Movies Books

Paul Thomas Anderson, writer-director of the absorbing Sundance fave HARD EIGHT (1997), the brilliant, sprawling 70s epic BOOGIE NIGHTS (1997) and the utterly enthralling, 3-hour mosaic of pain, sickness, death and loneliness in the San Fernando Valley MAGNOLIA (1999), returns to form yet again with his utterly bizzare and very fascinating sounding 90 minute dark romantic "comedy" PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE (2002). The film stars Adam Sandler and Emily Watson as two nearly insane people. Sandler plays Barry Egan, a lonely businessman (his only friend seems to be a co-worker named Lance, played by Anderson comic relief fave and ensemble lover Luis Guzman) with 7 abusive sisters. Watson plays Lena Leonard, a quirky young Englishwoman who is one of his sister's (Mary-Lynn Raksjub--love her!) friends from work. They get (jokingly) set up on a blind date (I believe they meet first, then go for dinner), and love is in the air. He plans to buy lots and lots (and lots yet again) of pudding for a chance to win frequent flier miles in a contest. This will lead to a Hawaii trip that would go right, but Barry's depressing recent past stands in the way. He was conned upon calling a phone sex line (to a woman named Georgia)--seems she wants more money than he should have to pay and this leads to a dangerous group of Utah thugs coming to the Valley to collect for their sleezy pimp leader (played by the great Philip Seymour Hoffman, the only actor yet to be in all 4 P.T. Anderson pictures). This all combines to what sounds like one of the best new films of the fall season, and possibly one of the best of the year. Ebert and Roeper loved it and it was a hit at many film festivals it attended. Sounds great. Anderson's script is shorter than MAGNOLIA's 194 pages or BOOGIE NIGHTS' 152, and even his debut HARD EIGHT'S (no script published yet--the running time was 101 minutes!). This (literal) change of pace for the Altman-Scorsese-Demme-influenced young auteur promises a "joy ride" of epic proportions, if not length. His scripts (including this) are published as "Shooting Scripts". This means it's gone through some changes since the "Reading Draft(1st draft)", but Anderson thinks visually, directs very much in that vein, and has been known to write very much like that. His scripts contain much camera description and as little scene description as possible. As he said in the BOOGIE NIGHTS script book introduction, "I've come to realize that my function as a director is to be a good writer...My obligation as a director is to deliver the actors a good script, thus making my job as a director describable as 'hanging out' and watching them go. No good actor needs direction beyond 'Let's do another one' and 'Keep it simple.'...There is no flour and sugar...this is a script written for actors. An actor does not need a full description of their character...This is how most screenplays are written... This sort of thing must be written by writers who have no interest in meeting or socializing with actors. If you have written this and you can find an actress to play this part, as described, you will have a bad actress. Actors do not need this, they don't want it. Don't give it to them; they will not read it anyway. This is writing for studio executives. Studio executives do not make movies. They pretend that they make movies. This is a script written for the people who really make the movie, people who physically put it into existence, and all they need are the facts. Pure and Simple." This is a philosophy that is rare and much needed in Hollywood and Independent Cinema nowadays...Scripts rely too much on the "telling" of a story and not enough on the "making" of a story. People who know where their story is going before they pick up a pen, type one letter, or even think of an idea, will never write a great screenplay that way. You have to let it unfold for you and for the audience...

