texas is dusty, but the part that my superhot vampire boyfriend and I were driving through was decidedly dusty. Even in the dark of nightâ€"which was when we had to driveâ€"I could see the powdery dirt rising from the road as our tires stirred it up. Fortunately, we didn’t need to have the windows open in the old Ford since Walker, the aforementioned superhottie, had finally gotten the truck’s air conditioning fixed. Unfortunately, Walker was pro-nicotine and without the windows down, I was stuck inhaling the obnoxious fumes of his chain-lit smokes.

“You know Nicotene-o, you might not get any sex tonight if you keep blowing your nasty-ass cigarette smoke in my face,” I said.

Walker’s head turned from the endless expanse of highway ahead and his eyes, partially hidden behind hanks of his layered, dirty blond hair, found mine. He lifted one eyebrow and quirked his thin lips in a smug, sexy way that turned my genita! ls into a penis pep squad and had them sending an SOS up to my brain for some sexlike activity.

After sucking in, and blowing out, one more puff of smoke, he answered me. “And why’s that, my little hyperbolic chamber?” If I were honest, watching his thin but soft lips tug at the cigarette was one of the sexiest things ever, but I didn’t want those lips tugging at anything but my skin, which meant I was actually jealous of tobacco.

“Because your cigarette smoke makes my eyes red, and that makes me tired. It also gives me a headache andâ€"”

“Josie, a headache is the oldest excuse in the bookâ€"”

“â€"and you’re old enough to know.” I interrupted to fit in one of my favorite rankling comments.

Any human in a relationship with a vampire is automatically at a disadvantage in terms of life span, strength, and speedâ€"boning up on your banter and flinging it at every opportunity could be the only edge you’ve got. Of course,! you also need to be ready for your sexy blood aficionado to f! ling it back.

“Exactly, so don’t think that’s going to work on me. I know how to get you where I want youâ€"headache or not.” As he spoke, Walker’s hand slipped from the steering wheel and onto my knee, where it began a heroic and purposeful journey up my thigh.

TOUCH THE SOUND - DVD MovieSubtitled "A Sound Journey with Evelyn Glennie," German director Thomas Riedelsheimer's exquisite Touch the Sound is nominally a portrait of the Scottish musician known as "the first full-time solo percussionist." Glennie is certainly a fascinating subject. Profoundly deaf since childhood, she disdains the use of hearing aids and sign language, relying instead on lip reading and, more crucially, on the use of all of her senses, especially touch, to "hear" with her entire body. The film reveals Glennie's extraordinary skills in a variety of settings: playing a snare drum for bemused New Yorkers in cavernous Grand Central Station; improvising with guitarist Fred Frith i! n an empty warehouse in Cologne, Germany (their final vibes-guitar duet is one of the film's musical highlights); working with hearing-impaired students in her native Aberdeenshire; jamming with taiko drummers in Japan, and later delighting customers in a Tokyo bar with a spontaneous workout involving chopsticks, dishes, cans, and glassware (the woman can make music with virtually anything). But Riedelsheimer, who was also the film's editor and cinematographer, has a broader agenda here--namely, to intensify our awareness of the sounds that surround us everywhere, in every moment. From the streets of New York to the beaches of Santa Cruz, from the rocky Scottish coastline to a tranquil Japanese rock garden, he links heightened audio, as clear and natural as the best ECM recordings, to a succession of gorgeous visual images to create a balance of complex detail and overall sparseness, resulting in a kind of Zen feast. Even more of the same is found in a "making of" featurett! e that's the highlight of the bonus material, making Touch ! the Soun d easily one of the most rewarding documentaries in recent years. --Sam Graham

