Sunday, November 27, 2011

A Christmas Story Nightlight

  • Leg lamp night light is approximately 9 inch tall.
  • Made of plastic with nylon fringe around lamp shade.
  • Plugs into standard outlet comes with light bulb.
  • This is an officially licensed, "A Christmas Story" product.
  • Warning: small parts not for children under 3 years of age.
A gift. The baby. The pageant. The parties. The worship. The afterglow. The story. These are the elements of almost every Christmas. In Finding Christmas, award-winning author James Calvin Schaap takes a look at each of these elements through seven stories that show how imperfect people can find joy and grace in an imperfect world. His eyes turn on an outgoing bus driver, a passionate mother, a daughter reluctant to return to church, and even his own assumed-mediocre performance at a Christmas pageant. Along the way, readers see how the amazing message of Christmas can be found in the! oddest of places. This heartwarming read is both moving and magical and will help readers usher in a joyful Christmas season even amidst the howling winds of winter.A gift. The baby. The pageant. The parties. The worship. The afterglow. The story. These are the elements of almost every Christmas. In Finding Christmas, award-winning author James Calvin Schaap takes a look at each of these elements through seven stories that show how imperfect people can find joy and grace in an imperfect world.

His eyes turn on an outgoing bus driver, a passionate mother, a daughter reluctant to return to church, and even his own assumed-mediocre performance at a Christmas pageant. Along the way, readers see how the amazing message of Christmas can be found in the oddest of places. This heartwarming read is both moving and magical and will help readers usher in a joyful Christmas season even amidst the howling winds of winter.A gift. The baby. The pageant. The parties. The worship. T! he afterglow. The story. These are the elements of almost ever! y Christ mas. In Finding Christmas, award-winning author James Calvin Schaap takes a look at each of these elements through seven stories that show how imperfect people can find joy and grace in an imperfect world.

His eyes turn on an outgoing bus driver, a passionate mother, a daughter reluctant to return to church, and even his own assumed-mediocre performance at a Christmas pageant. Along the way, readers see how the amazing message of Christmas can be found in the oddest of places. This heartwarming read is both moving and magical and will help readers usher in a joyful Christmas season even amidst the howling winds of winter.This Christmas Story Nightlight lights the way to the bathroom on cold winter nights with a whimsical leg lamp! Everybody loves watching Ralphie's misadventures each year in the film A Christmas Story, so the leg lamp night light makes a fun gift as well. Or you can brighten your sleeping home with a little spark of movie magic!

Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most

  • ISBN13: 9780143118442
  • Condition: New
  • Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!

In 1964, Jacqueline Kennedy recorded seven historic interviews about her life with John F. Kennedy. Now, for the first time, they can be heard and read in this deluxe, illustrated book and 8-CD set.

Shortly after President John F. Kennedy's assassination, with a nation deep in mourning and the world looking on in stunned disbelief, Jacqueline Kennedy found the strength to set aside her own personal grief for the sake of posterity and begin the task of documenting and preserving her husband's legacy. In January of 1964, she and Robert F. Kennedy approved a planned oral-history project that would capture their first-hand accounts of the late President as well as the recollections of th! ose closest to him throughout his extraordinary political career. For the rest of her life, the famously private Jacqueline Kennedy steadfastly refused to discuss her memories of those years, but beginning that March, she fulfilled her obligation to future generations of Americans by sitting down with historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., and recording an astonishingly detailed and unvarnished account of her experiences and impressions as the wife and confidante of John F. Kennedy. The tapes of those sessions were then sealed and later deposited in the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum upon its completion, in accordance with Mrs. Kennedy's wishes.

The resulting eight and a half hours of material comprises a unique and compelling record of a tumultuous era, providing fresh insights on the many significant people and events that shaped JFK's presidency but also shedding new light on the man behind the momentous decisions. Here are JFK's unscripted opinion! s on a host of revealing subjects, including his thoughts and ! feelings about his brothers Robert and Ted, and his take on world leaders past and present, giving us perhaps the most informed, genuine, and immediate portrait of John Fitzgerald Kennedy we shall ever have. Mrs. Kennedy's urbane perspective, her candor, and her flashes of wit also give us our clearest glimpse into the active mind of a remarkable First Lady.

