Sunday, November 13, 2011

Conan O'Brien Poster - Can't Stop 2011 Movie Teaser Flyer 11x17 - CS

  • Teaser Flyer to promote the Conan O'Brien Movie Can't stop
  • Conan O'Brien Movie Can't Stop Promo Flyer
  • Size 11 x 17 inches approx (28 x 43 cm)
  • Window display/ Telephone Pole Flyer sized Poster
After a much publicized departure from hosting NBC's "Tonight Show," Conan O'Brien hit the road with a 32-city music-and-comedy show. "The Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television Tour" was O'Brien's answer to a contractual stipulation that banned his appearance on television, radio and the internet for six months following his last show. Filmmaker Rodman Flender's resulting documentary, CONAN O'BRIEN CAN T STOP, is an intimate portrait of an artist trained in improvisation, captured at the most improvisational time of his career.Even if Conan O'Brien were "Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television"--the official name of the 2010 tour featured in the documentary Conan O'Brien Can't Stop, he'd happily be a scofflaw. Longtime TV director Rodman Flender (Ugly Betty) captures both O'Brien's spontaneous humor in his standup comic tour around the United States, but also his rage. O'Brien briefly replaced Jay Leno as host of NBC's The Tonight Show, but ratings for the show plummeted. So NBC dropped O'Brien, and O'Brien got his revenge by selling out shows in 32 cities, featuring equal parts standup, monologue, and screed against NBC. "If there's ever been a time in my life when I could say 'the hell with it,' it would be now," O'Brien says early in the film, setting up his rage as well as finding a pretty good outlet for it. Those who wonder if there's a healthy--or even unhealthy--dose of anger behind most standup comics will see the answer in a largely unguarded O'Brien, captured with raw honesty by Flender, in Conan O'Brien Can't Stop. O'Brien is also joined at various points of the tour by Jim Carrey, Andy R! ichter, Steve Kroft of 60 Minutes (who gets an earful),! Eddie V edder, and others. And O'Brien does manage to be pretty funny, mostly in off-the cuff moments. But Conan O'Brien Can't Stop is notable mostly for O'Brien's willingness to be shown as the pot lid is starting to blow off the boiling pan. And that makes for incredibly gripping viewing. --A.T. HurleyAfter a much publicized departure from hosting NBC's "Tonight Show," Conan O'Brien hit the road with a 32-city music-and-comedy show. "The Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television Tour" was O'Brien's answer to a contractual stipulation that banned his appearance on television, radio and the internet for six months following his last show. Filmmaker Rodman Flender's resulting documentary, CONAN O'BRIEN CAN T STOP, is an intimate portrait of an artist trained in improvisation, captured at the most improvisational time of his career.Even if Conan O'Brien were "Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television"--the official name of the 2010 tour featured in the do! cumentary Conan O'Brien Can't Stop, he'd happily be a scofflaw. Longtime TV director Rodman Flender (Ugly Betty) captures both O'Brien's spontaneous humor in his standup comic tour around the United States, but also his rage. O'Brien briefly replaced Jay Leno as host of NBC's The Tonight Show, but ratings for the show plummeted. So NBC dropped O'Brien, and O'Brien got his revenge by selling out shows in 32 cities, featuring equal parts standup, monologue, and screed against NBC. "If there's ever been a time in my life when I could say 'the hell with it,' it would be now," O'Brien says early in the film, setting up his rage as well as finding a pretty good outlet for it. Those who wonder if there's a healthy--or even unhealthy--dose of anger behind most standup comics will see the answer in a largely unguarded O'Brien, captured with raw honesty by Flender, in Conan O'Brien Can't Stop. O'Brien is also joined at various points of the tour by Jim Car! rey, Andy Richter, Steve Kroft of 60 Minutes (who gets ! an earfu l), Eddie Vedder, and others. And O'Brien does manage to be pretty funny, mostly in off-the cuff moments. But Conan O'Brien Can't Stop is notable mostly for O'Brien's willingness to be shown as the pot lid is starting to blow off the boiling pan. And that makes for incredibly gripping viewing. --A.T. HurleyConan O'Brien Movie Can't stop flyer

American Conspiracies: Lies, Lies, and More Dirty Lies that the Government Tells Us

