Beloved

• Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover play the unforgettable lead roles in a powerful, widely acclaimed cinematic triumph from Jonathan Demme.On a difficult journey to find freedom, Sethe is constantly confronted by the secrets that have haunted her for years. Then, an old friend from out of her past unexpectedly reenters her life. With his help, Sethe may finally be able to rediscover who she is and reg

(Book Jacket Status: Jacketed)

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Toni Morrison’s Beloved is a spellbinding and dazzlingly innovative portrait of a woman haunted by the past.

Sethe was born a slave and escaped to Ohio, but eighteen years later she is still not free. She has borne the unthinkable and not gone mad, yet she is still held captive by memories of Sweet Home, the beautiful farm where so many hideous things happened. Meanwhile Sethe’s house has long been troubled by the ! angry, destructive ghost of her baby, who died nameless and whose tombstone is engraved with a single word: Beloved.

Sethe works at beating back the past, but it makes itself heard and felt incessantly in her memory and in the lives of those around her. When a mysterious teenage girl arrives, calling herself Beloved, Sethe’s terrible secret explodes into the present.

Combining the visionary power of legend with the unassailable truth of history, Morrison’s unforgettable novel is one of the great and enduring works of American literature.In the troubled years following the Civil War, the spirit of a murdered child haunts the Ohio home of a former slave. This angry, destructive ghost breaks mirrors, leaves its fingerprints in cake icing, and generally makes life difficult for Sethe and her family; nevertheless, the woman finds the haunting oddly comforting for the spirit is that of her own dead baby, never named, thought of only as Beloved.

! A dead child, a runaway slave, a terrible secret--these are ! the cent ral concerns of Toni Morrison's Pulitzer Prize-winning Beloved. Morrison, a Nobel laureate, has written many fine novels, including Song of Solomon, The Bluest Eye, and Paradise--but Beloved is arguably her best. To modern readers, antebellum slavery is a subject so familiar that it is almost impossible to render its horrors in a way that seems neither clichéd nor melodramatic. Rapes, beatings, murders, and mutilations are recounted here, but they belong to characters so precisely drawn that the tragedy remains individual, terrifying to us because it is terrifying to the sufferer. And Morrison is master of the telling detail: in the bit, for example, a punishing piece of headgear used to discipline recalcitrant slaves, she manages to encapsulate all of slavery's many cruelties into one apt symbol--a device that deprives its wearer of speech. "Days after it was taken out, goose fat was rubbed on the corners o! f the mouth but nothing to soothe the tongue or take the wildness out of the eye." Most importantly, the language here, while often lyrical, is never overheated. Even as she recalls the cruelties visited upon her while a slave, Sethe is evocative without being overemotional: "Add my husband to it, watching, above me in the loft--hiding close by--the one place he thought no one would look for him, looking down on what I couldn't look at at all. And not stopping them--looking and letting it happen.... And if he was that broken then, then he is also and certainly dead now." Even the supernatural is treated as an ordinary fact of life: "Not a house in the country ain't packed to its rafters with some dead Negro's grief. We lucky this ghost is a baby," comments Sethe's mother-in-law.

Beloved is a dense, complex novel that yields up its secrets one by one. As Morrison takes us deeper into Sethe's history and her memories, the horrifying circumstances of ! her baby's death start to make terrible sense. And as past me! ets pres ent in the shape of a mysterious young woman about the same age as Sethe's daughter would have been, the narrative builds inexorably to its powerful, painful conclusion. Beloved may well be the defining novel of slavery in America, the one that all others will be measured by. --Alix WilberShows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. 100% Money Back Guarantee.Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. 100% Money Back Guarantee.Oprah Winfrey (THE COLOR PURPLE) and Danny Glover (LETHAL WEAPON IV, THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS) play the unforgettable lead roles in a powerful, widely acclaimed cinematic triumph from Jonathan Demme -- the Academy Award(R)-winning director of THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. On a difficult journey to find freedom, Sethe (Winfrey) is constantly confronted by the secrets that have haunted her for years. Then, an old friend from out of her past (Glover) unexpectedly reenters her life. With his ! help, Sethe may finally be able to rediscover who she is and regain her lost sense of hope. Also featuring outstanding performances from Thandie Newton (GRIDLOCK'D) and Lisa Gay Hamilton (TV's THE PRACTICE) -- you'll agree with critics everywhere who've hailed this landmark adaptation of Toni Morrison's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel as one of the year's finest films!This layered film, a labor of love from director Jonathan Demme and star Oprah Winfrey, covers a lot of turf in its nearly three-hour running time. Part slavery fable, part mother-daughter tale, part ghost story, Beloved demands an audience's full attention from its dramatic, slightly bewildering opening, when a family dog comes down on the wrong side of some angry, unseen force. But Demme and his talented cast provide an unforgettable payoff for those who surrender.

