Saturday, December 31, 2011

Enlighten Up! DVD

  • ENLIGHTEN UP! (DVD MOVIE)
Filmmaker Kate Churchill is determined to prove that yoga can transform anyone. Nick Rosen is skeptical but agrees to be her guinea pig. Kate immerses Nick in the practice and follows him around the world as he examines the good, the bad and the ugly of yoga. The two encounter celebrity yogis, true believers, kooks and world-renowned gurus. Tensions run high as Nick s transformational progress lags and Kate s plan crumbles. Ultimately, what they find is not what they are looking for.
FEATURING: B.K.S. Iyengar, Pattabhi Jois, Norman Allen, Sharon Gannon, David Life, Gurmukh, Dharma Mitra, Cyndi Lee, Alan Finger, Rodney Yee, Beryl Bender Birch, Shyamdas, Diamond Dallas Page and many more!

DVD Features: Audio Commentary with Director Kate Churchill; Deleted Scenes; Extended Interviews with Yoga Luminaries; Photo Gallery

Q&A with Enlighten Up! director Kate Churchill and New York journalist Nick Rosen

How did the two of you come in contact with one another? Kate, where did you locate subjects for the film?

Kate Churchill: Nick and I met each other at a think tank conference. We were seated on the same panel and afterwards starting chatting about the work we were each doing. Nick was working as a journalist at the time and interested in documentary films so he sent me some of his articles to read for a possible future project. About 4 months later when the producers and I were debating how to tell this story, he became a potential subject for the film. I liked that he was a journalist, had a good sense of humor and that he was skeptical.

Nick Rosen: Yeah, it was funny because it was a conference panel I was totally unprepared for and I didn't even know I was on, and I totally fa! ked and joked my way through it, trying to make people laugh t! o mask m y total and utter cluelessness. And then Kate fell for it! I often wonder if I had prepared for that panel, and nobody much noticed me, whether Kate would have ever introduced herself, and later pick me for the movie. Lesson for the kids: always be unprepared.

Did the making of this documentary help you to come to terms with some of the "contradictions of yoga" that you wished to explore?

Kate Churchill: When I started making Enlighten Up! I was determined to find one teacher, or one practice that would have all of the "right answers" and help me overcome what I saw as the contradictions of yoga. Through the course of making the film, and especially during the three years editing Enlighten Up! I learned that there isn’t one teacher or a single practice that will have all the answers, and therefore everyone is going to have their own take on yoga based on what makes sense to them.

Were th! ere any moments that were not captured on camera that you wished had been? Conversely, were there any moments that you did not want to relive when you saw the finished product?


Nick Rosen: I think Kate did a really good job of covering all the big important moments. But there were stretches of time that I was practicing yoga without the camera. There was one time when the whole yoga class was sitting cross legged in a circle listening to the teacher give some weighty lecture on Hinduism, andâ€"oopsâ€"I farted. The whole class heard it and the teacher thought it was someone speaking up and said, "What was that, does anyone have a question?" That would have been a pretty funny scene in the movie.The documentary Enlighten Up! takes a whimsical, skeptical, and ultimately thoughtful look at the mysteries of yoga. Taking an approach similar to Supersize Me, filmmaker (and student of yoga) Kate Churchill wants to see what happens! when someone is first exposed to this physical and spiritual ! discipli ne. She chooses Nick Rosen, a former journalist with a skeptical attitude towards religion. Their investigation--which gradually turns combative, forcing Churchill to re-examine her own assumptions--takes them from the commercial yoga studios of New York (where one student says, with a beatific smile, that yoga gives you better sleep, better sex, and will inspire new ways to make money) to a former pro wrestler's "t & a" yoga in Los Angeles and on to India--where they discover as many perspectives on yoga as there are yogis. Rosen, with his open but down-to-earth attitude, proves an excellent lens to view a subject all too often treated with blissful and vapid reverence. The movie is sprinkled with humor and people twisting themselves into astonishing shapes, as well as stimulating and often contradictory ideas and metaphors that paint a very diverse picture of the world of yoga. Enlighten Up! blends philosophical discourse, personal drama, and a beautiful travelogue-! -the result is a satisfying film that doesn't pretend to have any answers but grapples with intriguing questions. --Bret Fetzer

Avatar (Three-Disc Extended Collector's Edition)

  • Condition: New
  • Format: DVD
  • DVD; Special Extended Version; Color; Dolby; DTS Surround Sound; Dubbed; NTSC; Subtitled; Surround S
A reluctant hero. An epic journey. A choice between the life he left behind and the incredible new world he’s learned to call home. Return to James Cameron’s Avatarâ€" the greatest adventure of all time. Please note: This edition of the film is not in 3D.

Versions of Avatar on Blu-ray, DVD, and Video On Demand

Edition Format Release Date Special Features
A! vatar (Extended Collector's Edition) Three Blu-ray Discs Nov. 16, 2010 Three versions of the movie including the previously unreleased extended cut, plus more than eight hours of bonus features including over 45 minutes of deleted scenes, interactive scene deconstruction, Pandorapedia, documentaries and featurettes, and BD-LIVE content (requires compatible player and Internet connection)
Avatar (Extended Collector's Edition) Three DVDs Nov. 16, 2010 Three versions of the movie including the previously unreleased extended cut, plus more than three hours of bonus features including documentaries and over 45 minutes of deleted scenes
Avatar (Original Theatr! ical Edition) Digital Purcha! se Apr. 22, 2010 None
Avatar (Original Theatrical Edition) Digital Rental May 9, 2010 None
Avatar (Original Theatrical Edition) Two-disc Blu-ray/
DVD combo
Apr. 22, 2010 None
Avatar (Original Theatrical Edition) DVD Apr. 22, 2010 None


Stills from Avatar (Click for larger image)


Aft er 12 years of thinking about it (and waiting for movie technology to catch up with his visions), James Cameron followed up his unsinkable Titanic with Avatar, a sci-fi epic meant to trump all previous sci-fi epics. Set in the future on a distant planet, Avatar spins a simple little parable about greedy colonizers (that would be mankind) messing up the lush tribal world of Pandora. A paraplegic Marine named Jake (Sam Worthington) acts through a 9-foot-tall avatar that allows him to roam the planet and pass as one of the Na'vi, the blue-skinned, large-eyed native people who would very much like to live their peaceful lives without the interference of the visitors. Although he's supposed to be gathering intel for the badass general (Stephen Lang) who'd like to lay waste to the planet and its inhabitants, Jake naturally begins to take a liking to the Na'vi, especially the feisty Neytiri (Zoë Saldana, whose entire performance, recorded by Cameron's co! mplicated motion-capture system, exists as a digitally rendered Na'vi). The movie uses state-of-the-art 3D technology to plunge the viewer deep into Cameron's crazy toy box of planetary ecosystems and high-tech machinery. Maybe it's the fact that Cameron seems torn between his two loves--awesome destructive gizmos and flower-power message mongering--that makes Avatar's pursuit of its point ultimately uncertain. That, and the fact that Cameron's dialogue continues to clunk badly. If you're won over by the movie's trippy new world, the characters will be forgivable as broad, useful archetypes rather than standard-issue stereotypes, and you might be able to overlook the unsurprising central plot. (The overextended "take that, Michael Bay" final battle sequences could tax even Cameron enthusiasts, however.) It doesn't measure up to the hype (what could?) yet Avatar frequently hits a giddy delirium all its own. The film itself is our Pandora, a sensation-satura! ted universe only the movies could create. --Robert Horton!

Please note: This edition of the film is not in 3D.

Versions of Avatar on Blu-ray, DVD, and Video On Demand

Jake Sully  Pandora Military Base   Navi Team
Sully and Neytiri Trudy Chacon Neytiri
Edition Format Release Date Special Features
Avatar (Extended Collector's Edition) Three Blu-ray Discs Nov. 16, 2010 Three versions of the movie including the previously unreleased extended cut, plus more than eight hours of bonus features including over 45 minutes of deleted scenes, interactive scene deconstruction, Pandorapedia, documentaries and featurettes, and BD-LIVE content (requires compatible player and Intern! et connection)
Avatar (Extended Collector's Edition) Three DVDs Nov. 16, 2010 Three versions of the movie including the previously unreleased extended cut, plus more than three hours of bonus features including documentaries and over 45 minutes of deleted scenes
Avatar (Original Theatrical Edition) Digital Purchase Apr. 22, 2010 None
Avatar (Original Theatrical Edition) Digital Rental May 9, 2010 None
Avatar (Original Theatrical Edition) Two-disc Blu-ray/
DVD combo
Apr . 22, 2010 None
Avatar (Original Theatrical Edition) DVD Apr. 22, 2010 None


Stills from Avatar (Click for larger image)


Jake Sully  Pandora Military Base   Navi Team
Sully and Neytiri Trudy Chacon Neytiri


