Friday, December 2, 2011

The Affair of the Necklace

  • A romantic drama based on the controversial true story of Jeanne De La Motte Valois, a countess whose name was stripped from her by the Royal Family during the late 18th Century. The story of her fight to restore her name and proper place in society is filled with mystery, intrigue and desire, with an infamous diamond necklace at the center of it all.Running Time: 118 min. Format: DVD MOVIE G
The Necklace Affair
by Ashley Gardner
A Captain Lacey Regency Mysteries novella

London 1817
Captain Lacey agrees to track down the missing necklace of a society matron and prove the innocence of her maid, who has been arrested for the theft. Lady Clifford declares that the rival for her husband's affections has stolen the necklace, but Lacey soon realizes that the problem is not so simple. He recruits Lady Breckenridge to infiltrate the Clifford household, while Lacey and his fr! iend Lucius Grenville follow other leads. The investigation digs up scandal and past secrets, and Lacey finds himself competing with the underworld criminal, James Denis, for the necklace's retrieval.

This is a 25,000-word (ten-chapter) novella. The events in it occur between the end of The Sudbury School Murders and the beginning of A Body in Berkeley Square.
The Necklace Affair
by Ashley Gardner
A Captain Lacey Regency Mysteries novella

London 1817
Captain Lacey agrees to track down the missing necklace of a society matron and prove the innocence of her maid, who has been arrested for the theft. Lady Clifford declares that the rival for her husband's affections has stolen the necklace, but Lacey soon realizes that the problem is not so simple. He recruits Lady Breckenridge to infiltrate the Clifford household, while Lacey and his friend Lucius Grenville follow other leads. The investigation digs up scandal and past secrets, and Lacey finds ! himself competing with the underworld criminal, James Denis, f! or the n ecklace's retrieval.

This is a 25,000-word (ten-chapter) novella. The events in it occur between the end of The Sudbury School Murders and the beginning of A Body in Berkeley Square.
An anthology of shorter works from the Captain Lacey Regency Mysteries series. The Necklace Affair: Captain Gabriel Lacey agrees to track down the necklace of a society matron and prove the innocence of her maid, who has been arrested for its theft. The investigation reveals scandal and past secrets, and Lacey finds himself competing with the underworld criminal, James Denis, for the necklace's retrieval. The Gentleman's Walking Stick: Captain Lacey untangles a web of deceit involving an old army friend, his only clue being a missing walking stick. The Disappearance of Miss Sarah Oswald: Captain Lacey is asked to locate a gentleman's daughter, although he senses that the family will be just as happy for her to remain missing.A necklace that belonged to Marie Antoinette is to b! e presented to Queen Elizabeth. Blake and Mortimer's sworn enemy Olrik, about to be tried in Paris, manages to escape and steals the precious necklace out from under their noses during a glittering reception in the French capital. The affair threatens to turn into a full-blown diplomatic incident, especially since Olrik is doing his best to embarrass Blake and Mortimer by tipping off the press about his every move.

The child Jeanne Valois lost her family, her home, and her fortune to the greed of an influential aristocrat. Now grown into a proud young woman of rare beauty and exceptional wiles, she has gained entrance to the court of Louis XVI and exquisite, reviled queen Marie Antoinette through an expedient marriage, seeking restitution for what was stolen from her. But Jeanne de La Motte-Valois's entreaties have fallen on deaf royal ears, inflaming her desire for justice...and vengeance.

In an era of excessive splendor, squalor, and cruelty, amid the myraid intrigue! s, both dangerous and erotic, that swirl around the powers of ! France, the brilliant stratagems of a woman wronged will eclipse all others -- as infamy, tragedy, and death loom in the shadows of a conspiracy that begins with a breathtaking vision of diamonds and gold...and ends with revolution.

