Frances Farmer Books

These are two of the best.I love these movies.They are both movies that make you feel good.I will watch them again and again.Nothing is better than watching a great romantic movie.

Great Price on these two Love Story classics. Jennifer Lopez is superb !!!

I thoroughly enjoyed both movies, I had seen Fools Rush in many years ago, but had never seen Maid in America. I would highly recommend this combo to anyone, both movies are very good in my opinion.

MAID IN MANHATTAN ***

This is a relatively pleasant, though eminently forgettable, once-upon- a-time romantic comedy. Not even its excellent supporting cast can make this tepid movie better than it should be. Ralph Fiennes, with his sometimes British, sometimes American accent, and Jennifer Lopez, with her beauty marred the minute she opens her mouth, are the would be mis-matched lovers.

Fiennes plays Chris Marshall, a wealthy, to the manor born, silver spoon, political candidate. Lopez plays Marissa Ventura, a working class woman and single parent with an adorable, precocious, ten year old son named Ty (Tyler Garcia Posey). Marissa works as a maid in the posh hotel in which Marshall is a guest. When her son accompanies her to work one day, he runs into Chris Marshall and recognizes him. They start up a conversation and before you know it they are going to go off for a walk together, only Ty has to ask his mom. They go to the suite in which she is cleaning, only thing is that she has tried one of the haute couture outfits belonging to a wealthy businesswoman named Caroline who is staying in the suite.

Naturally, Marissa looks gorgeous in this outfit and is wearing it when Ty and Chris enter the suite. Chris is smitten, and all three go for a walk in the park. Chris does not know, and Marissa does not disclose, that she is one of the maids in the hotel. Don't ask. Don't tell.

When Chris, thinking that his dream woman's name is Caroline, forwards an invitation for lunch to her ostensible suite, the real Caroline (Natasha Richardson) responds. Let the games begin! Marissa spends quite a bit if time avoiding running into Chris in her work clothes. When she finally runs into him in the street, Chris instructs his aide to find her and invite her to a glittering soiree. She gets the invitation via the hotel butler (Bob Hoskins), along with some advice, and decides to go for the gold. With her fellow employees at the hotel acting as collective fairy godmothers, she gets the proverbial ball gown, diamonds, makeover, and emerges a princess, making a dramatic entrance at the ball, further entrancing Chris. When she runs off before the ball is over, he pursues her, and what then follows is a night to remember.

Of course, Natasha, who is also at the ball, sees Marissa and Chris together and realizes that she looks familiar. Consumed by the green eyed monster, she contacts the hotel authorities when the morning after the ball she sees Marissa, exiting the suite occupied by Chris and still wearing the diamond necklace she wore at the ball. A review of security tapes leads to her identification of Marissa and a host of other things. Chris is now faced with a choice, as is Marissa.

The film is pretty formulaic in that it is filmed as a fairy tale. Of course it has the proverbial happy ending. The film is saved by the very funny performance of Natasha Richardson and her pre-menopausal, obnoxious friend played with relish and delicious abandon by Amy Sedaris. Stanley Tucci is excellent as Jerry, Chris Marshall's campaign manager. Bob Hoskins is very good as the prim and proper hotel butler, though the film strikes a false note towards the end when he gives Marissa a final speech that is ridiculous. Tyler Garcia Posey is a totally adorable child actor who gives a very natural and engaging performance.

Ralph Fiennes gives a decent performance but has difficulty maintaining an American accent. Jennifer Lopez gives a better performance than she usually does but that is not saying a lot. It is unfortunate that to date she has been unable to replicate the level of performance that she gave in "Selena", the film that propelled her into stardom. She is, however, totally drop dead gorgeous when she is all gussied up, looking every inch the princess.

Still, if one's expectations are not too high, one should find this to be a mildly entertaining, romantic comedy. Rent it rather than buy it.


FOOLS RUSH IN ****

This is a delightful romantic comedy. Matthew Perry is a charming, self-effacing leading man. Salma Hayek is a most fetching and winsome leading lady. Strong performances by the supporting cast help make this a most enjoyable movie.

Alex Whitman (Matthew Perry) lives in New York and has a high powered job as a field agent for a builder that specializes in the construction of night clubs. He is sent to Las Vegas to supervise new construction. While there, he meets a fiery, latin beaty, Isabel Fuentes (Salma Hayek), with whom he has a very memorable one night stand. This is totally out of character for both of them. In fact, she is so embarrassed by what happened, that she sneaks out of his house first thing in the morning. Before he even knows it, she is gone, never to be heard from again, until she shows up on his door step three months later to announce that she is pregnant with his baby.

