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The Visitor

Actors: Richard Jenkins, Hazz Sleiman, Hiam Abbas
ASIN : B0015OKWKI
Sales Rank : 323
Director : Tom McCarthy
Studio : ANCHOR BAY
Region Code : 1
Format : Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, HiFi Sound, Surround Sound, THX, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0013138000897
UPC : 013138000897
Release Date : December 07, 2008
Publisher : ANCHOR BAY
Manufacturer : ANCHOR BAY
Availability : Usually ships in 2 days
Label : ANCHOR BAY
Running Time : 104

Product Description

Hailed as "one of the year's most intriguing dramas" (Claudia Puig, USA TODAY), The Visitor stars Richard Jenkins (Six Feet Under) in a perfect performance (Lisa Schwarzbaum, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY) as Walter, a disaffected college professor who has been drifting aimlessly through his life. When, in a chance encounter on a trip into New York, Walter discovers a couple has taken up residence in his apartment in the city, he develops an unexpected and profound connection to them that will change his life forever. As challenges arise for his tenants, Walter finds himself compelled to help his new friends, and rediscovers a passion he thought he had lost long ago. The year's first genuine must-see film" (Ann Hornaday, THE WASHINGTON POST) about rediscovering life's rhythms in the most unexpected places

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A deeply moving drama built around longtime character actor Richard Jenkins, The Visitor is a simmering drama about a college professor and recent widower, Walter Vale (Jenkins), who discovers a pair of homeless, illegal aliens living in his New York apartment. After the mix-up is resolved, Vale invites the couple--a young, Syrian musician named Tarek (Haaz Sleiman) and his Senegalese girlfriend (Danai Gurira--to stay with him. An unlikely friendship develops between the retiring, quiet Vale and the vital Tarek, and the former begins to loosen up and respond to Tarek’s drumming lessons as if something in him waiting to be liberated has finally arrived. All goes well until Tarek is hauled in by immigration authorities and threatened with deportation. His mother, Mouna (Hiam Abbass), turns up and stays with Vale, sparking a renewed if subdued interest in courtship. But the wheels of injustice in immigration crush all manner of hopes in post-9/11 America. Vale soon realizes his unexpected capacity for anger over Tarek’s plight, and the positive changes to his personal life that emerged from a deep involvement with his friend and Mouna, might be the only legacy he takes from this experience. Writer-director Thomas McCarthy has created a wonderfully measured story about change and renewal, and put it all on the shoulders of Jenkins, a largely unheralded but masterful performer whose time for renown has surely come. --Tom Keogh

Stills from The Visitor (click for larger image)

Beyond The Visitor

On Blu-ray
Soundtrack CD
Also directed by Tom McCarthy

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William Shakespeare's Hamlet (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Actors: Kenneth Branagh, Julie Christie, Billy Crystal, Gérard Depardieu, Kate Winslet
ASIN : B00005JLCI
Sales Rank : 689
Director : Kenneth Branagh
Brand : Warner Brothers
Studio : Warner Home Video
Region Code : 1
Format : AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Original recording remastered, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0053939268324
UPC : 053939268324
Release Date : December 14, 2007
Publisher : Warner Home Video
Manufacturer : Warner Home Video
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : Warner Home Video
Running Time : 242

Product Description

Studio: Castle Rock Hm Video Release Date: 08/14/2007 Run time: 242 minutes

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It's the greatest work of literature, but nobody had ever filmed Hamlet uncut--until Kenneth Branagh went about the task for his lavish 1996 production. The result is a sumptuous, star-studded version that scores a palpable hit on its avowed goal: to make the text as clear and urgent as possible. Branagh himself plays the melancholy son of the Danish court, caught in a famous muddle about whether to seek revenge against his royal father's presumed slayer… the man who now sits on the throne and shares the bed of Hamlet's mother. (Or, as the song "That's Entertainment" summarizes the plot: "A ghost and a prince meet / And everyone winds up mincemeat.") As a director, Branagh (who shot the movie in 70 mm.) uses the vast, cold interiors of a vaguely 19th-century manor to gorgeous effect; the story might scurry down this hallway, into that back chamber, or sprawl out into the enormous main room. With its endless collection of mirrors, the place is as big and empty as Citizen Kane's Xanadu.

