Gothika [Blu-ray]

• A brilliant and respected criminal psychologist, Dr. Miranda Grey (Halle Berry) is an expert at knowing what is rational. Under the direction of her husband (Charles S. Dutton), Miranda treats dangerously disturbed patients at the Woodward Penitentiary for Women. But Miranda's life is thrust into terrifying jeopardy after a cryptic encounter with a mysterious young girl leads to a nightmare beyond

A brilliant and respected criminal psychologist, Dr. Miranda Grey (Halle Berry) is an expert at knowing what is rational. Under the direction of her husband (Charles S. Dutton), Miranda treats dangerously disturbed patients at the Woodward Penitentiary for Women. But Miranda's life is thrust into terrifying jeopardy after a cryptic encounter with a mysterious young girl leads to a nightmare beyond her wildest imagination.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary
Music Video:Fred D! urst music video - "Behind Blue Eyes"
Theatrical Trailer:Fred Durst music video - "Behind Blue Eyes"

The title of Gothika prepares you for a spooky, atmospheric thriller with an emphasis on supernatural mystery. The best way to appreciate the movie itself is to understand that it's a waking nightmare that needn't make sense in the realm of sanity. Making a flashy Hollywood debut after his superior 2000 thriller Crimson Rivers, French actor-director Mathieu Kassovitz pours on the dark and stormy atmosphere, trapping a competent psychologist (Halle Berry) in the prison ward where she treated inmates (including Penelope Cruz) until she was committed for killing her husband (Charles S. Dutton), who was also her boss. Did a car crash cause her to suffer ghostly delusions, or is a young girl--dead for four years--sending clues from beyond the grave? Berry has to prove her innocence while Kassovitz keeps everything--including the viewer and costar Ro! bert Downey Jr. (as Berry's colleague)--in the dark about just! where t he nonsensical plot is leading. There's a better movie in here somewhere, among the catwalks and crannies of the impressive prison-castle setting, and Berry gives 100% in a performance that's consistent with the movie's overwrought tone. Attentive viewers will identify the killer early on, and the ending is anticlimactic, but Gothika serves up a few good shocks for ghost-story connoisseurs. --Jeff ShannonA brilliant and respected criminal psychologist, Dr. Miranda Grey (Halle Berry) is an expert at knowing what is rational. Under the direction of her husband (Charles S. Dutton), Miranda treats dangerously disturbed patients at the Woodward Penitentiary for Women. But Miranda's life is thrust into terrifying jeopardy after a cryptic encounter with a mysterious young girl leads to a nightmare beyond her wildest imagination.The title of Gothika prepares you for a spooky, atmospheric thriller with an emphasis on supernatural mystery. The best way to apprecia! te the movie itself is to understand that it's a waking nightmare that needn't make sense in the realm of sanity. Making a flashy Hollywood debut after his superior 2000 thriller Crimson Rivers, French actor-director Mathieu Kassovitz pours on the dark and stormy atmosphere, trapping a competent psychologist (Halle Berry) in the prison ward where she treated inmates (including Penelope Cruz) until she was committed for killing her husband (Charles S. Dutton), who was also her boss. Did a car crash cause her to suffer ghostly delusions, or is a young girl--dead for four years--sending clues from beyond the grave? Berry has to prove her innocence while Kassovitz keeps everything--including the viewer and costar Robert Downey Jr. (as Berry's colleague)--in the dark about just where the nonsensical plot is leading. There's a better movie in here somewhere, among the catwalks and crannies of the impressive prison-castle setting, and Berry gives 100% in a performance that'! s consistent with the movie's overwrought tone. Attentive view! ers will identify the killer early on, and the ending is anticlimactic, but Gothika serves up a few good shocks for ghost-story connoisseurs. --Jeff Shannon

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Dark Water (Unrated Widescreen Edition)

• Far more terrifying than what was seen in theaters, this special unrated version of DARK WATER is a thoroughly absorbing, suspense-filled thriller starring Jennifer Connelly. Dahlia Williams (Connelly) and her 5-year-old daughter are ready to begin a new life together. But their new apartment dilapidated and worn suddenly seems to take on a life of its own. Mysterious noises, persistent leaks of d

