Movies Books

I purchased this edition of the "Chronciles of Narnia" to utilize with the literary analysis class I was teaching using Thomas Williams "The Heart of the Chronicles of Narnia." I wanted a text which contained all seven stories that I could take to class with me each day. A bonus plus of this edition is the Narnia Timeline in the center of the book. It is a nice teaching tool to utilize with your students. The "Chronciles of Narnia" were written by C.S. Lewis a professor/theologian who taught at Oxford and Cambridge Universities. The stories consists of seven books, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, The Magician's Nephew, The Horse and His Boy and The Last Battle." The books in this edition are arranged in chronological of the order in which the stories take place. The stories are a delightful read for both children and adults. They are timeless tales of wonder which present Biblical truths.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This most impressive volume of movie facts, anecdotes, trivia, and gossip will keep film lovers enthralled for hours. Mr. Haun knows movies inside out and he shares his vast knowledge of film history in the format of a year long day to day diary. Wonderful pictures of the stars illustrate the work. Did you know that Bette Davis kept Vivien Leigh From being cast in "Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte" because she was still mad at her 26 years later for beating her out to be Scarlett O'Hara? You will know all sorts of fun facts when you read Haun's amazing book! A movie lover's dream come true!

I love to go to the movies. Frankly who does't, and even though one thinks that there are many books out there that talk about the movies, but this book gives the reader a lot more. Each page is filled with tid bits and gossip, and dates with information that you normally would not find somewhere in a book. I recommend this book for the people who truely are movie buffs and love to see what happened on a day at the movies.

We purchased this for my 11 month old son for Christmas and he loved it! The colors are extremely vivid with shiny foil on different objects. It is a cute story about buying and wrapping chrsitmas presents, decorating the tree, etc. It names each item under the flap. It is very sturdy and my son is 18 months and still constantly asks for this book. Worth the price.

Clifford is one of our toddler's favorites, and this holiday book is packed with all the surprises that Christmas brings. Clifford and Emily Elizabeth go shopping for gifts for the entire family and your little one can peek under each flap to discover the presents one by one. The pages are large and sturdy, and the colors are brilliant and eye catching. This is a definite holiday keeper!

These Spanish Disney Stories are a real delight to read. Instead of buying them separately in books -what a value I'd recommend getting both volumes.

Excellent collection. Pages are a little bit thin and not so child resistant. Stories are great and drawings are absolutely beatiful. Great recomendation.

Yet again, Bruce has excelled in his great colour reproductions of the movie posters. I collect only comedy posters, so I find this book additonally helpful and informative. Answering questions and clarifying others. I am amazed at the detail and research spent in reproducing a book of such quality. If you enjoy collecting movie posters or at least reading Bruce's books you will find this one as informative as the rest.

Couldnt ask for a better book.This book has posters you can only dream about having hanging on your walls. CHAPLIN,LLOYD and KEATON.Teams like LAUREL AND HARDY and ABBOTT AND COSTELLO.GARY COOPER in A CAPRA movie and even ERROL FLYNN In one of his rare comedys.Bruce doesnt foget that we also have great comedians of today and covers all the way to JIM CAREY. If you love comedies buy this book and you cant go wrong

Its a great book in a field with very few references ( the trailer ) .
As a hollywood trailer researcher was very useful for me .
Congratulations to Lisa Kernan !

No matter whether you're a film professor, film industry professional, or just plain moviegoer, you'll never look at a trailer (movie preview) the same after reading this book. Written with academic rigor and thoroughness, it explains how previews came to referred to as trailers and analyzes trailers for their intended affect, subtext, and demographic. The book follows the author's passion for examining " the hypothetical spectator that can be read within the trailer texts themselves: an "audience study" who can read through the looking glass of the Hollywood film industry." She submits case studies of some 30 trailers, from Casablanca to Paper Moon to Air Force One, dividing them into three eras. By the end of the book you'll really appreciate these free mini-movie/commercials that we all alternately enjoy and hate yet use to decide whether to see a movie or not.

