Across the Universe (Two-Disc Special Edition)

• Condition: Used, Very Good
• Format: DVD
• Anamorphic; NTSC

Across the Universe, from director Julie Taymor, is a revolutionary rock musical that re-imagines America in the turbulent late-1960s, a time when battle lines were being drawn at home and abroad. When young dockworker Jude (Jim Sturgess) leaves Liverpool to find his estranged father in America, he is swept up by the waves of change that are re-shaping the nation. Jude falls in love with Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood), a rich but sheltered American girl who joins the growing anti-war movement in New York's Greenwich Village. As the body count in Vietnam rises, political tensions at home spiral out of control and the star-crossed lovers find themselves in a psychedelic world gone mad. With a cameo by Bono, Across the Universe is "the kind of movie you watch again, like listening to a favorite album." (Roger Ebert! , Chicago Sun-Times)Set in America during the Vietnam War, Across the Universe is a powerful love story set against a backdrop of political and social unrest: it's a story of soul-searching, self-doubt, and individual powerlessness cleverly conveyed through a multitude of Beatles songs. Like young adults all across America during the 1960's, Jude (Jim Sturgess), Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood), Max (Joe Anderson), Sadie (Dana Fuchs), Prudence (T.V. Carpio), and JoJo (Martin Luther) are in turmoil over the war; questioning their individual roles in the war effort and struggling to find a way to hold true to their beliefs while making a difference in the world. While love proves a powerful uniting force, its limitations become clear as relationships are strained and broken over individual perceptions of responsibility to cause and country. A fairly bizarre juxtaposition of extremely stylized, almost hallucinogenic scenes of swirling colors and reflections, highly! choreographed dance segments, seemingly commonplace character! interac tion, and emotionally packed close-up footage of characters lost in contemplative song, this film imparts a good sense of the confusion and passion of the time and is at once powerful, invigorating, and disturbing. The film runs a bit long at 2-hours 11-minutes and several segments drag noticeably thanks to some incredibly slow song tempos. Warning: this production may change how you think about a favorite Beatles song forever. --Tami HoriuchiAcross the Universe, from director Julie Taymor, is a revolutionary rock musical that re-imagines America in the turbulent late-1960s, a time when battle lines were being drawn at home and abroad. When young dockworker Jude (Jim Sturgess) leaves Liverpool to find his estranged father in America, he is swept up by the waves of change that are re-shaping the nation. Jude falls in love with Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood), a rich but sheltered American girl who joins the growing anti-war movement in New York's Greenwich Village. A! s the body count in Vietnam rises, political tensions at home spiral out of control and the star-crossed lovers find themselves in a psychedelic world gone mad. With a cameo by Bono, Across the Universe is "the kind of movie you watch again, like listening to a favorite album." (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times)Set in America during the Vietnam War, Across the Universe is a powerful love story set against a backdrop of political and social unrest: it's a story of soul-searching, self-doubt, and individual powerlessness cleverly conveyed through a multitude of Beatles songs. Like young adults all across America during the 1960's, Jude (Jim Sturgess), Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood), Max (Joe Anderson), Sadie (Dana Fuchs), Prudence (T.V. Carpio), and JoJo (Martin Luther) are in turmoil over the war; questioning their individual roles in the war effort and struggling to find a way to hold true to their beliefs while making a difference in the world. While love prove! s a powerful uniting force, its limitations become clear as re! lationsh ips are strained and broken over individual perceptions of responsibility to cause and country. A fairly bizarre juxtaposition of extremely stylized, almost hallucinogenic scenes of swirling colors and reflections, highly choreographed dance segments, seemingly commonplace character interaction, and emotionally packed close-up footage of characters lost in contemplative song, this film imparts a good sense of the confusion and passion of the time and is at once powerful, invigorating, and disturbing. The film runs a bit long at 2-hours 11-minutes and several segments drag noticeably thanks to some incredibly slow song tempos. Warning: this production may change how you think about a favorite Beatles song forever. --Tami Horiuchi

Beyond Across the Universe

On Blu-ray

The Deluxe Soundtrack

Beatles audio CD

Stills from Across the Universe (click for larger image)

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Dreamgirls (Widescreen Edition)

• Actors: Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy, Jennifer Hudson, Beyoncé Knowles.
• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC.
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1).
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only).
• DVD Release Date: May 1, 2007. Run Time: 130 minutes.

