Morgan Freeman Books

A well written and illustrated book full of interesting thoughts about the evolution of brains leading up to our own.

The level of writing is about that of a review paper. Although Allman covers a lot of subjects, from genetics, developmental biology, palaeontology to primate vision, all concepts are well explained and illustrated and the book makes good reading for a research biologist as well as for an interested layman.

Allman started his career as an anthropologist, which gives him a different perspective than the average neuroscientist's. He not only describes the workings of the nervous systems and behaviors of different animals, but puts them into perspective with their evolutionary roots and their ecological niche. All these insights are not hand-waving speculation, but well supported by comparative studies.

Another strong point of this book is how Allman guides the reader trough the evolutionary lineage leading from amphibians to reptiles, mammal like reptiles, mammals, primates to ourselves. At every branch point he points out the critical innovations, the evolutionary pressures that most likely lead to these innovations and the trade offs made. A key question he addresses is, "why isn't every animal equipped with a big brain?". It is our own experience, both phylogenetically as well as everyday life, that a big brain, and the resulting high level of intelligence, is an advantage. Allman points out the high cost of rearing big-brained young and of maintaining such an energetically expensive organ.

If you are interested in how animals use their brains to deal with ever-changing environments and why our brain evolved to be so much more powerful than any other species', then this book is for you.

This book proceeds from molecules in bacteria with brain-like functions all the way to the very complex brains of primates. It explains the history of how the brains evolved in very understandable terms using pictures and graphs. It shows how various innovations in the nervous system created both new possibilities that could be explored by future animals as well as cutting other possibilities off. It talks about how having a complex brain is related to worm-bloodedness. In short, read and find out.

This is a sweeping examination of evolution's path leading to that mass of gray matter behind your brows. Allman has synthesized a wealth of research in producing this study. He explains in a clear, interesting style how natural selection has spent the last 500 million years tinkering with life to build complex systems from simpler ones. He is a forceful writer, supplementing a fine text with superb illustrative material to build his narrative. It's a refreshing view of natural selection's power of innovation.

Allman draws on the detailed research undertaken in recent years that has mapped the brain and detailed its operations. Like all life, beginnings were simple, but small variations among organisms had the potential for important roles. Deep in the Precambrian, floating cells developed appendages leading to hair-like structures we call "cilia". The cilia adopted dual roles: sensing the environment and responding to it. Allman explains how gene duplication led to opportunities for experiments. This process demonstrates how we can track many of steps leading to today's life forms. The original genes are usually still resident, with enhancements providing new functions added over the passing generations.

The author's explanation of the workings of chemistry in brain functions is worth close attention. Behaviour is the result of brain activity, but the interactions of various parts and functions of the brain elude simple analysis. One example is the brain chemical [neurotransmitter] serotonin which is found throughout the brain. It's impact gives monkeys their social structure while adding to the risk of suicide in humans. Neurochemistry alone doesn't explain the expansion of the human brain, nor does the author stop there. He goes on to show how bipedalism, diet, language and social behaviour all working in self-reinforcing feedback loops led to the gob of tissue that takes a fifth of our body resources to keep working. Even global climate changes played a role, coming at a time when our species was just prepared to contend with them.

The number and impact of revelations in this book are almost beyond counting. The "urban myth" that women live longer than men because of improved health practices has been disproved both by history and anthropology. A study reaching back into the 18th Century demonstrates that women have outlived men at least that long ago. Among the great apes, chimpanzee females also outlive their mates. Orangutans and gorillas have nearly parallel life spans between genders. There are also studies showing how caring fathers have extended life spans. His analysis of the development of colour vision is another novel thesis. Colour perception arose only 40 million years ago, after the demise of the dinosaurs. This raises again, the question of whether the emergence of flowering plants, which were toxic to those creatures, helped speed their demise.

