Movies Books

I can't believe I've reached my 50th review.And it is happily on a topic near and dear to my heart.....Buster Keaton.
Buster was not as appreciated as he might have been in his 1920s heydays.And when his downfall at the hands of MGM came in the early 30s,as far as the public was concerned he was just considered just another fatality
like so many of his peers that occured in the late 20s and early 30s with the conversion to sound.He was soon forgotten.
But it didn't keep Buster down the least bit.He eventually battled back from depression and acute alcoholism.He was rarely out of work for very long and whether behind or in front of the camera he continued on like a trouper for the rest of his days.
The man lived and breathed comedy and never lost his ability in the development and creation of gags.And of course his masterful directing abilities and knowledge of the camera were unquestionable.
Buster fortunately lived long enough to see a steady resurgence in his popularity and homages from many in the film industry.And his public persona also reached new heights as new generations rediscovered his older films and/or relished his appearances in newer films and on TV.
This book then is a fitting tribute to a legend and one of the GREAT(and I don't use this word lightly) purveyors of screen comedy in the 20th century.
It is first and foremost a pictorial tribute.It is absollutely filled with wonderful photographs,some I have seen but others I have not.
It even has a photo montage of a Buster how-to on creating his trademark pork pie hat.
All this is nicely rounded out with text from the author and most especially his late widow Eleanor.
All in all I recommend this book highly to those who are just discovering this great screen comedy genius.There's no better way to acclimate yourself to his life and career.And to those like myself who have known and adored this mans' work for years,this book should be an essential piece in the Buster Keaton section of your library.

I've always been a little disappointed that Buster Keaton gets overshadowed by stars like Chaplin, mainly because he was more than just a silent comedian. In many ways, he was a daredevil of his time, always doing his own stunts and risking his life on several occasions. In today's Hollywood, what star would've dared let a whole house fall on him and miss by mere inches as Buster does in Steamboat Bill Jr.?? Not even Jackie Chan would've tried that one!

With that in mind, Buster Keaton Remembered is superb at illustrating a lot of the stunts and tricks he used in making his best movies, not to mention the man himself, with some glorious candid and studio photography.

The only real disappointment I found with this book is the text's general lack of depth. Sure, the classic shorts and features are all here. But his later work (post-1940) is generally glossed over. Many intriguing elements are also introduced like the death of one of his gag writers, his unreleased film "Ten Girls Ago", his family becoming part of Buster's films, etc. But in most cases, these are only mentioned in passing and get little analysis or explanation.

But then, Buster Keaton Remembered isn't really meant to be a biography - this is more of a coffee table book. So if you're looking for a stunning pictorial of his life, this is the one to pick up. If you're looking for more detailed insights into the man and his movies, it's time to head for the library.

I recently attended the Ninth annual Buster Keaton Festival in Iola .KS. It was my seventh visit. I met Margaret his Granddaughter and she autographed this book. The book is beautifally done in the vailed quality of the golden movie age. The pictures and story line are truly of love for this man from his wife and "grandaughter". James Karen also was present and received the "Buster". Stone face will be remembered as a common man with photos of him smiling. This is special because he was also a proud grandfather to his granddaughter. For a final tribute visit, Find a grave.com GOD BLESS BUSTER

the photos are worth the price of admission, many i had not seen before as a long time fan of keaton. the text is clear, and not horribly sentimental, which i was afraid to find as the book was co-written by his last wife.

gorgeous. really well done.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Being a fan of Buster, I've read numerous bios, ranging from mediocre to all out hatchet jobs. Students of the "Great Stone Face" will learn a lot, I certainly did. The photographs alone are worth the price of the book, epsecially the "stills" from THE GENERAL, STEAMBOAT BILL JR. and ONE WEEK. Keaton always seems to take the proverbial "back-seat" to Chaplin, but Buster was the better comic, by FAR!!! And, as an added bonus, you can see how Buster and Eleanor made the "pork-pie hats" worn in so many of Keaton's films.

A research partnership trying to build a better spectrometer gets in over their heads. One partner went to the Yakuza for funding, and then brought in Lionel Luthor, neglecting a few details.

Lex is showing Clark around Metropolis, so we end up with a Luthor/Yakuza problem, and Clark needing to pull off a few bits and pieces of the superheroic type. Some of which take place at Ordway docks, and the Neo-Tokyo precinct.

Smallville fans will love this book, this book stays true to the characters and gives us more insight on the life of Lex Luthor.
The book is mainly focused around Clark and Lex getting into some trouble in Metropolis.

