Evan Almighty (Full Screen Edition)

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

Evan Almighty is a comedy for all ages that "you don't want to miss" (Kim Griffis, NBC-TV)!

Everyone's favorite funnyman Steve Carell is at his hilarious best as junior congressman Evan Baxter, whose wish to "change the world" is heard by none other than God (Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman). When God appears with the perplexing request to build an ark, Evan is sure he is losing it. But soon mysterious deliveries of wood and tools are being dropped on his doorstep, animals of every shape and size are flocking to him two by two, and his self-absorbed life goes from overnight success to almighty mess! It's a great time for everyone!

Steve Carell rides the wave of 40-Year-Old Virgin stardom (and a biblical flood) in this bizarre, effects-heavy comedy about a modern-day No! ah's ark. The film is nominally a sequel to Bruce Almighty, although it bears little relation to the 2003 Jim Carrey hit--except for the divine intervention of Morgan Freeman, who returns in his role as God. Even Carell's character is much altered from his supporting part in the first film; here, Evan Baxter says goodbye to the news-anchoring business in favor of his job as a naive freshman congressman. When God orders him to build an ark and prepare for an impending inundation, Evan sheepishly takes on the task (it's hard to turn down the job when your hair and beard grow to Old Testament lengths and God wants you to walk around in sackcloth).

Carell gets to do silly dances and mix it up with a variety of animals (real and computer-generated), all of which reminds us of the film's family-friendly tone and the PG rating. The kid stuff works just fine, although the religio-environmental message-mongering makes this a most curious kind of Hollywood blockbuster.! When the flood comes, the film shifts into a mammoth-sized CG! I extrav aganza, recalling the era of overstuffed techno-comedies such as 1941 and Howard the Duck (and not to be nit-picky, but the tsunami-like disaster that overtakes Washington, D.C., looks as though it would snuff out the lives of quite a few citizens). Capable comic support comes from John Michael Higgins, Wanda Sykes, and Jonah Hill, with John Goodman and Lauren Graham filling out stock roles of fatcat politico and loyal wife, respectively. Carell is even better at being sincere than being funny, a talent that comes in handy here and bodes well for his future versatility. --Robert Horton

Evan Almighty is a comedy for all ages that "you don't want to miss" (Kim Griffis, NBC-TV)!

Everyone's favorite funnyman Steve Carell is at his hilarious best as junior congressman Evan Baxter, whose wish to "change the world" is heard by none other than God (Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman). When God appears with the perplexing request to build an ark, Evan ! is sure he is losing it. But soon mysterious deliveries of wood and tools are being dropped on his doorstep, animals of every shape and size are flocking to him two by two, and his self-absorbed life goes from overnight success to almighty mess! It's a great time for everyone!

Steve Carell rides the wave of 40-Year-Old Virgin stardom (and a biblical flood) in this bizarre, effects-heavy comedy about a modern-day Noah's ark. The film is nominally a sequel to Bruce Almighty, although it bears little relation to the 2003 Jim Carrey hit--except for the divine intervention of Morgan Freeman, who returns in his role as God. Even Carell's character is much altered from his supporting part in the first film; here, Evan Baxter says goodbye to the news-anchoring business in favor of his job as a naive freshman congressman. When God orders him to build an ark and prepare for an impending inundation, Evan sheepishly takes on the task (it's hard to turn down the job whe! n your hair and beard grow to Old Testament lengths and God wa! nts you to walk around in sackcloth).

Carell gets to do silly dances and mix it up with a variety of animals (real and computer-generated), all of which reminds us of the film's family-friendly tone and the PG rating. The kid stuff works just fine, although the religio-environmental message-mongering makes this a most curious kind of Hollywood blockbuster. When the flood comes, the film shifts into a mammoth-sized CGI extravaganza, recalling the era of overstuffed techno-comedies such as 1941 and Howard the Duck (and not to be nit-picky, but the tsunami-like disaster that overtakes Washington, D.C., looks as though it would snuff out the lives of quite a few citizens). Capable comic support comes from John Michael Higgins, Wanda Sykes, and Jonah Hill, with John Goodman and Lauren Graham filling out stock roles of fatcat politico and loyal wife, respectively. Carell is even better at being sincere than being funny, a talent that comes in handy here and bodes wel! l for his future versatility. --Robert Horton

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Across the Universe (Two-Disc Special Edition)

