Saturday, November 12, 2011

The Bucket List

  • You only live once, so why not go out in style? That?s what two cancer- ward roommates, an irascible billionaire (Jack Nicholson) and a scholarly mechanic (Morgan Freeman), decide when they get the bad news. They compose a bucket list ? things to do before you kick the bucket ? and head off for the around-the-world adventure of their lives. Sky dive? Check. Power a Shelby Mustang around a racetrac
You only live once, so why not go out in style? That’s what two cancer- ward roommates, an irascible billionaire (Jack Nicholson) and a scholarly mechanic (Morgan Freeman), decide when they get the bad news. They compose a bucket list â€" things to do before you kick the bucket â€" and head off for the around-the-world adventure of their lives. Sky dive? Check. Power a Shelby Mustang around a racetrack? Check. Gaze at the Great Pyramid of Khufu? Check. Discover the joy in their lives before it’s! too late? Check! Under the nimble direction of Rob Reiner, the two great stars provide the heart and soul, wit and wiles of this inspired salute to life that proves that the best time of all is right now."You measure yourself by the people who measure themselves by you," says the quietly wise Carter Chambers, played with gravitas and grace by a Morgan Freeman. In Rob Reiner's moving, often hilarious film The Bucket List, all sorts of people measure themselves against the two heroes, Chambers and his hospital suitemate, Edward Cole (Jack Nicholson). But as Cole finds, having spent his entire life building a Fortune 500 company, none of that much matters when cancer, the great equalizer, pays a visit. The film traces the adventures of the two unlikely friends, who meet in a hospital cancer ward, each given six months to live. The "bucket list" of the title refers to a lifelong list of goals that a teacher of Chambers once advised him to compile--and achieve--"before y! ou kick the bucket." Soon the two are off on what may be the l! ast gran d adventure of their life, vowing to tick off as many goals (skydiving, race-car driving, seeing the wonders of the world) as they can in the time they have left. What starts as a medical melodrama becomes a road trip, yet the men's mortality realities are never far from thought. The two leads give impressive performances, and remind the viewer of just how few American films focus on the lives and loves of senior citizens. Nicholson even manages to lose his persona in his character, much as he did in About Schmidt. There's a lovely John Mayer tune, "Say (What You Need to Say)," that's perfectly matched to the film's clear-eyed view of life: What does one person leave behind as his true legacy? --A.T. Hurley