While this book is not a light read, it's an informative and edifying one. Allman deals with complex topics. Adding to the elaborate range of material involving the brain, behaviour and social issues is the background of the immense time spans required in dealing with these questions in the context of evolution. Given all these constraints, he has met the challenges of the task credibly and lucidly. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

How has the emergence of the super-sized human brain depended on the evolution of a good set of teeth? Why are the stomach and brain closely linked across the brambles of genetic code? This book answers not only those intriguing questions but also many others concerning the emergence of the brain on this planet. Especially fascinating to me was the explanation of the homeobox phenomenon, a process by which very complex mutations can arise in an organism without the mutation risking certain disaster. Being a non-biologist, I found this homeobox material quite fascinating, for it opened my eyes to how evolution could generate incredibly complex features without requiring a hundred trillion years for all the right components to come together all at once. Equally interesting are the many vestiges of our evolutionary past that are still embedded in the way our brains process information. For example, the sectors into which our brains split each of our retinae today for the purpose of signal processing: these are left overs from the days when our ancestors were prey and not predators, back when our ancestors' eyes were mounted to the sides of their heads! In summary, I would like to say that in reading this book, while just sitting in my chair, I felt myself moving up another notch on the evolutionary tree. It gave me a whole new appreciation for the miracle that is the development of brains and conscious life on this planet. A very pleasant read.

This book starts with some basics about the nature of brains, and a comparison of brains. Special mention is made of serotonin, which often "modulates the response elicted by other neurotransmitters." It seems that serotonin tends to reduce risk-taking and fighting. But it also reduces motivation, as well as sensitivity to opportunities for rewards that risk-taking can bring.

Next, there is a more detailed explanation of the different parts of the brain and nervous system as well as the senses of sight and smell. After that, we learn about brains in warm-blooded creatures and primates. And we get into the question of senescene (the risk of dying going up with advanced age rather than staying the same) and what brains have to do with that. As well as more about sight, and how our brains allow us to be so aware of patterns and motion.

There are all sorts of fascinating tidbits to be found. When babies cry out for their mothers, do they do so in a high-pitched voice? Well, in some mammals, they do so at such high frequencies that while their mothers can hear them (and find them), predators find these sounds to be ultrasonic, and thus do not notice. There is also a complex attempt to explain why primates tend to have specific alarm cries for aerial versus ground predators. I find this phenomenon totally unsurprising: sentries make an entire group safer, and since all group members are potential sentries, everyone benefits including the sentries. It's easy to imagine how such cries might have evolved, even though the individuals crying out might well call attention to themselves.

We humans have very large ratios of brain weight to body weight. And perhaps the most interesting part of the book deals with the evolutionary tradeoffs involved with bigger brains. By the way, the part of the body that is most sacrificed in humans to get the excess brain weight is the gut. The liver is also a little smaller than for a smaller-brained mammal.

At the end of the book, we get into the interesting question of why Women live longer than Men. Women definitely do tend to live longer, and often have the unhappy experiences of outliving not only their husbands, but even one or more sons. But why? There are, of course, some flippant answers (not discussed in this book, of course). Men are genetically inhibited from asking for directions, and as a result get lost, wander around, and die. Men are married to Women (actually, I think married men tend to outlive unmarried ones). Men tend not to wear panty hose, a marvelous invention that protects the legs against swelling and blood clots. More seriously, I thought a dominant reason might be the fact that Men generally weigh more than Women. Within a species, smaller mammals may tend to live longer. But Allman makes the point that in those mammalian species where males have major role in parenting (such as the owl monkey), the males live longer. And there's an evolutionary reason for this: a species does better if the caretakers of the young live longer. The author discusses a couple of mechanisms for this: Males take more risks, while in females, estrogen enhances the actions of serotonin, reducing risk-taking behavior. Another mechanism could be that females may tend to lose fewer hippocampal neurons, which "are richly supplied with receptors for the corticosteroid hormones, which are produced by the adrenal cortex to mobilize the body's defenses when subjected to stress." If that's true, it could explain the higher incidence of death in Men due to stress-related causes.

I enjoyed this book very much. I learned plenty from it, and I highly recommend it.

This is has to be one of the best advertising I have ever seen for an upcoming movie. This is great for anyone who is a fan of Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins and looking forward to the upcoming release of The Dark Knight. It is a great read and very amusing. From what I can tell, it just tries to fill you in about what has been going on in Gotham from the close of the first movie to where it will be in The Dark Knight. The quality of the paper is excellent and the pictures are great too. I hope anyone that has it truly enjoys!

