Tuesday, November 15, 2011

TCM Spotlight: Esther Williams, Volume One (Bathing Beauty / Easy to Wed / On an Island with You / Neptune's Daughter / Dangerous When Wet)

  • Five films that make a splash from Hollywood s swimming superstar! Bathing Beauty (1944): Esther Williams made a big splash as a Bathing Beauty. Suddenly a new star and a new genre of moviemaking was born. Rambunctious funnyman Red Skelton joins that new star in this buoyant (literally) comedy about a lovesick songwriter who enrolls in a women s college to woo his estranged swimming-teacher wife.
No Description Available.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: R
Release Date: 6-NOV-2001
Media Type: DVDAlthough it was unfortunately ignored during its brief theatrical release, this sumptuously seductive production is that rarest of cinematic breeds, the (barely) respectable guilty pleasure. Combining historical fact with hysterical anachronisms of language and mannerism, it's been tailored for maximum contemporary appeal but maintains a lush, romantic feel for! its factual 16th-century tale of Venetian love, lust, and political repression. Catherine McCormack (Mel Gibson's ill-fated bride in Braveheart) delivers a star-making performance as the "dangerous beauty" who becomes a skillful courtesan to pursue her forbidden love for a dashing Venetian senator (Rufus Sewell). It's all rather silly in a high-toned fashion, and the film turns dour when the church intervenes with a Scarlet Letter-like papal inquest. But the movie's joyously ribald vitality is utterly irresistible, and the casting of McCormack with Jaqueline Bisset (as her mother and courtesan mentor) is a stroke of pure genius. Merchant-Ivory would've made a smarter film from this material, but it probably wouldn't be nearly as entertaining. --Jeff Shannon Although it was unfortunately ignored during its brief theatrical release, this sumptuously seductive production is that rarest of cinematic breeds, the (barely) respectable guilty pleasure. Combini! ng historical fact with hysterical anachronisms of language an! d manner ism, it's been tailored for maximum contemporary appeal but maintains a lush, romantic feel for its factual 16th-century tale of Venetian love, lust, and political repression. Catherine McCormack (Mel Gibson's ill-fated bride in Braveheart) delivers a star-making performance as the "dangerous beauty" who becomes a skillful courtesan to pursue her forbidden love for a dashing Venetian senator (Rufus Sewell). It's all rather silly in a high-toned fashion, and the film turns dour when the church intervenes with a Scarlet Letter-like papal inquest. But the movie's joyously ribald vitality is utterly irresistible, and the casting of McCormack with Jaqueline Bisset (as her mother and courtesan mentor) is a stroke of pure genius. Merchant-Ivory would've made a smarter film from this material, but it probably wouldn't be nearly as entertaining. --Jeff ShannonVincent Perez (The Crow, City of Angels) and Rachel Weisz (Stealing Beauty) star wit! h Ian McKellen and Kathy Bates in this passionate film about two star-crossed lovers. Amy Foster, considered a simpleton by some and a witch by others, is accused of conjuring the fierce storm which causes a shipwreck. Only one man survives and is immediately drawn to strange Amy. A haunting tale of love and loss, Swept From the Sea is "a superb, epic and moving romance". Brilliantly directed and performed. "Four stars." - Paul Wunder, WBAI RADIO Based on the Joseph Conrad story "Amy Foster," this swirlingly romantic melodrama tells the story of a Polish sailor (Vincent Perez) shipwrecked and washed ashore on the English coast in the 19th century. Found by a servant girl, Amy (Rachel Weisz), who is a village outcast, he is considered retarded because no one can understand what he says. But slowly, through Amy's love and the doctor's tutelage, the sailor learns enough English to decide he wants to make an honest woman out of Amy. Which doesn't sit well with th! e disapproving villagers, who don't like Amy. Even the doctor,! who has a fondness for the sailor, has a blind spot when it comes to the servant girl. Strong performances and gritty period settings lift this film above bodice-ripper status to something richer. --Marshall FineKAMA SUTRA - DVD MovieIf you're looking for a deep, intelligently romantic movie with complex characters and a richly rewarding plot, don't bother with Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love. On the other hand, if you're feeling sexy and in the mood for a lush, seductive, and visually stunning film set in 16th-century India, this one will please you like the best foreplay you've ever experienced. Or it will relax you like a full treatment at a pampering spa--either way, you're gonna feel pretty fantastic. Okay, okay... maybe we're getting a little carried away, but there's no denying that director Mira Nair (best known for her acclaimed film Salaam Bombay!) has crafted a sumptuous film for the eyes if not the head. Its melodramatic plot is involving enough to eleva! te the movie high above soft-core adult fare, so you won't feel guilty after watching it.

