Casino Jack and the United States of Money

• This portrait of Washington super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff, from his early years as a gung-ho member of the GOP political machine to his final reckoning as a disgraced, imprisoned pariah, confirms the adage that truth is indeed stranger than fiction.  A tale of international intrigue involving casinos, spies, sweatshops and mob-style killings, this is a story of the way money corrupts our polit

This portrait of Washington super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff, from his early years as a gung-ho member of the GOP political machine to his final reckoning as a disgraced, imprisoned pariah, confirms the adage that truth is indeed stranger than fiction. A tale of international intrigue involving casinos, spies, sweatshops and mob-style killings, this is a story of the way money corrupts our political process. Oscar®-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney illuminates the way politicians' desperate need to get
elec! ted and the millions of dollars it costs may be undermining the basic principles of American democracy. Infuriating, yet undeniably eye-opening and entertaining, CASINO JACK is a saga of greed and corruption with a cynical villain audiences will love to hate.As he proved in Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney knows how to transform creative bookkeeping into compelling drama without dumbing things down. In his follow-up to Gonzo, a portrait of rabble-rouser Hunter S. Thompson, Gibney takes on disgraced GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff (Stanley Tucci provides his voice in readings). Gibney begins with the Mob-style murder of a one-time associate before backtracking to Abramoff's days as chairman of the College Republicans, where he rubbed shoulders with Karl Rove and Ralph Reed--and impressed Ronald Reagan. Even as a student, however, there were signs of trouble as he laundered money through charities, a pattern he would repeat thr! oughout the decades, always on the lookout for new loopholes. ! Gibney p roceeds through his dealings with the Contras, an Angolan dictator, Saipan sweatshops, and Indian casinos (the debacle in Angola led him to produce the right-wing shoot-'em-up Red Scorpion). Along the way, Abramoff ensnared lawmakers and government officials in his web as they traded political favors for campaign financing. As Bob Ney's chief of staff, Neil Volz, puts it, Abramoff "could talk a dog off a meat truck." When his house of cards finally came crashing down, Reed, Ney, Volz, Tom DeLay, and numerous others fell with him (all but Reed appear in the film). As in his other documentaries, Gibney juices the action with music cues that keep things lively, even if some of his choices are a little too on the nose, like Howlin' Wolf's "Back Door Man." --Kathleen C. Fennessy

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They all live in Los Angeles. And in the next 36 hours, they will collide.Movie studios, by and large, avoid controversial subjects like race the way you might avoid a hive of angry bees. So it's remarkable that Crash even got made; that it's a rich, intelligent, and moving exploration of the interlocking lives of a dozen Los Angeles residents--black, white, latino, Asian, and Persian--is downright amazing. A politically nervous district attorney (Brendan Fraser) and his high-strung wife (Sandra Bullock, biting into a welcome change of pace from Miss Congeniality) get car-jacked by an oddly sociological pair of young black men (Larenz Tate and Chris "Ludacris" Bridges); a rich black T.V. director (Terrence Howard) and his wife (Thandie Newton) get p! ulled over by a white racist cop (Matt Dillon) and his relucta! nt partn er (Ryan Phillipe); a detective (Don Cheadle) and his Latina partner and lover (Jennifer Esposito) investigate a white cop who shot a black cop--these are only three of the interlocking stories that reach up and down class lines. Writer/director Paul Haggis (who wrote the screenplay for Million Dollar Baby) spins every character in unpredictable directions, refusing to let anyone sink into a stereotype. The cast--ranging from the famous names above to lesser-known but just as capable actors like Michael Pena (Buffalo Soldiers) and Loretta Devine (Woman Thou Art Loosed)--meets the strong script head-on, delivering galvanizing performances in short vignettes, brief glimpses that build with gut-wrenching force. This sort of multi-character mosaic is hard to pull off; Crash rivals such classics as Nashville and Short Cuts. A knockout. --Bret Fetzer

Stills from Crash (click for larger image)

