Movies Books

James Mottram's "Making of Memento" is an interesting and intriguing look into the making of the modern day classic Memento. Offered up are excerpts from conversations with director/screen writer Christopher Nolan and actors Guy Pearce, Carrie Anne-Moss, and Joe Pantoliano, while offering a few different interpertations on the film itself. Mottram's style is crisp and clear and he never seems to go too far from his source material while offering up some interesting little known facts (the fact that Brad Pitt strongly considered and wanted to do the role of Lenny came as a shock and I have more respect for him now than I ever did before) that keep the reader interested for most of the time. Also included is the original short story by Jonathan Nolan (brother to Christopher) that inspired the film. All in all, consider this an essential companion piece if your a fan of the film or are trying to tie up some loose ends.

Mottram's book offers a fascinating account of how Memento came into being, the trials its creators went through to get it distributed, and offers several interpretations of the film's meaning. It's also filled with interesting vignettes from movie set. The book roughly parallels the movie in that its chapters work backwards toward the source material, Nolan's brother's shortstory Memento Mori. However, its primary focus is on the construction of the movie itself, and how the disparate elements (acting, direction, writing, sound, music) came together to form the first truly great film of the 21st century. Mottram's writing style is clean, focused, and never overwraught. He doesn't make the mistake of overintellectualizing or overinterpreting the the film. This is a must have for Memento fans and offers keen insight as to how independent movies are made.

Want to delve deeper into mystery that is Memento? Then look no further as James Mottram does an excellent job of steering us back through the labyrinth of the film (with it's myriad of possible meanings) and it's production. Christopher Nolan is interviewed (along with key cast members and crew) to help shed further light on this fascinating film. With 11 pages of pictures, 3 pages of drawings (concerning Leonard's tattoos), and even Jonathan Nolan's short story (Memento Mori), Mottram seems to have covered all the bases. He wrote it down so that you (and Leonard) wouldn't have to.

This book is
a) an excellent movie reference book which will provide you with half a lifetime's worth of movie viewing suggestions in the various manly genres
b) a hilarious satire of the macho mentality
c) one of the top ten funniest books I've ever read. If I had the money, I'd buy up every copy I could lay my hands on and simply GIVE them away to fellow manly film buffs at my local video store. It's a crime that it's out of print.

For those who prefer big, fuzzy-bunny, feel-good movies, or "chick flicks," look elsewhere. This guide represents the epitome of the Real Man genres: westerns, gangster, action/adventure, tough renegade cop, sci-fi, splatter movies, and beyond. Contributors, David Everitt and Harold Schechter, deserve a Pulitzer for this unique collection of "Virile Videos" and "Two-Fisted Cinema" reviews.

As the cover guarantees, there are "NO tears,"NO Smooching," and "NO Weddings!" Best of all, the authors deliver side-slapping, tongue-in-cheek self-satire that one rarely finds in any critical collection.

This volume's "Manly Movie Hall of Fame" (including the likes of Lee Marvin, Ben Johnson -- NO! NOT the poet! --, the Duke -- naturally! --, and Steven Segal)is worth the price alone. Included also are hilarious "comparison charts," explaining the difference between guy movies and chick movies...as if we didn't know, and consistently excellent film criticism laced with comic irony and priceless throwaway lines.

Incidentally, women of good taste, do not be put off by the title! Similar to me, you've hated films, such as *The Piano*, *How To Make an American Quilt*, and *Message In a Bottle*, while our female colleagues have gone unanimously gaga over them. So let me remind you: this book is NOT just for guys; it is for anyone who would rather gargle with broken glass than sit through another insipid Julia Roberts tearjerker.

