Movies Books

Little to tell, you have to buy it. the book contains not only excellent reviews of films by critics, but also subject analysis, data concerning film creators, history of cinema and certainly has picked to review many of the great films of the decade.

Excellent photos, movies and information. Very nice. I loved this Taschen's collection.

I cannot believe that for around $10, you get an absolutely beautiful, high-quality hardcover with amazing photos and well-written, critically insightful text. It's just a steal. Great to pick up and locate a film you've just watched for additional details. I just did it for Robert Altman's "Nashville."

This is a terrific table top book, that actualy provides very interesting , in-depth reviews of each biker film, providign lots of unkown triva, and numerous photos. A great purchase!

Award-wining writers who ar especially known for their insightful movie commentaries, John Wooley and Michael H. Price present The Big Book Of Biker Flicks, an erudite scrutiny of 40 of the best motorcycle movies of all time. Black-and-white and a handful of color photographs illustrate the discussions of biker movies such as "Angels Die Hard!", "Werewolves on Wheels", "Rebel Rousers". The reflections not only discuss plot and themes, but also the conditions behind the movies' creation, the models of bikes portrayed, the level and useage of violence in such films, and more. A fascinating tour of how Hollywood has glamorized and demonized motorcycles and the people who ride them, The Big Book of Biker Flicks is a welcome addition to personal and academic Cinematic History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

I picked this book up at the local library and I must get my own copy. Tons of pictures and movie posters and sufficient commentary information, including background information. A lot of research was expended to obtain many interesting inside tidbits and on the film-making process. Best of all, there are many sexy pictures of the actresses of these films. In fact, I believe there are more pictures of the women than the men. That's a plus for me.

The author makes no attempt to trash any of the films. For example, for the film She-Devils on Wheels, the author writes, "among those who love low-budget and exploitation films ...". I am old enough to have seen the films of the 60's-70's-80's, low budget films that are barely made anymore. Thanks to Blockbuster (or Lackluster) that stopped stocking these films to concentrate on just the hits. And high ticket prices hurt as well. But, what you saw on the screen was more real than the special effects laden, blue screen, whimpy men & women, boring stuff we now get geared for the 13 year old. I was never a big fan of biker flicks, but now we have 40 cult films because nothing has come on line in the past 30 years to make these films obsolete. Afterall, what studio is going to put a $5 million actor on a motorcycle?

Back to the book, the 40 films are listed by release date. An alphabetical cross-reference of film titles is missing, my only nitpick.

As a fan of Alec Guinness, it gave me additional insight to this great actor's life. It made me want to learn more and more about him, read books on him and see his movies again A great actor.

Sir Alec writes beautifully and simply about the his life through the lives that affected him. Funny, honest, and thought provoking. He's not at all the stereotypical stuffy Englishman, but a regular person with a huge amount of talent and alot of great stories to tell. This book should be back in print!

BLESSINGS IN DISGUISE stands out in my reading as one of the most enjoyable autobiographies I've ever encountered. Unlike so many actors, Alec Guinness is a truly modest man, and his wry humor and ability to laugh at himself are extraordinarily refreshing. Guinness is worth reading even if you've never seen one of his movies or plays or television appearances. It is a damn shame that this fine book is apparently out of print.

My son loves to watch Blue Clue's on TV. When the book arrived - he had a big smile on his face. When it comes to reading at bedtime - this is his favorite.

Not only does he get a good story, it has plenty of things to count and/or look for other than the 3 clues.

I call this book a winner.

This is a brilliant book that is even better if you can get a really good deal on it. This book combines nine previous volumes featuring our favorite blue puppy. The pages are lined in gold-coloring and it features one of those handy built-in page-markers.

In these stories, everything is explored from Blue being bored with having nobody to play with to having an overnight sleepover. Many of the best "Blue's Clues" stories ever are here.


Having trouble finding this? The version I have uses the title "Blue's Treasury of Stories." So if you have a book called "Blue's Treasury of Stories," then you have this.

