America's Heart & Soul

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

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

God Is Great and I'm Not

• Mich le (AMELIE s adorable Audrey Tautou) is a 20-year-old tornado. With a bouncing, perfectly round Afro and a job posing for fashion photography, she boldly describes herself as a top model, though her miniature physical size and girlish grin reveals her subdued, searching interior. Overloaded with passion and personality, she seeks a way to channel her spirituality into an identity. Buddhism wo

The impossibly adorable Audrey Tautou (Amelie, Dirty Pretty Things) stars in this remarkably vivid portrait of a relationship. Michelle (Tautou), a fashion model, sets off on a spiritual quest in the hope of finding emotional balance. What she finds is a veterinarian named Francois (Edouard Baer, Alias Betty), whose ambivalence about being Jewish leads Michelle to study the faith and consider conversion. The plot sounds heavy, but God Is Great (And I'm Not) is actua! lly a light, fluid movie that's as alert to the thousand tiny ways in which men and women miscommunicate and defeat their best intentions. Michelle's spiritual yearnings are questionable, yet Tautou captures her hunger for something more and makes it real, even if it may also be shallow. The movie stutters, slips sideways and back, and circles around--and in the end, says more about modern romance than a dozen Hollywood romantic comedies. --Bret FetzerGOD IS GREAT AND I'M NOT - DVD MovieThe impossibly adorable Audrey Tautou (Amelie, Dirty Pretty Things) stars in this remarkably vivid portrait of a relationship. Michelle (Tautou), a fashion model, sets off on a spiritual quest in the hope of finding emotional balance. What she finds is a veterinarian named Francois (Edouard Baer, Alias Betty), whose ambivalence about being Jewish leads Michelle to study the faith and consider conversion. The plot sounds heavy, but God Is Great (And! I'm Not) is actually a light, fluid movie that's as aler! t to the thousand tiny ways in which men and women miscommunicate and defeat their best intentions. Michelle's spiritual yearnings are questionable, yet Tautou captures her hunger for something more and makes it real, even if it may also be shallow. The movie stutters, slips sideways and back, and circles around--and in the end, says more about modern romance than a dozen Hollywood romantic comedies. --Bret Fetzer

Callas Forever (Callas Por Siempre) [NTSC/REGION 1 & 4 DVD. Import-Latin America]

• AUDIO: Spanish & English
• SUBTITLES: English & Spanish
• REGION: 1 & 4
• Latinamerica Import DVD

In this loving tribute to Maria Callas, Zeffirelli imagines what could have happened at the end of her life at the age of 53.Franco Zeffirelli was and is clearly in love with Maria Callas, but unlike the average Callas fan, as a movie director, he was able to do something about it. This superbly made film, about the last few months of the great soprano's life in 1977, moves easily between fact and fantasy to express that love and to give her a more upbeat ending than the one that fate actually dealt her. It is made with the attention to small details that is a hallmark of Zeffirelli's work.

In reality, Callas became a recluse in her luxurious Paris apartment, mourning the loss of her voice, the breakup of her relationship to Aristotle Onassis and the disintegration of her ! career. Her final days were a nightmare. But Zeffirelli uses his imagination to rewrite that unhappy ending. He invents a rock producer, Tom Kelly (Jeremy Irons) who clearly is a Zeffirelli figure (the names rhyme). Kelly used to be her manager and has a scheme to revive her career in movies: he will film her greatest roles, using her recordings as soundtracks; she will go through the motions and lip-synch the words. It might have worked; experiments with Carmen, which she recorded but never sang onstage, were certainly promising. But Callas turned down the plan, on grounds of artistic integrity.