Paul Thomas Anderson, writer-director of the absorbing Sundance fave HARD EIGHT (1997), the brilliant, sprawling 70s epic BOOGIE NIGHTS (1997) and the utterly enthralling, 3-hour mosaic of pain, sickness, death and loneliness in the San Fernando Valley MAGNOLIA (1999), returns to form yet again with his utterly bizzare and very fascinating sounding 90 minute dark romantic "comedy" PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE (2002). The film stars Adam Sandler and Emily Watson as two nearly insane people. Sandler plays Barry Egan, a lonely businessman (his only friend seems to be a co-worker named Lance, played by Anderson comic relief fave and ensemble lover Luis Guzman) with 7 abusive sisters. Watson plays Lena Leonard, a quirky young Englishwoman who is one of his sister's (Mary-Lynn Raksjub--love her!) friends from work. They get (jokingly) set up on a blind date (I believe they meet first, then go for dinner), and love is in the air. He plans to buy lots and lots (and lots yet again) of pudding for a chance to win frequent flier miles in a contest. This will lead to a Hawaii trip that would go right, but Barry's depressing recent past stands in the way. He was conned upon calling a phone ... line (to a woman named Georgia)--seems she wants more money than he should have to pay and this leads to a dangerous group of Utah thugs coming to the Valley to collect for their sleezy ...and leader (played by the great Philip Seymour Hoffman, the only actor yet to be in all 4 P.T. Anderson pictures). This all combines to what sounds like one of the best new films of the fall season, and possibly one of the best of the year. Ebert and Roeper loved it and it was a hit at many film festivals it attended. Sounds great. Anderson's script is shorter than MAGNOLIA's 194 pages or BOOGIE NIGHTS' 152, and even his debut HARD EIGHT'S (no script published yet--the running time was 101 minutes!). This (literal) change of pace for the Altman-Scorsese-Demme-influenced young auteur promises a "joy ride" of epic proportions, if not length. His scripts (including this) are published as "Shooting Scripts". This means it's gone through some changes since the "Reading Draft(1st draft)", but Anderson thinks visually, directs very much in that vein, and has been known to write very much like that. His scripts contain much camera description and as little scene description as possible. ...

One of my new favorites, "Punch-Drunk Love" is a unique and spectacular story about a man who doesn't know how the face the world around him. That man is Barry Egan. He has seven sisters who have verbally abused him since he was little, causing him to, now all grown up, get into violent outbursts. Barry's a quiet and shy guy, but if his button is pushed things can get out of control. He meets Lena, a very strange and peculiar girl herself. Love falls upon these two, but Barry's even facing more problems after being blackmailed by a phone-sex operator. But when all else fails, he knows that he has a love in his life in this very oddball and dark comedy.

I'm glad they came out with a script version of the film that you can buy. Paul Thomas Anderson has written a magnificent picture that's so easy to relate to , it's scary. The stuff that occurs you can see happening in real life. It's realistic and surreal at the same time.

This is the shooting script, on blue, pink, and yellow colored pages that symbolize when the revisions were made. Technical terms such as camera angels are included as well since it is a shooting script. Even little changes are mentioned as well. I love the dialogue that was written and you can tell that P.T. had Sandler in mind for the part, because nobody else would've been able to pull it off. While it's not your typical comedy, I thought it was hilarious. It pretty much follows the movie, although some things aren't there or changed due to changes that occurred during the shooting. It's pretty much all there for the most part.

"Punch-Drunk Love: The Shooting Script" is a great purchase for anyone who loved the film. It may not had been the most popular movie to come out of 2002, but it's #2 on my list. The pages fly by with ease, and when you're done with it you want to read it again. I can't wait for this movie to come out on DVD. I'm counting the days. A spectacular script for a spectacular film.

I love being able to read P.T. Anderson's shooting scripts. His films are fabulous. I believe one of the negative reviewers partially misses the point when harping on the misspellings, the rambling monologues and how PTA's scripts are saved by the actors. The whole point of a script is that it is the first rough draft -- the framework -- upon which a movie is built. Of course there are going to be improvements between the script and the final product. The reason to buy this, or any, shooting script is to see how the project evolved from script to screen. In the case of Punch-Drunk Love -- much more so than Boogie Nights or Magnolia -- it's fascinating to find that almost every important scene was tweaked, sometimes in a major way, before this wonderful film reached the screen. ... It's a great chance to get some insight into the stages of the creative process of one of America's finest directors. ... BOTTOM LINE: Does this book have all the bells and whistles of the Boogie Nights and Magnolia shooting scripts? NOPE. Is it essential for the PTA fan? YUP.

When Tarantino blew up in the early 90's, there were slews of quickie books written to cash in on his enormous popularity. This is not one of them. Jami Bernard has done one of the most thorough and detailed biographies ever done on a celebrity. She misses nothing. The only problem this book has is the same problem almost all Q.T books have- they were all written 2 to 3 years into his career, so there is no recent information. This is one book I'd love to see updated and re-released.It is a richly detailed and fair account of Tarantino's life and career up until 1995.

