Movies Books

I found this book to be a wonderful insight into the glorious life of Cary Grant....many have said it before ,however the combination of wonderful photographs and truthful respectful
wording makes this a must for Cary Grant Fans ....just great!!!

Cary Grant was such a gentleman, so gay, charming and debonair. The pictures show him at his homoerotic best, to the delight of all his hardcore fans. This book is great, with nice writing and not a juicy detail left out (and were they ever juicy...*slurp*) Cary Grant is the man! Giddy-up, dah-ling! Ride 'em cowboy!

This is a great chronological account of CG's movies and his life in between and during each one as he made them. There are lot of common pictures, and some you rarely see. All the same, though, it's a wonderful biography, one of the best I've read.

Early in the summer of 2006 Turner Classic Movies ran Billy Wilder's underrated 1970 film, The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes. The picture was a box-office bust, Wilder himself elected to say little about it later (in part because it was recut and shortened against his wishes), and published critical reaction is scarce. Not least among the film's attributes is Christopher Lee, who is a splendidly forceful Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock's officious, easily annoyed brother. I wanted to read more about Lee's performance, and more about the film. Where to look?

Ah! Tom Johnson & Mark A. Miller's exhaustive, scholarly, and compulsively readable THE CHRISTOPHER LEE FILMOGRAPHY saved the day. Nearly 2000 words from this smart, handsome book are devoted to the Wilder film, offering complete cast & credits; a plot synopsis that is concise, useful, and entertaining; and a lengthy "Commentary" section that looks at the film as a whole, thus placing the contributions of Lee and others in a helpful context that encompasses art and industry realities.

The latter portion of the authors' commentary about the Wilder film, as with every Lee film discussed, focuses on Lee's involvement in the film. Johnson & Miller's remarks comments reflect two perspectives: critical and business/ historical. So it is that, throughout the book, we get informed comment on Lee's work as an artist, as well as original research that illuminates the making of the film, and the particulars of Lee's relationships with other cast members, as well as his comments regarding director, producer, writer, and others who helped make the film a reality--or who may have impeded its success.

The U.S.-based authors spent many hours in face-to-face confabs with Mr. Lee at the actor's home in London (plus numberless follow-up phone calls and letters), asking questions, taking down the actor's marvelous anecdotes, looking through career scrapbooks that Lee graciously opened for them, and selecting rare photographs from Lee's personal collection. This is what scholars of any stripe call "original research," and its value pays off here, with insights into Lee's movies (more than 160 of them!) that simply are not available from other sources--or if they are, they may have been cribbed, without acknowledgemt, from Johnson & Miller.

A special pleasure is that nearly every essay concludes with Mr. Lee's remarks, presented verbatim, about the individual films. Over the course of these first-person recollections, Lee reveals himself as a dedicated artist, of no small ego, perhaps, and also a man of powerful and varied talents. Above all, he has wished to work in meaningful films of quality and integrity, and to stretch himself as an actor. That he has not always been able to do so says more about the inanities of the film business than it does about Mr. Lee. Given opportunities worthy of him--the early Dracula roles, Lord Summerisle, Mycroft Holmes, Count Dooku, Jinnah (the founder of Pakistan), and many others--Lee dominates the screen not merely with his physical presence and that marvelously deep and cultured voice, but with his ability to become lost in his role. Like other great film actors--all of whom are forced to perform in fits and starts--Lee BECOMES the character. Film scholars and movie fans alike are swept away; they buy the illusion.

As an incredibly detailed--and always fascinating--chronicle of the career of one of cinema's most compelling actors, THE CHRISTOPHER LEE FILMOGRAPHY is the last word on Mr. Lee's professional life. And it is that rarity: a book created by the authors AND the subject, in protracted and amiable collaboration. How unusual that is, how valuable, and what a treat.

Individually, film historians Tom Johnson and Mark A. Miller already have several books and articles to their credit. Now they've pooled their talents to collaborate on what will stand as the definitive account of Christopher Lee's film career. Documenting Lee's cinematic output is a daunting challenge; he appeared in many films that were never released in the U.S.--or anywhere else--making them extremely difficult to track down, even in this wonderful age of DVD and satellite television. Fortunately, Johnson and Miller--with valuable assist from Mr. Lee himself--come through with flying colors. This is cinematic scholarship of the highest order, which is not to imply it's dry and academic. Hardly. Thanks to Johnson, Miller, Lee and many interview subjects, it's a lively, accessible, and at times fall-down-funny look at the career of someone who could be cited as the ultimate example of a "working actor."
McFarland books tend to be very high priced, and since most of them never make it to a bookstore shelf, consumers don't have the luxury of checking out the goods before hand. So you're never really sure of what you're getting until the money has left your wallet. At $55, THE CHRISTOPHER LEE FILMOGRAPHY may seem pricey, but it's well worth the investment; the book is beautifully written and McFarland has done a bang-up job of laying out the text and (rare) photos. For Lee fans, it's a must-have item.

