Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again

G-Force (Single Disc Widescreen)

  • Buckle up for thrilling edge-of-your seat action and laugh-out-loud fun in Disney's family comedy adventure G-FORCE. Just as the G-Force -- an elite team of highly trained guinea pigs -- is about to save the world, the F.B.I. shuts the secret unit down. But these next-generation action heroes -- Darwin, loyal team leader; Blaster, weapons expert with attitude to spare; Juarez, drop-dead gorgeous m
A successful rap producer is reunited with his former love and tries to win her back, away from her abusive husband.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: R
Release Date: 1-MAY-2007
Media Type: DVDG. is an engrossing update of The Great Gatsby, set in the Hamptons and starring Richard T. Jones as Summer G., a self-made, millionaire head of a hip-hop label. Having risen from obscurity to make his fortune, Summer pines for just one thing: Sky (Chenoa M! axwell), the woman who dumped him back in college to marry the brutal, philandering Chip (Blair Underwood). Sky's feckless cousin, Tre (Andre Royer), a pop journalist, sets her up in an assignation with Summer, leading to predictable conflicts but with unexpected consequences. Co-written and directed by Christopher Scott Cherot, G. is also an interesting portrait of American wealth, particularly the collision of old and new money in the form of a biracial aristocracy coming to terms with a hip-hop elite. Strong performances alone are enough to recommend this feature. --Tom Keogh
Classic science-fiction novel recounts the adventures of a hypothetical Time-Traveler who journeys into the future.
Buckle up for thrilling edge-of-your-seat action and laugh-out-loud fun in Disney’s family comedy adventure G-Force. Just as the G-Force â€" an elite team of highly trained guinea pigs â€" is about to save the world, the F.B.I. shuts the sec! ret unit down. But these next-generation action heroes â€" Dar! win, loy al team leader; Blaster, weapons expert with attitude to spare; Juarez, drop-dead gorgeous martial arts diva; and tag-along Hurley â€" won’t be stopped. Armed with the latest in high-tech spy equipment, and with the F.B.I. on their tails, the fur flies as they race against the clock to save the world. From the producer of the Pirates Of The Caribbean trilogy and National Treasure, and filled with high-octane action, daredevil stunts, cutting-edge special effects and outrageous comedy, G-Force is fantastic fun for the whole family.G-Force just might be the best Jerry Bruckheimer action film in many a moon. The film is exuberant, and its premise--don't think big for an animated caper film, think small--brilliantly upends the more-bigger-faster trope of American action films… with cute, little, furry guinea pigs.

Bruckheimer, the action genius behind the likes of the Pirates of the Caribbean, Con Air! , The Rock, Armageddon, and many more, here teams with visual effects maestro Hoyt Yeatman, who writes and directs. The combo is potent, and the fact that they streamed their blow-'em-up vision through a film about tiny rodents saving the world makes the whole confection a hilarious family-friendly experience as well as a satisfying action adventure. The premise isn't earth-shattering: oddball, unexpected heroes are called on to save the day (Men in Black, Underdog, etc.). But the lowly guinea pig has been long overdue to get its moment in the spotlight. And now the free world knows whom it can really trust. The film mixes the animated heroes with real-life actors, including the sardonic British character actor Bill Nighy, who plays an evil mogul out to take over and/or destroy the world. The U.S. government, it turns out, has been nurturing a special squad for occasions just such as this. It's just that it's been nurturing them in small ! pens with wood shavings on the floor and running wheels for ex! ercise. Will Arnett, deadpan and spot-on, plays the human agent who has the unenviable task of wrangling the guinea pig G-Force, and is a deft foil for the bad guys as well as for the mini-heroes.

But the true powerhouse acting belongs to those giving voices to the guinea pig agents, including Sam Rockwell, Penélope Cruz, Steve Buscemi, and, as the voice of a domesticated layabout, Jon Favreau. The film's standout, though, is Tracy Morgan, whose Agent Blaster is bellicose, fearless, and as full of malapropisms as Morgan's character on 30 Rock. (In fact, the viewer keeps half-expecting Blaster to turn to Cruz's female agent, Juarez, and yell "Liz Lemon!") G-Force is full of belly laughs for kids, as well as their action-film-fan parents. --A.T. Hurley

Stills from G-Force (Click for larger image)





Anime Studio Debut 8

  • Complete animation software designed for digital artists--perfect for first time animators, hobbyists and digital enthusiasts
  • Create art using intuitive vector-based draw, paint and fill tools;
  • Choose from pre-built content in the library or automatically convert existing sketches to ready-to-animate vector drawings
  • Built-in Character Wizard lets you design your own characters complete with walk cycles, expressions and more
  • Then make them talk with built-in Lip Syncing
  • Export to the most popular web and video formats, or upload and share on YouTube or Facebook directly from within Anime Studio
Create Your Own Catoons and Animations
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! Make your characters talk with built-in Audio Recording and Lip-Syncing. View larger.