Lackawanna Blues

  • Based on the award winning play by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, this poignant and colorful drama tells the inspirational story of a courageous woman, Nanny, whose spirit and strength served as the foundation for a struggling community trying to survive during the segregation era. Starring an exceptional ensemble cast led by Jimmy Smits, Rosie Perez, and Macy Gray, this inspiring drama from HBO Films is
DOWN IN THE DELTA brings together an outstanding cast of stars in an uplifting story of family, community, and friendship! In a desperate attempt to change her life, Loretta (Alfre Woodard -- STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT, MUMFORD) -- a troubled single mother from a tough Chicago neighborhood -- is sent to spend a summer in her family's ancestral home in rural Mississippi. In "The Delta," with the support and widsom of her hardworking Uncle Earl, Loretta finally begins to see a way to provide for her youn! g children and reverse the downward slide of her life. A heartwarming, critically acclaimed motion picture also starring Wesley Snipes (BLADE, U.S. MARSHALS) and Loretta Devine (WAITING TO EXHALE) -- share in this remarkable journey to discover the strength of a family's roots and the power of unconditional love!This family drama begins in a gritty Chicago neighborhood with a jobless, hopeless mother (Alfre Woodard) pouring her efforts into the bottle and various drugs rather than her troubled daughter and wise-beyond-his-years son. But the movie soon heads south, as the title suggests, when Mom and kids are sent to live with an uncle for the summer. Their lives change, of course, but that's the only predictable aspect of this 107-minute film. First-time director Maya Angelou brings her poetic sense to Myron Goble's elegant script, and the performances are uniformly excellent, most notably the always superb Woodard, Al Freeman Jr. as her uncle, and Mary Alice as her mother! . Wesley Snipes takes a break from his action career to do som! e acting as Freeman's son, and the late Esther Rolle is haunting in the last portrayal of her career. The film's touch of mystery is provided by one of its most devastating characters, a candelabra called Nathan. Rated PG-13, but suitable for ages 8 and older. --Kimberly HeinrichsThis family drama begins in a gritty Chicago neighborhood with a jobless, hopeless mother (Alfre Woodard) pouring her efforts into the bottle and various drugs rather than her troubled daughter and wise-beyond-his-years son. But the movie soon heads south, as the title suggests, when Mom and kids are sent to live with an uncle for the summer. Their lives change, of course, but that's the only predictable aspect of this 107-minute film. First-time director Maya Angelou brings her poetic sense to Myron Goble's elegant script, and the performances are uniformly excellent, most notably the always superb Woodard, Al Freeman Jr. as her uncle, and Mary Alice as her mother. Wesley Snipes takes a break from ! his action career to do some acting as Freeman's son, and the late Esther Rolle is haunting in the last portrayal of her career. The film's touch of mystery is provided by one of its most devastating characters, a candelabra called Nathan. Rated PG-13, but suitable for ages 8 and older. --Kimberly HeinrichsDown In The Delta brings together an outstanding cast of stars in an uplifting story of family, community and friendship.
In a desperate attempt to change her life, Loretta (Alfre Woodard, The Family That Preys)â€"a troubled single mother from a tough Chicago neighborhoodâ€"is sent to spend a summer at her family's ancestral home in rural Mississippi. In "The Delta," with the support and wisdom of her hardworking uncle Earl, Loretta finally begins to see a way to provide for her young children and reverse the downward slide of her life. Also starring Loretta Devine (TV's Grey's Anatomy) and Wesley Snipes (Brooklyn! 's Finest).This family drama begins in a gritty Chicago ne! ighborho od with a jobless, hopeless mother (Alfre Woodard) pouring her efforts into the bottle and various drugs rather than her troubled daughter and wise-beyond-his-years son. But the movie soon heads south, as the title suggests, when Mom and kids are sent to live with an uncle for the summer. Their lives change, of course, but that's the only predictable aspect of this 107-minute film. First-time director Maya Angelou brings her poetic sense to Myron Goble's elegant script, and the performances are uniformly excellent, most notably the always superb Woodard, Al Freeman Jr. as her uncle, and Mary Alice as her mother. Wesley Snipes takes a break from his action career to do some acting as Freeman's son, and the late Esther Rolle is haunting in the last portrayal of her career. The film's touch of mystery is provided by one of its most devastating characters, a candelabra called Nathan. Rated PG-13, but suitable for ages 8 and older. --Kimberly HeinrichsThis family drama be! gins in a gritty Chicago neighborhood with a jobless, hopeless mother (Alfre Woodard) pouring her efforts into the bottle and various drugs rather than her troubled daughter and wise-beyond-his-years son. But the movie soon heads south, as the title suggests, when Mom and kids are sent to live with an uncle for the summer. Their lives change, of course, but that's the only predictable aspect of this 107-minute film. First-time director Maya Angelou brings her poetic sense to Myron Goble's elegant script, and the performances are uniformly excellent, most notably the always superb Woodard, Al Freeman Jr. as her uncle, and Mary Alice as her mother. Wesley Snipes takes a break from his action career to do some acting as Freeman's son, and the late Esther Rolle is haunting in the last portrayal of her career. The film's touch of mystery is provided by one of its most devastating characters, a candelabra called Nathan. Rated PG-13, but suitable for ages 8 and older. --Kimber! ly HeinrichsEVE'S BAYOU (SIGNATURE SERIES) - DVD MovieActr! ess Kasi Lemmons made an auspicious debut as a writer and director with this delicately handled, wrenchingly emotional drama, hailed by critic Roger Ebert as one of the best films of 1997. Eve's Bayou begins with ominous narration: "The summer I killed my father, I was 10 years old." From that point the story moves backward in time and memory to Louisiana in 1962, when a young girl named Eve (Jurnee Smollett) witnesses a shocking act on the part of her womanizing father (Samuel L. Jackson). But what really happened? And can Eve be certain about what she saw when there is more than one interpretation of the facts? Less a mystery than a study of deeply rooted emotions rising to the surface to affect an entire family, the film has the quality of classic Southern literature, with layers of memory unfolding to reveal a carefully guarded truth. --Jeff ShannonLeland 1-Handle Pull-Down Bar Faucet in Oil-Rubbed Bronze - 9978-DSTBased on the award winning play by Ruben Santiago-! Hudson, this poignant and colorful drama tells the inspirational story of a courageous woman, Nanny, whose spirit and strength served as the foundation for a struggling community trying to survive during the segregation era. Starring an exceptional ensemble cast led by Jimmy Smits, Rosie Perez, and Macy Gray, this inspiring drama from HBO Films is a celebration of the good things in life, no matter how tough times may be.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:Audio Commentary with director George C. Wolfe and writer Ruben Santiago-Hudson
Deleted Scenes
Featurette

