Browse Drama. Family Life

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The Best Years of Our Lives

Actors: Fredric March, Dana Andrews, Myrna Loy, Teresa Wright, Virginia Mayo
ASIN : 0792846133
Sales Rank : 1668
Director : William Wyler
Studio : MGM (Video & DVD)
Region Code : 1
Format : Black & White, DVD-Video, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 9780792846130
ISBN : 0792846133
UPC : 027616850133
Release Date : December 18, 2000
Publisher : MGM (Video & DVD)
Manufacturer : MGM (Video & DVD)
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : MGM (Video & DVD)
Running Time : 172

Description

It's the hope that sustains the spirit of every GI: the dream of the day when he will finally return home. For three WWII veterans, the day has arrived. But for each man, the dream is about to becomea nightmare. Captain Fred Derry (Dana Andrews) is returning to a loveless marriage; Sergeant Al Stephenson (Fredric March) is a stranger to a family that's grown up without him; and young sailor Homer Parrish (Harold Russell) is tormented by the loss of his hands. Can these three men find the courage to rebuild their world? Or are the best years of their lives a thing of the past? Featuring a brilliant cast that includes Myrna Loy and Virginia Mayo, this postwar classic garnered* seven OscarsÂ(r), including Best Picture. Heart-wrenching, touching and "filled with emotional dynamite" (The Hollywood Reporter), it remains "one of the best films about war veterans ever made" (American Movie Classics). *1946: Director, Actor, Supporting Actor, Writing/Screenplay, Film Editing, Music/Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture

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Winner of seven Academy Awards, including best picture, director, actor, and screenplay, William Wyler's brilliant drama about domestic life after World War II remains one of the all-time classics of American cinema. Inspired by a pictorial article about returning soldiers in Life magazine, the story focuses on three war veterans (Fredric March, Dana Andrews, and Harold Russell in unforgettable roles) and their rocky readjustment to civilian life in their Midwestern town of Boone City. Capturing the contradictory moods of America in the mid to late 1940s, this three-hour drama spans a complex range of honest emotions, from joyous celebration and happy reunion to deep-rooted ambivalence and reassessment of personal priorities. A movie milestone when released in 1946, The Best Years of Our Lives still packs a punch with powerful, timeless themes. --Jeff Shannon

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We Own the Night

Actors: Mark Wahlberg, Joaquin Phoenix, Eva Mendes, Robert Duvall, Alex Veadov
ASIN : B000ZS8GWQ
Sales Rank : 3257
Director : James Gray
Brand : Sony
Studio : Sony Pictures
Region Code : 99
Format : AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0043396225312
UPC : 043396225312
Release Date : December 12, 2008
Publisher : Sony Pictures
Manufacturer : Sony Pictures
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : Sony Pictures
Running Time : 117

Product Description

What if your own family stood in the way of everything you worked for? Bobby Green (Joaquin Phoenix) has forsaken his name to escape his family and their tradition in law enforcement to pursue his ambitions as a Brooklyn nightclub owner. As he turns a blind eye to the drug dealers around him, he comes face to face with the family he abandoned when his brother (Mark Wahlberg) and father (Robert Duvall) crack down on the club. Now Bobby must choose a side. Is he going to turn informant or will he help run the biggest crime ring in New York history?

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In We Own the Night, Joaquin Phoenix, whose eyes burn with sullen anger even when he's looking at the woman he loves, plays Bobby Green, a nightclub manager in the 1980s who gets caught between his blood family he tried to leave behind--a long line of police officers--and his chosen family of friends and business partners, who turn out to be drug dealers. His father (Robert Duvall) and brother (Mark Wahlberg) want Bobby to help their investigation, but Bobby resists--until the conflict takes a brutal turn. Writer/director James Gray wears his influences on his sleeve; he's clearly seen every movie that Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola ever made and aspires to follow in their footsteps. The familiarity of the movie's territory dilutes its impact, but the plot of We Own the Night remains unpredictable, the performances have a clean vitality, and Gray's moody visual style brings some life to the genre. Phoenix (Walk the Line) dives into his role, sifting through layers of guilt and familial resentment; Wahlberg and Duvall play parts they've essentially played a dozen times, but do so with commitment and integrity. Also featuring Eva Mendes (Ghost Rider) as Bobby's devoted girlfriend, who questions just how much she'll have to give up for him. --Bret Fetzer