That all works; what doesn't work is Branagh's tendency to over-direct the big dramatic moments. He indulges in quick cutting and flashbacks as though to fend off the audience's objections to the four-hour running time, and the style sometimes looks like wasted energy. The experienced Shakespearians in the cast come off nicely; Derek Jacobi's Claudius, Richard Briers' Polonius, and Michael Maloney's Laertes are just terrific. Julie Christie is a suitably attractive Gertrude, and Kate Winslet makes the most of Ophelia's mad scenes. Branagh's habit of folding in unexpected American performers is on the mark, too: Billy Crystal is surprisingly good as the Gravedigger, Robin Williams predictably camps up Osric, and Charlton Heston is an inspired choice as the grandiloquent Player King. The biggest irony here is that Branagh himself is not quite spot-on as Hamlet. Of course he speaks the lines beautifully, but Branagh's screen personality radiates certainty and clarity of vision; there's little of the doubt that might make him Hamlet-esque. Still, tremendous credit for fending off slings and arrows to get the movie made. --Robert Horton

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Flywheel (Director's Cut)

Actors: Alex Kendrick, Janet Lee Dapper, Richie Hunnewell
ASIN : B000VECADK
Sales Rank : 649
Director : Alex Kendrick
Brand : Sony
Studio : Sony Pictures
Region Code : 99
Format : AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Director's Cut, Dolby, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0043396224070
UPC : 043396224070
Release Date : December 13, 2007
Publisher : Sony Pictures
Manufacturer : Sony Pictures
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : Sony Pictures
Running Time : 114

Product Description

Jay Austin wants to sell you a used car, but watch out! Many victims have fallen prey to his smiling face and hasty promises. Austin does everything his way until his dishonesty and manipulation are repeatedly exposed. Like many men, he becomes disgusted by the masks he wears and lies he tells. While having a classic convertible repaired, Austin begins a humorous and inspiring journey to win back the hearts of his wife, his son, and his community. In every man's life, there can be a turning point. When Jay Austin makes his turn, he never looks back.

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Flywheel is the first film from the creators of Facing the Giants and Fireproof. Used car salesman Jay Austin (writer/director Alex Kendrick) swindles his customers and teaches his assistant salesmen to do the same--but despite the profits, something gnaws at him. When he realizes that his own son doesn't respect him, Austin has a conversion and accepts God into his life. This would be the end of most spiritual stories, but Flywheel finds a warm comedy in the obstacles on the path of righteousness; Austin discovers that being right with God means grappling every day with what it means to be honest. Though the filmmaking is raw (the editing is often clumsy and the cinematography is flat), the story is well-paced, has a gently ironic sense of humor, and Kendrick's central performance is compelling. Kendrick is just as persuasive as a man struggling to emerge from a joyless life as he is when he's rediscovered his faith but finds it constantly tested. Though Flywheel is forthright about its Christian inspiration, the story is about actually living a moral life, not about abstract spiritual truths. The result is a movie that looks towards heaven, but has its feet on the earth. --Bret Fetzer

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Freaks and Geeks - The Complete Series

Actors: Linda Cardellini, John Francis Daley, James Franco, Samm Levine, Seth Rogen
ASIN : B0001EQHXO
Sales Rank : 513
Brand : UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP DISTRIBUTION
Studio : Shout Factory Theatr
Region Code : 1
Format : Box set, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 9780738927831
ISBN : 073892783X
UPC : 826663482096
Release Date : December 06, 2004
Publisher : Shout Factory Theatr
Manufacturer : Shout Factory Theatr
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : Shout Factory Theatr
Running Time : 1080

Description

Over 35,000 fans have demanded it, and so it has come. That’s how many rabid "Freaks and Geeks" fans have signed a petition via the Internet to plead for its release on DVD. "Freaks and Geeks," the Emmy® award-winning series about the trials and tribulations of high school outsiders in 1980 Michigan is finally coming out on DVD in its original form, with all the original music. And believe us – clearing over 130 music cues from the likes of The Who, Billy Joel, Bob Seger and their peers was no easy task.

"Freaks and Geeks" ran for only one television season, but arguably remains the most sought-after series yet to be released on DVD. Just 18 episodes were made, but its legend has exploded over time. Cast members have gone on to stardom, articles have continued to be written, internet activity abounds. Shout! Factory celebrates this incredible television series with the passionate treatment it deserves.

