Video Books

Charles Ferguson's update of his superb film on the Bush war in Iraq captures the problems of the current White House to a tee. Ferguson gives over his book to interviews with top players and it works perfectly. Let them talk and you know the score. This is a terrific book and I recommend it highly.

This was an enjoyable and informative read. Ferguson avoids preaching to the reader; he lets the interviews speak for themselves. All of the incompetence of the occupation comes out in the book. He interviews top officials, not just low-level sniping critics. This book succeeds marvelously. Pick this up ASAP for the good of your country.

Interviews from those involved document why we didn't start planning for the occupation until two months before the invasion - and then excluded those who know the most, why we stood by and watched extensive looting, why we naively believed that an expatriate would be quickly accepted as the new leader of a fractured country, why we disbanded the Iraq Army - despite numerous warnings not to do so, why reconstruction monies disappeared by the billions, and why our troops were poorly equipped.

Bottom Line: How many lives were needlessly lost by these mistakes that should have been avoided?

For those unfamiliar with the 2007 film by the same name, No End In Sight offers an opinion-free approach to understanding the management of the war in Iraq.

Charles Ferguson, award-winnning documentarian, obtained rare interviews with officials such as Richard Armitage, former deputy secretary of the State Department. These interviews were lengthy, hours in many cases, and the documentary film version only featured a small percentage of the material. Much of the best of this material works even better in book form. The movie is no substitute for the book, which Ferguson wrote later and which benefited from a longer editing process, follow-on trips to the region, deeper and matured analysis, and even more interviews.

This is not an analysis of why the U.S. went to war. It is one of the best accounts so far on what happened once the war began. Free of political leanings, No End In Sight would probably serve as a textbook for the military academies in addition to informing us on how the big decisions were actually made.

The interviewees tell us what went wrong. One bad decision followed another, and apparently nobody wanted to risk themselves personally by going public. But time ate away at the players Ferguson interviewed. They felt a need to talk to somebody, namely Ferguson.

You can feel the outrage and helplessness of Barbara Bodine, the ambassador placed in charge of the city of Baghdad by the Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance. Ambassador Bodine had needed, perhaps more than others, to get things right in Baghdad. Her long career as a stateswoman had become controversial when as Ambassador to the Republic of Yemen, she denied FBI agent John P. O'Neill re-entry into Yemen to continue his command of the FBI investigation into the USS Cole bombing. This was just a turf spat between State and FBI. Some scholars now believe that O'Neill would have uncovered the 9/11 plot in time to save lives, as O'Neill had already put together several important pieces of the puzzle that became 9/11. (O'Neill was subsequently investigated for losing a briefcase and many feel he was forced out of the FBI, not having recovered from losing the turf battle in Yemen. He became the head of security at the World Trade Center, where he was killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks.)

Colonel Paul Hughes' interview is very interesting. He served in the Office of Post War Planning, the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance and the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq. He tells about how he and his staff at the Office of Post War Planning had offices at the Pentagon but no computers or desks. He is a highly decorated former Army colonel and is a Senior Program Officer in the Center for Post-Conflict Peace and Stability Operations in the United States Institute for Peace (whatever all that means). Some colleagues say he lost a piece of his soul in Iraq and is searching for it. Good and troubled people reclined at Documentarian Ferguson's couch.

The cast of characters tells us how the insurgency got started. In particular, Paul Bremer replaced Jay Gardner in May 2003. Bremer was head of the Coalition Provisional Authority and reported directly to the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld. Bremer made surprise decisions that contradicted all the meticulous planning of the U.S. experts on the ground in Iraq. He disbanded the Iraqi military and followed that up by removing Ba'ath party members from top government positions. In June 2004 Bremer transferred limited sovereignty of Iraqi territory to the Iraqi Interim Government and returned to the U.S.

Ferguson's interviewees seem mortified that one man could do so much to shape the war in so little time. In December 2004, President Bush awarded Bremer the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is a symbolic tool used by presidents to signal favorites to the public. Normally this medal is awarded to those close to a president or to celebrities that lend support to a president. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is often thought of as the "First Ladies Medal" - it has been awarded to Nancy Reagan, Rosalyn Carter, Betty Ford and Lady Bird Johnson.

Bremer quickly made drastic policy changes that contradicted all that came before, returned a year later, and before the end of that year received the nation's highest civilian award that normally only goes to the closest associates of the president and supportive celebrities. Since Bremer was neither a very close associate of the president nor a celebrity at the time, it follows that his Iraq tour met the highest loyalty standard.

In this context, it is fair to question whether Paul Bremer was merely following orders, and if so he was apparently not allowed to disclose his real mission to Ferguson's interviewees. Moreover, Ferguson explains that Bremer was considered brave in that he was under constant threat and took a lot of personal risks during his time in Iraq.

