Movies Books

Derek Rydall talks about the ideas in his book on my spiritual entertainment talk show in a way that shows he's living the message in every fiber of his being. Reading his book renews my passion and confidence for my personal dream and vision of shining as a real light. He reminds me of my divinity and power in this magical play of life. He explains "oneness" like I've never grasped it before. He reveals the most important "it's who you know" metaphysical truth in Hollywood. He reminds me of my higher purpose and now I have a much deeper meaning to my work in television, and I'm able to articulate it to others so I can touch and awaken all those who cross my path on this beautiful journey. He enables us all to be true healers through the entertainment medium as we perform the real work of remembering and awakening wholeness in every heart on the planet. -- Tamara Henry, MA, Producer/Host, IN with Tamara Henry, Santa Monica News Anchor

In his second book, Derek Rydall attempts to provide an antidote for the cynicism, greed and rampant sociopathic tendencies which plague the entertainment industry. To counter these, he exhorts people to become `enlightened entertainers', who see the entertainment industry as a force for Good and who live their lives accordingly. A tall order, perhaps, but in the book he provides all the necessary information in order to set out on this journey of the soul.
Rydall starts off with the basics: identifying what enlightened entertainment is, and why audiences need it. He also provides the basic tools needed for the journey: types of meditation and soul-searching exercises. Next up is the big picture, a look at the realities of show business and the spiritual world, and how these contrast and (possibly) interact. Changing the business is something which can only happen one person at a time, so the rest of the book is devoted to developing the character of the reader. First on the purely personal level, then specifically as an artist, and finally as an entertainment professional. The final section of the book helps the reader create a career plan.
This book is definitely very New Age in style. If you're not into spirituality, the book won't do much for you - although many of the exercises are introspective ways of getting to know yourself better, and these will be beneficial for anyone. If you are spiritually enclined, Rydall's book will undoubtedly be inspirational and provide you with great insights.

This book is not just for screen writers who want to go beyond simple entertainment to meaningful film, but for all writers who want to make a difference. The time for enlightened entertainment is now! This book is not only a stepping stone and good resource, it's invaluable. Read, learn, and profit.

Firstly, well done! Well done, congratulations and two thumbs up for writing There's No Business Like Soul Business. Not only was it an inspiring read for the spiritual warrior but a brilliant example of someone wanting to help other artists and pass on oh-so-valuable insights about not only life but the wonderful world of entertainment. Reading each chapter I could hear the lessons of Deepak Chopra shining through, as I have read many of his books, and then to apply them to entertainment breaking down the myths that people can get caught up in, and allow a new road to be paved for the "enlightened entertainer" who can then make the conscious decision to shift his/her attitude and focus on your inner being as the tool for transcedence is...well, awe-inspiring.

A must read for anyone wishing to follow their dreams in the wonderful world of entertainment!

Marshall Dunn (Sydney, Australia)

Derek,
First let me complement you on your book. I really am inspired by every word. I did the visioning exercise today on the industry. I've know for some time that my purpose as an actor and writer is to wake people up to their humanity through the emotions evoked in my performances or my writing. Today I got so clearly that the essence of the industry is love and connectedness.

Thank you!
INSPIRED in 2007,
Traci Dority

Love this book! Now I allways know what to pick at the video store! And LOTS of great movies. Thanks.
-Torfinn-

If you hate reading spoilers, don't read about any movie in this book unless you've seen it already. Duralde gives away FAR too much in his synopses, which are in my opinion completely unnecessary anyway. It is his commentaries that are the interesting element here, and motivate us to see the films. Why he chose to reveal plot turns, and thus needlessly deflate our enjoyment of the films is beyond me.

Love it, love it, love it - short, sweet, funny, smart. Or as I like to call it, "the best bathroom reading book ever."

Oh, and my copy of "Can't Stop The Music" is on its way from Netflix as we speak ;)

This is far more than a simple list of films that may be aimed at a gay audience. It is 101 hysterical fan rants from someone who has a wicked sense of humor and extraordinarily evolved taste in film.

This is a book that every film student should read because Duralde has a genuine passion for movies and the understanding of them to back up his opinions.

Many of Duralde's choices surprised and delighted me; he didn't go for the easy selections. Any book that mentions "Tarnation" and "Without You, I'm Nothing" in the same breath is aces by me.

