Movies Books

My daughter practically sleeps with this book, being a big DINOSAUR fan and also a fan of just dinosaurs in general. If your kids love the movie, this book is a must. All characters are shown, described in detail...lots of full color illustrations and stuff from the movie. Well worth the money.

The folks at DK have done it again with their guide to the upcoming Disney film DINOSAUR. This excellent book follows the same formula as the other "Essential" books produced by DK, with each page lavishly filled with images from the film. Each character from the film, both major and background are represented here as well as various elements from the world they inhabit. Informative text point out various aspects of each image in a concise easy to read manner which will hold the attention of even the most adamant of anti-reading juveniles. Each page instantly grabs one's attention with much to look at,yet without ever appearing hapazardly piled together. A sumptuous visual book that should appeal to not only children, but anyone who collects Disneyana or simply likes animation or dinosaurs. A must buy and valued addition to anyone's personal library

"Dinosaur: The Essential Guide" is an oversized companion book to the animated film "Dinosaur," which was a big 2000 hit for Walt Disney. This book, lavishly illustrated with scenes from the film, describes the characters, locales, and species that appear in the film.

The book is a visual treat. Disney used cutting-edge techniques to bring the creatures of "Dinosaur" to life, and the book captures each animal splendidly. The soft fur of the lemurs, the bony neck frill of the styracosaur, the fierce teeth of the carnotaur--all the details are vivid and memorable.

The book's effectiveness is, however, compromised by the fact that the authors seem unsure of their purpose. Is this book supposed to be a guide to the fictional world of the movie, or to the real world of dinosaurs as science understands them? For example, the book is filled with scientific-sounding observations like "Herd dinosaurs are highly social animals, and during the nesting season the lake is the center of their bustling community." Sidebars with titles like "Cretaceous Life" add to this pseudoscientific flavor. But as far as I know, there is no evidence that dinosaurs spoke English or formed multispecies families with lemurs, as depicted in this film! This flaw aside, this book is a treat for kids who loved the movie, or who love dinosaurs in general.

This is the best of the Disney's Dinosaur books to date. It contains numerous wonderful photos from the movie, all reproduced on good quality paper and in good quality tones as is characteristic of DK books. It is not written in storybook format, so if you're looking for a read-aloud narrative this would not be the best choice. However, if you're looking for the most thorough and comprehensive way to re-experience the details and nuances of the film, this is the book to get.

What a wondeful and cute little quick read. For I am a huge fan of movie novelizations and I really enjoyed this. Even though it was short in pages, it gave you clear thoughts and visulas about the book. I could really imagine the horse races and when the characters were talking to one another. This only took me only two hours to read, so it's pretty short. When I read this, I saw practically the whole movie. This has every scene in the movie, not wanting you to miss out on it. This is a well written novelization that when you finish reading it, you'll go straight to see the movie. Inside, are movie stills which you can get a clear idea of the movie. Read this one folks, if you're a big fan of horses and Dakota Fanning!

Hope you Enjoy! If you liked this, you may like;
1. The Perfect Man movie novelization
2. Just My Luck movie novelization
AND
3. Cars the junior movie novelization

Jordan
Overall grade* A-

Cale Crane lives on a farm with no horses. It is hard to believe it. Her dad is hte top ten thorough-bred trainer. Manolin and Balon are the Mexicans that work for Cale's dad. Ben, her dad, promised to take her to work. She ran right out of the house, and ran right in front of the truck. She jumped in. They got to the race. her dad is lika a horse whisperer, and he knew something was wrong. Tragically, Sonya the horse collapsed and hurt her leg. Cale made her dad not put the horse down. Sonya means "dreamer". Her dad signs the horse over to Cale. Her dad's old boss is trying to buy it from them. Cale nurses her to health. Do you think it can win the big race? Do you think she nursed her well?

(...)
Cale Crane is a girl that lives on a horse farm but has no horses in it. The Cranes family didn't really own horses for a long time. Cales father was a trainer of Thoroughbreds. One day during a race a horse named Sonya fell and broke her leg bone called cannon bone. The people in the race was about to put the horse to sleep until Cales dad says that they could nurse the horse back to health. Cale really likes the horse and wishes that she could race again. Sonya was on a wheelchair for a long time. Finally, when the wheelchair is of, Cales dad trains the horse. Something really unusual happens. Could the horse race again?