No End In Sight makes a huge contribution in our effort to understand the decision-making process in Iraq once the war actually started.

This is heartbreaking on more fronts than you can readily imagine. If you want to know why the US election in 2008 matters so much around the world, read this book. In unblinking and unbiased assessment, Ferguson details not just the imperial hubris but the brute ignorance of a samll group of capitalist exploiters looking to make one more killing on the backs of those not among the ruling class in America.
Instead of Caligula, there is Cheney, and his puppet boy President, whose track record in business and government is that he absolutely ruined financially every organization he was part of because he refused to listen to people who knew better, be it oil, baseball, the state of Texas, the US federal government...
Barbara Bodine, on the ground immediately after the fall of the Hussein government and in cahrge of getting the city of Baghdad up and running, put it best:
"There were 2 or 3 ways to get it (reconstruction) right and 500 or more to get it wrong, and we got all (500) of them."
As a consequence, the designed incompetence that has functioned as a smoke screen for Cheney and his corporate buddies put consecutive bumblers and enablers in a volatile situation and they successfully made absoluetly everything worse: Wolfowicz, Bremer and on to Petraeus. It is a gallery of very bad actors exploiting a disaster with the mentality that it's all going to hell in a hangbasket, so let's grab what we can.
The interviews speak for themselves. Rumsfeld refused to speak or comment. The White House could care less. The US is now 1 trillion in the whole and counting, and the sad prospect comes across with blunt and dismaying clarity in the final section of the book. A bloodbath seems ineveitable, unless a military coup, i.e. a controlled bloodbath, is effected by the Sunni military and their foreign backers (but not the US). Short of that, a series of civil wars destabilizing the economic tipping point of the rest of the planet has been unleashed and is all but inevitable.
Cheney, Bush, and their cadre will effect what the criminals of other wars never managed - they'll get away with it.
Regardless of who wins the Democratic nomination, it is abundantly clear that an immediate pullout is impossible. No matter who wins the general election, the prospect of staying another 100 years, as McCain suggests, is possible and would in much shorter time ruin what is left of the US.
The electorate in the US thinks that withdrawal has something to do with bringing soldiers home. Instead, as this book spells out quite intensely, it has to do with just how precariously interconnected the entire globe has become. Whether extrication is possible without intense disaster remians to be seen. If you saw the film, that tells only part of the story. This book will keep you up awake the rest of your life, tossed between extraordinary anger at the exploiters and certain dismay for the generations which follow and will pay the price, one way or another, for the evil done.

I have just recently become interested in the whole horror film genre and a friend recommended that I read Mr. Soister's book. I'm glad I did. I learned lots of interesting stuff about the whole Universal horror film business and had an easy time pouring through the chapters. It was fun reading and Mr. Soister's keen insights and humorous style kept me wanting more. I hope he has another book waiting in the wings! Congratulations on delivering a winner.

John Soister has been a contributor to various horror books in the past. His ability to capture the details of the horror films of the 20's & 30's truly entertaining. He expresses his opinions with humor yet based on fact.

Mr. Soister has done a remarkable job here! Not only has he covered some of Universal's greatest horror films, he has given them a new, fresh perspective. All the greats are covered here, FRANKENSTEIN, DRACULA, THE MUMMY, etc., but he has also written about much lesser known and borderline horror films that I've NEVER seen written about, like the entire Crime Club series of the late 1930's. His book covers in great detail Universal's horror and mystery output from the 1930's, and wonderfully so! Here's hoping he does another volume for the 1940's films. Can't wait to see what he writes about JUNGLE WOMAN!! A 'must have' for any horror film fan!

Wonderfully written, full of intelligent, objective opinions, Soister's book is a breath of fresh air on a subject that I suspect most fans feel they already know thoroughly. "Of Gods and Monsters" opened my eyes to the many dozens of "forgotten" Universal films made in the 1930s, particularly their oddball mysteries (like the fascinating "Inner Sanctum" series). Sadly, few of these films are available on home video... yet. One hopes that perhaps NBC-Universal's execs will read this book and learn about their past history, and open up the vaults so that fans can enjoy these classics again, instead of having them gather dust.

If you have Soister's book, along with the Brunas/Brunas/Weaver "Universal Horrors: The Studio's Classic Films" (also from McFarland), you've got a fairly well-rounded coverage of Hollywood's great horror classics. I only wish that the publishers would consider allowing the author to do a second volume covering the rest of Universal's classic mystery/SF/horror films from 1940-1959. That would tell the rest of the story, particularly for the 1940s, which was a very rich period for the studio.