In conjunction with the fiftieth anniversary of President Kennedy's Inauguration, Caroline Kennedy and the Kennedy family are now releasing these beautifully restored recordings on CDs with accompanying transcripts. Introduced and annotated by renowned presidential historian Michael Beschloss, these interviews will add an exciting new dimension to our understanding and appreciation of President Kennedy and his time and make the past come alive through the words and voice of an eloquent eyewitness to history.

The New York Times bestseller that changed the way millions communicate

“[! Crucial Conversations] draws our attention to those defining moments that literally shape our lives, our relationships, and our world. . . . This book deserves to take its place as one of the key thought leadership contributions of our time.”
â€"from the Foreword by Stephen R. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

“The quality of your life comes out of the quality of your dialogues and conversations. Here’s how to instantly uplift your crucial conversations.”
â€"Mark Victor Hansen, cocreator of the #1 New York Times bestselling series Chicken Soup for the Soul®

The first edition of Crucial Conversations exploded onto the scene and revolutionized the way millions of people communicate when stakes are high. This new edition gives you the tools to:

  • Prepare for high-stakes situations
  • Transform anger and hurt feelings into powerful dialogue
  • Make it safe to ta! lk about almost anything
  • Be persuasive, not abrasiveWant g reat conversation skills?

    Discover the secrets to effective communication skills that popular people take for granted and start using the...

    - 8 Easy Conversation Starters Popular People Use
    - 5 Conversation Acceleration Techniques
    - 6 Great Sources of Interesting Conversation Topics
    - 25 Effective Conversation Strategies

    Conversation Lubricants is a set of conversation blueprints you can use to start, lead and enjoy great conversation with anyone you meet. These simple step by step blueprints will show you how easy it is to quickly develop great communication skills.

    You will discover how to engage people with small talk before moving onto deeper discussions that entertain and interest others. You will also learn how to develop an energetic conversation confidence that clears away any shyness you might have about approaching new people. With your new found communication skills meeting people will be more fun than it! s ever been.

    Use all of these no nonsense practical conversation skills tips and you`ll never again worry about what to say. You`ll become one of those people others admire and enjoy speaking to.

    Peter Murphy has been prolific in sharing his breakthrough communication skills trainings online since 1992. He has written several books and over five hundred articles which have been syndicated across thousands of sites. His self help newsletter goes out to over 60,000 readers.Want great conversation skills?

    Discover the secrets to effective communication skills that popular people take for granted and start using the...

    - 8 Easy Conversation Starters Popular People Use
    - 5 Conversation Acceleration Techniques
    - 6 Great Sources of Interesting Conversation Topics
    - 25 Effective Conversation Strategies

    Conversation Lubricants is a set of conversation blueprints you can use to start, lead and enjoy great conversation with anyone y! ou meet. These simple step by step blueprints will show you ho! w easy i t is to quickly develop great communication skills.

    You will discover how to engage people with small talk before moving onto deeper discussions that entertain and interest others. You will also learn how to develop an energetic conversation confidence that clears away any shyness you might have about approaching new people. With your new found communication skills meeting people will be more fun than its ever been.

    Use all of these no nonsense practical conversation skills tips and you`ll never again worry about what to say. You`ll become one of those people others admire and enjoy speaking to.

    Peter Murphy has been prolific in sharing his breakthrough communication skills trainings online since 1992. He has written several books and over five hundred articles which have been syndicated across thousands of sites. His self help newsletter goes out to over 60,000 readers.

    How Do You Communicate When the Stakes Are High?

    Learn how with ! these TWO GROUNDBREAKING BOOKS in ONE eBOOK PACKAGE!

    In any organization, the best laid plans boil down to one simple thing: how well we come together to bring them to fruition. But more often than not, we end up dealing with people who come across as disagreeable, stubborn, or even obstructive. And emotions flare up. The only way to get things done is to step up to the plate . . . by stepping back from our emotions.

    Written by a team of experts from the world-renowned training firm VitalSmarts, these two books provide the skills you need to make every interaction fruitful and productive in even the most emotional situations.

    eBook package includes:

    Crucial Conversations
    The New York Times bestselling Crucial Conversations has sparked a revolution in how people communicate to achieve common goals. Now, the revised second edition builds on this decade-long legacy of success to get professionals at every le! vel and in all professions talking with partners, bosse! s, emplo yees, clientsâ€"not at them.

