Avast 4.8.1296 Professional + Update of 02-06-09 File size 53.76 mb
Complete ICSA certified antivirus package for small office, home office - SOHO avast! Professional Edition is a complete ICSA certified antivirus package for small office home office use - SOHO. Protect your system and valuable data against computer viruses with Avast! Professional Edition. avast! 4 Professional Edition is a collection of award winning, high-end technologies that work in perfect synergy, having one common goal: to protect your system and valuable data against computer viruses. It represents a best-in-class solution for any Windows-based workstation. This page demonstrates its most important features and provides links to further resources.
This package also contain the update of 02-06-09
NOTE: This product cannot be installed on a server operating system (Windows NT/2000/2003 Server families).
Here are some key features of "Avast! Professional Edition":
· Antivirus kernel · Automatic updates · Simple User Interface · PUSH updates · Enhanced User Interface · Virus Chest · Resident protection · System integration · Script blocker · Command-line scanner · P2P and IM Shields · Integrated Virus Cleaner · Network Shield · Support for 64-bit Windows · Web Shield · Internationalization
Requirements:
· For a computer running Windows 95/98/Me: 486 Processor, 32MB RAM and 50MB of free hard disk space. · For a computer running Windows NT 4.0: 486 Processor, 24MB RAM and 50MB of free hard disk space and Service Pack 3 (or higher) installed · For a computer running Windows 2000/XP Workstation (Not Server): Pentium class Processor, 64MB RAM (128MB recommended) and 50 MB of free hard disk space · For a computer running Windows XP 64-bit Edition: An AMD Athlon64, Opteron or Intel EM64T-enabled Pentium 4 / Xeon processor, 128MB RAM (256MB recommended) and 50 MB of free hard disk space · For a computer running Windows Vista: Pentium 4 processor, 512MB RAM and 50 MB of free hard disk space · The program itself requires about 20MB of hard disk space; the remainder of the recommended space is reserved for the virus recovery database file and its index (VRDB, also known as the "integrity database" from the previous version). · A functional MS Internet Explorer 4 or higher is required for the program to work.
Version 4.8.1296 November 26, 2008
* minor improvements in some unpackers * improvements in the false positive submission system * speed optimization in kernel-mode components * XML scan reports now generated in UTF-8 format (allow for non-Latin characters)
Version 4.8.1290 November 19, 2008
* improvements in the malware submission system * minor improvements in some unpackers * improvements in the rootkit scanner * Network Shield: solved a problem occurring on systems with missing TCP stack
Aoao Watermark Software is a professional photo watermark software for pictures protection,the watermark software can add digital watermark(text, image, logo...) to your pictures, protect your photo safety, avoid them from unauthorized use. Because, if you share or sell you pictures on network, you never know what will happen, the best way is install a watermark software, Aoao Watermark Software is a best photo watermark software on the world. Aoao Watermark Software supports batch mode, For example, you want to add your sign to fou hundred of pictures, Aoao watermark software can finish it for you in moment.
Main Functions: 1) Add image or text to photos to protect copyright, you can create a watermark template for next use. 2) Add picture frame to photos,mark your photos more beautiful and special. 3) Resize and crop images in batch mode. 4) Convert images format,support all popular format.
Aoao Watermark supports the following file formats Input Formats: JPEG (*.jpg; *.jpeg ) - Joint Photographic Experts Group GIF (*.gif) - Graphics Interchange Format BMP (*.bmp) - BitMaP TIFF (*.tif; *.tiff) - Tag Image File Format PNG (*.png) - Portable Network Graphics TGA (*.tga) - Targa Graphics Adaptor ICO ( *.ico; *.icon) - Windows Icon CUR(*. cur) - Windows CURsor PCX( *.pcx) - PC PAINBRUSH WBMP(*.wbmp) - Wireless Bitmap JPEG2000(*.jp2) - Joint Photographic Experts Group 2000 PSD(*.psd) - Adobe PhotoShop PSD RAW(*.raw; *.crw) - Camera RAW PXM(*.pxm) - Portable Pixmap GrayMap BitMap
Output Formats: JPEG (*.jpg; *.jpeg ) - Joint Photographic Experts Group GIF (*.gif) - Graphics Interchange Format BMP (*.bmp) - BitMaP TIFF (*.tif; *.tiff) - Tag Image File Format PNG (*.png) - Portable Network Graphics TGA (*.tga) - Targa Graphics Adaptor ICO ( *.ico; *.icon) - Windows Icon PCX( *.pcx) - PC PAINBRUSH
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Movavi Video Editor (former EnhanceMovie) — all the video editing software tools you need in one great product. Import media from different sources. Edit video, add soundtracks and titles. Apply filters, transitions, and special effects.