But in fact, Zeffirelli does make it work in this movie. Fanny Ardant does a marvelous job as Callas, not only shaping the words of her various arias (digitized and sounding better than ever) but also using facial expressions that speak as eloquently as words. Here is Callas reborn, with all her temperament, anguish and pride. Raw emotions are unleashed, particularly i! n a production of Tosca, when she stabs the villainous ! Scarpia (Justino Diaz) shouting savagely "muori dannato, muori, muori, muori" ("die , damn you, die, die die") She is avenging all the insults and disappointments of her life; Ardant becomes Callas in such moments. --Joe McLellanInternationally acclaimed director Franco Zeffirelli (Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet) beautifully recreates the magic, passion and artistry of the opera diva Maria Callas, known as "the voice of the century." In this loving tribute to his longtime friend, Zeffirelli imagines what could have happened at the end of Callas' life close to her death at the age of 53. Popular French actress Fanny Ardant perfectly fits the role of the temperamental diva, capturing all the fiery intensity of the legend on and off the stage. Oscar-winner Jeremy Irons shines as the diva's former manager who persuades her to re-launch her career, despite her fading powers. A unique, rare gem of a film featuring actual sound recordings of Callas in performance, CALLAS FOREVER makes ! a lasting impact as a stunning human portrayal of one of the greatest artists of our time.Franco Zeffirelli was and is clearly in love with Maria Callas, but unlike the average Callas fan, as a movie director, he was able to do something about it. This superbly made film, about the last few months of the great soprano's life in 1977, moves easily between fact and fantasy to express that love and to give her a more upbeat ending than the one that fate actually dealt her. It is made with the attention to small details that is a hallmark of Zeffirelli's work.

In reality, Callas became a recluse in her luxurious Paris apartment, mourning the loss of her voice, the breakup of her relationship to Aristotle Onassis and the disintegration of her career. Her final days were a nightmare. But Zeffirelli uses his imagination to rewrite that unhappy ending. He invents a rock producer, Tom Kelly (Jeremy Irons) who clearly is a Zeffirelli figure (the names rhyme). Kelly used to be h! er manager and has a scheme to revive her career in movies: he! will fi lm her greatest roles, using her recordings as soundtracks; she will go through the motions and lip-synch the words. It might have worked; experiments with Carmen, which she recorded but never sang onstage, were certainly promising. But Callas turned down the plan, on grounds of artistic integrity.

But in fact, Zeffirelli does make it work in this movie. Fanny Ardant does a marvelous job as Callas, not only shaping the words of her various arias (digitized and sounding better than ever) but also using facial expressions that speak as eloquently as words. Here is Callas reborn, with all her temperament, anguish and pride. Raw emotions are unleashed, particularly in a production of Tosca, when she stabs the villainous Scarpia (Justino Diaz) shouting savagely "muori dannato, muori, muori, muori" ("die , damn you, die, die die") She is avenging all the insults and disappointments of her life; Ardant becomes Callas in such moments. --Joe McLellanUn grup! o de rock llega a París, donde les recibe un grupo de admiradores, periodistas y fotógrafos entre vítores y aplausos. Acompaña al grupo su manager, un señor inglés de cincuenta años que responde al nombre de Larry Kelly; en el pasado Larry organizó varias giras para María Callas. Larry intenta sin éxito llamar por teléfono a la famosa cantante de ópera. Se acerca al apartamento de María en París, donde sabe que lleva viviendo un tiempo como una ermitaña, y le intenta convencer de que haga una aparición especial con el nombre de Callas Por Siempre. María no es ni la sombra de lo que era, de la mujer elegante y segura de sí misma que todos conocemos. Tiene insomnio y se pasa todas las noches en vela escuchando los discos que grabó. Durante el día vive voluntariamente exiliada con la ayuda de drogas varias. Rechaza la oferta de Larry con firmeza. Su carrera ha terminado. Pero Larry sabe que sigue ejerciendo cierto poder sobre María y con la ayuda de Sarah, una periodista inglesa amiga de toda la vida de la cantante de ópera, la convencen de que le acompañe a un estudio de televisión. En el estudio le explican que el proyecto consiste en una serie de vídeos en los que María recreará las más memorables de sus actuaciones acompañada por la voz de sus antiguos discos. Fascinada por las posibilidades tecnológicas de hoy día, María accede a hacer el primer vídeo, Carmen, una ópera que nunca cantó sobre el escenario.

