A Bug's Life (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)

• Journey inside the miniature world of bugs for bigger-than-life fun and adventure under every leaf! Crawling with imaginative characters, hilarious laughs, and colorful animation, Disney and Pixar's A BUG'S LIFE will "delight everyone -- young, old, or six-legged" ("People" magazine). On behalf of "oppressed bugs everywhere" an inventive ant named Flik hires "warrior bugs" to defend his co

In an anthill with millions of inhabitants, Z 4195 is a worker ant. Feeling insignificant in a conformity system, he accidentally meets beautiful Princess Bala, who has a similar problem on the other end of the social scale. In order to meet her again, Z switches sides with his soldier friend Weaver - only to become a hero in the course of events. By this he unwillingly crosses the sinister plans of ambitious General Mandible (Bala's fiancé, by the way), who wants to divide the ant society into a superior,! strong race (soldiers) and an inferior, to-be-eliminated race (the workers). But Z and Bala, both unaware of the dangerous situation, try to leave the oppressive system by heading for Insectopia, a place where food paves the streets. --Written by Julian ReischlWoody Allen as a worker ant with an inferiority complex? Sylvester Stallone as an affable soldier ant who discovers that digging tunnels is cool? The animation playground we all knew so well is turning into a theme park full of in-jokes for grownups. Antz explores age-old topics (one person--err, insect--can make a difference, individuality and social responsibility must exist side by side, war is hell) with comic asides and Woody Allen's funniest quips this side of PG (adults will chuckle at the socialist slogans bandied about as he campaigns for workers' rights). Sharon Stone voices the rebellious princess with a fun-loving streak that doesn't quite overcome her royal bearing and court training, but she can ! learn. Gene Hackman is all teeth (ants have teeth?) and menaci! ng grins as the Army general plotting insect-icide. This bug's-eye view of life on Earth gives Allen's neurotic nonconformist an epic adventure of microscopic proportions: a devastating war with a termite colony, an odyssey to the fabled land of plenty (a picnic ground), and a race to save his fellow workers from certain death. Other voices include Anne Bancroft as the Queen, Christopher Walken, Jennifer Lopez, Danny Glover, Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin, and John Mahoney. The computer animation isn't exactly realistic but feels as solid and contoured as puppet animation with the smoothness and slickness of traditional cel cartoons, and the character designs and animation offer a marvelous range of expressions. The PG rating includes a gritty battle sequence that may frighten youngsters. --Sean AxmakerBook Two of the Antz series finds mankind being swept from his own worlds, put to flight and scattered like cosmic dust. The Fleet has been routed. They can't stand toe to toe with t! he enemy. The only hope is that mankind can hold her worlds, but they will have to be held from the ground, and they were on their own. It has been a long time since man has been hunted by anything other than his own fellow men, but the instincts were still there.Book Two of the Antz series finds mankind being swept from his own worlds, put to flight and scattered like cosmic dust. The Fleet has been routed. They can't stand toe to toe with the enemy. The only hope is that mankind can hold her worlds, but they will have to be held from the ground, and they were on their own. It has been a long time since man has been hunted by anything other than his own fellow men, but the instincts were still there.Woody Allen as a worker ant with an inferiority complex? Sylvester Stallone as an affable soldier ant who discovers that digging tunnels is cool? The animation playground we all knew so well is turning into a theme park full of in-jokes for grownups. Antz explores age-ol! d topics (one person--err, insect--can make a difference, indi! vidualit y and social responsibility must exist side by side, war is hell) with comic asides and Woody Allen's funniest quips this side of PG (adults will chuckle at the socialist slogans bandied about as he campaigns for workers' rights). Sharon Stone voices the rebellious princess with a fun-loving streak that doesn't quite overcome her royal bearing and court training, but she can learn. Gene Hackman is all teeth (ants have teeth?) and menacing grins as the Army general plotting insect-icide. This bug's-eye view of life on Earth gives Allen's neurotic nonconformist an epic adventure of microscopic proportions: a devastating war with a termite colony, an odyssey to the fabled land of plenty (a picnic ground), and a race to save his fellow workers from certain death. Other voices include Anne Bancroft as the Queen, Christopher Walken, Jennifer Lopez, Danny Glover, Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin, and John Mahoney. The computer animation isn't exactly realistic but feels as solid and contou! red as puppet animation with the smoothness and slickness of traditional cel cartoons, and the character designs and animation offer a marvelous range of expressions. The PG rating includes a gritty battle sequence that may frighten youngsters. --Sean AxmakerMankind has expanded unimpeded across the Galaxy. Expansionist and Imperialistic before space travel, one nation against the next, later the corporations, but man was many more times so after. After space travel. First men fought over the moon and mars, and then quickly onward as fast as the fuel of greed could compel them. The Corporations owned space.
Corporate expansion into the Galaxy didn't last long. It only lasted long enough for them to have the first alien contact, and a devastating financial loss, and mankind suddenly found itself under attack by the first alien race it had made contact with.
Since that time man has marched across the Galaxy and over every sentient race he encountered, exte! rminating them down to specimens and even less in most cases. ! Man has grown strong and numerous and now sits quiescently in control of all he purveys. Until the day an unknown intruder exits Jump without warning and breaks through the Protected Zone.
Mankind has always been the most industrious, the most technological, the fiercest, the most numerous, whatever it took to prevail, but this new enemy outnumbers man millions to one and mankind finds itself in the unusual position of having either to prevail, or face complete annihilation.
The Hswgi have been marching across the Universe for millions of years. The Hswgi are vegetarian, but their larvae required meat. No longer planet dwellers, truly the nomads they had been designed to be, they continued to raid as they always had. Mankind seemed an an easy meal.
P.S. This book has received a new full edit as of 10/27/2011.
The next installment of this series will be coming in December 2011.
Thank you and enjoy!Mankind has expanded unimpeded across the Galaxy. Expansi! onist and Imperialistic before space travel, one nation against the next, later the corporations, but man was many more times so after. After space travel. First men fought over the moon and mars, and then quickly onward as fast as the fuel of greed could compel them. The Corporations owned space.
Corporate expansion into the Galaxy didn't last long. It only lasted long enough for them to have the first alien contact, and a devastating financial loss, and mankind suddenly found itself under attack by the first alien race it had made contact with.
Since that time man has marched across the Galaxy and over every sentient race he encountered, exterminating them down to specimens and even less in most cases. Man has grown strong and numerous and now sits quiescently in control of all he purveys. Until the day an unknown intruder exits Jump without warning and breaks through the Protected Zone.
Mankind has always been the most industrious, the most technological, t! he fiercest, the most numerous, whatever it took to prevail, b! ut this new enemy outnumbers man millions to one and mankind finds itself in the unusual position of having either to prevail, or face complete annihilation.
The Hswgi have been marching across the Universe for millions of years. The Hswgi are vegetarian, but their larvae required meat. No longer planet dwellers, truly the nomads they had been designed to be, they continued to raid as they always had. Mankind seemed an an easy meal.
P.S. This book has received a new full edit as of 10/27/2011.
The next installment of this series will be coming in December 2011.
Thank you and enjoy!Earth, that shining beacon of human magnificence, of human achievement, the very birthplace of mankind itself, now falls in line for Antz invasion.

I want to thank my readers. I know I'm not the best writer in the world but I strive to tell a good story. I do write a few run on sentences, I'll admit, but it's to pack as much information into each line as possible. To keep the st! ory moving along. The story is why the reader is here. My greatest achievement is when people tell me they couldn't put my book down. They couldn't stop turning the pages because they wanted to know what was going to happen next. All the way through the book. That's my greatest achievement.

You may expect to see the next installment of this series in December (this December). All further installments will be full length, as Winter is here and I will have the time to write full time.
Thank you and enjoy.Earth, that shining beacon of human magnificence, of human achievement, the very birthplace of mankind itself, now falls in line for Antz invasion.