  • ISBN13: 9781616082147
  • Condition: New
  • Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 06/30/2009 Run time: 135 minutes Rating: RWhat is it about director Richard Donner that Mel Gibson enjoys so much that he's appeared in five of Donner's films? Is it the on-set pranks? Could it be the big-budget perks and $20-million paychecks? Or is it just a well-stocked catering table? Whatever the case, the Lethal Weapon star and director teamed up again, along with fellow superstar Julia Roberts, for this typically glossy, entertaining but ultimately hokey thriller. Gibson plays New York cab driver Jerry Fletcher, whose wacky belief in conspiracies finally hits on a coincidental truth involving an evil figure named Jonas (Patrick Stewart) and a sec! ret program of government-funded mind control. Roberts plays the Justice Department attorney who finally believes in Jerry's paranoid ramblings. With a plot (from LA. Confidential cowriter Brian Helgeland) that's a lot of fun as long as you don't think about it too critically, Conspiracy Theory benefits immeasurably from the charisma of its high-magnitude stars. --Jeff ShannonWhat is it about director Richard Donner that Mel Gibson enjoys so much that he's appeared in five of Donner's films? Is it the on-set pranks? Could it be the big-budget perks and $20-million paychecks? Or is it just a well-stocked catering table? Whatever the case, the Lethal Weapon star and director teamed up again, along with fellow superstar Julia Roberts, for this typically glossy, entertaining but ultimately hokey thriller. Gibson plays New York cab driver Jerry Fletcher, whose wacky belief in conspiracies finally hits on a coincidental truth involving an evil figure n! amed Jonas (Patrick Stewart) and a secret program of governmen! t-funded mind control. Roberts plays the Justice Department attorney who finally believes in Jerry's paranoid ramblings. With a plot (from LA. Confidential cowriter Brian Helgeland) that's a lot of fun as long as you don't think about it too critically, Conspiracy Theory benefits immeasurably from the charisma of its high-magnitude stars. --Jeff ShannonA CONSPIRACY OBSESSED CABDRIVER NAMED JERRY FLETCHER BELIEVES HEHAS AN INEXPLICABLE CONNECTION TO A JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ATTORNEY,ALICE SUTTON. HE KEEPS TRYING TO WARN HER ABOUT IMPENDING CONSPIRACIES EVEN THOUGH SHE GENTLY BUT FIRMLY DISMISSES HISCONCERNS.What is it about director Richard Donner that Mel Gibson enjoys so much that he's appeared in five of Donner's films? Is it the on-set pranks? Could it be the big-budget perks and $20-million paychecks? Or is it just a well-stocked catering table? Whatever the case, the Lethal Weapon star and director teamed up again, along with fellow superstar Julia Rober! ts, for this typically glossy, entertaining but ultimately hokey thriller. Gibson plays New York cab driver Jerry Fletcher, whose wacky belief in conspiracies finally hits on a coincidental truth involving an evil figure named Jonas (Patrick Stewart) and a secret program of government-funded mind control. Roberts plays the Justice Department attorney who finally believes in Jerry's paranoid ramblings. With a plot (from LA. Confidential cowriter Brian Helgeland) that's a lot of fun as long as you don't think about it too critically, Conspiracy Theory benefits immeasurably from the charisma of its high-magnitude stars. --Jeff ShannonWhat is it about director Richard Donner that Mel Gibson enjoys so much that he's appeared in five of Donner's films? Is it the on-set pranks? Could it be the big-budget perks and $20-million paychecks? Or is it just a well-stocked catering table? Whatever the case, the Lethal Weapon star and director teamed up again, a! long with fellow superstar Julia Roberts, for this typically g! lossy, e ntertaining but ultimately hokey thriller. Gibson plays New York cab driver Jerry Fletcher, whose wacky belief in conspiracies finally hits on a coincidental truth involving an evil figure named Jonas (Patrick Stewart) and a secret program of government-funded mind control. Roberts plays the Justice Department attorney who finally believes in Jerry's paranoid ramblings. With a plot (from LA. Confidential cowriter Brian Helgeland) that's a lot of fun as long as you don't think about it too critically, Conspiracy Theory benefits immeasurably from the charisma of its high-magnitude stars. --Jeff Shannon

Seven weeks on the New York Times bestseller list: Jesse Ventura tells it like it is, and this time he tackles our government’s biggest secrets.

In this explosive account of wrongful acts and ensuing cover-ups, Jesse Ventura takes a systematic look at the wide gap between what the government knows and when the government knows it, and! what is revealed to the American people and when it is revealed. The media is complicit in these acts of deception, often refusing to consider alternate possibilities and dismissing voices that diverge from public opinion. In American Conspiracies, Ventura looks closely at the theories that have been presented over the years and examines the truth, as well as the lies.

The assassinations of Abraham Lincoln, the Kennedys, and Martin Luther King Jr.â€"these cases and more need to be re-examined in Ventura’s eyes. Was Watergate presented honestly, or was the CIA involved? Did the Republican Party set out to purposefully steal two elections? Has all of the evidence on 9/11 been presented, or is there another angle that the media is afraid to explore? And finally, is the collapse of today’s financial order and the bailout plan by the Federal Reserve the widest-reaching conspiracy ever perpetrated? Nothing gets by Jesse Ventura in American Conspir! acies.

