Movies Books

A great lesson! I bought this book to refresh my memory of screenplay style as I begin to prepare writing my own. Tarantino is known for his dialogue between characters and that is why I purchased this. It was a good read and did not disappoint. I took away from it several lessons on screenplay style.

Do not be swayed by the Tarantino haters out there. If you want to learn style he is one of the best today. There are many that throw around the terms "boycott", "overrated", etc. I am still fascinated by the number of people that go out of their way to drag down Tarantino's work yet they still see his movies. You would think by now that they would have learned to just not watch them. In reality these people are just jealous of the success he has had. Tarantino very often is referencing other movies that he watched while growing up. He is usually not doing anything original but is instead giving a film history lesson giving us glimpses of the movies of the past.

Follow your own path. Make your own decisions and do not listen to the haters.

If you like Tarantino, you'll like the Screenplay he has written for Death Proof. Simple as that. Plus, it helps young screenwriters to know what to look for and what to do when attempting to write a screenplay of their own.

This is an amazing piece of screenplay literature to own! I am a music major and after reading this and viewing Grindhouse several times I am seriously considering changing my major to film. This is an amazing addition to your library as it weaves you in and out of action, horror and sex; the "100% Death Proof" Tarantino way.

Wow. Tarantino does it again, and is still at the top of his game. Quentin took a break from his smooth dialogue in both Kill Bill films. But he returns and scores gold once again. I recommend this to anyone interested in Quentin Trantino.

This book was done by Diane Garey, whose creative roots are in film not as an author. I think she has compiled an excellent book as a companion to the PBS film and agree with another reviewer that this book is also excellent on its own.

As a card carrying member of the ACLU I sometimes cannot praise the ACLU enough, while other times, I cannot wrap my mind around why they take some positions that seen in diametrical opposition to what I want them to. This book gives a great explanation of how and why the ACLU has been viewed as a savior and a villian, and why we are all better off for their existence.

While written as a companion book to the PBS broadcast of the same name it stands alone as an adequate, spritely written review of the ACLU's history. Like a skipping stone, it moves over their troubled waters, briefly touching upon both the high and low points of their past eforts. Not meaning to represent itself as a complete analysis of the ACLU, Garey, none the less, has written an entertaining and thoughtful book. It will serve as an excellent introduction to the complex entity the ACLU has become.

Garey's history shows the ACLU's most magnificnent victories as well as the organization's most inglorious warts. This book makes history of civil liberties in America come alive. The stories are gripping. The writing sparkles.

You can only admire a group of people who defend the bill of rights. It isfashionable to defend the ten commandments, but if you defend the billof rights, you are called every namein the book. I salute the ACLU andanybody else who defends the rights ofAmerica.

If you are in law enforcement this book should do more for you than kindle rage. It's background information shows that the war on drugs was based on loosely proven propaganda which has been far out dated now. This war that we spend so much of our money on, like other wars our current administration is involving us in, is shown to be basically useless. Desperado should do more for a person than piss them off, it's shows what's wrong with the system we have in place and is meant to motivate people to push for a change in our system. If only we hadn't already conformed to what society holds true certain drugs would be decriminalized today. Let's face it, the best way to put a dealer out of business is take over his business. Not only would it save money, but it would ensure a quality safeness to the drugs we have roaming the streets today. In short, let this be a guide for future change. All it takes is one person to see the light and stand up for a cause, no matter how comfortable they are with their lifestyle already.

As a current federal "narc" and former "border rat" (9 years on the US/Mexico border in California), I feel that Shannon did an excellent job portraying the past drug problems in Mexico. Guess what? We did not solve them then and the problem is worse now. Customs Commisioner Von Raab and DEA Administrator Lawn were very outspoken on the issue of the kidnapping of Enrique "Kiki" Camarena. Of course, that was before the days of "political correctness". America still refuses to decertify Mexico due to their unwillingness to truly combat drugs and continued reputation of graft and corruption. Having met and worked with many mentioned in DESPERADOS, I have utmost respect for those who indeed fought the drug war. Elaine Shannon's DESPERADOS is worth the time to read and is a must for the drug agent's home or office library.

This book should be read by all law enforcement oficers who enforce drug laws. Will enlighten and enrage at the same time, I would recomend it as reading for all law enforcement who work along the US/mex border or any city plagued by narcotics.

