Tuesday, September 6, 2011

2001 Gabrielle Reece Playboy magazine

  • Great Condition
The new superstars in sports are women, and pro beach volleyball player Gabrielle Reece is the hottest of them all. At six-foot-three, 170 pounds, Gabby Reece is at once beautiful and brutish, feminine and rowdy, accessible and intimidating--a woman who is exploding female stereotypes and redefining our image of the female athlete.

"A young girl doesn't get many chances to exercise the character muscle via sports, whereas for young boys, it's part of their everyday lives. For girls, it's especially good for them to be forced to work as a team with other girls, to work together under every possible condition--winning, losing, tired, grumpy, happy. It forces them to deal with unpleasant, ungracious emotions and get over it. It forces girls to rely on each other. It gives them confidence in other girls, which ultimately gives them confidence in themselves."
 ¸ 
"E! verything a woman does has an emotional component. Paying attention to my emotional side without surrendering to it is one of the toughest parts of playing professional sports."
 ¸ 
"I don't like this 'Fear of Being Big' thing because it feeds into the general female thing of wanting to be less--less powerful, less assertive, less demanding, less opinionated, less present, less big."An odd hybrid of a book, Big Girl in the Middle is part model/volleyball player Gabrielle Reece's autobiography and part third-person chronicle of the misadventures of Team Nike across the 1996 professional beach volleyball circuit, for which Reece captained and played middle blocker. At 6'3" and 170 pounds, Reece cuts an imposing figure, as commanding on a magazine or book cover as she is on the court. She has a unique perspective on both of the public arenas in which she's played: as a top-flight athlete and accepted beauty, she smashes several stereotypes; how she's co! ped with those stereotypes, successfully spiking most of them! , makes Reece an admirable role model. Her observations in this area serve up Big Girl's best attributes.Pregnant with her second child, Gabby worked with a doctor and trainer to film 15 minute workouts from each month of her pregnancy as well as three months after her pregnancy. This DVD covers all 3 trimesters consisting of nine 15 minute exercises that are safe for women during their pregnancy as well as a warm up and cool down As a bonus, three- 15 minute exercises for women post- pregnancy complete with warm up and cool down have been included.

Selected as one of The Best Workout DVDS by Us Weekly â€" January 12, 2009 ed.Discusses the life and achievements of the award-winning professional volleyball star who also shines as a fashion model, basketball player, magazine writer, and television personality.Examines the life and achievements of the award-winning professional beach volleyball player who is also a fashion model and television personality.Playboy Ma! gazine January 2001 Table of Contents COVER STORY Gabrielle Reece is a lanky goddess and our favorite volleyball star. She has tackled extreme sports for MTV, swings a mean five iron on the fairway, leg-presses 500 pounds and writes smart magazine columns. Thanks to Phillip Dixon for shooting the superjock. Our athletically inclined Rabbit is awfully hip. FEATURES 88 2001, HELLO The writer of the original space odyssey believes that life exists beyond earth and predicts it will be found this century. BY ARTHUR C. CLARKE 90 PENELOPE CRUZ Knockout gorgeous and co-starring with five Hollywood hunks in four separate movies, the woman is definitely on top. We like her from every angle. 120 IN PRAISE OF REGIS PHILBIN Quiz show lightweight? Kathie Lee foil? Never sell the man short, advises one old friend. And never challenge his knowledge of Notre Dame football trivia. BY DAVID HALBERSTAM 143 LUST AND FOUND Come January 20, Bill and Hillary will be giving up their prime digs. The cleaning staff should have plenty to snicker about. HUMOR BY CHRISTOPHER BUCKLEY 169 CENTERFOLDS ON SEX: BARBARA MOORE The girl has an active mouth-in every way you can think of INTERVIEWED BY BRENDA VENUS 182 20Q CAROL ALT The very sexy supermodel would like to set the record straight. She is not a hockey hag. She doesn't like walking around naked. She hails a cab by hiking up her skirt. We hung on every word. BY ROBERT CRANE PICTORIALS 92 GABRIELLE REECE She's got game-but no clothes. Gabby serves up an ace for PLAYBOY. 126 RUSSIAN DELIGHT Irina is an art school grad. Let our exhibition be your canvas. 144 THE YEAR IN SEX Versace ruled, Rudy rutted, everyone sued-and it made for fabulous entertainment. 170 PLAYMATE REVIEW 26 LIMP BIZKIT ROCKS THE MANSION Courtney Love butters Fred's biscuit. REVIEWS 48 VIDEO James Woods. 50 MUSIC Green Day and Merle Haggard 56 BOOKS Martin Luther King Jr. in photos; the great Herb Ritts.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Friday the 13th (Extended Killer Cut)