I just finished reading this book, and it is a fine work of reporting. It interviews people from both sides of the Tarantino debate (those who love him and those who hate him), and allows you to draw your own conclusions from all the statements. It covers Tarantino's life from his birth up to the moment when he made Four Rooms.

Too bad this book is out of print. I hope there will be a reissue in the future, probably covering the latest works of Tarantino.

This book is a very good book. It gets you very familiar with Quentin and his movis. Every Quentin fan should read this book. I am going to read it again. Read the book!! Thomas Peterson MXPF89C@prodigy.com Kuna, Idaho

This book is a must-read for every true Tarantino fan.

Jamie Bernard's book is simply amazing. It covers Tarantino's life from childhood till about 1996. The book is well-written, and goes deep into detail and uncovers Tarantino's life as hyperactive kid, movie theater regular, fatherless child and genius moviemaker. This is the single best book ever written about Quentin Tarantino. No other book delivers such great information, biographical facts and stories about the making of his early movies and involvements in projects. If you want to read a good book about Tarantino, get this one first. It's the best!

trust me on this...

What a novel idea, that movies are more than just entertainment. The author points out that watching some of the traditional Christmas movies (It's a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Carol) makes us feel safe and comfortable. They relieve stress and give us a feeling of control.
I remember my family having a ritual of watching Yankee Doodle Dandy every fourth of July. Even now, if I sing a few lines from one of those songs, my sisters join in (40 years later) with all the words.
Movies like these, are "very rich in spiritual messages," according to the author.

"Reel Fulfillment"
A 12-Step Plan For Transforming Your Life Through Movies
Maria Grace, Author
McGraw Hill, Publisher
ISBN 0-07-145907-3

Reviewed by Donna Van Straten Remmert,
Author of "The Littlest Big Kid" and "The Jitterbug Girl"

If you love movies as much as I do, "Reel Fulfillment" is an insightful guidebook that will entertain as well as transform you. It will explain why you love some movies enough to see them over and over again, and why you laugh or cry your heart out each time. Psychotherapist and author Maria Grace is well known in Austin for her live, standing-room-only movie reviews that humorously and poignantly probe into our psychological make-up and help us realize truths about ourselves, as reflected by characters in the movies. She is also well known at SCN for her fabulous Be Our Guest presentation. If you've witnessed Maria's gigs, I know you haven't forgotten how delightful they were. The same is true about "Reel Fulfillment". It's delightful.

Maria moved to New York City a few years ago, and she has already received a great deal of praise and recognition for her inspiring book, her seminars, and her ezine that I highly recommend as a way to continue analyzing your responses to movies after you've read "Reel Fulfillment". Each week's ezine is about something new and different and it's always fun and thought provoking. This week's challenge, for instance, is to watch movies that are about food cravings. She tells you some of her secrets for relating to food in a more healthy way, learned from having attended a spa in Brazil, she invites you to click onto her 60-minute seminar "Eating Without Guilt: The Joy of Conscious Eating" and she asks you to watch two fabulous movies about food to better understand yourself: "Chocolat" and "Real Women Have Curves". Go to www.mariagrace.com to learn about Maria's adventures and to read more about the ezine that's free for the asking. Subscribe!

Thanks to "Reel Fulfillment", I can now say it right out-I am a movie addict! I watch at least one, sometimes two, movies a day. In the privacy of my bedroom where I can laugh or cry to my heart's content. I'm obsessed, and I now know that I don't need to feel shame or guilt for spending so much relaxation time in bed, because through my obsession and with the help of Maria's 12-step plan for transforming my life through movies, I accomplish major self-awareness fetes. There is a Questions to Answer section in each chapter of "Reel Fulfillment". I glance at these questions in advance of watching a movie recommended by Maria in that chapter. Then, as I'm watching, I think about possible answers to these questions, viewing the movie as if it were a story about my life. Metaphorically, it usually is!

After my movie(s) for the night is over, I sink into my unconscious for a good night of dreaming. When the movies I've seen are especially relevant to my life, they often trigger fantastic dreams that reveal things about me that I'd otherwise not know consciously. What a gift! Imagine all of the unlived lives I've been able to experience through this process!

