Rob Lowe Books

Written in 1985 prior to Lowe's disgrace, this work has now deservedly become a classic of the grimly ironic.

Considering that the recent prices of Mrs Doubtfire DVD (in Jan 2006) are hovering around $30, this is a very good deal! With shipping (from Amazon's partner's, I was able to get 6 DVDs for about eight bucks apiece.

For the price, this set can't be beat. You get "Big," one of the best films of the 80s (for which Tom Hanks should have picked up an Oscar); "Mrs. Doubtfire," featuring Robin Williams at his lunatic best; "Dr. Dolittle 1 & 2" (Eddie Murphy versions); the all-time classic "The Sound of Music," and the excellent (and somewhat hard to find) "The Man From Snowy River." To be honest, a couple of these films have content that some may not consider "family-friendly": There's some mild sexual content (and some language) in "Big;" both "Dr. Dolittle" films have a few innuendos and toilet humor; and "The Man From Snowy River" has some mild violence. If you don't mind such content, then this is a pretty good value for 6 films; though you only save $5-10 dollars over buying them separately. This is a nice set to start a collection or to give as a gift.

Another excellent example of Stephen King's work. His short stories are as suprising and well done as his longer novels. From man eating amphibians to killer toys to finger tapping, King's imagination seems to open up. My two personal favorites are Chattery Teeth and Rainy Season but none were a disappointment. An easy and definite read for all the Stephen King lovers.

IS JUST ONE OF THE MANY STORIES IN KING'S CLASSIC SHORT-STORIES AND NOVELLA'S. THIS BOOK SHOWS HIS MANY TALENTS AND MAKES YOU THINK, "WHERE DOES HE GET ALL THIS SUFF?" NIGHT FLIER WAS MY FAVORITE BECAUSE I LOVE VAMPIRE STORIES AND THIS ONE IS A GEM. NOT LIKE THE MOVIE WITH JOSE FERRAR, BUT MORE HORRIFYING WHEN YOU READ IT. I HOPE KING COMES BACK WITH ANOTHER GREAT VAMPIRE NOVEL LIKE "SALEM'S LOT" (MY ALL TIME FAVORITE. ANOTHER GREAT READ IS "DOLAN'S CADILLAC", IT'S HUMOROUS AND CLEVERLY DONE.

Within the past three decades, Stephen King has ruled the literary world with his exquisite, passionate, colossal novels; easily read by the young and old alike. It's difficult to even run across the casual, "weekend reader" that hasn't at least thumbed through one of his books. One would think after conjuring up thirty-plus novels, two nonfiction books, a countless number of telescripts, and even composing six novels under his infamous "Bachman" pseudonym, that King would have the time to draft, revise, and publish seven novella collections over the years. The Nightmare and Dreamscapes compilation nestles itself into the middle of the pack in chronological terms as well as substance. The beauty (and the beast) of novella collections such as this, is the certainty that most readers will love some stories and despise others. It's all a matter of subjective taste of course, and having to face the reality that you (the reader) will have to painfully sludge through the mud to get to the gold.
Without becoming long winded, Nightmares and Dreamscapes represents some of the best non-horror work I've ever read from Stephen King. "Umney's Last Case" and "Head Down" are my personal earmarked selections of noteworthy enjoyment. "Crouch End" turned out to be quiet nice, as well as "The End of the Whole Mess", "The Night Flyer", and "Suffer the Little Children". The remaining stories are humdrum at best but most are worthy of one read through.
Nightmares and Dreamscapes is a must read for any Steve King fan, however casual fans who may not care much for the horror genre should find a certain level of delight as well.

I would recommend this book just for the introductory essay (see below).

[Note: I made some Mormon angry because of my negative reviews of books out to prove the Book of Mormon, and that person has been slamming my reviews almost as fast as they are posted.]

So your "helpful" vote is greatly appreciated. Thanks

King is a master writer, and I enjoyed this collection. I loved "Umney's Last Case" (evocative of 1930s crime fiction). Also liked the "House on Maple Street" (it kept me turning the pages).

The book is worth it for the introductory essay by Steven King. Here are some of the great lines from that essay, and I hope they make my short review worth reading.

Steven King wrote:

"When I was a kid I believed everything I was told, everything I read, and every dispatch sent out by my own overheated imagination. This made for more than a few sleepless nights, but it also filled the world I lived in with colors and textures I would not have traded for a lifetime of restful nights. I knew even then, you see, that there were people in the world--too many of them, actually--whose imaginative senses were eight numb or completely deadened, and who lived in a mental state skin to colorblindness."

Robert McCammon said something similar his brilliant coming-of-age novel, "Boy's Life"

"See, this is my opinion: we all start out knowing magic. We are born with whirlwinds, forest fires, and comets inside us. We are born able to sing to birds and read the clouds and see our destiny in grains of sand. But then we get the magic educated right out of our souls. We get it churched out, spanked out, washed out, and combed out. We get put on the straight and narrow and told to be responsible. Told to act our age. Told to grow up, for God's sake. And you know why we were told that? Because the people doing the telling were afraid of our wildness and youth, and because the magic they knew made them ashamed and sad of what they'd allowed to wither in themselves."

I love taking long drives, and when I take those long drives, I love listening to audiobooks. Let me set the stage: when I listened to Nightmares and Dreamscapes, I was on my way to 29 Palms from Texas, all by myself, via back roads. Dark, unlit, deserted back roads. Somewhat unwisely, I popped this tape in around 8pm, somewhere in New Mexico, just as the sun was starting to set and make everything shadowy. Needless to say, the stories were a bit scarier than they would have been had I read them safely in my own, well-lit house with the alarm system at the ready. I credit (blame!) the actors for this, for they were outstanding! For example:

Crouch End: read by Tim Curry, quite possibly the scariest man in existence. I was familiar with the Cthulu myth, but to hear it through the imagination of Stephen King and the excellent, creepy and threatening Mr. Curry was terrifying.

Rainy Season: the very idea of maniacal toads raining from the sky is absurd, and the voice of Lisa Simpson doesn't seem scary at all. But put the two together on a dark, deserted road and you have a recipe for real fear.

The rest of this volume of stories is very good, if thought-provoking rather than terrifying. Vengeance lovers, rejoice! Dolan's Cadillac is a must-read (listen), as is The House on Maple Street.

These movies were a good deal to buy together. But as a Christian I was shocked at the Cuss words in Mrs. Doubtfire. I won't let my children watch it anymore and I had forgotten How God's name is taken in vain. The Man From Snowy River was great. The night we watched it part 2 came on the Hallmark channel so it was perfect. Movies with good values, action, and character are hard to find these days.
The Sound of Music was beautiful.
I haven't watched Dr. Doolitle but I just hope and pray for God to be glorified and respected in all movies. I just don't understand why anyone would intentionally blaspheme God in a movie.
Still a good deal for 1 or 2 movies!