WEALTH AND DESIRE. POLITICS AND CORRUPTION. CELEBRITY AND SEXUALITY. AN 18TH-CENTURY FRENCHWOMAN COMBINES THEM ALL IN A TREACHEROUS SCHEME TO ACQUIRE THE 2800-CARAT DIAMOND NECKLACE THAT WILL ENABLE HER TO BUY BACK THE ROYAL STATUS TAKEN FROMHER.For all its earnest intrigue, historically accurate references, and elaborate set design, The Affair of the Necklace is best enjoyed as a comedy of Hollywood errors. The court of late-18th-century France is ruled by Marie Antoinette (Joely Richardson), whose confidence and favor is yearned for by Jeanne de la Motte-Valois (Hilary Swank), a young woman stripped of her title and orphaned at a young age. As flashbacks repeatedly remind the audience, Jeanne is essentially pure at heart even as she takes up ! with a court gigolo (Simon Baker) and enacts the intricate scheme from which the title is drawn. Soon embroiled in Jeanne's plan to win back her rightful place in the world are her avaricious husband of convenience, Nicolas (Adrien Brody); the soon-to-be-disposed-of Marie Antoinette; the salacious Cardinal Rohan (Jonathan Pryce); a necklace of questionable taste; and a host of other players. All the makings for a hilarious romp (à la Ridicule) are in place, but director Charles Shyer, with his lavish budget in tow, wants the film to be taken seriously. Only Christopher Walken, in a hilarious turn as the fraudulent soothsayer Count Cagliostro, sees through the facile script and relishes his part in what will no doubt prove a colossal flop. --Fionn Meade

Red Devil 3040 Scraper, Double Edge

  • Red Devil
  • 3040
  • Utility Knives
An American couple on their honeymoon walks into a bar in Guadalajara, Mexico. Unbeknownst to them they capture the attention of Belu, a creature that sits without form in the shadows of the bar. Belu, sensing they have what he needs to help him take over the world, slips into their minds and transforms himself into the object of both of their desires. The couple, unable to resist, takes Belu back to their room for a rapturous Devil's Threesome where Belu extract from them something more valuable to him then their soul.

4,500 Words


*Please note that this story contains very explicit descriptions of erotic and sexual situations written for extreme genital arousal which will lead to self-pleasure. Mature readers only.


Excerpt:
Belu stared deep into her eyes inserting his tongue into her mouth. With! their two muscles again in a dance, Lilly grabbed at Belu's form fitting black shirt and tore it down the center. Pulling the shirt onto his shoulders she tore one arm through then the other. And with Belu's perfectly sculpted torso free, she lunged for his pants.

Loosening the button, Belu's pants popped open and out slither the tip of his hefty thick c***. Lilly, wanting desperately to have it inside her, threw her hips up enticing it to her cl*t. Unable to get past his stretched denim, her hips collided with his tented jeans causing her bones to rattle with frustration. Belu like this.
An American couple on their honeymoon walks into a bar in Guadalajara, Mexico. Unbeknownst to them they capture the attention of Belu, a creature that sits without form in the shadows of the bar. Belu, sensing they have what he needs to help him take over the world, slips into their minds and transforms himself into the object of both of their desires. The couple, unable t! o resist, takes Belu back to their room for a rapturous Devil'! s Threes ome where Belu extract from them something more valuable to him then their soul.

4,500 Words


*Please note that this story contains very explicit descriptions of erotic and sexual situations written for extreme genital arousal which will lead to self-pleasure. Mature readers only.


Excerpt:
Belu stared deep into her eyes inserting his tongue into her mouth. With their two muscles again in a dance, Lilly grabbed at Belu's form fitting black shirt and tore it down the center. Pulling the shirt onto his shoulders she tore one arm through then the other. And with Belu's perfectly sculpted torso free, she lunged for his pants.

