Movies Books

If you're a libertarian -- or any liberty-loving person -- this book will delight you! Unique, original, very well written, overflowing with valuable information!

Jon Osborne is a wonderful reviewer and researcher. Each review is succinctly written, interesting and informative. I especially enjoy the actual quotes from the movies.

You'll enjoy seeing your opinion in print; you'll be reminded of special movies you may have forgotten about or might not have thought of in the same light as the author; AND you'll discover treasures that will surprise, intrigue and delight you.

Talk about entertainment: You'll have hours and hours of fun just reading about the movies, but then you'll have the movies themselves to look forward to!

A great reference that I refer to over and over.

No need to waste your time watching movies that end up just making you mad -- check out the movie first in this book. Don't head for the video store or switch on the TV without it!

I have just one question for the author: when's the sequel coming out?

I've been a subscriber to the Miss Liberty newsletter for three years. As a result of Osborne's reviews, I've discovered a number of difficult to find, but wonderful gems. For example, I loved the _The Man in the White Suit_ (1951), which stars a young Alec Guiness as a brilliant scientists who invents an indestructible fabric. It's a comedy that explores the obstacles innovators often face from entrenched interest groups. If it weren't for Osborne's reviews, I probably would not have found out about the movie.

Osborne writes well--dip into the book at random, and you will find insightful, witty commentary (even if the movie itself isn't particularly good.) I've already given copies to several of my libertarian/objectivist friends. Highly recommended!

When I was a young kid, somehow I always kept catching repeats of classic films on T.V. with my mom like "The Sea Hawk", "Casablanca", "The Man in the White Suit", "Johnny Tremain" and "Harvey" while reveling in catching films that I remember most and consider my favorites in the theaters, VHS or on cable like the "Star Wars" films, "Red Dawn", "Trading Places", "Moscow on the Hudson", "Ghostbusters", "1984" and "Total Recall". In some way or another, each of these films that I consider my favorites had a freedom/libertarian message to them and I guess its safe to say that their lasting impression was one of the things that contributed to my being a libertarian today. I find it interesting how Osborne is able to point out the libertarian themes of films like the ones I outlined above and have been able to go back and re-enjoy them again as well as see films I never thought of viewing. Its too bad that he didn't include films like "Independence Day" or "Braveheart" and this book was published prior to the release of other great, freedom-oriented movies like "Gladiator" as well as the "Lord of the Rings" or "Matrix" trilogies. Oh, well. There will be other editions I am sure. Until then, this book is well worth adding to anyone's library. Libertarian or otherwise.

I like the libertarian slant to this witty and inciteful guide, but really, that's just icing on the cake. The book is a great compendium of good films, fun films, and godawful films that anyone (even commies) would want to see. Each film gets a synopsis and commentary on its Libertarian content, but any guide that lists "Ghostbusters" next to "The Girl Who Spelled Freedom" has got to be good. If the Marxist Guide to the Movies were this fun, I'd buy it too. A must for any Cineaste.

Excellent book for the western enthusiast. was a little disappointed that posters were not full page but guess I'm being a bit picky.No text apart from the introduction, many memories came flooding back of favourites such as Charles Starrett, Allan Lane, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry etc.
These books will end up collectors items so strike while the iron is hot.

This review can easily apply to any of the books in the Bruce Hershenson edited series of film poster history. Hershenson rightly treats film graphics not just as pop culture artifacts but true works of art. His books are filled with a curator's eye for superior choice and reproduction, each poster in striking color and with a clarity of printing that rivals most any coffee table art book. Somewhere between advertising and illustration, film posters, like book jackets and record covers, inhabit that imaginative and atmospheric zone where one art reflects another. It's not just the history of film or the history of film design, it's a history of twentieth century Saturday afternoons and Saturday nights. How often we would go into the dark theatre armed only with the ideas and ideals of the posters outside, and then return to them afterward, perhaps with nodding affirmation or smirking disillusionment, but still a vision of what could be. This series of books should be subtitiled: THE FINE ART OF ANTICIPATION,for no matter if expectation was filled or emptied by the films behind them, their posters kept on shining.

All the great heroes of Hollywood westerns are represented in a book that's a delight to flip through. It's packed with the colorful, dramatic, enticing art that made movie posters even more appealing than the movies, themselves.

