Sean Penn gives another powerhouse performance in All the King's Men, leading a top notch cast in writer-director Steven Zaillian's underrated adaptation of the Pulitzer prize-winning 1946 novel by Robert Penn Warren. When you consider that the previous 1949 film version earned well-deserved Academy Awards for director Robert Rossen & actors Broderick Crawford & Mercedes Mc Cambridge, it's no surprise that Zaillian's film was expected to earn similar acclaim; but lukewarm critical reception & disappointing box-office gave it the stigma of a noble failure. & while the film (which moves Warren's story from the Depression-era '30s to the early 1950s) suffers from uneven pacing, partial miscasting, & an occasional lack of dramatic tension, it still qualifies as a first-class production that resonates with the timeless relevance of Warren's piercing political classic. Like Broderick before him, Penn is riveting as Louisiana governor Willie Stark, an upstart political dynamo (freely inspired by controversial real-life Louisiana governor Huey P. Long) whose rise to power is ultimately doomed by corruption & betrayal. Jude Law (The Talented Mr. Ripley) co-stars as political reporter Jack Burden, our first-hand witness to Stark's rise & inevitable fall. His orbit of political insiders

Includes:: a corrupt judge (Anthony Hopkins) with a dark secret to hide; a long-time friend (Mark Ruffalo) & former lover (Kate Winslet) who fall victim to Stark's influence; & political staffers (James Gandolfini, Patricia Clarkson) who remain powerless against Stark's ill-fated populist juggernaut. At Sean Penn's request, former child star Jackie Earle Haley (from the original Bad News Bears) makes a welcome return to movies as Willie Stark's quietly intense bodyguard, Sugar-Boy. Co-produced by Louisiana-born political consultant James Carville, filmed on authentic Louisiana locations & boasting all the stately, luxurious production values of a would-be Oscar contender, All the King's Men clearly benefits from Penn's fiery performance & Zaillian's earnest embrace of Warren's still-potent subject matter. & while the film's shortcomings may have prevented it from achieving unanimous acclaim, this is still a serious, well-crafted drama with much to say about the insidious potential for fascism in America, especially when well-meaning politicians lose their souls to power

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Saul Davids All The Kings Men is a thrilling history of the British Redcoat from the English Civil War to Waterloo.

Between

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NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST & NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A beautiful, stunningly ambitious novel about a blind French girl & a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II, from the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr. ...

By the end of 1968 The Beatles were far too busy squabbling with each other, while The Stones had simply stopped making music; English Rock was coming to an end. This book tells the story of six stars: Pete Townshend, Ray Davies, Peter Green, Syd Barrett, ...

Music, media & the moral low ground. Set in present day Dublin & rural Irel&, this is the story of Victor, an ageing showband manager of the 60s & 70s when showband music played in ballrooms throughout Irel&. Victor, once famous & wealthy, is now long past the end of his career. No longer rich & famous he is a desperate man. Rejected by his peers, he rents a room in Dublin & spends most of his time watching TV. His only son presents an ailing TV quiz show, which comes under a lot of heavy criticism from the press...it only adds further to Victor's despair. When his son's body is found washed up on the shore near the hugely protected home of young, wealthy & successful rock star, Richie Johns, suicide is presumed. Victor has other ideas; he discovers a video showing Richie Johns' guard dogs chasing his son into the sea. Victor, desperate to avenge his son's death & for revenge against Richie Johns
- the rock star who stands for everything that has contributed to his downfall
- deliberately sets up a trap into which Richie falls thus allowing Victor the sweet smell of power & fortune once again...for now.

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On the face of it, All the Pretty Horses should have everything going for it as a movie, taken from the novel by Cormac Mc Carthy acclaimed as one of the finest pieces of American writing of the past 20 years. The intuitive, up-&-coming actor-director Billy Bob Thornton, with a deep love of Mc Carthy's novels, takes the helm directing two hot young stars (Matt Damon, Penelope Cruz) & backed by some seasoned veterans (Sam Shepherd, Bruce Dern, Rub?n Blades et al) along with first-rate technical support. The plot seems tailor-made for landmark-movie status too. A downbeat, resonant tale that would have intrigued Sam Peckinpah, it tells of two young cowboys from post-WWII Texas, who cross the Rio Grande in search of the rugged adventurous life modern America can no longer offer them. & south of the border they find just what they're looking for--but in harsher, darker & far more brutal guise than they ever dreamt of. All the ingredients point towards the makings of a classic Western. Yet somehow they never quite jell. Powerfully photographed by Barry Markowitz, All the Pretty Horses looks unfailingly superb, & Ted Tally's screenplay draws on much of the novel's spare, trenchant dialogue. Thornton handles the action sequences with assurance, especially the marathon horse-breaking episode. But it all feels distanced, & never dark or bleak enough for Mc Carthy's savage vision. Maybe Damon is as yet too young & bland for his character's agonised trajectory. There were rumours of script problems, of scenes ruthlessly excised; Thornton claims that Miramax cut the film. Whatever the causes, the film is handsome to look at, absorbing to watch, but casts few shadows in the mind. ...

With a thrilling narrative that sheds much light on recent events, this national bestseller brings to life the 1953 CIA coup in Iran that ousted the country's elected prime minister, ushered in a quarter-century of brutal rule under the Shah, & stimulated the rise of Islamic fundamentalism & anti-Americanism in the Middle East. ...

An entrancing & enchanting collection of stories, each one based on the rich mythology & symbolism of a zodiac sign. Ideal as a stories to amuse, or to provoke more insight into your astrological sign, this book is suitable for young & old, whether astrologically inclined or not, & an ideal gift. ...

Isn't love wonderful? There are so many things to love – your friends & family, music, movies & even cake! The list is as long

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Everyone loves Summer Ryan. A model student & musical prodigy, shes a ray of light in the struggling small town of Grace
- especially
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