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This exciting game presents a fun and educational approach ... Read more

This exciting game presents a fun and educational approach to grocery shopping that can be adapted to fit different levels and abilities. The goods on the included shopping lists and game board can be used for matching or can be sorted into categories. More advanced players can apply basic math skills to add up their lists, give discounts and apply coupons. This is a great tool for reinforcing daily living skills and independence, as players learn all about what to expect at the supermarket. Minimize

In his "Lives of the Artists", Vasari wrote: "While we may ... Read more

In his "Lives of the Artists", Vasari wrote: "While we may term other works paintings, those of Raphael are living things, the flesh palpitates, the breath comes and goes, every organ lives, life pulsates everywhere." In this extensively illustrated book featuring some 300 illustrations, the author takes a critical look at the life and work of Rafaello Sanzio, or as he signed certain paintings, Raphael Urbinas, in homage to his native city of Urbino. Described as "an artist touched by grace," he is considered, along with Michelangelo and Leonardo, to be one of the greatest painters of the Italian Renaissance. Raphael (1483-1520), whose birth and death were on a Good Friday, belonged to a family of merchants; aside from his training in the studio of Perugino, little is known about his earliest years. He arrived in Florence in 1504, where he studied the masters and produced magnificent paintings of the Madonna, as well as remarkable portraits. In 1508 he went to Rome, where he died a dozen years later at the height of his powers, after creating monumental works at the Vatican. De Vecchi re-examines the scholarship surrounding each of the major periods of Raphael's short career, dispelling the myths about him that have accumulated over the centuries. He reminds us that the most "profound" element of Raphael's art was his striving to express the dialectic between earthly and heavenly love, an important concern of his contemporaries. The coverage of the text extends beyond the paintings to Raphael's significant work as an architect and designer of interiors. Minimize

When he was born, Michelangelo Buonarroti was put into the ... Read more

When he was born, Michelangelo Buonarroti was put into the care of a stonecutter's family. He often said it was from them that he got his love of sculpture. It certainly didn't come from his own father, a respectable magistrate who beat his son when he asked to become an artists apprentice.But Michelangelo persevered. His early sculptures caught the attention of Florence's great ruler, Lorenzo de' Medici, who invited the boy to be educated with his own sons. Soon after, Michelangelo was astonishing people with the lifelike creations he wrested from marble--from the heartbreaking Pieta he sculpted when he was only twenty-five to the majestic David that brought him acclaim as the greatest sculptor in Italy.Michelangelo had a turbulent, quarrelsome life. He was obsessed with perfection and felt that everyone--from family members to his demanding patrons--took advantage and let him down. His long and difficult association with Pope Julius II yielded his greatest masterpiece, the radiant paintings in the Sistine Chapel, and his most disastrous undertaking, the monumental tomb that caused the artist frustration and heartache for forty years.With her thoroughly researched, lively narrative and superbly detailed illustrations, Diane Stanley has captured the life of an artist who towered above the late Renaissance--and whose brilliance in architecture, painting, and sculpture amazes and moves us to this day.Children's Books 2000-NY Public Lib., Books for Youth Editor's Choice 2000 (Booklist), Lasting Connections 2000 (Book Links), Best Books 2000 (School Library Journal), Top 10 Youth Art Books 2000 (Booklist), and Notable Children's Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies 2001, National Council for SS & Child. Book Council Minimize

Meet the NumbersTM DVDLearning Numbers Has Never Been This ... Read more

Meet the NumbersTM DVDLearning Numbers Has Never Been This Easy!Children will fall in love with these wonderful characters as they Meet the Numbers. Children who watch Meet the Numbers can easily learn to recognize numbers from 0 to 10 in a few days. Preschool Prep SeriesTM DVDs are used in thousands of schools and have won over 25 national awards. You will be amazed at how easily your little ones can learn their numbers! Featuring: Numbers Zero to TenEnglish/Spanish Minimize

Penny Panda provides lots of practice in counting money. Fo ... Read more

Penny Panda provides lots of practice in counting money. Four main activities help children with counting a given amount, comparing amounts, presenting money to match a specific sum, and determining change accurately. Program Options: Choose to present activities in either English or Spanish. For each of the 4 activities, Count, Compare, Pay Exact Amount, and How Much Change?... select one of 24 levels beginning as simple as Pennies to 10 cents, Pennies to 20 cents, Dimes to 50 cents,... working up through Quarters, Dimes, Nickels, and Pennies to $1.00... and culminating with inclusion of $5 bill, $1 Bills, Quarters, Dimes, Nickels, and Pennies up to $10. Teachers may have students remain at the selected level, or advance automatically through each level based on your defined competency setting of a given percentage correct for N problems. An added option allows teachers to include the newer coin faces for quarters and nickels along with the older, more standard ones. Minimize

