Boat Trip (R-Rated Edition)

• Actors: Cuba Gooding Jr., Horatio Sanz, Roselyn Sanchez, Vivica A. Fox, Maurice Godin.
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC.
• Language: English, Spanish, Swedish.
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only).
• Not Rated. Run Time: 94 minutes.

Hoping to get his mind off of his ex-girlfriend Felicia heartbroken Jerry decides to join his best friend Nick on a singles cruise for a week of sun and possible romance. But when they find out they've wound up on the wrong cruise all they can think of is how to jump ship! That is until Jerry falls for Gabriella a gorgeous dance instructor who has given up on men and signed up on the cruise to get away from it all. Meanwhile the cruise ship picks up some crash victims who happen to be the Swedish Bikini Tanning Team and things really heat up!System Requirements:Starring: Cuba Gooding Jr. Vivica Fox Horat! io Sanz Victoria Silvstedt Lin Shaye Roselyn Sanchez Roger Moore Directed By: Mort Nathan Running Time: 93 Min. Color Copyright 2003 Artisan EntertainmentFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: NR UPC: 012236142805 Manufacturer No: 14280Cuba Gooding Jr. still has the exuberant energy that won him an Academy Award for Jerry Maguire--though his subsequent career choices have not been so golden. Still, he's a charming fellow, and his charisma makes Boat Trip surprisingly inoffensive, despite its plot: After being dumped by his girlfriend, Jerry (Gooding) sinks into a depressive funk until his buddy Nick (Horatio Sanz) drags him to a singles cruise--not realizing they've been sent on a gay singles cruise by a vengeful travel agent. But Jerry meets Gabrielle (Roselyn Sanchez), a sexy dance instructor, and falls head over heels--but to maintain her trust, he has to pretend to be just another gay guy out for a little sea air. Though thick with gay stereotypes! , Boat Trip actually has a modest gay-men-are-people-to! o theme that makes the movie innocuous fluff. Also featuring Vivica A. Fox, Roger Moore, Will Farrell, and Playboy playmate Victoria Silvstedt. --Bret FetzerTWO BEST BUDDIES WHOSE LOVE LIVES HAVE HIT ROCK BOTTOM, ONE HAVING JUST VOMITED ALL OVER HIS FIANCE ON A HOT AIR BALLOONTRIP AS HE PROPOSED TO HER. TO ESCAPE THEIR TROUBLES & FIND WOMEN, THEY BOOK A CRUISE, THE AGENT PLAYS A HORRID TRICK ONTHEM & BOOKS THEM ON A GAY CRUISE.Cuba Gooding Jr. still has the exuberant energy that won him an Academy Award for Jerry Maguire--though his subsequent career choices have not been so golden. Still, he's a charming fellow, and his charisma makes Boat Trip surprisingly inoffensive, despite its plot: After being dumped by his girlfriend, Jerry (Gooding) sinks into a depressive funk until his buddy Nick (Horatio Sanz) drags him to a singles cruise--not realizing they've been sent on a gay singles cruise by a vengeful travel agent. But Jerry meets Gabrielle (Roselyn Sanchez! ), a sexy dance instructor, and falls head over heels--but to maintain her trust, he has to pretend to be just another gay guy out for a little sea air. Though thick with gay stereotypes, Boat Trip actually has a modest gay-men-are-people-too theme that makes the movie innocuous fluff. Also featuring Vivica A. Fox, Roger Moore, Will Farrell, and Playboy playmate Victoria Silvstedt. --Bret Fetzer

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Goody Simple Styles Modern Updo Maker

• Simple styles modern updo help helps create a 1/2 for full frech twist
• No need for additional pins or clips
• For all hair types
• Assorted colors, dark and light
• 1 Piece count

Goody Simple Styles is a line of easy to use hair accessories that allow women to create trend-right looks at home, on their own.

