Saturday, November 19, 2011

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There is an indescribable freedom that comes from physically deceiving the world.

If you are a fan of Halloween then you know the euphoria of pretending to be Frankenstein or a prostitute or Spiderman or Wonder Woman or a tiger or Dorothy or any old somebody or something that you are not.

To be free of social constraints, to melt the wor! ld as you know it for an evening, to be tantalized by uniqueness, causes tens of millions of people to be filled with glee on the last day of October. Some people spend a week's pay and a year's plotting to come up with the perfect costume that will blow their friends' minds away.

For some reason, people experience untold amounts of elation when they get to pretend to be somebody who they are not.

Multiply that by 50,000 and you would come close to the level of euphoria you'd reach if you got to actually parade around in the skin of somebody else for a few days. Just imagine if, all of a sudden, with the mere injection of a needle, you became Asian or a midget or a man. A quick sting in the ribs and you're blonde or pretty or have an Afro. Just imagine becoming any of these combinations and infinitely more. Since you are no longer actually you, you are immediately freed up to talk to whomever you want to talk to without fear of them judging you. All of! a sudden, you can take revenge on enemies, commit crimes and ! be lasci vious without fear of repercussions. All of a sudden, you are free.

Imagine how much fun it would be to be anybody or anything you wanted to be!

And with absolutely no constraints, no restrictions, no limitations, no boundaries, no gravity!

Wouldn't that be great?!

The novel blurred explores this scenario and makes the following analogy:

Drop a frog into a pot of water and he'll swim about contentedly. Fatten him up with a few flies and he'll be the happiest frog in the world. He will swim around blissfully, unaware that a fire has been built beneath his pot, only that it has become warmer, until he is finally cooked alive.

blurred turns this figurative frog into Sam Senior who swims naively in a social milieu that has had a fire applied to it for generations. Brilliant in his use of the innernet (an internet connection in the brain), Sam can navigate dozens of websites simultaneously. A NetJeopardy champion ! on a full ride at a prestigious university, Sam's future looks bright. Perpetually checking social sites while surfing the net, even as he converses with people nearby, Sam doesn't initially realize that he is being held in the ubiquitous sway of a constant communication that paradoxically leads to a lack of real communication, a lack of deep communication.

However, Sam takes a class where he learns about a (possibly) mythological drug, DNA, which instantly alters a person's physical identity and is used primarily for either recreational sex, crime, or revenge. His professor teaches his class by having students read about "drops" he has taken where he engages in the above activities. Slowly, Sam begins to realize that the pot he is swimming in is getting too hot.

Mirrored by a future that suffers from a general dearth of love, Sam's loneliness is palpable. For, although the future is excessively promiscuous, love and sex are not always interchangeable. ! A hopeless romantic, Sam wants to wait for just the right woma! n before engaging in intercourse. Of course, with most people taking several sex partners a month, everyone mocks him as prude.

As the world begins to blur together, like water in a boiling pot, Sam quests after love. Buffeted about by reality, he finally finds the arms of a fascinating woman. Simpatico, they both realize that there is nothing in a transitory world but one another and the hope that their love can carry them through the darkness that is postmodernity.blurred is life when communications become utterly instantaneous and ubiquitous. When email is the new snail mail, texting is walking through sand with snow boots, and even Twitter is a bit too detailed.



blurred is what happens to the present as different cultures are absorbed into a monolithic, computer dominated culture that is attempting to rebuild the Tower of Babel.



blurred is the tale of a young man, Sam Senior, Jr., who can simultaneously blog, email and s! urf the net, even as he is having conversations with people who are standing directly in front of him. Using a program that is connected directly to his brain to accomplish all this, his ability to multitask makes him a celebrity at a very young age.



blurred then explores how a constant surge of communication leads paradoxically to a lack of real communication, a lack of deep communication. This steady flow of information leads to people being too "found" to ever become "lost." And lost people are the best at finding love. Therefore, the future suffers from a general dearth of love in a society that is mirrored in Sam's loneliness.