No one loses their mind instantly â€" Sanity seeps away one drop at a time. Yoshimi simply wanted a better life â€" for both herself and her daughter Ikuko. Unfortunately, such wishes may sometimes be hard to come by. The custody battle has grown embittered and hurtful, her new job is less than desirable, and Ikuko’s schoolwork has taken a turn for the worse. But, Yoshimi has something bigger to worry about. Something upstairs. Something cold and dank. Something that should have never been.Dar! k Water is Japanese horror auteur Hideo Nakata's return to the genre after his Ring cycle made you too scared to watch television ever again. Where Ringu dealt with a supernatural force wreaking revenge via technology, this film is a much more traditional ghost story. After winning a custody battle for her daughter, single mother Yoshimi moves into what she thinks is the perfect apartment with her daughter Hitomi. No sooner have they unpacked than strange things begin to disturb their new life. A water leak from the supposedly abandoned apartment above gets bigger and bigger, a child's satchel reappears even though Yoshimi throws it away several times, and she is haunted by the image of a child wearing a yellow mackintosh who bears a striking resemblance to a young girl who disappeared several years before. The conventional narrative follows Yoshimi's increasingly desperate attempts to discover who or what force is haunting her daughter, but the story's ex! ecution is far from predictable. Nakata is the master of under! stated s uspense: there's always a feeling of motiveless malignancy that runs like an undercurrent through his films--far more frightening than out and out shocks--and here he also practically drowns his audience in water imagery. The film is saturated; the relentless dripping in the apartment, the constant rain outside and the deliberately washed-out photography make any color, such as the yellow coat, seem incongruous and unsettling. Nakata also clears the film of unnecessary characters--this is an almost deserted Tokyo--preferring to concentrate the action on Yoshimi's rising hysteria as she struggles to understand what is happening and how to save her daughter. Granted, the special effects are somewhat unconvincing and the ending confused, but even so the result is a stylish and disquieting chiller that will do for bathtubs what his Ring films did for video recorders. --Kristen BowditchTrack List:
1.Original film presented in high-definition widescreen and mixe! d in 5.1 surround sound
2."The Other Side Of The Wall" - a 25 minute documentary about the making of the film
3."Retrospective" - an exclusive 45 minute retrospective documentary of interviews with Roger Waters, Alan Parker, Gerald Scarfe, Peter Biziou, Alan Marshall and James Guthrie 4.Original film trailer and production stills


In celebration of the quarter-century anniversary, Columbia Records is releasing a special limited edition DVD of this landmark film. Packaged in a deluxe DVD digi-pak designed to look like The Wall with debossed brick work and a clear O-card, this stunning release features a photo montage of film shots and a fold-out reproduction of the original film promotional poster. All the artwork and design for this lavish packaging has been coordinated by original Pink Floyd designers Peter Curzon and Storm Thorgerson.By any rational measure, Alan Parker's cinematic interpretation of Pink Floyd: The Wall is a glorious failu! re. Glorious because its imagery is hypnotically striking, fre! quently resonant, and superbly photographed by the gifted cinematographer Peter Biziou. And a failure because the entire exercise is hopelessly dour, loyal to the bleak themes and psychological torment of Roger Waters's great musical opus, and yet utterly devoid of the humor that Waters certainly found in his own material. Any attempt to visualize The Wall would be fraught with artistic danger, and Parker succumbs to his own self-importance, creating a film that's as fascinating as it is flawed.

The film is, for better and worse, the fruit of three artists in conflict--Parker indulging himself, and Waters in league with designer Gerald Scarfe, whose brilliant animated sequences suggest that he should have directed and animated this film in its entirety. Fortunately, this clash of talent and ego does not prevent The Wall from being a mesmerizing film. Boomtown Rats frontman Bob Geldof (in his screen debut) is a fine choice to play Waters's alter ego--an alienated, "! comfortably numb" rock star whose psychosis manifests itself as an emotional (and symbolically physical) wall between himself and the cold, cruel world. Weaving Waters's autobiographical details into his own jumbled vision, Parker ultimately fails to combine a narrative thread with experimental structure. It's a rich, bizarre, and often astonishing film that will continue to draw a following, but the real source of genius remains the music of Roger Waters. --Jeff ShannonFar more terrifying than what was seen in theaters, this special unrated version of DARK WATER is a thoroughly absorbing, suspense-filled thriller starring Jennifer Connelly. Dahlia Williams (Connelly) and her 5-year-old daughter are ready to begin a new life together. But their new apartment â€" dilapidated and worn â€" suddenly seems to take on a life of its own. Mysterious noises, persistent leaks of dark water, and other strange happenings in the deserted apartment above send Dahlia on a haunting ! and mystifying pursuit â€" one that unleashes a torrent of liv! ing nigh tmares.In many ways Dark Water improves upon the memorable Japanese film it's based on. The earlier version was directed by Hideo Nakata (whose excellent shocker Ringu was remade in America as The Ring), but in the hands of director Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries) and screenwriter Rafael Yglesias, this psychological horror story gets an intelligent and more chillingly effective overhaul. The story is rooted in themes of love and loss that Yglesias similarly explored in his excellent screenplay for Peter Weir's Fearless, here focusing on young mother Dahlia (Jennifer Connelly) as she endures difficult divorce proceedings and settles into a low-rent apartment in New York's cramped Roosevelt Island community, near Manhattan, with her young daughter Cecilia (Ariel Gade). Amidst seemingly endless rainfall, Dahlia's world slowly unravels, and Connelly is superb as a woman seemingly on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Or is she? Could it b! e that Cecilia's imaginary friend, and the apartment's persistent leaks of dark, dripping water, are the ghostly manifestations of a young girl who had been abandoned by the previous tenant? Creepy atmosphere and high anxiety are expertly maintained by Salles, and supporting roles for Tim Roth, John C. Reilly and especially Pete Postlethwaite give the film an added edge of mystery. The tension builds slowly (gore-mongers and action fans may be disappointed), but the cumulative effect is palpably unnerving, inviting favorable comparison to Rosemary's Baby. Unlike some other remakes of Japanese horror hits, Dark Water doesn't feel redundant; it stands on its own thanks to the impressive work of everyone involved. --Jeff Shannon

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Act of God

• This particular album has all the elements I've come to expect from acapella, great voices, good lyrics, and catchy tunes that are uplifting, sad, and comforting.

