Days of Glory / Indigenes (Blu-ray)

• Days of Glory (Blu-ray)
• Indigenes blu-ray
• Days of Glory
• Jamel Debbouze,Roschdy Zem
• Sami Bouajila,Samy Naceri

(War/Action) Set during WWII, North African soldiers enlist in the French army and battle their way across Europe to liberate the "fatherland" and confront discrimination.Hype can be a dangerous thing, and the newspaper ads touting Days of Glory (aka Indigenes, French for "Indigenous") as "so powerful it changed the world" are nigh on impossible for any movie to live up to. This one doesn't, but director Rachid Bouchareb's World War II drama still makes for compelling viewing. Confronting the Nazis both in Italy and at home in 1943, the French Army recruits men from Algeria, then a French colony, and other North Africans to help out. Of the film's two principal themes, one, the horrors of war, is nothing new. But the battle scenes are w! ell done; the first major clash, on a bleak Italian hillside, effectively conveys the young Muslims' confusion and abject terror. The second theme is clearly the one that inspired Bouchareb in the first place: the eternal issue of race and discrimination (also explored in 1989's Glory, about black soldiers in the Civil War). Focusing in particular on four Algerians, including Jamel Debbouze as the naïve Saïd and Roschdy Zem as the lovestruck Messaoud, the films depicts how they are denied basics like food, mail delivery, time off, and such, effectively rendering meaningless the French ideal of liberty, equality, and brotherhood. It all culminates in a small town in Alsace, where the four find brief respite before having to face a much larger and better equipped German force (this scene, as well as a final bit in a cemetery, carry heavy echoes of Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan). Bouchareb apparently made Days of Glory at least in part to shame ! the French government into handing over long-frozen pensions t! o surviv ing soldiers and their kin. French president Jacques Chirac finally approved the funds in 2006--apparently after seeing this film. So maybe it did change the world a little after all. --Sam GrahamThe critically acclaimed and Oscar« nominated* war epic Days of Glory (Indigènes) is "a chronicle of courage and sacrificeàtold with power, grace and feeling and brought alive by first-rate acting" (A.O. Scott, The New York Times). Telling the true story of a band of World War II soldiers who heroically fought their way across Europe while battling discrimination within their own ranks, the film was hailed for its "eloquent performances and potent action sequences" (Jan Stuart, Newsday). The Los Angeles Times' Kenneth Turan called it "a North African Saving Private Ryan, a taut, involving film that delivers all the things we look for in war movies."

• TESTED

This funny and touching story centers on Kate a forty-year-old respectable and successful headmistress in a small English village who gets together with her single friends Molly a doctor and Janie a local police detective every Monday to drink eat chocolate and decide who is the Saddest of the Week. Things start to turn displeasing between the three friends when Kate begins an affair with Jed a sexy 25-year old ex-pupil and is no longer the Saddest of the Week!System Requirements: Running Time 122 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: MYSTERY/SUSPENSE Rating: R UPC: 043396079021 Manufacturer No: 07902At first Crush seems to be merely the latest film to portray a clique of boozy, trash-talking women as part of a larger, liberated sisterhood worthy of celebration if not admiration. The lighthearted comedy abruptly detours, however, to expose vicious jealousies with brutal, unexpected co! nsequences. A trio of single women in their 40s, Kate, Janine, and Molly (Andie MacDowell, Imelda Stanton, and Anna Chancellor) engage in a weekly ritual of gin, cigarettes, and joyous male sniping that despite its occasional glimpses of bare insecurity is all good "girl" fun. But when Kate, headmistress at the local school, takes up with a former student (Kenny Doughty) nearly 20 years younger and falls wildly in love, her closest friends, rather than embrace a true departure from social mores, plan instead to sabotage Kate's happiness and bring her to her senses. In one of the most inexplicable twists you're likely to see in a comedy, Janine and Molly's ploy takes an unexpectedly lethal turn, and Crush goes from amusing, if predictable, to downright nasty, and then back to end on a happy note. The effect is provocative, though perhaps unintended. --Fionn Meade

Fresh off the most challenging case of her career, The 7th Victim heroine and reno! wned FBI profiler Karen Vail returns in an explosive thriller ! set agai nst the backdrop of California’s wine country.

Hoping to find solace from the demons that haunt her, Vail makes her first trip to the Napa Valley. But shortly after arriving, a victim is found in the deepest reaches of an exclusive wine cave, the work of an extraordinarily unpredictable serial killer. From the outset, Vail is frustrated by her inability to profile the offenderâ€"until she realizes why: the Behavioral Analysis Unit has not previously encountered a killer like him.

As Vail and the task force work around the clock to identify and locate him, they’re caught in a web knotted with secretive organizations, a decades-long feud between prominent wine families, and widespread corruption that leads Vail to wonder whom, if anyone, she can trust. Meanwhile, as the victim count rises, Vail can't shake the gnawing sense that something isn't right.

With the killer’s actions threatening the Napa Valley’s multi-billion dollar industry, the stakes have never been! greater, and the race to find the killer never more urgent.

And through it all, a surprise lurks…one that Karen Vail never sees coming.

Meticulously researched during years of work with the FBI profiling unit and extensive interviews with wine industry professionals, bestselling author Alan Jacobson delivers a high-velocity thriller featuring the kind of edge-of-your-seat ending that inspired Nelson DeMille to call him "a hell of a writer."

A precocious and obsessive teenager develops a crush on a naive writer with harrowing consequences. Alicia Silverstone and Cary Elwes star in "a top-notch thriller.

Richard Siken’s Crush, selected as the 2004 winner of the Yale Younger Poets prize, is a powerful collection of poems driven by obsession. Siken writes with ferocity, and his reader hurtles unstoppably with him. His poetry is confessional, gay, savage, and charged with violent eroticism.

In her introduction to the book, competition jud! ge Louise Glück hails the “cumulative, driving, apocalyptic! power, [and] purgatorial recklessness” of Siken’s poems. She notes, “Books of this kind dream big. . . . They restore to poetry that sense of crucial moment and crucial utterance which may indeed be the great genius of the form.”

