Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Before Sunrise

  • BEFORE SUNRISE (DVD MOVIE)
BEFORE SUNSET - DVD MovieIn 1994, director Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused, Waking Life) made Before Sunrise, a gorgeous poem of a movie about two strangers (played by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy) wandering around Vienna, talking, and falling in love. Ten years later, Linklater, Hawke, and Delpy have returned with Before Sunset, which reunites the same characters after Hawke has written a book about that night. Delpy appears at the final book reading of his European tour; they have less than two hours before Hawke has to catch a flight to New York...and in that time, they walk around Paris, talk, and fall in love all over again. It sounds simple, perhaps dull, but it's written with such skill and care and acted with such richness that it's a miracle of filmmaking. On its own, Before Sunset is moving and wonderful; seen right ! after Before Sunrise, it will break your heart. --Bret FetzerA heartbroken young Texas journalist meets a beautiful French student on a train bound for Paris, and invites her to share his last night in Vienna.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: R
Release Date: 6-NOV-2001
Media Type: DVDThis romantic, witty, and ultimately poignant glimpse at two strangers (Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy) who share thoughts, affections, and past experiences during one 14-hour tryst in Vienna somehow remains writer/director Richard Linklater's (Dazed and Confused, Slacker) most overlooked gem. Delpy, a stunning, low-key Parisian, meets the stammering American Hawke, as the two share a Eurorail seat--she's starting school in Paris, he's finishing a vacation. Their mutual attraction leads to an awkward meeting (beautifully played by each performer), and Hawke suggests that Delpy spend his remaining 14 hours in Vienna with him.

! Typically, this skeleton is as much plot as Linklater provide! s; as us ual, he's more interested in concentrating his talents on observing the casual, playful conversations between his leads. His tight time frame allows the characters to say anything to one another, and topics ranging from politics to past romances to fears of the future flow with subtle finesse. The short time frame is also cruel, however, because beneath this love affair lies the painful reality that the two most likely will never see each other again and will be left only with memories--an idea Linklater drives home with an effective snapshot conclusion.

Hardly the trite Gen-X bitch session that many '90s films using this approach become, the film feels more like a Bresson or Rohmer piece, containing sharp perceptions--and flawed humans rather than stereotypes. The protagonists' frank revelations and heated exchanges flow in a stream-of-consciousness style, and its no accident that Linklater set the film in Vienna, where Freud invented and practiced psychotherapy. --! Dave McCoyTHIS PRODUCT COMES BRAND NEW AND SEALED WHICH CONTAINS THE MOVIE BEFORE SUNSET/ BEFORE SUNRISE. GREAT COLLECTIONStudio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 11/09/2010This romantic, witty, and ultimately poignant glimpse at two strangers (Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy) who share thoughts, affections, and past experiences during one 14-hour tryst in Vienna somehow remains writer/director Richard Linklater's (Dazed and Confused, Slacker) most overlooked gem. Delpy, a stunning, low-key Parisian, meets the stammering American Hawke, as the two share a Eurorail seat--she's starting school in Paris, he's finishing a vacation. Their mutual attraction leads to an awkward meeting (beautifully played by each performer), and Hawke suggests that Delpy spend his remaining 14 hours in Vienna with him.

Typically, this skeleton is as much plot as Linklater provides; as usual, he's more interested in concentrating his talents on observing the casual, playful conve! rsations between his leads. His tight time frame allows the ch! aracters to say anything to one another, and topics ranging from politics to past romances to fears of the future flow with subtle finesse. The short time frame is also cruel, however, because beneath this love affair lies the painful reality that the two most likely will never see each other again and will be left only with memories--an idea Linklater drives home with an effective snapshot conclusion.

