Wednesday, November 23, 2011

The Devil's Miner Spanish Dvd Activity Packet

  • A perfect companion to The Devil's Miner DVD!
  • Increases vocabulary
  • ©2010. English with Spanish.
  • Reproducible. Beginning level.
In this classic book, Michael Taussig explores the social significance of the devil in the folklore of contemporary plantation workers and miners in South America. Grounding his analysis in Marxist theory, Taussig finds that the fetishization of evil, in the image of the devil, mediates the conflict between precapitalist and capitalist modes of objectifying the human condition. He links traditional narratives of the devil-pact, in which the soul is bartered for illusory or transitory power, with the way in which production in capitalist economies causes workers to become alienated from the commodities they produce. A new chapter for this anniversary edition features a discussion of Walter Benjamin and Georges Bataille that extends Taussig’s ! ideas about the devil-pact metaphor.
Directed by long-time collaborators Kief Davidson and Richard Ladkani, THE DEVIL'S MINER is a moving portrait of two brothers--14-year-old Basilio and 12-year-old Bernardino--who work deep inside the Cerro Rico silver mines of Bolivia. Through the children's eyes, we encounter the world of devout Catholic miners who sever their ties with God upon entering the mountain, where it is an ancient belief that the devil, as represented by statues constructed in the tunnels, determines the fate of all who work within the mines, which date back to the sixteenth century.

As we come to know the brothers, we learn their fears and hopes for their future, and occasionally glimpse their childlike souls peeking through their stoic faces. Raised without a father, Basilio must work to support their family and to go to school and study, so that he and his family can one day leave the mines. Working 24 hour shifts, eating cocoa leaves to ward off! hunger and drowsiness, Basilio then walks to the city to atte! nd a sch ool, where he is ostracized because he is a working miner. Yet, through it all, Basilio and his family retain a dignity and courage that is inspiring.

The filmmakers bring alive the depths of this mining community and the beauty of the many customs and traditions of the mining town filled with superstition. Each day as they enter the shafts, the Catholic miners bring offerings to carved statues called "Tio", the devil who determines the fate of all who work there. They stage large-scale rituals and sacrifices at the entrance to the mine, and carnivals where they parade through the streets. All of this is their effort to appease the "mountain that eats men alive" where millions of men have died in accidents and of disease and the life expectancy of workers is only 35-40 years old.

A prime example of how social issue films can make a difference, THE DEVIL'S MINER has brought attention to this situation and has encouraged educational and community programs in th! e US, Europe and Bolivia that are helping to get children out of the mines and into schools.Basilio Vargas is a veteran mine worker. He's been employed by La Cumbre silver mine for four years. It's one of hundreds in Bolivia's Cerro Rico, known locally as "the mountain that eats men." Basilio is 14. He's often joined by 12-year-old brother Bernardino. It isn't unusual for the boys to work 12-hour shifts--even double shifts of 24 hours. His father died when he was two and Basilio is the primary breadwinner (his younger sister even calls him "papa"). Outside the mine, Basilio is Catholic. Inside, however, he puts his faith in the Devil, AKA "Tio." Basilio, boss Saturnino, and the other miners believe Tio controls their fate. Basilio's dream is to earn enough money to get an education and to leave the mines for good. Directed by Kief Davidson and Richard Ladkani and narrated by the subject himself, The Devil's Miner doesn't look at child labor from several points of vie! w, but almost exclusively from that of the child. While it may! lack co ntext, the film brings Basilio's world--both above and below ground--into stark relief. He's a well-spoken guide. Basilio is also a realist who knows what will happen if he doesn't escape: he'll be dead by 40 from lung disease or a mine collapse, just like an estimated eight million Cerro Rico workers before him. As Saturnino says about his young charges, "It's an incredible sadness." He would know--Saturnino was once a kid just like Basilio. --Kathleen C. FennessyIn this classic book, Taussig explores the social significance of the devil in the folklore of contemporary plantation workers and miners in South America. A new chapter for this anniversary edition features a discussion of Walter Benjamin and Georges Bataille that extends some of the ideas discussed in the original text.In this classic book, Taussig explores the social significance of the devil in the folklore of contemporary plantation workers and miners in South America. A new chapter for this anniversary! edition features a discussion of Walter Benjamin and Georges Bataille that extends some of the ideas discussed in the original text.THE DEVILS MINER ACTIVITY PACKET A perfect companion to the video with 15 or more reproducible activities. Each activity supports vocabulary reinforcement, vocabulary usage, and cultural understanding. Reproducible, beginning level

