In addition to directing, Keaton plays the eldest sister Georgia, a celebrity magazine editor, and Lisa Kudrow is kid sister Maddy, a soap-opera actress who's nearly as self-absorbed as Georgia. They leave it to Eve to care for their declining father (Walter Matthau), a retired screenwriter who slips in and out of lucidity and is, at best, a cantankerous curmudgeon whose estranged wife (Cloris Leachman) has long since severed all family ties. This is potent material--at least it could have been--and Ryan admirably struggles to hold the film together. But it's ultimately a losing battle as the movie, so full of cell phones and disconnected people (hence the title), becomes disconnected itself, offering hollow humor and a few memorable moments with characters whose problems are too minimal to worry about. --Jeff ! ShannonYou've got to admire a movie that embraces womanhoo! d as so few mainstream movies do, and Hanging Up deserves credit for combining issues of sisterhood and elderly parent care while relying on neuroses to carry its unconventional plot. But you've also got to lament this botched "dramedy" from screenwriting sisters Nora and Delia Ephron (adapting the latter's novel) and director Diane Keaton, who lack a coherent plan for illuminating their trio of female siblings. Despite a sharp focus on Meg Ryan as the middle sister Eve--a capable Los Angeles event planner--the movie never quite seems to know where it's going, and you feel like the best scenes are merely happy accidents. In exploring the foibles of family, Keaton fared better with her earlier film Unstrung Heroes.
In addition to directing, Keaton plays the eldest sister Georgia, a celebrity magazine editor, and Lisa Kudrow is kid sister Maddy, a soap-opera actress who's nearly as self-absorbed as Georgia. They leave it to Eve to care for their declining father (Wa! lter Matthau), a retired screenwriter who slips in and out of lucidity and is, at best, a cantankerous curmudgeon whose estranged wife (Cloris Leachman) has long since severed all family ties. This is potent material--at least it could have been--and Ryan admirably struggles to hold the film together. But it's ultimately a losing battle as the movie, so full of cell phones and disconnected people (hence the title), becomes disconnected itself, offering hollow humor and a few memorable moments with characters whose problems are too minimal to worry about. --Jeff Shannon"HILARIOUS. . . A CHARMING, ENTERTAINING READ."
--Los Angeles Times
"WONDERFUL. . . Eve Mozell is having a lousy day, and she hasn't even gotten past breakfast yet. Her father, a senile ex-alcoholic whose idea of a good joke is goosing his woman doctor, started phoning Eve at 6 a.m. Her teenage son, who alternately ignores and lectures her, is off to a séance. ('You know, Mom, all doors are entra! nces. Think about it.') And a quick glance in the mirror turns! out to be a big mistake. Oh, God, is that my face? . . . I need a vacation. No. This is just me. Me at forty-four. . . . What a terrific debut."
--Newsweek
"TRUE AND TOUCHING."
--People
"Delia Ephron is blessed with the driest of wits, the tenderest of hearts, and an uncanny ear for the way people really talk. Do yourself a favor and curl up with Hanging Up--but unplug the phone first."
--Armistead Maupin
"MOVING AND FUNNY. . . In some ways, Hanging Up is a funhouse version of King Lear."
--Newsday
From the Trade Paperback edition.Mothers, daughters, wives, friends: These are the women of The Women. Based on Clare Boothe Luce's Broadway success and the hit 1939 movie, this sparkling update (from Murphy Brown creator Diane English) set in Manhattan and featuring an all-star, all-female cast says a lot about what it means to be today's woman and all of it's funny! The story starts with beautiful, smart, accomplished Mary Haines (Meg Ryan) discov! ering her husband is cheating on her. It's a time when friends are needed, so Mary's gal pals (Annette Bening, Jada Pinkett Smith and Debra Messing) and mother (Candice Bergen) rally round with advice, cocktails and shopping. The Wife vs. the Other Woman (Eva Mendes): Sharpen your claws for a timeless and wonderfully witty battle.For fans of some of America's finest actresses, seeing a film with even one of the cast members of The Women would be a treat. But this remake of George Cukor's famed girl-trouble ensemble film features Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Jada Pinkett Smith, Eva Mendes, Debra Messing, Cloris Leachman, Bette Midler, Carrie Fisher, Joanna Gleason, and Candice Bergen--whew!--making it a film that fans of these terrifically talented women can savor. The remake may not have the cat-itude or camp factor of the original, but so what? The cast's chemistry really shines; friendship is thicker than water, it turns out--even stronger than the ties that bind wome! n to their men. Ryan is the good-girl Mary Haines, whose husba! nd, she and her friends learn, is cheating on her with the stunning femme fatale Crystal (Mendes, in the Joan Crawford role)--"a spritzer" at the perfume counter. Quelle horreur! The other women rally around the hapless Mary, staging interventions, offering snappy advice, and plotting battles on behalf of their friend. But it turns out that Ryan's Mary isn't quite as fragile as she seems. Gimlets and girl talk--lots of both--go a long way toward getting our heroine through her crisis, and onto a new stage in her life that surprises her husband and more than one of her pals. And the laughs by the appearances of Midler and Bergen, especially, are worth watching the whole film for. --A.T. Hurley
Erik Larsonâ€"author of #1 bestseller In the Garden ! of Beastsâ€"intertwines the true tale of the 1893 World's Fair and the cunning serial killer who used the fair to lure his victims to their death. Combining meticulous research with nail-biting storytelling, Erik Larson has crafted a narrative with all the wonder of newly discovered history and the thrills of the best fiction.