Hardly the trite Gen-X bitch session that many '90s films using this approach become, the film feels more like a Bresson or Rohmer piece, containing sharp perceptions--and flawed humans rather than stereotypes. The protagonists' frank revelations and heated exchanges flow in a stream-of-consciousness style, and its no accident that Linklater set the film in Vienna, where Freud invented and practiced psychotherapy. --Dave McCoy

Mel Gibson's Apocalypto (Widescreen Edition)

  • All Movie Guide - As the foundation of the Mayan civilization begins to crumble, one man's previously idyllic existence is forever changed when he is chosen as a sacrifice needed to appease the gods in director Mel Gibson's mythic, end-times adventure. The Mayan kingdom is at the absolute height of opulence and power, but leaders are convinced that unless more temples are constructed and m
From Mel Gibson, director of THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST and the Academy Award®-winning BRAVEHEART (Best Director, Best Picture, 1995) comes the thrilling historical epic APOCALYPTO. This intense, nonstop action-adventure transports you to an ancient South American civilization, for an experience unlike anything you’ve ever known. In the twilight of the mysterious Mayan culture, young Jaguar Paw is captured and taken to the great Mayan city where he faces a harrowing end. Driven by the power of his love ! for his wife and son, he makes an adrenaline-soaked, heart-racing escape to rescue them and ultimately save his way of life. Filled with unrelenting action and stunning cinematography, APOCALYPTO is an enthralling and unforgettable film experience.'Forget any off-screen impressions you may have of Mel Gibson, and experience Apocalypto as the mad, bloody runaway train that it is. The story is set in the pre-Columbian Maya population: one village is brutally overrun, its residents either slaughtered or abducted, by a ruling tribe that needs slaves and human sacrifices. We focus on the capable warrior Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood), although Gibson skillfully sketches a whole population of characters--many of whom don't survive the early reels. Most of the film is set in the dense jungle, but the middle section, in a grand Mayan city, is a dazzling triumph of design, costuming, and sheer decadent terror. The movie itself is a triumph of brutality, as Gibson lets loose hi! s well-established fascination with bodily mortification in a ! litany o f assaults including impalement, evisceration, snakebite, and bee stings. It's a dark, disgusted vision, but Gibson doesn't forget to apply some very canny moviemaking instincts to the violence--including the creation of a tremendous pair of villains (strikingly played by Raoul Trujillo and Rodolfo Palacias). The film is in a Maya dialect, subtitled in English, and shot on digital video (which occasionally betrays itself in some blurry quick pans). Amidst all the mayhem, nothing in the film is more devastating than a final wordless exchange of looks between captured villager Blunted (Jonathan Brewer) and his wife's mother (Maria Isabel Diaz), a superb change in tone from their early relationship. Yes, this is an obsessive, crazed movie, but Gibson knows what he's doing. --Robert Horton

Beyond Apocalypto

!

More films directed by Mel Gibson

Apocalypto soundtrack by James Horner

Stills from Mel Gibson's Apocalypto (click for larger image)








Deep Rising

  • A band of ruthless hijackers seize the most luxurious cruise in the world only to find that all the passengers have mysteriously disappeared, but they are not alone. Something is lurking behind every deck and passageway, snatching the intruders one by one! System Requirements: Starring: Jason Flemying, Anthony Heald, Djimon Hounsou, Famke Janssen, Derrick O Connor, Kevin J. O Connor, Wes Studi
Buckle up for edge-of-your seat excitement with the explosive hit DEEP RISING, an unstoppable high seas action thriller that moves at full scream ahead! When a band of ruthless hijackers invade the world's most luxurious cruise ship, they're shocked to discover the passengers have mysteriously vanished! But that doesn't mean they are alone! Something terrifying is lurking just out of sight: a deadly force from the unexplored depths of the ocean that begins to snatch the horrified intruders one by one! T! reat Willliams (THE DEVIL'S OWN) and sexy Famke Janssen (GOLDENEYE, ROUNDERS) lead a group of survivors who must overcome incredible odds in their breathtaking battle to escape the doomed ship alive!Following in the reptilian slime trail of Anaconda, this derivative monster movie from early 1998 plays like a cross between Titanic and Tremors, with parts of Aliens tossed in for good measure. Director Stephen Sommers couldn't recognize an original idea if it swallowed him whole--which, by the way, is exactly what happens to a lot of passengers on a luxury ship that is attacked by a giant serpent-like sea creature with a voracious appetite for human flesh. Treat Williams plays the leader of a mercenary crew whose members discover the ravaged ship and wage war on the creature; Famke Janssen joins him as an onboard thief and con artist who just happens to be highly skilled with automatic weapons. Of course, the action grows more intense as the body co! unt rises and along the way the monster is gradually revealed ! in all o f its gruesome glory. A guilty pleasure if ever there was one, Deep Rising arrived in theaters shortly after another waterlogged thriller, Hard Rain, and if nothing else it provides proof that the B-movie monsters of the 1950s are alive and well and as cheesy as ever in the age of digital special effects. --Jeff Shannon

Captain America: The First Avenger (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy)

  • 1 Blueray Disk Only.
  • In Jewel Case
  • Preowned
  • Great Condition
A clandestine government organization called Invictus "recruits" outstanding athletes for secret projects. But their top agent Jackson Holt has special, almost preternatural, qualities not even the Organization can explain.

