Friday, December 2, 2011

Adventureland

  • From thedirector of SUPERBAD comes ADVENTURELAND, a smart, witty comedy we canall relate to. When James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg) has to cancel hisdream summer vacation and make some money for grad school, the only jobhe can get is at Adventureland, a tacky amusement park where the gamesare rigged and the rides make you hurl. But it's where he meets Em(Kristen Stewart, TWILIGHT), and his rollercoa
ADVENTURELAND - DVD MovieA sweet and slap-happy mix of indie coming-of-age drama and Judd Apatow’s scatological but heartfelt manchild comedies, Greg Mottola’s Adventureland is a winning look at the pleasures and frustrations of dead-end jobs and teenage kicks as viewed through a filter of mid-‘80s pop culture. The underutilized and always watchable Jesse Eisenberg (The Squid and the Whale) is a sheltered, introspective New York college grad who discovers that his parents’ ! financial woes will not only quash his dream of a summer in Europe (to enjoy its more “sexually permissive” nations) but require a move to Pittsburgh, where he lands a job at a dilapidated amusement park. There, he’s thrown in with a motley crew of eccentrics, small-town types and a few genuine free spirits, most notably co-worker Em (Kristen Stewart), whose complicated past proves irresistible to his repressed psyche. Mottola, who directed Superbad and episodes of the well-loved Freaks and Geeks, and who once worked in a similar park as a teen, doesn’t shy from the crude laughs that make Apatow’s features so popular, but he tempers it with a wistful tone and layered characters that hew closer to his earliest work, The Daytrippers. Though ill-matched at first, Eisenberg and Stewart make a likable on-screen couple, and they’re well-supported by a terrific cast that includes such die-hard scene-stealers as Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig as ! the park’s offbeat owners, Martin Starr as a Russian lit afi! cionado, and Ryan Reynolds as a former town tamer, now reduced to working as the park’s handyman. A soundtrack performed by underground faves Yo La Tengo and filled with a smart mix of hip cuts (Hüsker Dü, the New York Dolls, the Replacements) and period faves (Falco’s “Rock Me Amadeus”) underscores the film’s blend of tentative emotions and broad laughs. -- Paul Gaita

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The Gospel According to Coco Chanel: Life Lessons from the World's Most Elegant Woman

Boiler Room

  • TESTED
Six students lie dead at the hands of a fellow classmate. In the aftermath an unlikely bond is about to form. Alicia (Busy Philipps "Dawson's Creek") is a Goth misfit who hates the world and everyone in it and may know more about the shooting than she's telling. Deanna (Erika Christensen Swimfan) one of the injured is a classic overachiever confined to a hospital bed. Brought together by fate united by secrets they couldn't be less alike or need each other more.System Requirements:Running Time: 132 Min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: R UPC: 043396018952 Manufacturer No: 01895DVD'SThe intense soundtrack of Boiler Room is a fitting underscore for this movie, which pulses with the vigor of young, rich, amoral men wreaking havoc. This is not the antisocietal havoc of Fight Club, but the more deliberate mayhem that comes from greed run amok. The testosterone-junkie! brokers of J.T. Marlin (the only female in the office is Abby, the receptionist and love interest, played by Nia Long) are out to make the sale, and whether that sale is legal or ethical doesn't matter.

Seth Davis (Giovanni Ribisi) is a 19-year-old college dropout who strives for approval from his father (Ron Rifkin), a judge who is horrified that his son operates a 24-hour illicit casino. When an old friend visits the casino with a fellow broker, Davis is impressed by their wads of money and yellow Ferrari, and decides to join the firm. In no time he's making sales and settling into the groove of the office and all the after-hours perks, but the dream fades when Davis discovers the scam that is making all of the brokers wealthy beyond their dreams.

Borrowing heavily from Wall Street and Glengarry Glen Ross, Boiler Room is at its best when dealing with matters of money, and powerful scenes of Davis learning to be a "closer" showcase the signifi! cant talent of Ribisi, Nicky Katt, and Vin Diesel. The movie f! lounders when developing the relationship between Davis and his father, becoming sentimental and trite. However, as a fable of modern society and a nostalgic vehicle about the days of yuppies past, Boiler Room is right on the money. --Jenny Brown