WHat's wrong with most TV Tie-in books is: characterizations get lost and twisted... plot is lost in a sea of .. how to put this *for a lack of a better phrase* senseless crap (characters have no motive or reason for what their doing, details brought up but not explained, etc.)

This book got everything right though. The characters retained their warmth and personalities from the show... the plot had many levels and good one-liners in there.

We get to see the strong friendship between the boys and how Lex knows Clark has secrets but doesn't trust him with them.
I was shaking my head at how Clark screwed up yet again with Lana... saving the world is noble and all, but *smacks Clark upside the head* if you keep ditching someone like that they won't stick around for long.

This book keeps you flipping the pages. It's hard to put down, the pace never slows or drags/gets boring. The twist on who "Agent Green" thought the alien was and the bit at the end when we learn where he's going after the hospital were hilarious (to me anyway).

Go out and pick up this book now! Definitely worth your hard-earned dollars :)

If you are a true Smallville fan like myself, you will really enjoy this book. The characters (especially Lex Luther)are authentic..they hold true to the television show.
The book is basically about Clark accompanying Lex to Metropolis only having to safe his life from an Asian gang. In addition, Clark finally has a date with Lana but like always, he ruins it BIG TIME. You really need to check out this book..it's more than worth the six dollars you paid for it.

for once an author has decided to show more of the character of lex luthor. lex has to go into metropolis for a few days and asks clark to come along. after some arguement his parents consent.(the only part of the book i really could not see them doing.) as lex tries to show clark a good time, they get involved in a bunch of trouble from japaneese mafia to secret agent who thinks he has found an alien in the mix. how that turns out is worth reading the book by itself. the author gives good insight into the characters of our 2 heroes and adds a few thoughts on the character of lex. it is a beautifully written book and definilty worth the money for smallville fans.

This book is outstanding. Excellent real world examples. Takes readers from top to bottom through the industry. Really geared toward the whole independent/amature film community and how to achieve professional results working within the industry. I highly recommend this book cover to cover.

Being a skeptic, I tested Mark's capsule exercises on a script I was preparing for the IFP Spotlight Award. The results were unnerving - I discovered buried treasure I didn't know I had within my story and eliminated an entire subplot that didn't service the STORY. Mark demystifies the concept of marketing, asking simple, direct questions. By asking "why would anyone want to see your film?" Mark goes past just marketing and addresses the issues that draw people to filmmaking in the first place. When I put the book down, I had a clear vision of the kind of filmmaker I want to be - and a great set of tools to get there.

In the course of making a film, we found this book to be very helpful. It organizes info about the business side of the filmmaking process.

A lot of people throw the title "guru" around, but Bosko's the real deal. As a filmmaker, if you've ever wondered how to: get press coverage, create a media kit, find an attractive title; identify your movie's hooks, locate distributors, exploit the power of the web, get audiences and distribution and actually sell your movie or video...then GET THIS BOOK! Bosko "tells all" in an easy-to-read style that gets the creative juices flowing. No filmmaker should go anywhere near a camera without reading the hard-core, straight-up instruction and advice in this book.

This book is so great! I got a copy after reading a review and it lived up to every claim. The techniques in the book's "Self-Distribution" section showed me how to set up regional sales for a film that otherwise has not made any money up until this point! I can now proudly say that my DVD is available in 17 video stores in Pennslyvania and New York thanks to the tips in this book! Get Bosko's book if you want to sell your film - it is that simple.

Written by the same author as the equally-awesome The Making of Star Wars (which I own but sadly have not yet read), this book is the definitive tale of how all four Indiana Jones films were made. Beginning in 1977 on a beach in Hawaii and ending in 2008 with the release of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, it is a filmmakers dream: a look into the minds and practices of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, two of the great geniuses of modern film. It takes you through story development, casting, pre, pro, and post-production - it's a great learning experience. Not to mention Indy is the greatest action hero - ever. And that is why it is awesome.

My only complaint is that the chapters pretty much get progressively shorter and less in-depth, with the most time being spent on Raiders. This is kind of understandable, seeing as Raiders started the franchise and required the most development. But it was still a bit disappointing to not have some of the interesting details about the sequels highlighted.

Overall, and interesting account of the creation of the character and the movies in which he stars. Great for Indy fans and those intrigued with the process of filmmaking.