Director Bill Condon brings Tom Eyen's Tony award-winning Broadway musical to the big screen in a tale of dreams, stardom, and the high cost of success in the cutthroat recording industry. The time is the 1960s, and singers Effie (Jennifer Hudson), Lorrell (Anika Noni Rose), and Deena (Beyoncé Knowles) are about to find out just what it's like to have their wildest dreams come true. Discovered at a local talent show by ambitious manager Curtis Taylor Jr. (Jamie Foxx), the trio known as "the Dreamettes" is soon offered the once-! in-a-lifetime opportunity of opening for popular singer James "Thunder" Early (Eddie Murphy). Subsequently molded into an unstoppable hit machine by Taylor and propelled into the spotlight as "the Dreams," the girls quickly find their bid for the big time taking priority over personal friendship as Taylor edges out the ultra-talented Effie so that the more beautiful Deena can become the face of the group. Now, as the crossover act continues to dominate the airwaves, the small-town girls with big-city dreams slowly begin to realize that the true cost of fame may be higher than any of them ever anticipated.The spirit of Motown runs through the long-awaited film adaption of the Broadway musical Dreamgirls, which centers around a young female singing trio who burst upon the music scene in the '60s, complete with bouffant hairdos, glitzy gowns, and a soul sound new to the white-bread American music charts. Sound familiar? You aren't the first one to draw comparisons to th! e meteoric rise of the Supremes, and despite any protests to t! he contr ary, this is most definitely a thinly veiled reinterpretation of that success story. The Dreamettes--statuesque Deena (Beyonce Knowles), daffy Lorell (Anika Noni Rose) and brassy Effie (Jennifer Hudson)--are a girl group making the talent-show rounds when they're discovered by car salesman and aspiring music manager Curtis Taylor Jr. (Jamie Foxx). Sensing greatness (as well as a new marketing opportunity) Curtis signs the Dreamettes as backup singers for R&B star James "Thunder" Early (Eddie Murphy). But when Early's mercurial ways and singing style don't mesh with primarily white audiences, Curtis moves the newly-renamed Dreams to center stage--with Deena as lead singer in place of Effie. And that's not the only arena in which Effie is replaced, as Curtis abandons their love affair for a relationship with star-in-the-making Deena.

Besides the Supremes comparison, one can't talk about Dreamgirls now without revisiting its notorious Oscar snub; though it received ! eight nominations, the most for any film from 2006, it was shut out of the Best Picture and Director races entirely. Was the oversight justified? While Dreamgirls is certainly a handsomely mounted, lovingly executed and often vibrant film adaptation, it inspires more respect than passion, only getting under your skin during the musical numbers, which become more sporadic as the film goes on. Writer-director Bill Condon is definitely focused on recreating the Motown milieu (down to uncanny photographs of Knowles in full Diana Ross mode), he often forgets to flesh out his characters, who even on the Broadway stage were underwritten and relied on powerhouse performances to sell them to audiences. (Stage fans will also note that numerous songs are either truncated or dropped entirely from the film.) Condon has assembled a game cast, as Knowles does a canny riff on the essence of Diana Ross' glamour (as opposed to an all-out impersonation) and Rose makes a peripheral char! acter surprisingly vibrant; only Foxx, who never gets to pour ! on the c harisma, is miscast. Still, there are two things even the most cranky viewers will warm to in Dreamgirls: the performances of veteran Eddie Murphy and newcomer Jennifer Hudson. Murphy is all sly charm and dazzling energy as the devilish Early, who's part James Brown, part Little Richard, and all showman. And Hudson, an American Idol contestant who didn't even make the top three, makes an impressive debut as the larger-than-life Effie, whose voice matches her passions and stubbornness. Though she sometimes may seem too young for the role, Hudson nails the movie's signature song, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," with a breathtaking power that must be seen and heard to believe. And for those five minutes, if not more, you will be in Dreamgirls' thrall. --Mark Englehart

Beyond Dreamgirls

Other Musicals on DVD

More Motown on DVD

The Soundtrack

Stills from Dreamgirls (click for larger image)