Alex tells her that he supports her right to choose. Isabel chooses to have the baby. She asks nothing from him other than he meet her family, so that it is not such a shock when she announces that she is pregnant. He agrees to do so. He meets her traditional, Mexican-American family and is taken by their warmth, a quality that is sorely lacking in his family. He rarely sees his own family, except for the obligatory holidays, while Isabel meets hers once a week for dinner.

Alex and Isabel fall in love and have a quickie marriage ceremony performed in Las Vegas. Naturally, as they are now husband and wife. they move in together. Then reality sets in. They contend with cultural difference, with pain in the you know what in-laws, and with the every day adjustments necessary, when living with someone one does not, as yet, know. Then, the trust that had developed is violated, and they each go their own separate ways.

What happens with the baby? Does the marriage survive? Watch the movie and find out. The experience will be an enjoyable one.

These are two of the best.I love these movies.They are both movies that make you feel good.I will watch them again and again.Nothing is better than watching a great romantic movie.

Great Price on these two Love Story classics. Jennifer Lopez is superb !!!

I thoroughly enjoyed both movies, I had seen Fools Rush in many years ago, but had never seen Maid in America. I would highly recommend this combo to anyone, both movies are very good in my opinion.

MAID IN MANHATTAN ***

This is a relatively pleasant, though eminently forgettable, once-upon- a-time romantic comedy. Not even its excellent supporting cast can make this tepid movie better than it should be. Ralph Fiennes, with his sometimes British, sometimes American accent, and Jennifer Lopez, with her beauty marred the minute she opens her mouth, are the would be mis-matched lovers.

Fiennes plays Chris Marshall, a wealthy, to the manor born, silver spoon, political candidate. Lopez plays Marissa Ventura, a working class woman and single parent with an adorable, precocious, ten year old son named Ty (Tyler Garcia Posey). Marissa works as a maid in the posh hotel in which Marshall is a guest. When her son accompanies her to work one day, he runs into Chris Marshall and recognizes him. They start up a conversation and before you know it they are going to go off for a walk together, only Ty has to ask his mom. They go to the suite in which she is cleaning, only thing is that she has tried one of the haute couture outfits belonging to a wealthy businesswoman named Caroline who is staying in the suite.

Naturally, Marissa looks gorgeous in this outfit and is wearing it when Ty and Chris enter the suite. Chris is smitten, and all three go for a walk in the park. Chris does not know, and Marissa does not disclose, that she is one of the maids in the hotel. Don't ask. Don't tell.

When Chris, thinking that his dream woman's name is Caroline, forwards an invitation for lunch to her ostensible suite, the real Caroline (Natasha Richardson) responds. Let the games begin! Marissa spends quite a bit if time avoiding running into Chris in her work clothes. When she finally runs into him in the street, Chris instructs his aide to find her and invite her to a glittering soiree. She gets the invitation via the hotel butler (Bob Hoskins), along with some advice, and decides to go for the gold. With her fellow employees at the hotel acting as collective fairy godmothers, she gets the proverbial ball gown, diamonds, makeover, and emerges a princess, making a dramatic entrance at the ball, further entrancing Chris. When she runs off before the ball is over, he pursues her, and what then follows is a night to remember.

Of course, Natasha, who is also at the ball, sees Marissa and Chris together and realizes that she looks familiar. Consumed by the green eyed monster, she contacts the hotel authorities when the morning after the ball she sees Marissa, exiting the suite occupied by Chris and still wearing the diamond necklace she wore at the ball. A review of security tapes leads to her identification of Marissa and a host of other things. Chris is now faced with a choice, as is Marissa.

The film is pretty formulaic in that it is filmed as a fairy tale. Of course it has the proverbial happy ending. The film is saved by the very funny performance of Natasha Richardson and her pre-menopausal, obnoxious friend played with relish and delicious abandon by Amy Sedaris. Stanley Tucci is excellent as Jerry, Chris Marshall's campaign manager. Bob Hoskins is very good as the prim and proper hotel butler, though the film strikes a false note towards the end when he gives Marissa a final speech that is ridiculous. Tyler Garcia Posey is a totally adorable child actor who gives a very natural and engaging performance.

Ralph Fiennes gives a decent performance but has difficulty maintaining an American accent. Jennifer Lopez gives a better performance than she usually does but that is not saying a lot. It is unfortunate that to date she has been unable to replicate the level of performance that she gave in "Selena", the film that propelled her into stardom. She is, however, totally drop dead gorgeous when she is all gussied up, looking every inch the princess.

Still, if one's expectations are not too high, one should find this to be a mildly entertaining, romantic comedy. Rent it rather than buy it.