KIDS FIRST! Review: Director/screenwriter/producer James Cameron brings his science fiction roots to DVD with the award-winning film, "Avatar." The almost three-hour epic is considered by many as the most beautiful movie ever produced thanks to its groundbreaking 3-D and graphics technology. Set in the far future, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), travels to Pandora, a lush, jungle-covered extraterrestrial moon and home to a sen! tient humanoid race, the Na'vi. The 10-foot tall, blue-skinned! Na'vi f ight when a human corporation attempts to remove the indigenous people from their native lands. Human scientists create genetically-bred human-Na'vi hybrids known as Avatars to overcome the fact that they can’t breathe Pandora air. Jake participates in this program and encounters many dangers and beauties on Pandora as he scouts around. “Avatar” exhibits cinematographic and artistic excellence and creates interest in issues such as the environment. KIDS FIRST! Child Juror Comments: This DVD had great cinematography and amazing visual effects. One of my all-time favorite parts of the film was when Jake was walking through the forest of Pandora - everything lit up and looked amazing. The movie had a great soundtrack. It had a new age feel that felt like it was inviting you into a new world. It made the whole thing seem tangible, which is great. I wanted to be part of that world. The acting was great, too! You could tell which characters were bad and which were good with ! some bad sides. Overall one of the best movies I've seen. The actors roles fit their appearance, and there was a lot of foreshadowing and hinting throughout the movie.After 12 years of thinking about it (and waiting for movie technology to catch up with his visions), James Cameron followed up his unsinkable Titanic with Avatar, a sci-fi epic meant to trump all previous sci-fi epics. Set in the future on a distant planet, Avatar spins a simple little parable about greedy colonizers (that would be mankind) messing up the lush tribal world of Pandora. A paraplegic Marine named Jake (Sam Worthington) acts through a 9-foot-tall avatar that allows him to roam the planet and pass as one of the Na'vi, the blue-skinned, large-eyed native people who would very much like to live their peaceful lives without the interference of the visitors. Although he's supposed to be gathering intel for the badass general (Stephen Lang) who'd like to lay waste to the plane! t and its inhabitants, Jake naturally begins to take a liking ! to the N a'vi, especially the feisty Neytiri (Zoë Saldana, whose entire performance, recorded by Cameron's complicated motion-capture system, exists as a digitally rendered Na'vi). The movie uses state-of-the-art 3D technology to plunge the viewer deep into Cameron's crazy toy box of planetary ecosystems and high-tech machinery. Maybe it's the fact that Cameron seems torn between his two loves--awesome destructive gizmos and flower-power message mongering--that makes Avatar's pursuit of its point ultimately uncertain. That, and the fact that Cameron's dialogue continues to clunk badly. If you're won over by the movie's trippy new world, the characters will be forgivable as broad, useful archetypes rather than standard-issue stereotypes, and you might be able to overlook the unsurprising central plot. (The overextended "take that, Michael Bay" final battle sequences could tax even Cameron enthusiasts, however.) It doesn't measure up to the hype (what could?) yet Avatar frequently hits a giddy delirium all its own. The film itself is our Pandora, a sensation-saturated universe only the movies could create. --Robert Horton

Experience the spectacular world of James Cameron's Avatar as never before with this all-new three-disc extended collector’s edition. The journey begins with three movie versions: the original theatrical release, the special edition re-release, and the exclusive extended cut not shown in theaters. And that's just what's on the first Blu-ray disc. The set's bonus feature run more than eight hours and include over 45 minutes of deleted scenes; actor's screen tests; on-location footage; feature-length documentaries on the film's groundbreaking production; an interactive scen! e-deconstruction feature that lets you explore different level! s of pro duction for 17 scenes; a comprehensive guide to the world of Pandora; and more. The greatest adventure of all time just got bigger and better.

Here's what we had to say about the original theatrical edition of Avatar after seeing it on the big screen:

After 12 years of thinking about it (and waiting for movie technology to catch up with his visions), James Cameron followed up his unsinkable Titanic with Avatar, a sci-fi epic meant to trump all previous sci-fi epics. Set in the future on a distant planet, Avatar spins a simple little parable about greedy colonizers (that would be mankind) messing up the lush tribal world of Pandora. A paraplegic Marine named Jake (Sam Worthington) acts through a 9-foot-tall avatar that allows him to roam the planet and pass as one of the Na'vi, the blue-skinned, large-eyed native people who would very much like to live their peaceful lives without the interference of the visitors. Although h! e's supposed to be gathering intel for the badass general (Stephen Lang) who'd like to lay waste to the planet and its inhabitants, Jake naturally begins to take a liking to the Na'vi, especially the feisty Neytiri (Zoë Saldana, whose entire performance, recorded by Cameron's complicated motion-capture system, exists as a digitally rendered Na'vi). The movie uses state-of-the-art 3D technology to plunge the viewer deep into Cameron's crazy toy box of planetary ecosystems and high-tech machinery. Maybe it's the fact that Cameron seems torn between his two loves--awesome destructive gizmos and flower-power message mongering--that makes Avatar's pursuit of its point ultimately uncertain. That, and the fact that Cameron's dialogue continues to clunk badly. If you're won over by the movie's trippy new world, the characters will be forgivable as broad, useful archetypes rather than standard-issue stereotypes, and you might be able to overlook the unsurprising central pl! ot. (The overextended "take that, Michael Bay" final battle se! quences could tax even Cameron enthusiasts, however.) It doesn't measure up to the hype (what could?) yet Avatar frequently hits a giddy delirium all its own. The film itself is our Pandora, a sensation-saturated universe only the movies could create. --Robert Horton

Versions of Avatar on Blu-ray and DVD

Edition Format Release Date Special Features
Avatar (Extended Collector's Edition) Three Blu-ray Discs Nov. 16, 2010 Three versions of the movie including the previously unreleased extended cut, plus more than eight hours of bonus ! features including over 45 minutes of deleted scenes, interactive scene deconstruction, Pandorapedia, documentaries and featurettes, and BD-LIVE content (requires compatible player and Internet connection)
Avatar (Extended Collector's Edition) Three DVDs Nov. 16, 2010 Three versions of the movie including the previously unreleased extended cut, plus more than three hours of bonus features including documentaries and over 45 minutes of deleted scenes
Avatar (Original Theatrical Edition) Two-disc Blu-ray/
DVD combo
Apr. 22, 2010 None
Avatar (Original Theatrical Edition) DVD Apr. 22, 2010 None


Contents of the Blu-ray Extended Collector's Edition
What follows is the back-of-the box summary of the Blu-ray set's contents and then a complete listing of everything that's included.

Image of the product contents as displayed on the back of the box

Disc 1: Three Movie Versions
  • Original Theatrical Edition (includes family audio track with objectionable language removed)
  • Special Edition Re-Release (includes family audio track with objectionable language removed)
  • Collector’s Extended Cut with 16 additional minutes, including alternate opening on earth

  • Disc 2: Filmmaker's Journey
  • Over 45 minutes of never-before-seen deleted scenes
  • Capturing Avatar: Feature-length documentary covering the 16-year filmmakers’ journey, including interviews with James Cameron, Jon Landau, cast and crew
  • A Message from Pandora: James Cameron’s visit to the Amazon rainforest
  • The 2006 art reel: Original pitch of the Avatar ! vision
  • Brother termite test: Original motion capture t! est
  • The ILM prototype: Visual effects reel
  • Screen tests: Sam Worthington, Zoë Saldana
  • Zoë’s life cast: Makeup session footage
  • On-set footage as live-action filming begins
  • VFX progressions
  • Crew film: The Volume

  • Disc 3: Pandora's Box
  • Interactive scene deconstruction: Explore the stages of production of 17 different scenes through three viewing modes: capture level, template level, and final level with picture-in-picture reference
  • Production featurettes: Sculpting Avatar, Creating the Banshee, Creating the Thanator, The AMP Suit, Flying Vehicles, Na’vi Costumes, Speaking Na’vi, Pandora Flora, Stunts, Performance Capture, Virtual Camera, The 3D Fusion Camera, The Simul-Cam, Editing Avatar, Scoring Avatar, Sound Design, The Haka: The Spirit of New Zea! land
  • Avatar original script
  • Avatar screenplay by James Cameron
  • Pandorapedia: Comprehensive guide to Pandora
  • Lyrics from five songs by James Cameron
  • The art of Avatar: Over 1,850 images in 16 themed galleries (The World of Pandora, The Creatures, Pandora Flora, Pandora Bioluminescence, The Na’vi, The Avatars, Maquettes, Na’vi Weapons, Na’vi Props, Na’vi Musical Instruments, RDA Designs, Flying Vehicles, AMP Suit, Human Weapons, Land Vehicles, One-Sheet Concepts)

  • BD-Live Extras
  • BD-Live extras require a BD-Live-enabled player and an Internet connection. The following extras may be available a limited-time only and are subject to change over time: Crew Short: The Night Before Avatar; additional screen tests, including Stephen Lang,! Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, and Laz Alons! o; speak ing Na’vi rehearsal footage; Weta Workshop: walk-and-talk presentation


  • Experience the spectacular world of James Cameron's Avatar as never before with this all-new three-disc extended collector’s edition. The journey begins with three movie versions: the original theatrical release, the special edition re-release, and the exclusive extended cut not shown in theaters. The set's bonus feature run more than three hours and include over 45 minutes of deleted scenes and a feature-length documentary on the film's groundbreaking production. The greatest adventure of all time just got bigger and better.

    Versions of Avatar on Blu-ray and DVD

    Edition Format Release Date Special Features
    Avatar (Extended Collector's Edition) Three Blu-ray Discs Nov. 16, 2010 Three versions of the movie including the previously unreleased extended cut, plus more than eight hours of bonus features including over 45 minutes of deleted scenes, interactive scene deconstruction, Pandorapedia, documentaries and featurettes, and BD-LIVE content (requires compatible player and Internet connection)
    Avatar (Extended Collector's Edition) Three DVDs Nov. 16, 201! 0 Three versions of the mov! ie inclu ding the previously unreleased extended cut, plus more than three hours of bonus features including documentaries and over 45 minutes of deleted scenes
    Avatar (Original Theatrical Edition) Two-disc Blu-ray/
    DVD combo
    Apr. 22, 2010 None
    Avatar (Original Theatrical Edition) DVD Apr. 22, 2010 None


    Contents of the DVD Extended Collector's Edition

    Image of the product contents as displayed on the back of the box

    Review of the Original Theatrical Edition
    Here's what we had to say about the original theatrical edition of Avatar after seeing it on the big screen:

