Movies Books

There are no words worthy to describe this incredible collection of poems by the genious of L.E. Ward. Take my word for it, buy this collection. There is no other poet past or present that even comes close to the raw passion of L.E. Ward.

Norden's review of disability and film fills a gap in media studies. Insightful and well written.

Filmmaker Dominique Mainon and film journalist James Ursini present Cinema of Obsession: Erotic Fixation and Love Gone Wrong in the Movies, an in-depth discussion and analysis of modern cinema that revolves around the dark side of human attraction, from erotic obsession to heartbreak and jealousy to deception and even murder in the name of love. Black-and-white photographs illustrate Cinema of Obsession throughout, and the text offers commentary on numerous specific films including "Fatal Attraction", "Basic Instinct", "The Killers", "Wild at Heart", "Last Tango in Paris", "Vertigo", and many more. Accessible to lay readers and cinema scholars alike, Cinema of Obsession lives up to its title and is indispensable for connoisseurs of movies that deconstruct human romantic bonds.

Above all else the movies have to entertain. When they make movies about historical events, sometimes the movies are able to do an adequate, truthful story about what happened. At other times the story gets so 'Hollywooded' that any representation to the original event is purely coincidental. Sometimes there's a meeting point inbetween that you'd never guess.

Example: in 'The Flying Tigers,' there's a love story intermixed with the fighting. A nurse that was with them was asked if there was any truth to this at all. She replied, well, I was over there, there was this very good looking pilot. Why shouldn't there be relationships between young adults inbetween the fighting.

Another good example is the difference between the two 'Memphis Belle' movies. The 1944 documentary was dramatic as well as exciting. The 1990 version was so 'Hollywood' as to be silly.

This book breaks down American history into subject areas such as Eras, Wars, Notable People, Crime and the Mafia, Baseball, and many more. In each of these sections the book discusses the major films that apply.

Dale's book is an entertaining and academic look not only at the medium of slapstick itself but also at our need to be entertained by it. The book's examination of silent slapstick includes not only the major players (Chaplin, Keaton, Lloyd) but also covers women in silent comedy. What's also respectable is that Dale discusses Jerry Lewis's important contribution to slapstick in film without putting him on the pedestal other critics (and often Lewis himself) put him on, as well as Lewis's influence on contemporary visual humorists like Jim Carrey and the Farrelly Bros.

Don't end up like me-time wasted at camera store book racks;
fatigue from endless internet book searches. Eliminate the grief. Buy "The Complete Digital Video Guide" by Bob Brandon.

Chapters include: choosing a camera; using your camera; your camera and light; composition; telling a story; capturing sound and pictures; building your story; shooting a personal profile; editing your video.

A professional videographer's lifetime of experience distilled into an essential book. Strunk & White for digital video.

It is almost an oxymoron to read a book about movies, since books are to stimulate your brain and movies are merely entertainment. But the fact is, many book are not worth the paper they are printed on, and certain movies have a profound impact on us. Thus, we have this book by Lee Pfeiffer. Let's examine the evidence.

1)Organization. Good. The sound movies in this book are organized by sixteen genres such as Westerns, Comedies, Romances, and so forth. And for the most part it works. Occasionally, the author goes off the path. For example, John Wayne's The Quiet Man is listed under Comedy, rather than Romances. Also under Comedies are Mr. Smith Goes To Washington and Lilies of the Field. Similarly movies like A Christmas Carol and It's A Wonderful Life are found listed under Sci-Fi/Fantasy. It would have been better had the author made another category like Inspirational to put those movies in. Then again, a good movie is hard to classify. That's why the author wisely put in several indexes.

2)Movie Choices. Great, especially the silent movies which are often overlooked. By organizing the book of genre, classic animation movies like Dumbo and Pinocchio get their due, as well as certain Hammer horror movies. The author mentions how a friend of his despises It's A Mad...Mad World, but he included it anyway. Good call. However, the author refers to the 1955 Ten Commandments starring Charlton Heston as a bad movie. Thumbs down on that. Ten Commandments made the American Film Institute's top 100 inspirational films and Moses made the AFI's top 50 heroes. I also wished that he included Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. The truly bad part is that the films only go to 1969. So that means that Patton (1970) and other classics didn't make it. But that's the fault of the editors. Hopefully, a second volume will remedy that.

3) Information. Excellent. The author is at home with the subject. He lists the company, director, producer, writer, running time, and main actors with their roles, followed by a brief synopsis. He includes composers, like Max Steiner and Elmer Bernstein who have blessed many of my favorite films with memorable tunes. And he did get one detail wrong when he says that Bela Lugosi of Dracula fame died with drug addiction. Bela bravely conquered his addiction, albeit, at the end of his life (at least that what I was told in the commentary to Universal's Dracula). Still, some of the information he reveals is amazing, for example a big error in the movie Yankee Doodle Dandy. (No, I'm not going to tell you.) I only wish there were a good photograph for each movie, but that's just me.

4) Appendix and Index. Great. You are treated to AFI's top 100 films, AFI's top 100 quotes (what we got here is failure to communicate), top ten box office stars 1950-1969, and useful websites. There are indexes of Actors, Directors, and Movies. The indexes make the book very user friendly to find your favorite actor's movies.

The jury finds that while this books isn't for a student wanted to go in-depth over a specific film, it is extremely valuable for the average Joe who wants to know about classic films and where to start. Verdict: Not Guilty.

P.S. I hope his editors give him the green light for a sequel.

I loved this book! And I'm not just saying this because I wrote half of it!

The stories in this book were really awesome! Hilarous movie parodies of such blockbuster movies as GLADIATOR, X-MEN, and the GRINCH!

Outstanding art by some of CRACKED's top artists. This book parodies the finest flicks released from 1990 on. A great showcase of cutting edge parody!

This is a great straightforward read, with lots of practical tips and "how to's" AND COLOR PHOTOS to take a novice or mildly experienced video auteur into a range of competence and joy for themselves AND (very importantly) their audience. Chapters logically thought out: special events (e.g., child in a school play), travelogue, etc. Highly recommend.

1. The Amazing Search for God

2. A Divine and Awesome Invitation

3. A Divine Gift and Human Response

4. The God Who Reveals

5. The God Who Is

6. An Unfinished Image

7. The Perfect Image

8. Messiah, Lord, and Savior

9. The Good News of Jesus Christ

10. The Lord and Giver of Life

11. The Mystery of the Church

12. The Church of Jesus Christ

13. Catholicism: A Way of Life

14. The Church On Its Way

15. Bringing the World to Christ

Prayers - pg. 184

Index - pg. 188