Everyone who has been working in these two films has done a great job.
~*RIP Heath Ledger*~

EXCELLENT!!! I wish I could forget all the other Batman movies, even the ones that Tim Burton directed. Although Michelle Pfeifer was pretty hot as Catwoman. If only ALL Super Hero movies were done like this movie. In my opinion this was even better than Spiderman. Even women that I know who don't like super hero movies love, that's right, LOVE, this movie. It is basically a character driven drama with action. And for once, the villains don't upstage the main character as they did with ALL the previous Batman movies. If you are looking for a Super Hero movie that has it all, look no further. THIS IS IT! I can't wait to see the Dark Knight this summer!!!

By Far the Best Batman to come out since the original with Michael Keaton, Christian Bale plays the role of Bruce Wayne perfectly. Excellent Movie

THIS IS THE ONLY BATMAN FILM I HAVE EVER REALLY CARED FOR, BUT BOY DID I LIKE THIS ONE!!!

THIS FILM WAS EXCELLENT IN MY EYES, AND BETTER STILL, THE HD DVD WAS OUTSTANDING. THE VIDEO AND AUDIO ARE STELLAR.

I CAN NOT OVERSTATE THAT THIS IS A MUST OWN FOR ANYONE WITH A HD DVD PLAYER. AND HEY, IF YOU ARE BLU ONLY, PICK THIS UP AS SOON AS IT IS RELEASED.

I erroneously thought that this version was already in Blu-ray but that is not the case since I've yet to see it at either of the 2 leading stores, Circuit City or Best Buy(you have to pre-order at Amazon). Anyway I have it it in HD and it's simply reference quality Hi-Def. Enough has been said about the excellence that Christopher Nolan (Memento, Insomnia) brought to this film and of course the fine cast (Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Rutger Hauer, Gary Oldman, etc). The only weak member of the cast would be Katie Holmes (Sorry, Tom!!), she is just too wan and detached for us to root for her as Bruce's love interest but thankfully Maggie Glyenhaal will be better in the sequel!! This disc along with "King Kong" and the recent final cut of "Blade Runner" will definitely show off the benefits of HD. Plus you could probably get this much cheaper than the Blu-ray edition when it comes out perhaps as low as $10 or $12 used and $14.95 new!! Am looking forward to the follow-up, "The Dark Knight", in the summer or fall, I suppose.

Batman Begins tells the story of how Bruce Wayne became Batman. It explains how his parents were killed, his fear of bats, and some of the extremities he went through with some of his training...among other things. Gotham City is dying since guys like Carmine Falcone are practically able to get away with anything because "he keeps the bad people rich and the good people scared," as Rachel Dawes would put it. Bruce Wayne trains with Henri Ducard, the right hand of Ra's Al Ghul, and the Legion of Shadows before things turn ugly. The Legion of Shadows believes in justice, but doesn't think people who have committed such crimes deserve to live while Bruce Wayne believes in compassion and thinks criminals should have a fair trial before passing judgement. Leaving the Legion of Shadows in shambles, Bruce Wayne makes his way back to Gotham after a seven year abscence. As Bruce Wayne said, "As a man, I'm flesh and blood. I can be ignored, I can be destroyed. But as a symbol...as a symbol I can be incorruptible. I can be everlasting." This is the story of Batman's uprising and the criminals he encounters along the way.

Let me start by saying this is my favorite film of the franchise. That may change once The Dark Knight is released, but I'm sticking with that statement as of this writing. None of the other films are as dark as this one. Tim Burton's original film comes close, but I think Christopher Nolan's version surpasses Burton's in almost every way. This film has a lot of strengths and I think it starts with the storyline. It doesn't stray too far away from Batman classics like "Year One" and is just as dark in tone. It's also incredibly well-written, which is something that is always a plus in my book. None of the dialogue seems forced or out of place and everything seems to take place in a consistent and reasonable fashion...or at least as reasonable as superhero films go. The acting is also impressive as the main cast is filled with excellent actors. With actors like Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth, and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, nobody can really go wrong as they always bring their best to whatever project they're involved in and this film is no exception. The other thing that people are going to notice is how this film is shot. It's beautiful. The colors are so bright and vibrant and the scenery is gorgeous. While watching this again today, this is the only time I wished I had some sort of high-definition entertainment system because it would really pay off with a film like this.