Is being hit by lightning a random natural occurrence or a predestined event? Accidents, chance, fate and the elusive quest to make sense out of tragedy underpin director Jennifer Baichwal's (Manufactured Landscapes) captivating new work, an elegant cinematic meditation on the metaphysical effects of being struck by lightning. To explore these profound questions, Baichwal sought out riveting personal stories around the world--from a former CIA assassin and a French storm chaser, to writer Paul Auster and improvisational musician Fred Frith. The philosophical anchor of the film, Auster witnessed his friend get struck dead by lightning as a teenager, and has been wrestling with its import on destiny ever since. In a neurologica! l experiment, Frith improvises with his guitar to demonstrate the ubiquity of electricity in our bodies and the universe. Visually dazzling and aurally seductive, ACT OF GOD singularly captures the harsh beauty of the skies and the lives of those who have been forever touched by their fury.


On a dark, foggy San Francisco evening, Jeremy Fullerton, a hot shot California senator with his eye on the presidency, is found murdered in the front seat of his car after speaking at a political fundraiser. The police arrest a young black male found fleeing the scene. The youth, a medical student, says that he tried to help the senator, but ran because he was afraid of the police. However, all the evidence says otherwise. The only lawyer willing to take the case, fraught with political and social ramifications, is an outsider -- and Joseph Antonelli leaves his Portland, Oregon, practice in search of justice. As he begins to prepare his defense, he finds himself lost in a wor! ld ruled by backroom politics and old money. He digs deeper an! d uncove rs a chain of deceit, betrayal, and naked ambition -- and soon discovers just how much one person will risk in order to leave behind a legacy.Track Listings 1. He's Gonna Let You Know 2. Get To The Point 3. Act Of God 4. House Of Praise 5. And They Praise God 6. Gotta Grow Up 7. Let There Be Love 8. Teaching The Truth In Love 9. Let's Show And Tell 10. Walking The Line

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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

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FELICIA'S JOURNEY ORIGINAL MOVIE POSTER

• VIDEO 27X41 NEW
• DESCRIPTION:  Authentic original (or specified high quality reproduction) one-sheet movie poster.
• SIZE: Approx 27x40 inches unless otherwise stated.

Young, pregnant, unmarried, and penniless, Felicia leaves her Irish hometown to search for her boyfriend in the English Midlands, only to fall in with the obese, fiftyish Mr. Hilditch, in a tale of psychological suspense. Reprint. Winner of the Whitbread Fiction & Sunday Express Prizes. NYT. Felicia's Journey is a simple tale told with a subtle complexity. Felicia is an Irish country girl who has come to England to look for her jilted lover. Hilditch is a mild-mannered, gentle psychopath who lures the helpless Felicia into his trap. Interestingly, we see the story from each character's eyes when they are separate, but from Hilditch's view when they are together. It is an unusual and ef! fective device that distorts the perspective and adds texture to a classic story. Trevor won a Whitbread Prize in 1994 for Felicia's Journey.A moving and chilling portrait of a serial killer who befriends innocent young women in need only to turn them into his victims. Felicia is the latest of his prospects to fall into the grasp of his deceptive charm. Special features: commentary with director atom egoyan theatrical trailer and much more. Studio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 05/22/2007 Starring: Bob Hoskins Elaine Cassidy Run time: 111 minutes Rating: Pg13 Director: Atom EgoyanLike Hitchcock, Atom Egoyan envisions family life as a potential hotbed of literal or figurative violence and incest. In Felicia's Journey, Egoyan's adaptation of William Trevor's shattering novel, one dreads to imagine what TV-cook mom (Arsinée Khanjian) did to so damage her pudgy son that grown- up Hilditch (Bob Hoskins) still prepares meals in perfect unison with ! faded videotapes of her show--and, as we eventually discover,! often t akes more sinister trips down Memory Lane. Distant kin to Psycho's Tony Perkins, Hoskins's troll is so obsessive, so traumatized, his every short-armed, fat-handed gesture and sing-song utterance is precisely calculated to keep reality safely buried.

Egoyan's movies often seem located underwater, in some surreal dreamscape where one's breath is perpetually suspended while a slow horror seeps ever deeper under the skin. Helpless, transfixed, one watches as his characters drive inexorably toward mined intersections where lives and souls may be lost or redeemed. When Hilditch's path crosses, diverges from, and finally coincides with that of young, pregnant Felicia (Elaine Cassidy)--an Irish innocent searching for her errant boyfriend--it leads to terrible epiphany for these fellow travelers. Trouble is, creepy Hilditch and too-naive Felicia come up a bit short in the psychological complexity department, so by film's end, revelatory payoffs are mostly penn! y ante. Felica's Journey tours familiar Egoyan territory--an industrialized wasteland full of hungry hearts--but this latest fairy tale (think perverse variations on Hansel and Gretel) isn't in the same league with such "family values" masterpieces as Exotica or The Sweet Hereafter. --Kathleen MurphyEver wonder what it's like to perform in a megahit musical (when you have little idea what you're doing)? From her audition to closing night -- to every moment in between -- Felicia takes you behind the scenes of her first professional show (ever!) as she understudies the lead character of Elphaba in Wicked's San Francisco company.

