Monday, November 28, 2011

Committed: A Love Story

Hitch (Widescreen Edition)

  • Meet Hitch (Will Smith), New York City's greatest matchmaker. Love is his job and he'll get you the girl of your dreams in just three easy dates, guaranteed! And that's exactly what happens when Albert Brennaman (TV's Kevin James, "The King of Queens") wins the heart of gorgeous society heiress Allegra Cole (supermodel Amber Valletta). So when tabloid columnist Sara Melas (Eva Mend
ALEX 'HITCH' HITCHENS IS A TRUE URBAN MYTH - A LEGENDARY NEWYORK CITY 'DATE DOCTOR' WHO, FOR A FEE HAS HELPED HUNDREDS OF MEN WOO THE WOMEN OF THEIR DREAMS. THE ULTIMATE PROFESSIONALBACHELOR, HITCH DISCOVERS THAT ALL OF HIS TRIED & TRUE TRICKS OF THE TRADE ARE NO MATCH FOR SARA, THE ONE WOMAN HE TRULY LOVESWill Smith's easygoing charm makes Hitch the kind of pleasant, uplifting romantic comedy that you could recommend to almost anyone--especially if there's romance in the air. As suave Manhattan dating consu! ltant Alex "Hitch" Hitchens, Smith plays up the smoother, sophisticated side of his established screen persona as he mentors a pudgy accountant (Kevin James) on the lessons of love. The joke, of course, is that Hitch's own love life is a mess, and as he coaches James toward romance with a rich, powerful, and seemingly inaccessible beauty named Allegra (Amber Valetta), he's trying too hard to impress a savvy gossip columnist (Eva Mendes) with whom he's fallen in love. Through mistaken identities and mismatched couples, director Andy Tennant brings the same light touch that made Drew Barrymore's Ever After so effortlessly engaging. As romantic comedies go, Hitch doesn't offer any big surprises, but as a date movie it gets the job done with amiable ease and style. --Jeff Shannon

Black Irish

I Can't Think Straight

  • I CAN'T THINK STRAIGHT (DVD MOVIE)
Winner of the 2011 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award, CIRCUMSTANCE is a provocative coming-of-age story that cracks open the hidden, underground world of Iranian youth culture filled with sex, drugs and defiance. From newcomer Maryam Keshavarz, this suspenseful tale of love and defiance unfolds as a wealthy family struggles to contain their teenage daughter’s growing sexual rebellion and her brother’s dangerous obsession.In another place and time, the young women of Circumstance might have a bright future ahead of them, but in Tehran, they must pretend to be something they're not. Sixteen-year-old orphan Shireen (Sarah Kazemy) lives with her strict uncle, while Atafeh's loving parents have provided a comfortable home. Nonetheless, Atafeh's brother, Mehran (Reza Sixo Safai), has traded his classical music career for a crack habit. After a stint! in rehab, though, Mehran rejects Western art, embraces Islam, helps out at a mosque--and spies on his family. While he struggles to stay clean and secure a wife, Shireen and Atafeh (Nikohl Boosheri) sneak out to drink and dance to rock and hip-hop with a couple of like-minded male friends. It gradually emerges that the feelings between the girls go deeper than friendship, and the two even participate in a project to dub Gus Van Sant's Milk into Farsi in hopes that other Iranian youth will see the film and agitate for equal rights. After they get in trouble with the law, though, everything changes: Shireen's uncle pressures her to marry, and Atafeh finds her friend slipping away, so she comes up with a plan to solve all their problems at once. Filmed in Beirut, American-born writer-director Maryam Keshavarz's feature-film debut is pitched somewhere between My Son the Fanatic and No One Knows About Persian Cats. If less overtly political, she's equally s! ympathetic towards her protagonists and just as critical of th! e indivi duals and institutions that would stand in their way. --Kathleen C. FennessyJulia Jarmond (Kristin Scott Thomas), an American journalist married to a Frenchman, is commissioned to write an article about the notorious Vel d’Hiv round up, which took place in Paris, in 1942. She stumbles upon a family secret which will link her forever to the destiny of a young Jewish girl, Sarah. Julia learns that the apartment she and her husband Bertrand plan to move into was acquired by Bertrand’s family when its Jewish occupants were dispossessed and deported 60 years before. She resolves to find out what happened to the former occupants: Wladyslaw and Rywka Starzynski, parents of 10-year-old Sarah and four-year-old Michel. The more Julia discovers - especially about Sarah, the only member of the Starzynski family to survive - the more she uncovers about Bertrand’s family, about France and, finally, herself.