The film traces the life of Sethe (played in her middle years by Winfrey), a former slave who has rebuilt what seems to be a peaceful, p! roductive life in Ohio. Yet through chilling, sparing use of f! lashback , Demme slowly unveils, as does the Toni Morrison masterpiece on which the film is based, the horrors of Sethe's former life, and the terrible event that led to the haunting of Sethe's home.

While the horrors of slavery and the bloody event in Sethe's family leave undeniable impressions, the film's brilliance is also evidenced in smaller, equally satisfying ways. Rachel Portman's spiritual-influenced score is as uplifting as it is haunting, and the glimpses of the post-slavery African American world--as with a simple family outing to a local carnival, or a ladies' sewing-and-gospel circle--make this a treat for the intellect as well as the heart. The members of the cast, especially Kimberly Elise as Sethe's struggling daughter and Thandie Newton as the mysterious title character, are supremely affecting. --Anne Hurley

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Emma (2009 BBC Version)

•  Beautiful, clever, and rich Emma Woodhouse is convinced she is good at matchmaking after her older sister and her governess both marry suitable husbands. No matter that as Mr Knightley drily observes, in reality, she had nothing to do with these relationships. Yet Emma, certain of her talents, plays a dangerous game as she persuades her new friend, the young, pretty and socially inferior Har

Beautiful, clever, and rich Emma Woodhouse is convinced she is good at matchmaking after her older sister and her governess both marry suitable husbands. No matter that as Mr Knightley drily observes, in reality, she had nothing to do with these relationships. Yet Emma, certain of her talents, plays a dangerous game as she persuades her new friend, the young, pretty and socially inferior Harriet to reject an advantageous marriage proposal to a local farmer in favour of dashing Mr Elton. So begins a stor! y which challenges Emma's naivety, her social preconceptions and her relationship with Knightley. Fresh and funny, this perceptive adaptation, featuring a stellar cast, brings Jane Austen's comic masterpiece to life.Although Jane Austen's Emma has been adapted for the screen many times before, including for an American version starring Gwyneth Paltrow, this four-part miniseries is the version to begin with. The story of Miss Woodhouse, a matchmaker and meddler whose wit and misdirection need to be carefully acted to match the novel's complex character, is perfectly expressed through Romola Garai's portrayal. Throughout the retelling of this comedic romantic drama, Garai not only conveys Emma's strong-willed sensibility but also manages to update Emma for modern audiences without relinquishing the traditional manners and tastes that Austen fans love in her 1815 historical tale. Each episode, here, opens with a seasonal shot of Hartfield, the estate Emma rules w! hile caring for her loyal and kind but protective father (Mich! ael Gamb on). Having lost her mother early, Emma feels a bond with two other unfortunate children in Highbury, Frank Churchill (Rupert Evans) and Jane Fairfax (Laura Pyper), whom Emma befriends as they return home from boarding schools abroad.

The dramas that ensue revolve around Emma's attempts to pair lovers, with varied degrees of success. Episode One establishes Emma's curious desire to marry everyone off except herself. John Knightley (Johnny Lee Miller), Emma's childhood friend, is constantly by her side, coaching, supporting, and chiding her as she matures into an intelligent, regal young lady. Miller's ability to portray Knightley as the respectable, patient man he is throughout the series also lends this Emma incredible strength. In Episode Two, after Emma's beloved governess, Anne Taylor (Jodhi May), moves out to marry, Emma bonds with new girlfriend Harriet Smith (Louise Dylan), and from here we begin to see some of Emma's plans backfiring. Part of this series'! genius is in how it manages, in keeping with Austen's book, to express deeper love developing between Emma and her true mate while Highbury's daily gossip continues. Though in Episodes Three and Four one weathers some minor emotional upheaval with aging parents, losses of wealth, and illnesses, this story is not tragic and most side plots point toward Emma's final love realization, which does not arrive until the last 20 minutes of the last episode. Settings and costumes enhance the story greatly, and views of the village farmers' market contrast with lavish balls and dinner parties hosted by the Woodhouse family and others to underscore Austen's original emphasis on capturing the preoccupations of upper-class British society in her day. Some scenes, as in Episode One when Knightley and Emma squabble for much too long over whom Harriet should marry, drag on, allowing one to marvel at how much free time these people had to worry about other business besides their own. Still! , the romance in Emma is quite powerful and humor throu! ghout ma kes this series ultimately enchanting. --Trinie Dalton