Loosening the button, Belu's pants popped open and out slither the tip of his hefty thick c***. Lilly, wanting desperately to have it inside her, threw her hips up enticing it to her cl*t. Unable to get past his stretched denim, her hips collided with his tented jeans causing her bones to rattle with frustration. Belu ! like this.
In 1987, Latif Yahia was taken to Saddam's headquarters to meet Uday, Saddam's eldest son, and told that a great honour has been bestowed upon him: that because of the great likeness between them, he had been chosen to be Uday's double. For many Iraquis, it would have been the highlight of their lives, but for Latif, a peace-loving man who did not agree with Saddam's brutal regime, it was not. He refused. Following a week of torture and realising he would be killed if he continued to refuse, Latif was forced to accept the role. After a gruesome training programme during which he was made to watch over thirty films of torture, hours of tapes of Uday, and undertake a final remodelling of his appearance, Latif was deemed ready. But it was only after the final test, a meeting with Saddam himself, that Latif made his first public appearance. And so began his life as Uday's double - a life on the perimeter of the inner circle of Saddam's eldest son, a witness to the! horror of his insane life of debauchery, excess and brutality! , and an experience for which he almost paid with his life on more than one occasion.Based on a gripping, unbelievable true story of money, power and opulent decadence, Lionsgate’s THE DEVIL’S DOUBLE takes a white- knuckle ride deep into the lawless playground of excess and violence known as Baghdad, 1987. Summoned from the frontline to Saddam Hussein's palace, Iraqi army lieutenant Latif Yahia (Dominic Cooper) is thrust into the highest echelons of the "royal family" when he’s ordered to become the ‘fiday’ â€" or body double â€" to Saddam's son, the notorious "Black Prince" Uday Hussein (also Dominic Cooper), a reckless, sadistic party-boy with a rabid hunger for sex and brutality. With his and his family’s lives at stake, Latif must surrender his former self forever as he learns to walk, talk and act like Uday. But nothing could have prepared him for the horror of the Black Prince’s psychotic, drug-addled life of fast cars, easy women and impulsive violence. With one! wrong move costing him his life, Latif forges an intimate bond with Sarrab (Ludivine Sagnier), Uday's seductive mistress who’s haunted by her own secrets. But as war looms with Kuwait and Uday’s depraved gangster regime threatens to destroy them all, Latif realizes that escape from the devil’s den will only come at the highest possible cost.After scene-stealing turns in The History Boys and An Education, charismatic Brit Dominic Cooper becomes a leading man--twice. Like Nicolas Cage in Adaptation, he plays two men with similar features and opposing personalities. In 1987, as Iraq is locked in a power struggle with Kuwait, Uday Hussein decides he needs a fiday, or body double, so he selects former classmate Latif Yahia, and doesn't give the army lieutenant a choice. Upright Latif must put his scruples aside to take on the part of an insecure, misogynistic sadist. Though dazzled by the Black Prince's wealth, he finds his behavior horrifying,! and discovers he isn't alone. Uday's security officer, Munem ! (Raad Ra wi), his mistress, Sarrab (Swimming Pool's Ludivine Sagnier), and even his father, Saddam (Philip Quast, surprisingly sympathetic), all think he's off his rocker. When Uday's encounters with a couple of women come to a grim end, Latif runs away with Sarrab, who's just as anxious to make a new life for herself. New Zealand director Lee Tamahori, who came to fame with Once Were Warriors, consistently goes for the big, the bold, and the operatic, leading to an entertaining, if lurid Scarface-like spectacle. The more his camera ogles Uday's snazzy suits and sexy conquests, the more he seems equally bedazzled by this real-life Devil. Fortunately, Cooper rises to the occasion with two impressively divergent performances; he keeps you rapt no matter how ridiculous the proceedings get. --Kathleen C. FennessyBased on a gripping, unbelievable true story of money, power and opulent decadence, Lionsgate’s THE DEVIL’S DOUBLE takes a white- knuckle ride dee! p into the lawless playground of excess and violence known as Baghdad, 1987. Summoned from the frontline to Saddam Hussein's palace, Iraqi army lieutenant Latif Yahia (Dominic Cooper) is thrust into the highest echelons of the "royal family" when he’s ordered to become the ‘fiday’ â€" or body double â€" to Saddam's son, the notorious "Black Prince" Uday Hussein (also Dominic Cooper), a reckless, sadistic party-boy with a rabid hunger for sex and brutality. With his and his family’s lives at stake, Latif must surrender his former self forever as he learns to walk, talk and act like Uday. But nothing could have prepared him for the horror of the Black Prince’s psychotic, drug-addled life of fast cars, easy women and impulsive violence. With one wrong move costing him his life, Latif forges an intimate bond with Sarrab (Ludivine Sagnier), Uday's seductive mistress who’s haunted by her own secrets. But as war looms with Kuwait and Uday’s depraved gangster regime t! hreatens to destroy them all, Latif realizes that escape from ! the devi l’s den will only come at the highest possible cost.After scene-stealing turns in The History Boys and An Education, charismatic Brit Dominic Cooper becomes a leading man--twice. Like Nicolas Cage in Adaptation, he plays two men with similar features and opposing personalities. In 1987, as Iraq is locked in a power struggle with Kuwait, Uday Hussein decides he needs a fiday, or body double, so he selects former classmate Latif Yahia, and doesn't give the army lieutenant a choice. Upright Latif must put his scruples aside to take on the part of an insecure, misogynistic sadist. Though dazzled by the Black Prince's wealth, he finds his behavior horrifying, and discovers he isn't alone. Uday's security officer, Munem (Raad Rawi), his mistress, Sarrab (Swimming Pool's Ludivine Sagnier), and even his father, Saddam (Philip Quast, surprisingly sympathetic), all think he's off his rocker. When Uday's encounters with a couple of women come to a g! rim end, Latif runs away with Sarrab, who's just as anxious to make a new life for herself. New Zealand director Lee Tamahori, who came to fame with Once Were Warriors, consistently goes for the big, the bold, and the operatic, leading to an entertaining, if lurid Scarface-like spectacle. The more his camera ogles Uday's snazzy suits and sexy conquests, the more he seems equally bedazzled by this real-life Devil. Fortunately, Cooper rises to the occasion with two impressively divergent performances; he keeps you rapt no matter how ridiculous the proceedings get. --Kathleen C. FennessyRed Devil 3040 Scraper, Double EdgeUse to remove paint or varnish from furniture, molding, cornices, wooden sashes, etc. Heavy-duty plastic handle.Red Devil 3040 Scraper, Double Edge Features:; 1 1/2" (3.8 cm) Blade; Carded; Made from hardwood for long lasting life; Hardened high-carbon steel blades; Replacement blade 3062 (3673-5355); 7" x 1-1/2"

