Changeling

• Condition: New
• Format: DVD
• AC-3; Color; Dolby; Dubbed; DVD; Subtitled; Widescreen; NTSC

Clint Eastwood directs Oscar® winner Angelina Jolie and Oscar® nominee John Malkovich in a riveting and unforgettable true story. Los Angeles, 1928. When single mother Christine Collins (Jolie) leaves for work, her son vanishes without a trace. Five months later, the police reunite mother and son; but he isn't her boy. Driven by one woman's relentless quest for the truth, the case exposes a world of corruption, captivates the public and changes Los Angeles forever. This emotionally gripping story illustrates the profound power of a mother's love in "a mesmerizing film that burns in the memory" (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone). Starring: Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich, Jeffrey Donovan, Michael Kelly, Colm Feore, Jason Butler Harner, Amy Ryan, Geoff Pierson, Denis O'Hare, Frank Wood Direc! ted by: Clint EastwoodClint Eastwood’s mastery as a director, established over the past decade and a half with Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby, Letters from Iwo Jima, and others, continues with Changeling, a 2008 offering based on a shocking but all-too-true story about child abduction and police corruption in 1920s Los Angeles. Single mother Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie, excellent in a role with somewhat limited parameters) finds her 9-year-old son, Walter, missing when she returns home from work one day. She files a report with the Los Angeles Police Department, an outfit that was wildly unpopular at the time (in his regular radio broadcast, a crusading pastor played by John Malkovich decries the force as "violent and corrupt," adding that "our protectors are our brutalizers"). When a child roughly matching Walter’s description turns up in Illinois five months later, the LAPD, intent on salvaging its tattered reputation, is onl! y too eager to claim that he is Collins’ missing child. Litt! le matte rs that he’s three inches shorter, is circumcised (Walter wasn’t), and fails to pass muster with Walter’s dentist, schoolteacher, and others; the cops, in particular the odious Captain J.J. Jones (Jeffrey Donovan), insist that the mistake is Christine’s, not theirs. What follows is almost too nightmarish to believe--except that it actually happened. Exasperated by Collins’ continued claim that "Walter" is a fraud, they trot out a doctor to reinforce the bogus ID, declare her unfit as a mother, and finally have her committed to a local psychopathic ward. Through it all, Collins, bolstered by the pastor and thousands of outraged Angelenos, refuses to sign a document that would exonerate the police for their egregious error. As for Walter, it’s only when the LAPD’s seemingly only honest detective (Michael Kelly) takes matters into his own hands that the grisly mystery of the child’s fate begins to be solved. That would have been a good place for the film to conc! lude, too. Unfortunately, it goes on for more than another half hour, with innumerable false endings that add nothing to the story and could just as easily have been summarized with a few sentences before the final credits. That flaw aside (and it’s a major one), Changeling is a powerful film, with a realistic period feel, a wonderfully muted vibe and color palette, and an understated score by Eastwood himself. --Sam Graham

Stills from Changeling (Click for larger image)

How to Eat Fried Worms (New Line Platinum Series)

• Author Thomas Rockwell's hugely popular book, "How to Eat Fried Worms", is now brought to the big screen! On his first day at a new school, eleven-year-old Billy goes up against the school bully in a challenge that ends up with a total gross-out date.to eat 10 worms in one day! As the pressure mounts, Billy must summon all his strength to meet the dare, all the while keeping his weak stomach from

Because of a bet, Billy is in the uncomfortable position of having to eat fifteen worms in fifteen days. The worms are supplied by his opponent, whose motto is "The bigger and juicier, the better!" At first Billy's problem is whether or not he can swallow the worm placed before him, even with a choice of condiments from peanut butter to horseradish. But later it looks as if Billy will win, and the challenge becomes getting to the worm to eat it. Billy's family, after checking with the doctor, takes e! verything in stride. They even help Billy through his gastronomic ordeal, which twists and turns with each new day, leaving the outcome of the bet continually in doubt.