Gen X Games' Daniel Val says that Mecanisburgo takes place ... Read more

Gen X Games' Daniel Val says that Mecanisburgo takes place in an alternative present world that meets the predictions of H.G. Wells and other old-school SF authors with robots and humans living side-by-side with humans and an extraterrestrial energy source -- Cavorite -- boosting the development of science and technology. In this world each player rules a different megacorporation in the giant megalopolis and on each turn you send out employees to different sectors of the city to try to obtain actions (shown on cards) available there as well as actions native to that section fo the city. The mechanisms could be compared to games like Age of Empires III but with the important difference that even if you're first to certain resources you're not guaranteed to get them because if other players go for them combat or negotiation will ensue says Val. In the end players are hunting for VPs both on the cards they collect and in big projects such as building a moon base. Characters also enter the game in unexpected number and if you meet the unique victory conditions associated with a character you win immediately. Notes Val Cards are also used as die rolls so you cannot count on a certain card to always show up. Victory condition cards which work something like character cards turn up on turns three and four giving players yet another target. Description written by W. Eric Martin and used with permission of BoardgameNews.com Minimize

-Tailor assessments to every topic, skill, and concept taug ... Read more

-Tailor assessments to every topic, skill, and concept taught in physical education.-Help students make connections between concepts to enhance learning.-Meet a wide range of learning styles and teach to all intelligences, including linguistic, spatial, visual, and kinesthetic. -Incorporate learning into the assessment process by calling on various levels of thinking, such as recall, summary application, and evaluation.In today's physical education framework, the demands on your time and energy are great. Every second of class time is precious, so an efficient method of assessment that can plug into any lesson or unit being taught is a highly sought-after commodity. Loaded with assessment templates and sample units, the Physical Education Assessment Toolkit provides you with everything you need in order to simultaneously assess and teach students the lifelong value of physical education. Assessment templates form the basis of the Physical Education Assessment Toolkit. Presented in a concise, user-friendly format, this comprehensive package contains the following features:-Bound-in CD-ROM—PDFs of each reproducible are provided for duplication, including posters that can be printed on letter-sized or larger paper in color or in black and white.-Reproducible templates—Generic forms may be completed easily to address the specific topic, concept, or skill at hand, allowing you to tailor assessments to your students' needs and abilities. -Sample units—Designed using the backward design model of curriculum development, three complete units show how to transform blank reproducibles into highly practical assessment tools. Each chapter includes lesson plans with model reproducibles for the following categories: written assessment, self-assessment, peer assessment, and application or performance assessment. Within each of these categories, you'll receive guidance on implementing and creating more meaningful assessments. Templates may be used to meet a variety of student learning styles, providing opportunities for assessing through rubrics, journal-writing assignments, self-assessments, and skill-tracking assessments across the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor realms. Rather than stealing valuable classroom time, the template approach actually enables teachers to use assessment to reinforce and extend learning in a systematic way.The Physical Education Assessment Toolkit is the one resource that physical educators will turn to anytime they need to do an assessment, no matter what unit or lesson is being taught. This book and CD-ROM package contains the ready-made, pilot-tested materials needed for effective assessments of students, leaving teachers to focus on what they do best—teach. Minimize

When Alija Osmanovic, a Bosnian war orphan who is the prota ... Read more

When Alija Osmanovic, a Bosnian war orphan who is the protagonist of Knife, goes in search of the identity of his murdered birth-parents, a sense of thwarted justice motivates him, and expresses itself as burning passion for revenge. This is summed up by the novel's title. The opening chapter describes the massacre of a Serbian village by Muslim Ustase on Christmas Day (January 7) of 1942. The sole survivor is a newborn male infant, spared at the last moment and given to a Muslim woman who lost her husband in the raid. The boy is named Alija, and is raised as a Muslim, and later comes to believe that his family was killed by Serbs. Twenty-one years later, Alija, now a medical student in Sarajevo, discovers that the newspapers are interested in his story. An article about him is published in a Sarajevo daily, and he begins receiving mail. Most of it is sympathetic but unhelpful, although he does receive an enigmatic letter which reads: You are certainly not what you are, nevertheless, you are what you are not. Alija seeks out Sikter Effendi, an eccentric and reclusive Muslim cleric, to help him interpret the enigma. Sikter Effendi, an irascible outsider, is, nevertheless, considered to be honest, because he has suffered at the hands of each regime: Ustase as well as Communist. He has responded by developing a fine sense of disgust for the human race, and he steeps himself in history, trying to untangle the threads of misfortune. But when Alija enters the Effendi s life, a transformation occurs. Sikter Effendi finds a spiritual heir. Through Sikter Effendi s mentorship, Alija discovers the truth: that his heritage is Serbian; that he was born not far away but in the neighboring village; and that his adoptive family was guilty of murdering his birth-family. A crisis of identity ensues. Each possible course of action open to him is bad. How is he to go on? Minimize

