Monday, November 28, 2011

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood: A Novel

  • ISBN13: 9780060759957
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DIVINE SECRETS OF THE YA YA SISTERHOO - DVD MovieGrab your tissues and send the guys away, because Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood is the most pedigreed chick flick since Steel Magnolias. You can tell by the title and the novelish names of the Louisiana ladies from Rebecca Wells's precious bestseller. First there's Sidda (Sandra Bullock), a successful playwright still wrestling with her manipulative mother, Vivi (Ellen Burstyn), after a traumatic upbringing. Then there's longtime friends Teensy (Fionnula Flanagan), Necie (Shirley Knight), and Caro (scene-stealer Maggie Smith), from Vivi's secret club of "Ya-Ya Priestesses," together since childhood and determined to heal the rift b! etween Sidda and her mom. Through an ambitious flashback structure (including Ashley Judd as the younger Vivi), screenwriter and first-time director Callie Khouri (who wrote Thelma & Louise) establishes a rich context for this mother-daughter reunion. There's plenty of humor to temper the drama, which inspires Bullock's best work in years. Definitely worth a look for the curious, but only fans of Wells's fiction will feel any twinge of loyalty. --Jeff Shannon

When Siddalee Walker, oldest daughter of Vivi Abbott Walker, Ya-Ya extraordinaire, is interviewed in the New York Times about a hit play she's directed, her mother gets described as a "tap-dancing child abuser." Enraged, Vivi disowns Sidda. Devastated, Sidda begs forgiveness, and postpones her upcoming wedding. All looks bleak until the Ya-Yas step in and convince Vivi to send Sidda a scrapbook of their girlhood mementos, called "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood." As Sidda struggles to anal! yze her mother, she comes face to face with the tangled beauty! of impe rfect love, and the fact that forgiveness, more than understanding, is often what the heart longs for.

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood may call to mind Prince of Tides in its unearthing of family darkness; in its unforgettable heroines and irrepressible humor and female loyalty, it echoes Fannie Flagg's Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe.Wells is a Louisiana-born Seattle actress and playwright; her loopy saga of a 40-year-old player in Seattle's hot theater scene who must come to terms with her mama's past in steamy Thornton City, Louisiana, reads like a lengthy episode of Designing Women written under the influence of mint juleps and Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom!. The Ya-Yas are the wild circle of girls who swirl around the narrator Siddalee's mama, Vivi, whose vivid voice is "part Scarlett, part Katharine Hepburn, part Tallulah." The Ya-Yas broke the no-booze rule at the cotillion, skinny-dipped their way to j! ail in the town water tower, disrupted the Shirley Temple look-alike contest, and bonded for life because, as one says, "It's so much fun being a bad girl!"

Siddalee must repair her busted relationship with Vivi by reading a half-century's worth of letters and clippings contained in the Ya-Ya Sisterhood's packet of "Divine Secrets." It's a contrived premise, but the secrets are really fun to learn.

Echelon Conspiracy - Laminated Movie Poster - 11 x 17 Inch (28cm x 44cm)

