Find Me Guilty : Widescreen Edition

• Widescreen

From five-time Oscar®-nominee Sidney Lumet (Serpico, Network, Dog Day Afternoon) comes the most hysterically funny testament to bad courtroom behavior since My Cousin Vinny! Vin Diesel (Saving Private Ryan) "gives a sensational performance" (The New York Times) in the true story of the most remarkable criminal trial in US history. Find Me Guilty proves beyond a reasonable doubt that justice has a strange sense of humor!

When police arrest twenty members of the Lucchese crime family, the authorities offer Jackie Dee DiNorscio (Diesel) a bargain: a shortened prison term if he'll testify against his own. But the wisecracking DiNorscio has other ideas. Refusing to cooperate, he decides to defend himself at his own trial... and proceeds to turn the courtroom upside-down in a hilarious fight that culminates in one of the most shocking verdicts in judicial history!Vin Diesel gives hi! s best performance to date in Sidney Lumet's Find Me Guilty, a courtroom comedy-drama (based on the true story of Mafia soldier "Fat Jack" DiNorscio) about the longest criminal trial in U.S. history. Diesel plays Giacomo "Jackie Dee" DiNorscio, a loyal member of New Jersey's notorious Lucchese crime family, who's already serving a 30-year jail term when he's offered an opportunity to shorten his sentence if he agrees to testify against many of his closest friends. He refuses, choosing instead to defend himself in a 21-month courtroom trial that involves 20 other Mafia members, each with their own defense attorney, all brought to trial on 76 charges ranging from criminal conspiracy to narcotics trafficking. As the lead defense attorney (Peter Dinklage) and prosecutor (Linus Roache) guide the trial through a maze of legal triumphs and setbacks, Lumet (still going strong at age 81) turns this goombah gab-fest into the kind of edgy New York comedy that only he could dire! ct, drawing heavily on his experience with such courtroom clas! sics as The Verdict and 12 Angry Men. And while he's filled the screen with a marvelous supporting cast including Alex Rocco, Ron Silver (as the no-nonsense judge) and Annabella Sciorra, Lumet can't quite overcome the confined, theatrical nature of the material, much of it drawn directly from actual courtroom transcripts. Find Me Guilty lacks the dramatic impact of The Verdict, favoring instead the rich absurdity of the DiNorscio case and its equally outrageous outcome after the jury's surprisingly brief deliberation. This is comfortable territory for Lumet, and he brings out the best in his extensive cast â€" especially Diesel, who walks a fine line between courtroom shenanigans and fierce loyalty to his criminal clan.--Jeff Shannondvd- mafia court comedy

WOW Christmas: 30 Top Christian Artists and Holiday Songs

• Includes, Avalon Winter Wonderland, Michael W. Smith
• Emmanuel, Point of Grace O Holy Night, Steven C. Chapman
• Christmas is all in the Heart, Yolanda Adams Have yourself a merry little
• Christmas,Amy Grant Breath of Heaven(Mary's Song)
• 31 Songs in all. Rachel Lampa Ave Maria, Donnie McClurkin, Hark the hearld Angels Sing...Kathy Mattea Mary Did you Know? Kirk Franklin the Night that Christ was born...