Box set features:
- The complete series – all 18 episodes on 6 DVDs, including the director’s cut of the pilot, with never-before-seen footage.
- Deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes footage and outtakes.
- 29 audio commentaries by the actors, writers, directors, network executives, parents of cast members and obsessive fans.
- 28-page booklet with an essay by "Freaks and Geeks" creator Paul Feig, Q&A with executive producer/writer Judd Apatow and illustrated by extremely geeky photos.
- Deluxe DVDigistak style package with graphics behind the clear trays in a sturdy slip-case.

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The comedy/drama Freaks and Geeks limped through its sole season on NBC in 1999 before being expelled by the network--but not before earning critical acclaim and a devoted fan base that fought valiantly to keep it on the air. Now all 18 episodes have been released in this long-awaited boxed set, which allows longtime fans and first-timers alike to enjoy one of television's most poignant and funny programs about high school.

Created by writer-comedian Paul Feig and executive produced by Judd Apatow (The Larry Sanders Show), Freaks and Geeks followed the Weir siblings--former math whiz Lindsay (Linda Cardellini of the Scooby-Doo feature films and ER) and her younger brother Sam (John Francis Daley)--as they navigated the perils and pleasures of a Michigan high school circa 1980. What separated Freaks and Geeks from most other scholastic series was its brutal honesty--Lindsay and Sam, as well as their friends and parents, were given very human personas that showed failure, malice, indecision, and moments of great clarity. Likewise, the plotlines rarely offered pat solutions to the characters' conflicts--the show unfolded in a naturalistic manner, which was a welcome respite for viewers tired of flashy high school dramas. When combined with its smart dialogue and winning performances (the cast included SCTV veteran Joe Flaherty and Spider-Man star James Franco, as well as the sublime and criminally underrecognized Martin Starr and Seth Rogen as Sam's pal Bill and dry-witted Ken, respectively), the show became a haven for fans of quality television, if only for a brief period of time.

The six-disc boxed set provides over 40 hours of supplemental material, which should satiate even the most obsessive of fans. Twenty-nine separate commentaries from the show's creators, cast (and as some of their parents!), composer Mike Andrews, and fans are included, as are 60 deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes footage, and cast auditions. However, the most striking extra is the warmth that radiates from the commentary participants--their pleasure in taking part in such a quality program is palpable, and will undoubtedly be echoed by all who watch these discs. --Paul Gaita

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Pay It Forward

Actors: Kevin Spacey, Haley Joel Osment, Helen Hunt, Jay Mohr, James Caviezel
ASIN : B00005B4BI
Sales Rank : 1286
Director : Mimi Leder
Brand : Warner Brothers
Studio : Warner Home Video
Region Code : 1
Format : Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 9780790756806
ISBN : 0790756803
UPC : 085391887720
Release Date : December 15, 2001
Publisher : Warner Home Video
Manufacturer : Warner Home Video
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : Warner Home Video
Running Time : 123

Product Description

How much impact can one heartfelt idea have? a junior-high students class project idea ignites a chain reaction of goodness and consequences. The boys idea: when someone does you a favor dont pay it back pay it forward. Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 11/11/2008 Starring: Kevin Spacey Haley Joel Osment Run time: 123 minutes Rating: Pg13 Director: Mimi Leder

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Pay It Forward is a multi-level marketing scheme of the heart. Beginning as a seventh-grade class assignment to put into action an idea that could change the world, young Trevor McKinney (Haley Joel Osment) comes up with a plan to do good deeds for three people who then by way of payment each must do good turns for three other people. These nine people also must pay it forward and so on, ad infinitum. If successful, the resulting network of do-gooders ought to comprise the entire world. Trevor's attempts to get the ball rolling include befriending a junkie (James Caviezel) and trying to set up his recovering-alcoholic mother (Helen Hunt) with his burn-victim teacher (Kevin Spacey), who posed the assignment.

While this could have turned into unmitigated schmaltz, the acting elevates this film to mitigated schmaltz. By turns powerful and measured, the performances of Spacey, Hunt, and Osment can't make up for the many missteps in a screenplay that sanitizes the look of the lower-middle class and expects us to believe that homeless alcoholics and junkies speak in the elevated manner of grad students. (Can that really be Angie Dickinson as Hunt's dispossessed mother? Yes, it is!) The germ of the story is a good one, though, and one may wonder how it would have been handled by the likes of Frank Capra, who could balance sentiment with humor. But clearly Capra would never have let the ending of his version to take the nosedive into cliché and pathos that director Mimi Leder has allowed in this film. More than a few viewers will also recognize that Leder has blatantly borrowed her final image from Field of Dreams, where its intended effect was more keenly and honestly felt. --Jim Gay

