How to Cook Your Life

• DVD Details: Actors: Edward Espe Brown, Doris Dörrie, Fidelis Mager, Franz X. Gernstl, Richard Sterling
• Directors: Doris Dörrie
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 ; Number of discs: 1; Studio: Lions Gate
• DVD Release Date: May 6, 2008 ; Run Time: 94 minutes

HOW TO COOK YOUR LIFE - DVD MovieDorris Dörrie's jazz-inflected documentary should come with a disclaimer: Don't watch on an empty stomach. While it doesn't cover the basics of food preparation, How to Cook Your Life offers a delectable introduction to Buddhist living. Yes, subject Edward Brown is both pastry chef and Zen priest, but Dörrie's approach is more holistic than instructional. (For culinary specifics, viewers can always pick up Brown's bestselling how-to guide, The Tassajara Bread Book.) In other words, home cooking--as opposed to fa! st food and pre-packaged goods--isn't just healthier and better for the environment; it connects the creator to the product of their efforts. And it helps if they know more about the tools of their trade. Hence, the director of 2000's Enlightenment Guaranteed and a Buddhist practitioner herself, also interviews organic gardeners, cookware salespeople, and the like. Throughout, Brown shows students in the US and Austria how to prepare vegetarian pizza, fruit tarts, and other wholesome delights. All the while, he talks about the connection between the body and the spirit. Fortunately, Brown isn't some kind of holier-than-though type. Little things, like hard-to-open packages, can set him off, but he's just as quick to laugh. To him, cooking is a way to nourish yourself and others. As he likes to say, "When you wash the rice, wash the rice." (True, he sounds like Yoda at times; it’s actually quite charming.) Like Super-Size Me, How to Cook Your Life is a! n elegy for those long-lost days of leisurely dinners with lov! ed ones. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Big Man Japan

• BIG MAN JAPAN (DVD MOVIE)

BIG MAN JAPAN is an outrageous portrayal of an original superhero. As Big Man Japan, Daisato inherited the role of defending Japan against a host of bizarre monsters. He receives high-voltage electroshocks which transform him into a stocky, stick-wielding giant several stories high.
However, where his predecessors were revered as national heroes, he is an outcast among the citizens he protects.

Those Damned Rebels: The American Revolution As Seen Through British Eyes

• ISBN13: 9780306809835
• Condition: New
• Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!

For the first time, the players at Leeds United during Brian Clough’s reign have their say Brian Clough’s 44-day tenure as manager of Leeds United between July and September 1974 is one of the most infamous episodes in soccer history. While The Damned United was a fictional account of Clough’s short-lived but controversial reign at the club, this book reveals the true story, as told by the players he managed at the time. Vividly recreating the atmosphere of the era, the book features candid contributions from legendary names such as Peter Lorimer, Eddie Gray, and Norman Hunter. They reveal what it was like to make the transition from the relatively smooth management style of forme! r manager Don Revie, who helped the club achieve success in Europe, to a constant crossing of swords with the outspoken Brian Clough, who left the club flailing at the foot of the league upon his premature departure. This explosive account covers all the drama that ensued from the moment Clough was earmarked by the club directors as the favorite to succeed Revie to his exit less than two months later, saddled with the knowledge that he had been the club’s most unsuccessful manager ever. Told from the perspective of those who experienced Clough’s dictatorial managerial methods at Leeds at first hand, We are the Damned United tells it how it really was rather than how it might have been.