More Cowboy Movie Posters is a fabulous art book and truly invaluable, offering the highest quality images from good and bad westerns. As someone who collects western posters, I have used this book as an important aid to purchasing posters illustrated within. Without such a quality reference I would have needed to peruse a stack of catalogs to find the same amount of images. For the non collector movie buff, the book is equally a delight and tremendous value at the low price.

When Tarantino blew up in the early 90's, there were slews of quickie books written to cash in on his enormous popularity. This is not one of them. Jami Bernard has done one of the most thorough and detailed biographies ever done on a celebrity. She misses nothing. The only problem this book has is the same problem almost all Q.T books have- they were all written 2 to 3 years into his career, so there is no recent information. This is one book I'd love to see updated and re-released.It is a richly detailed and fair account of Tarantino's life and career up until 1995.

I just finished reading this book, and it is a fine work of reporting. It interviews people from both sides of the Tarantino debate (those who love him and those who hate him), and allows you to draw your own conclusions from all the statements. It covers Tarantino's life from his birth up to the moment when he made Four Rooms.

Too bad this book is out of print. I hope there will be a reissue in the future, probably covering the latest works of Tarantino.

This book is a very good book. It gets you very familiar with Quentin and his movis. Every Quentin fan should read this book. I am going to read it again. Read the book!! Thomas Peterson MXPF89C@prodigy.com Kuna, Idaho

This book is a must-read for every true Tarantino fan.

Jamie Bernard's book is simply amazing. It covers Tarantino's life from childhood till about 1996. The book is well-written, and goes deep into detail and uncovers Tarantino's life as hyperactive kid, movie theater regular, fatherless child and genius moviemaker. This is the single best book ever written about Quentin Tarantino. No other book delivers such great information, biographical facts and stories about the making of his early movies and involvements in projects. If you want to read a good book about Tarantino, get this one first. It's the best!

trust me on this...

Angel and Co. once again comes through in the end. Loved reading this novel that featured Fred, who's one of my favorite characters on the TV show. Such a good story, but trying to imagine what the various demons looked like was truly a challenge. Nonetheless, a good story. Recommend to all fans of the show and the novels.

When Fred is kidnapped, the LA crew are is panic to find her before sunrise or else Angel will burn in exchange for Fred's life. So what follows is a hilarious chase of wacky demons, gang wars, dead leads and cinnamon smells. This Angel is book is refreshingly new and has great characterisation of the newer characters, Fred and Lorne. The highlight is how Lorne is written. It is a basic who-dun-it book with lots of twist and turns that will keep you in suspense because everyone is a suspect. Demonologists will be pleased with the great characterisation and imagination of the demons. Its fast paced and the passages of Lorne questioning each eye witness demon is a definite highlight. Passages with Fred may be a bit slow for some readers though. Overall, this is a great book and will not disappoint anyone. There's suspense, mystery, thrills, comedy and drama!

Party night at Caritas. The team is celebrating their successful return from Pylea, the reconstruction of Lorne's bar, Fred's rescue, and the good life in general when an explosion outside the club interrupts the fun. A fire blazes across the street, then a half-hearted drive by shooting. When the smoke clears, Angel counts heads, and Fred is missing - kidnapped on her first timid foray into Los Angeles.

We quickly find out that, like humans, the demon patrons of Caritas are spotty witnesses. Of course, the fact that everyone was face down on the concrete doesn't help one bit. As a result, the team splits up - doing research, questioning witnesses, and scouring the city. Squeezing every microscopic clue for some element of the truth.

As the story switches from character to character it becomes clear that Fred's kidnappings is more than a 'grab the girl - get the money' action. The story turns into a classic race against sunrise, with much more than Fred's life at stake. But there are additional levels of complexity, as we meet the habitués of Caritas and delve in the demon life style as only Los Angeles could know it.

Jeff Mariotte is an old hand at creating popular fiction out of the world of Buffy, Angel, Charmed, Startrek and others too many to name. His writing style is consistently solid, and he makes an effort to understand and deepen his characters within the context of their shows. His books are often interesting as well as entertaining, and he avoids the temptation to simply go from one fight scene to another. Classic Angel for the vampire addict.