    After 12 years of thinking about it (and waiting for movie technology to catch up with his visions), James Cameron followed up his unsinkable Titanic with Avatar, a sci-fi epic meant to trump all previous sci-fi epics. Set in the future on a distant planet, Avatar spins a simple little parable abou! t greedy colonizers (that would be mankind) messing up the lus! h tribal world of Pandora. A paraplegic Marine named Jake (Sam Worthington) acts through a 9-foot-tall avatar that allows him to roam the planet and pass as one of the Na'vi, the blue-skinned, large-eyed native people who would very much like to live their peaceful lives without the interference of the visitors. Although he's supposed to be gathering intel for the badass general (Stephen Lang) who'd like to lay waste to the planet and its inhabitants, Jake naturally begins to take a liking to the Na'vi, especially the feisty Neytiri (Zoë Saldana, whose entire performance, recorded by Cameron's complicated motion-capture system, exists as a digitally rendered Na'vi). The movie uses state-of-the-art 3D technology to plunge the viewer deep into Cameron's crazy toy box of planetary ecosystems and high-tech machinery. Maybe it's the fact that Cameron seems torn between his two loves--awesome destructive gizmos and flower-power message mongering--that makes Avatar's pursuit of i! ts point ultimately uncertain. That, and the fact that Cameron's dialogue continues to clunk badly. If you're won over by the movie's trippy new world, the characters will be forgivable as broad, useful archetypes rather than standard-issue stereotypes, and you might be able to overlook the unsurprising central plot. (The overextended "take that, Michael Bay" final battle sequences could tax even Cameron enthusiasts, however.) It doesn't measure up to the hype (what could?) yet Avatar frequently hits a giddy delirium all its own. The film itself is our Pandora, a sensation-saturated universe only the movies could create. --Robert HortonHere's what we had to say about the original theatrical edition of Avatar after seeing it on the big screen:

    After 12 years of thinking about it (and waiting for movie technology to catch up with his visions), James Cameron followed up his unsinkable Titanic with Avatar, a sci-fi epic meant to! trump all previous sci-fi epics. Set in the future on a dista! nt plane t, Avatar spins a simple little parable about greedy colonizers (that would be mankind) messing up the lush tribal world of Pandora. A paraplegic Marine named Jake (Sam Worthington) acts through a 9-foot-tall avatar that allows him to roam the planet and pass as one of the Na'vi, the blue-skinned, large-eyed native people who would very much like to live their peaceful lives without the interference of the visitors. Although he's supposed to be gathering intel for the badass general (Stephen Lang) who'd like to lay waste to the planet and its inhabitants, Jake naturally begins to take a liking to the Na'vi, especially the feisty Neytiri (Zoë Saldana, whose entire performance, recorded by Cameron's complicated motion-capture system, exists as a digitally rendered Na'vi). The movie uses state-of-the-art 3D technology to plunge the viewer deep into Cameron's crazy toy box of planetary ecosystems and high-tech machinery. Maybe it's the fact that Cameron seems torn betw! een his two loves--awesome destructive gizmos and flower-power message mongering--that makes Avatar's pursuit of its point ultimately uncertain. That, and the fact that Cameron's dialogue continues to clunk badly. If you're won over by the movie's trippy new world, the characters will be forgivable as broad, useful archetypes rather than standard-issue stereotypes, and you might be able to overlook the unsurprising central plot. (The overextended "take that, Michael Bay" final battle sequences could tax even Cameron enthusiasts, however.) It doesn't measure up to the hype (what could?) yet Avatar frequently hits a giddy delirium all its own. The film itself is our Pandora, a sensation-saturated universe only the movies could create. --Robert Horton

    Versions of Avatar on Blu-ray and DVD

    !
    Edition Format Release Date Special Features
    Avatar (Extended Collector's Edition) Three Blu-ray Discs Nov. 16, 2010 Three versions of the movie including the previously unreleased extended cut, plus more than eight hours of bonus features including over 45 minutes of deleted scenes, interactive scene deconstruction, Pandorapedia, documentaries and featurettes, and BD-LIVE content (requires compatible player and Internet connection)
    Avatar (Extended Collector's Edition) Three DVDs Nov. 16, 2010 Three versions of the movie including the previously unreleased extended cut, plus more than three hours of bonus featur! es including documentaries and over 45 minutes of deleted scenes
    Avatar (Original Theatrical Edition) Two-disc Blu-ray/
    DVD combo
    Apr. 22, 2010 None
    Avatar (Original Theatrical Edition) DVD Apr. 22, 2010 None


    Cont ents of the Blu-ray Extended Collector's Edition
    What follows is the back-of-the box summary of the Blu-ray set's contents and then a complete listing of everything that's included.

    Image of the product contents as displayed on the back of the box

    Disc 1: Three Movie Versions
  • Original Theatrical Edition (includes family audio track with objectionable language removed)
  • Special Edition Re-Release (includes family audio track with objectionable language removed)
  • Collector’s Extended Cut with 16 additional minutes, including alternate opening on earth

  • ! Disc 2: Filmmaker's Journey
  • Over 45 minutes of never-before-seen deleted scenes
  • Capturing Avatar: Feature-length documentary covering the 16-year filmmakers’ journey, including interviews with James Cameron, Jon Landau, cast and crew
  • A Message from Pandora: James Cameron’s visit to the Amazon rainforest
  • The 2006 art reel: Original pitch of the Avatar vision
  • Brother termite test: Original motion capture test
  • The ILM prototype: Visual effects reel
  • Screen tests: Sam Worthington, Zoë Saldana
  • Zoë’s life cast: Makeup session footage
  • On-set footage as live-action filming begins
  • VFX progressions
  • Crew film: The Volume

  • Disc 3: Pandora's Box
  • Interactive scene deconstruction: Explore the stages of production of 17 different scenes through three viewing modes: capture level, template l! evel, and final level with picture-in-picture reference
  • !
  • Prod uction featurettes: Sculpting Avatar, Creating the Banshee, Creating the Thanator, The AMP Suit, Flying Vehicles, Na’vi Costumes, Speaking Na’vi, Pandora Flora, Stunts, Performance Capture, Virtual Camera, The 3D Fusion Camera, The Simul-Cam, Editing Avatar, Scoring Avatar, Sound Design, The Haka: The Spirit of New Zealand
  • Avatar original script
  • Avatar screenplay by James Cameron
  • Pandorapedia: Comprehensive guide to Pandora
  • Lyrics from five songs by James Cameron
  • The art of Avatar: Over 1,850 images in 16 themed galleries (The World of Pandora, The Creatures, Pandora Flora, Pandora Bioluminescence, The Na’vi, The Avatars, Maquettes, Na’vi Weapons, Na’vi Props, Na’vi Musical Instruments, RDA Designs, ! Flying Vehicles, AMP Suit, Human Weapons, Land Vehicles, One-Sheet Concepts)

  • BD-Live Extras
  • BD-Live extras require a BD-Live-enabled player and an Internet connection. The following extras may be available a limited-time only and are subject to change over time: Crew Short: The Night Before Avatar; additional screen tests, including Stephen Lang, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, and Laz Alonso; speaking Na’vi rehearsal footage; Weta Workshop: walk-and-talk presentation



  • Casino Jack and the United States of Money

    • This portrait of Washington super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff, from his early years as a gung-ho member of the GOP political machine to his final reckoning as a disgraced, imprisoned pariah, confirms the adage that truth is indeed stranger than fiction.  A tale of international intrigue involving casinos, spies, sweatshops and mob-style killings, this is a story of the way money corrupts our polit
    Two-time Academy Award® Winner Kevin Spacey delivers a “bravura performance” (The New Yorker ) in this “uproarious, riveting and wickedly hilarious” (Elle ) film inspired by a true story. Spacey stars as Jack Abramoff, the real-life Washington power player who resorted to jaw-dropping levels of fraud and corruption. High-rolling excess and outrageous escapades are all in a day’s work for Abramoff, as he goes to outrageous lengths to promote the Indian gambling industry, earning him the nickna! me “Casino Jack.” But when Jack and his womanizing protégé Michael Scanlon (Barry Pepper) enlist a dimwitted business partner (Jon Lovitz) for an illegal scheme, they find themselves ensnared in a web of greed and murder that explodes into a worldwide scandal.The sordid tale of lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his greedy, felonious power plays during the glory days of the W. presidency are fine fuel for the antic romp Kevin Spacey turns out in Casino Jack. Spacey's signature twist of smug sincerity and self-satisfaction perfectly suits the portrait of a man whose morals are so corrupt and ego so glorified that he truly believes he's doing God's work at the same time he's swiping cash from every opportunistic situation he can wrangle. As a companion piece to Alex Gibney's equally entertaining documentary Casino Jack and the United States of Money, this comic rendering of a political life led with such impolitic indiscretion ramps the ridiculousness of Abramoff'! s schemes up several notches thanks to a liberal dose of drama! tic lice nse. Nevertheless, the events portrayed are real--the ploys to defraud Indian tribes, the bumbling forays of entrepreneurship, the ballsy attempts at misdirection once misdeeds spiral out of control--as are many of the major players. Director George Hickenlooper (who died at age 47 just days before the film's opening in late 2010) has no compunction about magnifying the ethical warts of historical players such as Tom DeLay, Ralph Reed, Grover Norquist, and Karl Rove as they act out the real-life sketch comedy of what really happened in the corridors of the Capitol and the conference rooms of K Street. Because it does come off as high-end sketch comedy, Casino Jack sometimes feels a little sketchy in its execution, but the cast is uniformly excellent in making scenes crackle with hilariously vituperative flair. Especially good are Barry Pepper as Abramoff's oily cohort, Jon Lovitz as a doltish, mobbed-up mattress salesman, and the late Maury Chaykin as a seemingly harm! less mafia functionary who's way more dangerous than his clownish exterior betrays. But the movie belongs to Spacey as a man obsessed with his own importance. This Abramoff, who worked as a C-list producer early in his career, still fancies himself a Hollywood-type player even as the A-list plots he scripts in Washington end up filled with holes. Spacey apes and mugs with typically borderline-manic panache, giving masterful insight into the master of a universe that exists almost entirely in his own avaricious mind. --Ted FryThis portrait of Washington super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff, from his early years as a gung-ho member of the GOP political machine to his final reckoning as a disgraced, imprisoned pariah, confirms the adage that truth is indeed stranger than fiction. A tale of international intrigue involving casinos, spies, sweatshops and mob-style killings, this is a story of the way money corrupts our political process. Oscar®-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney illu! minates the way politicians' desperate need to get
    elected ! and the millions of dollars it costs may be undermining the basic principles of American democracy. Infuriating, yet undeniably eye-opening and entertaining, CASINO JACK is a saga of greed and corruption with a cynical villain audiences will love to hate.As he proved in Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney knows how to transform creative bookkeeping into compelling drama without dumbing things down. In his follow-up to Gonzo, a portrait of rabble-rouser Hunter S. Thompson, Gibney takes on disgraced GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff (Stanley Tucci provides his voice in readings). Gibney begins with the Mob-style murder of a one-time associate before backtracking to Abramoff's days as chairman of the College Republicans, where he rubbed shoulders with Karl Rove and Ralph Reed--and impressed Ronald Reagan. Even as a student, however, there were signs of trouble as he laundered money through charities, a pattern he would repeat throughout the d! ecades, always on the lookout for new loopholes. Gibney proceeds through his dealings with the Contras, an Angolan dictator, Saipan sweatshops, and Indian casinos (the debacle in Angola led him to produce the right-wing shoot-'em-up Red Scorpion). Along the way, Abramoff ensnared lawmakers and government officials in his web as they traded political favors for campaign financing. As Bob Ney's chief of staff, Neil Volz, puts it, Abramoff "could talk a dog off a meat truck." When his house of cards finally came crashing down, Reed, Ney, Volz, Tom DeLay, and numerous others fell with him (all but Reed appear in the film). As in his other documentaries, Gibney juices the action with music cues that keep things lively, even if some of his choices are a little too on the nose, like Howlin' Wolf's "Back Door Man." --Kathleen C. Fennessy