This compelling urban thriller tracks the volatile intersection of a multiethnic cast of characters struggling to overcome their fears as they car! een in and out of one another's lives. In the gray area betwee! n black and white, victim and aggressor, during the next 36 hours, they will all collide.Movie studios, by and large, avoid controversial subjects like race the way you might avoid a hive of angry bees. So it's remarkable that Crash even got made; that it's a rich, intelligent, and moving exploration of the interlocking lives of a dozen Los Angeles residents--black, white, latino, Asian, and Persian--is downright amazing. A politically nervous district attorney (Brendan Fraser) and his high-strung wife (Sandra Bullock, biting into a welcome change of pace from Miss Congeniality) get car-jacked by an oddly sociological pair of young black men (Larenz Tate and Chris "Ludacris" Bridges); a rich black T.V. director (Terrence Howard) and his wife (Thandie Newton) get pulled over by a white racist cop (Matt Dillon) and his reluctant partner (Ryan Phillipe); a detective (Don Cheadle) and his Latina partner and lover (Jennifer Esposito) investigate a white cop who shot a black! cop--these are only three of the interlocking stories that reach up and down class lines. Writer/director Paul Haggis (who wrote the screenplay for Million Dollar Baby) spins every character in unpredictable directions, refusing to let anyone sink into a stereotype. The cast--ranging from the famous names above to lesser-known but just as capable actors like Michael Pena (Buffalo Soldiers) and Loretta Devine (Woman Thou Art Loosed)--meets the strong script head-on, delivering galvanizing performances in short vignettes, brief glimpses that build with gut-wrenching force. This sort of multi-character mosaic is hard to pull off; Crash rivals such classics as Nashville and Short Cuts. A knockout. --Bret Fetzer

Stills from Crash (click for larger image)

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In the recent past, the cries of stock market crash 2005 were not yet smoothen after the revival of stock market to some extent that the situation was again worsen and the market was again pulled down to such an extent that daily traders were left with nothing except bankruptcy. In order to meet with such type of alarming situation, this book demonstrat! es the manners and methods under which a stock market crash occurs especially with reference to Pakistan. A deep insight in the capitalization set up of the major companies is brought forward so that anyone who intends to enter the business should be aware of these realities which are prevailing in the different scrips. The study would be helpful for the business class as well as the executive class or anyone else for the purpose of gaining profits and avoiding monetary losses while conducting trade in the stock market or somewhere else. It may be helpful for researchers in advance studies as having a foundation in it.Asus Xonar DX PCI-Express x1 7.1 Channel Sound Card,One PCI Express 1.0 (or higher) compatible slot for the audio card , One available 4-pin power cable from PC s power supply unit , Microsoft Windows Vista(32 or 64bit) or XP(32 or 64bit) or MCE2005 , Intel Pentium 4 1.4GHz or AMD Athlon 1400 CPU or faster CPU,CS4362A for other 6 channels , 24-bit A-D Con! verter for Analog Inputs , 1x Cirrus-Logic CS5361 (114dB SNR,! Max. 19 2kHz/24bit) .

Calendar Girls

• When 12 ordinary members of the Women's Institute, a prim and proper local ladies' club, decide they need to find a more compelling way to raise money for a new charity, they turn to their traditional annual calendar and give it a very untraditional twist. Behind the usual baked goods, the apple pressing, and the flower arrangements are the women -- completely nude! Starring 2003 Golden Gl

When 12 ordinary members of the Women's Institute, a prim and proper local ladies' club, decide they need to find a more compelling way to raise money for a new charity, they turn to their traditional annual calendar and give it a very untraditional twist. Behind the usual baked goods, the apple pressing, and the flower arrangements are the women -- completely nude! Starring 2003 Golden Globe nominee Helen Mirren (Best Actress, CALENDAR GIRLS) and Julie Walters (HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS), CAL! ENDAR GIRLS is a terrifically entertaining comedy. And that's the naked truth.In the sensible yet elegant hands of actresses Helen Mirren and Julie Walters, Calendar Girls walks a fine line between sappiness and snickering and ends up both wonderfully funny and gently touching. When her best friend Annie (Walters, Billy Elliot) loses her husband, Chris (Mirren, Prime Suspect, Gosford Park) cooks up a scheme to memorialize him: They and their friends--all fiftysomething women--will make a nude calendar to raise money for the hospital where he died. The calendar becomes hugely popular, but the success may drive a wedge between the two women's friendship. Based on an actual event, Calendar Girls carefully balances the stories of several women as it follows the calendar's media explosion, becoming a surprisingly moving fable of loss, determination, and the perils of fame. And let's face it--Helen Mirren is one of the wittiest and sexiest women! alive, clothes on or not. --Bret Fetzer

TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: Murder Mysteries (The Maltese Falcon / The Big Sleep / Dial M for Murder / The Postman Always Rings Twice 1946)

• THE MALTESE FALCON Some high-living lowlifes want to get their sweaty hands on a bejeweled falcon. Detective Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) wants to find out why and who ll take the fall for his pertner s murder. Sydney Greenstreet, Mary Astor, Peter Lorre and Elisha Cook Jr. co-star in a crackling masterwork directed and written for the screen by John Huston.THE BIG SLEEP (1946) L.A. private eye Phi

First, he was bugged by the almighty burger, now Oscar®-nominated renegade filmmaker Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me) is biting the hand that feeds him by exposing Hollywood’s dirtiest little secret: the games they play to get advertisers’ products strategically placed in movies and on television. Spurlock uses his irreverent comedic style to infiltrate corporate boardrooms and ad agency pitch meetings to show how far they will go without our even knowing it! Since the advent of recording! devices and on-demand services, consumers have been bypassing commercials like never before, so advertising agencies have stepped up their use of product placement. In The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me) renders the process transparent as he documents his attempts to get Madison Avenue to fund his film. After a flood of rejections, he takes a series of meetings with companies willing to align their brand with his--and make no mistake, Spurlock is as much a brand as Donald Trump or Outkast's Big Boi, who show up to talk about product endorsement. The director's entertaining and enlightening journey even leads him to a juice purveyor that opens its wallet for placement above the title--hence the name of the pomegranate beverage which appears on all promotional materials. As one observer puts it, "You're selling out, but not selling out." For perspective, Spurlock solicits commentary from progressive thinkers, like Ralph Nader and Noam ! Chomsky, and Hollywood types, like J.J. Abrams, who created Lost, and Quentin Tarantino, who admits that a certain all-night diner rejected his offer to appear in Reservoir Dogs. Spurlock even travels to São Paulo to take a look at their ban on outdoor ads: no billboards or messages on cabs and buses, rendering the city clean and downright dull for those accustomed to American-style marketing. The film as a whole resembles a full-length version of a Mad Men pitch meeting--but funnier. --Kathleen C. FennessyFirst, he was bugged by the almighty burger, now Oscar®-nominated renegade filmmaker Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me) is biting the hand that feeds him by exposing Hollywood’s dirtiest little secret: the games they play to get advertisers’ products strategically placed in movies and on television. Spurlock uses his irreverent comedic style to infiltrate corporate boardrooms and ad agency pitch meetings to show how far they will go without our even knowing it! Since the advent of recording devices and ! on-demand services, consumers have been bypassing commercials like never before, so advertising agencies have stepped up their use of product placement. In The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me) renders the process transparent as he documents his attempts to get Madison Avenue to fund his film. After a flood of rejections, he takes a series of meetings with companies willing to align their brand with his--and make no mistake, Spurlock is as much a brand as Donald Trump or Outkast's Big Boi, who show up to talk about product endorsement. The director's entertaining and enlightening journey even leads him to a juice purveyor that opens its wallet for placement above the title--hence the name of the pomegranate beverage which appears on all promotional materials. As one observer puts it, "You're selling out, but not selling out." For perspective, Spurlock solicits commentary from progressive thinkers, like Ralph Nader and Noam Chomsky, and ! Hollywood types, like J.J. Abrams, who created Lost, an! d Quenti n Tarantino, who admits that a certain all-night diner rejected his offer to appear in Reservoir Dogs. Spurlock even travels to São Paulo to take a look at their ban on outdoor ads: no billboards or messages on cabs and buses, rendering the city clean and downright dull for those accustomed to American-style marketing. The film as a whole resembles a full-length version of a Mad Men pitch meeting--but funnier. --Kathleen C. FennessyOscar nominated, boundary pushing director Morgan Spurlock's POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold that looks with humorous insight into the world of product placement and marketing. Providing the soundtrack to this insightful and humorous documentary are a wide array of artist, including two originals tracks recorded specifically for the soundtrack, a spoken word piece from director Morgan Spurlock and a track entitled "The Greatest Song I Ever Heard" by the band OK Go, who isn't shy about their associations ! with brands and product placement.THE MALTESE FALCON Some high-living lowlifes want to get their sweaty hands on a bejeweled falcon. Detective Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) wants to find out why â€" and who’ll take the fall for his pertner’s murder. Sydney Greenstreet, Mary Astor, Peter Lorre and Elisha Cook Jr. co-star in a crackling masterwork directed and written for the screen by John Huston. THE BIG SLEEP (1946) L.A. private eye Philip Marlowe (Humphrey Bogart) takes on a blackmail case…and wears out his gumshoes trailing murderers, nightclub rogues, the spoiled rich and more. Lauren Bacall joins Bogart under Howard Hawks’ brisk and atmospheric direction of an ace adaptation of Raymond Chandler’s novel. DIAL M FOR MURDER Alfred Hitchcock’s screen version of Frederick Knott’s stage hit casts Grace Kelly, Ray Milland and Robert Cummings as points of a romantic triangle. She loves Cummings; her husband Milland plots her murder. But when he dials a Mayfai! r exchange to set the plot in motion, his right number gets th! e wrong answer! THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE (1946) Based on the novel by James M. Cain (Double Indemnity, Mildred Pierce), this quintessential film noir stars John Garfield and Lana Turner as illicit lovers who botch a first attempt to bump off her husband, pull it off and betray each other at trial. Amorous attractions never proved so fatal as in this steamy, stormy classic.