This book is of good quality. It is hardcover and the pages are thick. It has 7 stories in one book. The stories are a good mix. There are seasonal as well as ones for everyday. It also has stories with Magenta, which my 2 year old daughter loves. This is one of her favorite books. Any child that loves Blue's Clues will enjoy this book.

Awesome!!! Just awesome!!! I didn't think that anything could possibly increase my appreciation of this movie, but this book certainly has done that. It's like pop-up video for the whole movie. A must for any Caddyshack fan!!!

If you like the movie, this is the most comprehensive guide to everything you could ever know about the funniest film ever! It has detailed descriptions of all the scenes, with interviews and opinions from all the key players. I would recommend this book even if you haven't seen the movie, as it can only inspire you to buy the dvd. The comedy within this movie has been long copied, but never bettered. As the author states - the belief is that much of the material was "improvised" but that this could not be further from the truth, as it was created with exacting direction and srcipting. But the originality, and strength of the comedy team make it a brilliant one of! This book is a worthy disection, of the nature and depth to this originality. It's a peach hon!

The Book of Caddyshack is awesome - perhaps even worthy of the Dalai Lama himself!

Caddyshack is one of my all time favorite movies and this book makes me love and appreciate it even more.

The book has all types of tidbits and facts about every minute of the movie and humorous interviews with the actors and production crew members. Thanks to the author's research, after reading this book and watching the movie again, you will notice all sorts of stuff that you didn't see before...guaranteed.

Not only do you learn about the four big stars - Knight, Dangerfield, Murray, and Chase - but there are great stories about all the hilarious supporting characters: Noonan, Spaulding, Lacey Underall, D'Annunzio, Porterhouse, Maggie, Dr. Beeper, Lou Loomis, the Havercamps, and others....which is nice.

The Book of Caddyshack really is a peach, hon!

A poignant, yet unsentimental self portrait of a life created solely through a passion for movies, puppetry and the entertainment industry. A good read, especially for those who feel they might otherwise have gone further in life but for different parentage or role models. Jacoby's childhood background appears to be a modern-day Dickensian one; but to him, apparently, motivational and testament to the phrase "the child is father of the man". His story also includes some interesting, personal and amusing vignettes of some entertainment industry luminaries. Read in one sitting.

This book shows how imagination and the human spirit can overcome a tragic, mixed-up childhood. Joe Jacoby took a few early images and turned them into a successful and fascinating career. It's a good lesson for today's whiny and privileged kids who don't get the concept of paying dues.

Joe Jacoby has survived an incredible life. It's hard to believe that someone could become an orphan at seven, go through the revolving-door of foster homes and institutions, and somehow come out a normal human being. He brought tears to my eyes -- and also made me laugh a lot, especially about Joseph E. Levine and Match Game. An uplifting book.

even if you've seen the movie, you must own the book.there are slight differences in the movie version, typical of a book to movie production.it's worth it get all the info, and a little more insight into the story.

Jack of all trades Buckaroo Banzai (Scientist, rock musician, race car driver and much more) and his team of crack (or cracked) specialists, the Hong Kong Cavaliers, battles an alien invasion. The aliens, posing as military-industrial complex members, try to return to their own dimension, but their own ineptness stands even more in their way than earth's heroes. There are many parodies of science fiction larger-than-life heroes out there, but this one is made so special by its narrative perspective (one of Banzais team members) and the thoroughly believable advancement of a thorughly unbelievable plot which makes for a reality-warping mixture. One of the best books around for SF fans AND critics.

this book is overal pretty cool... it's way bigger than i thought it would be ...i really like the poster in the back 2 !

this is a great addition to a library of any Buffy the vampire slayer fan. It was a good price for a book that is hard to find elsewhere, and it was shipped really fast. Loved it. :)