101 Must-See Movies for Gay Men is a seminal tome in more ways than one. Well, actually, only one. It hasn't got any of the good pictures in it. But it does have 101 movies that are essential to a broad range of the gay aesthetic. It's got movies for drama queens, diva queens, show tune queens, bears, disco queens, grunge queens and size queens. The only gay subgenre it's lacking is the queer sports movie, and I'm sure once Duralde has seen Summer Storm and Guys and Balls he'll add something appropriate to Bride of 101 Must-See Movies for Gay Men he keeps promising (unless that what he's titling the lesbian companion piece he keeps promising as well, in which case he'll have to include Bend it Like Beckham or, better yet, Personal Best).

When I came out, I was told I couldn't get my queer card until I'd seen Torch Song Trilogy and Murder by Death. Both are missing from 101. I'm not going to fight too hard for Murder by Death which is simply a very good example of camp and not particularly queerly significant beyond that, but I will say that I can't imagine a list of queer movies complete that doesn't include Torchsong.

But what is in the book is delightful and insightful. I knew Fight Club is about the slashiest thing every made, but it didn't occur to me to put it in a list of must-see movies for the queer cognoscenti. But even the obvious choices - Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, Sunset Boulevard, Valley of the Dolls, Sunday, Bloody Sunday and many more - are given new life and new perspective with plot synopsis, evaluation of what's important to the queer viewer, quotes from the movie and an interesting visual classification system.

Duralde examines these movies with wit and sensitivity. He makes you want to expand your DVD library, and in some cases your VHS library, not only with the movies he lists, but with the movies he mentions in passing discussion about other movies.

And, for the record, I've seen The Broken Hearts Club and it isn't nearly as awful as Duralde makes it out to be, but it is awful.

I cannot remember the title or anyone who was in it, but it you're looking for a movie emblematic of what bad queer cinema is, the one with the fireman who begs his girlfriend for a threesome without specifying the gender of the third participant and then is horrified when she brings some guy from the neighborhood who's been crushing on him for years into the bedroom is the one to choose.

This is a terrifically entertaining and informative compendium of 1950's science fiction movies that, for fans of this inexplicably overlooked genre, will serve as an almost endless supply of delectable brain candy. Other reviewers have nicely captured the essence of this book; I'll simply add that this is the one volume you'll want to keep by your bedside and savor night after night.

do you ever wonder about the old days? how people thought about space and time, and oh yes, giant monster bugs? then look no further than this fine and funny volume. from 1950 to 1962, warren covers the best to the worst with a wry sense of humor and a clear love for the subject. almost everything is covered, from obscure jungle movies, to elaborate space epics. if you want to know about these old films, and have a laugh or two, then by all means pick up this book.

Bill Warren is obviously very knowledgeable concerning classic science fiction films, having spent a lifetime researching the subject. "Keep Watching the Skies" is not only factually accurate, it is also extremely entertaining to read.

Highly recommended for all fans of the genre.

If you're a fan, or even a casual watcher, of science fiction movies of the 1950s and early 1960s, this exhaustively researched, 2-1/4-inch-thick tome deserves a prominent place in your library. It is, quite simply, THE definitive reference book on the subject. Period. There is none better. The conscientious reviewer MIGHT point out only one minor "problem"--but more on that later.

Mr. Warren does an unbelievably thorough job of presenting the most minute details of virtually every American science fiction film produced from 1950 through 1962. The classics are all here, of course. "Destination Moon," "The Day the Earth Stood Still," "The Thing From Another World," "Forbidden Planet," "Creature from the Black Lagoon" and "War of the Worlds" each receive 10 or so pages of treatment (in very small, closely spaced print, mind you). Mr. Warren tells you everything you could ever want to know about the script, the director, the actors, the special effects (such as they were, in those days), the budget, the editing, the musical score and the reception that each movie got on its initial release. He includes meaningful, interesting details and fascinating anecdotes, many of which I can't imagine how he managed to dig up. Lesser films such as (to pick a couple at random) "Mesa of Lost Women" and "The Rocket Man" get only a page or so, but still with full discussions of each film's production and how it fits into the genre. Well-chosen still photos, typically printed in full-page size and in many cases not the same ones seen in other books, illustrate some of the movies.