The Manly Movie Guide hit me like a fist full o' knuckle-punches. Today's "film experts" and "popular culture commentators" don't know Jacob Pschidtt when it comes to your important manly movies of manliness featuring he-men with abundant manlitude. But Everitt and Schechter know what movies matter most to the I-write-my-name-in-the-snow-standing-up crowd. MMG takes no prisoners. MMG shoots to kill, and kill hard. And like it. MMG dares to talk about the kind of movies today's on the go men of action and derring-do want to sit on a couch and watch. (And, yes, teacup, that is how you spell "derring-do"; you gotta problem with that?) When it comes to talking about "controversial" topics, other movie books shy away and whimper in the corner, crying for their mommies and wetting their puny little pantaloons . They make me wanna puke guts. But MMG takes on all the tough issue and vital movie categories. For example,in MMG you got your sections on: Movies That Celebrate The Wanton Destruction Of Endangered Species, Cops With Big Guns, Two Cops With Big Guns, Prison Movies That Afford Their Heroes The Opportunity To Show They Can Take It Like A Man. And there are pantloads of others. Of course there are also your sundry cross-referencings amongst, betwixt and between your varied topical references which have already been heretofore aforementioned. Now, personally speakin', this here Man-strosity's movies of choice are horror and science fiction. MMG is the only book around which has Who Bear A Surprising Resemblance to Really Hot Babes, and, Horror Films That Celebrate The Vital Contribution Women Have Made to Society As Devil-Worshipping Sluts, Homicidal Hookers, and The Helpless Victims of Insanely Sadistic Psycho-Killers. Plus, MMG is the only book you'll find which gives an erudite and nuanced treatment (long-overdue) of an important movie like Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers. Plus after reading MMG I knew sure as shootin' that I could not let another weekend roll by without finding Invasion of the Bee Girls. This is just one of the many valuable lessons this king of the castle learned while reading MMG on the throne. MMG also contains a Night with a Member of the Opposite Sex. This contains suggestions of shall we say, pinkie-finger-pointed-skyward type of movie, with non-stop blabbing about feelings and love and like that) then you propose....... (a red-blooded manly type of movie with copious punching and dying due to profuse bleeding ). For example, she wants a Jodie Foster movie, you propose Taxi Driver. If you're a man, woman or Alien with enough guy-ness to like movies with double shots of ballistic mayhem, bakini-listic babes with bulbous bazookas, and multiple breakings of assorted body parts starring lips, foreheads, and cheeks, then this is the book for you. Go out and buy Manly Movie Guide or I may have to come over to your house and do my Billy Jack "I just go BER-ZERRRRK!!!!!" impression all over your cute lil' manicured lawn, pilgrim. Signed, A Guy-hunkster who can dish it out, take it, and then rewind it on the VCR

A stunning book for any serious Marilyn afficianado - the photos, taken by little known paparazzi photographer Earl Leaf throughout Marilyn's career show so many of her moods, facets, expressions that it sometimes feels like you see her in an entirely new and unexpected light whenever you turn the page. Quite a few of the photographs show her lesser-known sides: her imperiousness, her toughness, her shrewdness, her ability to manipulate - all qualities she tried very hard to hide from her public but which nevertheless make her even more fascinating. Ventura's text gives some interesting insights and a uniquely lyrical point of view of Marilyn and what the images taken by Leaf's lens show of her. From her early starlet days to the years of her decline, we see her slowly eroding emotionally like an apparition fading into the light. Sometimes sad, often food for thought and always beautiful to look at, this is definitely one of the favourites in my collection. There are many images here you most likely have not seen before and will keep revisiting for many years to come.

Marilyn is captured in just about every mood possible in this book. A wonderful book for my MM collection.

The pictures of Marilyn in this book are wonderful..I thought I saw them all until I got this book. I recommend to all Marilyn fans, it is a must.

My one year old has become interested in the Backyardigans and this book with a handle is perfect. She loves the songs on this particular episode so the book is an added plus.

"Mars, Here We Come!" is a Backyardigans book board based on the "Mission to Mars" episode of the show. It's a fun outer space romp as Uniqua, Pablo and Austin blast off into outer space and make contact with friendly aliens. They encounter adventure and danger, but with the help of R.O.V.E.R. and their astronaut skills, they make their way through!

Overall, this is a pretty fun "Backyardigans" book. This book has a handle for easy lifting, an interesting feature. More fun, it comes with twenty glow-in-the-dark stickers. These stickers can be used to illustrate the book, or for whatever you and your kids like.

My 20-month-old liked this book before he ever saw the Backyardigans tv show. It is a nice, fun, simple story that will remind a Backyardigans fan of the "Mission to Mars" episode. It is not exactly the same, however, and Tasha and Tyrone do not appear in this story. Still, nice bold color illustrations, and lots of room for fun improvisation with your child.

In this story Mary -Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen have three wonderful friends. Lauren, Tanya, and Brittany. They are always there for each other but, when one of them gets an idea theres going to be trouble . As Ashley's computer teacher assigns her a project which she turns into a love-link. Peoples hearts are broken and every ones comeing after Ashley, and between this and the two parties they are planning it's chaos. I laughed so hard

LIKE, OMG!!!! THIS BOOK IS SOOOO OFF THE HOOK!!! MY GIRLFRIENDS AND I READ THIS AND CRIED BECAUSE IT WAS SO TOUCHING!! THE WAY MARY KATE AND ASHLEY AND THEIR FRIENDS HANDLE THE PRESSURES OF EVERYDAY LIFE REALLY INSPIRED ME!!! MARY KATE AND AHSLEY ARE MY HEROES FOREVER!!! IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THIS BOOK, YOU REALLY SHOULD. IT IS SOOOOOOOO GOOD!!! MY GIRLFRIENDS AND I CRIED AT THIS BOOK BECAUSE IT WAS SO TOUCHING AND REAL!!!