Australian pressing includes two bonus tracks on the first CD, 'I Could Make A Living Out Of Lovin' You' & 'Neurotica' in addition to the Japanese bonus disc recorded live in Osaka, featuring 6 tracks, 'Runaway', 'Mystery Train', 'Rockin' In The Free World', 'Just Older', 'It's My Life' & 'Someday I'll Be Saturday Night'. 20 tracks in all. 2000 release. Slimline double jewel case.The growling, choppy guitar sample that opens the first track here, "It's My Life," is a virtual declaration of intent for the first Bon Jovi album in five years, a statement that they're updating the sound without abandoning the traditional virtues that made them one of the biggest bands on the planet. So make way for a hi-tech parade of smooth-but-gutsy ro! ck anthems, almost any one of which will gladden the heart of every AOR radio programmer in the land. Unless the world has changed irredeemably, cuts like the midpaced heartbreak chugger "Say It Isn't So" are destined to become Bon Jovi standards, while an outbreak of scarf-waving and lighter-flicking is certain to accompany any live performance of the big weepie, "Thank You For Loving Me." Arguably, everything on Crush is done by the numbers, but with consummate pros like Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora at the helm, these are the kind of numbers you have to take seriously, because by the second time they kick into the chorus of any song it's damn near impossible not to sing along. --Johnny Black

0 comments

Emperor Penguin Chicks Boxed Christmas Cards, 12 Cards

• Inside greeting: Season's Greetings
• 12 full color 4.75 x 6.75 inch christmas cards with 13 envelopes
• A portion of the proceeds from these holiday cards supports the Sierra Club
• Printed on recycled paper with soy based inks

A teacher at an all-boys prep school makes a rebellious student his main focus.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 21-JUN-2005
Media Type: DVDComparisons to Dead Poets Society are inevitable, but The Emperor's Club achieves a rich identity all its own. In the honorable tradition of great teacher dramas like Goodbye, Mr. Chips, Kevin Kline is well cast as Mr. Hundert, longtime teacher of classics and assistant headmaster of St. Benedict's Academy for Boys. There he encounters a defiant student and senator's son (Emile Hirsch) who desperately needs--but ultimately rejects--H! undert's lessons on leadership, integrity, and the shaping of character. Adapted from Ethan Canin's short story "The Palace Thief," the film is conventional to a fault, its flashback structure unfolding in Hollywood shorthand. But its noble sentiments remain potently intact, allowing Kline a performance of great emotional nuance while imparting lessons of universal value. "This is a story with no surprises," as Hundert says, but The Emperor's Club may surprise you with its admirable portrait of a life well lived. --Jeff ShannonBased upon Ethan Canin's short story "The Palace Thief," this movie stars Oscar®-winner Kevin Kline as William Hundert, a passionate and disciplined classics professor who finds his tightly-controlled world altered when a new student challenges his principles, resulting in a life lesson that will still haunt him 25 years later. Directed by Michael Hoffman, the film stars Kevin Kline, Steven Culp, Embeth Davidtz, Patrick Dempsey, Joel Gr! etsch, Edward Herrmann, Emile Hirsch, Rob Morrow, and Harris Y! ulin. In the Newmarket Shooting Script® format, this book includes the complete screenplay, movie stills, production notes, and cast and crew credits. 25 b/w photos.This is the most talked about fiction debut in years: a large, suspense-laden thriller that is also a novel of brilliantly astute social observation focusing on two fascinating worlds: that of the New York-Washington black upper middle class, and the complex world of an Ivy League law school. Judge Oliver Garland has just died in suspicious circumstances. Conservative and famously controversial, Garland has made many enemies. Many years ago, he'd earned a judge's highest prize: a Supreme Court nomination. But in a scene of bitter humiliation in front of a televised audience and before the eyes of his family, he had to withdraw his nomination. It was a national scandal, and a private agony, one from which he never recovered. Now, years later, the judge's death raises even more questions than his life did and seems to be ! leading to a second, even more terrible scandal. Could he have been murdered? He has left a strange message for his son Talcott, a professor at an elite Ivy League law school - entrusting him with 'the arrangements' - a mysterious puzzle that only Tal can unlock, and only by unearthing the ambiguities of his father's turbulent past. When another man is found dead, and then another, Talcott must risk life, marriage and reputation, following the clues his father left him. Intricate, superbly written, often scathingly funny, "The Emperor of Ocean Park" is a triumphant work of fiction, a brilliantly crafted tapestry of ambition, family secrets, murder, and justice gone terribly wrong.A complex, smart mystery filled with intrigue, drama, and more than a little danger awaits in Stephen L. Carter's engaging debut novel, The Emperor of Ocean Park. After the funeral of his powerful father (a federal judge whose nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court became a public scandal! ), Talcott Garland, an African American law professor at an I! vy Leagu e university, is left to unravel the meaning of a cryptic note and carry out "the arrangements" his father left behind. Armed with fortitude and familial devotion--though paranoid of his wife's fidelity--Talcott soon finds himself in an investigation that entangles him with a number of questionable Washington, D.C., denizens, including attorneys and government officials, law professors, the FBI, shady underworld figures, chess masters, and friends and family. All the while Talcott tries not to hurt his attorney wife's chance for a judicial nomination--and their fragile marriage--but the closer he comes to unraveling his father's dark secrets, the more dangerous things become.

Clocking in at over 650 pages, the novel could easily have been streamlined; many of Talcott's thoughts are unnecessarily repeated. But Carter's storytelling skills are adept: tension builds, surprises are genuine, clues are not handed out freely. The prose, while somewhat meanderin! g, can be crisp and insightful, as demonstrated in Carter's description of the misguided paths of young attorneys who sacrifice

all on the altar of career... at last arriving... at their cherished career goals, partnerships, professorships, judgeships, whatever kind of ships they dream of sailing, and then looking around at the angry, empty waters and realizing that they have arrived with nothing, absolutely nothing, and wondering what to do with the rest of their wretched lives.