A hopeless romantic, Sam wants to wait for just the right woman before engaging in sexual intercourse. Of course, this being the promiscuous future with most people taking several different lovers a month, everyone mocks him as a prude. Nevertheless, as his friends engage in one sexual activity aft! er the other, Sam stands tall in his conviction ... for awhile! .
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There is a parable about a frog dropped into a pot of cool water who swims about contentedly even as a fire is built under him for cooking purposes. blurred substitutes out the frog with modern humanity and the fire with progress. The question is, do you jump out of the pot or continue to swim in the water while it’s still nice and warm?

There is a parable about a frog dropped into a pot of cool water who swims about contentedly even as a fire is built under him for cooking purposes. blurred substitutes out the frog with modern humanity and the fire with progress. The question is, do you jump out of the pot or continue to swim in the water while it’s still nice and warm?blurred is life when communications become utterly instantaneous and ubiquitous. When email is the new snail mail, texting is walking through sand with snow boots, and even Twitter is a bit too detailed.



blurred is what happens to the present as different cult! ures are absorbed into a monolithic, computer dominated culture that is attempting to rebuild the Tower of Babel.



blurred is the tale of a young man, Sam Senior, Jr., who can simultaneously blog, email and surf the net, even as he is having conversations with people who are standing directly in front of him. Using a program that is connected directly to his brain to accomplish all this, his ability to multitask makes him a celebrity at a very young age.



blurred then explores how a constant surge of communication leads paradoxically to a lack of real communication, a lack of deep communication. This steady flow of information leads to people being too "found" to ever become "lost." And lost people are the best at finding love. Therefore, the future suffers from a general dearth of love in a society that is mirrored in Sam's loneliness.



A hopeless romantic, Sam wants to wait for just the right woman before engaging in sexual in! tercourse. Of course, this being the promiscuous future with m! ost peop le taking several different lovers a month, everyone mocks him as a prude. Nevertheless, as his friends engage in one sexual activity after the other, Sam stands tall in his conviction ... for awhile.



There is a parable about a frog dropped into a pot of cool water who swims about contentedly even as a fire is built under him for cooking purposes. blurred substitutes out the frog with modern humanity and the fire with progress. The question is, do you jump out of the pot or continue to swim in the water while it’s still nice and warm?

There is a parable about a frog dropped into a pot of cool water who swims about contentedly even as a fire is built under him for cooking purposes. blurred substitutes out the frog with modern humanity and the fire with progress. The question is, do you jump out of the pot or continue to swim in the water while it’s still nice and warm?Australia released, PAL/Region 4 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player.! You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital 5.1 ), English ( Dolby DTS 5.1 ), ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN (1.78:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Anamorphic Widescreen, Commentary, Deleted Scenes, Interactive Menu, Scene Access, Short Film, Teaser(s), Trailer(s), SYNOPSIS: After high school graduation, the tradition of 'Schoolies Week' has emerged at a Queensland's Gold Coast resort in which 70,000 kids from all over Australia congregate for a hedonistic week of drinking, drugs, and sex. Five couples travelling to this party of a life-time are in for the ride of their lives. ...BlurredSpeck Products ShieldView Anti-Glare Screen Protector for iPhone 4

