philadelphia

Not for Tourists 2009 Guide to Philadelphia (Not for Tourists Guidebook)
$16.95
I travel a lot and never leave home without at least one travel guide. Typically I get a Frommers or Fodors. I sometimes get a Moon, eyewitness travel, lonely planet, etc... I had never gotten a NFT so I got it in addition to a Frommers. A total waste of money. It is horribly orgagnized and I think you would have to be a local to understand the breakdowns. Hardly any text written, all lists. Save your money, skp this book.

Philadelphia Eagles Fleece Throw
$17.99
This fleece blankets serves its purposes: it shows off my team spirit while keeping me warm and comfortable. I admit that I am surprised at how warm it keeps me despite being thin; but hey, it keeps me warm and that's what matters.

Philadelphia
$14.95
Over the last few years, I have been churning my way through the films of Denzel Washington. I love the intensity and passion he brings to his roles, plus the fact that, "Manchurian Candidate" aside, he hasn't really been in any bad films. For whatever reason, I had not yet seen "Philadelphia", which is hailed by film critics and garnered Tom Hanks a Best Actor academy award in 1992. After viewing, I found it to be not as epic as some would have me believe, but still an interesting two hours nonetheless.

The basic plot of the film is the story of two lawyers (Denzel and Hanks). Hanks' character contracts AIDS and enlists the help of "Washington" to help him file a discrimination lawsuit against the company that fired him (supposedly due to the disease). Along the way, the plot actually morphs to become more of a "panel discussion" on the treatment/perception of gay people in the United States.

In dealing with such a sensitive topic, the film is able to lay out its message without sounding too crass or too offensive to either side. Basically, director Jonathan Demme knows that viewers will obviously have pre-determined attitudes about the issue before viewing the film, and thus doesn't try to sway any perceptions. Instead, through the legal, court-room setting, he just invites both sides to think about the issues at hand and consider possible scenarios. I liken it to a more recent Denzel Washington film entitled "The Great Debaters", which discussed the issue of the Jim Crow south through a high school debate team. Some pretty meaty issues were thrown around, but under the guise of "debate" the viewers don't really feel any compulsion to take a side, instead just being privy to the information. A similar factor is what I believe is the true brilliance of Demme's film...he treats the viewers like a jury and allows us to come to our own conclusion about the issues he is discussing.

Thus, unless you have incredibly strong feelings one way or the other about the issue of gay rights (then the film is bound to upset in its generalization of the topic), I would recommend this film to pretty much anyone. While it may not live up to critical hype (likely due to the fact that critics are usually bonkers over artsy or heavy-themed films), it will give you some things to think about.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Season 3
$39.98
In my opinion Season 3 is the best "Sunny" season so far and consequently is a MUST to own for all "Sunny" fans out there. If you're considering buying this collection, then you must already be a die-hard fan and therefor there is no need to go discuss all of the hilarous episodes.

I would have preferred a much more extensive set of Special Featurees however. Surely with this cast there could have been literally hours of out-takes and special features but instead we're provided only 3 "featurettes" and one 15 minute gag reel. In addition, the Commentary with Rob, Charlie and Glen that is listed on the cover of Disc 1 and 2 is nowhere to be found. What's up with that?

In any event, I highly recommend this item