Saturday, November 5, 2011

Drowning Mona : Widescreen Edition with Exclusive Deleted Scenes

Contact [Blu-ray]

  • Condition: New
  • Format: Blu-ray
  • AC-3; Color; Dolby; Widescreen
CONTACT - Blu-Ray MovieThe opening and closing moments of Robert (Forrest Gump) Zemeckis's Contact astonish viewers with the sort of breathtaking conceptual imagery one hardly ever sees in movies these days--each is an expression of the heroine's lifelong quest (both spiritual and scientific) to explore the meaning of human existence through contact with extraterrestrial life. The movie begins by soaring far out into space, then returns dizzyingly to earth until all the stars in the heavens condense into the sparkle in one little girl's eye. It ends with that same girl as an adult (Jodie Foster)--her search having taken her to places beyond her imagination--turning her gaze inward and seeing the universe in a handful of sand. Contact traces the journey between those two visual epiphanies. Based ! on Carl Sagan's novel, Contact is exceptionally thoughtful and provocative for a big-budget Hollywood science fiction picture, with elements that recall everything from 2001 to The Right Stuff. Foster's solid performance (and some really incredible alien hardware) keep viewers interested, even when the story skips and meanders, or when the halo around the golden locks of rising-star-of-a-different-kind Matthew McConaughey (as the pure-Hollywood-hokum love interest) reaches Milky Way-level wattage. Ambitious, ambiguous, pretentious, unpredictable--Contact is all of these things and more. Much of it remains open to speculation and interpretation, but whatever conclusions one eventually draws, Contact deserves recognition as a rare piece of big-budget studio filmmaking on a personal scale. --Jim Emerson

Tucker's Claim

  • ISBN13: 9780373776276
  • Condition: New
  • Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
A WESTERN TRAIL BLAZER DIME NOVEL (SHORT STORY):

GOLD... Seeking a fortune from a pile of rocks or out of a streambed. Men from all walks of life are digging and panning for gold in the West and the Blackwell brothers are no different. But along with gold mining comes rough towns like Grizzly Gulch, fighting the elements, and those pesky claim jumpers. Raised tough in the hills of Tennessee, are the Blackwell brothers up to the challenges of prospecting?

Read the whole Blackwell series!
 
  • The Blackwell Claim
  • Blackwell's Stand
  • The Divided Prey
  • Blackwell's Run
  • The Windigo
  • A WESTERN TRAIL BLAZER DIME NOVEL (SHORT STORY):

    GOLD... ! Seeking a fortune from a pile of rocks or out of a streambed. Men from all walks of life are digging and panning for gold in the West and the Blackwell brothers are no different. But along with gold mining comes rough towns like Grizzly Gulch, fighting the elements, and those pesky claim jumpers. Raised tough in the hills of Tennessee, are the Blackwell brothers up to the challenges of prospecting?

    Read the whole Blackwell series!
     
  • The Blackwell Claim
  • Blackwell's Stand
  • The Divided Prey
  • Blackwell's Run
  • The Windigo
  • A Simon & Schuster eBook

    “Comprehensive, readable, and replete with current, useful examples, this book provides a much-needed explanation of how to be a critical consumer of the scientific claims we encounter in our everyday lives.”

    â€"April Cordero Maskiewicz, Department of Biology, Point Loma Nazarene University

     

    “Seethaler’s book helps t! he reade r look inside the workings of science and gain a deeper understanding of the pathway that is followed by a scientific findingâ€"from its beginnings in a research lab to its appearance on the nightly news.”

    â€"Jim Slotta, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto

     

    “How I wish science was taught this way! Seethaler builds skills for critical thinking and evaluation. The book is rich with examples that not only illustrate her points beautifully, they also make it very interesting and fun to read.”

    â€"Julia R. Brown, Director, Targacept, Inc.

     

    Don’t Get Hoodwinked! Make Sense of Health and Science News...and Make Smarter Decisions!

