Friday, May 18, 2012

The American President

  • Condition: New
  • Format: DVD
  • Color; DVD; Widescreen; NTSC

The young president who brought vigor and glamour to the White House while he confronted cold war crises abroad and calls for social change at home

John Fitzgerald Kennedy was a new kind of president. He redefined how Americans came to see the nation's chief executive. He was forty-three when he was inaugurated in 1961â€"the youngest man ever elected to the officeâ€"and he personified what he called the "New Frontier" as the United States entered the 1960s.

But as Alan Brinkley shows in this incisive and lively assessment, the reality of Kennedy's achievements was much more complex than the legend. His brief presidency encountered significant failuresâ€"among them the Bay of Pigs fiasco, which cast its shadow on nearly every national-security decision that followed. But Kennedy also had successes, am! ong them the Cuban Missile Crisis and his belated but powerful stand against segregation.

Kennedy seemed to live on a knife's edge, moving from one crisis to anotherâ€"Cuba, Laos, Berlin, Vietnam, Mississippi, Georgia, and Alabama. His controversial public life mirrored his hidden private life. He took risks that would seem reckless and even foolhardy when they emerged from secrecy years later.

Kennedy's life, and his violent and sudden death, reshaped our view of the presidency. Brinkley gives us a full picture of the man, his times, and his enduring legacy.

The young president who brought vigor and glamour to the White House while he confronted cold war crises abroad and calls for social change at home

John Fitzgerald Kennedy was a new kind of president. He redefined how Americans came to see the nation's chief executive. He was forty-three when he was inaugurated in 1961â€"the youngest man ever elected to the officeâ€"and he personified w! hat he called the "New Frontier" as the United States entered ! the 1960 s.

But as Alan Brinkley shows in this incisive and lively assessment, the reality of Kennedy's achievements was much more complex than the legend. His brief presidency encountered significant failuresâ€"among them the Bay of Pigs fiasco, which cast its shadow on nearly every national-security decision that followed. But Kennedy also had successes, among them the Cuban Missile Crisis and his belated but powerful stand against segregation.

Kennedy seemed to live on a knife's edge, moving from one crisis to anotherâ€"Cuba, Laos, Berlin, Vietnam, Mississippi, Georgia, and Alabama. His controversial public life mirrored his hidden private life. He took risks that would seem reckless and even foolhardy when they emerged from secrecy years later.

Kennedy's life, and his violent and sudden death, reshaped our view of the presidency. Brinkley gives us a full picture of the man, his times, and his enduring legacy.

Michael Douglas, Annette Bening, Martin Sheen, M! ichael J. Fox. The blockbuster romantic comedy about a modern president and the beautiful environmental lobbyist who wins his heart. 1995/color/115 min/PG-13/widescreen.What sounds like a high-concept romantic comedy pitch from hell--widower president falls for smart lobbyist while the world watches--is actually intelligent, charming, touching, and quite funny. Granted, it's wish fulfillment all the way (when was the last time you saw a president who was truly presidential?), but in the capable hands of writer Aaron Sorkin (TV's Sports Night) and director Rob Reiner, The American President is incredibly enjoyable entertainment with quite a few ideas about both romance and the government. Michael Douglas stars as the president, who after three years in office starts thinking about the possibility of dating. When he auspiciously encounters cutthroat environmental lobbyist Sydney Ellen Wade (Annette Bening), sparks begin to crackle and the two begin a tent! ative but heartfelt romance. Of course, his job gets in the wa! y--their first kiss is interrupted by a Libyan bombing--but darn it if these two kids aren't going to try and make it work! However, they hadn't counted on the president's Republican antagonist (Richard Dreyfuss), who starts carping about family values. The predictable plot--Douglas finally goes to bat for his lady and his country--is leavened by Sorkin's wonderful, snappy dialogue and a light touch from the usually subtle-as-a-sledgehammer Reiner. Both manage to create a believable White House-office atmosphere (with a crack staff including Martin Sheen, Michael J. Fox, Anna Deavere Smith, and Samantha Mathis) as well as a plausible and funny dating scenario. The true success of the movie, though, rides squarely on Douglas and Bening; this is unequivocally Douglas's best comedic performance (ergo his best performance, period) and Bening, usually such a good bad girl, takes a standard career-woman role and fleshes it out magnificently. You can see in an instant why Douglas would fal! l for her. One of the best unsung romantic comedies of the '90s. --Mark Englehart
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Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Dead & Buried (Limited Edition)