Easy Money

• Game board, money pad, 24 property cards
• 2 dice, houses, 4 pawns, instructions
• Streamlined real-estate game
• Fast-paced, easy to learn

Rodney Dangerfield gets a load of respectand a chunk of changein Easy Money! Joined byJoe Pesci and Jennifer Jason Leigh, Dangerfield is outrageous as a working-class buffoon who takes on the first-class tycoons in this million-dollar comedy!Monty Capuletti (Dangerfield) has everything money can't buya loving wife, two devoted daughtersand a few things it can: he drinks, smokes, gambles and eats way too much! But Monty couldn't be happier especially when he learns that his mother-in-law has left him a hefty inheritance. There's just one catch: according to the will, he must turn his vices into virtues before he can turn his windfall into cold, hard cash! Now, themisbehaving Monty will have to put the brakes on the binging and trade his! lifestyle for a LifecycleÂ(r), or lose his one shot at the family fortuneforever!Disc 1: Easy Money WP Disc 2: Back to School WPThis double-feature contains two of your favorite comedies from the 80s! Films include: Easy Money and Throw Momma from the Train.

Easy Money (1983, Rated R, 95 minutes): Easy Money stars Rodney Dangerfield as Monty Capoletti, the black sheep of a prominent family. Nothing can curb Monty's drinking, gluttony, gambling, smoking, or general carousing. Nothing, that is, except the possibility of inheriting millions from his mother-in-law (Geraldine Fitzgerald). For one whole year, Monty must clean up his act. Can he do it?

Throw Momma From The Train (1987, Rated PG-13, 88 minutes): A bitter ex-husband. A put upon Momma's boy. Both want their respective spouse and mother dead, but who will pull it off? Stars Danny DeVito and Billy Crystal. Easy Money (1983, Rated R, 95 Minutes): To inherit his ! mother-in-law's colossal fortune, a hard living, gambling addi! ct must change his unhealthy ways before it gets the best of him.

Throw Momma From the Train (1987, Rated Pg-13, 88 Minutes): A bitter ex-husband. A put upon momma's boy. Both want their respective spouse and mother dead, but who will pull it off?

Blame It On Rio (1984, Rated R, 100 Minutes): Two men vacation together with their teenage daughters only to be caught up in a love triangle.

The Woman In Red (1984, Rated PG-13, 87 Minutes): On his way to work, Teddy spots Charlotte â€" an incredibly beautiful Woman in Red. He really wants to meet her, but what would his wife say?In a role which has earned him alot of "respect" from the critics, Rodney Dangerfield is at his comic best in this hysterical hit film. Dangerfield plays Monty capuletti, a middle-class slob who'd rather be boozing, gambling, and cavorting with his buddies than working at his job as a baby photographer. But suddenly, his mother-in-law dies, leaving him a huge inheritance, if, within ! one year, he can stop drinking, smoking, and gambling..and weigh in at a trim 175 pounds. with an excellent supporting cast, including best friend Joe Pesci, and mother-in-law Geraldine Fitzgerald, Dangerfield goes for the funny bone as makes his play for the money.

From one of Sweden’s most successful defense lawyers comes an unflinching look at Stockholm’s underworld, told from the perspective of the mob bosses, the patsies, and the thugs who help operate its twisted justice system.
 
JW is a student having trouble keeping up appearances in the rich party crowd he has involved himself with. He’s desperate for money, and when he’s offered a job dealing drugs to the very crowd he’s vying for a place in, he accepts it. Meanwhile, Jorge, a young Latino drug dealer, has just broken out of jail and is itching for revenge. When JW’s supplier gets wind of Jorge’s escape, he suggests JW track him down and attempt to win his trust in order to cover more area! in the drug circuit. But JW’s not the only one on Jorge’s! trail: Mrado, the brutal muscle behind the Yugoslavian mob boss whose goons were the ones who ratted Jorge out to the cops, is also on the hunt. But like everyone else, he’s tired of being a mere pawn in an impossibly risky game, and he’s seeking to carve out a niche of his own. As the paths of these antiheroes intertwine further, they find themselves mercilessly pitted against one another in a world where allegiances are hard-won, revenge is hard-fought, and a way out of it all is even harder to come by.
 