Exhaustive without being exhausting, authors Miller and Johnson manage to transcend the trend of "lists" by not only providing the details of Christopher Lee's myriad film works, but accompanying the facts with delicious anecdotes and observations. Each and every film has an accompanying commentary - and each and every commentary is a treasure trove of information either from Lee himself or one of his collaborators, along with relevant snippets from reviews. What I particularly liked about the commentary segments is that they not only rely on Lee's memories of the films - they also frequently draw on contemporary accounts by Lee himself in the form of quotes from letters Lee wrote to his fan club president over the years. Many's the time Lee would approach a film with high hopes, only to have them dashed by any one of a number of problems that tend to beset the best of productions. It's truly fascinating to see what was running through the actor's mind prior to starting something like THE DEVIL RIDES OUT.

While they obviously have great respect and affection for their subject, Miller and Johnson are never sycophantic.

You may buy this book because you are a fan of Christopher Lee or a horror film completist. But you'll return to it again and again because it is well-written, well-researched, and just plain fun to read.

If you haven't read these books, you are missing something very special!! I have always admired C.S. Lewis and his writing.....but, after reading the Narnia books, I have even more respect for him and awe for his genius! I LOVED these books!!

This is the third set of Chronicles of Narnia that I have bought for my daughter over the years. She is 19 now and pregnant and has reread the series until the books fell apart. Now that she is about to have a child of her own she wanted another set to read to her baby.
This series is truly a classic that will be read for generations to come.

In the first half of the twentieth century, two drinking buddies wrote vastly different fantasy series -- one a rich fantasy epic, the other a pleasant, sometimes bittersweet children's story.

Obviously, the former was the classic "Lord of the Rings," and the latter was the "Narnia" series. A close pal of J.R.R. Tolkien's and a fellow "Inkling," C.S. Lewis was one of the first widely-read fantasy writers, and "The Chronicles of Narnia" -- despite a few flaws -- is a charming, classic read.

"The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" opens as four children (Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter) are being shipped to the English countryside at the beginning of World War II. While exploring the vast house where they are staying, Lucy accidently ventures into a winter-locked world called Narnia, which is ruled over by the evil White Witch. The king Aslan is about to return -- but the Witch quickly gets a hold on Edmund's soul.

"Prince Caspian" takes place long after the events of "Lion" (though in our world, only a short time has passed). Young Prince Caspian escapes his uncle's castle when his life is threatened, and he finds refuge with the hidden races of Narnia -- dwarves, talking animals, dryads, centaurs and many others. And to help Caspian regain the throne, the two kings and two queens of Narnia are called back...

"Voyage of the Dawn Treader" begins when Edmund, Lucy and their obnoxious cousin Eustace are sucked through a painting into Narnia, where their pal Caspian is now king of Narnia (and an adult to boot). Caspian is heading toward the end of the world to find several knights who were banished, and vanished into the perilous islands along the sea.

"The Silver Chair" heads into slightly darker territory when Eustace returns to boarding school. He and outcast girl Jill Pole are drawn into Narnia, where Jill must perform a task to redeem herself for a stupid act. She must find the dying Caspian's son Rilian, who vanished many years before. The search will send the two children across Narnia with the pessimistic Puddleglum, to carnivorous Giants, creepy underground creatures, and an enemy worse than they could have imagined...

"Horse and His Boy" shoots back in time to the middle of "Lion." Shasta lives with the man he thinks to be his father in a hovel by the sea, but when a Calormene warrior purchases him, he escapes with the man's talking horse, Bree. He meets the escaping noblewoman Aravis (who also has a talking horse), and the two are planning to escape to Narnia and freedom. But in the capital city, there is a conspiracy brewing against the visiting Narnian kings and queens...