  • DEAD & BURIED LIMITED EDITION 2-DISC (DVD MOVIE)
Paul Conroy is not ready to die. But when he wakes up six feet underground with no idea of who put him there or why, life for the truck driver and family man instantly becomes a hellish struggle for survival. Buried with only a cell phone and a lighter, his contact with the outside world and ability to piece together clues that could help him discover his location are maddeningly limited. Poor reception, a rapidly draining battery, and a dwindling oxygen supply become his worst enemies in a tightly confined race against time; fighting panic, despair and delirium, Paul has only ninety minutes to be rescued before his worst nightmare comes true.Alfred Hitchcock, eat your heart out. Sure, the master of suspense set himself some tough challenges with limited scenarios: Lifeboat took place entirely within the title craft, Rear Window d! idn't stray from Jimmy Stewart's apartment, and Rope stuck mostly to an unbroken take. But Spanish director Rodrigo Cortés wants to do the master one better: Buried is set inside a coffin, buried beneath a few feet of immovable earth. Paul Conroy (Ryan Reynolds) wakes up inside the coffin, a cell phone and lighter next to him; for the next 90 minutes, we won't leave the narrow space of that wooden box. No cheats: no flashbacks to Paul's past, no cross-cutting with efforts to free him. Cortés sticks to the rules and follows his story out to its conclusion, and in the process he must think of every possible way to shoot and light someone in a confined space. Seems Paul was in Iraq as a non-military truck driver when he got caught in some crossfire, and somebody wants to make a point. The cell phone allows him to speak, and try to puzzle out what's happening, but except for the voices on the other end, this is entirely Ryan Reynolds's show. The actor is up for ! it: although he can't use his body, he calls on both his actio! n-movie chops and (at certain exasperating moments) his comic talents. By definition, this is a bravura turn, and Reynolds comes through firing on all cylinders. Buried is an exercise, but it manages to sneak in a few sly suggestions about the nature of an American's presence in the Middle East. It even earns points for an excellent credits sequence--a clever nod to Hitchcock classics. Somehow you suspect the master would approve. --Robert HortonFour years after the horrific murder of her husband, Serenity is living a new life and finally putting the terrifying events behind her. Though now a stronger person, her heart craves the vampire who gave her the strength to change her life.

Desperate to forget Serenity, Sebastian hides away in the underground tunnels of Goreme, Turkey, and has thrown himself into an existence of darkness and blood.

But rumours are abound of something unnatural existing, something with the strength of a vampire but can w! alk in the light.

And a murderer is on the loose in Angeles Forest, someone who is killing with the ferocity of a beast. The killer is moving closer and closer to the city, searching for something...


The 'Serenity' Series:
  • 'The Vengeful Vampire'   - Free Prequel Short Story  
  •  'Alone'                              - Book One in the Series is now FREE!
  •  'Buried'                             - Book Two in the Series 
  • 'Captured'                          - Book Three is available to buy now!
Four years after the horrific murder of her husband, Serenity is living a new life and finally putting the terrifying events behind her. Though now a stronger person, her heart craves the vampire who gave her the strength to change her life.

Desperate to forget Serenity, Sebastian hides away in the und! erground tunnels of Goreme, Turkey, and has thrown himself int! o an exi stence of darkness and blood.

But rumours are abound of something unnatural existing, something with the strength of a vampire but can walk in the light.

And a murderer is on the loose in Angeles Forest, someone who is killing with the ferocity of a beast. The killer is moving closer and closer to the city, searching for something...


The 'Serenity' Series:
  • 'The Vengeful Vampire'   - Free Prequel Short Story  
  •  'Alone'                              - Book One in the Series is now FREE!
  •  'Buried'                             - Book Two in the Series 
  • 'Captured'                          - Book Three is available to buy now!
Some secrets just can't stay buried, in the brilliant new Lucas Davenport thriller from the number-one New York Times- bestselling author.

"One of the bes! t," said Kirkus Reviews of Storm Prey. "Razor-sharp dialogue, a tautly controlled pace and enough homicides for a miniseries. What more could fans want?"