FOOLS RUSH IN ****

This is a delightful romantic comedy. Matthew Perry is a charming, self-effacing leading man. Salma Hayek is a most fetching and winsome leading lady. Strong performances by the supporting cast help make this a most enjoyable movie.

Alex Whitman (Matthew Perry) lives in New York and has a high powered job as a field agent for a builder that specializes in the construction of night clubs. He is sent to Las Vegas to supervise new construction. While there, he meets a fiery, latin beaty, Isabel Fuentes (Salma Hayek), with whom he has a very memorable one night stand. This is totally out of character for both of them. In fact, she is so embarrassed by what happened, that she sneaks out of his house first thing in the morning. Before he even knows it, she is gone, never to be heard from again, until she shows up on his door step three months later to announce that she is pregnant with his baby.

Alex tells her that he supports her right to choose. Isabel chooses to have the baby. She asks nothing from him other than he meet her family, so that it is not such a shock when she announces that she is pregnant. He agrees to do so. He meets her traditional, Mexican-American family and is taken by their warmth, a quality that is sorely lacking in his family. He rarely sees his own family, except for the obligatory holidays, while Isabel meets hers once a week for dinner.

Alex and Isabel fall in love and have a quickie marriage ceremony performed in Las Vegas. Naturally, as they are now husband and wife. they move in together. Then reality sets in. They contend with cultural difference, with pain in the you know what in-laws, and with the every day adjustments necessary, when living with someone one does not, as yet, know. Then, the trust that had developed is violated, and they each go their own separate ways.

What happens with the baby? Does the marriage survive? Watch the movie and find out. The experience will be an enjoyable one.

I read this book quite a few years ago and it remains fresh in my memory. There was nothing about it I did not totally love, especially Emilie. I was sad to see that there was only one other review of this excellent book. Everyone should read it, it is absolutely beautiful.

This is a book about endemic people, who, like plants, are rooted to a certain time and place with a specificity that is hard for a lot of us alive today to know. Emilie's tale of her tough life in the rugged mountains near Italy is told with such a wonderful conversational and error-laden english - completely engaging and romantic, with photos of people in the story she is telling. I read it while at my best friends house in Grenoble, and then we drove to the very town in the alps that Emilie grew up in. It was like a time capsule except for the cross country ski inns that have popped up and started a commercialization process. But the story she tells is of people who are like certain french cheeses made in a certain valley, that if you went over the mountain and into the next valley, that cheese could not be replicated. This is a great story and you will fall in love with it if you are someone who is nostalgic for a time and place when harsh weather, rugged mountains, and lots of work to do at home made a journey of 20 miles felt like it took you to another planet.

While there are probably very few people who think justice is truly blind to race, gender, class and sexual orientation, this look at the courts from Restoration until today is still shocking. The systemic protection of 'white male privilege' has made it impossible for just about anyone and everyone to get a fair trial. And throughout this book Berry argues convincingly, logically, simply and clearly why this has been the case.

Berry's thesis is that the court - through judges' decisions and verdicts - uphold the prevailing 'stories' of the day, explaining why some black men - under the protection of white male privilege - were punished less harshly than others. Or why black men were so quickly and easily convicted of raping white women, or why it was considered pretty much impossible to rape a black woman or a poor white one. And on and on and on... According to Berry, judges would twist the understanding of statutes and laws to conform to and support the stories. When, after WWII, stories began to change, the different attitudes and ideas were reflected in court decisions, and Brown vs. the Board of Education, Roe vs. Wade, and other cases were possible.

Berry certainly creates a very compelling case, showing the effects of these 'stories,' the efforts to change them and the ensuing results. Although I do believe that other elements - even, as the Supreme Court illustrated so clearly during the election fiasco, personal ideology - play a role, I still think that Berry is describing a very powerful phenonmenon. And Berry's evidence of a strong bias in the courts is something every American should know about. In fact, I think this should be mandatory reading for pretty much everybody.

The "Pig Farmer's Daughter" is a stalwart exposition describing the fault line of bigotry, and bias that runs through the historical bedrock of the American judicial system. Berry offers a seamless narrative, written eloquently and without malice. Her book is an irrefutable unveiling of the ignorance that so often poses as the truth of popular culture. What is so ironic is that the players she exposes were and are supposed to be the very people who are without bias. Everyone and anyone who has a desire to understand racism and sexism in this country needs to read this book. No lawyer or judge serious about racial justice should enter a courtroom without having read it.