Battle in Seattle

  • In November of 1999, Seattle broke into a full-scale state of emergency as thousands of peaceful protestors gathered in resistance to the World Trade Organization. The city s mayor, a SWAT cop on the streets and his pregnant wife, and four demonstrators are caught in the crossfire as their lives intersect in the ensuing riots. Stuart Townsend, in his debut writing and directing role, seamlessly me
Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 03/10/2009 Run time: 98 minutes Rating: R For five days in 1999, all eyes were on Seattle. Irish actor Stuart Townsend makes his directorial debut with a multi-character recreation of the World Trade Organization’s ill-fated U.S. conference. If the structure recalls Crash and Babel, Townsend intensifies the you-are-there quality through well-integrated archival footage. The docudrama opens with the arrival of a group of anti-globalization! activists, led by Jay (The Ring's Martin Henderson), whose compatriots include Lou (Lost's Michelle Rodriguez) and Django (Outkast's André "3000" Benjamin, who provides a welcome dose of humor). As fictional Mayor Jim Tobin (Ray Liotta, wearing a touch too much eyeliner) tries to maintain order, TV reporter Jean (Connie Nielsen) strives for objectivity, police officer Woody Harrelson attempts to carry out the mayor's orders, and Dale's pregnant wife, Ella (Charlize Theron, Townsend's real-life girlfriend), just hopes to make it home in one piece (she gets stuck downtown at the height of the skirmish). Townsend admits he was inspired by Medium Cool, which filmmaker Haskell Wexler shot during 1968's Democratic National Convention. Paul Greengrass's Bloody Sunday also seems like a possible influence, and Greengrass regular Barry Ackroyd serves as cinematographer. If the characters rarely come alive the way they should, the action sequences easily ! convince, which is particularly impressive considering the bul! k of fil ming took place in nearby Vancouver, B.C. A true labor of love, Battle in Seattle presents a more balanced view than most accounts to date--even if Townsend ultimately (and understandably) sides with the peaceful protesters and passionate Third World representatives. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Bride Wars (2009) Widescreen

  • Comedy
  • DVD
TWO BEST FRIENDS BECOME RIVALS WHEN THEY SCHEDULE THEIR RESPECTIVE WEDDINGS ON THE SAME DAY.

How important is the perfect wedding? Emma (Anne Hathaway) and Liv (Kate Hudson) have been best friends since childhood and each has always dreamed of an extravagant wedding at the Plaza hotel. When both friends get engaged in the same week, they rush to the exclusive wedding planner Marion St. Claire (Candice Bergen) to book the perfect weddings at the Plaza hotel. The reservations get mixed up and both weddings end up scheduled on the same day and, since there are no other suitable openings available at the Plaza, the friends find themselves in the impossible situation of having to decide who will sacrifice her long-held dream and change venues. It turns out that neither woman is willing to give up her plans for a perfect wedding and the friends turn against one ! another in a hilarious battle that results in everything from blue hair to rumors of pregnancy and embarrassing home videos accompanying one bride's walk down the aisle. Can even a life-long friendship survive the emotional turmoil of two weddings gone wrong? Bride Wars is an amusing look at the trials of friendship and love that's sure to inspire laughter and perhaps even a tear or two. --Tami Horiuchi

Stills from Bride Wars (Click for larger image)



     


Genre: Comedy
Rating: PG
Release Date: 28-APR-2009
Media Type: Blu-Ray

How important is the perfect wedding? Emma (Anne Hathaway) and Liv (Kate Hudson) have been best friends since childhood and each has always dreamed of an extravagant wedding at the Plaza hotel. When both friends get engag! ed in the same week, they rush to the exclusive wedding planner Marion St. Claire (Candice Bergen) to book the perfect weddings at the Plaza hotel. The reservations get mixed up and both weddings end up scheduled on the same day and, since there are no other suitable openings available at the Plaza, the friends find themselves in the impossible situation of having to decide who will sacrifice her long-held dream and change venues. It turns out that neither woman is willing to give up her plans for a perfect wedding and the friends turn against one another in a hilarious battle that results in everything from blue hair to rumors of pregnancy and embarrassing home videos accompanying one bride's walk down the aisle. Can even a life-long friendship survive the emotional turmoil of two weddings gone wrong? Bride Wars is an amusing look at the trials of friendship and love that's sure to inspire laughter and perhaps even a tear or two. --Tami Horiuchi

Stills from Bride Wars (Click ! for larg er image)



     