Beyond We Own the Night

On Blu-ray
Original Soundtrack

Stills from We Own the Night (click for larger image)

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Pride and Prejudice (10th Anniversary Collector's Set) (A&E, 1996)

Actors: Colin Firth, Jennifer Ehle, Susannah Harker, Julia Sawalha, Alison Steadman
ASIN : B000F0UUT6
Sales Rank : 5687
Brand : A&E
Studio : A&E Home Video
Region Code : 1
Format : Box set, Collector's Edition, Color, Limited Edition, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0733961753684
UPC : 733961753684
Release Date : December 26, 2006
Publisher : A&E Home Video
Manufacturer : A&E Home Video
Label : A&E Home Video
Running Time : 300

Description

In this epic BBC production of Jane Austen’s romantic classic, Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle star as the fabled lovers Mr. Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennet. One of five unmarried daughters living in the countryside of 19th-century England, the lively and rebellious Elizabeth lives in a world where obtaining an advantageous marriage is a woman’s sole occupation. And yet Elizabeth is determined to wed for love. Will her romantic sparring with the mysterious and arrogant Darcy end in misfortune or will love’s true nature prevail? THIS DELUXE LIMITED EDITION COLLECTOR’S SET INCLUDES: *The 5-hour adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic novel, starring Colin Firth (Bridget Jones’ Diary) and Jennifer Ehle (Possession) on 2 DVDs. *A 3rd bonus DVD featuring a new documentary on Jane Austen from the Emmy Award-winning BIOGRAPHY series and an exclusive 10-year retrospective documentary about the making-of the classic production. *The Making of Pride and Prejudice 120-page companion book detailing the 18-month journey from original concept to broadcast with full color photos, lavish illustrations, and interviews with the cast and crew.

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Jane Austen's classic novel of 1813, Pride and Prejudice, still wins the hearts of countless schoolgirls with its romantic story of Elizabeth Bennet and her Mr. Darcy. Now, the 1996 BBC miniseries is winning over adults, with its faithful adaptation, gorgeous scenery, and superb acting. The essence of the story is the antagonism between Mr. Darcy, a wealthy single man who believes Elizabeth to be beneath him, and Elizabeth, who upon being insulted at a dance by the aloof Darcy refuses to associate with him in any manner. Austen evokes incredible tension with the wit and flirtation of the two characters, and director Simon Langton (who also directed Upstairs Downstairs) successfully translates the repartee and conflict in this six-hour miniseries. Dialogue, for the most part, is painstakingly replicated, except when fleshing out and smoothing for modern sensibilities was necessary. Darcy, for instance, is drawn out, giving his personality significantly more depth. The acting sweeps you away to Regency England: Jennifer Ehle (of Wilde) is convincing as the obstinate Elizabeth, who, despite her mother's attempts to marry her off, spurs the attentions of Darcy. And Colin Firth (of The English Patient) will have women everywhere longing for a Mr. Darcy of their own.

For those who enjoy excellent Austen adaptations such as Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion--this miniseries will round out the ultimate Austen library. For those new to these romantic period pieces, this version of Pride and Prejudice will have you hooked and longing for more. One caveat, however: plan to watch it in an entire day, because very few have the self-control to not watch all six hours in a single sitting. --Jenny Brown

On the DVD
There's a lot to love (and a lot lacking) on the 10th anniversary limited edition. It comes in a tall, embossed green case that's out of place on a DVD shelf but blends right into a library of volumes. The three discs fit snugly in a sleeve, accompanied by a 120-page deluxe companion book. The main attraction, a retrospective documentary, features interviews with key cast members with the sad exceptions of Jennifer Ehle (who played Elizabeth) and Colin Firth (Mr. Darcy), which is bound to disappoint fans. Nonetheless, there are some amusing anecdotes from Mr. and Mrs. Bennet (played by Benjamin Withrow and Alison Steadman), Mary Bennet (Lucy Briers), Mr. Collins (David Bamber), Mr. Bingley (Crispin Bonham-Carter) and Mr. Wickham (Adrian Lukis), who all look drastically different--and younger--without their period costumes and hairstyles. One producer recalls that casting Colin Firth in the role with which his name is now synonymous was not an easy feat: he auditioned having gained weight and dyed his hair blond for another role, looking like "an unmade bed." Even Firth's own brother doubted his ability to pull off the dashing Darcy: "Isn't he supposed to be sexy?"