Sanctuary is just wonderful. Here is a preview: The Fang gang is just chilling in the Host club, when an exploshion happens that draws everyone outside. Next a car comes by and starts shooting, but no one is killed or hurt. When everyone gets inside they discover Fred is nowhere to found. The Fang Gang go into detactive mode, but can't find any leads. Lorne talks to all the demons in the club, but each tells a different story of what they saw. Who took Fred and what do they want with her? Will Angel find her before it's too late? Will Lorne figuer out which denons our liying and which our telling the truth? to find out read the book. Mariotte capture's Fred perfectly on the page. Best I've seen to date in the novels. Sanctuary reminded me of the BTVS Eposide 'Choices' in season 3, and the moive Ransome with Mel Gibson. So if like that moive or that Buffy ep you will love Sanctuary. Can't wait for Mariotte's new Angel novel Solitary man, this winter.

This is the first (usually 6th grade, but it doesn't matter if the child is older) in a WONDERFUL series for learning vocabulary, spelling, grammar, etc.

This text was introduced to me through my 5th grade son's private school. As a middle school teacher, I am always searching for add-on resources to enhance the public school curriculum. This is without a doubt the best I've found to date. It starts with level A (fifth grade) and runs through level H (twelveth grade). After finding this resource, I ordered a copy of each in the series. I plan to use these in preparing my older son for the SAT college exams.

I have learned through out the years that vocab is getting harder and harder. I am a six grader at havre de grace middle school and I am proud to say this book rocks!

AS AN EIGHTH GRADER I THINK THIS BOOK IS GREAT. IN MY HONORS ENGLISH CLASS WE USE THIS BOOK AND IT IS VERY EASY TO FOLLOW AND LEARN THE WORDS QUICKLY.

This dictionnary is very good. I love the homework help and the definitions. It's great for elemantary, high or college students.

While not the most sophisticated dictionary ever, it does well with technology-type words that older dictionaries lack. (Computer and scientific words are well defined and plentiful). This is not to say that it fails in other areas, but rather that these technology-based words are well accounted for.

I purchased a set of dictionaries for use in my 6th grade classroom and they are AWESOME!!!!!!!
They are easy to use, but still have the words that the kids need as well as definitions that are not too easy, but not way over their heads either.

There is a new edition available for Webster's New Explorer Student Dictionary that is specifically intended for students ages 9 through 12. In addition to compiling more than 32,000 "user friendly' definitions, there are special features including more than 10,000 word-use examples, 400 highlighted synonym and word history paragraphs, 600 detailed illustrations, and all new homework help sections.

The Mom's Choice Awards® honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. A sampling of the panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, Ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times Best-Selling Author; LeAnn Thieman, Motivational speaker and coauthor of seven Chicken Soup For The Soul books; Tara Paterson, Certified Parent Coach, and founder of The Just For Mom Foundation(tm) and the Mom's Choice Awards®. Parents and educators look for the Mom's Choice Awards® seal in selecting quality materials and products for children and families. This book has been honored by this distinguished award.

If you want to engage in a meaningful dialogue with your child, buy "What Kids Really Want to Ask". I had this book in the car when my 13-year-old daughter and I were driving to pick up my nephew. She began reading the questions in the appendix and at first thought they were a bit silly. When she realized they were questions kids like her had asked, she became a bit more serious. She began reading the questions aloud and when she paused, I knew it was a question she really wanted answered. It was a fun, light-hearted way for us to have a meaningful conversation. Other times she would voice how sad it was that a child had to ask something like, "Do you love me and would you ever give me up?" This opened another level of dialogue and brought out a sense of empathy in my daughter. She recognized many of the movies discussed in the books, and we are going to re-watch them and use the book as we do. A great book for helping your child through those difficult middle-school years!

As the mother of an 11 1/2 year old boy, I loved this book. I loved the basic parenting of pre-teens advice in the beginning. Honestly, nothing was new AND I was grateful for the reminders as they helped me remember what I already knew and believe in. I loved the reviews and all the detailed information provided about the movies they recommend. For the movies I have seen, they were very accurate. And for the movies I have not yet seen, I appreciated the information the authors provided...very relevant to what I would want to know about a film I was planning to watch with my son for the sake of a deeper conversation about ourselves and what he was curious about. Probably my favorite part of the book was the research about the 12 basic themes that youth this age are interested in. Some I wouldn't have imagined...like that he'd be interested in our extended family or about me as a child. I always thought I was supposed to ask the questions about him...show I was interested in his world. This was a different perspective. I like that they chose movies as a way to relate...but even if someone didn't want to watch any of the films...there are great questions/prompts for richer conversations. And if someone has already seen the films with their child...it might be a way to begin talking about some of the themes. The other things I like is that by just having the book in my home, my son sees that I am wanting to have meaningful conversations with him...my guess is that he'll pick up the book himself and probably ask to watch some of the films we haven't seen together.

