Fierce People

• Actors: Diane Lane, Donald Sutherland, Anton Yelchin, Chris Evans, Kristen Stewart.
• Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC.
• Language: English. Subtitles: English, Spanish.
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only).
• Rated: R. Run Time: 107 minutes.

FIERCE PEOPLE - DVD MovieTaking F. Scott Fitzgerald's adage "The very rich are different from you and me" as his guide, actor-director Griffin Dunne (Practical Magic) paints a poisonous portrait of privilege. When coke-addicted masseuse Liz Earl (Diane Lane) hits rock bottom, she calls in a favor with an affluent client. In exchange for her services, Ogden Osborne (Donald Sutherland in a sly performance) welcomes Liz and her 16-year-old son, Finn (Anton Yelchin), to his East Coast estate. Liz stops drinking and drugging, while Finn bonds with Ogden's grandchildren, Bryce (C! hris Evans) and Maya (Kristen Stewart). Though his mother starts dating Ogden's physician, Finn remains convinced her services extend beyond the therapeutic. Nonetheless, he grows fond of the sensitive, if controlling billionaire. Finn's own father, an anthropologist, deserted him years ago to study the Ishkanani, i.e. "the fierce people," of South America. When Finn is attacked by a masked figure, his warm feelings towards the Osbornes turn cold. At this point, the film takes a disappointingly conventional turn as Finn tries to determine who abused him--and to initiate some payback. If the basic premise never quite rings true, the director, son of bestselling author Dominick Dunne, carries on family tradition in trying to understand what makes people like Ogden tick (Dirk Wittenborn adapted the screenplay from his novel). Dunne's sympathies may lie with Liz and Finn, but obvious advantages aside, Ogden runs away with the show. He may indeed be "different," but he's also th! e most fully rounded character in the entire muddled exercise.! --Ka thleen C. Fennessy

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Dirt 3

• DiRT 3 delivers mud, sweat and gears the world over: from the intense weather-beaten rally stages of Europe, Africa and the US
• The game boasts more cars, more locations, more routes and more events than any other game in the series
• Rally returns with more than double the amount of the content.
• Gamers can test their car control to the very limi and drift, spin-dry and jump their way to stardom in all new Gymkhana events.
• For the first time in the Dirt series, players will enjoy the unique and exhilarating spectacle of racing on snow.
• Multi-stage rallyes are set at classic locations from the traditional rally heartland of Scandinavia to to the jungles of Kenya

Dirt 3 (PS3)

Dirt 3 is a popular rally racing game for PlayStation 3 that combines the feel of fast-paced arcade style racing action across multiple surfaces and enviro! nments with realistic features found on real off-road circuits. The third release in the acclaimed off-road racing franchise, Dirt 3 features a range of racing and driving disciplines at spectacular locations, more than 100 routes, the finest selection of licensed action-sports racing cars, multistage rallies set at classic locations, exhilarating snow racing action and mesmerizing Gymkhana race events.

More Cars, More Locations, More Everything

Dirt 3 boasts more cars, more locations, more routes and more events than any other game in the series, including over 50 rally cars representing the very best from five decades of the sport. With more than double the track content of 2009's hit, Dirt 3 will see players start at the top as a professional driver! , with a topflight career in competitive off-road racing complimented by the opportunity to express themselves in Gymkhana-style showpiece driving events. As players race to elevate their global standing, Dirt 3 delivers mud, sweat and gears the world over: from the intense weather-beaten rally stages of Europe, Africa and the US, to executing performance driving showcases and career challenges where car control is pushed to spectacular limits.