Usually I skip long, detailed plot synopses in movie books, but with Soister I look forward to them. Like most critics, Soister is even more entertaining when discussing a bad film -- I laughed out loud through his description of several stinkers in this entertaining book -- but this teacher from Pensylvania is never less than authoritative. Soister covers all the Universal horror, sci-fi, and related films 1929-1939 in this handsome volume, which no fan of the genres should be without. It doesn't matter that "Dracula" and "Frankenstein" have been discussed at length in previous works -- do yourself a favor and "see" them once more through the eyes of John Soister!

How about offering the computer game of Riven or Myst 111?

This book was a godsend that ended up making my overall experience with Riven much more enjoyable and overcoming the sense of being really dense that I had felt many times in the first half year of playing Riven. All this by not giving too much away in the early sections of the book.

I am an extremely infrequent adventure player (I fiddled with a text-based game about a mad dwarf and princess when the Mac first came out). However, I installed Riven when I bought a Mac G4 450, wanting to try something new.

After dabbling with Riven for half a year or so, I had been almost everywhere, taken copious notes, read a couple of the game's characters' journals, and created detailed, annotated maps of Riven using illustration software. Despite which, I still felt that I had no clue what I was supposed to be doing or if I was making any progress. I had grown to be more interested in understanding what it was all about than in actually completing the game. I had a sneaky suscpicion that there wasn't really an end, that it was all just supposed to be an 'experience'. Maddeningly frustrating!

Then I stumbled on this Player's Guide book while browsing in a computer store and bought it. I stubbornly read only the introduction and first chapter, not wanting to spoil the game, but also taking great comfort in knowing that I wasn't missing something really obvious or doing something really wrong. Thankfully, the introduction spells out what is to come in subsequent chapters of the book so you won't have a fear of too much being revealed.

I spent another good number of months continuing to explore with an open mind and made some more discoveries before feeling I'd hit another wall. I then read the 2nd chapter in the book which talked about geography and mentioning the things you'd need to accomplish in different areas. I was pleased to learn that I'd really done most of what I'd needed, lacking one.

When I focused my efforts on that one thing, I was able to solve it and then the game opened to a new level--I hadn't read the specific location or a description of the task or a solution--I was able to enjoy finding and solving it on my own after a gentle nudge in the general direction.

All of a sudden things started making sense, and the overall structure and direction of play started coming together. I hit another wall and sought help after another half year had passed by--this time I needed very specific help on how to solve one aspect of a puzzle that I had to dig into one of the later chapters of the book for.

Then I was able to complete the game (with help from 'Saved' scenarios) without additional help from the book.

After all was said and done, I went back to read the complete walkthrough chapter and enjoyed seeing how it all fit together and how my two-years of working on the game had been very productive overall. How I'd missed some of the more logical flow of events that had made the game more difficult to solve. And that with just two missing pieces I just plain couldn't figure out, the book had been there to get me over the hump when I was ready for (or MORE than ready for!)

Bottom line: I won't buy the Brady Games guide for Myst IIII: Exile right away. But I'll probably end up buying it gladly after a while... Unless I can figure out Myst III on my own! And even then, I might buy it anyway to get "the rest of the story!"

Book Contents
Chapter 1: Roaming Through Riven
Chapter 2: The Islands of Riven: Maps and Specifics (where you should've been and what you should've seen)
Chapter 3: Puzzles and Problems: The Solutions (puzzle-by-puzzle detailed hints, and then guidelines for how to solve them)
Chapter 4: Walkthrough: All Revealed (The title says it all and the chapter does reaveal the quickest, most efficient way to get through the whole game)

ABSOLUTELY A MUST HAVE! It fills in tons of blanks and gives you so much more understanding of the whole fantasy story with out giveing you answers...unless you want them. It is totally planned and well laid out so that you have your choice of what you need or want to know (if you like to cheat) Even after you finish the game, the book is awesome to read!! Please get this book if you are going to play the game and read the intro!

This book provides help for those who are stuck on the game Riven . if you ever need help just look in this book.

Riven was the first computer game I played when I bought my MAC several years ago. I had no gaming experience but was thrilled with the game play and the awesome beauty of the graphics. Though inexperienced as I was at the time, I was still able to solve the simpler puzzles on my own. THEN came the point where I reached the more difficult ones, and frustration and panic set in. Then I found the cure - this book! Some strategy guides out there simply give you the blow by blow instructions for solving a puzzle (and while this may end your frustration it also spoils that great feeling of accomplishment that comes from discovering the solution with your own wits). This strategy guide for Riven is different. It is devided into several chapters which reveal solutions in incremental fashion. The first chapter gives very gentle hints that stear you in the right direction without revealing any solutions. The subsequent chapters reveal more and more - until the last chapter which is an actual walkthrough giving you every step required to solve the puzzles. If used properly this guide can be a great help. Please fight the temptation to go to the walkthrough chapter - it will spoil your game.