    Thursday, December 29, 2011

    Lackawanna Blues

    • Based on the award winning play by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, this poignant and colorful drama tells the inspirational story of a courageous woman, Nanny, whose spirit and strength served as the foundation for a struggling community trying to survive during the segregation era. Starring an exceptional ensemble cast led by Jimmy Smits, Rosie Perez, and Macy Gray, this inspiring drama from HBO Films is
    DOWN IN THE DELTA brings together an outstanding cast of stars in an uplifting story of family, community, and friendship! In a desperate attempt to change her life, Loretta (Alfre Woodard -- STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT, MUMFORD) -- a troubled single mother from a tough Chicago neighborhood -- is sent to spend a summer in her family's ancestral home in rural Mississippi. In "The Delta," with the support and widsom of her hardworking Uncle Earl, Loretta finally begins to see a way to provide for her youn! g children and reverse the downward slide of her life. A heartwarming, critically acclaimed motion picture also starring Wesley Snipes (BLADE, U.S. MARSHALS) and Loretta Devine (WAITING TO EXHALE) -- share in this remarkable journey to discover the strength of a family's roots and the power of unconditional love!This family drama begins in a gritty Chicago neighborhood with a jobless, hopeless mother (Alfre Woodard) pouring her efforts into the bottle and various drugs rather than her troubled daughter and wise-beyond-his-years son. But the movie soon heads south, as the title suggests, when Mom and kids are sent to live with an uncle for the summer. Their lives change, of course, but that's the only predictable aspect of this 107-minute film. First-time director Maya Angelou brings her poetic sense to Myron Goble's elegant script, and the performances are uniformly excellent, most notably the always superb Woodard, Al Freeman Jr. as her uncle, and Mary Alice as her mother! . Wesley Snipes takes a break from his action career to do som! e acting as Freeman's son, and the late Esther Rolle is haunting in the last portrayal of her career. The film's touch of mystery is provided by one of its most devastating characters, a candelabra called Nathan. Rated PG-13, but suitable for ages 8 and older. --Kimberly HeinrichsDown In The Delta brings together an outstanding cast of stars in an uplifting story of family, community and friendship.
    In a desperate attempt to change her life, Loretta (Alfre Woodard, The Family That Preys)â€"a troubled single mother from a tough Chicago neighborhoodâ€"is sent to spend a summer at her family's ancestral home in rural Mississippi. In "The Delta," with the support and wisdom of her hardworking uncle Earl, Loretta finally begins to see a way to provide for her young children and reverse the downward slide of her life. Also starring Loretta Devine (TV's Grey's Anatomy) and Wesley Snipes (Brooklyn's Finest).This family drama beg! ins in a gritty Chicago neighborhood with a jobless, hopeless mother (Alfre Woodard) pouring her efforts into the bottle and various drugs rather than her troubled daughter and wise-beyond-his-years son. But the movie soon heads south, as the title suggests, when Mom and kids are sent to live with an uncle for the summer. Their lives change, of course, but that's the only predictable aspect of this 107-minute film. First-time director Maya Angelou brings her poetic sense to Myron Goble's elegant script, and the performances are uniformly excellent, most notably the always superb Woodard, Al Freeman Jr. as her uncle, and Mary Alice as her mother. Wesley Snipes takes a break from his action career to do some acting as Freeman's son, and the late Esther Rolle is haunting in the last portrayal of her career. The film's touch of mystery is provided by one of its most devastating characters, a candelabra called Nathan. Rated PG-13, but suitable for ages 8 and older. --Kimberl! y HeinrichsThis family drama begins in a gritty Chicago ne! ighborho od with a jobless, hopeless mother (Alfre Woodard) pouring her efforts into the bottle and various drugs rather than her troubled daughter and wise-beyond-his-years son. But the movie soon heads south, as the title suggests, when Mom and kids are sent to live with an uncle for the summer. Their lives change, of course, but that's the only predictable aspect of this 107-minute film. First-time director Maya Angelou brings her poetic sense to Myron Goble's elegant script, and the performances are uniformly excellent, most notably the always superb Woodard, Al Freeman Jr. as her uncle, and Mary Alice as her mother. Wesley Snipes takes a break from his action career to do some acting as Freeman's son, and the late Esther Rolle is haunting in the last portrayal of her career. The film's touch of mystery is provided by one of its most devastating characters, a candelabra called Nathan. Rated PG-13, but suitable for ages 8 and older. --Kimberly HeinrichsBased on the award w! inning play by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, this poignant and colorful drama tells the inspirational story of a courageous woman, Nanny, whose spirit and strength served as the foundation for a struggling community trying to survive during the segregation era. Starring an exceptional ensemble cast led by Jimmy Smits, Rosie Perez, and Macy Gray, this inspiring drama from HBO Films is a celebration of the good things in life, no matter how tough times may be.

    DVD Features:
    Audio Commentary:Audio Commentary with director George C. Wolfe and writer Ruben Santiago-Hudson
    Deleted Scenes
    Featurette

    Cool music, a wonderful atmospheric feel, and first-rate performances by a stellar cast distinguish Lackawanna Blues, a 2005, 90-minute film originally broadcast by HBO. Director George C. Wolfe's theater background (as a writer and/or director he's been responsible for The Colored Museum, Jelly's Last Jam, and Bring in D! a Noise, Bring in Da Funk) is apparent; adapted by scriptw! riter Ru ben Santiago-Hudson from his own autobiographical play, Lackawanna Blues is less a story than a reminiscence, told by a young man (an affecting performance by Marcus Carl Franklin) raised by the indefatigable Rachel "Nanny" Crosby (an equally fine turn by S. Epatha Merkerson, known to many from her role in TV's Law & Order) in that upstate New York town. The focus is on Nanny's rooming house, which is populated by all manner of colorful characters (played by the likes of Macy Gray, Jeffrey Wright, and many others, with Jimmy Smits and Carmen Ejogo as the boy's wayward parents). The roomers include drunks, hustlers, ex-cons, and other shady types, but while plenty of bad stuff goes on, it's all coated with a certain patina of sentiment that tends to minimize the hard realities of life for African Americans in the early 1960s. That's fine; Wolfe, with the help of some superb editing by Brian Kates, gives the film such a delightful period vibe that it's easy to ov! erlook its few shortcomings. The music (available on a soundtrack CD), ranging from downhome country blues to uptown swing, jump blues, and more, also makes a major contribution to the delightful diversion that is Lackawanna Blues. --Sam Graham