Body Shots : Unrated Widescreen Edition

• Widescreen
• Unrated

Eight glossy, good-looking young actors, including Sean Patrick Flanery (Powder, Suicide Kings), Jerry O'Connell (Stand by Me, Scream 2), Amanda Peet (One Fine Day), Tara Reid (American Pie, Urban Legend), and Brad Rowe (Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss). Women in their underwear and short, tight dresses; men in suits. Men's bare buttocks and women's bare breasts (at least in the unrated version). Characters talking earnestly to the audience about blowjobs, domination, anal penetration, one-night stands, and the difference between sex and love. Lots and lots of alcohol consumption in a cavernous, neon-lit club. A bloody fistfight. The plot, to the degree there is one, concerns an accusation of rape, which is shown from his-and-her points of view. People similar to these characters probably do exist in real life, b! ut there's no reason to make a movie about them. Everyone involved in making Body Shots should have to do 100 hours of community service to make up for the time they've stolen from viewers' lives. The script and direction are particularly banal and self-important. Vacuous. --Bret FetzerEight successful twenty-something professionals leave their jobs at the end of the day and enter the club-hopping L.A. nightlife to materialize their fantasies and do some serious partying. After one late evening of debauchery, two of the gang become passionately entangled and get way out of control. In the morning they must face the consequences of the events that took place between them while their friends try and extract the truth in their individual stories. A compellingly honest movie about sex and dating in the 90's.

Christmas at Harrington's

• ISBN13: 9780800719258
• Condition: New
• Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!

If your child loves books by Mo Willems, Laura Numeroff, Dr. Seuss, Charles Dickens, P.D. Eastman, and Sandra Boynton, your child will fall in love with this children's Christmas story collection.

The 10 Fun Stories in this book are:

The Fright Before Christmas - A group of evil elves try to steal all the toys from Santa's workshop. Will the good elves be able to save the day?

Little Bo Peep's Lost Christmas Sheep - What happens when Molly, Bo Peep's favorite sheep, runs away on Christmas Eve?

The Very Clumsy Elf - Santa gets a unique gift request from a little boy named Timothy. Can Otto, a very clumsy elf, make the perfect gift ! for Timothy before its too late?

A Strange Christmas Dinner Guest - A funny story about what happens when a giant snowman knocks at the door on Christmas Eve.

When Rachel Missed Christmas - Rachel is late for everything until she learns her lesson when she misses Christmas day...

The Magical Christmas Tree - Edgar's tree turns into solid gold and grants his three special wishes.

A Surprise for Santa - A little boy named Jacob delivers the perfect surprise for Santa...

A Tree for Rockefeller Center - Follow the journey of a special tree that goes to New York City.

The Dog that Sung Christmas Carols - Milo, a singing dog, disappears on Christmas Eve. Will his family be able to find him by following his loud howling?

Mrs. Claus and the Top Secret Mission - Mrs. Claus comes up with a secret plan to help Santa figure out who is naughty or nice.If your chi! ld loves books by Mo Willems, Laura Numeroff, Dr. Seuss, Charl! es Dicke ns, P.D. Eastman, and Sandra Boynton, your child will fall in love with this children's Christmas story collection.

The 10 Fun Stories in this book are:

The Fright Before Christmas - A group of evil elves try to steal all the toys from Santa's workshop. Will the good elves be able to save the day?

Little Bo Peep's Lost Christmas Sheep - What happens when Molly, Bo Peep's favorite sheep, runs away on Christmas Eve?

The Very Clumsy Elf - Santa gets a unique gift request from a little boy named Timothy. Can Otto, a very clumsy elf, make the perfect gift for Timothy before its too late?

A Strange Christmas Dinner Guest - A funny story about what happens when a giant snowman knocks at the door on Christmas Eve.

When Rachel Missed Christmas - Rachel is late for everything until she learns her lesson when she misses Christmas day...

The Magical Christmas Tree - Edgar's tree turns into! solid gold and grants his three special wishes.

A Surprise for Santa - A little boy named Jacob delivers the perfect surprise for Santa...

A Tree for Rockefeller Center - Follow the journey of a special tree that goes to New York City.

The Dog that Sung Christmas Carols - Milo, a singing dog, disappears on Christmas Eve. Will his family be able to find him by following his loud howling?