Omikron: The Nomad Soul is much, much more than a game. It is an entire world. When you start it, you truly feel that you are leaving this world and entering another. All the cliches like groundbreaking, innovative, and evocative hold true with Omikron but they do not do it justice.

Omikron: The Nomad Soul is so vast, so deep, and so multi-threaded that the Prima Official Strategy Guide is an absolute must have. No matter what your level of familiarity with Omikron is, you really do need this guide. There are many places that you've never visited in Omikron, many characters you've never met, and many sub-plots you've never followed. And they are all here in the Prima guide. The incredible level of detail, the descriptions of the numerous elements encountered in the game, and the why and how of doing what you do while in Omikron are all here.

Page after page of full color screen shots, maps, descriptions, character studies, hints and tips, and much more are to be found in the guide. It is beautifully done with 175 full color glossy pages packed with information about Omikron that the serious devotee has to have to get the most out of the world/game.

Omikron: The Nomad Soul is sure to become a classic in interactive entertainment, and the Prima Official Strategy Guide is a great accessory to the world/game, and is also quite beautiful in it's own right.

Buy this book, you will not be disappointed.

The game is similar to Resident Evil:CV, and if you are like me, they you probably have trouble solving puzzles. In the game, there are many objectives that are completed by being different people, and you may have trouble figuring out how to solve the puzzles and who you have to be to solve them. Although strategy guides defeat the purpose of these types of games, it is also no fun if you get stuck and cannot find your way around the game. I recommend this book if you get stuck easily. Prima's Strategy Guides are very thorough, and with this book you won't miss any secrets.

Omikron is a very fun game, but sometimes it gets pretty tricky. Some of the navigation through rooftop labyrinths just aren't something you're going to get right away, and there are other things like secret characters, or directions on how to obtain the goals. One thing is when you're trying to blow up a bridge, there's this big section you have to run through and switch buttons on to create a distraction while shooting and running to a specific door that will take you to rafts that will take you to the bridge. That's pretty crazy. The book tells you what to do. It has great graphics, easy to understand step-by-step directions, and helpful hints on what you could do to make it easier before you go into these parts of the game. It was very useful to me and I highly recommend it to anyone who has the game.

Omikron: The Nomad Soul is much, much more than a game. It is an entire world. When you start it, you truly feel that you are leaving this world and entering another. All the cliches like groundbreaking, innovative, and evocative hold true with Omikron but they do not do it justice.

Omikron: The Nomad Soul is so vast, so deep, and so multi-threaded that the Prima Official Strategy Guide is an absolute must have. No matter what your level of familiarity with Omikron is, you really do need this guide. There are many places that you've never visited in Omikron, many characters you've never met, and many sub-plots you've never followed. And they are all here in the Prima guide. The incredible level of detail, the descriptions of the numerous elements encountered in the game, and the why and how of doing what you do while in Omikron are all here.

Page after page of full color screen shots, maps, descriptions, character studies, hints and tips, and much more are to be found in the guide. It is beautifully done with 175 full color glossy pages packed with information about Omikron that the serious devotee has to have to get the most out of the world/game.

Omikron: The Nomad Soul is sure to become a classic in interactive entertainment, and the Prima Official Strategy Guide is a great accessory to the world/game, and is also quite beautiful in it's own right.

Buy this book, you will not be disappointed.

This is the best strategy guide I have ever used. Everything was completly explained in detail and was very easy to follow. The game was very hard and without this I could not have beaten it. If you own the game or are going to buy it you will definatly need the guide, and trust me, it's worth it!

I bought this book originally in the early 1980s right after it was printed and I have re-read it every year and a half or so since and find new things every time. The writing is just fantastic; each episode in his life is constructed like a story. I have read where people think it is a whitewash, but actually he touches on everything discreetly and without rancor or salaciousness. When I first read it as a young film student he cataloged a string of movies I had barely heard of, mostly because they weren't easily available until now. A conscientious watching of the films he mentions makes for great companions to the book. From our vantage point in time, this book is also a window into a vanished world where the late 19th century was reluctantly becoming the 20th century, and Huston always was searching to find his place in it. Few people live lives now similar to his life then because we don't have the times from which great lives spring like they did back then. Those decades gave rise to Bogart and Hemingway and Picasso and Roosevelt and the countless others because there were no other choices. Dynamic times make dynamic people! Huston constantly improvised, both in life and art, using his unique background and fine literary sensibilities to surf the constantly changing tides of war and economic depression and modernism, and at the same time constantly indulging himself in every way he could possibly conceive. His movies emerged from this mix, at times wise, at others mischievous; some daring, others fantastic. They were always a little ahead of their time or form, and they never consciously talked down nor pandered to their audience. His innovations developed organically. His breakthrough preference for remote location shooting stemmed from his experiences making documentaries in the battlefield during WWII. His arrangements of characters and objects in the frame came from his love of painting and still composition. His unusual choices for stories grew from his voluminous reading habits. Huston's natural curiosity and striving for perfection filled-in the spaces left between.

