Angel-A

• From the director of The Professional and The Fifth Element comes a stunning, sexy tribute to the healing power of love. When Andr , a down-on-his-luck gambler, dives into the icy Seine to end it all, he winds up instead rescuing Angela, a gorgeous, mysterious blonde. Filled with renewed passion for life, they set out to settle Andr 's scores as they wander the City of Lights. Along the way, A

From the director of The Professional and The Fifth Element comes a stunning, sexy tribute to the healing power of love. When André, a down-on-his-luck gambler, dives into the icy Seine to end it all, he winds up instead rescuing Angela, a gorgeous, mysterious blonde. Filled with renewed passion for life, they set out to settle André's scores as they wander the City of Lights. Along the way, André finds himself, but he still has some questions about his leggy, lovely companion -can sh! e really be as heavenly as she seems? Filled with wit, warmth and eye-popping visuals, Angel-A shows just how high you can soar when passion takes flight.It's a Wonderful Life meets Wings of Desire in French director Luc Besson's Angel-A, a surprisingly charming fable of low-life redemption. The low-life in question is André (Jamel Debbouze, from Amelie), a mousy, disheveled Parisian scam artist who's deeply in debt to various underworld thugs. Suicide seems like the best available option, but just as he's about to leap into the Seine, he encounters Angela (Danish model/actress/filmmaker Rie Rasmussen), a leggy blonde beauty who's going to change André's life in ways he never expected. Filmed in gorgeous black and white in a shimmering Paris that seems almost completely depopulated (most of the filming took place in early-morning sunlight), Angel-A is a rough-edged yet ultimately sweet-natured tale of two chatty characters who find new h! ope through mutual devotion, and that's likely to disappoint a! ny Besso n fans who are expecting another high-octane crime thriller like Leon--The Professional. And yet, Besson's tenth film has a light, feathery quality that works in its favor, even when the characters lack interest and their scenes together grow slightly redundant. Debbouze is perfectly cast as a likable loser who deserves a break, and Rasmussen (who memorably appeared in Brian De Palma's Femme Fatale, wearing nothing but lavish diamonds and a killer smile) is, to say the least, angelically seductive. How well you respond to this romantic fantasy will depend on how attracted you are to these characters, but if you give Angel-A a chance, you might find it to be a worthy companion to Richard Linklater's Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, two other appealing films about love, set in, respectively, Vienna and Paris. --Jeff Shannon

Read more »

Bruce Almighty (Widescreen Edition)

• TESTED

DVDBestowing Jim Carrey with godlike powers is a ripe recipe for comedy, and Bruce Almighty delivers the laughs that Carrey's mainstream fans prefer. The high-concept premise finds Carrey playing Bruce Nolan, a frustrated Buffalo TV reporter, stuck doing puff-pieces while a lesser colleague (the hilarious Steven Carell) gets the anchor job he covets. Bruce demands an explanation from God, who pays him a visit (in the serene form of Morgan Freeman) and lets Bruce take over while he takes a brief vacation. What does a petty, angry guy do when he's God? That's where Carrey has a field day, reuniting with his Ace Ventura and Liar, Liar director, Tom Shadyac, while Jennifer Aniston gamely keeps pace as Bruce's put-upon fiancée. Carrey's actually funnier before he becomes Him, and the movie delivers a sappy, safely diluted notion of faith that lacks the sincerity! of the 1977 hit Oh, God! Still, we can be thankful that Carrey took the high road and left Little Nicky to Adam Sandler. --Jeff Shannon

Read more »

Bicentennial Man

• Bicentennial Man follows the life and times of Andrew (Robin Williams), a robot programmed to perform menial tasks, but who displays uncharacteristically human emotions, curiosity and creativity. Andrew soon discovers what it truly means to be a human being with the help of Little Miss (Hallie Kate Eisenberg) and his understanding owner (Sam Neill). Andrew is no ordinary robot! System Requireme

From the acclaimed director of MRS. DOUBTFIRE, Academy Award(R)-winner Robin Williams (1997, Best Actor, GOOD WILL HUNTING) stars in a delightfully heartwarming comedy about one extraordinary android who just wants to be an ordinary guy! It doesn't take long for the Martin family to realize Andrew (Williams), who was purchased as a mere "household appliance," is no run-of-the-mill robot! Funny, incredibly lifelike, and possessing an astounding level of creativity, this special machine soon takes on a l! ife of his own -- and eventually begins a centuries-long quest to achieve true humanity! A crowd-pleasing comedy hit -- everyone is sure to love this touchingly entertaining movie treat!Bicentennial Man was stung at the 1999 box office, due no doubt in part to poor timing during a backlash against Robin Williams and his treacly performances in two other, then-recent releases, Jakob the Liar and Patch Adams. But this near-approximation of a science fiction epic, based on works by Isaac Asimov and directed, with uncharacteristic seriousness of purpose, by Chris Columbus (Mrs. Doubtfire), is much better than one would have known from the knee-jerk negativity and box-office indifference.