Star of David: Hunting for Beautiful Girls

  • Twoic Bollywood horror movies. Sex, blood, dancing vampires and hairy beasts in an unmissable double bill of wild, Bollywood style entertainment. In Veerana: Vengeance of the Vampire, a local landowner s daughter is possessed by the spirit of a dead witch. She becomes a bloodsucking seductress. In Purani Haveli: Mansion of Evil, an innocent girl unwittingly releases the ancient curse contained in
An all-star cast sparks this captivating comedy about a group of old friends whose 10-year high school reunion creates some hilariously unexpected surprises. Willie (Timothy Hutton -- FRENCH KISS), Tommy (Matt Dillon -- TO DIE FOR), and Paul (Michael Rapaport -- MIGHTY APHRODITE) may have lost a bit of their youth, but they're still ready to party with Uma Thurman (PULP FICTION), Rosie O'Donnell (TV's THE ROSIE O'DONNELL SHOW), Lauren Holly (DUMB AND DUMBER), and Mira Sorvino (AT FIRST SIGHT) -- the ! "beautiful girls" who've turned their lives upside down! Also featuring a hot soundtrack, BEAUTIFUL GIRLS is a must-see comic delight that's sure to entertain you!This town drama from Ted Demme centers on former classmates coming together for their 10-year reunion. Scott Rosenberg's (Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead) script thoughtfully passes over the usual grumblings of young adults who can't believe they still live in the same snowbound town. They accept--even welcome--their blue-collar jobs, whether plowing snow or cutting hair. Willie (Timothy Hutton), the lone wanderer, returns to his listless house in a state of flux, the piano-bar circuit wearing thin as is his relationship with Tracy, a well-off attorney (Annabeth Gish). He isn't the only one with problems. Tommy (Matt Dillon) occasionally sleeps with his now-married high school sweetheart Darian (Lauren Holly) while the earnest Sharon (Mira Sorvino) is left to wait. Paul (another thickheaded rol! e for Michael Rapaport) refuses to commit to Jan (Martha Plim! pton) un til it's too late. Paul is enamored with the idea of the supermodel (the title's "beautiful girls") that, he believes, can make life perfect. It's a very satisfying comedy, with some forced poignancy (Willie's description of Tracy as a "seven and a half" comes off as a death sentence). Rosie O'Donnell's dissertation on why Playboy and Penthouse have ruined males' expectations is much like Meg Ryan's orgasm scene in When Harry Met Sally...: it's hilarious, even memorable, never wholly believable.

The two wild cards thrown into Beautiful Girls give the film its kick. Uma Thurman enters as the local barkeep's (Pruitt Taylor Vince) radiant cousin. From the big city, she can flirt with the awestruck guys and still keep her head. Willie's real emotional tug is from Marty, the precocious 13-year-old neighbor. If you didn't see Natalie Portman's sophisticated work in the The Professional, her performance here will come as a revelation. Y! ou deeply believe that Willie and Marty are connected despite their age difference. Their courtship will never come to be, but the way the two talk (and talk some more) about their lives is the most insightful part of Rosenberg's script. Everyone's so comfortable in his or her roles that you may truly feel sad when the film ends. --Doug ThomasTimothy Hutton (The Ghost Writer), Matt Dillon (Takers), Michael Rapaport (Hitch), Uma Thurman (Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2), Rosie ODonnell (Harriet The Spy), Lauren Holly (What Women Want) and Mira Sorvino (Romy and Micheles High School Reunion) light up the screen in this captivating comedy about a group of old friends whose ten-year high school reunion creates some hilariously unexpected surprises.