From the Paperback edition.How to Eat Fried Worms has happily repulsed children since its original publication in 1973. Now youngsters can experience this classic story in a whole new yucky way, by listening to it on audiocassette. Narrator Jay O. Sanders gives extra kick and vitality to this already lively yarn. He throws himself into the role of a 10-year-old boy, facing the most revolting bet of his life. Billy must eat 15 worms in 15 days--but the reward will be worth it: $50 for a shiny new minibike. Luckily, Billy's friends cook up these fat juicy grubs in a variety of appetizing ways--drenched in ketchup and mustard, fried in butter and cornmeal, and the pièce de résistance, a Whizband Worm Delight (an ice-cream worm cake). Sanders derives obvious pleasure from re! ading (and singing) out loud the hilarious rhymes and childis! h chants concocted from the mind of the book's author, Thomas Rockwell.

"Trout, Salmon, flounder, perch,
I'll ride my minibike into church.
Dace, tuna, haddock, trout,
Wait'll you hear the minister shout."

How to Eat Fried Worms is a ghastly gastronomical treat that will dazzle young listeners. (Running time: two hours, two cassettes) --Naomi GesingerThis is a unit study only. It does NOT include the novel.

We recommend you read this on a 1 font

This unit study offers many wonderful activities to use while having students read the
book. There are between 6 and 10 lessons. Activities in this lesson include Fill in the Blank, Multiple Choice, True and False, Comprehension, Encyclopedia Skills Activity, Journal Activity, Vocabulary, Sequencing, Handwriting, Main Idea, Prediction, Comparison

Literature Skills Activities including: Main Character, Main Setting, Main Problem, Possible Solutions, Character Traits,! Character Interaction, Cause and Effect, Description, Pyramid of Importance, Villain vs. Hero.

Creative Writing Activities including: Letter, Fairy Tale, Mystery, Science Fiction, Fable, Dream or Nightmare, Tall Tale, Memoir, Newberry Award, A Different Ending.

Writing Skills Activities including: Description, Expository, Dialogue, Process, Point of View, Persuasion, Compare and Contrast, Sequel, Climax and Plot Analysis.

Poetry Skills Activities including: Couplet, Triplet, Quinzain, Haiku, Cinquain, Tanka, Diamanté, Lantern and Shape Poem.

Create a Newspaper Layout Activities including: Editorial, Travel, Advice Column, Comics, Society News, Sports, Obituary, Weddings, Book Review, Want Ads, Word Search.

Poster Board Activities including: Collage, Theater Poster, Wanted Poster, Coat of Arms, Story Quilt, Chalk Art, Silhouette, Board Game Construction, Door Sign, Jeopardy.

We also offer an extended versio! n of this unit which comes in a PDF format and offers Lapbook ! instruct ions, Hands on Art and Creative Art activities. If you purchase this unit study and let us know by sending us proof of purchase, we will download the extended version of this full unit with the additional activities in PDF version to you for $1 more. Send proof of purchase to www.hshighlights.com.

This is a unit study only. It does NOT include the novel.

We recommend you read this on a 1 font

This unit study offers many wonderful activities to use while having students read the
book. There are between 6 and 10 lessons. Activities in this lesson include Fill in the Blank, Multiple Choice, True and False, Comprehension, Encyclopedia Skills Activity, Journal Activity, Vocabulary, Sequencing, Handwriting, Main Idea, Prediction, Comparison

Literature Skills Activities including: Main Character, Main Setting, Main Problem, Possible Solutions, Character Traits, Character Interaction, Cause and Effect, Description, Pyramid of Importance, Villain! vs. Hero.

Creative Writing Activities including: Letter, Fairy Tale, Mystery, Science Fiction, Fable, Dream or Nightmare, Tall Tale, Memoir, Newberry Award, A Different Ending.

Writing Skills Activities including: Description, Expository, Dialogue, Process, Point of View, Persuasion, Compare and Contrast, Sequel, Climax and Plot Analysis.

Poetry Skills Activities including: Couplet, Triplet, Quinzain, Haiku, Cinquain, Tanka, Diamanté, Lantern and Shape Poem.

Create a Newspaper Layout Activities including: Editorial, Travel, Advice Column, Comics, Society News, Sports, Obituary, Weddings, Book Review, Want Ads, Word Search.