Kama Sutra is the story of a young woman named Maya (the stunning Indira Varma) who has always been lower on the social scale than her well-born friend Tara (Sarita Choudhury), and has always lived in Tara's shadow, wearing her used clothes and being made to feel inferior. When Tara is betrothed to the handsome King Raj Singh (Naveen Andrews, from The English Patient), Tara sneaks into the king's tent on the eve of the wedding and seduces him. Later, after being trained to master the Kama Sutra's many "lessons of love," Maya will be the king's courtesan, and emotions will run high between the former best friends. But the plot is of secondary importance here (a fact that resulted in many mixed reviews), and so Kama Sutra works best as a colorful and irresistibly sexy story that is worth seeing just for the startling beauty of the film and its cast. --Jeff S! hannon This award-winning motion picture is a must-see ada! ptation of Thomas Hardy's timeless tale! After being away at school, Grace (Emily Woof -- THE FULL MONTY, VELVET GOLDMINE) feels she's outgrown her rural hometown and childhood sweetheart, a simple woodsman named Giles (Rufus Sewell -- EXTREME OPS, A KNIGHT'S TALE). She longs to travel abroad with the rich widow Mrs. Charmond (Polly Walker -- 8 1/2 WOMEN, EMMA, ENCHANTED APRIL) and marries a handsome young doctor. But Grace soon learns that culture is no substitute for true love. Honored with awards at numerous international film festivals, the first-rate cast of THE WOODLANDERS brings this treasured tale to life!No Description Available.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: NR
Release Date: 17-JUL-2007
Media Type: DVD

Drop Dead Gorgeous

  • A mockumentary about a vicious competition between two contestants in a rural Minnesota beauty pageant. While the two girls prepare for the contest, their mothers (an overbearing hairdresser and a civic-minded matriarch) decide they will stop at nothing to help each one's respective child win the contest.Running Time: 98 min. System Requirements: Starring: Kirstie Alley, Ellen Barkin, Kirsten
A mockumentary about a vicious competition between two contestants in a rural Minnesota beauty pageant. While the two girls prepare for the contest, their mothers (an overbearing hairdresser and a civic-minded matriarch) decide they will stop at nothing to help each one's respective child win the contest.
Running Time: 98 min.

System Requirements:
Starring: Kirstie Alley, Ellen Barkin, Kirsten Dunst, and Denise Richards.
Directed By: Michael Patrick Jann.
Running Time: 98 Min., Col! or.
This film is presented in both "Widescreen" and "Standard" formats.
Copyright 2001 Warner Home Video.Subtle is not the word to describe Drop Dead Gorgeous, a mock documentary purporting to cover the Sarah Rose Cosmetics Teen America Beauty Pageant in Mount Rose, Minnesota. Ellen Barkin (Sea of Love) and Kirsten Dunst (Interview with a Vampire, Dick) are perfectly cast as a mother and daughter whose only ambition is to use the pageant to get out of their claustrophobic small-town lives. Opposing them are Denise Richards (Wild Things, Starship Troopers) and her mother, Kirstie Alley (Look Who's Talking), who just happens to be the pageant's organizer. The plot, which centers on contestants being murdered (mostly by flaming explosions), is clearly secondary to the backstage shenanigans and satirical portrayals of vanity, small-town corruption, and family dysfunction. There's not much suspense to the pageant itself, b! ut Dunst is an endearing protagonist and along with the broad ! jokes ar e some excellent acting turns from the cast, particularly Barkin, Brittany Murphy (Clueless), Nora Dunn (a Saturday Night Live alumna), and the great character actress Allison Janney, who's played small roles in countless movies but finally gets a chance to shine as the supportive neighbor of Barkin and Dunst. In fact, for all the jokes and satirical jabs, in the end it's the characters' relationships that stay in your mind. A bonus: the soundtrack features a hard-rocking version of the theme from The Mary Tyler Moore Show, performed with cool aplomb by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. --Bret Fetzer

Chloe New for Women. Eau De Parfum Spray 2.5-Ounces

Volcom Mirror Jacket - Men's Fear Of The Dark, S

Druids

MY LITTLE SWEET HEART TWIN 13 INCH DOLLS SET, BOY AND GIRL WITH EXTRA 2 OUTFITS 2 PILLOWS 2 BOTTLES 2 DISHES SETS AND 2 BIBS