The Bronsons were the first Jews to ever live in the small ... Read more

The Bronsons were the first Jews to ever live in the small town of Concordia, Tennessee-a town consisting of one main street, one bank, one drugstore, one picture show, one feed and seed, one hardware store, one beauty parlor, one barber shop, one blacksmith, and many Christian churches. That didn't stop Aaron Bronson, a Russian immigrant, from moving his young family out of New York by horse and wagon and journeying to this remote corner of the South to open a small dry goods store, Bronson's Low-Priced Store. Never mind that he was greeted with "Danged if I ever heard tell of a Jew storekeeper afore." Never mind that all the townspeople were suspicious of any strangers. Never mind that the Klan actively discouraged the presence of outsiders. Aaron Bronson bravely established a business and proved in the process that his family could make a home, and a life, anywhere. With great fondness and a fine dry wit, Stella Suberman tells the story of her family in an account that Kirkus Reviews, in a starred review, described as "a gem...Vividly told and captivating in its humanity." Now available for the first time in paperback, here is the book that the Atlanta Journal-Constitution said was "forthright. . . . not a revisionist history of Jewish life in the small-town South but . . . written within the context of the 1920s, making it valuable history as well as a moving family story." Minimize

Welcome to our first DVD / Glove Puppet set entitled Meet T ... Read more

Welcome to our first DVD / Glove Puppet set entitled Meet The GluvIts. You will be amazed at how The GluvIts help your children get ready to read using music and sign language. The first two songs on the DVD introduce your child to the alphabet with original songs and the GluvIts Sign Language. The next song teaches colors. Included with each DVD is a pair of GluvIts Glove Puppets so children can sing and sign along. Once you receive your GluvIts your child will want to give them names and register your new family members to get even more adventures online! Minimize

Sort & Store your LEGO bricks. A fast and easy way to Sort ... Read more

Sort & Store your LEGO bricks. A fast and easy way to Sort & Store your Lego bricks! Tip your Lego Bricks into the Sorter. Shake gently and Lego Bricks will sort into small, medium, and large sections. Lift each section to reveal sorted Lego Bricks inside. Built in carry handle. Can hold over a thousand LEGO pieces. LEGO pieces sold separately. Minimize

Would you like to help your child go beyond singing the ABC ... Read more

Would you like to help your child go beyond singing the ABC song? When your child is three or four years old or whenever they are starting to realize that letters have names and sounds there is so much discovery! Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read Pre-K helps you as a parent do more than just pass on a love of reading. We make it easy for you to play a role in helping your child understand the building blocks to reading itself all while having fun together! (And we ve got a new ABC song that solves the L-M-N-O-P problem...)Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read Pre-K is based on research, approved by the Children's Reading Foundation and designed in conjunction with leading educators, renowned authors and most important, parents. Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read Pre-K uses engaging phonics-based activities, music videos, and online games to give your child a strong foundation in phonemic awareness. Each unit concludes with a storybook you read to your child, specially written to support what your child just learned. Each lesson takes only about 20 minutes a day. Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read Pre-K covers letter names, letter sounds, uppercase letters, lowercase letters, and blending sounds. Learn to Read Pre-K includes: 6 original storybooks written to promote the skills your child learns in the program, including 2 books by the award-winning children s book author and illustrator, David McPhail2 reading workbooks that will guide you and your child through all of the lessons and many fun activities2 DVDs filled with music videos and engaging, animated introductions to each lesson, where letters come to life2 sets of stickers so a child can proudly mark their progress in the workbooks and celebrate their success4 sets of letter and picture flashcards designed to reinforce letter names and letter soundsQuick Start Guides1 bonus Reading Rainbow DVD, Stellaluna, exclusive to Amazon customers Now featuring a free online Learn to Read experience - In addition to what's in the box, Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read Pre-K now offers unique online components to deliver a rich, multisensory learning experience for your child. Each level of Learn to Read comes with a serial number that lets you sign up for free online content. Simply register and you will be able to access online games, downloadable content, printables, and custom book recommendations. You will also be able to track your child's progress on their own personalized learning path. Online Games - Simple and engaging online games designed specifically to reinforce the subject matter your child has just completed in the lesson. Printables - Fun activity sheets you can download and print. Each activity is designed to reinforce the lesson your child has just completed. Custom Book Recommendations - Customized book recommendations specifically tailored to reinforce the unit your child has just completed. All are available for purchase on Amazon.com. Minimize