Fast and intricately paced, and with pitch-perfect dialogue, Easy Money is a raw, dark, and intelligent crime novel that has catapulted Jens Lapidus into the company of Sweden’s most acclaimed crime writers.

In Easy Money, you'll buy, sell, build, borrow, bank and mortgage. Your objective is to collect the most money in cash and property value. Includes game board, give and take cards, playing pieces, colored houses, dice, tray, instructions and play money! . For 2-4 players.

The Girlfriend Experience

• Set in the weeks leading up to the 2008 presidential election, The Girlfriend Experience is five days in the life of Chelsea (adult film star Sasha Grey in her mainstream film debut), an ultra high-end Manhattan call girl who offers more than sex to her clients, but companionship and conversation the girlfriend experience. Chelsea thinks she has her life totally under control she feels her future

Here, for the first time, a modern day escort is prepared to put her name and face to her story and reveal all about what she gets up to behind closed doors. Dispelling the myths and preconceptions that surround her job, Miss X tells allâ€"the glamorous, the grim, and the downright hilarious. A frank memoir, with no detail spared, this book gives a unique insight into the intimate adventures of one of Britain's most notorious escorts.

This is not a story of woe this i! s an exciting, inspirational journey of Rebecca’s self-discovery from convent girl, to escort and subsequently businesswoman.

Rebecca Dakin - or Bea, as she is known to her clients, is an honest, friendly and vibrant woman. She is a fun-loving lady who oozes passion and is a slender, natural blonde. In short, she is every man's dream... She specialises in longer dates offering 'the girlfriend experience'.

Here for the first time, a modern-day escort is prepared to put her name and face to her story and reveal exactly what she gets up to behind closed doors. Dispelling the myths and preconceptions that surround her job, Rebecca tells all - the glamorous, the grim and the downright hilarious. From requests to have sex with chimpanzees to three in a bed romps with other girls to being ripped off by someone who worked for the Government.

A frank memoir, with no detail spared, this book gives a unique insight into the intimate adventures ! of one of Britain's most notorious escorts.This is not a story! of woe this is an exciting, inspirational journey of Rebecca’s self-discovery from convent girl, to escort and subsequently businesswoman.

Rebecca Dakin - or Bea, as she is known to her clients, is an honest, friendly and vibrant woman. She is a fun-loving lady who oozes passion and is a slender, natural blonde. In short, she is every man's dream... She specialises in longer dates offering 'the girlfriend experience'.

Here for the first time, a modern-day escort is prepared to put her name and face to her story and reveal exactly what she gets up to behind closed doors. Dispelling the myths and preconceptions that surround her job, Rebecca tells all - the glamorous, the grim and the downright hilarious. From requests to have sex with chimpanzees to three in a bed romps with other girls to being ripped off by someone who worked for the Government.

A frank memoir, with no detail spared, this book gives a unique insight into the intimate adventures of one ! of Britain's most notorious escorts.

A true-life play about friendship, heartbreak and business enterprise... in a seaside brothel.

Tessa has set up a business: a brothel where mature women specialise in offering the 'Girlfriend Experience', a surprisingly caring and sympathetic service.

As the women stoically strive to make a living in a competitive market, their personal lives start to crumble. Will they ever have loving relationships outside work and enjoy being girlfriends themselves?

The Girlfriend Experience continues the verbatim-theatre technique Alecky Blythe developed in Come Out Eli and Cruising The play is created entirely from conversations recorded inside an actual brothel, edited and replicated on stage in all their uncanny verisimilitude.

Chelsea (Adult Film Star Sasha Grey in her mainstream film debut), a $2,OOO-an-hour Manhattan call girl, offers more than sex to her clients; it's her companionship! and conversation that provides her customers with the complet! e girlfr iend experience. Chelsea thinks she has her life totally under control, but when you're in the business of meeting people, control can be easily manipulated.