    The Mistress of Spices

    • Tilo runs a spice store in San Francisco and has a magical gift of seeing into her customers' lives and desires. But, when a handsome, enigmatic American with a secret past enters her store, Tilo s own desires are stirred for the first time. Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: FOREIGN Rating: PG-13 Age: 796019802741 UPC: 796019802741 Manufacturer No: 80274
    A clash of cultures in the spirit of MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING, this modern musical retelling of Jane Austen's classic PRIDE AND PREJUDICE is a hilariously entertaining tale of one girl's unlikely search for love! Sparks immediately fly as a love/hate relationship ignites between a small-town beauty (international star Aishwarya Rai) and a wealthy American (Martin Henderson -- THE RING, TORQUE) who's visiting her modest Indian village. In a swirl of music, dance, and comic misunderstandings, these opposites continue to attract and repel each other! in a riotous romance that spans three continents! Featuring Naveen Andrews (TV's LOST, THE ENGLISH PATIENT) and a memorable performance from top recording artist Ashanti -- love will eventually conquer all in this acclaimed treat from the director of BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM!The exotic sounds, vibrant colors, and ecstatic dancing of Bollywood collide with the cunning storytelling of Jane Austen in Bride & Prejudice (from the writer/director of previous East/West hybrid Bend It Like Beckham). When smart, outspoken Lalita Bakshi (Indian beauty Aishwarya Rai) meets Will Darcy (Martin Henderson, The Ring), she finds this American businessman arrogant and conceited--but because his best friend is falling in love with her sister, Lalita agrees to travel around India with Darcy. On the trip, a childhood friend of Darcy's named Johnny (Daniel Gillies, Spider-Man 2) both tickles Lalita's fancy and confirms her worst suspicions about Darcy. But as events unfo! ld, Lalita wonders if she hasn't misjudged Darcy--and Johnny. ! Austen f ans will be find much to criticize; Bride & Prejudice transplants the basic plot of Pride & Prejudice to modern India, but not much of Austen's sly wit or her insights about character and society have survived the translation. Henderson, though handsome, lacks the intimidating charisma of previous Mr. Darcys (including Laurence Olivier and Colin Firth). Thank goodness for the delightful Rai, here making her first all-English-language movie. She commands the screen like a true star (unsurprisingly, she's hugely popular in India, and previously starred in a more homegrown Austen adaptation: I Have Found It, based on Sense & Sensibility). For Western audiences unfamiliar with the freewheeling exuberance of Indian movies--wild musical numbers can break out at almost any moment--Bride & Prejudice offers an engaging taste of this fantastic cinematic style. --Bret FetzerThe exotic sounds, vibrant colors, and ecstatic dancing of Bollywood co! llide with the cunning storytelling of Jane Austen in Bride & Prejudice (from the writer/director of previous East/West hybrid Bend It Like Beckham). When smart, outspoken Lalita Bakshi (Indian beauty Aishwarya Rai) meets Will Darcy (Martin Henderson, The Ring), she finds this American businessman arrogant and conceited--but because his best friend is falling in love with her sister, Lalita agrees to travel around India with Darcy. On the trip, a childhood friend of Darcy's named Johnny (Daniel Gillies, Spider-Man 2) both tickles Lalita's fancy and confirms her worst suspicions about Darcy. But as events unfold, Lalita wonders if she hasn't misjudged Darcy--and Johnny. Austen fans will be find much to criticize; Bride & Prejudice transplants the basic plot of Pride & Prejudice to modern India, but not much of Austen's sly wit or her insights about character and society have survived the translation. Henderson, though handsome, lacks! the intimidating charisma of previous Mr. Darcys (including L! aurence Olivier and Colin Firth). Thank goodness for the delightful Rai, here making her first all-English-language movie. She commands the screen like a true star (unsurprisingly, she's hugely popular in India, and previously starred in a more homegrown Austen adaptation: I Have Found It, based on Sense & Sensibility). For Western audiences unfamiliar with the freewheeling exuberance of Indian movies--wild musical numbers can break out at almost any moment--Bride & Prejudice offers an engaging taste of this fantastic cinematic style. --Bret Fetzer(Romance) Tilo runs a spice store in San Francisco and has a magical gift of seeing into her customers' lives and desires. But, when a handsome, enigmatic American with a secret past enters her store, Tilo’s own desires are stirred for the first time.

    Sunday, December 25, 2011

    Deadland

    • DEADLAND (DVD MOVIE)
    World War III's nuclear strikes on the U.S. have set the nation back 200 years; money holds no worth, food is impossible to find, and hope is all but lost when every survivor of the war is infected by a fatal nuclear plague. DEADLAND is a post-apocalyptic tale of an ordinary man, Sean Kalos, driven on only one purpose: to find his missing wife in the new United Provinces. What was designed to be the new rebirth has become martial-law, and the Officers of the Province wield their power with cruelty. When Sean crosses them, he finds himself in the middle of a personal war, and his search for his wife dominoes into what could be the revolution the survivors have been waiting for.

    Sunday, December 18, 2011

    Bon Voyage!

    • BON VOYAGE! (DVD MOVIE)
    BON VOYAGE - DVD Movie

    Friday, December 16, 2011

    Crooks & Castles Men's Woven Coliseum Jacket, Black, Large

    • Woven jackets
    • Outerwear
    Mens woven jacket-coliseum

    Thursday, December 15, 2011

    Mechanix Wear MCW2-08-010 Zone 2 Cold Weather Glove, Black/Grey, Large

    • Designed to provide top notch wind resistance and durable cold weather protection
    • Snug fitting design which combines the warmth and breathability of fleece
    • Features a concealed seam stitching and is suitable for temperature between 0-32 degrees
    • A snug fit improves hand dexterity and gives this glove a secure and comfortable feel
    • For working conditions down to 0 degrees

    A Dulcie Schwartz feline mystery - When a student goes missing and a professor ends up dead, Dulcie Schwartz realizes that midterms are going to be worse than ever. She’s hard at work on her thesis, but present day concerns â€" including the destructive mischief of her growing kitten â€" keep dragging her back into a tangle of motive, misbehavior, and maybe even murder. If only Mr Grey, her beloved feline ghost, would lend a hand, at least with that rambunctious kitten . . .

    A ! stunning foray into the mind and actions of the acclaimed actor/writer/director who worked for more than five years to produce first a play, then a movie, now a bookâ€"his most personal work to date, a searing Holocaust drama starring David Arquette, Daniel Benzali, Steve Buscemi, David Chandler, Allen Corduner, Harvey Keitel, Natasha Lyonne, and Mira Sorvino. Tim Blake Nelson's powerful account of what inspired him, and how he prepared himself and others to make this haunting movie, reveals how and why a writer/director chooses such a difficult subject and surmounts its challenges. First realized as a play, which earned numerous awards, the story is based on historical events, centering on Auschwitz's twelfth Sonderkommando squad, prisoners assigned work in the crematoria, and their struggle to organize the only armed revolt in October of 1944. Financed by Millennium Films, produced by Killer Films, and released by Lions Gate Films in the US, The Grey Zone deb! uted in the United States in October 2002, garnering major med! ia atten tion.

    This book is the definitive record of Nelson's journeyâ€"from his initial readings and research, to assembling a brave cast that could tackle the material, to reconstructing the crematoria 80 percent to scale on location outside of Sofia, Bulgaria, and to his work with the art director, costume and production designers, and others on his team.

    To acquaint his cast and crew with the difficult material, Nelson summarized his research and his cinematic vision in a compelling, lengthy pre-production memo, which is reproduced in this book. Also included are his screenplay, his annotated reading list, movie stills, excerpts from an essay by Primo Levi, and the source chapter from the book Auschwitz: A Doctor's Eyewitness Account, by Dr. Miklos Nyiszli.

    Decade of Fear is a darkly entertaining journey through the complicated, often bizarre world of national security since 9/11. On that night, Toronto Star journalist Michelle Shephard watched t! he remains of New York’s World Trade Center fall from the sky, wondering what much of the world was asking: Â"Why?” So began a ten-year search for answers that took her through the streets of Mogadishu and Karachi, into the mountains of Waziristan and behind the wire of Guantanamo Bay two dozen times.

    Shephard conducted hundreds of interviews worldwide, and with sharp insight and an appreciation for the absurd, she weaves together stories of warlords, presidents, spies, grieving widows and global terrorists, to describe the historic decade where often the West’s Â"solutions” for terrorism only served to exacerbate the problem. She cruises with former CIA bosses, runs alongside protestors in the streets of Sanaa to escape fire from Yemen’s security services during experience the Arab Spring, meets victims of terrorism who leave her devastated, and earns enough stamps on her Gitmo Starbucks card for a free latte. Gripping, heartbreaking and infuriating! , Decade of Fear broadens our understanding of a decade! that wa s all too often described through panicked rhetoric.
    Mechanix Wear Climate Control Zone 2 gloves provide superior wind resistance and durable cold weather protection. Snug fitting design combines warmth and breathability of fleece with a specially designed wind-resistant lining. Palms are made of Clarino synthetic leather, with Zeus rubberized material in high wear areas for added strength and tactility. Size: L, Color: Black, Shell: Heavyweight fleece, Lining: Wind resistant, Cuff Material: Neoprene, Palm Material: Clarino synthetic leather, Pairs (qty.): 1

    Wednesday, December 14, 2011

    Dogville

    • DVD Details: Actors: Nicole Kidman, Harriet Andersson, Lauren Bacall, Jean-Marc Barr, Paul Bettany
    • Directors: Lars von Trier
    • Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC. Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only)
    • Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1; Number of discs: 1; Studio: Lions Gate
    • DVD Release Date: August 24, 2004; Run Time: 178 minutes
    Recording star bjork is miraculous as selma a factory worker in ruarl america and single mother who is losing her eyesight from a hereditary disease. Determined to protect her 10-year-old son from the same fate selma is saving her money to get him an operation. Studio: New Line Home Video Release Date: 02/08/2005 Starring: Catherine Deneuve David Morse Run time: 141 minutes Rating: R Director: Lars Von TrierMasterpiece or masquerade? Lars von Trier's digicam musical split the critics in two when it debuted at Cannes in 2000. There were tho! se who saw it as a cynical shock-opera from a manipulative charlatan, others wept openly at its scenes of raw emotion and heart-rending intensity. There is, however, no in-between. Dancer in the Dark is that rarest of creatures, a film that dares to push viewers to the limits of their feelings.

    In her first and most probably last screen performance (she has foresworn acting after her bruising on-set rows with von Trier), brittle Icelandic chanteuse Björk plays Selma, a Czech immigrant living in a folksy American small town with her young son, Gene. Selma is going blind and so will Gene if she does not arrange an important operation for him. To cover the expense, Selma works every hour she can, cheating on her eye tests so she can keep working at the local factory long after her vision has become too unreliable to work safely. She sublets a house from a local cop, Bill (David Morse), and his wife, Linda (Cara Seymour). When nearly bankrupt Bill asks Selma for a l! oan, she refuses, but he later returns and steals the money, w! hich she demands back in a furious confrontation. In the ensuing melee, Bill is fatally shot and Selma is arrested and put on trial. Will justice prevail?