Cool music, a wonderful atmospheric feel, and first-rate performances by a stellar cast distinguish Lackawanna Blues, a 2005, 90-minute film originally broadcast by HBO. Director George C. Wolfe's theater background (as a writer and/or director he's been responsible for The Colored Museum, Jelly's Last Jam, and Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk)! is apparent; adapted by scriptwriter Ruben Santiago-Hudson fr! om his o wn autobiographical play, Lackawanna Blues is less a story than a reminiscence, told by a young man (an affecting performance by Marcus Carl Franklin) raised by the indefatigable Rachel "Nanny" Crosby (an equally fine turn by S. Epatha Merkerson, known to many from her role in TV's Law & Order) in that upstate New York town. The focus is on Nanny's rooming house, which is populated by all manner of colorful characters (played by the likes of Macy Gray, Jeffrey Wright, and many others, with Jimmy Smits and Carmen Ejogo as the boy's wayward parents). The roomers include drunks, hustlers, ex-cons, and other shady types, but while plenty of bad stuff goes on, it's all coated with a certain patina of sentiment that tends to minimize the hard realities of life for African Americans in the early 1960s. That's fine; Wolfe, with the help of some superb editing by Brian Kates, gives the film such a delightful period vibe that it's easy to overlook its few shortcomings. T! he music (available on a soundtrack CD), ranging from downhome country blues to uptown swing, jump blues, and more, also makes a major contribution to the delightful diversion that is Lackawanna Blues. --Sam Graham

Be Kind Rewind

  • Experience the antics of two outcasts, Jack Black and Mos Def, as they attempt to save the local video store in Be Kind Rewind, an outrageous and offbeat comedy from Academy Award-winning writer/director Michel Gondry. Amateur film director Mike must find a way to save the business after his magnetized friend, Jerry, erases every movie in the store. Using an outdated video camera and their own spe
Experience the antics of two outcasts, Jack Black and Mos Def, as they attempt to save the local video store in Be Kind Rewind, an outrageous and offbeat comedy from Academy Award-winning writer/director Michel Gondry. Amateur film director Mike must find a way to save the business after his magnetized friend, Jerry, erases every movie in the store. Using an outdated video camera and their own special effects, the two embark on an adventure to remake all of the movies, from Ghostbusters to Driving M! iss Daisy, turning the two town misfits into local celebrities.A daffy, adorable, and very funny celebration of DIY spirit, Be Kind Rewind stars Mos Def (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) as Mike, a clerk at a failing video store in a rundown New Jersey neighborhood. When his friend Jerry (Jack Black), who's been magnetized in a power station accident, wipes all of the videotapes blank, the two of them decide to recreate the movies themselves rather than face the store's owner (Danny Glover). The pure charm of Be Kind Rewind can't be captured in that spare plot synopsis. The blend of the movie's great cast (which also includes Mia Farrow, Melonie Diaz of American Son, and Sigourney Weaver) and pitch-perfect writing and direction from writer-director Michel Gondry (director of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, writer-director of The Science of Sleep) culminates in a truly delightful movie--sweet without being saccharine, ric! hly comic without irony or sarcasm (which, given the presence ! of Black , is surprising), sentimental without losing sight of the hard edges of life. Mos Def turns in a standout performance, deeply sympathetic without a moment of grandstanding. An absolutely winning film. --Bret Fetzer

