Poster Jonathan

HELVETICA - DVD Movie

It's probably best known for raising the stakes for 1980s blockbuster shows by landing a helicopter on stage, but Miss Saigon is also a good show with good music. As a follow-up to their international smash Les Misérables, Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg (with an assist from Richard Maltby Jr.) adapted the tale of Madame Butterfly to the Vietnam War, realized here by the original 1989 London cast. While it may seem overheated at times, the despair and passion fit the tragic story, and Schönberg's pop-flavored style receives its most appropriate setting. Leading the cast are Jonathan Pryce as the Engineer (a Eurasian character whose casting generated some controversy when the producers wanted to have Pryce, a Caucasian, reprise the role on Broadway), Lea Salonga (in her first major role) as the young Vietnamese bride, Simon Bowman as her lover, and Claire Moore as his American wife (and a young Ruthie Henshall as one of the sweaty bargirls). The songs include the bawdy opener "The Heat Is on in Saigon," "The Movie in My Mind," "Why God Why," the romantic duet "The Last Night of the World," the female duet "I Still Believe," the male chorus number "Bui-Doi," and the Engineer's mocking "The American Dream." The booklet includes photographs and full lyrics. It's also available in a 58-minute highlights version. --David Horiuchi

Who would have thought that Duncan Sheik would succeed where Paul Simon and Randy Newman failed, successfully transitioning from the pop-rock world to the Broadway stage? With Spring Awakening, Sheik and book writer/lyricist Steven Slater (who had already worked on Sheik's 2001 album Phantom Moon) have created a thoroughly exciting show that incorporates a contemporary art-indie idiom (including a small rock band instead of an orchestra) into a dramatic musical-theater context. The unlikely setting is that of a Frank Wedekind adaptation, but as it turns out, teenage angst is perennial, whether it's in contemporary America or in a 1891 German boarding school. Songs such as "The Bitch of Living" ("with nothing going on, asking just what went wrong"), "The Word of Your Body," "I Don't Do Sadness," and "Totally Fucked" ("You're fucked if you speak your mind and you know you will") resonate with the rage, frustration, confusion, excitement, joy, anger, and of course budding lust of those hormone-driven years. The show is greatly enhanced by its youthful cast members (they're all pretty close in age to their characters), who sing their hearts out. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Track Listings: 1. Mamma Who Bore Me 2. Mamma Who Bore Me (Reprise) 3. All That's Known 4. The B*tch of Living 5. My Junk 6. Touch Me 7. The Word of Your Body 8. The Dark I Know Well 9. And Then There Were None 10. The Mirror-Blue Night 11. I Believe 12. Don't Do Sadness 13. Blue Wind 14. The Guilty Ones 15. Left Behind 16. Totally F*ucked 17. The Word of Your Body (Reprise) 18. Whispering 19. Those You've Known 20. The Song of Purple Summer

There seemed to be a particular spike in nuclear-war paranoia in the early 1980s, probably having to do Reagan's finger being on the trigger. Whatever the cause, it resulted in two particularly powerful 1983 films on the subject: the made-for-TV The Day After and Lynne Littman's Testament, which had a theatrical release before playing on PBS's American Playhouse. Starring Jane Alexander (and Kevin Costner in a cameo), the film shows what happens to a suburban family in the Pacific Northwest after a nearby nuclear attack. As it turns out, those killed by the initial blast are the lucky ones; Alexander and her family must suffer through radiation poisoning and sickness, the daily diminution of life this causes, and, for Alexander, the eventual deaths of those around her. Quietly powerful and never overstated. --Marshall Fine

Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 11/09/2010 Run time: 461 minutes Rating: Nr