I'm grateful that I heard about this book and read it while my son was still entering into this period in his life. I know I will re-read it and use it throughout our relationship during this time.

Thank you, Margaret adn Rhonda for connecting the dots between film, pre-teens, questions, and parenting!

A very clever approach to opening up important conversations with kids that's based on solid university research and written by two seasoned Moms with stellar educations and backgrounds. Each chapter focuses on questions from one theme, and gives lots of points for discussion based on a movie selected to bring out that theme. Both kids and parents are given lots to think about and share with one another. Chapters end with great suggestions for creative activities to further facilitate conversations.

As a psychologist, as much as I love getting paid to have deep, meaningful conversations with kids, I much prefer kids to connect with their own parents in that way. This book offers a fun and practical way to do that in a busy family.

Any and all chapters can be used in any order. Also a great quick reference for numerous topics bound to come up between parents and kids because each chapter begins by answering many questions parents may really want to ask about kids. Even after years of counseling families and kids, I was surprised and delighted by some of the questions kids had. It's worth the price of the book just to read the 450 questions printed out in the appendix.

I found this book a welcome gift. It was very helpful when picking out films I could enjoy with the grand-children. Thank-you, Willie, for the often humorous reviews.

I sometimes see Willie on our local FOX-TV station, and he's very easy to relate to.

I just received this as a gift, and it's a great, humorous resource for movies you might not think about first when visiting the video store or scanning those on-demand listing on cable. A lot of the review had me laughing out loud. I always enjoy reading his current reviews online. A great resource for your film library.

Movie critic Willie Waffle has produced a delightful guide for people who want to get past the "new releases" shelf at the video store and find something that may have missed the multiplex. Waffle's astonishing range and engaging descriptions make this book an indispensible reference and as much fun as the movies he writes about.

I cannot believe that for around $10, you get an absolutely beautiful, high-quality hardcover with amazing photos and well-written, critically insightful text. It's just a steal. Great to pick up and locate a film you've just watched for additional details. I just did it for Robert Altman's "Nashville."

Little to tell, you have to buy it. the book contains not only excellent reviews of films by critics, but also subject analysis, data concerning film creators, history of cinema and certainly has picked to review many of the great films of the decade.

Excellent photos, movies and information. Very nice. I loved this Taschen's collection.

This is a terrific table top book, that actualy provides very interesting , in-depth reviews of each biker film, providign lots of unkown triva, and numerous photos. A great purchase!

Award-wining writers who ar especially known for their insightful movie commentaries, John Wooley and Michael H. Price present The Big Book Of Biker Flicks, an erudite scrutiny of 40 of the best motorcycle movies of all time. Black-and-white and a handful of color photographs illustrate the discussions of biker movies such as "Angels Die Hard!", "Werewolves on Wheels", "Rebel Rousers". The reflections not only discuss plot and themes, but also the conditions behind the movies' creation, the models of bikes portrayed, the level and useage of violence in such films, and more. A fascinating tour of how Hollywood has glamorized and demonized motorcycles and the people who ride them, The Big Book of Biker Flicks is a welcome addition to personal and academic Cinematic History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

I picked this book up at the local library and I must get my own copy. Tons of pictures and movie posters and sufficient commentary information, including background information. A lot of research was expended to obtain many interesting inside tidbits and on the film-making process. Best of all, there are many sexy pictures of the actresses of these films. In fact, I believe there are more pictures of the women than the men. That's a plus for me.

The author makes no attempt to trash any of the films. For example, for the film She-Devils on Wheels, the author writes, "among those who love low-budget and exploitation films ...". I am old enough to have seen the films of the 60's-70's-80's, low budget films that are barely made anymore. Thanks to Blockbuster (or Lackluster) that stopped stocking these films to concentrate on just the hits. And high ticket prices hurt as well. But, what you saw on the screen was more real than the special effects laden, blue screen, whimpy men & women, boring stuff we now get geared for the 13 year old. I was never a big fan of biker flicks, but now we have 40 cult films because nothing has come on line in the past 30 years to make these films obsolete. Afterall, what studio is going to put a $5 million actor on a motorcycle?

Back to the book, the 40 films are listed by release date. An alphabetical cross-reference of film titles is missing, my only nitpick.