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Gangster No 1 [Blu-ray]

• UK Import
• Blu-ray
• Region-Free

"Fascinating" (The Hollywood Reporter) and "sensational" (Los Angeles Times), this bold, innovative thriller chronicles the bloody, single-minded climb of a barbarous crime lord to power. Starring Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange), Paul Bettany (A Beautiful Mind), David Thewlis (Naked) and Saffron Burrows (Deep Blue Sea), Gangster No. 1 enters the psyche of an unrepentant mobster and reveals the madman within. Bettany gives "a brilliantly eerie, star-making performance" (American Film Institute) as a ruthless mobster who slugs, claws and kills his way to the top. But when he learns that the former mentor (Thewlis) he put in prison is about to get out, this self-made monster must not only face a man whose life he ruined but the twisted remnants of his own demented conscience as well.This glinting, scalding gangland phantasmagoria offers a sort! of funhouse-mirror refraction of the life and career of a British hooligan so elemental in his right villainy that he's merely identified as "Gangster." The action begins in 1999, with Malcolm McDowell brutishly savoring his eminence as a crime lord; but more of the film is taken up with an extended flashback to 1968, when his youthful self--played by Paul Bettany (but voiced by McDowell during private reveries)--got his start. Bettany's patron is Freddie Mays, "the Butcher of Mayfair" (David Thewlis), a comparatively suave rotter whom "Young Gangster" more or less simultaneously worships, emulates, and craves to see destroyed. Director Paul McGuigan layers the eras and personalities in a kaleidoscope of jagged stylization (occasionally the image shatters like glass, then hellishly reconstitutes itself). The effect is less to tell a proper story than to suspend us in a state of mind--and a homage to McDowell's landmark role in A Clockwork Orange. But it does exert a! n unclean fascination. --Richard T. JamesonWhen a young! gangste r (Paul Bettany) starts working for gang leader Freddie Mays (David Thewlis), known as the Butcher of Mayfair, he dreams of being everything that Freddie is: smooth, sophisticated, impeccably dressed, always with the right women, and driving the fanciest cars. Freddie takes the young gangster (unnamed in the film but listed as Gangster 55 in the credits) under his wing as a potential war with a rival gang starts to heat up. After Freddie falls for Karen (Saffron Burrows), whom 55 had his eye on, the young gangster lies in wait for an opportunity to change things, and when that moment comes, he leaves a bloodbath of betrayal in his wake. Paul McGuigan's GANGSTER NO. 1 is framed by scenes set in the present, where the aging 55, played with delicious villainy by Malcolm McDowell, narrates the tale of his younger self's rise to power in Soho in the late 1960s. Bettany is a revelation as 55, who seems to enjoy a bit of the old ultraviolence now and again; when he tells a potential victim (or even a friend) to look into his eyes, it is hard for the audience as well not to be mesmerised--and scared out of their wits. McGuigan's fast-paced direction includes creative split screens, extreme close-ups, fireballs coming right at the viewer, and a sweeping handheld camera all set to a swinging 1960s score.This glinting, scalding gangland phantasmagoria offers a sort of funhouse-mirror refraction of the life and career of a British hooligan so elemental in his right villainy that he's merely identified as "Gangster." The action begins in 1999, with Malcolm McDowell brutishly savoring his eminence as a crime lord; but mo! re of the film is taken up with an extended flashback to 1968, when his youthful self--played by Paul Bettany (but voiced by McDowell during private reveries)--got his start. Bettany's patron is Freddie Mays, "the Butcher of Mayfair" (David Thewlis), a comparatively suave rotter whom "Young Gangster" more or less simultaneously worships, emulates, and craves to see destroyed. Director Paul McGuigan layers the eras and personalities in a kaleidoscope of jagged stylization (occasionally the image shatters like glass, then hellishly reconstitutes itself). The effect is less to tell a proper story than to suspend us in a state of mind--and a homage to McDowell's landmark role in A Clockwork Orange. But it does exert an unclean fascination. --Richard T. Jameson

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August Evening

• August Evening follows an aging undocumented farm worker named Jaime and his young, widowed daughter-in-law, Lupe, as their lives are thrown into upheaval. Lupe is more of a daughter to Jamie than his own children, and the two try to stick together.but change is inevitable. Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: PG-13 Age: 812034010159 UPC: 812034010159 Manufactur

August Evening follows an aging undocumented farm worker named Jaime and his young, widowed daughter-in-law, Lupe, as their lives are thrown into upheaval. Lupe is more of a daughter to Jaime than his own children, and the two try to stick together... but change is inevitable

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Enter the Void

• ENTER THE VOID (DVD MOVIE)

Controversial and brilliant director Gasper Noe follows his worldwide sensation Irreversible with another triumph. Enter The Void is Noe's most assured and haunting film yet, a head trip a la Stanley Kubrick s 2001: A Space Odyssey and at the same time a piercing modern drama. Newcomer Nathaniel Brown and Paz de la Huerta (HBO s Boardwalk Empire) star as a brother and sister trapped in the hellish nighttime world of Tokyo where he deals drugs and she works as a stripper.