Orange mCover® Hard Shell Cover Case + Free Keyboard Skin for A1342 White Unibody MacBook 13-inch (Model No. A1342, Order # MC207LL/A MC516LL/A, released after Oct. 20, 2009)

  • Made of USA-made high-quality translucent DOW polycarbonate material, which is shatter-proof and will protect your unibody MacBook all around. NOT compatible with older original A1181 MacBook released before October 20, 2009
  • The ONLY unibody MacBook Hard case with Retractable feet at the rear bottom to let you type more comfortably.
  • 4 x Clear rubber feet on the bottom cover to prevent from slipping on smooth surface.
  • 2-piece light-weight shell covers ( with free custom-designed silicone keyboard cover skin ) easily snaps on and off.
  • Engraved square window to show Apple logo clearly and make it more stylish.
A hilarious rockumentary in the laugh-packed tradition of THIS IS SPINAL TAP -- critics everywhere are howling the praises of HARD CORE LOGO! The punk rock band Hard Core Logo is back -- reunited and hitting the road on a last-gasp tour across the western ! part of the nation. As magnetic lead singer Joe Dick holds the whole tour together through sheer force of will, all the tensions and pitfalls of the rock 'n' roll lifestyle come bursting hilariously to the surface! Featuring a memorable appearance by punk rock legend Joey Ramone of The Ramones -- settle in and enjoy this offbeat comedy as it really cranks up the laughs!Hard Core Logo is often compared to This Is Spinal Tap--and for marketing purposes, that makes sense: both are pretend documentaries about rock bands (a self-important heavy metal crew in Spinal Tap, a self-destructing punk mob in Hard Core Logo). But though Hard Core Logo can be cuttingly funny, it's not really a comedy; it's a piercing examination of friendship and betrayal, success and self-hatred, and everything that fueled punk rock. Lead singer Joe Dick (Hugh Dillon) uses false pretenses to convince guitarist Billy Tallent (Callum Keith Rennie) to reform Hard Core Logo! for a reunion tour across Canada, followed by a film crew (fe! aturing director Bruce McDonald, whose other films include Roadkill and Highway 61, as himself). Tallent agrees, but only because he expects to be joining a much more successful rock group very shortly and sees this as a favor to Dick. As they travel from town to town, their relationship unravels, as does the psyche of bass player John Oxenberger (John Pyper-Ferguson). The performances are astonishingly genuine; even the oafish drummer Pipefitter (Bernie Coulson) becomes three-dimensional. By the end, you'll believe in them so much as people that the band's disintegration is truly wrenching. A remarkable film, both comic and sad. --Bret Fetzer

Hard Core Logo, first published in 1992, is an epistolary novel acclaimed for its realistic depiction of the life of a punk rock band. Consisting of monologues, conversations, letters, interviews, photographs, and related paraphernalia, Hard Core Logo tells the story of Joe Dick, an unrepentant, true-! blue punk rocker whose scarred ideals are renewed when his band reunites for one last shot at rock 'n' roll glory. Hard Core Logo was made into a feature film in 1996; a sequel went into production in February 2010. Michael Turner's other novels include The Pornographer's Poem (Soft Skull Press).