The special features also include a walking tour of the shooting locations with Lukis and Briers and an A&E Biography episode on Jane Austen that focuses largely on the onslaught of mid-1990s film adaptations of her novels. If it's your first time purchasing Pride & Prejudice, this collector's edition is a nice one to own. But if you already own the movie, you're not missing out on anything here. --Ellen A. Kim

Beyond Pride and Prejudice

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Stills from Pride and Prejudice (click for larger image)

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Over the Top

Actors: Sylvester Stallone, Robert Loggia, Susan Blakely, Rick Zumwalt, David Mendenhall
ASIN : B0007TKNKG
Sales Rank : 4438
Director : Menahem Golan
Brand : Warner Brothers
Studio : Warner Home Video
Region Code : 1
Format : Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 9781419807497
ISBN : 1419807498
UPC : 012569695344
Release Date : December 31, 2005
Publisher : Warner Home Video
Manufacturer : Warner Home Video
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : Warner Home Video
Running Time : 93

Product Description

A compassionate trucker who only wants to spend time with the son whom he left years before in the custody of his wife and her rich iron-willed father. Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 11/11/2008 Starring: Sylvester Stallone Robert Loggia Run time: 94 minutes Rating: Pg

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Arm-wrestling might be far down on most viewers' list of "most cinematic sports," but Sylvester Stallone certainly goes the distance to prove the contrary in this lightweight but entertaining mid-'80s action/family feature. Stallone (who co-wrote the script with Stirling Silliphant) plays taciturn trucker Lincoln Hawk (though he's called "Hawks" by large portions of the cast), who faces two considerable challenges at once: to win the Las Vegas Arm Wrestling Championship, and to impress the son (David Mendenhall) who's been turned against him by his grandfather (Robert Loggia, snarling up a storm). Menahem Golan's direction and the soundtrack of bombastic '80s pop-rock (by Sammy Hagar, Kenny Loggins, and others) is anything but subtle, and the host of opponents Stallone faces look like they were culled from professional wrestling (indeed, veteran grappler Terry Funk is in the cast), but Sly stalwarts and '80s action aficionados may find this rousing entertainment. The widescreen anamorphic DVD offers only the original theatrical trailer as an extra. – Paul Gaita

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To Live

Actors: You Ge, Li Gong, Ben Niu, Xiao Cong, Deng Fei
ASIN : B00005JM6H
Sales Rank : 3407
Director : Yimou Zhang
Studio : MGM (Video & DVD)
Region Code : 1
Format : Closed-captioned, Color, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 9780792856276
ISBN : 0792856279
UPC : 027616887535
Release Date : December 01, 2003
Publisher : MGM (Video & DVD)
Manufacturer : MGM (Video & DVD)
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : MGM (Video & DVD)
Running Time : 125

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One of the best films of 1994, To Live is a bold, energetic masterpiece from Zhang Yimou, the foremost director from China's influential "fifth generation" of filmmakers. Continuing his brilliant collaboration with China's best-known actress Gong Li (their previous films include Ju Dou and Raise the Red Lantern), Zhang weaves an ambitious tapestry of personal and political events, following the struggles of an impoverished husband and wife (Ge You, Gong Li) from their heyday in the 1940s to the hardships that accompanied the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s. They raise two children amidst a Communist regime, surviving numerous setbacks and yet managing, somehow, to live. Both intimate and epic, Zhang's film encompasses the simplest and most profound realities of Chinese life during this controversial period, and for their honesty, Zhang and Gong Li faced a two-year ban on future collaborations. To Live is a testament to their art, transcending politics to celebrate the tenacity of ordinary people in the wake of turbulent history. --Jeff Shannon

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Selena

Actors: Jennifer Lopez, Edward James Olmos, Jon Seda, Jackie Guerra, Constance Marie
ASIN : 6304584229
Sales Rank : 2987
Director : Gregory Nava
Brand : Warner Brothers
Studio : Warner Home Video
Region Code : 1
Format : Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 9780790732763
ISBN : 0790732769
UPC : 085391490920
Release Date : December 24, 1997
Publisher : Warner Home Video
Manufacturer : Warner Home Video
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : Warner Home Video
Running Time : 127