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When Max Peterson (Shane West) receives a series of mysterious cell phone messages that promise him untold wealth, he soon finds himself the victim of a deadly international plot. Chased by a lethal team of government operatives, Max races across the planet in a desperate attempt to unravel a conspiracy that threatens the stability of the entire world. Edward Burns, Ving Rhames and Martin Sheen co-star in this techno-charged edge-of-your-seat action thriller!In the taut thriller Cellular, a! cell phone saves Kim Basinger's life, but the cell phones in Echelon Conspiracy work more like homing devices for a killer. Security consultant Max Peterson's (ER's Shane West) problems begin when he receives a new one while on assignment in Bangkok. The sender is unknown, but their anonymous text messages prove beneficial to his physical and financial well-being, so Max follows the advice they provide--not a particularly wise move considering that Max's job is to "protect data from hackers" (but there'd be no movie otherwise). When he wins three million euros at an upscale casino in Prague, Max comes to the attention of Reed, the Head of Security (Ed Burns), who reports to business tycoon Mr. Mueller (Jonathan Pryce), and FBI Agent Grant (Ving Rhames), who reports to NSA Director Burke (Martin Sheen). Max also meets the doe-eyed Kamila (Tamara Feldman), who may or may not be part of the conspiracy against him. Together, Reed and Grant try to help Max unmask! the player behind a plot to turn the world into a global poli! ce state , and speed is of the essence since the previous cell phone recipients have all met their respective makers. Despite the name cast, Greg Marcks's follow-up to 11:14 never hits the same dramatic heights as similarly-themed techno-thrillers like Eagle Eye and the Bourne series, but it's a reasonably diverting entertainment, especially if you like a healthy dose of paranoia mixed in with your gunplay and car chases. --Kathleen C. FennessyWhen Max Peterson (Shane West) receives a series of mysterious cell phone messages that promise him untold wealth, he soon finds himself the victim of a deadly international plot. Chased by a lethal team of government operatives, Max races across the planet in a desperate attempt to unravel a conspiracy that threatens the stability of the entire world. Edward Burns, Ving Rhames and Martin Sheen co-star in this techno-charged edge-of-your-seat action thriller!In the taut thriller Cellular, a cell phone saves Ki! m Basinger's life, but the cell phones in Echelon Conspiracy work more like homing devices for a killer. Security consultant Max Peterson's (ER's Shane West) problems begin when he receives a new one while on assignment in Bangkok. The sender is unknown, but their anonymous text messages prove beneficial to his physical and financial well-being, so Max follows the advice they provide--not a particularly wise move considering that Max's job is to "protect data from hackers" (but there'd be no movie otherwise). When he wins three million euros at an upscale casino in Prague, Max comes to the attention of Reed, the Head of Security (Ed Burns), who reports to business tycoon Mr. Mueller (Jonathan Pryce), and FBI Agent Grant (Ving Rhames), who reports to NSA Director Burke (Martin Sheen). Max also meets the doe-eyed Kamila (Tamara Feldman), who may or may not be part of the conspiracy against him. Together, Reed and Grant try to help Max unmask the player behind a! plot to turn the world into a global police state, and speed ! is of th e essence since the previous cell phone recipients have all met their respective makers. Despite the name cast, Greg Marcks's follow-up to 11:14 never hits the same dramatic heights as similarly-themed techno-thrillers like Eagle Eye and the Bourne series, but it's a reasonably diverting entertainment, especially if you like a healthy dose of paranoia mixed in with your gunplay and car chases. --Kathleen C. FennessyPayton "Doc" Connor is an investigator at the Center for UFO Studies in Chicago, a real-life private agency that investigates the paranormal. He has a reputation for dissecting reports the agency receives and proving them to be hoaxes. Shortly before the agency sends him on a routine investigation to New Mexico, the Agency assigns him as mentor to a new investigator, Chanel Falasco. During the trip to the desert, they are contacted by a contemporary "Deep Throat", who confesses his part in a national conspiracy that includes Freemaso! nry, the Illuminati, and a cult born of Nazis that escaped the Nuremburg Trials with the help of wealthy industrialists. The confessor wants to use them and CUFOS to expose the group he works for before their ultimate goals are realized through a illegal surveillance network referred to only as Echelon.MovieGoods has Amazon's largest selection of movie and TV show memorabilia, including posters, film cells and more: tens of thousands of items to choose from. We also offer a full selection of framed and laminated posters. Customer satisfaction is always guaranteed when you buy from MovieGoods on Amazon.

The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain Poster Movie Argentine 27x40 Hugh Grant

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Comedy favorite Hugh Grant (Did You Hear About the Morgans?) stars as a young man who offends an entire town by declaring their mountainâ€"a prized local landmarkâ€"to be a ""hill"". But he soon finds the eccentric locals, led by a witty innkeeper (Colm Meaney, Get Him to The Greek), will stop at nothing to defend their honor. While the townspeople rally around their mountain, a fiery young woman (Tara Fitzgerald) charms the puzzled out-of-towner into seeing things their way. ! You'll be elevated by laughter as the hilarious townspeople rise to the occasionâ€"and the bewildered visitor stumbles into love when he least expects it!Comedy favorite Hugh Grant (BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY) stars as a young man who offends an entire town by declaring their mountain -- a prized landmark -- to be a "hill." But soon he finds the eccentric locals, led by a witty innkeeper (Colm Meaney -- STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION) will stop at nothing to defend their honor! While the townspeople rally around their "mountain," a fiery young woman (Tara Fitzgerald -- SIRENS) charms the puzzled out-of-towner into seeing things their way! You'll be elevated by laughter as the hilarious townspeople rise to the occasion -- and the bewildered visitor stumbles into love when he least expects it!Comedy favorite Hugh Grant (BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY) stars as a young man who offends an entire town by declaring their mountain -- a prized landmark -- to be a "hill." But soon he finds the ! eccentric locals, led by a witty innkeeper (Colm Meaney -- STA! R TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION) will stop at nothing to defend their honor! While the townspeople rally around their "mountain," a fiery young woman (Tara Fitzgerald -- SIRENS) charms the puzzled out-of-towner into seeing things their way! You'll be elevated by laughter as the hilarious townspeople rise to the occasion -- and the bewildered visitor stumbles into love when he least expects it!Hephaestus Books represents a new publishing paradigm, allowing disparate content sources to be curated into cohesive, relevant, and informative books. To date, this content has been curated from Wikipedia articles and images under Creative Commons licensing, although as Hephaestus Books continues to increase in scope and dimension, more licensed and public domain content is being added. We believe books such as this represent a new and exciting lexicon in the sharing of human knowledge. This particular book is a collaboration focused on Films set in Wales.The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Ca! me Down a Mountain reproduction poster print