The third release in the Dirt series contains more cars, more locations, more everything.
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Key Game Features

• Be a Pro - Dirt 3 puts players in the racing ! boots of a professional motorsports athlete. The beaten up RV of Dirt 2 is a thing of the past as gamers compete against stars including Ken Block and Kris Meeke across a range of racing and driving disciplines at spectacular locations across the world.
• More, More, More - Dirt 3 boasts more cars, more locations, more routes and more events than any other game in the Dirt series. There are now 100+ routes in the game compared to Dirt 2's 41. Dirt 3 offers the finest selection of licensed action-sports racing cars available and the largest line up to feature in any Codemasters racing game, including cars that represent 5 decades of rallying from classics like the Mini Cooper and Audi Quattro to Ken Block's rally spec Ford Fiesta.
• Rally is Back - After consulting fan-feedback, reviews and performing exhaustive data mining, the standout event from Dirt 2, Rally, returns with more than double the amount of! content. Multistage rallies are set at classic locations from! the tra ditional rally heartland of Scandinavia to the jungles of Kenya and the forests of Europe and the USA, taking players to the most dramatic, inhospitable and exciting terrain on the planet where only the most fearless drivers race.
• Express Yourself with Gymkhana - The 15 million-plus YouTube phenomenon pioneered by Ken Block now powerslides into to Dirt 3. Gamers can test their car control to the very limit and drift, spin-dry and jump their way to stardom in all new Gymkhana events. Set in specially created arenas packed with props, players can practice their skills, chain together moves, complete challenges or hang out online with friends in this spectacular video game first.
• Let It Snow - For the first time in the Dirt series, players will enjoy the unique and exhilarating spectacle of racing on snow. A highly advanced particle and physics model powers snow that builds up on the track, wheel tread and the car as it falls more h! eavily throughout the race. As players drive they will feel the change in the handling as the snow compacts at different rates depending on your speed, angle and cornering. This best-in-class feature delivers truly jaw-dropping visual and performance effects.

Additional Screenshots

A franchise first, snow racing. View larger.

Unique Gymkhana events. View larger.

Split-screen functionality. View larger.

Multiplayer madness. View larger.

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Bronson (Widescreen Edition)

• In 1974, a misguided 19 year old named Michael Peterson decided he wanted to make a name for himself and so, with a homemade sawn-off shotgun and a head full of dreams he attempted to rob a post office. Swiftly apprehended and originally sentenced to 7 years in jail, Peterson has subsequently been behind bars for 34 years, 30 of which have been spent in solitary confinement. With an intelligent, p

BASED ON THE TRUE STORY OF ONE OF THE WORLD S MOST VIOLENT PRISONERS
In 1974, a misguided 19-year-old named Michael Peterson decided he wanted to make a name for himself, and so with a homemade sawn-off shotgun and a head full of dreams, he attempted to rob a post office. Swiftly apprehended and originally sentenced to seven years in jail, Peterson has subsequently been behind bars for 34 years, 30 of which have been spent in solitary confinement. Provocative and stylized, BRONSON follows the met! amorphosis of Mickey Peterson, who gave himself the nickname Charles Bronson, from a petty thief into Britain's most dangerous prisoner.Tom Hardy's performance in the lead role burns right through Bronson, the somewhat true tale of a real guy who, once the movie finishes, you'll be very glad is still locked up in an English jail. There's no obvious reason why Michael Peterson became what he proudly calls "Britain's most violent prisoner." His upbringing was normal, his parents meek but loving; he was even married with a child when, in 1974, he attempted a robbery that landed him in the slammer for the first time. Peterson saw this as "an opportunity to sharpen my tools" and make a name for himself; and that he did, eagerly taking on half a dozen guards at once and regularly spending time in solitary confinement (at one point for 69 straight days). A stint in "the loony bin," where he killed another patient, followed, as did incarceration in a hospital for the crimina! lly insane, a brief period on the outside (having been "certif! ied sane ," he went to live in an uncle's whorehouse, found work as a prizefighter, and fell in love), and then a permanent return to prison, where he decided to change his name to Charlie Bronson (after the American actor) and, improbably, became a pretty decent painter (a climactic scene with his art teacher perversely invokes the Belgian artist René Magritte). Not all of this really happened, but director and cowriter Nicolas Winding Refn's film is hardly a documentary; with its saturated color palette, surreal framing devices (Bronson tells some of his tale to a rapt audience in a large theater), and frequent use of black humor, this is a highly stylized and often strange piece of work. Hardy, who has also been seen in Guy Ritchie's RocknRolla and will be in George Miller's fourth Road Warrior epic, delivers an extreme performance; sporting a shaved head and a John L. Sullivan handlebar mustache, he is a credible if occasionally cartoonish presence, a leering, prof! ane, joyously violent cockney madman. Extras include interviews, a making-of documentary, and a featurette detailing the extremely buff Hardy's training for the role. --Sam Graham