As she leaps professional hurdles, she faces personal challenges as well: falling in love after heartbreak (with a spatula-wielding muscle hunk), living far away from home (in the worst neighborhood of all time), confronting her overachiever demons (and an all-consuming fear of failure), and learning, ti! me and again, what it means to be green.

Hop into the ! mind of a total newbie as she gazes at professional theater's Man Behind the Curtain, in all his naked glory. Who could look away?Like Hitchcock, Atom Egoyan envisions family life as a potential hotbed of literal or figurative violence and incest. In Felicia's Journey, Egoyan's adaptation of William Trevor's shattering novel, one dreads to imagine what TV-cook mom (Arsinée Khanjian) did to so damage her pudgy son that grown- up Hilditch (Bob Hoskins) still prepares meals in perfect unison with faded videotapes of her show--and, as we eventually discover, often takes more sinister trips down Memory Lane. Distant kin to Psycho's Tony Perkins, Hoskins's troll is so obsessive, so traumatized, his every short-armed, fat-handed gesture and sing-song utterance is precisely calculated to keep reality safely buried.

Egoyan's movies often seem located underwater, in some surreal dreamscape where one's breath is perpetually suspended while a slow horror seeps ever! deeper under the skin. Helpless, transfixed, one watches as his characters drive inexorably toward mined intersections where lives and souls may be lost or redeemed. When Hilditch's path crosses, diverges from, and finally coincides with that of young, pregnant Felicia (Elaine Cassidy)--an Irish innocent searching for her errant boyfriend--it leads to terrible epiphany for these fellow travelers. Trouble is, creepy Hilditch and too-naive Felicia come up a bit short in the psychological complexity department, so by film's end, revelatory payoffs are mostly penny ante. Felica's Journey tours familiar Egoyan territory--an industrialized wasteland full of hungry hearts--but this latest fairy tale (think perverse variations on Hansel and Gretel) isn't in the same league with such "family values" masterpieces as Exotica or The Sweet Hereafter. --Kathleen MurphyFelicia's Journey explores the 1999 film adaptation by Director, Atom Egoyan, of ! Irish writer William Trevor's novel of 1994.

Issues! address ed include Hitchcockian influences, the sense of place in the visual discourse, and the characterization of the serial killer Hilditch, as constructed initially by Trevor and interpreted by Egoyan. Eschewing a crude "fidelity" model of adaptation, the study explores Egoyan's screen version as a commentary on, or significant reworking of, the original book. In particular, Egoyan's extension of the mother figure, through his creation of Gala, opens questions about memory, representation, and cinema's capacity as a reflexive medium which is a central feature of his film art.Danna offers a strange experiment on this score to Atom Egoyan's wistful and sinister film. He combines his familiar Celtic dirges, the nail-grating violins associated with Bartók, and some scattered traces of evil, backward-looping noises. Danna also (probably inadvertently) forges an under-explored link between New Age and the easy-listening style once referred to as "Beautiful Music." Oddly, the most in! triguing elements are the reverberant Mantovani-style strings, none of which is Danna's own creation. He instead takes them directly from old and uncredited archival library recordings. Still, there are some interesting moments, as heavenly and sentimental moods fuse with the dark and foreboding. Included are two songs by crooner Malcolm Vaughan and a brief a-capella rendition of "My Special Angel" by the film's star, Bob Hoskins (!). --Joseph Lanza PRODUCT 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.

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The Great Debaters

• Denzel Washington directs and stars in this uplifting drama based on a true story about a small East Texas all-black college in 1935 that rises to the top of the nation's debate teams in a duel against Harvard. A poet and debating coach at Wiley College, Professor Melvin Tolson (Washington) sees debating as "a blood sport" and recruits the meanest and brightest, including troubled Henr