Some of Huston's films, like "The Maltese Falcon", are models of perfection, while others are like Michelangelo's scores of unfinished sculptures, almost as if he were saying, "Well, you get the idea!" before moving on to the next object of his fascination. "We Were Strangers" is a good example of this, rendering almost hypnotically the feelings of oppressive paranoia living in a fascist state, while at the same time servicing a story that is a B+ at best.

The real story of Huston's life and films has yet to be written though. There is just too much!

I can't remember when I enjoyed reading a book so much. I wished that I could read it anew all over again. I've read half dozen Hollywood bios and autos the last 6 months or so and this was hands down the most enjoyable!

I'm really quite surprised to see only two reviews before this one. Afterall, in my mind Huston ranks up there with the very best of American directors and screen writers. His history in the film business dates back to the ''golden era'' of Hollywood. And he knew all the top heads of the studios as well as many of the most talented people in the their related fields.

He is of course my overall favorite director, based on the quality and sheer number of films on his side of the scale. High Sierra [Scrnply], Maltese Falcon, the Big Sleep, Treasure of Sierra Madre, Key Largo just to mention a few of the early ones. And of course his writing of screenplays of the late thirties that anyone will recognize as some of the best of the classics. And his continued writing of movies; with and without directing, far to many to start listing here!

His relating of his life stories as told here is so captivating and so 'dog gone' interesting and funny, that I felt I was listening to a grandfather tell his life story from the front porch of a family home on a Sunday afternoon!

Anyone that likes to read of a Hollywood long gone and about the people in the industry in those days would do just fine in getting a copy of this wonderfully entertaining book, told by one of Hollywoods finest raconteurs! If not the finest!

John Huston's autobiography 'An Open Book' was written while the author - a film director whose life spanned the period from the earliest days of Hollywood to his eventual death in 1987 - was living, in old age, as something of a recluse in Mexico.

From this quiet, remote, idyllic spot he tells - as he sees it - the story of his own life and the many experiences and fotuitous friendships and relationships which he believes had been important in making him the way he was.

It goes back as far as he can go into his own ancestry and the origin of his own name - Huston. It goes deep into the impressions of his own family that he formed as a child and refined as he grew up.

He shares with us his many mistakes, as well as the background to some of his greatest successes - which nominally, are his many great films.

But somehow more important than this is the way he approaches his life and how he tells his own story. At one point he is discussing what actually constitutes the 'style' of a writer and what makes it distinctive. He concludes that what is called a writer's style is straightforwardly a unique artefact of how that person thinks and feels about their life and experience.

This book is full of a polished but intimate candour that illuminates and compliments his long and successful career in film

Not only has he been one of my favorite directors over the years, he did some great acting spots, particularly in Chinatown. Then to have this book to read is truely a window into his life. He gives one bit of advice. Has to do with smoking, I won't spoil it for you. Witty guy. I think we tend to forget that films are visual/written/audio stories that several people have put together. A piece of art, typically. And the director is the eye of the hurricane, piecing it all together, in his (her) vision. This book gives us a look into both his private life, one which the citizen today likely has little idea about, as well as numerous stories about various Hollywood people he worked with over the decades. I could barely put this book down. He's got a writing style that's so comfortable, so enjoyable to read, well, maybe it was more fun for me because, in my mind I heard his resonate speaking voice reading the whole book like one on tape by the author. There's never been a director like him that I'm aware of, someone who did not have his own style so much as cull the story right out of the block of stone so to speak. Each of the great films he did has their own vision, their own look. A great accomplishment for a real director who mastered his craft. I think of him as a man's man and this book keeps that sense alive. Sure am glad he took the time to write it because it's a lot of fun to explore his life with him. Unique places, people and times in American cinematic history, and he was there, right in the midst of it all. chrisbct@hotmail.com

Here are some great annecdotes (Bogart, Hepburn, Lorrie, Connery, et al.) by one of Hollywood's greatest directors. Huston's private life rivals any script that he ever shot, and his skill and training as a scriptwriter makes this an interesting, articulate volume.

This is a great book for history teachers and history and film buffs! You not only get an in-depth look at the making of one of the greatest films ever created, but you also get a look at the historical aspects (People, places and events) that parallel the film's fictionalized portrayal of history. Grade: A+

After looking at and reading through my copy of The Patriot: The Official Companion about 10 times, I recommend this beautiful work of art to everyone! The photos in this book are breathtaking and realistic and they cover every aspect of the movie. Some of the best shots of the film are included in this work. The articles on the actors are thorough and not only give some history and filmography on them, but also offer a very personal view into their lives. Being on the set during filming myself I can see that The Official Companion offers a view into the business of film-making, and that coupled with the historical aspect of The Patriot will truly make this book a pleasure for everyone! Suzanne and Rachel both did a *wonderful* job!