How important is the perfect wedding? Emma (Anne Hathaway) and Liv (Kate Hudson) have been best friends since childhood and each has always dreamed of an extravagant wedding at the Plaza hotel. When both friends get engaged in the same week, they rush to the exclusive wedding planner Marion St. Claire (Candice Bergen) to book the perfect weddings at the Plaza hotel. The reservations get mixed up and both weddings end up scheduled on the same day and, since there are no other suitable openings available at the Plaza, the friends find themselves in the impossible situation of having to decide who will sacrifice her long-held dream and change venues. It turns out that neither woman is willing to give up her plans for a perfect wedding and the friends turn against one another! in a hilarious battle that results in everything from blue ha! ir to ru mors of pregnancy and embarrassing home videos accompanying one bride's walk down the aisle. Can even a life-long friendship survive the emotional turmoil of two weddings gone wrong? Bride Wars is an amusing look at the trials of friendship and love that's sure to inspire laughter and perhaps even a tear or two. --Tami Horiuchi

Hilary and Jackie Movie Emily Watson Rachel Griffiths Original Poster- 27x40 custom fit with RichAndFramous Black 27 inch Poster Hangers

  • Poster Hanger framing is economical and attractive
  • No metal clips to damage posters! Hangers included EZ-Hang 8mm hole on back-side.
  • Includes Poster with 2 custom fit Poster Hangers for hanging
  • Premium Quality RichAndFramous Poster Hangers in matte black to match any decor
  • Poster Hangers made in USA of strong, lightweight resin for years of use
HILARY AND JACKIE - DVD MovieIt earned Oscar nods, yet this cinematic look at a genius--that of English cellist Jacqueline du Pré, who enraptured audiences with her bold, emblazoned, and wholly unconventional playing style, and who died at age 42--was criticized for its "lapses" in truth by people who purportedly knew du Pré. Some of the controversy revolved around the other main character in Anand Tucker's gorgeous, involving movie--du Pré's sister, Hilary, whose book, A Genius in the Family (cowritt! en with brother Piers), dished some dirt on Jackie's sleeping with Hilary's husband. But don't let that deter you from this ebullient movie experience. The film is a bisected story (each sister's tale is told in the same amount of screen time) teeming with heartfelt drama that belies the cheap shots it received from its detractors. It's stirring, reckless, loving, involving, and rife with unconventional passion; passion for music, life, art, and the delicate relationship between these two synchronous, extraordinary sisters as played by brilliant actors Emily Watson and Rachel Griffiths (both of whom earned Oscar nods). Though Watson got the juicy, showy role as Jackie, it's Griffiths who provides the heart, soul, and spine of the film. And director Tucker has that gift of being able to explain through the visual medium what is happening inside of his character's heads. He's helped by a fine screenplay by Frank Boyce Cottrell. No matter what the truth of Hilary ! and Jackie might really be, this is an exceptional, rare film! that is defined and graced by fine acting and writing. --Paula NechakIt earned Oscar nods, yet this cinematic look at a genius--that of English cellist Jacqueline du Pré, who enraptured audiences with her bold, emblazoned, and wholly unconventional playing style, and who died at age 42--was criticized for its "lapses" in truth by people who purportedly knew du Pré. Some of the controversy revolved around the other main character in Anand Tucker's gorgeous, involving movie--du Pré's sister, Hilary, whose book, A Genius in the Family (cowritten with brother Piers), dished some dirt on Jackie's sleeping with Hilary's husband. But don't let that deter you from this ebullient movie experience. The film is a bisected story (each sister's tale is told in the same amount of screen time) teeming with heartfelt drama that belies the cheap shots it received from its detractors. It's stirring, reckless, loving, involving, and rife with unconventional passion; p! assion for music, life, art, and the delicate relationship between these two synchronous, extraordinary sisters as played by brilliant actors Emily Watson and Rachel Griffiths (both of whom earned Oscar nods). Though Watson got the juicy, showy role as Jackie, it's Griffiths who provides the heart, soul, and spine of the film. And director Tucker has that gift of being able to explain through the visual medium what is happening inside of his character's heads. He's helped by a fine screenplay by Frank Boyce Cottrell. No matter what the truth of Hilary and Jackie might really be, this is an exceptional, rare film that is defined and graced by fine acting and writing. --Paula NechakFrom the moment Jacqueline du Pré first held a cello at the age of five, it was clear she had an extraordinary gift. At sixteen, when she made her professional debut, she was hailed as one of the world's most talented and exciting musicians. But ten years later, she stopped playing ! virtually overnight, when multiple sclerosis removed the feeli! ng in he r hands just before a concert. It took fourteen more years for the crippling disease to take its final toll.

