Josh Hartnett and Samuel L. Jackson star in this drama about a journalist whose life changes after he writes an article about a homeless man who was once a boxing legend. Reporter Erik Kernan Jr. (Hartnett) finds the opportunity to prove himself to his boss (Alan Alda) and his family by writing a heartfelt piece about a former professional boxer (Jackson) who has since fallen into homelessness and destitution and now spends his days raking through the rubbish bins of Denver. Writing the article leads to a soul-searching personal journey for Erik as he finds himself re-examining his own past and his relationship with his family.

Reveals how to use masks, meditation, and improvisation to free yourself from overthinking, self-doubt, and fixed ideas of who you think you are Sharing a series of mindfulness techniques and acting exercises that show how malleable the self can be, award-winning actor, narrator, and Zen Buddhist priest Peter Coyote reveals how to use masks, meditation, and improvisation to free yourself from fixed ideas of who you think you are and help you release your ego from constant defensive strategizing, calm the mind's overactivity, and allow spontaneous playfulness to arise out of your deepest nature. Developed through 40 years of research and personal study, Coyote's synthesis of mask-based improv games and Zen practices is specifically designed to create an ego-suppressed state akin to the mystical experiences of meditation or the spiritual awakenings of psychedelics. After preparatory exercises, seeing yourself in a mask will temporarily displace your familiar self and the spirit of the mask will take over. Likening the liberated state induced by mask work to "Enlightenment-lite," Coyote draws on Buddhist philosophy to describe how and why the exercises work as well as how to make your newly awakened and confident self part of daily life. In true Zen form, woven throughout the narrative is a lighthearted parable of an out-of-work Lone Ranger and Tonto, who meet Buddha and experience spiritual awakening. Illuminating the lessons of mask work, the transformation of the Lone Ranger mirrors that of the individual pursuing this practice, revealing how you will come to realize that the world is more magical and vaster than you thought possible.

ALONE
Thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson is on his way to visit his father when the single-engine plane in which he is flying crashes. Suddenly, Brian finds himself alone in the Canadian wilderness with nothing but a tattered Windbreaker and the hatchet his mother gave him as a present--and the dreadful secret that has been tearing him apart since his parents' divorce. But now Brian has no time for anger, self-pity, or despair--it will take all his know-how and determination, and more courage than he knew he possessed, to survive.

"In a straightforward and compelling narration, Peter Coyote captures Brian's terror, anguish and exultation as he learns to survive alone in the wilderness."-"AudioFile "

Growing up in the suburbs of Boston and raised on secular Judaism, Cocoa Puffs, and Gilligan's Island, Peter Bebergal was barely in his teens when the ancient desire to finding higher spiritual meaning in the universe struck. Already schooled in mysticism by way of comic books, Dungeons & Dragons, and Carlos Castaneda, he turned to hallucinogens, convinced they would provide a path to illumination. Was this profound desire for God--a god he believed that could only be apprehended by an extreme state of altered consciousness--simply a side effect of the drugs? Or was it a deeper human longing that was manifesting itself, even on a country club golf course at the edge of a strip mall? Too Much to Dream places Bebergal's story within the cultural history of hallucinogens, American fascination with mysticism, and the complex relationship between drug addiction, popular culture, rock 'n' roll, occultism, and psychology. With a captivating foreword by Peter Coyote, and interviews with writers, artists, and psychologists such as Dennis McKenna, James Fadima, Arik Roper, Jim Woodring, and Mark Tulin, Bebergal offers a groundbreaking exploration of drugs, religion, and the craving for spirituality entrenched in America's youth.

Collection of six films written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar. 'Dark Habits' (1983) stars Cristina S. Pascual as Yolanda, a nightclub singer who witnesses her boyfriend die from an overdose. With the police out to question her, she decides to take refuge with a strange band of nuns in a convent in Madrid. In 'What Have I Done to Deserve This?' (1984), embattled housewife Gloria (Carmen Maura) struggles to cope with her dysfunctional family and indifferent husband. 'Law of Desire' (1987) stars Antonio Banderas as Antonio Benítez, the obsessive fan of gay director Pablo Quintero (Eusebio Poncela) who accidently kills the director's new love interest in a jealous rage. In 'Women On the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown' (1988), distraught Pepa (Maura) considers suicide after her long-time lover leaves her without warning. 'Kika' (1993) follows a young make-up artist from Madrid as she starts a relationship with a philandering American writer. Finally, in 'The Flower of My Secret' (1995), a woman who lives a double life finds that being a successful romantic novelist does not necessarily bring happiness. Frustrated with her professional life and her disintegrating relationship with her husband, she is forced to re-evaluate her future after surviving an overdose.