A house demolition provides an unpleasant surprise for Minneapolis-the bodies of two girls, wrapped in plastic. It looks like they've been there a long time. Lucas Davenport knows exactly how long.

In 1985, Davenport was a young cop with a reputation for recklessness, and the girls' disappearance was a big deal. His bosses ultimately declared the case closed, but he never agreed with that. Now that he has a chance to investigate it all over again, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: It wasn't just the bodies that were buried. It was the truth.


Some secrets just can't stay buried, in the brilliant new Lucas Davenport thriller from the number-one New York Times- bestselling author.

"One of the best," said Kirkus Reviews of Storm Prey. "R! azor-sharp dialogue, a tautly controlled pace and enough homic! ides for a miniseries. What more could fans want?"

A house demolition provides an unpleasant surprise for Minneapolis-the bodies of two girls, wrapped in plastic. It looks like they've been there a long time. Lucas Davenport knows exactly how long.

In 1985, Davenport was a young cop with a reputation for recklessness, and the girls' disappearance was a big deal. His bosses ultimately declared the case closed, but he never agreed with that. Now that he has a chance to investigate it all over again, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: It wasn't just the bodies that were buried. It was the truth.


James Farentino, Melody Anderson, Robert Englund. When tourists in a small town on the coast start being murdered, the local sheriff uncovers some dark and ugly secrets. But the oddities don't stop there. The people killed become reincarnated as normal, friendly citizens around town. 1981/color/94 min/R/widescreen.Overlooked during its theatrical run but a cu! lt favorite on video, this unique and chilling take on the zombie film finally joins the digital ranks with a two-DVD set from Blue Underground. James Farentino stars as a small-town sheriff who discovers that the victims in a string of grisly murders are reappearing seemingly alive and unharmed. His investigation leads him to suspect that the local mortician (Jack Albertson) is somehow responsible for these reanimated corpses; what Farentino doesn't know is the extent to which the entire town-himself included-is involved. First-time viewers will appreciate director Gary Sherman's attention to pacing and atmosphere, as well as the often darkly humorous script by co-producer Ronald Shusett and Dan O'Bannon (Alien, Total Recall) and the solid cast (which includes future horror star Robert Englund); longtime fans will appreciate the fact that Blue Underground's uncut print restores many of Stan Winston's gruesome special effects. --Paul Gaita
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Friday, April 13, 2012

The Accidental Husband

  • Includes Matters Of The Heart (Making-of Featurette).
New York firefighter Patrick Sullivan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) had no idea his seemingly idyllic life was about to go up in smoke - especially as the unwitting, second-hand recipient of advice from famed love expert and radio host Dr. Emma Lloyd (Uma Thurman). One day he is a happy, go-lucky guy looking forward to a life with his soon-to-be-bride. The next thing you know, his fianc‚e Sophia (Justina Machado) is seeking couples counseling on the radio from Dr. Lloyd. The no-nonsense, ever practical Dr. Lloyd questions Sophia's concept of romantic love and advises her to break their engagement, which she swiftly does. But when Patrick and his computer-savvy neighbor decide to give Dr. Lloyd a taste of her own medicine and accidentally join them in holy matrimony - something that doesn't go over too well with her fianc‚e (played by Colin Fir! th) -- it isn't long before they learn that sometimes even an expert in love needs a second opinion.Doctor, heal thyself! That's the wry message underscoring the charming romantic comedy The Accidental Husband, which features Uma Thurman as Emma, a radio "love doctor" who can't quite seem to manage her own love life off the air. The cast is splendid, led by Thurman, who has rarely gotten to show her comic chops, and who really is very funny and has a gift for physical comedy as well. The two bachelors whose lives are accidentally (on purpose?) entangled with hers are played by two dreamboats, Jeffrey Dean Morgan (rugged firefighter Patrick) and Colin Firth (her fiancé, Richard). The chemistry between Emma and both suitors is crackling and captured well on film by director Griffin Dunne. Thurman, Morgan, and Firth are joined by a supporting cast every bit as spot-on as they are: Sam Shepard, Brooke Adams, Isabella Rossellini, Sarita Choudhury, and Keir Dullea, each o! f whom brings his or her own quirks and charms. The Acciden! tal Husb and is very much in the mode of Four Weddings and a Funeral and the Bridget Jones films--which is to say, make a date with it for your next date night. --A.T. Hurley
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Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Red Devil 3063 2.5-Inch Double-Edge Blade