  • A man in search of his missing sister stumbles across a deadly secret in the woods surrounding Crystal Lake as Texas Chainsaw Massacre redux duo Michael Bay and Marcus Nispel resurrect one of the silver screen's most feared slashers -- machete-wielding, hockey mask-wearing madman Jason Voorhees. The last time Clay heard from his sister, she was headed toward Crystal Lake. There, amidst the creaky
Art of Fighting star Jae Hee makes a welcome return to the big screen in the 2008 supernatural action thriller Mandate. His last film before heading to the military, Jae Hee plays a sword-wielding ghost hunter chasing after a manipulative serial murderer. Helmed by Park Hee Joon, who previously directed the genre-bending Pan-Asian actioner Dream of a Warrior, Mandate keeps viewers on the edge of the seat with exciting action, ghostly scares, and a mind-twisting case. The film co-stars Yoo Da In (Cind! erella) and Shim Won Cheol (Underground Rendezvous). There has been a serial murderer and rapist on the loose in Whagoklee over the past decade. With the police unable to make heads or ends of the case, most of the town's residents have moved away over the years, leaving Whagoklee in disarray. After two years of relative peace, death and terror strike the town again when two college girls are raped and killed. The police are again at a lost, but this time a mysterious ghost hunter (Jae Hee) rolls into town claiming that the murderer is actually an evil spirit.Finding your roots in the hood ain't easy. An accidental switch at an adoption agency sends a Chinese baby to an African-American family. Julian is accepted into the family and his tight-knit Atlanta neighborhood, but the search for a better life takes the family to South Central L.A., where his new neighbors think Julian is pretending to be black. For the first time in his life, Julian faces an identity crisis. "Fakin' da Funk" pokes fun at stereotypes and proves that wh! at's in your heart is what's important.SEARCHING FOR A MISSING GIRL, A GROUP OF YOUNG ADULTS STUMBLES ON THE CREAKY REMAINS OF ROTTING OLD CABINS IN THE EERIE WOODS OF LEGENDARY CRYSTAL LAKE, WHERE THEY ARE TERRORIZED BY THE INFAMOUS MACHETE-WIELDING JASON VOORHEES.If you thought a bigger budget and an A-list producer (Michael Bay) would go to Jason's head, well, forget it. The indestructible villain of so many bottom-of-the-barrel shockers isn't about to change his shtick, and the 2009 Friday the 13th proves it. This, the umpteenth sequel (nope, it's not a remake of the origin story) to the original 1980 movie, gives us a clever prologue that manages to fit an entire Jason Voorhees killing spree in a brisk and bloody 20 minutes. Jumping ahead six weeks, the film introduces a carload of clueless teens headed for a weekend at a lakeside cabin, plus a lone motorcyclist (Jared Padalecki) in search of his missing sister (Amanda Righetti). When the "lakeside" happens to! refer to Crystal Lake, of course, there can be only one outco! me. Cue the hockey mask, and pass the machete. Bay and director Marcus Nispel, who collaborated on the Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake, are surprisingly indifferent to changing up the formula this time, although there's more care taken in building up a few characters, and for once the comic relief (mostly supplied by Aaron Yoo and Arlen Escarpeta) is pretty funny. You might even regret the slaughter of a couple of these young folk, which is an unusual feeling in Friday-watching. The film's Jason is quite the athletic fellow, and he's assembled an elaborate underground corpse-hiding lair in the vicinity of Crystal Lake. How he's been able to live down there for 30 years (if the film's own timeline is to be believed) and had enough unwitting campers pass by to keep himself entertained is anybody's guess. But if they keep coming, he'll keep slashing. --Robert Horton

Also on the disc
The extended Killer Cut is 106 minutes compared to 97 for the the! atrical cut, and it's hard to imagine choosing to watch the theatrical cut if you have a choice. In addition to some more of Amanda Righetti and of Jason, the extra nine minutes is mostly more gore in the gory scenes and more sex in the sexy scenes. If you're squeamish you might not want those things, but if you're that squeamish you probably don't want to watch Friday the 13th in the first place, right? The longer cut will give you more of the stuff that you probably watch this movie for. There's also an 11-minute featurette on the new movie and three deleted scenes (a different version of Jason getting his mask, the police response to the phone call, and a revised climax). --David Horiuchi