Williams plays Andrew, a robot programmed for domestic chores and sold to an upper-middle-class family, the Martins, in the year 2005. The family patriarch (Sam Neill) recognizes and encourages Andrew's uncommon characteristics, particularly his artis! tic streak, sensitivity to beauty, humor, and independence of! spirit. In so doing, he sets Williams's tin man on a two-century journey to become more human than most human beings.

As adapted by screenwriter Nicholas Kazan, the movie's scale is novelistic, though Columbus isn't the man to embrace with Spielbergian confidence its sweeping possibilities. Instead, the Home Alone director shakes off his familiar tendencies to pander and matures, finally, as a captivating storyteller. But what really makes this film matter is its undercurrent of deep yearning, the passion of Andrew as a convert to the human race and his willingness to sacrifice all to give and take love. Williams rises to an atypical challenge here as a futuristic Everyman, relying, perhaps for the first time, on his considerable iconic value to make the point that becoming human means becoming more like Robin Williams. Nothing wrong with that. --Tom Keogh

Read more »

The Exorcist (Extended Director's Cut & Original Theatrical Edition) [Blu-ray]

• Controversial and popular from the moment it opened, The Exorcist marks its historic Blu-ray premiere in a 2-Disc Edition featuring Stunning Hi-Def Presentations of the Original 1973 Theatrical Version and the 2000 Extended Director s Cut. The frightening and realistic tale of an innocent girl inhabited by a terrifying entity, her mother s frantic resolve to save her and two priests one doubt-ridd

Controversial and popular from the moment it opened, The Exorcist marks its historic Blu-ray premiere in a 2-Disc Edition featuring Stunning Hi-Def Presentations of the Original 1973 Theatrical Version and the 2000 Extended Director's Cut. The frightening and realistic tale of an innocent girl inhabited by a terrifying entity, her mother's frantic resolve to save her and two priests--one doubt-ridden, the other a rock of faith--joined in battling ultimate evil always leaves viewers breathless. This ! greatest supernatural thriller of all time astonishes and unsettles like no other movie. Director William Friedkin was a hot ticket in Hollywood after the success of The French Connection, and he turned heads (in more ways than one) when he decided to make The Exorcist as his follow-up film. Adapted by William Peter Blatty from his controversial bestseller, this shocking 1973 thriller set an intense and often-copied milestone for screen terror with its unflinching depiction of a young girl (Linda Blair) who is possessed by an evil spirit. Jason Miller and Max von Sydow are perfectly cast as the priests who risk their sanity and their lives to administer the rites of demonic exorcism. Ellen Burstyn plays Blair's mother, who can only stand by in horror as her daughter's body is wracked by Satanic disfiguration. One of the most frightening films ever made, The Exorcist was mysteriously plagued by trouble during production, and the years since have not dimi! nished its capacity to disturb even the most stoic viewers. --Jeff Shannon

Read more »

Franzus TSM-1875CK International 1875 Watt Converter/Adapter Set

• Converts 220V foreign electricity to 110V
• Convenient high/low wattage selector switch
• Comes with convenient travel pouch
• Includes 5 polarized adapter plugs for use in most foreign countries

Now a major motion picture from Gramercy Pictures starring Woody Harrelson, Billy Crudup, and Patricia Arquette. They were two cowboys out of the New Mexico dust. Cowpunchers and manpunchers, they hit hard, lived raw, and rode the beautiful Hi-Lo country as best friends and comrades. Until one night, when they fell in love with the same woman--a beautiful, irresistible, married woman.Based on the novel by Max Evans and directed by Stephen Frears, The Hi-Lo Country charted a long and circuitous route to the big screen, and the final result proves that the material posed a major--and perhaps insurmountable--challenge for screen adaptation. It's easy to see why this contempo! rary Western was once a coveted project of director Sam Peckinpah; its codes of honor, male bonding, and hardened morality would've played nicely into Peckinpah's artistic legacy. There are clear echoes of Peckinpah in the screenplay by Walon Green (who wrote The Wild Bunch), and while the movie is blessed by Woody Harrelson's vivid performance as a reckless latter-day cowboy, Frears fails to maintain a compelling tone and the rest of the cast nearly fades into the background.