As a long time fan of the Indiana Jones series, this book is a real treasure to own. It goes through the whole film series from concept to reality and has great anecdotes from behind the scenes. Packed full of interesting behind the scenes photos and production notes etc. A must for any fan of Indiana Jones and film making in general.

I've bought a wide range of books over the years. Sometimes I've regretted the purchase. That is certainly not the case with this excellent book on the Indiana Jones films. I would highly recommend it - unlike some movie based books, there is a lot of substance - the fact that both George Lucas and Steven Spielburg have contributed prefaces goes to show how well respected this book is by the very people responsible for the movies. You only have to hold the book in your hands and feel its weight to know that a lot of research went in to creating it.

I thought the book would be good, and was pleasantly surprised to find it even better than expected. If you enjoy the Indiana Jones movies then this would be a good coffee table book for you.

Won't give any information away, but some of the ideas that didn't make it to the big screen are quite surprising. Thankfully Spielburg and Harrison Ford managed to curb Lucas's enthusiasm for sci-fi. I hope that they make one more movie - as long as it doesn't involve any more aliens or CGI based action scenes! Somehow I doubt that it will happen though. So you're pretty safe in buying this book as the 'complete' making of!

Most people know that Tom Selleck was the original choice to play Indiana Jones but did you know that Tim Matheson also tested for the role? Or did you know that Sean Young tested for the part of Marion Ravenwood? These facts and so much more are revealed in The Complete Making of Indiana Jones from Del Rey Books. The 300 page, over-sized trade paperback delves deep into the Indiana Jones series and explores all four films with an abundance of interesting stories and facts and hundreds of photos.

A third of the book is devoted to Raiders of the Lost Ark for several reasons. This chapter not only looks at the development of the first film, but the genesis of the character as well as the friendship that developed between Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. The pair met for the first time back in 1968 on the campus of UCLA where Lucas' film THX 1138 4EB was being shown during a student film festival. It's amazing how much the careers of these two men parallel each other. They both had early films that were well received before they each had their first mega-hit in the mid-70s, Spielberg with Jaws, and Lucas with Star Wars.

You almost feel like you are part of those early meetings regarding Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones (Originally called Indiana Smith!). Lucas, Spielberg, and writer Lawrence Kasdan were meeting in early 1978 and already drafting a script and drawing storyboards. Excerpts from these meetings and early concept art and sketches are provided to give the reader a sense of how much planning went into what was, at the time, considered to be a "B" movie. Legendary comic book artist Jim Steranko was hired to produce several paintings to help develop the look of the film and the character. You'll learn about scenes that never made the final cut including the experimental Nazi jet aircraft. You also get to see rare photos of Selleck screen testing with Sean Young and Matheson screen testing with Karen Allen. The book is like a daily diary, zealously chronicled by those who were there and lived through it all...there's details about production difficulties and delays, like all the stuntmen getting sick at once during Raiders.

The chapter on Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (originally entitled...Temple of Death) provides a peek at the early script and shooting summary. This was the film that caused the MPAA to create the now common PG-13 rating as they were confused over whether to rate the film PG or R due to some of the graphic imagery and child slavery. One of the most notorious difficulties was dealing with the over 80,000 insects that the film required, whose numbers would decrease each day during shooting as they would simply disappear into cracks and cervices.

From there it's on to exploring Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and the latest film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (which went through numerous title changes). The last chapter is especially interesting because it shows how long a fourth Indy film was in the works but the difficulties in getting everyone onboard took many years to work out.

This is a fantastic book, loaded with information and photos. Even the most avid Indiana Jones fan will be amazed at the content in the book.

love this book broke down many times on some of the letters great book!!

This marvelous little book offers a parallel and human voice to the more academic books about Vietnam.
There is no "agenda", here just a selection of moving, articulate, impassioned voices talking about their experiences and feelings at the time they were there. Some of the most moving, of course, being those from young people who would die shortly thereafter. We see through the letters in the book that even on the front lines this "war" was seen through a wide diversity of opinions, from those that were totally committed to it, and why (though they tend to become less prevalent as the years pass), to those who came to believe it was not a worthy effort to justify the consequences. And the majority, just confused. A must read.

This is a wonderful book for anyone who wants to see the Vietnam war from the eyes of those who were there. The book is a collection of writings from Vietnam veterans that were written during there time in country. This book shows the War as more than casualty numbers and battle field dates. A good read for everyone.