Narrated by Oprah Winfrey, Emmanuel's Gift tells the story of a disabled orphan in Ghana, West Africa, whose father abandoned him, village dismissed him, and country thought him better off dead. This is the story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah, who had nothing, but gave everything--and changed a nation forever.: If you are born disabled in Ghana, West Africa you are likely to be poisoned, or left to die by your family; and if you are not poisoned or left for dead, you're ! likely to be hidden away in a room; and if you're not hidden, you are destined to spend your lifetime begging on the streets. Of the twenty million people in Ghana, two million are disabled. This is the story of one disabled man whose mission-and purpose- is to change all that forever. In Emmanuel's Gift, filmmakers Lisa Lax and Nancy Stern have uncovered a story as compelling as it is important. Narrated by Oprah Winfrey, the film chronicles the life of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah, a young Ghanaian man born with a severely deformed right leg, who today, against incalculable odds, is opening minds, hearts and doors-and effecting social and political change throughout his country. While Emmanuel's message is vital: people with disabilities are valuable contributors to any society, his method is inspirational. Emmanuel begins his quest with a bicycle ride, over 600 kilometers, across Ghana with one leg-and continues to spread his vision with grit and resolve. Lisa Lax and Nancy Ste! rn have been documenting Emmanuel's plight for over a year, ha! ving sho t over 100 hours of powerful imagery. The film includes original footage shot in Ghana, California, Oregon and New York, as well as photographs and other acquired film/video of Emmanuel's early years. Through it all, they have created an intimate insight into the mind and heart of a visionary whose unforgettable journey transcends continents and cultures and becomes each of ours to share.Grammy-nominated fingerstyle guitar virtuoso Tommy Emmanuel has toured in Europe, Asia, South America, and the United States, bringing his music from the Australian outback to the rest of the world and creating legions of new fans in the process. None other than the incredible Chet Atkins has referred to him as "One of the greatest guitarists in the world," and Tommy is quick to acknowledge Chet as his principal inspiration. Modestly referring to himself as "an entertainer who happens to play the guitar," Tommy captivates his audiences with his humor, charisma and musicianship, delivering kn! ockout performances around the globe. Tommy's energy and the ideal acoustics of the Sheldon Concert Hall make this a video performance to be cherished. This DVD features nearly two hours of performance, including all of the material from both of the VHS volumes entitled Tommy Emmanuel in Concert! Live at the Historic Sheldon Auditorium.The Gift of Mystical Insight provides the basis, the evidence and the logic of why mystical experiences occur. It gives a reader the impetus to reach for that unique, blessed experience so that the mystical state - ultimate reality - can finally be attained. Whether you are religious, an agnostic or an atheist, a priest, psychologist, scientist or philosopher, or you belong to the laity, you cannot but gain from its insights, wisdom, anecdotes and supporting parallel quotes. You may soon realize from within the self that mystical experiences are no longer a mystery, and that the gift humans have always sought above all other gifts is release ! from human suffering through that sudden realization. Here ins! ights ar e plentiful, but more importantly you have reason that provides the impetus to reach for an illumination unlike anything you have ever imagined, or can possibly imagine. The meaning and importance of "the moving present" will become known to you. Wisdom can and does become a part of your soul. Self-esteem will be yours. You will understand the meaning of feeling and being one with the universe. You will realize that the true nature of the human being is goodness, not evil. This book may contain the most important message you will ever read. The Gift of Mystical Insight will be a message you will want to spread. If this first edition book contains the basis, the evidence and the logic to the mystical experience as it claims, you may be holding a collector's copy.It was only a matter of time before the folks behind the wildly successful WOW series turned their eyes toward Christmas. After all, holiday releases by Christian artists flood the market every year, and there's plent! y of stock to choose from. WOW Christmas does, indeed, capture a nice range of styles and artists from releases over the last few years. Among the sweeter moments are Michael W. Smith's new standard, "Emmanuel," Point of Grace's angelic "O Holy Night," Rebecca St. James's quirky "Sweet Little Jesus Boy," and the Mark Schultz-Nichole Nordeman gentle treatment of "Silent Night." There are a couple of curiosities here, as well: Avalon jazzing up the old standard "Winter Wonderland" with a Manhattan Transfer-like big-band sound; and Fred Hammond's soulful "Go Tell It on the Mountain." And if that's not offbeat enough, we also get the flat-out weirdness of Audio Adrenaline's punked-out "Little Drummer Boy." For the most part, though, WOW Christmas spices up the classic Yule tunes with freshness and creativity, making it a must disc for your holiday party. --Michael Lyttle

The Horse Whisperer

• After a devastating riding accident, a young girl and her beloved horse are both left with serious physical and emotional scars. Determined to help, the girl s desperate mother (Thomas) puts her busy, big-city life on hold and travels west to seek out the "Horse Whisperer." When she meets this, rugged, down-to-earth rancher (Redford), she discovers his extraordinary gift with animals also touches

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

His name is Tom Booker. His voice can calm wild horses, his touch can heal broken spirits. And Annie Graves has traveled across a continent to the Booker ranch in Montana, desperate to heal her injured daughter, the girl’s savage horse, and her own wounded heart. She comes for hope. She comes for her child. And beneath the wide Montana sky, she comes to him for what no one else can give her: a reason to believe.

