United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital Stereo ), English ( Subtitles ), WIDESCREEN (1.78:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Commentary, Documentary, Interactive Menu, Scene Access, SYNOPSIS: In the 1980s horror writer Garth Marenghi wrote, produced, directed and starred in Darkplace, a groundbreaking series set in a hospital and exploring the depths of the author's imagination. At least that's what Marenghi and his publicist/co-star, Dean Learner, claim in modern-day interviews which both bookend and interrupt the episodes. SCREENED/AWARDED AT: BAFTA Awards, ...Garth Marenghi's Darkplace ( Garth Marenghi's Darkplace ) ( Darkplace )

Paperback. Pub Date: 09 May 2003 Pages: 208 Publisher: Penguin This new volume of eight short stories offers students of German at all LEVELS the opportunity to Enjoy a wide range of contemporary literature in the original with the AID of parallel Translations. The majority of these stories have been written in the past decade. and reflect a rich diversity of styles and themes. Complete with notes. the stories make excellent reading in either language.

Title: Cider with Rosie <>Binding: Paperback <>Author: Laurie Lee <>Publisher: VINTAGE

Open Your Eyes ("Abre Los Ojos") is a film that may give anyone who has seen Tom Cruise's Vanilla Sky (2001) déjà vu. Indeed, the Hollywood version is an inferior remake of this superb Spanish original. The plots of the two movies are virtually the same—Penelope Cruz even plays the same role in both—but here everything is done with rather more European subtlety and intelligence. It's also easy to see how the part of a good-looking urban playboy whose life is thrown into crisis must have appealed to Cruise, as Eduardo Noriega's star turn here seems a tailor-made template for the American superstar.

After a car accident, which leaves Noriega's character seriously disfigured, he finds himself in an almost literal nightmare charged with murder and beset by a memory so unreliable the very identity of the people around him shifts. Like the novels of Christopher Priest—particularly The Affirmation and The Glamour—this is a tale with strong science-fictional appeal, about the nature of personality, memory and identity. Powerfully written, scored and directed by Alejandro Amanabar (The Others), Open Your Eyes is a delirious, erotic and stylish thriller whose recursive ending provides its own sequel. It's the best head-trip this side of Memento and definitely not to be confused with Tom Cruise's similarly titled Eyes Wide Shut.

On the DVD: Open Your Eyes on DVD has no features of any kind, with the film presented in the original Spanish with large, easy-to-read yellow subtitles imposed directly onto the print itself and no option to turn them off. The sound is good, well-balanced stereo and the picture—presented non-anamorphically at 1.77:1—is clear, detailed and mostly lacking in grain. —Gary S Dalkin

Science fiction and romance collide in The Fountain, the ambitious third feature from director Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem for a Dream), who laboured for four years to complete this epic-sized love story that stretches across centuries and galaxies. Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz (Aronofsky's real-life companion) play lovers in each of the film's three settings—16th century Europe and America (Jackman is a Spanish explorer searching for Incan magic), the present day (Jackman is a doctor attempting to cure his dying wife), and the 26th century (Jackman is a space traveller seeking a gateway to the afterlife)-–who struggle mightily to stay united, only to lose each other time and again. Aronofsky may not have chosen the easiest presentation for audiences to absorb his theories on the lasting qualities of life and the transformative powers of death-–the final sequence, in particular, with a bald Jackman floating through space in a bubble, harks back uncomfortably to "head movies" of the late '60s-–but his leads have considerable chemistry (and look terrific to boot), which goes a long way towards securing viewers' hopes for a happy ending. Critical reception for The Fountain has been nothing short of bloodthirsty, with Cannes audiences booing, but there are elements to enjoy here, even if the premise throws one for a loop. Ellen Burstyn (who earned an Oscar nomination for Requiem for a Dream) delivers a typically solid performance as Jackman's boss in the present day sequence, and special effects (most done without the benefit of CGI) are also impressive given the film's low budget (spurred by a mid-production shutdown after original stars Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett ankled the picture). And science-fiction fans whose tastes run towards the metaphysical (Asimov, Le Guin) will appreciate the attempt to present the genre in a serious light. — Paul Gaita

Title: Modern Coin Magic <>Binding: Paperback <>Author: J B Bobo <>Publisher: DOVER PUBLICATIONS

Paperback. Pub Date :1982-02-25 Pages: 576 Language: English Publisher: Penguin Classics' It is not from the benevolence of the butcher. the brewer. or the baker. that we expect our dinner. but from their regard to their own interest'With this landmark treatise on political economy. Adam Smith paved the way for modern capitalism. arguing that a truly free market - fired by competition yet guided as if by an 'invisible hand' to ensure justice and equality - was the engine of a fair and productive society. Books I-III of the Wealth of Nationsexamine the 'division of labour' as the key to economic growth. by ensuring the interdependence of individuals within society. They also cover the origins of money. the importance of wages. profit. rent and stocks. Smith's work laid the foundations of economic theory in general and 'classical' economics in particular. but the real sophisti...

A milestone film from 1971 and winner of five Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor, The French Connection transformed the crime thriller with its gritty, authentic story about New York City police detectives on the trail of a large shipment of heroin.

Based on an actual police case and the illustrious career of New York cop Eddie Egan, the film stars Gene Hackman as Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle, whose unorthodox methods of crime fighting are anything but diplomatic. With his partner (Roy Scheider), Popeye investigates the international shipment of heroin masterminded by the suave Frenchman (Fernando Rey) who eludes Popeye throughout an escalating series of pursuits. The obsessive tension of Doyle's investigation reaches peak intensity during the film's breathtaking car chase, in which Doyle races under New York's elevated train tracks in a borrowed sedan—a sequence that earned an Oscar for editing and was instantly hailed as one of the greatest chase scenes ever filmed.

Produced on location, The French Connection had an immediate influence on dozens of movies and TV shows to follow, virtually redefining the crime thriller with its combination of brutal realism and high-octane craftsmanship. Boosted by the film's phenomenal success, director William Friedkin took his attention towards redefining the horror genre with his next film The Exorcist.—Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

Following on from the original four years later, French Connection II takes "Popeye" Doyle to Marsailles to hunt down Alain Charnier, the "daddy" of the smuggling ring. Gene Hackman returns to revive his role as Doyle the brutal and uncompromising narcotics detective, and turns in an equally hard hitting performance to that offered in the original.