    Learn proven methods for turning the focus of hot-button discussionsâ€"job performance, customer satisfaction, interpersonal mattersâ€"away from subjective points of view and toward productive, mutually beneficial conclusions.

    “[Crucial Conversations] draws our attention to those defining moments that literally shape our lives, our relationships, and our world. . . . This book deserves to take its place as one of the key thought leadership contributions of our time.”
    â€"from the Foreword by Stephen R. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

    “The quality of your life comes out of the quality of your dialogues and conversations. Here’s how to instantly uplift your crucial conversations.”
    â€"Mark Victor Hansen, co-creator of the #1 New York Times bestselling series Chicken Soup for the Soul®

    Crucial Confrontations
    Behind th! e problems that routinely plague families, organizations, and teams are individuals who break promises, miss deadlines, or just plain behave badly. Anyone brave enough to confront these people head on usually does a poor job and creates a whole new set of problems.

    In Crucial Confrontations, reveals research that proves just how costly this dynamic is: it saps 20 to 50 percent of performance from organizations and accounts for up to 90 percent of all divorces. Crucial Confrontations teaches you the skills to permanently resolve failed promises and missed deadlines, transform broken rules and bad behavior into productive accountability, and strengthen relationships while solving problems.

    "Unleash the true potential of a relationship or organization and move it to the next level. . . ."
    â€"Ken Blanchard, coauthor of The One Minute Manager® and The Secret: What Great Leaders Knowâ€"and Do

    "The most recommended and mo! st effective resource in my library."
    â€"Stacey Allerton! Firth, Vice President, Human Resources, Ford of Canada

    "Brilliant strategies for those difficult discussions at home and in the workplace. . . ."
    â€"Soledad O’Brien, former cohost of CNNs Morning Edition

    "This book is the real deal. . . . Read it, underline it, learn from it. Its a gem."
    â€"Mike Murray, VP Human Resources and Administration, Microsoft (retired)

    How Do You Communicate When the Stakes Are High?

    Learn how with these TWO GROUNDBREAKING BOOKS in ONE eBOOK PACKAGE!

    In any organization, the best laid plans boil down to one simple thing: how well we come together to bring them to fruition. But more often than not, we end up dealing with people who come across as disagreeable, stubborn, or even obstructive. And emotions flare up. The only way to get things done is to step up to the plate . . . by stepping back from our emotions.

    Written by a team of experts from the world-renowned training f! irm VitalSmarts, these two books provide the skills you need to make every interaction fruitful and productive in even the most emotional situations.

    eBook package includes:

    Crucial Conversations
    The New York Times bestselling Crucial Conversations has sparked a revolution in how people communicate to achieve common goals. Now, the revised second edition builds on this decade-long legacy of success to get professionals at every level and in all professions talking with partners, bosses, employees, clientsâ€"not at them.

    Learn proven methods for turning the focus of hot-button discussionsâ€"job performance, customer satisfaction, interpersonal mattersâ€"away from subjective points of view and toward productive, mutually beneficial conclusions.

    “[Crucial Conversations] draws our attention to those defining moments that literally shape our lives, our relationships, and our world. . . . Thi! s book deserves to take its place as one of the key thought le! adership contributions of our time.”
    â€"from the Foreword by Stephen R. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

    “The quality of your life comes out of the quality of your dialogues and conversations. Here’s how to instantly uplift your crucial conversations.”
    â€"Mark Victor Hansen, co-creator of the #1 New York Times bestselling series Chicken Soup for the Soul®

    Crucial Confrontations
    Behind the problems that routinely plague families, organizations, and teams are individuals who break promises, miss deadlines, or just plain behave badly. Anyone brave enough to confront these people head on usually does a poor job and creates a whole new set of problems.

    In Crucial Confrontations, reveals research that proves just how costly this dynamic is: it saps 20 to 50 percent of performance from organizations and accounts for up to 90 percent of all divorces. Crucial Confrontatio! ns teaches you the skills to permanently resolve failed promises and missed deadlines, transform broken rules and bad behavior into productive accountability, and strengthen relationships while solving problems.