The Horse Whisperer is a! story made in Hollywood heaven. The novel was written by a first-time author, and the film option was snapped up by aging heartthrob Robert Redford for 3 million smackers. Why take such risks on a brand-spanking-new author? The answer becomes clear upon reading the touching tale.

One morning while teenage Grace Maclean is riding Pilgrim, her goofy, loveable pony, she has a horrendous glass-shattering, bone-splintering, ligament-lynching meeting with a megaton truck that leaves her and her four-legged friend damaged in mind, body, and spirit. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, her jaded, brilliant, bitchy mom, Annie Graves (Kristin Scott Thomas in the 1998 film) is working out a wrinkle in her self-absorbed existence when she gets a call at her plush, Manhattan office about Grace's accident. Racked with guilt, Graves makes it her calling to find the mythical horse whisperer, an equine Zen master who has the ability to heal horses (and broken souls) with soot! hing words and a gentle touch. Just when it seems he can't be! found, what do you know, she finds him. He arrives in the form of Tom Booker-- a rugged, sensitive, dreamy cowboy who helps Pilgrim and Grace repair their fractured selves. To add more mesquite to fire, Booker has a way with not-so-injured, attractive, married women--like Annie. As the plot thickens, so does the familial strife, which threatens to undo Booker's healing work.

Like an expert cinematographer, Evans deftly crafts each scene with precision and clarity, sprinkling in ominous signs and foreboding images. For example, in the opening paragraphs, as Annie starts out on the tragic ride, she comes across a bloody bird wing that seems to have fallen out of nowhere. The weight of impending doom is further strengthened by the truck driver's bad luck--he has a run-in with the highway patrol just moments before his meeting with Grace and Pilgrim. These not-so-subtle subliminal messages are masterfully stitched in throughout the story and may compel readers to act! as if they were watching a B-grade horror movie, shouting aloud, "Don't go there!" However sentimental, The Horse Whisperer is an engaging read, sort of like a finely tuned, well-edited film. --Rebekah Warren#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

His name is Tom Booker. His voice can calm wild horses, his touch can heal broken spirits. And Annie Graves has traveled across a continent to the Booker ranch in Montana, desperate to heal her injured daughter, the girl’s savage horse, and her own wounded heart. She comes for hope. She comes for her child. And beneath the wide Montana sky, she comes to him for what no one else can give her: a reason to believe.The Horse Whisperer is a story made in Hollywood heaven. The novel was written by a first-time author, and the film option was snapped up by aging heartthrob Robert Redford for 3 million smackers. Why take such risks on a brand-spanking-new author? The answer becomes clear up! on reading the touching tale.

One morning while teenage ! Grace Ma clean is riding Pilgrim, her goofy, loveable pony, she has a horrendous glass-shattering, bone-splintering, ligament-lynching meeting with a megaton truck that leaves her and her four-legged friend damaged in mind, body, and spirit. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, her jaded, brilliant, bitchy mom, Annie Graves (Kristin Scott Thomas in the 1998 film) is working out a wrinkle in her self-absorbed existence when she gets a call at her plush, Manhattan office about Grace's accident. Racked with guilt, Graves makes it her calling to find the mythical horse whisperer, an equine Zen master who has the ability to heal horses (and broken souls) with soothing words and a gentle touch. Just when it seems he can't be found, what do you know, she finds him. He arrives in the form of Tom Booker-- a rugged, sensitive, dreamy cowboy who helps Pilgrim and Grace repair their fractured selves. To add more mesquite to fire, Booker has a way with not-so-injured, attractive, married ! women--like Annie. As the plot thickens, so does the familial strife, which threatens to undo Booker's healing work.