I want to thank my readers. I know I'm not the best writer in the world but I strive to tell a good story. I do write a few run on sentences, I'll admit, but it's to pack as much information into each line as possible. To keep the story moving along. The story is why the reader is here. My greatest achiev! ement is when people tell me they couldn't put my book down. T! hey coul dn't stop turning the pages because they wanted to know what was going to happen next. All the way through the book. That's my greatest achievement.

You may expect to see the next installment of this series in December (this December). All further installments will be full length, as Winter is here and I will have the time to write full time.
Thank you and enjoy.Woody Allen as a worker ant with an inferiority complex? Sylvester Stallone as an affable soldier ant who discovers that digging tunnels is cool? The animation playground we all knew so well is turning into a theme park full of in-jokes for grownups. Antz explores age-old topics (one person--err, insect--can make a difference, individuality and social responsibility must exist side by side, war is hell) with comic asides and Woody Allen's funniest quips this side of PG (adults will chuckle at the socialist slogans bandied about as he campaigns for workers' rights). Sharon Stone voices the rebellious! princess with a fun-loving streak that doesn't quite overcome her royal bearing and court training, but she can learn. Gene Hackman is all teeth (ants have teeth?) and menacing grins as the Army general plotting insect-icide. This bug's-eye view of life on Earth gives Allen's neurotic nonconformist an epic adventure of microscopic proportions: a devastating war with a termite colony, an odyssey to the fabled land of plenty (a picnic ground), and a race to save his fellow workers from certain death. Other voices include Anne Bancroft as the Queen, Christopher Walken, Jennifer Lopez, Danny Glover, Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin, and John Mahoney. The computer animation isn't exactly realistic but feels as solid and contoured as puppet animation with the smoothness and slickness of traditional cel cartoons, and the character designs and animation offer a marvelous range of expressions. The PG rating includes a gritty battle sequence that may frighten youngsters. --Sean AxmakerA funny children's (& adult) cartoon movie.Woody Allen as a ! worker a nt with an inferiority complex? Sylvester Stallone as an affable soldier ant who discovers that digging tunnels is cool? The animation playground we all knew so well is turning into a theme park full of in-jokes for grownups. Antz explores age-old topics (one person--err, insect--can make a difference, individuality and social responsibility must exist side by side, war is hell) with comic asides and Woody Allen's funniest quips this side of PG (adults will chuckle at the socialist slogans bandied about as he campaigns for workers' rights). Sharon Stone voices the rebellious princess with a fun-loving streak that doesn't quite overcome her royal bearing and court training, but she can learn. Gene Hackman is all teeth (ants have teeth?) and menacing grins as the Army general plotting insect-icide. This bug's-eye view of life on Earth gives Allen's neurotic nonconformist an epic adventure of microscopic proportions: a devastating war with a termite colony, an odyssey to! the fabled land of plenty (a picnic ground), and a race to save his fellow workers from certain death. Other voices include Anne Bancroft as the Queen, Christopher Walken, Jennifer Lopez, Danny Glover, Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin, and John Mahoney. The computer animation isn't exactly realistic but feels as solid and contoured as puppet animation with the smoothness and slickness of traditional cel cartoons, and the character designs and animation offer a marvelous range of expressions. The PG rating includes a gritty battle sequence that may frighten youngsters. --Sean AxmakerJourney inside the world of bugs in this epic of miniature proportions. Crawling with imaginative characters, hilarious laughs, and colorful animation, Walt Disney Pictures Presentation of A Pixar Animation Studios Film, A BUG'S LIFE, will "delight everyone -- young, old, or six-legged." (People Magazine) In this 2-disc set you'll step behind the scenes for a look at the innovation and teamwork t! hat resulted in this ingenious film. Loaded with bonus feature! s â€" in cluding animation not seen in theaters, abandoned sequences, and multiple surprises â€" A BUG'S LIFE COLLECTOR'S EDITION offers something for everyone from families to film lovers!There was such a magic on the screen in 1995 when the people at Pixar came up with the first fully computer-animated film, Toy Story. Their second feature film, A Bug's Life, may miss the bull's-eye but Pixar's target is so lofty, it's hard to find the film anything less than irresistible.

Brighter and more colorful than the other animated insect movie of 1998 (Antz), A Bug's Life is the sweetly told story of Flik (voiced by David Foley), an ant searching for better ways to be a bug. His colony unfortunately revolves around feeding and fearing the local grasshoppers (lead by Hopper, voiced with gleeful menace by Kevin Spacey). When Flik accidentally destroys the seasonal food supply for the grasshoppers he decides to look for help ("We need bigger bugs!"). Th! e ants, led by Princess Atta (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), are eager to dispose of the troublesome Flik. Yet he finds help--a hearty bunch of bug warriors--and brings them back to the colony. Unfortunately they are just traveling performers afraid of conflict.

As with Toy Story, the ensemble of creatures and voices is remarkable and often inspired. Highlights include wiseacre comedian Denis Leary as an un-ladylike ladybug, Joe Ranft as the German-accented caterpillar, David Hyde Pierce as a stick bug, and Michael McShane as a pair of unintelligible pillbugs. The scene-stealer is Atta's squeaky-voiced sister, baby Dot (Hayden Panettiere), who has a big sweet spot for Flik.

More gentle and kid-friendly than Antz, A Bug Life's still has some good suspense and a wonderful demise of the villain. However, the film--a giant worldwide hit--will be remembered for its most creative touch: "outtakes" over the end credits à la many live-action comedy films. ! These dozen or so scenes (both "editions" of outtakes are con! tained h ere) are brilliant and deserve a special place in film history right along with 1998's other most talked-about sequence: the opening Normandy invasion in Saving Private Ryan.

The video also contains Pixar's delightful Oscar-winning short, Geri's Game. Box art varies. --Doug Thomas

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Freaky Friday

• In the tradition of THE PRINCESS DIARIES, Disney's FREAKY FRIDAY is the extremely funny and heartwarming comedy everyone will love. Dr. Tess Coleman (the hilarious Jamie Lee Curtis) and her teenage daughter Anna (rockin' Lindsay Lohan) have one thing in common -- they don't relate to each other on anything. Not clothes or men or Anna's passion to be in a rock band. Nothing. Then on

In the tradition of THE PRINCESS DIARIES, Disney's FREAKY FRIDAY is the extremely funny and heartwarming comedy everyone will love. Dr. Tess Coleman (the hilarious Jamie Lee Curtis) and her teenage daughter Anna (rockin' Lindsay Lohan) have one thing in common -- they don't relate to each other on anything. Not clothes or men or Anna's passion to be in a rock band. Nothing. Then one night a little mystic mayhem changes their lives and they wake up to the biggest freak-out ever. Tess and Anna are trapped inside each! other's body! But Tess's wedding is Saturday and the two must find a way to switch back -- fast! Literally forced to walk in each other's shoes, will they gain respect and understanding for the other's point of view? Filled with comedy, rock 'n roll and lots of heart, FREAKY FRIDAY is freaking fun everyone can enjoy togetherIn the wonderfully entertaining Freaky Friday, teenager Anna (Lindsay Lohan) and her forty-something psychiatrist mom Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis) have sunk into a rut of frustrated bickering--until a magic spell causes them to switch bodies. Suddenly Tess finds herself faced with petty teachers, vicious rivals, and a hunky boy, while Anna has to cope with her mother's neurotic patients as well as her befuddled fiance (Mark Harmon), who doesn't understand why his bride-to-be is suddenly recoiling from his embrace on the eve of their wedding. Both Lohan and Curtis turn in deft, delightful performances, with Curtis showing a surprising flair for physica! l comedy. The movie even manages to explore serious issues abo! ut fract ured families, new parents, and adolescent sexuality with honesty and empathy--and without making the story stop dead in its tracks. It's a mother-daughter film that fathers and sons can enjoy just as much. --Bret Fetzer

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Eye of the Beholder

• They say beauty is in the EYE OF THE BEHOLDER. Well, some things are better left unseen. Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: MATURE Rating: NR Age: 713079273434 UPC: 713079273434 Manufacturer No: CTV27343