Since August 12, 1999, Bové has been an icon of the movement against "free" trade and the WTO. It was then that he and nine other members of the French Farmers Union (Confédéracion Paysanne) dismantled a MacDonald's restaurant in their hometown of Millau, loaded the pieces on their tractors and carted them to the local police station. MacDonald's was targetted both as a symbol of corporate domination of public life and as a leading vendor of what the French call malbouffe, food that is not worthy of being eaten.
The actual target of this protest was a 100% duty imposed on Roquefort cheese by the United States. The WTO had ruled that the French were violating trade laws by refusing to import U.S. hormone-fed beef, allowing the U.S. to impose punitive tariffs on Roquefort and 78 other French products. Bové and his fellow defendants raise sheep that produce milk for Roquefort cheese.
The MacDonald's action by the Farmers Union lit the imagination of thousands of activists and was one of the major events leading to the protests against the WTO meeting in Seattle a few months later. Bové and Dufour were in Seattle as part of the official French agricultural delegation but their official status did not deter them from further political theater. They distributed 500 pounds of his Roquefort cheese at the Pike Place Market and they marched arm-in-arm with farmers and AFL leaders at the head of the big march of November 30. In their book Dufour says, "It was an important signal: that in the first mass demonstration of trade unionists and ecologists, farmers were at the front. It's a particularly powerful image for Third World countries, where the majority of the population are farmers or live in rural areas."
In stepping forward as spokesmen against corporate domination of trading rules in general and agriculture in particular, Bové and Dufour have exposed themselves to personal attacks by the major media outlets. They are usually portrayed as nationalistic bumpkins, Luddites or egotistical publicity hounds. Their book puts the lie to much of that. Philosophically they are in favor of policies supporting regional food self-sufficiency--as opposed to policies which promote agribusiness. Why, they ask, should WTO regulations be imposed on all food when less than 5% is actually exported? It is clear that they have spent decades working on agricultural policy; much of the book describes how shifting farm policies since World War II have driven the small farmers out while favoring industrial agriculture dependent on long-distance transportation, monoculture, massive inputs of chemicals and over-reliance on the major agricultural and food distribution companies. Bové and Dufour argue that this is destroying the rural ecology, throwing farmers out of work and putting the world's food supplies at risk of catastrophic diseases (e.g., mad cow disease and foot-and-mouth disease, which are currently threatening European herds) or of callous market manipulation. Even without such disasters, the quality of food is deteriorating and taking traditional culture with it. The WTO had not specifically addressed agriculture before the Seattle round, but its proposals for Seattle clearly favored agribusiness' interests over those of small farmers and of less developed countries. This conflict led to the internal failure of the WTO in Seattle.
Bové points optimistically to "[b]uilding on the international gains won in Seattle." What his critics saw as a hodgepodge of dissimilar interests without a clear agenda, he sees as a new nonideological politics that succeeded in stopping the WTO . He suggests that the different viewpoints within the opposition to the WTO are exactly the point: local interests should not be steamrollered by the one-size-fits-all approach of the free-traders. Further trade agreements will require openness to public scrutiny. Although The World Is Not For Sale emphasizes globalization's impact on farming and rural areas, it also touches on the dangers of genetic modifications of plants and animals and on globalization's erosion of human rights--including trade union rights--and cultural diversity. The Farmers Union is not opposed to foreign trade agreements like the WTO, but insist that they must incorporate protection for workers, culture and the environment. The book offers tentative proposals on achieving these protections.

Interesting to read firsthand about the work of these courageous activists from France - Jose Bove is certainly not the leader of a group of country bumpkins or Luddites as I had inferred from the popular media. This book covers personal backgrounds & histories of their involvement in various farmers unions , these guys are effective organizers who know their business and also working farmers with a feeling and respect for the land, quality of life and food are goals of paramount importance.

Divided into 3 parts:
1st - The McDonald's story and other planned protests told from the viewpoints of both Bove & Dufour. The McDonald's incident took place in response to import duties imposed on Roquefort cheese in retaliation for EU's refusal to import American hormone treated beef. Not a random or spontaneous incident but a well planned out protest carried out to attract public attention. Both Dufour & Bove have been involved more than 30 years in various movements for change in France.
2nd - History of intensive farming over the last 50 years in France, farming economics, factory farms. Covers topics here such as genetically modified crops, mad cow disease, environmental destruction caused by intensive pig farming
3rd - Farming as a global issue world trade organization and "free trade", protest in Seattle, growth of a movement, a new vision.

An inspiring read for those interested in food, farming and globalization.

Spike Lee is a classic African-American New York based film maker. This is one of the best movies he's made and quite gripping. A young drug dealer is having trouble after his good brother is arrested for a crime the drug dealer is believed to have committed. A cop who is concerned about an innocent man going to jail keeps up the pressure on the drug dealer to confess, but there is also pressure from his drug lord to keep what he knows to himself. It isn't clear if the drug dealing brother did commit the murder or it was someone else. What to do?