Bloodline

• Nate and Marcus are half brothers born and raised in the ghetto of South Florida by their unstable, single mother. During a playground fight, Marcus defends his brother by stabbing a bully who is threatening his brother s life. When Marcus father finds out about his son s behavior, he removes Marcus from his mother s home. Years later, the brothers are reunited on the streets of Miami, but on diff

A killer is on the loose. The victims: children whose mothers can't protect them.

The past is coming back to haunt the people of London: a murderer is targeting the children of victims of Raymond Garvey, an infamous serial killer from London's past.

When Murder Squad veteran Detective Tom Thorne, who solves the London Police Department's most difficult cases, is called into what seems like, for once, an ordinary domestic murder, he thinks he's caught a break. A woman has been! murdered by someone she knows. A positive pregnancy test found on the floor beside her. Thorne plans to question the husband, arrest him and return home to deal with his own deteriorating personal life.

But when a mysterious sliver of bloodstained X-ray that was found clutched in the victim's fist is replicated at other crime scenes around the city, Thorne realizes that this is not a simple case. As the bits of X-ray begin to come together to form a picture, it becomes clear that the killer knows his prey all too well and is moving through a list that was started long ago.

As Thorne attempts to protect those still alive, nothing and nobody are what they seem. Not when Thorne is dealing with one of the most twisted killers he has ever hunted.Nate and Marcus are half brothers born and raised in the ghetto of South Florida by their unstable, single mother. During a playground fight, Marcus defends his brother by stabbing a bully who is threatening his brotherâ€! ™s life. When Marcus’ father finds out about his son’s beh! avior, h e removes Marcus from his mother’s home. Years later, the brothers are reunited on the streets of Miami, but on different sides of the law! Marcus has become a police officer, while Nate has become a local drug dealer. The promise to stay brothers forever puts Nate and Marcus’ relationship to the test.