Despite years of experience, Willie (Hutton), Tommy (Dillon) and Paul (Rapaport) are still struggling to figure out the opposite se! x. Now reunited in their snowy Massachusetts hometown, these l! ife-long buddies find themselves partying with the beautiful girls who've turned their world upside down. Also starring a young Natalie Portman (No Strings Attached) in a mesmerizing performance (Variety).This town drama from Ted Demme centers on former classmates coming together for their 10-year reunion. Scott Rosenberg's (Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead) script thoughtfully passes over the usual grumblings of young adults who can't believe they still live in the same snowbound town. They accept--even welcome--their blue-collar jobs, whether plowing snow or cutting hair. Willie (Timothy Hutton), the lone wanderer, returns to his listless house in a state of flux, the piano-bar circuit wearing thin as is his relationship with Tracy, a well-off attorney (Annabeth Gish). He isn't the only one with problems. Tommy (Matt Dillon) occasionally sleeps with his now-married high school sweetheart Darian (Lauren Holly) while the earnest Sharon (Mira Sorvino)! is left to wait. Paul (another thickheaded role for Michael Rapaport) refuses to commit to Jan (Martha Plimpton) until it's too late. Paul is enamored with the idea of the supermodel (the title's "beautiful girls") that, he believes, can make life perfect. It's a very satisfying comedy, with some forced poignancy (Willie's description of Tracy as a "seven and a half" comes off as a death sentence). Rosie O'Donnell's dissertation on why Playboy and Penthouse have ruined males' expectations is much like Meg Ryan's orgasm scene in When Harry Met Sally...: it's hilarious, even memorable, never wholly believable.

The two wild cards thrown into Beautiful Girls give the film its kick. Uma Thurman enters as the local barkeep's (Pruitt Taylor Vince) radiant cousin. From the big city, she can flirt with the awestruck guys and still keep her head. Willie's real emotional tug is from Marty, the precocious 13-year-old neighbor. If you didn't see ! Natalie Portman's sophisticated work in the The Professiona! l, h er performance here will come as a revelation. You deeply believe that Willie and Marty are connected despite their age difference. Their courtship will never come to be, but the way the two talk (and talk some more) about their lives is the most insightful part of Rosenberg's script. Everyone's so comfortable in his or her roles that you may truly feel sad when the film ends. --Doug ThomasUnited Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2 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 ( Subtitles ), WIDESCREEN (1.85:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Interactive Menu, Scene Access, SYNOPSIS: During a snowy winter in the small fictional town of Knight's Ridge, Massachusetts, a group of lifelong buddies hang out, drink and struggle to connect with the women who affect their decisions, dreams and desires. Tommy "Birdman" Rowland and Kev, his sidekick, plow snow for a living.! A former campus stud, Tommy continues to harbor feelings for his ex-girlfriend Darian, complicating his relationship with current lover Sharon. Paul Kirkwood lives with Birdman and also plows snow. Inexorably drawn to supermodels and the "ideal" woman, he refuses to commit to Jan, his girlfriend of seven years. Traveling from New York where he works the piano bar circuit, Willie Conway is at a crossroads in his life. Although he lives with sharp attorney Tracy Stover, Willie cannot commit to the relationship. In Knight's Ridge, he meets Marty, a 13 year-old "heartbreaker in training" and Andera, Stinky's cousin from Chicago, who compel Willie to reassess the value of his life and his relationship with Tracy. ...Beautiful Girls (UK)This town drama from Ted Demme centers on former classmates coming together for their 10-year reunion. Scott Rosenberg's (Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead) script thoughtfully passes over the usual grumblings of young adults who ca! n't believe they still live in the same snowbound town. They a! ccept--e ven welcome--their blue-collar jobs, whether plowing snow or cutting hair. Willie (Timothy Hutton), the lone wanderer, returns to his listless house in a state of flux, the piano-bar circuit wearing thin as is his relationship with Tracy, a well-off attorney (Annabeth Gish). He isn't the only one with problems. Tommy (Matt Dillon) occasionally sleeps with his now-married high school sweetheart Darian (Lauren Holly) while the earnest Sharon (Mira Sorvino) is left to wait. Paul (another thickheaded role for Michael Rapaport) refuses to commit to Jan (Martha Plimpton) until it's too late. Paul is enamored with the idea of the supermodel (the title's "beautiful girls") that, he believes, can make life perfect. It's a very satisfying comedy, with some forced poignancy (Willie's description of Tracy as a "seven and a half" comes off as a death sentence). Rosie O'Donnell's dissertation on why Playboy and Penthouse have ruined males' expectations is much like M! eg Ryan's orgasm scene in When Harry Met Sally...: it's hilarious, even memorable, never wholly believable.