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Captivity

• Special Features include * The Making of Captivity Featurette * On-the-Set Look Featurette * Deleted Scenes
• Widescreen 16 x 9 (2.35:1)
• Feature Film run time 85 minutes
• 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround EX Audio
• 6.1 DTS-ES Audio

CAPTIVITY - DVD MovieThis masterful historical novel by Deborah Noyes, the lauded author of Angel & Apostle, The Ghosts of Kerfol, and Encyclopedia of the End (starred PW) is two stories: The first centers upon the strange, true tale of the Fox Sisters, the enigmatic family of young women who, in upstate New York in 1848, proclaimed that they could converse with the dead. Doing so, they unwittingly (but artfully) gave birth to a religious movement that touched two continents: the American Spiritualists. Their followers included the famous and the rich, and their effect on American spirituality lasted a full generation. Still, there are echoes. ! The Fox Sisters is a story of ambition and playfulness, of illusion and fear, of indulgence, guilt and finally self-destruction. The second story in Captivity is about loss and grief. It is the evocative tale of the bright promise that the Fox Sisters offer up to the skeptical Clara Gill, a reclusive woman of a certain age who long ago isolated herself with her paintings, following the scandalous loss of her beautiful young lover in London. Lyrical and authentic and more than a bit shadowy Captivity is, finally, a tale about physical desire and the hope that even the thinnest faith can offer up to a darkening heart.When someone releases the chimpanzees at the South Carolina Primate Project, its director, Dana Armstrong, is forced to confront the complexity of both her past and the present as she struggles to preserve the chimps' sanctuary.No Description Available.
Genre: Horror
Rating: R
Release Date: 30-OCT-2007
Media Type: DVD

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Four Minutes

• For over sixty years, aged pianist Traude Kr ger has been teaching piano at the women's prison. But she's never met someone like Jenny, a convicted killer beating everything around her to a pulp just to amuse herself. But Jenny used to be a great musical talent. And she still is under her impenetrable facade. She could manage to win a prestigious piano contest she is allowed to participate

For over sixty years, aged pianist Traude Krüger has been teaching piano at the women s prison. But she s never met someone like Jenny, a convicted killer beating everything around her to a pulp just to amuse herself. But Jenny used to be a great musical talent. And she still is under her impenetrable facade. She could manage to win a prestigious piano contest she is allowed to participate in despite her prison sentence. However, a contest is no challenge to someone who wants life to stand still.Four Mi! nutes recalls the lineage of films dedicated to marginalized characters who find solace in piano playing, such as Jane Campion’s The Piano, yet there is more to this drama than the story of a woman yearning for autonomy. Jenny (Hannah Herzsprung), a prisoner described as the type to "steal a smoke from a corpse" by another inmate, is wasting away in a German penitentiary until she is recruited by piano teacher, Traude Krüger (Monica Bleibtrau), to train for a contest coming up. Krüger, who sees Jenny’s fingers keying organ music on her church pew in Sunday mass, realizes Jenny’s innate talent and slowly heals her student through music as well as through conversations revealing their mutually difficult pasts. While Jenny’s violent outbursts continuously disrupt her piano privileges, Traude heroically defends Jenny in meetings with the hard-edged warden, Mr. Meyerbeer (Stefan Kurt). The crux of the story lies in the friendship forged between these women t! hrough Traude’s determination to heal her young prodigy. Thr! ough fla shback, the viewer learns what male violence was inflicted upon each lady. Four Minutes, subtitled from German, is a bit humorless, and one doesn’t glimpse even a slight smile on any character’s face until fifty minutes of film have rolled. Jenny’s outbursts at the piano as well, such as when she plays handcuffed to defy Meyerbeer, are overwrought. Still, the lack of sentimentality inherent to each character lends a wry realism to the intelligent script, such as when Ms. Krüger tells Jenny to stop playing "negro music," exposing her antiquated, uptight musical taste. Four Minutes succeeds at illustrating a relationship in which two women cut from different cloth share commonalities that assume a female essence, though at their core they crave a universal desire for freedom. --Trinie Dalton