Fun with Dick and Jane

  • ISBN13: 9780448434117
  • Condition: New
  • Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Fun With Dick And Jane provides comic relief alongside a relevant look at today’s corporate scandals. In the film, Dick Harpers’ (Carrey) years of hard work finally pay off when he is promoted to vice president of Globodyne, a worldwide business leader. After exactly one day at his new job, Globodyne is destroyed, leaving him and his loving wife, Jane (Leoni) without financial security. This sudden reversal of fortune has left them both unprepared to give up their comfortable lifestyle and Dick comes up with the brilliant idea of turning to robbery to pay the bills. Utilizing newfound skills, Dick and Jane exact hilarious revenge while teaching big business a lesson.Remakes are always! a gamble, so it's a pleasant surprise that Fun with Dick and Jane pays off with unexpected dividends. It's as entertaining as the 1977 original starring George Segal and Jane Fonda, and the teaming of Jim Carrey and Téa Leoni makes this a safe bet for comedy fans, in spite of a slapstick screenplay that fails to achieve its fullest potential. Rather than attempt a darkly comedic send-up of the Enron scandal that left thousands of stockholders in financial ruin, director Dean Parisot (Galaxy Quest) opts for a lighter, more accessible (read: commercial) satire of corporate greed and cynicism, beginning in the year 2000 when Dick (Carrey) gets a plum promotion as a mega-corporate communications director just as his boss (Alec Baldwin) is preparing to bail out before stock prices plummet. Dick's wife Jane (Leoni) has quit her job as a travel agent, so the corporate bombshell leaves them penniless and desperate, resorting to petty thievery and, eventually, plotti! ng high-stakes revenge against the greedy executives who ruine! d their lives. As a send-up of financial distress in a ravaged post-Enron economy, Fun with Dick and Jane delivers laughs with just enough pointed humor to give it a strong satirical edge, and Carrey's reliable brand of zaniness is controlled enough to balance nicely with Leoni's more subtle (and woefully underrated) skills as a screen comedienne. And while the "special thanks" end-credits hint at the sharper, more biting satire this might have been, there’s enough fun with Dick and Jane to make this recycled comedy worth a look. --Jeff ShannonStudio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 12/06/2005 Run time: 96 minutes Rating: PgJane Fonda was so respected as a serious actress that her comedy chops sometimes were overlooked. But it should be remembered that her first real hits (Barefoot in the Park, Cat Ballou) were comedies. This underrated 1977 outing also played for laughs, though it had social-satire underpinnings that still ring true. Fonda and ! George Segal play an upwardly mobile couple in the time before yuppies--think of them as protoyuppies. But their status-oriented existence suffers what could be a fatal blow when hubby is maneuvered out of his job. Broke and unemployed, they become armed robbers--and discover that crime can pay for them to live in the style to which they've become accustomed. Segal and Fonda have a breezy ease as confused suburbanites who bring the same neurotic thoroughness to crime that they do to their careers. But the script (whose authors include Jerry Belson and Mordechai Richler) never uses either the Robin Hood angle or any other angle that could sustain a sharp edge; as a result, the comedy winds up more cute than knowing. --Marshall Fine Parents will love revisiting a fond part of their childhoods when they share these classic Dick and Jane readers with their children. With charmingly innocent exploits and simple, repetitive declarations, these beloved characters helped ent! ire generations work, play, look, seeâ€"and learn! And now the! y’re a vailable for a whole new generation to enjoy.

“Look, Jane,” said Dick. “Here is something funny. Can you guess what it is?”