Poster Board Activities including: Collage, Theater Poster, Wanted Poster, Coat of Arms, Story Quilt, Chalk Art, Silhouette, Board Game Construction, Door Sign, Jeopardy.

We also offer an extended version of this unit which comes in a PDF format and offers Lapbook instructions, Hands on Art and Creative Art act! ivities. If you purchase this unit study and let us know by se! nding us proof of purchase, we will download the extended version of this full unit with the additional activities in PDF version to you for $1 more. Send proof of purchase to www.hshighlights.com.

Author Thomas Rockwell's hugely popular book, "How to Eat Fried Worms", is now brought to the big screen! On his first day at a new school, eleven-year-old Billy goes up against the school bully in a challenge that ends up with a total gross-out date...to eat 10 worms in one day! As the pressure mounts, Billy must summon all his strength to meet the dare, all the while keeping his weak stomach from betraying him and his big mouth from getting him in even more trouble!The popular 1973 kid's book How to Eat Fried Worms gets a respectful, straightforward translation with this 2006 movie. When bullies put worms in his thermos, Billy fights back--and only gets in deeper trouble when he makes a stomach-churning bet that he can eat ten worms. Using a variety of cooking schemes, ! the pack of bullies make a slimy meal even more repulsive, but Billy--to his own surprise--takes on everything they throw at him. As the disgustingness escalates, he discovers that not everyone is what they seem. Though many story elements are changed from the book, How to Eat Fried Worms treats the situation and characters with intelligence and integrity. There are a few cartoonish moments (including some inventive animated sequences), but overall the movie is down-to-earth and sincere, delivering some simple and unforced messages about courage and friendship along with the gross-out humor. The kids--including Luke Benward (Because of Winn-Dixie) as Billy and Hallie Kate Eisenberg (probably best known from a series of popular Pepsi ads) as a too-tall girl who shares Billy's outsider status--aren't overly slick, and the scenes between Billy and his father (Tom Cavanaugh, from the TV show Ed) feel honest and unpatronizing. A modest but heartfelt movie. --Bret Fetzer

American Gangster (2-Disc Unrated Extended Edition)

• Condition: New
• Format: DVD
• Widescreen; Dolby; Dubbed; Subtitled; NTSC

Academy Award® winners Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe team with director Ridley Scott (Gladiator) for an epic story as powerful as it is true. Armed with ruthless, street-wise tactics and a strict sense of honor, crime boss Frank Lucas (Washington) rules Harlem's chaotic drug underworld. When outcast cop Richie Roberts (Crowe) sets out to bring down Lucas's multi-million dollar empire, it plunges both men into a legendary confrontation. American Gangster is "a brutal and brilliant film" (Pete Hammond, Maxim)Ridley Scott puts on his "sweeping saga" gameface again, this time not for the sci-fi vistas of Blade Runner or the ancient world of Gladiator but for an urban epic. American Gangster gives the story of Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington), a real-life Harlem crime lord who built ! an empire on Southeast Asian heroin in the 1970s. Running parallel to Lucas's somewhat standard story is the investigation led by a persistent New Jersey cop, Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe). Roberts is a more interesting character than Lucas--too honest for his own good, unlucky in his personal life--and this kind of character, easily patronized by others, fits Crowe like a polyester shirt. Scott's tendency to hit his points square on the noggin is much in evidence here, including the typecasting of the supporting roles and the predictable Serpico atmosphere of the whole thing. (And speaking of supporting actors, the film needs more Chiwetel Ejiofor, whose role as a Lucas sidekick feels cut down.) It succeeds as a kind of chewy entertainment, fueled by the presence of two big stars working their muscles. Both Washington and Crowe look pretty brawny here. --Robert Horton

Beyond American Gangster on DVD!

Great Crime and Gangster Films

More from Denzel Washington

More from Russell Crowe

Stills from American Gangster (Click for larger image)

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

• BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT (DVD MOVIE)

High profile lawyer, Martin Hunter (Michael Douglas) has an impeccable record putting criminals behind bars and is a shoo-in for governor in the upcoming election. But when ambitious rookie journalist, C.J. Nicholas (Jesse Metcalfe) begins investigating Hunter for tampering with evidence to secure his convictions, the district attorney’s perfect record is up for scrutiny. Commencing a risky game of cat and mouse with Hunter, C.J. frames himself as a murder suspect to catch the corrupt D.A. in the act.