True Blood: The Complete First Season

• Condition: New
• Format: DVD
• Box set; Color; Dolby; DVD; Widescreen; Subtitled; Closed-captioned; NTSC

He Never Fought A Battle He Couldn't WinAcademy Award®-nominee Sylvester Stallone stars as war hero ex-Green Beret John Rambo in the one that started it all! First Blood is an explosive action-thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final powerful frame.System Requirements:Starring: Sylvester Stallone Richard Crenna and Brian Dennehy. Directed By: Ted Kotcheff. Running Time: 96 Min. Color. This film is presented in "Widescreen" format. Copyright 2004 Lions Gate Entertainment.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: R UPC: 012236163565 Manufacturer No: 20204It's easy to forget that this Spartan, violent film, which begat the Rambo series, was such a big hit in 1982 because it was a good movie. Green Beret vet John Rambo (Sylvester Stallon! e) wanders into the wrong small town to find a fellow 'Nam buddy and gets the living heck kicked out of him by the local law enforcement (led by Brian Dennehy). The vet strikes back the only way he knows how, leading to a visceral, if unrealistic, flight and fight through the local mountains. Based on the 1972 novel by David Morrell, this film saved Stallone's then-foundering career and the Rambo character became the inspiration for countless political cartoons. But this film is Deliverance without the moral ambiguity. --Keith Simanton First came the man: a young wanderer in a fatigue coat and long hair. Then came the legend, as John Rambo sprang from the pages of FIRST BLOOD to take his place in the American cultural landscape. This remarkable novel pits a young Vietnam veteran against a small-town cop who doesn't know whom he's dealing with -- or how far Rambo will take him into a life-and-death struggle through the woods, hills, and caves of rural Kentucky.!

Millions saw the Rambo movies, but those who haven't r! ead the book that started it all are in for a surprise -- a critically acclaimed story of character, action, and compassion.Academy Award-nominee Sylvester Stallone stars as war hero, ex-Green Beret John Rambo in the one that started it all! FIRST BLOOD is an explosive action-thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final, powerful frame.It's easy to forget that this Spartan, violent film, which begat the Rambo series, was such a big hit in 1982 because it was a good movie. Green Beret vet John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) wanders into the wrong small town to find a fellow 'Nam buddy and gets the living heck kicked out of him by the local law enforcement (led by Brian Dennehy). The vet strikes back the only way he knows how, leading to a visceral, if unrealistic, flight and fight through the local mountains. Based on the 1972 novel by David Morrell, this film saved Stallone's then-foundering career and the Rambo character became the inspiration for countle! ss political cartoons. But this film is Deliverance without the moral ambiguity. --Keith SimantonFour all-new stories of forbidden passion and dark desire.

You never forget your first blood...Susan Sizemore returns to the universe of her Laws of the Blood novels with a sizzling story of the relationship between a vampire enforcer and a werewolf.

Erin McCarthy’s Sasha Checkikov flees the bright lights and dangerous slayers of Vegas for New Orleans, where she is saved by a vampire haunted by his pastâ€"and hungry for passion.

Set in the Vampire Babylon world, Chris Marie Green’s story puts the bond between twin female vampires to the test when one of them falls for her prey.