This book captivated me so that i could not put it down, untill i had finished. It touches your heart and soul. Wonderful read!! Please put it on DVD!!! Thank you :-)

After the amazing documentary about Vietnam that solely exists of actor voice overs of funny, goofy, anxious and heartbreaking letters home from soldiers at the battlefront in Vietnam, accompanied by graphic footage of the war itself, this book came out. It contains the letters read out in the movie, and additionally has some more background information about the soldiers who wrote the letters.

Even without the trained actor voices reading the letters out loud to you, and without the grim and realistic war images, this book is a pageburner. Heart-wrenching accounts of the legacy of war written by the soldiers that fought it, as well as by the people they left behind.

I love these Official Guides for the X-Files. They tell the entire episode in just enough detail if you may have missed something or have not paid enough attention. They also have the "Backstory" so you could find out information you ay never have even heard of. They have quotes from the fabulous stars. I just wish they would have had more from and about the stars. Bt other than that they are fabulous. I have my rating as 5 stars but because of this I would pick four and a half if I could. They tell everything you need to know and more about the greatest show to ever air!

I love this book,I especially like the behind the scenes stuff, it's great.I recommend this book to anyone who is the biggest fan in the world to the show like me.It has a great picture of David Duchovny in front of the mirror (very cute). I have almost all of season 6 on tape so it was very interesting to read the behind the scenes stuff and see how they made the episode.I have all of season 7 on tape so I can't wait for the next book to come out.I am running out of blank tapes!

I admit to being a X-Files addict, and so this was necessary to try to understand the show. It, and its previous 1 through 4, have made my interest in the X-files grow as I finally got clues and tremendous answers in reviews and stories from many missed episodes. A lot of work obviously went into these books, and I wait eagerly for volume 6.

The End and The Beginning is just another great book in a great collection. It is one of the most descriptive guides yet, with great color photos and a play by play look at each episode from season 6. If you are a true X-phile, this book is a necessity. This is a great look at the series while Scully and Mulder were still on the same planet, so to speak.

This is definitely a must-have for any X-Phile, especially if you missed an important episode of Season 6. It contains a detailed summary of every episode in a mini novel-like form, with commentary about that episode. It's also great to have if you desperately want to view a Season 6 episode, but you didn't tape it. In this book, you can READ the episode. I know it's not the same as watching it, but it's something. And for all you 'Shippers like me out there, you can re-live all the greatest 'Shipper moments, like in the episode "Triangle."--the famous kiss, and Mulder's famous "I love you" line to Scully. And let's not forget the part in "The Unnatural" where Mulder teaches her how to play baseball, or in "Dreamland" where Mulder dances in front of the mirror while in the body of Morris Fletcher.

The book also contains colorful photos commemorating every unforgetful moment of the season. Now I can't wait for the next volume. I'm one of the unfortunate people who missed the Season 7 finale, where Mulder gets abducted and Scully announces to Skinner that she's pregnant . . .

Though I could have lived without some of the articles, mostly this is a great guide book to movies. I laughed while I read it, and I liked the movie picks a lot.

At first glance, this is a book you think you might want to pass up, but it's the perfect guide! These four girls have very different tastes, but each of them have a lot to offer. With little side-bars, and essays, this book is as fun as they come! They have made some very good recommendations for me. If it weren't for these four, I wouldn't be able to expand my horizons. But they're the type who make you open your mind. I mean, I hadn't even heard of 'Gas, Food, Lodging' before this book and let me tell you, it's a good movie! So get this book and see what these girls have to say. You might find a gem of a movie that you enjoy just as much as they say you will.

This can be read as a reference guide OR for just plain pure pleasure--for me the latter...these woman have a great, unigue voice.

I first became familiar with the Girls on Film through their Website. Amazingly, I almost always agree with their movie critiques. That's why I knew I wouldn't be disappointed with this guide. It's more of the same conversational tone and is filled with a lot of movies I know, but also a fair ammount I haven't seen (yet). I'm looking forward to making my way to the video store. The Girls are friends who make you feel welcome- a great movie guide with multiple gen-x style blurbs which are very amusing!

Though far from an all-encompassing movie guide, it is still well-worth the price of admission. I didn't always agree with the choices they made (I mean, Andrea, come on! "My Fellow Americans"???). But I enjoyed every page of the book and found it to be among the wittiest I've read this year. My one complaint? It was too short. I wished there were more!

If you like the Harry Potter movies, you will love this calendar! It has most of the famous movie posters and is just plain excellent for any HP fan. I cannot wait for the 2008 one!

This is a wonderful calendar with great pictures from all of the films. I keep this one at work and I get compliments on it all of the time!