Real Lies (v. 1)

  • ISBN13: 9788952744845
  • Condition: New
  • Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
This book contains three separate and unusual stories set in alternate realities. The first story, "Martian's Earth Conquest," tells the tale of a person who is coping with the loss of someone special. The second tale, "Is it Really Not Possible?," makes you wonder if a man and a woman can truly be just friends. And the last of the three, "Sci-Fi," is a sad tale about a girl who hates robots and a humanoid who serves her. The creator, who believes that the best privilege artists get is to ''lie,'' creates a whole new world beyond your imagination. Still, even though these tales are from different worlds, the topic has a great sense of reality, and the readers are guaranteed to be able to closely relate! to them. Start a journey to the world only she can create.

Friday, September 2, 2011

Bad Blood (2010) Mit Moon

  • Making of
  • Trailers
Hottest new Hong Kong action movie starring Simon Yam and Andy On and also featuring two new powerhouse women fighters. A gripping plot around the struggle for power after the Triad head dies in a mission and has not named a successor. Betrayal, murder, greed, power... its every dog for themselves. LOADED WITH ACTION from beginning to end, this one is NOT to be missed. TRAILER: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsihARkTAcM

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Handphone Movie Poster (11 x 17 Inches - 28cm x 44cm) (2009) Korean Style A -(Yong-woo Park)(Tae-woong Eom)(Sol-Mi Park)(Bo-yeon Hwang)

  • Handphone Poster Mini Promo (11 x 17 Inches - 28cm x 44cm) Korean Style A
  • The Amazon image is how the poster will look; If you see imperfections they will also be in the poster
  • Mini Posters are ideal for customizing small spaces; Same exact image as a full size poster at half the cost
  • Size is provided by the manufacturer and may not be exact
  • Packaged with care and shipped in sturdy reinforced packing material
Handphone Poster (11 x 17 Inches - 28cm x 44cm) (2009) Korean Style A reproduction poster print

CAST: Yong-woo Park, Tae-woong Eom, Sol-Mi Park, Bo-yeon Hwang; DIRECTED BY: Han-min Kim;

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Manifesto By Isabella Rossellini For Women. Eau De Toilette Spray 1.7 Oz

  • Packaging for this product may vary from that shown in the image above
  • This item is not for sale in Catalina Island

Deep down in the ocean, strange things happen, acts of love that are unfamiliar to the human eye: Anchovies mate in large orgies; shrimp strip down to get in the mood; starfish can do it two different ways; whales fight to make love.

Inspired by the wonderfully odd and humorous short films created by Isabella Rossellini and released on DVD for the first time, Green Porno offers a visually arresting and scientifically accurate look at the sex lives of marine animals and other creatures. This book will make you see the animal kingdom as you never have before.

Deep down in the ocean, strange things happen, acts of love that are unfamiliar to the human eye: Anchovies mate in large orgies; shrimp strip down to get in the mood; starfish can do it two d! ifferent ways; whales fight to make love.

Inspired by the wonderfully odd and humorous short films created by Isabella Rossellini and released on DVD for the first time, Green Porno offers a visually arresting and scientifically accurate look at the sex lives of marine animals and other creatures. This book will make you see the animal kingdom as you never have before.

A Look Inside Green Porno (Click on Images to Enlarge)