An inspirational drama, Akeelah and the Bee is the story of Akeelah Anderson (Keke Palmer), a precocious eleven-year-old girl from south Los Angeles with a gift for words. Despite the objections of her mother Tanya (Angela Bassett), Akeelah enters various spelling contests, for which she is tutored by the forthright Dr. Larabee (Laurence Fishburne); her principal Mr. Welch (Curtis Armstrong) and the proud residents of her neighborhood. Akeelah’s aptitude earns her an opportunity to compete for a spot in th! e Scripps National Spelling Bee and in turn unites her neighborhood who witness the courage and inspiration of one amazing little girl.There aren't enough superlatives in the dictionary to describe the excellence of Akeelah and the Bee. Superbly written and directed by Doug Atchison, this PG-rated family drama covers the same dramatic territory as the acclaimed 2002 documentary Spellbound and the 2005 drama Bee Season, but the fictional story of 11-year-old Akeelah Anderson (Keke Palmer) is, if anything, even more entertaining, inspiring, and full of hope for the potential of children everywhere. Although reluctant at first (and fearful of being labeled a "brainiac" by classmates at her under-funded middle school in South Central Los Angeles), Akeelah grows determined to win the district, regional, and ultimately the Scripps National Spelling Bee, aided by the able coaching of an English professor (Laurence Fishburne) who, like Akeelah's overworked sing! le mother (Angela Bassett) is slowly recovering from a devasta! ting per sonal loss. Structured like a conventional sports drama, Akeelah and the Bee rises above its generic trappings to become an uplifting and deeply moving study of friendship, pride, fair play, and above all, the value of self-confidence and realization that there's more to life than winning. As played by the young Palmer in an award-worthy performance, Akeelah is a winner in the best sense of the word, and so is this wonderfully positive movie. --Jeff ShannonAn inspirational drama, Akeelah and the Bee is the story of Akeelah Anderson (Keke Palmer), a precocious eleven-year-old girl from south Los Angeles with a gift for words. Despite the objections of her mother Tanya (Angela Bassett), Akeelah enters various spelling contests, for which she is tutored by the forthright Dr. Larabee (Laurence Fishburne); her principal Mr. Welch (Curtis Armstrong) and the proud residents of her neighborhood. Akeelah’s aptitude earns her an opportunity to compete for a spot in th! e Scripps National Spelling Bee and in turn unites her neighborhood who witness the courage and inspiration of one amazing little girl.There aren't enough superlatives in the dictionary to describe the excellence of Akeelah and the Bee. Superbly written and directed by Doug Atchison, this PG-rated family drama covers the same dramatic territory as the acclaimed 2002 documentary Spellbound and the 2005 drama Bee Season, but the fictional story of 11-year-old Akeelah Anderson (Keke Palmer) is, if anything, even more entertaining, inspiring, and full of hope for the potential of children everywhere. Although reluctant at first (and fearful of being labeled a "brainiac" by classmates at her under-funded middle school in South Central Los Angeles), Akeelah grows determined to win the district, regional, and ultimately the Scripps National Spelling Bee, aided by the able coaching of an English professor (Laurence Fishburne) who, like Akeelah's overworked sing! le mother (Angela Bassett) is slowly recovering from a devasta! ting per sonal loss. Structured like a conventional sports drama, Akeelah and the Bee rises above its generic trappings to become an uplifting and deeply moving study of friendship, pride, fair play, and above all, the value of self-confidence and realization that there's more to life than winning. As played by the young Palmer in an award-worthy performance, Akeelah is a winner in the best sense of the word, and so is this wonderfully positive movie. --Jeff ShannonDVDSpellbound is the extraordinary documentary that follows eight teenagers on their quest to win the National Spelling Bee competition.Who would have thought that a documentary about spelling-bee contestants could be as suspenseful as a Hitchcock thriller? Spellbound, which follows eight kids from their early victories in regional spelling bees to the national competition in Washington, D.C., is an out-and-out nail-biter. Each of the kids--who range from a quietly driven African American girl from a r! un-down D.C. neighborhood, to a genial Connecticut girl who talks about bringing her au pair to a previous competition, to an almost zombie-like boy whose immigrant father has paid 1,000 people back in India to pray for the boy's success--gets captured so vividly that you can't help but get emotionally immersed in their brave, nerve-wracking struggle to spell slippery, treacherous words. Along the way, Spellbound contrasts the crazily different populations that make up the U.S. and shows how this facet of intelligence truly makes everyone equal on the podium. A riveting, wrenching, must-see movie. --Bret FetzerTwo-time Academy Award® winner Denzel Washington (American Gangster) directs and stars with Academy Award® winner Forest Whitaker (Last King of Scotland) in this important and deeply inspiring page from the not-so-distant past (Richard Roeper, At the Movies with Ebert and Roeper). Inspired by a true story, Washington shines as a brilliant but po! litically radical debate team coach who uses the power of word! s to tra nsform a group of underdog African American college students into an historical powerhouse that took on the Harvard elite. DVD Special Features:

Deleted Scenes
The Great Debaters: An Historical Perspective. That's What My Baby Likes; Music Video.
My Soul Is A Witness; Music Video
Theatrical Trailer
Sneak Peeks: Grace is Gone, Cassandra's Dream, I'm Not There, Hunting PartyInspired by real events, the fascinating The Great Debaters reveals one of the seeds of the Civil Rights Movement in its story of Melvin B. Tolson (Denzel Washington in a captivating performance) and his champion 1935 debate club from the all-African-American Wiley College in Texas. Tolson, a Wiley professor, labor organizer, modernist poet, and much else, runs a rigorous debate program at the school, selecting four students as his team in ’35, among them the future founder of the Congress of Racial Equality, James Farmer Jr. (Denzel Whitaker). Washington, who directed Th! e Great Debaters from a script by Robert Eisele (The Dale Earnhardt Story), anchors the story with the team’s measurable progress, but the film is also about the state of race relations in America at the height of the Great Depression. With lynchings of black men and women a common form of entertainment and black subjugation for many rural whites, the idea of talented and highly intelligent African-American young people learning to think on their feet during debates would seem almost a hopeless endeavor. But that’s not the way Tolson sees it, as his students serve themselves and the cause of racial equality in America with energetic arguments in favor of progressive government and non-violence as a viable social movement. There are some startling moments in this movie, particularly the sight of a man found lynched and burned to death, and an extraordinary moment in which we see black sharecroppers and white farmers engaged with Tolson in arguments about union! izing together. Forest Whitaker is outstanding as Farmer’s e! motional ly-reserved father, also a Wiley professor. This is the kind of film where one hopes two great actors such as the elder Whitaker and Washington will have a scene together, and when it comes it’s as powerful as one might hope. --Tom Keogh