Like an expert cinematographer, Evans deftly crafts each scene with precision and clarity, sprinkling in ominous signs and foreboding images. For example, in the opening paragraphs, as Annie starts out on the tragic ride, she comes across a bloody bird wing that seems to have fallen out of nowhere. The weight of impending doom is further strengthened by the truck driver's bad luck--he has a run-in with the highway patrol just moments before his meeting with Grace and Pilgrim. These not-so-subtle subliminal messages are masterfully stitched in throughout the story and may compel readers to act as if they were watching a B-grade horror movie, shouting aloud, "Don't go there!" However sentimental, The Horse Whisperer is an engaging read, sort of like a finely tuned, well-edited film. --Rebekah Warren#1 NEW YORK TIMES ! BESTSELLER

His name is Tom Booker. His voice can ca! lm wild horses, his touch can heal broken spirits. And Annie Graves has traveled across a continent to the Booker ranch in Montana, desperate to heal her injured daughter, the girl’s savage horse, and her own wounded heart. She comes for hope. She comes for her child. And beneath the wide Montana sky, she comes to him for what no one else can give her: a reason to believe.Academy Award(R)-winner Robert Redford (Best Director, 1980, ORDINARY PEOPLE) stars with Adademy Award(R)-nominee Kristin Scott Thomas (Best Actress, 1996, THE ENGLISH PATIENT) in this landmark epic adapated from one of the most acclaimed novels of our time! After a devastating riding accident, a young girl and her beloved horse are both left with serious physical and emotional scars. Determined to help, the girl's desperate mother (Thomas) puts her busy, big-city life on hold and travels west to seek out the "Horse Whisperer." When she meets this rugged, down-to-earth rancher (Redford), she discovers his extraor! dinary gift with animals also touches the lives of the people around him! Featuring Hollywood favorites Sam Neill (JURASSIC PARK) and Oscar(R)-winner Dianne Wiest (Best Supporting Actress, 1994, BULLETS OVER BROADWAY) in a superb cast -- critics and moviegoers alike were captivated by this powerful motion picture event!Although it's best viewed on a big theatrical screen to take full advantage of Robert Richardson's breathtaking widescreen cinematography, it seems likely that most people will see this classy romance in the comfort of their own homes. Adapted from the bestseller by Nicholas Evans and directed by Robert Redford, the film did respectable business at the box-office, but it was too sprawling and too soapy to be a bona fide hit. Redford stars as the title character, a Montana rancher named Tom Booker, who possesses the specialized talent of healing traumatized horses through careful and affectionate rehabilitation. He gets his most challenging case when he's soug! ht out by a fast-lane New York magazine editor (Kristin Scott ! Thomas, in a role modeled after former New Yorker editor Tina Brown) whose daughter (Scarlett Johansson) was injured and traumatized by an accident that nearly killed her favorite horse. When mother, daughter, and horse arrive at Booker's ranch, the big-city editor falls in love with the serene rancher and faces the painful decision of whether to stay in Montana or return to her husband (Sam Neill) in New York. Some may find this to be much ado about nothing, and comparisons to The Bridges of Madison County are inevitable, but Redford's directorial approach offers the kind of graceful stature, tenderness, and intelligence required to elevate the simple story. The film takes all the time it needs to let its characters heal and make their important decisions, and that alone makes it a refreshing alternative to the frantic pace of most big-studio productions. --Jeff Shannon

God Bless the Child

• Single mother, Theresa Johnson, becomes homeless, loses her job and tries to survive with her young daughter, Hillary, through charities and public shelters. Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: PG-13 Age: 692865282334 UPC: 692865282334 Manufacturer No: E-50164