     

    Every day, there’s a new scientific or health controversy. And every day, it seems as i! f there’s a new study that contradicts what you heard yesterday. What’s really going on? Who’s telling the truth? Who’s faking it? What do scientists actually knowâ€"and what don’t they know? This book will help you cut through the confusion and make sense of it allâ€"even if you’ve never taken a science class! Leading science educator and journalist Dr. Sherry Seethaler reveals how science and health research really work...how to put scientific claims in context and understand the real tradeoffs involved...tell quality research from junk science...discover when someone’s deliberately trying to fool you...and find more information you can trust!  Nobody knows what new controversy will erupt tomorrow. But one thing’s for certain: With this book, you’ll know how to figure out the real dealâ€"and make smarter decisions for yourself and your family!

     

    Watch the news, and you’ll be overwhelmed by snip! pets of badly presented science: information that’s incomplete, confusing, contradictory, out-of-context, wrong, or flat-out dishonest. Defend yourself! Dr. Sherry Seethaler gives you a powerful arsenal of tools for making sense of science. You’ll learn how to think more sensibly about everything from mad cow disease to global warmingâ€"and how to make better science-related decisions in both your personal life and as a citizen.

     

    You’ll begin by understanding how science really works and progresses, and why scientists sometimes disagree. Seethaler helps you assess the possible biases of those who make scientific claims in the media, and place scientific issues in appropriate context, so you can intelligently assess tradeoffs. You’ll learn how to determine whether a new study is really meaningful; uncover the difference between cause and coincidence; figure out which statistics mean something, and which ! don’t.

     

    Seethaler reveals the tricks self-interested players use to mislead and confuse you, and points you to sources of information you can actually rely upon. Her many examples range from genetic engineering of crops to drug treatments for depression...but the techniques she teaches you will be invaluable in understanding any scientific controversy, in any area of science or health.

     

    ^   Potions, plots, and personalities: How science progresses, and why scientists sometimes disagree

    ^   Is it “cause” or merely coincidence? How to tell compelling evidence from a “good story”

    ^   There are always tradeoffs: How to put science and health claims in context, and understand their real implications

    ^   All the tricks experts use to fool you, expo! sed! How to recognize lies, “truthiness,” or pseudo-expert! ise

    < /DIV>From Amazon best selling author Tawny Taylor, a story of passion, intrigue, romance and dark erotic hunger...

    SYNOPSIS
    When a man is found murdered in Sophie Durand's nightclub, she has no idea she is about to tumble head first into a world of danger and forbidden sexual pleasure. The mysterious Burke Langton is her only ally. His powerful body and commanding spirit calms her fear, and his dominant nature stirs her lust.

    But he isn't what he seems. His secrets are darker and more treacherous than Sophie could ever imagine.

    As danger draws nearer, they are joined by the commanding Miko Dvorak. Together, Sophie, Burke and Miko plunge into a world of sinister evil and unrestrained ecstasy, where all of their lives hang in the balance. If the killer doesn't destroy them all, the dark passion they share just might...

    WARNING: This full length erotic romantic suspense novel contains graphic menage a trois sex ! scenes with BDSM elements.

    SAMPLE

    Brett's apartment wasn't exactly your typical bachelor pad, though it wasn't nearly as showy as the car he drove. The furnishings boasted simple lines. The colors were muted -- tans, browns. They gave her an instant feeling of calm tranquility. She felt safe.

    "This is very nice," Sylvie said as she followed him through the living room.

    "Thank you." He led her down a narrow hallway, pointed to the right. "This is the bathroom." Then he stopped at the first door on the left. "And this is the guestroom. I hope you'll be comfortable here." He pushed open the door to reveal a gorgeous room decorated in a slightly darker version of the living room's color scheme. The bed was covered in rich-looking fabrics and piled high with pillows.

    Heaven!

    She sat, gave it a quick bounce test. Soft. Just the way she liked it. "How could anyone be anything but comfortable in here? It's nicer than! a five-star hotel."