A crime gone bad leads to shocking violence and then moments of transcendence in which the movie plunges viewers into death and rebirth like no film has ever done before via mesmerizing camerawork (The New York Times) that make it a dazzling and brutal exercise in cinematic envelope-pushing (New York Post). Stunning audiences around the world, Enter The Void is a cinematic experience like no! other.

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Elvis Has Left the Building

• Actors: Kim Basinger, John Corbett, Annie Potts, Sean Astin, Denise Richards.
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC.
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only).
• Rated: PG-13.
• Run Time: 90 minutes.

It's tough being the King.

Which is why in 1977 Elvis faked his own death and endured massive facial reconstruction surgery, and disappeared from the limelight to live a normal life as the unassuming Aaron King. Unfortunately, leaving fame behind also meant leaving his fortune behind, too, and now Elvis finds himself broke and living in near poverty in a small apartment in Los Angeles. Luckily for him, it turns out he's a pretty good private investigator.

Now in his seventies and contemplating a return to music (discreetly, of course), Elvis is hired to solve a baffling missing person case. The King digs deeper, and soon finds himself surrounde! d by the seedier elements of Los Angeles, from nefarious Hollywood producers who prey upon the young, to twin brothers with a very dark secret.

And as Elvis pieces the bizarre puzzle together, he slowly makes his singing comebackâ€"and will be reunited on stage with someone even the King himself never dreamed possible.



**Acclaim for the Novels of J.R. Rain**

"Gripping, adventurous, and romanticâ€"J.R. Rain's The Lost Ark is a breakneck thriller that traces the thread of history from Biblical stories to current-day headlines. Be prepared to lose sleep!"
â€"JAMES ROLLINS, international bestselling author of Altar of Eden and The Doomsday Key

"I enjoyed this immensely. The protagonist, Samantha Moon, is a female vampire with a husband and children. Those predate her condition; six years ago she was attacked by a vampire and rendered into one. Now she's trying to carry on with family and private eye business, and she'! s a feisty, skilled person, so is doing mostly okay. It is not! a horro r story; she buys animal blood to eat and doesn't generally prey on humans. But her husband has an increasing problem with her coldnessâ€"not of spirit, but of body. 'You sicken me and scare the hell out of me,' he tells her. 'And when I touch you it's all I can do to not gag.' She replies, 'Words every wife wants to hear.' I love this! What makes it special are her character and nature."
â€"PIERS ANTHONY, New York Times bestselling author of A Spell for Chameleon and On A Pale Horse

"Dark Horse is one of the best books I've read in a long time! A great classic detective story with a modern twist. Unique and interesting characters (I think I'm half in love with Jim Knighthorse now!), a great plot that kept me guessing until the end, and some of the funniest lines I've read anywhere."
â€"GEMMA HALLIDAY, author of Deadly Cool and Play Dead

"Impossible to put down. J.R. Rain's Moon Dance is a fabulous urban fantasy."
â€"APRIL VINE, author of! The Midnight Rose and Blindfolded by Lust

"Moon Dance is absolutely brilliant!"
â€"LISA TENZIN-DOLMA, author of Understanding the Planetary Myths and The Dolphin Experience

"Moon Dance is a must read. If you like Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum, bounty hunter, be prepared to love J. R. Rain's Samantha Moon, vampire private investigator."
â€"EVE PALUDAN, author of Letters from David and The Romance Writer's Pink Pages

"I totally loved The Body Departed. As someone who communicates with those who are either earthbound or have crossed overâ€"your descriptions and interpretations of the dialogue and circumstances could not have been written more accurately. My favorite scene is the one of Jesus stepping down from the cross and then the passionate and compassionate way it was treated as he went back to the cross. I will relive that for a long time to come. You're a wonderfully descriptive writer who paints a very creative, visionary ! canvass based in a paranormal pallet that only a few experienc! e and ma ny can enjoy."
â€"JULIE BELMONT, author of The Path to Personal Success and Freedom and Seizing Your Success

"Powerful stuff!"
â€"AIDEN JAMES, author of Cades Cove and Deadly NightIt's tough being the King.