The two wild cards thrown into Beautiful Girls give the film its kick. Uma Thurman enters as the local barkeep's (Pruitt Taylor Vince) radiant cousin. From the big city, she can flirt with the awestruck guys and still keep her head. Willie's real emotional tug is from Marty, the precocious 13-year-old neighbor. If you didn't see Natalie Portman's sophisticated work in the The Professional, her performance here will come as a revelation. You deeply believe that Willie and Marty are connected despite their age difference. Their courtship will never come to be, but the way the two talk (and talk some more) about their lives is the most insightful part of Rosenberg's script. Everyone's so comfortable in his or her roles that you may truly feel sad when the film ends. --Doug ThomasThis town drama from Ted Demme centers on former class! mates coming together for their 10-year reunion. Scott Rosenb! erg's (< I>Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead) script thoughtfully passes over the usual grumblings of young adults who can't believe they still live in the same snowbound town. They accept--even welcome--their blue-collar jobs, whether plowing snow or cutting hair. Willie (Timothy Hutton), the lone wanderer, returns to his listless house in a state of flux, the piano-bar circuit wearing thin as is his relationship with Tracy, a well-off attorney (Annabeth Gish). He isn't the only one with problems. Tommy (Matt Dillon) occasionally sleeps with his now-married high school sweetheart Darian (Lauren Holly) while the earnest Sharon (Mira Sorvino) is left to wait. Paul (another thickheaded role for Michael Rapaport) refuses to commit to Jan (Martha Plimpton) until it's too late. Paul is enamored with the idea of the supermodel (the title's "beautiful girls") that, he believes, can make life perfect. It's a very satisfying comedy, with some forced poignancy (Willie's description o! f Tracy as a "seven and a half" comes off as a death sentence). Rosie O'Donnell's dissertation on why Playboy and Penthouse have ruined males' expectations is much like Meg Ryan's orgasm scene in When Harry Met Sally...: it's hilarious, even memorable, never wholly believable.

The two wild cards thrown into Beautiful Girls give the film its kick. Uma Thurman enters as the local barkeep's (Pruitt Taylor Vince) radiant cousin. From the big city, she can flirt with the awestruck guys and still keep her head. Willie's real emotional tug is from Marty, the precocious 13-year-old neighbor. If you didn't see Natalie Portman's sophisticated work in the The Professional, her performance here will come as a revelation. You deeply believe that Willie and Marty are connected despite their age difference. Their courtship will never come to be, but the way the two talk (and talk some more) about their lives is the most insightful part of Rosenberg's! script. Everyone's so comfortable in his or her roles that yo! u may tr uly feel sad when the film ends. --Doug ThomasTwo classic Bollywood horror movies. Sex, blood, dancing vampires and hairy beasts in an unmissable double bill of wild, Bollywood style entertainment. In Veerana: Vengeance of the Vampire, a local landowner?s daughter is possessed by the spirit of a dead witch. She becomes a bloodsucking seductress. In Purani Haveli: Mansion of Evil, an innocent girl unwittingly releases the ancient curse contained in her family?s old country mansion. Statues come to life, hairy beasts roam the corridors, the bodies pile up. Can nothing stop the evil they have unleashed?