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Get Rich Or Die Tryin

• 50 Cent - Get Rich Or Die Tr Brazil Import

Marcus (50 Cent) has always known he was going to be a rapper. But when his mother is murdered, young Marcus turns to dealing drugs for New York crime boss Majestic to pay the bills. As dealing turns to gang banging, however, Marcus finds his life spinning out of control, eventually landing in prison. While there, he decides to quit hustling and dedicate himself to his music…but by turning his back on Majestic, he may have signed his own death warrant. Terrence Howard co-stars in this hard-hitting story based on 50 Cent’s transformation from gangster to rapper, an unforgettable ride from tragic beginning to triumphant end.In Get Rich or Die Tryin', rapper Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson presents himself as a rap superhero, encased in muscular flesh like armor, his face impassive as a mask, reaching out to destroy his enemies with his unique talen! t. The plot, though based on Jackson's life, is standard--a gangster breaks from his youthful life of crime to triumph as a rapper--but there's vitality in the details: Jackson's girlfriend helps him pull free the wires holding his jaw shut when he's recovered from being shot in the face; a startling, brutal fight by naked men in a prison shower. Jackson even has his comic-book moment of transformation when a razor blade is thrown into his cell, encouraging him to kill himself; instead, he uses it to carve his rhymes into the walls. Unfortunately, as an actor Jackson only has two sides, gangster hard or oddly childlike and vulnerable. This second aspect falls away from the movie as Jackson assumes power, leaving only the cold, impassive face of a tough guy. That's the fate of superheroes too--they become the mask they present to the world, which is both their dream and their fate. Terrence Howard (Crash, Hustle & Flow) livens things up as a volatile prison fri! end. Also featuring Bill Duke (Predator) as a raspy gan! glord an d Joy Bryant (Honey) as Jackson's girlfriend. Capably directed by Jim Sheridan (My Left Foot, In America). --Bret FetzerMarcus (50 Cent) has always known he was going to be a rapper. But when his mother is murdered, young Marcus turns to dealing drugs for New York crime boss Majestic to pay the bills. As dealing turns to gang banging, however, Marcus finds his life spinning out of control, eventually landing in prison. While there, he decides to quit hustling and dedicate himself to his music…but by turning his back on Majestic, he may have signed his own death warrant. Terrence Howard co-stars in this hard-hitting story based on 50 Cent’s transformation from gangster to rapper, an unforgettable ride from tragic beginning to triumphant end.In Get Rich or Die Tryin', rapper Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson presents himself as a rap superhero, encased in muscular flesh like armor, his face impassive as a mask, reaching out to destroy his enemies ! with his unique talent. The plot, though based on Jackson's life, is standard--a gangster breaks from his youthful life of crime to triumph as a rapper--but there's vitality in the details: Jackson's girlfriend helps him pull free the wires holding his jaw shut when he's recovered from being shot in the face; a startling, brutal fight by naked men in a prison shower. Jackson even has his comic-book moment of transformation when a razor blade is thrown into his cell, encouraging him to kill himself; instead, he uses it to carve his rhymes into the walls. Unfortunately, as an actor Jackson only has two sides, gangster hard or oddly childlike and vulnerable. This second aspect falls away from the movie as Jackson assumes power, leaving only the cold, impassive face of a tough guy. That's the fate of superheroes too--they become the mask they present to the world, which is both their dream and their fate. Terrence Howard (Crash, Hustle & Flow) livens things up as ! a volatile prison friend. Also featuring Bill Duke (Predato! r) a s a raspy ganglord and Joy Bryant (Honey) as Jackson's girlfriend. Capably directed by Jim Sheridan (My Left Foot, In America). --Bret FetzerAustralian pressing (identical to U.S.) of his smash hit 2003 album features three hidden bonus tracks, 'Wanksta' (from his currently unavailable album, 'No Mercy, No Fear'), 'U Not Like Me' (from his 'Guess Who's Back?' album) & 'Life's On The Line' (from his deleted EP, 'Power Of The Dollar'). Universal. He’s been shot nine times. Incarcerated. And stabbed up and down. And that’s only what’s happened on 50 Cent’s down time. Hands down, 50 Cent is the biggest buzz emcee since Eminem (who just happens to be his label CEO), and Get Rich also features Dr. Dre on production, so it’s a can’t-miss record, right? Well, mostly. Get Rich is not filled with midtempo, radio-friendly numbers like "Wanksta," his thinly veiled Ja Rule dis first heard on the 8 Mile soundtrack. Instea! d, Cent brings the heat, not heater. He sheds his inner thug on "21 Questions," featuring G-funk crooner Nate Dogg showing some semblance of respect to the hotties, and then reverts right back to his thug persona on "In da Club," where he boasts "I’m into having sex, I ain’t into making love." There’s no "How to Rob, Pt. 2" here, although "Many Men" comes close, as he addresses some of the haters who may not fully get why he’s now rap’s big cheese. Surprisingly, the two Eminem-produced joints--"Patiently Waiting" (which thematically is very much like Em’s "Lose Yourself"), and "Don’t Push Me"--almost rival the beats supplied by Dre. Then again, it seems his most well-known cuts ("High All the Time" and "Wanksta," for example) are actually some of the weakest of the lot. Sure, Get Rich could never have lived up to the hype, it’s nowhere near Biggie's Ready to Die or Nas's Illmatic, but there's no fast-forward material here, a near miracle! in these times. --Dalton Higgins