I found that the best way to use Mr. Warren's monumental work is to refer to it just after watching one of the films that it covers (which means ANY science fiction movie of the era). With the screenplay fresh in one's mind, reading the relevant chapter adds immeasurably to the viewing experience, much as a director's commentary does on a DVD. You can, of course, read "Keep Watching The Skies" through from cover-to-cover, but only at the risk of information overload. Its usefulness is sure to last for many years--as long as there are VHS tapes, DVDs or (if you're very lucky) old 35mm prints of classic science fiction movies to watch and enjoy. It adds new meaning to the term "reference book."

Now, for the one and only "problem" with "Keep Watching The Skies." The book consists of two parts. Part 1 covers the years 1950 through 1957; Part 2 covers 1958 through 1962. Both parts were apparently once issued as separate volumes. For this reissue, both volumes are bound together. Each part has a comprehensive index, but ONLY for that part. Thus, it can be a little difficult to find a specific film if you don't know its year of release, especially since many films in Part 1 are referred to--and thus indexed--in Part 2, and vice versa. A single integrated index would make Mr. Warren's magnum opus much easier to use. With that single tiny quibble aside, I give "Keep Watching The Skies" the highest possible recommendation. Five stars is not nearly enough. It deserves a galaxy of stars.

The best science fiction book I have ever read.A must-have for everyone fond of golden age movies and classic science fiction.
I read the book in one go.I wish I could read another book like this!

I love Disney world and I love love The Pirates Of The Carribbean! Great if you like both!

I really enjoed the first chapter on how the concept translated into the final product of a ride. Amazing how these things come together. The second chapter comparing the ride throughs between the four parks I found a bit frustrating - hard to really picture it unless you're there (for me). I was more interested in the ride portion than the movie chapter myself. Worth the buy (though I bought it used).

My daughter just loves all the background information. She's very happy with it.

Know this first: I'm a huge fan of all things Disney, especially POTC the ride.

Imagineer Surrell's book is very well-done. This is one of those (along with his earlier work on the Haunted Mansion) that I go to again and again, like watching a favorite movie or listening to a favorite album. Maybe I'll notice on the 50th reading ONE MORE DETAIL I somehow missed...
I especially enjoyed the look at the other parks' version of the ride. Rock on, Jason!

Con: Woulda liked it in HARDCOVER.

Now, as with any OTHER topical subject, some of the info goes out of date the day the book is published, and will continue to "go stale". The 2nd, 3rd, and even talked-about 4th movies are, of course, not included. The much-publicized ride rehabs are not either. This is the same with Jason's earlier Disney's Haunted Mansion book (a good companion piece, by the way). That said, the HM book goes off into a hopeful description of the actually-miserable HM movie, touting it as the best thing since Bela Lugosi. This was written well in advance of the actual public release of the HM movie, I guess, so they were gambling the public would love what turned out to be a huge embarrasment. ( When I need cheering up, I sometimes imagine HM Director Minkoff at what I hope is his new day job, asking people if they want to add a cherry turnover to their order for just 50 cents more ). Okay, here's your soapbox back.

They shouldn't have pushed the HM movie so hard in THAT book.

Not so in THIS book: Because they "got burned" on the HM movie, there's a decidedly less-throat-cramming push for Curse of the Black Pearl, which, of course, in hindsight, they could have laid on thicker, now that the movie has generated some kind of Star-Wars-level cultural shift.

Buy the book. You know you want it.

I know I want more books on CLASSIC Disney attractions, and I only want 'em writ by Jason Surrell. Amen.

As of November, 2006, a newer, updated version of Mr. Surrell's book is now available! Look for the version with the compass rose in the upper right corner of the cover.

Cheers!

Beck

My father served on board this ship but he only told me a few stories as I was growing up about his time in the Navy. He was on board both in the Atlantic and the Pacific.
Now it has been told of what these average everyday citizens did for our county sixty years ago. GOD Bless them all!
If you are looking for a book that describes the daily life on board a "Picket Ship" and one that hepled develop and deploy the UDT teams which were the fore-runners of todays SEALS in the Pacific, then you need to read this book.
Very well written.

I was very happy to see the amount of research that went into writing this book. Dr. Grenga has provided only verifiable details of the men and their life on the USS Barr. By doing so she has created a permanent memory for our soldiers who defended us during WWII. His brother was one of soldiers who served our nation. Her account of Sailor's diary is not only true but makes an interesting reading. This book uncovers another facet of the life on the ship for our brave soldiers.