Friends With Money

  • Jennifer Aniston
  • Joan Cusack
  • Catherine Keener
  • Frances McDormand
  • Directed by Nicole Holofcener Full Screen 88 minutes
Explores the long friendship between a group of adult women and the changes in their relationships that occur as their financial situations fluctuate.
Genre: Feature Film-Comedy
Rating: R
Release Date: 6-NOV-2007
Media Type: DVDWith her third feature, Friends With Money, writer-director Nicole Holofcener continues to develop one of the most distinctive voices in American independent filmmaking. While not as purely satisfying as her previous films Walking and Talking and Lovely and Amazing, Holofcener's third feature is admirably ambitious in establishing a diverse and dynamic range of relationships among long-time girlfriends, their spouses (for better and worse), and the way in wh! ich money (or lack of it) affects them all. The have-not of the group is Olivia (Jennifer Aniston), a teacher-turned pot-smoking housecleaner in the upscale neighborhoods of West Los Angeles. She's drifting, uncertain of her future both professionally and romantically, while her friends Franny (Joan Cusack), Christine (Catherine Keener), and Jane (Frances McDormand) cope with the relatively enviable problems of wealthy discontentment. They've all got personal crises to resolve, and while Olivia juggles the affections of a likable louse (Scott Caan) and a lonely slob who's secretly rich (Bob Stephenson), Holofcener taps a rich vein of humor and melancholy as these women go about their daily routines, attending benefits, chatting over meals, and doting over Olivia as the "needy one" in their closed circle of friendships. All of this is richly observed and wonderfully acted (with male costars played by Greg Germann, Jason Isaacs, and Simon McBurney), but reaction to Friends! With Money is strictly a matter of personal taste. Holofc! ener isn 't telling a story so much as examining lives in various states of disarray, and she offers no false comforts or simple resolutions. Like life, Friends With Money just continues on its way, with some friends happier than others. There's plenty of truth to be found, if you know where to look.--Jeff ShannonJennifer Aniston, Catherine Keener, Frances McDormand and Joan Cusack star in a film the New York Times hails as "a bittersweet comedy about the drama of being alive . . ." - Manohla Dargis. FRIENDS WITH MONEY - the story of four best friends whose comfortable lives are thrown off balance as the realities of early middle age set in. It paints a painfully hilarious portrait of modern life in the class-sensitive west side of Los Angeles. Written and directed by Nicole Holofcener (Lovely and Amazing), Friends With Money was the Opening Night Selection at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and is being hailed as "Smart, witty and alert." - Peter T! ravers, Rolling Stone, "Acutely perceptive and slyly quick-witted" - Allison Benedikt, Chicago Tribune.

The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time

  • Paperback in colors of white, green and black.
A landmark exploration of the way out of extreme poverty for the world’s poorest citizens

Among the most eagerly anticipated books of any year, this landmark exploration of prosperity and poverty distills the life work of an economist Time calls one of the world’s 100 most influential people. Sachs’s aim is nothing less than to deliver a big picture of how societies emerge from poverty. To do so he takes readers in his footsteps, explaining his work in Bolivia, Russia, India, China, and Africa, while offering an integrated set of solutions for the interwoven economic, political, environmental, and social problems that challenge the poorest countries. Marrying passionate storytelling with rigorous analysis and a vision as pragmatic as it is fiercely moral, The End of Poverty is a truly indispensable work.Celebra! ted economist Jeffrey Sachs has a plan to eliminate extreme poverty around the world by 2025. If you think that is too ambitious or wildly unrealistic, you need to read this book. His focus is on the one billion poorest individuals around the world who are caught in a poverty trap of disease, physical isolation, environmental stress, political instability, and lack of access to capital, technology, medicine, and education. The goal is to help these people reach the first rung on the "ladder of economic development" so they can rise above mere subsistence level and achieve some control over their economic futures and their lives. To do this, Sachs proposes nine specific steps, which he explains in great detail in The End of Poverty. Though his plan certainly requires the help of rich nations, the financial assistance Sachs calls for is surprisingly modest--more than is now provided, but within the bounds of what has been promised in the past. For the U.S., for instanc! e, it would mean raising foreign aid from just 0.14 percent of! GNP to 0.7 percent. Sachs does not view such help as a handout but rather an investment in global economic growth that will add to the security of all nations. In presenting his argument, he offers a comprehensive education on global economics, including why globalization should be embraced rather than fought, why international institutions such as the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, and World Bank need to play a strong role in this effort, and the reasons why extreme poverty exists in the midst of great wealth. He also shatters some persistent myths about poor people and shows how developing nations can do more to help themselves.