    He looked pleased. His smile m! ade her feel all soft and girly and warm. "Excellent," he said, his voice like a low purr.

    Oh, how she wanted to rub up against that dangerous feline.

    Lulu circled a few times then curled up for a nap in her lap. No doubt it was the heat radiating from certain body parts that inspired her dog to settle there. Her face warming, her heart hopping around in her rib cage like a toddler on a sugar buzz, Sylvie ran her hand down Lulu's back. "Th-thanks."

    He stepped out of the room. "You're welcome. If you need anything else --"

    "Wait!" Before he got too far, she set Lulu down, hopped off the bed, ran to the door and caught his wrist. Their eyes met and she swore someone had cranked up the heat to ninety. "No, I mean thank you. For everything. I haven't been exactly cooperative tonight. I jumped to all kinds of conclusions and suspected the worst --"

    "You were frightened."

    "Yes," she heard herself whisper as she stared at hi! s mouth. Those really were the most amazing lips she'd ever seen on a man. She wondered what it would take to convince him to kiss her.

    Suddenly, she wasn't holding his wrist, he was holding hers. He pulled and she fell against him. She gave a shocked squeak when he looped an arm around her waist and turned, stepping forward until her body was sandwiched between the hallway wall and his amazing body.

    What a wonderful place to be! Sweet, hot desire pulsed through her center in rhythmic waves.

    He lowered his head, and her insides broke into a cha-cha. "I don't know what it is about you. I can't... dammit, I can't resist." His mouth came down on hers in a crushing kiss. His tongue pushed at the seam of her lips until she parted them. Then it stroked and tasted and took.From Amazon best selling author Tawny Taylor, a story of passion, intrigue, romance and dark erotic hunger...

    SYNOPSIS
    When a man is found murdered in Sop! hie Durand's nightclub, she has no idea she is about to tumble! head fi rst into a world of danger and forbidden sexual pleasure. The mysterious Burke Langton is her only ally. His powerful body and commanding spirit calms her fear, and his dominant nature stirs her lust.

    But he isn't what he seems. His secrets are darker and more treacherous than Sophie could ever imagine.

    As danger draws nearer, they are joined by the commanding Miko Dvorak. Together, Sophie, Burke and Miko plunge into a world of sinister evil and unrestrained ecstasy, where all of their lives hang in the balance. If the killer doesn't destroy them all, the dark passion they share just might...

    WARNING: This full length erotic romantic suspense novel contains graphic menage a trois sex scenes with BDSM elements.

    SAMPLE

    Brett's apartment wasn't exactly your typical bachelor pad, though it wasn't nearly as showy as the car he drove. The furnishings boasted simple lines. The colors were muted -- tans, browns. They gave her an instant feeling! of calm tranquility. She felt safe.

    "This is very nice," Sylvie said as she followed him through the living room.

    "Thank you." He led her down a narrow hallway, pointed to the right. "This is the bathroom." Then he stopped at the first door on the left. "And this is the guestroom. I hope you'll be comfortable here." He pushed open the door to reveal a gorgeous room decorated in a slightly darker version of the living room's color scheme. The bed was covered in rich-looking fabrics and piled high with pillows.

    Heaven!

    She sat, gave it a quick bounce test. Soft. Just the way she liked it. "How could anyone be anything but comfortable in here? It's nicer than a five-star hotel."

    He looked pleased. His smile made her feel all soft and girly and warm. "Excellent," he said, his voice like a low purr.

    Oh, how she wanted to rub up against that dangerous feline.

    Lulu circled a few times then curled up for a nap in her lap. No doubt i! t was the heat radiating from certain body parts that inspired! her dog to settle there. Her face warming, her heart hopping around in her rib cage like a toddler on a sugar buzz, Sylvie ran her hand down Lulu's back. "Th-thanks."