Olivia Gant, professor of Ancient Studies at a private college in California, was once Jack's childhood sweetheart. But when he deserted her, he left her alone to combat her stepfather's drunken attentions and her mother's careless neglect.

Nearly twenty years later, their paths cross in a mission to fight a bizarre religious serial killer whose methods include crucifixion and burial alive. Olivia and Jack battle for happiness against years of secrecy and distance as they use Olivia's expertise in Latin and Jack's special gifts to track a brutal killer.

Can ! Olivia forgive Jack for his long-ago betrayal? Can Jack allow Olivia to witness the terrible Change that makes him such an effective killing machine?
A clandestine government organization called Invictus "recruits" outstanding athletes for secret projects. But their top agent Jackson Holt has special, almost preternatural, qualities not even the Organization can explain.

Olivia Gant, professor of Ancient Studies at a private college in California, was once Jack's childhood sweetheart. But when he deserted her, he left her alone to combat her stepfather's drunken attentions and her mother's careless neglect.

Nearly twenty years later, their paths cross in a mission to fight a bizarre religious serial killer whose methods include crucifixion and burial alive. Olivia and Jack battle for happiness against years of secrecy and distance as they use Olivia's expertise in Latin and Jack's special gifts to track a brutal killer.

Can Olivia forgive Jack for ! his long-ago betrayal? Can Jack allow Olivia to witness the te! rrible C hange that makes him such an effective killing machine?
Captain America leads the fight for freedom in the action-packed blockbuster starring Chris Evans as the ultimate weapon against evil! When a terrifying force threatens everyone across the globe, the world’s greatest soldier wages war on the evil HYDRA organization, led by the villainous Red Skull (Hugo Weaving, The Matrix). Critics and audiences alike salute Captain America: The First Avenger as “pure excitement, pure action, and pure fun!” â€" Bryan Erdy CBS-TVThe Marvel Comics superhero Captain America was born of World War II, so if you're going to do the origin story in a movie you'd better set it in the 1940s. But how, then, to reconcile that hero with the 21st-century mega-blockbuster The Avengers, a 2012 summit meeting of the Marvel giants, where Captain America joins Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk and other super pals? Stick around, and we'll get to that. In 1943, a sawe! d-off (but gung-ho) military reject named Steve Rogers is enlisted in a super-secret experiment masterminded by adorable scientist Stanley Tucci and skeptical military bigwig Tommy Lee Jones. Rogers emerges, taller and sporting greatly expanded pectoral muscles, along with a keen ability to bounce back from injury. In both sections Rogers is played by Chris Evans, whose sly humor makes him a good choice for the otherwise stalwart Cap. (Benjamin Button-esque effects create the shrinky Rogers, with Evans's head attached.) The film comes up with a viable explanation for the red-white-and-blue suit 'n' shield--Rogers is initially trotted out as a war bonds fundraiser, in costume--and a rousing first combat mission for our hero, who finally gets fed up with being a poster boy. Director Joe Johnston (The Wolfman) makes a lot of pretty pictures along the way, although the war action goes generic for a while and the climax feels a little rushed. Kudos to Hugo Weaving,! who makes his Nazi villain a grand adversary (with, if the ea! r doesn' t lie, an imitation of Werner Herzog's accent). If most of the movie is enjoyable, the final 15 minutes or so reveals a curious weakness in the overall design: because Captain America needs to pop up in The Avengers, the resolution of the 1943 story line must include a bridge to the 21st century, which makes for some tortured (and unsatisfying) plot developments. Nevertheless: that shield is really cool. --Robert Horton

BlueAnt S4 True Handsfree Speakerphone & Wireless Bluetooth 2.1 [Retail Packaged]