  • 2 dolls 13'' you can make them twin boys or twin girls or 1 boy and 1 girl
  • Soft body, vinyl face, sleeping eyes,
  • 2 Bibs & 2 bottles, sleeping bag, and a feeding set for each doll
  • Made of top quality, Safety tested for led free,
  • Makes a great gift. Box size 24'' L 14.5'' H 5''D
Exciting young stars Freddie Prinze Jr. (DOWN TO YOU, SHE'S ALL THAT) and Claire Forlani (MYSTERY MEN, MEET JOE BLACK) ride a fun rollercoaster to romance in this sexy comedy hit! Shy bookworm Ryan (Prinze) and the outgoing, free-spirited Jennifer (Forlani) couldn't be more different. So when they first meet, they can't stand each other. When they meet again, they loathe each other! But when they finally reconnect in college, all that friction eventually explodes into red-hot romantic fireworks! With hilarious friends Jason Biggs (AMERICAN PIE), Amanda Detmer (FINAL DESTINATION, DROP DE! AD GORGEOUS), and Heather Donahue (THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT) along to pump up the fun, you'll laugh along as these irresistible boys and girls sort out all of love's confusing complexities!Behind the generic title of Boys & Girls lies a surprising enjoyable and nuanced romantic comedy. Teen heartthrob Freddie Prinze Jr. plays Ryan, a dorky, emotionally sincere young guy who keeps crossing paths with Jennifer, played by Claire Forlani, an independent and willfully unattached young woman. Their chance meetings coincide with relationship traumas and they start to confide in each other, which leads to a more genuine friendship and, in the midst of their college years, a romance. It's a bit of a stock plot line to have their friendship threatened by sexual attraction, but Boys & Girls has just enough genuine feeling to make it compelling. Meanwhile, Jason Biggs (from American Pie) plays Ryan's roommate, a compulsive liar and would-be scam artist, who carries! off some pretty funny scenes. Forlani and Prinze work togethe! r quite well. Their performances hearken back to the classic screwball comedies of the 1930s, with the repressed male simultaneously attracted and horrified by a footloose dame. Some kooky moments are a little strained, but at other times the movie has a refreshing realism about human emotions. Overall, a much more engaging and entertaining flick than its ad campaign suggests. Also featuring Alyson Hannigan from the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Heather Donahue from The Blair Witch Project. --Bret FetzerBehind the generic title of Boys & Girls lies a surprising enjoyable and nuanced romantic comedy. Teen heartthrob Freddie Prinze Jr. plays Ryan, a dorky, emotionally sincere young guy who keeps crossing paths with Jennifer, played by Claire Forlani, an independent and willfully unattached young woman. Their chance meetings coincide with relationship traumas and they start to confide in each other, which leads to a more genuine friendship and, in th! e midst of their college years, a romance. It's a bit of a stock plot line to have their friendship threatened by sexual attraction, but Boys & Girls has just enough genuine feeling to make it compelling. Meanwhile, Jason Biggs (from American Pie) plays Ryan's roommate, a compulsive liar and would-be scam artist, who carries off some pretty funny scenes. Forlani and Prinze work together quite well. Their performances hearken back to the classic screwball comedies of the 1930s, with the repressed male simultaneously attracted and horrified by a footloose dame. Some kooky moments are a little strained, but at other times the movie has a refreshing realism about human emotions. Overall, a much more engaging and entertaining flick than its ad campaign suggests. Also featuring Alyson Hannigan from the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Heather Donahue from The Blair Witch Project. --Bret FetzerStarring most of the club kids in Hollywood, The ! Boys and Girls Guide to Hollywood is an outrageous story blend! ed with a how to guide to enjoy a truly insane party lifestyle. The film follows a group of Hollywood party-goers on their escapade as they travel from home to bar to party to after-party seeking the ultimate party experience. Through their adventure, viewers will learn truly insightful and at times politically incorrect lessons in nightlife etiquette, which will leave you feeling a bit dirty for enjoying it so much.Behind the generic title of Boys & Girls lies a surprising enjoyable and nuanced romantic comedy. Teen heartthrob Freddie Prinze Jr. plays Ryan, a dorky, emotionally sincere young guy who keeps crossing paths with Jennifer, played by Claire Forlani, an independent and willfully unattached young woman. Their chance meetings coincide with relationship traumas and they start to confide in each other, which leads to a more genuine friendship and, in the midst of their college years, a romance. It's a bit of a stock plot line to have their friendship threatene! d by sexual attraction, but Boys & Girls has just enough genuine feeling to make it compelling. Meanwhile, Jason Biggs (from American Pie) plays Ryan's roommate, a compulsive liar and would-be scam artist, who carries off some pretty funny scenes. Forlani and Prinze work together quite well. Their performances hearken back to the classic screwball comedies of the 1930s, with the repressed male simultaneously attracted and horrified by a footloose dame. Some kooky moments are a little strained, but at other times the movie has a refreshing realism about human emotions. Overall, a much more engaging and entertaining flick than its ad campaign suggests. Also featuring Alyson Hannigan from the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Heather Donahue from The Blair Witch Project. --Bret FetzerBOYS AND GIRL FROM COUNTY CLARE - DVD MovieHigh school quarterback Woody Deanne (Kevin Zegers of FELICITY: AN AMERICAN GIRL ADVENTURE) is a sexist jock who li! ves for hip-hop. His next-door neighbor and sworn enemy Nell B! edworth (Samaire Armstrong of THE O.C. and ENTOURAGE) is a smart and sensitive virgin who loves Shakespeare. But one morning, they mysteriously wake up in the strangest place of all: Each other's bodies! Even if they can now survive their switched lives of girls' showers, boys' locker rooms, college interviews, Homecoming football and destroying each other's reputations, will they find that falling in love may be the ultimate out-of-body experience? Sharon Osbourne co-stars in this wild gender-bender comedy featuring a hot soundtrack of hits by Eminem, Black Eyed Peas, Elton John, James Blunt, Ozzy Osbourne, Girls Aloud, Mystikal and more!A body-swapping comedy, It's a Boy Girl Thing takes a look at what happens when contentious next door neighbors have to literally live in each other's body for a while. Nell (Samaire Armstrong, Entourage, Dirty Sexy Money) is a studious geek. Woody (Kevin Zegers, Transamerica) is the high school football hero. Though the! y've known each other their entire lives, the two are happiest pretending the other doesn't exist. Psychoanalysis might conclude that it's because each has aspects that they are trying to subliminate in themselves, but in this farce, which executive-produced by Elton John, the plot is much less deep. It's a Boy Girl Thing has more in common with Rob Schneider's crude body-switch-'em-up The Hot Chick than, say, Tom Hanks' Big (Where his character didn't change sexes, but did grow from a little boy to a grown man overnight). At its best, the film offers a few laughs and some sight gags. At its worst, the characters utter lines such as, "I'm a loser, I'm trouble and I'm stupid. It's basic genetics." Written by Geoff Deane, who fared much better with the clever Kinky Boots, It's a Boy Girl Thing capitalizes on the strength of the lead actors. While Armstrong and Zegers look like they could be old enough to be paying off their student loans, th! ey have the mannerisms and nuances of teenagers down pat. Once! they sw ap bodies and have to work together to get their lives back, they also exhibit wonderful chemistry. So nice, in fact, that for a nanosecond, you almost wish they would never get their old lives back. --Jae-Ha KimA story so nice they did it...thrice! The Gershwin musical Girl Crazy finds yet another financially strapped out-West ranch in need of youthful showbiz enthusiasm in this star-studded, '60s-tinged movie redo. Connie Francis and Harve Presnell play the young love- and songbirds eager to turn the spread into a moneymaking dude ranch. There's plenty of music making, too, with original Gershwin songs plus an eclectic mix of specialty numbers by Louis Armstrong, Liberace, Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs and, in a co-starring appearance that would be followed by two headlining movies, Herman's Hermits. A lineup like this can only happen in the movies - and When the Boys Meet the Girls.