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What a cool book! Very awesome indeed. The whole thing at the hot teen magazine is really sort of a school newspaper run by a former magazine person, but it's still a cool story about Mary Kate's scheming co-worker. It's fun to watch Mary Kate bust her! And Ashley has started a dating service at the coffee place and comes across a Mystery Man who is looking for THE perfect girl. You'll be surprised at who the man is, and who the girl is! A great read for both people who do and don't like books!

My 2 1/2 yr old son discovered this book in the bookstore yesterday and read it over and over for at least half an hour. He likes that he can identify all the objects himself, and since he knows his numbers from (1-10) he can read it independently. We had to pry him away from this book - and he asked me to goto the bookstore to read it today as well. I think we'll be getting this for Christmas.

This book is first a counting book (from one to ten) with the typical pictures that Dick Bruna is known for: bright basic colours and very recognizable objects for kids. Rather than just counting dots or something, you're counting animals, sailboats, plates, glasses of juice, cars, crayons, and balloons. I use this book to talk about colours, shapes, and sounds. I like the fact that it is a boardbook, nice and stury for handling by toddlers.

We started reading this book to my son when he was just a few weeks old. From the very beginning he was entranced by the simple illustrations and the soothing text. Accompanying each illustration is a brief description. "One Big Ball"; "Two Elephants Over Here"; "Three Glasses of Juice" and so on... It's so simple that when my son would fuss on the changing table, I would just have to start reciting the book from memory and he would calm down... He's now 13 months, and still likes to read this book. The pages are very sturdy with built in tabs, so that the littlest hands can turn them. I highly recommend this book.

This book has a place of honor on my coffee table. If you're like me and have friends who can hold an entire conversation using nothing but movie quotes, you've found the perfect book to brush up on your skills. Very funny and oddly useful.

This is a hilarious book that provides great quotes for every situation. Think about how many times (e.g. at parties) you have wanted to deliver that perfect quote from Major League or Star Wars! I also enjoy just browsing through it and reminiscing about great movies.

This is a hilarious book that provides great quotes for every situation. Think about how many times (e.g. at parties) you have wanted to deliver that perfect quote from Major League or Star Wars! I also enjoy just browsing through it and reminiscing about great movies.

Do you remember when the Meg Ryan character walked into Tom Hanks' FOX BOOKS store and the customer asked about the "Shoes" books, and a monologue about the wonders of Noel Streatfeild's "Shoes" books ensued, touching on Dancing Shoes, Ballet Shoes, and Skating Shoes, which is absolutely wonderful? That scene made me break down crying, because I had never heard anyone other than myself talk about these terrific books, and the fact that it is tragic that they are mostly out of print and hard to find. This book is a wonderful story of about life for three British children in the United States, working hard for a goal, and accomplishing it, or at least getting on the road to achieving a reasonable, yet magical, goal. If you want a great book for your favorite elementary schooler - boy OR girl, buy this one - then buy the other "Shoes" books for your favorite girl (and get a copy of Tennis Shoes for your favorite boy too!)

"Movie Shoes" combines the charm of "Ballet Shoes" (and the reappearance of the Fossil sisters) with the freshness of an American setting. The Winter family, mother and father, their nanny Peaseblossom, and the children, Jane, Rachel, and Tim, spend a winter in California shortly after World War II. The sunshine will be good for their father's health. How can Rachel afford dancing lessons? Aunt Cora does not see their importance. How will Tim, a promising pianist, find a piano to practice on? Rachel, a pupil at Madame Fidolia's, is "adopted" by Posy Fossil, now eighteen years old and dancing for Manoff in California. Lovers of "Ballet Shoes" will enjoy seeing the Fossils again. Bad-tempered Jane, the "middle child," is invited to play Mary in "The Secret Garden" while they are in California. The story of how these talented and indomitable children take care of themselves, and the adaptation of this British family to the United States, makes this the most American of Streatfeild's books. How splendid it would be if Dell Yearling, her American publishers, brought it back into print in the U.S.!

Movie_Shoes is a wonderful book for someone who loves movies, books, and The_Secret_Garden. It weaves a magical tale around Jane Winter, and you start to believe you are her, putting up with bratty little Maurice Tuesday (Colin), longing to watch David Doe work his magic (Dickon), seeing your brother Tim play the piano almost professionally at age 8, and looking on as your older sister meets two of the most famous ballet personalities in the world. An intercultural adventure for everyone! Caution: Beware of nasty aunts.