Here's what the Movavi Video Editor video editing software gives you: • Video editing timeline panel lets you edit video with separate video, audio, and title tracks • Unique input media sources: audio & video screen capture and screencast built into the video editor • Professional-grade filters & special effects • Video & audio transitions • Automatic slideshow creation • Multiple ways to share your video creations after you edit video using our video editing software
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Photomatix Pro processes multiple photographs of a high contrast scene into a single image with details in both highlights and shadows. Photomatix offers two types of processes to increase the dynamic range. One process is called HDR Tone Mapping, the other Exposure Blending. Both processes are designed to produce an image with an increased apparent dynamic range, but their results are different. You should try both and then choose the result that works best with your images. The first section of this manual provides tips for taking photographs intended for High Dynamic Range (HDR) processing in Photomatix Pro. The second section describes how to create HDR images and process them through Tone Mapping. The third section deals with the Exposure Blending functions, and the fourth section with the Batch Processing tool. Finally, section five provides a few tips and techniques.
Features: » Generation of HDR (High Dynamic Range) images from differently exposed images » Conversion of single RAW file into pseudo-HDR image » Tone Mapping tool for revealing highlights and shadows details in HDR image » HDR Viewer shows local HDR image data at the appropriate exposure » Display of HDR Histogram (logarithmic) » Ability to batch tone map single HDR images » Function to tone map large HDR image files while benefiting from a preview » Read and Write support for Radiance RGBE (.hdr), OpenEXR (.exr) and Floating Point TIFF » Color managed HDR workflow: passing trough of ICC color profiles from the source to the tone mapped images, and color managed display » Four algorithms for Exposure Blending » Automatic alignment option for hand-held images with two alignment methods available » Preview and Loupe available for all Exposure Blending methods » Ability to select the images for method 'H&S - 2 images' » Automatic Batch Processing » Support JPEG, TIFF, Radiance RGBE, OpenEXR, PNG, PSD, RAW files from several camera models
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Honestech VHS to DVD™ 4.0 is revolutionary software that provides users with a complete and fully featured program for easy and simple conversion of their videos into VCD, SVCD, DVD, or Blu-ray movies. Now you can save all your old home videos and burn them to disc to keep your precious memories alive forever. You can also convert captured video into MPEG-4 or WMV format and watch them on your PSP, iPod, or Windows-based PDA device.
Honestech VHS to DVD™ 4.0 has three modes: 1) Easy Wizard Mode, 2) Advanced Mode, and 3) Audio Recorder. The Easy Wizard mode provides step-by-step pictorial instructions which assist the user through the conversion process. The Advanced Mode simplifies capturing, editing and burning movies into a simple three-step process.
1. Capture: Capture your video from camcorder, VCR, DVD player etc... 2. Edit: Trim unwanted scenes, combine clips, and add transitions and other effects. 3. Burn: Burn your movie onto a Blu-ray, DVD, VCD, or SVCD disc, or convert the video into MPEG-4 or WMV format that you can watch on your PSP, iPod, or Windows-based PDA device. The Audio Recorder records audio from your cassettes, LP records, and video tapes to WMV files. Using the recorded WMV files, you can create audio CDs, Data CDs or Data DVDs.
Whether you‟re a novice or professional, honestech™ VHS to DVD™ 4.0 is your best choice for editing and producing home movies on VCD, SVCD, DVD or Blu-ray. honestech™ VHS to DVD™ 4.0 provides everything you need to easily create DVD movies. honestech™ VHS to DVD™ 4.0 auto-detects capture devices on your PC and captures video from a wide variety of devices including VCRs, Digital Camcorders, DVD players, TVs, etc…
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This no-frills utility makes it a breeze to split and join video files of various formats. HT Video Splitter & Joiner's good-looking and straightforward interface ensures that even novices won't have trouble cutting sections from movies. You can precisely mark start and end points, chop your fragment, add it to the clipboard, preview it, and repeat the process until you've extracted all the content you want.
Then, you simply click the join icon and the application goes right to work rendering your new file as an MPEG, AVI, or WMV file. The Autosplit option will be useful for burning a DVD movie onto several CDs. Though it's essentially a one-trick pony, HT Video Splitter & Joiner makes a nice pick for both new and experienced video editors.
Features • Capture/Import Capture video from DV/HDV camcorder, TV tuner, webcam and more. • HD Editing Capture and edit high-definition video from HDV camcorders. Supports up to 1440x1080 resolution. • Various Effects and Menu Creation Offers many different screen effects and filters, and lets you create your own menus. • Watch Video on PSP/iPod Convert captured video into MPEG4/AVC format and watch it on your portable devices. • Upload to YouTube Uploading video to YouTube is easier than ever with a One-Click option. • DVD Creation Burn your movies onto DVD, CD or Blu-ray Disc (requires Blu-ray writer).