Filmmaker Bruce McDonald's adaptation of Michael Turner's novel Hard Core Logo is about a fictitious Canadian punk band's reunion tour through the great North. Times have changed since the great punk era of the late '70s. Two decades later the music is still high-energy, but the folks playing it are a bit long in the tooth and out to prove otherwise. The music is provided by Hugh Dillon and Swamp Baby, who deliver punk fare such as the accusatory "Who the Hell Do You Think You Are?," the obvious "Rock 'n' Roll Is Fat and Ugly," and the drug-infested "China White (Ten Dollar F**k)." A take on the Dead Boys' "Sonic Reducer" lacks the focus of the origina! l, but the inclusion of the Ramones ("Touring"), Teenage Head ! ("Bonera ck"), and Chris Spedding ("Wild Wild Women") adds a touch of authenticity. --Rob O'ConnorHard Core Logo is often compared to This Is Spinal Tap--and for marketing purposes, that makes sense: both are pretend documentaries about rock bands (a self-important heavy metal crew in Spinal Tap, a self-destructing punk mob in Hard Core Logo). But though Hard Core Logo can be cuttingly funny, it's not really a comedy; it's a piercing examination of friendship and betrayal, success and self-hatred, and everything that fueled punk rock. Lead singer Joe Dick (Hugh Dillon) uses false pretenses to convince guitarist Billy Tallent (Callum Keith Rennie) to reform Hard Core Logo for a reunion tour across Canada, followed by a film crew (featuring director Bruce McDonald, whose other films include Roadkill and Highway 61, as himself). Tallent agrees, but only because he expects to be joining a much more successful rock group very shortly! and sees this as a favor to Dick. As they travel from town to town, their relationship unravels, as does the psyche of bass player John Oxenberger (John Pyper-Ferguson). The performances are astonishingly genuine; even the oafish drummer Pipefitter (Bernie Coulson) becomes three-dimensional. By the end, you'll believe in them so much as people that the band's disintegration is truly wrenching. A remarkable film, both comic and sad. --Bret Fetzer

Hard Core Logo, first published in 1992, is an epistolary novel acclaimed for its realistic depiction of the life of a punk rock band. Consisting of monologues, conversations, letters, interviews, photographs, and related paraphernalia, Hard Core Logo tells the story of Joe Dick, an unrepentant, true-blue punk rocker whose scarred ideals are renewed when his band reunites for one last shot at rock 'n' roll glory. Hard Core Logo was made into a feature film in 1996; a sequel went into production i! n February 2010. Michael Turner's other novels include The ! Pornogra pher's Poem (Soft Skull Press).

Hard Core Logo, first published in 1992, is an epistolary novel acclaimed for its realistic depiction of the life of a punk rock band. Consisting of monologues, conversations, letters, interviews, photographs, and related paraphernalia, Hard Core Logo tells the story of Joe Dick, an unrepentant, true-blue punk rocker whose scarred ideals are renewed when his band reunites for one last shot at rock 'n' roll glory. Hard Core Logo was made into a feature film in 1996; a sequel went into production in February 2010. Michael Turner's other novels include The Pornographer's Poem (Soft Skull Press).

Show off your allegiance to HUSTLER NATION with this authentic HUSTLER HARD CORE LOGO Belly Ring. 14 Gauge (1.6mm), 7/16" Length (11mm), 316L Surgical Grade Stainless Steel# Made of USA-made high-quality translucent DOW polycarbonate material, which is shatter-proof and will protect your unibody Ma! cBook(model #A1342, MC207LL/A) all around. # The ONLY unibody MacBook Hard case with Retractable feet at the rear bottom to let you type more comfortably. It also helps to prolong your unibody MacBook's life with BETTER heat ventilation from features like retractable feet and more wider ventilation slots. # Rubber feet on the front side to prevent from slipping on smooth surface. # 2-piece light-weight shell easily snaps on and off. # Engraved square window to show Apple logo clearly and make it more stylish. # All ports and charging port fully accessible. # 9 colors(Aqua/Black/Blue/Clear/Green/Orange/Pink/Purple/Red) available soon. # This case will NOT fit the original black/white MacBook(released before Oct. 20th, 2009).