Mrs. Claus and the Top Secret Mission - Mrs. Claus comes up with a secret plan to help Santa figure out who is naughty or nice.Murder Trims the Tree is a Christmas novella (15,000 words)

When Gertie and her cohorts decide to do their court-ordered community service at the local assisted living home during the Christmas season, they get more than they (plea) bargained for.

"A hoot with a heart." Cozy Library

"A delight to read. In addition to the engaging mystery, it's a wonderful story of the love of f! amily and friends.” Mysterious Review

"One of the! most me morable heroines in recent crime fiction." Lansing State JournalMurder Trims the Tree is a Christmas novella (15,000 words)

When Gertie and her cohorts decide to do their court-ordered community service at the local assisted living home during the Christmas season, they get more than they (plea) bargained for.

"A hoot with a heart." Cozy Library

"A delight to read. In addition to the engaging mystery, it's a wonderful story of the love of family and friends.” Mysterious Review

"One of the most memorable heroines in recent crime fiction." Lansing State JournalVan Donovan returns to Pleasant Valley, Oregon where twelve years earlier as a boy of fifteen he left in handcuffs after standing guard for a bank robbery. He's learned a trade and excelled at it and is ready to prove to his father and the town he can amount to something.

Upon his return he learns the fate of the daughter of an innocent man who died in the robbery crossfire. To ! make amends he takes her out of the saloon and gives her a job, not realizing she'd been squatting in the very building he'd purchased for his business.

Can two battered hearts find solace or will the past continue to haunt their lives?
Van Donovan returns to Pleasant Valley, Oregon where twelve years earlier as a boy of fifteen he left in handcuffs after standing guard for a bank robbery. He's learned a trade and excelled at it and is ready to prove to his father and the town he can amount to something.

Upon his return he learns the fate of the daughter of an innocent man who died in the robbery crossfire. To make amends he takes her out of the saloon and gives her a job, not realizing she'd been squatting in the very building he'd purchased for his business.

Can two battered hearts find solace or will the past continue to haunt their lives?
Christmas is approaching, and Lena Markham finds herself penniless, friendless, and nearly hopele! ss. She is trying to restart her life after false accusations ! landed h er in prison, but job opportunities are practically nonexistent. When a secondhand red coat unexpectedly lands her a job as Mrs. Santa at a department store, Lena finally thinks her luck is changing. But can she keep her past a secret?

This tender story about fresh starts will charm readers as all of Melody Carlson's Christmas offerings do. Full of redemption and true holiday spirit, Christmas at Harrington's will be readers' newest Christmas tradition.

Adventures of Joe Dirt, The (2001) - 11 x 17 - Style B

• Wonderful poster to add to any collection
• Arrives rolled in a protective mailer tube
• Brand new poster ready to frame