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I Think Everybody Should Like Everybody - Fine Art Print - 35.5x28cm - Art247.com Poster Print

• Fine Art Print
• 35.5x28cm

Robert DeNiro leads an acclaimed all-star cast Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckinsale and Sam Rockwell in Everybody s Fine, the heartwarming film that will move you to laughter and tears. When Frank Goode's (DeNiro) grown children cancel a family reunion, the recent widower sets off on a cross-country journey to reconnect with each of them. Expecting to share in the joys of their happy, successful lives, his surprise visits reveal a picture that's far from perfect. A family separated by physical and emotional distance finds a way to come together in a story that will touch your heart.

Bonus Features include The Making Of Paul McCartney's (I Want To) Come Home, Deleted & Extended ScenesOne thing Robert De Niro can't be accused of is avoiding a challenge. Everybody's Fine obliges this respected actor, who made his bones playing dangerous, volatile men, ! to portray a low-key retiree named Frank Goode. Frank's wife has died, and since she alone kept them in touch with their four grown offspring, now scattered around the country, he's doubly cut off from family. When the Goode kids all find excuses to skip a planned reunion, Frank hauls out his suitcase and boards Amtrak with the intention of dropping in on each of them: the tightly wound Chicago ad exec (Kate Beckinsale), the Denver musician (Sam Rockwell) who's supposedly a symphony conductor, the sweet Vegas showgirl (Drew Barrymore), and the Greenwich Village artist son who's nowhere to be found. That son remains offscreen for the duration, and his portentous absence has the unintended effect of emphasizing what a hollow enterprise Everybody's Fine is. Don't blame the cast, who do yeoman work trying to define their long-unsatisfactory relationship as parent and children. None of the kids hate Dad; they just never found a measure of comfort with him, so now everyb! ody, far from being fine, is living one fiction or another to ! keep it mellow. For his part, Frank suffers from an undefined illness brought on by his life's work making insulation for phone wires; and lo, throughout his journey we're urged to notice telephone cables slipping by outside the train or bus window--lines of communication!--even as the siblings are warily monitoring Dad's progress by cell phone. Writer-director Kirk Jones once made an ersatz-Irish movie, Waking Ned Devine (1997), that vulgarized ethnicity in the interests of cheap laughs and patronizing sentimentality. In Everybody's Fine Jones manages the neat trick of vulgarizing delicacy. The movie wants to pass for a sensitive meditation on the white lies people tell one another and themselves. But it so reeks of bad faith and calculation that the message isn't worth delivering. --Richard T. Jameson

Stills from Everybody's Fine (Click for larger image)