  • To activate the S4, all you have to do is say the hands-free trigger phrase "BlueAnt Speak to Me" and the S4 will be ready for your voice commands.
  • Hear Your Messages on the Go: The S4 integrates with Vlingo SafeReader so that you can hear incoming text messages read aloud.
  • A2DP Streaming: The S4 features integrated A2DP streaming audio functionality, so you can listen to music or podcasts and hear turn-by-turn direction information from a GPS application on your phone.
  • Free Android Application: Users with Android devices can further enhance their BlueAnt S4 by installing the BlueAnt S4 Android application.
  • 3.7V Rechargeable Lithium Ion Battery, Up to 20 hrs talk time; 700 hrs Standby time; 3-4 Hours charging time;
  • To make a call just say "Phone Commands". Also features embedded audio help that talks you through the setup and pairing process.
  • The applica! tion provides text message readout directly into the headset and includes help and support for your S4.
  • Once the Vlingo SafeReader application is installed on your BlackBerry® or AndroidTM 2.x smartphone, your incoming messages will be read out automatically as they come in.
Get on the bio-fueled bus with actor and activist Woody Harrelson and his band of "Merry Hempsters" as they embark on a 1,300-mile road trip from Seattle to Santa Barbara to promote environmental awareness and "Simple Organic Living." Pop and counter-culture documentarian Ron Mann (Grass, Comic Book Confidential, Twist) chronicles every leg of Harrelson’s journey, from college campus appearances and encounters with curious onlookers, to a visit with 1960s icon Ken Kesey. With his fellow travelers, including one confessed junk food addict, Harrelson is determined to change hearts and minds, one hemp burger and sweet avocado chocolate mousse pie at a time. Featurin! g the music of Natalie Merchant, Bob Weir, Anthony Kiedis and ! Dave Mat thews. "It’s all good, dude."In Natural Born Killers, Woody Harrelson played a mass murderer on a road trip killing spree. In Go Further, Harrelson has returned to the road, this time as himself, and this time he’s out to save the earth. The film documents a trip down the Pacific coast Harrelson and assorted friends took in the summer of 2001 in a bio-diesel and hemp oil-fueled bus. Along the way they tackled various stretches by bike, did a lot of yoga, spoke in front of college crowds about environmental awareness, ate avocado-based delicacies prepared by the on-board raw foods chef, and encountered rock stars like Bob Weir, Natalie Merchant, and Anthony Kiedis. Your run of the mill road trip, in other words. Harrelson’s buddy, the junk food addict Steve Clark emerges as the star, if stardom means the ability to expound on the evils of non-organic milk at length. Herein lies the conundrum. For all its earnestness, or maybe because of it, Go Further drags. It’s a movie with its heart in the right place, but that seems unwilling to preach to anyone outside the choir. The best bits are those in which Harrelson and the crew encounter folks who don't share their point of view--inhalant-addicted teens in Oregon, small town folks who sneeringly refer to Harrelson as "Woody Allen." Opportunities for confrontation are eschewed lest anyone's vibe gets harshed. One almost wishes Michael Moore had been hitchhiking along US Route 1 that summer. --Ryan BoudinotActor Woody Harrelson, along with his friends from the 2003 Toronto Film Festival hit, Go Further, directed by Ron Mann, encourages people to "walk on the earth with a lighter footprint" in How To Go Further: A Guide to Simple Organic Living.

Covering a wide range of topicsâ€"such as organic food, alternative energy, yoga, and political activismâ€"the book has its roots in 2001's "Simple Organic Living (SOL) Tour." The tour saw Woody and his companionsâ€"in! cluding a yoga teacher, a raw food chef, and a confessed "junk! food ju nkie"â€"biking down the Pacific coast and talking to people about how to lead a happier, healthier life while using less of the world's resources.