No Description Available.
Genre: Feature Film-Comedy
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 25-JUL-2006
Media Type: DVDAnother of those cut-and-paste comedies from Adam Sandler's production company starring one of Sandler's erstwhile Saturday Night Live colleagues, The Adventures of Joe Dirt finds the magnificently caustic David Spade emasculated by a sentimental script and shapeless, haphazard cutting. Spade plays the title character, a white-trash orphan in search of the parents who abandoned him at the Grand Canyon. The humor is supposed to come from Joe's misadventures, his redneck gullibility, and his encounters with such figures as a serial killer, a wacked-out janitor (Christopher Walken), and a lovable gal (Jamie! Pressly) who may, unfortunately, turn out to be his sister. But the squishier requirements of the story, requiring the audience to feel deeply for the pain of Spade's caricature, are an irritant and force Spade to veer from the nastier stuff he does so well. With Kid Rock, Dennis Miller. --Tom Keogh Classic rock means different things to different people. But when it comes to the 1970s, kitsch classics reign supreme. Joe Dirt is a comedy that combines the '70s stoner vibe with the air-guitar dreamers of the '80s. There are stacks of both overplayed and overlooked hard rock that could accompany this trip down memory lane. At only 12 tracks, this brief introduction is for those who have never experienced classic rock radio. Ted Nugent's "Cat Scratch Fever," Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama," and the Doobie Brothers' "China Grove" are obvious staples, while Argent's 1972 hit "Hold Your Head Up" and April Wine's 1978 track "Roller" border on the obscure. Geor! ge Thorogood blows out his amp with a pulverizing version of B! o Diddle y's "Who Do You Love." But the inclusion of Cheap Trick and Eddie Money tips the balance toward pop rock that most self-respecting mullet-heads would never order up on the local jukebox. --Rob O'Connor Another of those cut-and-paste comedies from Adam Sandler's production company starring one of Sandler's erstwhile "Saturday Night Live" colleagues, "The Adventures of Joe Dirt" finds the magnificently caustic David Spade emasculated by a sentimental script and shapeless, haphazard cutting. Spade plays the title character, a white-trash orphan in search of the parents who abandoned him at the Grand Canyon. The humor is supposed to come from Joe's misadventures, his redneck gullibility, and his encounters with such figures as a serial killer, a wacked-out janitor (Christopher Walken), and a lovable gal (Jamie Pressly) who may, unfortunately, turn out to be his sister. But the squishier requirements of the story, requiring the audience to feel deeply for the pain of Spa! de's caricature, are an irritant and force Spade to veer from the nastier stuff he does so well. With Kid Rock, Dennis Miller. "--Tom Keogh"Another of those cut-and-paste comedies from Adam Sandler's production company starring one of Sandler's erstwhile Saturday Night Live colleagues, The Adventures of Joe Dirt finds the magnificently caustic David Spade emasculated by a sentimental script and shapeless, haphazard cutting. Spade plays the title character, a white-trash orphan in search of the parents who abandoned him at the Grand Canyon. The humor is supposed to come from Joe's misadventures, his redneck gullibility, and his encounters with such figures as a serial killer, a wacked-out janitor (Christopher Walken), and a lovable gal (Jamie Pressly) who may, unfortunately, turn out to be his sister. But the squishier requirements of the story, requiring the audience to feel deeply for the pain of Spade's caricature, are an irritant and force Spade to veer fro! m the nastier stuff he does so well. With Kid Rock, Dennis Mil! ler. --Tom Keogh Another of those cut-and-paste comedies from Adam Sandler's production company starring one of Sandler's erstwhile Saturday Night Live colleagues, The Adventures of Joe Dirt finds the magnificently caustic David Spade emasculated by a sentimental script and shapeless, haphazard cutting. Spade plays the title character, a white-trash orphan in search of the parents who abandoned him at the Grand Canyon. The humor is supposed to come from Joe's misadventures, his redneck gullibility, and his encounters with such figures as a serial killer, a wacked-out janitor (Christopher Walken), and a lovable gal (Jamie Pressly) who may, unfortunately, turn out to be his sister. But the squishier requirements of the story, requiring the audience to feel deeply for the pain of Spade's caricature, are an irritant and force Spade to veer from the nastier stuff he does so well. With Kid Rock, Dennis Miller. --Tom Keogh SCHOOL'S OUT FOR THE SUMMER & THE LITTL! E FAMILY IS SPENDING THEIR VACATION AT A BEAUTIFUL LAKESIDE CABIN.Another of those cut-and-paste comedies from Adam Sandler's production company starring one of Sandler's erstwhile Saturday Night Live colleagues, The Adventures of Joe Dirt finds the magnificently caustic David Spade emasculated by a sentimental script and shapeless, haphazard cutting. Spade plays the title character, a white-trash orphan in search of the parents who abandoned him at the Grand Canyon. The humor is supposed to come from Joe's misadventures, his redneck gullibility, and his encounters with such figures as a serial killer, a wacked-out janitor (Christopher Walken), and a lovable gal (Jamie Pressly) who may, unfortunately, turn out to be his sister. But the squishier requirements of the story, requiring the audience to feel deeply for the pain of Spade's caricature, are an irritant and force Spade to veer from the nastier stuff he does so well. With Kid Rock, Dennis Miller. --To! m Keogh 11" x 17" high quality reproduction poster by Pop ! Culture Graphics. Printed in the USA. Perfect for framing.