No Description Available.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: R
Release Date: 8-AUG-2006
Media Type: DVDWhen Maggie (Kim Basinger of L.A. Confidential and Batman) comes home to her apartment building one night, she discovers her estranged, drug-addict sister Jenna huddling in the doorway. Jenna promptly abandons her newborn baby with Maggie, who proceeds to raise the child as her own, despite evidence of autism. But as the little girl, Cody, gets older, what seemed to be autism starts to manifest itself in more startling ways. At the same time, a series of child murders are swe! eping the city--murders conducted by a mysterious cult with supernatural matters on their mind. Bless the Child starts promisingly, with subdued, creepy scenes contrasted with more outrageous moments like swarms of computer-generated rats. Fans of religious horror movies will enjoy its twist on The Omen, with an angelic child instead of a demonic one--only the child is still pretty eerie. The special effects go a little overboard towards the end. Jimmy Smits (Price of Glory) costars as an FBI cult chaser, and Rufus Sewell (Dark City, Cold Comfort Farm) gives a pleasantly restrained performance as the charismatic cult leader. Also featuring Christina Ricci as a cult escapee and Ian Holm as a Jesuit priest. --Bret FetzerWhat if your drug-addicted daughter left a newborn baby on your doorstep and disappeared? What if she came back three years later and took the child into a satanic cult? Would you risk your soul to save her?
Maggie O’Connor is about to answer these questions… may! be with her life. She’s too young to be a grandmother. Yet she’ll fight -- not just for little Cody’s custody, but for the child’s life itself.

The law won’t back her up. But the exorcist priest believes. And the rabbi who practices Kabbalah knows too much not to believe. And ancient, raging memories of an Egyptian prophecy are rising within her own terrifying dreams.

But time is running out. For everyone wants this child. Even the Devil…
What if your drug-addicted daughter left a newborn baby on your doorstep and disappeared? What if she came back three years later and took the child into a satanic cult? Would you risk your soul to save her?

Maggie O’Connor is about to answer these questions… maybe with her life. She’s too young to be a grandmother. Yet she’ll fight -- not just for little Cody’s custody, but for the child’s life itself.

The law won’t back her up. But the exorcist priest believes. And the rabbi who p! ractices Kabbalah knows too much not to believe. And ancient, raging memories of an Egyptian prophecy are rising within her own terrifying dreams.

But time is running out. For everyone wants this child. Even the Devil…
JADE/BLESS THE CHILD - DVD MovieThe last thing recently-widowed Maggie O'Connor wants is the responsibility of a baby. But when her heroin-addict daughter, Jenna, abandons newborn Cody, Maggie discovers her own maternal instincts and love for the child prevail. Then, three and a half years later, an impeccably groomed Jenna, complete with her new, wealthy husband, Eric Vannier, returns to claim her daughter. On her first visit to Cody's new home, Maggie is horrified to find the child vacant-eyed, subdued and fearful. The police can do nothing - until an anonymous caller reveals the Vanniers' link with a sinister Satanic cult. And as an ancient prophecy turns into reality, it is all too clear that much more than Cody's sanity and safety are at stak! e...Studio: Peace Arch Home Entertain Release Date: 07/21/200! 6Enriche d with detailed notes and commentary, Glendon Swarthout’s classic tale of adolescent "misfits" at a boy’s camp on a mission to save themselves.GOD BLESS THE CHILD - DVD Movie

Invicta Women's 4718 II Collection Limited Edition Diamond Chronograph Watch

• Precise Swiss-quartz movement
• Sapphire-coated mineral crystal
• Case diameter: 33 mm
• Stainless-steel case; mother-of-pearl dial; diamonds bezel; date function; chronograph functions
• Water-resistant to 330 feet (100 M)

Add a dash of high style to any ensemble with this limited edition Invicta chronograph timepiece for women, which is elegantly topped by a bezel ringed with 16 hand set sparkling diamonds. The diamonds are GH color and SI clarity. The shimmery mother-of-pearl dial face includes three silver sub-dials with measurements for 1/10th of a second, 60 seconds, and 30 minutes of elapsed time as well as luminous Tritnite hands and hour markers, small minute indexes, and a date window at 4 o'clock. The round watch case measures 33mm wide (1.30 inches) and 11mm thick (0.43 inches). It's complemented by a stainless steel bracelet band that mixes polished and sa! tin links. Other features include a precise Swiss quartz movement, a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal, and water resistance to 100 meters (330 feet)--offering protection from accidental splashes as well suitable for swimming, snorkeling, and light recreational diving.