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Bounce Fabric Softener Sheets, Outdoor Fresh Scent, 120-Count Box (Pack of 2)

• Time-released fresh scent
• Helps in preventing static cling
• Provides a softness you can feel

Why have all the sprinters who have run the 100 meters in under ten seconds been black?

What's one thing Mozart, Venus Williams, and Michelangelo have in common?

Why are baseball players so superstitious?

We love to win and hate to lose, whether it's on the playing field, in the office, or in the classroom. In this bold new look at human behavior, award-winning journalist and Olympian Matthew Syed explores the truth about our competitive natureâ€"why we win, why we don't, and how we really play the game of life.

Bounce reveals how competitionâ€"the most vivid, primal, and dramatic of human pursuitsâ€"provides vital insight into many of the most controversial issues of our time. From biology and economics to psychology and culture, from gene! tics and race to sports and politics, Bounce shows how competition provides a master key with which to unlock the mysteries of the world.

6.4 x 9 in. Bounce gives you time-release freshness. Fresh Now: clothes towel, and bedding smell fresh out of the dryer. Fresh later: Clean-smelling freshness continues to release over time. Made in Canada.

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The Baby-Sitters Club #1: Kristy's Great Idea

• ISBN13: 9780545174756
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Sex, sex, and more sex!

Kelly Haven returns to gather together every single story in her Barely Legal Babysitters series…with a few surprises thrown in for good measure!

Tales of oral sex, anal sex, threesomes, naughty schoolgirls, Asian beauties, lesbian lust, and more, are included in this scorching hot collection that features tight, eighteen year old girls sucking, licking, and fucking their way into your hearts.

Featuring all-new multimedia material that takes you inside the story as only Kelly Haven and Sweet Nothings can do.

Also includes the bonus bestseller, His Daughter's Best Friend!

Erotic fiction so hot it'll melt your Kindle.
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Includes excerpts from Her Best Friend's Dad by Rachel Boleyn, Diary of a Nympho: The Step Dad by Kelly Haven, and Hardcore Hotel: A Wrinkle Inside by Rachel Boleyn and Kelly Haven.
Sex, sex, and more sex!

Kelly Haven returns to gather together every single story in her Barely Legal Babysitters series…with a few surprises thrown in for good measure!

Tales of oral sex, anal sex, threesomes, naughty schoolgirls, Asian beauties, lesbian lust, and more, are included in this scorching hot collection that features tight, eighteen year old girls sucking, licking, and fucking their way into your hearts.

Featuring all-new multimedia material that takes you inside the story as only Kelly Haven and Sweet Nothings can do.

Also includes the bonus bestseller, His Daughter's Best Friend!

Erotic fiction so hot it'll melt your Kindle.

Includes excerpts from Her Best Friend's Dad by Rachel Boleyn, Diary of a Nympho: The Step Dad by Kell! y Haven, and Hardcore Hotel: A Wrinkle Inside by Rachel Boleyn! and Kel ly Haven.
Megan is tired of bad dates and boring young guys. She wants the experience only an older man can provide and she has her eyes set on serious and conservative Mr. Stevens. But when things start to heat up, they get hotter than she ever expected. Now he has her down on the couch, her legs spread wide and ready to do as she’s told just like a good girl should.

For Adults Only: This short story (over 3000 words) is full of hot, hardcore sex between a stepfather and his stepdaughter. All characters are represented as 18 or older.


This story is also included in OH, DADDY - THE 4 DADDY SEX STORY COLLECTION here on Amazon (Daddy Catches His Little Slut, The Babysitter is a Good Girl for Daddy, Pleasing the Partners at Daddy's Gangbang, Anything to Please Daddy).Megan is tired of bad dates and boring young guys. She wants the experience only an older man can provide and she has her eyes set on serious and conservative Mr. Stevens. But when! things start to heat up, they get hotter than she ever expected. Now he has her down on the couch, her legs spread wide and ready to do as she’s told just like a good girl should.

For Adults Only: This short story (over 3000 words) is full of hot, hardcore sex between a stepfather and his stepdaughter. All characters are represented as 18 or older.


This story is also included in OH, DADDY - THE 4 DADDY SEX STORY COLLECTION here on Amazon (Daddy Catches His Little Slut, The Babysitter is a Good Girl for Daddy, Pleasing the Partners at Daddy's Gangbang, Anything to Please Daddy).Eighteen-year-old Annie thinks she's over for a night of babysitting, but she's in for more than she bargained for when the hot twenty-four-year old son seduces her after the little body goes to bed. Things are about to get rough and raunchy when his dad and best friend join the fun. Can Annie handle the extreme group sex they're about to dish out?