Import, Edit and Publish Video Files in just 3 Steps! • Import & Split Import and split your video clips. Rearrange your video clip sequence as needed. • Add Effects Add transitions, special effects and titles to your video. • Publish Output your video to DVD or other computer file formats.
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Capture images using a digital camera, webcam or DV camcorder and add background images, audio, and music to create your own stop-motion movies.
Storyboard * View the frames in sequence for easy editing * Add intro or ending credits to your video * Add onscreen text or subtitles to your video * Adjustable thumbnail size
Display Screen * Capture images using webcam, digital camera, camcorder, and more * Onionskin and rotoscope features make creating new images simple * Adjustable frame rate allows you to control the speed of your video * Preview your work before creating an output
Capture Tools * Control brightness and other camera settings * Flip your image vertically or horizontally (mirror image) * Auto capture makes capturing images easier and faster than ever * Grid and key drawing features help you adjust your subject more accurately
Chroma Key * Add blue/green screen effects to your video * Using the color spectrum tool, apply chroma key effect more accurately * Add chroma key effect to existing images * Anti-aliasing removes rough edges by minimizing the distortion artifacts
Audio Synchronization * Import audio or record your own audio * Easily synchronize recorded audio to specific frames * Add background music
Download:-
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Express video conversion software MediaShow Espresso is the hassle-free solution for converting all your favorite videos for playback on iPhone, PSP, Xbox, YouTube and more. You will only need to select the media player or format you prefer, then let MediaShow Espresso finish the actions.
During video conversion, you'll save precious time with support for powerful Intel Core i7, NVIDIA CUDA, and ATI Stream CPU/GPU technologies. Leverage the combined performance of your CPU and GPU to convert files quickly and efficiently.
Before starting your projects, you'll find browsing for videos to be a fun experience with MediaShow Espresso's intuitive interface. When it's time to start converting, a simple 2-step process and batch jobs feature deliver an easy way of completing your projects on time and on demand. Faster performance doesn't necessarily mean you have to waste power though, as you'll find out with MediaShow Espresso's energy-saving feature, auto-shutdown.
Here are some key features of "MediaShow Espresso":
Convert Hundreds of Videos at Once: · Batch convert with panache. MediaShow Espresso lets you save valuable time by converting multiple videos at once. Simply select your video files or even multiple folders, and then click to start your processing engines.
It's All Simultaneous - Multi-Thread Video Conversion: · Video conversion software MediaShow Espresso leverages all your CPU's processing muscle to transcode videos simultaneously, instead of by piecemeal. Support for multi-threading allows MediaShow Espresso to utilize up to 4 processing cores at once.
Up to 10x Faster Performance: · Shift your video conversion projects into overdrive with support for CPU and GPU technologies from Intel Core i7, NVIDIA CUDA, and ATI Stream. MediaShow Espresso leverages the power of your CPU and graphics card to handle video conversion up to 10x faster and more efficiently than ever.
Browse at Light Speed: · The sleek design of MediaShow Espresso's interface lets you quickly browse selected files before you start your video conversion projects. It's like liquid in motion.
Save Power and Resources: · MediaShow Espresso lets you conserve power after video projects are completed with the auto-shutdown feature. This radically frees up your time, eliminating the need to wait by your computer to see the end of every task. · MediaShow Espresso's convenient auto shutdown feature lets you save power by turning your PC off after video conversion is complete.
Faster Performance, Super Efficient: · Optimized for accelerated converting speeds with NVIDIA CUDA, ATI Stream and Intel Core i7, MediaShow Espresso achieves up to 10x faster performance for converting video files. Designed to make the most of your CPU and graphics card performance, and being able to handle up to 4 CPU cores simultaneously, MediaShow Espresso ensures efficient handling of your video conversion projects.
Hassle-free Media Player Support: · Convenient video conversion software MediaShow Espresso lets you output videos for your favorite media playerPlay your video files on any device. MediaShow Espresso will convert all your videos for playback on any media player hassle-free. By supporting a variety of input and output video formats, you'll always be able to enjoy your favorite videos on the road or on a vacation. Share with friends and family who will enjoy watching your favorite videos on their media players too.
Importing to iTunes - Faster Than Ever: · Fast video converter MediaShow Espresso offers blazing performance in outputting videos for your iPod or iPhone. With support for CPU and GPU optimization, converting files for your Apple products can be up to 10x faster. You'll wonder why you ever used any other method! · MediaShow Espresso automatically sends converted videos to your iTunes. Simply check the iTunes option to export.
Broadcasting on YouTube: · It's a breeze to broadcast yourself on YouTube. MediaShow Espresso allows you to convert and upload your videos to YouTube directly. Just check the option and follow the easy steps to transfer to your account.