Anime Studio Debut 8

Create Your Own Cartoons and Animations

Create Animations in Minutes

The fun, quick and affordable way to create animations, Anime Studio is the ideal solution for first-time animators, hobbyists and digital artists. A Beginner's Mode and Character Wizard allow you to design your own ready-to-animate characters in minutes.

Organize Projects with the Timeline, Keyframes and Layers

Move your character naturally along the timeline with keyframes, creating smooth animations. Use multiple layers to edit your animation and add sound, special effects and more.

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The Beginner's Mode gets you started quickly. Vi! ew larger.
Use Bone Tools to Quickly Animate ! Your Cha racters

A unique bone-rigging toolset allows you to create a skeleton that can be easily manipulated to animate characters, simple drawings, or objects in your animation.

Create Your Own Art or Import Content to Get Started Quickly

Draw your own art with intuitive vector-based draw and paint tools or use pre-built content from the Library to get started. Easily import your hand-drawn sketches or existing artwork from popular graphics programs and automatically convert them to ready-to-animate vector drawings.

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Animate your creations using bones. View larger.
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Create an endless amount of ready-to-animate characters using the Character Wizard. View larger.
Share Everywhere

Export to the most popular web and video formats, or upload and share on YouTube or Facebook directly from within Anime Studio.

Utilize an Array of Powerful and Versatile Features

Free Characters: Use pre-built characters including Jace, Liz, Lightning Man, Dexter and Anime Boy. All are royalty-free, vector-based creations.

Import and Export Art: Bring in your Illustrator or layered Adobe Photoshop files; instantly gather all your project files in one location.

Tons of Tutorials: Access videos and sample files to master powerful features and start animating right away.

Bring Your Photos to Life: Import your favorite images from your digital camera, attach bones and easily turn your photographs into animated movies.

Features

! New! Character Wizard

Creating your own characters has! never b een easier. Quickly design ready-to-animate characters using the built-in Character Wizard. Select a preset, dial in the body proportions and choose from dozens of predesigned 2D components such as hands, feet, mouths, eyes, noses and heads. The look and feel of each character is fully customizable with the help of easy to use sliders. Choose from various clothing choices and custom color combinations, or create a virtually endless amount of fun and different characters using the Randomize feature. Each character comes with multiples views and can be imported with a complete walk cycle, allowing you to have your characters walk in your scene with the click of a button. Even attach head shots of you and your friends for fast and easy jib-jab style animation.

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The Content ! Library is packed with hundreds of ready-to-use characters, props, scenes and more. View larger.
New! Automatic Image Tracing

Quickly bring your scanned drawings and photos to life by converting them to ready-to-animate vector art with the click of a button. Color your vector art, resize without loss in image quality and animate using bones. Existing drawings such as heads can quickly get attached to a pre-animated character that you created with the Character Wizard, providing versatility and speed when creating your own characters.

New! Enhanced Drawing Tools

Combine the freehand tool's smart welding feature with the Delete Edge tool to create complex shapes quickly. This eliminates the need for precise drawing, giving you the freedom to sketch as you desire. Additional brush styles have been included and optional rounded end caps have been added to the drawing tools.

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Apply a cut-out style effect to any character or object. View larger.
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Quickly convert existing drawings to vector art. View larger.
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Anime Studio Debut 8 offers an intuitive interface with powerful tools. View larger.
New! Vector Shape Selector

Quickly find and edit vector layers using the Vector Shape Selector. You no longer have to worry about naming each layer to easily find the one you're looking for. Just click on a shape in your project, and! the corresponding layer automatically gets selected for editing. This eliminates tedious searching for the layer you want to edit.

New! Layer Outline Effects

Quickly apply a cut-out style effect to any character or object. Set the width and color for each outline and customize the look and feel of your animation.

New! Enhanced User Interface

Anime Studio 8 introduces new User Interface colors, allowing you to choose from various preset color schemes or create your own. The new Smart Tool Palette provides a less cluttered interface and a better user experience by hiding irrelevant tools.

New! More Ready-To-Use Content

Anime Studio Debut provides an extensive content library with hundreds of pieces of ready-to-use content that includes fully rigged, vector-based characters like Jace, Thorn, Anime Boy and Liz, as well as props, scenes, action words, stock video and images, sound effects and more so you can start creating your ow! n animations right away.