    "Unleash the true potential of a relationship or organization and move it to the next level. . . ."
    â€"Ken Blanchard, coauthor of The One Minute Manager® and The Secret: What Great Leaders Knowâ€"and Do

    "The most recommended and most effective resource in my library."
    â€"Stacey Allerton Firth, Vice President, Human Resources, Ford of Canada

    "Brilliant strategies for those difficult discussions at home and in the workplace. . . ."
    â€"Soledad O’Brien, former cohost of CNNs Morning Edition

    "This book is the real deal. . . . Read it, underline it, learn from it. Its a gem."
    â€"Mike Murray, VP Human Resources and Administration, Microsoft (retired)

    Want the secret to quickly ac! quiring great conversation skills? Want to know how popular pe! ople see m to have such good communication skills with no effort?

    How to Control Any Conversation is different to most self help books you`ve seen before. This book is for people who want straight to the point answers to the biggest questions we all have about developing great communication skills.

    The book contains 52 conversation blueprints you can refer to anytime you want practical tips for dealing with difficult people and awkward situations. Conversation skills will never be a mystery for you again.

    You`ll immediately discover simple ways to take control even in situations that used to leave you stuck and lost for words in the past. Other people will assume you always had good communication skills.

    You`ll enjoy having better communication skills, greater self-confidence when dealing with people and less shyness when meeting new people. You`ll learn how to be a master of conversation skills and let your personality shine!

    Pe! ter Murphy has been prolific in sharing his breakthrough conversation skills trainings online since 1992. He has written several books and over five hundred articles which have been syndicated across thousands of sites. His popular self help newsletter goes out to over 60,000 readers.Want the secret to quickly acquiring great conversation skills? Want to know how popular people seem to have such good communication skills with no effort?

    How to Control Any Conversation is different to most self help books you`ve seen before. This book is for people who want straight to the point answers to the biggest questions we all have about developing great communication skills.

    The book contains 52 conversation blueprints you can refer to anytime you want practical tips for dealing with difficult people and awkward situations. Conversation skills will never be a mystery for you again.

    You`ll immediately discover simple ways to take control even in situations that u! sed to leave you stuck and lost for words in the past. Other p! eople wi ll assume you always had good communication skills.

    You`ll enjoy having better communication skills, greater self-confidence when dealing with people and less shyness when meeting new people. You`ll learn how to be a master of conversation skills and let your personality shine!

    Peter Murphy has been prolific in sharing his breakthrough conversation skills trainings online since 1992. He has written several books and over five hundred articles which have been syndicated across thousands of sites. His popular self help newsletter goes out to over 60,000 readers.We attempt or avoid difficult conversations every day-whether dealing with an underperforming employee, disagreeing with a spouse, or negotiating with a client. From the Harvard Negotiation Project, the organization that brought you Getting to Yes, Difficult Conversations provides a step-by-step approach to having those tough conversations with less stress and more success. you'll learn how to:
    • Decipher the underlying structure of every difficult conversation
    • Start a conversation without defensiveness
    • Listen for the meaning of what is not said
    • Stay balanced in the face of attacks and accusations
    • Move from emotion to productive problem solvingWe've all been there: We know we must confront a coworker, store clerk, or friend about some especially sticky situation--and we know the encounter will be uncomfortable. So we repeatedly mull it over until we can no longer put it off, and then finally stumble through the confrontation. Difficult Conversations, by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen, offers advice for handling these unpleasant exchanges in a manner that accomplishes their objective and diminishes the possibility that anyone will be needlessly hurt. The authors, associated with Harvard Law School and the Harvard Project on Negotiation, show how such dialogues actually comprise t! hree separate components: the "what happened" conversation (v! erbalizi ng what we believe really was said and done), the "feelings" conversation (communicating and acknowledging each party's emotional impact), and the "identity" conversation (expressing the situation's underlying personal meaning). The explanations and suggested improvements are, admittedly, somewhat complicated. And they certainly don't guarantee positive results. But if you honestly are interested in elevating your communication skills, this book will walk you through both mistakes and remedies in a way that will boost your confidence when such unavoidable clashes arise. --Howard Rothman

Four Film Favorites: Final Destination Collection (Final Destination / Final Destination 2 / Final Destination 3 / The Final Destination)

  • FINAL DESTINATIONAfter an eerie premonition leads a handful of passengers to disembark an ill-fated flight, Death with all its ingenious contraptions of doom at the ready stalks those survivors (Devon Sawa, Ali Larter, Kerr Smith and more) one by one in the gory, gleeful shocker that launched the fright-filled film series. Final Destination: the start of it all! INCLUDES: Widescreen Version [16x9
This summer, fasten your seatbelts for the ultimate rollercoaster!! Packed with cutting-edge special effects, state-of-the-art gore and enough scares to send your heartbeat into overdrive, Final Destination 2 is a killer sequel to the smash-hit original.