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Chocolate

  • Prachya Pinkaew, director of Ong Bak: The Thai Warrior, returns with Chocolate, an explosive new martial arts masterpiece starring his new prot g , Jija Yanin Vismistananda, who spent five years training for the role. Jija plays Zen, a young autistic girl who grows up next to a Muay Thai boxing studio and is raised on a steady diet of chocolate and marathon viewings of Tony Jaa and Bruce Lee films
Studio: Urban Vision Release Date: 11/28/2006AZUMI 2 - DVD MovieAzumi 2003 Directed by Ryuhei Kitamura of Versus. Azumi is an action packed movie based on a highly popular manga serial by Yu Koyama. Like his stylish and gory previous film it wastes no time in getting down to business. The movies gets rolling as soon as the band of ten Samurai in training including Azumi (Aya Ueto) the only swordswoman among them is subjected to its final test. Once again Kitamura demonstrates his awesome skills i! nto camera movements and fights choreography. The unlimited supply of stylistic action scenses and wild visual effects are enhanced by his leaping and pouncing camer. wirework and CGI special effects. At one time the kick ass heroine (in a cool skin tight period clothing takes on as many as 200 enemies.Azumi 2003 Directed by Ryuhei Kitamura of Versus. Azumi is an action packed movie based on a highly popular manga serial by Yu Koyama. Like his stylish and gory previous film it wastes no time in getting down to business. The movies gets rolling as soon as the band of ten Samurai in training including Azumi (Aya Ueto) the only swordswoman among them is subjected to its final test. Once again Kitamura demonstrates his awesome skills into camera movements and fights choreography. The unlimited supply of stylistic action scenses and wild visual effects are enhanced by his leaping and pouncing camer. wirework and CGI special effects. At one time the kick ass heroine (in a ! cool skin tight period clothing takes on as many as 200 enemie! s.

T aking place shortly after the end of the first film, Azumi 2 features the same actress, Aya Ueto, in the title role, this time going up against a corrupt government official (Mikijiro Hira) and his team of trained ninja assassins.A young girl learns to fight from watching TV and the fighters from the boxing school next door. When she finds a list of debtors in her ailing mother s diary, she sets upon a violent quest to collect payment for medical expenses. Her quest is a dangerous one that ultimately leads her to her father, a gang member of the Yakuza.

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Golden Globe winner and Academy Award nominee Natalie Portman (Closer, V for Vendetta) stars as Rebecca, an American living in Jerusalem who moments after breaking off her engagement, jumps into a cab driven by Hanna, a strong-willed, charismatic Israeli woman. Hanna is on her way to Jordan, to an ungoverned economic free zone of shady business transactions bordered by Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

Looking for a quick "escape", Rebecca convinces Hanna to take her along and the two set off to see "the American," a mysterious businessman that owes Hanna's husband money. But when Hanna and Rebecca reach his office, ! they are confronted by Leila, a Palestinian who tells Hanna that "the American" and the money are missing.