Great book! I saw the movie and the book brought it all together. One correction should be made though. I live near Rock Hill, SC and we are not a primarily farming community. I have lived here for over 25 years and I don't even know a farmer. Yes, people were excited about the movie being made here, but I don't know anyone who spent their days chasing down Mel Gibson. Anyway, I thought the book was great and so was the movie.

If you enjoyed the movie, you'll really enjoy this book. Lots of big, colorful photographs of the cast and crew at work during the filming; many pictures are suitable for framing--the photos are that good. If you are a student of film, this is a great book in which to learn how a movie is put together from start to finish: the text is very, very enlightening. The book even illustrates and explains how all of the film's special effects were accomplished.

The stunning historical imagery of "The Patriot" was the result of a lot of long hours and hard work by a lot of people, seeking out properly historical sites, consulting with the Smithsonian Institute (the first time they have ever participated in the making of a movie), and ensuring that all of the details of "The Patriot" were properly carried out. This attention to detail is a hallmark of well-made, well-thought-out movies, and was probably last seen to this degree of precision in "Titanic". Learn how "The Patriot" was made in this superb book filled with on-screen and behind-the-scenes photos. The one amusing irony I find is the amount of computer work that went into the massive battle scenes. Is it just me, or is there something slightly -- unusual about computer-generated REVOLUTIONARY WAR combatants? But if it adds to the overall impact of the movie, which it certainly does, what of it? You'll discover that and much more in this must-have book for anyone who enjoyed and was impressed by "The Patriot", which I regard as one of the most significant movies I have ever seen!

Avid Penny Arcade Reader here, and gotta say all their books are a must have!

I love Penny Arcade. The thing I enjoyed most about their books is the commentary that goes along with each comic. This is a must for Penny Arcade fans.

The book was a Christmas present and it came in beautiful condition. Thanks!

Though the entire Penny Arcade archive is available on their website, the extras contained in the print versions make them well worth the purchase. In this second collection, witty commentary accompanies each comic, as well as artwork from the Penny Arcade card game and a "boneyard" of aborted or half finished ideas. Surely the humor contained therein is not to everyones taste, but to those who love it, Epic Legends of the Sword Kings will make a fine addition to your library.

Penny Arcade is a comic that has been around for almost a full decade now, so it is nice that this year they are finally releasing a series of books that bring the comics into our homes without the need for a computer and internet, excluding how you buy the book itself.
This contains the second volume of the series, or all the comics done in 2001 + bonus art and attempts for other webcomics, and it nicely fills out the 150 page book. All the comics are funny start to finish, with plenty of classics filling the book.
I highly recommend the book for readers of any form of comics, and I also recommend it for people who love video games, though my bet is that they cant read this due to playing something like WOW right now.

I bought this book after having owned the editing program for about a year........and suffered all the heartache that can occur if you do not know what you are doing....including crashing Windows.....finally located this superb manual that is user friendly and written by a pro in the field. Since that time, I have produced several projects that are startlingly complex.......and am currently being PAID to produce VHS/DVD productions. A MUST BUY if you purchase Pinnacle Studio 8.

Well laid out and quite thorough. Really a must-have if you are new to Pinnacle Studio DV.

I've had this book for less than a day and it's already paid for itself. I bought Studio 8, which now has been updated to version 8.10 (eight point ten, not 1.0). I figured even if the book were good for the very first versions of Studio 8, OK. As soon as you open the book, you see that Jan refers to changes made as recently as v. 8.6; I was thrilled. This is a brand new book/edition. Studio 8 ships with a 258 page manual right out of the box, which is somewhat amazing for a piece of software like this, but admittedly, the manual is very remedial. This book, from the earliest pages, delves into some seriously useful components within Studio. I have a bunch of these Visual QS books; I'm always ammazed at the bang for the buck in every one of them, this one no exception.

This book is a MUST for anyone new to Pinnacle Studio. I bought the software thinking I could "figure it out on my own"...Not!
This book has saved me!

This book tries to sell itself on the photos of the GUI that you will be using. The photos are a bit small, but good enough when you really need them, which is rare, because the author does a wonderful job of explaining how Pinnacle works. I recieved the software with no documentation and within a few minutes of opening this book I was well on my way to creating DVDs out of some digital movies. The author does a great job explaining both the simple and the complex parts of the software. And refreshingly, the author actually offers opinions on better ways to do some tasks. This is a good buy for anyone using this software.