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Script Book, Season Three, Volume 2" gives us episodes 7-12 from the senior year at Sunnydale High School for Buffy and the Scoobies. This is the eighth volume of scripts available to date, the rest dealing with the previous two seasons and the "Once More With Feeling" musical episode of "BtVS." The attraction here for those who are trying to carrying on now Joss Whedon's legions of fans are down to watching "Angel" and waiting for Buffy to make a guest appearance is that these are the shooting scripts for these six episodes. You can look for typos and other mistooks that they failed to corrupt, but the attraction is getting dialogue and even full scenes that were cut before the final version was broadcast on the WB (the idea of deleted scenes out there is as maddening as the smell of fresh blood would be to newly risen vamp). I used to suggest that you could read along with these scripts while you watched the episodes on DVD, but I think most of us know the episodes so well by now that we can easily pick up on what was added, omitted or alterred in the final aired version (e.g., the tree sellers in "Amends," p. 216). Still, you have to admit it is a lot easier to read the script this way than going frame by frame when one of them is available on the DVDs. But even when there are not changes you get Joss Whedon's wacky stage directions, a type of humor that has obviously rubbed off on some of the other writers as well (e.g., "Anya looks deeply perplexed," page 165).

Included in this second volume of Season Three scripts are: "Revelations" by Douglas Petrie, "Lovers Walk" by Dan Vebber, "The Wish" by Marti Noxon, "Amends" by Joss Whedon, "Gingerbread" by Jane Espenson (story by Espenson and Thania St. John), and "Helpless" (previously "18") by David Fury. These half-dozen episodes bring us up to the point where Giles is fired by the Watcher's Council, which means in Volume 3 we will see means the next volume (which should have the next five episodes) will begin Faith's slide toward becoming a rouge slayer. Interesting to note that "Amends" which was the episode submitted by Whedon for Emmy consideration from Season Three, and "Helpless," are both entirely "WHITE" shooting drafts: no revisions as in no "BLUE" pages, no "PINK" pages (I know, you cannot tell by the color of the pages in this book, but they are labeled at the top so you can see what was revised and hazard your guesses as to why). This latest volume reaffirms that "BtVS" was rich series where every script has a few choice morsels on which we can subsist while we wallow in despair that the show is now part of cult television history.

I found this book to be a wonderful insight into the glorious life of Cary Grant....many have said it before ,however the combination of wonderful photographs and truthful respectful
wording makes this a must for Cary Grant Fans ....just great!!!

Cary Grant was such a gentleman, so gay, charming and debonair. The pictures show him at his homoerotic best, to the delight of all his hardcore fans. This book is great, with nice writing and not a juicy detail left out (and were they ever juicy...*slurp*) Cary Grant is the man! Giddy-up, dah-ling! Ride 'em cowboy!

This is a great chronological account of CG's movies and his life in between and during each one as he made them. There are lot of common pictures, and some you rarely see. All the same, though, it's a wonderful biography, one of the best I've read.

Early in the summer of 2006 Turner Classic Movies ran Billy Wilder's underrated 1970 film, The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes. The picture was a box-office bust, Wilder himself elected to say little about it later (in part because it was recut and shortened against his wishes), and published critical reaction is scarce. Not least among the film's attributes is Christopher Lee, who is a splendidly forceful Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock's officious, easily annoyed brother. I wanted to read more about Lee's performance, and more about the film. Where to look?

Ah! Tom Johnson & Mark A. Miller's exhaustive, scholarly, and compulsively readable THE CHRISTOPHER LEE FILMOGRAPHY saved the day. Nearly 2000 words from this smart, handsome book are devoted to the Wilder film, offering complete cast & credits; a plot synopsis that is concise, useful, and entertaining; and a lengthy "Commentary" section that looks at the film as a whole, thus placing the contributions of Lee and others in a helpful context that encompasses art and industry realities.

The latter portion of the authors' commentary about the Wilder film, as with every Lee film discussed, focuses on Lee's involvement in the film. Johnson & Miller's remarks comments reflect two perspectives: critical and business/ historical. So it is that, throughout the book, we get informed comment on Lee's work as an artist, as well as original research that illuminates the making of the film, and the particulars of Lee's relationships with other cast members, as well as his comments regarding director, producer, writer, and others who helped make the film a reality--or who may have impeded its success.