In this uniquely revealing biography, Hilary and Piers du Pré have re-created the life they shared with their sister in astonishing personal detail, unveiling the private world behind the public face. With warmth and candor they recount Jackie's blissful love of the cello, her marriage to the conductor Daniel Barenboim, her compulsions, her suffering, and, above all, the price exacted by her talent on the whole family. For proud as they were of Jackie's enormous success, none of them was prepared for the profound impact her genius would have on each of their lives. . . .Jacqueline du Pré saw the outlines of her short, brilliant, and tragic life when she was still very young. The first time she heard a cello (she was 4 years old), she said, "Mummy, I want to make that sound." She got a cello for her 5th birthday and made her professional debut at age 16. S! he went on to become one of the century's most amazing musicians for 10 years. Then her career was ended by multiple sclerosis. She seems to have foreseen that crippling illness, which killed her at age 42 after years of slow deterioration. She was 9 years old when she confided in her sister, Hilary (who coauthored this biography with their brother, Piers), "Don't tell Mum, but... when I grow up, I won't be able to walk or move." Before she was stricken down, Jacqueline du Pré led a life of unusual richness and complexity. Here that life is examined by her siblings in loving but realistic terms, including the flaws and conflicts as well as the achievements.

The biography formed the basis for the 1998 film starring Emily Watson. It is a sad chronicle of the pitiless disease that twisted Jackie's personality and sanity as well as her body, but also a joyful book about music, the tenderness and rivalries of family life, and above all a singular, tormented! , but buoyant personality. --Joe McLellan As might be! expecte d, the soundtrack to Hilary and Jackie plays a highly prominent role in this film about the emotionally fraught relationship between two gifted sisters, one of whom is the brilliant cellist Jacqueline Du Pré. Certainly composer Barrington Pheloung--whose credits include the Inspector Morse series and the evocative score to Truly, Madly, Deeply--faced a heady challenge in writing music to be heard alongside Du Pré's rhapsodic, signature interpretation of the Edward Elgar Cello Concerto, not to mention other classical selections. Even so, the resonantly autumnal, neo-Romantic flavor of his score aptly mirrors the narrative's flashback-oriented technique. His insistence on the cello's urgent high register (played by soloist Caroline Dale) creates a poignant musical portrait of its tragically stricken protagonist. Most of the CD, however, is given to the entire Elgar concerto--an especially effective choice as against the usual potpourri of classica! l snippets. This charged, elegiac, and easily accessible work--Elgar's own valedictory composition for orchestra--becomes a sort of musical metaphor for Du Pré's emotional journey and gains from being heard in its full context. While the performance featured here is conducted by husband Daniel Barenboim, you'll probably be inspired to try Du Pré's never-bettered version of the Elgar on EMI with John Barbirolli. --Thomas MayIt earned Oscar nods, yet this cinematic look at a genius--that of English cellist Jacqueline du Pré, who enraptured audiences with her bold, emblazoned, and wholly unconventional playing style, and who died at age 42--was criticized for its "lapses" in truth by people who purportedly knew du Pré. Some of the controversy revolved around the other main character in Anand Tucker's gorgeous, involving movie--du Pré's sister, Hilary, whose book, A Genius in the Family (cowritten with brother Piers), dished some dirt on Jackie's s! leeping with Hilary's husband. But don't let that deter you f! rom this ebullient movie experience. The film is a bisected story (each sister's tale is told in the same amount of screen time) teeming with heartfelt drama that belies the cheap shots it received from its detractors. It's stirring, reckless, loving, involving, and rife with unconventional passion; passion for music, life, art, and the delicate relationship between these two synchronous, extraordinary sisters as played by brilliant actors Emily Watson and Rachel Griffiths (both of whom earned Oscar nods). Though Watson got the juicy, showy role as Jackie, it's Griffiths who provides the heart, soul, and spine of the film. And director Tucker has that gift of being able to explain through the visual medium what is happening inside of his character's heads. He's helped by a fine screenplay by Frank Boyce Cottrell. No matter what the truth of Hilary and Jackie might really be, this is an exceptional, rare film that is defined and graced by fine acting and writing. --Pau! la NechakAddresses issues of concern in the area of women's studies, aiming to offer fresh perspectives on sexuality, paid work, the development process, equal opportunities legislation, lesbian history and women's writing. The book is also concerned with the politics and practice of women's studies.Addresses issues of concern in the area of women's studies, aiming to offer fresh perspectives on sexuality, paid work, the development process, equal opportunities legislation, lesbian history and women's writing. The book is also concerned with the politics and practice of women's studies.Hilary and Jackie is a 1998 British biographical film directed by Anand Tucker. The screenplay by Frank Cottrell Boyce is based on the memoir A Genius in the Family by Piers and Hilary du Pré, which chronicles the life and career of their late sister, cellist Jacqueline du Pré. The film attracted controversy and criticism for allegedly distorting details in Jacqueline's life, although H! ilary du Pré publicly defended her version of the story.