* Philip K. Dick Award finalist* Locus Recommended Reading ... Read more

* Philip K. Dick Award finalist* Locus Recommended Reading Here are 33 weird, wonderful stories concerning men, women, teleportation, wind-up cats, and brown paper bags. By turns whimsical and unsettling—frequently managing to be both—these short fictions describe family relationships, bad breakups, and travel to outer space.    Vukcevich's loopy, fun-house mirror take on everyday life belongs to the same absurdist school of work as that of George Saunders, David Sedaris, Ken Kalfus, and Victor Pelevin, although there is no one quite like him. Try one of these stories, it won't take you long, but it will turn your head inside out. "What other writer could make you start laughing halfway down the first page of a story about a man putting on a sweater? Thurber maybe, a long time ago. Buy this book."—Damon Knight "These stories cannot be compared to anyone else's. There is no one in the same class as Ray Vukcevich. The stories are uniquely, splendidly, brilliantly original, a surprise in each and every one, and brimming with wit and laugh-out-loud humor. A stunning collection."—Kate Wilhelm "The absurd and the profound are seamlessly joined through fine writing. Meet Me in the Moon Room is a first-rate collection.—Jeffrey Ford "The 33 brief stories in Meet Me in the Moon Room defy categorization genre. A few toy with the conventions of science fiction; others branch off from trails blazed by Donald Barthelme. Moon Room will delight those who appreciated the risks Don DeLillo took in Ratner's Star."—Hartford Courant "Eccentric short stories, which frequently give everyday life a loopy twist."—Book Magazine "Ray Vukcevich is a master of the last line. Almost every one of his stories has a zinger at the end, but not the kind of zinger that chocks the reader or causes annoyance. Often it's a perfect line of dialogue that opens up the whole story.... Vukcevich is ingenious with the short-story form. Although the stories read as playful vignettes, Vukcevich covertly works in ideas of self, identity, destiny, and obsession. And occasionally, the dangers of outer space."—Review of Contemporary Fiction "Vukcevich is a master of radical recombinations, drawing from (amongst others) the Brothers Grimm, Dickens, Lewis Carroll, Kafka, O. Henry, Dali, Asimov, pulpish space opera, and the latest in nanotech to produce works that are all his own. Sometimes in as little as four or five pages, he deftly juggles so many ideas, emotions, and perspectives, it produces a curiously refreshing sense of vertigo—a high with no hangover to follow.... It would be...a great mistake to ignore the extraordinary talent of Ray Vukcevich."—Locus "Vukcevich is a very slick writer, an authentic sprinter in an era of milers and all-out stayers.... Vukcevich can do punchlines, but he does not rely on them. Indeed, his extraordinarily light touch when it comes to narrative closure is his most distinctive feature. Anyone who considers bizarre surrealism and casual absurdity—the main stocks-in-trade of the fantastic ultrashort story writer—easy clay to mold into narrative form has not given serious consideration to the matter of finishing."—New York Review of Science Fiction "These stories niftily propel their characters down the blurred line between fantasy and psychosis, with effects spanning the gamut from melancholy to goofy, from plaintive to outraged.... This is Vukcevich's gloriously mad world, and we are lucky to share it."—Asimov's "The same antic spirit that imbued Vukcevich's mystery novel The Man of Maybe Half-a-Dozen Faces moves playfully through this first collection of fantastic fiction, whose 33 helium-filled stories achieve just the right absurdist life to escape the gravity of their themes. "By the Time We Get to Uranus" offers a peculiarly affecting take on terminal illness: the afflicted grow buoyant spacesuits that force them to leave loved ones behind. The mysteries of parenthood manifest amusingly in "Poop," about a Minimize