--Michael Ferch Barbie and Kira are in the beautiful Japanese city of Kyoto, making a movie about the ancient tea ceremony. But when mysterious messages appear, Barbie must piece together the clues and mend an old family feud. The best part, for Barbie, about solving a mystery is getting the chance to help others!!A teacher at an all-boys prep school makes a rebellious student his main focus.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: PG13
R! elease Date: 21-JUN-2005
Media Type: DVDComparis! ons to < I>Dead Poets Society are inevitable, but The Emperor's Club achieves a rich identity all its own. In the honorable tradition of great teacher dramas like Goodbye, Mr. Chips, Kevin Kline is well cast as Mr. Hundert, longtime teacher of classics and assistant headmaster of St. Benedict's Academy for Boys. There he encounters a defiant student and senator's son (Emile Hirsch) who desperately needs--but ultimately rejects--Hundert's lessons on leadership, integrity, and the shaping of character. Adapted from Ethan Canin's short story "The Palace Thief," the film is conventional to a fault, its flashback structure unfolding in Hollywood shorthand. But its noble sentiments remain potently intact, allowing Kline a performance of great emotional nuance while imparting lessons of universal value. "This is a story with no surprises," as Hundert says, but The Emperor's Club may surprise you with its admirable portrait of a life well lived. --Jeff Shannon! Hollywood has created a virtual minigenre by portraying ceaselessly dedicated, if sometimes flawed, teachers goading their troublesome young charges to greatness (see also Stand and Deliver, Mr. Holland's Opus, and Dead Poet's Society). But director Michael Hoffman's tale crucially turns when its prestigious prep school teacher (Kevin Kline) ensnares himself in a moral dilemma while stoking the virtual Ivy League assembly line he toils for. Thus James Newton Howard's score sparkles with the intelligence implied by its modern orchestral pastoralism, yet comes haunted with a bittersweet emotional undercurrent as well. It's the sort of deceptively breezy, yet fragile balance that Rachel Portman employed in The Cider House Rules and elsewhere to great effect, toughened up and distanced with a little of Horner's A Beautiful Mind minimalist bent; in Howard's capable hands, it's a successful and ever-compelling mix. --Jerry McCulley Compar! isons to Dead Poets Society are inevitable, but The ! Emperor' s Club achieves a rich identity all its own. In the honorable tradition of great teacher dramas like Goodbye, Mr. Chips, Kevin Kline is well cast as Mr. Hundert, longtime teacher of classics and assistant headmaster of St. Benedict's Academy for Boys. There he encounters a defiant student and senator's son (Emile Hirsch) who desperately needs--but ultimately rejects--Hundert's lessons on leadership, integrity, and the shaping of character. Adapted from Ethan Canin's short story "The Palace Thief," the film is conventional to a fault, its flashback structure unfolding in Hollywood shorthand. But its noble sentiments remain potently intact, allowing Kline a performance of great emotional nuance while imparting lessons of universal value. "This is a story with no surprises," as Hundert says, but The Emperor's Club may surprise you with its admirable portrait of a life well lived. --Jeff ShannonPhotograph by Daisy Gilardini. A portion of the proceeds fro! m the sale of this product supports the Sierra Club. Inside message is Season's Greetings. Includes 12 cards and 13 envelopes.

DIVORCING JACK ORIGINAL MOVIE POSTER

• 30X40 UK QUAD
• DESCRIPTION:  Authentic original (or specified high quality reproduction) one-sheet movie poster.
• SIZE: Approx 27x40 inches unless otherwise stated.

An adulterous fling with a anonymous woman who is soon found murdered plunges Belfast journalist Dan Starkey into the district's violent politics, as his search for the woman's killer leads him into the highest reaches of power. A first novel.In Colin Bateman's first novel, Divorcing Jack, a witty Belfast newspaper columnist named Dan Starkey gets drunk, falls in lust, and finds himself helplessly mired in trouble with his wife and the law. Shortly after Starkey's wife catches him in the arms of another woman, that woman is murdered and Starkey becomes the prime suspect. Turns out the deceased woman was related to an important political figure, and now thugs from several of Northern Ireland's factions a! re out to get Starkey. The columnist decides he must track down the killer in order to clear his own name. During the investigation, he uncovers a scandal that could potentially alter the outcome of the next national election--and destroy the country's hopes for peace.

Mostly though, this thriller chronicles the beleaguered journalist's lame efforts to stay out of trouble. Starkey isn't exactly a man of action; in fact, he's a likable character partly because he knows he's a weak man. Late in the book, Starkey sums up his predicament: "The world was still after me, Patricia was still missing, I was still a killer on the run, and I had a disturbing tendency to burst into tears, but I wasn't going to let little things like that get me down." He copes with stress by 1) drinking too much and 2) making jokes. When a nun in a miniature car saves Starkey from a hail of gunfire, for instance, he spends a few moments wondering what the proper name of her headgear! is and decides to call it a Godpiece. Dan Starkey makes an e! ntertain ing guide to war-torn Northern Ireland, even while he discovers again and again that the pen is not mightier than the sword. --Jill MarquisDan Starkey is a young journalist in Belfast, who shares with his wife, Patricia, a prodigious appetite for drinking and dancing. Then Dan meets Margaret, a beautiful and apparently impoverished student, and things begin to get out of hand. And then, terrifyingly, Margaret is murdered. Is it because of her liaison with Dan? Is it because she was not exactly who she claimed to be? Is it the IRA? A Protestant extremist group? A jealous lover? Before long, Dan is a target himself, running as fast as he can in a race against time to crack the mystery and save his marriage.Australia released, PAL/Region 0 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), SPECIAL FEATURES: Interactive Menu, Scene Access, SYNOPSIS: Black romantic! comedy set around the troubled 'peace process' and its effect on a cynical Belfast hack. SCREENED/AWARDED AT: British Independent Film Awards, Fantasporto Awards, ...Divorcing JackPRODUCT DESCRIPTION: At Moviestore we have an unbeatable range of both original and classic high quality reproduction movie posters. Movie poster art is a wonderful collectible item and great for home or office decor. We have been in business for 16 years so you can buy with confidence. Our guarantee - if you are not fully satisfied with your purchase from Moviestore we will gladly refund your money.