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Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

• BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT (DVD MOVIE)

High profile lawyer, Martin Hunter (Michael Douglas) has an impeccable record putting criminals behind bars and is a shoo-in for governor in the upcoming election. But when ambitious rookie journalist, C.J. Nicholas (Jesse Metcalfe) begins investigating Hunter for tampering with evidence to secure his convictions, the district attorney’s perfect record is up for scrutiny. Commencing a risky game of cat and mouse with Hunter, C.J. frames himself as a murder suspect to catch the corrupt D.A. in the act.


Stills from Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (Click for larger image)

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An ambitious reporter takes an extraordinary risk to bring down a corrupt district attorney in Beyond a Reasonable Doubt, a modern-day remake of Fritz Lang's final feature. On occasion, Shreveport newsman C.J. (Jesse Metcalfe, Desperate Housewives) receives confidential tips from assistant D.A. Ella (Amber Tamblyn, Joan of Arcadia), but Ella hesitates to go out with him due to the conflict of interest. It doesn't help that he considers her boss, gubernatorial candidate Martin Hunter (Michael Douglas, whose performance recalls Wall Street's Gordon Gekko), "too smooth," adding, "I'm not sure he's honest," but she eventually yields to C.J.'s charms (hey, it worked for Gabrielle Solis). Little does she realize that he plans to expose Hunter as a fraud--by framing himself for an unsolved murder. C.J. figures if he teams up with cameraman Finley (Joel Moore), he can't lose, but he never stops to consider the consequenc! es if something happens to Finley or the video that proves his innocence. So, the trial proceeds, but once Hunter gets wind of the scheme, he goes after C.J. with all his might. Ella is the only one who can help him, but to do so means to put her career--maybe even her life--on the line. There's a nasty twist at the end of this entertaining, if shallow, courtroom drama, and director/cinematographer Peter Hyams, who previously worked with Douglas on The Star Chamber, sprinkles the suspense with some tension-relieving zingers from Orlando Jones as a cop who suspects something fishy is afoot. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

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Wanted Dead or Alive - The Complete Series

• The hit television series that launched the career of big-screen legend Steve McQueen is now released by Mill Creek Entertainment. Wanted: Dead or Alive - The Complete Series has all 94 episodes featured on 11 DVDs, for hours of entertainment for fans new and old!Josh Randall (McQueen) was not a typical rough-hewn bounty hunter of the Old West; he was a consummate gentleman who many times gave awa

