Sunday, November 20, 2011

Broken English

  • Croatian born NINA (Aleksandra Vujcic) escapes with her family from their war ravaged homeland to the culturally mixed suburbs of Auckland, New Zealand. Smothered by the controlling love of her volatile father, IVAN (Rade Serbedzija), Nina finds tender romance when she falls in love with EDDIE (Julian Arahanga), a New Zealand native (Maori). Frustrated, Nina knows there is no chance that she and E
Though made by the daughter of iconoclastic filmmaker John Cassavetes, Broken English is a surprisingly old-fashioned affair. Just as her friend Sofia Coppola wrote about a woman much like herself for Lost in Translation, Zoe Cassavetes has done something similar for her first film (although Before Sunset seems to have exerted a greater influence). Nora (Parker Posey in typically fine form) works in guest relations for a hip New York hotel, just as the writer/director once did. ! Her best friend, Audrey (Drea de Matteo, The Sopranos), has been married for five years, while Nora remains single. Her mother, Vivien (Gena Rowlands, Zoe's real-life mother), would like to see her settle down. First, Nora goes on a date with self-obsessed actor Nick (a mohawked Justin Theroux), then blind date Charlie (Josh Hamilton). Neither ends well. Nora laments, "Men hate me," but Audrey argues that Nora really hates herself. Her self-confidence gets a boost when she meets Julien (Melvil Poupaud, François Ozon's Time to Leave), a chain-smoking, fedora-sporting Frenchman. Just as she starts to falls for him, Julien returns to Paris, so Nora has to decide whether to stay...or to go. Much like the ladies of Sex and the City (on which Theroux guested), she's the kind of character who appears to have it all, but feels worthless if she isn't in a relationship. It isn't a particularly progressive notion--that the right man will solve every problem--but ! that doesn't mean plenty of women won't be able to relate. ! --Kathle en C. Fennessy

Kikkerland Solar-Powered Rainbow Maker

  • Window-mount rainbow maker that casts rainbows around the room
  • Solar panel powers the unit to revolve and refract light in all directions
  • Genuine Swarovski crystal creates maximum rainbow effect
  • Great for cheering up a room; enchanting for adults, children, and animals
  • Comes with suction cup or wire hanger; measures 6 by 1 by 2 inches
CHRYSTAL - DVD MovieThe naive eighteen year old Chrystal has long had a fascination for rubber, a fascination that her stepmother Lady Arlen has heartily encouraged. Under the woman’s guidance, Chrystal has already enjoyed the sensuous feel of the rubber garments in her wardrobe. But now there’s to be a ‘new uniform’, one especially designed to conform seamlessly to Chrystal’s youthful body, based on a series of exacting measurements. With her sexuality beginning to bloom, her fetish for rubber only increases with the pr! ospects of her new attire. However, Lady Arlen’s plans for her charge take a number of unanticipated and, indeed, diabolical twists that Chrystal never expected. She’s taken to the garment’s maker, Mr. Eversham, who will take on the meticulousness task of fitting the uniform to her bodyâ€"a process that will take several hours. Each new article, from the stringent corset to the face mask to the horrid boots and mittens, give Chrystal cause for alarm. Soon she’ll be covered head to toe in her beloved rubber. However, rubber is not the only unusual aspect to her new clothes. With unique electronic features as part of its design, the uniform will not only be capable of giving her intensely erotic stimulation in her crotch and breasts, it will allow for both sensory deprivation and electro-punishment beyond her wildest imaginings. Nothing about this is what Chrystal expected. Soon she’ll be trapped in a prison of rubber with no escape, her body no longer her own to co! ntrol, her fate determined by strangers, and her contact with ! the outs ide world quickly dwindling away. In this chilling first person account of Chrystal’s descent into slavery, the horror of her predicament amplifies with each new step she’s required to take.The naive eighteen year old Chrystal has long had a fascination for rubber, a fascination that her stepmother Lady Arlen has heartily encouraged. Under the woman’s guidance, Chrystal has already enjoyed the sensuous feel of the rubber garments in her wardrobe. But now there’s to be a ‘new uniform’, one especially designed to conform seamlessly to Chrystal’s youthful body, based on a series of exacting measurements. With her sexuality beginning to bloom, her fetish for rubber only increases with the prospects of her new attire. However, Lady Arlen’s plans for her charge take a number of unanticipated and, indeed, diabolical twists that Chrystal never expected. She’s taken to the garment’s maker, Mr. Eversham, who will take on the meticulousness task of fitting the unifo! rm to her bodyâ€"a process that will take several hours. Each new article, from the stringent corset to the face mask to the horrid boots and mittens, give Chrystal cause for alarm. Soon she’ll be covered head to toe in her beloved rubber. However, rubber is not the only unusual aspect to her new clothes. With unique electronic features as part of its design, the uniform will not only be capable of giving her intensely erotic stimulation in her crotch and breasts, it will allow for both sensory deprivation and electro-punishment beyond her wildest imaginings. Nothing about this is what Chrystal expected. Soon she’ll be trapped in a prison of rubber with no escape, her body no longer her own to control, her fate determined by strangers, and her contact with the outside world quickly dwindling away. In this chilling first person account of Chrystal’s descent into slavery, the horror of her predicament amplifies with each new step she’s required to take.Tired of being ! cheated on, lied to, mistreated, and misunderstood, Chrystal J! ohnson m akes the decision to remove herself from the dating scene. No longer distracted by the drama commonly associated with dating, Chrystal's sole focus and purpose in life remains fixedly on her two children, Jade and Hunter. Unexpected events, however, interrupt Chrystal's day-to-day routine, forcing her to complete an internal assessment of her views about herself and the world. The translucent nature of events that attack her at an alarming rate have the ability to knock her down into a depressed daily existence or lift her up to a well-deserved level of joy. The only thing Chrystal must do is ask herself a question. It's an intricate question that requires an honest answer. It's the question that every woman eventually has to ask herself. Simply put, the question asks: What will complete me; what will make me whole? If only the answer could be ... Chrystal Clear.
Tired of being cheated on, lied to, mistreated, and misunderstood, Chrystal Johnson makes the decision to r! emove herself from the dating scene. No longer distracted by the drama commonly associated with dating, Chrystal's sole focus and purpose in life remains fixedly on her two children, Jade and Hunter. Unexpected events, however, interrupt Chrystal's day-to-day routine, forcing her to complete an internal assessment of her views about herself and the world. The translucent nature of events that attack her at an alarming rate have the ability to knock her down into a depressed daily existence or lift her up to a well-deserved level of joy. The only thing Chrystal must do is ask herself a question. It's an intricate question that requires an honest answer. It's the question that every woman eventually has to ask herself. Simply put, the question asks: What will complete me; what will make me whole? If only the answer could be ... Chrystal Clear.
Rainbow maker