Grayson Adams is living a double life in Victorian England. By day, he paints erotic pictures, by evening he attends the balls where eager mamas throw their virginal daughters at him, though he is merely the youngest son of a baron. Lately, however, he’s lost his muse, and wonders what it would be like to paint one of those virginal society misses.
Sarah Dusenberry is enduring her fifth season, and is tired of her mother pushing her toward a husband, when it’s clear no man wants her. Why can’t she just travel with a companion, lead the life of a well-off spinster? But her mother wants her to have the protection of a man and will not part with the funds Sarah needs for her dream of trav! el. In search of her own funds, she answers an ad for an artist’s model, never thinking of how she’ll be modelingâ€"or how much she’ll enjoy it.
Grayson becomes entranced with his new model and pursues her in society as he struggles to keep his distance in the studio. What will Sarah do when she learns the truth?
THIS BOOK CONTAINS EROTIC CONTENT.Grayson Adams is living a double life in Victorian England. By day, he paints erotic pictures, by evening he attends the balls where eager mamas throw their virginal daughters at him, though he is merely the youngest son of a baron. Lately, however, he’s lost his muse, and wonders what it would be like to paint one of those virginal society misses.
Sarah Dusenberry is enduring her fifth season, and is tired of her mother pushing her toward a husband, when it’s clear no man wants her. Why can’t she just travel with a companion, lead the life of a well-off spinster? But her mother wants her to have the prot! ection of a man and will not part with the funds Sarah needs f! or her d ream of travel. In search of her own funds, she answers an ad for an artist’s model, never thinking of how she’ll be modelingâ€"or how much she’ll enjoy it.
Grayson becomes entranced with his new model and pursues her in society as he struggles to keep his distance in the studio. What will Sarah do when she learns the truth?
THIS BOOK CONTAINS EROTIC CONTENT.Mary Peters despairs that she will never marry. At nineteen, she has no prospects of finding a husband, so she takes matters into her own hands and becomes a mail-order bride. When she arrives to Omaha, Nebraska to meet the man she's due to marry, he takes one look at her homely appearance and rejects her.

But fate has other plans for Mary. Dave Larson happens to be nearby and thinks she will make a good wife. Though she is stunned that someone as handsome and as kind as Dave would ask her to marry him, she accepts. She knows that this marriage will not bear the fruits of love. Love, after all, is! for beautiful women. Isn't it?Mary Peters despairs that she will never marry. At nineteen, she has no prospects of finding a husband, so she takes matters into her own hands and becomes a mail-order bride. When she arrives to Omaha, Nebraska to meet the man she's due to marry, he takes one look at her homely appearance and rejects her.

But fate has other plans for Mary. Dave Larson happens to be nearby and thinks she will make a good wife. Though she is stunned that someone as handsome and as kind as Dave would ask her to marry him, she accepts. She knows that this marriage will not bear the fruits of love. Love, after all, is for beautiful women. Isn't it?Ewan McGregor stars as The Eye, an isolated British intelligence agent. The Eye's current mission is to track Joanna Eris (Ashley Judd), a woman suspected of blackmailing the son of a senior British official. But Eris is far more than a blackmailer. she is a master of disguise, a frenzied murderer, a lost orpha! n and a mystery whose rage is as fierce as her beauty.This pro! blematic thriller boasts several inspired elements, especially intelligent, committed performances by leads Ewan McGregor and Ashley Judd, both of whom have become hot commodities. Fans should definitely investigate their incisive work here, even if McGregor and Judd's talents are ultimately cast into a lost cause.

Judd plays a black-widow serial murderer named Joanna, who is systematically seducing and killing men who, in one way or another, are outside the ordinary. (Among her victims is a blind mulimillionaire, played by Patrick Bergin, and a nasty loser portrayed, surprisingly, by Jason Priestley.) McGregor is on board as a British intelligence agent who happens to be following her. Referred to as "the Eye," McGregor's operative is a haunted man abandoned years before by his wife and daughter. His isolation is such that he holds imaginary conversations with the latter, and she advises him to take pity on Joanna and protect her even as she carries on with her monstrous miss! ion.

That's precisely what he does, at a distance, ushering in comparisons to Hitchcock's classics about voyeurism and obsession, particularly Vertigo and Rear Window. (Allusions to Francis Coppola's The Conversation are unavoidable as well.) But despite the great material (the 1980 source novel by Marc Behm was highly praised by The New York Times) and a fascinating cast (including Geneviève Bujold and k.d. lang), Eye of the Beholder bogs down in Stephan Elliott's often thoughtless, obvious direction. Elliott (Priscilla, Queen of the Desert) grinds down several members of the cast by insisting on dreary, one-note performances, and he makes a long movie seem even longer by telegraphing story twists and other developments long before they happen. Justice would be served if one could extract Judd and McGregor's appearances here and graft them onto a better movie, but so it goes. --Tom KeoghMary Peters despairs that s! he will never get married. At nineteen, she has no prospects f! or findi ng a husband, so she takes matters into her own hands and becomes a mail order bride. When she arrives in Omaha, Nebraska to meet the man she's due to marry, he takes one look at her homely appearance and rejects her. But fate has other plans for Mary, for Dave Larson, happens to be nearby and figures she will make a suitable companion to help him on his farm. Though she is stunned that someone as handsome and as kind as Dave would ask her to marry him, she accepts, realizing that this marriage of convenience will not bear the fruits of love. Love, after all, is for beautiful women. Isn't it? *This historical western romance is rated R.

Justice isn’t blind anymore.

True Destiny, Book 2

Travis Yardley-Rudiger deliberately stayed away from Jamie Grimm, desperate not to pull her into the petty war of wills between him and her grandfather, Oliver Grimm. Unfortunately the reemergence of Baldur and Loki and their claiming of Jamie’s sister J! ordan put her squarely in Grimm’s sights. Her torture at Grimm’s hands left Travis determined to claim and protect the woman he’s loved for yearsâ€"but first he has to find a way to break the news that Travis is actually Tyr.

Jamie keeps seeing the weirdest things. Flames in her sister’s eyes, for instance…even Travis’s entire body glowing. Then there are the recurring nightmares she just can’t shake. One thing is certain: Travis’s usual standoffish attitude has done an abrupt one-eighty. He’s even gone so far as to move with her into her sister’s condo while she convalesces. And when he reveals whoâ€"and whatâ€"he is, Jamie is left to wonder what the Norse God of Justice could possibly want with a crazy redhead with severe family issues.

As far as he’s concerned, it will be Travis’s pleasure to show her…

Warning: This book contains explicit sex, graphic language, a real blond god and a woman with reasons to have trust i! ssues.

Justice isn’t blind anymore.

True De! stiny, B ook 2

Travis Yardley-Rudiger deliberately stayed away from Jamie Grimm, desperate not to pull her into the petty war of wills between him and her grandfather, Oliver Grimm. Unfortunately the reemergence of Baldur and Loki and their claiming of Jamie’s sister Jordan put her squarely in Grimm’s sights. Her torture at Grimm’s hands left Travis determined to claim and protect the woman he’s loved for yearsâ€"but first he has to find a way to break the news that Travis is actually Tyr.

Jamie keeps seeing the weirdest things. Flames in her sister’s eyes, for instance…even Travis’s entire body glowing. Then there are the recurring nightmares she just can’t shake. One thing is certain: Travis’s usual standoffish attitude has done an abrupt one-eighty. He’s even gone so far as to move with her into her sister’s condo while she convalesces. And when he reveals whoâ€"and whatâ€"he is, Jamie is left to wonder what the Norse God of Justice ! could possibly want with a crazy redhead with severe family issues.

As far as he’s concerned, it will be Travis’s pleasure to show her…

Warning: This book contains explicit sex, graphic language, a real blond god and a woman with reasons to have trust issues.