Despite some crushing statistics, The End of Poverty is a hopeful book. Based on a tremendous amount of data and his own experiences working as an economic advisor to the UN and several individual nations, Sachs makes a strong moral, economic, and political case for why countries and individuals should battle poverty with the sa! me commitment and focus normally reserved for waging war. This important book not only makes the end of poverty seem realistic, but in the best interest of everyone on the planet, rich and poor alike. --Shawn Carkonen

Faster - Ultimate Collector's Four-Disc Set (Faster / The Doctor, the Tornado and the Kentucky Kid)

  • Welcome to the white-knuckle world of the Motorcycle Grand Prix--the fastest sport on two wheels--where only the most audacious competitors race at speeds over 200 miles per hour. Now you can experience the sheer thrill of the track with FASTER: ULTIMATE COLLECTOR'S EDITION. This four-disc set includes the films FASTER, the festival-winning tribute to Moto GP, and THE DOCTOR, THE TORNADO &
After 10 years in prison, Driver (Dwayne Johnson) has focused on one thing â€" hunting down the people responsible for brutally murdering his brother. Now a free man with a terrifying purpose, he sets out to find and kill all those on his list. But on his heals are two men who will do anything to stop him â€" a veteran cop (Billy Bob Thornton) and a hitman (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) who finds his match in this worthy opponent. Now, the hunter is also the hunted.In Faster revenge is a dish best served qui! ckly and with no remorse. Dwayne Johnson's character Driver has few lines, instead letting his actions--and the growls of the muscle car he's driving--speak volumes. Driver (given no other name for the duration of the movie) is released from prison, for crimes not initially noted, and immediately sets out in a fast car with a gun and a mission of revenge. He is coldly efficient with his kills, wasting no time or bullets as he delivers his brand of justice. The puzzle pieces of his crusade are snapped together with each victim he goes after; this is not a man who kills for the thrill. Each victim is specially selected, and Driver wants each to see his face to understand why they are being executed. Nor does he bother hiding his face from surveillance cameras or the police detectives (Billy Bob Thornton, Carla Gugino) chasing him. Driver is not a man who cares if he's caught, so long as he gets to finish his self-imposed task first. As word of his spree hits the news, one of ! his potential victims hires an assassin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen)! to get to Driver first. Surprisingly, most of the characters show some depth of personality, in spite of being little more than caricatures of stereotypes (the troubled cop, the bored assassin). Faster isn't as reliant on mindless action as expected, but the story line is played out in such a way that you can't help rooting for Driver and his bloody revenge. Though parts are a tad predictable, all in all this is a thoroughly entertaining action flick. --Jill CorddryAfter 10 years in prison, Driver (Dwayne Johnson) has focused on one thing â€" hunting down the people responsible for brutally murdering his brother. Now a free man with a terrifying purpose, he sets out to find and kill all those on his list. But on his heals are two men who will do anything to stop him â€" a veteran cop (Billy Bob Thornton) and a hitman (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) who finds his match in this worthy opponent. Now, the hunter is also the hunted.In Faster revenge is a dish best served qui! ckly and with no remorse. Dwayne Johnson's character Driver has few lines, instead letting his actions--and the growls of the muscle car he's driving--speak volumes. Driver (given no other name for the duration of the movie) is released from prison, for crimes not initially noted, and immediately sets out in a fast car with a gun and a mission of revenge. He is coldly efficient with his kills, wasting no time or bullets as he delivers his brand of justice. The puzzle pieces of his crusade are snapped together with each victim he goes after; this is not a man who kills for the thrill. Each victim is specially selected, and Driver wants each to see his face to understand why they are being executed. Nor does he bother hiding his face from surveillance cameras or the police detectives (Billy Bob Thornton, Carla Gugino) chasing him. Driver is not a man who cares if he's caught, so long as he gets to finish his self-imposed task first. As word of his spree hits the news, one of ! his potential victims hires an assassin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen)! to get to Driver first. Surprisingly, most of the characters show some depth of personality, in spite of being little more than caricatures of stereotypes (the troubled cop, the bored assassin). Faster isn't as reliant on mindless action as expected, but the story line is played out in such a way that you can't help rooting for Driver and his bloody revenge. Though parts are a tad predictable, all in all this is a thoroughly entertaining action flick. --Jill CorddryFASTER ULTIMATE COLLECTOR'S SET - DVD Movie Even if you've never witnessed the intensity of MotoGP motorcycle racing, Faster will take your breath away. It's a perfect primer for newcomers, offering a comprehensive survey of the fastest sport on two wheels, and it's guaranteed to satisfy hardcore fans with its detailed history, profiles of the top riders from the 2001-02 seasons, highlights of spectacular crashes and unforgettable races, and a veritable feast of the best MotoGP cinematography you're ! ever likely to see. From front-and-rearview cycle cameras to swooping overhead track coverage, filmmaker Mark Neale immerses the viewer in the MotoGP experience, enhancing the adrenaline-pumping visuals with expert interviews and commentary (and cool, low-key narration by globetrotting cycle-lover Ewan McGregor) that any sportswriter would consider authoritative.