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Robert DeNiro lead! s an acc laimed all-star cast- Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckinsale and Sam Rockwell- in Everybody's Fine, the heartwarming film that will move you to laughter and tears. When Frank Goode's (DeNiro) grown children cancel a family reunion, the recent widower sets off on a cross country journey to reconnect with each of them. Expecting to share in the joys of their happy, successful lives, his surprise visits reveal a picture that's far from perfect. A family seperated by physical and emotional distance finds a way to come together in a story that will touch your heart.One thing Robert De Niro can't be accused of is avoiding a challenge. Everybody's Fine obliges this respected actor, who made his bones playing dangerous, volatile men, to portray a low-key retiree named Frank Goode. Frank's wife has died, and since she alone kept them in touch with their four grown offspring, now scattered around the country, he's doubly cut off from family. When the Goode kids all find excuses to ski! p a planned reunion, Frank hauls out his suitcase and boards Amtrak with the intention of dropping in on each of them: the tightly wound Chicago ad exec (Kate Beckinsale), the Denver musician (Sam Rockwell) who's supposedly a symphony conductor, the sweet Vegas showgirl (Drew Barrymore), and the Greenwich Village artist son who's nowhere to be found. That son remains offscreen for the duration, and his portentous absence has the unintended effect of emphasizing what a hollow enterprise Everybody's Fine is. Don't blame the cast, who do yeoman work trying to define their long-unsatisfactory relationship as parent and children. None of the kids hate Dad; they just never found a measure of comfort with him, so now everybody, far from being fine, is living one fiction or another to keep it mellow. For his part, Frank suffers from an undefined illness brought on by his life's work making insulation for phone wires; and lo, throughout his journey we're urged to notice telep! hone cables slipping by outside the train or bus window--li! nes of c ommunication!--even as the siblings are warily monitoring Dad's progress by cell phone. Writer-director Kirk Jones once made an ersatz-Irish movie, Waking Ned Devine (1997), that vulgarized ethnicity in the interests of cheap laughs and patronizing sentimentality. In Everybody's Fine Jones manages the neat trick of vulgarizing delicacy. The movie wants to pass for a sensitive meditation on the white lies people tell one another and themselves. But it so reeks of bad faith and calculation that the message isn't worth delivering. --Richard T. JamesonOne thing Robert De Niro can't be accused of is avoiding a challenge. Everybody's Fine obliges this respected actor, who made his bones playing dangerous, volatile men, to portray a low-key retiree named Frank Goode. Frank's wife has died, and since she alone kept them in touch with their four grown offspring, now scattered around the country, he's doubly cut off from family. When the Goode kids all ! find excuses to skip a planned reunion, Frank hauls out his suitcase and boards Amtrak with the intention of dropping in on each of them: the tightly wound Chicago ad exec (Kate Beckinsale), the Denver musician (Sam Rockwell) who's supposedly a symphony conductor, the sweet Vegas showgirl (Drew Barrymore), and the Greenwich Village artist son who's nowhere to be found. That son remains offscreen for the duration, and his portentous absence has the unintended effect of emphasizing what a hollow enterprise Everybody's Fine is. Don't blame the cast, who do yeoman work trying to define their long-unsatisfactory relationship as parent and children. None of the kids hate Dad; they just never found a measure of comfort with him, so now everybody, far from being fine, is living one fiction or another to keep it mellow. For his part, Frank suffers from an undefined illness brought on by his life's work making insulation for phone wires; and lo, throughout his journey we're ur! ged to notice telephone cables slipping by outside the train o! r bus wi ndow--lines of communication!--even as the siblings are warily monitoring Dad's progress by cell phone. Writer-director Kirk Jones once made an ersatz-Irish movie, Waking Ned Devine (1997), that vulgarized ethnicity in the interests of cheap laughs and patronizing sentimentality. In Everybody's Fine Jones manages the neat trick of vulgarizing delicacy. The movie wants to pass for a sensitive meditation on the white lies people tell one another and themselves. But it so reeks of bad faith and calculation that the message isn't worth delivering. --Richard T. JamesonOriginal soundtrack to the 2009 holiday film composed by Academy Award-winner David Marianelli. Everybody's Fine, a remake of Giuseppe Tornatore's Stanno Tutti Bene, follows a widower (Robert De Niro) who embarks on an impromptu road trip to reconnect with each of his grown children (Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckinsale, and Sam Rockwell) only to discover that their lives are far from picture ! perfect. At the heart of Everybody's Fine is the theme of family and physical and emotional distances traveled to bring the members back together.John Schlesinger Award - Best Debut Feature Film Director - Honorable Mention - Palm Springs International Film Festival

Gold Award - Worldfest Houston

Official Selection - Toronto, London, Philadelphia, Vancouver, Cleveland Film Festivals

"...this film is an idiosyncratic charmer - and a lot more." - Los Angeles Times

"...never lacks energy or surprise." - Washington Post

As customers weave in and out of his upscale salon, only Xen (Rehaan Engineer) knows how much their cheerful outward chatter belies their inner turmoil, spitefulness and secrets. A talented hairstylist with an unusual gift, Xen can hear his clients’ inner thoughts as soon as he starts cutting their hair and instantly knows the truth about their often desperate lives. While Xen uses his telepathy to help his clients when he can, he is ironicall! y unable to help himself in his lonely, solitary life - until ! the day sexy, lively Niki enters his world - and he learns that private agony can incite dark and deadly acts.

approx. 103 mins. col.Andy Warhol I Think Everybody Should Like Everybody Quote Art Print Poster - 11x14

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Disney Nature: African Cats: The Story Behind the Film

• ISBN13: 9781423134107
• Condition: New
• Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!