True Believer

McFarlane: The Movie "Beowulf" - Grendel

  • GRENDEL BEOWULF
  • Measures 7 ½ inches at top of raised right hand (9 inches to top of figure in Grendel's hand). Articulated at neck, shoulders, elbows, waist and left hip. Includes 4 1/8-inch wide by 2½-inch deep base.
  • Originally released in 2007 - Retired / Out of Production
  • From McFarlane Toys
  • Ages 14+
BEOWULF & GRENDEL - DVD MovieThe otherworldly landscape of Iceland lends an appropriate touch of dark fantasy to this modern retelling of Beowulf, the oldest epic poem in the English language. Gerard Butler (The Phantom of the Opera) brings the right balance of physicality and world-weariness as the Swedish hero Beowulf, who travels to Denmark to fight the monstrous troll Grendel (Icelandic superstar Ignvar Sigurdsson), which has been plaguing the house of King Hrothgar (Stellan Skarsgård, buried under a mound of prosthetic hair). However, what ! transpires is not a battle between good and evil, but a convoluted mystery of sorts, with Beowulf playing the detective who discovers that his foe is more human than monster, and Hrothgar less wronged innocent than catalyst for his own downfall. Director Sturla Gunnarsson succeeds in pulling this legendary story from the dust of academics by contemporizing the dialogue (Andrew Rai Berzins has an excellent ear for hard-bitten palaver), and his visuals are nothing less than striking, but the film attempts to be both monster movie and melancholy drama, while never quite satisfying the requirements of either genre. Regardless, the quality cast (which includes Sarah Polley from Dawn of the Dead as a sharp-tongued witch with a connection to Grendel) and some well-handled action sequences should hold viewers’ attention even when the unnecessarily complex plot does not. --Paul GaitaJohn Grigsby reveals that the English had a mythology and a vibrant pagan religion as rich a! nd complex as that of the early Celts, of which only a few pre! cious fr agments remain. One such fragment is a Dark Age poem that tells of the deeds of a monster-slaying hero Beowulf, who frees the feasting hall of a Danish king from the twelve-year tyranny of a creature named Grendel. Grigsby's conclusions will revolutionize the way we think about the ancestors of the English. He explains how they came to England from Denmark and Northern Germany and how human sacrifice was central to their religion. He shows how the memory of the forceful suppression of this sacrificial cult in the 5th century AD lies behind the seemingly fantastic deeds of Beowulf. His discovery will restore the poem to its rightful place as a national epic.Introduction gives a short history of the Old English language.

The classic tale of courage and honor. In the Great Hall of Hrothgar, King of the Danes, the warrior Beowulf, son of a Swedish King, wages battle with the monster Grendel.

Introduction gives a short history of the Old English language.
The classic tale of courage and honor. In the Great Hall of Hrothgar, King of the Danes, the warrior Beowulf, son of a Swedish King, wages battle with the monster Grendel.

Studio: Starz/sphe Release Date: 11/06/2007 Run time: 103 minutes Rating: RThe otherworldly landscape of Iceland lends an appropriate touch of dark fantasy to this modern retelling of Beowulf, the oldest epic poem in the English language. Gerard Butler (The Phantom of the Opera) brings the right balance of physicality and world-weariness as the Swedish hero Beowulf, who travels to Denmark to fight the monstrous troll Grendel (Icelandic superstar Ignvar Sigurdsson), which has been plaguing the house of King Hrothgar (Stellan Skarsgård, buried under a mound of prosthetic hair). However, what transpires is not a battle between good and evil, but a convoluted mystery of sorts, with Beowulf playing the detective who discovers that his foe is more human than monster, and Hro! thgar less wronged innocent than catalyst for his own downfall! . Direct or Sturla Gunnarsson succeeds in pulling this legendary story from the dust of academics by contemporizing the dialogue (Andrew Rai Berzins has an excellent ear for hard-bitten palaver), and his visuals are nothing less than striking, but the film attempts to be both monster movie and melancholy drama, while never quite satisfying the requirements of either genre. Regardless, the quality cast (which includes Sarah Polley from Dawn of the Dead as a sharp-tongued witch with a connection to Grendel) and some well-handled action sequences should hold viewers' attention even when the unnecessarily complex plot does not. --Paul GaitaRelive your favorite moments from the engaging story of Beowulf with this highly-detailed figure. Measures 6" tall.

Che Part One

  • blockbuster exculsive
Far from a conventional biopic, Steven Soderberghs film about Che Guevara is a fascinating exploration of the revolutionary as icon. Daring in its refusal to make the socialist leader into an easy martyr or hero, Che paints a vivid, naturalistic portrait of the man himself (with a stunning, Cannes-award-winning performance by Benicio del Toro), from his overthrow of the Batista dictatorship, to his 1964 United Nations trip, to the end of his short life. Originally released in two parts, the first a kaleido-scopic view of the Cuban revolution and the second an all-action dramatization of Che's failed campaign in Bolivia, Che is presented here in its complete form.