Customizing Your Own Profiles: · You have a selection of pre-defined output profiles to choose from before beginning your video projects. Speedy video converter MediaShow Espresso also lets you customize your own video profiles too.
Requirements:
· DirectX 9 or above · Screen Resolution: 800 X 600, 16-bit color or above · Memory: 1 GB required (2 GB or above recommended) · Hard Disk Space: 1 GB required · Processor (CPU): Intel Atom CPU N270 1.60 GHz; Intel Pentium 4 3.0 GHz CPU with HyperThreading, or equivalent AMD processor · Graphics (GPU): Intel 945 GM or later, 64 MB-VRAM or above; Nvidia GeForce, GeForce Mobile, Quadro, Quadro Mobile and Tesla series graphics cards; ATI Radeon HD 4600 and Radeon HD 4800 series graphics cards
WWE Raw: Ultimate Impact can be played on the minimum-recommended specifications: Windows 98/ME/XP compatible PC with DirectX 8 Pentium III/500MHz Processor 3D Graphics Card 128 MB RAM 700 MB of free Hard Drive Space DirectX certified sound card 100% Microsoft compatible mouse and keyboard
Xpand rally - Xtreme Realism (HIGHLY COMPRESSED PC GAME) | Rs link | 210 Mb
Xpand Rally also features highly detailed models of modern rally cars and handling physics developed with the help of rally sport professionals which further enhance the realism of driving experience. Xpand Rally combines the best elements of Rally and Rally Cross racing in one unique gaming experience. The game offers a career mode based on time trials during both: individual races and World Championship Series which will satisfy traditional Rally fans. The Rally Cross fans won’t be disappointed either - they can challenge several opponents in head to head racing during competitions based on real and fictitious race events.
Features: - Realistic racing simulation with original FIA GT Series cars and courses - Over 70 different opponents on 10 legendary race courses - Highly realistic opponent AI giving a total race experience - 3 playing modes; dynamic weather changes during the race - Unrestricted game save and reload function; intense multiplayer action
System requirement: Operating System: Windows 98/ME/2000/XP Processor:Pentium III or higher RAM: 256 MB RAM Video Card: Graphics card with 64 MB, DX 8.0 compatible
Commandos 3: Destination Berlin is a game of real-time tactics that places you in command of an elite unit of Special Forces behind enemy lines. From the shores of France to the heart of the Third Reich, strike fast from land or sea with your small squad of guerrilla fighters, infiltrating hostile territories and conducting raids to disrupt the German war machine.
Minimum System Requirements System: Pentium III 700MHz or equivalent RAM: 128 MB Video Memory: 32 MB Hard Drive Space: 2000 MB
Recommended System Requirements System: Pentium 4 GHz or equivalent RAM: 512 MB Video Memory: 128 MB
You'd expect larger-than-life adventures from a squad of superhuman World War II commandos, and Commandos 3 delivers: Central Berlin, a bombed-out Stalingrad, a train packed with stolen art masterpieces, and the beaches of Normandy are all on the menu. There's nothing pedestrian about such assignments, and all 10 mission locations are as tough as they are memorable. Given that you can't adjust the level of difficulty, getting through even a single mission can require as much patience and judicious use of quicksaves as it does stealth and tactical forethought. Unfortunately, Commandos 3 hasn't gained much ground on its predecessors, and those new to the series may have trouble getting past the interface, the locked 800x600 resolution, or the many moments of frustration that every player is bound to experience. Nevertheless, the game's high level of challenge can lead to some proportionally satisfying victories against all odds.
Six commandos are back to defend Stalingrad, steal a train's loot, and storm Normandy.
In total contrast with what lies ahead, Commandos 3 starts out easy enough. The two tutorial missions are--with a single exception--a smart introduction to the key members of the commando squad and their highly specialized abilities. As in Commandos 2, the interiors of buildings are fully 3D, and it's possible to smoothly rotate the camera with the mousewheel. While the 3D segment isn't the best-looking part of the game, this extra control makes it fairly convenient to navigate the cramped rooms. The starter scenario gently walks you through the basics of the interface, which differs significantly in style from those in typical strategy or action games. Except when manually set to provide cover fire, the commandos don't act without explicit commands. Moving one character at a time is simple enough, though the lack of hotkeys for specific weapons or abilities becomes a challenge in tight spots. The tutorial's one notable failing is that it doesn't mention that the abilities menu hides choices until it's clicked on, like the one for weapons, which confused more than one of us when looking for the spy's "distract" ability.