My compliments to this book. It's better organized than most dictionaries and encyclopedias. It's full of copious and well-chosen pictures (which admittedly display the author's nudist sensibilities!) It embraces a large number of films from silly comedies to angst-filled dramas. What they all have in common is that they deal with young people confronting sexual awakening (For a Lost Soldier) or awareness of mortality (A Separate Peace), in short, some catalytic, transformative event of their adolescence.

Everything you could want to know about these movies is in this book somewhere. Everyone involved in their making is mentioned, as are any awards the film earned and a clear synopsis of its plot. Lort's gay nudist perspective insures that nothing is censored, and pictures containing rape, cross-dressing, prostitution, and intergenerational eroticism are dealt with openly.

When Lort gives 5-star reviews to some of my favorite coming-of-age films, like "Stand by Me," "Second Best," or "Rebel Without a Cause," I really enjoy the read. I hope and pray that Lort updates this valuable book (written in 1997) since some important pictures have come along since then like "L.I.E.," "Y Tu Mama Tambien," and "Hearts in Atlantis."

There are over 500 entires in this A to Z video guide. Each contains plot, five-star movie ratings, cast, credits and ratings for sexuality. Also there are multiple indexes and a hard-to-find video locator. Many of our finest actors got their start in coming-of-age films. Tom Cruise, James Dean, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Dillon, Edward Furlong, Ethan Hawke, Chris O'Donnell, River Phoenix, Jason Priestly, Keanu Reeves, Brad Renfro, Mark Wahlberg, Scott Wolf and Elijah Wood are just a few. What is a coming-of-age film? In simplest terms, a coming-of-age story is one in which a child or a teenager reaches a critical turning point or event that results in a loss of childhood innocence. Not surprisingly, most often this turning point revolves around adolescent sexuality. Recommended!

This book has everything you want to know about TV Movies, Miniseries and 2 hour pilots. Very, very comprehensive. Has rating/share data as well as airdates,credits, full synopsis and detailed subject matter catagories. It is easy to find the information you are looking for because of the excellent cross-referenced sections.I reccommend this book to Film and Telivision Professional as well as to TV buffs.

This is the only book on the subject of Made for Television Movies that I have found. Very comprehensive.The credits are correct and the log lines (synopsis) of the TV Movies or Miniseries are very detailed. This is only the first edition. There are two other volumes--1994-2000 and 2000-2001....

What would you do if you are going to be free after seven years of prison, and you are involved at a jail outbreak?
The story is amazing and will keep you reading all the time that you maybe will end this book the same day you start it, maybe the chapter 1 is a little bit boring, but that is all, the rest of the book is great.
Here I have a question, how could you believe that the justice say that you have to go to the war and defend your country with your life, and when you are at home and kill someone in self defense you go to jail?
I definitely recommend this book.

Fasten your seat belts as Oscar winner Nicolas Cage (Face/Off, The Rock, Snake Eyes) takes you on the most dangerous flight of your life in the smash hit thriller from the producers of Bad Boys, The Rock, Crimson Tide, Armageddon and Enemy of the State......CON AIR!

On an aircraft carrying some of the most notorious criminals of all time, the recently patroled Camron Poe (Cage) is hitching a ride home to see his wife a daughter. But he suddenly finds himself embroiled in a mid-air skyjacking masterminded by Cyrus "The Virus" (John Malkovich, from "The Line Of Fire"). While Cameron fights to keep these massacaring everyone on board, a gouvernment agent on the ground (John Cusack - Grosse Point Blank) battles to keep his overzealous supiors from blowing the plane into oblivion! Amazing stunts and visual effects add heart-pounding suspence to this must see action hit of the year.

a DONSIMPSON and JERRYBRUCKHEIMER production

This is the only professionally written, highly analytic, examination of the greatest documentary film of old times, Dziga Vertov's "The Man With the Movie Camera," which includes a formal analysis of virtually every shot, simultaneously represented with the respective frame enlargement.

This is an excllent title for degree level students studying film, art or european history. I found this an extremely rewarding analysis of Vertov's work and working practice. Petric writes in a way that is academic but also easily understandable for the lay. Petric does not just an analysis 'The Man With The Movie Camera' he also looks in depth at the political and artistic conditions that gave rise to constructivism.

Film studies students often drop the name; Dziga Vertov without actually knowing anything about the man or his work and this book is an excellent way to learn more.