Cindy Garrison

The Age of Innocence
$2.99
Martin Scorsese's film The Age of Innocence (1993) is an adaptation of a 1920 novel by Edith Wharton, which won the 1921 Pulitzer Prize. Both, the novel and the film are set in upper class New York City in the 1870s.

The Age of Innocence is the movie that proves once again what a versatile talented, unpredictable, incredibly passionate, and artistically outstanding director Martin Scorsese is. Recently I saw for the first time Scorsese's comedy After Hours and was fascinated how masterful he was in creating a darkly funny surreal comedy. Now, after re-watching The Age of Innocence, I am sure that Scorsese has made one of the most beautiful, tragic, passionate, sensual, sexually charged screen romances ever, which is at the same time perfectly suitable for the whole family watching. It is PG rated, and the characters speak in refined, almost forgotten English. The director himself described The Age of Innocence as the "most violent" film he's ever made, clearly referring to the inner turmoil, disappointment and resignation the two main characters of this drama go through.

The material world Scorsese created and paints with his lenses is of incredible beauty. Michael Ballhaus' camera brings out the perfection of craftsmanship of every object it looks at: be it the costumes (Oscar statuette for Gabriella Pescucci who has dressed the heroes of The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Der Name der Rose (1986), and Upon a Time in America (1984) to name a few), china, crystal, silver, flower arrangements, jewelry or furniture. The exquisite meals looked delicious and required a special food consultant who was mentioned in the film's credits. Or take for example these elegant leather ladies gloves with small buttons. Who would think that unbuttoning a glove on the hand of a beautiful woman slowly, tenderly, makes one of the most erotic scene ever filmed? The people who inhabited this world of beauty, comfort, and privilege seem the perfect happy creatures but not all is so perfect in the paradise. Two beautiful passionate people found love that could only happen once in a life time but the strict norms or society they live in and the unbending unwritten rules based on convention and hypocrisy they must obey won't permit them to follow their hearts freely, to fulfill their desire, and to be happy in that Age of Innocence. The cast is superb, and includes Daniel Day-Lewis, the film protagonist Newland Archer, Michelle Pfeiffer, as Countess Olenska, a woman with "a Past" who stole his heart, and very young Winona Ryder, May Welland, the girl whom Archer will marry. 22 years old Ryder very deservingly received the Oscar nomination for her performance. I would like to mention Joanne Woodward's subtle narrating of Edith Wharton's prose which is one of the high points of the film. IMO, the film has only high points and is Martin Scorsese fine (perhaps, the finest) and stunning achievement.

Coach (1978) [VHS]
$9.98
I loved this movie back when it came out.Now it is timely and Cathy lee is great.

Arlington Road
$9.99
Jeff Bridges and Tim Robbins do a fine job in this terrorist conspiracy theory thriller. The rest of the cast supports ably while the director keeps them all incisively moving allowing no lagging moments to break the pattern of suspense. The film makes the most of the paranoid nature of those involved and how uninvolved innocent people can be caught in their web of suspicions. Good viewing.

The Island of the Care-a-Beans - VeggieTales Mission Possible Adventure Series #1: Personalized for Garrison
$19.99
VeggieTales Personalized Mission Possible Adventure Series (6 books) Your child's name is inserted throughout each story making them the hero in each book! #1 - Island of the Care-a-Beans Let the special child in your life be the star in this exciting VeggieTales Mission Possible series with Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber! Every child wants to be the star in their own adventure! In this new, VeggieTales Mission Possible series, kids get to be the star in every book! In this first exciting story, your child will jump on board the "Get Up'n Go Machine" and learn the importance of caring about others. The Island of the Care-a-Beans is in danger of sinking into the ocean! Bob the Tomato is worried silly. Larry the Cucumber is looking for a superhero. But all this adventure really needs is that special child in your life! And this is just the beginning! In the next Mission Possible, the "Get Up'n Go Machine" is off to an all new place! Only this is an underwater adventure filled with mystery and...Seaweedles? That's right! See what happens next in book 2, Jellyfish Jam The best part of each Mission Possible is that whoever that extraordinary child is in your life, he or she will get to be the star in each adventure! It's fun! It's exciting! It's VeggieTales!