This product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.co! m's standard return policy will apply.

Say good-bye to diapers! Potty Power will motivate your toddler to use the potty! The program is cleverly produced to initiate and then sustain your child's interest in potty training. The program focuses on what your child needs to know to develop the responsibility to use the potty him or herself!

Potty Power works because it is fun, upbeat and entertaining. Friendly host Jessica and her 3-D animated friend T.P. along with a gaggle of toddlers guide viewers along the process of what it takes to become potty trained and have Potty Power.ALL YOU NEED FOR YOUR TODDLER TO BE BUSY FOR A LONG TIME TAKING CARE OF HER LITTLE BOY AND GIRL TWIN 13 INCH DOLLS. COMES WITH EVERYTHING , A TRAY TO SLIP DOLLS INSIDE TO COVER THEM, 2 BOTTLES, A TOTAL OF 4 OUTFITS, 2 PILLOWS, 2 ZIPPY CUPS AND PLATES & CUTLERY , 2 BIBS TO KEEP THEM CLEAN, JUST A PERFECT SET . THE DOLLS ARE GREAT & TOP QUALITY, SOFT BODY, VINYL FACE, AND HAS SLEEPING EYES! , AND TESTED FOR LED FREE

Monday, November 14, 2011

The Stieg Larsson Trilogy (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo / The Girl Who Played with Fire / The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest) [Blu-ray]

  • STIEG LARSSON TRILOGY, THE BLU-RAY (BLU-RAY DISC)
The stunning third and final novel in Stieg Larsson's internationally best-selling trilogy...