Boogie Woogie [Blu-ray]

  • BOOGIE WOOGIE BLU-RAY (BLU-RAY DISC)
An all-star cast has wicked fun in skewering the pretentions and superficiality of the art world in this comic romp by director Duncan Ward. Emmy and Golden Globe winner Gillian Anderson (The X-Files) is a cougar on the prowl for a new boy-toy; Heather Graham (Boogie Nights, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me) is an ambitious assistant who will do anything to advance her career; Tony winner Alan Cumming (X-Men 2) is a hapless dealer with too much decency for his own good; Danny Huston (Robin Hood, Clash Of The Titans) is a rapacious dealer; and the legendary Christopher Lee (The Lord Of The Rings trilogy) is the owner of the priceless work of art titled Boogie Woogie that they all circle with naked desire. Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but art ALWAYS has a price.The infectious rhythms of boogie woogie piano were a huge influence on Rock & Ro! ll, and here we present original masters Albert Ammons, Meade "Lux" Lewis, Pete Johnson, Clarence "Pine Top" Smith, Blind Leroy Garnett, Jimmy Yancey, Montana Taylor, and more.An all-star cast has wicked fun in skewering the pretentions and superficiality of the art world in this comic romp by director Duncan Ward. Emmy and Golden Globe winner Gillian Anderson (The X-Files) is a cougar on the prowl for a new boy-toy; Heather Graham (Boogie Nights, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me) is an ambitious assistant who will do anything to advance her career; Tony winner Alan Cumming (X-Men 2) is a hapless dealer with too much decency for his own good; Danny Huston (Robin Hood, Clash Of The Titans) is a rapacious dealer; and the legendary Christopher Lee (The Lord Of The Rings trilogy) is the owner of the priceless work of art titled Boogie Woogie that they all circle with naked desire. Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but art ALWAYS has a price.