    He stepped out of the room. "You're welcome. If you need anything else --"

    "Wait!" Before he got too far, she set Lulu down, hopped off the bed, ran to the door and caught his wrist. Their eyes met and she swore someone had cranked up the heat to ninety. "No, I mean thank you. For everything. I haven't been exactly cooperative tonight. I jumped to all kinds of conclusions and suspected the worst --"

    "You were frightened."

    "Yes," she heard herself whisper as she stared at his mouth. Those really were the most amazing lips she'd ever seen on a man. She wondered what it would take to convince him to kiss her.

    Suddenly, she wasn't holding his wrist, he was holding hers. He pulled and she fell against him. She gave a shocked squeak when he looped an arm around her waist and turned, steppi! ng forward until her body was sandwiched between the hallway wall and his amazing body.

    What a wonderful place to be! Sweet, hot desire pulsed through her center in rhythmic waves.

    He lowered his head, and her insides broke into a cha-cha. "I don't know what it is about you. I can't... dammit, I can't resist." His mouth came down on hers in a crushing kiss. His tongue pushed at the seam of her lips until she parted them. Then it stroked and tasted and took.Orphaned in a massacre, abused as a "half-breed" child, trained as a ruthless Texas Ranger, Tucker McCade's learned the hard way that you have to fight to survive. So he is shocked when he falls for Sally Mae, a Quaker nurse.

    Unable to resist Tucker, Sally Mae throws herself into their torrid affair. Tucker's occupation, however, is the one thing she can't embrace. A staunch pacifist, she can't understand how his gentle hand can clench in fury or pull a trigger to take a life.

    But when Sally Mae becomes ! pregnant, Tucker is willing to do whatever it takes to have hi! s family â€"including hanging up his guns. Every night they spend together binds them ever closerâ€"until the day his past comes calling….

    The Greatest Story Ever Sold: The Decline and Fall of Truth from 9/11 to Katrina

    • Hardcover Politics
    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 take! s 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-len gth 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, 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 v! ersion o f a Mad Men pitch meeting--but funnier. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

    The fascinating tale of Kubrick’s unfilmed masterpiece

    Now available in an unlimited, single-volume edition!

    For 40 years, Kubrick fans and film buffs have wondered about the director's mysterious unmade film on Napoleon Bonaparte. Slated for production immediately following the release of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Kubrick’s "Napoleon" was to be at once a character study and a sweeping epic, replete with grandiose battle scenes featuring thousands of extras. To write his original screenplay, Kubrick embarked on two years of intensive research; with the help of dozens of assistants and an Oxford Napoleon specialist, he amassed an unparalleled trove of research and preproduction material, including approximately 15,000 location scouting photographs and 17,000 slides of Napoleonic imagery. No stone was left unturned in Kubrick's nea! rly-obsessive quest to uncover every piece of information history had to offer about Napoleon. But alas, Kubrick’s movie was not destined to be: the film studios, first M.G.M. and then United Artists, decided such an undertaking was too risky at a time when historical epics were out of fashion.

    TASCHEN’s tribute to this unmade masterpiece makes Kubrick’s valiant work on "Napoleon" available to fans for the first time. Based on the original 2009 limited edition which featured ten books hidden inside of a carved out reproduction of a Napoleon history book, this publication brings all the original elements together in one volume. Herein, all of the books from the original edition are reproduced in facsimile: correspondence, costume studies, location scouting photographs, research material, script drafts, and more. Kubrick’s final draft is reproduced in its entirety.

    The text book features the complete original treatment, essays! examining the screenplay in historical and dramatic contexts! , an ess ay by Jean Tulard on Napoleon in cinema, and a transcript of interviews Kubrick conducted with Oxford professor Felix Markham. The culmination of years of research and preparation, this unique publication offers readers a chance to experience the creative process of one of cinema’s greatest talents as well as a fascinating exploration of the enigmatic figure that was Napoleon Bonaparte.