I like this movie. Delroy Lindo is one of the underrated talents in movies today. Harvey Keitel is really good in this too. I think this is a good story and worth a look. The only complaint is that it stinks of Spike Lee and his style. It is a little too long and has all of what has become his standard gimmicks. But still a good movie.

Clockers is one the best movies I've seen covering life on the streets of Northeast America. Movies like Boyz N the Hood and Menace II Society cover the streets of LA but people who kno the streets of the northeast (NYC, Trenton, Philly) do not relate to palm trees and spacious project homes. In the Northeast, people are tightly packed into high-rise projects or row homes. They co-exist with different ethnic groups, all struggling to make it out. Spike Lee does a great job collaborating with author Richard Price in coming up with a superb script. Growing up in an urban environment, I was instantly attracted to the film by its pure street dialogue. Mekhi Phifer makes the street dialogue seem as authentic as it can get.

Wow.. to start with I had to turn on English subtitles to watch this movie in English. Even then it was hard to puzzle out what was said in this film half the time. I'm not a big fan of Spike Lee films - they're too stereotypical and portray people in a negative light.
'Clockers' could have been a gripping detective story while also exposing the drugs and violence which black youths find it so hard to escape from. But that isn't enough for Lee who stuffs his film with so many half-developed ideas that it becomes tiresome to watch.
Lee seems at one point to be commenting on the influence of violent music videos and video games, but when he fails to develop this line of reasoning, it's clear these sidetracks are only a means to fill the film with his intrusive visual fireworks. Many scenes serve no dramatic purpose and the bloated film is a good deal longer than it needs to be.
The is just like the old gangster movies of yore, the endings just seem too unbelievable to what was shown before. And just like that you get a mediocre movie.

Clockers gave Martin Scorsese and Spike Lee the chance to collaborate on a project that became a brilliant motion picture. Clockers examines the gritty, brutal life on the streets that sometimes offers the only hope for millions of underprivileged African-American men and their families. Clockers paints an honest portrait of many black people in the New York City housing projects as they struggle to survive; some get involved in drugs and drug dealing with others desperately strive to avoid a life of crime and hold out real hope for a brighter future. Clockers accomplishes this with superlative acting, a wonderful script and excellent direction.

The action begins in a Brooklyn, New York housing project where many young black men are routinely drawn into the drug scene with its crime and money made from dealing drugs. Ronald 'Strike' Dunham (Mekhi Phifer) is a "clocker;" this means that he is there on the benches of the projects to deal crack 24 hours a day. His boss, Rodney Little (Delroy Lindo), becomes disgusted with Darryl Adams (Steve White) interfering with his "territory." Rodney tells Strike to kill Darryl so that Rodney has more control and power over the territory--not to mention much more money from his clockers who he has dealing crack for him. Although we don't actually see the crime, the film makes it clear that Strike does what Rodney told him to do. Victor, Strike's older brother, turns himself into the police and tries to take the blame for the crime. Trouble is, however, Detective Rocco Klein doesn't buy Victor's somewhat bungled story for a minute. Fellow Detective Larry Mazilli (John Turturro) reluctantly goes along with Rocco as Rocco persists at finding the real murderer.

Without giving out spoilers, the plot obviously snowballs into a cat and mouse game between Rocco Klein and Spike. Spike refuses to admit any knowledge of the crime; but when his boss Rodney lands in jail things become very hot for Spike. Spike is then caught in between police detectives he** bent on finding the real murderer and ruthless drug dealer Rodney.

Clockers keeps your attention with remarkable shots of the projects, excellent background music that rarely interferes with your ability to hear what's being spoken, and convincing acting that portrays the projects and the problem of drug crime exactly they way they exist in real life. Indeed, the film opens with actual photos of persons who were gunned down in drug wars along with murals on walls hoping that the departed rest in peace. Moreover, Clockers is not for children; nor is this film for the squeamish. There's a good deal of violence and blood; but the realism raises Clockers up to a five star high level of motion picture.

The DVD, after all this marvelous acting, disappoints with few extra features. You get brief biographies of the four or five major actors in the film; and you can choose subtitles if you wish. There's a theatrical trailer but that's about it.

At the end of the day, Clockers remains an excellent motion picture with great acting, a taut script and plot and a good pace that never leaves you bored or disinterested. I highly recommend this movie for people who want to see what life is really like in some housing projects where real opportunities for African-American men and other residents are very limited. Clockers also provides us with excellent social commentary about the remarkably harsh and brutal world of drug dealing.