Meet John Mansfield, rookie Lincoln Presenter. John has bee ... Read more

Meet John Mansfield, rookie Lincoln Presenter. John has been told all his life he looks like Abraham Lincoln but until recently has never thought seriously about donning the stovepipe hat. He finally decides to enter the famous Lincoln look-alike contest during the annual Lincoln Days Celebration in Hodgenville, Kentucky-the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln. John gets help from Dennis Boggs, a veteran Lincoln presenter. Dennis has spent the last fifteen years acting out his mission to bring Lincoln to the world and to "rouse the Lincoln" in us all. Dennis shares his wisdom and insight with John, but will it be enough for John to bring home the grand prize of a "hundred dollar bill"? Being Lincoln-Men with Hats also looks closely at several other Lincolns and explores why the over 180 Abraham Lincoln presenters in the country do what they do. Meet a legion of Lincolns at the annual Association of Lincoln Presenters conference as they ham it up, discuss costuming challenges, share trade secrets and participate in photo ops galore. Hear about their calling and the obstacles they face (not everyone loves Lincoln the way they do). Follow Mike Cox as he strolls through Music City dressed as the great emancipator. These "honest Abes" are living tributes to our 16th President, and a testament to the power of Lincoln's legacy. But what kind of man would spend $400 on a stovepipe hat, glue a pencil eraser on his face, and spend most of his time walking in someone else's (very large) shoes? Find out in Being Lincoln-Men With Hats. Minimize

The title credit for Delicatessen reads "Presented by Terry ... Read more

The title credit for Delicatessen reads "Presented by Terry Gilliam," and it's easy to understand why the director of Brazil was so supportive of this outrageously black French comedy from 1991. Like Gilliam, French codirectors Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro have wildly inventive imaginations that gravitate to the darker absurdities of human behavior, and their visual extravagance is matched by impressive technical skill. Here, making their feature debut, Jeunet and Caro present a postapocalyptic scenario set entirely in a dank and gloomy building where the landlord operates a delicatessen on the ground floor. But this is an altogether meatless world, so the butcher-landlord keeps his customers happy by chopping unsuspecting victims into cutlets, and he's sharpening his knife for a new tenant (French comic actor Dominque Pinon) who's got the hots for the butcher's nearsighted daughter! Delicatessen is a feast (if you will) of hilarious vignettes, slapstick gags, and sweetly eccentric characters, including a man in a swampy room full of frogs, a woman doggedly determined to commit suicide (she never gets its right), and a pair of brothers who make toy sound boxes that "moo" like cows. It doesn't amount to much as a story, but that hardly matters; this is the kind of comedy that springs from a unique wellspring of imagination and inspiration, and it's handled with such visual virtuosity that you can't help but be mesmerized. There's some priceless comedy happening here, some of which is so inventive that you may feel the urge to stand up and cheer. --Jeff Shannon Minimize

Outdoor Toys by Little TikesFill the backyard with the soun ... Read more

Outdoor Toys by Little TikesFill the backyard with the sound of childhood delight with outdoor toys from Little Tikes. We have outdoor playgrounds and playhouses that combine safety and durability with fun! There are several options for all ages, with or without a swing set. Also take a look at several outdoor picnic tables. Don8217;t forget the Classic Turtle Sandbox 8211; one of our top sellers. Make sure to get your child8217;s outdoor play toys from a trusted toy maker for over 30 years: Little Tikes. Indoor,outdoor table unlocks and folds for portability or storage. Features: Seats up to 6 children. Includes 2 cup-holders and a multi-purpose condiment,crayon tray. (Dishes not included.) Center hole holds a Little Tikes Market Umbrella (sold separately). No tools required for setup or takedown. Ages 2 to 8 years.Toys Made in the USASpecifications:Overall Dimensions: 19"H x 42"W x 39"D Minimize