    Von Trier's passionate, provocative film runs all our emotional resources dry with suspense, giving us occasional flashes into Selma's gold heart and mind with superb song-and-dance numbers she conjures to banish the nightmare (Björk also wrote the score). At some two-and-a-half hours, it's not for lightweights, but anyone bored with today's smug, "ironic" cinema will relish this as an astonishing assault on the senses and a stark reminder of von Trier's uncompromising talent. --Damon WiseMasterpiece or masquerade? Lars von Trier's digicam musical split the critics in two when it debuted at Cannes in 2000. There were those who saw it as a cynical shock-opera from a manipulative charlatan, others wept openly at its scenes of raw emotion and heart-rending intensity. There is, however, no in-between. Dancer in the Dark! is that rarest of creatures, a film that dares to push viewers to the limits of their feelings.

    In her first and most probably last screen performance (she has foresworn acting after her bruising on-set rows with von Trier), brittle Icelandic chanteuse Björk plays Selma, a Czech immigrant living in a folksy American small town with her young son, Gene. Selma is going blind and so will Gene if she does not arrange an important operation for him. To cover the expense, Selma works every hour she can, cheating on her eye tests so she can keep working at the local factory long after her vision has become too unreliable to work safely. She sublets a house from a local cop, Bill (David Morse), and his wife, Linda (Cara Seymour). When nearly bankrupt Bill asks Selma for a loan, she refuses, but he later returns and steals the money, which she demands back in a furious confrontation. In the ensuing melee, Bill is fatally shot and Selma is arrested and put on trial. Will ju! stice prevail?

    Von Trier's passionate, provocative film ru! ns all o ur emotional resources dry with suspense, giving us occasional flashes into Selma's gold heart and mind with superb song-and-dance numbers she conjures to banish the nightmare (Björk also wrote the score). At some two-and-a-half hours, it's not for lightweights, but anyone bored with today's smug, "ironic" cinema will relish this as an astonishing assault on the senses and a stark reminder of von Trier's uncompromising talent. --Damon WiseDOGVILLE - DVD MovieThe latest galvanizing and controversial film from Lars von Trier (Dancer in the Dark, Breaking the Waves, The Kingdom), Dogville uses ingenious theatricality to tell the Depression-era story of Grace (Nicole Kidman, The Others), a beautiful fugitive who stumbles onto a tiny town in the Rocky Mountains. Spurred on by Tom (Paul Bettany, Master and Commander), who fancies himself the town's moral guide, the citizens of Dogville first resist Grace, then embrace her, then res! ent and torment her--little realizing they will pay a price for their selfish brutality. The town is indicated by fragments of building and chalk outlines on a soundstage floor, stylishly pointing to the movie's roots in classic plays (particularly Thornton Wilder's Our Town and Friedrich Durrenmatt's The Visit). Several critics have stridently attacked Dogville as anti-American, but the movie's dark, compelling view applies as easily to Rwanda, Bosnia, the Middle East, or pretty much anywhere in the world. Also featuring Lauren Bacall, Patricia Clarkson, Jeremy Davies, Stellan Skarsgârd, Chloe Sevigny, and many more. --Bret Fetzer

    EMPIRE Apple iPhone 4 / 4S Purple Hearts with Flowers Stealth Rubberized Design Hard Case Cover + 3.5mm Male to Male Stereo Auxiliary Cable [EMPIRE Packaging]

    • Rubberized coated texture on case provides added protection against drops, bumps, and scratches.
    • Engineered to fit device perfectly, with cut outs to allow for full device functionality.
    • Auxiliary cable has a silver-plated 3.5mm plug for a solid connection.
    • Connects to any device with a 3.5mm mini-stereo jack.
    • EMPIRE(TM) is a registered trademark with the USPTO.
    EMPIRE's one piece stealth snap-on cases are made of highly durable plastic, coated with a rubberized texture to give your device maximum protection and added grip without making it bulkier in size. Precisely engineered to fit your device, the snap-on case attaches easily and securely to the back side of your device and also offers direct access to all of its features. Because of its low profile design, the stealth case preserves your phones original look. Other colors are also available to ch! oose from. EMPIRE's auxiliary audio cable is essential to any music lover's device that's equipped with a 3.5mm mini-stereo jack. Use this high-quality auxiliary audio cable to connect essentially anything that uses a 3.5mm mini-stereo jack for headphone or auxiliary audio output such as your car's stereo, boom box, or home entertainment system. Simply connect each end of the cable to the mini-stereo jacks on your audio components and enjoy.

    Monday, December 12, 2011

    Western Collection: 4 Film Favorites (American Outlaws / Young Guns II / Maverick / Wild Wild West)

    • AMERICAN OUTLAWS: Widescreen [16x9 1.85:1] Version Commentary by Director Les Mayfield, Co-Writer John Rogers and Editor Michael Tronick Additional Scenes 4 Featurettes Storyboards, Productions Stills, Artwork and Publicity Galleries Cast & Crew Biographies & Film Highlights Languages: English & Fran ais Subtitles: English, Fran ais & Espa ol (Main Feature. Bonus Material/Trailer M
    AMERICAN OUTLAWS - DVD MovieIf you're looking for a showcase for emerging Hollywood talent, American Outlaws is just the ticket. Its handsome young stars, playing Jesse and Frank James and gang, crack wise as if they were in a contemporary high school locker room. Combining authentic costumes and sets with stunt work befitting a Jackie Chan comedy, accompanied by an "Old West" soundtrack that's anything but old and only marginally Western, the film yields a few enjoyable highlights. Seasoned genre buffs, h! owever, will cringe at the movie's clash of visual qualities, as well as the dialogue, which, while not as heinous as that in Maverick, is on par with Young Guns in terms of non-period flavor. It's not exactly a testament to the enduring potential of the authentic Western that was realized by Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven, made barely a decade before.

    With all the light-hearted action and character interplay, it's hard to tell if director Les Mayfield (Flubber) is taking the material seriously, but this much is certain: the Jesse James here (played with effortless appeal by Tigerland newcomer Colin Farrell) and his brother Frank (Gabriel Macht) have almost no connection to historical fact. Nor do their fellow farm-raised gang members, the Younger brothers Cole (Scott Caan), Bob (Will McCormack), and Jim (Gregory Smith). (And Jesse's fiancée, played by Ali Larter, looks like she dropped in from a Gap commercial.) The gang's post-Civil ! War battle against a ruthless railroad baron (Harris Yulin) an! d his Pi nkerton henchman (Timothy Dalton) seems arbitrary, irrational (since farmers typically welcomed railroads, not fought them), and riddled with clichés, turning the movie's bloodless shootouts into another opportunity for pretty-boy preening. --Jeff Shannon 4 FILM FAVORITES:WESTERN COLLECTION - DVD Movie

    Sunday, December 11, 2011

    Hell's Highway - The True Story of Highway Safety Films

    • HELL'S HIGHWAY (DVD MOVIE)
    HELL'S HIGHWAY - DVD Movie

    Tuesday, December 6, 2011

    Kreg SK03 Pocket-Hole Screw Kit in 5 Sizes

    • Contains 675 of 5 most used screws
    • Includes self-tapping screw sizes for pocket-screw joinery
    • All Kreg screws feature a deep No. 2 square drive
    • Includes a durable easy-to-carry case
    • Includes a a needlepoint self-tapping tip
    This kit contains five of Kreg's most popular self-tapping screw sizes for Pocket-Screw Joinery, all in a durable and easy-to-carry case. All Kreg screws feature a deep No. 2 square drive, a needlepoint self-tapping tip, and a hard plastic case built for strength. The kit comes complete with 150 count each of SPS-F1, SPS-C1, SML-F125, and SML-C125 screws as well as 75 count of SML-C250B screws.

    Sunday, December 4, 2011

    Double Feature: Big Trouble in Little China & Planet of the Apes

    • 2-DVD Set
    • Double Feature
    • Feature Length Movie
    Directed by thrill master John Carpenter, this edge-of-your seat adventure stars Kurt Russell as Jack Burton, a tough-talking, wisecracking truck driver whose hum-drum life on the road takes a sudden supernatural tailspin when his best friend's fiancee is kidnapped. Speeding to the rescue, Jack finds himself deep beneath San Francisco's Chinatown, in a murky, creature-filled world ruled by Lo Pan, a 2000-year-old magician who mercilessly presides over an empire of spirits. Dodging demons and facing baffling terrors, Jack battles his way through Lo Pan's dark domain in a full-throttle, action-riddled ride to rescue the girl. Co-starring Kim Cattrall, this effects-filled sci-fi spectacle speeds to an incredible, twist-taking finish.