Spike Lee is a classic African-American New York based film maker. This is one of the best movies he's made and quite gripping. A young drug dealer is having trouble after his good brother is arrested for a crime the drug dealer is believed to have committed. A cop who is concerned about an innocent man going to jail keeps up the pressure on the drug dealer to confess, but there is also pressure from his drug lord to keep what he knows to himself. It isn't clear if the drug dealing brother did commit the murder or it was someone else. What to do?

I like this movie. Delroy Lindo is one of the underrated talents in movies today. Harvey Keitel is really good in this too. I think this is a good story and worth a look. The only complaint is that it stinks of Spike Lee and his style. It is a little too long and has all of what has become his standard gimmicks. But still a good movie.

Clockers is one the best movies I've seen covering life on the streets of Northeast America. Movies like Boyz N the Hood and Menace II Society cover the streets of LA but people who kno the streets of the northeast (NYC, Trenton, Philly) do not relate to palm trees and spacious project homes. In the Northeast, people are tightly packed into high-rise projects or row homes. They co-exist with different ethnic groups, all struggling to make it out. Spike Lee does a great job collaborating with author Richard Price in coming up with a superb script. Growing up in an urban environment, I was instantly attracted to the film by its pure street dialogue. Mekhi Phifer makes the street dialogue seem as authentic as it can get.

Wow.. to start with I had to turn on English subtitles to watch this movie in English. Even then it was hard to puzzle out what was said in this film half the time. I'm not a big fan of Spike Lee films - they're too stereotypical and portray people in a negative light.
'Clockers' could have been a gripping detective story while also exposing the drugs and violence which black youths find it so hard to escape from. But that isn't enough for Lee who stuffs his film with so many half-developed ideas that it becomes tiresome to watch.
Lee seems at one point to be commenting on the influence of violent music videos and video games, but when he fails to develop this line of reasoning, it's clear these sidetracks are only a means to fill the film with his intrusive visual fireworks. Many scenes serve no dramatic purpose and the bloated film is a good deal longer than it needs to be.
The is just like the old gangster movies of yore, the endings just seem too unbelievable to what was shown before. And just like that you get a mediocre movie.

Clockers gave Martin Scorsese and Spike Lee the chance to collaborate on a project that became a brilliant motion picture. Clockers examines the gritty, brutal life on the streets that sometimes offers the only hope for millions of underprivileged African-American men and their families. Clockers paints an honest portrait of many black people in the New York City housing projects as they struggle to survive; some get involved in drugs and drug dealing with others desperately strive to avoid a life of crime and hold out real hope for a brighter future. Clockers accomplishes this with superlative acting, a wonderful script and excellent direction.

The action begins in a Brooklyn, New York housing project where many young black men are routinely drawn into the drug scene with its crime and money made from dealing drugs. Ronald 'Strike' Dunham (Mekhi Phifer) is a "clocker;" this means that he is there on the benches of the projects to deal crack 24 hours a day. His boss, Rodney Little (Delroy Lindo), becomes disgusted with Darryl Adams (Steve White) interfering with his "territory." Rodney tells Strike to kill Darryl so that Rodney has more control and power over the territory--not to mention much more money from his clockers who he has dealing crack for him. Although we don't actually see the crime, the film makes it clear that Strike does what Rodney told him to do. Victor, Strike's older brother, turns himself into the police and tries to take the blame for the crime. Trouble is, however, Detective Rocco Klein doesn't buy Victor's somewhat bungled story for a minute. Fellow Detective Larry Mazilli (John Turturro) reluctantly goes along with Rocco as Rocco persists at finding the real murderer.

Without giving out spoilers, the plot obviously snowballs into a cat and mouse game between Rocco Klein and Spike. Spike refuses to admit any knowledge of the crime; but when his boss Rodney lands in jail things become very hot for Spike. Spike is then caught in between police detectives he** bent on finding the real murderer and ruthless drug dealer Rodney.

Clockers keeps your attention with remarkable shots of the projects, excellent background music that rarely interferes with your ability to hear what's being spoken, and convincing acting that portrays the projects and the problem of drug crime exactly they way they exist in real life. Indeed, the film opens with actual photos of persons who were gunned down in drug wars along with murals on walls hoping that the departed rest in peace. Moreover, Clockers is not for children; nor is this film for the squeamish. There's a good deal of violence and blood; but the realism raises Clockers up to a five star high level of motion picture.

The DVD, after all this marvelous acting, disappoints with few extra features. You get brief biographies of the four or five major actors in the film; and you can choose subtitles if you wish. There's a theatrical trailer but that's about it.