One of the elements of the film I really enjoyed was Cillian Murphy as Johnathan Crane/Scarecrow. I tend to be a fairly big fan of his anyway thanks to films like 28 Days Later and Sunshine, but I think he does an exceptional job in this role even though it's a little small. The other actor who seems to be a bit overlooked in the film is Liam Neeson. He does a great job as Henri Ducard and is part of the film's twist that Nolan has been known to put into his films. Gary Oldman, who's another actor that's a bit underrated in my eyes, also seems to steal just about every scene he's a part of. It's just rare to see a supporting cast that's as strong as the lead actor(s) in the film.

Now a movie that's this good and has this many strong points has to have a few weaknesses, right? Right. This may be considered knitpicking to some, but here are the things that bugged me a bit about the film. I thought it was a little weird that Christian Bale had to put on his "Batman voice" whenever he was in costume. It's like he talked normally while he was Bruce Wayne, but he had to talk in this rough, raspy voice when he was Batman. I guess it could help conceal his identity and add a bit more realism to the film and character, but it just seemed awkward the first time I heard it. I hardly notice now, but it's something that stuck out like a sore thumb when I first watched the film. Katie Holmes was a little bland as Rachel Dawes in this, as well. She just seemed to kind of be in the background in every scene she was a part of. It's like she was there and everyone knew she was there, but she didn't really do anything to grab anyone's attention. I think Maggie Gyllenhaal will be a better fit for the role as she's impressed me more than Holmes with what little I've seen of her in the trailers. The other thing that I hear a bunch of people complain about is the tumbler and how ugly it is. I mean, I agree, it's ugly but I don't think it takes away anything from the film because Batman is driving an ugly car. I feel the same way about the Batpod or Batcycle or whatever the vehicle in The Dark Knight is called. It matches the tumbler, so of course it's going to be ugly.

If there is one Batman film anyone should see, this is it. It's a superhero film with a dark tone that's very well-written with nothing but incredible actors involved. In a world where most movies these days are usually either remakes or films that are made as quickly as possible to cash in on the latest trend in Hollywood, I think the well-written part should say a lot. If there was one film that could make somebody who didn't care about the Batman character like a Batman film, I think this would be it. This is a good enough film to stand on its own regardless of how the viewer feels about Batman going into it. So, if anybody hasn't already, check this out before The Dark Knight hits theaters on July 18th. Or if they already have, tell them to watch it again so the events from the first film are fresh on their mind before they see the sequel.

Rating: 9/10

The Naked Gun Gift Set contains all three of the films and boy you will be laughing like crazy when you get this baby home. Of course the original is the best, but the sequels are enjoyable as well. Leslie Nielsen has great comic timing and Priscilla Presley is not too shabby either. I highly recommend this awesome collection. Enjoy!

This movie it's just one of my favorites comedies. Leslie Nielsen just awesome. Tons of laughs. If you want to spend some time on your couch laughings in a boring afternoon this is the one. Excellent comedy

i love these movies! they are hilarious! u cant tell me u cant laugh once at leslie nielson's crazy antics. he's great!

This is not what I expected it to be. Its true that many scenes not appearing in TV broadcasts are shown, but then the extra scenes that the TV media puts in to stretch the show time are missing. Too bad. I'll give this away and buy each movie seperately.

The Naked Gun DVD Gift Set.

This collection features all three films in the Naked Gun series, which are The Naked Gun: From The Files Of Police Squad! (1988), The Naked Gun 2 and ½: The Smell Of Fear (1991), and The Naked Gun 33 and 1/3: The Final Insult. Three discs total. Each film has trailers and commentaries as bonuses. All films are the theatrical cuts.

This review is strictly for the box set itself, and its content. If you're looking for reviews of the films themselves, I've posted them on their respective item's pages.

-DISC ONE-

-The Naked Gun: From The Files Of Police Squad!

-Trailer

-Commentary track

-DISC TWO-

-The Naked Gun 2 and ½: The Smell Of Fear

-Trailers

-Commentary Track

-DISC THREE-

-The Naked Gun 3 and 1/3: The Final Insult

-Trailers

-Commentary Track

This set is handy because it combines all three of the Naked Gun films into a single, affordable collection. The commentary tracks are interesting to listen to if you're a fan, as well. This is a nice alternative to having to hunt down each film separately, not to mention on average it's cheaper than buying each one on its own.