  • Blade can be resharpened
  • Single-edge steel blade
  • Can be used for most surface preparations
  • Resharpen with file
  • 2 blades per pack
An American couple on their honeymoon walks into a bar in Guadalajara, Mexico. Unbeknownst to them they capture the attention of Belu, a creature that sits without form in the shadows of the bar. Belu, sensing they have what he needs to help him take over the world, slips into their minds and transforms himself into the object of both of their desires. The couple, unable to resist, takes Belu back to their room for a rapturous Devil's Threesome where Belu extract from them something more valuable to him then their soul.

4,500 Words


*Please note that this story contains very explicit descriptions of erotic and sexual situations written for extreme genital arousal which will lead to self-pleasure. Mature rea! ders only.


Excerpt:
Belu stared deep into her eyes inserting his tongue into her mouth. With their two muscles again in a dance, Lilly grabbed at Belu's form fitting black shirt and tore it down the center. Pulling the shirt onto his shoulders she tore one arm through then the other. And with Belu's perfectly sculpted torso free, she lunged for his pants.

Loosening the button, Belu's pants popped open and out slither the tip of his hefty thick c***. Lilly, wanting desperately to have it inside her, threw her hips up enticing it to her cl*t. Unable to get past his stretched denim, her hips collided with his tented jeans causing her bones to rattle with frustration. Belu like this.

facebook.com/AlexAndersBooksAn American couple on their honeymoon walks into a bar in Guadalajara, Mexico. Unbeknownst to them they capture the attention of Belu, a creature that sits without form in the shadows of the bar. Belu, sensing they have what h! e needs to help him take over the world, slips into their mind! s and tr ansforms himself into the object of both of their desires. The couple, unable to resist, takes Belu back to their room for a rapturous Devil's Threesome where Belu extract from them something more valuable to him then their soul.

4,500 Words


*Please note that this story contains very explicit descriptions of erotic and sexual situations written for extreme genital arousal which will lead to self-pleasure. Mature readers only.


Excerpt:
Belu stared deep into her eyes inserting his tongue into her mouth. With their two muscles again in a dance, Lilly grabbed at Belu's form fitting black shirt and tore it down the center. Pulling the shirt onto his shoulders she tore one arm through then the other. And with Belu's perfectly sculpted torso free, she lunged for his pants.

Loosening the button, Belu's pants popped open and out slither the tip of his hefty thick c***. Lilly, wanting desperately to have it inside her, threw her hips up enticin! g it to her cl*t. Unable to get past his stretched denim, her hips collided with his tented jeans causing her bones to rattle with frustration. Belu like this.

facebook.com/AlexAndersBooksThis book is now a major motion picture released with the same title in August 2011. In 1987, Latif Yahia was taken to Saddam's headquarters to meet Uday, Saddam's eldest son, and told that a great honour had been bestowed upon him: that because of the great likeness between them, he had been chosen to be Uday's double. For many Iraqis it would have been the highlight of their lives, but for Latif, a peace-loving man who did not agree with Saddam's brutal regime, it was not. He refused. Following a week of torture, and realising he would be killed if he continued to refuse, Latif was forced to accept the role. After a gruesome training programme during which he was made to watch over thirty films of torture, hours of tapes of Uday, and undertake a final remodelling of his appearance! , Latif was deemed ready. But it was only after the final test! , a meet ing with Saddam himself, that Latif made his first public appearance. And so began his life as Uday's double - a life on the perimeter of the inner circle of Saddam's eldest son, a witness to the horror of his insane life of debauchery, excess and brutality, and an experience for which he almost paid with his life on more than one occasion. From The Publisher: Latif Yahia has never attained citizenship from another country, still stateless since his flight from Iraq in 1992, he attributes this to the fact that he refused to work with intelligence services against his country. There should be a distinction made between Saddam and Iraq, being against the invasion of Iraq in 2003 did not mean that he was for Saddam, he opposed the war because he knew what it would do to the Iraqi people and the country as a whole and also who would be appoionted Iraq s new leaders and what they too were capable of. At the beginning of the invasion, Latif Yahia warned the American led forces tha! t they may remove one Saddam but they would create one hundred and they may remove one Uday but make one hundred more . This has been proved by recent events in Iraq. After his flight from Iraq Latif Yahia was considered by Saddam and the regime to be a Traitor, now within the new government he is considered to be a collaborator. A no win situation.Red Devil 3063 Scraper Blades, Single Edge Replacement blades for single edge wood scrapers. Red Devil 3063 Scraper Blades, Single Edge Features: 2 1/2" (6.4 cm) Blade Carded Fits scraper 3050 (3673-5207) Hardened high-carbon steel blades Resharpen with file 2-1/2" long 2 per card
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Friday, February 10, 2012