Deep Water

Combat of Giants Dinosaurs

  • Roam the Jurassic world in full 3D and feel the depth of the jungle, crush trees and rocks to get special rewards.
  • Perform real-time actions such as blocking, dodging, hitting and execute your new super combination attack with a unique fighting style for each dinosaur.
  • Choose your favorite dinosaur among 18 breeds customize them with over 35 colors and patterns, your dinosaur will be more unique than ever.
  • Wirelessly battle others player's champions when your 3DS' come into range of each other using StreetPass.
  • In Combat of Giant Dinosaurs 3D players become the Dino of their choice, customizing it as they choose and leveling it up in order to challenge the top dinosaur, Arkosaurus.
This fascinating film focuses on the history, evolution and extinction of the dinosaurs. In larger-than-life fashion, you will explore a subject matter whose mystique and appeal are ! unquestioned. Dinosaurs are amongst the most fascinating animals to have ever walked the Earth. We are captivated by their enormous size and intrigued by the fact that they disappeared millions of years ago DINOSAURS: GIANTS OF PATAGONIA will take you on an unprecedented and unique journey into the world of the largest known dinosaurs and, in the process, explore some of the great paleontological discoveries of modern time. Done in close collaboration with the foremost scientists of the domain, the movie will show never seen before computer generated footage of the Giganotosaurus and the Argentinosaurus to name a few. At the moment of initiating this extraordinary project, one question comes to mind: "Is your screen big enough?"Narated by Donald SutherlandUncover the mysteries buried beneath our feet! Join the world's preeminent paleontologists in this eye-popping IMAX adventure as they uncover some of history's most astonishing dinosaur finds. Travel across the exotic dune! s of the Gobi Desert and along the sandstone buttes of New Mex! ico as s cientists make brand-new discoveries about dinosaur behavior, their environments and find what could be the oldest dinosaur ever unearthed in North America. With stunningly realistic and scientifically accurate CGI, you ll see these amazing creatures come alive ... in a big way! Narrated by Michael Douglas.

Originally conceived, photographed and released in ultra high-resolution IMAX® 3D process. The 3D image is optimized for home viewing by scanning the original 15/70 image at a 5.6K resolution for the 3D Blu-rayTM release. This 3D Blu-ray will play on a standard Blu-ray player.Over 150 million years ago in a world dominated by Dinosaurs, natural disasters were changing earth and causing chaos.  In the fight to become the top predator, only the most powerful dinosaurs could survive and had to battle the Arkosaurus, the most ferocious dinosaur species in the Jurassic world.

Combat of Giant Dinosaurs 3D for 3DS is a single player, hand! held, adventure that blends dinosaur-on-dinosaur combat action with the modern functionality possible with the Nintendo 3DS.* Players engage in unique light role-playing game (RPG) elements in which a dinosaur champion is chosen that they will utilize in exploring the gameworld, as well as in battle against all challenging dinosaurs in a competition that will eventually decide ultimate power in the Jurassic world. Additional features include: fast-paced, real-time fights; dinosaur customization, Interaction with other players via Nintendo 3DS StreetPass functionality and more.

Combat of Giant Dinosaurs 3D game box

Story

Over 150 million years ago in a world dominated by dinosaurs, natural disaste! rs were changing earth and causing chaos. In the fight to beco! me the t op predator, only the most powerful dinosaurs could survive and had to battle the Arkosaurus, the most ferocious dinosaur species in the Jurassic world.

A customized dinosaur battling an Albertosaurus in Combat of Giant Dinosaurs 3D
Battle for supremacy in the Jurassic world as the dinosaur of your choice.
View larger.

Gameplay

Combat of Giant Dinosaurs 3D is a unique single player blend of action combat from the perspective of dinosaurs, with light role-playing game (RPG) elements in which the goal is to become the top dinosaur and then challenge the main boss in the game, Arkosaurus. The game contains 4 groups of playable din! osaurs: apex predators, mid-level fast hunters, large aggressive herbivores and large defensive herbivores. Players choose one, customizing it as they see fit and controlling it in a series of rampages through the various environments found in the game. Along the way you must master the abilities of your beast as well as work on leveling it up by finding hidden items. More importantly you will also battle dinosaurs that you encounter. These will be both from your dinosaur's group and the other three. Battles require both offensive and defensive techniques in order to succeed at the highest level and special attacks are available. Additional gameplay elements are available via the 3DS' StreetPass functionality.