In the heart of Africa, the Masai Mara Game Reserve is a place where, in place of justice and fairness, raw power rules the day, and to survive means to fight. Lions, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, buffalo, gazelles, and other large mammals roam the vast, rolling plains of the reserve, and with so many species competing for space and food, the stakes are high, and danger looms at every turn.

In African Cats: Kingdom of Courage, filmmakers Keith Scholey and Amanda Barrett follow the lives of some of the Masai Mara’s big cats, focusing on two lionesses and a cheetah and her adorable cubs. This companion book to their incredible film offers a fasc! inating exploration of the unique, yet interwoven, stories of each cat.

Filled with stunning photographs of the Kenyan plains and the remarkable animals that reside on them, this book will take you on an unforgettable journey chronicling the struggle to survive.

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My Boy Jack

• Its 1915 and World War I has been declared. Aged only 17, Kiplings son, like most of his generation, is swept up in the enthusiasm to fight the Germans, a mood stoked vigorously by his father. Jack is cripplingly short sighted and the army has rejected him twice, rendering him too myopic even for an army suffering thousands of casualties a week and desperate for recruits. Yet Rudyard is undeterred

They share the same birth month, so the orphanage calls them December Boys. But these teens â€" Maps, Spit, Spark and Misty â€" have much more in common. With no hopes of ever joining a family, they form their own familial bonds. Then the unexpected news comes that a young couple may adopt one of them, and the long-time pals suddenly share something else: a rivalry to be the chosen one.Its 1915 and World War I has been declared. Aged only 17, Kiplings son, like most of his generation, is swept! up in the enthusiasm to fight the Germans, a mood stoked vigorously by his father. Jack is cripplingly short sighted and the army has rejected him twice, rendering him too myopic even for an army suffering thousands of casualties a week and desperate for recruits. Yet Rudyard is undeterred, determined that his son should go to the front, like countless other sons, and fight for the values that he, Kipling, espouses so publicly. Using his fame and influence, Kipling persuades Lord Roberts, on his death bed, to get Jack a commission in the Irish guards. This intervention is barely tolerated by Carrie and daughter Elise (Carey Mulligan), as they disagree that Jack is fit to fight and fear for his safety on the front line. Jack is instantly popular with his troop he is a great leader and trains tirelessly to overcome the disability that is his eyesight. Six months later Jack sails to France as a lieutenant. Jack went missing in action during the Battle of Loos and his mother a! nd father carried out an increasingly desperate search for him! , spanni ng many years and many miles.

DVD Features:
Deleted Scenes
Interviews

As affecting as it is thought-provoking, ITV's My Boy Jack illustrates the dangers of unbridled patriotism. To grow up the child of a famous author is burden enough, but when the boy must embody the beliefs of the man, the consequences can be devastating. In the case of John "Jack" Kipling (Harry Potter's Daniel Radcliffe in his most mature role to date), 17-year-old son of Rudyard Kipling (Four Weddings and a Funeral's David Haig), his father's passion for King and Country leads to a preventable tragedy. Based on Haig's play, the proceedings begin in 1914, prior to the outbreak of World War II. Jack attempts to join the army and the navy, but both reject him due to severe shortsightedness, so Kipling Sr. pulls strings to place him with the Irish Guards. Jack's sister, Elsie (Bleak House's Carey Mulligan), and American-born mother, Caroline (a! brunette Kim Cattrall), would rather he serve the war effort at home. Through hard work and determination, Jack scales the ranks from private to lieutenant, but goes missing in France, and many months pass before the family solves the mystery of his disappearance. In the end, My Boy Jack, which aired in England on Remembrance Day, concerns itself more with paying tribute than apportioning blame, and Haig skillfully portrays Kipling's guilt in putting his son in harm’s way and pride in a brave soldier who "played his part properly." Special features include interviews and deleted scenes. Parental advisory suggested due to situation-appropriate language and teen smoking. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

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PaperMate Pink Pearl Premium Medium Rubber Eraser, 3-Count (70502PP)

• Premium rubber eraser
• Removes pencil mistakes without smearing, staining or abrading
• Soft beveled shape
• Color: PINK
• Brand: Sanford
• Soft and pliable, self-cleaning and gentle on paper

Paper Mate Pink Pearl Eraser

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Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me