Billy Crudup (Without Limits) plays Harrelson's best pal, just returned to New Mexico from service in World War II with hopes of starting a cattle ranch free from the greedy clutches of a local rancher (Sam Elliott) who dominates the town of Hi-Lo like a bootclad kingpin. Harrelson joins in the effort, but tensions rise when he connects with the sultry seductress (Patricia Arquette) with whom Crudup has fallen inexplicably in love. Harrelson has provoked others as well, an! d he seems primed for a fall, but The Hi-Lo Country is! a film out of balance. Memorable moments are found in abundance, and the film's period detail is impeccable, but Crudup's character is so underwritten and underplayed that his role as narrator and ostensible hero has minimal dramatic impact. By the time fate deals its inevitable blow, it's too late to care. Frears has suffered from similar missteps before (remember Mary Reilly?), and The Hi-Lo Country leaves you wondering what Peckinpah might have done with the novel he so dearly admired. --Jeff ShannonIn his tale of two cowboys whose lives twist and fray, director Stephen Frears casts a nostalgic eye on the postwar West but falls short of reinventing Hollywood's most circumscribed genre, the Western. Although The Hi-Lo Country is set in northern New Mexico, its soundtrack sounds decidedly Lone Star. With famous Texans like Willie Nelson and the matchless yodeler Don Walser crooning some dusty charmers and a couple of country standards like "San An! tonio Rose" and "Why Don't You Love Me" thrown in for good measure, the overall mood is very barbecue-friendly. Only Beck, who duets with Nelson on "Drivin' Nails in My Coffin" sounds a bit out of place here, his nasal drawl in curious contrast to Nelson's unmistakable whinny. Carter Burwell's score is standard-issue "epic" in its long gazes that suggest the largeness of both the West and the men's souls who inhabit it, but it gains an edge with its austere cadences and Mexican trumpet and guitar flourishes. --Lois MaffeoFranzus International Converter/Adapter Set is for use overseas with 110 voltage products. .

Read more »

Afterschool

• AFTERSCHOOL (DVD MOVIE)

High school loner Robert (Ezra Miller of TV s Californication) would rather surf the web watching extreme videos than make friends at his prestigious boarding school. So when he s forced to take part in a campus activity, Robert naturally chooses a film-making class, which has the added attraction of Amy (Addison Timlin), his sort-of girlfriend. When they unintentionally videotape the accidental overdose of two popular girls, Robert becomes the least likely person imaginable to be assigned the task of creating a soothing memorial tribute. In his bold, audacious debut, writer-director Antonio Campos creates a mood of suspense and mystery worthy of his idol Stanley Kubrick. Afterschool marks the emergence of a major new talent in film.

Read more »

Bratz - Rock Angelz

• fun dancing and drama

BRATZ:MOVIE - DVD Movie Get your Bratitude on! Bratz, the life-action film featuring the four sassy tween-queen doll characters, drives home the kid- and (parent-) friendly messages of being true to yourself, and friendship above all else. If some kickass fashion and retail therapy help deliver those pearls of wisdom, who's going to complain?

The action centers on our favorite BFFs, Jade, Cloe, Sasha, and Yasmin, starting high school together at Carry Nation High, and navigating through the rigid clique system that seems destined to force the girls apart. Along the way, there are fireworks (created by brainy Jade in chem class), food fights, and lots of cute guys to crush on. Ruling over all: Meredith Baxter Dimly, the Baby Doc Duvalier of high-school politics, somehow managing to be student-body president for at least three years running (maybe the fact that! her pop is the principal has something to do with her anointment). Meredith, played to a scheming fare-thee-well by Chelsea Staub, is a formidable villain, but our girls realize nothing can come between true friends, if they just stick together. The climactic comeuppance scene--set at Carry Nation's annual talent show--will have Bratz fans clapping on their feet.