In the past, I have read many books and articles by Fred Grandinetti about one of the greatest characters ever created - Popeye the Sailor. By reading this book, one finds out what Mr. Grandinetti has already discovered, the truths he has uncovered, opinions he has cultivated and even what he continues to learn and he shares all of this with us about Popeye. Even though this is an expanded update from the first edition published many years ago, one can still learn many fresh things about the character and history of Popeye from this book. With the information, descriptions, photos and illustrations provided, this book is a great springboard for the mind to rekindle one's own personal memories of Popeye from years past. If one is discovering the character of Popeye for the first time, or just revisiting him, this book can introduce and establish who he is and what he is all about. This book is one I continue to enjoy, as it can be read and re-read again and again.

This book is nothing short of genius. A detailed account of the creation of this legendary cartoon character that is still enjoyed by millions. This is the type of documentary that you just can't put down and it answers many, many questions about the history of Popeye the Sailor. Fred Grandinetti has put together an in depth analysis of the old salt and has delivered a classic piece of literature to be enjoyed for generations to come.

Indulge in all that is Popeye! Mr. Grandinetti has put together a book on the American pop culture icon, Popeye the Sailor Man and it is nothing short of fantastic. Popeye: An Illustrated Cultural History is a must for any book collector's library. It is filled with information documenting Popeye's career in print, radio, film and television. The writer has gone to great lengths in his research on the subject matter and it is apparent when admiring some of the rare and hard to find illustrations of Popeye's past layed out in this book.

With the holiday season at our door step I couldn't think of a better gift for that special someone in your life.

Popeye: An Illustrated Cultural History is a brilliant book dedicated to one of the most enduring comic book / cartoon characters of our time - Popeye the Sailor. Written by Fred Grandinetti, the co-founder of the International Popeye Fan Club, this splendidly illustrated book provides an astonishing and thoroughly researched overview of the charismatic sailor's rich history and exciting career. The author leaves no incarnation of the brusque, yet charmingly humble swab untouched - from the pipe-tooting runt's beginnings in daily funny pages, his extremely successful ventures on the silver screen, to Popeye's career on TV, radio, and stage. Mr. Grandinetti also includes a great episode guide with short summaries of every Popeye cartoon, emphasizing significant aspects of particular and/or groundbreaking "Popeye" shorts. As if that is not enough, this magnificent book provides appendixes with selected scripts from Popeye cartoons and information about the International Popeye Fan Club.

What is particularly fascinating about this book is the fact that Fred Grandinetti does not simply reiterate the familiar "essentials" about the muttering sailorman's exciting career, but also includes what has traditionally been marginalized and overlooked within the dominant Popeye discourse. For example, in the "Popeye in Print" section not only does Mr. Grandinetti deal with Popeye's creator, E.C. Segar, and his superb art of storytelling, but he also incorporates various interesting accounts on Segar's imaginative successors and their own versions of Popeye (Doc Winner, Tom Sims, Bela "Bill" Zaboly, Ralph Stein, Bud Sagendorf, Bobby London, Hy Eisman). The author also touches on the gruff mariner's incarnations in comic books and even Mad magazine.

As with his writing on Popeye in print, Fred Grandinetti tries to stay away from the homogeneous interpretations of Popeye on film. For example, not only does Mr. Grandinetti discuss the "best" of Popeye cartoon shorts (Paramount theatrical films), but he also challenges (in a rather refreshing manner) the monolithic/mainstream perception of the King Features Syndicate made-for-TV Popeye cartoons by recognizing the heterogeneous nature of these animated films in terms of different directors' styles, quality of animation, use of music, etc. Here is an example of just how meticulous and comprehensive Mr. Grandinetti's research can be: Beside dealing with the easily distinguishable versions of the spinach-munching mariner (i.e. Fleischer vs. Famous Studios vs. KFS versions of Popeye), the author goes on to display/discuss different visual designs of Popeye used by different animators (i.e. Hugh Frasier, Ed Friedman, Ken Hultgren, Alan Zaslove, etc.) within Jack Kinney's unit that worked on King Features Syndicate's TV "Popeyes" in the period between 1960 and 1961. And that is just one example.

Unlike Mickey Mouse or Bugs Bunny who have had numerous official releases of their best cartoons on both VHS and DVD, Popeye the Sailor, one of the most popular cartoon characters of all time, has been a very unlucky victim of a rather complex corporate quagmire that has been keeping him in a sort of legal limbo for many decades now. In other words, the pipe-smoking sailor's magnificent animated shorts have never been officially released on either VHS or DVD (You can read more about this in the book). But, unlike Mickey or Bugs, Popeye is very fortunate to have the most dedicated, passionate and hard-working fan/historian in the world - Fred Grandinetti, who paid a fantastic tribute to this timeless animated hero in this splendid book. Written with love, admiration, superb knowledge and thorough research, this beautifully illustrated book (with many original frame grabs from theatrical/TV cartoons, comic strip clips, posters and advertisements) is an homage no other classic cartoon character has.