II Collection

In the wake of up to the minute technology, optimal construction, and a spectrum of inventive design choices you will find the Invicta II collection. Priced to demand attention, no technological or creative rock has been left unturned in order to create such an impeccable example of the ultimate in function and fashion. Invicta II offers a myriad of enticing options including applied indexes, up markers, double-dial dual timers, leather straps, carbon-fiber dials, retrograde chronographs, and moon phase registers. Having fused brains and good looks at a stellar price, the Invicta II is the perfect collection to indulge in all your watch fantasies.

Back to the Future Part II

• Features include: -MPAA Rating: PG -Format: DVD-Runtime: 108 minutes

Getting back was only the beginning as the most spectacular time-travel adventure ever continues in Back to the Future Part II - the sequel that proves that lightning can strike twice! Picking up precisely where they left off, Marty and Doc (Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd) launch themselves to the year 2015 to fine-tune the future and inadvertently disrupt the space time continuum. Now, their only chance to fix the present is by going back to 1955 all over again before it is too late. From the Academy Award-winning filmmakers Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis, Back to the Future Part II proves true excitement is timeless. Starring: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Thomas F. Wilson, Casey Siemaszko, Billy Zane, Elisabeth Shue, Elijah Wood Directed by: Robert ZemeckisCritics and audiences didn't seem ! too happy with this inventive, perhaps too clever sequel to the popular 1985 comedy about a high school kid (Michael J. Fox) who travels into the past and has to bring his parents together (or lose his own existence). Director Robert Zemeckis and cast bent over backwards to add layers of time-travel complication to this follow-up, and while it surely exercises the brain it isn't necessarily funny in the same way that its predecessor was. It's well worth a visit, though, just to appreciate the imagination that went into it, particularly in a finale that has Fox's character watching his own actions from the first film. --Tom Keogh

Hard Rain: A Thriller (Vin Cooper)

• ISBN13: 9780553590029
• Condition: New
• Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!

The setting is the flood-ravaged, evacuated town of Huntingburg, where Tom (Slater), an armored car driver, is in deep danger. A gang of thieves (led by Freeman) figures the flood is their chance to heist the money Tom is transporting from local banks. But there’s one thing the gun-carrying criminals didn’t count on â€" Tom. Come hell or high water, he’s determined to deliver the money entrusted to him. But before he does, he’ll have to survive a relentless pursuit filled with close calls, floods, uncertain loyalties and heart-stopping heroics.It may not be a disaster movie, per se, but this terminally silly thriller is certainly disastrous, and would be pointless without the novelty of its set! ting in a flooding Midwestern town during a torrential rainfall. Physically impressive but idiotic in every other respect, the movie pits an armored truck courier (Christian Slater) against a smart leader of thieves (Morgan Freeman) and a corruptible town sheriff (Randy Quaid) who are vying for possession of $3 million in cash. A waterlogged game of cat and mouse, the plot is so contrived that even the most impressive action sequences--such as a jet-ski chase through flooded high-school corridors--are robbed of their already tenuous credibility. Before long you'll be yawning as incompetent accomplices are systematically dispatched by their own stupidity, in the kind of movie where the use of power boats inevitably leads to at least one death by outboard motor. What's impressive here is the physical production itself--the effect of flooding was created by building a huge replica of downtown Huntington, Indiana, in a huge, watertight aircraft hangar in Palmdale, California! --Jeff Shannon In his critically acclaimed Rain Fall, Bar ry Eisler introduced half Japanese-half American freelance hit man John Rain, a "dashing and dangerous hero...as likable as he is lethal."* Now Eisler's back. So is Rain, the master of death by "natural causes" whose new target threatens the fragile political balance of an entire country.Barry Eisler's half-breed freelance assassin John Rain returns to Tokyo for a second outing in Hard Rain, the sequel to Eisler's stunning 2002 debut, Rain Fall. Once again Rain is working with, or at least parallel to, Tatsu, a wily veteran of Japan's FBI equivalent, who aims to cleanse the Japanese government of its systemic corruption. To further this goal, he's persuaded the ever-cautious Rain to take out Murakami, a brutal gangster and hitman who specializes in making his killings look like suicide, a specialty Rain thought was his alone. Liquidating the dangerous and elusive Murakami proves to be a difficult task, however, one that leads to personal loss for Rain, and sets! the plot on course for a climax that hits with the power of a well-delivered roundhouse kick.