Author Erik Larson imbues the incredible events surrounding the 1893 Chicago World's Fair with such drama that readers may find themselves checking the book's categorization to be sure that The Devil in the White City is not, in fact, a highly imaginative novel. Larson tells the stories of two men: Daniel H. Burnham, the architect responsible for the fair's construction, and H.H. Holmes, a serial killer masquerading as a charming doctor. Burnham's challenge was immense. In a short period of time, he was forced to overcome the death of his partner and numerous other obstacles to construct the famous "White City" around which the fair was! built. His efforts to complete the project, and the fair's in! credible success, are skillfully related along with entertaining appearances by such notables as Buffalo Bill Cody, Susan B. Anthony, and Thomas Edison. The activities of the sinister Dr. Holmes, who is believed to be responsible for scores of murders around the time of the fair, are equally remarkable. He devised and erected the World's Fair Hotel, complete with crematorium and gas chamber, near the fairgrounds and used the event as well as his own charismatic personality to lure victims. Combining the stories of an architect and a killer in one book, mostly in alternating chapters, seems like an odd choice but it works. The magical appeal and horrifying dark side of 19th-century Chicago are both revealed through Larson's skillful writing. --John Moe
From the acclaimed creators of TOY STORY, THE INCREDIBLES, and FINDING NEMO comes a high-octane adventure comedy that shows life is about the journey, not the finish line.
Hotshot rookie race car Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) is living life in the fast lane until he hits a detour on his way to the most important race of his life. Stranded in Radiator Springs, a forgotten town on the old Route 66, he meets Sally, Mater, Doc Hudson (Paul Newman), and a variety of quirky characters who help him discover that there's more to life than trophies and fame. Revved up with a sensational soundtrack, featuring Rascal Flatts, Sheryl Crow, John Mayer, James Taylor, and others, plus exciting bonus features, including the exclusive short movie "Mater And The Ghostlight," C! ARS is full of freewheeling fun for everyone.
Armed with the same airheaded humor he brought ! to Romy and Michele's High School Reunion, director Dav! id Mirki n relies on the clichéd notion that sex turns all men into morons--a conceit that would have worked if the dialogue and sitcom antics were more convincing. As Page's would-be paramour, Jason Lee is rendered intellectually inert, and it's hit-or-miss from that point forward. When the humor hits--as it does with Nora Dunn's rendition of a horrible housemaid--Heartbreakers hints at its full potential. Additional plot twists--not to mention Hewitt's microskirts and Wonderbras--may hold your attention, but you may find yourself harkening back to Steve Martin, Michael Caine, and those happier high jinks on the French Riviera. Singer-songwriter Shawn Colvin has a cameo role as the wedding priest. --Jeff Shannon In a frothy, sexy feature The Huffington Post called an effervescent delight, Alex (Romain Duris of The Beat That My Heart Skipped) is a romantic for hire. If your daughter or sister or friend is falling for the wrong man, Alex will get her to fall for him, wa! tch her dump the loser...and then break her heart by walking away. She ll be sad but wiser and lucky to have avoided a bad relationship. It s a highly profitable business with one rule: don t fall in love. When Alex is hired to woo Juliette (Vanessa Paradis of Girl On The Bridge), he breaks her heart...and his own rule. Starring two of the most beautiful actors in the world, Heartbreaker is the perfect date movie with a sweetly hilarious, Dirty Dancing-inspired finale that you ll never forget.