Purchase one of 1st World Library's Classic Books and help ... Read more

Purchase one of 1st World Library's Classic Books and help support our free internet library of downloadable eBooks. Visit us online at www.1stWorldLibrary.ORG - - For some reason the desert scene before Lucy Bostil awoke varying emotions - a sweet gratitude for the fullness of her life there at the Ford, yet a haunting remorse that she could not be wholly content - a vague loneliness of soul - a thrill and a fear for the strangely calling future, glorious, unknown. She longed for something to happen. It might be terrible, so long as it was wonderful. This day, when Lucy had stolen away on a forbidden horse, she was eighteen years old. The thought of her mother, who had died long ago on their way into this wilderness, was the one drop of sadness in her joy. Lucy loved everybody at Bostil's Ford and everybody loved her. She loved all the horses except her father's favorite racer, that perverse devil of a horse, the great Sage King. Lucy was glowing and rapt with love for all she beheld from her lofty perch: the green-and-pink blossoming hamlet beneath her, set between the beauty of the gray sage expanse and the ghastliness of the barren heights; the swift Colorado sullenly thundering below in the abyss; the Indians in their bright colors, riding up the river trail; the eagle poised like a feather on the air, and a beneath him the grazing cattle making black dots on the sage; the deep velvet azure of the sky; the golden lights on the bare peaks and the lilac veils in the far ravines; the silky rustle of a canyon swallow as he shot downward in the sweep of the wind; the fragrance of cedar, the flowers of the spear-pointed mescal; the brooding silence, the beckoning range, the purple distance. Minimize

Cluzzle is the comical game of Clay Puzzles where players o ... Read more

Cluzzle is the comical game of Clay Puzzles where players outwit their friends through bad sculpting, tricky questions and insightful guessing. The challenge is to create a clay sculpture that others will guess - eventually. The longer it takes for the other players to guess a sculpture correctly, the more points the sculptor receives. Many party games reward players for conveying a concept as quickly as possible, so those with an artistic ability have an advantage, but Cluzzle allows kids to do just as well as their parents, and lets art class drop-outs compete with the local Michelangelo. This fast-paced and entertaining game is fun for everyone.What in the World is a Cluzzle?The Clue is in the Clay!Cluzzle (kluh' zel)1. n. A clay puzzle2. v. To create a hilarious clay puzzles that can't be guessed right away.Cluzzlers (kluh' zel' erz)1. n. People so badat sculpting they might actually be good at this game.Cluzzle is about sculpting, but you don't need artistic ability to be good at this game. Each player sculpts a Cluzzle, then asks questions to figure out what the other Cluzzles are. Players are awarded more points the harder their Cluzzles are to guess, but no points for something that can't be guessed at all. So get your party started with this hilarious game of clay and creativity. Get Cluzzle where the clue is in the clay!Includes:- Personalized Cluzzle Cards created by such wonderful people as Alanis Morissette, Bruce Crapuchettes (the game designers father), and maybe even you!-950 Clay Subjects-High Quality Modeling Clay!! (It doesn't dry out, always soft and easy to mold, and does not stain your hands) Minimize

As the 2005 theatrical release of Serenity made clear, Fire ... Read more

As the 2005 theatrical release of Serenity made clear, Firefly was a science fiction concept that deserved a second chance. Devoted fans (or "Browncoats") knew it all along, and with this well-packaged DVD set, those who missed the show's original broadcasts can see what they missed. Creator Joss Whedon's ambitious science-fiction Western (Whedon's third series after Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel) was canceled after only 11 of these 14 episodes had aired on the Fox network, but history has proven that its demise was woefully premature. Whedon's generic hybrid got off to a shaky start when network executives demanded an action-packed one-hour premiere ("The Train Job"); in hindsight the intended two-hour pilot (also titled "Serenity," and oddly enough, the final episode aired) provides a better introduction to the show's concept and splendid ensemble cast. Obsessive fans can debate the quirky logic of combining spaceships with direct parallels to frontier America (it's 500 years in the future, and embattled humankind has expanded into the galaxy, where undeveloped "outer rim" planets struggle with the equivalent of Old West accommodations), but Whedon and his gifted co-writers and directors make it work, at least well enough to fashion a credible context from the incongruous culture-clashing of past, present, and future technologies, along with a polyglot language (the result of two dominant superpowers) that combines English with an abundance of Chinese slang. What makes it work is Whedon's delightfully well-chosen cast and their nine well-developed characters--a typically Whedon-esque extended family--each providing a unique perspective on their adventures aboard Serenity, the junky but beloved "Firefly-class" starship they call home. As a veteran of the disadvantaged Independent faction's war against the all-powerful planetary Alliance (think of it as Underdogs vs. Overlords), Serenity captain Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) leads his compact crew on a quest for survival. They're renegades with an amoral agenda, taking any job that pays well, but Firefly's complex tapestry of right and wrong (and peace vs. violence) is richer and deeper than it first appears. Tantalizing clues about Blue Sun (an insidious mega-corporation with a mysteriously evil agenda), its ties to the Alliance, and the traumatizing use of Serenity's resident stowaway (Summer Glau) as a guinea pig in the development of advanced warfare were clear indications Firefly was heading for exciting revelations that were precluded by the series' cancellation. Fortunately, the big-screen Serenity (which can be enjoyed independently of the series) ensured that Whedon's wild extraterrestrial west had not seen its final sunset. Its very existence confirms that these 14 episodes (and enjoyable bonus features) will endure as irrefutable proof Fox made a glaring mistake in canceling the series. --Jeff Shannon On the Blu-ray discs Firefly has a picture that's a little softer than most Blu-ray discs (especially in the effects shots), but it is an improvement over the DVDs (even in an upconverting DVD player or Blu-ray player), and the punchy sound (DTS HD 5.1 compared to the DVDs' 2.0 surround) is a definite upgrade. In addition to the original bonus features, there are a couple new ones: a 25-minute conversation among Whedon, Nathan Fillion, Ron Glass, and Alan Tudyk in which they discuss the series and a number of specific episodes (Fillion recalls thinking he was getting fired after the first episode), and a new commentary track by the four fellows on "Our Mrs. Reynolds." And since it's easy to get sucked into watching multiple episodes, it's nice to have a Play All feature on the BDs. --David HoriuchiBeyond Firefly on Blu-ray Stargate: Continuum Blu-ray Sci-Fi Bundle Sunshine Stills from Firefly (Click for larger image) Minimize