Be Cool About Fire Safety

• Learn valuable fire safety lessons

Starring an unbelievably hip all-star cast, including John Travolta, Uma Thurman, André 3000, Steven Tyler and The Rock, and bursting with the hottest music in the biz, Be Cool is the wildly hilarious tale about a gangster turned music mogul and what it takes to be number one with a bullet. When Chili Palmer (Travolta) decides to try his hand in the music industry, he romances thesultry widow (Thurman) of a recently whacked music exec, poaches a hot young singer (Christina Milian) from a rival label and discovers that the record industry is packin' a whole lot more than a tune!Be Cool takes its own advice: It's slick, Hollywood entertainment that kills two amusing hours with relative ease and comfort. Better than leftovers but not as tasty as a full-course meal, this sequel to 1995's hit comedy Get Shorty (and based on Elmore Leonard's 1999 s! equel novel) finds former loan shark Chili Palmer (John Travolta) itching to get out of the movie business, so he hooks up with a newly widowed music executive (Uma Thurman) to launch the career of an up-'n-coming Beyoncé-like singer (newcomer Christina Milian). A mock-black manager (Vince Vaughn), his sleazy boss (Harvey Keitel), and an upscale gangsta-rap executive (Cedric the Entertainer) all have a competing stake in the fast-rising pop diva's future, and this sets the plot rolling in a fun but rather hand-me-down fashion that lacks the savvy panache of Get Shorty but still provides plenty of lightweight humor. The Rock and Outkast's André Benjamin provide the best laughs in supporting roles that effortlessly relieve the movie from the symptoms of sequelitis. --Jeff ShannonStudio: Tcfhe/mgm Release Date: 07/05/2011 Rating: Pg13Starring an unbelievably hip all-star cast, including John Travolta, Uma Thurman, André 3000, Steven Tyler and The Rock, and b! ursting with the hottest music in the biz, Be Cool is the wild! ly hilar ious tale about a gangster turned music mogul and what it takes to be number one with a bullet. When Chili Palmer (Travolta) decides to try his hand in the music industry, he romances thesultry widow (Thurman) of a recently whacked music exec, poaches a hot young singer (Christina Milian) from a rival label and discovers that the record industry is packin' a whole lot more than a tune!Be Cool takes its own advice: It's slick, Hollywood entertainment that kills two amusing hours with relative ease and comfort. Better than leftovers but not as tasty as a full-course meal, this sequel to 1995's hit comedy Get Shorty (and based on Elmore Leonard's 1999 sequel novel) finds former loan shark Chili Palmer (John Travolta) itching to get out of the movie business, so he hooks up with a newly widowed music executive (Uma Thurman) to launch the career of an up-'n-coming Beyoncé-like singer (newcomer Christina Milian). A mock-black manager (Vince Vaughn), his sleazy boss! (Harvey Keitel), and an upscale gangsta-rap executive (Cedric the Entertainer) all have a competing stake in the fast-rising pop diva's future, and this sets the plot rolling in a fun but rather hand-me-down fashion that lacks the savvy panache of Get Shorty but still provides plenty of lightweight humor. The Rock and Outkast's André Benjamin provide the best laughs in supporting roles that effortlessly relieve the movie from the symptoms of sequelitis. --Jeff ShannonDisc 1: GET SHORTY Disc 2: BE COOLGolden Globe(r) winner* John Travolta leads an all-star cast in the hysterical comedy thatTime calls "smart, shrewdly crafted [and] hilarious!" Loan shark Chili Palmer (Travolta) is bored with the business. So when he arrives in LA to collect a debt from down-and-out filmmaker Harry Zimm (Gene Hackman), Chili talks tough...and then pitches Harry a script idea. Immediately, Chili is swept into the Hollywood scene: He schmoozes film star Martin Weir (Danny DeVito! ), romances B-movie queen Karen Flores (Rene Russo) and even g! ets rese rvations at the hottest restaurants intown. In fact, all would be smooth for this cool new producer, if it weren't for the drug smugglersand the angry mobster who won't leave him alone! *1996: Actor (Comedy)Get ShortyHailed by many critics as one of the best films of 1995, this finely tuned black comedy sparked a renewed interest in movies based on books by prolific crime novelist Elmore Leonard, whose trademark combination of tight plotting and sharp humor is perfectly captured here. After the success of Pulp Fiction, John Travolta continued his meteoric comeback as Chili Palmer, a Mob "mechanic" whose latest assignment takes him to Los Angeles, where his fascination with the movie business turns into a new career as a would-be movie producer. He pitches ideas with a sleazy producer (Gene Hackman) and a major star (Danny DeVito), and also finds time to deal with a vengeful Mobster (Dennis Farina) and assorted Hollywood types (including Renee Russo and Delroy Lindo) ! who all want their piece of a tempting show-biz pie. The plot unfolds with enticing precision, but it's really Elmore's snappy dialogue--and the performances that bring it to life--that make this one of the best comedies of the 1990s. --Jeff Shannon