Brian Clough’s 44-day tenure as manager of Leeds United between July and September 1974 is one of the most infamous episodes in British football history. While the bestselling The Damned United was a fictional account of Clough’s short-lived but controversial re! ign at the club, We are the Damned United reveals the t! rue stor y, as told by the players he managed at the time. Vividly recreating the atmosphere of the era, the book features candid contributions from legendary names such as Peter Lorimer, Eddie Gray, Terry Yorath and Duncan McKenzie. They reveal what it was like to make the transition from the relatively smooth management style of former manager Don Revie, who helped the club achieve success in Europe, to a constant crossing of swords with the outspoken Brian Clough, who left the club flailing at the foot of the league upon his premature departure. This explosive account covers all the drama that ensued from the moment Clough was earmarked by the club directors as the favourite to succeed Revie to his exit less than two months later, saddled with the knowledge that he had been the club’s most unsuccessful manager ever. Told from the perspective of those who experienced Clough’s dictatorial managerial methods at Leeds at first hand, We are the Damned United tells it how it ! really was rather than how it might have been.Brian Clough’s 44-day tenure as manager of Leeds United between July and September 1974 is one of the most infamous episodes in British football history. While the bestselling The Damned United was a fictional account of Clough’s short-lived but controversial reign at the club, We are the Damned United reveals the true story, as told by the players he managed at the time. Vividly recreating the atmosphere of the era, the book features candid contributions from legendary names such as Peter Lorimer, Eddie Gray, Terry Yorath and Duncan McKenzie. They reveal what it was like to make the transition from the relatively smooth management style of former manager Don Revie, who helped the club achieve success in Europe, to a constant crossing of swords with the outspoken Brian Clough, who left the club flailing at the foot of the league upon his premature departure. This explosive account covers all the drama that ensu! ed from the moment Clough was earmarked by the club directors ! as the f avourite to succeed Revie to his exit less than two months later, saddled with the knowledge that he had been the club’s most unsuccessful manager ever. Told from the perspective of those who experienced Clough’s dictatorial managerial methods at Leeds at first hand, We are the Damned United tells it how it really was rather than how it might have been.From the Academy Award-nominated writer of The Queen and Frost/Nixon, The Damned United is based on the incredible true story of Brian Clough, one of England’s greatest soccer managers and his 44 controversial days at the helm of reigning champs Leeds United. Michael Sheen (Frost/Nixon, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans and Twilight Saga: New Moon) triumphs as Clough starring alongside a winning ensemble cast that includes Timothy Spall (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), Colm Meaney (Layer Cake) and Jim Broadbent (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince). This inspiring and humorous sports drama is about the power of friendship in the face of adversity and the stubborn will of one man to play by his own rules.You don't have to like football (or soccer, as we call it in the U.S.) to enjoy The Damned United, because this sharp, funny movie isn't about sports any more than Citizen Kane is about running a newspaper. The Damned United is about ego--specifically, the large and driven ego of Brian Clough (Michael Sheen), the manager of a low-rung football team who, along with his assistant Peter Taylor (the always superb Timothy Spall, Secrets & Lies), brought his team to the top rank. At which point Clough self-destructed, even as he seemed to be given the keys to even greater heights: he was hired as the new manager of Leeds United, perhaps the strongest team in England, replacing his longtime rival Don Revie (Colm Meaney, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine). The Damned United bounces back and forth! in time, deftly laying out Clough's rise and fall, transformi! ng a man who initially seems an unbearable, domineering jerk into someone you feel for deeply. After Frost/Nixon and The Queen, Sheen practically specializes in playing real people, but his performance here is utterly stellar, by turns brilliantly comic and subtly moving. The movie lets the relationship between Clough and Taylor unspool organically, until the love and anger between them starts to fray and collapse. This is a riveting and ultimately invigorating story, psychologically compelling and with more twists and turns than a crime thriller. Simply a great movie. --Bret Fetzer


Stills from The Damned United (Click for larger image)