The prologue is a taste of how, with one mouse click, the Green Beret's speed and deadly knife strike can be overwhelming in close quarters. And within the span of 15 minutes or so, you'll meet the other core commando members (whose ranks have been distilled from Commandos 2 to the core group): The sniper has the longest range of any friendly unit, the sapper is an expert with bombs and heavy weapons, the spy can disguise himself with the uniforms of German soldiers and officers, and the thief is fast and capable of climbing up walls and other objects. The sixth member, the diver, appears only once, in the third campaign. One advantage of having the number of commandos pared down from the previous game is that there's no getting confused about what each one is for, and if you ever get really stumped in a mission, solving the situation can be just a matter of stepping back and thinking about the special abilities of the commandos assigned to a specific scenario.
Many of the missions are combat heavy, but the action requires deliberate planning.
This is a World War II game, and it's presumed that you know the odds the Allies are up against and have seen the character types in war movies, so don't expect a drawn-out story. The three campaigns kick off with a summary voice-over briefing, and most missions feature a little character banter in in-engine shots, but otherwise, it's time for the action. Fortunately, the missions themselves are quite distinct, and there are a couple of unexpected events over the course of the first two campaigns. While most maps require you to complete just one set of objectives, the two very large maps in the first campaign are broken up into a series of segments. One of the game's several cinematics occurs after the first short sniper-hunting mission: An intense round of bombing levels several buildings, then waves of paratroopers descend near your location. These flashy sequences are impressive and set the stakes, but it's typical of the game's uneven pacing that all this flash precedes a stretch of slow going and that some of the best parts are buried in the middle of the campaigns, where impatient gamers may not see them.
While there's more than enough opportunity to show off your stealth skills, Commandos 3 has more than a few situations where the object is simply to kill all the enemies on the map. This isn't as simple or as straightforward as it might sound, though, given that the interface isn't designed to let your men run and gun. Without much ado, the second mission offers some do-or-die training on the combat system, sending handfuls of assault-rifle-toting Germans at you in waves. To the game's credit, there's rarely just one way through a combat situation, and there's the chance to get some really heavy firepower. The beefy Green Beret can pick up an emplaced machine gun and walk around mowing down enemies within a medium-range cone, and it's even possible to use an artillery piece. For some reason, the commandos usually only pack their specialized weapons, but looting downed Germans provides the opportunity to get some decent small arms and set up ambushes.
Although nearly half the missions are combat heavy, Commandos 3's interface is better suited for stealth than combat. Only with cover mode turned on will a unit fire by itself, so defensive ambushes are really all that the unit AI can manage unattended. Even then it's essential to be quite careful in lying prone behind cover, since the enemy generally gets a huge range advantage with the same weapons, so if you're spotted, you're dead. It is possible to move a group forward with the cover mode on, but changing facing is unwieldy. Sometimes the best bet is to use just one commando at a time, keeping the others out of sight where they can't get killed and automatically end the mission. This doesn't do anything to reinforce the sense that you're commanding an elite force. Nonetheless, once you grasp the interface's strengths and limitations, there are some tremendous battles in store, including one that pits the Green Beret against a whole enemy encampment--with a 15-minute clock ticking down.
The 10 locations are equally memorable and tough.
In the stealth missions, which often pair the thief or spy with a heavy hitter, it's easier to appreciate how a pair of characters can work together. Stealth is the series' trademark, and these missions are intricately designed to reward patience, as you watch the enemies' patrol routes, check their vision cones, and crawl carefully around crowded areas. In addition to special abilities, like the spy's distract, there are packs of cigarettes, noisemakers, and gas grenades to distract or disable enemies that simply don't leave an opening. There's perhaps just one instance where there's a single puzzle-like solution to a problem, but the overall level of challenge is extremely high, and getting to the next mission in the linear campaign sequence might mean stepping back and thinking about a completely different approach or trying one of the other campaigns, which thankfully can be played out of sequence.
For as hard as Commandos 3 can be, it's not all that long, with 10 maps divided up into campaigns of unequal length. Some missions may take several hours, particularly if you're still learning the game or get stuck in the wrong approach. Others are much shorter, including one that's little more than a 30-minute continuation of the previous mission. Barring any mishaps, most of the missions after the first campaign can be finished in about an hour each. You'd think that mishaps would be limited to being spotted or having a bomb go off in your face, but, in fact, just saving at the wrong moment could force you to restart a mission. Quicksaving is an essential lesson that's drilled into you from the first minute of the tutorial, but there's just one quicksave slot, and it's not hard to hit the quicksave key without realizing you'll be spotted a few moments later. Even using manual save slots can't stave off all problems, as we found out when our save games were corrupted not once, but twice.