Ever since I saw the movie "Dreamer" I wanted to read the book by Kathy Hapka. This is a story about a girl my age and this book is based on a true story.
Cale Crane lives with her family on a horse farm with no horses. Her dad trains racehorses. One day one of the horses has an accident on the track. Everyone thinks that they should put the horse to sleep but Cale convinces her dad to nurse it back to health. The horse's name is Sonyador, which means Dreamer in Spanish.
It takes a while but Sonya's injuries heal. Cale and her dad start training Sonya to race again. Along with her dad's friends, Balon and Mandolin, they start training Sonya.
The book has a lot of exciting race stories, twists and much more. Cale thinks Sonya can win The Breeders' Cup. Sonya has enough experience as a racehorse to qualify for consideration by the judge's panel, but Cale has to convince them to let Sonya run in the race.
The rest you have to find out on your own. There is a lot more exciting events that I haven't told you about. So to read `'Dreamer"" to find out.
On a scale of one to ten I give this book a ten. Anybody who likes animals or horses would like this story. Also if you like to laugh you would enjoy this book.

If you want to know what really happened with Dudley Moore from the late 80's until his death, you've got to read this! Too many people believe tabloids and make their judgments from what they read in the newsstands. Read this and weep. I did.

Dudley Moore was an actor, a comedian, and the husband to a perfectionist wife: he left a promising career in jazz piano to become a comedian, then an actor - and his personal life was fraught with illness and trials. Prior fans of Moore who are familiar with him through a single facet of his acting or comedy career will welcome an opportunity to get to know him better in Dudley Moore: An Intimate Portrait, by an author who was a music columnist, pianist, and performer along with Moore.

Intimate Portrait offers a personal account of Dudley Moore's struggle with illness. The author's first hand account provides a touching portrait of a person who simultaneously experienced fear and hope, courage and defeat, yet never gave up. It was moving and clearly a close friends final tribute to her best friend. I would highly recommend it.

This is a book you will really look forward to reading, especially if you have had the chance to see one or more of Dudley Moore's movies ---from the everyman dreams of "10" to the wacky conductor of "Foul Play." Also to see him on stage or hear his talented piano playing.
I wanted to laugh again, and again at Dudley, the comic.
But the author, fellow musician Rena Fruchter, carefully weaves in the pain and suffering in this short man's too-short life:
"The tragedy is that Dudley Moore had so much left to do, to give, when his life was taken from him at the age of 66," she writes.
And an extra dimension for an author and even for a friend--Dudley spent the last five years of his life with Fruchter and her family. She held his hands when he died in March, 2002, with some of his own music playing in the background.
But Fruchter is able to give us a balanced portrait of this complex man, his four wives and ups and downs along the way.
I kept wanting more of the sheer joy of Dudley, which fellow comic Eric Idle touches on in the Foreward --where he thanks Dudley, or "Dud" as he calls him, "for just being you."
It is often written that one has to suffer a lot to be truly funny. Dudley followed that path. We thank him for all the laughter and music, and are glad to read in this excellent work that toward the end Dudley learned to accept himself and found strength and awareness...and also peace.
We miss you Dudley and thank you Rena for preserving so much of the man and his life in this book.

I have order the movie and now this kit. It is a powerful help for marriage. If you need help with your spouse this is the item to buy. Also buy the book "Love Dare" and the movie "fireproof", wonderful combination.

The small group and individual study products associated with Fireproof are excellent. Check out these resources too: The Love Dare and Fireproof Your Marriage Leader's Kit (DVD & Guide) The exclusive video clips from the film are dramatic and thought-provoking, and discussion is really stirred in group members from watching them. The film clips show a very "real" marriage that everyone can relate to on some level. An excellent tool in conjunction with the Love Dare devotional book and the movie experience itself.