DEAD ALIVE - DVD MovieIf you're not a connoisseur of graphic horror and gruesome gore, you'd better steer clear of this wicked 1992 horror-comedy from the demented mind and delirious camera of New Zealand-born writer-director Peter Jackson. However, if nonstop mayhem and extreme violence are your idea of great entertainment, you're sure to appreciate Jackson's gleefully inventive approach to a story that can judiciously be described as sick, twisted, and totally outrageous. The movie's central chara! cter is a poor schmuck named Lionel who's practically enslaved to his domineering mother. But when ol' Mum gets bitten by a rare and poisonous rat monkey from Skull Island and is turned into a flesh-eating zombie, Lionel has the unfortunate task of keeping Mama happy while fending off all the other zombies that result from her voracious feeding frenzies. If you've read this far, you'll either be crying out for censorship or eagerly awaiting your first viewing (or second, or third...) of this wildly clever and audaciously uninhibited movie. And while director Jackson would later achieve critical success with his fact-based drama Heavenly Creatures, his talent is readily evident in this earlier effort. If you find this kind of thing even remotely appealing, consider Dead Alive a must-see movie. --Jeff Shannon Peter Jackson proves that if gory is funny, then excessive gory is downright hysterical. As our hapless hero wades through an ankle-deep puddle of b! lood and entrails, brandishing a lawnmower like a portable Cui! sinart a t the climax of this zombie-fest, you'll either be screaming with laughter or fleeing in disgust. Timothy Balme stars as the shy mama's boy Lionel, whose controlling shrew of a mother (Elizabeth Moody) starts rotting away, literally, with a vague supernatural disease. Mother dies but refuses to stay down, rising as a flesh-eating zombie infecting everyone she bites. Lionel tries to hide her in the basement, but the victims keep piling up and finally break out when Lionel's blackmailing uncle (a grotesque, leering Ian Watkin) throws a party in the house. It's snack time as the guests become undead hors d'oeuvres and rise again as hungry soldiers of the new zombie army marching on Lionel and his girl Pacquita (the lovely Diana Penalver). New Zealand goremeister Jackson pulls out all stops in this truly outrageous sanguinary comedy, from gross-out gags of oozing puss and rotting body parts at a formal dinner to slapstick antics as Lionel tries to keep his flesh-hungry mother se! dated during the funeral to the final Freudian showdown between a now-monstrous mother and the newly liberated Lionel. If you like your horror with a sense of humor or your comedy with gristle, then wade through this taboo-busting bucket of blood. --Sean AxmakerStudio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 10/04/2011 Run time: 154 minutes Rating: RIf you're not a connoisseur of graphic horror and gruesome gore, you'd better steer clear of this wicked 1992 horror-comedy from the demented mind and delirious camera of New Zealand-born writer-director Peter Jackson. However, if nonstop mayhem and extreme violence are your idea of great entertainment, you're sure to appreciate Jackson's gleefully inventive approach to a story that can judiciously be described as sick, twisted, and totally outrageous. The movie's central character is a poor schmuck named Lionel who's practically enslaved to his domineering mother. But when ol' Mum gets bitten by a rare and poisonous rat mo! nkey from Skull Island and is turned into a flesh-eating zombi! e, Lione l has the unfortunate task of keeping Mama happy while fending off all the other zombies that result from her voracious feeding frenzies. If you've read this far, you'll either be crying out for censorship or eagerly awaiting your first viewing (or second, or third...) of this wildly clever and audaciously uninhibited movie. And while director Jackson would later achieve critical success with his fact-based drama Heavenly Creatures, his talent is readily evident in this earlier effort. If you find this kind of thing even remotely appealing, consider Dead Alive a must-see movie. --Jeff Shannon Peter Jackson proves that if gory is funny, then excessive gory is downright hysterical. As our hapless hero wades through an ankle-deep puddle of blood and entrails, brandishing a lawnmower like a portable Cuisinart at the climax of this zombie-fest, you'll either be screaming with laughter or fleeing in disgust. Timothy Balme stars as the shy mama's boy Lionel, wh! ose controlling shrew of a mother (Elizabeth Moody) starts rotting away, literally, with a vague supernatural disease. Mother dies but refuses to stay down, rising as a flesh-eating zombie infecting everyone she bites. Lionel tries to hide her in the basement, but the victims keep piling up and finally break out when Lionel's blackmailing uncle (a grotesque, leering Ian Watkin) throws a party in the house. It's snack time as the guests become undead hors d'oeuvres and rise again as hungry soldiers of the new zombie army marching on Lionel and his girl Pacquita (the lovely Diana Penalver). New Zealand goremeister Jackson pulls out all stops in this truly outrageous sanguinary comedy, from gross-out gags of oozing puss and rotting body parts at a formal dinner to slapstick antics as Lionel tries to keep his flesh-hungry mother sedated during the funeral to the final Freudian showdown between a now-monstrous mother and the newly liberated Lionel. If you like your horror with a! sense of humor or your comedy with gristle, then wade through! this ta boo-busting bucket of blood. --Sean AxmakerThe hit television series that launched the career of big-screen legend Steve McQueen is now released by Mill Creek Entertainment.