As a shrimp, Isabella peels off her outer layer to molt. Anglerfish attract their prey with a luminous lure. A moment of passion between two squid.
Self-reflection by celebrities tends to be fraught with unmentionable difficulties. Not, though, when the star in question is the ever intelligent, self-aware, articulate, and magnificent Isabella Rossellini. For years, a wall in the entrance of Rossellini's apartment has been covered in pictures taken of her by different photographers. Looking at the "Me Wall," Rossellini writes that she never really saw herself; instead she "saw the photographer's work, their ideas, and our collaboration in capturing fantasies." Looking at Me gathers together Rossellini's private collection of portraits taken of herself by some of the world's leading photographers, including Eve Arnold, Richa! rd Avedon, Michel Comte, Patrick Demarchelier, Fabrizio Ferri, Horst P. Horst, Brigitte Lacombe, Annie Leibovitz, Peter Lindbergh, Robert Mapplethorpe, Steven Meisel, Irving Penn, Herb Ritts, Paolo Roversi, Ellen von Unwerth, and Bruce Weber, as well as filmmakers David Lynch and Wim Wenders. Rossellini invites us to join her as she looks at her favorite portraits, privileging us with her witty, humorous, and self-ironical comments. She traces her career, in photographs, from boxing reporter in Muhammad Ali's training camp to highly successful model, from actress in some of Hollywood's more controversial films to head of her own cosmetic line, Manifesto. Mixed in with these public images are pictures of Rossellini in private, with her children, her dog Macaroni, and her pig Spanky. Irresistibly charming, intelligent yet whimsical, Looking At Me proves the perfect complement to Rossellini herself.An engaging dark thriller about a young man after discovering a human ear in a ! field begins an investigation into a subculture of killers add! icts and sexual deviants. Studio: Tcfhe/mgm Release Date: 09/20/2005 Starring: Kyle Maclachlan Dennis Hopper Run time: 120 minutes Rating: RDavid Lynch peeks behind the picket fences of small-town America to reveal a corrupt shadow world of malevolence, sadism, and madness. From the opening shots Lynch turns the Technicolor picture postcard images of middle class homes and tree-lined lanes into a dreamy vision on the edge of nightmare. After his father collapses in a preternaturally eerie sequence, college boy Kyle MacLachlan returns home and stumbles across a severed human ear in a vacant lot. With the help of sweetly innocent high school girl (Laura Dern), he turns junior detective and uncovers a frightening yet darkly compelling world of voyeurism and sex. Drawn deeper into the brutal world of drug dealer and blackmailer Frank, played with raving mania by an obscenity-shouting Dennis Hopper in a career-reviving performance, he loses his innocence and his moral bearings when ! confronted with pure, unexplainable evil. Isabella Rossellini is terrifyingly desperate as Hopper's sexual slave who becomes MacLachlan's illicit lover, and Dean Stockwell purrs through his role as Hopper's oh-so-suave buddy. Lynch strips his surreally mundane sets to a ghostly austerity, which composer Angelo Badalamenti encourages with the smooth, spooky strains of a lush score. Blue Velvet is a disturbing film that delves into the darkest reaches of psycho-sexual brutality and simply isn't for everyone. But for a viewer who wants to see the cinematic world rocked off its foundations, David Lynch delivers a nightmarish masterpiece. --Sean AxmakerLaunched by the design house of Isabella Rosellini in 2000, MANIFESTO ROSELLINI PERFUME is classified as a refreshing, flowery fragrance. This feminine scent possesses a blend of exotic spices, fruit and soft flowers, with low notes of chestnut, sandalwood and white musk. It is recommended for romantic wear.

Monday, August 29, 2011

The Horseman Movie Poster (11 x 17 Inches - 28cm x 44cm) (2008) Style A -(Kang-woo Kim)(Won-hie Lim)(Ha-na Lee)(Kil-Kang Ahn)(Yeong-man Heo)(Eun-pyo Jeong)