The scenarios are challenging enough to warrant subsequent play-throughs, but Commandos 3's new competitive multiplayer mode doesn't add much lasting value. Instead of including the option to play single-player missions cooperatively, as in Commandos 2, the multiplayer options are limited to deathmatch and collect-the-flags modes. First, the challenge is to get things working, as the game doesn't offer a built-in server browser, and connecting via GameSpy Arcade worked only when we connected directly to a home broadband connection, removing an installed router. And even when facing players with low pings in small games, we experienced noticeable lag. Given that a single grenade can take out your entire force or that an ordinary rifleman set up for cover fire can take out a commando before you can react, the outcome of multiplayer battles can seem more like a matter of chance than skill. The multiplayer is clearly inspired by conventional real-time strategy games, but the game's design isn't well suited to straight combat.
You'll need to take advantage of the enemy AI's every unrealistic failing to succeed.
Commandos 3 looks just as good as the previous game, which is saying something. The environments are artistically rendered, and there are decent snow and rain effects to underscore the changing seasons and theaters of war. But the engine hasn't undergone visual improvements, and it's locked at a resolution of 800x600, which is low by today's standards. The exterior camera can be rotated in just four directions, and this limitation can be an issue in the corners of the map, where it can be tough to see where you're going. Rotating the camera can also cause a few seconds of delay, something you can ill afford in combat just trying to draw a bead on an enemy. The audio is similarly solid, if familiar, largely bringing over the same character voices and underscoring the events with a resounding military-themed score. The real letdown is when you come to the end of a campaign. After all that effort, the reward is simply the "mission completed" message and a trip back to the main menu.
If any game offers the chance to understand just how impossible the heroic events of war movies would be to accomplish, Commandos 3 is it. Achieving objectives against all odds takes planning, timing, lots of luck, and saved games. For all that it can be rough going and unevenly paced, Commandos 3 offers some truly memorable moments, and each mission stands on its own as a unique challenge. Commandos 2 fans should find plenty of satisfying material, though this isn't the game that's going to get newcomers into the series.
Cast & Crew: Genre: Drama Starring: Ashley Judd, Cliff Curtis, Harrison Ford, Ray Liotta, Sean Penn, Director: Wayne Kramer Producer: Frank Marshall, Wayne Kramer Writer: Wayne Kramer
“Crossing Over” will make you weep, but not for the reasons its makers intended. Forced, heavy-handed and overdone, it’s a pretend serious film that offers crass manipulation in the place where honesty is supposed to be.
Written, directed and co-produced by Wayne Kramer, “Crossing Over” has designs on dealing seriously with the problems of immigration, on showing how the desperation to get legal in this country leads to a damaged system that corrupts almost everything it touches.
But instead of anything commendable, “Crossing Over” stands in a long line of exploitation melodramas that just want to get a rise out of audiences, a film that uses its nominal issue as an excuse to put thuggish violence, lecherous nudity and crude profanity on screen. And that makes the film sound a lot more entertaining than it is.
That’s because, following in the footsteps of “Crash” and “Babel,” “Crossing Over” is also in the grip of a terrible earnestness, the conviction that its conventional dialogue and contrived scenarios are actually telling us something worth knowing. As if.
Like those two films, “Crossing Over” is a multi-strand story that moves from vignette to vignette, introducing numerous characters who star in their own mini-dramas, each one faker and more obvious than the last, as well as occasionally interacting with the folks in other episodes. The film is set in Los Angeles, and its use of aerial shots to move from neighborhood to neighborhood is so widespread it threatens to cause airsickness.
Harrison Ford is “Crossing Over’s” biggest star, and it’s his Max Brogan we meet first. A lonely agent for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE for short) whose only companions are the animals on the Nature Channel, Brogan has been on the job so long he’s gone native. “Everything is a humanitarian crisis to you,” an exasperated co-worker snaps at him, and soon enough Brogan becomes concerned about the small boy left behind when his factory worker mother (Alice Braga) is nabbed in an ICE raid.
Ford gives “Crossing Over’s” most effective performance, and Max Brogan’s story is not as bad as the others, but it’s downhill from there. Brogan’s ICE partner Hamid (Cliff Curtis) is originally from Iran, but his American-born sister Zahra (Melody Khazae) doesn’t want to act like women from the old country, and that causes all kinds of family tensions.
Ditto for 15-year-old Taslima (Summer Bishil), whose passionate classroom tirade pleading for understanding for the Sept. 11 bombers leads to problems for her and her parents, illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Also causing family difficulties is a young Korean boy (Justin Chon) who hangs with local gangbangers.
Wait, we’re not done. Ashley Judd plays a compassionate immigration defense attorney whose husband, Cole (Ray Liotta), works the other side of the street, adjudicating green card applications for the government.
Another couple of sorts is wannabe Brit rocker Gavin (Jim Sturgess) and his sometime girlfriend, aspiring Aussie actress Claire (Alice Eve), who’ll do anything (and I mean anything) to get a green card. One of the film’s more maddening bits of business is its old-school sexist insistence that women who are desperate enough to allow themselves to be horribly sexually exploited have commited a greater sin and need to be punished much more severely than men who blithely lie. What a world.