Meljean Brook’s vampire Annie Gallagher needs help to save a young human girl, but she doesn’t expect the help to come from the FBI agent she lovedâ€"and had to give upâ€" when she was transformed.First came th! e man: a young wanderer in a fatigue coat and long hair. Then ! came the legend, as John Rambo sprang from the pages of FIRST BLOOD to take his place in the American cultural landscape.First came the man: a young wanderer in a fatigue coat and long hair. Then came the legend, as John Rambo sprang from the pages of FIRST BLOOD to take his place in the American cultural landscape.TRUE BLOOD chronicles the backwoods Louisiana town of Bon Temps... where vampires have emerged from the coffin, and no longer need humans for their fix. Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin, Golden Globe(R)-winner for "True Blood", Academy Award®-winner for “The Piano”) works as a waitress at the rural bar Merlotte's. Though outwardly a typical young woman, she keeps a dangerous secret: she has the ability to hear the thoughts of others. Her situation is further complicated when the bar gets its first vampire patron - 173-year old Bill Compton (Steven Moyer, "Quills") - and the two outsiders are immediately drawn to each other. Delivering the best of what audiences have co! me to expect from Creator and Executive Producer Alan Ball (writer of Oscar®-winning Best Picture “American Beauty”, creator of the Emmy® Award-winning HBO® series “Six Feet Under”), TRUE BLOOD is a dark and sexy tale that boldly delves into the heart - and the neck - of the Deep South.Alan Ball’s True Blood series works well for television, as it has enough sensationalism to tantalize and enough story girth to make the viewer care about the characters. That one can finally invest emotion into monsters, including an undead Civil War victim, a transformer who can shapeshift into various animals, and a female mind reader, speaks volumes about America’s willingness to accept fantasy. Of course, television has always produced good fantasy shows (I Dream of Jeannie), but True Blood’s Southern Goth brand of fun horror is more macabre and more perverse, not to mention gorier, than most shows of its kind to date. Adapted from Charlaine Ha! rris’ Sookie Stackhouse novels, True Blood thrills ! because of its equal blend in each episode of erotica, humor, tragedy, mystery, and fantasy. 

Set in a rural, swampy Louisiana parrish, the show centers around Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) and her clan, sweet grandmother Adele (Lois Smith) and air-headed brother Jason (Ryan Kwanten). Illicit love is spawned early on, when Sookie saves vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) from having his blood stolen in the parking lot of Merlotte’s diner, owned by Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell) who completes what will form a complex love triangle. As tensions between Sookie’s suitors loosen or tighten, many side plots, such as her African American best friend Tara’s (Rutina Wesley) struggle with an alcoholic, Bible-thumping mother and her brother’s dangerous crush on drug addicted hippie, Amy Burley (Lizzy Caplan), keep one wondering who will succeed in this podunk place. The main tension throughout, however, is a race war waged between vampires and humans. As murders of “fang bangersâ€!  occur (human girls who let vampires bite them) and dumb policeman Andy Bellefleur (Chris Bauer) fails to find clues, one sees the metaphorical implications of vampirism and feels deeper resonance with what can be a downright trashy show. Gossip galore, especially about what kinds of babies interbreeding will produce, is rampant. One of the funniest characters is Tara’s flamboyant cousin, Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis), who deals drugs, works as a fry cook, and services the local white politicians, while making sure he’s always up in everyone’s business.

What makes True Blood smarter than pure soap opera is the parallels it draws between its monster mash and actual, familiar societal problems. Sookie and her friends watch the news, where Evangelicals bash vampires and prohibit mixed marriage, and everyone is addicted to V, a.k.a vampire blood, that effects like psychedelic heroin. Even its gore reflects a mix of serious and silly, as vampires explode into r! ed, sticky goop. Though it may not be attempting to qualify fo! r the be st vampire footage ever shot, True Blood is as addictive as that substance the town’s youth obsesses over, which is a metaphor in itself. --Trinie Dalton

Stills from True Blood (Click for larger image)

The Dark Knight

• 100% cotton
• Wash cold; dry low
• Imported
• Listed in men's sizes

Why so serious? You should smile like the Joker does on this tee!

Ghost in the Shell: Anime Legends 2nd Gig

• Condition: New
• Format: DVD
• Animated; Color; DVD; NTSC

GHOST IN THE SHELL - DVD MovieThe skillful blending of drawn animation and computer-generated imagery excited anime fans when this science fiction mystery was released in 1995: many enthusiasts believe Ghost suggests what the future of anime will be, at least in the short term. The film is set in the not-too-distant future, when an unnamed government uses lifelike cyborgs or "enhanced" humans for undercover work. One of the key cyborgs is The Major, Motoko Kusanagi, who resembles a cross between The Terminator and a Playboy centerfold. She finds herself caught up in a tangled web of espionage and counterespionage as she searches for the mysterious superhacker known as "The Puppet Master."