DVD Features:
3D Animated Menus
Audio Commentary:with Director David Ellis, Producer Craig Perry and Screenwriters Eric Bress & J. Mackye Gruber
DVD ROM Features:Play Movie Script-to-screen Link to original web! site Screensaver, Wallpapers, "Chain Reaction" activity Exclusive content at infinifilm.com
Deleted Scenes
Documentaries:"The Terror Gauge" "Cheating Death: Beyond & Back" "Bits & Pieces: Bringing Death to Life"
Extended takes
Full Screen Version:and also Widescreen version on one disc
Other:DTS ES 6.1 Surround Sound Exclusive infinifilm fact track with exclusive material Trailers for the orginal Final Destination and upcoming Highwaymen Widescreen & Fullscreen on one disc
Theatrical Trailer

Final Destination 2 begins with a well-orchestrated multicar pileup on a freeway--a horrifying accident that turns out to be a premonition, as seen by a young woman (A.J. Cook) who saves herself and several other people by blocking a freeway on-ramp. Thus, as in the first Final Destination, a prescient vision disrupts the destined plans of death, and death goes to extreme lengths to correct matters. ! What makes Final Destination 2 entertaining is that th! e charac ters can only survive by learning to recognize the signs of impending doom--and the signs are basically the cinematic foreshadowing that moviemakers use to invoke suspense. This, combined with some elaborately complicated and gruesome deaths, fosters a ghoulish humor that's more entertaining than the smirky self-referentiality of Scream. Final Destination 2 doesn't aspire to be a great movie, but trash has its pleasures. Also featuring Ali Larter as the only survivor of the first movie. --Bret FetzerStudio: New Line Home Video Release Date: 08/30/2011 Run time: 93 minutesFinal Destination 2 begins with a well-orchestrated multicar pileup on a freeway--a horrifying accident that turns out to be a premonition, as seen by a young woman (A.J. Cook) who saves herself and several other people by blocking a freeway on-ramp. Thus, as in the first Final Destination, a prescient vision disrupts the destined plans of death, and death go! es to extreme lengths to correct matters. What makes Final Destination 2 entertaining is that the characters can only survive by learning to recognize the signs of impending doom--and the signs are basically the cinematic foreshadowing that moviemakers use to invoke suspense. This, combined with some elaborately complicated and gruesome deaths, fosters a ghoulish humor that's more entertaining than the smirky self-referentiality of Scream. Final Destination 2 doesn't aspire to be a great movie, but trash has its pleasures. Also featuring Ali Larter as the only survivor of the first movie. --Bret FetzerFinal Destination, Final Destination 2, Final Destination 3, and The Final Destination (2009) FINAL DESTINATION INCLUDES: • Widescreen Version [16x9 1.85:1] • Director/Writers/Editor Commentary • Cast Commentary • 5.1 Isolated Score Audio Track with Commentary by Composer Shirley Walker • Additional Scenes and Alternate Endings â€! ¢ 2 Featurettes: Test Screenings and Premonitions • 2 Games:! Death C lock and Psychic Test • Theatrical Trailer • Subtitles: English (Main Feature.Bonus Material/Trailer May Not Be Subtitled.). FINAL DESTINATION 2 INCLUDES: • Widescreen Version [16x9 1.85:1] • Director/Producer/Screenwriters Commentary • Deleted/Alternate Scenes • Selectable Fact Track with Intriguing Making-of Factoids â€" All As You Watch the Movie • 3 Featurettes The Terror Gauge, Cheating Death: Beyond and Back and Bits & Pieces: Bringing Death to Life • Theatrical Trailer • Subtitles: English (Main Feature.Bonus Material/Trailer May Not Be Subtitled.). FINAL DESTINATION 3 INCLUDES: • Widescreen Version [16x9 2.4:1] • Enjoy 2 Editions of the Film: Original Theatrical Movie and the Choose Their Fate! Version Where You Control the Characters’ Outcomes • Director/Writers/Cinematographer Commentary • Subtitles: English & Español (Main Feature.Bonus Material/Trailer May Not Be Subtitled.). THE FINAL DESTINATION INCLUDES: • Widescreen Version [16x! 9 2.4:1] • Additional Scenes • Subtitles: English & Español (Main Feature. Bonus Material/Trailer May Not Be Subtitled).