First Sunday : Widescreen Edition

• Widescreen

Ice Cube and Tracy Morgan are two thieves who haven't got a prayer in First Sunday, a sinfully, funny comedy co-starring Katt Williams and Chi McBride. Sentenced to 5,000 hours of community service, Durell Jefferson's (Cube) life quickly goes from bad to worse. Realizing that the Lord helps those who help themselves, he eventually decides to help himself to the neighborhood church's building fund. Accompanied by his dimwitted partner-in-crime LeeJohn (Morgan), the two down-on-their-luck men are dismayed to discover the cash has already been stolen, so they hold the congregation hostage in a Hail Mary attempt to learn who amongst the righteous has already run away with their loot! Also starring Tiffany New York Pollard, Rickey Smiley, Loretta Devine and Malinda Williams.Ice Cube continues his winning streak as a likeable everyman in family movies with First Sunday, an ! initially silly, disposable comedy that picks up emotional power and authenticity by the second act. Cube plays ne’er-do-well Durell, an out-of-work Baltimore dad who needs over $17,000 to keep his ex from taking their son with her to Atlanta for good. Desperate to raise the cash but hamstrung by his self-defeating attitude and the criminal antics of his goofy sidekick, LeeJohn (Tracy Morgan), Durell gives in to temptation and decides he and LeeJohn should rob a church. The crime goes badly when it turns out a number of parishioners are in the building at the time, and a hostage situation develops. Events take a twist when the would-be thieves become the beneficiaries of Christian charity and forgiveness from the men and women they’ve kidnapped, and a bigger criminal is revealed in the congregation’s mix. A terrific supporting cast including Michael Beach, Chi McBride, Keith David, Malinda Williams, Loretta Devine, and Katt Williams bring strong humor and dignity to t! he film’s latter half, compensating for some unpleasant miss! teps (a pointless scene at a massage parlor) earlier in the story. Writer-director David E. Talbert is especially sharp during a spirited, gospel performance scene, which simply crackles on screen. --Tom KeoghIce Cube and Tracy Morgan are two thieves who haven't got a prayer in First Sunday, a sinfully, funny comedy co-starring Katt Williams and Chi McBride. Sentenced to 5,000 hours of community service, Durell Jefferson's (Cube) life quickly goes from bad to worse. Realizing that the Lord helps those who help themselves, he eventually decides to help himself to the neighborhood church's building fund. Accompanied by his dimwitted partner-in-crime LeeJohn (Morgan), the two down-on-their-luck men are dismayed to discover the cash has already been stolen, so they hold the congregation hostage in a Hail Mary attempt to learn who amongst the righteous has already run away with their loot! Also starring Tiffany New York Pollard, Rickey Smiley, Loretta Devine and Malinda Wil! liams.Ice Cube continues his winning streak as a likeable everyman in family movies with First Sunday, an initially silly, disposable comedy that picks up emotional power and authenticity by the second act. Cube plays ne’er-do-well Durell, an out-of-work Baltimore dad who needs over $17,000 to keep his ex from taking their son with her to Atlanta for good. Desperate to raise the cash but hamstrung by his self-defeating attitude and the criminal antics of his goofy sidekick, LeeJohn (Tracy Morgan), Durell gives in to temptation and decides he and LeeJohn should rob a church. The crime goes badly when it turns out a number of parishioners are in the building at the time, and a hostage situation develops. Events take a twist when the would-be thieves become the beneficiaries of Christian charity and forgiveness from the men and women they’ve kidnapped, and a bigger criminal is revealed in the congregation’s mix. A terrific supporting cast including Michael Beach, ! Chi McBride, Keith David, Malinda Williams, Loretta Devine, an! d Katt W illiams bring strong humor and dignity to the film’s latter half, compensating for some unpleasant missteps (a pointless scene at a massage parlor) earlier in the story. Writer-director David E. Talbert is especially sharp during a spirited, gospel performance scene, which simply crackles on screen. --Tom KeoghMartin Lawrence leads an all-star cast, including Cedric the Entertainer, Mo'Nique, and Mike Epps, in the hit comedy Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins. When a celebrated TV show host (Lawrence) returns to his hometown in the South, his family is there to remind him that going home is no vacation! It's one outrageous predicament after another when big-city attitude and small-town values collide in this hysterical comedy critics are praising for its "over-the-top hilarity!" (Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel)While its story might sound terribly interesting, Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins is largely a vehicle for gross-out sight gags and grotesque performances by perfo! rmers who, in many cases, don't need to do such things. Martin Lawrence stars as R.J. Stevens, a successful, Jerry Springer-like, television talk show host who sets aside his perfect life with a sweet son (Damani Roberts) and celebrity girlfriend (Joy Bryant) to attend his parents' golden wedding anniversary back home in Georgia. From the moment he arrives, all the reasons R.J. left to reinvent himself on the West Coast become clear. His siblings and cousins (Mike Epps, Mo'Nique, Michael Clarke Duncan, Cedric the Entertainer) quickly put him in his place, reminding him that his name is actually Roscoe Jenkins. His sweet mother (Margaret Avery) watches impassively while R.J.'s dad (James Earl Jones) strikes one disapproving note after another. R.J. would be content to wait out the anniversary events and go home, but the arrival of a woman (Nicole Ari Parker) he loved but couldn't keep during his adolescence changes everything, bringing out the competitive survivor within. Wr! itten and directed by Malcolm D. Lee (Undercover Brother), W elcome Home Roscoe Jenkins promises rich comedy and dramatic flavorings, as well as a bunch of delightful actors doing what only they can do best. But Lee subverts the project for cheap and easy laughs, using his best material to do little else than bridge scenes of bad slapstick, bestial perversity, clownish sex and irritating, motormouth rants from the likes of Mo'Nique and Epps. This a hard movie to sit through at 114 minutes, one of those what-were-they-thinking-when-they-made-this films. --Tom Keogh

Beyond Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins on DVD

Get the Soundtrack

More Martin Lawrence

More Comedies from Universal Studios

Stills from Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins (Click for larger image)