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Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts

Dolphins and Whales 3D: Tribes of the Ocean Poster Movie French 11x17 Daryl Hannah

The Hangover (Rated Single-Disc Edition)

  • Condition: New
  • Format: DVD
  • Color; Dolby; Dubbed; DVD; Full Screen; Subtitled; Widescreen; NTSC
From The Hangover director Todd Phillips, Due Date throws two unlikely companions together on a road trip that turns out to be as life-changing as it is outrageous. Expectant first-time father Peter Highman (Robert Downey Jr.) looks forward to his new child’s due date five days away. As Peter hurries to catch a flight home from Atlanta to be at his wife’s side for the birth, his best intentions go completely awry when an encounter with aspiring actor Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis) forces Peter to hitch a ride with Ethan on a cross-country trip that will ultimately destroy several cars, many friendships and Peter’s last nerve.Due Date is such a broad comedy, it needs the width of the whole United States in which to play out. Directo! r Todd Phillips (The Hangover) lets the gross-out comedic charms of his frequent star Zach Galifianakis run wild, which is exactly what Galifianakis fans want. And Robert Downey Jr. reminds viewers of his appealing straight-man comic talents, too. Due Date is like Planes, Trains and Automobiles meets Nine Months with a little of The Odd Couple thrown in. The writing of Due Date is uneven--perhaps a result of its having had a minimum of six screenwriters working on it. And run time, at only 100 or so minutes, seems much longer. But Due Date gets its energy and charge from its two stars and from Phillips's slaphappy direction. Galifianakis plays Ethan, who's a version of every character Galifianakis has played to date--slovenly, irresponsible, and uncensored. Downey is Peter, a straitlaced new father-to-be, who through an improbable series of unfortunate events can find no other way to get across the country for the birth of hi! s first child than to hitch a ride with Ethan. If the situatio! n is som ewhat predictable, the comedic moments are not--though by halfway though the trip, viewers may wonder if Peter will be able to resist strangling Ethan with his own scarf, or worse. The deft supporting cast includes Michelle Monaghan as Peter's wife, Jamie Foxx (in kind of a throwaway role), and Juliette Lewis, appealing and not too ditzy. Viewers who love Phillips's and Galifianakis's trademark slapstick shtick will find plenty to laugh about on this long, strange trip. --A.T. HurleyFrom The Hangover director Todd Phillips, Due Date throws two unlikely companions together on a road trip that turns out to be as life-changing as it is outrageous. Expectant first-time father Peter Highman (Robert Downey Jr.) looks forward to his new child’s due date five days away. As Peter hurries to catch a flight home from Atlanta to be at his wife’s side for the birth, his best intentions go completely awry when an encounter with aspiring actor Ethan Tremblay (Zach ! Galifianakis) forces Peter to hitch a ride with Ethan on a cross-country trip that will ultimately destroy several cars, many friendships and Peter’s last nerve. Due Date is such a broad comedy, it needs the width of the whole United States in which to play out. Director Todd Phillips (The Hangover) lets the gross-out comedic charms of his frequent star Zach Galifianakis run wild, which is exactly what Galifianakis fans want. And Robert Downey Jr. reminds viewers of his appealing straight-man comic talents, too. Due Date is like Planes, Trains and Automobiles meets Nine Months with a little of The Odd Couple thrown in. The writing of Due Date is uneven--perhaps a result of its having had a minimum of six screenwriters working on it. And run time, at only 100 or so minutes, seems much longer. But Due Date gets its energy and charge from its two stars and from Phillips's slaphappy direction. Galifianakis plays Ethan, w! ho's a version of every character Galifianakis has played to d! ate--slo venly, irresponsible, and uncensored. Downey is Peter, a straitlaced new father-to-be, who through an improbable series of