After going through the Fireproof Your Marriage curriculum, my wife and I learned how to love and respect each other unconditionally. We practiced The Love Dare principles as featured in the film. With the kit, each of us got our own Participant's Guide and we followed along with the video clips that came with the package. You don't need to see the movie to benefit by the material because the video clips fit each section perfectly. We are looking forward to the film when it is released next week. My wife and I highly endorse this and we are going to recommend the small group Leader's Kit to our Pastor.

Here's a pre-packaged set, ready to go right out of the box, that can help you unpack a highly effective marriage ministry for your church or other organization. Everything you need is right here!

Please be advised: This set does NOT contain a full-length DVD of the "Fireproof" movie. That DVD releases later. Meanwhile, this set DOES include some of the best scenes from the movie, incorporated as video clips within some excellent, high-quality educational materials.

Really first rate! You may already know Outreach as a source of top-quality marketing and advertising material for your church. Here, the creative team at Outreach provides instructional media that ties in beautifully with "Fireproof" and picks up where the movie leaves off.

You might also consider ordering: The "Love Dare" book (available here on Amazon) and "The Soul-Mate Marriage" (available here on Amazon). Both are also excellent tools for following up the movie.

Dr. David & Lisa Frisbie
The Center for Marriage & Family Studies
You might want to consider:The Soul-Mate Marriage: The Spiritual Journey of Becoming One

We have throughly enjoyed going through this series with our Young Married Sunday school class. We are also doing the Love Dare along with it. At the end of the session we will all get together and watch the Fireproof movie again, also incredible!!!

The Fireproof Your Marriage curriculum was a great benefit for our marriage. You can use the Leader's Kit for small groups or a Sunday School class. The principles found in the Love Dare book are also included in this leaders kit. I would recommend this to any couple.

We began using the video clips and discussion guides in a church-wide campaign this weekend. These resources are offering REAL help to couples. The Small Group guide has very interesting facts about marriage, as well as stimulating questions and practical homework assignments. New Song's attendance jumped over 15% with the help of these resources. I recommend that churches contact Outreach Inc. for the entire campaign kit and host a Fireproof series.

The small group products associated with FIREPROOF are excellent. Check out this resource too:Fireproof Your Marriage Couple's Kit (DVD & 2 Guides) The exclusive video clips from the film are dramatic and thought-provoking, and discussion is really stirred in group members from watching them. The film clips show a very "real" marriage that everyone can relate to on some level. An excellent tool in conjunction with the Love Dare devotional book and the movie experience itself.

I've been carrying Empire of Humiliation around in my pack reading some here and some there this semester and it's like walking a puppy because people see the cover/title and can't resist asking about it, so I'm well-practiced in reviewing this. The book operates on 2 levels, the first supports an international action story centered by two Americans residing in Mexico City. Caught in a chain of malicious acts, they try to establish their innocence, but that only draws them into a larger plot concerning American cultural imperialism in Mexico. Later, a false ending twists all expectations, and then the true finish comes and repeats the process vigorously, a jarring success for we admirers of plot-centered literature. What stirs questions, however, is the story as a consideration of elitism in various forms, what does it look like, how is it perpetrated and perpetuated, both historically and in the present. Can you really dominate other people by humiliating them? (As opposed to the mundane question, Can you humiliate people by dominating them?) The author's literary answer is yes and, as he paints it, it's easy to become accustomed to the benefits humiliation provides--see the parts about the live-in maids in Mexico that everyone seems to have and control. As to the larger question addressed by the novel, can humiliation be a geo-political force, that remains open to debate, but this book strongly caffeinates the discussion.

If you're into world things and humiliation, you'll want to try this. Let me explain, the world part is the dirty details of life in Mexico City, and also how gringos are perceived down there. The humiliation is the thinking-person's part of the book and it deals with the very subtle ways that people control each other. Obviously the "Empire of Humiliation" is an attempt to work that on the largest scale. But the best part of the book is following the character Marina while she's constantly changing allegiances. Somehow and in spite of everything, she makes you want for things to work out for her. In the WARNING section you shouldn't start with this book if you're looking for action or lots of blood. There is a car chase and crafty forgery/theft and things like that, but it ALWAYS ends with some clever trick that one of the characters thinks up so it's not terribly exciting, but it does constantly make you think "OH, I have to remember that ploy..." The other warning is that the villain who's doing the imperialism in the book doesn't seem like a bad man, weird, but not bad, so you don't get that good guy/bad guy conflict to really develop. (On the other hand it's fun reading some of his monologues out-loud for friends after a drink.) All that said, the book creates a lot of suspense so this is a right choice when you're looking for an international novel that makes you think.