The Buenos Aires Broken Hearts Club

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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Black Hawk Down [Blu-ray]

  • Condition: New
  • Format: Blu-ray
  • Anamorphic; Color; Dolby; Subtitled; Widescreen
From acclaimed director Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Hannibal) and renowned producer Jerry Bruckheimer (Pearl Harbor, Armageddon) comes a gripping true story about bravery, camaradarie and the complex reality of war. Black Hawk Down stars an exceptional cast including Josh Hartnett (Pearl Harbor), Ewan McGregor (Moulin Rouge!), Tom Sizemore (Saving Private Ryan), Eric Bana (Chopper), William Fichtner (The Perfect Storm), Ewen Bremner (Snatch) and Sam Shepard (All The Pretty Horses). In 1993, an elite group of American Rangers and Delta Force soldiers are sent to Somalia on a critical mission to capture a violent warlord whose corrupt regime has lead to the starvation of hundreds of thousands of Somalis. When the mission ! goes terribly wrong, the men find themselves outnumbered and literally fighting for their lives.Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down conveys the raw, chaotic urgency of ground-force battle in a worst-case scenario. With exacting detail, the film re-creates the American siege of the Somalian city of Mogadishu in October 1993, when a 45-minute mission turned into a 16-hour ordeal of bloody urban warfare. Helicopter-borne U.S. Rangers were assigned to capture key lieutenants of Somali warlord Muhammad Farrah Aidid, but when two Black Hawk choppers were felled by rocket-propelled grenades, the U.S. soldiers were forced to fend for themselves in the battle-torn streets of Mogadishu, attacked from all sides by armed Aidid supporters. Based on author Mark Bowden's bestselling account of the battle, Scott's riveting, action-packed film follows a sharp ensemble cast in some of the most authentic battle sequences ever filmed. The loss of 18 soldiers turned American opinion against f! urther involvement in Somalia, but Black Hawk Down make! s it cle ar that the men involved were undeniably heroic. --Jeff Shannon Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down conveys the raw, chaotic urgency of ground-force battle in a worst-case scenario. With exacting detail, the film re-creates the American siege of the Somalian city of Mogadishu in October 1993, when a 45-minute mission turned into a 16-hour ordeal of bloody urban warfare. Helicopter-borne U.S. Rangers were assigned to capture key lieutenants of Somali warlord Muhammad Farrah Aidid, but when two Black Hawk choppers were felled by rocket-propelled grenades, the U.S. soldiers were forced to fend for themselves in the battle-torn streets of Mogadishu, attacked from all sides by armed Aidid supporters. Based on author Mark Bowden's bestselling account of the battle, Scott's riveting, action-packed film follows a sharp ensemble cast in some of the most authentic battle sequences ever filmed. The loss of 18 soldiers turned American opinion against further involvement in Soma! lia, but Black Hawk Down makes it clear that the men involved were undeniably heroic. --Jeff ShannonFrom acclaimed director Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Hannibal) and renowned producer Jerry Bruckheimer (Pearl Harbor, Armageddon) comes a gripping true story about bravery, camaradarie and the complex reality of war. Black Hawk Down stars an exceptional cast including Josh Hartnett (Pearl Harbor), Ewan McGregor (Moulin Rouge!), Tom Sizemore (Saving Private Ryan), Eric Bana (Chopper), William Fichtner (The Perfect Storm), Ewen Bremner (Snatch) and Sam Shepard (All The Pretty Horses). In 1993, an elite group of American Rangers and Delta Force soldiers are sent to Somalia on a critical mission to capture a violent warlord whose corrupt regime has lead to the starvation of hundreds of thousands of Somalis. When the mission goes terribly wrong, the men find themselves outnumbered and literally fighting for t! heir lives.Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down conveys the r! aw, chao tic urgency of ground-force battle in a worst-case scenario. With exacting detail, the film re-creates the American siege of the Somalian city of Mogadishu in October 1993, when a 45-minute mission turned into a 16-hour ordeal of bloody urban warfare. Helicopter-borne U.S. Rangers were assigned to capture key lieutenants of Somali warlord Muhammad Farrah Aidid, but when two Black Hawk choppers were felled by rocket-propelled grenades, the U.S. soldiers were forced to fend for themselves in the battle-torn streets of Mogadishu, attacked from all sides by armed Aidid supporters. Based on author Mark Bowden's bestselling account of the battle, Scott's riveting, action-packed film follows a sharp ensemble cast in some of the most authentic battle sequences ever filmed. The loss of 18 soldiers turned American opinion against further involvement in Somalia, but Black Hawk Down makes it clear that the men involved were undeniably heroic. --Jeff Shannon Ridley Scott's ! Black Hawk Down conveys the raw, chaotic urgency of ground-force battle in a worst-case scenario. With exacting detail, the film re-creates the American siege of the Somalian city of Mogadishu in October 1993, when a 45-minute mission turned into a 16-hour ordeal of bloody urban warfare. Helicopter-borne U.S. Rangers were assigned to capture key lieutenants of Somali warlord Muhammad Farrah Aidid, but when two Black Hawk choppers were felled by rocket-propelled grenades, the U.S. soldiers were forced to fend for themselves in the battle-torn streets of Mogadishu, attacked from all sides by armed Aidid supporters. Based on author Mark Bowden's bestselling account of the battle, Scott's riveting, action-packed film follows a sharp ensemble cast in some of the most authentic battle sequences ever filmed. The loss of 18 soldiers turned American opinion against further involvement in Somalia, but Black Hawk Down makes it clear that the men involved were undeniably ! heroic. --Jeff Shannon
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Thursday, January 19, 2012