    *Includes access to searchable/downloadable online research database: Kubrick's complete picture file of nearly 17,000 Napoleonic images*

    New York Times columnist Frank Rich examines the trail of fictions manufactured by the Bush administration from 9/11 to Hurricane Katrina, exposing the most brilliant spin campaign ever waged.

    When America was attacked on 9/11, its citizens almost unanimously rallied behind its new, untested president as he went to war. What they didn't know at the time was that the Bush administration's highest priority was not to ! vanquish Al Qaeda but to consolidate its own power at any cost. It was a mission that could be accomplished only by a propaganda presidency in which reality was steadily replaced by a scenario of the White House's own invention-and such was that scenario's devious brilliance that it fashioned a second war against an enemy that did not attack America on 9/11, intimidated the Democrats into incoherence and impotence, and turned a presidential election into an irrelevant referendum on macho imagery and same-sex marriage.

    As only he can, acclaimed New York Times columnist Frank Rich delivers a step-by-step chronicle of how skillfully the White House built its house of cards and how the institutions that should have exposed these fictions, the mainstream news media, were too often left powerless by the administration's relentless attack machine, their own post-9/11 timidity, and an unending parade of self-inflicted scandals (typified by those at The New York Times). Dem! onstrating the candor and conviction that have made him one of! our mos t trusted and incisive public voices, Rich brilliantly and meticulously illuminates the White House's disturbing love affair with "truthiness," and the ways in which a bungled war, a seemingly obscure Washington leak, and a devastating hurricane at long last revealed the man-behind-the-curtain and the story that had so effectively been sold to the nation, as god-given patriotic fact.

    Giuliani Time

    Halloween [Blu-ray]