A roguish international woman, Marina, gets involved with Anderson, an American working for the US embassy in Mexico City. Then a frighteningly intelligent dandy-type from the U.S. involves them both in a plot to symbolically (ie with a minimum of blood) re-create the humiliating parts of the conquest of Cortez in Mexico. Simultaneously, a museum forgery plot quietly develops. In the end, everything knots up extremely tightly.

There's a good dose of the irresistible subjects here, some sex and crime and wealthy women cavorting, but this is mostly a book for people who like to travel, who are drawn to international politics and are intrigued by the way people from different countries react to each other in stressful situations. The characters are developed sparingly except for the dandy-imperialist who's strangely compelling, and the irresistibly plotting Marina. Actually, there's as much about Mexico City and Mexicans as there is describing most of the central (American) characters, which is appropriate because this is a plot-driven novel with short chapters, short paragraphs and everything always going on to the next place and scene. Sometimes it seems like it's going too fast, especially toward the end when you want the book to stretch out instead of rushing to a close.

On the other hand, when stepping back, it's notable how much serious thought got squeezed in. Obviously some of the intellectual weight connects with imperialism and whether people stand for the countries they came from or not, or whether people even connect to countries anymore. But there's also a lot about people, just normal people, and what we believe in, and about our resentments and envy and our superiority and fears of inferiority. Finally it's a powerful book, exciting to read and interesting to think about. Most important, it stays, keeps coming back and pulling at you.

The big umbrella tension is American imperialism and the take on how it's happening is completely new (at least for me). Without giving too much away you can see from the title that the key isn't wars or anything like that, it's the idea of wilting other people and countries by humiliating them. Obviously everyone knows what that feels like from their own lives, and that maybe explains why you get so caught up watching these different episodes of humiliation being planned and executed in Mexico City while the two main characters try to figure out what's going on. By the way, the book isn't preachy or anything, which I liked, it's not one of those old saws about evil imperialism that needs to get stopped by the heroes, it's more like the two characters are caught right in front of this, and the tension is whether they can figure it out fast enough to at least get out of the way. The other enjoyable part here (little spoiler alert) is the way this not entirely noble Marina character schemes to turn all the imperialism forces around to work for her without even caring about nations and all that.

There's also a kind of love/lust story which gets to you because it's funny. It's kind of jolting too, all this heavy imperialism stuff going on and then right through the middle shoots this comedy-romance (imagine Hugh Grant chasing a woman around in the middle of a PBS documentary).

The author obviously lives in Mexico and it shows with little details, you know those kinds of things world travelers love talking about at parties, but it's not so pretentious here in a novel when it's wrapped up in a plot. It's like background music that's always there and then once in a while you really notice it and it's curious, it kind makes you want to visit the place and see for yourself. (There were some pictures and youtube videos when I checked the book's website)

Just a quick general point, it's really a fast read because of the action but also because of its roomy pages. It's nice to see paperbacks getting published here the way they do in Europe, without compacting everything into that tiny type printed on the flimsiest and cheapest sheets anyone could possibly find.

This book is pretty unique, I don't think it's another version of something, but I suppose it could be called an international literary thriller. Probably people who like Eco's The Name of the Rose, or Fowles' The Magus, or Tartt's The Secret History, or The Dante Club or Graham Greene(Our Man in Havana ), or Milan Kundera (The Unbearable Lightness of Being) will like this. The author is a philosophy professor--Decadence of the French Nietzsche, Isolated Experiences--and that shows, but not in a bad way.

Despite its setup as a reference book, this is one you'll want to read cover-to-cover. The author gives the lowdown on all the movie awards, information about who was nominated and who won, and who he THINKS should have won. It's witty and entertaining!