Derailed (Unrated Widescreen)

  • A clandestine love affair may claim a terrible price from two desperate people in this intelligent thriller. Charles Schine (Clive Owen) is an advertising executive who is happily married to Deana (Melissa George) and has a young daughter. However, that begins to change when Charles meets Lucinda Harris (Jennifer Aniston) on a commuter train. Lucinda, who is also married with a daughter, keep bump
Some lines should never becrossed.ProductInformationIn Derailed married man Charles Schine (Clive Owen) meets LucindaHarris (Jennifer Aniston) a high powered businesswoman on a commutertrain one morning.  An innocent conversation leads to anevening drink.  Before either one can stop it their arousedpassions lead to a sizzling one-night stand.  Suddenly astranger explodes into their world threatening to expose their secretand lures them into a terrifying game with more surprises than they sawcomin! g.Product Features Deleted Scenes The Making of DerailedSpecifications Stars:  Clive Own JenniferAniston Vincent Cassel Format:  Color DVD-VideoWidescreen Language:  English French Subtitles:  English Spanish Number of Discs: 1 Rating:  Unrated/Not Rated Run Time:  112 minutes Directed By:  Mikael H?fstr?mWith a nasty villain and a plot twist that will take many viewers by surprise, Derailed is the kind of potboiler that's enjoyable in spite of its flaws. It's basically two-thirds of a good movie, with a convincing set-up and a barely plausible payoff that... well, you've just got to see it and decide for yourself. Like Fatal Attraction, it's a good-enough thriller that turns infidelity into every man's nightmare, beginning when Charles (Clive Owen), a well-to-do Chicago advertising director with a sickly, diabetic daughter and a slightly troubled marriage, has a chance encounter with Lucinda (Jennifer Aniston), a lovely and quick-witted financial advis! or who's also stuck in a marital rut. Their chemistry is insta! nt (betw een both characters and stars), but their eventual hotel tryst is interrupted by a mugger (French actor Vincent Cassel at his vile, despicable best) who's out to milk Charles for every dollar he's got. Of course, one phone call to the police would solve everyone's problems, but as he did with Collateral (albeit more convincingly), screenwriter Stuart Beattie turns up the tension with such manipulative skill that you're willing to skate past the plot holes and go along for the ride. With lively supporting performances by rappers Xzibit and RZA, Derailed marks a commercially slick American debut for Swedish director Mikael Håfström, whose 2003 thriller Evil was a Best Foreign Film Oscar®-nominee. --Jeff Shannon
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Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Chew On This: Everything You Don't Want to Know About Fast Food