Stills from Che (Click for larger image)




Lauded for its documentary approach yet also experimental in nature, Steven Soderbergh's Che spends over four hours chronicling different phases in the revolutionary career of Che Guevara (Benicio Del Toro). In Che: Part One, the successful Cuban campaign is covered, interspersed with glimpses of Guevara's camera-ready visit to New York in the Castro Revolution's aftermath. This section can't help but approximate the outline of a battle epic, despite Soderbergh's anti-romantic approach, and ends up being a sti! rring account of guerrilla action (it also has the bonus of De! mian Bec hir's uncanny impersonation of Fidel Castro). Che: Part Two jumps ahead to Che's grueling later experiences in Bolivia, where he traveled to aid the homegrown insurgents but found much less fertile ground than in Cuba. Here Guevara is--figuratively and visually--lost in the jungle, as Soderbergh reduces the characters and story to a series of factual sequences laid end-to-end. It's not Dr. Zhivago, that's for sure, although it does last longer. By spotlighting two specific sections of Che's life, Soderbergh sidesteps the less heroic aspects of his struggle, including the executions that followed the Cuban Revolution (omissions that brought criticism from anti-Castro Cubans). But the film's approach is so intentionally flat that such criticisms are almost not worth the trouble. And while Benicio Del Toro sinks into the role of the asthmatic jungle fighter with total commitment, his Guevara is an elusive protagonist, seen from a distance except for the scenes in! which he's being turned into a celebrity during his NYC interlude. In short, Che is a very intriguing idea for a movie, and not a terribly engaging film. --Robert HortonREVISED AND UPDATED THROUGHOUT

Jon Lee Anderson's definitive and acclaimed biography of Che Guevara manages to transcend the myth of Che and portray in unrivaled detail a complicated human being. In his quest to discover who the real Che was, Anderson moved to Havana and gained unprecedented access to the personal archives maintained by Che's widow. He spent months with Che's old friends in Argentina, where Che was born into an aristocratic family and went to medical school. He interviewed Che's comrades from battles fought in Cuba and the Congo and Bolivia, and he talked to figures on both sides of the Cold War, in Moscow and in the CIA.

The book completes the epic saga of an extraordinary life. In 1995, Anderson broke the story of how Che's body had been secretly hidden after his! assassination in Bolivia in 1967. He recounts how the body wa! s finall y recovered, thirty years after the murder, brought back to Cuba, and interred in the place Che had won his most famous battle in the Cuban revolution. Meticulously researched, Anderson's book reveals many details of Che's life that were long cloaked in secrecy and intrigue. This edition, which has been carefully revised and updated, has a new introduction and epilogue, new maps, and a new chronology of Che's life.Even to those without Marxist sympathies, Che Guevara (1928-67) was a dashing, charismatic figure: the asthmatic son of an aristocratic Argentine family whose sympathy for the world's oppressed turned him into a socialist revolutionary, the valued comrade-in-arms of Cuba's Fidel Castro and a leader of guerilla warfare in Latin America and Africa. Journalist Jon Lee Anderson's lengthy and absorbing portrait captures the complexities of international politics (revolutionary and counter); his painstaking research has unearthed a remarkable amount of new materi! al, including information about Guevara's death at the hands of the Bolivian military.Far from a conventional biopic, Steven Soderberghs film about Che Guevara is a fascinating exploration of the revolutionary as icon. Daring in its refusal to make the socialist leader into an easy martyr or hero,CHE paints a vivid, naturalistic portrait of the man himself (with a stunning, Cannes-award-winning performance by Benicio del Toro), from his overthrow of the Batista dictatorship, to his 1964 United Nations trip, to the end of his short life. Originally released in two parts, the first a kaleido-scopic view of the Cuban revolution and the second an all-action dramatization of Ches failed campaign in Bolivia, Che is presented here in its complete form.

Stills from Che (Click for larger image)




Lauded for its documentary approach yet also experimental in nature, Steven Soderbergh's Che spends over four hours chronicling different phases in the revolutionary career of Che Guevara (Benicio Del Toro). In Che: Part One, the successful Cuban campaign is covered, interspersed with glimpses of Guevara's camera-ready visit to New York in the Castro Revolution's aftermath. This section can't help but approximate the outline of a battle epic, despite Soderbergh's anti-romantic approach, and ends up being a stirring account of guerrilla action (it also has the bonus of Demian Bechir's uncanny impersonation of Fidel Cas! tro). Che: Part Two jumps ahead to Che's grueling later experiences in Bolivia, where he traveled to aid the homegrown insurgents but found much less fertile ground than in Cuba. Here Guevara is--figuratively and visually--lost in the jungle, as Soderbergh reduces the characters and story to a series of factual sequences laid end-to-end. It's not Dr. Zhivago, that's for sure, although it does last longer. By spotlighting two specific sections of Che's life, Soderbergh sidesteps the less heroic aspects of his struggle, including the executions that followed the Cuban Revolution (omissions that brought criticism from anti-Castro Cubans). But the film's approach is so intentionally flat that such criticisms are almost not worth the trouble. And while Benicio Del Toro sinks into the role of the asthmatic jungle fighter with total commitment, his Guevara is an elusive protagonist, seen from a distance except for the scenes in which he's being turned into a celebri! ty during his NYC interlude. In short, Che is a very in! triguing idea for a movie, and not a terribly engaging film. --Robert Horton

The book of the new, two-part epic movie on Che Guevara starring Benicio Del Toro as the legendary revolutionary.