Literally and figuratively, a lot of ground gets covered: From Kenny Roberts and the late Barry Sheene discussing their innovative knee-dragging styles and the origins of rear-wheel steering to the colorful rivalry of Max Biaggi and reigning champion Valentino Rossi (including Biaggi's infamous "Elbow Incident" at Suzuka in 2001), Faster never loses sight of the human element that makes this ultra-dangerous sport so fascinating. Track physician "Dr. Costa" is profiled (and offers some eloquently philosophical thoughts about MotoGP riders), along with innovative rider Garry McCoy (plagued by injuries); fo! rmer champion Wayne Rainey (now paraplegic and active in kart-! racing); young prodigy John Hopkins in his rookie season; and several other prominent figures in the world of MotoGP.

The bonus disc includes Faster & Faster, a sequel covering the 2003 and 2004 seasons, which saw the rise of the 500cc 4-stroke engine (and speeds in excess of 215 mph), Ducati's dominance and trend-setting removal of engine silencers (to boost power); Rossi's move to Yamaha; the fatal crash of Daijiro Kato; the victories of Sete Gibernau; and the rookie debuts of Neil Hodgson, Ruben Xaus, and Shane Byrne. Through it all, Faster and its sequel serve as the ultimate guide to MotoGP, certain to inspire future champions and armchair fans alike. --Jeff Shannon

ALL OF ME

  • DVD
ALL ABOUT STEVE - DVD MovieA hunky TV news cameraman named Steve (Bradley Cooper, hot off of surprise hit The Hangover) gets stalked by a lonely crossword puzzle creator named Mary (Sandra Bullock, in a career resurgence after The Proposal) in the comedy All About Steve. Although only one screenwriter is credited, All About Steve feels like it's been clumsily patched together from a dozen different versions of itself. The story makes no sense and there's very little that resembles recognizable human behavior...and yet, for that very reason, the movie exerts a perverse fascination. Some parts are actually funny--Thomas Haden Church (Sideways), as a reporter hungry for an anchor position, unleashes arias of manipulative babble--but most of the movie is just baffling. The filmmakers seem to think they're sending a heartwarming message about embrac! ing yourself, no matter how out of the mainstream you may be. Unfortunately, all of the "quirky" people come across as brain-damaged because they're not really people, they're emblems of "uniqueness." Mary is meant to be endearingly eccentric, yet her social ineptness verges on schizophrenia or severe autism. At every turn, All About Steve unintentionally reminds the viewer that someone wrote this, that someone thought this bit of behavior or this turn of phrase would somehow make us like this character or find them charming. Unfortunately, that someone was very, very off the mark. The result--seeing the bald intentions under the failed result--is a jarring yet oddly compelling experience. Also featuring DJ Qualls (Hustle & Flow) and Katy Mixon (Eastbound & Down). --Bret Fetzer

Stills from All About Steve (Click for larger image)