Wanted: Dead or Alive - The Complete Series has all 94 episodes featured on 11 DVDs, for hours of entertainment for fans new and old!

Josh Randall (McQueen) was not a typical rough-hewn bounty hunter of the Old West; he was a consummate gentleman who many times gave away half - or even all - of his reward money to charity. He was a man of few words and he carried a Winchester sawed-off shotgun, which he wore on his belt and fondly called his "Mare's Leg". Originally aired on CBS from 1958 - 1961, Wanted: Dead or Alive was the TV series that launched Steve McQueen back into the film industry in the western classic The Magnificent Seven.

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McFarlane Toys Beowulf Action Figure Grendel's Mother

• GRENDEL'S MOTHER BEOWULF
• Measures 7 inches at top of head; articulated at neck, shoulders (ball and hinge joints), elbows, wrists and waist. Stands on 4-inch wide by 3½-inch deep base.
• Originally released in 2007 - Retired / Out of Production
• From McFarlane Toys
• Ages 14+

BEOWULF & GRENDEL - DVD MovieThe otherworldly landscape of Iceland lends an appropriate touch of dark fantasy to this modern retelling of Beowulf, the oldest epic poem in the English language. Gerard Butler (The Phantom of the Opera) brings the right balance of physicality and world-weariness as the Swedish hero Beowulf, who travels to Denmark to fight the monstrous troll Grendel (Icelandic superstar Ignvar Sigurdsson), which has been plaguing the house of King Hrothgar (Stellan Skarsgård, buried under a mound of prosthetic hair). However, what transpires is not a battle between! good and evil, but a convoluted mystery of sorts, with Beowulf playing the detective who discovers that his foe is more human than monster, and Hrothgar less wronged innocent than catalyst for his own downfall. Director Sturla Gunnarsson succeeds in pulling this legendary story from the dust of academics by contemporizing the dialogue (Andrew Rai Berzins has an excellent ear for hard-bitten palaver), and his visuals are nothing less than striking, but the film attempts to be both monster movie and melancholy drama, while never quite satisfying the requirements of either genre. Regardless, the quality cast (which includes Sarah Polley from Dawn of the Dead as a sharp-tongued witch with a connection to Grendel) and some well-handled action sequences should hold viewers’ attention even when the unnecessarily complex plot does not. --Paul GaitaStudio: Starz/sphe Release Date: 11/06/2007 Run time: 103 minutes Rating: RThe otherworldly landscape of Iceland lends an a! ppropriate touch of dark fantasy to this modern retelling of Beowul f, the oldest epic poem in the English language. Gerard Butler (The Phantom of the Opera) brings the right balance of physicality and world-weariness as the Swedish hero Beowulf, who travels to Denmark to fight the monstrous troll Grendel (Icelandic superstar Ignvar Sigurdsson), which has been plaguing the house of King Hrothgar (Stellan Skarsgård, buried under a mound of prosthetic hair). However, what transpires is not a battle between good and evil, but a convoluted mystery of sorts, with Beowulf playing the detective who discovers that his foe is more human than monster, and Hrothgar less wronged innocent than catalyst for his own downfall. Director Sturla Gunnarsson succeeds in pulling this legendary story from the dust of academics by contemporizing the dialogue (Andrew Rai Berzins has an excellent ear for hard-bitten palaver), and his visuals are nothing less than striking, but the film attempts to be both monster movie and melancholy drama, while n! ever quite satisfying the requirements of either genre. Regardless, the quality cast (which includes Sarah Polley from Dawn of the Dead as a sharp-tongued witch with a connection to Grendel) and some well-handled action sequences should hold viewers' attention even when the unnecessarily complex plot does not. --Paul GaitaThe otherworldly landscape of Iceland lends an appropriate touch of dark fantasy to this modern retelling of Beowulf, the oldest epic poem in the English language. Gerard Butler (The Phantom of the Opera) brings the right balance of physicality and world-weariness as the Swedish hero Beowulf, who travels to Denmark to fight the monstrous troll Grendel (Icelandic superstar Ignvar Sigurdsson), which has been plaguing the house of King Hrothgar (Stellan Skarsgård, buried