I loved Gebert's Golden Armchair reviews and the speculation on who should have won! The intrigue and the behind-the-scenes knowledge is invaluable.

For those of us who are movie lovers, we know we have found someone else who must be, to the max! I enjoyed the inside scoop on the awards, particularly the politics of the Academy Awards and I find this a great reference book to seek out good movies I may have missed. I loved the wit of his own reviews and wished there was more of his keen insight. Hope there will be another book soon.

This is an excellent resource for finding great movies to watch. I especially like the year by year listings of the highest grossing films. I'm hoping an updated version (with pictures) will come out.

This is a very strong book fitting all the characteristics into one great story that fits the star wars mold beautifully. I only gave this book an 8 because I though it lacked some explanation of some important features in this book.

My 3 year old loves this book. He carries it around with him, spending at least 20 minutes a day looking at the pictures asking me to read it to him. The art work in this book really brings the characters to life. I highly recommend this book for children and Star Wars Collectors.

The final book in this special edition Golden Books series of the first STAR WARS trilogy. RETURN OF THE JEDI finishes the saga begun in A NEW HOPE and continued in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. Like the other two books in the series, this book successfully condenses the plot of the movie into a small children's book. Contains some great pictures. Alas, there is no mention of the speeder-bike chase and there are no pictures of the Sarlacc. That's about the only negative aspect of this book. If you've read the first two, this one is a must.

This children's book is a great introduction to STAR WARS. The book successfully compacts most of the important plots of the movie. It also contains some great pictures to go along with the words. A few of the words are difficult for real-young, youngsters to understand, but other than that, that's the only drawback.

I completely agree with the previous reviews. I read this book 25 years ago and was captivated by it. It is taut, well-plotted, and full of telling moments that shed light on human nature. When it was first published, it ought to have been made into a movie starring a young Christopher Walken. Instead, sadly, it was turned into a clunker, around 1984, with Charles Bronson, an actor who was talented in some ways but was never meant to play the hero of this book. If the movie were made today, it might star Christian Bale.

Holland is an ex-soldier of 28 who has faked his own death in Vietnam and disappeared to a Caribbean island. He can be reached only by trusted friends and is available for "righteous" contract killings--e.g., corrupt officials, terrorists, and the like. He is hired to kill a British citizen who is a master of torture for corrupt regimes but protected by the CIA. Using a wealthy young widow and her child as cover, Holland enters Guatemala and seeks to flush the torturer out of hiding. First, he must eliminate the man's two sadistic lieutenants.

The book has some marvelous scenes, including a late-night confrontation in a bar in a slum, between wealthy tourists and a field laborer whose rage is fueled by drugs; another confrontation in a small rural tavern between men who are armed and who know that if anyone pulls a trigger, they could all die in that small space; and a brief but horrifying scene in which a woman who doesn't even understand why she is being questioned, realizes she may meet a hideous death.

Read this if you can find it; leave the movie alone.

The professional assasin of many, lesser, novels is a shallow man (or freakishly beautiful woman) without much affect, magically appearing at the right time to deftly shoot the victim. Hill's main character is not shallow, not lucky, and not boring. He's also not a good guy, but like other 'bad good' guys (read Richard Stark's "Parker" series, Robert Littell's "The Amateur" or closer- Joe Haldeman's " All My Sins Remembered") Holland is a rarity in modern novels -- a complete character. Holland, the hard man, meets up with a broken woman ... I won't ruin the plot points here. This is an amazingly good book.

One warning: In Hollywood Murphy's Law often meets The Peter Principle turning great books into bad movies. Well, this book was made into a truly horrible movie in the 1980s. Don't confuse the two.

Very well written account of a professional assassin at work. I found it to be very entertaining and well thought out. The main character, Holland, is what I imagine the best of the professional assassins would be like. Not a book filled with unrealistic stunts or plot lines. I have recommended it many times and would have really appreciated a sequel. Made into a movie starring Charles Bronson - what a mistake! Charles Bronson is NOT a Holland. Don't be put off by the movie.

All in all, a great summertime read. It's sad that's it out of print.