From the Academy Award-nominated writer of The Queen and Frost/Nixon, The Damned United is based on the incredible true story of Brian Clough, one of England’s greatest soccer managers and his 44 controversial days at the helm of reigning champs Leeds United. Michael Sheen (Frost/Nixon, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans and Twilight Saga: New Moon) triumphs as Clough starring alongside a winning ensemble cast that includes Timothy Spall (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), Colm Meaney (Layer Cake) and Jim Broadbent (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince). This inspiring and humorous sports drama is about the power of friendship in the face of adversity and the stubborn will of one man to play by his own! rules.You don't have to like football (or soccer, as we call it in the U.S.) to enjoy The Damned United, because this sharp, funny movie isn't about sports any more than Citizen Kane is about running a newspaper. The Damned United is about ego--specifically, the large and driven ego of Brian Clough (Michael Sheen), the manager of a low-rung football team who, along with his assistant Peter Taylor (the always superb Timothy Spall, Secrets & Lies), brought his team to the top rank. At which point Clough self-destructed, even as he seemed to be given the keys to even greater heights: he was hired as the new manager of Leeds United, perhaps the strongest team in England, replacing his longtime rival Don Revie (Colm Meaney, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine). The Damned United bounces back and forth in time, deftly laying out Clough's rise and fall, transforming a man who initially seems an unbearable, domineering jerk into someone you feel for deepl! y. After Frost/Nixon and The Queen, Sheen practi! cally sp ecializes in playing real people, but his performance here is utterly stellar, by turns brilliantly comic and subtly moving. The movie lets the relationship between Clough and Taylor unspool organically, until the love and anger between them starts to fray and collapse. This is a riveting and ultimately invigorating story, psychologically compelling and with more twists and turns than a crime thriller. Simply a great movie. --Bret Fetzer


Stills from The Damned United (Click for larger image)

Drawing on untapped archives and full of fresh revelations, here is the definitive biography of America’s legendary defense attorney and progressive hero.

Clarence Darrow is the lawyer every law school student dreams of being: on the side of right, loved by many women, played by Spencer Tracy in Inherit the Wind. His days-long closing arguments delivered without notes won miraculous reprieves for men doomed to hang.
 
Darrow left a promising career as a railroad lawyer during the tumultuous Gilded Age in order to champion poor workers, blacks, and social and political outcasts against big business, Jim Crow, and corrupt officials. He became famous defending union leader Eugene Debs in the land­mark Pullman Strike case and went from one headline case to the nextâ€"until he was nearly crushed by an indictment for bribing a jury. He redeemed himself in Dayton, Tennessee, defending school! teacher John Scopes in the “Monkey Trial,” cementing his place in history.
 
Now, John A. Farrell draws on previously unpublished correspondence and memoirs to offer a candid account of Darrow’s divorce, affairs, and disastrous finances; new details of his feud with his law partner, the famous poet Edgar Lee Masters; a shocking disclosure about one of his most controversial cases; and explosive revelations of shady tactics he used in his own trial for bribery.
 
Clarence Darrow is a sweeping, surprising portrait of a leg­endary legal mind.A hilarious, shocking, terrifying thrill-ride across the American landscape, The Damned Highway combines two great flavors of weird: the gonzo journalism of Hunter S. Thompson and the uncanny terrors of H.P. Lovecraft! Horror legend Brian Keene and cult storytelling master Nick Matamas dredge up a tale of drug-fueled eldritch madness from the blackest depths of the American Nightmare. On a freaked! -out bus journey to Arkham, Massachusetts and the 1972 Preside! ntial pr imary, evidence mounts that sinister forces are on the rise, led by the Cult of Cthulhu and its most prominent member - Richard M. Nixon!In her analysis of the cultural construction of gender in early America, Elizabeth Reis explores the intersection of Puritan theology, Puritan evaluations of womanhood, and the Salem witchcraft episodes. She finds in those intersections the basis for understanding why women were accused of witchcraft more often than men, why they confessed more often, and why they frequently accused other women of being witches. In negotiating their beliefs about the devil's powers, both women and men embedded womanhood in the discourse of depravity. Puritan ministers insisted that women and men were equal in the sight of God, with both sexes equally capable of cleaving to Christ or to the devil. Nevertheless, Reis explains, womanhood and evil were inextricably linked in the minds and hearts of seventeenth-century New England Puritans. Women and men feared! hell equally but Puritan culture encouraged women to believe it was their vile natures that would take them there rather than the particular sins they might have committed. Following the Salem witchcraft trials, Reis argues, Puritans' understanding of sin and the devil changed. Ministers and laity conceived of a Satan who tempted sinners and presided physically over hell, rather than one who possessed souls in the living world. Women and men became increasingly confident of their redemption, although women more than men continued to imagine themselves as essentially corrupt, even after the Great Awakening.17 pages of b/w photos, 41 full-color photos, 8 maps, 6 x 9
First time in paperback
The Confederate battle flag was arguably the most powerful symbol produced during the Civil War. Confederate flags incorporated the language of color, shape, design, and inscription, weaving them into a new icon that offered a material and highly visible representation of the di! fferences between North and South. In this unique study, Richa! rd Rolli ns outlines the meaning Confederate battle flags had for both sides, details their deep roots in the American experience, and analyzes their use in combat. A special section includes 41 full-color photographs of flags captured during the Gettysburg campaign.