In the wake of Guy Ritchie's reimagining, the BBC puts its own stamp on Arthur Conan Doyle's sleuth--and sets him in a London filled with cell phones and laptops. In the pilot, director Paul McGuigan (a keen visual stylist) introduces Sherlock Holmes (Atonement's Benedict Cumberbatch) as a "high-functioning sociopath" and Dr. John Watson (The Office's Martin Freeman) as an army veteran with posttraumatic stress disorder. Through a mutual friend, the two become flatmates at 221B Baker Street (Una Stubbs plays their landlady). Holmes, who consults with Scotland Yard inspector Lestrade (Rupert Graves) on his trickier cases, drafts Watson to assist him. In "Study in Pink," four people commit suicide by poison. When Holmes sets out to establish a link, he falls right into the culprit's clutches. Other cases concern a smuggling operation ("The Blind Banker") and a mad bomber ("The Great Game"). Though he doesn't make a formal entrance until episode three, an infamous figure from Sherlock's future has a hand in each mystery, while the detective's brother, Mycroft (co-creator Mark Gatiss), first appears when he tries to hire Watson for a case of his own, an offer that gives the good doctor pause. Through his job at a medical office, Watson also meets Sarah (Zoe Telford), who becomes his girlfriend. Part of the fun of Jeremy Brett's Holmes (and Agatha Christie's Poirot) came from the period details, so this update takes a little getting used to--as does the occasional mumbled line--but Cumberbatch and Freeman share an enjoyable Odd Couple rapport, marked by flashes of deadpan wit, which compensates for the absence of deerstalker caps (Holmes favors scarves) and journals (Watson maintains a website). Extras include commentary on the finale, the original pilot, and a featurette, in which cocreator Steven Moffat (Doctor Who) notes that Cumberbatch was his only choice for the title role. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

ANAKIN HAS GROWN INTO AN ACCOMPLISHED JEDI APPRENTICE, YET HE MUST CHOOSE BETWEEN JEDI DUTY & FORBIDDEN LOVE.

If The Phantom Menace was the setup, then Attack of the Clones is the plot-progressing payoff, and devoted Star Wars fans are sure to be enthralled. Ten years after Episode I, Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman), now a senator, resists the creation of a Republic Army to combat an evil separatist movement. The brooding Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) is resentful of his stern Jedi mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), tormented by personal loss, and showing his emerging "dark side" while protecting his new love, Amidala, from would-be assassins. Youthful romance and solemn portent foreshadow the events of the original Star Wars as Count Dooku (a.k.a. Darth Tyranus, played by Christopher Lee) forges an alliance with the Dark Lord of the Sith, while lavish set pieces showcase George Lucas's supreme command of all-digital filmmaking. All of this makes Episode II a technological milestone, savaged by some critics as a bloated, storyless spectacle, but still qualifying as a fan-approved precursor to the pivotal events of Episode III. --Jeff Shannon

BCFx has redefined the football gaming experience.Make hard hits and split decisions as you guide your team. Feel the passion of the fans and the excitement of the band increase yard-by-yard as you get closer to the championship game.Halftime offers no rest as you suit up grip your baton and lead your band of musical maestros through amazing formations as the crowd roars. Nerjyzed Entertainment utilizes the very program put to use by BCF band directors for years. By incorporating Pyware the interactive halftime show will have the same authenticity and energy that has made this world of sports so unique and unforgettable.Not to mention the dancing girls on the sidelines.Your team has the makings of a nice drive as it becomes imbued with the energy from the crowd and the sounds of the band. Things seem to come a bit easier as the ever-swinging momentum is in your favor for now.40 officially licensed teams mascots play by play and commentary by Jonathan Coachman and Donal Ware.Also Includes: Official BCFx Poster Behind the Game DVD and BCFx StorybookMultiple Game Modes1. Practice Mode - Refine your strategies. Sharpen your reflexes. Prepare yourself for greatness.2. Online Mode - Bragging rights and more are on the line as you play online against competitors across the map.3. Classic Mode - Face your fiercest rival. Become part of a BCF tradition. Make history as you get the opportunity to play in an actual BCF Classic Game.System Requirements:Minimum System Requirements: Windows XP/Vista Intel Pentium or AMD 2.0Ghz CPU 1GB RAM 128MB Graphics Card (Geforce FX 5700 / ATI X700) 10GB available HD space DVD ROM drive Format: WIN XPVISTA Genre: ENTERTAINMENT UPC: 844667007442 Manufacturer No: BCFX-L

