What's in Store

Peter Parker and his keen spidey sense lead DVD movie releases this week. Here are the top DVD movie releases for this week and the reviews of the film from the Epinions.com community.

Spider-Man 3

In this three-qual, Spider-Man has to face three baddies before it’s all said and done. This time, it’s Sandman, Venom, and the New Goblin. Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst reprise their roles as Peter Parker and Mary Jane, while Thomas Hayden Church and Topher Grace join the fray. Directed by Sam Raimi, it earned a whopping $336 million at the box office.

Epinions Reviews for Spider-Man 3

License To Wed

Mandy Moore and Robin Williams star in this PG-13 rated comedy slash romance film. The story surrounds a newly engaged couple who have to pass the Reverend’s marriage test in order to get married.

Epinions Reviews for License To Wed

Talk To Me

Don Cheadle stars as Petey Greene, an ex-con turned radio personality. Directed by Kasi Lemmons, the movie spans his life as a radio/tv personality up until his death.

Epinions Reviews for Talk To Me

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Tomorrow is the big day, but procrastinators still have time to find the perfect Halloween costume.

According to a recent Shopping.com consumer survey, 64 percent of respondents said that their top pick for the most popular pop culture costume this year was “Paris Hilton in a jail outfit.” Second pick was “one of the Transformers. ” Whether or not you want to jump on the bandwagon, run, don’t walk to your nearest specialty Halloween store or big box retailer for a costume.

You can also put your Paris Hilton costume together a la carte. Just buy a black and white striped skirt, cut it much shorter than is socially acceptable, make sure you have a lot of fake bling on, then have a great time.

A Transformer is a little bit trickier, but with some cardboard boxes, paint and stickers, you should be able to craft some passable robot parts.

If this is too much work for you, cut two holes in a white sheet and call it a night.

Sidenote: though we at Shopping.com love to dress up our pets for Halloween, it seems as if most Americans, do not. Only 18 percent of our survey respondents said they dress up their pets for the spooky day. Lucky for Fido.

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This week, we found fun games and toys to arm you with ideas for your holiday wish list:

Engadget talks about Nintendo’s plans to launch Wii in China and South Korea, just as soon as the whole “global shortage” thing gets worked out. Furthermore, its current priority is to deliver as many consoles as possible to existing markets, as these beauties will be a highly coveted commodity this holiday season.

DailyCandy gives us ideas of how to have fun and stay young by playing casual games. Big Fish Games is the master of the casual games universe and the makers of Mystery Case Files, the super-popular hidden object game. With more than 1,000 games to choose from, Big Fish Games spans generations and gender, with many games emphasizing teamwork – making it a great activity for the family. Plus, studies have shown that games help alleviate stress and increase concentration. Check it out!

GeekSugar raves about the release of DanceDanceRevolution Universe2 Song Lineup. All you fans will be pleased with the artists and song list for the game, which is set to release this winter. It will include fun songs by Franz Ferdinand, Outkast, Herbie Hancock, Ferry Corsten, Kool and the Gang, Men Without Hats, and my favorite, The Bangles. It also introduces a Freestyle Mode that allows you to dance without the use of directional arrows, which is great for people with two left feet – or those of us who like to use DDR as an intense workout! A new Quest Mode lets you build your own character to challenge fellow online players via Xbox LIVE, unlock new songs, and download new music for the game.

ShinyShiny boasts about Apple’s Leopard release that is hitting the tech streets at MacLive Expo. Some exciting features include new ways to scan the contents of folders without launching a program – for example, by using Cover Flow, which you’ll recognize in its other incarnation on the new iPods. Also new is Time Machine, a quiet background automatic backup, and now Boot Camp will come pre-installed rather than being a downloadable option. So if you’re determined to run both Windows and Mac on one machine, it’ll be one step easier.

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Kevin Costner and the latest Disney flick lead the DVD movie releases this week. Here are the top DVD movie releases for this week and the reviews of the film from the Epinions.com community.

Meet The Robinsons

This latest Disney film features vocal work from Angela Bassett and is directed by Steve Anderson. Lewis is a genius young inventor who goes into the future and realizes that he has to so something to save it. The film grossed just under $100 million in it’s domestic release.