Four Christmases

  • Every Christmas happily unmarried Brad and Kate escape divorced parents and exasperating relatives by getting on a plane. This year a fog rolls in, the airport shuts down and the couple is forced to celebrate four family Christmases in one hectic, hilarious day. Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon lead an all-star cast in a comedy brimming with good cheer and great laughs -- as well as the answer t
A couple struggles to visit all four of their divorced parents on christmas day. Studio: New Line Home Video Release Date: 11/24/2009 Starring: Reese Witherspoon Robert Duvall Run time: 120 minutes Rating: Pg13 Director: Seth GordonWhen your significant other tells you you both need an exit "safe word" before you enter his dad's Christmas gathering, you know you're not in Bedford Falls. But while Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon may not be It's a Wonderful Life's George and Mary Baile! y, Four Christmases is a modern holiday classic in its own right. For one thing, every family neurosis and dysfunction have taken root in the four families of Vaughn and Witherspoon's characters, Brad and Kate--and the sleek yuppie façade each has built with the other is about to come tumbling down. There are real belly laughs as the couple unexpectedly has to spend holidays with their four extended family groups. "I don't want to speak ill of your mother on Christmas," growls Howard (Robert Duvall) to son Brad, while Brad's bullnecked ultimate-fighter brothers are rassling everything in sight, "but she's nothing but a common street whore." Brad may cringe, but Kate's own family is about to mortify her in abundant ways, from her randy "Gram-Gram" and about-to-pounce cougar mom Mary Steenburgen ("I feel like a Saudi prince in here," marvels Brad as all of Kate's female relatives drape themselves over him), to the revelation to Brad that Kate used to be--how to put th! is--a bit on the chubby side. If the plot isn't full of surpri! ses, the quips are nonstop and the acting believable and charming. The supporting cast also includes Sissy Spacek, Jon Voight, Jon Favreau and Dwight Yoakam in a memorable turn as the mega-church pastor Steenburgen's character is involved with. It's a comic Christmas blessing, and there'll be no need to say "mistletoe"--at least not till the viewers are home with their own families. --A.T. Hurley

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Deadland

Garmin Portable Friction Mount - Frustration Free Packaging

  • Ships in Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging
  • Four-arm shape conforms to your dashboard
  • Attachment arm connects directly to your GPS
  • Compatible with nüvi series GPS navigators and StreetPilot C5XX series
  • One-year limited warranty

A wheel turns because of its encounter with the surface of the road; spinning in the air it goes nowhere. Rubbing two sticks together produces heat and light; one stick alone is just a stick. In both cases, it is friction that produces movement, action, effect. Challenging the widespread view that globalization invariably signifies a "clash" of cultures, anthropologist Anna Tsing here develops friction in its place as a metaphor for the diverse and conflicting social interactions that make up our contemporary world.