At the end of the day, Clockers remains an excellent motion picture with great acting, a taut script and plot and a good pace that never leaves you bored or disinterested. I highly recommend this movie for people who want to see what life is really like in some housing projects where real opportunities for African-American men and other residents are very limited. Clockers also provides us with excellent social commentary about the remarkably harsh and brutal world of drug dealing.

Initially, this book caught my eye because the story takes place in the French town where I was born and raised.
While I found interesting and informative to re-discover my hometown through the eyes of the writer, I was totally captured by the many sides to this book: the story about a foreigner adapting to a different culture (which I can relate to, having made my home in the USA...), a international love story between a French man and an English woman (I am French and my husband American), the author learning to become a stepmother, the huge task of nursing back to life a beautiful property which had been abandoned by its previous owners....
There are lots of stories within the main story... All so well written, I lost track of time a lot while reading this book...
I also, through her descriptions, recognized some of the characters!! (small town... VERY small town!!)
It was a true feast and I am ordering the sequel as soon as I am finished writing this review!!
Get this book, it will literally absorb you into its own world... Getting a glimpse of the South of France without leaving your armchair should be enticing enough... I could smell the lavender in the breeze, hear the ciccadas, and almost taste the local foods I so miss here in the US...
I recommend it to you all without any reservation!

The other night I was listening to an audio commentary which featured Robert Hardy and Carol Drinkwater. During the commentary Carol mentioned she had authored a series of books about she and her husbands experience rennovating/operating an olive farm in the south of France. Intriged by what Carol had said I checked the first book "The Olive Farm" out from the public library and began to read. First of all I must say the book is a delightful read. Carol has the ability to communicate on paper in the form of easy conversation, as two friends would have over a cup of tea. You will laugh and cry along with Carol as you read her story of restoring "Appassionata" to its former glory. I would love to see the BBC make a television series out of her books, they are a total delight!

This is a wonderful book. If you have ever dreamed of running off and creating a brand new life filled with love, laughter and more than a few bumps along the way then this is a book that you'll love. In fact, I recommend all her books-they are that good.

Ms Drinkwater writes a uncomplicated and enjoyable tale of her adventures in old houses,the French, olive oil and love. She brings the same pleasantness to the written word that she did to the small screen in All Creatures Great and Small.

The Olive Farm is a well-executed memoir in the fashion of Under the Tuscan Sun and A Year in Provence. In it, actress Carol Drinkwater and her fiance, Michel, a film producer, impetuously purchase a rundown olive farm in the south of France and begin the process of restoring it to comfort and fecundity.

This memoir will not disappoint-- Carol and her fiance face the difficulties of limited finances, needed repairs well in excess of initial estimates, and frustrations with the local workforce. All of these, of course, are transcended by the satisfactions of nursing the olive trees into production and the triumphs of beginning to restore the farmhouse to its previous grandeur.

This ground has been trodden before, but Carol Drinkwater tells her tale engagingly, drawing likable portraits of her family, friends and neighbors in Cannes. Sit back, relax and enjoy the journey to Drinkwater's Cannes.

I beg to differ, as one of the earlier reviewers stated, that this book does not offer spiritual fulfillment. I found it awakening many slumbering treasures that I have neglected over the past few years, caught up in other things in my life. I thought it was a delightful treat. I would agree that there is little to no spiritual direction, but it does not purport to be an "owner's manual" for any spirituality.

I would also kindly disagree about its lack of plot. While the writing is more stream-of-consciousness than one typically expects for an autobiography, there is a movement throughout the book which one can follow, and it is not to "nowhere."

I am not a shepherdess myself, and there were times when I thought "ew" (get it - ew/ewe - pun intended!) when presented with graphic descriptions of sheeep husbandry, but it was all part of parcel of the journey. This is definitely one of those books in which the joy is in the journey, and thank you, Mary Rose, O'Reilly, for taking us along!

I was fortunate enough to have found this book in a happy happenstance. I was waiting for colleagues at our local quirky microbrewery on a Friday after work, went over to the shared bookshelf and pulled this off. I intended to return it when I finished, but I think I will donate another book to their library, as this one is too precious to let go! I intend for it to be one of those few books that I re-read over and over.

I found this book boring. Her message was good, but her delivery did nothing for me.

My first impressions of this book were that it was weird. That really describes the first section and a half of this book. It *is* weird reading about the excrutiating details of sheep farming coupled with deep religious insights. But it was weird in a good way, like waking up one morning in the middle of the winter at 6 AM and having the sun already be risen. The further along in the book I went, the more I enjoyed her weird combination of sheep farming, Buddhist retreat, music, and Quaker imagery. I found myself thinking about what she just said constantly; quite frankly, it was an absolute inspiration to me, especially when she starts delving into her life at Plum Village. Her format also makes the book easy to read. You can pick it up for just 5 minutes at a time. With some memoirs, the format of short essays makes the memoir feel disjointed; with this one, it makes it feel whole. I've read many memoirs and many spiritual/religious books. If I had to give a list of my top 3, this book would be on it.