The Eye (Ewan McGregor) is an intelligence agent whose current assignment is to track Joanna Eris (Ashley Judd), a woman suspected of blackmailing a senior government official. But the Eye soon learns that Eris is far more than a blackmailer. She is a seductive, shadowy master of disguise who is a frenzied murderer whose rage is as fierce as her beauty. As he follows her, he becomes fascinated with what he sees. Soon his surveillance becomes a deadly obsession. The closer he gets, the more intense the danger becomes. To catch her would be to lose her, so the odyssey continues until they find themselves on a perilous crash course.This problematic thriller boasts several inspired elements, especial! ly intelligent, committed performances by leads Ewan McGregor ! and Ashl ey Judd, both of whom have become hot commodities. Fans should definitely investigate their incisive work here, even if McGregor and Judd's talents are ultimately cast into a lost cause.

Judd plays a black-widow serial murderer named Joanna, who is systematically seducing and killing men who, in one way or another, are outside the ordinary. (Among her victims is a blind mulimillionaire, played by Patrick Bergin, and a nasty loser portrayed, surprisingly, by Jason Priestley.) McGregor is on board as a British intelligence agent who happens to be following her. Referred to as "the Eye," McGregor's operative is a haunted man abandoned years before by his wife and daughter. His isolation is such that he holds imaginary conversations with the latter, and she advises him to take pity on Joanna and protect her even as she carries on with her monstrous mission.

That's precisely what he does, at a distance, ushering in comparisons to Hitchcock's classics about voyeurism an! d obsession, particularly Vertigo and Rear Window. (Allusions to Francis Coppola's The Conversation are unavoidable as well.) But despite the great material (the 1980 source novel by Marc Behm was highly praised by The New York Times) and a fascinating cast (including Geneviève Bujold and k.d. lang), Eye of the Beholder bogs down in Stephan Elliott's often thoughtless, obvious direction. Elliott (Priscilla, Queen of the Desert) grinds down several members of the cast by insisting on dreary, one-note performances, and he makes a long movie seem even longer by telegraphing story twists and other developments long before they happen. Justice would be served if one could extract Judd and McGregor's appearances here and graft them onto a better movie, but so it goes. --Tom KeoghAfter a career-stalling tangle with a fraudulent gallery owner, Art Deco expert Alexa Chambers is ready to get back in the game. But when she secretl! y consults on an exquisite collection for Arizona's luxurious ! Avalon R esorts, she doesn't know she will cross paths with enigmatic business titan J. L. Trask.

Years ago, Trask accused Alexa's stepfather of murder -- and vowed he would get revenge. Now, their meeting is inevitable -- and attraction immediate -- as they trade sizzling sparks and snappy repartee. But when a killer emerges from the shadows, these sensual sparring partners team up to solve a deadly crime from the past. Following a trail of clues to a trendy but decidedly strange New Age spa, Trask and Alexa don't need a crystal ball to see that their survival -- and their chances of bliss -- will depend on a little help from a higher power: a true and trustworthy love.Setting: Avalon, Arizona, present day
Sensuality Rating: 7

Perennial favorite Jayne Ann Krentz weaves a complicated tale of metaphysics and murder, romance and revenge, in Eye of the Beholder. J.L. Trask--"Trask" to friends and enemies alike--has returned to Avalon, Arizona, 12 years after his fath! er's mysterious death, to not only fulfill his dream of opening a world-class resort hotel but also to hunt down his father's killer. There he encounters none other than Alexa Chambers, stepdaughter of one of his father's former partners, whom Trask suspects of playing a role in the murder. Alexa is biding her time in Avalon, working tirelessly behind the scenes to regain her reputation as an expert in 20th-century antiques and art after having been framed in a forgery scandal that rocked the art world a year earlier. Alexa's best chance to redeem herself is by verifying the authenticity of the Art Deco collection at Trask's new hotel. Thrown together by the project, the two find it difficult to ignore the lasting animosity of a past encounter--not to mention the passionate heat they experience in each other's company. And as Trask grows ever closer to discovering who the true killer is, dark forces conspire against him, endangering not only his life but Alex! a's as well. Once again, Krentz combines elements of romance ! and myst ery in a winning union. --Alison TrinkleEdgar Award-winner David Ellis shifts gears to deliver a stunning new thriller where every character has a secret-and every secret has a price.

David Ellis's In the Company of Liars is an audaciously inventive thriller. In a David Ellis novel, nothing is ever what it seems, and so it is with Eye of the Beholder, a heart-pounding novel filled with dark secrets and the horrific lengths that desperate people will go to keep them.

Renowned attorney Paul Riley has built a lucrative career based on his famous prosecution of Terry Burgos, a serial killer who followed the lyrics of a violent song to gruesomely murder six girls. Now, fifteen years later, the police are confronted with a new series of murders and mutilations. Riley is the first to realize that the two cases are connected-and that the killer seems to be willing to do anything to keep him involved. As the murderer's list of victims become! s less random and more personal, Riley finds himself at the center of a police task force assigned to catch the murderer-as both an investigator and a suspect.

Driven by his own fear that he may have overlooked something crucial during the investigation years ago, Riley must sift through fifteen years of lies in order to uncover the truth-but the killer isn't the only one who wants to keep the past buried. . . .An erotic thriller with no equal, Brad Armstrong brings Eye of the Beholder to life with amazing special effects and an intriguing story. Nominated for 11 AVN Awards and winner of Best DVD from DVD Empire, Kaylani Lei is Sonya, a transplant patient who gets more than vision from her donor. Strange dreams haunt Sonya almost immediately after surgery. She is tormented with terrifying visions of her donors' death and becomes determined to solve the mystery of her sudden death. Her quest brings her face to face with chilling details of her donors demise. Will ! Sonya bring the killers to justice? It s all in the Eye of the! Beholde r.This problematic thriller boasts several inspired elements, especially intelligent, committed performances by leads Ewan McGregor and Ashley Judd, both of whom have become hot commodities. Fans should definitely investigate their incisive work here, even if McGregor and Judd's talents are ultimately cast into a lost cause.

Judd plays a black-widow serial murderer named Joanna, who is systematically seducing and killing men who, in one way or another, are outside the ordinary. (Among her victims is a blind mulimillionaire, played by Patrick Bergin, and a nasty loser portrayed, surprisingly, by Jason Priestley.) McGregor is on board as a British intelligence agent who happens to be following her. Referred to as "the Eye," McGregor's operative is a haunted man abandoned years before by his wife and daughter. His isolation is such that he holds imaginary conversations with the latter, and she advises him to take pity on Joanna and protect her even as she carries on with ! her monstrous mission.

That's precisely what he does, at a distance, ushering in comparisons to Hitchcock's classics about voyeurism and obsession, particularly Vertigo and Rear Window. (Allusions to Francis Coppola's The Conversation are unavoidable as well.) But despite the great material (the 1980 source novel by Marc Behm was highly praised by The New York Times) and a fascinating cast (including Geneviève Bujold and k.d. lang), Eye of the Beholder bogs down in Stephan Elliott's often thoughtless, obvious direction. Elliott (Priscilla, Queen of the Desert) grinds down several members of the cast by insisting on dreary, one-note performances, and he makes a long movie seem even longer by telegraphing story twists and other developments long before they happen. Justice would be served if one could extract Judd and McGregor's appearances here and graft them onto a better movie, but so it goes. --Tom Keogh

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Grizzly Man

• wildlife
• widescreen
• documentary
• true
• nonfiction

In his mesmerizing new film, GRIZZLY MAN, acclaimed director Werner Herzog explores the life and death of amateur grizzly bear expert and wildlife preservationist Timothy Treadwell. Treadwell lived unarmed among the bears for thirteen summers, and filmed his adventures in the wild during his final five seasons. In October 2003, Treadwell’s remains, along with those of his girlfriend, Amie Huguenard, were discovered near their campsite in Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Reserve. They had been mauled and devoured by a grizzly, the first known victims of a bear attack in the paGrizzly Man could easily have been sensational and exploitative, but in the hands of Werner Herzog, it becomes something extraordinary. Herzog was granted exclusive access to over 100 hours of video shot by amateur naturalist, w! ildlife advocate and troubled loner Timothy Treadwell, who spent 13 summers in Alaska's Katmai National Park, where he grew to know and love the grizzly bears that lived there. He was also killed by one of them, in October 2003, along with his girlfriend Amie Huguenard, and that seemingly inevitable fate informs every minute of Herzog's riveting combination of Treadwell's video with his own expert filmmaking and unique vision of nature and man. Whereas Treadwell was a naïve nature-lover and social outcast whose sanity was slowly slipping away, Herzog is a pragmatic mythologist who views nature primarily in terms of "chaos, hostility, and murder," and the disparity of their vision results in a magnetic attraction that makes the sum of Grizzly Man greater than its parts. We come to admire the dreamer, the idealist, the failed actor and recovered alcoholic man-child that was Treadwell, and we equally admire the seeker of truth and wisdom that is Herzog. They belong tog! ether, in some world beyond our world, where visionaries join ! forces t o create life after death. --Jeff ShannonRenowned nonfiction director Werner Herzog chronicles the tragic and untimely death of outdoorsman Timothy Treadwell, who devoted his life to studying grizzly bears living in the Alaskan wilderness -- only to have one of them maul him to death. Pieced together mainly from Treadwell's own video footage, this fascinating documentary goes deep into the wilderness of one man's mind to uncover how he spent his final days.