Sarah’s Key is based on the book by Tatiana d! e Rosnay.An intrepid journalist brings the past to life in this gripping drama. An American based in Paris, Julia Jarmond (Tell No One's Kristin Scott Thomas) has been working on a piece about a French atrocity while planning to move into an apartment that belongs to her husband Bertrand's family. During the course of her research, she finds that 10-year-old Sarah Starzynski (Mélusine Mayance, a sparky presence) lived in the same Marais flat until 1942 when French authorities wrenched Jewish citizens from their homes during the notorious Vél d'Hiver Roundup (Julia's daughter is only a year older). Unbeknownst to anyone but her parents, Sarah locked up her 4-year-old brother in a hidden closet in hopes of returning to set him free him later, but the trio ends up in a transit camp en route to Auschwitz. Sarah will eventually escape, but the years to come will not be easy. In adapting Tatiana de Rosnay's novel, director Gilles Paquet-Brenner, the son of a deportee, mo! ves back and forth between Sarah and Julia, who finds out she'! s pregna nt in the midst of trips to Florence and New York, but Bertrand doesn't share her joy. A French farmer (A Prophet's Niels Arestrup) and a food writer (Aidan Quinn) also figure into Sarah's story, which merges with Julia's as she finds a way to carry on her legacy. Much as in Julie and Julia, the past proves more compelling than the present, though Scott Thomas holds the narrative together with the force of her talent. --Kathleen C. FennessyWhile preparing for her wedding, Tala meets Leyla, a shy Muslim. Although they come from different worlds, the attraction is immediate and Tala must decide whether to stay true to her culture or to her heart. Starring Lisa Ray, Sheetal Sheth and Nina Wadia.