  • Beginner's Mode helps yo! u start animating right away
  • Incorporate sound clips with integrated audio recording and automatic lip-syncing
  • Combine your animation with audio and video elements
  • Apply cartoon effects to any image or video
  • Integrate special effects such as motion blur and shadows
  • Track, zoom and roll the camera
  • Access the Content Library for hundreds of ready-to-use characters, props, scenes and more
  • Pen tablet support simulates drawing on paper
  • Built-in tutorials and sample files get you up and running quickly
  • Import Quicktime, AVI or MPEG-4 video
  • Export your animations in SWF, AVI or MOV format
  • Render in popular formats and sizes
  • Upload directly to Facebook and YouTube

Fled : Widescreen Edition

  • Widescreen
Two dangerously mismatched convicts are thrown into a wild race to outwit, outrun and outgun vicious enemies on both sides of the law in this high-impact thriller bristling with high-speed adventure,mind-blowing stunts and nonstop action! After escaping from a prison chain gang, Piper (Laurence Fishburne) and Dodge (Stephen Baldwin) find themselves handcuffed togetherand at each others' throats! Relentlessly hunted through the Georgia wilderness, the reluctant allies fight their way into the underground of Atlanta, battling the authoritiesand each otherall the way. But when Dodge'sconnection to $25 million in stolen loot attracts mob assassins and corrupt government officials, the action is propelled into a deadly new dimension. With no place to hide, and everything to lose, Piper and Dodge embark on a blazing, take-no-prisoners quest to secure the key to their survival: a compute! r disk that could blow the lid off of a high-level scam.In the road-movie-reluctant-pals genre, Fled goes down a road well-taken and still manages to get lost. Defiant ones Piper (Laurence Fishburne) and Dodge (Stephen Baldwin) escape from their chain gang when a prison break/shootout begins. Evading rednecks and faceless policemen they make it to Atlanta where "smart-ass" Dodge (who delivers one-liners that do a disservice to smart-asses everywhere) has to recover a computer disk. They are aided and abetted by Cora (Salma Hayek--this time using a funny hat, instead of her breasts, for character development), who takes the convicts in as if she were picking up college buddies from the airport. Maybe she realizes what great guys these prison-garbed buffoons are. They donate money to charity. They save dying rednecks. They rescue little boys from oncoming cars. Unfortunately, they can't save any of Dodge's old associates, like his stripper-with-an-apartment-of-gold gir! lfriend or his fellow computer hacker, from getting shot up by! Cuban M afia thugs that want that disk! Laurence Fishburne is the main reason to see the film, but that's a stretch, and Stephen Baldwin seems nothing like the same searing actor seen in The Usual Suspects. --Keith Simanton In the road-movie-reluctant-pals genre, Fled goes down a road well-taken and still manages to get lost. Defiant ones Piper (Laurence Fishburne) and Dodge (Stephen Baldwin) escape from their chain gang when a prison break/shootout begins. Evading rednecks and faceless policemen they make it to Atlanta where "smart-ass" Dodge (who delivers one-liners that do a disservice to smart-asses everywhere) has to recover a computer disk. They are aided and abetted by Cora (Salma Hayek--this time using a funny hat, instead of her breasts, for character development), who takes the convicts in as if she were picking up college buddies from the airport. Maybe she realizes what great guys these prison-garbed buffoons are. They donate money to charity.! They save dying rednecks. They rescue little boys from oncoming cars. Unfortunately, they can't save any of Dodge's old associates, like his stripper-with-an-apartment-of-gold girlfriend or his fellow computer hacker, from getting shot up by Cuban Mafia thugs that want that disk! Laurence Fishburne is the main reason to see the film, but that's a stretch, and Stephen Baldwin seems nothing like the same searing actor seen in The Usual Suspects. --Keith Simanton DVD