• Condition: Used, Very Good
• Format: DVD
• Anamorphic; NTSC

Across the Universe, from director Julie Taymor, is a revolutionary rock musical that re-imagines America in the turbulent late-1960s, a time when battle lines were being drawn at home and abroad. When young dockworker Jude (Jim Sturgess) leaves Liverpool to find his estranged father in America, he is swept up by the waves of change that are re-shaping the nation. Jude falls in love with Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood), a rich but sheltered American girl who joins the growing anti-war movement in New York's Greenwich Village. As the body count in Vietnam rises, political tensions at home spiral out of control and the star-crossed lovers find themselves in a psychedelic world gone mad. With a cameo by Bono, Across the Universe is "the kind of movie you watch again, like listening to a favorite album." (Roger Ebert! , Chicago Sun-Times)Set in America during the Vietnam War, Across the Universe is a powerful love story set against a backdrop of political and social unrest: it's a story of soul-searching, self-doubt, and individual powerlessness cleverly conveyed through a multitude of Beatles songs. Like young adults all across America during the 1960's, Jude (Jim Sturgess), Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood), Max (Joe Anderson), Sadie (Dana Fuchs), Prudence (T.V. Carpio), and JoJo (Martin Luther) are in turmoil over the war; questioning their individual roles in the war effort and struggling to find a way to hold true to their beliefs while making a difference in the world. While love proves a powerful uniting force, its limitations become clear as relationships are strained and broken over individual perceptions of responsibility to cause and country. A fairly bizarre juxtaposition of extremely stylized, almost hallucinogenic scenes of swirling colors and reflections, highly! choreographed dance segments, seemingly commonplace character! interac tion, and emotionally packed close-up footage of characters lost in contemplative song, this film imparts a good sense of the confusion and passion of the time and is at once powerful, invigorating, and disturbing. The film runs a bit long at 2-hours 11-minutes and several segments drag noticeably thanks to some incredibly slow song tempos. Warning: this production may change how you think about a favorite Beatles song forever. --Tami HoriuchiAmy has left the life she loves for a world 300 years away Trapped in space and frozen in time, Amy is bound for a new planet. But fifty years before she's due to arrive, she is violently woken, the victim of an attempted murder. Now Amy's lost on board and nothing makes sense - she's never felt so alone. Yet someone is waiting for her. He wants to protect her; and more if she'll let him. But who can she trust amidst the secrets and lies? A killer is out there - and Amy has nowhere to hide...Amazon Best Books of the Mo! nth, January 2011: As the spaceship Godspeed travels toward a new earth, the lives of 100 cryogenically frozen settlers hang in the balance after someone endeavors to quietly murder them. The other passengers aboard the ship have never known life outside its walls and are enslaved by the machinations of Eldest, their tyrannical leader, who divides them into three distinct classes. When Amy, a frozen settler from earth, survives being thawed in a murder attempt, she immediately bonds with Elder, Godspeed's lone teen and future leader. Amy’s individuality, her rebellion, and her fierce desire for freedom, inspire Elder to act on his own doubts and defy Eldest--his mentor and keeper--with shocking results. Eldest’s methods of twisting history and altering the lives of this captive community are a frightening echo of tyrants in our own history, and Across the Universe challenges readers to consider the impact of unchecked power, blind trust, and the abil! ity of one dissenting voice to make a difference.-- Seira ! Wilson

Preview the Spacecraft in Across the Universe
(Click on Images to Enlarge)

In Across the Universe, Godspeed is a vast spaceship, the size of a small county. The lives of its passengers are severely regulated. And people are divided into three categories--Feeders, Shippers, and Keepers--represented by the three levels of the ship.

Across the Universe, from director Julie Taymor, is a revolutionary rock musical that re-imagines America in the turbulent late-1960s, a time when battle lines were being drawn at home and abroad! . When young dockworker Jude (Jim Sturgess) leaves Liverpool to find his estranged father in America, he is swept up by the waves of change that are re-shaping the nation. Jude falls in love with Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood), a rich but sheltered American girl who joins the growing anti-war movement in New York's Greenwich Village. As the body count in Vietnam rises, political tensions at home spiral out of control and the star-crossed lovers find themselves in a psychedelic world gone mad. With a cameo by Bono, Across the Universe is "the kind of movie you watch again, like listening to a favorite album." (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times)Set in America during the Vietnam War, Across the Universe is a powerful love story set against a backdrop of political and social unrest: it's a story of soul-searching, self-doubt, and individual powerlessness cleverly conveyed through a multitude of Beatles songs. Like young adults all across America during the 1960's, Ju! de (Jim Sturgess), Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood), Max (Joe Anderson)! , Sadie (Dana Fuchs), Prudence (T.V. Carpio), and JoJo (Martin Luther) are in turmoil over the war; questioning their individual roles in the war effort and struggling to find a way to hold true to their beliefs while making a difference in the world. While love proves a powerful uniting force, its limitations become clear as relationships are strained and broken over individual perceptions of responsibility to cause and country. A fairly bizarre juxtaposition of extremely stylized, almost hallucinogenic scenes of swirling colors and reflections, highly choreographed dance segments, seemingly commonplace character interaction, and emotionally packed close-up footage of characters lost in contemplative song, this film imparts a good sense of the confusion and passion of the time and is at once powerful, invigorating, and disturbing. The film runs a bit long at 2-hours 11-minutes and several segments drag noticeably thanks to some incredibly slow song tempos. Warning: this production ! may change how you think about a favorite Beatles song forever. --Tami Horiuchi

Beyond Across the Universe

On Blu-ray

The Deluxe Soundtrack

Beatles audio CD

Stills from Across the Universe (click for larger image)

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