unfortunate events can find no other way to get across the country for the birth of his first child than to hitch a ride with Ethan. If the situation is somewhat predictable, the comedic moments are not--though by halfway though the trip, viewers may wonder if Peter will be able to resist strangling Ethan with his own scarf, or worse. The deft supporting cast includes Michelle Monaghan as Peter's wife, Jamie Foxx (in kind of a throwaway role), and Juliette Lewis, appealing and not too ditzy. Viewers who love Phillips's and Galifianakis's trademark slapstick shtick will find plenty to laugh about on this long, strange trip. --A.T. HurleyDue Date is such a broad comedy, it needs the width of the whole United States in which to play out. Director Todd Phillips (The Hangover) lets the gross-out comedic charms of his frequent star Zach Ga! lifianakis run wild, which is exactly what Galifianakis fans want. And Robert Downey Jr. reminds viewers of his appealing straight-man comic talents, too. Due Date is like Planes, Trains and Automobiles meets Nine Months with a little of The Odd Couple thrown in. The writing of Due Date is uneven--perhaps a result of its having had a minimum of six screenwriters working on it. And run time, at only 100 or so minutes, seems much longer. But Due Date gets its energy and charge from its two stars and from Phillips's slaphappy direction. Galifianakis plays Ethan, who's a version of every character Galifianakis has played to date--slovenly, irresponsible, and uncensored. Downey is Peter, a straitlaced new father-to-be, who through an improbable series of unfortunate events can find no other way to get across the country for the birth of his first child than to hitch a ride with Ethan. If the situation is somewhat predictable, the comedic! moments are not--though by halfway though the trip, viewers m! ay wonde r if Peter will be able to resist strangling Ethan with his own scarf, or worse. The deft supporting cast includes Michelle Monaghan as Peter's wife, Jamie Foxx (in kind of a throwaway role), and Juliette Lewis, appealing and not too ditzy. Viewers who love Phillips's and Galifianakis's trademark slapstick shtick will find plenty to laugh about on this long, strange trip. --A.T. HurleyMovie Summary A first time expectant father has an adventurous trip with an aspiring actor while travelling cross country to be with his expecting wife. DVD Details * Actor(s): Robert Jr. Downey * Format: Widescreen * Soundtrack: English * Additional: Additional Footage Behind the Scenes Include Digital Copy * Rating: R * MSRP: $35.99 * Release Date: 2 22 2011 * Number of Discs: 2A las vegas-set comedy centered around three groomsmen who lose their about-to-be-wed buddy during their drunken misadventures then must retrace their steps in order to find him. Studio: Warner Home Video Rele! ase Date: 12/15/2009 Starring: Bradley Cooper Heather Graham Run time: 100 minutes Rating: RIf you like your humor broadside up, hold the subtlety, you'll want to nurse this Hangover with your best buds. The ensemble cast meshes perfectly--it's like a super-R-rated episode of Friends: silly, slapstick, and completely in the viewer's face. When four pals go to Vegas to celebrate the imminent nuptials of one of them, they partake in a rooftop toast to "a night we'll never forget." But they're in for a big surprise: their celebration drinks were laced with date-rape drugs, so when they awake in their hotel room 12 hours later, not only are they hung over, but they can't remember what they did all night long. Oh, and they're missing the groom-to-be.

The film is so cheerfully raunchy, so fiercely crude, that the humor becomes as intoxicating as the mind-altering substances. The standout in the ensemble is Zach Galifianakis, who is alternately creepy and hilar! ious. Ed Helm (The Office), in addition to his memory, ! loses a tooth in uncomfortably realistic fashion, and Bradley Cooper (He's Just Not That into You) has deadpan comic timing that whips along at the speed of light. "Ma'am, you have an incredible rack," he blares to a pedestrian from the squad car the guys have "borrowed." "I should have been a [bleeping] cop," he tells himself approvingly.