Which is why in 1977 Elvis faked his own death and endured massive facial reconstruction surgery, and disappeared from the limelight to live a normal life as the unassuming Aaron King. Unfortunately, leaving fame behind also meant leaving his fortune behind, too, and now Elvis finds himself broke and living in near poverty in a small apartment in Los Angeles. Luckily for him, it turns out he's a pretty good private investigator.

Now in his seventies and contemplating a return to music (discreetly, of course), Elvis is hired to solve a baffling missing person case. The King digs deeper, and soon finds himself surrounded by the seedier elements of Los Angeles, from nefarious Hollywood producers who prey upon the young, to twin brothers wit! h a very dark secret.

And as Elvis pieces the bizarre puzzle together, he slowly makes his singing comebackâ€"and will be reunited on stage with someone even the King himself never dreamed possible.



**Acclaim for the Novels of J.R. Rain**

"Gripping, adventurous, and romanticâ€"J.R. Rain's The Lost Ark is a breakneck thriller that traces the thread of history from Biblical stories to current-day headlines. Be prepared to lose sleep!"
â€"JAMES ROLLINS, international bestselling author of Altar of Eden and The Doomsday Key

"I enjoyed this immensely. The protagonist, Samantha Moon, is a female vampire with a husband and children. Those predate her condition; six years ago she was attacked by a vampire and rendered into one. Now she's trying to carry on with family and private eye business, and she's a feisty, skilled person, so is doing mostly okay. It is not a horror story; she buys animal blood to eat and doesn't generally prey on humans! . But her husband has an increasing problem with her coldnessâ! €"not of spirit, but of body. 'You sicken me and scare the hell out of me,' he tells her. 'And when I touch you it's all I can do to not gag.' She replies, 'Words every wife wants to hear.' I love this! What makes it special are her character and nature."
â€"PIERS ANTHONY, New York Times bestselling author of A Spell for Chameleon and On A Pale Horse

"Dark Horse is one of the best books I've read in a long time! A great classic detective story with a modern twist. Unique and interesting characters (I think I'm half in love with Jim Knighthorse now!), a great plot that kept me guessing until the end, and some of the funniest lines I've read anywhere."
â€"GEMMA HALLIDAY, author of Deadly Cool and Play Dead

"Impossible to put down. J.R. Rain's Moon Dance is a fabulous urban fantasy."
â€"APRIL VINE, author of The Midnight Rose and Blindfolded by Lust

"Moon Dance is absolutely brilliant!"
â€"LISA TENZIN-DOLMA, author of Understanding the Planetary Myths a! nd The Dolphin Experience

"Moon Dance is a must read. If you like Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum, bounty hunter, be prepared to love J. R. Rain's Samantha Moon, vampire private investigator."
â€"EVE PALUDAN, author of Letters from David and The Romance Writer's Pink Pages

"I totally loved The Body Departed. As someone who communicates with those who are either earthbound or have crossed overâ€"your descriptions and interpretations of the dialogue and circumstances could not have been written more accurately. My favorite scene is the one of Jesus stepping down from the cross and then the passionate and compassionate way it was treated as he went back to the cross. I will relive that for a long time to come. You're a wonderfully descriptive writer who paints a very creative, visionary canvass based in a paranormal pallet that only a few experience and many can enjoy."
â€"JULIE BELMONT, author of The Path to Personal Success and Freedom and Seizing Your ! Success

"Powerful stuff!"
â€"AIDEN JAMES, author of ! Cades Co ve and Deadly NightHARMONY IS A COSMETICS SALES LADY WHOSE LIFE IS SHAPED BY ANEARLY ENCOUNTER WITH THE KING HIMSELF. IT ALL TAKES AN UGLY TURN WHEN SHE ACCIDENTALLY KILLS SOME ELVIS IMPERSONATORS & FLEES THE SCENE. RUNNING FROM THE FBI, HARMONY LEAVES ELVIS IMPERSONATORS IN HER WAKE.