Green River

  • Haunted by her sister s mysterious disappearance many years ago at Green River, Charisma Kavanagh (Danielle Franke) returns to silence her ghosts and make peace with the past. In her search for closure to this disturbing part of her life she returns to the family cabin with her wary friend Allison Chase (Kristina Hughes). Tension grows between the two friends, as Allison s own erratic behavior hel
Before alternative sucked.Digitally remastered and containing rare previously unreleased bonus material. Green River is the third album by American band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released in 1969. In 2003, the album was ranked number 95 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Songwriter John Fogerty wrote the song, 'Lodi' about being trapped in a town called Lodi which is a town in California about 75 miles from Fogerty's hometown of El Cerrito, Contra Costa C! ounty. The year 2008 marks the 40th anniversary of Creedence Clearwater Revival. The album is packaged in a beautiful digi-pak, faithfully recreating the original album packages in meticulous detail and the CD reissue contains expanded liner notes.Remarkably, this is the third studio album Creedence Clearwater Revival released in 1969! During that stunning burst, John Fogerty could do no wrong. Green River isn't as chock-full of CCR standards as the record that followed it in 1970 (Cosmo's Factory), and, at 30 minutes, it's briefer than its rather brief predecessor (Willy and the Poorboys). Still, this is economy at its best. The title track, "Lodi," and "Bad Moon Rising" are all indelibly etched into the memory banks of classic-rock fans, while "Commotion" and "Cross-Tie Walker" are perfect swamp-rock complements. "The Night Time Is the Right Time" is one more in a series of spot-on Fogerty covers. And "Wrote a Song for Everyone" manages to be! both rarefied and down to earth in the same breath--which is ! really C CR in a nutshell. --Steven StolderDigitally remastered and containing rare previously unreleased bonus material. Green River is the third album by American band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released in 1969. In 2003, the album was ranked number 95 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Songwriter John Fogerty wrote the song, 'Lodi' about being trapped in a town called Lodi which is a town in California about 75 miles from Fogerty's hometown of El Cerrito, Contra Costa County. The year 2008 marks the 40th anniversary of Creedence Clearwater Revival. The album is packaged in a beautiful digi-pak, faithfully recreating the original album packages in meticulous detail and the CD reissue contains expanded liner notes.Remarkably, this is the third studio album Creedence Clearwater Revival released in 1969! During that stunning burst, John Fogerty could do no wrong. Green River isn't as chock-full of CCR standards as the ! record that followed it in 1970 (Cosmo's Factory), and, at 30 minutes, it's briefer than its rather brief predecessor (Willy and the Poorboys). Still, this is economy at its best. The title track, "Lodi," and "Bad Moon Rising" are all indelibly etched into the memory banks of classic-rock fans, while "Commotion" and "Cross-Tie Walker" are perfect swamp-rock complements. "The Night Time Is the Right Time" is one more in a series of spot-on Fogerty covers. And "Wrote a Song for Everyone" manages to be both rarefied and down to earth in the same breath--which is really CCR in a nutshell. --Steven StolderJudith Ridgway had been neglected, misunderstood, and abused until she met the man of her dreams., Gary Ridgway, who has become known as The Green River Serial Killer by the rest of the world. For fourteen happy years, Judith shared her life with an attentive and kind husband, never suspecting there was a secret side to the man she loved until the st! orybook romance of her life turned into a terrifying nightmare! . Ga ry Ridgway masterfully managed his two identities: one that included romantic vacations, bicycling, and raising Poodles with his wife, the other that included obsessions with a two-decade habit of soliciting prostitutes and young runaway girls near the Seattle-Tacoma Airport, strangling those who angered him. Subsequent to his arrest in 2001, Gary confessed to murdering 48 females, in a deal that spared his life. In addition, he alluded to his having killed many more too many to remember! Green River Serial Killer Biography of an Unsuspecting Wife examines America s most deadly serial killer through the loving eyes of his wife. Also included in this exclusive, authorized biography, are photographs from the Ridgway private albums, letters handwritten by Gary from prison, and the author s own professional analysis of his handwriting.2009 debut release from the Forth Worth-based band. In the mundane world of local law, a Green River Ordinance prohibits door-to-door sales wi! thout a homeowner's prior permission. Fortunately, the band Green River Ordinance needn't rely on such pedestrian peddling to sell its wares: their catchy anthems have drawn listeners on their own. The only door-to-door action is purely word-of-mouth, as one fan tells another what they've found. Now, listeners everywhere will be able to discover what people in Fort Worth already know. The band spent a year writing and perfecting the songs and then another eight months recording with producers Mark Endert (Natasha Bedingfield, Maroon 5, Gavin DeGraw), Jordan Critz, and Paul Ebersold (Sister Hazel, 3 Doors Down, Third Day). GRO has always had a strong vision about what they wanted to do musically, and are thrilled to see it finally come true.GREEN RIVER - DVD Movie

Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. 3 (Border Incident / His Kind of Woman / Lady in the Lake / On Dangerous Ground / The Racket)

  • Five more film noirics lined up with genre stars such as Robert Mitchum, Robert Montgomery, Robert Ryan, and Jane Russell, are now available in Volume 3 of the Film Noir Classics Collection series. The new 6-Disc DVD set is only available as a collection and includes a bonus documentary disc on the Noir genre. Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION Rating: NR Age: 012569761247
Genre: LGBT Action/Adventure
Dangerous Ground; Previous Book: Old Poison

Special Agents for the Department of Diplomatic Security, Taylor MacAllister and Will Brandt have been partners forever and lovers for three months, but their new relationship is threatened when Will is offered a plum two-year assignment in Paris.