    • The film which ushered in the modern age of horror stands well above its many sequels and clones because John Carpenter's taut direction makes it truly scary. Jamie Lee Curtis, in her debut role, plays a babysitter who must protect herself from the deadly Michael Myers, a mental institution escapee who killed his sister on Halloween fifteen years earlier. Called "the most successful independent mo
    The film which ushered in the modern age of horror stands well above its many sequels and clones because John Carpenter's taut direction makes it truly scary. Jamie Lee Curtis in her debut role plays a babysitter who must protect herself from the deadly Michael Myers a mental institution escapee who killed his sister on Halloween fifteen years earlier. Called "the most successful independent motion picture of all time" HALLOWEEN is also one of most frightening films ever made.System Requirements:Run! ning Time: 92 mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR Rating: R UPC: 013131542899 Manufacturer No: DV15428Halloween is as pure and undiluted as its title. In the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois, a teenage baby sitter tries to survive a Halloween night of relentless terror, during which a knife-wielding maniac goes after the town's hormonally charged youths. Director John Carpenter takes this simple situation and orchestrates a superbly mounted symphony of horrors. It's a movie much scarier for its dark spaces and ominous camera movements than for its explicit bloodletting (which is actually minimal). Composed by Carpenter himself, the movie's freaky music sets the tone; and his script (cowritten with Debra Hill) is laced with references to other horror pictures, especially Psycho. The baby sitter is played by Jamie Lee Curtis, the real-life daughter of Psycho victim Janet Leigh; and the obsessed policeman played by Donald Pleasence is named Sam Loo! mis, after John Gavin's character in Psycho. In the end! , though , Halloween stands on its own as an uncannily frightening experience--it's one of those movies that had audiences literally jumping out of their seats and shouting at the screen. ("No! Don't drop that knife!") Produced on a low budget, the picture turned a monster profit, and spawned many sequels, none of which approached the 1978 original. Curtis returned for two more installments: 1981's dismal Halloween II, which picked up the story the day after the unfortunate events, and 1998's occasionally gripping Halloween H20, which proved the former baby sitter was still haunted after 20 years. --Robert Horton Halloween is as pure and undiluted as its title. In the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois, a teenage baby sitter tries to survive a Halloween night of relentless terror, during which a knife-wielding maniac goes after the town's hormonally charged youths. Director John Carpenter takes this simple situation and orchestrates a superbly moun! ted symphony of horrors. It's a movie much scarier for its dark spaces and ominous camera movements than for its explicit bloodletting (which is actually minimal). Composed by Carpenter himself, the movie's freaky music sets the tone; and his script (cowritten with Debra Hill) is laced with references to other horror pictures, especially Psycho. The baby sitter is played by Jamie Lee Curtis, the real-life daughter of Psycho victim Janet Leigh; and the obsessed policeman played by Donald Pleasence is named Sam Loomis, after John Gavin's character in Psycho. In the end, though, Halloween stands on its own as an uncannily frightening experience--it's one of those movies that had audiences literally jumping out of their seats and shouting at the screen. ("No! Don't drop that knife!") Produced on a low budget, the picture turned a monster profit, and spawned many sequels, none of which approached the 1978 original. Curtis returned for two more install! ments: 1981's dismal Halloween II, which picked up the ! story th e day after the unfortunate events, and 1998's occasionally gripping Halloween H20, which proved the former baby sitter was still haunted after 20 years. --Robert HortonNo Description Available.
    Genre: Horror
    Rating: NR
    Release Date: 2-OCT-2007
    Media Type: Blu-RayHalloween is as pure and undiluted as its title. In the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois, a teenage baby sitter tries to survive a Halloween night of relentless terror, during which a knife-wielding maniac goes after the town's hormonally charged youths. Director John Carpenter takes this simple situation and orchestrates a superbly mounted symphony of horrors. It's a movie much scarier for its dark spaces and ominous camera movements than for its explicit bloodletting (which is actually minimal). Composed by Carpenter himself, the movie's freaky music sets the tone; and his script (cowritten with Debra Hill) is laced with references to other horror pic! tures, especially Psycho. The baby sitter is played by Jamie Lee Curtis, the real-life daughter of Psycho victim Janet Leigh; and the obsessed policeman played by Donald Pleasence is named Sam Loomis, after John Gavin's character in Psycho. In the end, though, Halloween stands on its own as an uncannily frightening experience--it's one of those movies that had audiences literally jumping out of their seats and shouting at the screen. ("No! Don't drop that knife!") Produced on a low budget, the picture turned a monster profit, and spawned many sequels, none of which approached the 1978 original. Curtis returned for two more installments: 1981's dismal Halloween II, which picked up the story the day after the unfortunate events, and 1998's occasionally gripping Halloween H20, which proved the former baby sitter was still haunted after 20 years. --Robert Horton Halloween is as pure and undiluted as its title. In the small! town of Haddonfield, Illinois, a teenage baby sitter tries to! survive a Halloween night of relentless terror, during which a knife-wielding maniac goes after the town's hormonally charged youths. Director John Carpenter takes this simple situation and orchestrates a superbly mounted symphony of horrors. It's a movie much scarier for its dark spaces and ominous camera movements than for its explicit bloodletting (which is actually minimal). Composed by Carpenter himself, the movie's freaky music sets the tone; and his script (cowritten with Debra Hill) is laced with references to other horror pictures, especially Psycho. The baby sitter is played by Jamie Lee Curtis, the real-life daughter of Psycho victim Janet Leigh; and the obsessed policeman played by Donald Pleasence is named Sam Loomis, after John Gavin's character in Psycho. In the end, though, Halloween stands on its own as an uncannily frightening experience--it's one of those movies that had audiences literally jumping out of their seats and shouting at th! e screen. ("No! Don't drop that knife!") Produced on a low budget, the picture turned a monster profit, and spawned many sequels, none of which approached the 1978 original. Curtis returned for two more installments: 1981's dismal Halloween II, which picked up the story the day after the unfortunate events, and 1998's occasionally gripping Halloween H20, which proved the former baby sitter was still haunted after 20 years. --Robert Horton
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