Lisbeth Salander--the heart of Larsson's two previous novels--lies in critical condition, a bullet wound to her head, in the intensive care unit of a Swedish city hospital. She’s fighting for her life in more ways than one: if and when she recovers, she’ll be taken back to Stockholm to stand trial for three murders. With the help of her friend, journalist Mikael Blomkvist, she will not only have to prove her innocence, but also identify and denounce those in authority who have allowed the vulnerable, like herself, to suffer abuse and violence. And, on her own, she will plot revenge--against the man who tried to kill her, and the corrupt government institutions that very nearly destroyed her life.

Once upon a time, she was a victim. N! ow Salander is fighting back.Amazon Best Books of the Month, May 2010 As the finale to Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest is not content to merely match the adrenaline-charged pace that made international bestsellers out of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played with Fire. Instead, it roars with an explosive storyline that blows the doors off the series and announces that the very best has been saved for last. A familiar evil lies in wait for Lisbeth Salander, but this time, she must do more than confront the miscreants of her past; she must destroy them. Much to her chagrin, survival requires her to place a great deal of faith in journalist Mikael Blomkvist and trust his judgment when the stakes are highest. To reveal more of the plot would be criminal, as Larsson's mastery of the unexpected is why millions have fallen hard for his work. But rest assured that the odds are ! again stacked, the challenges personal, and the action fraught! with ne ck-snapping revelations in this snarling conclusion to a thrilling triad. This closing chapter to The Girl's pursuit of justice is guaranteed to leave readers both satisfied and saddened once the final page has been turned. --Dave Callanan

Readers all across America are talking about Stieg Larsson’s #1 best-selling trilogyâ€"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nestâ€"which has more than 12 million copies in print. 

Now, just in time for the holidays: a deluxe, slip-cased set of the three hardcover novelsâ€"each unjacketed, bound in full cloth and uniquely stamped, with maps and individual full-color endpapersâ€"as well as On Stieg Larsson, a previously unpublished collection of essays about and correspondence with the author.

The perfect collectible for the Stieg Larsson fan and the ideal gift for those who have yet to meet his heroine, Lisbeth Salander, “o! ne of the most fascinating characters in modern genre fiction” (San Francisco Chronicle).

Get to know the bestselling series that Amazon (and its customers) have loved from the very beginning with this deluxe, slip-cased set of all three hardcover books in the Millennium Trilogy, along with On Stieg Larsson, a never-before-published collection of reflections about and correspondence with the author. Read our reviews of the books:

Amazon Best of the Month, September 2008: Once you start The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, there's no turning back. This debut thriller--the first in a trilogy from the late Stieg Larsson--is a serious page-turner rivaling the best of Charlie Huston and Michael Connelly. Mikael Blomkvist, a once-respected financial journalist, watches his professional life rapidly crumble around him. Prospects appear bleak until an unexpected (and unsettling) offer to resurrect his name is extended by an ol! d-school titan of Swedish industry. The catch--and there's alw! ays a ca tch--is that Blomkvist must first spend a year researching a mysterious disappearance that has remained unsolved for nearly four decades. With few other options, he accepts and enlists the help of investigator Lisbeth Salander, a misunderstood genius with a cache of authority issues. Little is as it seems in Larsson's novel, but there is at least one constant: you really don't want to mess with the girl with the dragon tattoo.

Amazon Best of the Month, July 2009: The girl with the dragon tattoo is back. Stieg Larsson's seething heroine, Lisbeth Salander, once again finds herself paired with journalist Mikael Blomkvist on the trail of a sinister criminal enterprise. Only this time, Lisbeth must return to the darkness of her own past (more specifically, an event coldly known as "All the Evil") if she is to stay one step ahead--and alive. The Girl Who Played with Fire is a break-out-in-a-cold-sweat thriller that crackles with stunning! twists and dismisses any talk of a sophomore slump. Fans of Larsson's prior work will find even more to love here, and readers who do not find their hearts racing within the first five pages may want to confirm they still have a pulse. Expect healthy doses of murder, betrayal, and deceit, as well as enough espresso drinks to fuel downtown Seattle for months.