Will believes the posting only means postponing what they both want. Taylor fears that kind of separation will mean the end of their new and still-fragile relationship. It’s a! bad time to find themselves in the middle of the New Mexico wilderness responsible for the health and welfare of a suspected terrorist. Especially when everyone else they run into seems determined to see their prisoner -- and them -- dead.

Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Male/male sexual practices.Genre: LGBT Action/Adventure
Dangerous Ground; Previous Book: Old Poison

Special Agents for the Department of Diplomatic Security, Taylor MacAllister and Will Brandt have been partners forever and lovers for three months, but their new relationship is threatened when Will is offered a plum two-year assignment in Paris.

Will believes the posting only means postponing what they both want. Taylor fears that kind of separation will mean the end of their new and still-fragile relationship. It’s a bad time to find themselves in the middle of the New Mex! ico wilderness responsible for the health and welfare of a sus! pected t errorist. Especially when everyone else they run into seems determined to see their prisoner -- and them -- dead.

Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Male/male sexual practices.Genre: LGBT Action/Adventure Suspense
Series: Dangerous Ground; Previous Book: Blood Heat

Like your heroes tall, dark and dangerous? Meet Loose Id's Men of Mystery.

The boys are back in town -- and Paris is burning!

For Special Agents of the Department of Diplomatic Security, Taylor MacAllister and Will Brandt, the strain of a long distance relationship is beginning to tell after eleven months of separation. A romantic holiday could be just the thing to bridge the ever-growing distance, but when Taylor spots a terrorist from the 70s, long believed dead but very much alive, it’s c’est la vie.

Now instead of sipping wine and seeing the sights, t! he boys are chasing a wily and deadly foe through the graveyards and catacombs of Paris.

Of course, it could always be worse -- and soon it is.

Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: male/male sexual practices.Genre: LGBT Action/Adventure Suspense
Series: Dangerous Ground; Previous Book: Blood Heat

Like your heroes tall, dark and dangerous? Meet Loose Id's Men of Mystery.

The boys are back in town -- and Paris is burning!

For Special Agents of the Department of Diplomatic Security, Taylor MacAllister and Will Brandt, the strain of a long distance relationship is beginning to tell after eleven months of separation. A romantic holiday could be just the thing to bridge the ever-growing distance, but when Taylor spots a terrorist from the 70s, long believed dead but very much alive, it’s c’est la vie.

Now instead of sipping w! ine and seeing the sights, the boys are chasing a wily and dea! dly foe through the graveyards and catacombs of Paris.

Of course, it could always be worse -- and soon it is.

Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: male/male sexual practices.Ice Cube and Elizabeth Hurley in the tale of a South African freedom fighter who returns home after 14 years in exile for his father's funeral. Apartheid is over, but now the drug wars are destroying his people...and his brother is missing in action.An odd combination of consciousness-raising and run-of-the-mill action, Dangerous Ground features Ice Cube, mostly unbelievably, as a one-time South African native named Vusi. Vusi came to America at age 14 to escape police repression, and eventually reinvented himself as an American scholar and community-oriented volunteer. Called back to the old country to bury his father, Vusi discovers the new South Africa under Mandela, but also gets a s! nootful of the nation's surge in crime and drug usage. Sent to Johannesburg to retrieve a long-missing brother, Vusi allies himself with a coke-addicted stripper (Elizabeth Hurley) who knows the vanished man. The script and direction by Darrell James Roodt (Cry, the Beloved Country) seems to be serving various masters: viewers interested in epochal changes in South Africa, and viewers who want to kick back and watch a suspense movie about drugs, a hooker, and a nasty crime lord (Ving Rhames). The result is unwieldy, and Cube's thumping performance doesn't do much to bridge the gap. --Tom Keogh
Somethings hot in Seattle, and its not just the espresso.

The Seattle Steam series.

 Madisons needs are simple. All she wants are two things: Make Ooo La Latt the newest trend in espresso, and seduce the sexiest cop in Seattle. But things arent going exactly as planned. First, Gabes a little hung up on the fact that shes his best friends! little sister, and hes determined to keep his hands off. Seco! nd, her shop gets robbed by the increasingly violent Espresso Bandit, and now shes the only one who can identify him. Gabe whisks her into hiding for her own protection, but soon finds his heart is under assault by the lusciousand persistentMadison. But no matter where they hide, danger follows. On such dangerous grounds, the trick will be to live long enough to keep the flame alive.


Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.


It took almost another hour before she slipped into a light sleep, and instead of being comforted, she found herself reliving the robbery. Except this time, the robber pulled the trigger.

She jerked upright with a cry, dragging the sheets around her. A moment later her door burst open and Gabe's silhouette filled the doorway.

"Maddie?" He shut the door and came over to the bed. "What's wrong? I heard you cry out."

She turned her head away before he could see the shine of tears in! her eyes.

The dream had been too real.

"Did you dream about him?" Gabe asked, his voice soft. "It's all right, Maddie. It's normal. I haven't seen you break down once yet."