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Birth

• In this mesmerizing and suspenseful film, a woman (Kidman) becomes convinced that a ten-year-old boy is the reincarnation of her dead husband.Running Time: 100 min. Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: R Age: 794043783821 UPC: 794043783821 Manufacturer No: N7838

Â"Well-researched and engaging . . . Birth is a clever, almost irreverent look at an enduring everyday miracle. (A-)” —Entertainment Weekly
Â"Wonderful. Packed full of information, a brilliant mixture of ancient wisdom and modern science.” —Kate Mosse, author of the New York Times best seller, Labyrinth
Â"Birth is a power-packed book. . . . A lively, engaging, and often witty read, a quirky, eye-opening account of one of life’s most elemental experiences.” —The Boston Globe
Published to widespread acclaim, Tina Cassidy’s smart, engaging book is the first world hi! story of childbirth in fifty years. From evolution to the epidural and beyond, Tina Cassidy presents an intelligent, enlightening, and impeccably researched cultural history of how and why we’re born the way we are. Women have been giving birth for millennia but that’s about the only constant in the final stage of the great process that is human reproduction. Why is it that every culture and generation seems to have its own ideas about the best way to give birth? Cassidy explores the physical, anthropological, political, and religious factors that have and will continue to influence how women bring new life into the world.

In this mesmerizing and suspenseful film, a woman (Kidman) becomes convinced that a ten-year-old boy is the reincarnation of her dead husband.

DVD Features:
DVD ROM Features
Theatrical Trailer

As directed by Jonathan Glazer (Sexy Beast) and dimly lit by cinematographer Harris Savides, Birth is a ! melancholy chamber piece, its pensive mood sustained by nearly! sub-son ic nuances in a fine, thematically developed score by Alexandre Desplat. All of these fine qualities are well-matched by the somber performance of Nicole Kidman, playing a still-grieving widow of 10 years, about to remarry when a 10-year-old boy (Cameron Bright) arrives to announce that he is her dead husband, reincarnated and full of convincing answers to personal marital questions. Rather than go for Sixth Sense-like chills and thrills, Glazer approaches Birth as a conundrum with no clear-cut solution, and his directorial style is so subdued, so deliberately understated, that most of the story's dramatic impact is sacrificed to oppressively dour atmosphere. If it doesn't lull you to sleep, Birth might hold your attention as a strange, subtle thriller in miniature scale. With its delicate, mature approach to the processes of grieving and recovery, however, Birth rewards attentive viewers attuned to the film's ultra-low-key wavelength, and it's gu! aranteed to provoke interesting post-movie discussions. Lauren Bacall, Danny Huston, Anne Heche, and Arliss Howard lead an esteemed supporting cast. --Jeff Shannon

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Balls of Fury

• Control your ping pong paddle and make a variety of shots by using the Wii Remote
• Play as Randy Daytona, Feng, or one of 18 other characters from the movie
• Experience intense ping pong battles as you follow key events from the movie in Story Mode
• Play against a friend in Multiplayer Mode to find the true ping pong champion