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Flags of Our Fathers First Edition In Dust Jacket

• Flags of Our Fathers
• [Flags of Our Fathers]

From Academy Award-winning director Clint Eastwood (Million Dollar Baby, Unforgiven) comes the World Was II epic Flags of Our Fathers, produced by Eastwood, Academy Award winner Steven Spielberg (Saving Private Ryan, Schindler’s List), and Rob Lorenz (Mystic River), and from a screenplay adapted by William Broyles, Jr. (Cast Away) and Oscar winner Paul Haggis (Million Dollar Baby, Crash).
February 1945. Even as victory in Europe was finally within reach, the war in the Pacific raged on. One of the most crucial and bloodiest battles of the war was the struggle for the island of Iwo Jima, which culminated with what would become one of the most iconic images in history: five Marines and a Navy corpsman raising the American flag on Mount Suribachi. The inspiring photo capturing that moment became! a symbol of victory to a nation that had grown weary of war and made instant heroes of the six American soldiers at the base of the flag, some of whom would die soon after, never knowing that they had been immortalized. But the surviving flag raisers had no interest in being held up as symbols and did not consider themselves heroes; they wanted only to stay on the front with their brothers in arms who were fighting and dying without fanfare or glory.
Flags of Our Fathers is based on the bestselling book by James Bradley with Ron Powers, which chronicled the battle of Iwo Jima and the fates of the flag raisers and some of their brothers in Easy Company. Bradley’s father, John "Doc" Bradley, was one of the soldiers pictured raising the flag, although James never knew the full extent of his father’s experiences until after the elder Bradley’s death in 1994.
Thematically ambitious and emotionally complex, Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers is an i! ntimate epic with much to say about war and the nature of hero! ism in A merica. Based on the non-fiction bestseller by James Bradley (with Ron Powers), and adapted by Million Dollar Baby screenwriter Paul Haggis (Jarhead screenwriter William Broyles Jr. wrote an earlier draft that was abandoned when Eastwood signed on to direct), this isn't so much a conventional war movie as it is a thought-provoking meditation on our collective need for heroes, even at the expense of those we deem heroic. In telling the story of the six men (five Marines, one Navy medic) who raised the American flag of victory on the battle-ravaged Japanese island of Iwo Jima on February 23rd, 1945, Eastwood takes us deep into the horror of war (in painstakingly authentic Iwo Jima battle scenes) while emphasizing how three of the surviving flag-raisers (played by Adam Beach, Ryan Phillippe, and Jesse Bradford) became reluctant celebrities â€" and resentful pawns in a wartime publicity campaign â€" after their flag-raising was immortalized by Associated Press phot! ographer Joe Rosenthal in the most famous photograph in military history.

As the surviving flag-raisers reluctantly play their public roles as "the heroes of Iwo Jima" during an exhausting (but clearly necessary) wartime bond rally tour, Flags of Our Fathers evolves into a pointed study of battlefield valor and misplaced idolatry, incorporating subtle comment on the bogus nature of celebrity, the trauma of battle, and the true meaning of heroism in wartime. Wisely avoiding any direct parallels to contemporary history, Eastwood allows us to draw our own conclusions about the Iwo Jima flag-raisers and how their postwar histories (both noble and tragic) simultaneously illustrate the hazards of exploited celebrity and society's genuine need for admirable role models during times of national crisis. Flags of Our Fathers defies the expectations of those seeking a more straightforward war-action drama, but it's richly satisfying, impeccably crafted film that man! ages to be genuinely patriotic (in celebrating the camaraderie! of sold iers in battle) while dramatizing the ultimate futility of war. Eastwood's follow-up film, Letters from Iwo Jima, examines the Iwo Jima conflict from the Japanese perspective. --Jeff Shannon

Beyond Flags of Our Fathers

Other World War II DVDs

Essential DVDs by Director Clint Eastwood

Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley

Stills from Flags of Our Father! s (click for larger image)

!

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELL! ER
THE TRUE STORY BEHIND THE IMMORTAL PHOTOGRAPH THAT HAS COME TO SYMBOLIZE THE COURAGE AND INDOMITABLE WILL OF AMERICA

In February 1945, American Marines plunged into the surf at Iwo Jimaâ€"and into history. Through a hail of machine-gun and mortar fire that left the beaches strewn with comrades, they battled to the island’s highest peak. And after climbing through a landscape of hell itself, they raised a flag.

Now the son of one of the flagraisers has written a powerful account of six very different young men who came together in a moment that will live forever.

To his family, John Bradley never spoke of the photograph or the war. But after his death at age seventy, his family discovered closed boxes of letters and photos. In Flags of Our Fathers, James Bradley draws on those documents to retrace the lives of his father and the men of Easy Company. Following these men’s paths to Iwo Jima, James Bradley has written a classic story of t! he heroic battle for the Pacific’s most crucial islandâ€"an island riddled with Japanese tunnels and 22,000 fanatic defenders who would fight to the last man.

But perhaps the most interesting part of the story is what happened after the victory. The men in the photoâ€"three were killed during the battleâ€"were proclaimed heroes and flown home, to become reluctant symbols. For two of them, the adulation was shattering. Only James Bradley’s father truly survived, displaying no copy of the famous photograph in his home, telling his son only: “The real heroes of Iwo Jima were the guys who didn’t come back.”

Few books ever have captured the complexity and furor of war and its aftermath as well as Flags of Our Fathers. A penetrating, epic look at a generation at war, this is history told with keen insight, enormous honesty, and the passion of a son paying homage to his father. It is the story of the difference between truth and myth, the meaning of ! being a hero, and the essence of the human experience of war.T! he Battl e of Iwo Jima, fought in the winter of 1945 on a rocky island south of Japan, brought a ferocious slice of hell to earth: in a month's time, more than 22,000 Japanese soldiers would die defending a patch of ground a third the size of Manhattan, while nearly 26,000 Americans fell taking it from them. The battle was a turning point in the war in the Pacific, and it produced one of World War II's enduring images: a photograph of six soldiers raising an American flag on the flank of Mount Suribachi, the island's commanding high point.

One of those young Americans was John Bradley, a Navy corpsman who a few days before had braved enemy mortar and machine-gun fire to administer first aid to a wounded Marine and then drag him to safety. For this act of heroism Bradley would receive the Navy Cross, an award second only to the Medal of Honor.

