First Snow in the Woods: A Photographic Fantasy

• ISBN13: 9780977010868
• Condition: New
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Guy Pearce (Memento, L.A. Confidential), Piper Perabo (Coyote Ugly) and JK Simmons (Thank You For Smoking, Spiderman 1-3) star in this intriguing thriller about a man whose life spins out of control after psychic tells him his days are numbered. After his car breaks down in a desolate town, a slick salesman, Jimmy Starks (Pearce), visits a fortune teller (Simmons) to kill some time. But the psychic’s ominous reading sends Jimmy’s life into a tailspin when he learns that his life will soon end, but he is safe at least, until the first snow of the season. Now, with his ultimate fate looming nearer, Jimmy becomes obsessed with revisiting his past in hopes of changing! his destiny before it’s too late. With a thriller as low-key as First Snow, dynamic acting is a must. Fortunately, Guy Pearce (Memento) owns the screen as slick salesman Jimmy Starks. In his first film, Oscar-nominated writer Mark Fergus (Children of Men) forgoes visual effects in favor of an increasingly complex narrative. As in many Stephen King novels, the story centers on the collision between a man of reason and a man of faith--in the supernatural, that is. The foreshadowing begins when Starks visits fortune teller Vacaro (J.K. Simmons, Spider-Man). Starks assumes he's a fellow hustler. Then his every prediction comes true. On a return trip, Vacaro tells him he'll be dead by first snow, but can't say how or when. Should Starks put his affairs in order, enjoy his time with girlfriend Deirdre (Piper Perabo), or just do nothing? Then again, snow seems unlikely for Albuquerque. Over the next few days, several possible culprits come to light, ! like Andy (Rick Gonzalez), an assistant Starks fired, and Vinc! e (Shea Wigham), a partner he sold down the river. Convinced one of them is going to seek revenge, Starks becomes so paranoid he opens the door to disaster. Fergus excels in keeping the tension at a low boil, but he undersells the climax. Still, it's a nice change from all the mysteries that build in intensity before collapsing in a heap of improbabilities. First Snow is rooted in the real world from the first frame to the last. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

The first snow has fallen.
The mice children go sledding
with Grandma and Grandpa.
But at the top of the hill,
who will go first?
Bitty, the smallest mouse,
is scared.
When she tries,

WHEEEEEE,

she finds that sledding is the best!

Caldecott Medalist Emily Arnold McCully captured the chills and thrills of a first sled ride when first snow was published in 1985. She has added words and created new pictures for this handsome larger edition, a compani! on to picnic.

KNOCKED OUT OF THE SKY BY A PASSING PLANE, SEAN HAS MISSED HISBIG FLIGHT SOUTH. BUT WINTER IS SCHEDULED TO ARRIVE ON TIME, SO THE LITTLE DUCK WILL HAVE TO PREPARE. LUCKILY, SEAN MEETS VOLEY,A GOODHEARTED FRIEND WHO TAKES SEAN UNDER HIS WING, TEACHING HIMHOW TO GATHER FOOD AND WARMTH AND STEER CLEAR OF THE CRAFTY FOX.The winter adventures of an errant young Irish duck who loses track of his family on their annual southbound flight make for a charming tale voiced in accents from the British Isles with appealing animation reminiscent of the Little Bear series. If our hero Sean were human, he would probably be diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder. But he's fowl, so his mother (Carol Kane) makes her own diagnosis: he's "a duck running amok." So it's no surprise when he strays from the family formation and gets knocked back to earth to face winter alone. He is ably tutored by a good-natured, riverdancing vole (Tim Curry) who imparts some handy survi! val wisdom before he hibernates. The last 10 minutes of this 2! 7-minute story are crammed with a series of short-lived perils involving a storm, a fox, and Sean's inability to find his parents as the ducks return in the spring. It all ends well, but very young and/or sensitive children may have a few anxious moments along the way. --Kimberly HeinrichsLucas is a young shepherd, who has been blinded by lightening. Fortunately, some thoughful nuns at a nearby nunnery offer to take care of him. When Sister Catherine descovers Lucas has never seen snow, she tries to describe it to him. The nuns decide that at this year's Christmas pageant Lucas will play an angel. To everyone's surpise, it snows during the Christmas show. With the snow comes an unexpected miracle.