Using firsthand accountsâ€"journals, letters from British officers in the field, reports from colonial governors in the coloniesâ€"Michael Pearson has provided a contemporary report of the Revolution as the British witnessed it. Seen from this perspective, some of the major events of the war are given startling interpretations: For example, the British considered their defeat at Bunker Hill nothing more than a minor setback, especially in light of their capture of New York and Philadelphia. Only at the very end of the conflict did they realize that the Yankees had lost the battles but won the war. From the Boston Tea Party to that day in 1785 when the first U.S. ambassador presented his credentials to a grudging Geor! ge III, here is the full account of "those damned rebels" who somehow managed to found a new nation.

The Last Song

• LAST SONG (DVD MOVIE)

DEAR JOHN - DVD MovieDear John brings together a totally believable and charming cast--the lovely Amanda Seyfried and Channing Tatum--with a tried-and-true romantic plot that will have a new generation of movie fans and lovers reaching for their hankies. Director Lasse Hallström (The Cider House Rules, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, My Life as a Dog) again proves his deft handling of young actors portraying feelings and emotions far beyond their years. His direction, along with the stellar performances of the cast, will have Dear John lingering in the memory long after viewing. Tatum plays a soldier home on leave (the John of the title), when he meets Savannah (Seyfried), a college student. The two may not have been looking for love, but love finds them anyway. Then the September 11 attacks happen, and John is torn between love ! for Savannah and duty to country. Because this is an adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel, there will be drama and heartbreak, and Dear John doesn't tread lightly in this emotional battlefield. But there's a delicacy in the performances, especially Seyfried's, which transcends the almost-cookie-cutter character outlines given to the actors. Also worthy of mention are supporting cast members Richard Jenkins (as John's quiet, autistic dad) and Henry Thomas (as Tim, a single dad who goes to nearly impossible lengths to avoid breaking the heart of his son). See Dear John with an open heart, and know that it will be deeply touched. --A.T. Hurley


Stills from Dear John (Click for larger image)

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 05/25/2010 Run time: 109 minutes Rating: Pg13Dear John brings together a totally believable and charming cast--the lovely Amanda Seyfried and Channing Tatum--with a tried-and-true romantic plot that will have a new generation of movie fans and lovers reaching for their hankies. Director Lasse Hallström (The Cider House Rules, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, My Life as a Dog) again proves his deft handling of young actors portraying feelings and emotions far beyond their years. His direction, along with the stellar performances of the cast, will have Dear John lingering in the memory long after viewing. Tatum plays a soldier home on leave (the ! John of the title), when he meets Savannah (Seyfried), a c! ollege s tudent. The two may not have been looking for love, but love finds them anyway. Then the September 11 attacks happen, and John is torn between love for Savannah and duty to country. Because this is an adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel, there will be drama and heartbreak, and Dear John doesn't tread lightly in this emotional battlefield. But there's a delicacy in the performances, especially Seyfried's, which transcends the almost-cookie-cutter character outlines given to the actors. Also worthy of mention are supporting cast members Richard Jenkins (as John's quiet, autistic dad) and Henry Thomas (as Tim, a single dad who goes to nearly impossible lengths to avoid breaking the heart of his son). See Dear John with an open heart, and know that it will be deeply touched. --A.T. Hurley