"I'm not the type to break down," she mumbled. She urged herself to regain control and not lose it. But the back of her throat burned from choking back the tears, and soon she stopped fighting.

The tears ran down her cheeks and she kept her face averted, trying to hide them.

"Maddie..." He pulled her unresisting body into his arms, sliding back against the bedpost to support them. She buried her head against his chest.

"It's just sexual tension combined with the post-traumatic stress." She tried to laugh and it came out choked. "Nothing to worry about. It'd all go away if you'd just have sex with me."

"You don't need to make it a joke, Maddie," he murmured. "It's nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about."

Wasn't i! t? She hated that she was crying on Gabe's shoulder. He was al! ways so controlled and seemed so kept together. And now, in between pathetic attempts to seduce him, she sat here bawling her eyes out on his chest. His naked chest. Hmm. She hadn't noticed that before.

She blinked the last of her tears away and became quite aware of the rapid pounding of Gabe's heart.

Maybe he wasn't as controlled as he'd have her believe.

She kept her head against his chest. "You're not immune to me, Gabe."

His hand that had been stroking her hair stilled, and then resumed its comforting movements.

"I never said I was."

"Then why--"

"Just sleep, Maddie," he interrupted, his voice gentle. "I'll stay here with you, if you'd like. But only to sleep."

Madison considered her options. Having Gabe in bed with her would be a major temptation to attempt to seduce him again. It'd be better just to send him back to his own bed. But then the thought of being alone, with the possibility o! f more nightmares, made it an obvious choice.

"I'd like you to stay, and I promise not to touch you. Tonight. Deal?"

He gave a soft laugh and maneuvered them so that they were lying down next to each other.

"Deal."Something's hot in Seattle, and it's not just the espresso. Madison's needs are simple. All she wants are two things: Make Ooo La Latte the newest trend in espresso, and seduce the sexiest cop in Seattle. But things aren't going exactly as planned.

First, Gabe's a little hung up on the fact that she's his best friend's little sister, and he's determined to keep his hands off. Second, her shop gets robbed by the increasingly violent Espresso Bandit, and now she's the only one who can identify him.

Gabe whisks her into hiding for her own protection, but soon finds his heart is under assault by the luscious--and persistent--Madison. But no matter where they hide, danger follows. On such dangerous grounds, the trick ! will be to live long enough to keep the flame alive.

Someth! ing's ho t in Seattle, and it's not just the espresso. Madison's needs are simple. All she wants are two things: Make Ooo La Latte the newest trend in espresso, and seduce the sexiest cop in Seattle. But things aren't going exactly as planned.

First, Gabe's a little hung up on the fact that she's his best friend's little sister, and he's determined to keep his hands off. Second, her shop gets robbed by the increasingly violent Espresso Bandit, and now she's the only one who can identify him.

Gabe whisks her into hiding for her own protection, but soon finds his heart is under assault by the luscious--and persistent--Madison. But no matter where they hide, danger follows. On such dangerous grounds, the trick will be to live long enough to keep the flame alive.

The USS Memphis, a dilapidated submarine that that should have been mothballed decades ago, has been given one last mission by the newly elected president. The task: To sneak illegally into Russia's co! astal waters and recon the leaking nuclear fuel containers hidden on the floor of the Arctic Ocean. More than just an environmental nightmare, this radioactive burial ground houses enough nuclear capability to destroy most of America's major cities.
The Memphis's commander, Lowell Hardy, had been looking forward to flag rank and pleasant duty upon the sub's decommissioning. Now he is trapped in an inconceivably dangerous and illegal mission which could easily end his career, if not his life and the lives of his crew. But it's the crew who feel Hardy's tension as he tyrannizes everyone on board to ensure they'll be ready for anything:
Jerry Mitchell: a former naval pilot with political connections, he is a novice submariner, unprepared for his demanding job as a weapons officer. Central to the Memphis's mission, Mitchell may be its greatest liability . . . or its ultimate salvation.
Dr. Joanna Patterson: The senior civilian scientist, appointed by and reporting to! the president, she is a world-class expert on nuclear fuel co! ntaminat ion--and every bit as demanding as Hardy. Patterson and her partner, Dr. Emily Davis, soon find themselves battling flaring tempers, faulty machinery, lethal radioactivity, and the raging arctic seas.
The submariners: Seething with rage at their Captain Bligh-like commander and the equally domineering Joanna Patterson, they are also at war with Jerry Mitchell, and one another. Like the captain, they feel they deserve better, not this antiquated relic, not this hostile scientist, not this novice weapons officer, and definitely not this disastrously dangerous mission.
Nor is the mission what it seems. Lurking beneath the frigid, black, radioactive waters is a secret far more deadly than anything naval command could imagine--a secret so menacing the Russian Fleet is hell-bent on destroying the Memphis and all who sail in her.