    • Audio: English: 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio, Dolby Surround / Spanish & French: 5.1 D! olby Digital
    • Language: Dubbed & Subtitled: English, French & Spanish
    • Aspect Ratio: Widescreen: 2.35:1
    Once you settle into the realization that this 1986 John Carpenter (Halloween) film is not going to be one of the director's more masterful works, Big Trouble in Little China just becomes a full-tilt comic blast. Kurt Russell is hilarious as a drawling, would-be John Wayne hero who steps into the middle of a supernatural war in the heart of Chinatown. While kung fu warriors and otherworldly spirits battle over the fate of two women (Kim Cattrall and Suzee Pai), Russell's swaggering idiot manages to knock himself out or underestimate the forces he's dealing with. The whole thing is dopey, but it's supposed to be dopey and Russell's game performance brings an ironic edge. Carpenter directs some nifty spook effects (the sudden arrival of three martial arts demigods from out of nowhere is worth applause), and he also wrote the music.! --Tom Keogh Directed by thrill master John Carpenter, ! this edg o-of-your seat adventrue stars Kurt Russell as Jack Burton, a tough-talking, wisecracking truck driver whose hum-drum life on the road takes a sudden supernatural tailspin when his best friend's fiancee is kidnapped. Speeding to the rescue, Jack finds himself deep beneath San Francisco's Chinatown, in a murky, creature-filled world ruled by Lo Pan, a 2000-year-old magician who mercilessly presides over an empire of spirits. Dodging demons and facing baffling terrors, Jack battles his way through Lo Pan's dark domain in a full-throttle, action-riddled ride to rescue the girl. Co-starring Kim Cattrall, this effects-filled sci-fi spectacle speeds to an incredible, twist-taking finish.Once you settle into the realization that this 1986 John Carpenter (Halloween) film is not going to be one of the director's more masterful works, Big Trouble in Little China just becomes a full-tilt comic blast. Kurt Russell is hilarious as a drawling, would-be John Wayne hero who! steps into the middle of a supernatural war in the heart of Chinatown. While kung fu warriors and otherworldly spirits battle over the fate of two women (Kim Cattrall and Suzee Pai), Russell's swaggering idiot manages to knock himself out or underestimate the forces he's dealing with. The whole thing is dopey, but it's supposed to be dopey and Russell's game performance brings an ironic edge. Carpenter directs some nifty spook effects (the sudden arrival of three martial arts demigods from out of nowhere is worth applause), and he also wrote the music. --Tom Keogh Directed by thrill master John Carpenter, this edgo-of-your seat adventrue stars Kurt Russell as Jack Burton, a tough-talking, wisecracking truck driver whose hum-drum life on the road takes a sudden supernatural tailspin when his best friend's fiancee is kidnapped. Speeding to the rescue, Jack finds himself deep beneath San Francisco's Chinatown, in a murky, creature-filled world ruled by Lo Pan, a 2000-! year-old magician who mercilessly presides over an empire of s! pirits. Dodging demons and facing baffling terrors, Jack battles his way through Lo Pan's dark domain in a full-throttle, action-riddled ride to rescue the girl. Co-starring Kim Cattrall, this effects-filled sci-fi spectacle speeds to an incredible, twist-taking finish.Once you settle into the realization that this 1986 John Carpenter (Halloween) film is not going to be one of the director's more masterful works, Big Trouble in Little China just becomes a full-tilt comic blast. Kurt Russell is hilarious as a drawling, would-be John Wayne hero who steps into the middle of a supernatural war in the heart of Chinatown. While kung fu warriors and otherworldly spirits battle over the fate of two women (Kim Cattrall and Suzee Pai), Russell's swaggering idiot manages to knock himself out or underestimate the forces he's dealing with. The whole thing is dopey, but it's supposed to be dopey and Russell's game performance brings an ironic edge. Carpenter directs some nifty spo! ok effects (the sudden arrival of three martial arts demigods from out of nowhere is worth applause), and he also wrote the music. --Tom Keogh Once you settle into the realization that this 1986 John Carpenter (Halloween) film is not going to be one of the director's more masterful works, Big Trouble in Little China just becomes a full-tilt comic blast. Kurt Russell is hilarious as a drawling, would-be John Wayne hero who steps into the middle of a supernatural war in the heart of Chinatown. While kung fu warriors and otherworldly spirits battle over the fate of two women (Kim Cattrall and Suzee Pai), Russell's swaggering idiot manages to knock himself out or underestimate the forces he's dealing with. The whole thing is dopey, but it's supposed to be dopey and Russell's game performance brings an ironic edge. Carpenter directs some nifty spook effects (the sudden arrival of three martial arts demigods from out of nowhere is worth applause), and he also! wrote the music. --Tom Keogh Once you settle into the ! realizat ion that this 1986 John Carpenter (Halloween) film is not going to be one of the director's more masterful works, Big Trouble in Little China just becomes a full-tilt comic blast. Kurt Russell is hilarious as a drawling, would-be John Wayne hero who steps into the middle of a supernatural war in the heart of Chinatown. While kung fu warriors and otherworldly spirits battle over the fate of two women (Kim Cattrall and Suzee Pai), Russell's swaggering idiot manages to knock himself out or underestimate the forces he's dealing with. The whole thing is dopey, but it's supposed to be dopey and Russell's game performance brings an ironic edge. Carpenter directs some nifty spook effects (the sudden arrival of three martial arts demigods from out of nowhere is worth applause), and he also wrote the music. --Tom Keogh Double Feature (2 DVD Set) includes Big Trouble in Little China and Planet of the Apes

    Saturday, December 3, 2011

    He's Just Not That Into You

    • Remember that really cute guy who said he'd call.and didn't? Maybe He's Just Not That Into You. An all-star cast - Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Connelly, Kevin Connolly, Bradley Cooper, Ginnifer Goodwin, Scarlett Johansson and Justin Long - looks for love and finds laughs in this savvy, sexy, right-now romcom. Based on the runaway (like some guys you know) bestseller by
    When we first meet rising young artist Angelique (Tautou), she is in the glorious throes of true love, and the whole world has seemingly fallen under her spell. Her handsome lover Loic is madly in love with her, her paintings are winning wide acclaim, and a glorious future seems all but assured. But Angelique's blissful world may not be as enchanting as it first seems, and in a quick startling moment, her life - and our understanding of it -seems to unravel in front of our eyes. Starring Audrey Taut! ou (Amelie), Samuel Le Bihan (Three Colors: Red).That adorable Audrey Tautou from Amélie plays the central role in this deceptive story of a rather unusual romance. It would spoil the film's clever design to reveal what happens halfway through He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not, so let's just say that Tautou plays a winsome girl in the sunny town of Bordeaux, whose relationship with a married doctor has more layers than first it seems. Samuel LeBihan, from Brotherhood of the Wolf, plays the doctor, but it's the casting of cutie-pie Tautou that sets up the movie's gradually sinister undertow. Director Laetitia Colombani's inventive structure plays a satisfyingly tricky game with the audience, and may have some viewers going back to the beginning to make sure they saw what they thought they saw. Just don't go in expecting Amélie part deux, and you should find this an ingenious little number. --Robert HortonTrish Ryan was the quintessential succe! ssful thirtysomething woman -- she had a career as an attorney! , a nice car, and a succession of men clamoring for her affection. But despite all her accomplishments, the things by which she defined her life continually left her disappointed, especially when it came to dating.

    Like the heroines of chick-lit novels and Sex and the City, she couldn't escape her bad luck with men: men who cheated, who left her, who made her a lesser version of herself. After years of trying everything out there to make love work -- new age philosophy, feminist empowerment, myriads of self-help programs -- she finally, hesitantly, decided to give Jesus a try.

    HE LOVES ME, HE LOVES ME NOT is Ryan's story of how her search for the right guy turned into the search for the right God, and (spoiler alert!) how she ended up with the happily-ever-after ending.That adorable Audrey Tautou from Amélie plays the central role in this deceptive story of a rather unusual romance. It would spoil the film's clever design to reveal what happens halfway! through He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not, so let's just say that Tautou plays a winsome girl in the sunny town of Bordeaux, whose relationship with a married doctor has more layers than first it seems. Samuel LeBihan, from Brotherhood of the Wolf, plays the doctor, but it's the casting of cutie-pie Tautou that sets up the movie's gradually sinister undertow. Director Laetitia Colombani's inventive structure plays a satisfyingly tricky game with the audience, and may have some viewers going back to the beginning to make sure they saw what they thought they saw. Just don't go in expecting Amélie part deux, and you should find this an ingenious little number. --Robert HortonRiley loves Henry. Henry loves Riley, but he's dating Callie.

    Riley Davis is mixed up in an emotional love triangle that she wants out of.

    But she can't help the way she feels about Henry Garner. She's obsessed. And she's convinced that her on the sly relation! ship with Henry is going to end badly.

    And Henry ha! s a secr et. A secret that could make or break one relationship. But which one will it be? His relationship with Callie? Or his romantic entanglement with Riley?Riley loves Henry. Henry loves Riley, but he's dating Callie.

    Riley Davis is mixed up in an emotional love triangle that she wants out of.

    But she can't help the way she feels about Henry Garner. She's obsessed. And she's convinced that her on the sly relationship with Henry is going to end badly.

    And Henry has a secret. A secret that could make or break one relationship. But which one will it be? His relationship with Callie? Or his romantic entanglement with Riley?Remember that really cute guy who said he'd call....and didn't? Maybe He's Just Not That Into You. An all-star cast - Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Connelly, Kevin Connolly, Bradley Cooper, Ginnifer Goodwin, Scarlett Johansson and Justin Long - looks for love and finds laughs in this savvy, sexy, right-now romcom. Bas! ed on the runaway (like some guys you know) bestseller by Sex and the City series writers Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, He's Just Not That Into You sparkles with zingy aha moments any survivor of the dating wars will recognize. See it with someone you'd like to love.Based on the bestseller by two Sex and the City scribes, He's Just Not That Into You confirms that the HBO series was more than just a television show--it was a cultural institution that spawned tours, catchphrases, fashion trends, and more. Ironically, the resulting film is both smarter and funnier than the big-screen version of Carrie and the gang. Of the nine central characters, the sweet, if clueless Gigi (Big Love's Ginnifer Goodwin) makes the most vivid impression. The Maryland career girl tends to fall for friendly guys, like Conor (Entourage's Kevin Connolly), who are "just not that into" her. At a local watering hole, she meets bar manager Alex (Justin Long, Goodwin! 's Ed co-star), who sets her straight about the difference bet! ween wha t men say and what they mean, adding that there are exceptions to every rule. Her seemingly settled co-workers, Beth (Jennifer Aniston) and Janine (Jennifer Connelly), have relationship issues of their own: Beth's boyfriend of seven years, Neil (Ben Affleck), doesn't believe in marriage, and Janine's husband, Ben (Bradley Cooper), has a wandering eye... for singer/yoga instructor Anna (Scarlett Johansson). Alt-weekly ad saleswoman Mary (executive producer Drew Barrymore) provides the link between this loose-knit community. An avid Internet dater and full-time technophile, she bemoans the fact that "people don't meet each other organically anymore." At 132 minutes, Ken Kwapis's movie could use a few trims, but he brings these complicated romantic entanglements to a convincing conclusion and the confessions from random passers-by add to the laughs. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

    Bruce Almighty (Widescreen Edition)

    • TESTED
    DVDBestowing Jim Carrey with godlike powers is a ripe recipe for comedy, and Bruce Almighty delivers the laughs that Carrey's mainstream fans prefer. The high-concept premise finds Carrey playing Bruce Nolan, a frustrated Buffalo TV reporter, stuck doing puff-pieces while a lesser colleague (the hilarious Steven Carell) gets the anchor job he covets. Bruce demands an explanation from God, who pays him a visit (in the serene form of Morgan Freeman) and lets Bruce take over while he takes a brief vacation. What does a petty, angry guy do when he's God? That's where Carrey has a field day, reuniting with his Ace Ventura and Liar, Liar director, Tom Shadyac, while Jennifer Aniston gamely keeps pace as Bruce's put-upon fiancée. Carrey's actually funnier before he becomes Him, and the movie delivers a sappy, safely diluted notion of faith that lacks the sincerity! of the 1977 hit Oh, God! Still, we can be thankful that Carrey took the high road and left Little Nicky to Adam Sandler. --Jeff Shannon

    IlluStory Make Your Own Story Kit

    • Make your own book kit allows children to write and illustrate their own story
    • Receive a color-copied, professionally type-set book in a few short weeks
    • Children get to design cover and write About the Author biography page
    • Mail in story in the prepaid envelope, or create book entirely online.
    • Includes 18 book pages, 2 cover pages, 10 washable markers, story web planner, instructions, order form, and prepaid envelope
    The Art Of Getting By: Music From The Motion Picture

    This product is manufactured on demand using CD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.