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House of Flying Daggers [Blu-ray]

• Condition: New
• Format: Blu-ray
• AC-3; Color; Dolby; Dubbed; Subtitled; Widescreen

THE ILL-FATED ROMANCE BETWEEN AN IMPERIAL BODYGUARD & A PRINCETAKES THE LOVERS ON A DANGEROUS JOURNEY WHERE ROYAL FAMILYSECRETS ARE REVEALED.Curse of the Golden Flower, a fictionalized historical glimpse into the brutally complicated politics of Emperor Ping's (Chow Yun Fat) reign during the Tang Dynasty, shows the viewer just how far a megalomaniac must go to gain and retain power in medieval China. Lavish sets, massive ceremonial displays, and perversely fascinating battle scenes impress similarly to the special effects Americans have come to love and expect from Chinese action films like Zhang Yimou's previous House of Flying Daggers and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. An intricate plot involving the Emperor's wife, Empress Phoenix (Gong Li) and their three sons, Crown Prin! ce Xiang, Prince Jie, and Prince Cheng, most closely follows the Empress's secret plan to force abdication upon her corrupt husband as revenge for his slowly poisoning her with Black Fungus tea. Opening on the eve of the Chysanthemum Festival, 928 A.D., the Empress obsessively embroiders gold chysanthemums to adorn her army's uniforms while hatching plans with Jai to overthrow the Crown Prince for control of the throne. Meanwhile, a side plot develops as the Emperor's ex-wife and mother to Crown Prince Yu reemerges as Yu's lover. By the time the Festival occurs, family members are pitted against each other in a King Lear-ian web of lies that can only result in demise. The most sophisticated narrative aspect of Curse of the Golden Flower is that as the royal family crumbles, the Emperor's death grip on China remains unwavering. Gorgeous scenes set in the palace and costume design displaying China's upper class decadence cannot fail to entertain. The paradox bet! ween good and evil, here, is highlighted by how the Emperor su! ccessful ly rules despite, and because of, his utter cruelty. --Trinie DaltonFrom the director of Hero and House of Flying Daggers comes the martial arts epic masterpiece whose savage beauty and exquisite elegance has mesmerized and captivated audiences around the world. Set in the lavish and breathtakingly colorful world hidden from the eyes of mere mortals behind the walls of the Forbidden City, a tale of a royal family divided against itself builds to a mythic climax as lines are crossed, trust is betrayed, and family blood is spilled in the quest for redemption and revenge. Starring Chow Yun Fat of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon as the embattled Emperor and Gong Li of Memoirs of a Geisha as his poisoned Empress, Curse of the Golden Flower grants you entry into a dazzling and spectacular world of betrayal, vengeance and passion that will change the way you think of martial arts forever.Curse of the Golden Flower, a fictionalized his! torical glimpse into the brutally complicated politics of Emperor Ping's (Chow Yun Fat) reign during the Tang Dynasty, shows the viewer just how far a megalomaniac must go to gain and retain power in medieval China. Lavish sets, massive ceremonial displays, and perversely fascinating battle scenes impress similarly to the special effects Americans have come to love and expect from Chinese action films like Zhang Yimou's previous House of Flying Daggers and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. An intricate plot involving the Emperor's wife, Empress Phoenix (Gong Li) and their three sons, Crown Prince Xiang, Prince Jie, and Prince Cheng, most closely follows the Empress's secret plan to force abdication upon her corrupt husband as revenge for his slowly poisoning her with Black Fungus tea. Opening on the eve of the Chysanthemum Festival, 928 A.D., the Empress obsessively embroiders gold chysanthemums to adorn her army's uniforms while hatching plans with Jai to overthrow th! e Crown Prince for control of the throne. Meanwhile, a side pl! ot devel ops as the Emperor's ex-wife and mother to Crown Prince Yu reemerges as Yu's lover. By the time the Festival occurs, family members are pitted against each other in a King Lear-ian web of lies that can only result in demise. The most sophisticated narrative aspect of Curse of the Golden Flower is that as the royal family crumbles, the Emperor's death grip on China remains unwavering. Gorgeous scenes set in the palace and costume design displaying China's upper class decadence cannot fail to entertain. The paradox between good and evil, here, is highlighted by how the Emperor successfully rules despite, and because of, his utter cruelty. --Trinie DaltonCrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Named "Best Picture of the Year" by over 100 critics nationwide! Two master warriors (Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh) are faced with their greatest challenge when the treasured Green Destiny sword is stolen. A young aristocrat (Zhang Ziyi) prepares for an arr! anged marriage, but soon reveals her superior fighting talents and her deeply romantic past. As each warrior battles for justice, they come face to face with their worst enemy - and the inescapable, enduring power of love. Set against 19th-century China's breathtaking landscape, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is the action-packed, box office smash from acclaimed director Ang Lee (Sense and Sensibility, The Ice Storm) featuring stunning martial arts choreography by Yuen Wo Ping (The Matrix).