The USS Memphis, a dilapidated submarine that that should have been mothballed decades ago, has been given one last mission by ! the newly elected president. The task: To sneak illegally into Russia's coastal waters and recon the leaking nuclear fuel containers hidden on the floor of the Arctic Ocean. More than just an environmental nightmare, this radioactive burial ground houses enough nuclear capability to destroy most of America's major cities.
The Memphis's commander, Lowell Hardy, had been looking forward to flag rank and pleasant duty upon the sub's decommissioning. Now he is trapped in an inconceivably dangerous and illegal mission which could easily end his career, if not his life and the lives of his crew. But it's the crew who feel Hardy's tension as he tyrannizes everyone on board to ensure they'll be ready for anything:
Jerry Mitchell: a former naval pilot with political connections, he is a novice submariner, unprepared for his demanding job as a weapons officer. Central to the Memphis's mission, Mitchell may be its greatest liability . . . or its ultimate salvation.
Dr. ! Joanna Patterson: The senior civilian scientist, appointed by ! and repo rting to the president, she is a world-class expert on nuclear fuel contamination--and every bit as demanding as Hardy. Patterson and her partner, Dr. Emily Davis, soon find themselves battling flaring tempers, faulty machinery, lethal radioactivity, and the raging arctic seas.
The submariners: Seething with rage at their Captain Bligh-like commander and the equally domineering Joanna Patterson, they are also at war with Jerry Mitchell, and one another. Like the captain, they feel they deserve better, not this antiquated relic, not this hostile scientist, not this novice weapons officer, and definitely not this disastrously dangerous mission.
Nor is the mission what it seems. Lurking beneath the frigid, black, radioactive waters is a secret far more deadly than anything naval command could imagine--a secret so menacing the Russian Fleet is hell-bent on destroying the Memphis and all who sail in her.

The USS Memphis, a dilapidated submarine th! at that should have been mothballed decades ago, has been given one last mission by the newly elected president. The task: To sneak illegally into Russia's coastal waters and recon the leaking nuclear fuel containers hidden on the floor of the Arctic Ocean. More than just an environmental nightmare, this radioactive burial ground houses enough nuclear capability to destroy most of America's major cities.
The Memphis's commander, Lowell Hardy, had been looking forward to flag rank and pleasant duty upon the sub's decommissioning. Now he is trapped in an inconceivably dangerous and illegal mission which could easily end his career, if not his life and the lives of his crew. But it's the crew who feel Hardy's tension as he tyrannizes everyone on board to ensure they'll be ready for anything:
Jerry Mitchell: a former naval pilot with political connections, he is a novice submariner, unprepared for his demanding job as a weapons officer. Central to the Memphis's mission, M! itchell may be its greatest liability . . . or its ultimate sa! lvation.
Dr. Joanna Patterson: The senior civilian scientist, appointed by and reporting to the president, she is a world-class expert on nuclear fuel contamination--and every bit as demanding as Hardy. Patterson and her partner, Dr. Emily Davis, soon find themselves battling flaring tempers, faulty machinery, lethal radioactivity, and the raging arctic seas.
The submariners: Seething with rage at their Captain Bligh-like commander and the equally domineering Joanna Patterson, they are also at war with Jerry Mitchell, and one another. Like the captain, they feel they deserve better, not this antiquated relic, not this hostile scientist, not this novice weapons officer, and definitely not this disastrously dangerous mission.
Nor is the mission what it seems. Lurking beneath the frigid, black, radioactive waters is a secret far more deadly than anything naval command could imagine--a secret so menacing the Russian Fleet is hell-bent on destroying the Memphis and all who sail ! in her.

Someone from DSS Special Agent Taylor MacAllister’s past -- the past he doesn’t discuss with his partner and now-lover Will Brandt -- wants him scared. Dead scared. Or maybe just dead. Will fears the past will end a future romance. Or any future at all.

(This book was previously released through Loose Id Publishing.)Someone from DSS Special Agent Taylor MacAllister’s past -- the past he doesn’t discuss with his partner and now-lover Will Brandt -- wants him scared. Dead scared. Or maybe just dead. Will fears the past will end a future romance. Or any future at all.

(This book was previously released through Loose Id Publishing.)Loretta Brown is mad at herself for not telling her best friend Xavier Johnson about the feelings she has for him; she’s been led to believe that he’s engaged. With the help of her friend Cookie she’ll prove to Xavier that she’s the woman for him.

Xavier has been trying to break out! of the “friend zone” with Loretta, for every step she tak! es towar d him she takes two steps back. He understands that she was in an abusive marriage and careful with her feelings, but he’s determined to breach that wall she’s built around her heart.

Unknown to Loretta her life is in danger from a mad man who blames her for his son’s death. Xavier uses all of his contacts in high places to ensure her safety, except that one man in question demands something from Xavier that may damage his relationship with Loretta or claim his life.

Excerpt:
Loretta locked the door as soon as she got inside her house. Loretta kicked her shoes off before she made her way into the kitchen. Just as she was reaching for a glass on the shelf she heard a knock at the front door. Who could it be at this time of night?