This is pretty much business as usual for “Crossing Over,” which has a weakness for bludgeoning emotional responses out of viewers, as well as a tendency to sound more promising than it is because of the caliber of the name actors involved.
Maybe those performers didn’t focus on the exploitative nature of the film’s persistent sex and violence, maybe they ignored the banality of the proceedings and were seduced by the possibility of being in a film that said something worthwhile about an important national issue. “Crossing Over,” a project that diminishes everything it touches, is nowhere near that film.
Cast: Ben Stiller, Amy Adams, Robin Williams, Ricky Gervais, Owen Wilson Director: Shawn Levy Genres: Adventure Comedy, Fantasy Adventure, Adventure, Comedy
When the Museum of Natural History is closed for upgrades and renovations, the museum pieces are moved into federal storage at the famous Washington Museums. Security guard Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) infiltrates the Smithsonian Institute in order to rescue Jedediah (Owen Wilson) and Octavius (Steve Coogan), who have been shipped to the museum by mistake. The centrepiece of the film will be bringing to life the Smithsonian Institution, which houses the world's largest museum complex with more than 136 million items in its collections, ranging from the plane Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams) flew on her non-stop solo flight across the Atlantic and Al Capone's rap sheet and mug shot to Dorothy's ruby red slippers, Fonzie's jacket from Happy Days and Archie Bunker's lounge chair from All in the Family.
After being dumped by her boyfriend, Abby finds herself very alone in Tokyo, where she soon becomes consumed by the prospect of making the perfect ramen.
"The Ramen Girl" is structured like a fluffy romantic comedy. There are definite romantic storylines. They are actually more important as plot points and the marking of growth in our protagonist than a central point in the film. It’s a girly movie, particularly because of Murphy’s somewhat ditsy and originally boyfriend-focused character. The arc and significance in the film hits on her putting her own needs first and stops letting the men in her life dictate her happiness.
Abby, played by Brittany Murphy, has just moved to Tokyo with her boyfriend who got a job there. It turns out he isn’t too happy that she came with him and dumps her, leaving her devastated in a foreign country where she has no one. Abby is a complete mess and doesn’t know what to do with her life next. She is 4 years out of college and hasn’t been able to hold a job for more than 4 months. Abby falls for guys quickly, giving her whole life for them in the blink of an eye. She realizes that she doesn’t have anything of her own. Abby wanders in to a local ramen shop, devastated by her lost, lonely state. The owners, Maezumi, played by Toshiyuki Nishida, and Gretchen, played by Tammy Blanchard, try to tell her that they are closed. Abby doesn’t understand a word of Japanese though and can only sit there and cry in her fragile state. Maezumi tries to get through to her but Gretchen feels bad and serves her a bowl of ramen. Abby eats the soup and it seems to calm her a bit.
The next day Abby comes back to the shop for more of the ramen that brings more happiness. One day, she ends up helping serve the food when she learns that Gretchen has a bad leg. She begs Maezumi to teach her how to make ramen. He is very resistant and refuses at first. Eventually he gives in, but resorts Abby to the role of his cleaning lady. He is purposely rough and harsh with her to scare her away and make a point that she isn’t worthy of his teachings. She continues doing his grunt work but becomes desperate to do some actual cooking. Maezumi claims that she is not grown up enough to handle it. Maezumi’s rival chef is planning on handing his shop off to his son once he gets the blessing of the grand master. This sparks a sudden confidence in Maezumi towards Abby. She begins making her own ramen. She is sure she has mastered how to make it as she follows everything Maezumi tells her. However, she hasn’t learned to cook from her spirit, which keeps holding her back.
Brittany Murphy does pretty well as Abby but in some ways, it is a mixed performance. She has plenty of charisma and likability in her role. Still, she seems to overplay the pouting devastation a bit too much, which takes away some of our respect and likability for the character. Toshiyuki Nishida was best in the comedic aspects of Maezumi’s character through his constant rage and frustration. All of his dialogue and gestures were vastly exaggerated. For the comedy, this worked. It also made him seem cartoon-like though and it was hard to take him seriously or see him on a human level. Tammy Blanchard did well as Gretchen. She represented that same language and culture clash. At other times, she actually made an effort to understand and make things easier for Abby. She brought out her character in an authentic and compassionate manner, which was really needed to balance out the constant anger and screaming of her husband. Sohee Park plays Toshi, Abby’s Japanese love interest. Although, he didn’t completely dazzle, he did a pretty good job with what he was given. If he was completely charming and charismatic we might want Abby to be with him more, which is clearly not the focus of the movie.