Dead Man's Shoes

  • Richard (Paddy Considine) has always protected his simple-minded little brother Anthony (Toby Kebbell). When Richard leaves the rural village where they have grown up to join the army, Anthony is taken in by Sonny (Gary Stretch), a controlling and vicious local drug dealer and his gang of lads. Anthony becomes the gang's pet and plaything. Seven years later, Richard returns to settle the score. De
Richard (Paddy Considine) has always protected his simple-minded little brother Anthony (Toby Kebbell). When Richard leaves the rural village where they have grown up to join the army, Anthony is taken in by Sonny (Gary Stretch), a controlling and vicious local drug dealer and his gang of lads. Anthony becomes the gang's pet and plaything. Seven years later, Richard returns to settle the score. Dead Man's Shoes is a genre-defying film blending horror, supernatural elements, comedy and social realism! . Set in a Midlands village, it explores the underbelly of contemporary rural Britain in communities where crime is unchecked and drugs, intimidation and power games are accepted as part of daily life.Harrowing thriller about a hotwired ex-soldier (co-scripter Paddy Considine from Cinderella Man) who returns to his sleepy Irish village to dole out merciless revenge upon the booze- and drug-sodden hoodlums who abused his mentally handicapped younger brother (the astonishing Toby Kebbel). Director Shane Meadows (Once Upon a Time in the Midlands) doesn't shy away from delivering scenes of gripping suspense and violence, but the end result hews closer to an ambiguous meditation on the nature and effect of vengeance a la Sam Peckinpah's Straw Dogs than a Death Wish-style grindhouse effort. Taut and thought-provoking, Dead Man's Shoes is a must-see for indie film aficionados with a taste for the grittiest of fare. The DVD includes some rollickin! g commentary by Meadows, Considine, and producer Mark Herbert;! an intr iguing and heartfelt featurette on Meadows and his own violent past as a teenage skinhead in 1980s England, from which he drew inspiration for this film; and an alternate (and somewhat less satisfying) final scene. -- Paul Gaita

Hotel Rwanda [Blu-ray]

  • 1080p Hi-Def Widescreen Transfer
  • First time on Blu-ray
  • Released by MGM/Fox Home Entertainment
  • Includes Commentary Tracks, Documnetaries and more!
Once you find out what happened in Rwanda, you'll never forget. OscarÂ(r) nominee* Don Cheadle (Traffic) gives "the performance of his career in this extraordinarily powerful" (The Hollywood Reporter) and moving true story of one man's brave stance against savagery during the 1994 Rwandan conflict. Sophie Okonedo (Dirty Pretty Things) co-stars as the loving wife who challenges a good man to become a great man. As his country descends into madness, five-star-hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina (Cheadle) sets out to save his family. But when he sees that theworld will not intervene in the massacre of minority Tutsis, he finds the courage to open his hotelto more than 1,200 refugees. Now, with a rabid militia at the gates, he m! ust use his well-honed grace, flattery and cunning to protect his guests from certain death. *2004: Actor, Hotel RwandaSolidly built around a subtle yet commanding performance by Don Cheadle, Hotel Rwanda emerged as one of the most highly-praised dramas of 2004. In a role that demands his quietly riveting presence in nearly every scene, Cheadle plays real-life hero Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager in the Rwandan capital of Kigali who in 1994 saved 1,200 Rwandan "guests" from certain death during the genocidal clash between tribal Hutus, who slaughtered a million victims, and the horrified Tutsis, who found safe haven or died. Giving his best performance since his breakthrough role in Devil in a Blue Dress, Cheadle plays Rusesabagina as he really was during the ensuing chaos: "an expert in situational ethics" (as described by critic Roger Ebert), doing what he morally had to do, at great risk and potential sacrifice, with an understanding that wartime! negotiations are largely a game of subterfuge, cooperation, a! nd cleve r bribery. Aided by a United Nations official (Nick Nolte), he worked a saintly miracle, and director Terry George (Some Mother's Son) brings formidable social conscience to bear on a true story you won't soon forget. --Jeff ShannonSolidly built around a subtle yet commanding performance by Don Cheadle, Hotel Rwanda emerged as one of the most highly-praised dramas of 2004. In a role that demands his quietly riveting presence in nearly every scene, Cheadle plays real-life hero Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager in the Rwandan capital of Kigali who in 1994 saved 1,200 Rwandan "guests" from certain death during the genocidal clash between tribal Hutus, who slaughtered a million victims, and the horrified Tutsis, who found safe haven or died. Giving his best performance since his breakthrough role in Devil in a Blue Dress, Cheadle plays Rusesabagina as he really was during the ensuing chaos: "an expert in situational ethics" (as described by critic Roger Ebert), do! ing what he morally had to do, at great risk and potential sacrifice, with an understanding that wartime negotiations are largely a game of subterfuge, cooperation, and clever bribery. Aided by a United Nations official (Nick Nolte), he worked a saintly miracle, and director Terry George (Some Mother's Son) brings formidable social conscience to bear on a true story you won't soon forget. --Jeff Shannon