Indifference towards people and the reality in which they live is actually the one and only cardinal sin in design' - Dieter Rams. Dieter Rams' life and work are indelibly linked to his thoughts about how people live, and how they can live better. Products he designed in the 1960s are still being produced and sold today - only one demonstration of the strength of his work.This comprehensive monograph covers both Rams' life and his work, as well as his ideas on good design, which continue to inspire designers and consumers today. A personal foreword by Jonathan Ive evokes the influence that Rams has had on his own work and, by extention, the objects with which so many of us share our everyday lives. An introduction and an essay by Klaus Kemp tell the story of Rams' early life, his training as an architect, and the intellectual context in which his ideas were developed. The next four chapters examine Rams' work and his life - which are more or less synonymous - in depth. This includes his role at Braun as well as the work he did for the furniture company Vitsoe. Each chapter includes sketches, prototypes, finished products and the marketing for those products, giving a complete picture of Rams' work and its context. Two other chapters in this section present Rams' own house, the only work of architecture that he completed, and examine the products he designed at the level of detail, a crucial aspect to his work. A further chapter examines Rams' 'ten commandments' of good design and his credo, 'less but better', in the context of his role as head of design at Braun, and a final chapter explores his legacy in the work of contemporary designers including Naoto Fukasawa, Jonathan Ive, Sam Hecht, and Konstantin Grcic.This beautifully designed book includes a wide variety of visual material, including sketches and technical drawings, photographs of Rams' work as well as his life, archival material from both Braun and Vitsoe, Ingeborg Rams' subtle photographs and Vitsoe's playful graphic design and advertising. This book will appeal not only to fans of Dieter Rams' work, but to everyone drawn to the message behind his 'ten commandments' of good design - which are really ideas about how we can all live better and more sustainable lives.

World War II is divided into nine chronological chapters, each introduced by a general overview of the military and political situation. This is followed by a comprehensive timeline, covering events in all theaters of the war. The opening chapter analyzes the build-up of hostility in the years leading up the war, both in Europe and in the Pacific. Similarly the final chapter analyzes the immediate and long-term consequences of the war and the way it has shaped recent history. In the chapters that cover the events of the war itself, the main spreads move from one theater of war to another but are linked by an easy-to-use system of cross referencing to earlier events and the consequences of the actions described on the spread. The main spreads are interspersed with features, eyewitness accounts, and galleries of weaponry and equipment.This title differs from DK's previous World War II title, in that it is a spread-by-spread account á la History (with "previous" and "following" tabs placing each spread in chronological context) of the war, rather than a narrative that needs to be read from start to finish.

Star Wars owes a lot to its details. George Lucas made his world so believable and compelling by getting all the little things right, whether it was a chip in Vader's helmet or the sand on a Stormtrooper's boots. Of course, this feat was no accident--extensive conceptual planning and design went into all the Star Wars movies, perhaps most so for Episode I: The Phantom Menace. This excellent "insider story" art book by Phantom Menace researcher Jonathan Bresman pulls together a wealth of these preliminary paintings, sketches, and computer animatics. Starting in early 1995, the Episode I art team sweated out nearly four years in a renovated attic at Skywalker Ranch, and Bresman's book gives an eye-popping account of their efforts, a sweeping survey of the movie's "evolutionary record," what Bresman calls "the unseen art that serves as the foundation for the film." Divided into sections covering each of the movie's major locales (e.g., Theed, Coruscant, Otoh Gunga), The Art of Phantom Menace gives detailed illustrations of many of the creatures, structures, and vessels that made the final cut to film. But even more interesting are those that never left the sketchbook or hard drive--what fan wouldn't want to see a bulky, bipedal droideka or Padmé's horned, reptilian "swamp horse"? Call-outs alongside the art reveal the untold story behind many characters, like how Jedi Council member Yaddle really did begin as a sketch of a young Yoda, and how Jar Jar at one point had a wacky "dog" sidekick named Blarf. (Lucas and crew thankfully dodged that bullet.) --Paul Hughes

More than twenty years ago, moviegoers thrilled to the stunning designs that were created for Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. Thus began a tradition of creative brilliance that now continues in Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, as moviegoers are transported back to the beginning of the greatest space epic of our time.  And once again a team of artists has been assembled to create a new galaxy, with an array of visuals more striking than ever before.Featuring conceptual illustrations, sequential art, and brilliant, fully-executed paintings, this lavish volume digs deep into the Lucasfilm archives, detailing Episode I's revolutionary use of traditional and high-tech media. Exploring the creative impulse behind all of the astonishing, masterfully crafted designs, inside you'll find- Key action sequences, including the Podraces on Tatooine and the riveting ground and space battles- Fascinating interviews and photos of the artists at work - Magnificent paintings that capture the exotic environments of Naboo, Tatooine, and Corsucant - The visual evolution of the battle droids, the Trade Federation ships, and such unforgettable new characters as Qui-Gon Jinn, Queen Amidala, and Jar Jar Binks- A showcase of the best of the poster art for Episode IAnd much more!As the original Star Wars movie set new standards with its cutting-edge art and technology, this thrilling new chapter in the cinematic saga again transports us to the farthest regions of our imaginations.