under a mound of prosthetic hair). However, what transpires is not a battle between good and evil, but a convoluted mystery of sorts, with Beowulf playing ! the detective who discovers that his foe is more human than mo! nster, a nd Hrothgar less wronged innocent than catalyst for his own downfall. Director Sturla Gunnarsson succeeds in pulling this legendary story from the dust of academics by contemporizing the dialogue (Andrew Rai Berzins has an excellent ear for hard-bitten palaver), and his visuals are nothing less than striking, but the film attempts to be both monster movie and melancholy drama, while never quite satisfying the requirements of either genre. Regardless, the quality cast (which includes Sarah Polley from Dawn of the Dead as a sharp-tongued witch with a connection to Grendel) and some well-handled action sequences should hold viewers' attention even when the unnecessarily complex plot does not. --Paul GaitaIn the age of heroes comes the mightiest warrior of them all, Beowulf. After destroying the overpowering demon Grendel, he incurs the undying wrath of the beast’s ruthlessly seductive mother who will use any means possible to ensure revenge. The ensuing epic bat! tle throughout the ages, immortalizing the name Beowulf. Academy Award® winner director Robert Zemeckis tells the oldest epic tale in the English language with the most modern technology, advancing the cinematic forum through the magic of digitally enhanced live action. A stellar cast is led by Ray Winstone ("The Departed," "Sexy Beast") in the title role. Joining him are Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins as the cursed King Hrothgar, John Malkovich, Robin Wright Penn, Brendan Gleeson, Crispin Glover, Alison Lohman and Oscar Winner Angelina Jolie as Grendel’s mother.Spectacular animated action scenes turn the ancient epic poem Beowulf into a modern fantasy movie, while motion-capture technology transforms plump actor Ray Winstone (Sexy Beast) into a burly Nordic warrior. When a Danish kingdom is threatened by the monster Grendel (voiced and physicalized by Crispin Glover, River's Edge), Beowulf--lured by the promise of heroic glory--comes to rescue! them. He succeeds, but falls prey to the seductive power of G! rendel's mother, played by Angelina Jolie... and as Jolie's pneumatically animated form rises from an underground lagoon with demon-claw high heels, it becomes clear that we're leaving the original epic far, far behind. Regrettably, the motion-capture process has made only modest improvements since The Polar Express; while the characters' eyes no longer look so flat and zombie-like, their faces remain inexpressive and movements are still wooden. As a result, the most effective sequences feature wildly animated battles and the most vivid character is Grendel, whose grotesqueness ends up making him far more sympathetic than any of the mannequin-like human beings. The meant-to-be-titillating images of a naked Jolie resemble an inflatable doll more than a living, breathing woman (or succubus, as the case may be). But the fights--particularly Grendel's initial assault on the celebration hut--pop with lushly animated gore and violence. Also featuring the CGI-muffled talents of Anth! ony Hopkins (Silence of the Lambs), Robin Wright Penn (The Princess Bride), and John Malkovich (Dangerous Liaisons). --Bret FetzerJohn Grigsby reveals that the English had a mythology and a vibrant pagan religion as rich and complex as that of the early Celts, of which only a few precious fragments remain. One such fragment is a Dark Age poem that tells of the deeds of a monster-slaying hero Beowulf, who frees the feasting hall of a Danish king from the twelve-year tyranny of a creature named Grendel. Grigsby's conclusions will revolutionize the way we think about the ancestors of the English. He explains how they came to England from Denmark and Northern Germany and how human sacrifice was central to their religion. He shows how the memory of the forceful suppression of this sacrificial cult in the 5th century AD lies behind the seemingly fantastic deeds of Beowulf. His discovery will restore the poem to its rightful place as a national epic.Int! roduction gives a short history of the Old English language.
The classic tale of courage and honor. In the Great Hall of Hrothgar, King of the Danes, the warrior Beowulf, son of a Swedish King, wages battle with the monster Grendel.