Flashbacks Of A Fool [Blu-ray]

  • FLASHBACKS OF A FOOL BLU-RAY (BLU-RAY DISC)
Daniel Craig delivers a startling performance as Joe Scott, a washed-up Hollywood star adrift in a haze of sex, drugs and squandered fame. But when he receives news of the sudden death of his childhood best friend, Joe flashes back to his younger self (played by Harry Eden of Oliver Twist) in his small English seaside village and the summer of innocence and tragedy that would change his life forever. Olivia Williams (The Sixth Sense), Claire Forlani (CSI:NY) and Eve co-star in this powerful drama about love, loss and one man’s journey to redemption, executive produced by Daniel Craig and featuring songs by Scott Walker, David Bowie and Roxy Music.Leading man Daniel Craig apparently made Flashbacks of a Fool (he was also one of the executive producers) in between stints as James Bond, and you can see why he was attract! ed to it; Joe Scott, the character he portrays in this film, could hardly be less like the suave, ever-resourceful 007. Ensconced in a fab, oceanfront Malibu crib, Joe is a movie star on the skids. Hooked on coke and drink, engaging in group gropes with dumb Hollywood bimbos, he’s sunk so low that his sassy assistant (Eve) calls him "a disgrace to white folks," and even his agent is sick of him, which is somewhat akin to a parasite dissing its host (it’s a measure of writer-director Baillie Walsh’s script’s lack of depth that we never really see what made Joe so great in the first place, or so bad now). When a call comes that a childhood friend has died, Joe decides to return to his native England for the funeral, whereupon an extended flashback kicks in. Young Joe (Harry Eden), it seems, was as randy and hopelessly naïve as a lot of teenage boys. Though he had the hots for the sexiest young thang in town (a coastal village that’s as lovely in its way as the Cali! fornia setting, both of them handsomely photographed by cinema! tographe r John Mathieson; the locations, in fact, are probably the most attractive element of the film), he also wasn’t immune to the advances of Evelyn (Jodhi May), the older married woman who lives next door. And when a tragedy involving Evelyn’s daughter struck while she and Joe were in flagrante, Joe handled it by leaving town, never to return--until now, that is. He discovers that his late pal’s widow is the same young girl Joe’d had his eye on, but otherwise his homecoming is a strangely muted affair; not a lot happens, which pretty much applies to the film overall. In the end, Flashbacks of a Fool has its touching moments, but it might have turned out better had it been both shaken and stirred. --Sam Graham

Stills from Flashbacks of a Fool (Click for larger image)











