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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
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. .
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 âpetnapsâ 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 âmatter exchangerâ dropped off by aliens from outer space, she accidentally pushes the button and âzap!â 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 stylinâ 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
About FreeStyle
With the extremist in mind, FreeStyle has created an extensive collection of innovative performance watches that will go with you to the edge and back--whether you're surfing, skiing, biking, or hiking. Established in 1981, Freestyle Watches was the brainchild of a couple of Surfers whose mission was to create a watch line that could withstand the abusive conditions of their beach lifestyle. Their experience told them very few watches on the market could stand up to the daily abuse of salt water and sand. The result was The Shark Freestyle watch, a lightweight, low profile, and extremely durable timepiece that was im! mediately demanded by athletes all over the world.