Events in this book revolve around the kidnapping and murder of DEA agent Enrique Camarena in Guadalajara, Mexico in 1985. It is not only the story of how this came to pass, but an examination of US drug policy in the '70s and '80s, and reveals the flimsiness of Reagan's "war on drugs." The reader will be outraged by the manner in which political considerations took precedence over the apprehension of the killers of an American agent. Despite my outrage at what I read, the book is gripping and an excellent piece of documentary work. An excellent case study of the investigation into the Sinaloa cartel.

This book has a lot of research behind it. Read it before going to the market or dining out. It lists hundreds of items you are likely to find in any shop having to do with food.

I was surprised by many of foods I thought were healthy. If you're wondering why the weight won't go away, check this book out. It will give you the lowdown on just about everything you eat.

I enjoyed this book so well that I ended up giving my aunt a copy. It is informative and very interesting. Foods are described from many restaurants found all over.

This is a handy book, and in Kindle format even more so. I carry my Kindle in my bag, so this book, among others is always with me. Since I eat out a lot that is very handy. The Kindle is lighter and thinner the the print edition of the book, so this is one book that becomes more useful because it is on Kindle. It has information of grocery store products and a huge number and variety of resturants. If the resturant you go to isn't listed one with very similar is, and it isn't difficult to translate the ideas of nutritional info from resturant to the other. I do a quick look up in the car before I go in, or at the table sometimes, and I have the info for a good choice. The Kindle edition is well formatted, the graphs are big enough to read, and the links work.
One of the most pratical Kindle purchases I've made.

This book is full of wonderful information for someone who wants to watch calories, but doesn't have the desire to go on a real diet.

I think that this book is very exciting and full of adventure. I also think that Digimon is the coolest TV series and Book series that exists. I think that there should be 3 or 4 stories in every book too. I think that you should publish the books #7, #8, and #9 very soon, because I am hoping to read them very soon.

I think that this book is very exciting and full of adventure. I also think that Digimon is the coolest TV series and Book series that exists. I think that there should be 3 or 4 stories in every book too. I think that you should publish the books #7, #8, and #9 very soon, because I am hoping to read them very soon.

Your child will learn to read and love these adventure stories I have all the books that are out (Chapter) Learn the exitation with this! Meet all new characters like Kabuterimon or Andromon levels and chapters of fun!

I think that this book is very exciting and full of adventure. I also think that Digimon is the coolest TV series and Book series that exists. I think that there should be 3 or 4 stories in every book too. I think that you should publish the books #7, #8, and #9 very soon, because I am hoping to read them very soon.

Dan Brown's book is fiction, but there are claims that he makes that have confused some of the basic issues of Christianity. This thoughtful and well produced video curriculum will help to dispel many of the myths and untruths spelled out in the novel. I used this in my church and we found it very useful in opening dialogues with those who have read the book or seen the movie.

Exploring the Da Vinci Code with the dvd is absolutely great for exposing the lies of the book by Dan Brown.

Lee even includes the FAQ and Evidence for the identity of Jesus based on discussions with real historians in this area of history.

I recommend everyone get this and use it to share the truth with followers of Dan Brown of those duped by him.

The Discussing the Da Vinci Code Curriculum Kit by Lee Strobel and Gary Poole contains three items: a DVD, a group discussion guide, and the book Exploring the Da Vinci Code by the same authors. In this review I will cover the DVD and it's discussion guide. The accompanying book will be reviewed independently.

This curriculum was put together with "seekers" in mind. "Since the primary audience for this guide is the not-yet-convinced seekers, the ideal place to use Discussing the Da Vinci Code is within the context of seeker groups." (10) The emphasis is group discussion such that if the proposed schedule is followed participants will spend about 17 minutes watching the DVD and 43 minutes conversing per session.

The DVD and discussion guide are broken down into four sessions in which Lee Strobel visits some of the historical locations utilized in The Da Vinci Code and interviews contemporary scholars. In the first session, the topic of historical analysis is discussed with historian Paul Maier. The second session poses the question "Can we trust the four Gospels?" to New Testament scholar Scot McKnight. Strobel interviews Kathy McReynolds in session three about the role of women in Christianity and Jesus' relationship with Mary Magdalene. The final session deals with the divinity of Jesus with scholar Mark Strauss.

Considering the proposed "seeker context," the discussion guide is very well done. It provides great questions for discussion while provided many quotes from scholars, Dan Brown, and facts throughout the booklet. In the back of the guide are several appendices that recommend further resources, state the facts, and give arguments for the true identity of Jesus that is affirmed by historic Christianity.

While it's neat to see Lee Strobel "on location," he doesn't really engage the sites he visits, so that seemed somewhat pointless. Strobel is more known for his investigative journalist approach, which he applied well on the DVD. He asks good questions that provoke good responses form the reputable scholars.