Steve Jobs’ legacy is clear: The most innovative business leader of our time, the man FORTUNE named CEO of the Decade in 2009. Now from the pages of FORTUNE comes an anthology of 17 classic stories spanning the years 1983 to 2011 about! the cultural icon who revolutionized computing, telephones, movies, music, retailing, and product design. The stories lay out in unparalleled detail the career of a man with relentless drive and a single underlying passionâ€"to carry out his vision of how all of us would use technology. Writes managing editor Andy Serwer in the book’s foreward: “In the end he was proved right a billion times over, and his company Apple became one of the most successful enterprises on the planet.” All these stories are the product of deep reporting. In many cases FORTUNE’s writers spent hours interviewing Jobs and delving into his mind. The result is a singular journalistic collection, which will leave you with a comprehensive picture of Steve Jobs and Apple, a picture that is complex in the making yet simple in its triumph.Steve Jobs’ legacy is clear: The most innovative business leader of our time, the man FORTUNE named CEO of the Decade in 2009. Now from the pages of FORTUNE co! mes an anthology of 17 classic stories spanning the years 1983! to 2011 about the cultural icon who revolutionized computing, telephones, movies, music, retailing, and product design. The stories lay out in unparalleled detail the career of a man with relentless drive and a single underlying passionâ€"to carry out his vision of how all of us would use technology. Writes managing editor Andy Serwer in the book’s foreward: “In the end he was proved right a billion times over, and his company Apple became one of the most successful enterprises on the planet.” All these stories are the product of deep reporting. In many cases FORTUNE’s writers spent hours interviewing Jobs and delving into his mind. The result is a singular journalistic collection, which will leave you with a comprehensive picture of Steve Jobs and Apple, a picture that is complex in the making yet simple in its triumph.ALL ABOUT STEVE - Blu-Ray MovieA hunky TV news cameraman named Steve (Bradley Cooper, hot off of surprise hit The Hangover) gets stalked by a lonel! y crossword puzzle creator named Mary (Sandra Bullock, in a career resurgence after The Proposal) in the comedy All About Steve. Although only one screenwriter is credited, All About Steve feels like it's been clumsily patched together from a dozen different versions of itself. The story makes no sense and there's very little that resembles recognizable human behavior...and yet, for that very reason, the movie exerts a perverse fascination. Some parts are actually funny--Thomas Haden Church (Sideways), as a reporter hungry for an anchor position, unleashes arias of manipulative babble--but most of the movie is just baffling. The filmmakers seem to think they're sending a heartwarming message about embracing yourself, no matter how out of the mainstream you may be. Unfortunately, all of the "quirky" people come across as brain-damaged because they're not really people, they're emblems of "uniqueness." Mary is meant to be endearingly eccent! ric, yet her social ineptness verges on schizophrenia or sever! e autism . At every turn, All About Steve unintentionally reminds the viewer that someone wrote this, that someone thought this bit of behavior or this turn of phrase would somehow make us like this character or find them charming. Unfortunately, that someone was very, very off the mark. The result--seeing the bald intentions under the failed result--is a jarring yet oddly compelling experience. Also featuring DJ Qualls (Hustle & Flow) and Katy Mixon (Eastbound & Down). --Bret Fetzer

Stills from All About Steve (Click for larger image)





This book is a compilation of posts from The Smartphone Wars site covering January 17, 2011 -- the date Steve Jobs took his medical leave of absence -- until October 4, 2011, when new CEO Tim Cook launched the iPhone 4S. The day before Steve Jobs died.

As an analyst covering the smartphone wars, I chart Apple, its products, and executive team. In studying the company, I learned very quickly that, despite what the ‘hater’s may say, Apple is most definitely not! a marketing company. Marketing is almost inconsequential to t! heir suc cess.

Apple is, in fact, at the same time, the most innovative and most well run business in at least a generation. This is due in large part, of course, to Steve Jobs, the co-founder and long-time CEO of Apple Inc.
This book is a compilation of posts from The Smartphone Wars site covering January 17, 2011 -- the date Steve Jobs took his medical leave of absence -- until October 4, 2011, when new CEO Tim Cook launched the iPhone 4S. The day before Steve Jobs died.