Curse of the Golden Flower
From the director of Hero and House of Flying Daggers comes the martial arts epic masterpiece whose savage beauty and exquisite elegance has mesmerized and captivated audiences around the world. Set in the lavish and breathtakingly colorful world hidden from the eyes of mere mortals behind the walls of the Forbidden City, a tale of a royal family divided against itself builds to a mythic clima! x as lines are crossed, trust is betrayed, and family blood is! spilled in the quest for redemption and revenge. Starring Chow Yun Fat of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon as the embattled Emperor and Gong Li of Memoirs of a Geisha as his poisoned Empress, Curse of the Golden Flower grants you entry into a dazzling and spectacular world of betrayal, vengeance and passion that will change the way you think of martial arts forever.

House of Flying Daggers
"Prepare your eyes for popping," in this "martial-arts fireball that throws in a lyrical love story, head spinning fights and dazzling surprises" (Rolling Stone). "A gorgeous entertainment" (A.O. Scott, New York Times). Mei is an exotic, beautiful blind dancer, associated with a dangerous revolutionary gang, known as the House of Flying Daggers. Captured by officers of the decadent Tang Dynasty, Mei finds herself both threatened - and attracted - to the most unusual circumstances. Here, her heart and loyalties battle each other, amid warriors in the t! reetops and dazzling combat - the likes of which have never before been seen!great film .A pair of police deputies at the end of China's Tang Dynasty attempt to save a beautiful dancer, with revolutionary ties, from capture.
Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 1-JAN-2007
Media Type: DVDNo one uses color like Chinese director Zhang Yimou--movies like Raise the Red Lantern or Hero, though different in tone and subject matter, are drenched in rich, luscious shades of red, blue, yellow, and green. House of Flying Daggers is no exception; if they weren't choreographed with such vigorous imagination, the spectacular action sequences would seem little more than an excuse for vivid hues rippling across the screen. Government officers Leo and Jin (Asian superstars Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro) set out to destroy an underground rebellion called the House of Flying Daggers (named for their weapo! n of choice, a curved blade that swoops through the air like a! boomera ng). Their only chance to find the rebels is a blind women named Mei (Ziyi Zhang, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) who has some lethal kung fu moves of her own. In the guise of an aspiring rebel, Jin escorts Mei through gorgeous forests and fields that become bloody battlegrounds as soldiers try to kill them both. While arrows and spears of bamboo fly through the air, Mei, Jin, and Leo turn against each other in surprising ways, driven by passion and honor. Zhang's previous action/art film, Hero, sometimes sacrificed momentum for sheer visual beauty; House of Flying Daggers finds a more muscular balance of aesthetic splendor and dazzling swordplay. --Bret Fetzer"Prepare your eyes for popping," in this "martial-arts fireball that throws in a lyrical love story, head spinning fights and dazzling surprises" (Rolling Stone). "A gorgeous entertainment" (A.O. Scott, New York Times). Mei is an exotic, beautiful blind dancer, associated with a dangerous re! volutionary gang, known as the House of Flying Daggers. Captured by officers of the decadent Tang Dynasty, Mei finds herself both threatened - and attracted - to the most unusual circumstances. Here, her heart and loyalties battle each other, amid warriors in the treetops and dazzling combat - the likes of which have never before been seen!No one uses color like Chinese director Zhang Yimou--movies like Raise the Red Lantern or Hero, though different in tone and subject matter, are drenched in rich, luscious shades of red, blue, yellow, and green. House of Flying Daggers is no exception; if they weren't choreographed with such vigorous imagination, the spectacular action sequences would seem little more than an excuse for vivid hues rippling across the screen. Government officers Leo and Jin (Asian superstars Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro) set out to destroy an underground rebellion called the House of Flying Daggers (named for their weapon of choice, ! a curved blade that swoops through the air like a boomerang). ! Their on ly chance to find the rebels is a blind women named Mei (Ziyi Zhang, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) who has some lethal kung fu moves of her own. In the guise of an aspiring rebel, Jin escorts Mei through gorgeous forests and fields that become bloody battlegrounds as soldiers try to kill them both. While arrows and spears of bamboo fly through the air, Mei, Jin, and Leo turn against each other in surprising ways, driven by passion and honor. Zhang's previous action/art film, Hero, sometimes sacrificed momentum for sheer visual beauty; House of Flying Daggers finds a more muscular balance of aesthetic splendor and dazzling swordplay. --Bret Fetzer