My name is Leslie Irene Hubenthal Tietje.I am a daughter of John William Hubenthal. My father served on the USS Barr. He participated in the creation of this book, Movies On The Fantail. Ms Grenga was so kind as to send a copy of this book me, as well as others in my family. This is one beautiful book. I want more copies, as each and every friend I have shown it too have had a large interest in having a copy.

Certainly, the love of my father is intertwined with the love of this book. One of my favorite photographs of my father, taken on the USS Barr, appears in the first few pages of this book. This picture of my father in his youth sat me down squarely to reconsider his efforts, experiences, remembrances, as well as the lives of others that have shared his life.

Thank you, Ms Grenga, for an extremely fine and appreciated documentation of history. Your gift will not be forgotten.
John's Daughter: Leslie Irene Hubenthal Tietje

An excellent piece of history with captivating stories from those who can tell them best....the heroes of that time.

Helen Grenga has hit a homerun by taking what could be forgotten words and forgotten men and putting their heroic exploits to print. With so many WWII veterans passing everyday I wish everyone would preserve the words and lives of these brave young men who sailed in harms way for our GREAT Country. Outstanding!

Posted by Roger Hitts on Jul 22, 2007 - 7:19:00 PM

At a time when the attention span of a celebrity-infatuated America lasts about as long as a ride on a bucking bronco, and snarkiness gets passed off as literary enlightenment, it can seem downright amazing that writers even bother crafting a loving, thoroughly researched and sweat-from-the-keyboard tome about the machinations of the Hollywood star system and the secrets behind the people who made our country swoon decades before Brad Pitt ever graced the cover of a tabloid.

Then again, there's not many Tommy Garretts in the world. A self-described chicken farmer who lives in the hinterlands of deep rural Virginia, Garrett has fashioned an incredibly successful career as a Hollywood publicist, radio and TV personality and foremost, an author, all from the relative comfort of the sticks and some 3,000 miles from Tinseltown. Yet he also returns to Los Angeles long enough to pick up new clients, find new writing material and for awards shows. It just shows to remind one that Hollywood is a state of mind - and in my mind, steering a wide berth around the day-to-day meetings at the Creative Artists Agency and hours-long lunches at the Polo Lounge keeps a romanticism toward the magic of movies alive without getting bogged down in the details.

Take Garrett's latest literary offering, So You Want to Be in Pictures - an exhaustingly researched, meticulously crafted book featuring insights and sidenotes, anecdotes and yes, dishy details on the lives of 55 Hollywood haymakers and what made them tick. The cast populating the book range from Golden Era legends such as John Wayne and Bette Davis, to the likes of Darlene Conley, an actress who didn't cross into big screen fame but maintained a rabid following among daytime soap lovers.

In many ways, Garrett may have crafted the perfect book for these times. Garrett is so obviously a student of the bygone era of Hollywood he likely could have fashioned 55 books from the ranks of thespians detailed in So You Want To Be In Pictures. Instead, the readers are given quick hits and peeks into the lives of stars from the inimitable Lena Horne to the 1950s icon and later John Waters pet Tab Hunter. Even those with the shortest attention span won't have to comb back a few pages to figure out what they had just read! But even more than sparing readers from having to learn what Ann Blyth's favorite color was, Garrett offers up something else that gives today's blogging generation something to sink their teeth into - real dish!

For example, in his own straightforward manner, Garrett offers up this about the marriage of Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly:

``What many don't know was that Rainier's first choice for a wife was the blonde bombshell, Marilyn Monroe. What man in the 1950s was not lusting after Monroe -- or that other doomed blonde sexpot, Jayne Mansfield? But between discussions with royal advisors and the Vatican, Rainier figured that Grace Kelly was his best choice. He did, however, fall madly in love with Kelly and probably didn't know that she spent many of the years of her marriage being a serial adulterer. For example, she continued an affair with David Niven until the time of her death."

In the hands of another writer, that paragraph would seem to be provocative for its own sake - but with Garrett, the reader gets the feeling he offers up the marital infidelity in the interest of full disclosure, not simply to be the schoolyard gossip. To be sure, Garrett - whose publicity firm specializes in managing the public lives of the more senior members of the Hollywood community like Clint Walker of TV's Cheyenne fame - has heard and seen more in his life than most, and is uniquely shaped to pass along the lessons he learned and the insights provided from his own, storied career.