Stills from Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (Click for larger image)

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An ambitious reporter takes an extraordinary risk to bring down a corrupt district attorney in Beyond a Reasonable Doubt, a modern-day remake of Fritz Lang's final feature. On occasion, Shreveport newsman C.J. (Jesse Metcalfe, Desperate Housewives) receives confidential tips from assistant D.A. Ella (Amber Tamblyn, Joan of Arcadia), but Ella hesitates to go out with him due to the conflict of interest. It doesn't help that he considers her boss, gubernatorial candidate Martin Hunter (Michael Douglas, whose performance recalls Wall Street's Gordon Gekko), "too smooth," adding, "I'm not sure he's honest," but she eventually yields to C.J.'s charms (hey, it worked for Gabrielle Solis). Little does she realize that he plans to expose Hunter as a fraud--by framing himself for an unsolved murder. C.J. figures if he teams up with cameraman Finley (Joel Moore), he can't lose, but he never stops to consider the consequenc! es if something happens to Finley or the video that proves his innocence. So, the trial proceeds, but once Hunter gets wind of the scheme, he goes after C.J. with all his might. Ella is the only one who can help him, but to do so means to put her career--maybe even her life--on the line. There's a nasty twist at the end of this entertaining, if shallow, courtroom drama, and director/cinematographer Peter Hyams, who previously worked with Douglas on The Star Chamber, sprinkles the suspense with some tension-relieving zingers from Orlando Jones as a cop who suspects something fishy is afoot. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Good Dick

• GOOD DICK (DVD MOVIE)

An eccentric and troubled young woman spends her days watching porn in the claustrophobic world of her apartment. An eccentric and troubled young man spends his days cataloguing films and serving her in a claustrophobic video store, before spending his nights sleeping in his car. The harder he tries to give himself to her the more she pushes him away. The farther away he goes, the closer she needs him to be. This impossible situation escalates and threatens to become combustible, just as it starts to become calm.

Helen Of Troy 1-1/2" Pro Brush Iron

• Helen of Troy Brush Iron's quality has been designed and tested for performance, durability and handling ease.
• This Super Mega Brush Iron creates large curls and extra body.
• For adding volume and body, High/low heat settings for styling all hair types.
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“Ashley Judd’s performance is nothing short of riveting.” â€" The Huffington Post. On the outside, Helen (Ashley Judd) has the perfect life â€" a loving family, a beautiful house and a successful career â€" but when her suppressed mental illness resurfaces, the world crumbles around her. Crippled by depression, Helen befriends Mathilda (Lauren Lee Smith), a kindred spirit struggling with bipolar disorder. Together the two find the solace they had bee! n seeking.“Ashley Judd’s performance is nothing short of riveting.” â€" The Huffington Post. On the outside, Helen (Ashley Judd) has the perfect life â€" a loving family, a beautiful house and a successful career â€" but when her suppressed mental illness resurfaces, the world crumbles around her. Crippled by depression, Helen befriends Mathilda (Lauren Lee Smith), a kindred spirit struggling with bipolar disorder. Together the two find the solace they had been seeking.

Twelve-year-old Molly and her ten-year-old brother, Michael, have never liked their younger stepsister, Heather. Ever since their parents got married, she's made Molly and Michael's life miserable. Now their parents have moved them all to the country to live in a house that used to be a church, with a cemetery in the backyard. If that's not bad enough, Heather starts talking to a ghost named Helen and warning Molly and Michael that Helen is coming for them. Molly feels certain Heather is in so! me kind of danger, but every time she tries to help, Heather t! wists th ings around to get her into trouble. It seems as if things can't get any worse.
But they do--when Helen comes.

Ergonomic handle for Mini and Regular sizes; contoured comfort handle for Jumbo and Super Mega sizes. Extra-long, tangle-proof swivel cord, UL listed