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Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker/Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman

• Batman Beyond: The Return of the Joker The greatest villain of all comes out of the past to threaten Batman, Bruce Wayne and all of Gotham City in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, the first feature-length Batman Beyond movie.The sleeker, deadlier and seemingly immortal Clown Prince of Crime is back with his own unique brand of havoc and mayhem. While trying to uncover the Joker's secrets, the n

Features include:

•MPAA Rating: PG-13
•Format: Blu-Ray
•Runtime: 75 minutes
Some diehard Batfans have been slow to warm to the animated series Batman Beyond even though it was created by the same team responsible for the excellent Batman cartoon of the early '90s. The Dark Knight should be a brooding avenger in a noir-nightmare Gotham City, the purists argue, not some smart-aleck teen four decades in the future, with jet packs, invisibility s! hields, and other sci-fi gizmos loaned him by an elderly Bruce Wayne (voiced, excellently as always, by Kevin Conroy, his stony bass given a raspy hint of old age), now confined to hobbling about on a cane and monitoring his protégé's activities from the Batcave. Between its respectful reexamination of the "tortured hero" mythos and its sleek, anime-inspired look, this feature-length movie should go a long way toward quieting their complaints. Of course, it doesn't hurt that they've brought back the most legendary figure in the Rogues Gallery (voiced by Mark Hamill, deliciously deranged), but exactly how and why the Joker has managed to turn up 40 years after his last meeting with Batman still as youthful and diabolical as ever is explained not only logically but terrifyingly as well. The secret behind his arrival is perhaps the saddest, grimmest twist any purported "kids' show" has dared to attempt. (Parents may well want to preview this tape before screening it for the ! very young.) Once again, Warner Brothers' cartoon Batman has ou tshone all the live-action films, never allowing the thrilling action set pieces or flashes of wry humor to drown out the drama, even tragedy, of the all-too-human superheroes. --Bruce ReidThe greatest villain of all comes out of the past to threaten Batman, Bruce Wayne and all of Gotham City in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, the first feature-length Batman Beyond movie. The sleeker, deadlier and seemingly immortal Clown Prince of Crime is back with his own unique brand of havoc and mayhem. While trying to uncover the Joker's secrets, the new Batman, Terry McGinnis, discovers the greatest mystery in the life of the original Caped Crusader: What happened the night he fought the Joker for the last time. When Bruce Wayne is almost killed in one of the Joker's latest attacks, Batman vows to avenge his mentor and put the Joker to rest forever. Get ready for heart-stomping action, awesome adventure and amazing revelations in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker.Some dieh! ard Batfans have been slow to warm to the animated series Batman Beyond even though it was created by the same team responsible for the excellent Batman cartoon of the early '90s. The Dark Knight should be a brooding avenger in a noir-nightmare Gotham City, the purists argue, not some smart-aleck teen four decades in the future, with jet packs, invisibility shields, and other sci-fi gizmos loaned him by an elderly Bruce Wayne (voiced, excellently as always, by Kevin Conroy, his stony bass given a raspy hint of old age), now confined to hobbling about on a cane and monitoring his protégé's activities from the Batcave. Between its respectful reexamination of the "tortured hero" mythos and its sleek, anime-inspired look, this feature-length movie should go a long way toward quieting their complaints. Of course, it doesn't hurt that they've brought back the most legendary figure in the Rogues Gallery (voiced by Mark Hamill, deliciously deranged), but exactly how! and why the Joker has managed to turn up 40 years after his l! ast meet ing with Batman still as youthful and diabolical as ever is explained not only logically but terrifyingly as well. The secret behind his arrival is perhaps the saddest, grimmest twist any purported "kids' show" has dared to attempt. (Parents may well want to preview this tape before screening it for the very young.) Once again, Warner Brothers' cartoon Batman has outshone all the live-action films, never allowing the thrilling action set pieces or flashes of wry humor to drown out the drama, even tragedy, of the all-too-human superheroes. --Bruce ReidThe greatest villain of all comes out of the past to threaten Batman, Bruce Wayne and all of Gotham City