  • The Horseman Poster Mini Promo (11 x 17 Inches - 28cm x 44cm) Style A
  • The Amazon image is how the poster will look; If you see imperfections they will also be in the poster
  • Mini Posters are ideal for customizing small spaces; Same exact image as a full size poster at half the cost
  • Size is provided by the manufacturer and may not be exact
  • Packaged with care and shipped in sturdy reinforced packing material
Fonte: Wikipedia. Pagine: 23. Capitoli: Jang Nara, Sungmin, Shindong, Sandara Park, Kangta, Rain, Jun Jin, Yesung, Ryeowook, Lee Jun Ki, Yoo Ha-na, Dana, Choi Jin-sil, Bae Doona, Ahn Jae Wook, Yang Dong-geun, Park Shin Hye, Soon-Yi Previn, Lee Min Ho, Yuko Fueki, Eric Mun, Hwanhee, Han Ji Hye, Jang Youngran, Yunjin Kim, Choi Siwon, Kang Doo, Jun Ji-hyun, Joo Jong-hyuk, Moon Geun Young, Park Min Young, Kim Dong Wook, Kim Sa-rang, Kang Hye-jeong, Kim Jae Won, Je! ong Da-bin, Choi Min-sik, Kam Wu-seong, Kim Hye-na. Estratto: Jang Nara (hangul: 장나라; hanja: 張나라; latinizzazione: Jang Nara; McCune-Reischauer: Chang Nara; cinese tradizionale: 張娜拉; cinese semplificato: 张娜拉; pinyin: Zhāng Nà Lā; Seoul, 18 marzo 1981) è una cantante, attrice e modella sudcoreana, conosciuta anche in Cina, dove canta canzoni in mandarino, con il nome di Zhang Nala. Jang ha passato la maggior parte dell'infanzia a Seoul, sua città di nascita, dove ha avuto la possibilità di apparire insieme a suo padre attore in una piece teatrale, Les Misérables, durante gli anni della scuola elementare. È stato in quel periodo che ha mostrato il primo interesse nella recitazione, tuttavia è stato solo durante il periodo della scuola superiore che ha avuto la possibilità di posare come modella per degli spot pubblicitari, prima di iscriversi alla Facoltà di Belle Arti, Dipartimento di Teatro, dell'Università di Chungang a marzo del 2000. Ja! ng è passata alla carriera musicale firmando un contratto con! l'etich etta SM Entertainment, tuttavia esso fu presto reciso a causa delle scarse aspettative della casa discografica. Fu così che Jang pubblicò da sola il suo primo album, Burying My Face In Tears, il quale a dispetto delle aspettative vendette ben 300.000 copie. I singoli in stile pop ballad Confession ed April Story raggiunsero il podio in diverse classifiche musicali, dando a Jang la possibilità di partecipare allo show musicale Music Camp, del canale televisivo MBC. Nel 2005, in seguito alla partecipazione a...This digital document is an article from Phytomedicine: International Journal of Phytotherapy & Phytopharmacology, published by Urban & Fischer Verlag on September 1, 2008. The length of the article is 3317 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: An! tiproliferative activity of triterpenoids from Eclipta prostrata on Hepatic stellate cells.(Clinical report)
Author: Mi Kyeong Lee
Publication: Phytomedicine: International Journal of Phytotherapy & Phytopharmacology (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 1, 2008
Publisher: Urban & Fischer Verlag
Volume: 15 Issue: 9 Page: 775(6)

Article Type: Clinical report

Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage LearningThe September 2010 issue of Lightspeed Magazine features all types of sf, from near-future, sociological soft sf, to far-future, star-spanning hard sf, and anything and everything in between: in our lead story this month, “Flower, Mercy, Needle, Chain,” author Yoon Ha Lee explores the notions of evitability and inevitability in a story about ancestry, multiple universes, an extraordinary gun…and the extraordinary wo! man who wields it; in “The Long Chase,” author (and NASA s! cientist ) Geoffrey A. Landis tells the story of a survivor of a brutal, ideological war who escapes to the stars the only way she can. But she quickly finds that her enemies do not give up easily and are extremely patient when pursuing their prey.…; “Amid the Words of War” by Cat Rambo also tells the story of the survivor of an interstellar war. This tale takes place on the space station TwiceFar, where you can find a house of leisure called The Little Teacup of the Soul, whose patrons promise to fulfill any need…or die trying; and legendary author Robert Silverberg’s far-future “Travelers” take us on a journey throughout the galaxy, hopping from solar system to solar system as they explore everything from the living seas of Megalo Kastro to the monsters of Sidri Akrak. But what is it they’re really looking for?
The September 2010 issue of Lightspeed Magazine features all types of sf, from near-future, sociological soft sf, to far-future, star-spanning hard sf, an! d anything and everything in between: in our lead story this month, “Flower, Mercy, Needle, Chain,” author Yoon Ha Lee explores the notions of evitability and inevitability in a story about ancestry, multiple universes, an extraordinary gun…and the extraordinary woman who wields it; in “The Long Chase,” author (and NASA scientist) Geoffrey A. Landis tells the story of a survivor of a brutal, ideological war who escapes to the stars the only way she can. But she quickly finds that her enemies do not give up easily and are extremely patient when pursuing their prey.…; “Amid the Words of War” by Cat Rambo also tells the story of the survivor of an interstellar war. This tale takes place on the space station TwiceFar, where you can find a house of leisure called The Little Teacup of the Soul, whose patrons promise to fulfill any need…or die trying; and legendary author Robert Silverberg’s far-future “Travelers” take us on a journey throughout the galaxy,! hopping from solar system to solar system as they explore eve! rything from the living seas of Megalo Kastro to the monsters of Sidri Akrak. But what is it they’re really looking for?
The Horseman Poster (11 x 17 Inches - 28cm x 44cm) (2008) Style A reproduction poster print