What's more, neophyte celeb-watchers will be shocked to learn the exposes of the Hollywood scandal didn't start with Paris Hilton dancing on a tabletop in a Manhattan nightclub. By the very nature of the acting profession, Hollywood has always been a repository for some of the most colorful - and sometimes least judicious - people America has to offer. But many of the stories Garrett offers up in So You Want To Be In Pictures may have been lost to history if Garrett hadn't put in the time and effort to chronicle them.

While dish is plentiful in the book, it never seems ham-handed on Garrett's part - indeed, he throws more bouquets than spitballs at his subjects. Obviously, knowing Garrett's background in show business, he's emotionally invested in the people on which he writes, and it's evident in his turn of the phrase.

It's obvious in this day and age, Garrett could have made a killing knocking out a quickie book rehashing the recent misadventures of Lindsay Lohan. That he decided to take on a meatier subject matter - giving readers a real look inside the people who helped build the film and television industry on the backs of their labor, is certainly to Garrett's credit, even with a lower commercial potential.

After my wife read through an advance copy of So You Want To Be In Pictures, she commented to me, ``Why the heck would anyone want to be involved in that industry? Dumb luck supercedes talent, petty jealousies swallow people whole?" Certainly, the carrot of stardom and adulation looms large on the stick. Even Garrett cautions, ``after you read this book and still have yearning for stardom, you'll gain a great respect for me."

Garrett gained my respect for writing it.


Roger Hitts, two-time United Press International columnist of the year, is a veteran celebrity journalist whose by-lines appear in numerous magazines and newspapers in the U.S. and around the world.

Tommy Lightfoot Garrett- "So You Want To Be in Pictures". This book is a must for anybody who wants to be in pictures, or is just fascinated by the whole 'celebrity' culture. The knowledge and first hand account that Tommy has of the celebrities is amazing. Tommy gives very objective and honest accounts of the stars, and with such integity. One really feels like they are stepping into the celebities lives just for a moment. Tommy gives the book an even personlised feel, by displayed autographed pictures of the Stars.
This boot is particularly insightful for the 'younger' person who isn't too familiar with the 'greats' of yesteryear. The book is very easy to read, and a must for anyone interseted in Hollywood.

Esteemed Hollywood publicist and historian par excellence Tommy Garrett has crafted a brilliant and wonderfully balanced look at nearly 60 industry performers, past and present -- from the biggest superstars (Bette Davis, Bob Hope and Joan Crawford) to its slightly lesser-known, but no less talented, or accomplished, artists (Ruta Lee, Rex Reason, Simone Simon, et al). With a benevolent and even-handed approach that mirrors his own gracious and straightforward personality, Tommy relates several rare (and sometimes, heretofore unknown) tales about these people in a highly ethical and non-exploitive way that makes you feel you know both them, and him, personally. Fair and balanced journalism abounds in this project, and yet it is at all times a fun, and sometimes even boisterous, read!

The approach Tommy has taken to dispense the book's fascinating material is unique. He begins each chapter in a traditional, linear fashion -- telling these people's stories more or less in a straight-line, from their births to their deaths -- but then he backtracks and delves into earlier aspects of their lives to take an even closer look. It is a particularly incisive technique that is all Tommy's and it really holds your attention (much like the man himself)!

The book is liberally peppered with photos and the selections run the gamut from scene stills and portraits to obscure and hard-to-find candids. All are gorgeously rendered and captioned on high-quality paper stock. Wasteland Press has done a fine job with the superb material (both textual and photographic) that Tommy has given them, and their continued alliance is one that every true classic movie fan should pray for!

Despite his youth, Tommy Garrett has accomplished a great deal in the entertainment industry and will continue to reap a healthy harvest of accolades and respect. Tommy's lighthearted public persona belies a serious knowledge of all aspects of show business and it is to his credit that the formidable writing skills he displays in this book are commensurate with his talents as one of the industry's most beloved agents and publicists.

Well done, Mr. Garrett! A superb work, and here's to looking forward to many more books from a TRUE "Hollywood Insider"!!