Watch the balls fly in this hilarious, action-packed comedy starring Christopher Walken (Hairspray) and George Lopez (The George Lopez Show)! When former professional table tennis phenomenon Randy Daytona (Dan Fogler) is recruited by FBI Agent RodriguezBalls of Fury will score points with anyone who ever wished that Enter the Dragon played out in the subterranean "underbelly of ping pong" instead of the world of martial arts. Tony Award-winner Dan Fogler (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), joining the ranks of Jack Bla! ck, Seth Rogan, and Jonah Hill as a schlub (romantic?) hero, stars as Randy Daytona, a Def Leppard-loving ping-pong wizard who, as a 12-year-old, was disgraced at the 1988 Olympics. Nineteen years later and gone to seed, he is reduced to performing a novelty act in Reno until an FBI Agent (George Lopez, and yes, at one point, he will proclaim, "Say hello to my little friend" a la Al Pacino in Scarface) recruits him to infiltrate an underground ping pong tournament run by Feng (Christopher Walken), the arch villain who killed Daytona's father. Co-written by Reno 911 colleagues Robert Ben Garant (who also directed) and Thomas Lennon (who costars as Daytona's taunting East Berlin rival), Balls of Fury is hit and miss, but it fitfully kills with some ace performances, including Walken, bringing more cowbell, as Feng, resplendent in silks and red fingernails (his Christopher Walken impression, while perhaps not as uncanny as Kevin Spacey's or Jay Mohr's, is ! dead-on). James Hong puts a wicked spin on the clichéd role ! of mento r, and action babe Maggie Q rocks as his niece. Look quick for David Koechner as hopeless entertainer Rick the Birdmaster, Patton Oswalt as an obnoxious early opponent, Kerri Kenney-Silver as a showgirl, and Diedrich Bader as one of Feng's imprisoned sex slaves (don't ask). With less go-for-the-groin humor than the title might indicate, Balls of Fury brings its A-game with some subversive bits of business, such as an ominous moment that is undercut when a menacing character is forced to re-enter the scene to ask for directions back to the highway. --Donald LiebensonWatch the balls fly in this hilarious, action-packed comedy starring Christopher Walken (Hairspray) and George Lopez (The George Lopez Show)! When former professional table tennis phenomenon Randy Daytona (Dan Fogler) is recruited by FBI Agent RodriguezBalls of Fury will score points with anyone who ever wished that Enter the Dragon played out in the subterranean "underbelly of ping po! ng" instead of the world of martial arts. Tony Award-winner Dan Fogler (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), joining the ranks of Jack Black, Seth Rogan, and Jonah Hill as a schlub (romantic?) hero, stars as Randy Daytona, a Def Leppard-loving ping-pong wizard who, as a 12-year-old, was disgraced at the 1988 Olympics. Nineteen years later and gone to seed, he is reduced to performing a novelty act in Reno until an FBI Agent (George Lopez, and yes, at one point, he will proclaim, "Say hello to my little friend" a la Al Pacino in Scarface) recruits him to infiltrate an underground ping pong tournament run by Feng (Christopher Walken), the arch villain who killed Daytona's father. Co-written by Reno 911 colleagues Robert Ben Garant (who also directed) and Thomas Lennon (who costars as Daytona's taunting East Berlin rival), Balls of Fury is hit and miss, but it fitfully kills with some ace performances, including Walken, bringing more cowbell! , as Feng, resplendent in silks and red fingernails (his Chris! topher W alken impression, while perhaps not as uncanny as Kevin Spacey's or Jay Mohr's, is dead-on). James Hong puts a wicked spin on the clichéd role of mentor, and action babe Maggie Q rocks as his niece. Look quick for David Koechner as hopeless entertainer Rick the Birdmaster, Patton Oswalt as an obnoxious early opponent, Kerri Kenney-Silver as a showgirl, and Diedrich Bader as one of Feng's imprisoned sex slaves (don't ask). With less go-for-the-groin humor than the title might indicate, Balls of Fury brings its A-game with some subversive bits of business, such as an ominous moment that is undercut when a menacing character is forced to re-enter the scene to ask for directions back to the highway. --Donald LiebensonWatch the balls fly in this hilarious, action-packed comedy starring Christopher Walken (Hairspray) and George Lopez (The George Lopez Show)! When former professional table tennis phenomenon Randy Daytona (Dan