Another Cinderella Story

  • DVD Details: Actors: Selena Gomez, Drew Seeley
  • Directors: Damon Santostefano
  • Format: Color, DVD, Full Screen, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1; Number of discs: 1; Studio: Warner Home Video
  • DVD Release Date: September 16, 2008; Run Time: 90 minutes
A "modern" young woman of the 16th century, Danielle (Barrymore) is as independent and wise as she is beautiful and kind. Against remarkable odds, she stands up to her scheming stepmother (Huston) and works miracles on the lives of everyone around her, including the crown prince of France (Dougray Scott)!Now you can relive this captivating, contemporary retelling of the classic fairytale.Take away the Fairy Godmother, and what have you got left from the Cinderella fable? The story of a girl for whom a bad stroke of luck is no match for her internal strength and purity of heart. Drew Barrymore plays C! inderella's alleged inspiration, Danielle, in this romantic drama that purports to tell the "facts" behind the Grimm brothers' story. One of three daughters of a man (Jeroen Krabbé) who dies and leaves her fate in the hands of a conniving stepmother (Anjelica Huston), Danielle is cast into the lowly role of a servant. Meanwhile, her sisters are evaluated as possible mates for a French prince (Dougray Scott), but he's far more intrigued with Danielle's intelligence and beauty--not to mention her way with a sword and fist. Directed by Andy Tennant (who directed Barrymore in TV's The Amy Fisher Story), Ever After has that rare ability to win the heart and mind of a viewer simply by being committed to its own innocence, particularly where Barrymore's luminous performance is concerned. A contemporary take on an old, virtually forgotten Hollywood convention--the costume adventure with middling artistic ambition but real audience appeal--Ever After is a surpr! isingly delightful film. --Tom KeoghA "modern" young wo! man of t he 16th century, Danielle (Drew Barrymore) is as independent and wise as she is beautiful and kind. Against remarkable odds, she stands up to her scheming stepmother (Huston) and works miracles on the lives of everyone around her, including the crown prince of France (Dougray Scott)! Now you can relive this captivating, contemporary retelling of the classic fairytale. Take away the Fairy Godmother, and what have you got left from the Cinderella fable? The story of a girl for whom a bad stroke of luck is no match for her internal strength and purity of heart. Drew Barrymore plays Cinderella's alleged inspiration, Danielle, in this romantic drama that purports to tell the "facts" behind the Grimm brothers' story. One of three daughters of a man (Jeroen Krabbé) who dies and leaves her fate in the hands of a conniving stepmother (Anjelica Huston), Danielle is cast into the lowly role of a servant. Meanwhile, her sisters are evaluated as possible mates for a French prince (Dougr! ay Scott), but he's far more intrigued with Danielle's intelligence and beauty--not to mention her way with a sword and fist. Directed by Andy Tennant (who directed Barrymore in TV's The Amy Fisher Story), Ever After has that rare ability to win the heart and mind of a viewer simply by being committed to its own innocence, particularly where Barrymore's luminous performance is concerned. A contemporary take on an old, virtually forgotten Hollywood convention--the costume adventure with middling artistic ambition but real audience appeal--Ever After is a surprisingly delightful film. --Tom KeoghTake away the Fairy Godmother, and what have you got left from the Cinderella fable? The story of a girl for whom a bad stroke of luck is no match for her internal strength and purity of heart. Drew Barrymore plays Cinderella's alleged inspiration, Danielle, in this romantic drama that purports to tell the "facts" behind the Grimm brothers' story. One of th! ree daughters of a man (Jeroen Krabbé) who dies and leaves he! r fate i n the hands of a conniving stepmother (Anjelica Huston), Danielle is cast into the lowly role of a servant. Meanwhile, her sisters are evaluated as possible mates for a French prince (Dougray Scott), but he's far more intrigued with Danielle's intelligence and beauty--not to mention her way with a sword and fist. Directed by Andy Tennant (who directed Barrymore in TV's The Amy Fisher Story), Ever After has that rare ability to win the heart and mind of a viewer simply by being committed to its own innocence, particularly where Barrymore's luminous performance is concerned. A contemporary take on an old, virtually forgotten Hollywood convention--the costume adventure with middling artistic ambition but real audience appeal--Ever After is a surprisingly delightful film. --Tom KeoghDisc 1: "Ever After" Disc 2: "Where the Heart Is" Disc 3: "Someone Like You"A "modern" young woman of the 16th century, Danielle (Barrymore) is as independent and wise as ! she is beautiful and kind. Against remarkable odds, she stands up to her scheming stepmother (Huston) and works miracles on the lives of everyone around her, including the crown prince of France (Dougray Scott)!Now you can relive this captivating, contemporary retelling of the classic fairytale.Take away the Fairy Godmother, and what have you got left from the Cinderella fable? The story of a girl for whom a bad stroke of luck is no match for her internal strength and purity of heart. Drew Barrymore plays Cinderella's alleged inspiration, Danielle, in this romantic drama that purports to tell the "facts" behind the Grimm brothers' story. One of three daughters of a man (Jeroen Krabbé) who dies and leaves her fate in the hands of a conniving stepmother (Anjelica Huston), Danielle is cast into the lowly role of a servant. Meanwhile, her sisters are evaluated as possible mates for a French prince (Dougray Scott), but he's far more intrigued with Danielle's intelligence and b! eauty--not to mention her way with a sword and fist. Directed ! by Andy Tennant (who directed Barrymore in TV's The Amy Fisher Story), Ever After has that rare ability to win the heart and mind of a viewer simply by being committed to its own innocence, particularly where Barrymore's luminous performance is concerned. A contemporary take on an old, virtually forgotten Hollywood convention--the costume adventure with middling artistic ambition but real audience appeal--Ever After is a surprisingly delightful film. --Tom KeoghIt’s musical. It’s magical. It’s Another Cinderella Story, the dancing ever-after fairy tale. In this joyous update, Selena Gomez(The Wizards of Waverly Place) is Mary, a modern Cinderella complete with dancing shoes instead of a glass slipper. Drew Seeley (High School Musical) is Joey, a Prince Charming and dreamy new-guy-in-school looking for a girl to love. Could Mary be that girl? With your kind of music and dance, your kind of romance and all kinds of surprises, you’ll find that Anothe! r Cinderella Story is a perfect fit.Another Cinderella Story adds a few modern day twists to the classic fairy tale on which it is based, and it aims straight for the hearts of 21st century tweens. Selena Gomez (Wizards of Waverly Place) plays Mary, a shy high-school student saddled with a wicked guardian and a pair of mean girls stepsisters. Her life changes dramatically when a famous pop star enrolls at her school. Joey (Andrew Seeley) is everything the rest of boys in her class aren'tâ€"handsome, kind, and desirable. At a masked dance, Mary and Joey meet and fall in like with each other. But when she has to rush back home, she leaves behind her MP3 player, which becomes the only clue Joey has to find the girl of his dreams. Gomez, who shows nice range, is well-cast in the ingénue role. While indeed very dreamy, Seeley is a tad too old to play Gomez's boyfriend. Another Cinderella Story isn't the best-made Cinderella story. Drew Barrymore's Ever A! fter was more clever. And the 1965 adaptation of Cinder! ella starring Lesley Ann Warren still stands up to time. But with its young cast and energetic choreography, Another Cinderella Story is a perfect fairytale for the tween and young teen set. --Jae-Ha Kim