This calendar is nice because it features all of the Harry Potter characters, not just Harry. I preferred the 2006 calendar, but this one is still cool.

It captures the characters and events of the movies. As a rule, the Potter merchandise is a great buy and a fun gift for any Harry Potter fan.

It has a lot of other country's holidays marked. That's a plus or minus depending on where you are from!

I bought this calendar for a Harry Potter fan. It is on her wall and well loved.

Hollywood has a long history of bad boys as this fascinating book shows. Bad behavior is as old as Hollywood,but this book is not a simple recap of tabloid stories. It gives an interesting background to the actors' careers, their missteps, and the consequences of their bad behavior. It can also serve as a cautionary book. So much of the bad behavior is a result of booze and/or drugs and in many cases derailed or destroyed very promising careers. I would definitely recommend this book.

He not only gathers information that would otherwise require assistance from the CIA or NSA, he disseminates it in a lively, juicy, easy-to-read manner. He bridges the gap between researchers and the everyday yahoo who wants to know the most salacious details of Hollywood royalty acting like the pampered, indulgent maniacs they often are. One would expect this kind of all-encompassing, zippy, definitive collection from Parish, who has mastered this form, and he does not disappoint.

This is a fascinating look at Hollywood history. Bad behavior is as old Hollywood and bad boys go back to the earliest days. But this is not a simple recap of tabloid stories; this is an indepth look the backgrounds and careers of these bad boys. It also traces the consequences of this bad behavior. The book could also serve as a cautionary tale; much of this bad behavior is the result of booze and/or drugs and in many cases derailed or completely destroyed promising careers. I recommend this highly interesting book.

THIS IS A GOOD READ ABOUT SOME OF THE BAD BOYS OF HOLLYWOOD. AMONG THE MALE ACTORS COVERED ARE BEN AFFLECK, JAMES DEAN, DEAN MARTIN AND BURT REYNOLDS. THE STORIES ARE 4-5 PAGES BUT ARE PACKED WITH DETAILED INFO CONCERNING DRUGS, DRINKING AND SEXUAL BEHAVIOR THAT WILL SHOCK ALOT OF PEOPLE. I REALLY ENJOYED THIS WELL WRITTEN AND INTERESTING BOOK. I HAVE ALSO READ HOLLYWOOD BOOK OF SCANDALS BY THIS AUTHOR AND ENJOYED BOTH VERY MUCH. IF YOU ARE CURIOUS ABOUT THE SCANDAL CONCERNING THE SO CALLED STARS OF HOLLYWOOD THEN THIS IS FOR YOU. VERY RECOMMENDED.

What do Charlie Chaplin, W. C. Fields, and Dean Martin have in common? In addition to passing away on Christmas Day in their respective years of death, all 3, along with 67 others, appear in
"Hollywood Bad Boys," from the prolific pen of James Robert Parish. From Ben Affleck to Gig Young (Oscar winners both), you get a succint account of the lives (and, in 37 cases, the deaths) of the notables and the wannabes, that, for better or worse, made the American entertainment industry what it is today.
If you like E!'s "True Hollywood Story" and "Mysteries and Scandals," you'll love "Hollywood Bad Boys."

This book is GREAT! It was all I expected and better. I laughed out loud alot, and the pictures, although in black and white, are hysterical! A great touch is the pictures of Conan and Andy's reactions. This book is a great buy!

What are you waiting for? Go buy it!

Conan O'Brien is one of the funniest men alieve and this book proves that!This book evolved from a sketch on the show(one of the best, other than Pimpbot 5000). He and the Late Night Writers are amazing,they come up with so many diffrent sketches that its not even funny. If you have ever wondered what celebrities babies looked like this book is a must have.
HAIL CONAN!

heart,
ivy the barbarian

If They Mated is one of my favorite skits on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, so I just had to buy this book. I am glad I did, it is one of the funniest books I've ever read. Even if you never saw the show before, or this skit, I highly recommend getting this book, I guaranty you'll laugh! I would have rated it a 5 but the pictures in the book are grayscale, color would have been much better, but it is still a great book.

The book is funny with hilarious pictures and commentaary. In my opinion Conan O'Brien is the best show between the hours of 12:30 AM and 1:30 AM on nbc.

Ive always loved Conans humor. He is the king of couch humor. A classic comedian. In this book he showcases my favorite, and I think everyone elses too, jokes that he does. IF THEY MATED. Very funny book. Purchase this now.