There are a bit too many sub-plots going on in the film. There’s the original plot of Abby being depressed and trying to get over her boyfriend. Then there is another love interest introduced. We are given a story about how Toshi hates his work, but won’t quit to pursue something he really wants since that would go against Japanese customs. One of Abby’s friends is an exotic dancer and is constantly on the run from some of the shady men she gets involved with. Of course, Abby’s determination to cook ramen is the main focus. Perhaps the side storylines that don’t seem particularly important are put in place to spice things up a bit. When Abby is at the restaurant things quickly get repetitive and old. It isn’t until towards the end of the film that there is any real difference in what we see happening in the ramen shop day after day. Even with these distractions the pacing seems a little off, as if these other plot points were just thrown in there to add some excitement.
It seemed like that first experience Abby has with ramen should have been more significant. She walks in devastated and confused and leaves happy but still in that same confused state. I can see her coming to like ramen, having an urge to eat it frequently while in Tokyo, but the extreme connection and fulfillment she gets from it isn’t translated to the audience very well. Eventually we are able to go along with it, especially as we see her determination and her insights on what that bowl of soup means to her.
The ending of the film feels rushed, forced, and out of context. It doesn’t seem very realistic and doesn’t go along with the sense of culture and understanding that Abby has embodied through her year of working at a small local ramen shop. It feels out of place, but it’s not bad enough to ruin the film.
"The Ramen Girl" handles the balance of language and culture clash better than most American films do when dealing with a foreign location. The film was shot on location in Japan. Also rather than having all of the Japanese people speak English, which would have ruined the lack of understanding between characters, there is a good amount of spoken Japanese. We understand what is going on from both sides thanks to the subtitles. We are not part of the joke and are able to understand where each party is coming from to an extent. We don’t always know the extent that each person understands the other, but we get where the confusion and frustrations come in to play.
"The Ramen Girl" has strong themes about alienation, living for yourself rather than for everybody else, and cultural differences. It’s a film about the simple things in life that make everything worth while. "The Ramen Girl" often feels too much like a light romance or an exaggerated comedy. If it would have toned these elements down and played it as a more serious quaint drama the end product would have been far better.
Starring: Amanda Righetti, Danielle Panabaker, Jared Padalecki, Andrea Bogart, Julie Berman, Director: Marcus Nispel Producer: Andrew Form, Bradley Fuller, Michael Bay
The team behind the latest installment in the “Friday the 13th” horror franchise has decided to reboot the series with a respectful nod to the mythology surrounding its iconic villain, the unspeaking, marauding killer Jason Voorhees — who has, in previous outings, been sent to outer space, hell and/or New York City.
Directed by Marcus Nispel (responsible for the remake of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” a few years back), this new film is something of a bouillabaisse of story points and killing concepts from earlier “Friday the 13th” movies — a hatchet to the head here, a mother issue there, a poked-out eyeball for good measure — with a few additions.
After a short opening prelude, the audience is introduced to a group of horny kids looking for a secret stash of weed near the legendary Camp Crystal Lake; they find Jason instead. Some weeks later, the brother of one of those campers comes along searching for his missing sister and stumbles across a group of college students partying for the weekend at an upscale lake house.
The film is certainly not “torture porn,” but it is unnecessarily grim. Nispel grasped the slaughterhouse despair that was at the core of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” but he entirely misses the goofball giddiness that has always gilded the edges of the best stalker/slasher films.
The original “Friday” films were, in their own way, a celebration of teenage lust and rambunctiousness. In Nispel’s update, the kids are mostly distasteful cretins with a disturbingly clinical, post-porn attitude to sex that micromanages the pleasure right out of it. Even a topless wakeboarding sequence is more an emulation of fun than an actual sun-kissed reverie.
There are a few half-hearted attempts to “explain” Jason in some psychological sense, but the character has so much of the fantastic in him — feeling no pain, moving swiftly and quietly, skillfully stalking his victims like prey — that there is precious little reality he can sustain.
The original handful of “Friday” films had a certain low-rent elegance about them, and this slickly done, dimly lighted, whiplash-edited update loses that too.
Not fun, louder than it is scary, not even all that gory, this new “Friday the 13th” has Jason, all right, but otherwise it’s missing nearly everything that made the original films work.
Angel of Death is a muddy and thrill-free suspense flick, with Sorvino playing a Spanish detective who comes to the town of Seville to investigate a new serial killer who's working during Easter week and wearing red robes and a cone-shaped hat. Teaming up with macho cop Martinez, they bumble around for 90 minutes until finally they get their butts saved and the killer is revealed.
With a script that feels like it was written by a small child or possibly a household pet, Angel of Death never once manages to become interesting. Its heroes are unlikable, ineffective, lazy, and stupid. Its villains aren't much different: One-note stereotypes that of course are going to deserve what they get in the end.
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