The book also features writing from some of the tour's other participants, as well as from well-known activists such as John Schaeffer, founder and president of Real Goods, a company devoted to creating alternative energy options, and Howard "Twilly" Cannon, former skipper of Greenpeace's Rainbow Warrior.Hypermiling: How to Make Your Car Go Further with Less Gas

Table of Contents

Chapter 1
Introduction page 4

Chapter 2
What is Hypermiling? Page 7

Chapter 3
Why has Hypermiling become so Popular Recently? Page 9

Chapter 4
Drive more Fuel Efficiently page 11

Chapter 5
Keep your Vehicle in Good Working Condition page 14

Chapter 6
What can you Remove to Make your Vehicle Lighter? Page 18

Chapter 7
Is it Time! to get a New Vehicle? Page 20

Chapter 8
Additional Tips that can Help your Car go Further with Less Gas page 22

Chapter 9
Evaluating the Results of your Efforts page 24

Chapter 10
Conclusion page 26

Gas-saving Devices: Fuel Saver or
Consumer Scam?

Table of Contents

Chapter 1
Introduction Page 4

Chapter 2
Oil and Gas Additives Page 7

Chapter 3
Magnetic Devices Page 10

Chapter 4
Air Injection Products Page 12

Chapter 5
Be Wary of the Testimonials that a Product Offers Page 15

Chapter 6
Gas Saving Devices and Products that can Work Page 17

Chapter 7
Save Money on Gas with Hypermiling Strategies Page 21

Chapter 8
Conclusion Page 25

Scooters, Mopeds, and Other Fuel Efficient Vehicles

Chapter 1
Introduction Page 4

Chapter 2
Types of Fue! l Efficient Vehicles Page 5

Chapter 3
Motorcyc! les Page 6

Chapter 4
Mopeds Page 9

Chapter 5
Scooters Page 11

Chapter 6
Hybrids Page 12

Chapter 7
Bio-Diesel Power Page 17

Chapter 8
Top Gas Powered Cars that are Fuel Efficient Page 20

Chapter 9
Conclusion Page 24



Hypermiling: How to Make Your Car Go Further with Less Gas

Table of Contents

Chapter 1
Introduction page 4

Chapter 2
What is Hypermiling? Page 7

Chapter 3
Why has Hypermiling become so Popular Recently? Page 9

Chapter 4
Drive more Fuel Efficiently page 11

Chapter 5
Keep your Vehicle in Good Working Condition page 14

Chapter 6
What can you Remove to Make your Vehicle Lighter? Page 18

Chapter 7
Is it Time to get a New Vehicle? Page 20

Chapter 8
Additional Tips that can Help your Car go Further with Less Gas page 22

Chapter 9
Evaluating the Results of your Effort! s page 24

Chapter 10
Conclusion page 26

Gas-saving Devices: Fuel Saver or
Consumer Scam?

Table of Contents

Chapter 1
Introduction Page 4

Chapter 2
Oil and Gas Additives Page 7

Chapter 3
Magnetic Devices Page 10

Chapter 4
Air Injection Products Page 12

Chapter 5
Be Wary of the Testimonials that a Product Offers Page 15

Chapter 6
Gas Saving Devices and Products that can Work Page 17

Chapter 7
Save Money on Gas with Hypermiling Strategies Page 21

Chapter 8
Conclusion Page 25

Scooters, Mopeds, and Other Fuel Efficient Vehicles

Chapter 1
Introduction Page 4

Chapter 2
Types of Fuel Efficient Vehicles Page 5

Chapter 3
Motorcycles Page 6

Chapter 4
Mopeds Page 9

Chapter 5
Scooters Page 11

Chapter 6
Hybrids Page 12

Chapter 7
Bio-Diesel Power Page 17

Chapter 8
Top Gas Powered Cars that are Fue! l Efficient Page 20

Chapter 9
Conclusion Page 24
!


With the BlueAnt S4, there is no longer any need to touch your phone or car speakerphone while driving.
For the first time, drivers can make and receive calls on the road using only their voice.
When the phone rings you won't need to take your eyes off the road to know who is calling because the S4 will read out the caller's name or number and ask you if you want to take the call. All you have to do is say "Answer" or "Ignore"..

. True handsfree voice controlled car speakerphone.
. Make and answer calls using just your voice.
. Text to Speech technology reads out the name of the incoming caller.
. Stores up to 2,000 phonebook entries per paired device.
. Embedded audio help talks you through setup and operation.
. Multipoint: connect to 2 phones and answer the one that rings.
. A2DP streaming for playback of music, podcasts and directions from a GPS application on your phone.
. Full duplex, high volume speaker for rich booming audio.
. Outstanding wind, road, and background noise reduction for clear calls no matter how noisy it is.
. Sleek design with touch sensitive volume controls.
. Zero installation costs (fixes to the car sun visor).
. Hardware on/off switch.
. Up to 20 hours talk time; 700 hours standby.
. 2 year replacement warranty (excludes clip and charger).