Eisler builds on Rain's self-enforced isolation and loneliness as he expertly shows the reader Tokyo as channeled by Chandler, transforming the burgeoning metropolis into a noir catacomb of dimly lit hostess bars, scheming bureaucrats, shadowy intelligence agents, and outlaw martial arts dojos where thugged-up yakuza train for illicit death matches.

While the plot becomes complicated toward the novel's conclusion, Rain is a refreshing and complex character whom readers will want to see return for another installment. If you've a yen for a thriller that mixes suspense, intrigue, and action with a Japanese flavor and a hardboiled American attitude, Eisler's Hard Rain is an excellent choice. --Benjamin ReeseA powerhouse cast churns up the action in this thrill-drenched story of an armored car driver battling armed crooks and the rampaging water! s of a killer flood. Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Da! te: 04/1 1/2006 Starring: Morgan Freeman Randy Quaid Run time: 96 minutes Rating: R Director: Mikael SalomonIt may not be a disaster movie, per se, but this terminally silly thriller is certainly disastrous, and would be pointless without the novelty of its setting in a flooding Midwestern town during a torrential rainfall. Physically impressive but idiotic in every other respect, the movie pits an armored truck courier (Christian Slater) against a smart leader of thieves (Morgan Freeman) and a corruptible town sheriff (Randy Quaid) who are vying for possession of $3 million in cash. A waterlogged game of cat and mouse, the plot is so contrived that even the most impressive action sequences--such as a jet-ski chase through flooded high-school corridors--are robbed of their already tenuous credibility. Before long you'll be yawning as incompetent accomplices are systematically dispatched by their own stupidity, in the kind of movie where the use of power boats inevitably leads to ! at least one death by outboard motor. What's impressive here is the physical production itself--the effect of flooding was created by building a huge replica of downtown Huntington, Indiana, in a huge, watertight aircraft hangar in Palmdale, California! --Jeff Shannon In his critically acclaimed Rain Fall, Barry Eisler introduced half Japanese-half American freelance hit man John Rain, a "dashing and dangerous hero...as likable as he is lethal."* Now Eisler's back. So is Rain, the master of death by "natural causes" whose new target threatens the fragile political balance of an entire country.Barry Eisler's half-breed freelance assassin John Rain returns to Tokyo for a second outing in Hard Rain, the sequel to Eisler's stunning 2002 debut, Rain Fall. Once again Rain is working with, or at least parallel to, Tatsu, a wily veteran of Japan's FBI equivalent, who aims to cleanse the Japanese government of its systemic corruption. To further this goal! , he's persuaded the ever-cautious Rain to take out Murakami, ! a brutal gangster and hitman who specializes in making his killings look like suicide, a specialty Rain thought was his alone. Liquidating the dangerous and elusive Murakami proves to be a difficult task, however, one that leads to personal loss for Rain, and sets the plot on course for a climax that hits with the power of a well-delivered roundhouse kick.

Eisler builds on Rain's self-enforced isolation and loneliness as he expertly shows the reader Tokyo as channeled by Chandler, transforming the burgeoning metropolis into a noir catacomb of dimly lit hostess bars, scheming bureaucrats, shadowy intelligence agents, and outlaw martial arts dojos where thugged-up yakuza train for illicit death matches.