Bradley, who died in 1994, never mentioned his feat to his family. Only after his death did Bradley's son James begin to pi! ece together the facts of his father's heroism, which was but one of countless acts of sacrifice made by the young men who fought at Iwo Jima. Flags of Our Fathers recounts the sometimes tragic life stories of the six men who raised the flag that February day--one an Arizona Indian who would die following an alcohol-soaked brawl, another a Kentucky hillbilly, still another a Pennsylvania steel-mill worker--and who became reluctant heroes in the bargain. A strongly felt and well-written entry in a spate of recent books on World War II, Flags gives a you-are-there depiction of that conflict's horrible arenas--and a moving homage to the men whom fate brought there. --Gregory McNameeFLAGS OF OUR FATHERS SPECIAL COLLECTO - Blu-Ray MoThematically ambitious and emotionally complex, Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers is an intimate epic with much to say about war and the nature of heroism in America. Based on the non-fiction bestseller by Ja! mes Bradley (with Ron Powers), and adapted by Million Dolla! r Baby screenwriter Paul Haggis (Jarhead screenwriter William Broyles Jr. wrote an earlier draft that was abandoned when Eastwood signed on to direct), this isn't so much a conventional war movie as it is a thought-provoking meditation on our collective need for heroes, even at the expense of those we deem heroic. In telling the story of the six men (five Marines, one Navy medic) who raised the American flag of victory on the battle-ravaged Japanese island of Iwo Jima on February 23rd, 1945, Eastwood takes us deep into the horror of war (in painstakingly authentic Iwo Jima battle scenes) while emphasizing how three of the surviving flag-raisers (played by Adam Beach, Ryan Phillippe, and Jesse Bradford) became reluctant celebrities â€" and resentful pawns in a wartime publicity campaign â€" after their flag-raising was immortalized by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal in the most famous photograph in military history.

As the surviving flag-raisers reluctantl! y play their public roles as "the heroes of Iwo Jima" during an exhausting (but clearly necessary) wartime bond rally tour, Flags of Our Fathers evolves into a pointed study of battlefield valor and misplaced idolatry, incorporating subtle comment on the bogus nature of celebrity, the trauma of battle, and the true meaning of heroism in wartime. Wisely avoiding any direct parallels to contemporary history, Eastwood allows us to draw our own conclusions about the Iwo Jima flag-raisers and how their postwar histories (both noble and tragic) simultaneously illustrate the hazards of exploited celebrity and society's genuine need for admirable role models during times of national crisis. Flags of Our Fathers defies the expectations of those seeking a more straightforward war-action drama, but it's richly satisfying, impeccably crafted film that manages to be genuinely patriotic (in celebrating the camaraderie of soldiers in battle) while dramatizing the ultimate fu! tility of war. Eastwood's follow-up film, Letters from Iwo ! Jima , examines the Iwo Jima conflict from the Japanese perspective. --Jeff Shannon

Beyond Flags of Our Fathers

Other World War II DVDs

Essential DVDs by Director Clint Eastwood

Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley

Stills from Flags of Our Fathers (click for larger image)

In this unforgettable chronicle of perhaps the most famous moment in American military his! tory, James Bradley has captured the glory, the triumph, the h! eartbrea k, and the legacy of the six men who raised the flag at Iwo Jima. Here is the true story behind the immortal photograph that has come to symbolize the courage and indomitable will of America.

In February 1945, American Marines plunged into the surf at Iwo Jimaâ€"and into history. Through a hail of machine-gun and mortar fire that left the beaches strewn with comrades, they battled to the island's highest peak. And after climbing through a landscape of hell itself, they raised a flag.

Now the son of one of the flagraisers has written a powerful account of six very different young men who came together in a moment that will live forever.

To his family, John Bradley never spoke of the photograph or the war. But after his death at age seventy, his family discovered closed boxes of letters and photos. In Flags of Our Fathers, James Bradley draws on those documents to retrace the lives of his father and the men of Easy Company. Following these men's pat! hs to Iwo Jima, James Bradley has written a classic story of the heroic battle for the Pacific's most crucial islandâ€"an island riddled with Japanese tunnels and 22,000 fanatic defenders who would fight to the last man.

But perhaps the most interesting part of the story is what happened after the victory. The men in the photoâ€"three were killed during the battleâ€"were proclaimed heroes and flown home, to become reluctant symbols. For two of them, the adulation was shattering. Only James Bradley's father truly survived, displaying no copy of the famous photograph in his home, telling his son only: "The real heroes of Iwo Jima were the guys who didn't come back."

Few books ever have captured the complexity and furor of war and its aftermath as well as Flags of Our Fathers. A penetrating, epic look at a generation at war, this is history told with keen insight, enormous honesty, and the passion of a son paying homage to his father. It is the story of th! e difference between truth and myth, the meaning of being a he! ro, and the essence of the human experience of war.


From the Hardcover edition.In the winter of 1945, on the tiny island of Iwo Jima, a ferocious, epic battle was fought, resulting in the loss of more than 48,000 lives and producing what was to become one of the most recognizable symbols of World War II: a photograph of six soldiers raising an American flag on the peak of Mount Suribachi. One of the six, Navy corpsman John Bradley, came away from this historical moment with a deep and mysterious silence about his role in the flag raising. Even his wife heard him speak of it only once in their 47-year marriage. After Bradley's death, his son James began to piece together the facts of his father's heroism, as well as that of the other five men, all of whom became reluctant heroes because of their presence during that fateful instant when the shutter clicked and created a wartime icon.

Based on James Bradley's Flags of Our Fathers for adul! ts, this abridged version for younger readers retains the somewhat terse drama, intense heartbreak, and bittersweet triumph of the original narrative. Through his research on the event and the soldiers (three of the men were killed in combat within days of the flag raising), Bradley explores the dubious nature of heroism and the devastating effects of war. (Ages 14 and older) --Emilie CoulterFrom Academy Award-winning director Clint Eastwood (Million Dollar Baby, Unforgiven) comes the World Was II epic Flags of Our Fathers, produced by Eastwood, Academy Award winner Steven Spielberg (Saving Private Ryan, Schindler’s List), and Rob Lorenz (Mystic River), and from a screenplay adapted by William Broyles, Jr. (Cast Away) and Oscar winner Paul Haggis (Million Dollar Baby, Crash).
February 1945. Even as victory in Europe was finally within reach, the war in the Pacific raged on. One of the most crucial and bloodiest ba! ttles of the war was the struggle for the island of Iwo Jima, ! which cu lminated with what would become one of the most iconic images in history: five Marines and a Navy corpsman raising the American flag on Mount Suribachi. The inspiring photo capturing that moment became a symbol of victory to a nation that had grown weary of war and made instant heroes of the six American soldiers at the base of the flag, some of whom would die soon after, never knowing that they had been immortalized. But the surviving flag raisers had no interest in being held up as symbols and did not consider themselves heroes; they wanted only to stay on the front with their brothers in arms who were fighting and dying without fanfare or glory.
Flags of Our Fathers is based on the bestselling book by James Bradley with Ron Powers, which chronicled the battle of Iwo Jima and the fates of the flag raisers and some of their brothers in Easy Company. Bradley’s father, John "Doc" Bradley, was one of the soldiers pictured raising the flag, although James never kne! w the full extent of his father’s experiences until after the elder Bradley’s death in 1994.
Thematically ambitious and emotionally complex, Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers is an intimate epic with much to say about war and the nature of heroism in America. Based on the non-fiction bestseller by James Bradley (with Ron Powers), and adapted by Million Dollar Baby screenwriter Paul Haggis (Jarhead screenwriter William Broyles Jr. wrote an earlier draft that was abandoned when Eastwood signed on to direct), this isn't so much a conventional war movie as it is a thought-provoking meditation on our collective need for heroes, even at the expense of those we deem heroic. In telling the story of the six men (five Marines, one Navy medic) who raised the American flag of victory on the battle-ravaged Japanese island of Iwo Jima on February 23rd, 1945, Eastwood takes us deep into the horror of war (in painstakingly authentic Iwo Jima battle scenes) w! hile emphasizing how three of the surviving flag-raisers (play! ed by Ad am Beach, Ryan Phillippe, and Jesse Bradford) became reluctant celebrities â€" and resentful pawns in a wartime publicity campaign â€" after their flag-raising was immortalized by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal in the most famous photograph in military history.