EXCERPT:

! Mr. Dawson instantly appeared in the doorway as though he’d ! been lis tening in to their conversation. He unbuttoned the top button of his white shirt and stepped forward, clearing his throat. He sat down on the other side of Annie, and she felt the bed sag under his considerable weight. His fat hand rested on her bare knee.

“What are you doing?” she asked him.

“This,” he said.

Before she could object, Mr. Dawson grabbed her face and pushed his tongue into her mouth. She wanted to object â€" to push him away and slap him, to demand that he stop immediately. But Ryan’s hand fondled her breast, and she felt the familiar tingle inside her panties that signaled her getting horny.

Mr. Dawson’s hand fell back to her leg, and it slid up her thigh and disappeared underneath her skirt. His fingers probed against her panties, rubbing her through the thin, damp cloth. Ryan squeezed her breast through her shirt, and she gasped at his touch. Only Ryan’s touch kept her from screaming and running away! from Mr. Dawson’s pawing.

Ryan turned his face toward him and pulled her into a spectacular kiss. She melted into his embrace, barely noticing the fat, sweaty hand that had made its way inside her panties and was now dipping itself between her labia. Ryan’s tongue probed inside her mouth, sending shivers of ecstasy through her. She found herself reaching forward and grasping his stiffening cock through his shorts.

With Ryan’s kiss absorbing her, she hardly noticed when Mr. Dawson pulled her panties down and discarded them. Ryan deftly leaned back onto the bed, taking her with him as he continued to kiss her passionately. She paid no attention to the face that her legs were being spread apart, and the scruffy face of Ryan’s stepfather was burying itself firmly between them.

She was vaguely aware of the feeling of something warm and soft against her clit. Ryan continued to kiss her, running his fingers through her hair, keeping her me! smerized. His hands explored her body, reaching underneath her! shirt a nd grasping her small breast, cupping it gently and massaging it. She purred softly, the sound muffled by his kiss on her mouth.

Her hips began to writhe slightly as pleasure washed over her. She didn’t understand or even care why it was happening. All she could think of was the deliciousness of Ryan’s kiss, tasting faintly of alcohol, and his touch.Eighteen-year-old Annie thinks she's over for a night of babysitting, but she's in for more than she bargained for when the hot twenty-four-year old son seduces her after the little body goes to bed. Things are about to get rough and raunchy when his dad and best friend join the fun. Can Annie handle the extreme group sex they're about to dish out?

EXCERPT:

Mr. Dawson instantly appeared in the doorway as though he’d been listening in to their conversation. He unbuttoned the top button of his white shirt and stepped forward, clearing his throat. He sat down on the other side of Annie, and she felt th! e bed sag under his considerable weight. His fat hand rested on her bare knee.

“What are you doing?” she asked him.

“This,” he said.

Before she could object, Mr. Dawson grabbed her face and pushed his tongue into her mouth. She wanted to object â€" to push him away and slap him, to demand that he stop immediately. But Ryan’s hand fondled her breast, and she felt the familiar tingle inside her panties that signaled her getting horny.

Mr. Dawson’s hand fell back to her leg, and it slid up her thigh and disappeared underneath her skirt. His fingers probed against her panties, rubbing her through the thin, damp cloth. Ryan squeezed her breast through her shirt, and she gasped at his touch. Only Ryan’s touch kept her from screaming and running away from Mr. Dawson’s pawing.

Ryan turned his face toward him and pulled her into a spectacular kiss. She melted into his embrace, barely noticing the fat, sweaty hand that had made its w! ay inside her panties and was now dipping itself between her l! abia. Ry an’s tongue probed inside her mouth, sending shivers of ecstasy through her. She found herself reaching forward and grasping his stiffening cock through his shorts.

With Ryan’s kiss absorbing her, she hardly noticed when Mr. Dawson pulled her panties down and discarded them. Ryan deftly leaned back onto the bed, taking her with him as he continued to kiss her passionately. She paid no attention to the face that her legs were being spread apart, and the scruffy face of Ryan’s stepfather was burying itself firmly between them.

She was vaguely aware of the feeling of something warm and soft against her clit. Ryan continued to kiss her, running his fingers through her hair, keeping her mesmerized. His hands explored her body, reaching underneath her shirt and grasping her small breast, cupping it gently and massaging it. She purred softly, the sound muffled by his kiss on her mouth.

Her hips began to writhe slightly as pleasure washed over her. She did! n’t understand or even care why it was happening. All she could think of was the deliciousness of Ryan’s kiss, tasting faintly of alcohol, and his touch.The first of the new Collector's Club Editions features a new logo, bright new cover, and fill-in pages to personalize as Kristy comes up with the idea for the Baby-sitter's Club with friends Claudia, Stacey, and Mary Anne. It all began with a great idea ... and the inspiring original story of the Baby-sitters Club is back! Kristy Thomas's brilliant business plan gets off to a great start with the help of Claudia Kishi (vice-president), Mary Anne Spier (secretary), and Stacey McGill (treasurer).

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Amazon Exclusive Inteview with Author Ann M. Martin

Q: It's been a decade since the last Baby-sitters Club books! came out, and 24 years since the first book was published. Wh! at was i t like to come back to the BSC after so many years away?