She focuses on one particular "zone of awkward engagement"--the rainforests of Indonesia--where in the 1980s and ! the 1990s capitalist interests increasingly reshaped the landscape not so much through corporate design as through awkward chains of legal and illegal entrepreneurs that wrested the land from previous claimants, creating resources for distant markets. In response, environmental movements arose to defend the rainforests and the communities of people who live in them. Not confined to a village, a province, or a nation, the social drama of the Indonesian rainforest includes local and national environmentalists, international science, North American investors, advocates for Brazilian rubber tappers, UN funding agencies, mountaineers, village elders, and urban students, among others--all combining in unpredictable, messy misunderstandings, but misunderstandings that sometimes work out.

Providing a portfolio of methods to study global interconnections, Tsing shows how curious and creative cultural differences are in the grip of worldly encounter, and how much is overlooked ! in contemporary theories of the global.

From friendly dolph! ins to g iant pandas, from icebergs and glaciers to energy from the sun, from magnets to solids, liquids, and gases, Rookie Read-About Science is a natural addition to the primary-grade classroom with books that cover every part of the science curricula. Includes: animals, nature, scientific principles, the environment, weather, and much more!

For five years, Friction has been providing readers with the best gay erotic fiction published each year. Now we bring together the best stories from this monumental series into one volume.

Jesse Grant is a writer and editor. He edited Men for All Seasons and has been the co-editor of the Friction series since the second volume.

All Alex's classmates know it: Simon is the coolest teacher. When Stacy - the new kid with secrets, gleaming dark hair and a tongue ring - arrives at school, she sizes up Simon: "He's a total babe". This is certainly true, but the story she tell about Alex and Simon isn't. It! just looks as if could be. And Alex herself begins to wonder what's real, what's not. But she can't confide in her parents because after all she is crazy about Simon...just not in that way. Listening to Stacy everyone seems totally suckered. The truth is hopelessly complicated and gets more so when Alex makes a surprise visit to Stacy's house. She finds the answers to her questions, but also discovers something terrible...Most well-known for her devastatingly poignant teen tales of urban desperation and redemption, renowned young adult author E. R. Frank switches gears and narrows her focus to the pivotal events of one 8th grade classroom. The progressive petri dish of Forest Alternative’s middle school is stirred the wrong way when sophisticated, tongue-ringed Stacy makes the scene. Almost immediately, Stacy takes advantage of the school’s relaxed and experimental atmosphere to start a little excitement. For reasons known only to herself, she begins to insinuate that ! Simon, the 8th grade‘s idealistic, good-looking young teache! r, is in love with Alex, Friction’s mild mannered first person narrator. Embarrassed and infuriated, Alex tries to squelch the gossip, but only manages to make herself look more guilty to her classmates. When she finally confronts Stacy, Alex is horrified when Stacy tearfully admits that the reason she’s been spreading the rumors is to draw attention away from the fact that Simon is actually molesting her. Confused and half caught up in Stacy’s stories herself, Alex makes the mistake of trusting her shifting feelings instead of what she knows to be true, irreparably harming her admired teacher in the process. Friction is a provocative, deadly accurate portrayal of puberty, in all its manipulative, perplexing, unmanageable glory. Alex’s quest to discover the definition of truth is a journey every teenager makes, and teen readers of Friction will take great comfort in the fact that a trusted author, who clearly hasn’t forgotten adolescence herself, is helpi! ng to chart the path. (Ages 12 to 15) --Jennifer HubertShips in Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging Four-arm shape conforms to your dashboard Attachment arm connects directly to your GPS Compatible with nvi series GPS navigators and StreetPilot C5XX series One-year limited warrantyGarmin and Amazon.com have teamed up to offer this item in Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging, a recyclable, easy-to-open alternative to traditional packaging. Products in Frustration-Free Packaging are exactly the same--we've just streamlined the packaging. A Frustration-Free Package comes without wire ties, hard plastic "clamshell" casings, and plastic bindings. It's designed to be opened without the use of a box cutter or knife and will protect your product just as well as traditional packaging. This item ships in its own box, without the need for an additional shipping box. Learn more about Frustration-Free Packaging.