Sadly, the set isn't perfect. My biggest complaint is with the lack of extras. These are the same movies that are sold separately, with commentaries and trailers as the only bonuses. When are we going to get the deleted scenes from the first film on a DVD? So far, these have only shown up in TV airings. And why is there no behind-the-scenes footage or interviews with cast and crew?

There are two different versions of this set, the DVD Gift Set version and the Triple Feature version. Both versions are exactly the same, apart from packaging. The Gift Set is larger, with each film in its own "as sold separately" case, while the Triple Feature condenses all three films to fit in a single-sized DVD case. You can't go wrong either way, but generally the Triple Feature is cheaper.

It's great to get all of these movies in one convenient spot, but I am extremely disappointed by the lack of bonus material. Hopefully a special edition release of the movies will come eventually. Paramount seems to be re-releasing a number of their older releases as special editions with bonus material, and I'm hoping this series will eventually get that treatment.

Thumbs up for the movies, thumbs down for the extras-lacking box set.

This book covers general geology and the fundamentals of earth processes and paleontology. From earthquakes to evolution, this book gives at least a superficial and fundamental view of each major topic. The images and diagrams are by far the most impressive part of this book. Full color diagrams, photos and drawings help to illustrate practically every page.

Chapter 1: historical theories in geology as well as the basics of geology from the rock cycle to geologic time.

Chapter 2: minerals, rock properties and types of rocks.

Chapter 3: basic scientific organization of life and fossils.

Chapter 4: environment and its relationship with life.

Chapter 5: sedimentary rocks, soils & environments including glaciers, lakes, deserts, rivers and the ocean.

Chapter 6: geologic time, stratigraphy basics and dating methods.

Chapter 7: evolution basics, concepts of extinction, evolutionary trends.

Chapter 8: plate tectonics - evidence, consequences and general mechanisms.

Chapter 9: orogenesis (mountain building) - processes, introduction to structural geology.

Chapter 10: introduction to geochemistry - chemical cycles, isotopes, atmospheric trends related to weathering rates, climate-related isotopes and mineralogy.

Chapter 11 - Chapter 20 each deal with a major phase in geologic time from the creation of the planet to the movement of the plates to the great ice ages and finally to the modern era.

The CD, while helpful, essentially contains the same information as the book. I personally did not find it any more or less helpful than the book itself.

Everybody that is interested in historical geology and paleontology must have this book. It is clear with a lot of informations, has beautifull pictures and a fantastic CD ROM. One of the best I bought last year !

Earth System History, Second Edition was my textbook for Geology 1001, and to my surprise I could actually read it without falling asleep. This is not to say that it is a page turner, but the pictures are interesting and Stanley skips a lot of the cheesy textbook speak. I'm not sure I would buy this book if I wasn't required to, but if geology is your thing- it would be great.

I remeber seeing an advance screening of Bruce Almighty back in 2003 and even today after viewing the film again I'm still unsure of my thoughts on the film. The film does have some funny moments but a lot of the jokes are best seen in the trailer. Tom Shadyac, who previously teamed with Jim Carrey for Liar, Liar and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective direction is good as always and Shadyac knows the comedy genre very well. But it seems like in the editing the decided to go back and make the film a little kid friendly. But alas the message in the movie is good and Morgan Freemen and Jennifer Aniston give great supporting perofmances. So my final thoughts on the film are it's a decent movie.

I like this movie, but I wouldn't own this movie if I had to pay for it (I got it free with an HD DVD player). Having a comedy in high def is a little lack luster - nothing like having an action movie with lots of special effects.

No you can't.
Yep Bruce is really down on his luck, and we are reminded of that old saying," never hit a man when he is down, Kick him it is easer."

After assessing the situation he comes to the conclusion that his situation is the direct results of gross negligence on the part of his maker. He makes the monumental decision to express his thought. Naturally in the tradition of the "Oh God" movies, only this time Morgan Freeman is god, Bruce is challenged to see if he could do any better. This time instead of, "Death takes a Holiday" (1934), God takes his. Now that Bruce has a chance to be in charge. What changes will we see? Was Bruce's assessment of the situation correct or a tad jaded from the situation?