Recommended to animation fans, students of pop culture, history/animation/film, adults, kids,...in one word: recommended to EVERYONE !!!

The breadth of Grandinetti's knowledge about Popeye is truly astounding! This is good news for readers because it means that his book covers all things Popeye. From comic strips to animated cartoons to collectibles to live action to sound recordings to theme park appearances and more, it's all here. Those wanting to learn about the sailor, or find answers to trivia questions, or rekindle childhood memories and finally solve mysteries like "What was the name of that cartoon where Bluto was a bullfighter?" will find what they need. Even long-time diehard fans like me will learn new things. And the
illustrations are wonderful! There are sample strips from all the creators of the comics over the years, stills from the animated films, theatrical posters, sheet music, ads, model sheets and more. Fred includes episode guides, sample scripts, colorizations gaffs, character profiles, mini-bios of the voice artists, a section on the censored Popeye cartoons, and information about The International Popeye Fanclub written by club co-founder Mike Brooks.
In the interest of full disclosure, I should also say that there are two pages about me and my views toward Popeye and the Famous Studios cartoons, but even without those pages I would recommend the book to anyone wanting an education in Popeye and those curious as to why, 75 years after his creation, people all over the world still talk about the one-eyed, pipe tooting hero.
Not everyone will agree with all of Grandinetti's opinions about the various incarnations of Popeye, but Fred tries to be fair and will get you to think. And fans interacting with other fans' thoughts is what fandom is all about.
Bottom line: This is a good job from perhaps the number one Popeye fan in the world.

Colin Mcginn puts the great majority of film theorists to shame with this book. For at least three decades serious film studies have been largely (not entirely) under the hegemonic thumb of poststructuralist, and especially psychoanalytic, theory. Here, we have an extremely thoughtful consideration of film in relation, not to an already-institutionalized theory, but to human beings as creatures with certain kinds of cognitive faculties. Film appeals, Mcginn argues, because of the ways our eyes attend to the world and to the eyes of other people, and because we dream when we sleep. And Mcginn's explanations always show a very clear concern for the non-academic reader. Unlike, in my opinion, most scholars of film, Mcginn understands his own key ideas so well that he can explain them in ways that any reasonably educated person can comprehend. This does not mean his ideas are simple, only that he has mastered their complexity. We may not agree with him, but we can be clear about what he is saying. This has not typically been the case with film studies. Really a good read.

What a marvelous guy is Colin McGinn. He recently appeared with Bill Moyers on the 'Faith & Reason' series and is ever more apparently the closest thing we have in our culture to a modern-day rennaisance man. In 'The Power of Movies' we come to understand how it is that movies are capable of affecting us and what is unique about the movie-viewing experience - as opposed to perceiving other forms of art such as painting, live theater, etc. Personally, I am a huge fan of the way Colin McGinn thinks, what he thinks about, and the lucid, cogent way his thoughts are regurgitated which makes for easy ingestion and assimilation.

Fans of movies and movie history will appreciate this college-level discussion by a philosophy professor who takes a different look at the entertainment industry and its appeal. His analysis considers how movies affect the mind, fire the imagination, and cause viewers to relate to events on screen. Considerations of how screen images pair with emotional reactions and how dreams and narrative work together to create atmosphere create an intriguing blend of philosophical and psychological reflection.

If you enjoyed the musical, Sunset Boulevard by Andrew Lloyd Webber', and liked the song "New Ways to Dream", you will love this book. McGinn takes us on a journey of analytic philosophy as he tries to understand why movies have become cultural icons in our western world. He does this with the skill of a journalist without making this a tutorial on Descartes, Strawson, Barthes, Freud, Wittgenstein or the many other philosophers and psychologists whom he has extensive knowledge as a professor of philosophy at the University of Miami, Florida. His favorite metaphor is that movies are like dreams. He describes movies as synthetic reality, wish fulfillment and propaganda sharing the attribute of being able to seduce our minds. Although he includes recorded music, theater, art and literature as tools to understand the ambiguous relation between mind and the external world, he ranks movies as the most important.

This book of 210 pages is the result of a great modern thinker sharing his thoughts about modern media and the movies. This book will be a favorite for film students and film buffs alike.

I'll get straight to the point: this book changed the way I look at movies. And what's more important, it changed the way I look at the mind. I've read a number of books on philosophy of mind, and they are pretty much dry, abstract, and repetitious; but this book is great because it examines how the mind works, but in an oblique way--by looking at an externalized analogy of mental processes.
This book is highly recommended because it deals with important and complex topics in a way that is simple and very enoyable. A very rare combination. What more could you ask for?