The film's soundtrack is upbeat and catchy, and features big names like the Black Eyed Peas and Ashlee Simpson, and the two show-stoppers sung by Staub as Meredith. And that's a Bratz-wrap! --A.T. HurleyBRATZ BABYZ:MOVIE - DVD MovieIncludes two full-length Bratz features including BRATZ BABYZ® THE MOVIE and BRATZ SUPER BABYZâ„¢. BRATZ BABYZ THE MOVIE: The Bratz Babyz spring into action when an older bully “petnaps” a puppy belonging to their good friends, twins Nora and Nita! After naptime, the Bratz Babyz embark on their mall mission â€" to try and trick the bully into parting with the puppy, and ! to round up the $50(!) that the bully wants for ransom. It's o! ne adven ture after another as they dive for coins in a fountain, perform in a karaoke contest and ultimately confront their foe. But will they free the puppy? One thing's for sure â€" anyone who teams up with the Bratz Babyz is bound to come out a winner! BRATZ SUPER BABYZ: Look! Up in the air â€" it's a bottle, a pacifier, a diaper? No, it's Bratz Super Babyz in an out-of- this-world movie. When the babysitter, Gran, finds a “matter exchanger” dropped off by aliens from outer space, she accidentally pushes the button and “zap!” The Bratz Babyz are transformed into Bratz Super Babyz. The Bratz Babyz decide to use their powers for good, but face a challenge bigger than even needing changing. The aliens return to find their matter exchanger, and the Bratz Babyz must square off without their new super powers. By overcoming their shortcomings and by working as a team, the Bratz Babyz discover they were already more powerful than an extra-absorbent diaper!BRATZ:MOVIE - DVD Movie ! Get your Bratitude on! Bratz, the life-action film featuring the four sassy tween-queen doll characters, drives home the kid- and (parent-) friendly messages of being true to yourself, and friendship above all else. If some kickass fashion and retail therapy help deliver those pearls of wisdom, who's going to complain?

The action centers on our favorite BFFs, Jade, Cloe, Sasha, and Yasmin, starting high school together at Carry Nation High, and navigating through the rigid clique system that seems destined to force the girls apart. Along the way, there are fireworks (created by brainy Jade in chem class), food fights, and lots of cute guys to crush on. Ruling over all: Meredith Baxter Dimly, the Baby Doc Duvalier of high-school politics, somehow managing to be student-body president for at least three years running (maybe the fact that her pop is the principal has something to do with her anointment). Meredith, played to a scheming fare-thee-well by Chelsea Stau! b, is a formidable villain, but our girls realize nothing can ! come bet ween true friends, if they just stick together. The climactic comeuppance scene--set at Carry Nation's annual talent show--will have Bratz fans clapping on their feet.

The film's soundtrack is upbeat and catchy, and features big names like the Black Eyed Peas and Ashlee Simpson, and the two show-stoppers sung by Staub as Meredith. And that's a Bratz-wrap! --A.T. HurleyThere's more girl power, cool fashion, and great music when the Bratz girls start their own teen magazine and go to London to become the Rock Angelz band! See them like never before in this feature length, CGI animated film.The super stylin’ Bratz are multicultural dolls with ultra-shiny hair, almond-shaped eyes, and enviably trim figures. Rock Angelz begins when Jade gets a job as an intern for Burdine Maxwell (Just Shoot Me's Wendy Malick), the evil stepmother-like editor of Your Thing. After she gets fired--through no fault of her own--Jade joins Yasmin, Cloe, and Sasha to s! tart their own magazine. Along the way, they travel to London and form a band. The Bratz have even more of a "passion for fashion" than the classic (if less hip) Barbie and their new careers allow for some scorchin' wardrobe changes in this bouncy musical (CD sold separately). There isn't much substance to Rock Angelz, but the pace is brisk, the computer-generated look is vibrant--like Pixar animation crossed with Teen Vogue. The Bratz are joined on their adventures by the happy-go-lucky Bratz Boyz Dylan and Eitan. (Ages 7 to 12) --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Read more »

Gram Parsons: Fallen Angel

• This definitive biography chronicles a Southern Gothic saga and is a fascinating look at "The Grievous Angel" and the heartbreakingly beautiful music he created. Dispelling myths that have grown to surround Gram, Fallen Angel shows us the essence of his artistry; it is a truly revealing account of his life and ongoing influence. On September 19, 1973, the musician and heir to a million-dollar f