While the plot becomes complicated toward the novel's conclusion, Rain is a refreshing and complex character whom readers will want to see return for another installment. If you've a yen for a thriller that mixes suspense, intrigue, and action with a Japanese ! flavor and a hardboiled American attitude, Eisler's Hard Rain is an excellent choice. --Benjamin ReeseIn his critically acclaimed Rain Fall, Barry Eisler introduced half Japanese-half American freelance hit man John Rain, a "dashing and dangerous hero...as likable as he is lethal."* Now Eisler's back. So is Rain, the master of death by "natural causes" whose new target threatens the fragile political balance of an entire country.DROP ZONE/HARD RAIN - DVD MovieTwelve bones are missing.
 
When a U.S. colonel is found murdered in his Istanbul home, the grisliest detail is the one that links his murder to another that soon follows. To Special Agent Vin Cooper, it looks like there’s a serial killer at large in Turkey.
But looks can be deceiving.

Onetime lovers, now the uneasiest of partners, Vin Cooper and Special Agent Anna Masters follow a trail of clues from Istanbul to Iraq and beyond. The victims were not selected at random. What look! ed like ritual was rife with clues. As evidence of a conspirac! y snakes up the chain of command, these two seasoned special agents must dodge bullets, defuse bombs, and avoid being buried alive in their desperate effort to short-circuit a plan for world domination more audacious than they could ever have imagined.

Copying Beethoven

• COPYING BEETHOVEN

When young Anna Holz (Diane Kruger), a Viennese music student is asked to transcribe scoring notes for the great Ludwig van Beethoven (Harris), she eagerly accepts, despite warnings about his volatile behavior. Part maestro, part mentor and part madman, Beethoven reluctantly relies on Anna to help him realize the culmination of his art.

A passionate, powerful drama based loosely on the final months of Ludwig van Beethoven's life, Copying Beethoven finds the maestro a haunted man, composing the most revolutionary yet unappreciated work of his lifetime; largely deaf; disappointed in his relationship with a wastrel nephew; and fascinated by a young, female composer, Anna Holtz (Diane Kruger), who goes to work for him transcribing music. Staying as a guest at a convent and engaged to a stolid engineer, Anna is drawn to Beethoven’s tempestuous genius. Half the time he'! s enchanted by her and seems to see straight through to her soul. The other half, he's shouting at her for her timidity or flattery. Hardly a mouse, Anna fights back. The more she does, the more Beethoven recognizes in her a kindred survivor, someone with whom he can reveal his vulnerability and the burden of his artistry. Ed Harris' Beethoven is wracked by pain but not overwhelmed by it; he looks like a man who understands his responsibility to nature too well to merely disintegrate. ("God whispers in most men's ears," Beethoven says. "He shouts in mine.") Director Agnieszka Holland (Olivier, Olivier) oversees a handsome, alternately tender and brutal drama, with several thrilling moments, including the stunned look of audience members hearing the world premiere of the glorious 9th Symphony. --Tom Keogh

Copying Beethoven Extras

Watch Ed Harris speak about portraying Beethoven in this exclusive clip.

Beyond Copying Beethoven

Copying Beethoven Soundtrack

Famous Composers: Ludwig Van Beethoven

More From MGM

Stills from Copying Beethoven

Finishing the Game

• The unexpected death of Bruce Lee, a world-wide phenomenon and established movie star, came at the peak of his popularity. Having already shot scenes for his upcoming movie Game Of Death, studio heads decided to complete the film by launching a search for his replacement, attracting hopefuls from all around the world. Finishing The Game is an uproarious, poignant, unpredictable and action-packed r

The unexpected death of Bruce Lee, a world- wide phenomenon and established movie star, came at the peak of his popularity. Having already shot scenes for his upcoming movie Game of Death, studio heads decided to complete the film by launching a search for his replacement attracting hopefuls from all around the world. Finishing the Game is an uproarious, poignant, unpredictable and action packed re-imagining of the casting process for Lee's replacement.