Keep your nüvi in place with this portable friction mount. It'l! l keep everything in plain sight when you need it and out of t! he way w hen you don't. The arm attachment connects directly to your GPS device, and once you've adjusted it to your liking, locks into place. Avoid the "wing around the windshield" syndrome that accompanies windshield mounts.

Perfect for locales where window-mounting is prohibited or those who simply prefer a quick way to mount/unmount their nüvi/StreetPilot device.

See the difference

Traditional clamshell packaging. Click to enlarge.

Traditional clamshell packaging. Click to enlarge.




Amazon frustration-free packing. Click to enlarge.

Compatible Garmin Models

  • a! era 500, 510, 550, 560
  • nüvi 1200, 1250, 1260T, 1300! , 1350, 1350T, 1370T, 1390T, 1450, 1490T, 1690, 200, 200W, 205, 205W, 250, 250W, 255, 255W, 260, 260W, 265T, 265WT, 270, 275T, 285WT, 350, 360, 370, 465T, 500, 5000, 550, 600, 610, 650, 660, 670, 680, 750, 755T, 760, 765T, 770, 775T, 780, 785T, 850, 855, 880, 885T
  • StreetPilot c510, c530, c550, c580, i2, i3, i5
  • zÅ«mo 660

What's in the Box
Dashboard mount, arm attachment, and owner's manual


Bart Got a Room : Widescreen Edition

  • Widescreen
Nerdy high school senior Danny has spent six hundred bucks on the hotel room, the limo and the tux for his prom. He's only missing one thing - the girl. Hampered by well intentioned but clueless advice from his newly divorced parents and unsympathetic mocking from his best friends, Danny battles peer pressure, teen angst and his own raging hormones as he desperately searches for a prom date. Danny's luckless quest turns to panic when he learns that even Bart - the school's biggest dweeb - has secured not only a date but also a hotel room for the night.Bart Got a Room isn’t the first movie comedy about nerds, high school, and the senior prom, and it undoubtedly won’t be the last. It may not be the best, either, but writer-director Brian Hecker’s 2008 concoction has enough laughs, charm, amusingly-drawn characters, and winning performances to more than hold its own.! For Danny Stein (Steven J. Kaplan), a high school student in Hollywood, Florida, the imminence of the prom is the source of considerable distress; even more distressing is the prospect of booking of a hotel room for himself and his date at the end of the evening. Problem is, Danny (who’s a bit of a schlub, but far from a total, like, loser), doesn’t have a date yet. The obvious choice is his “best friend” Camille (Alia Shawkat), who’s available and clearly interested, but Danny thinks he can do better--say, with Alice (Ashley Benson), the sophomore hottie who drives to school with him every day. Wrong. As the days, then the hours, dwindle down, Danny, whose parents’ separation is an added distraction (William H. Macy and Cheryl Hines are perfect as Ernie, who’s looking for love on the internet, and Beth, who has a new beau), realizes he’s in big trouble, not least because even the titular Bart--a geek so geeky he makes Danny look like Tom Cruise--already ha! s the room thing covered. All of this plays out in ways that a! re neith er surprising nor especially hilarious, but the movie has heart, not to mention a number of cute, quirky scenes (many involving Danny’s well-intentioned, but mostly clueless, family). Movies like Bart Got a Room aren’t really about the destination, anyway; they’re about the journey, and this one’s a fun ride. --Sam Graham

Stills from Bart Got a Room (Click for larger image)









Bart Got a Room isn't the first movie comedy about nerds, high school, and the senior prom, and it undoubtedly won't be the last. It may not be the best, either, but writer-director Brian Hecker's 2008 concoction has enou! gh laughs, charm, amusingly-drawn characters, and winning perf! ormances to more than hold its own. For Danny Stein (Steven J. Kaplan), a high school student in Hollywood, Florida, the imminence of the prom is the source of considerable distress; even more distressing is the prospect of booking of a hotel room for himself and his date at the end of the evening. Problem is, Danny (who's a bit of a schlub, but far from a total, like, loser), doesn't have a date yet. The obvious choice is his "best friend" Camille (Alia Shawkat), who's available and clearly interested, but Danny thinks he can do better--say, with Alice (Ashley Benson), the sophomore hottie who drives to school with him every day. Wrong. As the days, then the hours, dwindle down, Danny, whose parents' separation is an added distraction (William H. Macy and Cheryl Hines are perfect as Ernie, who's looking for love on the internet, and Beth, who has a new beau), realizes he's in big trouble, not least because even the titular Bart--a geek so geeky he makes Danny look like Tom Cruise--! already has the room thing covered. All of this plays out in ways that are neither surprising nor especially hilarious, but the movie has heart, not to mention a number of cute, quirky scenes (many involving Danny's well-intentioned, but mostly clueless, family). Movies like Bart Got a Room aren't really about the destination, anyway; they're about the journey, and this one's a fun ride.