"Magician's Nephew" clears up many of the questions about Narnia, Aslan and the White Witch. Digory and Polly end up in very serious trouble when they encounter Digory's weird, slightly nutty uncle, a magician who has created magical rings that send the user to other worlds. The two kids end up in the "wood between the worlds," and venture into a dying land where they set loose the evil Queen Jadis -- who follows them to the newborn world of Narnia.

"The Last Battle" is definitely the end of the series, where Narnia decays slowly into the final battle between good and evil. Humans are destroying the trees and killing the dryads, and a false Aslan is appearing to mislead the inhabitants of Narnia. Old and new friends will band together as the true Aslan prepares to lead them to a new land.

If you don't like allegory (religious or otherwise), then steer clear of the Chronicles. While Lewis's beliefs are presented in a more complicated and subtle manner in his other fictional works, here the parallels to basic Christian beliefs are very obvious. Reportedly even Tolkien, one of Lewis's best pals, found the allegory annoying.

But if you can get past the slightly ham-handed treatment, it's a fantastic read. Lewis reshapes typical mythical elements like dwarves, nymphs, talking animals, centaurs and wicked witches into shape in his invented world. And Narnia is an inviting place -- it isn't always fun or pleasant, but there is always the feeling that the good guys will ultimately -- if not immediately -- come out on top.

Lewis's writing can become a bit precious at times, in the tradition of many British authors writing for children. But he puts plenty of detail and mystery in his stories, sprinkling them with little mysteries and questions that are explained as the story goes on. Where did the lamppost come from, for example? How did humans come to Narnia? And what is the deal with the White Witch?

There's a pretty broad range of characters, from British schoolchildren to talking animals, fishing foundlings to prepubescent kings of Narnia. But Lewis does a solid job with almost all of them (Susan is a bit of a copout -- but contrary to rumor, she does not go to hell). In fact, the entirely made-up kids are the most fascinating -- fiery Aravis Tarkeena and the young Professor are among the best he wrote.

While not quite as well known as his pal Tolkien's work, C.S. Lewis's Narnia series still a fun and dramatic fantasy story. For a bit more insight into the origins of fantasy as we know it, check out "The Chronicles of Narnia."

If you've ever had a best friend you are sure to enjoy this story. Trial and tribulations of friendship and willingness to follow your dreams and not willing to let anyone hold you back.

The book was released a few weeks before the film. It's about two young women named Connie and Carla(portrayed by Nia Vardalos and Toni Collette in the film) who run away to form a lounge act in various locations. They sing songs from various musicals including THERE ARE WORSE THINGS I COULD DO from "Grease"(both the musical and the 1978 film). Connie had a longtime dream of meeting her idol Debbie Reynolds. A short time later,BOOM! Reynolds appeared. Now Connie,Carla and Debbie are singing together. Connie and Carla were eluding mafia hitmen who are owed money from the girls and commit murder. As for the film,it got mixed reviews. It was a disappointment compared to Vardalos' previous film,MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING. Vardalos wrote or co-wrote the CONNIE & CARLA screenplay(she wrote MBFGW also).

Some movies should never be remade! Like say, "Some Like It Hot". Can you imagine how stupid it would be to try and remake that classic? Oh, wait. They did remake it. Some idiot suits thought it would be clever to update Billy Wilder's great film, this time with two women masquerading as drag queens. Oy! But, as with the pointless remake of Wilder's Sabrina, there is a bright side, namely a peachy novel of a crappy movie written by the master of the novelization, Deborah Chiel. Skip the movie, Read the book I say

What a great book. It really kept me in suspense. I enjoyed the supense and the idea of this book. Mulder believes Pusher can force people to kill and commit suicides through his will but Scully is unsure. She only gets convinced when Mulder puts her at gunpoint. Will she be able to survive Mulder's shot. See it in this great book CONTROL. Nice heading also

I loved this book so much when I first read it, it was like I was watching it on tv. I even used it in an assighnment for English thats how much I loved it. I recomend this book for everyone. Everyone out there go buy this book!!!

This was an awsomebook. I really enjoyed reading it

HERE IT IS CRASH FANS, DAVID CRONENBERG's SCREENPLAY OF J. G. BALLARD's CRASH. THE 65 PAGE SCREENPLAY IS PRECEDED BY A 10 PAGE INTRODUCTION WHERE DAVID IS INTERVIEWED BY CHRIS RODLEY. IT ALSO CONTAINS 4 PAGES OF B&W PHOTOS. IF IT'S THE FILM's NARRATIVE THAT YOU LOOKING FOR, THEN CHECK OUT THIS 1996 BOOK. IF IT'S THE SOURCE MATERIAL THAT YOU SEEK, THEN CHECK OUT BALLARD's 1973 NOVEL. IF THAT'S NOT ENOUGH, CHECK OUT IAIN SINCLAIR's BOOK ON CRASH (BFI, 1999). EITHER WAY, YOU CAN INDULGE YOURSELF IN THE GUILTY LITTLE PLEASURE THAT IS CRASH. IT'LL BE OUR LITTLE SECRET.