Loretta walked over to the front door; however, she didn’t open it. “Who is it?”

“It‘s me Loretta, open up.”

Loretta would recognize Xavier’s voice anywhere. She opened t! he door and let him in. “Xavier what are you doing here at this hour?”

Xavier barely got in the door good before he started talking about her date. “Did you enjoy your date tonight Loretta?” Xavier towered over her as if he was trying to intimidate her.

Loretta put her hands on her hips. “Xavier I don’t have to ask you or anyone else for permission to go out on a date.”

Xavier realized that he couldn’t intimidate Loretta, so tried another approach. “You know you don’t want him.”

“Since when have you become an authority on my wants and needs? For a man who’s suppose to be getting married, you sure are paying a lot of attention to my dating habits... ”

Xavier cut off Loretta’s tirade by kissing her thoroughly. When Loretta responded, Xavier wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to his body. “Whatever you’re looking for you don’t have to go chasing all over the city I got wh! at you need.”

Loretta was momentarily disoriented! . “Xav ier I won’t be the other woman.”

“Loretta, you’re the only woman.”

(For Adult Audiences, Sexually Explicit, Romance, Mystery)Loretta Brown is mad at herself for not telling her best friend Xavier Johnson about the feelings she has for him; she’s been led to believe that he’s engaged. With the help of her friend Cookie she’ll prove to Xavier that she’s the woman for him.

Xavier has been trying to break out of the “friend zone” with Loretta, for every step she takes toward him she takes two steps back. He understands that she was in an abusive marriage and careful with her feelings, but he’s determined to breach that wall she’s built around her heart.

Unknown to Loretta her life is in danger from a mad man who blames her for his son’s death. Xavier uses all of his contacts in high places to ensure her safety, except that one man in question demands something from Xavier that may damage his relationship with Lorett! a or claim his life.

Excerpt:
Loretta locked the door as soon as she got inside her house. Loretta kicked her shoes off before she made her way into the kitchen. Just as she was reaching for a glass on the shelf she heard a knock at the front door. Who could it be at this time of night?

Loretta walked over to the front door; however, she didn’t open it. “Who is it?”

“It‘s me Loretta, open up.”

Loretta would recognize Xavier’s voice anywhere. She opened the door and let him in. “Xavier what are you doing here at this hour?”

Xavier barely got in the door good before he started talking about her date. “Did you enjoy your date tonight Loretta?” Xavier towered over her as if he was trying to intimidate her.

Loretta put her hands on her hips. “Xavier I don’t have to ask you or anyone else for permission to go out on a date.”

Xavier realized that he couldn’t intimidate Loretta, so tried another appr! oach. “You know you don’t want him.”

“Since whe! n have y ou become an authority on my wants and needs? For a man who’s suppose to be getting married, you sure are paying a lot of attention to my dating habits... ”

Xavier cut off Loretta’s tirade by kissing her thoroughly. When Loretta responded, Xavier wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to his body. “Whatever you’re looking for you don’t have to go chasing all over the city I got what you need.”

Loretta was momentarily disoriented. “Xavier I won’t be the other woman.”

“Loretta, you’re the only woman.”

(For Adult Audiences, Sexually Explicit, Romance, Mystery)Five more film noir classics lined up with genre stars such as Robert Mitchum, Robert Montgomery, Robert Ryan, and Jane Russell, are now available in Volume 3 of the Film Noir Classics Collection series. The new 6-Disc DVD set is only available as a collection and includes a bonus documentary disc on the Noir genre.Two peak achievements by as many top noir di! rectors ... a customized vehicle for one of noir's premier icons ... an oddball experiment in making a truly "private eye" movie ... and a Howard Hughes remake of his earliest contribution to the gangster genre. Such are the five titles corralled for Warner Home Video's third box set of film noir classics.

For eye-popping dynamism coupled with ferocious intensity, no noir director matched Anthony Mann. Border Incident (1949) was Mann's and cinematographer John Alton's first film for MGM following a string of darkly dazzling low-budget beauties at Eagle-Lion (T-Men, Raw Deal, The Black Book, et al.). In structure it's virtually a remake of T-Men, transposed from the shadowy city where a Secret Service team battled counterfeiters, to California's Imperial Valley where the Immigration Service sets out to infiltrate a gang exploiting--and often murdering--Mexicans eager to work the farms. From the opening night scene of three laborers ! trying to recross the border and meeting a grisly end, the mov! ie relen tlessly imagines ways the human body can merge with the earth. Visually stunning, and replete with memorable villains (headed by Howard Da Silva, a past master at making affability lethal), this is one of Mann's strongest noirs and surely his most inventive. Its neglect can be explained only by people's assumption that nothing worthwhile could come of a movie top-billing Ricardo Montalban and George Murphy (as the government agents). Wrong, wrong, wrong.