The DVD also has some promotional trailers, which could be shown to get people interested in joining the discussion group. The graphics and navigation of the DVD are extremely well done. The DVD together with the group discussion guide make Discussing the Da Vinci Code a thought provoking curriculum that will be useful for seekers and curious Christians alike.

I was really impressed with the material. A bonus that is not indicated on the material package or on the DVD is that it is CLOSED CAPTIONED CC for the hearing impaired. I am Deaf and really liked the fact it IS CC but Zondervan should indicate this on the packaging.

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.

"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.

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

I ordered it when my son was 20 months old, then I divorced and left the states, and it took my ex 1.5 yrs to send the books over. They arrived yestarday morning and I read first story to him last night. Stories are short in terms of text, but illustrations are large and colorful and spread over 50 or so pages each. Loads of pictures to keep the child's attention, and loads of details for him to notice - bunnies, birds, trees. I re-told the stories in Croatian as we have not yet started english with him :(( but I am hoping he would be reading from these books for years to come, in English as well. My son seems to like them, and I am very happy to have gotten them for him..

Both this book and Volume 1 have provided hours of reading for my niece. They are enjoyable classic Disney stories, with beautiful illustrations. An excellent addition to any child's library.

Along with the first volume of this set, this book has provided my 2 year old son with hours of bedtime story enjoyment. Although the first volume covers more conventional Disney stories (Cinderella, Lion King etc.), this volume covers what I would consider Disney adventures (Toy Stories 1 and 2, Tarzan) and animal stories (101 Dalmations, Lady and the Tramp, The Fox and the Hound). They seem a strange compination but, taken individually, all of the tales are perfectly presented.
The cover featuring characters from each story allows the child to decide which story they want before the book is even opened. Once inside each story takes around 64 pages and is fully illustrated in striking full colour and to the standard expected from Disney. Bizarrely, Toy Story 2 is illustrated while the original Toy Story is accompanied by stills from the film. The text is large and simple without sacrificing the general plot of the film and each story is divided into three chapters to create 'bite-sized' reading sessions.
I was very impressed with the introduction for parents that covers beautifully how these books (and books in general) can be best used as a tool for learning. Not preachy, just helpful!

First, if you look closely at the cover of book, you can see the cartoon pics on it don't match the description. That's because this is Volume 2, which actually has the stories for 101 Dalmatians, Toy Story, Tarzan, Lady & the Tramp, Toy Story 2, and Fox & the Hound.

That said, both this version (this is Volume 2 being sold, according to the ISBN#) and Volume 1 are great books for your Disney-lovin' kids. The stories are told concisely (but don't sacrifice plot) and match the movies' storylines, are each about 65 pages long (with a lot of the original dialogue from the movies) and the pics are fabulous: there are several pages with full page pictures of scenes from the movies, and I don't think there is a page in the book without a picture on it. My young children love looking through these books and having them read to them. And the text is a nice, big size to make it easy for those fairly new to reading.

While the stories themselves may be too long for very young children (and they do contain the darker elements that some of the Disney movies have), the pictures are large and brightly colored enough to entertain even the youngest child. The book is a large size (8.5x10) and the hardcover is sturdy; just watch out for those little fingers ripping the pages!

All-in-all a great buy for those wanting to get their young ones into reading and away from the TV. Get Volume 1 if you can, too!

I got this for my son who is currently on a Marvel kick. He really likes non-fiction books, so he reads this one like it is a biography/history book, memorizing facts and being fascinated by the back-story stuff. A lot of fun for an early reader book and plenty of info/fun.

In one very special way, I had a wonderful childhood. My parents shopped at a small grocery store that had an extensive rack of comics. The owners were very nice people who allowed me to read the comics while my parents bought groceries. Since my father also bought his mother's groceries, I had plenty of time to read (devour) them all. Therefore, I was able to read the original issues of most of the superheroes that erupted from the fertile mind of Stan Lee at Marvel Comics. When I opened this book, I recognized the cover of the first issue of the X-Men series.
The early sixties were a time of great political uncertainty and scientific advancement. Lee used both of them to great advantage in developing the idea of the mutant with great powers. By developing the character of Professor X who gathered together many mutants at his school, a crime fighting team known as the X-Men was developed. The group has changed a great deal over the years, both in appearance and in membership. This is a history of that group and young readers can also learn something about the world. For example, it is noted that the bones of the winged X-Man Angel are hollow, just like those of real birds. Other relevant science facts, such as details about water freezing in the section about Ice-Man relate the powers of the X-Men to the physical laws of the universe.
I strongly recommend this as a book for young readers. The topic is one that they will find of great interest, it is very well written at the appropriate level and they can learn something about the world. Perfect for the young mind.