And that's saying alot. When was the last time in literature we got to see something sexual that had never been thought of before? Very Chilling, Very perverse, and an extremely new way of looking at fetishism.

Released to coincide with the limited movie release, J.G. Ballard gives a stunning description of one man's obession with auto crashes after surviving his own accident. With brilliant descriptions and a brilliant touch Ballard takes you into a world of automotive love and the love of accidents like you've never seen before. A great weekend read, you won't be able to put this down. Erotic, thrilling, sad, moving

I loved this book about the creation of Babylon 5. I found the pictures and text to be a good indepth look at the making of B5.

I would recommend this book to any B5 fan. I hope that you will enjoy the book as much as I did.

All Babylon 5 fans hear to this: you will really understand how our favourite series was set up, designed and came to life. The book is detailed and written for those who don't have a clue of any behind-the-scenes jargon. It really puts all fans inside the TV series, makes them a part of the building process. Also, if any of the readers has already bought the previous edition, please do spare the money and buy this really new edi- tion: it includes the complete Season 4 episode list and more (new) photos of the Season 4 episodes, plus real updates in the data. It comes to wonder then how the same duo (author, publisher) didn't thought of a real new edition of "The A-Z Guide to Babylon 5" but they reprinted the previous book as a ... "new edition".

Creating Babylon 5 is the sort of coverage B5 has deserved --but not gotten-- for years. It is worth the price for the pictures alone, but David Bassom's text can more than compete for your attention. His writing is as strong here as in the A-Z Guide to Babylon 5. Worth every cent.

Having followed Stan's varied career from the incredibaly funny Titmouse stories in Amazing Science Fiction in the seventies - to his comic book work in the 80's and 90's. Stan is one of those guys like Bill Willingham - a very diverse career, and whose prose fiction deserves more attention.

A GREAT fun read. Check it out.

I'm a big fan of Outer Limts, so when I saw this book I had to get it. I've never read anything by Stan Timmons before, but I was really impressed with his writing. So much so, I went out and got every book I could find that he had authored or co-authored. I have to say that he is one of the best writers I have seen in some time. I'll be keeping my eye out for more of his work inthe future, and running to the bookstore to be first in line to buy it.

As a fan of Stan Timmon's for quite some time, I was once again thrilled to the tips of my toes to see him release another great novel. He has a way of making his characters so relatable and real, no matter the circumstances or setting. They say and do things that the average Joe or Joan would, and you find yourself drawn into the story before the end of the first page. Before then end of the book you feel as though you ARE the character. "Always Darkest" is no exception. Even if you aren't a fan of sci-fi, you'll love this book, I guarantee it. You would be missing out on an absolute page turner if you were to pass this one up, so add it to your cart and enjoy.

I was surprised to see Mike write such a good mystery novel. I dislike other things he has written but this book is very good. I think that it is a mystery that Mike has not written more novels in this genre. It fits him....

Mystery writing doesn't get any better than this. It's the sort of book you can read five times and always find something new. Thanks, Mike.

I couldn't seem to put this book down. Lupica seems to surpass himself in each book I have read that he has written.

WOW, this was a fine example of literary genius at its finest!! I could not put this book down. If you are a fan of "historical ficton", place this book on the top of your reading list!!!

This book is a little gem that examines the different views of people on life. By concentrating wholly on wars and empires, Napoleon "wasted" his life and remarkable mind without ever experiencing the true humanity of exhistence. Love was a complication for him, not a pleasure. To him, what was most important was to make a name for himself, a name that would shine in the annals of posterity. Ley examines the reprecussions of this want of Napoleon. It leaves the "great little emperor" a broken man, a poor farmer, who has never know real happiness. Ley carries his story with color and fevor. I only wish the novelett was longer.

Simon Leys usually writes histories, but he created an absolute gem in his only foray into fiction--albeit, historical fiction. Death of Napoleon is a simple and spellbinding must-read, a rare thing of masterful beauty from first page to last.