CAST: Kang-woo Kim,Won-hie Lim,Ha-na Lee,Kil-Kang Ahn,Yeong-man Heo,Eun-pyo Jeong,Jin Jung,Sang-ho Kim,Jeong-jin Lee,Kyeong-jin Min,Kil-soo Park,Sang-Jeon Woo; DIRECTED BY: Yun-su Jeon;

Sunday, August 28, 2011

The Blind Side

  • Condition: New
  • Format: DVD
  • AC-3; Color; Dolby; DVD; Widescreen; Subtitled; NTSC
Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock) terrorizes her publishing house co-workers with her abrasive, take-no-prisoners management style, especially her overworked assistant Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds). But when Margaret is threatened with deportation to her native Canada because of an immigration technicality, the quick-thinking exec announces that she and Andrew are engaged to be married. Ambitious Andrew agrees to go along with her schemeâ€"if there’s a long-awaited promotion in it for him. Everything is going according to Margaret’s plan, until an overzealous immigration official makes it his business to prove that the couple’s engagement is bogus. To demonstrate her commitment to her new fiancé, Margaret agrees to celebrate the 90th birthday of his colorful grandmother (Betty White) â€" in Ala! ska. The editrix’s type-A ways put her at odds with her eccentric future in-laws with hilarious consequences, until the Paxtons teach Margaret a thing or two about family.


Rom-com favorite Sandra Bullock and the affably charming Ryan Reynolds’s superb chemistry turn The Proposal from otherwise standard romantic-comedy fare to one that is entertaining and sure to garner laughs. Margaret (Sandra Bullock) is a workaholic, tyrannical book editor (reminiscent of The Devil Wears Prada) who suddenly finds her career in jeopardy as she faces deportation back to Canada. Her solution is to simply fake an engagement to her unsuspecting assistant Andrew (Ryan Reynolds), who in turn blackmails her for a promotion. However, when Margaret is forced to head to Alaska with Andrew to visit his family in an effort to make their story believable to the deportation officers, they soon realize that their plan may not be so simple after all. The supporting c! ast of Dad (Craig T. Nelson), Mom (Mary Steenburgen), and kook! y Grandm a (Betty White, still a scene-stealer at 87) is great casting that makes for many amusing scenes. Bottom line: witty Reynolds and Bullock are perfect sparring partners for each other and not half bad to look at either. --Lisanne Chastain

Stills from The Proposal (Click for larger image)





Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) knows little about family. Less about football. What the homeless teen knows are the streets and projects of Memphis. Well-to-do Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock) knows little about his world. Yet when she and Michael meet, he's found a home. And the Tuohys have found something just as life-changing: a beloved new son and brother. This real-life story of family and of Michael's growth into a blue-chip football star will have you cheering with its mix of g! ridiron action and heartwarming emotion. Share the remarkable ! journey of the college All-American and first-round NFL draft pick who was a winner before he ever stepped onto the playing field.The Blind Side takes the true story of a young man who went from abandonment to success as a pro-football player and treats it with respect. The movie doesn't oversell what is, on the face of it, already compelling. It's almost impossible to describe the plot without sounding painfully inspirational: Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron, Be Kind Rewind), a hulking but gentle African-American teen in Tennessee, gets taken in by a well-to-do white family; the mother, Leigh Anne Touhy (Sandra Bullock), pushes and mothers the boy, who eventually wins a football scholarship to the University of Mississippi. In the wrong hands, this could have been maudlin, manipulative, and condescending. To the credit of writer-director John Lee Hancock, adapting Michael Lewis's acclaimed book, the result is intelligent, genuine, and alternately funny and moving. Leigh A! nne could easily have been grandstanding and virtuous, but Bullock doesn't shy away from her vain and domineering side. The football scenes will be gripping even to non-sports fans because they've been so successfully grounded in Michael's emotional life. The all-around solid cast includes country music star Tim McGraw, pint-sized Jae Head (Hancock), and Kathy Bates as the tutor who guided Michael's academic success. Don't be surprised if you can't keep yourself from watching all the real-life photos of Michael, Leigh Anne, and the rest of the family that are featured in the credits; by the end of the movie, you will care about them all. --Bret Fetzer

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