Of course this is a formula movie with the outcome determined before we start. Jim Carrey relies on his "Carrey faces" to carry the movie. These facial expressions were cute in "Once Bitten" (1985) but get a little long in the tooth by now. Jennifer Aniston, of "Office Space" (1999) fame, does an excellent supporting role.

Once Bitten - Starring: Lauren Hutton, Jim Carrey

Panasonic DMR-EZ47V Up-Converting 1080p DVD-Recorder/VCR Combo with Built In Tuner

No you can't.
Yep Bruce is really down on his luck, and we are reminded of that old saying," never hit a man when he is down, Kick him it is easer."

After assessing the situation he comes to the conclusion that his situation is the direct results of gross negligence on the part of his maker. He makes the monumental decision to express his thought. Naturally in the tradition of the "Oh God" movies, only this time Morgan Freeman is god, Bruce is challenged to see if he could do any better. This time instead of, "Death takes a Holiday" (1934), God takes his. Now that Bruce has a chance to be in charge. What changes will we see? Was Bruce's assessment of the situation correct or a tad jaded from the situation?

Of course this is a formula movie with the outcome determined before we start. Jim Carrey relies on his "Carrey faces" to carry the movie. These facial expressions were cute in "Once Bitten" (1985) but get a little long in the tooth by now. Jennifer Aniston, of "Office Space" (1999) fame, does an excellent supporting role.

Jim Carrey at his best again.
I got this as a promotion, but still worth buying as it is HD

I remeber seeing an advance screening of Bruce Almighty back in 2003 and even today after viewing the film again I'm still unsure of my thoughts on the film. The film does have some funny moments but a lot of the jokes are best seen in the trailer. Tom Shadyac, who previously teamed with Jim Carrey for Liar, Liar and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective direction is good as always and Shadyac knows the comedy genre very well. But it seems like in the editing the decided to go back and make the film a little kid friendly. But alas the message in the movie is good and Morgan Freemen and Jennifer Aniston give great supporting perofmances. So my final thoughts on the film are it's a decent movie.

I like this movie, but I wouldn't own this movie if I had to pay for it (I got it free with an HD DVD player). Having a comedy in high def is a little lack luster - nothing like having an action movie with lots of special effects.

No you can't.
Yep Bruce is really down on his luck, and we are reminded of that old saying," never hit a man when he is down, Kick him it is easer."

After assessing the situation he comes to the conclusion that his situation is the direct results of gross negligence on the part of his maker. He makes the monumental decision to express his thought. Naturally in the tradition of the "Oh God" movies, only this time Morgan Freeman is god, Bruce is challenged to see if he could do any better. This time instead of, "Death takes a Holiday" (1934), God takes his. Now that Bruce has a chance to be in charge. What changes will we see? Was Bruce's assessment of the situation correct or a tad jaded from the situation?

Of course this is a formula movie with the outcome determined before we start. Jim Carrey relies on his "Carrey faces" to carry the movie. These facial expressions were cute in "Once Bitten" (1985) but get a little long in the tooth by now. Jennifer Aniston, of "Office Space" (1999) fame, does an excellent supporting role.

Once Bitten - Starring: Lauren Hutton, Jim Carrey

Panasonic DMR-EZ47V Up-Converting 1080p DVD-Recorder/VCR Combo with Built In Tuner

No you can't.
Yep Bruce is really down on his luck, and we are reminded of that old saying," never hit a man when he is down, Kick him it is easer."

After assessing the situation he comes to the conclusion that his situation is the direct results of gross negligence on the part of his maker. He makes the monumental decision to express his thought. Naturally in the tradition of the "Oh God" movies, only this time Morgan Freeman is god, Bruce is challenged to see if he could do any better. This time instead of, "Death takes a Holiday" (1934), God takes his. Now that Bruce has a chance to be in charge. What changes will we see? Was Bruce's assessment of the situation correct or a tad jaded from the situation?

Of course this is a formula movie with the outcome determined before we start. Jim Carrey relies on his "Carrey faces" to carry the movie. These facial expressions were cute in "Once Bitten" (1985) but get a little long in the tooth by now. Jennifer Aniston, of "Office Space" (1999) fame, does an excellent supporting role.