    Fatalistic teenager george zingavoy is a master at just barely getting by. In fact hes practically turned it into an art form-making it through the entire school year without doing a shred of work. But when george meets a beautiful and complicated girl named sally he dis! covers a kindred spirit. Studio: Tcfhe Release Date: 11/29/2011 Starring: Freddie Highmore Emma Roberts Run time: 84 minutes Rating: Pg13Fatalistic teenager george zingavoy is a master at just barely getting by. In fact hes practically turned it into an art form-making it through the entire school year without doing a shred of work. But when george meets a beautiful and complicated girl named sally he discovers a kindred spirit. Studio: Tcfhe Release Date: 11/29/2011 Starring: Freddie Highmore Run time: 84 minutes Rating: Pg13IlluStory

    Write and illustrate your own book!!

    Imagine your child's face when she or he sees their own story and drawings made into a professionally typeset, hardbound book! With this multi - award winning kit, you simply have your child write and illustrate their story using the materials supplied in the kit, which are then mailed in (in the pre-paid envelope provided) for publication. You'll soon receive a beautiful, professionally ty! pset, 12 page, 7" x 9" hardcover book, complete with an "about! the aut hor page", title and dedication pages and your little author's name, title and drawing laminated on the cover. Extras books are optional and make great gifts for grandparents. Winner of Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal Award, Parents' Choice Classic Award, Family Life's Best Learning Toy Award and Dr. Toy Best Toy-Classic Award. Publish your own book with the Illustory Make Your Own Book Kit! This award-winning activity kit allows future authors to write and illustrate their very own story on special book pages provided. Once the story is complete, it is sent to be published, and in a few short weeks the budding writer receives a color-copied, professionally type set hardbound book. Ideal for ages five and up, this innovative kit nurtures enthusiasm for reading, writing, and illustrating.

    Let the Fun Begin
    Illustory Make Your Own Book Kit is not only fun, it also helps your child build self-esteem. You'll never forget! the look in your budding writer's eyes as you proudly display his or her first book on your coffee table or bookshelf. This kit even includes an "About the Author" biography page, title, and dedication, just like a real published book. Your child will also enjoy creating the cover and will be able to select from seven cover colors. Families can have fun too as they create their own story together. Extra books with alternate dedication pages can be ordered to make the child's story a gift or keepsake for family, friends, or teachers.

    Once your child is finished with the writing, sending the manuscript to publishing is easy, with the included paid postage envelope. Production time is about three to four weeks, plus delivery time. The finished hardcover book measures 7 by 9 inches with 12 pages, and features a permanent hardback binding, a laminated cover drawing, and book title. For techno-savy young authors, the book can be created entirely online by using the Creati! ons By You bookmaking Web site. The entire Illustory kit inclu! des 18 s pecial book pages, 2 cover pages, 10 washable markers, story web planner, instructions, order form, and a prepaid envelope. The correct spelling option allows a choice between leaving spelling errors in or having the words printed correctly.

    Award-Winning Features
    This kit was a winner of the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal Award, as well as multiple awards from other organizations. It helps builds self-esteem and sparks an interest in reading and writing. Youngsters learn to see a project through to completion, and their final printed story rewards their effort. There are many optional upgrades available (for a charge) to enhance the book. Extra books can be printed and separately dedicated as gifts for family and friends. In addition, the author's photo can appear on the bio page, and rush delivery is also available. The Make Your Own Book kit beautifully captures a child's creativity and turns it into a keepsake that will be treasured for ye! ars to come.

    What's in the Box
    18 book pages, 2 cover pages, 10 washable markers, story web planner, instructions, order form, and prepaid envelope.

    Using the popular IlluStory Make Your Own Story kit, kids who love to write and color can turn their work into a "published," hardcover book that's complete with personalized dedications for each copy. Aspiring writers ages seven and up will get a big thrill when their finished book comes in the mail featuring their own creative text as well as their own photo in the "About the Author" section!



    Kids will love seeing their work published with the IlluStory kit. View larger.


    Each kit comes with 10 colorful markers. View larger.
    W rite, Color, Publish!
    Parents will have to read the instructions carefully to help kids create and mail in their book for publishing. There are several important rules to follow, such as strict word countes per page. Once you've helped your child understand the rules, all they have to do is color and write! There are "cover pages" and "story pages" provided, with extras of each in case of mistakes -- a thoughtful touch.

    The kit includes 10 markers, but kids can also use their own. When it comes time to publish, the variety of options parents will be faced with can be confusing. They are all covered in the instructions, which are relatively clear, but you may have to read them a couple times through to fully digest them.

    Great Gifts for Relatives
    Though kids can only write one story per kit, they can write personalized dedications for each book they order, which makes their published books great gifts for grandparents and other relatives. The "About ! the Author" section is sure to be exciting for your child, especially when they see their own photo. And while younger kids will love the act of coloring and writing on the pages that are provided, older, computer-savvy kids might enjoy the option to create their book online -- an option that lets your child get published faster!

    Watch Out, Stephen King!
    We really appreciated the extra cover and story pages that were provided in case of mistakes. The "Story Web: Plan Your Story" page is a nice feature too: it gives kids a quick lesson in storytelling while encouraging them to plot their story out before writing. The ability to create your book online is very cool. But our online attempt to create the cover illustration got sadly foiled by a technical error. There was no explanation of what it was or how to fix it, either. On the other hand, the physical kit, with its quality, old-fashioned paper and pens is easy to use. Also, when you mail the story in for pub! lishing, the postage is free!


    What's i! n the Bo x
    Instructions, story web planner, two cover pages, 18 book pages, order form, 10 broadline washable markers, and postage paid envelope.

    IlluStory Make Your Own Story Kit gives kids the opportunity to write, illustrate, and publish their very own hardcover books, whether they want to create their own magical world or describe a fun family vacation. After sending the writing and illustrations for their entire story, they'll receive a typeset 7-by-9-inch hardcover book with 12 story pages, a dedication page, a title page, and an "About the Author" page in three to four weeks. The cost of IlluStory covers postage and production of the book, making this a great gift for budding authors of all ages.

    Creation by You Logo
    IlluStory Kit
    • Ages: Five and up
    • Requires: Online code (included)
    At a Glance:
    • All-inclusive kit to create your very own hardcover book
    • Kids write and illustrate their own story
    • Story planner helps kids start the writing process
    • Write by hand and send using prepaid envelope or ! submit o nline
    • Includes 10 washable markers and 18 book pages
    IlluStory Make Your Own Story Kit
    IlluStory Make Your Own Story Kit
    All-inclusive kit makes publishing your own book a snap. View larger.
    IlluStory Make Your Own Story Kit
    Send your story either through mail or online. View larger.
    Gets Kids Excited about Writing

    Winner of several industry awards, including an iP! arenting Media Award and Better Homes and Gardens Creative Child Toy of the Year Award, IlluStory is a creative way to help kids develop their writing skills. Kids choose their topic and do all the writing and illustrating, so parents are much less likely to hear moans and groans about being bored. A helpful Story Web sheet helps get the creative juices flowing, and the set of 10 washable markers is sure to inspire their artistic side.

    Create by Hand or Design Online

    Your child can either handwrite the book on the provided pages or submit it page by page online. The one benefit of Internet publishing is a shorter turnaround time. Sticking to the traditional method, however, is easier and more convenient for younger children, although parents will likely have to help transcribe the text.

    Prepaid Publication--No Hidden Costs

    This kit comes with an order form where your child can choose from seven different cover styles with or without accent tr! im. This sheet also offers a range of add-on options--like 18 ! pages wi th double-sided printing, rush delivery, book jackets, and including a photo on the About the Author page--at an additional cost. If you just stick to the basic book and the normal delivery timeline, you won't have to pay a dime, not even for postage. A prepaid envelope comes with the kit.

    Professional Final Product

    Our testers found that the finished book looks very professional, with good quality paper, outlined illustrations, and clear text. The spine of the book seems sturdy and well made so it should hold up through multiple readings. Additional copies for friends and relatives can easily be ordered online.

    What's in the Box

    Instructions, story planner, 2 cover pages, 18 book pages, 10 washable markers, order form, and prepaid envelope.


    Twitter Delicious Facebook Digg Stumbleupon Favorites More

     

    web log free
    What We Think

    Fun Factor:

    Durability:

    (what this means)

    The Good: Personalized copies of books make great gifts for relatives

    The Bad: Complicated instructions and publishing options

    In a Nutshell: Creative kids will definitely be thrilled at becoming a "published" author
    At a Glance

    Ages: 7 and up