Includes: S4 True Handsfree Voice Controlled Car Speakerphone; 1 metal visor clips; Car charger USB cable; User Manual

Cheri

  • Brand new DVD
Stephen Frears… makes thoroughly professional and immensely entertaining stories that pay particular attention to characters, their flaws, emotions and deepest desires. In Cheri, he has another dandy.  The chemistry between Pfeiffer and Friend is positively combustible. One feels the hunger in each, the rising physical passion and emotional vulnerability in two people who, if asked, would scorn love as a human weakness.

Darius Khondji’s mood-catching cinematography, Consolata Boyle’s eye-catching costumes and Alan MacDonald’s gorgeous sets are all entertainment in themselves. But the greatest contribution comes from composer Alexandre Desplat whose nostalgic, romantic, melancholy score evokes the period perfectly.
                                                                  !                                           - Kirk Honeycutt, The Hollywood Reporter

Filled with luxurious gowns and lush grounds, Stephen Frears's Colette adaptation depicts an affair too perfect to last. Parisian courtesan Lea de Lonval (Michelle Pfeiffer) retains her good looks and has invested her earnings wisely, so her colleague, Madame Peloux (Kathy Bates), persuades Lea to celebrate the inception of her retirement by teaching the Madame’s self-centered son, Chéri (Rupert Friend, recalling T.Rex's tousle-haired Marc Bolan), how to treat a lady. Lea, who has known Chéri his entire life, has genuine affection for the unformed lad, although, as she quips, "I can't criticize his character, mainly because he doesn't seem to have one." To her surprise, their weekend in Normandy turns into a six-year-relationship. Then, Madame Peloux announces that she has found an appropriate 18-year-old bride for her now-reformed 25-ye! ar-old boy. Afraid to admit the depth of their feelings for ea! ch other , the duo grudgingly goes along with the plan since Belle Époque society demands that a proper gentleman marry a proper lady, and Lea realizes that matrimony to a man half her age isn't an option. But real love--even the co-dependent kind--can't be banished quite so easily as a bad habit. Frears and Oscar-winning screenwriter Christopher Hampton, adapting Chéri and The Last of Chéri, previously collaborated with Pfeiffer on Dangerous Liaisons, but their reunion is a comparatively somber affair that comes recommended more for fans of the actress, who gives the role her all, than for fans of the filmmaker, whose direction feels perfunctory, particularly during the blink-and-you'll-miss-it epilogue. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Blue Q - I'm Savin' Up To Quit My Job! Tin Bank

  • Revolutionary savings plan-just line up coin and drop it in
  • Coin slot fits most coins
  • Empties through bottom
  • Brought to you by the ever-outrageous Jesus had a sister productions

"Brewer's writing is gritty and witty, tough on its characters but easy on the reader."-The Albuquerque Tribune

"Brewer's . . . pacing is among the best in the genre."-Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

An amateur crime spree takes a turn in the piney woods of far northern California in Bank Job, the latest fast-paced escapade from author Steve Brewer.

Jaded, rage-laden, and utterly stupid, brothers Leon and Junior Daggett and their homicidal partner, Roy Wade, entertain themselves by knocking over liquor stores and gas stations. When a run-of-the-mill robbery goes sour, they find themselves bloody and knocking on the door of a stranger for help. That stra! nger ends up being Vince Carson, retired bank robber.

Thinking they've discovered their big-time score, Leon and Roy take Vince's wife hostage, forcing him to rob the local bank in exchange for Maria's safe return. But Vince has other ideas. He sets out to prove that old age and treachery always triumph over youth and ineptitude.

Bank Job plays out like a movie-The Desperate Hours meets Raising Arizona. It's just the sort of hilarious mix readers expect from Brewer, author of the recent novels Boost and Bullets.

Steve Brewer spent 22 years in the newspaper business before turning to fiction full time in 1997. A weekly humor column he writes for The Albuquerque Tribune is distributed by Scripps Howard News Service. Steve serves on the board of directors of Mystery Writers of America.