I am so in love with Maria's work that I flew to NYC to attend one of her seminars. She's better than ever, and what a good excuse for having fun in The Big Apple. Reading "Reel Fulfillment" is like being with Maria again. Order an autographed copy and browse her other learning tools at her online store at www.mariagrace.com.

Life should be as happy as we can make it. Life should be as fulfilling as we can make it. Life should be as free of fear and doubt as we can make it. No one book, no one program can provide all these needs. But this work, Reel Fulfillment, is certainly a tool you will want to add to your tool box. If you are building a house, you cannot do it with only a hammer. You must have saws, screwdrivers, rulers, pliers, and on and on. To build a full life you must have many tools also. Most certainly, this work, I feel, can be one of those tools, quite an important tool, actually. What a unique and fascinating concept...using movies to help analyze your life and help correct those little and big blimps and bumps in life that we all encounter. This is not a just a book about "going to a movie and feeling good." It is far more. The author, Dr. Grace, gives us a twelve step plan or program for truly changing the way we perceive ourselves and the way we meet and treat the various crises and challenges we all encounter. The subjects, Gaining Inner Clarity, Emotional Health, Joy, and Gaining Spiritual Fitness, are all more or less hung on a unique framework, on the concept of movies, on the stories that we can relate our own experiences to, and learn from, which we see on the screen. We can and, indeed, do learn from these stories.

Movie, of course, are art. Who has not been emotionally changed by a great piece of literature, a great painting, a wonderful photograph, a deeply felt and written poem or one of the world's great paintings. Most of us can be driven to either tears or great joy by any of these. Movies are no different. More importantly, with movies, we can learn from the stories these artists, the movie makers, writers and actors bring us. We can relate. I dare say that not one person reading this review has ever not been moved, in some way, after watching some film story at some time in their life. Dr. Grace has given order to this. Each chapter includes a wonderful section of self examination, profound questions, which, if answered truthfully by the reader, can indeed shed great light on our inner being. She has been able to articulate what most of us actually know, but we simply did not know we knew. She has given us a tool and then explained how to use that tool effectively.

Now, this work, like any work in this particular genre, is only effective if you actually DO IT! I wonder how many "self help books" are purchased, skimmed, shelved and forgotten. You actually have to work through the program for it to help. Folks, there are no free lunches...you get out of something just about what you put into it. This book is no exception.

On the other hand, if you want to purchase it, skim it and then shelf it, that is okay too. As an added bonus, even it you don't work through the doctor's program, you will certainly pick up some great tips to make your movie going far more pleasurable. You really cannot loose with this one. I highly recommend! Recommend you add this one to your library.

This new self-help book is really good with this new method of watching movies combined with exercises in each step to find fulfillment.

At the beginning I thought it was about analyzing movies but was pleasently surprised that the method uses the movies to help the reader find answers and create awareness. I did watch a couple of the movies suggested and then followed the exercises and it really works.

I highly recommend this book to anybody who likes movies. Watching them from this new angle will make you enjoy even more your favorite films and even better appreciate the ones not so good.

Reflections on the Civil War was published in 1981, three years after the death of Bruce Catton. John Leekley reworked and restructured audio tapes that he and Catton had been compiling for an oral history into the essays that form the basis for this fascinating book.

For the most part this transformation was successful and achieves a natural narrative style. Reflections on the Civil War should particularly appeal to readers seeking a concise, and yet insightful introduction to the Civil War. This relatively short book, about 250 pages, would be ideal for supplementary reading for advanced high school students or undergraduates.

The essays target five major topics: Lincoln's leadership; life in the army; the war itself - strategy and execution; the Civil War as the first modern war, and There Was a Young Soldier. This last section, the experiences of John Geyser from Pennsylvania in an engineer battalion in the Army of the Potomac, was riveting, and is a remarkable description of soldiering under General McClellan.

John Geyser carefully penned thoughtful sketches of camp life, individual soldiers, and military action. These drawings add substantial value to this work. Geyser's sketches had only recently come available and had not been published previously.