Amusement [Blu-ray]

  • Tabitha. Shelby. Lisa. They're longtime friends on separate life paths. But they share a horrific destination when a seemingly innocent incident from their school days comes back to terrify them. Something - someone - wants payback: warped vengeance. mind-games vengeance.taunting, shredding, slashing vengeance. Inside a stone-walled chamber of prison cells and mechanisms of doom, the three women
Tabitha. Shelby. Lisa. Theyre longtime friends on separate life paths. But they share a horrific destination when a seemingly innocent incident from their school days comes back to terrify them. Something someone wants payback: warped vengeance…mind-games vengeance…taunting, shredding, slashing vengeance. Inside a stonewalled chamber of prison cells and mechanisms of doom, the three women and other victims face a fierce fight to survive. Who lives? Who dies? Its all for someones Amusement. From sc! reenwriter Jake Wade Wall (The Hitcher) and director John Simpson (Freeze Frame) comes a new film foray into horror. Turn down the lights. Turn up the fear.Amusement opens with a too-long scene involving a girl named Shelby’s (Laura Breckenridge) reluctance to join a trucking convoy that her boyfriend behind the wheel is for some reason totally dedicated to. One can guess if they ever return from this fateful road trip. From here, the film splinters into three more parts, focusing on Shelby’s childhood friends, Lisa (Jessica Lucas) and Tabitha (Katheryn Winnick), and finally, a serial killer who aims to ensnare them all because they didn’t laugh at his animal-torturing diorama in grade school. The killer, a brainiac who sports rubber apron, gloves, and goggles for his sick enterprises, operates on the premise that his killings are funny, and cackles ring throughout the film. There is not a tremendous amount of gore in Amusement, as it focuses on what lit! tle suspense it manages, as citizens and FBI agents alike fail! to catc h the crafty villain. Perhaps the most notable aspect to this film is the mysterious criminal ringleader, a clown doll, who appears midway through as Tabitha tries to babysit. Furthering Stephen King’s It tradition, this movie gets slightly better when the girls enter this evil clown’s territory, a bedroom packed with clown toys. However, the clown and his clown posse are a bit non sequitur, and the entire film feels confused and patched together. Return to Child’s Play if you really want to delve into evil toys and the young boys who play with them. --Trinie DaltonTabitha. Shelby. Lisa. They're longtime friends on separate life paths. But they share a horrific destination when a seemingly innocent incident from their school days comes back to terrify them. Something - someone - wants payback: warped vengeance... mind-games vengeance...taunting, shredding, slashing vengeance. Inside a stone-walled chamber of prison cells and mechanisms of doom, the! three women and other victims face a fierce fight to survive. Who lives? Who dies? It's all for someone's Amusement. From screenwriter Jake Wade Wall (The Hitcher) and director John Simpson (Freeze Frame) comes a new film foray into horror. Turn down the lights. Turn up the fear.Amusement opens with a too-long scene involving a girl named Shelby’s (Laura Breckenridge) reluctance to join a trucking convoy that her boyfriend behind the wheel is for some reason totally dedicated to. One can guess if they ever return from this fateful road trip. From here, the film splinters into three more parts, focusing on Shelby’s childhood friends, Lisa (Jessica Lucas) and Tabitha (Katheryn Winnick), and finally, a serial killer who aims to ensnare them all because they didn’t laugh at his animal-torturing diorama in grade school. The killer, a brainiac who sports rubber apron, gloves, and goggles for his sick enterprises, operates on the premise that his killings are funny, ! and cackles ring throughout the film. There is not a tremendou! s amount of gore in Amusement, as it focuses on what little suspense it manages, as citizens and FBI agents alike fail to catch the crafty villain. Perhaps the most notable aspect to this film is the mysterious criminal ringleader, a clown doll, who appears midway through as Tabitha tries to babysit. Furthering Stephen King’s It tradition, this movie gets slightly better when the girls enter this evil clown’s territory, a bedroom packed with clown toys. However, the clown and his clown posse are a bit non sequitur, and the entire film feels confused and patched together. Return to Child’s Play if you really want to delve into evil toys and the young boys who play with them. --Trinie Dalton