Fogler) is recruited by FBI Agent Rodri! guez (Lopez) for a mission in the unsanctioned, underground and utterly unhinged world of extreme table tennis, he's determined to bounce back to his former glory and smoke out his father's killer, the arch-fiend Feng (Walken). But with danger coming at him from every angle, will Randy be able to keep his eye on the balls? From the creators of Night at the Museum and Reno 911! comes the outrageous film critics are calling "a fast, furious comedy!" (Thelma Adams, US Weekly)Balls of Fury will score points with anyone who ever wished that Enter the Dragon played out in the subterranean "underbelly of ping pong" instead of the world of martial arts. Tony Award-winner Dan Fogler (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), joining the ranks of Jack Black, Seth Rogan, and Jonah Hill as a schlub (romantic?) hero, stars as Randy Daytona, a Def Leppard-loving ping-pong wizard who, as a 12-year-old, was disgraced at the 1988 Olympics. Nineteen years later and go! ne to seed, he is reduced to performing a novelty act in Reno ! until an FBI Agent (George Lopez, and yes, at one point, he will proclaim, "Say hello to my little friend" a la Al Pacino in Scarface) recruits him to infiltrate an underground ping pong tournament run by Feng (Christopher Walken), the arch villain who killed Daytona's father. Co-written by Reno 911 colleagues Robert Ben Garant (who also directed) and Thomas Lennon (who costars as Daytona's taunting East Berlin rival), Balls of Fury is hit and miss, but it fitfully kills with some ace performances, including Walken, bringing more cowbell, as Feng, resplendent in silks and red fingernails (his Christopher Walken impression, while perhaps not as uncanny as Kevin Spacey's or Jay Mohr's, is dead-on). James Hong puts a wicked spin on the clichéd role of mentor, and action babe Maggie Q rocks as his niece. Look quick for David Koechner as hopeless entertainer Rick the Birdmaster, Patton Oswalt as an obnoxious early opponent, Kerri Kenney-Silver as a showgirl, and Di! edrich Bader as one of Feng's imprisoned sex slaves (don't ask). With less go-for-the-groin humor than the title might indicate, Balls of Fury brings its A-game with some subversive bits of business, such as an ominous moment that is undercut when a menacing character is forced to re-enter the scene to ask for directions back to the highway. --Donald LiebensonWhen rival figure skaters Chazz Michael Michaels (Will Ferrell) and Jimmy MacElroy (Jon Heder) go ballistic in an embarrassing, no-holds-barred fight at the World Championships, they are stripped of their gold medals and banned from the sport for life. Now, three-and-a-half years on, they’ve found a loophole that will allow them to compete: if they can put aside their differences, they can skate together â€" in pairs’ figure skatingTake two male figure skaters, throw in a preposterous storyline, and you've got Blades of Glory, a surprisingly funny film that almost makes you forgive Will Ferrel! l for his back-to-back 2005 clunkers Kicking & Screaming and Bewitched. This time around, Ferrell eats the scenery in his role as a sex-addicted, cocky skating champ named Chazz Michael Michaels. When he gets into an on-podium fight with his nemesis and co-gold medallist Jimmy MacElroy (Jon Heder, Napoleon Dynamite), both skaters are banned from competing in men's figure-skating events. Forever. Their fall from grace is brutal. Chazz is forced to work for a D-list skating show, while pampered Jimmy is disowned by his wealthy and cold-hearted adoptive father (excellently played by William Fichtner), who only wants to be around winners. When Jimmy points out that he tied for gold, his dad cruelly says, "If I wanted to share, I would've bought you a brother." Flash forward 3-1/2 years and Jimmy's No. 1 stalker Hector (Nick Swardson) says he's found a loophole. Jimmy's been banned from men's singles events, but there's nothing that says he can't compete in pairs skating. After a chance meeting with Chazz, mayhem ensues as the ! two rivals team up to go against the brother-and-sister team of Stranz and Fairchild Van Waldenberg (played by Will Arnett and his real-life wife, Amy Poehler of Saturday Night Live and Mean Girls fame). The Van Waldenbergs will stop at nothing to beat the competition, even if that means literally beating up the competition. They have no qualms manipulating their sweet little sister (Jenna Fischer, The Office) to seduce both men to try to break up the team.