After a scalding first reel in big-city night streets, Nicholas Ray's On Dangerous Ground (RKO, 1951) likewise forsakes familiar noir terrain for the countryside--the mountains and snowfields where city cop Robert Ryan seeks a psychotic killer. For both the actor and the director, Ryan's character is an exemplary creation: a man with personal demons whose overzealous pursuit of criminals has pushed him into sadism. His passage from urban darkness into the silent white mountain country becomes a redemptive jour! ney, thanks largely to his interaction with a blind woman (Ida Lupino) in an isolated farmhouse whose younger brother may be the quarry he's after. Ray developed the screenplay with A.I. Bezzerides under the supervision of producer John Houseman (for whom Ray had made his feature debut, They Live By Night). The film boasts a thrilling music score by Bernard Herrmann, anticipating his great soundtrack for North by Northwest.

His Kind of Woman (also RKO, 1951) is a vehicle for both RKO's reigning bad boy, Robert Mitchum, and Howard Hughes' definitive coup of distaff engineering, Jane Russell. Their characters cross paths en route to a seaside Mexican resort, where she aims to continue her gold-digger pursuit of Hollywood ham Vincent Price, and Mitchum will figure in a plot to get deported mobster Raymond Burr back into the U.S.A. The slow-brewing romance between this dauntingly tall, broad-shouldered pair gives off little heat, but the players' g! ood-natured, weary-pro rapport as they go through their mostly! prepost erous paces makes for very good fun. Still more is supplied by Price, who just about steals the movie when he gets to extend his subâ€"Errol Flynn screen heroism into real life--all the while supplying his own florid running commentary on the action. The urbane director John Farrow filled the movie with one delicious, what-the-hell-is-going-on-here scene after another (highlight: a bored Mitchum ironing his money), but that wasn't enough for studio boss Hughes. Richard Fleischer was brought in to stretch the climactic melodrama aboard Burr's yacht in the harbor, and the picture grew to an overblown two hours in length. Not that you're likely to regret a minute of it.

Robert Montgomery directed and played Phillip Marlowe in Lady in the Lake (MGM, 1947), Raymond Chandler's novel as adapted by Steve Fisher (I Wake Up Screaming). The gimmick is that, apart from a few scenes of private detective Marlowe chatting us up in his office, everything is view! ed through his eyes, with Marlowe himself remaining unseen unless he glances in a mirror. This literal-minded conceit is more curious than compelling; the camera simply doesn't see the way the human eye does, and the artificiality constantly calls attention to itself. Montgomery, a suave actor who enjoyed playing it coarse and obnoxious on occasion, makes his screen Marlowe more smartass than any other ("dumb, brave, and cheap"). With him cracking wise off-camera, much of the movie is really carried by Audrey Totter, a swell late-'40s dame who has to stand up under more relentless scrutiny than even her shifty character deserves.

The Racket (RKO, 1951) is the second film version of a 1920s play about municipal corruption, gangsterism, and the attempt to squash an honest police precinct captain. John Cromwell had acted in the original Broadway production, which may help explain why, as director, he let so much of this movie turn back into a play. Event! ually studio boss Howard Hughes, who had produced the 1928 fil! m versio n (directed by Lewis Milestone), once again called in another director to do salvage work.

That was Nicholas Ray, whose scenes include police captain Robert Mitchum's pursuit of the man who has just bombed his home. Mitchum's fellow cast members include Robert Ryan as the ultra-paranoid gangster; husky-voiced noir blonde Lizabeth Scott as a nightclub thrush romanced by Ryan's brother; future Perry Mason D.A. William Talman as a dedicated street cop; and Ray Collins and William Conrad as two municipal officials negotiating a delicate dance with morality and expediency. --Richard T. Jameson

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Halloween (Two-Disc Unrated Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray]

  • Rob Zombie (The Devil's Rejects), "modern American horror's most eccentric and surprising filmmaker," (Matt Zoller Seitz, New York Times) reinvents the ultimate slasheric, unleashing Michael Myers for a bloody rollercoaster of a rampage like fans have never seen. Including a retelling of the original story that unfolds at a breakneck pace, as well as a chilling new introduction that finally reveal
The original slasher film about Michael Myers, the psychotic killer who dons a mask and terrorizes his hometown, is re-imagined by edgy director Rob Zombie.More of a supercharged revamp than a remake, Rob Zombie's take on John Carpenter's Halloween expands the back story of masked killer Michael Myers in an attempt to examine the motivation for his first deadly attack, as well as some reasons for his longevity as a horror icon. Zombie's Myers is a blank-eyed teen (played by Daeg Faerch) wh! ose burgeoning mental problems are left unchecked in a horrific home environment; harassed by schoolmates, a randy sister, and his mother's deadbeat boyfriend (William Forsythe, terrific as usual), Myers' homicidal explosion seems inevitable, and intervention by Dr. Sam Loomis (Malcolm McDowell, who offers a fast-talking, hippiefied version of the Donald Pleasance character) does little to impede his development into a mute, unstoppable killing machine (Tyler Mane) bent on finishing off the only survivor of his family's massacre--his sister, now grown into teenaged Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor-Compton). Opening up the psychological motivation of a cipher like Michael Myers is an interesting approach, but Zombie's script possesses neither a depth of character nor dialogue to offer more than a clichéd thumbnail character sketch, and devoting over a hour of the unrated cut's 120-minute-plus running time to this history feels bloated and self-indulgent (especially when compared! to the lean efficiency of the Carpenter original). Zombie's Hallow een isn't terribly suspenseful, either; he has a keen eye for visuals and the details of chaotic environments, but his scares are nothing more than brutal showcases for his special effects team. The end result barely surpasses the original film's numerous sequels, though the Who's Who of cult and character actors in the cast (including Zombie regulars Sid Haig, Bill Moseley and Ken Foree, as well as Brad Dourif, Udo Kier, Clint Howard, Richard Lynch, Danny Trejo, Dee Wallace, and Danielle Harris) adds a touch of late-night monster movie charm. However, the film's best performance belongs to the director's spouse, Sheri Moon Zombie, who brings unexpected pathos to the role of Myers' downtrodden mother.