Fran Drescher, Charles Shaughnessy, Daniel Davis, Lauren Lane, Nicholle Tom, Benjamin Salisbury, Madeline Zima, and Renee Taylor star in this hilarious sitcom about the nanny with the face from Vogue and the voice from Queens. This DVD collection includes all 24 episodes from the first season of this hilarious show. F! ran Drescher stars in her defining role as street-smart Fran Fine, a diva down-on-her-luck who finds herself hired for a job she never even applied for! Now, she's the nanny for a rich, sophisticated family in Manhattan, and when this blue-collar girl from the block moves in with the blue blood, widowed Broadway producer and his three children, comedy is red hot!Sony brings to DVD the first season of this one-of-a-kind sitcom starring Fran Drescher as the warm-hearted, nasal-voiced nanny from Queens who lands a job caring for three children of a wealthy, widowed Broadway producer from Manhattan. During the show’s six-year run (1993-1999), Drescher dazzles as Fran Fine in a role she created and developed (as writer and producer in several episodes) and obviously relishes, whether she’s flirting, whining, sparring, or showcasing her sensational wardrobe. The three-disc collection features 22 episodes beginning with "The Pilot," when Fran knocks on the Sheffield’s door a! nd is mistakenly hired as their new nanny, establishing the sh! ow’s s htick of "blue collar meets blue blood." Immediate chemistry between Nanny Fine and Maxwell Sheffield (Charles Shaughnessy, "Days of Our Lives") fuels the storylines while the sarcastic repartee of Sheffield’s assistant, C.C. Babcock (Lauren Lane) and Niles the Butler (Daniel Davis) further ignites the entertainment. Season highlights include "The Butler, the Husband, the Wife, and Her Mother," when the family enters a parallel universe in a hilarious turn of events; and "Imaginary Friend," the season’s turning point where Drescher’s physical comedy (inspired by Lucille Ball) is given free reign. Celebrity guests include Carol Channing, Cloris Leachman, and Patti LaBelle (in the finale). Don’t miss the bonus material: a heartwarming "making-of" retrospective with the cast, and Drescher’s audio commentary during "I Don’t Remember Mama." Mild profanity and sexual innuendo. (Ages 12 and older) --Lynn GibsonMore than a quarter of a century after his death, dir! ector Mario Bava remains one of international cinema’s most controversial icons. Today his influence â€" marked by stunning visuals, daring sexuality and shocking violence â€" can still be seen in the works of Martin Scorsese, David Lynch, Tim Burton, Dario Argento and countless others in a legacy that extends far beyond the horror genre. This collection brings together 5 landmark movies from the first half of Bava’s career â€" encompassing the original giallo, a bold Viking epic, and his three gothic horror masterpieces â€" featuring new transfers, original European versions, and exclusive featurettes to create the definitive celebration of one of the most important filmmakers of all time.Five of Mario Bava's best films are included in this box set, minus his forays into eroticism, like Blood and Black Lace. Still, the lines between sexual pathos and violence blur in these selections that influenced not only other famed directors of Giallo, such as Dario Argento! and Lucio Fulci, but also spawned the American golden age in ! horror, led by directors such as John Carpenter. Three black and white films here exemplify Bava's trademark use of chiaroscuro mixed with suspense-building cinematography first developed in early horror classics like Nosferatu and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. In the Hitchcock-inspired Evil Eye (1963), tourist Nora Davis (Leticia Roman) witnesses a murder but can't convince police of the crime. Kill Baby Kill! (1966) is the prototype for all little girl-ghost films. Dr. Paul Eswai (Giacomo Rossi-Stuart) is recruited to solve the mystery of Villa Graps, where Baroness Graps (Giana Vivaldi) reanimates her dead daughter, Melissa, by killing innocent villagers. In Black Sunday (1960), the witch Princess Asa Vajda comes back from the dead to inhabit her look-alike, Katia, both played by Barbara Steele, the original femme fatale to which all brunette vamps, like Soledad Miranda (Vampyros Lesbos) and Elvira, are indebted.

In Technicolor, Bava'! s fantastically rainbow-lit films underpin the director's fascination with connections between our world and those imagined. Black Sabbath (1963) is a trilogy hosted by Boris Karloff, who also stars as a Russian vampire in its segment, "The Wurdalak." "The Telephone," and "The Drop of Water," in which a nurse, Helen Correy (Jacqueline Pierreux), steals a ring then fears that her dead medium patient seeks revenge, are acute studies of guilt and paranoia. The Viking saga, Knives of the Avenger (1966), like Bava's Hercules in the Haunted World, spawned several sword and sorcery films, while protagonist Rurik's (Cameron Mitchell's) knife-throwing is indeed entertaining. Screened back to back, these films provide evidence of Bava's influence in the horror genre. Moreover, they reveal Bava's deep understanding of horror's many facets, whether sexually, psychologically, or physically based. â€"Trinie Dalton.Why have more than 20 million Christians fled ! Arab countries in the past 20 years? Why have Christians fled ! the holy city of Bethlehem in Palestinian-controlled territories? Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Pierre Rehov explores this little-reported Christian exodus created by Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the dismal failures of economies in the region, and the increasingly repressive Islamic rule and religious persecution.Ice Cube and Tracy Morgan are two thieves who haven't got a prayer in First Sunday, a sinfully, funny comedy co-starring Katt Williams and Chi McBride. Sentenced to 5,000 hours of community service, Durell Jefferson's (Cube) life quickly goes from bad to worse. Realizing that the Lord helps those who help themselves, he eventually decides to help himself to the neighborhood church's building fund. Accompanied by his dimwitted partner-in-crime LeeJohn (Morgan), the two down-on-their-luck men are dismayed to discover the cash has already been stolen, so they hold the congregation hostage in a Hail Mary attempt to learn who amongst the righteous has already run away ! with their loot! Also starring Tiffany New York Pollard, Rickey Smiley, Loretta Devine and Malinda Williams.Ice Cube continues his winning streak as a likeable everyman in family movies with First Sunday, an initially silly, disposable comedy that picks up emotional power and authenticity by the second act. Cube plays ne’er-do-well Durell, an out-of-work Baltimore dad who needs over $17,000 to keep his ex from taking their son with her to Atlanta for good. Desperate to raise the cash but hamstrung by his self-defeating attitude and the criminal antics of his goofy sidekick, LeeJohn (Tracy Morgan), Durell gives in to temptation and decides he and LeeJohn should rob a church. The crime goes badly when it turns out a number of parishioners are in the building at the time, and a hostage situation develops. Events take a twist when the would-be thieves become the beneficiaries of Christian charity and forgiveness from the men and women they’ve kidnapped, and a bigger ! criminal is revealed in the congregation’s mix. A terrific s! upportin g cast including Michael Beach, Chi McBride, Keith David, Malinda Williams, Loretta Devine, and Katt Williams bring strong humor and dignity to the film’s latter half, compensating for some unpleasant missteps (a pointless scene at a massage parlor) earlier in the story. Writer-director David E. Talbert is especially sharp during a spirited, gospel performance scene, which simply crackles on screen. --Tom Keoghdvd

P90X: Tony Horton's 90-Day Extreme Home Fitness Workout DVD Program

• Get lean, bulk up, or grow stronger, with an endless variety of mix-and-match routines to keep you motivated
• Muscle Confusion technique accelerates the results process by constantly introducing new moves and routines so your body never plateaus
• Collection of 12 highly diverse and intense DVD workouts
• Also includes comprehensive three-phase nutrition plan, specially designed supplement options
• Personal trainer Tony Horton will keep you engaged every step of the way