Epinions Reviews for Meet The Robinsons

Mr. Brooks

Kevin Costner starts as a man living a double life. On one hand, he’s a loving family man, and on the other, he’s a serial killer so secretive and clever, that no one has figured him out. Directed by Bruce A. Evans, and also starring Demi Moore, William Hurt, and Dane Cook, this suspense picture grossed just under $30 million at the box office.

Epinions Reviews for Mr. Brooks

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This week, we found great pieces for men to style it up this fall and winter:

Forbes.com showcases casual pieces that are not only comfortable, but extremely stylish as well. Whether you are dressing for casual Friday or everyday at work, Thomas Pink’s Casual Mallard Plain Men’s Shirt will become a staple in your wardrobe. The brushed cotton shirts are cut to fit a well-built physique, helping you show off that body you’ve been working on all summer.

Highsnobiety.com raves about the Moncler x Junya Watanabe Fall/Winter 2007 collection that is celebrating a comeback with the new pieces. The line sports colorful, sporty pieces as well as dressier designs. The collection’s down blazer is great for guys who need to stay warm in winter weather, without sacrificing their polished look.

Mens.Style.com highlights the shoe that will never go out of style: Converse’s Chuck Taylor. Japanese musician and influential streetwear designer, Hiroshi Fujiwara, created his own take on the classic shoe for its 100th anniversary. Fujiwara’s creation is selling out everywhere has hit prices of $150 on eBay.

Omiru.com styles men in a timeless and versatile piece: the blue blazer. To keep this piece from looking frumpy and “old”, the blog suggests to sport it with a crisp white oxford shirt or a graphic tee.

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Are you looking for a unique baby shower gift for that mom-to-be? Or maybe, like me, you’ve waited until the last minute and all the “good” stuff on her registry is gone. Here is a list of ideas you can pick up on your way to the shower. Just don’t forget to buy a gift bag to put everything in!

Gift Card - It may seem like a cop out, but make yours memorable by going beyond the local baby super-store. Every new parent wants lots of pictures, so a gift card to a photo studio will definitely get used, as will a picture frame.

Books - With so many to choose from, you probably don’t have to worry about duplicates. Choose a baby classic like Goodnight Moon, The Giving Tree, Dr. Seuss, a favorite from your childhood or something that represents your connection to the growing family. Don’t limit yourself to just baby books. Any books you purchase will be read in time.

Magazines - It may be a decade before mom picks up another book without pictures, but even new parents have time for a magazine article. Don’t limit yourself to baby and parenting periodicals. People may be just the distraction she needs, or even TV Guide, so she knows what’s on during the 2 AM feeding. You can subscribe on-line and print out a gift certificate right from your computer and pick up a current issue to tide her over.

Pamper Mom - Since she probably hasn’t seen her feet for a few months, a gift certificate for a pedicure may seem like the perfect present. However most new moms are thrilled just to get a shower most days so she won’t be worrying about how her feet look for a while. Instead, get gift certificates to local restaurants that deliver, or at the very least, have a drive-thru so no one has to see the spit-up stains on her shoulder.

Emergency Box - If you’ve given yourself at least a day, and the mom-to-be still has her sense of humor, you can have some fun with an Emergency Box. Buy an easy to store plastic container, label it “Emergency Use Only” and fill it with essentials:

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Robots that are more than meets the eye lead the DVD movie releases this week. Here are the top DVD movie releases for this week and the reviews of the film from the Epinions.com community.

The Reaping

Hilary Swank plays a woman who loses her faith in religion when she loses her family in a tragic accident. In order to try to explain an issue in a Louisiana town, she has to figure out how to regain the faith she lost. The suspense flick was directed by Stephen Hopkins and made just over $25 million at the US box office.

Epinions Reviews for The Reaping

Transformers

Directed by Michael Bay, Transformers was one of the hottest movies of the summer. At $317 million currently, it’s the third highest grossing film of 2007 and already in the top 20 of all time. Starring Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox, the story of the Autobots and Decepticons is finally told in live action.

Epinions Reviews for Transformers

A Mighty Heart

A Mighty Heart is a film based on the memoirs of Mariane Pearl whose husband Daniel was kidnapped and killed in Karachi. Daniel was a Wall Street Journal reporter following a story about shoe bomber Richard Reid. Angelina Jolie stars as Mariane Pearl.