Amazon Best Books of the Month, May 2010 As the finale to Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest is not content to merely match the adrenaline-charged pace that made international bestsellers out of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played with Fire. Instead, it roars with an explosive storyline that blows the doors off the series and announces that the very best has been saved for last. A familiar evil lies in wait for Lisbeth Salander, but this time, she must do more than confront the miscreants of her past; she mus! t destroy them. Much to her chagrin, survival requires her to! place a great deal of faith in journalist Mikael Blomkvist and trust his judgment when the stakes are highest. To reveal more of the plot would be criminal, as Larsson's mastery of the unexpected is why millions have fallen hard for his work. But rest assured that the odds are again stacked, the challenges personal, and the action fraught with neck-snapping revelations in this snarling conclusion to a thrilling triad. This closing chapter to The Girl's pursuit of justice is guaranteed to leave readers both satisfied and saddened once the final page has been turned.


The stunning third and final novel in Stieg Larsson’s internationally best-selling trilogy

Lisbeth Salanderâ€"the heart of Larsson’s two previous novelsâ€"lies in critical condition, a bullet wound to her head, in the intensive care unit of a Swedish city hospital. She’s fighting for her life in more ways than one: if and when she reco! vers, she’ll be taken back to Stockholm to stand trial for three murders. With the help of her friend, journalist Mikael Blomkvist, she will not only have to prove her innocence, but also identify and denounce those in authority who have allowed the vulnerable, like herself, to suffer abuse and violence. And, on her own, she will plot revengeâ€"against the man who tried to kill her, and the corrupt government institutions that very nearly destroyed her life.

Once upon a time, she was a victim. Now Salander is fighting back.


From the Hardcover edition.Amazon Best Books of the Month, May 2010 As the finale to Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest is not content to merely match the adrenaline-charged pace that made international bestsellers out of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played with Fire. Instead, it roars with an explosive storyline that ! blows the doors off the series and announces that the very bes! t has be en saved for last. A familiar evil lies in wait for Lisbeth Salander, but this time, she must do more than confront the miscreants of her past; she must destroy them. Much to her chagrin, survival requires her to place a great deal of faith in journalist Mikael Blomkvist and trust his judgment when the stakes are highest. To reveal more of the plot would be criminal, as Larsson's mastery of the unexpected is why millions have fallen hard for his work. But rest assured that the odds are again stacked, the challenges personal, and the action fraught with neck-snapping revelations in this snarling conclusion to a thrilling triad. This closing chapter to The Girl's pursuit of justice is guaranteed to leave readers both satisfied and saddened once the final page has been turned. --Dave CallananThe stunning third and final novel in Stieg Larsson’s internationally best-selling trilogy

Lisbeth Salanderâ€"the heart of Larsson’s two previous novelsâ€"li! es in critical condition, a bullet wound to her head, in the intensive care unit of a Swedish city hospital. She’s fighting for her life in more ways than one: if and when she recovers, she’ll be taken back to Stockholm to stand trial for three murders. With the help of her friend, journalist Mikael Blomkvist, she will not only have to prove her innocence, but also identify and denounce those in authority who have allowed the vulnerable, like herself, to suffer abuse and violence. And, on her own, she will plot revengeâ€"against the man who tried to kill her, and the corrupt government institutions that very nearly destroyed her life.

Once upon a time, she was a victim. Now Salander is fighting back.


From the Hardcover edition.Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy is now available in a complete hardcover set.

All across America, readers are talking about Stieg Larsson’s best-selling novels, set in Sweden and featuring Lisbeth Sala! nderâ€"“one of the most original and memorable heroines to s! urface i n a recent thriller” (The New York Times). The trilogy is an international sensation that will grab you and keep you “reading with eyes wide open” (San Francisco Chronicle). “[It] is intricately plotted, lavishly detailed but written with a breakneck pace and verve” (The Independent, U.K.), but “be warned: the trilogy is seriously addictive.” (The Guardian, U.K.).

“Believe the hype . . . It’s gripping stuff.”
â€"People

“Stieg Larsson clearly loved his brave misfit Lisbeth. And so will you.”
â€"USA Today
“Larsson has bottled lightning.”
â€"Los Angeles Times

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Harriet Vanger, a scion of one of Sweden’s wealthiest families disappeared without a trace more than forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to try to discover what happened to her. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist recently sideline! d by a libel conviction, to investigate. Blomkvist is aided by the pierced and tattooed computer prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and astonishing corruption on their way to discovering the truth of Harriet Vanger’s fate.