As an analyst covering the smartphone wars, I chart Apple, its products, and executive team. In studying the company, I learned very quickly that, despite what the ‘hater’s may say, Apple is most definitely not a marketing company. Marketing is almost inconsequential to their success.

Apple is, in fact, at the same time, the most innovative and most well run business in at least a generation. This is due in large part, of course, to Steve Jobs, the co-founder and long-time CEO of! Apple Inc.
Comic wizard Bill Murray (CRADLE WILL ROCK, THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS) teams up with Academy Award(R)-winner Richard Dreyfuss teams up with (Best Actor, 1978, THE GOODBYE GIRL) in an outrageously wild comedy that's sure to drive you off the deep end! Murray plays Bob Wiley, a troubled but lovable therapy patient who fears everything! After seeking help from noted psychiatrist Dr. Leo Marvin (Dreyfuss), Bob feels revived. But when the good doctor skips town to go on a quiet family vacation, Bob, afraid of being alone, follows -- showing up unexpectedly at the therapist's lakeside retreat. That's when the fun really begins! Bob innocently becomes the houseguest who just won't leave -- endearing himself to the other family members ... and, in the end, driving the stressed-out shrink absolutely crazy!There's a lot of news happening in Blue's house! We find out about all the different news in Steve and Blue's special newspaper. And then we hear the biggest news of all ! - Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper are having another baby! Paprika's ! preparin g for the new baby by giving up her crib for a new bed and creating a new "Big Kid" room for herself. We also see other friends' special spaces and learn all about their big news too. Preschoolers who cling to their handy-dandy notebooks long after Blue's latest clues have been collected should pencil in Read All About It, a must-see for scribes in training. In the first of two episodes, "What's New Blue," Steve and Blue scout around for stories to fill their newspaper; Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper provide a major scoop. Later, in "Blue's New Place," at-home sleuths get to the bottom of what Blue--a literary pup, it turns out--likes to do best in her new hideaway. Here, as ever, the show's creators prove they're on the same page with parents. Subtle, substantial skill builders, never patronizing or paper-thin, abound. --Tammy La Gorcedvd

Boiler Room

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Six students lie dead at the hands of a fellow classmate. In the aftermath an unlikely bond is about to form. Alicia (Busy Philipps "Dawson's Creek") is a Goth misfit who hates the world and everyone in it and may know more about the shooting than she's telling. Deanna (Erika Christensen Swimfan) one of the injured is a classic overachiever confined to a hospital bed. Brought together by fate united by secrets they couldn't be less alike or need each other more.System Requirements:Running Time: 132 Min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: R UPC: 043396018952 Manufacturer No: 01895DVD'SThe intense soundtrack of Boiler Room is a fitting underscore for this movie, which pulses with the vigor of young, rich, amoral men wreaking havoc. This is not the antisocietal havoc of Fight Club, but the more deliberate mayhem that comes from greed run amok. The testosterone-junkie! brokers of J.T. Marlin (the only female in the office is Abby, the receptionist and love interest, played by Nia Long) are out to make the sale, and whether that sale is legal or ethical doesn't matter.

Seth Davis (Giovanni Ribisi) is a 19-year-old college dropout who strives for approval from his father (Ron Rifkin), a judge who is horrified that his son operates a 24-hour illicit casino. When an old friend visits the casino with a fellow broker, Davis is impressed by their wads of money and yellow Ferrari, and decides to join the firm. In no time he's making sales and settling into the groove of the office and all the after-hours perks, but the dream fades when Davis discovers the scam that is making all of the brokers wealthy beyond their dreams.

Borrowing heavily from Wall Street and Glengarry Glen Ross, Boiler Room is at its best when dealing with matters of money, and powerful scenes of Davis learning to be a "closer" showcase the signifi! cant talent of Ribisi, Nicky Katt, and Vin Diesel. The movie f! lounders when developing the relationship between Davis and his father, becoming sentimental and trite. However, as a fable of modern society and a nostalgic vehicle about the days of yuppies past, Boiler Room is right on the money. --Jenny Brown

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