Jim Carrey at his best again.
I got this as a promotion, but still worth buying as it is HD

OMG, this movie is beyond belief and funnier than life itself. Leslie Nielson really perfected the role as Frank Drebin. I didn't care for the sequences that were about Frank's wife, Jane. However, Frank himself was unbelievable, especially at the academy awards, where he made a giant spectacle of himself. I really laughed when he ran off stage, saw tanya, and when she tried to seduce him, you should've seen the look on his face when he saw that she had a......well I can't say. You'd have to see for yourself. It was hilarious. This movie is timeless, and priceless. This belongs in the collection of any true comedy fan.

It was a fun movie.
It is made more so by the infamous member of the supporting cast.

I found all of the movies in the Naked Gun trilogy at wal-Mart for cheap and jumped on the chance to own them. definitely a guy flick and not too many women would be into this style of comedy.

The Naked Gun 33 and 1/3: The Final Insult is directed by Peter Segal. The film stars Leslie Nielsen and co-stars Priscilla Presley, George Kennedy, O. J. Simpson, Anna Nicole Smith, and Fred Ward. Ira Newborn contributes the musical score.

The aptly-named Final Insult is the third and final film in The Naked Gun series. Frank Drebin has now retired from Police Squad, and married Jane Spencer, the woman of his dreams from the previous two films. But marital tensions cause problems for the newlyweds, and before long, Drebin comes out of retirement. His new assignment is to go undercover in a prison, and to spy on a recently-arrested criminal with terrorist connections. He has an evil scheme in mind - one that could result in a deadly bombing at the Academy Awards ceremony.

The third and final installment in The Naked Gun series is, you guessed it, more of the same zany stuff we saw the first two times around. While not a superior product to either previous film by any means, it still makes for a good third installment. And like the first two, it's impossible to write a conventional review for this film. While there is a plot here and entertaining characters, this is more-or-less a showcase of well-written, fast-paced jokes. The writers keep the puns and gags flying at you from start to finish. Normally putting the jokes first and the characters and plot second is a recipe for disaster. But The Naked Gun series pulls it off well, and the third installment makes no exception to the rule.

Leslie Nielsen reprises his role of Frank Drebin from the first film. By this time, I think you pretty much know what to expect from him. He steals every scene he takes part in, delivering the fast-paced comedy with an unusual level of seriousness, never cracking a smile no matter how comical or inappropriate what he says is. The Naked Gun is probably Nielsen's best-known series of films, and it won't be long into the movie before you see why that is.

Like the first two, there's really not much point in going too in depth about the supporting cast and what they do. This movie belongs to Leslie Nielsen. But amongst its ranks are O. J. Simpson as Drebin's long-time, loyal partner on the force, Priscilla Presley as the now-estranged love interest, and Anna Nicole Smith as the villain`s love interest. Everyone does well in this film, but no one steals the show the same way Nielsen does.

The style in which this film is presented stays true to the first two, and that`s a good thing. Unless you knew better, it's not likely you would have suspected the series had a change in directors for its final installment. The writers throw the jokes at the audience endlessly - there's not a single scene in this movie without something to make you laugh. And with Leslie Nielsen usually in charge of delivering these cleverly-written puns and gags, with his signature serious nature, you know the laughs won't let up.

The musical score for the film is written by Ira Newborn. Easily, the most recognizable piece of music in the film is its classic opening credits theme, which was also uses as the theme for Police Squad!, the show that the film was spun off from. Newborn's score is largely a jazzy, big-band one, which fits the cop/detective atmosphere well. It only helps to make the product feel more like a spoof/satire. Much of the score is rehashed from the first two movies, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

This isn't a perfect movie, I won't kid you. The original was a comedy masterpiece. It was fresh, and easily one of the best spoofs ever made. The problem with the sequels is that they`re, to say the least, more of the same. And the jokes, while still downright hilarious, don't quite hit as hard and fast as they did the first time around. That's not to say this isn't a great comedy film in its own right, though - it is. It's far better than a lot of critics gave it credit for being.

Once again, though, the DVD presentation is disappointing. The only extras we get, as with the first two movies, are the commentary tracks and trailers. As usual, I was disappointed by the lack of behind-the-scenes footage, cast/crew interviews, and the like.