Director Todd Phillips brings back his deft handling of the actors and the dude humor that worked so well in Old School, as well as the unctuous Dan Finnerty, memorable as a lounge/wedding singer in both films. But it's the nonstop volley of jokes--most cheerily politically incorrect--that grabs the audience and thrashes it around the hotel room. Just watch out for the tiger in the bathroom. --A.T. Hurley

Double Feature: Big Trouble in Little China & Planet of the Apes

  • 2-DVD Set
  • Double Feature
  • Feature Length Movie
Directed by thrill master John Carpenter, this edge-of-your seat adventure stars Kurt Russell as Jack Burton, a tough-talking, wisecracking truck driver whose hum-drum life on the road takes a sudden supernatural tailspin when his best friend's fiancee is kidnapped. Speeding to the rescue, Jack finds himself deep beneath San Francisco's Chinatown, in a murky, creature-filled world ruled by Lo Pan, a 2000-year-old magician who mercilessly presides over an empire of spirits. Dodging demons and facing baffling terrors, Jack battles his way through Lo Pan's dark domain in a full-throttle, action-riddled ride to rescue the girl. Co-starring Kim Cattrall, this effects-filled sci-fi spectacle speeds to an incredible, twist-taking finish.

  • Audio: English: 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio, Dolby Surround / Spanish & French: 5.1 D! olby Digital
  • Language: Dubbed & Subtitled: English, French & Spanish
  • Aspect Ratio: Widescreen: 2.35:1
Once you settle into the realization that this 1986 John Carpenter (Halloween) film is not going to be one of the director's more masterful works, Big Trouble in Little China just becomes a full-tilt comic blast. Kurt Russell is hilarious as a drawling, would-be John Wayne hero who steps into the middle of a supernatural war in the heart of Chinatown. While kung fu warriors and otherworldly spirits battle over the fate of two women (Kim Cattrall and Suzee Pai), Russell's swaggering idiot manages to knock himself out or underestimate the forces he's dealing with. The whole thing is dopey, but it's supposed to be dopey and Russell's game performance brings an ironic edge. Carpenter directs some nifty spook effects (the sudden arrival of three martial arts demigods from out of nowhere is worth applause), and he also wrote the music.! --Tom Keogh Directed by thrill master John Carpenter, ! this edg o-of-your seat adventrue stars Kurt Russell as Jack Burton, a tough-talking, wisecracking truck driver whose hum-drum life on the road takes a sudden supernatural tailspin when his best friend's fiancee is kidnapped. Speeding to the rescue, Jack finds himself deep beneath San Francisco's Chinatown, in a murky, creature-filled world ruled by Lo Pan, a 2000-year-old magician who mercilessly presides over an empire of spirits. Dodging demons and facing baffling terrors, Jack battles his way through Lo Pan's dark domain in a full-throttle, action-riddled ride to rescue the girl. Co-starring Kim Cattrall, this effects-filled sci-fi spectacle speeds to an incredible, twist-taking finish.Once you settle into the realization that this 1986 John Carpenter (Halloween) film is not going to be one of the director's more masterful works, Big Trouble in Little China just becomes a full-tilt comic blast. Kurt Russell is hilarious as a drawling, would-be John Wayne hero who! steps into the middle of a supernatural war in the heart of Chinatown. While kung fu warriors and otherworldly spirits battle over the fate of two women (Kim Cattrall and Suzee Pai), Russell's swaggering idiot manages to knock himself out or underestimate the forces he's dealing with. The whole thing is dopey, but it's supposed to be dopey and Russell's game performance brings an ironic edge. Carpenter directs some nifty spook effects (the sudden arrival of three martial arts demigods from out of nowhere is worth applause), and he also wrote the music. --Tom Keogh Directed by thrill master John Carpenter, this edgo-of-your seat adventrue stars Kurt Russell as Jack Burton, a tough-talking, wisecracking truck driver whose hum-drum life on the road takes a sudden supernatural tailspin when his best friend's fiancee is kidnapped. Speeding to the rescue, Jack finds himself deep beneath San Francisco's Chinatown, in a murky, creature-filled world ruled by Lo Pan, a 2000-! year-old magician who mercilessly presides over an empire of s! pirits. Dodging demons and facing baffling terrors, Jack battles his way through Lo Pan's dark domain in a full-throttle, action-riddled ride to rescue the girl. Co-starring Kim Cattrall, this effects-filled sci-fi spectacle speeds to an incredible, twist-taking finish.Once you settle into the realization that this 1986 John Carpenter (Halloween) film is not going to be one of the director's more masterful works, Big Trouble in Little China just becomes a full-tilt comic blast. Kurt Russell is hilarious as a drawling, would-be John Wayne hero who steps into the middle of a supernatural war in the heart of Chinatown. While kung fu warriors and otherworldly spirits battle over the fate of two women (Kim Cattrall and Suzee Pai), Russell's swaggering idiot manages to knock himself out or underestimate the forces he's dealing with. The whole thing is dopey, but it's supposed to be dopey and Russell's game performance brings an ironic edge. Carpenter directs some nifty spo! ok effects (the sudden arrival of three martial arts demigods from out of nowhere is worth applause), and he also wrote the music. --Tom Keogh Once you settle into the realization that this 1986 John Carpenter (Halloween) film is not going to be one of the director's more masterful works, Big Trouble in Little China just becomes a full-tilt comic blast. Kurt Russell is hilarious as a drawling, would-be John Wayne hero who steps into the middle of a supernatural war in the heart of Chinatown. While kung fu warriors and otherworldly spirits battle over the fate of two women (Kim Cattrall and Suzee Pai), Russell's swaggering idiot manages to knock himself out or underestimate the forces he's dealing with. The whole thing is dopey, but it's supposed to be dopey and Russell's game performance brings an ironic edge. Carpenter directs some nifty spook effects (the sudden arrival of three martial arts demigods from out of nowhere is worth applause), and he also! wrote the music. --Tom Keogh Once you settle into the ! realizat ion that this 1986 John Carpenter (Halloween) film is not going to be one of the director's more masterful works, Big Trouble in Little China just becomes a full-tilt comic blast. Kurt Russell is hilarious as a drawling, would-be John Wayne hero who steps into the middle of a supernatural war in the heart of Chinatown. While kung fu warriors and otherworldly spirits battle over the fate of two women (Kim Cattrall and Suzee Pai), Russell's swaggering idiot manages to knock himself out or underestimate the forces he's dealing with. The whole thing is dopey, but it's supposed to be dopey and Russell's game performance brings an ironic edge. Carpenter directs some nifty spook effects (the sudden arrival of three martial arts demigods from out of nowhere is worth applause), and he also wrote the music. --Tom Keogh Double Feature (2 DVD Set) includes Big Trouble in Little China and Planet of the Apes

