Triple bill of thrillers. In 'Catch .44' (2011) Tes (Malin Åkerman), Kara (Nikki Reed) and Dawn (Deborah Ann Woll) are three women with guns who are working for crime boss Mel (Bruce Willis). When they find themselves the victims in a double-crossing drug deal that turns out to be more of a set-up than a heist gone wrong, they set out to get their revenge. Forest Whitaker and Brad Dourif co-star. 'Switch' (2011) is a French-language thriller in which a woman's attempts to spice up her life through switching apartments goes disastrously wrong. Sophie Malaterre (Karine Vanasse), a Montreal fashion designer, initially enjoys swapping apartments with a French woman she met over the internet, Bénédicte Serteaux (Karina Testa). Sophie's first day in Paris is like a dream - but her second is a nightmare. She is awoken by the police, led by Detective Forgeat (Eric Cantona), who have discovered a dead body in the duplex, and seem unable to distinguish Sophie from Bénédicte... 'Hijacked' (2012) stars Randy Couture, Dominic Purcell and Vinnie Jones. Paul Ross (Couture), a grizzled government agent, has been investigating an influential crime organisation known as The Tribe for a number of years. Just when he begins to feel that he is making progress with the investigation his personal and professional interests interconnect. When a private jet carrying a wealthy businessman and Ross' former fiancée, Olivia (Tiffany Dupont), is hijacked by The Tribe, Ross is the only government agent on the scene. How will he cope?

Dax Shepard writes, directs and stars in this fast-paced, low-budget car chase action comedy. After testifying against some bad people he was associated with in Los Angeles, former getaway driver Charlie Bronson (Shepard) is placed under the Witness Protection Plan to keep him safe. However, when his girlfriend, Annie (Kristen Bell) - who is unaware of his troubled past - is offered an interview for her dream job in LA, Charlie manfully puts his safety to one side and agrees to drive her there. Unfortunately, he hasn't allowed for the jealously of Annie's ex, Gil (Michael Rosenbaum), who discovers Charlie's former identity and passes the details to the relevant people. Soon Charlie and Annie find themselves involved in a high speed pursuit, with vengeful gangsters, federal agents and their loyal Witness Protection Agent, Randy (Tom Arnold), on their tail...

All 22 episodes from the sixth season of the popular television series about Superman's early life. This season features a love triangle between Clark Kent (Tom Welling), Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk) and Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum). Characters from the original DC Comics are also introduced, with Green Arrow as a love interest for Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen (Aaron Ashmore) a beau for Chloe (Allison Mack). Added drama comes in the shape of guest character Martian Manhunter, who previously worked for Clark's biological father Jor-El and was sent to aide Clark in his journey. The series ends with a bang, the fallout from which will dramatically change the shape of 'Smallville' in seasons to come. Episodes comprise: 'Zod', 'Sneeze', 'Wither', 'Arrow', 'Reunion', 'Fallout', 'Rage', 'Static', 'Subterranean', 'Hydro', 'Justice', 'Labyrinth', 'Crimson', 'Trespass', 'Freak', 'Promise', 'Combat', 'Progeny', 'Nemesis', 'Noir', 'Prototype' and 'Phantom'.

All 23 episodes from Season 2 of the series about Superman's early life. In 'Vortex', Clark (Tom Welling) rescues Lana (Kristin Kreuk) from the eye of a tornado, and then discovers that the storm has powered up his spaceship and deposited it in an exposed position in a cornfield. In 'Heat', Clark goes into hiding after discovering his new power of heat vision, which can have some rather startling effects. 'Duplicity' sees Pete (Sam Jones) happening upon Clark's spaceship in the cornfield, which forces Clark to reveal his secret to him. In 'Red', Clark is given his high school ring which is supposedly set with ruby, but is actually red meteor rock. The rock has an instant and dramatic effect on him, changing him into a wayward rebel who overspends on the family credit card and picks fights. In 'Nocturne', Lana finds a love poem left for her at her parents' grave by Byron Moore (Sean Faris), an elusive boy with a dark and dangerous secret. 'Lineage' sees a mysterious woman, Rachel Dunlevy (Blair Brown) turning up in Smallville, claiming to be Clark's biological mother. This prompts the Kents to finally reveal to Clark the truth about what happened when they discovered him as a toddler in the cornfield. In 'Ryan', Clark tests his powers to the limit to save Ryan (Ryan James), a telepathic boy who is being used as a test subject at the Summerholt Research Facility by the evil Dr Garner (Martin Cummins). In 'Dichotic', a gifted student, Ian (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) has cloned himself and is dating both Lana and Chloe (Allison Mack) at the same time. Clark tries to warn the girls, but they attribute his interference to jealousy. In 'Skinwalkers', Clark falls into a cave filled with Native American inscriptions that hold the key to his true identity. 'Visage' sees the return of Whitney Fordman (Eric Johnson), which disrupts the relationship betwen Clark and Lana - until his odd behaviour prompts Clark to make a shocking discovery about his true identity. In 'Suspect', Jonathan finds himself framed for murder after being found in possession of a murder weapon. But Clark and Pete mount their own investigation and discover a tangle of motives and possible suspects. 'Insurgence' sees Lex (Michael Rosenbaum) discovering that Lionel has secretly installed an electronic surveillance system in his mansion. In retaliation, Lex hires crooks to install cameras in Lionel's Metropolis office... In 'Rush', a parasitic worm infects Pete and Chloe, turning them into wild adrenaline junkies. In 'Prodigal', Lex tracks down his long-lost brother Lucas (Paul Wasilewski), and brings him home to Smallville in the hope that they can buy Lionel out and unite against him. 'Fever' sees Martha (Annette O'Toole) fall into a coma after breathing in meteor dust. It is then revealed that she is pregnant with Clark's brother or sister. 'Rosetta' features a guest appearance from the original Superman movie actor, Christopher Reeve, who plays Dr Virgil Swann, a brilliant scientist who helps Clark to receive messages from his home planet using the Native American symbols that Clark discovered when he fell into the cave. In 'Visitor', a new student, Cyrus Krupp (Jeremy Lelliot) reveals to Clark that he is an alien. 'Precipice' sees Clark jumping to Lana's defence when she is almost assaulted by a college student. He injures the student, causing him to question the virtue of his powers, and soon finds himself facing a lawsuit that could cost the Kents their farm. In 'Witness', Clark tries to intervene after inadvertently witnessing the theft of a Luthercorp truck, but is dismayed to discover that the thieves are as strong as he is. In 'Accelerate', Lana asks for Clark's advice after being visited by the ghost of her childhood friend, Emily (Jodelle Micah Ferlar). But Clark realises that the little girl is in fact a kryptonite-enhanced clone who is out to get revenge on Lana, and wants her to drown just as she, Emily, did several years before. In 'Calling', Dr Frederick Walden (Rob LaBelle) wakes from his coma to find himself in possession of incredible powers, and sets off on a dangerous mission to kill Clark. In 'Exodus', Clark makes an amazing discovery about his origins when the spaceship announces that it is programmed with memories of his Kryptonian father, Jor-El (Terence Stamp). It asks him to come at sunset to return to his family and friends and fulfil his destiny. But can Clark leave his life in Smallville behind? 'Redux' sees Clark coming to the rescue when a mutant, Chrissy (Maggie Lawson), starts killing young men by sucking their youth out of them to keep herself young, leaving them aged and lifeless.