Get Smart (Single-Disc Widescreen Edition)

  • DVD Details: Actors: Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway
  • Directors: Peter Segal
  • Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1; Number of discs: 1; Studio: Warner Home Video
  • DVD Release Date: November 4, 2008; Run Time: 110 minutes
MAXWELL SMART, AGENT 86 FOR CONTROL, BATTLES THE FORCES OF KAOS WITH THE MORE COMPETENT AGENT 99 AT HIS SIDE.The Cold War may be over, but that doesn't mean it can't still be milked for laughs. Get Smart, the sassy film version of the Mel Brooks/Buck Henry-created '60s TV satire, brings plenty of elements of the original series and spins it freshly into the new world of bad guys in the 21st century, pretty much without losing a beat. Steve Carell is perfectly cast as the bumbling Maxwell Smart--but in a slick improvement on the TV show, Smart isn't really hapless--though he has a bit of a s! elf-esteem problem (all around his apartment are sticky notes with exhortations like "You can DO it!"). Carell's Maxwell Smart is a sharp techie researcher at the uber-secret crime-battling agency, CONTROL, who's just a little out of his element out in the field. As his data-crunching sidekick Bruce (Masi Oka of Heroes) says, "We're the ones guarding democracy!", aghast that Max would want to be an agent.

But Max longs for the action enjoyed by the likes of Agent 23 (a godlike Dwayne Johnson), with glamorous deployments around the world. When he finally gets his dream assignment--as the newly minted Agent 86--he's paired up with the slick and experienced Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway), who provides great lines, not to mention some interesting chemistry, while she continually saves Max from harm's way. The cast is terrific, with memorable appearances by Alan Arkin as the Chief, Terrence Stamp as the head of the uber-evil KAOS, and Bill Murray as a (literally) ! put-out-to-pasture agent whose spy post is inside a tree ("rea! lly grea t, old-school stuff" he calls his assignment). And there's plenty of action, explosions, and creative shootouts with the bad guys (highlight: a freefall from a plane, with two people and just two parachutes). But it's Carell and his combination of insecure yearning and deadpan delivery that make Get Smart as, well, smart as it is. When Max learns he's finally been promoted to agent, he slips into the Cone of Silence--which unfortunately is malfunctioning. "I'm so happy! I'm so happy!" he yells, as his colleagues sit nearby hearing the whole thing. Discovering that, he purses his lips and says, "Well, that's a sucker-punch to the gonads." Sorry about that. --A.T. Hurley


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