John O'Dowd

"So You Want To Be In Pictures", by Tommy Lightfoot Garrett, is a book every classic movie buff should own! I never read a book the second time, but this is one book I will! I have the pleasure of living in the same small town he mentions in the book, and the pleasure of having him as a dear friend. In knowing him, I can tell you, that reading his book is like talking to him, and having him share his experiences with these stars. He writes like he talks, and what you come away with after you read this book, is an understanding of the lives of the stars, and an understanding of how much this author cares about what he writes! From his late night e-mails, I know the hours and hard work he put into this book and his newly released book, "The Making of Hollywood Stars". Tommy loves what he does, and it's apparent in every aspect of his books. He wanted this book to be as "timeless" as the stars themselves. Twenty, thirty years from now, this book will be just as interesting to people who love classic movies and the stars that made them, as it is today, because it's movie history. I listen to Tommy's Australian Radio Show every week. By listening, I have learned so many things about the old stars and their movies, that makes their "larger than life" images on the screen, come to life on a human level. This is a writer who really cares about the stars as people, and who really cares about the things he writes about them! You will treasure this book, as much as I treasure the Author....

Tommy Garrett did an outstanding job when he wrote this book. Unfortunately, his publishing company apparently has no one on their staff who is capable of editing anything that is written in the English language.

There are many redundancies, many misspelled words and paragraphs that seem to be transposed making it difficult to read some chapters. I'm not certain that Mr. Garrett had/has the ability to take issue with the publisher with regard to this egregious practice but I think if I were him, I would look for another publisher.

This was both informative and useful. Cynthia's use of examples are few, but powerful and relevant. I have read both this book and Michael Chase Walker's Power Screenwriting: The 12 Stages of Story Development, and if you have to choose one, buy this one.

I'd like to say more, but I'd be repeating myself. Highly recommended.

This book is practical, easy, and very encouraging. Cynthia knows you can do it, and she wants you to try. She gives really solid advice, along with some insightful anecdotes. I've read a lot of screenwriting books and I highly recommend this one. It'll get you going!

I'm writing my first screenplay and found this book to be invaluable. Worth its weight in gold.

I've read other screenplay books, watched videos and this book is the best! Not just telling you what to do but with real world suggestions. She rewrites movie endings for you so you can see how a good movie could have been a great movie. She shows you mediocre dialogue and rewrites it so it's great movie dialogue.
It's a great book for novelists too. Creating crisp believable dialogue, creating conflicted characters, pacing. It's all here.
She is direct and like a great movie, gets to the real issues fast.

Top of the line. Easy to read and pleasant-toned in layman's terms. Organized and simple. Demonstrates the usefulness of 3x5 index cards for story-plotting. Tells you how to make good characters, scenes, dialogue, plot, etc. by demonstrating good and bad examples in movies that we are very familiar with. Simplifies the Three Act Movie formula by telling you how many minutes in the movie you should be starting your act and the significance of each act.

Additionally, the book demonstrates correct formatting for a screenplay, explains screenwriting terminology, explains the "& vs and" in writing credits. Explains certain dos and dont's with your script when presenting to a agent/producer. Whitcomb also tells how she started off as a preacher's daughter who was not allowed to watch TV and ended up becoming a successful screenwriter. She's a prime example of starting from square zero and proves you don't need to know someone in hollywood in order to make it big.

For all beginners--read this book first!

This book is 8 pounds of all you wanna know about exploitation movies.i cant beleave how big this book is.If you consider yourself a horror freak and you love to learn every thing about those movies..... get this book !!

So great a book I bought two one for my business partner and one for me!

I've written a longer, more extensive review for Film Threat, but I'm going to do another one here because I believe this book belongs on the shelves of every horror/exploitation fan, film buff and film journalist. Yes, it is expensive, but it's also a 500+ page oversized hardcover with color and black and white photos (many from filmmakers' personal collections), movie reviews and interviews (many with directors who have never spoken about their films publicly before). As I said in my previous review, this is probably the best film book of the decade.

If exploitation films are your cup of tea, you need this book. Period. At some point this should become some sort of mandatory college text book, as it is not only a history in filmmaking that is rarely covered by more "serious" journalists, it's also a crash course on filmmaking.

Once you read this incredible book, which will cause you arms to fall off if you try to do it in one sitting, you'll be thrilled to know it's only the first volume (the second one, according to the author, is scheduled for 2010). And you thought things couldn't get any better.