City of Men

• As Seen on the SUNDANCE CHANNEL From the team behind the Academy Award®-nominated feature CITY OF GOD, including directors Fernando Meirelles (THE CONSTANT GARDNER) and K tia Lund comes the hit Brazilian television series CITY OF MEN, a comedy/drama about two teenage boys growing up in a dangerous Rio de Janeiro slum starring Darlan Cunha and Douglas Silva, featured in the motion picture tha

Paulo Morelli's film is a pacy, bloody thriller that pays warm tribute to a diverse cross-section of American directors including Quentin Tarantino and Michael Bay. Bullets zing across the screen, heavy artillery is deployed at all times, and Morelli makes great use of the twisty favela streets during some frantic chase sequence. Silva and Cunha, who both had roles in CITY OF GOD, carry the picture with impressive ease, and while CITY OF MEN isn't an official sequel to Meirelles's lauded picture, it does! serve as a neat continuation of that film's unshakable portrayal of the violence that has beset so many young lives in the slums of Rio de Janeiro.Action-packed and fueled by Brazilian funk, City of Men returns the makers of City of God to the scene of their first success. In this case, the search for family supersedes the search for identity--not that there isn't a correlation between the two. Though produced by Fernando Meirelles, Paulo Morelli's feature isn't a sequel, but a follow-up to the four-season series of the same name. While Meirelles's movie takes place in Rio de Janeiro's past, Morelli's transpires in the present (not counting flashbacks from the show). Days away from turning 18, boyhood friends Acerola (Douglas Silva) and Laranjinha, a.k.a. Wallace (Darlan Cunha), grew up without fathers. Ace has a wife and child; Wallace has a steady girl. The duo gets along with the gang that rules their labyrinthine hillside neighborhood or favela, bu! t hoodlum life holds little appeal. Ace struggles to raise his! young s on--his security guard father was murdered during a robbery--while Wallace tries to track down the dad he never knew. With Ace's assistance, Wallace solves the mystery of his genealogy, but at great cost to their friendship (and lives). Despite the South American pedigree, City of Men suggests the South Central of Boyz N the Hood more than City of God. It's not that Morelli's kinetic film looks like John Singleton's more classically composed enterprise, but that it deals with similar inner-city concerns. That said, Silva and Cunha are every bit as charismatic as Ice Cube and Cuba Gooding Jr.--if not more so. --Kathleen C. FennessyAs Seen on the SUNDANCE CHANNEL

From the team behind the Academy Award®-nominated feature CITY OF GOD, including directors Fernando Meirelles (THE CONSTANT GARDNER) and Kátia Lund comes the hit Brazilian television series CITY OF MEN, a comedy/drama about two teenage boys growing up in a dangerous Rio de Janeiro slu! m starring Darlan Cunha and Douglas Silva, featured in the motion picture that inspired this series.

The CITY is a shantytown located in one of the many mountains of Rio de Janeiro. The MEN are two 13-year-old kids, Laranjinha and Acerola. This series brilliantly mixes humor and reality to explore life in the "favelas" and in particular the indomitable spirit of two best friends growing up in one of most volatile communities in the world.Brazilian TV series City of Men is a dazzling, propulsive, and fiery exploration of life in a chaotic Rio de Janeiro slum, seen through the eyes of Acerola (Douglas Silva) and Laranjinha (Darlan Cunha). These two boys prove to be amazingly charming tour guides to a world by turns terrifying and exhilarating. Using the jam-packed storytelling that made the movie City of God such a revelation, the first episode alone is a marvel, merging the history of Napoleon with a cutting analysis of drug lords and class structure ! in the poverty-ridden neighborhood. The other three episodes o! f the fi rst series carry on this riveting approach, mingling social observation with rich, compelling characters. From the second series on, the show becomes less overtly political and more about Acerola and Laranjinha's passage from youth to adulthood (embracing, with humor and pathos, the adolescent boys' obsession with sex)--though every episode has some sly or startling observation about race, wealth, and gender. Each series is filmed a year after the previous one, so the boys literally grow before our eyes; it's impossible to watch and not feel deeply involved as Acerola woos a girl named Cristiane and ends up a way-too-young father, or as an innocent prank escalates into a life-and-death struggle. Some episodes teeter on the brink of silliness--one of the last ones has the boys engaging in absurd cross-dressing--but the briskness of the writing and the charisma of Silva and Cunha carry the show through. Add to this the dynamic musical score of Brazilian pop and samba, and you ! have essential viewing. World music has already found popularity in the U.S.; welcome to a masterpiece of world television. --Bret Fetzer