In the end, the third and last film in The Naked Gun series isn't quite the comedy masterpiece that the first one was, but it`s still a worthy addition to the Leslie Nielsen catalogue, and definitely worth your time. Although it`s not as good as the original, I`m still recommending it. If you liked the original, it's a good bet you'll like the sequels that followed.

Thumbs up

This was my least favorite Naked Gun movie. These were funny when they were hot, the others are still funny. This one however I thought was corny and overdone. The expression "It jumped the shark" is usually used when a TV show goes overboard and gets corny and tired. This movie jumped the shark and was indeed the 'final insult' to what was a pretty funny series. There were a few laughs but nothing really earth shattering. Anna Nicole is just an awful actress and looks like a cartoon character. She's ditzy and artificial looking and totally unfunny. The thing with slapstick humor like this is; it's falling-down-funny the first time, can be funny even years later but if it gets over-played it's just like that great song that the radio stations played to death. It's just not the same anymore. I guess the writers thought there can never be too much of a good thing but they were wrong. It wasn't a good thing and it was far too much for me. However, I will always enjoy the other two Naked Gun movies and I really liked Airplane and other similar movies. This one just didn't do it for me!

the cook was great I got learn some caribbean recipts and it was for a great cause

The other day I went through my cookbooks, to see if I could weed some out, because I have too many to mention. It's hard getting rid of a cookbook, especially one with a few recipes in it that you've come to love. But I've scanned the recipes I need to keep forever into my MacBook. However, there were an even dozen I couldn't part with. These are books I turn to time and time again, even though I consider myself somewhat of a gourmet chef.

Morgan Freeman's COOKING FOR A CAUSE was one of the books I kept. Not only does Mr. Freeman's book help out the people of Grenada, who suffered during Hurricane Ivan, but it can help you out in the kitchen as well. Friday last I made the "Classic Conch Ceviche the Cayman Way" which you can find on page 47. It was delicious. I've also done the "Arroz Con Pollo" a Cuban dish from the Kitchen of Daisy's Grandmother." And that's the rub, is this classic Caribbean food or is it another book of recipes from fancy restaurants. Does it matter? The recipes make delicious meals with a distinct Caribbean flavor, which makes Mr. Freeman's book fit in nicely with my dozen Caribbean keeper cookbooks.

And I have to give Mr. Freeman a hand for doing something for the people of Grenada. I was hunkered down in Trinidad, thanking Neptune the hurricane didn't come for me. But it's sad it went for others. This is a good cookbook, one which will help you turn out delicious meals, plus it's for a great cause. Two thumbs up and five stars from me.

Review submitted by Captain Katie Osborne

Morgan Freeman's desire to help the island nation of Grenada following multiple hurricane "hits" is not only understandable, it's extremely worthwhile, and one can only hope that direct contributions to the correct organizations continue. With that said, the book purporting to be island recipes includes offerings from distinctly American-based restaurants, which seems to defeat the purpose of highlighting "real" Caribbean island food. Further, many of the recipes seem very upscale in both inredients and presentation, and as visitors to the "real" Caribbean know (which means experiencing those island nations from the beyond the confines of an all-inclusive resort), regional dishes are both hearty, often somewhat spicy and substantial. To get a true taste of Caribbean food one must experience out-of-the-way "local" establishments rather than fancy resorts. For a better selection of regional recipes I'd recommend Virginia Burke's "Eat Caribbean: The Best of Caribbean Cookery."

Purchased this book to help the people of Grenada, I do know one of the chef's who provided a recipe from Grenada. As a cook book most of the recipes require things only found in the Caribbean. However as a interesting read and a way to help others, all in all I would consider it a worth while purchase.

This is an enjoyable cookbook and a portion of the revenue goes to a good cause.

I bought this because of the Morgan Freeman "A Savior is Born" half of the CD, which I had seen on video and loved. (The video illuminates this lovely recording so beautifully through "stained glass" images.) It is so well written, with a number of insightful phrasings, which add to its depth. It is the true Biblical account. The only small complaint I'd have at all is that they call Mary a "maiden" instead of a "virgin". The music is outstanding--really beautiful. My five kids, ranging from 8 to 2, all love this.
We have listen to the Garrison Keillor part only once, and I didn't enjoy the music right off, but we really like Garrison Keillor and the parables, too, of course, and will give it a few more tries.