Movies Books

It's a good book. Offers pronounciation, definitions, synonyms, and antonyms, as well as good practice. Chances are there are at least some words you'll learn from the book, even if you do well on the diagnostic test but I still suggest that you take that test to see if you should get a higher level book.

I have used this at almost all the middle school and high school levels. It is ok, but if a student is not great at memorizing, or is not already a great speller, this is not as helpful as some other books. It is a very typical, rote way to learn. Worldly Wise is organized and structured in a much better way. It is especially great for teaching spelling/definitions, etc. to dyslexics or children with other minor learning issues. I also think Worldly Wise does a better job at showing definitions, showing how words are used in sentences and paragraphs, and also at showing homonyms, etc. Vocab. Workshop is great as an extra tool.

I was disappointed to see that some pertinent films of WWII were left out of this book. Lillian Hellman is mentioned for two lesser known works, but excluded completely are, "Watch on the Rhine"(1943) and "The Little Foxes"(1941)which deal directly/indirectly with fascism. "Hold Back the Dawn" (1941) with Charles Boyer and Olivia DeHavilland, about refugees and their struggles, has been omitted.

There were missed musicals, such as "Babes on Broadway"(1941)with Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney which had entire scene, and original song/subplot devoted to the refugee children from Britain. "For Me and My Gal",(1942) Judy Garland and Gene Kelly, portrays WWI experiences to WWII audience. Also, "Yankee Doodle Dandy" (1942) was in production during Pearl Harbor attack and script was adjusted to promote more support for WWII.

Additional exclusions were the homefront "Hargrove" films with Robert Walker and Donna Reed--"See Here, Private Hargrove"(1943), and "What's Up, Corporal Hargrove"(1944). The "Male Animal" (1941) with Henry Fonda, is set on a college campus, but has politics/extremism focus. "Janie Gets Married" (1946) Joan Leslie, is a light comedy about a new bride helping her husband adjust to post WWII lifestyle.

This book deals with more "serious" films of the era, but the lighter, comical, and musical creations also conveyed ideals, feelings, directly or indirectly re: WWII.

World War II films have always been recognized as quintessential patriotic movies. There are anecdotes of young men going directly from movies such as "Salute to the Marines" and "Fighting Seabees" to military recruiters. But the co-authors take a more analytic look at the broad category of American popular movies during the World War II years. They find that the category was more diverse than generally realized, and that its purposes and effects were more subtle than seen in the inspiring films of military exploits. For example, the movie "Casablanca," for all its film noirish intrigue and memorable performances, "presented [the Germans] not only as bad but also as defeatable." This was undoubtedly an important message for the American public in the early days of the War when the Germans appeared invincible in their conquest of the nations of Europe. Surveying the wide, diversified field of WWII films, the authors with academic backgrounds in literature at Illinois State U. examine how many films went beyond simply evoking patriotism to maintaining support for the War on the "home front" and to forming perspectives and expectations on it and characterizing the enemy. The wartime films dealt with all significant aspects of the War, including portrayals of Russians, British, and other allies. The cycle of the films in relation to the course of the War is a thread of the wide-ranging, multidisciplinary study in a readable style appealing to film-lovers as well as ones interested in popular culture, social history, and cultural studies. Preston Sturges' June 1944 release "Hail the Conquering Hero" coming near the end of the body of wartime films deals with the adjustment of servicemen returning to civilian life.

I did alot of searching on the internet for a vocal selections book from the broadway musical version of The Wiz. This book you are looking at now is the vocal selections from the 1978 movie 'The Wiz,' starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. I finally found a vocal selections book from the broadway show, and it is out of print, originally published by Fox Fanfare Music. Just letting you know, because the movie is quite different from the broadway show.

This book has almost every song from the Wiz, an fantastic musical. The songs in the book are: Ease On Down The Road, Home, He's The Wizard, Be A Lion, The Feeling We Once Had, What Would I Do If I Could Feel, Slide Some Oil To Me, You Can't Win, Don't Nobody Bring Me No Bad News, Soon As I Get Home, I'm A Mean Ole Lion, Believe In Yourself, Can I Go On?, A Brand New Day,Is This What Feeling Gets? Dorothy's Theme, and Emerald City Sequence. This book didn't get the full five stars just because the Wiz isn't the BEST musical ever. (I'm a harsh critic.) Don't let that stop you from buying a great book of selections from a classic musical!

This 9"x12", 255 page, hardcover was published by Arlington House in 1989. For each year, from 1950 to 1959, there is a one page general introduction, followed by 200 movies that appeared that year. Each movie entry has a photo (from the movie or a publicity shot) followed by brief description. Nice eye candy, and if you're old enough to have gone to the movies in the 1950's a nice way of remembering what you'd have seen on the screen. Primary emphasis is on American movies but British & Foreign are also mentioned.

200 stills, full color poster reproductions, line drawings, and researched text comprise this volume. This cinematic history includes photo stills from King Kong, Planet of the Apes, Beauty and the Beast, Blonde Venus, Return of the Ape Man, Circus of Horrors, Gorilla at Large, Morgan, and other films.