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Lady and the Tramp (50th Anniversary Edition)

Actors: Barbara Luddy, Larry Roberts, Peggy Lee, Bill Thompson, Bill Baucom
ASIN : B000B8QG4A
Sales Rank : 457
Director : Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske, Wilfred Jackson
Brand : Disney
Studio : Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Region Code : 1
Format : Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, Special Edition, Surround Sound, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 9780788859533
ISBN : 0788859536
UPC : 786936284058
Release Date : December 28, 2006
Publisher : Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Manufacturer : Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Label : Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Running Time : 76

Description

Walt Disney's LADY AND THE TRAMP, filled with memorable music and purebred fun, now shines like never before with an all-new digital restoration! Embark on a thrilling adventure with the most unforgettable characters: Lady, a lovingly pampered cocker spaniel; Tramp, a mutt from across the tracks with a heart of gold; Jock and Trusty, Lady's best friends; and Si and Am, two of the most devious cats to prowl across the screen. The happiest of endings takes place on a lovely bella notte as Lady learns what it means to be footloose and leash-free. Unleash all the fun and excitement in this 2-Disc Special Edition, including never-before-seen deleted scenes, 5.1 Disney Enhanced Home Theater Mix, all-new games, making-of secrets, and much more!

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It's still one of the sweetest kisses onscreen, up there with Bergman and Grant, Bogey and Bacall: the moment when pampered purebred Lady and streetwise mongrel Tramp, sharing a moonlit plate of spaghetti in an alley behind an Italian café, unknowingly slurp the same strand, and suddenly find their mouths meeting in surprise and tenderness. Ah, puppy love. Lady and the Tramp is a delight of animation and surprisingly deep character development, given that the stars are all dogs. Lady, an adorable Cocker Spaniel, feels neglected when her owners become distracted by the pending birth of a baby. But the last straw is clueless Aunt Sarah's appearance with her conniving Siamese cats (among Disney's most creatively evil villains), who wreak havoc on Lady's blissful home life. Soon Lady is off on an adventure in the streets, where the savvy Tramp takes her under his paw. The lessons of friendship and loyalty, of integrity--not to mention trusting in the kindness of strangers--ring true to delighted children and adults alike. And unlike many Disney films, there's no real violence, only challenges that smart dogs (including a tough-talking vamp named Peg, voiced sublimely by Peggy Lee, who also wrote the songs), banding together, can tackle. The animation is terrific; the scene where we first meet Tramp shows him rinsing off under a pipe, and his subsequent shaking-off of the water follows the detailed rippling up and down his back that any dog lover will recognize. And is there any song more romantic than "Bella Notte"? Bellissima! --A.T. Hurley

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Step Up 2 The Streets

Actor: Robert Hoffman
ASIN : B0012QCZ54
Sales Rank : 779
Studio : TOUCHSTONE / DISNEY
Region Code : 1
Format : AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0786936758757
UPC : 786936758757
Release Date : December 15, 2008
Publisher : TOUCHSTONE / DISNEY
Manufacturer : TOUCHSTONE / DISNEY
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : TOUCHSTONE / DISNEY
Running Time : 98

Product Description

When rebellious street dancer Andie lands at the elite Maryland School of the Arts, she finds herself fighting to fit in while also trying to hold onto her old life. When she joins forces with the schools hottest dancer, Chase, to form a crew of classmate outcasts to compete in Baltimore s underground dance battle The Streets, she ultimately finds a way to live her dream while building a bridge between her two separate worlds.

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When life throws you curveballs, lemons, or closed doors, there's just one solution: Dance! Step Up 2 The Streets is a worthy entry into the inspirational dance-it-out film lexicon, with moves, choreography, and music that sometimes seem to defy even gravity. The spunky young heroine is Andie, played with sass and amazing dance talent by Briana Evigan (daughter of hardworking TV actor Greg Evigan). Andie's from one of Baltimore's grittiest neighborhoods, but her dance ability--forged in fire on the streets of Baltimore--lands her in a prestigious performing arts school, where she struggles to fit in even as her schoolmates are awed by her talent. With a nod to Love Story, our working-class heroine catches the eye of a privileged boy, Chase (Robert Hoffman), who's captivated by Andie's dance chops and genuine heart. Andie's fierce sense of self helps ground the film. At one point she lectures Chase, "Look, the streets is about where you're from. It's not some school talent show. There's no spring floors. There's no spotlights!" But the true star of the film is its amazing dance sequences, and the talented cast works the moves for all they're worth. The supercharged soundtrack features Plies (with Akon) and a couple of excellent Missy Elliott tracks. Ready? Hit it! --A.T. Hurley