StreetPass

Social and wired like no Nintendo system before it, Nintendo 3DS brings fellow players together in exciting new ways with StreetPass communication. Simply set your Nintendo 3DS to Sleep Mode and carry it with you wherever you go. In Com! bat of Giant Dinosaurs 3D this means that your designated ! dinosaur champion can automatically battle other champions stored on other 3DS handhelds with StreetPass enabled that you come into wireless range of. Through StreetPass you can also exchange rare game items wirelessly. You control what data you exchange, making virtual connections with real world people you encounter in your daily life.

Key Game Features

  • Dive Into a 3D Jurassic World - Roam the Jurassic world in full 3D and feel the depth of the jungle, crush trees and rocks to get special rewards. Enjoy as well a strong 3D storytelling between 2 intense fights.
  • Spectacular Combat and Real-Time Fights - Engage in fast-paced fights with direct control over your giant creature. Perform real-time actions such as blocking, dodging, hitting and execute your new super combination attack with a unique fighting style for each dinosaur.
  • Ultimate Dino Customization - Choose and customize your favorite dinosaur among 18 breeds such! as T-Rex, Stegosaurus, Velociraptor, Triceratops, Ankylosaurus, and Baryonyx. With over 35 colors and patterns, your dinosaur will be more unique than ever.
  • StreetPass Functionality - Wirelessly battle others player's champions when your 3DS' come into range of each other.
  • Light RPG Action - In Combat of Giant Dinosaurs 3D players become the dinosaur of their choice, customizing it as they choose and leveling up their stats in order to challenge the top dinosaur, Arkosaurus.

Additional Screenshots

T. Rex from Combat of Giant Dinosaurs 3D
18 dinos! to choose from.
View larger.
View of a gameworld as seen from space in Combat of Giant Dinosaurs 3D
Diverse environments.
View larger.
A triceratops in a desert environment in Combat of Giant Dinosaurs 3D
Extreme customization.
View larger.
An allosaurus ready to pounce in Combat of !  Giant Dinosaurs 3D
Unleash devastating attacks.
View larger.

* Nintendo 3DS sold separately.


Capezio Daisy 205 Ballet Shoe (Toddler/Little Kid),Ballet Pink,8 M US Toddler

Clear and Present Danger (Jack Ryan)