Simply put, you aren't a fan of exploitation/horror if you don't have this book in your library.

Price:
I've talked to many people that feel the price is a bit steep and I agree the book isn't cheap. It is however 500 pages filled with interviews, pictures (everywhere), and essays. Think Arnold Schwarzenegger's The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding : The Bible of Bodybuilding, Fully Updated and Revised size wise but about horror films. I mean the book is no joke and there could be an exploitation horror film made about a serial killer who uses this heavy book as his weapon, that's how big it is. I felt the price was well worth it as a horror fan and film lover in general.

For those of you who aren't the biggest readers:
Basically, all you have to do is read section I The Exploitation Independents which is the history of American independent exploitation films during 1970-85 and goes from page 11-48. After you start reading you'll want to keep going and after that it's basically a reference book with essays and reviews, so you could read up on a particular film. What I'd do is either read up on a film I found prior to watching it or after I watched it to learn more.

THE BOOK:
Stephen Thrower appears to know film even though he made a rule to not include reviews on classics, foreign, and studio made films, he still makes tons of compare and contrast references to classics and mentions great directors such as Bergman and Fellini. I highly recommend this book to horror and film fans, my friends in everyday life not so much but I think my horror Amazon friends will love it, specifically reviewer Clint Bronson. Clint has crazy knowledge on horror and from my readings of his reviews 1970s imparticular which, after much thought, is the best decade for horror hands down. Be sure to check out Clint's reviews as well.

Section I- As I mentioned details the history of the exploitation film from 1970-85
Here is how Thrower breaks down section I and the history, this was a great read.
The roots and the Godfather of gore H.G Lewis.
Romero and the Modern Horror Pantheon
Critical Responses to Exploitation Cinema
Drive in Massacres
42nd Street Monsters
Serial Killers
Psycho-Killer, Qu'est-ce que c'est?
Slashers- J'adore
When Blood Is Not Enough
Torture
R ape
It Came from the Stars/Swamp/Bushes/Caves
Things That Go Bump in the Night - One of my favorite avenues of horror being the ghost story. Thrower is honest in this area saying a bigger budget with good acting helps this area of horror.
Art of Perversity-Horror and Incoherence
Decline-Carpenter, Hooper, Romero, Craven
Hollywood Trash

Section II
Essays on Films and Filmmakers
This goes from 73-373 and like I said at this point it's a reference book. You can skip around read films that interest you and as you see others go back to the book and read up.

Section III
Reviews
118 Additional reviews. These are done in a shorter format then the essays above.

Section IV
Appendices and Index
Including an exploitation independent checklist Horror, 1970-85
A Bibliography
Index

I actually learned about this book in a non horror magazine Film Comment which gave it very high praise as well.

If anyone wants to know if a particular director or film they like is talked about in the book feel free to ask.

Being somewhat obsessed with the period and films covered in this mammoth tome I can unreservedly say that reading this was a religious experience for me. The amount of research gone into this project is extraordinary and the enthusiasm author Thrower has for forgotten gems like THE CANDY SNATCHERS, DEATH BED, BOARDING HOUSE and others is truly infectious. Not since Mike Weldon's original PSYCHOTRONIC came out in the early 80s have I been this giddy about a movie book.

Part 2 is announced in the back of the book which means the good times keep coming.

This book is so useful, I don't know where to begin. It's well-structured, well-researched, and I don't know where I'd be without it. The author has so much useful information, and puts it in a way a filmmaker, who doesn't speak legalese, can understand. This book gets a very high recommendation from me for sure.

Having the hindsight of producing several movies, I wish I had read this book much earlier. ANY filmmaker would benefit from reading this book as early in their career as possible and then keeping it on their shelf as an invaluable reference tool to return to again and again.

I am an in-house attorney for a film production company. This book is a great resource to point you in the right direction in many respects: reminders of what terms various contracts/agreements should contain, the different types of agreements common to the film industry, copyright information ... just to name a few items. Money well spent for a very focused look at legal aspects to the film industry.

This review is specifically directed to aspiring professional screenwriters: GET THIS BOOK.

(Note I did not say "buy" this book, since, if you truly are an aspiring professional screenwriter, you're probably sucking your own body lint for food and live under a bush overlooking the Santa Monica pier.)