Epinions Reviews for A Mighty Heart

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Snoopy and the Peanuts Gang have officially hijacked haute couture. As part of September Fashion Week in NYC, designers such as Betsey Johnson, Heatherette, Isaac Mizrahi and others, created one-of-a-kind runway items inspired by their favorites Peanuts characters for the MetLife Snoopy in Fashion collection. There are even some celeb-created items by Whoopi Goldberg and Elisabeth Hasselbeck of The View. Now during the month of October, they’re all available online at amazing prices!

The entire Snoopy collection is being auctioned off this month on eBay. Proceeds from the auction benefit Dress for Success, a non-profit focused on the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a support network and career development tools.

Below are a few of the comic strip-inspired items being auctioned off during the second “Snoopy in Fashion” auction wave, ending on Oct. 21. The third wave runs Oct. 21 - 31.

Lucy by Liz Claiborne

This jacket marks a classy and chic homage to Charlie’s gal, Lucy, who’s usually rocking a dark blue dress. Liz Claiborne designed this unique couture canvas jacket which comes with the small black top and rayon skirt shown on the model.

Woodstock by Laura Bennett

Laura Bennett playfully reinterprets Snoopy’s yellow feathered friend, Woodstock, as a cocktail dress! Bright lemon yellow silk is accented by feathers on this fun and flirty number. 

Peanuts by Betsey Johnson

Betsey Johnson created a flirty and colorful wool and acrylic dress which channels a whimsical Charlie Brown. It comes paired with red leather shoes from the designer.

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This week we found ways to give new meaning to the phrase “trick-or-treat” this Halloween:

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes about the most popular pop culture costume for Halloween based on a recent Shopping.com consumer survey revealing that Paris Hilton in jailhouse stripes is what folks are dressing as this year.  Now, that’s HOT!

Splendora spooks us with news about Butch Patrick’s (aka Eddie Munster) Halloween single. According to Butch’s official Web site, he’s recorded a single called “It’s Only Halloween.” The audio clip shows off his “singing talents,” which can be compared to those of William Shatner. He tries to speak the lyrics in a scary voice à la Boris Pickett singing “Monster Mash.”

Gizmodo quivers over Halloween preparation with Stupid Spooky Furniture. This selection of spooky furniture is a perfect choice if you’re opening a haunted fairground attraction or looking to scare your family. It’s expensive and in bad taste (that bloodied-baby-cradle combo must really tie a room together), but since it’s almost Halloween, now’s the time to buy!

MarthaStewart.com glows about pumpkin creatures for late-October evenings. For all of the trick-or-treaters in your neck of the woods, check out these delightful pumpkins carved to look like animals skulking about for trouble. Carve a pumpkin snake for your front steps to protect you from ghosts and goblins.

The Wall Street Journal bleeds about devilish décor and great items to decorate with come October 31st. Recommended items to scare the freaks out at night include: Halloween bat topiary, witch weather-vane, garden cat, and assorted set of three white pumpkins. A creepy, lifelike set of birds (an owl with four small crows) covered with real black feathers are especially spooky. Act like a spider and jump on the Web to spookify your home this Halloween.

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“The impulse and will to carry through an unorthodox style are no casual matter.”
Kennedy Fraser, b. 1946

At this point, you’ve probably seen all the press about sequins, feathers and satin being big, big, big this season. And you’ve probably thought, “If only I was a Rockette/Vegas showgirl/caberet singer…then I could wear that to work.” The good news is, you don’t have to quit your day job to work these trends into your regular wardrobe. The key is using them as accent pieces with what you already own and wear. Think of them like glitter- a little goes a long way and too much will haunt you for years.

Sequins

A sequin trimmed tank can be worn with jeans on Saturday night, and under a suit during the week. Look for tone-on-tone (black sequins on a black top, silver on grey, etc.) to keep it work appropriate.

Satin

I know it’s hard to think of satin and not imagine high school proms and bridesmaid dresses. Which is precisely why you aren’t wearing a satin dress to the office. But, satin heels- in a heart beat! Swap out your black leather or suede with a pair of conservative satin heels.

Feathers

Jewelry is the easiest way to incorporate feathers into your wardrobe. Peacock feather earrings are large and light so they won’t stretch your lobes. Street vendors are an excellent bet for finding cool ones on the cheap.

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