Determined not to leave the Free Zone without her husband's debt paid, Hanna forces Leila to join her - with Rebecca tagging along - and the three woman begin their search. Soon the relationship between them turns into an emotional solidarity that will affect each of their lives forever.An ambitious film with both political and emotional agendas, Free Zone stars Natalie Portman as an American woman living in Jerusalem whose quest for adventure and escape leads to serious consequences. Rebecca (Portman), newlyt broken up with her fiancé, has a chance encounter with a cab driver named Hanna (played by Hanna Laslo, who won best actress at the Cannes Film Festival for her work in this film) finds Rebecca accompanying her to the Free Zone--a tax-free area in northeast Jordan--so Hanna can collect money from a businessman who owes her husband. Instead o! f finding the businessman, they encounter a mysterious Palesti! nian wom an who joins them on their journey. It would be too easy to write this film off as a politically tinged Thelma & Louise. As the women argue about Israeli-Palestinian issues, we sense that there is imminent danger. And that suspense ultimately carries more impact than the dialogue, which is well intentioned but often misguided. Portman is gorgeous and does a fine job emoting (and crying), but this is really Laslo's movie. Appropriately passionate and stoic, she adds dignity (and at times humor) to a film that is thought provoking, but flawed. --Jae-Ha KimMulti Region Code Free DVD Samsung creates brilliant images and crystal clear audio out of all proportion to its very low price. You're going to love it. If you need a budget region free DVD player here it is and it is yours. You'll be very pleased with this player it was built by SAMSUNG so it will last.Our machine is Region Code Free, in other words it will play any region DVD 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 PAL and NTSC on! any TV 100% Guaranteed. This unit has a high quality 64MB built-in video converter that converts PAL signal to NTSC or NTSC to PAL. You can select which type of TV you have and the player will do the rest. No codes to eneter, no fancy procedures the unit is ready from the box, just plug and play

Crossing Over

  • CROSSING OVER (DVD MOVIE)
Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones films) is on a quest for justice as an immigrations agent investigating the case of a missing illegal. In a cross-fire of crime and bureaucracy, fraud and murder, he must race against time to try to save a family from becoming collateral damage in the fight for the American dream. Critics rave, “Harrison Ford is terrific. An engrossing, thoroughly entertaining movie with great performances from a first-rate ensemble cast” (Pete Hammond, Hollywood.com). Co-starring Ashley Judd (Twisted), Ray Liotta (Smokin’ Aces), Jim Sturgess (21), and Cliff Curtis (10,000 BC); Crossing Over will keep you riveted until the final mystery unfolds.

Stills from Crossing Over (Click for larger image)


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The director of The Cooler tries a bigger canvas: Crossing Over is Wayne Kramer's take on nothing less than the vast subject of illegal immigration, coming at the topic from a dozen or so directions. Hefting the most star power is Harrison Ford, scurrying about as an L.A. Immigration and Customs officer whose conscience is sore from having trundled so many illegals back over the border--now he's worried about the child of a particularly vulnerable woman (Alice Braga). Cliff Curtis plays Ford's partner, an Iranian-American whose family ! is not as assimilated as his casual manner might suggest. There's a bit of pulp swagger in other sections of the picture, as Kramer tries to channel his inner Sam Fuller: for instance, an Immigration official (Ray Liotta at his piggiest) coerces an Australian actress (Alice Eve) into a sex-for-green-card affair, and an adolescent Arab-American girl (Summer Bishil, from Towelhead) gives a cheeky speech at school that puts her family under suspicion as possible terrorists. Other strands of this scenario aren't as urgent, as Ashley Judd dreams of adopting the African child she's tending, and Jim Sturgess (Across the Universe), as a British non-believer, tries to convince Immigration authorities of his commitment to working at a Jewish school. The movie's single best scene has him "auditioning" to convince a rabbi of his commitment to Judaism, a funny moment that also carries an echo of the history of Jewish exodus. The movie has a tendency to bash from one thing ! to the next, too neatly connecting its Crash-like plotl! ines, li ke a really spirited first draft of a better movie. --Robert Horton