The Girl Who Played with Fire
Mikael Blomkvist, now the crusading publisher of the magazine Millennium, has decided to run a story that will expose an extensive sex trafficking operation. On the eve of its publication, the two reporters responsible for the article are murdered, and the fingerprints found on the murder weapon belong to his friend Lisbeth Salander. Blomkvist, convinced of Salander’s innocence, plunges into an investigation of the murders. Meanwhile, Salander herself is drawn into a murderous game of cat and mouse, which forces her to face her dark past.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest
Lisbeth Salander lies in critical condition, a bullet wound! to her head, in the intensive care unit of a Swedish city hos! pital. S he’s fighting for her life in more ways than one: if and when she recovers, she’ll be taken back to Stockholm to stand trial for three murders. With the help of Mikael Blomkvist, she will not only have to prove her innocence, but also identify and denounce those in authority who have allowed the vulnerable, like herself, to suffer abuse and violence. On her own, she will plot revengeâ€"against the man who tried to kill her, and against the corrupt government institutions that very nearly destroyed her life.

“Unique and fascinating . . . Like a blast of cold, fresh air.”â€"Chicago Tribune

“Wildly suspenseful . . . Intelligent, ingeniously plotted, utterly engrossing.”
â€"The Washington Post

“A gripping, stay-up-all-night read.” â€"Entertainment Weekly

“Dynamite.” â€"Variety
THe Stieg Larsson Dragon Tattoo Trilogy includes "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo", "The Girl Who Played with! Fire" and "The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest". Includes a fourth disc with two hours of bonus features.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Fans of Stieg Larsson's Men Who Hate Women may have been concerned about how the Swedish author's novel would translate to the screen, but they needn't have worried. Significant changes to the source material have been made, but director Niels Arden Opley's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, as it's now called, is mostly riveting. As the story begins, middle-aged investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) has just been convicted of a bogus charge of libel against a rich and corrupt corporate hotshot when he's unexpectedly offered a most unusual gig. An aging captain of industry named Henrik Vanger (Sven-Bertil Taube) wants Blomkvist to figure out what happened to Vanger's niece, who disappeared more than 40 years earlier; not only is the old man convinced that she was murdere! d, but he suspects that another member of his large and rather! disagre eable family (which includes several former Nazis) is the culprit. Blomkvist takes the job, which includes spending at least six months on Vanger's isolated island in the middle of winter. But what he doesn't know is that he's being spied on by twentysomething Lisbeth Salander (brilliantly played by Noomi Rapace in a career-making performance), the titular Girl and the possessor of remarkable skills as a sleuth and computer hacker. With her gothlike piercings and all-black clothes, Lisbeth is a vivid character, to say the least. While we don't exactly know the details of her dark past, it's obviously still with her; indeed, she's just been assigned a new "guardian" (like a parole officer) to look after her finances and other matters. We also know that she is not someone to mess with; when the guardian turns out to be a thoroughly vile monster, Lisbeth gets back at him in one of the more satisfying revenge sequences in recent memory. That Lisbeth and Mikael should end up work! ing together, and more, isn't especially surprising. But the horrifying details and depths of depravity they uncover while working on the case (parallels to The Silence of the Lambs are facile but appropriate) definitely are, and Opley does a nice job of keeping it all straight. At more than two and a half hours, the film is long, with its share of grim, graphic, and scary moments, but The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a winner. --Sam Graham

The Girl Who Played With Fire
The toughest chick in Sweden returns to action in The Girl Who Played with Fire, the second film adaptation of the late author Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy novels. That would be Lisbeth Salander, once again played with quiet, feral intensity by Noomi Rapace. As Larsson's readers and anyone who saw the first film (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, also released in 2010) knows, Lisbeth is small in stature but big trouble for a! ny man who crosses her--after all, this is the woman who set h! er fathe r on fire after he abused her mother and later, after being released from a mental institution, took extreme revenge on her legal guardian after he brutally assaulted her (those scenes are briefly revisited for the enlightenment of those who missed the earlier film). Also back is investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist), Lisbeth's erstwhile lover and partner in solving the Dragon Tattoo mystery. When two of his young colleagues are killed while at work on a story about sex trafficking, followed shortly by the murder of the aforementioned guardian, Salander is the prime suspect. But Mikael is sure of her innocence; in fact, he's convinced she's the next victim, leading to a tangled tale in which Lisbeth learns more about her family and its very dark secrets than she ever wanted to know. The story is compelling, if a bit slow to take shape, and director Daniel Alfredson, taking over for Niels Arden Oplev, skillfully sustains the mystery and tension ! (there are also doses of nudity and violence, the latter much more graphic than the former). But Lisbeth isn't on screen nearly as much this time, and her relationship with Blomkvist, so central to Dragon Tattoo, is almost an afterthought. Still, The Girl Who Played with Fire will certainly whet fans' appetites for the next installment, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest; and considering the overall class and quality of these Swedish productions, one shudders to think how they'll turn out in the inevitable American versions, the first of which is due in 2011, with Daniel Craig as Blomkvist. --Sam Graham