Beyond the Sea

  • TESTED
One of America’s greatest performers, Bobby Darin lived a rags-to-riches life. He worked his way from shady nightclubs to his dream destination, The Copacabana, where he wowed crowds with "Splish Splash," "Mack the Knife" and other hits. He was a marvel at singing, songwriting and performing â€" stealing the hearts of fans everywhere despite the suffering in his own hear.The chameleon-like actor Kevin Spacey is best known for playing pyschopaths (in Seven and The Usual Suspects) and capturing a creepy mid-life crisis in American Beauty--but surprisingly, playing crooner Bobby Darin, Spacey does some snappy dancing and top-notch singing. Beyond the Sea puts Darin's life through a bit of a kaleidoscope: While singing Darin's most memorable hit, "Mack the Knife," Darin suddenly stops the show, revealing that he's not at a nightclub, but in the middle of a s! hooting a scene about his life as a nightclub performer. Why has he stopped? Because he's just seen himself as a young boy, peering from behind a curtain. Such self-conscious narrative twists recur throughout the movie, turning Darin's fight for fame and respect into a love story between his adult and childhood selves. Sandra Dee (Kate Bosworth, Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!), a hugely popular movie star in her own right, was supposedly the love of Darin's life, but she never holds his attention as does his childhood self (played by newcomer William Ullrich). It's a striking metaphor for the narcissism that drives such success-hungry entertainers. But despite (or perhaps because of) the complexity of the telling, the events never grip your emotions; though Darin's life featured hits galore and a few soap opera twists, his story lacks the seductive charm of his nighclub show. Also featuring Bob Hoskins, John Goodman, Brenda Blethyn, and Greta Scacchi. --Bret Fetzer!

Battle in Seattle

  • In November of 1999, Seattle broke into a full-scale state of emergency as thousands of peaceful protestors gathered in resistance to the World Trade Organization. The city s mayor, a SWAT cop on the streets and his pregnant wife, and four demonstrators are caught in the crossfire as their lives intersect in the ensuing riots. Stuart Townsend, in his debut writing and directing role, seamlessly me
In November of 1999, Seattle broke into a full-scale state of emergency as thousands of peaceful protestors gathered in resistance to the World Trade Organization. The city?s mayor, a SWAT cop on the streets and his pregnant wife, and four demonstrators are caught in the crossfire as their lives intersect in the ensuing riots. Stuart Townsend, in his debut writing and directing role, seamlessly merges actual footage of the devastating chaos with brilliant performances.
For five days in 1999, all! eyes were on Seattle. Irish actor Stuart Townsend makes his directorial debut with a multi-character recreation of the World Trade Organization’s ill-fated U.S. conference. If the structure recalls Crash and Babel, Townsend intensifies the you-are-there quality through well-integrated archival footage. The docudrama opens with the arrival of a group of anti-globalization activists, led by Jay (The Ring's Martin Henderson), whose compatriots include Lou (Lost's Michelle Rodriguez) and Django (Outkast's André "3000" Benjamin, who provides a welcome dose of humor). As fictional Mayor Jim Tobin (Ray Liotta, wearing a touch too much eyeliner) tries to maintain order, TV reporter Jean (Connie Nielsen) strives for objectivity, police officer Woody Harrelson attempts to carry out the mayor's orders, and Dale's pregnant wife, Ella (Charlize Theron, Townsend's real-life girlfriend), just hopes to make it home in one piece (she gets stuck downtown at th! e height of the skirmish). Townsend admits he was inspired by ! Mediu m Cool, which filmmaker Haskell Wexler shot during 1968's Democratic National Convention. Paul Greengrass's Bloody Sunday also seems like a possible influence, and Greengrass regular Barry Ackroyd serves as cinematographer. If the characters rarely come alive the way they should, the action sequences easily convince, which is particularly impressive considering the bulk of filming took place in nearby Vancouver, B.C. A true labor of love, Battle in Seattle presents a more balanced view than most accounts to date--even if Townsend ultimately (and understandably) sides with the peaceful protesters and passionate Third World representatives. --Kathleen C. Fennessy