The U.S.-based authors spent many hours in face-to-face confabs with Mr. Lee at the actor's home in London (plus numberless follow-up phone calls and letters), asking questions, taking down the actor's marvelous anecdotes, looking through career scrapbooks that Lee graciously opened for them, and selecting rare photographs from Lee's personal collection. This is what scholars of any stripe call "original research," and its value pays off here, with insights into Lee's movies (more than 160 of them!) that simply are not available from other sources--or if they are, they may have been cribbed, without acknowledgemt, from Johnson & Miller.

A special pleasure is that nearly every essay concludes with Mr. Lee's remarks, presented verbatim, about the individual films. Over the course of these first-person recollections, Lee reveals himself as a dedicated artist, of no small ego, perhaps, and also a man of powerful and varied talents. Above all, he has wished to work in meaningful films of quality and integrity, and to stretch himself as an actor. That he has not always been able to do so says more about the inanities of the film business than it does about Mr. Lee. Given opportunities worthy of him--the early Dracula roles, Lord Summerisle, Mycroft Holmes, Count Dooku, Jinnah (the founder of Pakistan), and many others--Lee dominates the screen not merely with his physical presence and that marvelously deep and cultured voice, but with his ability to become lost in his role. Like other great film actors--all of whom are forced to perform in fits and starts--Lee BECOMES the character. Film scholars and movie fans alike are swept away; they buy the illusion.

As an incredibly detailed--and always fascinating--chronicle of the career of one of cinema's most compelling actors, THE CHRISTOPHER LEE FILMOGRAPHY is the last word on Mr. Lee's professional life. And it is that rarity: a book created by the authors AND the subject, in protracted and amiable collaboration. How unusual that is, how valuable, and what a treat.

Individually, film historians Tom Johnson and Mark A. Miller already have several books and articles to their credit. Now they've pooled their talents to collaborate on what will stand as the definitive account of Christopher Lee's film career. Documenting Lee's cinematic output is a daunting challenge; he appeared in many films that were never released in the U.S.--or anywhere else--making them extremely difficult to track down, even in this wonderful age of DVD and satellite television. Fortunately, Johnson and Miller--with valuable assist from Mr. Lee himself--come through with flying colors. This is cinematic scholarship of the highest order, which is not to imply it's dry and academic. Hardly. Thanks to Johnson, Miller, Lee and many interview subjects, it's a lively, accessible, and at times fall-down-funny look at the career of someone who could be cited as the ultimate example of a "working actor."
McFarland books tend to be very high priced, and since most of them never make it to a bookstore shelf, consumers don't have the luxury of checking out the goods before hand. So you're never really sure of what you're getting until the money has left your wallet. At $55, THE CHRISTOPHER LEE FILMOGRAPHY may seem pricey, but it's well worth the investment; the book is beautifully written and McFarland has done a bang-up job of laying out the text and (rare) photos. For Lee fans, it's a must-have item.

Exhaustive without being exhausting, authors Miller and Johnson manage to transcend the trend of "lists" by not only providing the details of Christopher Lee's myriad film works, but accompanying the facts with delicious anecdotes and observations. Each and every film has an accompanying commentary - and each and every commentary is a treasure trove of information either from Lee himself or one of his collaborators, along with relevant snippets from reviews. What I particularly liked about the commentary segments is that they not only rely on Lee's memories of the films - they also frequently draw on contemporary accounts by Lee himself in the form of quotes from letters Lee wrote to his fan club president over the years. Many's the time Lee would approach a film with high hopes, only to have them dashed by any one of a number of problems that tend to beset the best of productions. It's truly fascinating to see what was running through the actor's mind prior to starting something like THE DEVIL RIDES OUT.

While they obviously have great respect and affection for their subject, Miller and Johnson are never sycophantic.

You may buy this book because you are a fan of Christopher Lee or a horror film completist. But you'll return to it again and again because it is well-written, well-researched, and just plain fun to read.