Green Mountain Coffee Caramel Vanilla Cream, 24-Count K-Cups for Keurig Brewers

The Best Of Everything But The Girl

  • Everything But The Girl - Best Of Brazil Import
Jamie Lee Curtis and Richard Lewis star as Hannah Miller and Marty Gold, best friends and co-workers who suppress their smoldering desires, not wanting to spoil their friendship. Once they do take the plunge, though, they quickly discover that falling in love is the easy part! Together, they face some of life's biggest challengesâ€"love, work, love at work, and working at loveâ€"with humor, sophistication, and feeling in this unforgettable TV classic.Welcome to Chemistry 101, class. Anything but Love, a charming, quirky romantic-comedy series that debuted in 1989, stars Jamie-Lee Curtis, then at the height of her film career, and comedian Richard Lewis as journalistic colleagues with an undeniable romantic pull between them. The first volume of episodes showcases the crackling connection between Hannah (Curtis) and Marty (Lewis), which ! kept the show fizzy, and not fizzled--like Cheers, Moonlighting, and other sitcoms in which romantic tension died after "the deed." Curtis shows her best screwball chops as an ace reporter, struggling with her feelings, her friendship, and her work assignments with Marty, who’s a fumbling but well-meaning foil. Besides the two stars, the show features a great sidekick in Ann Magnuson, and cool cameos; look for memorable appearances by John Ritter and an elegant Wendie Malick. The set includes 28 episodes on three discs; it spans slightly more than a full season, from its debut in March of 1989 as a mid-season replacement through that fall and the spring of 1990. Extras include commentaries by Curtis (still the mistress of the dryly witty crack), Lewis, and director Robert Berlinger, and two featurettes on the creation of and tidbits from the show, "All About Anything but Love and "Stories from the Set." Let the sparking begin. --A.T. HurleyRoma! ntic, funny, tender love story about a struggling Cabaret sin! ger who yearns for the days of Audrey Hepburn and Rita Hayworth. Rated PG-13People in movies just don't break out into song and dance often enough anymore--at least that's the sentiment of Anything But Love, a throwback to the Fred & Ginger era. Sweet-voiced redhead Isabel Rose plays an aspiring songbird in present-day Manhattan (in other words, she's a waitress), singing her beloved standards in a dowdy little club and auditioning for the big break. In order to learn piano, she must endure lessons from a cynical slob (Andrew McCarthy), with whom, of course, she strikes sparks. Anyone with an inclination toward old musicals will probably be willing to go the extra mile for this awkward, low-budget offering. It never really takes wing, but does have two attractions: the fresh presence of Isabel Rose (who also co-wrote the script), who's hopelessly lost in the past; and a long roster of standards from the American songbook, which are given the affection they deserve. --Robe! rt HortonRomantic, funny, tender love story about a struggling Cabaret singer who yearns for the days of Audrey Hepburn and Rita Hayworth. Rated PG-13People in movies just don't break out into song and dance often enough anymore--at least that's the sentiment of Anything But Love, a throwback to the Fred & Ginger era. Sweet-voiced redhead Isabel Rose plays an aspiring songbird in present-day Manhattan (in other words, she's a waitress), singing her beloved standards in a dowdy little club and auditioning for the big break. In order to learn piano, she must endure lessons from a cynical slob (Andrew McCarthy), with whom, of course, she strikes sparks. Anyone with an inclination toward old musicals will probably be willing to go the extra mile for this awkward, low-budget offering. It never really takes wing, but does have two attractions: the fresh presence of Isabel Rose (who also co-wrote the script), who's hopelessly lost in the past; and a long roster of sta! ndards from the American songbook, which are given the affecti! on they deserve. --Robert HortonThe conflicted protagonist of Anything but Love, the steamy and sardonic first novel by Gustavo Pérez Firmat (author of the acclaimed Next Year in Cuba) may remind some readers of Peter Tarnopol in Philip Roth’s painful sexual farce My Life as a Man, and others of Bob Slocum in Joseph Heller’s dark corporate satire Something Happened ... but Pérez Firmat has imbued his fiction debut with a Cuban-American flavor uniquely his own.
Some people would call Frank Guerra fussy, even compulsiveâ€"but they’re wrong. He simply believes in perfection. He strives to make every textbook he writes into a work of art, and he intends that every Cuba Libre he mixes come out textbook-perfect. (The key? Exactly six drops of lime juice for each ounce of rum.) And Frank also believes in romantic love.
In fact, he believes in love so strongly that he’s willing to divorce his faithful wife Marta (who’s a real mensch about it), lose his old fri! ends, and even leave behind his adoring daughter Emilyâ€"all for the sake of his new americana, a sedate but supremely sexy schoolteacher named Catherine O’Neal, or Cat for short. But it’s worth all the pain: Cat believes in their love, too.