The Barn at the End of the World: The Apprenticeship of a Quaker, Buddhist Shepherd by Mary Rose O'Reilley is a beautiful and insightful memoir. There is something to be learned, pondered over, and highlighted for posterity on almost every page of this book. O'Reilley's humor and down-to-earth honesty regarding spiritual and personal matters made me feel at home, even in unknown territory. While reading this memoir, I learned to pause, remember, and cherish my own breath, to accept what is and what is not.

In the past 15 years, I've read two, "personal memoir"-type books by women writers that totally blew my doors off: Terry Tempest Williams' "Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place" and Mary Rose O'Reilly's "The Barn at the End of the World: The Apprenticeship of a Quaker, Buddhist Shepherd." Very different books, at the end of the day, but both women think and write from deep religious traditions in their lives. Likewise, both have an abiding love for "the land," concretely and metaphorically, so what you hear at the end of that same day are calm but passonate voices that make you listen, make you want to listen hard to the observations, but with sense of deep fulfillment for the experience of it.

As for "Barn," I am neither a Quaker, a Buddhist, a farmer, a teacher nor an "older, adventurous woman" (as one reviewer suggested would be the type of person who would enjoy "Barn"). SO WHAT! "Barn" is a truly a banquet of wise and penetrating insights into the essence work (and working with and caring for animals in particular), of friendship, love, responsibility, accountability to yourself and to others, silence, mediation, the sacred, and, ultimately living honestly. There is much humor, gentleness, and "character" (for want of a better word to describe her inner strength) in the 90-odd "chapters" (some as short as 1 page) that are more like mini-essays on discrete but interrelated topics, so much so that I found myself going back, often, re-reading passages, savoring her prose and her insights, shutting the book, just letting the writing sink in. "Barn," resonated with me (an "semi-older, adventurous man") on more levels than I could ever have predicted. I'm a big fan of Thich Nhat Hanh's work, so the chapters recounting her experience at Plum Village and Thay's "dharma talks" were an added "bonus." Give it a shot, and take your time reading it; it's worth it.

I had seen the motion picture several times but never read the book. As a behavioral health clinician, I find myself drawn to the "real world" that isn't seen by all. This book held my attention from beginning to end. It was absolutely heart-breaking to view through this woman's words how not only her parents, and of course the 1930's Hollywood, but last but not least the systems charged with caring for the mentally ill, could have treated her so inhumanely. This is to say, unless she could benefit them. Anyone in the field should read this.

It is a definite fact that this book was not written by Frances Farmer at all, but by Jean Ratcliffe, whose close relationship with Farmer was chronicled in the final chapters of this book. For legal reasons subsequent pressings altered the subtitle from "an autobiography by frances farmer" to an "autobiography of frances farmer." It's very disappointing that there really is no definitive biography by or about Farmer. I was deeply moved & horrified every time I read this book, but since Farmer isn't the author, it gives credibility to the many disputes that have arisen regarding the book's veracity. The same can be said about "Shadowlands," on which the 1982 film "Frances" is based. Farmer's sister wrote a biography of Frances entitled "Look Back in Love," but she had as much of an agenda as Ratcliffe may have had, only hers was to exonerate the Farmer family from the beating they'd taken in "Morning" & "Shadowland." Keep this in mind when you read the book(s). Frances Farmer's life is ripe for authentic documentation. This just isn't it.

In Frances Farmer's autobiography, Will There Really Be a Morning?, the firsthand account of her life in the asylum is terrifyingly brought to life. The filth, abuse by the staff, and therapy such as ice baths are clearly recounted. The reader should be warned, the book is graphic. The book recounts her life from childhood to shortly before she passed away in 1970.

This is my all-time favorite book. I've read it at least once
a year for the last 20 plus years. Miss Farmer was a brilliant
writer. A brutally honest book. Makes you ashamed to be part of
the human race at times. She was a true warrior and I pray she
has found the peace and joy that eluded her in this world.
The book always makes me cry...and I don't cry often enough.

This is my favorite book ever. I first heard about Frances Farmer in high school. I lived about 10 miles away from the old mental instatute she was in. They have since tore it down but the rubble is still there, and I visited it a few times and became facinated with her life. This book is the best book I have ever read, well almost I also loved Shadowland!! These two books are a must read!!