In the 1960s Bruce Catton, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, helped Americans understand and commemorate the centennial of the Civil War. His books - Mr. Lincoln's Army, Terrible Swift Sword, Gettysburg: the Final Fury, A Stillness at Appomattox, two volumes on Ulysses S. Grant, and others - were widely admired. His writings gave meaning and life to the Civil War in a way unmatched by previous writers.

In recent decades American interest in the Civil War was similarly revitalized by the monumental documentary on the Civil War by Ken Burns and later by the film Gettysburg. Newer studies by outstanding historians like Shelby Foote and James M. McPherson, and Civil War novels like those of Michael and Jeff Shaara, have perhaps unfairly displaced the writings of Bruce Catton.

In my view Bruce Catton's major works compare favorably with Shelby Foote and James McPherson, two authors that I greatly respect. Reflections on the Civil War is a quick way to become acquainted with this remarkable writer and historian.

The first books I ever read about the Civil War were by Bruce Catton, starting with his novel BANNERS AT SHENANDOAH and continuing with his two overall histories and ending with his U.S. Grant trilogy. There is something effortless about the way Catton integrates his sources and spins his tale.

If one may say he is not really a scholar, he is at least a brilliant popularizer and integrater. REFLECTIONS is like the capstone of his career. Now that I've read scores of books on the subject, Catton somehow manages to revivify the entire period.

By far my favorite chapter is the story of an Army Engineer who also created a sketchbook of his battle experiences. Catton follows him thoughout the war and even after, until his later years are spent in pain from an injury received in battle decades before. Also brilliant is is short summary of the war from the point of view of opportunities lost. (It appears that the commanding generals of the Army of the Potomac have a lot to answer for.)

If you want a single book to give you a good feeling of what the Civil War was like without dragging you company by company through all the gory details, this is the book for you.

There are many great writers about the Civil War, but I definitely feel that, now that Catton has gone, the vital spark is no longer there.

Catton provides the reader with an easy to understand synopsis of the grand currents at work during the Civil War. Masterfully done, Catton obviously composed his ideas from a vast warehouse of Civil War knowledge. Not concerned with detailing the minutia of events, he is able deliver a feeling for what was going on during those great and terrible days. Although the Foreword and Introduction seem a bit fawning at times, the editor and E. B. Long are able to clue the reader in on what to expect and what to look for.

This book was compiled from audio tapes Catton made before his death,,, his "reflections" on the Civil War. In it Catton brings the lessons of his life long study of the war into very human focus. It is the best book I know of for anyone who is seeking their first Civil war book because it tells the stories of the war in such human terms. It is the best book I know of for the Civil war "expert" for the very same reason. One cannot lose focus on the essential human war exoperiences once this book is read. It is an outstanding achievement. There is fact here to be sure but Catton always provided mofre than fact. He provided understanding. And in "Reflection On The Civil War" he provides passion and compassion, intrigue and dareing, and deep respect for the simple common people of the 1860's Here, he speaks of their wisdom, their dedication and their courage. One of the most masterful pieces of writing I have evefr read comes late in the book when he trace two trajectories. The first

This is the best present received by my granddaughter for her 9th birthday. She takes it everywhere.

Greatings again to everyone!
Seeing the movie i was so exiting that i was looking forward to buy the dvd as soon as possible.But instaid of this i found in my personal page of Amazon this great book!!!I saw the movie again just reading this book and looking those amazing photograps!

I love Star wars.So this book is great.It shows the high light of the movie.It is very sad but I can read it over agin and agin
and it still is great.I read it in about one day.I started around 2:00pm and finshed around 10:00Am and I got a good night sleep to. I just Love'd it so much. I can't wait to see the movie.
Yoou will proble want to read it first.I don't want to tell you about it you should read it your self.I read it by my self and I'm only 11. I was just great.I just had to tell some buddy.It has great picters too.That's about all I can say and are great things.
I hope this helps you.

I gave this book a 4 because it does not cover the story in depth. But then again it was never meant to do that. To get the details, either read the junior novelization or the adult version of the book. But I got this for the color pictures from the movie. To me this tells the story much better. and there are heaps of pictures from the movie. The book gets a 5 for pictures, the layout and the flow of the story but an overall 4 for lack of detail.....

My 19 month old grandaughter absolutely LOVES this book. It really teaches words and she loves opening the flaps and saying the words. I would definetly recommend this one!