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Steel Magnolias (Special Edition)

Actors: Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis, Sally Field, Julia Roberts, Daryl Hannah
ASIN : B00004TJKK
Sales Rank : 872
Director : Herbert Ross
Brand : Sony
Studio : Sony Pictures
Region Code : 1
Format : Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Special Edition, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 9780767848893
ISBN : 0767848896
UPC : 043396702479
Release Date : December 25, 2000
Publisher : Sony Pictures
Manufacturer : Sony Pictures
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : Sony Pictures
Running Time : 117

Product Description

Julia roberts portrays a vibrant young diabetic whose decision to have a baby may cost her life. Sally field stars as her mother torn between love and anger. Shirley maclaine dolly parton daryl hannah and olympia dukakis are the four loyal friends who support them with buoyant humor and unfailing grace. Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 01/24/2006 Starring: Sally Field Julia Roberts Run time: 119 minutes Rating: Pg Director: Herbert Ross

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Based on Robert Harling's play, this comedy-drama directed by Herbert Ross (The Turning Point) follows several years in the lives of women who regularly see one another at a beauty shop in their small Louisiana town. The story deepens as Julia Roberts, playing a serious diabetic and the daughter of Sally Field, goes downhill in her health. But as an ensemble piece, this is one of those enjoyably lumpy tearjerkers with many years' worth of stored truths suddenly being shared between the characters, lots of grievances aired, that sort of thing. Daryl Hannah and Shirley MacLaine assume the most eccentric roles, Dolly Parton the most fun, and Olympia Dukakis the most dignified, while Sally Field essentially provides the moral and emotional center of the movie. --Tom Keogh

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The World's Fastest Indian

Actors: Anthony Hopkins, Diane Ladd, Iain Rea, Tessa Mitchell, Aaron Murphy
ASIN : B000F8DBDK
Sales Rank : 520
Director : Roger Donaldson
Brand : WORLD'S FASTEST INDIAN, THE (DVD MOVIE)
Studio : Magnolia
Region Code : 1
Format : Color, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0876964000260
UPC : 876964000260
Release Date : December 13, 2006
Publisher : Magnolia
Manufacturer : Magnolia
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : Magnolia
Running Time : 127

Product Description

In the late 1960s after a lifetime of perfecting his classic indian motorcycle burt sets off from the bottom of the world invercargill new zealand to clock his bike at the bonneville salt flats in utah. With all odds against him burt puts his irrepressible kiwi spirit to the test braving the new world. Studio: Magnolia Pict Hm Ent Release Date: 12/31/2007 Starring: Anthony Hopkins Bruce Greenwood Run time: 127 minutes Rating: Pg13

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A movie that exudes affection and goodwill, The World's Fastest Indian is an unabashed mash note to a lovely character from New Zealand's recent past. Burt Munro, played by Anthony Hopkins, is a cantankerous Kiwi with an obsession: he's been tinkering with his 1920s-era Indian brand motorcycle for years, pushing it to ever-faster speeds. It's the 1960s, and Burt has the utterly mad idea of taking the bike to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, site of world records for speed racing. The movie takes a while to get to the journey--and then the journey takes a while--but the genial atmosphere prevails. (People of a certain age, for whom the word "Bonneville" evokes pleasant associations with hotrods and world-speed records, will not be disappointed in the film's location shooting, or its sense of awe.) Hopkins is not quite on-the-money casting for the jovial, happy-go-lucky Munro, and his accent wavers, but he nails the emotional scenes and the fascination with speed. Smaller bits are well-filled by Diane Ladd and Christopher Lawford (son of Peter), who looks uncannily of the era. New Zealand director Roger Donaldson doesn't take any chances here, but the story clearly means something to him, and that sense of commitment carries the film through its sleepier moments. --Robert Horton

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The Visitor

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William Shakespeare's Hamlet (Two-Disc Special Edition)

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Flywheel (Director's Cut)

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Freaks and Geeks - The Complete Series

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Pay It Forward

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Lady and the Tramp (50th Anniversary Edition)

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Step Up 2 The Streets

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The Inheritance

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Steel Magnolias (Special Edition)

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The World's Fastest Indian

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