  • ISBN13: 9780618593941
  • Condition: New
  • Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
Fast food has hastened the malling of our landscape, widened the chasm between rich and poor, fueled an epidemic of obesity, and propelled American cultural imperialism abroad. That's a lengthy list of charges, but here Eric Schlosser makes them stick with an artful mix of first-rate reportage, wry wit, and careful reasoning.

Schlosser's myth-shattering survey stretches from California's subdivisions where the business was born to the industrial corridor along the New Jersey Turnpike where many fast food's flavors are concocted. Along the way, he unearths a trove of fascinating, unsettling truths -- from the unholy alliance between fast food and H! ollywood to the seismic changes the industry has wrought in food production, popular culture, and even real estate. He also uncovers the fast food chains' disturbing efforts to reel in the youngest, most susceptible consumers even while they hone their institutionalized exploitation of teenagers and minorities.

On any given day, one out of four Americans opts for a quick and cheap meal at a fast-food restaurant, without giving either its speed or its thriftiness a second thought. Fast food is so ubiquitous that it now seems as American, and harmless, as apple pie. But the industry's drive for consolidation, homogenization, and speed has radically transformed America's diet, landscape, economy, and workforce, often in insidiously destructive ways. Eric Schlosser, an award-winning journalist, opens his ambitious and ultimately devastating exposé with an introduction to the iconoclasts and high school dropouts, such as Harlan Sanders and the McDonald brothers, who first ap! plied the principles of a factory assembly line to a commercia! l kitche n. Quickly, however, he moves behind the counter with the overworked and underpaid teenage workers, onto the factory farms where the potatoes and beef are grown, and into the slaughterhouses run by giant meatpacking corporations. Schlosser wants you to know why those French fries taste so good (with a visit to the world's largest flavor company) and "what really lurks between those sesame-seed buns." Eater beware: forget your concerns about cholesterol, there is--literally--feces in your meat.

Schlosser's investigation reaches its frightening peak in the meatpacking plants as he reveals the almost complete lack of federal oversight of a seemingly lawless industry. His searing portrayal of the industry is disturbingly similar to Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, written in 1906: nightmare working conditions, union busting, and unsanitary practices that introduce E. coli and other pathogens into restaurants, public schools, and homes. Almost as disturbing is hi! s description of how the industry "both feeds and feeds off the young," insinuating itself into all aspects of children's lives, even the pages of their school books, while leaving them prone to obesity and disease. Fortunately, Schlosser offers some eminently practical remedies. "Eating in the United States should no longer be a form of high-risk behavior," he writes. Where to begin? Ask yourself, is the true cost of having it "your way" really worth it? --Lesley Reed

Food, Inc. is guaranteed to shake up our perceptions of what we eat. This powerful documentary deconstructing the corporate food industry in America was hailed by Entertainment Weekly as Â"more than a terrific movie—it’s an important movie.” Aided by expert commentators such as Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser, the film poses questions such as: Where has my food come from, and who has processed it? What are the giant agribusinesses and what stake do they have in maintaining th! e status quo of food production and consumption? How can I fee! d my fam ily healthy foods affordably?

Expanding on the film’s themes, the book Food, Inc. will answer those questions through a series of challenging essays by leading experts and thinkers. This book will encourage those inspired by the film to learn more about the issues, and act to change the world.

In the New York Times bestseller Chew on This, Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson unwrap the fast-food industry to bring you a behind-the-scenes look at a business that both feeds and feeds off the young. Find out what really goes on at your favorite restaurantsâ€"and what lurks between those sesame seed buns.

Praised for being accessible, honest, humorous, fascinating, and alarming, Chew On This was also repeatedly referred to as a must-read for kids who regularly eat fast food. Having all the facts about fast food helps young people make healthy decisions about what they eat. Chew On This shows them that they can change the world by changing what they eat.
Chew on This also includes action steps, a discussion guide, and a new afterword by the authors.
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