Get Smart (Single-Disc Widescreen Edition)

  • DVD Details: Actors: Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway
  • Directors: Peter Segal
  • Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1; Number of discs: 1; Studio: Warner Home Video
  • DVD Release Date: November 4, 2008; Run Time: 110 minutes
MAXWELL SMART, AGENT 86 FOR CONTROL, BATTLES THE FORCES OF KAOS WITH THE MORE COMPETENT AGENT 99 AT HIS SIDE.The Cold War may be over, but that doesn't mean it can't still be milked for laughs. Get Smart, the sassy film version of the Mel Brooks/Buck Henry-created '60s TV satire, brings plenty of elements of the original series and spins it freshly into the new world of bad guys in the 21st century, pretty much without losing a beat. Steve Carell is perfectly cast as the bumbling Maxwell Smart--but in a slick improvement on the TV show, Smart isn't really hapless--though he has a bit of a s! elf-esteem problem (all around his apartment are sticky notes with exhortations like "You can DO it!"). Carell's Maxwell Smart is a sharp techie researcher at the uber-secret crime-battling agency, CONTROL, who's just a little out of his element out in the field. As his data-crunching sidekick Bruce (Masi Oka of Heroes) says, "We're the ones guarding democracy!", aghast that Max would want to be an agent.

But Max longs for the action enjoyed by the likes of Agent 23 (a godlike Dwayne Johnson), with glamorous deployments around the world. When he finally gets his dream assignment--as the newly minted Agent 86--he's paired up with the slick and experienced Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway), who provides great lines, not to mention some interesting chemistry, while she continually saves Max from harm's way. The cast is terrific, with memorable appearances by Alan Arkin as the Chief, Terrence Stamp as the head of the uber-evil KAOS, and Bill Murray as a (literally) ! put-out-to-pasture agent whose spy post is inside a tree ("rea! lly grea t, old-school stuff" he calls his assignment). And there's plenty of action, explosions, and creative shootouts with the bad guys (highlight: a freefall from a plane, with two people and just two parachutes). But it's Carell and his combination of insecure yearning and deadpan delivery that make Get Smart as, well, smart as it is. When Max learns he's finally been promoted to agent, he slips into the Cone of Silence--which unfortunately is malfunctioning. "I'm so happy! I'm so happy!" he yells, as his colleagues sit nearby hearing the whole thing. Discovering that, he purses his lips and says, "Well, that's a sucker-punch to the gonads." Sorry about that. --A.T. Hurley


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