Description

The nuts and bolts of the irresistibly danceable music called Tejano are pop, rock, polka, R&B and Latin influences. To millions of fans there's another vital ingredient: the dynamic singer Selena. Vibrant and tuneful, Selena is the story of the Grammy Award-winning South Texas singer whose life tragically ended just as she was taking Tejano where it had never gone-into mainstream America. Pulsating with Selena's voice on the soundtrack and made with the participation of her family, the film brims with authenticity. It excitingly recreates the early life of a little girl who dreamed big, hit the road in the band bus named Big Bertha and whose concerts became electrifying events. In the title rose, Jennifer Lopez is herself electrifying. Edward James Olmos, Jon Seda and others also shine in "a poignant, heartwarming movie that deserves a standing ovation" (Jules Peimer, WKDM-Radio/New York).

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Gregory Nava (Why Do Fools Fall In Love?) directs this more-or-less official film biography of the late Mexican-American singer, Selena Quintanilla Perez (the film is coproduced by her father), which emphasizes sentimentality over conflict and plays down the star's horrific death at the hands of a deranged fan. Jennifer Lopez is quite good as Selena, whose roots we come to know through the story of her father (Edward James Olmos), a Corpus Christi singer who was rejected by white audiences. The script focuses primarily on Selena's inspiring rise, and it tries to muster some sense of urgent conflict over not-particularly-contentious issues (such as her relationship with a guitarist). But Olmos does a fine job portraying the elder Perez as a possessive sort, and the music and general buoyancy of Lopez's performance are infectious. The unavoidable subject of Selena's killer--a woman who happened to be the president of her fan club--is considerably and oddly downplayed. --Tom Keogh

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The Straight Story

Actors: Richard Farnsworth, Sissy Spacek, Jane Galloway Heitz, Joseph A. Carpenter, Donald Wiegert
ASIN : B00004Z4SD
Sales Rank : 4739
Director : David Lynch
Brand : FARNSWORTH,RICHARD
Studio : Walt Disney Video
Region Code : 1
Format : Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0717951010117
UPC : 717951010117
Release Date : December 07, 2000
Publisher : Walt Disney Video
Manufacturer : Walt Disney Video
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : Walt Disney Video
Running Time : 112

Description

Based on the true story that captured the hearts of America, THE STRAIGHT STORY is one of those rare films offering powerful, uplifting entertainment for audiences of all ages. Directed by acclaimed director David Lynch (WILD AT HEART, MULHOLLAND DRIVE), this gentle, inspiring film celebrates the human spirit. Richard Farnsworth (MISERY, THE NATURAL) stars as Alvin Straight -- a no-nonsense man who has never been one to lean on others. Now at an age when his eyesight denies him the ability to drive and walking is accomplished only with the help of two canes, Alvin lives a quiet life with his daughter Rose (Sissy Spacek). But when the call comes that Alvin's estranged brother Lyle (Harry Dean Stanton, THE GREEN MILE) has suffered a debilitating stroke, Alvin embarks on a dangerous and emotional journey to make amends. With little money, but plenty of patience and tenacity, he climbs aboard his 1966 John Deere lawnmower and plots the 260-mile course from his small Iowa town to Lyle's home in Wisconsin. Filmed along the actual route that the real Alvin Straight traveled in 1994, THE STRAIGHT STORY is a heartwarming and poignant drama chronicling Alvin's six-week odyssey and the many lives he touches along the way.

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Throughout The Straight Story, 73-year-old Alvin Straight (Richard Farnsworth) gazes calmly at the night sky, as if the stars were reflections of his own memories. Alvin's eyesight is bad and his daughter (Sissy Spacek) is slightly retarded and unable to drive, so he's traveling from Laurens, Iowa to Mt. Zion, Wisconsin on a riding John Deere lawn mower. It's slow going, so there's plenty of time to stop for the night and ponder the cosmos. Alvin's journeying to visit his ailing brother; they haven't spoken in years, and it's time to make peace. Along the way, he befriends a variety of nice folks, and you have to ask yourself... Is this really a David Lynch movie?