in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, the first feature-length Batman Beyond movie. The sleeker, deadlier and seemingly immortal Clown Prince of Crime is back with his own unique brand of havoc and mayhem. While trying to uncover the Joker's secrets, the new Batman, Terry McGinnis, discovers the greatest! mystery in the life of the original Caped Crusader: What happened the night he fought the Joker for the last time. When Bruce Wayne is almost killed in one of the Joker's latest attacks, Batman vows to avenge his mentor and put the Joker to rest forever. Get ready for heart-stomping action, awesome adventure and amazing revelations in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker.Some diehard Batfans have been slow to warm to the animated series Batman Beyond even though it was created by the same team responsible for the excellent Batman cartoon of the early '90s. The Dark Knight should be a brooding avenger in a noir-nightmare Gotham City, the purists argue, not some smart-aleck teen four decades in the future, with jet packs, invisibility shields, and other sci-fi gizmos loaned him by an elderly Bruce Wayne (voiced, excellently as always, by Kevin Conroy, his stony bass given a raspy hint of old age), now confined to hobbling about on a cane and monitoring his! protégé's activities from the Batcave. Between its respectf! ul reexa mination of the "tortured hero" mythos and its sleek, anime-inspired look, this feature-length movie should go a long way toward quieting their complaints. Of course, it doesn't hurt that they've brought back the most legendary figure in the Rogues Gallery (voiced by Mark Hamill, deliciously deranged), but exactly how and why the Joker has managed to turn up 40 years after his last meeting with Batman still as youthful and diabolical as ever is explained not only logically but terrifyingly as well. The secret behind his arrival is perhaps the saddest, grimmest twist any purported "kids' show" has dared to attempt. (Parents may well want to preview this tape before screening it for the very young.) Once again, Warner Brothers' cartoon Batman has outshone all the live-action films, never allowing the thrilling action set pieces or flashes of wry humor to drown out the drama, even tragedy, of the all-too-human superheroes. --Bruce ReidThe greatest villain of all c! omes out of the past to threaten Batman, Bruce Wayne and all of Gotham City in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, the first feature-length Batman Beyond movie. The sleeker, deadlier and seemingly immortal Clown Prince of Crime is back with his own unique brand of havoc and mayhem. While trying to uncover the Joker's secrets, the new Batman, Terry McGinnis, discovers the greatest mystery in the life of the original Caped Crusader: What happened the night he fought the Joker for the last time. When Bruce Wayne is almost killed in one of the Joker's latest attacks, Batman vows to avenge his mentor and put the Joker to rest forever. Get ready for heart-stomping action, awesome adventure and amazing revelations in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker.Some diehard Batfans have been slow to warm to the animated series Batman Beyond even though it was created by the same team responsible for the excellent Batman cartoon of the early '90s. The Dark Knight should! be a brooding avenger in a noir-nightmare Gotham City, the pu! rists ar gue, not some smart-aleck teen four decades in the future, with jet packs, invisibility shields, and other sci-fi gizmos loaned him by an elderly Bruce Wayne (voiced, excellently as always, by Kevin Conroy, his stony bass given a raspy hint of old age), now confined to hobbling about on a cane and monitoring his protégé's activities from the Batcave. Between its respectful reexamination of the "tortured hero" mythos and its sleek, anime-inspired look, this feature-length movie should go a long way toward quieting their complaints. Of course, it doesn't hurt that they've brought back the most legendary figure in the Rogues Gallery (voiced by Mark Hamill, deliciously deranged), but exactly how and why the Joker has managed to turn up 40 years after his last meeting with Batman still as youthful and diabolical as ever is explained not only logically but terrifyingly as well. The secret behind his arrival is perhaps the saddest, grimmest twist any purported "kids' show" has da! red to attempt. (Parents may well want to preview this tape before screening it for the very young.) Once again, Warner Brothers' cartoon Batman has outshone all the live-action films, never allowing the thrilling action set pieces or flashes of wry humor to drown out the drama, even tragedy, of the all-too-human superheroes. --Bruce ReidBATMAN BEYOND:RETURN OF THE JOKER/BAT - DVD Movie

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