Daniel Craig delivers a startling performance as Joe Scott, a washed-up Hollywood star adrift in a haze of sex, drugs and squandered fame. But when he receives news of the sudden death of his childhood best friend, Joe flashes back to his younger self (played by Harry! Eden of Oliver Twist) in his small English seaside village and the summer of innocence and tragedy that would change his life forever. Olivia Williams (The Sixth Sense), Claire Forlani (CSI:NY) and Eve co-star in this powerful drama about love, loss and one man s journey to redemption, executive produced by Daniel Craig and featuring songs by Scott Walker, David Bowie and Roxy Music.Leading man Daniel Craig apparently made Flashbacks of a Fool (he was also one of the executive producers) in between stints as James Bond, and you can see why he was attracted to it; Joe Scott, the character he portrays in this film, could hardly be less like the suave, ever-resourceful 007. Ensconced in a fab, oceanfront Malibu crib, Joe is a movie star on the skids. Hooked on coke and drink, engaging in group gropes with dumb Hollywood bimbos, he’s sunk so low that his sassy assistant (Eve) calls him "a disgrace to white folks," and even his agent is sick of him, which is somewhat! akin to a parasite dissing its host (it’s a measure of writ! er-direc tor Baillie Walsh’s script’s lack of depth that we never really see what made Joe so great in the first place, or so bad now). When a call comes that a childhood friend has died, Joe decides to return to his native England for the funeral, whereupon an extended flashback kicks in. Young Joe (Harry Eden), it seems, was as randy and hopelessly naïve as a lot of teenage boys. Though he had the hots for the sexiest young thang in town (a coastal village that’s as lovely in its way as the California setting, both of them handsomely photographed by cinematographer John Mathieson; the locations, in fact, are probably the most attractive element of the film), he also wasn’t immune to the advances of Evelyn (Jodhi May), the older married woman who lives next door. And when a tragedy involving Evelyn’s daughter struck while she and Joe were in flagrante, Joe handled it by leaving town, never to return--until now, that is. He discovers that his late pal’s widow is! the same young girl Joe’d had his eye on, but otherwise his homecoming is a strangely muted affair; not a lot happens, which pretty much applies to the film overall. In the end, Flashbacks of a Fool has its touching moments, but it might have turned out better had it been both shaken and stirred. --Sam Graham

Stills from Flashbacks of a Fool (Click for larger image)












Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts

  • When notable narrative director Scott Hicks (SHINE, SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS) picked up an HD camera to shoot some footage of celebrated composer Philip Glass, he had no intention of turning it into a feature-length documentary. Yet after capturing so much insightful footage and realizing that Glass and his family and friends were up to the task, that is exactly what happened. With GLASS: A PORTRAIT
As seen on PBS American Masters

For 18 months Oscar-nominated and Emmy Award-winning director Scott Hicks (Shine) followed the legendary Philip Glass (The Hours, Notes on a Scandal) across three continents, creating a remarkable portrait of this brilliant composer. Allowed unprecedented access to Glass’ working process and collaborators (including Martin Scorsese and Errol Morris), Hicks presents a unique glimpse into the life of one of the greatest artists of this or any e! ra.

INCLUDES OVER 3 HOURS OF EXCLUSIVE EXTRAS:
Bonus Performances (“Dracula”, “Metamorphosis”, “Orion”, “Einstein on the Beach”)
Additional Interview Footage with Philip Glass, Deleted/Extended Scenes
Commentary Track by Director Scott Hicks
Plus Booklet with Production Notes

Estwing E24A Sportsman's Hatchet Metal Handle

  • All steel construction
  • Head and handle forged in one-piece
  • Fully polished with genuine leather grip and sheath
  • 16-Inch overall length
  • 3-1/4-Inch cutting edge
Since it was first published in 1987, the story of thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson's survival following a plane crash has become a modern classic. Stranded in the desolate wilderness, Brian uses his instincts and his hatchet to stay alive for fifty-four harrowing days.

This twentieth-anniversary edition of Hatchet contains a new introduction and sidebar commentary by Gary Paulsen, written especially for this volume. Drew Willis's detailed pen-and-ink illustrations complement the descriptions in the text and add a new dimension to the book. This handsome edition of the Newbery Honor book will be treasured by Hatchet fans as well as by readers encountering Brian's unforgettable story for t! he first time.All steel construction. 3 1 4'' cutting edge. Head and handle forged in 1 piece. Fully polished with genuine leather grip and sheath. Overall length: 14''.

Twitter Delicious Facebook Digg Stumbleupon Favorites More

 

web log free