Directed by and starring Jackie Chan, and set in 1930s Hong ... Read more

Directed by and starring Jackie Chan, and set in 1930s Hong Kong, Miracles is a gangster film that is equal parts comedy and action film, with a touch of melodrama thrown in for good measure. Chan stars as a young man who rescues a dying crime boss in 1930s Hong Kong. When the boss passes away, he is tapped to become the new leader. He attributes his good luck to an old rose seller and the roses he buys off of her. To pay her back for all of his good fortune, he helps her pretend to be a wealthy socialite, just as she had described herself in letters to her daughter in order to help impress her daughter's wealthy fiancé and not queer their upcoming marriage. The plot is lifted from Frank Capra's Lady for a Day (1933), which Capra remade in 1961 as Pocketful of Miracles. Of course, like all Jackie Chan films, this movie contains more--and more innovative--fight scenes than Capra could ever dream of. Two set pieces in particular are stunning: A big fight in a restaurant and the final battle in the warehouse of a rope factory. Along the way, Chan throws in a musical number inspired by Busby Berkeley and a whole lotta heart, making this a well-rounded and entertaining film, which Chan himself has allegedly referred to as his favorite. --Andy Spletzer Minimize

Format: DVD Jan 1997 Rated PG Recording Mode: (unknown) ... Read more

Format: DVD Jan 1997 Rated PG Recording Mode: (unknown) Sound: THX, HiFi 111 min. Color Movie Description In James Bond's third cinematic adventure, the dangerously suave spy (Sean Connery) must stop the criminal capitalist Auric Goldfinger (Gert Frobe) from contaminating Fort Knox's gold with atomic radiation. Aiding the villain is the alluring Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman) and the imposing Oddjob (Harold Sakata). Bond, on the other hand, is armed with his trademark charm and, of course, a slew of gadgets, courtesy of Q (Desmond Llewelyn). Encountering the usual bevy of beautiful women and perilous traps, 007 sets out for America to foil Goldfinger's financial fiasco. Based on Ian Fleming's 1959 novel, GOLDFINGER marks the appearance of a more carefree, wisecracking Bond and is widely considered to be one of the best films in the series. In fact, with stylized elements such as the gold-painted girl, the wince-inducing laser beam, Oddjob's razor-sharp bowler hat, and Bond's modified Aston Martin car, the film is quite possibly the most memorable Bond outing, and would be famously parodied decades later in the AUSTIN POWERS series, particularly GOLDMEMBER. Credits Cast: Sean Connery Director: Guy Hamilton Film Notes DVD Features: Region 1 Encoding Keep Case Theatrical release: December 25, 1964. Shot in Technicolor. Minimize