Four life-long friends (Hamilton, Basco, Buckley, Browning) set off on one last "road trip" adventure before settling down into adulthood. Ever since they were kids, they had shared a love for the extreme sports, and so after graduating from college, they pack up their Joyota (part Jeep, part Toyota, but mostly Volkswagen) and set off on the road trip of a lifetime along the West coast. Along the way,! they seek thrills and adventure participating in various extreme sports, but they also end up discovering themselves. While there is not an overt Christian message, it does portray teens living their lives with Christian principles in "extreme days." This video is the perfect blend of popular Christian music, adventure, humor, and thrills, as it gives hope and encouragement to a generation in search of truth.Tired of ineffective workouts that sound great but produce less-than-optimal results? Turn to the P90X Extreme Home Fitness system, a bundle of 12 sweat-inducing, muscle-pumping workouts designed to transform your body from regular to ripped in just 90 days. Hosted by personal trainer Tony Horton, the series of DVDs will help you get lean, bulk up, or grow stronger, with an endless variety of mix-and-match routines to keep you motivated. The secret behind the P90X system is an advanced training technique called "muscle confusion," which accelerates the fitness process ! by constantly introducing new moves and routines so that your ! body nev er plateaus and you never get bored. The more you confuse the muscle, the harder your body has to work to keep up. And the more variety you put into your workout, the better and faster your results will be. By breaking old routines and opening new doors, secondary and tertiary muscles are constantly being activated and developed.

In addition to the 12 DVD workouts, the P90X comes with a comprehensive three-phase nutrition plan, specially designed supplement options, a detailed fitness guide packed with valuable information on how to get the most from your program, a How to Bring It DVD that provides a quick overview of the system, a calendar to track your progress, online peer support, and much more.

The DVD Workouts
Each of the 12 highly diverse and intense DVD workouts focuses on either a specific set of muscle groups or a unique training technique.

• Workout One: Chest & Back. This superset chest-and-back-blasting workout emphasizes two classic upper-body exercises--push-ups and pull-ups--to build strength and develop shape. The combination of these two push and pull movements will help you burn loads of calories while simultaneously attacking, strengthening, and developing multiple muscle groups.

• Workout Two: Plyometrics. Get ready to go airborne. Offering more 30 explosive jumping moves, this intense cardio routine will keep you in the air most of the time. Plyometrics, also known as jump training, has been proven to dramatically improve athletic performance. If your sport involves a ring, rink, field, court, or! track, this training will give you the edge. Just be prepared! to "bri ng it" for a full hour when you leap into this workout, because there is no letting up.

• Workout Three: Shoulders & Arms. Nothing rounds out the perfect physique like a pair of well-defined arms and shoulders, and with its potent combination of pressing, curling, and fly movements, this routine will leave you feeling stronger and looking sexier. Whether you want to build muscle mass or just slim and tighten what you've already got, these targeted shoulder and arm exercises will give you the results you want.

• Workout Four: Yoga X. Yoga is a vital part of any fitness regimen, and is an absolute must for an extreme program like P90X. This routine combines strength, balance, coordination, flexibility, and breath work to enhance your physique and calm your mind. Yoga X will leave you feeling energized, invigorated, and maybe even a little enlightened.

• Workout Five: Legs & Back. Get ready to squat, lunge, and pull for a total-body workou! t like no other. While the main focus of this workout lies in strengthening and developing the leg muscles (quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves), there are also a handful of great pull-up exercises to give your legs a quick breather while you work the upper body.

• Workout Six: Kenpo X. Kenpo X was created to give P90X users a high-intensity cardiovascular workout packed with lots of punching and kicking combinations to improve balance, endurance, flexibility, and coordination. During this workout you'll learn some of the most effective ways to defend yourself, while at the same time getting your body in peak condition.

• Workout Seven: X Stretch. Stretching is the one thing that will help you achieve a higher level of athleticism over a longer period of time. The X Stretch routine is an integral part of the program, as it helps prevent injuries and avoid plateaus. The extensive full-body stretches that make up this routine use disciplines from K! enpo karate, hatha yoga, and various sports to ensure that you! r body i s fully prepared to meet all P90X challenges head-on.

• Workout Eight: Core Synergistics. Each and every exercise in the Core Synergistics workout recruits multiple muscle groups to build and support the core (lumbar spine and trunk muscles), while at the same time conditioning your body from head to toe. Loaded with a variety of fun, unique, and challenging exercises, this routine will get you moving in all directions to maximize your P90X results.

• Workout Nine: Chest, Shoulders, & Triceps. Packed with an array of moves that target both large and small muscles, this workout will do wonders for your upper body. In just one full sequence you'll get a healthy dose of presses, flys, and extensions to push you to the brink. The results will be a stronger, leaner, and highly defined upper torso that will leave you looking awesome, with or without a shirt.

• Workout 10: Back & Biceps. With a host of curls and pull-ups, this routine will mak! e it fun to flex those powerful biceps. But don't worry, ladies--by using lighter weight, you can focus on toning and tightening these showcase arm muscles without adding the size that most guys covet. Additionally, this workout also provides some great back definition that everyone can appreciate. Regardless of your goals, you will achieve them in dramatic fashion if you dig in and max out your reps.

• Workout 11: Cardio X. This low-impact cardio routine can be used in a variety of ways to meet your P90X goals. Use it in addition to your standard P90X workload when you want to burn some extra calories, or as a substitute if your body needs a break from the program's high-impact workouts. Whatever your reason for using Cardio X, you'll find it a fun, full-throttle, fat-burning workout that will leave you feeling lean and mean.

• Workout 12: Ab Ripper X. The combination and sequence of movements in this unique workout taps into not only abdominal st! rength, but true core strength as well. Master these 11 highly! effecti ve exercises and you will achieve vital abdominal muscle strength to benefit your overall health and physical performance. You'll also develop that highly coveted six-pack as you take Ab Ripper X to full throttle. It's extreme work that's better than any machine in any club.

P90X Fitness Guide
This is your road map and your plan of attack for using P90X. Learn guidelines for getting started and essential tips for how to make the most of the program. The fitness guide provides you tips to reduce your chance of injury; a fit test; recommended supplements and equipment; detailed instructions for stretching, warming up, and performing exercises; and guidelines to help you select which P90X phase to complete, whether Classic, Doubles, or Lean! .