Director Steven Soderbergh has based his two-part movie "Che" (Part 1: The Argentine and Part 2: Guerrilla) on two classic diaries written by Che Guevara: Reminiscences of the Cuban Revolutionary War (an account of the guerrilla movement led by Fidel Castro that overthrew the Batista dictatorship in 1959) and Bolivian Diary (Che’s famous, unfinished diary discovered in his backpack when he was captured and killed in Bolivia in October 1967).

Che includes a selection from each book, showing the young Argentine’s evolution from the wide-eyed medical student of the Motorcycle Diaries-era to the revolutionary hero the world knows as Che.

Features:

  • Key excerpts from Che’s Reminiscences of the Cuban R! evolutionary War, his final Bolivian Diary, and his fiery address to the UN General Assembly, New York in December 1964.
  • Che’s first encounter with Fidel Castro in Mexico, when he immediately commits himself to join the guerrilla expedition to Cuba.
  • The dramatic moment when Che has to decide his future either as a doctor or a guerrilla fighter, symbolized by the choice of two backpacks: one with medicine, the other with ammunition.
  • Che’s poetic letter to his parents before he sets out on the fateful Bolivia mission.
  • Maps, chronology, and a useful glossary.
  • 24 pages of original photos from the period
  • Movie tie-in cover.
  • Blurbs by Benicio del Toro and Steven Soderbergh.

Also published in Spanish this season is Che: Los Diarios de Ernesto Che Guevara, 978-1-921235-48-1.

benicio de toro

Before Sunrise

  • BEFORE SUNRISE (DVD MOVIE)
A heartbroken young Texas journalist meets a beautiful French student on a train bound for Paris, and invites her to share his last night in Vienna.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: R
Release Date: 6-NOV-2001
Media Type: DVDThis romantic, witty, and ultimately poignant glimpse at two strangers (Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy) who share thoughts, affections, and past experiences during one 14-hour tryst in Vienna somehow remains writer/director Richard Linklater's (Dazed and Confused, Slacker) most overlooked gem. Delpy, a stunning, low-key Parisian, meets the stammering American Hawke, as the two share a Eurorail seat--she's starting school in Paris, he's finishing a vacation. Their mutual attraction leads to an awkward meeting (beautifully played by each performer), and Hawke suggests that Delpy spend his remaini! ng 14 hours in Vienna with him.

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

Hardly the trite Gen-X bitch session that many '90s films using this approach become, the film feels more like a Bresson or Rohmer piece, containing sharp perceptions--and flawed humans rather than stereotypes. The protagonists' frank revelations and heated exchanges flow in a stream-of-consciousness style, and its n! o accident that Linklater set the film in Vienna, where Freud ! invented and practiced psychotherapy. --Dave McCoyBEFORE SUNSET - DVD MovieIn 1994, director Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused, Waking Life) made Before Sunrise, a gorgeous poem of a movie about two strangers (played by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy) wandering around Vienna, talking, and falling in love. Ten years later, Linklater, Hawke, and Delpy have returned with Before Sunset, which reunites the same characters after Hawke has written a book about that night. Delpy appears at the final book reading of his European tour; they have less than two hours before Hawke has to catch a flight to New York...and in that time, they walk around Paris, talk, and fall in love all over again. It sounds simple, perhaps dull, but it's written with such skill and care and acted with such richness that it's a miracle of filmmaking. On its own, Before Sunset is moving and wonderful; seen right after Before Sunrise, it will break your heart. --B! ret FetzerStudio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 11/09/2010This romantic, witty, and ultimately poignant glimpse at two strangers (Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy) who share thoughts, affections, and past experiences during one 14-hour tryst in Vienna somehow remains writer/director Richard Linklater's (Dazed and Confused, Slacker) most overlooked gem. Delpy, a stunning, low-key Parisian, meets the stammering American Hawke, as the two share a Eurorail seat--she's starting school in Paris, he's finishing a vacation. Their mutual attraction leads to an awkward meeting (beautifully played by each performer), and Hawke suggests that Delpy spend his remaining 14 hours in Vienna with him.

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

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