Introduction gives a short history of the Old English language.

The classic tale of courage and honor. In the Great Hall of Hrothgar, King of the Danes, the warrior Beowulf, son of a Swedish King, wages battle with the monster Grendel.

The otherworldly landscape of Iceland lends an appropriate touch of dark fantasy to this modern retelling of Beowulf, the oldest epic poem in the English language. Gerard Butler (The Phantom of the Opera) brings the right balance of physicality and world-weariness as the Swedish hero Beowulf, who travels to Denmark to fight the monstrous troll Grendel (Icelandic superstar Ignvar Sigurdsson), which has been plaguing the house of King Hrothgar (Stellan Skarsgård, buried under a mound of prosthetic hair). However, what transpires! is not a battle between good and evil, but a convoluted mystery of sorts, with Beowulf playing the detective who discovers that his foe is more human than monster, and Hrothgar less wronged innocent than catalyst for his own downfall. Director Sturla Gunnarsson succeeds in pulling this legendary story from the dust of academics by contemporizing the dialogue (Andrew Rai Berzins has an excellent ear for hard-bitten palaver), and his visuals are nothing less than striking, but the film attempts to be both monster movie and melancholy drama, while never quite satisfying the requirements of either genre. Regardless, the quality cast (which includes Sarah Polley from Dawn of the Dead as a sharp-tongued witch with a connection to Grendel) and some well-handled action sequences should hold viewers' attention even when the unnecessarily complex plot does not. --Paul GaitaIn a legendary time of heroes, the mighty warrior Beowulf battles the demon Grendel and incurs th! e hellish wrath of the beast’s ruthlessly seductive mother. ! Their ep ic clash comes to the big screen in Beowulf, directed by Oscar winner Robert Zemeckis. The grand and powerful score is by Alan Silvestri, Oscar nominated for Forrest Gump and The Polar Express, Grammy® winner for the latter and nominated for Back To The Future and Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and a manytime BMI and ASCAP Award honoree. Highlighting the score and soundtrack album is "A Hero Comes Home," performed by the critically acclaimed Idina Menzel (RENT, Wicked).For sheer over-the-topness, this soundtrack takes the cake in 2007: You'd be hard-pressed to find a more bombastic piece of music than "Beowulf Main Title"… until you reach, oh, "What We Need is a Hero," for instance, or "I Did Not Win the Race," or "Beowulf Slays the Beast." Pounding, relentless, swaggering, Alan Silvestri's score explodes out of the speakers, all crashing tympani and supersized choirs. Fittingly for the tale of a battle between a mighty warrior and a rampaging monster, this is movie music on a ! goofily epic scale--halfway between Carmina Burana and Rammstein. Three songs interrupt the demented flow (although "raging torrent" would be a better word than "flow"). Actress Robin Wright Penn performs "Gently as She Goes" and "A Hero Comes Home," two ballads in soothing, medieval-type arrangements. Idina Menzel (Wicked) reprises a different version of "A Hero Comes Home" at the very end: Good thing she's a belter, because a meeker interpreter would have vanished under the catchy power-ballad arrangements. --Elisabeth VincentelliBased on the legendary 8th century epic poem, Beowulf follows the triumphs and trials of the legendary Norse warrior as he battles mythical beasts, including the monstrous Grendel. GRENDEL'S MOTHER BEOWULF - Measures 7 inches at top of head; articulated at neck, shoulders (ball and hinge joints), elbows, wrists and waist. Stands on 4-inch wide by 3½-inch deep base.

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