Johnny Knoxville (Jackass: The Movie, Walking Tall) shows off star power in his firstleading role as the hard-drinking, motorcycle-riding rock 'n' roll manager Phil Kaufman. When legendary singer Gram Parsons dies, Kaufman steals the body to keep his promise to make Joshua Tree Gram's final resting place. Chased by the cops, Gram's father and Gram's psycho ex-girlfriend, Betty (Christina Applegate), Kaufman embarks on a darkly comic adventure deep into the desert. Based on a truestory, this reckless ro! ad movie exceeds all limits.Johnny Knoxville (Jackass: The Movie, Walking Tall) shows off star power in his first leading role as the hard-drinking, motorcycle-riding rock 'n' roll manager Phil Kaufman. When legendary singer Gram Parsons dies, Kaufman steals the body to keep his promise to make Joshua Tree Gram's final resting place. Chased by the cops, Gram's father and Gram's psycho ex-girlfriend, Betty (Christina Applegate), Kaufman embarks on a darkly comic adventure deep into the desert. Based on a true story, this reckless road movie exceeds all limits.Soundtrack to 2003 biopic, starring Johnny Knoxville & Christina Applegate, features music by Starsailor, Primal Scream, Lemonheads, Gram Parsons, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Evan Dando, Wilco, Gillian Welch and more. Slipcase. Absolute. 2004.Johnny Knoxville (Jackass: The Movie, Walking Tall) shows off star power in his firstleading role as the hard-drinking, motorcycle-riding rock 'n' roll manager Phil Kaufman. Wh! en legendary singer Gram Parsons dies, Kaufman steals the body! to keep his promise to make Joshua Tree Gram's final resting place. Chased by the cops, Gram's father and Gram's psycho ex-girlfriend, Betty (Christina Applegate), Kaufman embarks on a darkly comic adventure deep into the desert. Based on a truestory, this reckless road movie exceeds all limits.This definitive biography chronicles a Southern Gothic saga and is a fascinating look at "the Grievous Angel" and the heartbreakingly beautiful music he created. Dispelling myths that have grown to surround Gram, Fallen Angel shows us the essence of his artistry; it is a truly revealing account of his life and ongoing influence. Fallen Angel features music from Gram Parsons’ groundbreaking career with The International Submarine Band, The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers, as well as his highly acclaimed solo albums. Featured interviews include Peter Buck, James Burton, Emmylou Harris, Chris Hillman, Phil Kaufman, Bernie Leadon, Avis Bartkus Parsons III, Gretchen Parsons Carpenter, Diane ! Parsons, Polly Parsons, Keith Richards, Dwight Yoakam, and more.Cynics have suggested that death is a shrewd career move for some artists, and when it comes to singer-songwriter Gram Parsons, whose life, work, and demise are chronicled in Fallen Angel, they may be right. Although undeniably talented, Parsons never had a hit and made just six albums, and only one of them (the Flying Burrito Brothers' The Gilded Palace of Sin) is a bona fide classic. That's one reviewer's opinion, anyway. Yet three decades after he died (in 1975, at age 26), Parsons is revered as a country rock pioneer, a significant influence on Keith Richards and the Rolling Stones, and a colossal talent who never got his due. While that may all be true, what's beyond dispute (and it's confirmed by the great majority of those interviewed in director Gandulf Henning's documentary) is that Parsons was a screw-up, a drunk and drug abuser who squandered his opportunities and dug himself an early g! rave, even by rock star standards. It wasn't all his fault. An! y kid wi th a family background like his (his father committed suicide and his mother died from the ravages of alcoholism… possibly with the assistance of her second husband, Parsons' stepfather, who was a big drinker himself) is bound to have, shall we say, issues; Parsons was also well off financially, a fact that many interviewees (most notably Chris Hillman, who played with him in the Byrds and the Burritos) suggest might have attributed to his lack of driving ambition. Richards, duet partner Emmylou Harris, and other former bandmates are on hand to tell the tale, along with his widow, various surviving relatives, and close friends and associates. There's lots of Parsons' music on the soundtrack, as well as excerpts from a couple of Burritos promo films and some interesting footage of him singing with Harris. In the end, the film's most haunting moments concern the events that followed Parsons' death, when road manager Phil Kaufman commandeered (stole, actually) his casket and ! drove it to California's Joshua Tree National Monument, where he set it on fire, apparently according to the singer's wishes. Now that is the stuff of legend. --Sam Graham

Read more »