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
It takes a while, but the saga of one of the more fascinating characters put on the page or the screen in recent years comes to a satisfying conclusion with The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, the last installment of the late Swedish author Stieg Larsson'! s so-called Millennium Trilogy. That character is Lisbeth Sala! nder, th e computer-hacking, Goth-loving, dark angel of revenge, played by Noomi Rapace with the same black stare and taciturn charisma that were so riveting in the first two films (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played with Fire, both also released in 2010). When we last saw her, Lisbeth was trying to kill her father, a Russian defector and abusive monster; in the process, the girl was seriously wounded by her half-brother, a hulking freak with a strange condition that renders him impervious to physical pain. As the new film opens, all three are still alive, and she's being taken to a hospital to recover while waiting to stand trial for attempted murder. Meanwhile, her champion and erstwhile lover, journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist), sets about uncovering the full extent of the conspiracy responsible for (among other crimes) Lisbeth's being sent to an asylum at age 12 while her father was protected by evil forces within the government. ! This investigation, which puts not only Lisbeth but also Blomkvist and his colleagues in considerable danger, leads to "the Section," a thoroughly repellent bunch of aging liars, killers, thieves, and perverts with a great many secrets they'd like to keep (the oily Dr. Peter Teleborian, who was responsible for Lisbeth's "treatment" as a child, emerges as the most vile antagonist since the guardian who brutally assaulted her in the first film). Although much of the exhaustive detail about these and other matters has been eliminated by director Daniel Alfredson (who also helmed The Girl Who Played with Fire) and screenwriters Jonas Frykberg and Ulf Ryberg for the purpose of adapting the novel to the screen, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest is still quite long (148 minutes), and less kinetic and violent than the earlier films; there are some exciting sequences, but Lisbeth, previously an unlikely but magnetic action heroine, is seen mostly on a hospital ! bed or in a courtroom, and much of the film is spent on proced! ural mat ters. Still, the fact that the loose ends are wrapped up in fairly conventional fashion doesn't make the conclusion any less satisfying. In fact, the only real letdown comes from knowing that we won't get to see Noomi Rapace play Lisbeth Salander again. --Sam Graham

POGO Hearts, Spades and More!

  • 5 Card Games for Kindle

From the author of Pitching Around Fidel and Far Afield comes a tragicâ€"but ultimately upliftingâ€"account of the accidental death of minor league first base coach Mike Coolbaugh, illustrating the many ways in which baseball still has a hold on America.

This season's Friday Night Lights, Heart of the Game centers on the death of Mike Coolbaugh, a minor league coach who was killed in July 2007 by a foul ball rocketed off Tino Sanchez's bat. Coolbaugh died almost instantly, his body carted off the field of the Double-A Arkansas Travelers on a suffocating Sunday evening in Little Rock. He was thirty-five years old and the father of two, with a third child on the way.

Mike's exemplary lifeâ€"his devotion to game and familyâ€"is the spine of the story. But it isn't the drama. The drama is in the t! elling of what can happen when a projectile hits the wrong place on the human body, of the lives being lived up until that fatal moment, of the remarkable people who happened to be in the ballpark that night, of the impact on the man who hit the ball, and of all the lives left behind.

Price reveals anew that classic heart of Americanaâ€"small-town sports, small-town livesâ€"and makes us understand that a game played away from the mindless churn of Internet blather and highlight shows can be more important than those played on the national stage.

Play 5 popular card games: Hearts, Spades, Euchre, Gin and Canasta.

In Hearts, the goal is to win as few points-paying hearts as possible or to win all the points-paying cards at once. The winner is the one who finishes with the game with the fewest points. In Spades, the goal is to bid and win a specific number of hands, by playing the highest card by round or by playing the highest spade. The team that bids! and wins the most hands, wins the game. In Euchre, the goal i! s for yo u and your partner to get as many tricks per round as possible. You get tricks by having the highest trump card or highest suited card if no trump card is played. The team that scores 10 points first wins. The goal of Gin is to make sets of cards, based on runs in suit or matching rank. The player who can make the most matches earliest typically wins. In Canasta, you make sets of up to seven cards. The player who first makes sets of all his cards will make the most points typically wins.

Learn and master each game through in-depth tutorials with rules and tips on how to improve your play and track your stats across all 5 games.

What game are you going to play first
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