The two-disc Unrated Director's Cut offers a full disc's worth of extras that should please Zombie fans; chief among the supplemental features is his commentary, which details the film's shooting history and the numerous edits required to deliver the theatrical version! . A making-of featurette offers further details of Zombie's vision for the film, and there are featurettes on his cast choices and the many masks that Myers makes while incarcerated. Seventeen deleted scenes (two of which feature Adrienne Barbeau and Tom Towles) and an alternate ending (all with Zombie's commentary) are also provided, as well as footage from the casting sessions. A blooper reel, which is highlighted by unchecked mischief by McDowell and Dourif, offers the set's sole moment of levity. -- Paul GaitaRob Zombie (The Devil's Rejects), "modern American horror's most eccentric and surprising filmmaker," (Matt Zoller Seitz, New York Times) reinvents the ultimate slasher classic, unleashing Michael Myers for a bloody rollercoaster of a rampage like fans have never seen. Including a retelling of the original story that unfolds at a breakneck pace, as well as a chilling new introduction that finally reveals the secrets behind Myers' disturbing childhood, Hallow! een breathes new life into one of film history's most terrifyi! ng tales . "It will leave you speechless" (Spooky Dan, Bloody-Disgusting).More of a supercharged revamp than a remake, Rob Zombie's take on John Carpenter's Halloween expands the back story of masked killer Michael Myers in an attempt to examine the motivation for his first deadly attack, as well as some reasons for his longevity as a horror icon. Zombie's Myers is a blank-eyed teen (played by Daeg Faerch) whose burgeoning mental problems are left unchecked in a horrific home environment; harassed by schoolmates, a randy sister, and his mother's deadbeat boyfriend (William Forsythe, terrific as usual), Myers' homicidal explosion seems inevitable, and intervention by Dr. Sam Loomis (Malcolm McDowell, who offers a fast-talking, hippiefied version of the Donald Pleasance character) does little to impede his development into a mute, unstoppable killing machine (Tyler Mane) bent on finishing off the only survivor of his family's massacre--his sister, now grown into teenaged Laurie ! Strode (Scout Taylor-Compton). Opening up the psychological motivation of a cipher like Michael Myers is an interesting approach, but Zombie's script possesses neither a depth of character nor dialogue to offer more than a clichéd thumbnail character sketch, and devoting over a hour of the unrated cut's 120-minute-plus running time to this history feels bloated and self-indulgent (especially when compared to the lean efficiency of the Carpenter original). Zombie's Halloween isn't terribly suspenseful, either; he has a keen eye for visuals and the details of chaotic environments, but his scares are nothing more than brutal showcases for his special effects team. The end result barely surpasses the original film's numerous sequels, though the Who's Who of cult and character actors in the cast (including Zombie regulars Sid Haig, Bill Moseley and Ken Foree, as well as Brad Dourif, Udo Kier, Clint Howard, Richard Lynch, Danny Trejo, Dee Wallace, and Danielle Harris) add! s a touch of late-night monster movie charm. However, the film! 's best performance belongs to the director's spouse, Sheri Moon Zombie, who brings unexpected pathos to the role of Myers' downtrodden mother.

The two-disc Unrated Director's Cut offers a full disc's worth of extras that should please Zombie fans; chief among the supplemental features is his commentary, which details the film's shooting history and the numerous edits required to deliver the theatrical version. A making-of featurette offers further details of Zombie's vision for the film, and there are featurettes on his cast choices and the many masks that Myers makes while incarcerated. Seventeen deleted scenes (two of which feature Adrienne Barbeau and Tom Towles) and an alternate ending (all with Zombie's commentary) are also provided, as well as footage from the casting sessions. A blooper reel, which is highlighted by unchecked mischief by McDowell and Dourif, offers the set's sole moment of levity. -- Paul Gaita

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