Drums pound, building excitement; the music bursts into lif ... Read more

Drums pound, building excitement; the music bursts into life with a cry of "Stingray! Stingray!" Who can resist? Especially when a dramatic voice announces, "Anything can happen in the next half hour!" Stingray (1964) was the show Gerry Anderson made just before he really hit the big time with Thunderbirds (1965), producing 39 episodes of the 21st-century adventures of Troy Tempest--tall, dark, and handsome (his voice was based on James Garner) captain of the titular submarine. His mission: to protect the seas on behalf of WASP (World Aquanaut Security Patrol). With complex underwater model and puppet effects, this was groundbreaking television, especially as it was the first British series to be made in color, though for years it was seen only in black and white. Special effects director Derek Meddings later graduated to the James Bond movies, while Moneypenny herself (actress Lois Maxwell) voiced Atlanta Shore. Here, just as in the Bond movies, she played second fiddle in our hero's affections, the mute Marina becoming Stingray's sex goddess. The end credits even featured a song in her honor, "Aqua Maria," which became an international hit. As for the bad guys: half-man, half-fish Titan and his Terror Fish wage dastardly war against humanity and the peaceful underwater citizens of Pacifica. Four decades on, the model and underwater sequences still impress, and surely much of the inspiration for the underwater city in Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace came from locations in Stingray. Whether as bizarre '60s nostalgia, or winning a new generation of fans, Stingray remains eccentric cult family entertainment. --Gary S. Dalkin Minimize

After terrorizing a convenience store salesgirl with tomato ... Read more

After terrorizing a convenience store salesgirl with tomatoes, three lowlifes on a crime spree hide out at an isolated farmhouse occupied only by teenage Lisa and her pathetically paralyzed grandpa. Bad move, guys, for while Lisa looks innocent enough, she's actually a ticking-time-bomb-of-psychotic-aggression who spends her days killing chickens, feeding raw eggs to her granddad, staring blankly into space, and hallucinating blood on a mirror. So when the three numbskulls add Lisa to their list of people to abuse, she promptly puts an end to their antisocial activities with the help of her two best friends, a straight-edge razor and her handy Axe. Bonus feature: Who shot the Reverend Sam and cut his girlfriend's tongue out? Was it religious fanatic Mose Cooper? Or that idiot Crazy Billy? Whoever it is will end up paying the ultimate price by frying in The Electric Chair (1972, 85 min.), written, produced, and directed by "Axe's" J.G. "Pat" Patterson (who also plays the creepy Cooper), which gleefully details a hot-seat execution; Trailers for this, under the titles Axe, Lisa, Lisa and The Virgin Slaughter, plus trailers for Harry Novak's Behind Locked Doors, Booby Trap, The Child, Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks, Kidnapped Coed, The Mad Butcher, The Toy Box and Toys are Not for Children; Two Archival Short Subjects: Don't be like Lisa! Learn how to stay sane with 1952's Mental Health: Keeping Mentally Fit, and sexy sword-swallower Maria Cortez in We Still Don't Believe It; Gallery of Harry Novak Exploitation Art; Horrorama Radio-Spot Rarities. Minimize

The second season of Angel saw the cult vampire show finall ... Read more

The second season of Angel saw the cult vampire show finally stand on its own from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, assembling all the members of the show's core cast, transferring the action to a fashionably run-down L.A. hotel, and bringing in a few Buffy characters from Angel's history to further establish the moody vampire's own mythology. Moving their Angel Investigations to posher digs, Angel (David Boreanaz), Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter), and Wesley (Alexis Denisof) were soon joined by street fighter (J. August Richards)–-and by street fighter, of course we mean demon street fighter. But just as this group was solidifying, up popped Angel's old love, Darla (the fantastic Julie Benz), freshly arrived in L.A. from a hell dimension… just in time to be turned into a vampire again by her old cohort, Drusilla (Juliet Landau), and lure Angel into abandoning his newly formed team. It was the best and worst of times for Angel in its second year, for while the basis was being set for the show's stellar third and fourth seasons, dramatic tension was diluted by Angel's going solo and the necessary (but plot-debilitating) flashbacks to various points in Angel's history. However, just when it seemed everything was about to fly out the window, Angel's creative team threw its characters for a loop--literally--by transporting them to the demon dimension of Pylea, a medieval-style fantasyland populated by monsters and humans alike. It shouldn't have worked, as hokey as it was... but it did, thanks to crack storytelling, sharp dialogue, and the sheer joy the actors unleashed, especially the gifted and fiendishly funny Carpenter. The second half of the season also saw the addition of two of Angel's best characters: the horned Lorne (Andy Hallett), a green demon with a penchant for karaoke, and Fred (Amy Acker), a physicist trapped in Pylea who helped the gang engineer their escape. With these two in tow, Angel began to soar. --Mark Englehart Minimize