If i get one more paper cut i'll slit my wrists! A revolutionary new way to save! Just line coin up with bank slot ! and release. What are you saving up for?

Enemy At the Gates : Widescreen Edition

  • Widescreen
An all-star cast lights up the screen in this riveting epic hailed as "a vivid dramatization of one of history's titanic turning points". (Gene Shalit, Today) The year is 1942 and the Nazis are cutting a deadly swath through Russia. Under the leadership of Kruschev (Bob Hoskins), the citizens of Stalingrad are mounting a brave resistance, spurred by the exploits of their local hero, Vassili Zaitsev (Jude Law). An expert sniper, Vassili's deeds have become legendary - thanks to propaganda produced by Vassili's best friend, a political officer named Danilov (Joseph Fiennes). To stop Vassili, the Germans dispatch their best sniper, Major Konig (Ed Harris), to Stalingrad. When Vassili and Danilov both fall in love with a beautiful soldier (Rachel Weisz), Danilov deserts his friend, leaving Vassili to face his German counterpart alone. As the city burns, Vassili and Konig begin! a cunning game of cat and mouse, waging a private war for courage, honor and country.Like Saving Private Ryan, Enemy at the Gates opens with a pivotal event of World War II--the German invasion of Stalingrad--re-created in epic scale, as ill-trained Russian soldiers face German attack or punitive execution if they flee from the enemy's advance. Director Jean-Jacques Annaud captures this madness with urgent authenticity, creating a massive context for a more intimate battle waged amid the city's ruins. Embellished from its basis in fact, the story shifts to an intense cat-and-mouse game between a Russian shepherd raised to iconic fame and a German marksman whose skill is unmatched in its lethal precision. Vassily Zaitzev (Jude Law) has been sniping Nazis one bullet at a time, while the German Major Konig (Ed Harris) has been assigned to kill Vassily and spare Hitler from further embarrassment.

There's love in war as Vassily connects with a wo! man soldier (Rachel Weisz), but she is also loved by Danilov ! (Joseph Fiennes), the Soviet officer who promotes his friend Vassily as Russia's much-needed hero. This romantic rivalry lends marginal interest to the central plot, but it's not enough to make this a classic war film. Instead it's a taut, well-made suspense thriller isolated within an epic battle, and although Annaud and cowriter Alain Godard (drawing from William Craig's book and David L. Robbins's novel The War of the Rats) fail to connect the parallel plots with any lasting impact, the production is never less than impressive. Highly conventional but handled with intelligence and superior craftsmanship, this is warfare as strategic entertainment, without compromising warfare as a manmade hell on Earth. --Jeff Shannon


Genre: Action/Adventure
Rating: R
Release Date: 19-MAY-2009
Media Type: Blu-RayLike Saving Private Ryan, Enemy at the Gates opens with a pivotal event of World War II--the Ger! man invasion of Stalingrad--re-created in epic scale, as ill-trained Russian soldiers face German attack or punitive execution if they flee from the enemy's advance. Director Jean-Jacques Annaud captures this madness with urgent authenticity, creating a massive context for a more intimate battle waged amid the city's ruins. Embellished from its basis in fact, the story shifts to an intense cat-and-mouse game between a Russian shepherd raised to iconic fame and a German marksman whose skill is unmatched in its lethal precision. Vassily Zaitzev (Jude Law) has been sniping Nazis one bullet at a time, while the German Major Konig (Ed Harris) has been assigned to kill Vassily and spare Hitler from further embarrassment.

There's love in war as Vassily connects with a woman soldier (Rachel Weisz), but she is also loved by Danilov (Joseph Fiennes), the Soviet officer who promotes his friend Vassily as Russia's much-needed hero. This romantic rivalry lends marginal i! nterest to the central plot, but it's not enough to make this! a class ic war film. Instead it's a taut, well-made suspense thriller isolated within an epic battle, and although Annaud and cowriter Alain Godard (drawing from William Craig's book and David L. Robbins's novel The War of the Rats) fail to connect the parallel plots with any lasting impact, the production is never less than impressive. Highly conventional but handled with intelligence and superior craftsmanship, this is warfare as strategic entertainment, without compromising warfare as a manmade hell on Earth. --Jeff Shannon

Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 08/02/2011 Rating: RDVD

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