Taking the Beatles' incursions into the world of film chapter by chapter, this fascinating and well-researched book uses reminiscences of people who were there to create a thorough and absorbing account of the construction of a uniquely varied visual repertoire. The author's enthusiasm for the material in question is tempered by a willingness to probe deeply and critically into the guts of the Beatles' creative processes. Despite the somewhat dry academic style of this book, I still found myself reading it from cover to cover, almost in one sitting. This is a recommended book on a seminal but often scorned chapter in movie history.

New York Daily News film critic Jami Bernard says there are Guy Movies and there are Chick Flicks. Guy Movies are those with little dialogue and lots of action - punching, explosions, aliens, car chases or sex. Chick Flicks tend to have more dialogue and less action. Bernard claims women prefer romances, tearjerkers, relationship movies - female stars, familial situations, cuteguys, emotional catharsis. The 75 films Bernard catalogues here provide a range of genres, wide enough to override the stereotypical view that the label Chick implies. The usual match for Guy is Gal so Bernard's choice of the more sexist Chick can either be seen as deconstructive or an acceptance of semantic subjugation. (That "chick" is derived from Chicken, the male hen is evidence of the twisted logic of slang. And Gal has a subtle gay association). Bernard's chapters make genre choices - Tearjerkers, Emotional Rescue, Bad Girls, Hunks, Role Models, Impossible Love, Funny Girls, Schoolgirl Crushes, Catfights, Daddy Dearest, Hurts So Good, Lesbian Inclinations, Female Bonding, The Maternal Instinct, and Perfect Love - and while some of the choices of films are obvious and rather hackneyed, others are surprising. We get Casablanca, Gone With The Wind and Sabrina, but also A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Gaslight, The Bad Seed, and To Sir With Love. The anaylsis of each film tends to concentragte more on plot rather than assess performance or any technical ability, but occasionally Bernard throws in some behind the scenes information. When someone includes The Bridges of Madison Country and fails to comment on how excruciatingly dull it is, you can pick the agenda. In Bernard's pages on Gilda she points out the homosexual subtext, resulting in Glenn Ford's righteous humiliation of the beautiful Rita Hayworth, but then tells of Hayworth's real life transformation from Margarita Cansino which required electrolysis to raise her "feral" hairline.And titles like The Women, All About Eve, American Gigolo, Johnny Guitar, Now Voyager, and even Picnic have such a strong appeal to male gay audiences that it's odd that Bernard fails to comment on it, though the distinction between a straight female and a gay male sensibility opens up a Pandora's Box of politics, which perhaps Bernard is wise to avoid. Some choices like 9 ½ weeks show how Bernard is willing to look at the way women can be portayed unattractively, though it may be a stretch to imagine this title being a repeat rental. And since Bernard is a film critic, claiming that having to sit through everything reinforces her personal preferences and also gives her access to a range of movies, provides us with some enlightened historical and foreign choices. Bernard's writing is very accessible in tone, sometimes a little lowbrow, and her humour of-the not-too-subtle kind, but her book is a pleasant experience and good enough to lead the reader back to the video/dvd shop.

is to see movies that are romantic, feature Mr. Right and have a Happy Ending (at least most of the time). This guide discusses over 600 films almost from the beginning of movie making that are thought to appeal specifically but not only to women. Usually the term "chick flick" is used in a derogatory fashion to describe a movie that you can get your man to watch only reluctantly.
The two authors of this book are both film critics, but they take a rather light-hearted and playful look at many different kinds of movies that in one way or other focus on female issues. I especially liked the chapter on the early Screwball comedies, usually with a strong female lead. The book covers everything from all time classics like "Gone With the Wind", successful adaptations of novels like "Emma", dance movies (the unforgettable "Dirty Dancing") and female "Buddy" movies like "Thelma and Louise" and also analyses trends like "the Siren", "Working Women" and female action heroines (ground-breaking in this respect Sg. Ripley in Alien, not surprisingly most men hate Weaver in this role).
The movies are discussed in terms of their appeal to a female audience and how many tissues one approximately should have ready when watching them. Although the focus is not primarily on the artistic merit of the individual movies, the authors indicate whether they consider a film great or fit only for the bin.
This guide will help you select great movies for your next all girls night and maybe also have you renting an old movie of which you hadn't thought before. It is fun and witty and also supplies a wealth of background info on many actors but if you are looking for some serious feminist film criticism, then this book isn't for you.

Comparitively speaking, there aren't all that many cat movies. Finally, here's a book that celebrates feline star power! It's rather dated now, but still a good one for the collection.

Staci Layne Wilson

About 140 movies were reviewed. I love the film clips and essays. Unfortunately, as good as Criterion/Voyager, they made a major mistake. The credit page for "Zulu" was put in wrong with the one from "Ikiru". So don't be surprised to see it shows Kurosawa directed "Zulu"...