Movies on TV was an annual favorite of mine until it ceased publication in 1993. Reviews are much more fair and objective than the more commercialized guide from Leonard Maltin. Rumors of the author's death were the least on my mind when this treasure ceased publication. Did Scheuer sell his reviews to a different critic? The objectivity of guides like Videohound and Danny Peary have always been questionable. Even Blockbuster publishes a film review guide now, blurring the line between sellers or producers and the critic. But subtract a half star on this point: Why do the pages in Scheuer's book fall out so much sooner?

Way back in 1958, long before The Time Out Film Guide or Videohounds Golden Movie Retriever were a twinkle in anyone's eye and a full decade before Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide first appeared on the market was this Movie Review guide by Steven Scheuer. From the 1960's through the 1980's it was basically a choice between this book or Maltin's for those of us wanting a comprehensive movie guide with capsule reviews and ratings. As of 1994 this guide mysteriously ceased publication, an event so unexpected that rumors began circulating as to the death of Mr. Scheuer himself! These rumors appear to have been greatly exagerrated as he recently edited a book on building a DVD library that is now for sale right here on Amazon.com.

Maltin's annual Movie guide is of course indispensable but I fear that at times people take what amounts to one critic's opinion as gospel. Comparing the two books is instructive as to the ultimately subjective nature of film viewing. Scheuer's guide gives Brazil(1985)*1/2 stars while Maltin gives it ***, Scheuer gives Blade Runner(1982)**** while Maltin gives it *1/2, Scheuer gives the gay art film Sebastiane(1979)***1/2, John Waters' Pink Flamigos(1973)**1/2 and cult sci-fi film Punishment Park(1971)*** while none are even included in Maltin's guide. That's the most surprising thing in flipping through this book...the odd, art-house omissions that have never been included in Maltin's book and apparantly never will.

When you step into a used bookstore to browse through the film section and see hundreds of obscure, out of print tomes that have unfortunately "died" due to not being read anymore please remember that there are a few titles out there that desperately SHOULD be in print again. Books like Danny Peary's Guide for The Film Fanatic, Lotte Eisner's bio of the great German director Murnau and this guide by Steven Scheuer.

I bought every edition of this film guide until they apparently stopped making it in 1994. What a shame! The reviews are almost always dead-on and occasionally very funny. Also, the reviews are thoughtful and insightful despite being relatively brief. Still, this is one of the few movie guides that managed to say everything it needed to in a single paragraph to get its point across.

In the later editions (like this one) there was an appendix included so you could easily see all films made by a certain actor or director, which was very helpful.

The four star rating system was expertly used in this guide as well (generally, I prefer the 4-star system to the somewhat more prevalent 5-star), and small indicators let you know if the film is available on video or not.

One of the best features of this book was that it included made-for-TV films as well as those getting a theatrical release, plus many, many foreign films.

This book should be revised, updated, and published again!

I think this book is great to use for pre-k lesson plans. The book came in the mail on time and in great shape. I plan on cooking mud soup with my class for an end of year project review.

My kids love this book. We have so much fun acting out the yukky parts. It is also a good introduction to different cultures.

ISBN 0375810870 - This is one time I hate to give a book five stars, because a five star romance novel is not the same as a five star classic and neither is the same as a five star kids' book. Five star kids' books are much more important, and there are a lot of them. Mud Soup, for me, stands a little above those. Pretend you can see six stars.

Rosa loves mud soup, it's delicioso! Her friend Josh is stuck with a somewhat soggy peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but Rosa has hot, yummy soup. When she offers to share, he is overcome by the idea of "mud" soup. Even though he doesn't want to hurt Rosa's feelings, he doesn't take her up on her offer. This scenario plays out more than once as the kids play together, when Josh rides past Rosa's house one day and at school on International Day. Rosa finally reveals that there is no mud in mud soup and Josh discovers that mud soup is, indeed, delicioso!

Living in world that's getting smaller all the time, knowing a second language is slowly becoming more of a requirement for success as an adult. If that all starts when they're little, Mud Soup is a nice, simple and small step toward that end. Introducing just three small Spanish words (abuela = grandmother; delicioso = delicious; si = yes) keeps it easy for young readers, allowing for a slow introduction.

Equally importantly, Mud Soup reinforces the old saying "don't judge a book by its cover", with delicious soup that looks like mud and teaches children to be open to new things and other cultures. AND it teaches consideration for the feelings of others, by having Josh very clearly not want to hurt Rosa's feelings every time he rejects her offer. That's a lot to pack into such a small book, but Mud Soup pulls it off.

The illustrations are okay, nothing spectacular, but nice enough. While the book is marked "Step 3, Reading on Your Own", I think this is one well worth talking over with your child when s/he finishes. Have that conversation over soup - there's a recipe for Mud Soup on the last page! Delicioso!