As the surviving flag-raisers reluctantly play their public roles as "the heroes of Iwo Jima" during an exhausting (but clearly necessary) wartime bond rally tour, Flags of Our Fathers evolves into a pointed study of battlefield valor and misplaced idolatry, incorporating subtle comment on the bogus nature of celebrity, the trauma of battle, and the true meaning of heroism in wartime. Wisely avoiding any direct parallels to contemporary history, Eastwood allows us to draw our own conclusions about the Iwo Jima flag-raisers and how their postwar histories (both noble and tragic) simultaneously illustrate the hazards of exploited celebrity and society's genuine need for admirable role models dur! ing times of national crisis. Flags of Our Fathers defies the expectations of those seeking a more straightforward war-action drama, but it's richly satisfying, impeccably crafted film that manages to be genuinely patriotic (in celebrating the camaraderie of soldiers in battle) while dramatizing the ultimate futility of war. Eastwood's follow-up film, Letters from Iwo Jima, examines the Iwo Jima conflict from the Japanese perspective. --Jeff Shannon

Beyond Flags of Our Fathers

Other World War II DVDs

Essential DVDs by Director! Clint Eastwood

Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley

Stills from Flags of Our Fathers (click for larger image)

New! Fast shipping!FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS SPECIAL COLLECTO - DVD MovieThematically ambitious and emotionally complex, Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers is an intimate epic with much to say about war and the nature of heroism in America. Based on the non-fiction bestseller by James Bradley (with Ron Powers), and adapted by Million Dollar Baby screenwriter Paul Haggis (Jarhead screenwriter William Broyles Jr. wrote an earlier draft that was abandoned when Eastwood signed on to direct), this isn't so much a conventional war movie as it is a thought-provoking meditation on our collective need for heroes, even at the expense of those we deem heroic. In telling the story of the six men (five Marines, one Navy medic) who raised the A! merican flag of victory on the battle-ravaged Japanese island ! of Iwo J ima on February 23rd, 1945, Eastwood takes us deep into the horror of war (in painstakingly authentic Iwo Jima battle scenes) while emphasizing how three of the surviving flag-raisers (played by Adam Beach, Ryan Phillippe, and Jesse Bradford) became reluctant celebrities â€" and resentful pawns in a wartime publicity campaign â€" after their flag-raising was immortalized by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal in the most famous photograph in military history.

As the surviving flag-raisers reluctantly play their public roles as "the heroes of Iwo Jima" during an exhausting (but clearly necessary) wartime bond rally tour, Flags of Our Fathers evolves into a pointed study of battlefield valor and misplaced idolatry, incorporating subtle comment on the bogus nature of celebrity, the trauma of battle, and the true meaning of heroism in wartime. Wisely avoiding any direct parallels to contemporary history, Eastwood allows us to draw our own conclusions about th! e Iwo Jima flag-raisers and how their postwar histories (both noble and tragic) simultaneously illustrate the hazards of exploited celebrity and society's genuine need for admirable role models during times of national crisis. Flags of Our Fathers defies the expectations of those seeking a more straightforward war-action drama, but it's richly satisfying, impeccably crafted film that manages to be genuinely patriotic (in celebrating the camaraderie of soldiers in battle) while dramatizing the ultimate futility of war. Eastwood's follow-up film, Letters from Iwo Jima, examines the Iwo Jima conflict from the Japanese perspective. --Jeff Shannon

Beyond Flags of Our Fathers

Other World War II DVDs

Essential DVDs by Director Clint Eastwood

Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley

Stills from Flags of Our Fathers (click for larger image)

!

Flags of Our Fathers

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The Hangover (Rated Single-Disc Edition)

• Condition: New
• Format: DVD
• Color; Dolby; Dubbed; DVD; Full Screen; Subtitled; Widescreen; NTSC

From The Hangover director Todd Phillips, Due Date throws two unlikely companions together on a road trip that turns out to be as life-changing as it is outrageous. Expectant first-time father Peter Highman (Robert Downey Jr.) looks forward to his new child’s due date five days away. As Peter hurries to catch a flight home from Atlanta to be at his wife’s side for the birth, his best intentions go completely awry when an encounter with aspiring actor Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis) forces Peter to hitch a ride with Ethan on a cross-country trip that will ultimately destroy several cars, many friendships and Peter’s last nerve.Due Date is such a broad comedy, it needs the width of the whole United States in which to play out. Directo! r Todd Phillips (The Hangover) lets the gross-out comedic charms of his frequent star Zach Galifianakis run wild, which is exactly what Galifianakis fans want. And Robert Downey Jr. reminds viewers of his appealing straight-man comic talents, too. Due Date is like Planes, Trains and Automobiles meets Nine Months with a little of The Odd Couple thrown in. The writing of Due Date is uneven--perhaps a result of its having had a minimum of six screenwriters working on it. And run time, at only 100 or so minutes, seems much longer. But Due Date gets its energy and charge from its two stars and from Phillips's slaphappy direction. Galifianakis plays Ethan, who's a version of every character Galifianakis has played to date--slovenly, irresponsible, and uncensored. Downey is Peter, a straitlaced new father-to-be, who through an improbable series of unfortunate events can find no other way to get across the country for the birth of hi! s first child than to hitch a ride with Ethan. If the situatio! n is som ewhat predictable, the comedic moments are not--though by halfway though the trip, viewers may wonder if Peter will be able to resist strangling Ethan with his own scarf, or worse. The deft supporting cast includes Michelle Monaghan as Peter's wife, Jamie Foxx (in kind of a throwaway role), and Juliette Lewis, appealing and not too ditzy. Viewers who love Phillips's and Galifianakis's trademark slapstick shtick will find plenty to laugh about on this long, strange trip. --A.T. HurleyFrom The Hangover director Todd Phillips, Due Date throws two unlikely companions together on a road trip that turns out to be as life-changing as it is outrageous. Expectant first-time father Peter Highman (Robert Downey Jr.) looks forward to his new child’s due date five days away. As Peter hurries to catch a flight home from Atlanta to be at his wife’s side for the birth, his best intentions go completely awry when an encounter with aspiring actor Ethan Tremblay (Zach ! Galifianakis) forces Peter to hitch a ride with Ethan on a cross-country trip that will ultimately destroy several cars, many friendships and Peter’s last nerve. Due Date is such a broad comedy, it needs the width of the whole United States in which to play out. Director Todd Phillips (The Hangover) lets the gross-out comedic charms of his frequent star Zach Galifianakis run wild, which is exactly what Galifianakis fans want. And Robert Downey Jr. reminds viewers of his appealing straight-man comic talents, too. Due Date is like Planes, Trains and Automobiles meets Nine Months with a little of The Odd Couple thrown in. The writing of Due Date is uneven--perhaps a result of its having had a minimum of six screenwriters working on it. And run time, at only 100 or so minutes, seems much longer. But Due Date gets its energy and charge from its two stars and from Phillips's slaphappy direction. Galifianakis plays Ethan, w! ho's a version of every character Galifianakis has played to d! ate--slo venly, irresponsible, and uncensored. Downey is Peter, a straitlaced new father-to-be, who through an improbable series of unfortunate events can find no other way to get across the country for the birth of his first child than to hitch a ride with Ethan. If the situation is somewhat predictable, the comedic moments are not--though by halfway though the trip, viewers may wonder if Peter will be able to resist strangling Ethan with his own scarf, or worse. The deft supporting cast includes Michelle Monaghan as Peter's wife, Jamie Foxx (in kind of a throwaway role), and Juliette Lewis, appealing and not too ditzy. Viewers who love Phillips's and Galifianakis's trademark slapstick shtick will find plenty to laugh about on this long, strange trip. --A.T. HurleyDue Date is such a broad comedy, it needs the width of the whole United States in which to play out. Director Todd Phillips (The Hangover) lets the gross-out comedic charms of his frequent star Zach Ga! lifianakis run wild, which is exactly what Galifianakis fans want. And Robert Downey Jr. reminds viewers of his appealing straight-man comic talents, too. Due Date is like Planes, Trains and Automobiles meets Nine Months with a little of The Odd Couple thrown in. The writing of Due Date is uneven--perhaps a result of its having had a minimum of six screenwriters working on it. And run time, at only 100 or so minutes, seems much longer. But Due Date gets its energy and charge from its two stars and from Phillips's slaphappy direction. Galifianakis plays Ethan, who's a version of every character Galifianakis has played to date--slovenly, irresponsible, and uncensored. Downey is Peter, a straitlaced new father-to-be, who through an improbable series of unfortunate events can find no other way to get across the country for the birth of his first child than to hitch a ride with Ethan. If the situation is somewhat predictable, the comedic! moments are not--though by halfway though the trip, viewers m! ay wonde r if Peter will be able to resist strangling Ethan with his own scarf, or worse. The deft supporting cast includes Michelle Monaghan as Peter's wife, Jamie Foxx (in kind of a throwaway role), and Juliette Lewis, appealing and not too ditzy. Viewers who love Phillips's and Galifianakis's trademark slapstick shtick will find plenty to laugh about on this long, strange trip. --A.T. HurleyMovie Summary A first time expectant father has an adventurous trip with an aspiring actor while travelling cross country to be with his expecting wife. DVD Details * Actor(s): Robert Jr. Downey * Format: Widescreen * Soundtrack: English * Additional: Additional Footage Behind the Scenes Include Digital Copy * Rating: R * MSRP: $35.99 * Release Date: 2 22 2011 * Number of Discs: 2Academy Award® Nominees Mark Wahlberg (The Departed), Christian Bale (The Dark Knight) and Amy Adams (Doubt) star in this “remarkable†” film. Based on a true story, two brothers, against all the odds, com! e together to train for a historic title bout that has the power to reunite their fractured family and give their hard-luck town what it's been waiting for: pride. Micky Ward (Wahlberg) is a struggling boxer long overshadowed by his older brother and trainer, Dicky (Bale), a local legend battling his own demons. Their explosive relationship threatens to take them both down - but the bond of blood may be their only chance for redemption. Joe Morgenstern, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL It would be a mistake to confuse The Fighter with the story of Mark Wahlberg, though the similarities are striking. Completely convincing as a boxer, Wahlberg plays welterweight Micky Ward, who grew up in working-class Massachusetts. Like the actor-producer, he had eight siblings, one more famous than the rest. Ward's half-brother, Dicky Eklund (a gaunt, crazy-eyed Christian Bale), turned to boxing first, just as Mark's brother, Donnie, preceded him as a performer (first by singing, then by act! ing). The similarities end there: Dicky, once known as "The Pr! ide of L owell," traded his promising pugilistic career for a crack pipe (Sugar Ray Leonard cameos as his best-known opponent). As David O. Russell's film begins, the smothering Alice (Frozen River's Melissa Leo) manages Micky's career, while the unpredictable Dicky attempts to train him. Despite his talent in the ring, though, Micky can't catch a break until he meets Charlene (Amy Adams), a spitfire of a bartender who encourages him to stand up for himself. When Dicky ends up in prison, and Micky takes on a more experienced manager, his fortunes start to improve, but it isn't in his nature to abandon the people who raised him, so he attempts to unite the various factions in his life before his shot at the world championship slips away. Though Russell paints Micky's mother, brother, and sisters with a broad brush, Wahlberg anchors the scenario with his patient, level-headed performance. Rescue Me's Jack McGee also deserves notice as his diplomatic dad, George. --Kath! leen C. Fennessy“A smart, funny and original treat,” Michael O'Sullivan, The Washington Post, DreamWorks Animation’s Megamind puts a whole new hilarious twist on the superhero movie.