  • ISBN13: 9780425122129
  • Condition: New
  • Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
In CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER, Harrison Ford returns as intrepid CIA agent Jack Ryan. When his mentor, Admiral Greer (Jones), becomes gravely ill, Ryan is appointed acting CIA Deputy Director of Intelligence. His first assignment: investigate the murder of one of the President's friends, a prominent U.S. businessman with secret ties to Colombian drug cartels. Unbeknownst to Ryan, the CIA has already dispatched a deadly field operative (Dafoe) to lead a paramilitary force against the Colombian drug lords. Caught in the crossfire, Ryan takes matters into his own hands, risking his career and life for the only cause he still believes in -- the truth.The third installment in the cinematic incarnation of ! Tom Clancy's CIA analyst Jack Ryan and the second starring Harrison Ford, this follow-up to Patriot Games is a more complex, rewarding, and bolder film than its predecessor. Ford returns as Ryan, this time embroiled in a failed White House bid to wipe out a Colombian drug cartel and cover up the mess. The script, by Clancy and John Milius (Red Dawn), has an air of true adventure about it as Ryan places himself in harm's way to extract covert soldiers abandoned in a Latin American jungle. There are a couple of remarkable set pieces expertly handled by Patriot Games director Phillip Noyce, especially a shocking scene involving an ambush on Ryan's car in an alley. The supporting cast is superb, including Willem Dafoe as the soldiers' leader, Henry Czerny as Ryan's enemy at the CIA, Joaquim de Almeida as a smooth-talking villain, Ann Magnuson as an unwitting confederate in international crime, and James Earl Jones as Ryan's dying boss. The DVD release has a! widescreen presentation, theatrical trailer, closed captionin! g, optio nal French soundtrack, and optional Spanish subtitles. --Tom Keogh Widescreen/Blu-Ray. PG 13.Clear and Present Danger is a 1994 film directed by Phillip Noyce, based on the book of the same name by Tom Clancy. As in the novel, Jack Ryan is appointed Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Acting Deputy Director and discovers that he is being kept in the dark by colleagues who are conducting a covert war against drug lords in Colombia.The third installment in the cinematic incarnation of Tom Clancy's CIA analyst Jack Ryan and the second starring Harrison Ford, this follow-up to Patriot Games is a more complex, rewarding, and bolder film than its predecessor. Ford returns as Ryan, this time embroiled in a failed White House bid to wipe out a Colombian drug cartel and cover up the mess. The script, by Clancy and John Milius (Red Dawn), has an air of true adventure about it as Ryan places himself in harm's way to extract covert soldiers abandoned in a Latin Americ! an jungle. There are a couple of remarkable set pieces expertly handled by Patriot Games director Phillip Noyce, especially a shocking scene involving an ambush on Ryan's car in an alley. The supporting cast is superb, including Willem Dafoe as the soldiers' leader, Henry Czerny as Ryan's enemy at the CIA, Joaquim de Almeida as a smooth-talking villain, Ann Magnuson as an unwitting confederate in international crime, and James Earl Jones as Ryan's dying boss. The DVD release has a widescreen presentation, theatrical trailer, closed captioning, optional French soundtrack, and optional Spanish subtitles. --Tom Keogh The third installment in the cinematic incarnation of Tom Clancy's CIA analyst Jack Ryan and the second starring Harrison Ford, this follow-up to Patriot Games is a more complex, rewarding, and bolder film than its predecessor. Ford returns as Ryan, this time embroiled in a failed White House bid to wipe out a Colombian drug cartel and cover u! p the mess. The script, by Clancy and John Milius (Red Dawn! ), h as an air of true adventure about it as Ryan places himself in harm's way to extract covert soldiers abandoned in a Latin American jungle. There are a couple of remarkable set pieces expertly handled by Patriot Games director Phillip Noyce, especially a shocking scene involving an ambush on Ryan's car in an alley. The supporting cast is superb, including Willem Dafoe as the soldiers' leader, Henry Czerny as Ryan's enemy at the CIA, Joaquim de Almeida as a smooth-talking villain, Ann Magnuson as an unwitting confederate in international crime, and James Earl Jones as Ryan's dying boss. The DVD release has a widescreen presentation, theatrical trailer, closed captioning, optional French soundtrack, and optional Spanish subtitles. --Tom Keogh The controversial bestseller from Tom Clancy, the all-time master of the techno-thriller. CIA Deputy Director Jack Ryan joins the war on drugs. And when three American officials are assassinated in Colombia, the U.S. response! is swift-and shocking.At the end of the prologue to Clear and Present Danger, Clancy writes, "And so began something that had not quite begun and would not soon end, with many people in many places moving off in directions and on missions which they all mistakenly thought they understood. That was just as well. The future was too fearful for contemplation, and beyond the expected, illusory finish lines were things fated by the decisions made this morning--and, once decided, best unseen." In Clear and Present Danger nothing is as clear as it may seem.

The president, unsatisfied with the success of his "war on drugs," decides that he wants some immediate success. But after John Clark's covert strike team is deployed to Colombia for Operation Showboat, the drug lords strike back taking several civilian casualties. The chief executive's polls plummet. He orders Ritter to terminate their unofficial plan and leave no traces. Jack Ryan, who has just ! been named CIA deputy director of intelligence is enraged whe! n he dis covers that has been left out of the loop of Colombian operations. Several of America's most highly trained soldiers are stranded in an unfinished mission that, according to all records, never existed. Ryan decides to get the men out.

Ultimately, Clear and Present Danger is about good conscience, law, and politics, with Jack Ryan and CIA agent John Clark as its dual heroes. Ryan relentlessly pursues what he knows is right and legal, even if it means confronting the president of the United States. Clark is the perfect soldier, but a man who finally holds his men higher than the orders of any careless commander.

Along with the usual, stunning array of military hardware and the latest techno-gadgets, Clear and Present Danger further develops the relationships and characters that Clancy fans have grown to love. Admiral James Greer passes the CIA torch to his pupil, Ryan. Mr. Clark and Chavez meet for the first time. Other recurring characters l! ike Robert Ritter and "the President" add continuity to Clancy's believable, alternate reality. This is Clancy at his best. --Patrick O'Kelley