I read this book nearly twenty years ago the first time and can't say how much I enjoyed it. Since then I have read it possibly another ten times. Lost track of it about ten years ago through lending it out and recommending it to others. Been trying to get hold of a hardback copy for 10 years now and having no luck. Can't even find a paperback copy now, but this book has stayed in my mind throughout all of the great novels I have read, and, is still one of my all time favorites.

Richard Schickel's collection of essays is both well written and extremely informative. Schickel knows more about the subjects he's reviewing then the authors' themselves. His point about being given more space to write reviews on film books, than actual films, is bitterly ironic. To his credit Schickel doesn't look down on the cinema, nor serious film criticism.
There are some issues that should be raised with a few of the essays. Schickel is too dismissive of Douglas Sirk in his review of Harvey's book, but most unforgivable is his Welles review essay. He is far too dismissive of Welles's latter work, or basicially everything after Citizen Kane, and he doesn't even mention Welles's late masterpiece, F for Fake. I assume recognizing a film made 30 years after Citizen Kane defeats his argument against Welles. Also, the dismissal of Othello is the first I've ever read, and not suprisingly, its the most absurd digression in an otherwise sound collection.

To begin with, who'd a thunk that a collection of book reviews of old and new movie books would be this good? Well, I would if only because I've never been disappointed in ANYTHING Schickel writes since the days of "The Disny Version" back when he and I were young (maggie, dear). So, it's not the money for this book that he owes me. Rather, well let me come at it in a roundabout way: The mark of a really good critic is that you will either NOT NEED to read/see/hear what he reviews because he has saved you from wasting precious time or you will be so caught up in his (or, yes, her) enthusiasm that you MUST partake of the object of same. Since Mr Schickel is one of our best critics... and documentarians... and historians... and biographers, I found far too many books I had to have within this one. Sadly (but, for one on a fixed income, fortunately) many of the best reviewed books are out of print. But, yes, weak vessel that I am, I have ordered several (from Amazon, of course) that are not. Hence the title. After all, it isn't MY fault that Schickel writes as well as he does!... is it?

Schickel is an excellent film critic and reviewer, deeply versed in film history and criticism (although he explicitly disavows any belief in a universal theory of film aesthetics or history, holding that movies are too diverse to suport any such systems). This book collects most (2/3) of his monthly reviews of "new books on film" written for the "LA Times Book Review," beginning in 2001, as well as a handful of essays published elsewhere. The pieces are short, those for the "Times" being 1200 to 1400 words. This limits the breadth and depth of any discussion; but, within the limits imposed, the essays are well and neatly written, are liberally laced with film history and contain penetrating critical judgments. The language is plain and direct, mercifully free of jargon.

Schickel does frequently repeat his views on a number of subjects, but this is inevitable given the sort of essay that they are. Someone writing a monthly newspaper feature must assume that some readers of each essay have never read him before and that others read only occasionally. Among the recurring themes, for example, are that movies are a collaborative art, that they are inescapably commercial and, with rare exception, not intended to upset the status quo. When they do rise to the level of art, it is, according to Schickel, an "accidental art."

Schickel obviously loves movies and their history and is delighted when he finds a book praiseworthy. This is somewhat uncommon since he believes that most film books are trash, either written by dry academics (who merely amass facts without any sense of context or critical sensibility) or by hack journalists (who are often merely muckraking and have no sense of film or its history). He is passionate about his own high crititical standards but he is not afraid to praise. His unfavorable judgments can be fiery but are never merciless. In this he is unlike (for example) John Simon in his prime or the late movie and cultural critic Dwight Macdonald, both of whom were merciless and personal to boot.

This is an excellent book, but it has a bit of sadness too since the author believes that informed film criticism and knowledge of film history are both dying out. This book shows what we will lose if this is so.

College-level libraries strong in film studies courses will find moving this collection of short essays on books about film, coming from a critic who not only reviews these books but offers uses them to discuss movie content, actor approaches, director and producer influences, and how the film industry operates as a whole. His different approach provides plenty of detail perfect for any college-level collection strong in film studies - and many a general interest lending library as well.