It's a miracle that this G-rated Disney film was made by a director whose work is often described as twisted and bizarre. But Lynch is too complex an artist to be labeled, and he brings charm, grace, and kindness to his fact-based telling of The Straight Story--not to mention a serenity rarely found in movies anymore. It's a film of moments--funny, odd, quietly spiritual--and this simple tale of a man, a lawnmower, and rural hospitality becomes a genuine Lynchian odyssey, unlike any film you've seen but as welcoming as a cup of lemon tea with honey. Best of all, it's a fitting tribute to the career of veteran stuntman-actor Farnsworth who, at age 79, plays Alvin Straight to sheer perfection, his face a subtle roadmap to a broad spectrum of emotional destinations. --Jeff Shannon

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This Property Is Condemned

Actors: Natalie Wood, Robert Redford, Charles Bronson, Kate Reid, Mary Badham
ASIN : B0000AUHQA
Sales Rank : 3729
Director : Sydney Pollack
Brand : REDFORD,ROBERT
Studio : Paramount
Region Code : 1
Format : Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 9780792193081
ISBN : 0792193083
UPC : 097360653441
Release Date : December 02, 2003
Publisher : Paramount
Manufacturer : Paramount
Label : Paramount
Running Time : 110

Description

Inspired by Tennessee Williams' play. Brought to life by Hollywood's biggest stars. He's the wrong man to love. How could it all seem so right? Robert Redford and Natalie Wood headline this sexually charged Depression-era drama. Redford (whose next film, Barefoot In The Park), would rocket him to stardom) plays Owen Legate, a railroad official come to backwater Dodson, Mississippi, with a pocketful of pink slips for the yard employees. Wood (at age 28 already a 23-year screen veteran) portrays the town flirt whose affair with Legate ignites her mother's - and the town's - revenge. Repressed desires, sultry women, sweltering weather and a handsome stranger... this is Tennessee Williams territory. And with stars Redford, Wood and co-star Charles Bronson, it's all prime property.

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Family That Preys (Full Screen Edition)

Actors: Kathy Bates, Robin Givens, Cole Hauser, Alfre Woodard, Sanaa Lathan
ASIN : B000LW7REE
Sales Rank : 569
Director : Tyler Perry
Studio : Lions Gate
Region Code : 1
Format : AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0031398104537
UPC : 031398104537
Release Date : December 13, 2009
Publisher : Lions Gate
Manufacturer : Lions Gate
Availability : Not yet released
Label : Lions Gate
Running Time : 109

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Academy Award®-winner Kathy Bates (Lead Actress, Misery, 1990) and Academy Award®-nominee Alfre Woodard (Supporting Actress, Cross Creek, 1983) star as the matriarchs of two very different families being torn apart by greed and scandal in the contemporary drama Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys. The sixth feature film by Perry chronicles the inner workings of two families—one upper-crust and the other working class—that become inextricably linked by scandal. Wealthy socialite Charlotte Cartwright (Kathy Bates) and her dear friend Alice Pratt (Alfre Woodard), a working class woman of high ideals, have enjoyed a lasting friendship throughout many years. Suddenly, their lives become mired in turmoil as their adult children’s extramarital affairs, unethical business practices and a dark paternity secret threaten to derail family fortunes and unravel the lives of all involved. Alice’s self-centered newlywed daughter Andrea (Sanaa Lathan) is betraying her trusting husband Chris (Rockmond Dunbar) by engaging in a torrid affair with her boss and mother’s best friend’s son William (Cole Hauser). While cheating on his wife Jillian (KaDee Strickland) with a string of ongoing dalliances with his mistress Andrea, William’s true focus is to replace the COO of his mother’s lucrative construction corporation. Meanwhile, Alice’s other daughter Pam (Taraji P. Henson), a kind but no nonsense woman married to a hard working construction worker (Tyler Perry), tries to steer the family in a more positive direction. While paternity secrets, marital infidelity, greed and unsavory business dealings threaten to derail both families, Charlotte and Alice decide to take a breather from it all by making a cross-country road trip in which they rediscover themselves and possibly find a way to save their families from ruin in Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys.

Beyond Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys on DVD

Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns on DVD
Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married on DVD
Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls on DVD

Browse Family Life Online

The Best Years of Our Lives

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We Own the Night

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Pride and Prejudice (10th Anniversary Collector's Set) (A&E, 1996)

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The Long Shot

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Over the Top

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To Live

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Selena

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The Straight Story

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This Property Is Condemned

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Family That Preys (Full Screen Edition)

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