• First he fought for the Crown, now he's fighting for the family jewels! Mike Myers returns as the world's grooviest superspy who must return to the Swingin' Sixties to recover his ''mojo'' and stop Dr. Evil from liquidating the world.Running Time: 95 min. System Requirements: Starring: Mike Myers, Heather Graham, Seth Green, Elizabeth Hurley, Rob Lowe, Robert Wagner, and Michael York. Directed

First he fought for the Crown, now he's fighting for the family jewels! Mike Myers returns as the world's grooviest superspy who must return to the Swingin' Sixties to recover his ''mojo'' and stop Dr. Evil from liquidating the world.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary
DVD ROM Features
Deleted Scenes
Featurette
Music Video
Theatrical Trailer

"I put the grrr in swinger, baby!" a deliciously randy Austin Powers coos near the beginning! of The Spy Who Shagged Me, and if the imagination of Austin creator Mike Myers seems to have sagged a bit, his energy surely hasn't. This friendly, go-for-broke sequel to 1997's Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery finds our man Austin heading back to the '60s to keep perennial nemesis Dr. Evil (Myers again) from blowing up the world--and, more importantly, to get back his mojo, that man-juice that turns Austin into irresistible catnip for women, especially American spygirl Felicity Shagwell (a pretty but vacant Heather Graham). The plot may be irreverent and illogical, the jokes may be bad (with characters named Ivana Humpalot and Robin Swallows, née Spitz), and the scenes may run on too long, but it's all delivered sunnily and with tongue firmly in cheek.

Myers's true triumph, though, is his turn as the neurotic Dr. Evil, who tends to spout the right cultural reference at exactly the wrong time (referring to his moon base as a "Death Star" wi! th Moon Units Alpha and Zappa--in 1969). Myers teams Dr. Evil! with a diminutive clone, Mini-Me (Verne J. Troyer), who soon replaces slacker son Scott Evil (Seth Green) as the apple of the doctor's eye; Myers and Troyer work magic in what could plausibly be one of the year's most affecting (and hysterically funny) love stories. Despite a stellar supporting cast--including a sly Rob Lowe as Robert Wagner's younger self and Mindy Sterling as the forbidding Frau Farbissina--it's basically Myers's show, and he pulls a hat trick by playing a third character, the obese and disgusting Scottish assassin Fat Bastard. Many viewers will reel in disgust at Mr. Bastard's repulsive antics and the scatological bent Myers indulges in, including one showstopper involving coffee and--shudder--a stool sample. Still, Myers's good humor and dead-on cultural references win the day; Austin is one spy who proves he can still shag like a minx. --Mark Englehart

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McFarlane Toys Beowulf Action Figure Grendel's Mother

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

BEOWULF & GRENDEL - DVD MovieThe otherworldly landscape of Iceland lends an appropriate touch of dark fantasy to this modern retelling of Beowulf, the oldest epic poem in the English language. Gerard Butler (The Phantom of the Opera) brings the right balance of physicality and world-weariness as the Swedish hero Beowulf, who travels to Denmark to fight the monstrous troll Grendel (Icelandic superstar Ignvar Sigurdsson), which has been plaguing the house of King Hrothgar (Stellan Skarsgård, buried under a mound of prosthetic hair). However, what transpires is not a battle between! good and evil, but a convoluted mystery of sorts, with Beowulf playing the detective who discovers that his foe is more human than monster, and Hrothgar less wronged innocent than catalyst for his own downfall. Director Sturla Gunnarsson succeeds in pulling this legendary story from the dust of academics by contemporizing the dialogue (Andrew Rai Berzins has an excellent ear for hard-bitten palaver), and his visuals are nothing less than striking, but the film attempts to be both monster movie and melancholy drama, while never quite satisfying the requirements of either genre. Regardless, the quality cast (which includes Sarah Polley from Dawn of the Dead as a sharp-tongued witch with a connection to Grendel) and some well-handled action sequences should hold viewers’ attention even when the unnecessarily complex plot does not. --Paul GaitaIntroduction gives a short history of the Old English language.

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

Introduction gives a short history of the Old English language.

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

Based on the legendary 8th century epic poem, Beowulf follows the triumphs and trials of the legendary Norse warrior as he battles mythical beasts, including the monstrous Grendel. GRENDEL'S MOTHER BEOWULF - Measures 7 inches at top of head; articulated at neck, shoulders (ball and hinge joints), elbows, wrists and waist. Stands on 4-inch wide by 3½-inch deep base.

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