I love this book for the simple fact that it allowed me to teach my 18 month old all the common words in various settings (park, aquarium, farm, school and home). It also has flaps which intrigue her as she likes to see whats behind each one. I am amazed at all the words she has picked up from this book! Fantastic book for parents wanting to establish letter recognition (alphabet page) and build their childs vocabulary!

This book was a gift from grandparents and it quickly became my 19 mo. old daughter's obsession. She selects it any time I ask her to bring me a book to read to her and will carry it to me on a whim as well, simultaneously calling out "elmo."

Great book. Very colorful and the flap parts are fun and pretty sturdy. It keep's my child's attention for a while.

It is a book for all seasons; a book that should be on the coffee table-- picked up and read at any time; a book full of text and photos both inside and outside his cinematic life; a book of biography and filmography; an art book; a fun book featuring many photos of his film faces (remember Manu as a lady-of-the-night??) and much, much more.
Mustaq Shiekh, author: 'the book is a tale of a journey that led from New Delhi into the homes, hearts and minds of innumerable fans all over the world, and a journey that transcended boundaries of nations and the artificial barriers of culture'.

OF course...by far he is the best in Bollywood!!!! My sister was the happiest person in the world to receive this gift for her birthday! She loves KING KHAN!!! ......who doesnt???!!!!

If you like scrap book format coffee table books, then this is the book to get. Each page is filled with enough color and sites to keep any guest awake through the wee hours of a party when the crowds have thinned out or are too drunk to talk. The book is a lively walk through the actor's life from his parents' first meeting to his super stardom as the "King of Bollywood." But the story does not stop there, this is more than just an actor's ego centric ramble. The book takes you on a journey through Bollywood and Indian culture both in the past and today. I would recommend this book to anyone to loves Shah Rukh Khan, Bollywood or colorful visual adventures.
If you want to see a good example of his acting then buy Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (Shahrukh Khan)

I am happy with this wonderfully illustrated and written coffe-table book about the King of Bollywood! I haven't finished the entire book because I am trying to savour every page but it is a must have for any SRK fan.

This is a fun book for any Elmo fan. It helps teach body parts, as well as coordination, and it's a cute book besides!

I ordered a second copy of this book after the first one was destroyed by rain! We used to read it to my oldest daughter and decided to buy it again after our third child was born... not only does it teach different parts of the body, it is a great way to get your kids moving!

This is one of my daughter's favorite books because it's very involving in a physical and non-threatening way. You read the text, you show her the movement, she sees the movement depicted, and does it. She had lots of fun and was very interested in learning the names of various body parts.

This is a wonderful book, but not before a nap or bedtime. For that, I'd recommend the related Elmo book "Quiet Time."

Elmo and his friends perform various easy to imitate actions in their muppet exercise class. My two year old loves to follow along and do each step like 'honk her nose' and 'rub her tummy'. It's a great book for 1-3 year olds.

My son normally isn't thrilled about reading, but he takes these two books to school every day and reads them at their reading time!

Finally books to come out for kids with adventure based on some old school stories.....

i thought these books were great they have so much imagination and are jam-packed with adventures and fun!! children will love them as much as adults !! this was written by my daughter so there's you're point!!

This is the best book I ever read, it is amazing, I thruly recomend this book to all the action fans and childrens.

Well written, very funny and quite smelly. Includes interesting details not included in the movie. My four year old son and his nine year old girl cousin enjoyed this book for hours and it became was the launching point for many smelly jokes for days afterward. A treat for children and the lucky parent(s) who get to read it to them.

Well written, very funny and quite smelly. Includes interesting details not included in the movie. My four year old son and his nine year old girl cousin enjoyed this book for hours and it became was the launching point for many smelly jokes for days afterward. A treat for children and the lucky parent(s) who get to read it to them.

as long as you like stinky things! LOL Really, though, my 4 year old is a fan of Shrek and she found it a great story to read and also fun to sniff the stinky stickers!

This is truly a smelly piece of children's literature. The stickers made me gag, but my little boy LOVED them and we are all still laughing at the foul stench of the stickers. Our friends dread coming over because the little one has a new sticker to let them sniff. Great book!