The Nutrition Plan
Following the P90X nutrition plan is just as vital to your overall success as any of the extreme workouts in this program. Specifically designed to work in tandem with the P90X workout routines, this three-phase eating plan recommends the perfect combination of foods to satisfy your body's energy needs every step of the way. P90X is not about quick fixes or miracle diets. It's about selecting the healthy foods that you want to eat, and determining the portion amounts that will provide your body with the right amount of fuel to excel during exercise. The P90X nutrition plan offers three phases. Phase 1 is the Fat Shredder, a high-protein-based diet designed to help you strengthen your muscles while simultaneously and rapidly shedding fat from your body. Phase 2 is the Energy Booster, a balanced mix of carbohydrates and proteins with a lower amount of fat to achieve additional energy for performance. And Phase 3 is the Endurance Maximizer, a! n athletic diet of complex carbohydrates, lean proteins, and l! ower fat , with the emphasis on more carbohydrates. You'll need this combination of foods as fuel to get the most out of your final few weeks and truly be in the best shape of your life.

Tools to Keep You Motivated

• P90X Calendar to set your workout goals, track your progress, and stay motivated.
• Free Online Support Tools for access to fitness experts, peer support, and motivation.

What's in the Box?
12 DVD workouts, nutrition plan, fitness guide How to Bring It DVD, a calendar to track your progress

Rand McNally Are We There Yet? (Backseat Books)

• 64 Pages
• Includes journal for trip tracking
• Answer key included

When Nick (Ice Cube, Barbershop) falls for single mother Suzanne (Nia Long, Big Momma's House), he initially doesn't have to worry about what her kids think of him because she just wants to "be friends." Undeterred by this statement- or his buddies, who dog him for loitering in the stalking-friend zone- Nick keeps hanging around. So when Suzanne finds herself in a jam and needs someone to escort her kids to meet her in Vancouver for New Year's Eve, Nick gladly opens the door for opportunity. Itcould be the best way to win her heart or the biggest mistake of his life. With more that one destination on his mind, Nick embarks on a road trip he'll never forget- and neither will you!Ice Cube has turned his frown upside down with the family-friendly screwball road movie Are We There Yet? We know the! actor/rapper can use his trademark scowl to be funny (the Friday and Barbershop series), or to be mean (Boyz in the Hood)--but can he use it to melt kids' hearts? That's the question Are We There Yet? answers with a resounding yes for youngsters in the audience (which will be the lions' share), but it'll probably be an emphatic shrug for the grownups. The contrived plot has Cube playing a wannabe-player (as in ladies' man) and ex-player (as in washed-up minor league baseball star) who now owns a sports memorabilia business. His partner, played by Jay Mohr is just a throwaway, as is the talented Nia Long, the single mom that Cube sets his blinged-out sights on. To try to get in her good graces, he offers to transport her two bratty kids in his pride-and-joy Lincoln Navigator for a joy ride to a distant city where she's attending an emergency business meeting so they can have a New Year's Eve celebration together. This kiddies version of Road T! rip and Planes, Trains and Automobiles has its cute! moments , but plenty more gross-out moments which will please the kids no end, especially as the Navigator gets more and more trashed. Suffice it to say they all learn about each others' good sides and hearts are suitably melted all around--until after the credits roll, then you'll probably forget about the whole thing.--Ted FryA dealer in sports collectibles falls for a beautiful executive only to discover that to win her, he must win the affection of her two young children who are determined to keep their mother single.
Genre: Feature Film Family
Rating: PG
Release Date: 8-SEP-2006
Media Type: DVDIce Cube has turned his frown upside down with the family-friendly screwball road movie Are We There Yet? We know the actor/rapper can use his trademark scowl to be funny (the Friday and Barbershop series), or to be mean (Boyz in the Hood)--but can he use it to melt kids' hearts? That's the question Are We There! Yet? answers with a resounding yes for youngsters in the audience (which will be the lions' share), but it'll probably be an emphatic shrug for the grownups. The contrived plot has Cube playing a wannabe-player (as in ladies' man) and ex-player (as in washed-up minor league baseball star) who now owns a sports memorabilia business. His partner, played by Jay Mohr is just a throwaway, as is the talented Nia Long, the single mom that Cube sets his blinged-out sights on. To try to get in her good graces, he offers to transport her two bratty kids in his pride-and-joy Lincoln Navigator for a joy ride to a distant city where she's attending an emergency business meeting so they can have a New Year's Eve celebration together. This kiddies version of Road Trip and Planes, Trains and Automobiles has its cute moments, but plenty more gross-out moments which will please the kids no end, especially as the Navigator gets more and more trashed. Suffice it to say they ! all learn about each others' good sides and hearts are suitabl! y melted all around--until after the credits roll, then you'll probably forget about the whole thing.--Ted FryNewlyweds Nick (Ice Cube) and Suzanne (Nia Long) decide to move to the suburbs to provide a better life for their two kids. But their idea of a dream home is disturbed by a contractor (John C. McGinley) with a bizarre approach to business.If, 18 years ago, you had told rapper Ice Cube he'd have a hit family movie called Are We There Yet?, he would have sneered in your face. Yet here he is with that movie's sequel, Are We Done Yet?, in which Nick Persons (Cube, Barbershop, Friday) takes his new wife Suzanne (Nia Long, Big Momma's House) and her two cantankerous kids out to an old house in the country. Unfortunately, the house proves to have a few problems, and Nick finds himself at the mercy of a real estate agent/contractor/house inspector/midwife Chuck (John C. McGinley, Scrubs), who before long is turning Nick's house--and h! is life--inside out. The script for Are We Done Yet? is based on an classic (though little remembered) Cary Grant movie, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House. While Cube doesn't have Grant's comic skills, he has grown into a comfortable and charming screen presence, and he gives this ramshackle entertainment a decent foundation. But it's McGinley who steals the movie with his truly bizarre yet mesmerizing performance; aside from some pratfalls, Cube spends most of the movie staring in horror or astonishment at McGinley as the tall lanky white man walks a very fine line between comedy and schizophrenia. --Bret FetzerSummary:
0

About the Author:

•0
Author: Karen^Rand McNally Richards
Illustrator: Steven Mach
Publisher:Rand McNally & Company
Published Date:04/01/2003
Format:Paperback
ISBN:0528965433
#of pages:#N/A