This easy to read book aimed at young readers serves as a perfect introduction for those unfamiliar with the original X-Men team: Cyclops, Marvel Girl, the Beast, Iceman, and Angel all studying under the tutelage of Charles Xavier, aka Professor X. The book also talks about Magneto and the first adventure that the X-Men took part in. The classic team has taken many changes over the years, but few teams will rival the original. Great introduction to the original X-Men team.

This is a great book for any X-Men fan or someone who just became interested in them. It tells how Professor Xavier, Magneto,Cyclops (Scott Summers), Marvel Girl (Jean Grey, also known as Phoenix, Beast (Hank McCoy), Angel (Warren Worthington III, also known as Archangle) and Iceman (Bobby Drake) came to become the first X-Men. It also gives some info about other X-Men like WOlverine and some of their recent and former enimes like Juggernaut, and Quicksilver. One thing I enjoyed about this book is it had a lot of pics. from old and recent comics. Overall this is a pretty good book!

Wow Lance, you obviously had a lot of time on your hands when putting this masterpiece together. This book puts everything that has happened in the Doctor Who universe from the TV series and Virgin novels into chronological order. A great feat to accomplish especially with all the discontinuity in the series.
This book deserves an award - thanks Lance. RECOMMENDED!!!

Lance Parkin's attempt to piece together a timeline of events in Doctor Who history is very admirable and for the most part successful. Most importantly, A History of The Universe is non-critical. From the creation of the universe (was the Big Bang caused by Terminus?) to its cataclysmic demise billions of years in the future, Mr. Parkin takes events from the television series stories and various spin-offs such as K9 & Company, as well as the New Adventure and Missing Adventure novels to form a timeline that is both informative and easy to follow. Supplementing this book is a myriad of sidebar notes containing background info on the stories and Parkin's reasons for dating a story at a certain point in history, either mentioned within the framework of the story itself, or referenced by another story to be placed at a specific date in time.

For those of us who have never read, nor care to read, the multitude of Doctor Who novels in existence, A History of The Universe can act as sort of Cliff Notes that we used in school when assigned to read a long and tedious novel but had no desire to. The plot of each story is briefly outlined on the timeline at the year in which it takes place. Therefore, we can "cheat" by finding out what happens without actually picking up the book. Parkin makes it simple to determine which events come from television, and which come from the novel by using a differentiating typeface as a distinguishing feature. He uses lightface for tv and boldface for the novels. What can be simpler?

THE UNIT ERA:

This is a bugaboo era for Doctor Who pendantics. It's impossible for the UNIT stories to be pinned down to a definite year. From all accounts, these stories were originally meant to take place in the near future. In a 1969 interview with Jon Pertwee, he reveals that the Doctor would be exiled to earth "in the 1980's". (p. 286, A History of The Universe) Yet this very well could be misinformation. No specific date is ever pinpointed within the third Doctor stories themselves, although Jo comes so tantalizingly close in Day of The Daleks as she explains to the Controller what time she is from. Irritatingly, the Controller stops her after "Sept. 12", as she has already told him the year, (off camera, of course!).

In Pyramids of Mars in what appears to be a throw-away line, Sarah claims she is from 1980, which would suggest a near future setting for previous UNIT tales since Pyramids was produced in 1975. However, in Mawdryn Undead, a very specific date of the Brigadier's retirement is given, 1976. Adding to the confusion, the time zones in which Mawdryn takes place is 1977/83, contradicting all previous attempts to date UNIT stories and throwing that proverbial monkey wrench in the lives of many pendantics.

So take your pick. As Parkin suggests, take the facts you like while ignoring any that contradict your argument. There is no perfect way to assign specific years to UNIT stories. Therefore, Mr. Parkin cops out by listing the UNIT entries on his timeline as 1970s earth, but qualifies this by stating that they likely occur anywhere from the late 60s to the early 80s. A cop-out, but perhaps a wise cop out, as he allows each individual reader to accept or deny facts as that reader so chooses. Personally, I would rather ignore a throw-away line like Sarah's, which if removed from the script would remove absolutely nothing from the premise of the story, than to ignore the Mawdryn time zone which forms the whole basis for a story. Also, a near-future setting can be interpreted with a broad brush stroke. "Near future" literally can mean ten, five or even one year down the road. One month, or even one day, can technically be the near future. Plus, it is much more convenient to think of UNIT as a contemporary early 70s setting, with a possible slight near future variance, because virtually the whole era smacks of early 70s, from the fashions, psychedlia ... and the fact that miles, yards and feet are still used as measurements, Britain not yet switched to the metric system.