Blood: The Last Vampire

Parenting Teenagers: Systematic Training for Effective Parenting of Teens

  • ISBN13: 9780979554216
  • Condition: New
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In this edgy thriller, Don McKay (Thomas Haden Church, Sideways) flees his hometown after a horrendous tragedy and vows never to return. But 25 years later he comes back to find a dark menace looming over the town. As he attempts to rekindle his romance with an old high school girlfriend (Elisabeth Shue, Leaving Las Vegas), Don is pulled into a malevolent world from which he may never escape.There's urban noir, like Night and the City, and suburban noir, like Double Indemnity. With Don McKay, Jake Goldberger puts his stamp on the latter, offering a sad-sack janitor (producer Thomas Haden Church), who returns to his East Coast hometown when he learns that his old girlfriend, Sonny (! Elisabeth Shue), has a terminal illness. Sonny, who spends her days in shiny negligees, wants to get back together, which suits Don just fine, though he has his doubts about Dr. Pryce (James Rebhorn), and Marie (Melissa Leo, stealing every scene), Sonny's live-in nurse, who both act more like jealous lovers than medical professionals. When Pryce tries to strangle Don, he kills the man in self-defense and hides the body, turning to his friend, Otis (Keith David), for help, since the police aren't likely to believe him due to the events of the past (Goldberger withholds the details until the end). In the meantime, Don puts up with Sonny's tempestuous seduction act until he can't take it anymore, but escaping her clutches proves unexpectedly difficult, especially once blackmailer Mel (Pruitt Taylor Vince) enters the scene. As in the melodramas of yore, characters say the most preposterous things, but Goldberger keeps you guessing as to their real motives. If he casts Church an! d Shue against type, that only deepens the central mystery, th! ough the star comes off better than his leading lady, who sometimes seems lost. Still, their talents ensure that the writer-director's debut doesn't slide into farce--though it sure comes close. --Kathleen C. FennessyIn this edgy thriller, Don McKay (Thomas Haden Church, Sideways) flees his hometown after a horrendous tragedy and vows never to return. But 25 years later he comes back to find a dark menace looming over the town. As he attempts to rekindle his romance with an old high school girlfriend (Elisabeth Shue, Leaving Las Vegas), Don is pulled into a malevolent world from which he may never escape.There's urban noir, like Night and the City, and suburban noir, like Double Indemnity. With Don McKay, Jake Goldberger puts his stamp on the latter, offering a sad-sack janitor (producer Thomas Haden Church), who returns to his East Coast hometown when he learns that his old girlfriend, Sonny (Elisabeth Shue), has a terminal illness. Sonny, who spends her! days in shiny negligees, wants to get back together, which suits Don just fine, though he has his doubts about Dr. Pryce (James Rebhorn), and Marie (Melissa Leo, stealing every scene), Sonny's live-in nurse, who both act more like jealous lovers than medical professionals. When Pryce tries to strangle Don, he kills the man in self-defense and hides the body, turning to his friend, Otis (Keith David), for help, since the police aren't likely to believe him due to the events of the past (Goldberger withholds the details until the end). In the meantime, Don puts up with Sonny's tempestuous seduction act until he can't take it anymore, but escaping her clutches proves unexpectedly difficult, especially once blackmailer Mel (Pruitt Taylor Vince) enters the scene. As in the melodramas of yore, characters say the most preposterous things, but Goldberger keeps you guessing as to their real motives. If he casts Church and Shue against type, that only deepens the central mystery, th! ough the star comes off better than his leading lady, who some! times se ems lost. Still, their talents ensure that the writer-director's debut doesn't slide into farce--though it sure comes close. --Kathleen C. FennessyBased on the nationally successful STEP (Systematic Training for Effective Parenting) program, Parenting Young Children focuses on parents of children under six years of age, and offers guidance on building self-esteem, communicating with young children, and dealing with issues from tantrums to toilet training. Illustrations & charts. Size C. 188 pp. 30,000 print.An informative best-seller-updated with a new format and illustrations--with proven techniques for better parent-teen relationships.

Bon Voyage!