Stills from Dear John (Click for larger image)

When Savannah Lynn Curtis comes into his life, John Tyree knows he is ready to turn over a new leaf. An angry rebel, he had enlisted in the army after high school, not knowing what else to do. Then, during a furlough, he meets the girl of his dreams. Savannah Lynn Curtis is attending college in North Carolina, working for Habitat for Humanity, and totally unprepared for the passionate attraction she feels for John Tyree.The attraction is mutual and quickly grows into the kind of love that leaves Savannah vowing to wait for John while he finishes his tour of duty, and John realizing! that he's ready to settle down with the young woman who has captured his heart.Neither can foresee that 9/11 is about to change the world and will force John to risk every hope and dream that he's ever had.Like so many proud men and women, John must choose between love and country. And like all those left behind, Savannah must decide to wait or move on. How do we choose wisely? How can we face loss-without giving up on love? Now, when he finally returns to North Carolina, John will discover that loving Savannah will force him to make the hardest decision of his life. An extraordinary, moving story, DEAR JOHN explores the complexities of love-how it survives time and heartbreak, and how it transforms us forever.

An angry rebel, John dropped out of school and enlisted in the Army, not knowing what else to do with his life--until he meets the girl of his dreams, Savannah. Their mutual attraction quickly grows into the kind of love that leaves Savannah waiting ! for John to finish his tour of duty, and John wanting to settl! e down with the woman who captured his heart. But 9/11 changes everything. John feels it is his duty to re-enlist. And sadly, the long separation finds Savannah falling in love with someone else. "Dear John," the letter read...and with those two words, a heart was broken and two lives were changed forever. Returning home, John must come to grips with the fact that Savannah, now married, is still his true love--and face the hardest decision of his life.

Go Behind the Scenes of the Motion Picture Dear John (Sony Pictures, 2010)
Starring Amanda Seyfried and Channing Tatum
(Click on each image below to see a larger view)

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Miley Cyrus shines as the star of this heartwarming coming-of-age movie that will strike your emotional chords. Based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks (Dear John, The Notebook), The Last Song follows Ronnie (Cyrus) and her estranged father as he tries to restore the loving relationship they once had. But reconnecting with his rebellious daughter isn’t easy, so he chooses the one thing they still have in common â€" music. Complete with not-to-be-missed bonus features â€" the Miley Cyrus music video “When I Look At You,” exclusive interviews with the actress and more â€" this uplifting and touching drama about family, first loves and second chances is a heartfelt story to you won’t soon forget.
This romantic tearjerker from writer Nicholas Sparks (! Dear John, The Notebook) can be formulaic at times, but it stays interesting thanks to pacing and snappy dialogue. Miley Cyrus sulks through The Last Song as troubled teen Ronnie, who resents her father (Greg Kinnear) for divorcing Mom (Kelly Preston) and leaving the family. A piano prodigy, Ronnie refuses to play after her father leaves, and she snubs admission to Julliard. Ronnie and her wisecracking brother Jonah (Bobby Coleman) are sent to spend the summer with their father in a small Georgia beach town. Handsome townie Will (Liam Hemsworth) strikes up a tense relationship with Ronnie and, true to romance formula, they fall in love. Ronnie softens her attitude and the ice between father and daughter begins to melt away. But Dad has a tragic secret, and in the end, music helps Ronnie open her heart and heal. Cyrus gives a predictable performance as the all-attitude Ronnie, but she's helped along by Coleman's cute-little-brother shtick (which can be a! bit heavy-handed, but the youngster is a scene-stealer). Vete! ran acto rs Preston and Kinnear are one-dimensional, but The Last Song is a harmless teen romance--who's watching the adults, anyway? --Francine Ruley