Lifetime Collective Men's Collector Jacket, Brown Combo, X-Large

Act of God

  • This particular album has all the elements I've come to expect from acapella, great voices, good lyrics, and catchy tunes that are uplifting, sad, and comforting.
On a dark, foggy San Francisco evening, Jeremy Fullerton, a hot shot California senator with his eye on the presidency, is found murdered in the front seat of his car after speaking at a political fundraiser. The police arrest a young black male found fleeing the scene. The youth, a medical student, says that he tried to help the senator, but ran because he was afraid of the police. However, all the evidence says otherwise. The only lawyer willing to take the case, fraught with political and social ramifications, is an outsider -- and Joseph Antonelli leaves his Portland, Oregon, practice in search of justice. As he begins to prepare his defense, he finds himself lost in a world ruled by backroom politics and old money. He digs deep! er and uncovers a chain of deceit, betrayal, and naked ambition -- and soon discovers just how much one person will risk in order to leave behind a legacy.Few know that the face on the famous death mask of Tutankhamen is not his at all. This book reveals an historical mystery which overturns Ancient Egyptian chronology, and also provides evidence that the Parting of the Red Sea and Plagues of Egypt in the Bible are accounts of actual events.Track Listings 1. He's Gonna Let You Know 2. Get To The Point 3. Act Of God 4. House Of Praise 5. And They Praise God 6. Gotta Grow Up 7. Let There Be Love 8. Teaching The Truth In Love 9. Let's Show And Tell 10. Walking The Line

B.A.P.S.

College Road Trip

  • COLLEGE ROAD TRIP (DVD MOVIE)
COLLEGE ROAD TRIP stars Martin Lawrence as Chicago cop James Porter, an overprotective father who wants to keep his college-bound daughter, Melanie (Raven-Symone), close to home. When the smart, assertive Melanie declares her intention to attend Georgetown instead of Northwestern, James insistently sets out with her on a cross-country car journey to Washington D.C., hoping to dissuade her along the way. En route, of course, plenty of hijinks ensue, including scenarios involving a precocious pig and, oddly enough, Donny Osmond, who turns up as an eeriely cheery dad also on a college-touring campaign.Choosing a college and striking out on one's own is an exciting time that requires a big adjustment by both child and parent, but few parents will have as much difficulty relinquishing control over their daughter's life as Chicago police chief James Porter (Martin Lawr! ence). The ultimate in loving but overprotective fathers, James wants his daughter Melanie (Raven-Symoné) to attend nearby Northwestern College, so when she's waitlisted and called for an interview at Georgetown in Washington, D.C., James gets more than a little nervous. Squashing her plans for a road trip to D.C. with her girlfriends, James insists on a father-daughter expedition which he envisions being full of reminiscing, heart-to-heart conversations, and a healthy dose of persuasive promotion of Northwestern. The car trip definitely doesn't turn out as planned--instead it’s a trip rife with strained silences and festering conflict in which the police vehicle rolls down a wooded embankment, Melanie's little brother (Eshaya Draper) and pet pig stow away in the back of the truck, and the Porters inexplicably keep running into a syrupy sweet father (Donny Osmond) and college-bound-daughter (Molly Ephraim) whose close relationship, clean-cut enthusiasm, and willingness t! o befriend and help the Porters is downright unsettling. Absu! rdly fun ny scenes include the family pig crashing and demolishing a fancy outdoor wedding; James' party-loving mother (Arnetia Walker) scrambling to live up to her son's uptight image of her as a fragile, elderly woman; James breaking into a local sorority house and hiding under a bed in hopes of protecting Melanie's innocence, and James' and Melanie's unexpected skydive into Washington, D.C., in order to keep Melanie's interview appointment at Georgetown. In the end, James and Melanie both mature as a result of their road trip and are finally able to forge an emotionally healthy relationship with one another. (Ages 8 and older) --Tami Horiuchi

A Good Day to be Black & Sexy