Martin: I had a great time re-visiting the characters. It was fun to explore their lives in the prequel, “"The Summer Before," and to figure out what led the girls to form The Baby-sitters Club, something that would eventually change their lives. It was like a reunion with friends--friends who haven’t changed a bit.

Q: Kristy, Claudia, Mary Anne, and Stacey are very different characters, which is in part why the series was and is still so popular. Every reader can relate to at least one of the characters. So, we have to ask you--which character are you most like?

Martin: I am most like Mary Anne who is the shy and quiet one. Like me, Mary Anne enjoys more solitary pursuits such as reading and needlework. My favorite character, however, is Kristy. I think she's my alter ego.

Q: Were you allowed to bab! y-sit when you were twelve? If so, were they any funny or awful stories you'd like to share?

Martin: Yes, I did a lot of baby-sitting when I was twelve. One of the worst and also funniest things that ever happened was when I was baby-sitting for our neighbors and the kids wanted to wash their parents' car. They started the job with much enthusiasm--using Brillo pads.

Q: More than 200 BSC books were published in the eighties and nineties. Are there any that you are particularly fond of and why?

Martin: My favorite Baby-sitters Club book is "Kristy's Great Idea," which is the first book and sets the series in motion. I also like the more serious books such as "Claudia and the Sad Good-bye," which deals with the death of Claudia’s grandmother. This book was written shortly after my own grandmother died. My other favorite BSC books include “Kristy and the Secret of Susan,” in which ! the members of the BSC baby-sit for a child with autism, and "! Jessi's Secret Language" in which the girls learn American Sign Language in order to communicate with a sitting charge with profound hearing impairment.

Q: Why do you think that the series is so well-loved and has endured over so many years?

Martin: I think the characters in the BSC books are easily relatable. The books deal with timeless topics including friendship, family, and school. Also, the books tackle serious issues including racism, bullying, kids with disabilities (physical and mental), and death of a loved one. These issues were relevant to kids in the 1980s and 1990s, and are still relevant to kids today. In addition to being relatable, these are characters readers can aspire to. The kids run a business--in this case, a baby-sitting business. They are entrepreneurial, independent, creative, and confident. And at the heart of the series is the friendship--the "glue" that binds these characters. Sure, they have fi! ghts, but they're loyal and they support one another. I think a lot of us--even adults--can relate to that.

Q: "The Summer Before" takes place during the summer before the girls enter the seventh grade--where suddenly there's a ton of pressure to fit in. The months leading up to it can be filled with anxiety, excitement, and anticipation. Do you remember how you spent the summer before seventh grade?

Martin: I was nervous that summer because in the fall I would be going to a new school â€" the junior high (this was in the time before middle schools). Even the words "junior high" seemed terribly grown-up. My friends and I would be attending school with eighth-graders, who were one step away from high school. I spent that summer reading, going to the community pool, taking a family trip to Cape May, New Jersey, doing some baby-sitting, and also recovering from surgery. But the knowledge that I would soon be in junio! r high school colored every day and every activity and did len! d the su mmer an air of both anxiety and anticipation.

Q: Despite the fun the girls have together in "The Summer Before," they're all dealing with pretty tough problemsâ€"moving away, an absentee father, a first crush. How did you choose the issues you wanted to focus on?

Martin:  One of my favorite things about writing a series was that the characters themselves generated plot ideas for later books. One of the themes that developed as the series progressed was that of Kristy's relationship with her father. It was an idea I enjoyed exploring, and when I had the opportunity to write the prequel I realized that this summer would be a charged time for Kristy, and that I could introduce the issues she had with her father here; then they could unfold in the later books. The same applied to Stacey. Her reasons for moving to Stoneybrook had been revealed in later books, but I realized that during this particular summer the reader co! uld actually watch the events take place. The other issues â€" a first crush, wanting more independence yet still feeling like a kid--are themes that I felt would resonate with most "tween" readers.

Q: Even though the books have been out of print for ten years there are still some very devoted fans. Surely you must have received a ton of letters about the series over the years. Are there any that stick out in your mind?

Martin: The most memorable are stories of girls who have written to me and told me that I’ve made an impact on their lives, that The Baby-sitters Club books have turned them into readers. Some have also said that the BSC books made them aspire to become writers. I’ve also heard from a lot of the original fans who grew up to become teachers, librarians, editors, journalists, entrepreneurs, etc. To know that this series inspired a generation of readers and writers is very humbling.

Q: There’s been a lot of speculation in the blo! gosphere about where Claudia, Kristy, Mary Ann, and Stacey would be now, in 2010, had they grown up. Do you have any thoughts on what path each would have taken?

Martin:  I understand the fascination of the older BSC fans who would like to know what happened with the characters when they got older. It’s thrilling to realize that after all these years the fans remain passionate about the books and the characters in The Baby-sitters Club. I can see Kristy running a business--I can also see her being in politics. I think Mary Anne became a teacher. I imagine Stacey went into fashion--not as a designer, but maybe on the business side. And Claudia became an artist. I think fans can fill in for the rest of the characters!

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