Yes, do whatever you have to do. Beg, borrow, steal...pawn...get this book. You've already read your Sun Tzu:

"If you know the enemy and know yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt."

Hollywood was built on exploiting talent, and specifically exploiting writers. It's time we (YOU!) writers start preparing for the business side of things because gosh knows the other guys are plenty prepared already. Reading this book will make you realize three things.

1. Actually getting your great little/big screenplay made will be incredibly complicated, even if you're just selling it to someone who already knows what they're doing.

2. There are ways to make your script more attractive for producers/distributers and more lucrative for you.

3. Thom Crowell is an informative and entertaining scribe.

I had a friend of mine in negotiations with a major studio executive. True story. Wrote a little script called "Balls, No Balls II." Guy tried to get my buddy to sign a contract without an NDA. My buddy stood up, whipped out his Pocket Lawyer and KA-BLAW! Smacked that suit right in the mouth! "You want my high concept? I WILL be signing that NDA!"

Hmmm, actually this never happened. But at least I know what an NDA is now. Do you? Oh, you don't? GET THIS BOOK!

And yes, AMAZON, you do offer a very reasonable price. I suppose buying it isn't out of the question.

This is a really good book with much info, and at a really good price, too!

The story Hot Plastic centers on a boy named Kevin, in the late 1980's. Kevin's father, Jerry, is a small-time con artist, ripping off department stores, and the occasional unsuspecting old lady. Kevin Helps him in this, playing major roles, but he strives for bigger things, and imagines that he is only stealing from people who don't deserve what they have.

Early in the story Jerry hires a girl named Colette from an associate of his to watch Kevin when he is very sick. Kevin secretly falls in love with Colette, and she becomes Jerry's young lover. She also shoves Kevin down a rung in their criminal troupe, taking Kevin's original spot.

The book really was a bit confusing at first, and I found myself setting it down often, taking breaks. Soon I got adjusted to Peter Craig's interesting writing style and couldn't put this book down. The confusing part, at first, was how the story jumped around at odd places to show different times in Kevin's life, I soon begun to rather enjoy this artsy structure.

I suggest this book to anyone that enjoys an immensely satisfying criminal suspense novel, and wants some tricks on how to survive underground. This is also a book you can judge by its gorgeous cover design by Allison J. Warner; she did a simply stunning job.

I'm a huge fan of classic noir novels, and a good friend of mine urged me to give this book a chance. I must admit to a great deal of skepticism, mostly because I'd heard that the author was the offspring of one America's best known actresses. But I must say, after finishing the book, that I'm extremely impressed with Craig's talent and his grasp of the genre. There is a slight self-consciousness to the book--an intentional one, a kind of acknowlegement that he's working in solid Jim Thompson territory; but the writing is far more extravagant. The end result feels partly like an homage to old hustler novels, and partly like a renewing of the genre, a mixture of pulp and literary sensibilities. For one thing, Craig's dialogue is a perfect contemporary version of the kind of quick, clipped banter in old James Cain and Jim Thompson books. The twists are surprising, but heavily rooted in this tradition as well. In the end, I was surprised by the weight of the book, considering how fast and shiny it all seemed on the surface: it was a book about lost kids, contemporary America, the ills of our system, commerce, love and loss, and it advanced all of these themes with an amazingly effortless quality, all the while serving mostly as a fun read about grifters. I'm very pleased that I read this book, and I'll continue to follow Craig's career.

Line by line, this book has some of the best writing I've seen in a while. This is an amazing thing, since it's still very fast-moving and not at all overwritten. The author just has an amazing eye for detail and a very crafty sense of humor. The book surprised me constantly with its insights, and these characters were so real to me by the end that I missed them for a week. I read Craig's first book, and it doesn't stand up to this at all. It's exciting to see how much the writer has improved, and I can't wait for the next one.

Facinating view into the life of a con artist and family. Hot Plastic is an exciting, well written story with rich diverse characters. It's suspenseful and action packed with a few good love stories thrown in for good measure. It's easy to lose yourself in this book.

Loved it. Seems to me like where Mr. Craig may have been a little hesitant in Martini Shot, he's really hit his stride in this one. A great story. Great writing. Both books have palpable characters, but this one is truly a page-turner. Can't wait for the next one.