So why, when he looks deep into Cat’s cool sphinx-like eyes, can Frank never penetrate into her depths? Why does he begin to see only his own gaze reflected there, as if from twin funhouse mirrors? Is she hiding something from himâ€"anything? (Everything, maybe?) Is his Cat merely toying with him? Frank finds the possibility disturbing. He expects his perfect love to be fully and equally reciprocated. After all, in an imperfect, unstable world filled with disappointment, isn’t there any ideal, anything, that’s really worth living for, maybe even dying for? Frank can’t think of anything but love.
Born in Havana, GUSTAVO PÉREZ FIRMAT is the author of the acclaimed, best-selling Next Year in Cuba, published in Span! ish by Arte Público Press as El año que viene estamos en Cub! a, descr ibed by Library Journal as “A fascinating account of a 30-year search for a homeland and a new national identity... Engrossing and full of insights into the Cuban exile community,” and hailed by The Washington Post Book World as “A serious work of literature â€" as well as a ripping good book…[Perez Firmat] offers us an eloquent, amusing, often moving testament of a long moment in the troubled history of two countries.” A professor at Columbia University, he has published numerous nonfiction works and three collections of poetry.
The conflicted protagonist of Anything but Love, the steamy and sardonic first novel by Gustavo Pérez Firmat (author of the acclaimed Next Year in Cuba) may remind some readers of Peter Tarnopol in Philip Roth’s painful sexual farce My Life as a Man, and others of Bob Slocum in Joseph Heller’s dark corporate satire Something Happened ... but Pérez Firmat has imbued his fiction debut with a Cuban-American flavor uniquely his own! .
Some people would call Frank Guerra fussy, even compulsiveâ€"but they’re wrong. He simply believes in perfection. He strives to make every textbook he writes into a work of art, and he intends that every Cuba Libre he mixes come out textbook-perfect. (The key? Exactly six drops of lime juice for each ounce of rum.) And Frank also believes in romantic love.
In fact, he believes in love so strongly that he’s willing to divorce his faithful wife Marta (who’s a real mensch about it), lose his old friends, and even leave behind his adoring daughter Emilyâ€"all for the sake of his new americana, a sedate but supremely sexy schoolteacher named Catherine O’Neal, or Cat for short. But it’s worth all the pain: Cat believes in their love, too.
So why, when he looks deep into Cat’s cool sphinx-like eyes, can Frank never penetrate into her depths? Why does he begin to see only his own gaze reflected there, as if from twin funhouse mirrors? Is she hiding somethi! ng from himâ€"anything? (Everything, maybe?) Is his Cat merely! toying with him? Frank finds the possibility disturbing. He expects his perfect love to be fully and equally reciprocated. After all, in an imperfect, unstable world filled with disappointment, isn’t there any ideal, anything, that’s really worth living for, maybe even dying for? Frank can’t think of anything but love.
Born in Havana, GUSTAVO PÉREZ FIRMAT is the author of the acclaimed, best-selling Next Year in Cuba, published in Spanish by Arte Público Press as El año que viene estamos en Cuba, described by Library Journal as “A fascinating account of a 30-year search for a homeland and a new national identity... Engrossing and full of insights into the Cuban exile community,” and hailed by The Washington Post Book World as “A serious work of literature â€" as well as a ripping good book…[Perez Firmat] offers us an eloquent, amusing, often moving testament of a long moment in the troubled history of two countries.” A professor at Columbia University, he has! published numerous nonfiction works and three collections of poetry.
Import-only compilation from the British duo featuring 15 of their best tracks spanning the years 1985-96. Includes the hit remix versions of 'Missing' and 'Driving', plus Tracey Thorn's vocal offering on Massive Attack's 1995 hit 'Protection' plus 'Apron Strings', 'I Don't Want To Talk About It', 'Each And Everyone', 'Love Is Strange', 'When All's Well' and more. Warner. 1996.The British duo Everything but the Girl (Ben Watt and ex-Marine Girl Tracey Thorn) have gone through two distinct phases in their career--they spent most of it as an acoustic, folky duo with some occasional lounge accompaniment, but after a Todd Terry remix of Amplified Heart's "Missing," they veered toward the dance floor. Best of tries to encapsulate all of that in 15 tracks, and while it brings together many of the essential songs--the remix of "Missing," "Apron Strings," "Rollercoaster," "I Don't Want To Talk A! bout It," and even Thorn's guest vocal on Massive Attack's "Pr! otection "--it also has a lot of holes. There are only 10 tracks from EBTG's entire nine album pre-remix career, and none that feature Watt as vocalist; also missing is Thorn's guest slot on the Style Council's "Paris Match" (from Café Bleu). As a slightly lopsided introduction to EBTG, this collection is fine, but you might do better buying a few albums instead (start with Amplified Heart, Acoustic, and Walking Wounded). --Randy Silver