Finalist - 2004 Book of the Year Award by ForeWord Magazine All too frequently, martial arts practitioners study their art without truly understanding where it comes from, how it was developed, and why it was created in the first place. Indeed, many don't care - and if you feel this way, you should put this book down. For the rest of us, who have taken our art beyond tournaments, it is reasonable to expect that we want to uncover the past. We want to understand the where, why and how of martial art development. We are intellectually curious about our combative history. To study the combative arts is to understand the circumstances of their development and to gain insights into the views and ethics of the societies that created them. As we travel back in time, we see consistent evidence of martial systems being influenced by those that came before and/or invaded. We also see the use of 'pre-arranged' fighting patterns kata to transmit proven techniques from one generation to the next. It is this transmission of martial knowledge, through kata and other forms of communication, that this book will explore. The author will demonstrate that pre-arranged fighting techniques katas were used by ancient Greek, Egyptian, Asian, African and European societies. And that Poetry, Dance, and Song were also significant methods of preserving and transmitting battle-tested fighting tactics through the ages. The purpose of kata training is not to become bound by the form but to transcend the form itself - to evolve.

In the tradition of such stellar writers as Cormac McCarthy, Harry Crews and James Agee, Escaping Darkness is the haunting tale of Donny Wayne Gavin, a young man driven to the edge of insanity by divorce and his brother's death in Vietnam. Neglected by an alcoholic father, tormented by his pious mother's sexual escapades and oppressed by the mountainous region in which he lives, Donny attempts suicide by jumping off a hotel's seventeenth floor ledge. However, at the last moment his attempt is stymied by a homeless woman named Mary, who helps Donny embark upon a spiritual quest that enables him to confront the demons within. Sadly though Donny's realizations later turn to dust and he is left once more standing at the crossroads of self-destruction and desperation facing life on the streets, suicide, or both. Filled with hope and despair, sexual tension, black humor, southern mysticism and moral drama, Escaping Darkness is the bittersweet story of adversity almost overcome and one man's journey through the unforgiving world of Southern Appalachia.

Discover the Facts Behind a Fascinating Martial Art! In the martial arts, facts are often a scarce commodity. Histories are often confused or inaccurate, lineages are muddled and murky, forms get changed and no one ever finds out why. These problems can present major obstacles along your path to the understanding and practice of your chosen art. Well, now some of that confusion can be cleared up with Okinawa's Complete Karate System: Isshin Ryu. It's a "must have" for today's martial artist, whether you're an Isshin Ryu practitioner, Karate stylist or just interested in the origins and development of one of the most fascinating, effective, and fastest growing styles in martial arts. While providing the context in which martial arts developed on Okinawa, Okinawa's Complete Karate System offers you a comprehensive history of Isshin Ryu as well as a thorough investigation of its founder's life and philosophy. Dealing in depth with the system's lineages, the internal and external aspects of the art, and multiple interpretations of all Isshin Ryu kata, this book is a unique, compelling and engaging experience. Okinawa's Complete Karate System: Isshin Ryu is essential reading for all martial artists and historians. Development of the Code of Ethics and Principles of Isshin Ryu Karate. Analysis of the Practice of Kata, Stances and Footwork of Isshin Ryu. Discussion of the Function of Isshin Ryu in Today's Society.