Filled with musical analysis by Mercer, enlivened by Shorter's vivid recollections, and enriched by more than seventy-five original interviews with his friends and associates, this book is at once an invaluable history of music from bebop to pop, an intimate and moving biography, and a story of a man's struggle toward the full realization of his gifts and of himself.
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Adolescence is an emotionally stormy time for kids, but it's especially so for Shane (Josh Hutcherson), a teenager being raised by single firefighter father Connor (Bruce Greenwood). Add the recent death of Shane's fire-captain uncle (Connor's brother) in the line of duty and the pending closure of their neighborhood "Dogpatch" fire station, and both Shane's propensity for skipping school and brooding! in his room and his father's obsession with work seem easily explainable. When a mutt called Dewey, really a very spoiled superstar dog named Rexxx who's been presumed dead after a parachuting stunt gone wrong, turns up in a burning building and is rescued by the Dogpatch crew, Connor puts Shane in charge of caring for the dog and finding its owner. Shane and Dewey clash immediately and Shane is extremely resentful toward both the dog and his father. However, Dewey's special talents (like skateboarding and trampoline jumping), combined with his good fire-fighting instincts, soon win the admiration and affection of Shane and the entire Dogpatch crew. A series of mysterious fires causes Shane and Connor to begin to really communicate and reconnect, but those fires also threaten their very lives. At the same time, Dewey's former owner discovers Dewey's true identity and demands the return of his superstar companion. An engaging dog story that explores the difficulties of grow! ing up and dealing with personal tragedy, Firehouse Dog! is a fu n family film that's rated PG due to some mildly crude humor (think potty jokes), language, and action peril. --Tami Horiuchi
Firehouse Dog Extras
 Watch the firemen of Firehouse Dog take you behind the scenes in this exclusive clip. |
Beyond Firehouse Dog
 Kids & Family Animal Films |  Firehouse Dog (Paper! back) |  Movies for Tweens |
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The troubles begin when stewardship of Arrakis is transferred by the Emperor from the Harkonnen Noble House to House Atreides. The Harkonnens don't want to give up their privilege, though, and through sabotage and treachery they cast young Duke Paul Atreides out into the planet's harsh environment to die. There he falls in with the Fremen, a tribe of desert dwellers who become the basis of the army with which he will reclaim what's rightfully his. Paul Atreides, though, is far more than just a usurped duke. He might be th! e end product of a very long-term genetic experiment designed! to bree d a super human; he might be a messiah. His struggle is at the center of a nexus of powerful people and events, and the repercussions will be felt throughout the Imperium.
Dune is one of the most famous science fiction novels ever written, and deservedly so. The setting is elaborate and ornate, the plot labyrinthine, the adventures exciting. Five sequels follow. --Brooks Peck
< i>The Deaths of Ian Stone offers the fest's most intriguing premise--after a terrible accident, a young man (Mike Vogel of Cloverfield) discovers that he is being reborn as different people, only to suffer an even worse fate with each reincarnation--though the reasons for his condition and the introduction of monsters to the story are ill-conceived and ill-advised. As for the remaining titles, Unearthed is simply Alien in the desert (ground already covered with panache by Feast), while Nightmare Man is a HD-lensed supernatural slasher from the usually reliable Rolfe Kanefsky (The Hazing) that's enlivened only by the presence of B-movie stalwart Tiffany Shepis. With so much varying quality in the entries, what the 2007 HorrorFest needed was a rock-solid entry by an established talent, like Nacho Cerda's The Abandoned and Takashi Shimuzi's Reincarnation, which gave some spark to the 2006 festival. Judging by the tepid! box office response to this series, stronger names or more careful selection of titles will be necessary for the HorrorFest to remain an annual event. Unlike the 2006 HorrorFest DVD releases, only a handful of the 2007 festival's discs offer extras. It seems odd that two of the weakest entries--Borderland and Nightmare Man--are the only discs to feature substantial supplemental features, including director and cast commentary, deleted scenes, and making-of featurettes, as well as a short documentary on Borderland about the true-life crimes that inspired the film. However, Nightmare Man's extras have a distinct edge thanks to the participation of Shepis, who brings a salty sense of humor to the commentary and also directs an amusing making-of featurette that elicits funny (and honest) responses from the cast and crew. Included on every disc are The Miss HorrorFest Webisodes, a wan collection of reality show-style vignettes that follow a contest t! o find the festival's new, scantily clad spokesmodel. -- P! aul Gait aA group of friends' lives are invaded by a trio of hostile ghosts after they engage in a drunken bout of gravedancing during a wake for an old chum.
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