Mamoru Oshii directs with a staccato rhythm, alternating sequences of rapid-fire action (car chases, gun battles, explosions) ! with static dialogue scenes that allow the characters to sort out the vaguely mystical and rather convoluted plot. Kusanagi's final quote from I Corinthians suggests that electronic evolution may compliment and eventually supplant organic evolution. The minor nudity, profanity, and considerable violence would earn Ghost in the Shell at least a PG rating. --Charles SolomonThe skillful blending of drawn animation and computer-generated imagery excited anime fans when this science fiction mystery was released in 1995: many enthusiasts believe Ghost suggests what the future of anime will be, at least in the short term. The film is set in the not-too-distant future, when an unnamed government uses lifelike cyborgs or "enhanced" humans for undercover work. One of the key cyborgs is The Major, Motoko Kusanagi, who resembles a cross between The Terminator and a Playboy centerfold. She finds herself caught up in a tangled web of espionage and counterespionage as! she searches for the mysterious superhacker known as "The Pup! pet Mast er."

Mamoru Oshii directs with a staccato rhythm, alternating sequences of rapid-fire action (car chases, gun battles, explosions) with static dialogue scenes that allow the characters to sort out the vaguely mystical and rather convoluted plot. Kusanagi's final quote from I Corinthians suggests that electronic evolution may compliment and eventually supplant organic evolution. The minor nudity, profanity, and considerable violence would earn Ghost in the Shell at least a PG rating. --Charles SolomonThe Smash First Season Anime Extravaganza in one complete set.

Major Motoko Kusanagi is a beautiful but deadly cyborg that is squad leader of Section 9; the Japanese government's clandestine unit assigned to battle terrorism and cyber warfare. Surrounded by an expertly trained team, Motoko faces her ultimate challenge- the Laughing Man- a terrorist who orchestrated a kidnapping and extortion plot many years ago and has suddenly reappeared. In order to! discover the identity of this enigmatic criminal, Motoko and Section 9 are drawn into a deadly labyrinth and they'll have to use all their expertise to survive. This acclaimed anime series from Production I.G (Kill Bill) and features the amazing music if Yoko Kanno (Cowboy Behop) with stories by Kenji Kamiyama (Blood, Jin-Roh) and Dai Soto (Eureka SeveN).Studio: Starz/sphe Release Date: 09/15/2009 Run time: 660 minutes

The Chorus (Les Choristes)

• An inspirational story in the rich tradition of MUSIC OF THE HEART and MR. HOLLAND'S OPUS, THE CHORUS has moved critics everywhere to declare it one of the year's very best films! When he takes a job teaching music at a school for troubled boys, Cl ment Mathieu is unprepared for its harsh discipline and depressing atmosphere. But with passion and unconventional teaching methods, he's a

An inspirational story in the rich tradition of MUSIC OF THE HEART and MR. HOLLAND'S OPUS, THE CHORUS has moved critics everywhere to declare it one of the year's very best films! When he takes a job teaching music at a school for troubled boys, Clément Mathieu is unprepared for its harsh discipline and depressing atmosphere. But with passion and unconventional teaching methods, he's able to spark his students' interest in music and bring them a newfound joy! It also puts him at odds with the school's overbear! ing headmaster, however, locking Mathieu in a battle between politics and the determination to change his pupils' lives!By getting nominated for Academy Awards in both the Foreign Language Film and Best Song categories, Les Choristes (The Chorus) made a rare (for a European film) double impression at the 2004 Oscars. This sentimental tale follows the arrival of a new teacher at a remote boys school in 1949 France (the war is a largely unspoken but ghostly presence). With disciplinary problems rampant, and the policies of the old-fashioned headmaster not helping, Monsieur Mathieu decides to introduce choral singing as a way to bridge the gap with his students. You don't need a crystal ball to figure out where this will go, although the movie uses its atmospheric location and lush vocal arrangements well. Bald, dumpy Gerard Jugnot provides a refreshingly offbeat hero (though securely in the traditions of the My Most Memorable Teacher movie); he's sort of a younger Phil! ippe Noiret. Director Christophe Barratier works in the winsom! e-cute m ode that makes a certain kind of French movie into an overly sweet bon bon, although at least this bon bon sings. --Robert Horton