Five feature-length action adventures based on the Marvel comic.

In 'X-Men' (2000), mutants Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellen) are former friends, but look set to become mortal enemies when fascist US senator Robert Frank Kelly calls for the registration of all humans with abnormal powers. While telepath Xavier, who runs an altruistic academy for superhuman 'X-Men', wishes to enlighten non-mutants and break down the prejudices which divide them, Magneto believes that the only solution is for the mutants to take over. Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) - an aggressive loner with an admantium skeleton and the ability to heal his body of any wound - and teenager Rogue (Anna Paquin), who can absorb the life force of others simply by touching them, are selected by Xavier to join his academy, but it isn't long before Magneto's followers are attempting to capture them so that they can assist in his plan for world domination.

In the sequel, 'X-Men 2' (2003), Xavier, Wolverine and the X-Men find themselves in the firing line after a failed assassination attempt on the president points the finger at the school. It was in fact the mysterious teleporter Nightwalker (Alan Cumming) who ordered it, and, in an attempt to clear their names, the X-Men are led into a trap set by the evil William Stryker (Brian Cox), a mysterious scientist apparently working for the government. As it soon becomes evident that Stryker's agenda is to destroy all mutants, the X-Men need to call in the help of many of their old friends and foes, including Magneto, if they are to stop him.

In the third film, 'X-Men: The Last Stand' (2006), the mutants are given the option of giving up their powers and becoming human after a private laboratory supported by the government finds a way to use the DNA of a powerful boy to correct the mutants. However, Magneto opposes and decides to join a force to fight against the government and kill the mutant boy. Meanwhile, Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) resurrects, uncontrolled by Xavier, and with the personality of the powerful Dark Phoenix. She destroys Cyclops (James Marsden) and Xavier and allies herself to the evil forces of Magneto, making them almost invincible.

The fourth film in the franchise, 'X-Men: Origins - Wolverine' (2009) is a prequel to the other three films. Hugh Jackman reprises his role as Wolverine, who, some 20 years before the action of the original movie, is seeking revenge on his half-brother Victor Creed (Liev Schreiber) for the death of his girlfriend, and eventually signs up to the ominous Weapon X programme.

Finally, 'X-Men: First Class' (2011) charts the beginning of the saga, following Professor X (James McAvoy) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender) through their formative years in the 1960s as they come to terms with their newfound superpowers. Initially close friends who work together to fight against evil, the two men are driven apart by a conflict of opinion that ultimately leads to the eternal war between Magneto's Brotherhood and Professor X's X-Men.

The epic, can’t-miss follow-up to the instant New York Times bestselling Avatar, The Last Airbender: The Rise of Kyoshi—now in paperback! Kyoshi’s place as the true Avatar has finally been cemented—but at a heavy cost. With her mentors gone, Kyoshi struggles to keep the peace in a world full of corruption and violence. But while her reputation grows, a mysterious threat emerges from the Spirit World. Kyoshi’s travels take her to the Fire Nation, where she reunites with Rangi and becomes the Fire Lord’s guest of honor for an important cultural holiday. But underneath the celebration lies a dangerous game of court politics—and when the palace itself is attacked, she, Rangi, and their allies must deliver justice before the Fire Nation is consumed by strife. This thrilling follow-up to the New York Times bestselling Avatar, The Last Airbender: The Rise of Kyoshi continues Kyoshi’s journey from a girl of humble origins to the merciless pursuer of justice still feared and admired centuries after becoming the Avatar.

Three classic films starring comedy duo Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. In 'The Dancing Masters' (1943), Stan (Laurel) and Ollie (Hardy) are owners of a dance school, but are evicted for non-payment of rent. To raise money, Ollie tries an insurance scam which involves inflicting injuries on Stan, but the inept pair soon find themselves mixed up with local gangsters. Watch out for appearances by long-running Marx Brothers' foil Margaret Dumont and a youthful Robert Mitchum. In 'A-haunting We Will Go' (1942), Laurel and Hardy unknowingly offer to help a bunch of crooks smuggle a wanted man past the police in a coffin. Unfortunately, the casket gets mixed up with one used by a stage musician, leading to a comic chase. Finally, in 'The Bullfighters' (1945), Stan and Ollie are two detectives looking for a female criminal in Mexico. Stan gets mistaken for a famous matador and is forced to show his prowess in the bullring.

Joe Dante directs this suspense horror/thriller. When 17-year-old Dane (Chris Massoglia) and his younger brother Lucas (Nathan Gamble) move with their mother Susan (Teri Polo) from New York City to the sleepy little town of Bensonville, they stumble across a mysterious hole under a locked trapdoor in the basement while exploring their new house. Before they know it, the brothers are caught up in a terrifying odyssey into the dark labyrinths of their worst fears and most sinister nightmares.

This enthralling new translation of Dante's Inferno 'immediately joins ranks with the very best' (Richard Lansing). One of the world's transcendent literary masterpieces, the Inferno tells the timeless story of Dante's journey through the nine circles of hell, guided by the poet Virgil, when in midlife he strays from his path in a dark wood. In this vivid verse translation into contemporary English, Peter Thornton makes the classic work fresh again for a new generation of readers. Recognizing that the Inferno was, for Dante and his peers, not simply an allegory but the most realistic work of fiction to date, he points out that hell was a lot like Italy of Dante's time. Thornton's translation captures the individuals represented, landscapes, and psychological immediacy of the dialogues as well as Dante's poetic effects. The product of decades of passionate dedication and research, his translation has been hailed by the leading Dante scholars on both sides of the Atlantic as exceptional in its accuracy, spontaneity, and vividness. Those qualities and its detailed notes explaining Dante's world and references make it both accessible for individual readers and perfect for class adoption.