Super villain Megamind's (Will Ferrell) dreams have come true when he conquers the city's protector Metro Man (Brad Pitt) gaining control of Metro City. But when a new villain (Jonah Hill) is created and chaos runs rampant, the world's biggest "mind" and his comic sidekick Minion (David Cross) might actually save the day. With an all-star cast - including Tina Fey - and amazing animation, Megamind is packed with high-flying action and non-stop laughs. Villainy is a way of life, but if a villain doesn't have a hero to battle, can he still expect the same sense of satisfaction from his evil deeds? When Megamind (Will Ferrell) finally defeats his long-time nemesis Metro Man (Brad Pitt), he ecstatically goes about laying ruin to Metro City, reveling in the fact that he can now h! ave anything he wants. Surprisingly, Megamind's glee quickly t! urns to dissatisfaction as he realizes that the battle was half the fun and everything comes too easy now. Thus begins a plot to turn the nerdy Hal (Jonah Hill) into Tighten, a new hero for Megamind to battle. What Megamind doesn't count on is that Tighten may not turn out to be as good as he's meant to be. Nor does he anticipate falling in love with his old rival's girl Roxanne Ritchi (Tina Fey). In the end, Megamind finds he must rethink his assumptions about good, bad, and what makes him happy. Megamind and Despicable Me are remarkably similar movies: both deal with villains who are unfulfilled by their evil ways and who, despite their despicable natures, have some essential goodness deep down inside. Both villains are presented in highly stylized animation and the 3-D effects in each film are skillful and effective without being overdone. Megamind has Minion, who watches over him, while Gru has a whole crew of mindless minions supporting his evil ventures. Finally,! both films are solidly entertaining. Because the two films were released within a few months of one another, speculation about who copied who will no doubt run rampant, but the bottom line is that both films are well worth seeing. (Ages 7 and older) --Tami HoriuchiA las vegas-set comedy centered around three groomsmen who lose their about-to-be-wed buddy during their drunken misadventures then must retrace their steps in order to find him. Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 12/15/2009 Starring: Bradley Cooper Heather Graham Run time: 100 minutes Rating: RIf you like your humor broadside up, hold the subtlety, you'll want to nurse this Hangover with your best buds. The ensemble cast meshes perfectly--it's like a super-R-rated episode of Friends: silly, slapstick, and completely in the viewer's face. When four pals go to Vegas to celebrate the imminent nuptials of one of them, they partake in a rooftop toast to "a night we'll never forget." But! they're in for a big surprise: their celebration drinks were ! laced wi th date-rape drugs, so when they awake in their hotel room 12 hours later, not only are they hung over, but they can't remember what they did all night long. Oh, and they're missing the groom-to-be.

The film is so cheerfully raunchy, so fiercely crude, that the humor becomes as intoxicating as the mind-altering substances. The standout in the ensemble is Zach Galifianakis, who is alternately creepy and hilarious. Ed Helm (The Office), in addition to his memory, loses a tooth in uncomfortably realistic fashion, and Bradley Cooper (He's Just Not That into You) has deadpan comic timing that whips along at the speed of light. "Ma'am, you have an incredible rack," he blares to a pedestrian from the squad car the guys have "borrowed." "I should have been a [bleeping] cop," he tells himself approvingly.

Director Todd Phillips brings back his deft handling of the actors and the dude humor that worked so well in Old School, as well as the unctuous Dan Finn! erty, memorable as a lounge/wedding singer in both films. But it's the nonstop volley of jokes--most cheerily politically incorrect--that grabs the audience and thrashes it around the hotel room. Just watch out for the tiger in the bathroom. --A.T. Hurley

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Breaking Upwards

• BREAKING UPWARDS (DVD MOVIE)

In a fresh modern spin on Woody Allen s Annie Hall, director Daryl Wein depicts two witty, charmingly klutsy and real New Yorkers but instead of falling in love, they re trying to fall out of love. Like Allen s best work, this film is also bursting with a brilliant cast including Emmy and Tony winner Andrea Martin (SCTV, My Big Fat Greek Wedding); Tony winner Julie White (Transformers, Monsters Vs. Aliens), and Tony nominee Pablo Schreiber (Vicky Cristina Barcelona, TV s The Wire). Daryl and Zoe (played by real-life couple Wein and Zoe Lister-Jones) still care for each other, but the zip has gone out of their romance. They decide to craft a really good breakup: instead of just saying goodbye after all, they still like each other they date four days a week and see other people for the other three days. Simple, right? Not once their mothers and friends and would-be ! lovers get in on the act. Co-written by Wein and Lister-Jones along with Peter Duchan, and based on Wein and Lister-Jones' real-life experiences, Breaking Upwards is the freshest romance in years.

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