Like Lance Parkin, I will not force my opinion on others. I can only suggest that you weigh the contradictory facts of this era against one another and form your own opinion. That is precisely what Parkin is attempting to do by not assigning specific years to the UNIT era. To exert his opinion as the correct one would take away from the non-critical aura of this book.

Appendix: I do realize that this book is from 1996 and outdated, and it has been recently updated to include events of the new series. However, at the risk of irking fans of that series, to me true Doctor Who ends with the classic series. My personal taste for Doctor Who suffers its cataclysmic demise at the cataclysmic demise of the Colin Baker era, but I can accept events of the McCoy era as well as the novels as part of the Whoniverse. While the new series may be fun and exciting to some, to me it's just not the same. The Whoniverse begins and ends with this version for me.

While I wouldn't suggest this title as standard fare for anyone but "Dr Who" fans, it is certain to be a staple in their diet for years to come. By dint of long effort, Parkin manages to reconcile the television and book worlds of "Who", creates an arguable but entertaining future history that explains a good deal about the good Doctor's adventures over the years. A must piece of "Who" nonfiction

The first attempt to chronologize the Doctor's adventures began in Jean-Marc Lofficier's Terrestrial Index. It was a nice starting point, but with the coming of the New Adventures, i.e. the continuing adventures of the Seventh Doctor and Ace, and Missing Adventures, stories of the previous Doctors, well, fans learned a lot more of the Time Lord. Lance Parkin, author of the NA Just War, and the MA Cold Fusion, has superceded Lofficier's chronology into a more expanded and enlightening work.

In addition to incorporating the NAs and MAs, he uses his own conjecture in various places, but those are few. For example, in The Masque Of Mandragora, the Doctor says that it will return to Earth in five hundred years, 1992. He assumes that if it did, it must have been defeated once more. The text for the televised adventures is done in a normal font, the NA and MAs in bold, and his own conjecture in a slightly thicker bold-italic. The footnotes after each event or story is explained in detail on the sides of each page. It's easy for stories that explicitly state the date e.g. Silver Nemesis takes place on 23 November 1988, but what about stories like Delta And The Bannermen, which takes place in ?4287 AD? Parkin gives arbitrary dates, but the interesting thing is, the last two digits are equal to the digits the show came out, 1987. The Caves Of Androzani, which came out in 1984, is given a date of ?2884.

There are seven sections in the book: Prehistory, Known History, Contemporary, the Near Future, which we're in right now, Colonisation, the Earth Empire, and the Far Future. Although a history of the universe, there is clearly an Earth-bias especially in the Earth Empire section. Yes, the Earth follows the model of the British Empire, from rise to collapse, as was mentioned in the TV story The Mutants.

There are explanations of the Great Old Ones, the powerful beings such as Fenric, the Animus, and the Great Intelligence, in the Prehistory section, as well as known astronomical theory such as the Big Bang and Galaxy formation hypothesis, and the variability of races that sprang up.

My favorite part is probably the period we're in right now in the book, with technological gluts, environmental disasters, shifts in the ozone layer, severe overpopulation, goth-apocalypse culture, and civil wars. All this takes place 2001-2009, and I sometimes wonder that given the corporate mindset of industrial countries, if this science-fiction will become reality.

One peeve I have is the dating of the Patrick Troughton/Jon Pertwee era UNIT stories, a sore point between Who fans. I belong to the faction that puts them the year or the year after the story came out on TV. Others put them in the future. Parkin merely dates those stories (1970's UNIT--). I don't know about that.

This last New Adventure covered here is Happy Endings, where Bernice gets married to Jason, and the last Missing Adventure is Sands Of Time, the sequel to Pyramids Of Mars. It's important to note that around the time this book came out, Virgin Publishing's rights were set to expire in May. A handful more of New and Missing Adventures came out, too late to be incorporated into Parkin's book. That also meant there could never be a second edition of the Universe book, also published by Virgin.

What I wonder is, now that BBC books has the rights to new Who stories, will they come out with their own Who universe guide, thereby invalidating Lance Parkin's painstakingly crafted work? It would be a shame if it did. Why not incorporate the New/Missing and the current new adventures in a future book? For now, this will do just nicely.