The finale will be no surprise to moviegoers who know that comedies like this aren't set up to make its leading men losers. But there is one brief skating sequence set in North Korea that will surprise (and shock) many viewers because of its brutality. Ferrell and Heder make a great comedy team. Though he has been accused of playing the same role since his breakthrough performance in Napoleon Dynamite and, to a certain extent, plays a similar type of role here, Heder is spot-on as Jimmy. ! He manages to convey innocence, bitterness, and longing--all w! ithin th e span of a few seconds and while wearing a peacock unitard (You can understand why Hector is so enthralled with him). Look for guest appearances by real-life skating champs Scott Hamilton, Brian Boitano, Peggy Fleming, Dorothy Hamill, Nancy Kerrigan, and Sasha Cohen, who gets to sniff Chazz's jockstrap. --Jae-Ha Kim

Beyond Blades of Glory

More "Blades" on DVD

More DVDs with Will Ferrell

The Soundtrack

Stills from ! Blades of Glory (click for larger image)

Balls of Fury (2007) / Balles De Feu / REGION 2 PAL DVD / Audio: English, French / Subtitles: French / Actors: Christopher Walken, Dan Fogler, George Lopez / Director: Ben Garant / 87 minutesWelcome to the unsanctioned, underground world of ping-pong tournaments. Down-and-out former professional ping-pong phenom Randy Daytona is sucked into this maelstorm when FBI Agent Ernie Rodriguez recruits him for a secret mission. Randy is determined to bounce back and win, and to smoke out his father's killer -- arch fiend Feng.

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Donkey Punch [Unrated]

• Three hot girls, four guys, and one mega-swanky yacht collide for a serious night of drugs and sexual deviancy. One debaucherous act goes too far though, turning this teen joy ride into a weekend of bloody bedlam. Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: MYSTERY/SUSPENSE Rating: NR MA Age: 876964001816 UPC: 876964001816 Manufacturer No: 10181

After meeting at a nightclub in a Mediterranean resort, seven young adults overindulge in champagne and ecstasy. Completely letting go of their inhibitions, they capture their wild partying aboard a luxury yacht on video camera. But when their reckless sexual endeavors are taken too far, one of them dies in a freak accident. The remaining members of the group argue about what to do, which leads to a ruthless fight for survival.

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FreeStyle Test Strips - 100 ea

• FreeStyle lite test strips
• Abbott diabetic supplies
• diabetic supplies

Non retail, 2 boxes of 50's exp 12-2012 or longer

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America's Heart & Soul

• From sea to shining sea, from amber waves of grain to purple mountain majesties, it's not merely the land that makes America beautiful -- it's her people. Captured with stunning cinematography, AMERICA'S HEART & SOUL takes you on a journey that weaves across this great nation, revealing a rich tapestry of ordinary people living extraordinary lives as they follow their dreams with the f

From sea to shining sea, from amber waves of grain to purple mountain majesties, it's not merely the land that makes America beautiful -- it's her people. Captured with stunning cinematography, AMERICA'S HEART & SOUL takes you on a journey that weaves across this great nation, revealing a rich tapestry of ordinary people living extraordinary lives as they follow their dreams with the freedom of spirit that's uniquely American. From the Vermont dairy farmer, to the blind mountain climber, to the father and son m! arathon runners, their inspiring stories are as different as can be -- passionate, colorful, courageous, funny, touching. Featuring an exclusive new song by John Mellencamp, "The World Don't Bother Me None," AMERICA'S HEART & SOUL is a gloriously joyous celebration of being an American.With its spectacular sweep of earthly treasures--the peak of Mt. Everest, a lush valley in the Western U.S., a whirl of land and sky as seen from the cockpit of an aerobatic flyer--America's Heart and Soul is an unusual Disney documentary visually grand yet thematically intimate, focusing on two dozen people from around the country who have found purpose through their passionate endeavors. First-time director Louis Schwartzberg embraces the soulful, gritty, sometimes painful cost of American freedom in the stories of cowboy Roudy Roudebush, a recovering alcoholic; Marc and Ann Savoy, Cajun musicians whose family has lived on the same Louisiana land for seven generations; and California! dancer-mountainside rappeller Amelia Rudolph, who choreograph! s eccent ric performances below the cliffs at Muir Beach. Chapters about ex-con Michael Bennett, who survived prison to become the U.S. Olympic Boxing Team captain, and the Reverend Cecil Williams, founder of a truly inclusive church in San Francisco, are particularly inspiring. --Tom Keogh

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