Dance Books

I started buying products in Amazon this year and i'm very satisfied with your service. It's easier and cheaper than our products here in Portugal. I'll be back soon on amazon!

Lázaro Silva

São Mateus, Terceira Island
Azores, Portugal

i am writing this for the benefit of non US readers especially those from my country india which makes 900 films every year.i am in the process of writing a book on screenplay in my native language Telugu and i have been devouring every book that's available.I was thrilled to read about the 'belatedness' Bordwell describes as i share the same dilemma.his summing up of the film writing & film making arts is very usefully informative and inspiring,too.Tollywood( Telugu film industry) churns out around 200 films every year,but nobody here treats screenwriting as something one could learn, and excell if one had the creative talent.I am glad Mr.Bordwell applauds the value of screenwriting books in helping keep the narrative standards from falling.wish guys from my film industry read this book.

David Bordwell is one of the most widely read film scholars around, and not without reason: he writes with ease and ellegance, his insights are often deep and almost always relevant, his starting points are usually essential for better understanding cinematic art. Is he always right?
Of course not, he is not a religious profet or Jacques Lacan (Oops!).

However he usually describes the area of his study quite well, cites references and data he would like you to check in order to see whether he is right and, well, does serious scholarly work. Not a small achievent in a fastly globalizing (and fastly "mcdonaldsizing") academic community of cultural gurus who know everything about everything... Therefore, when you disagree with him (as I sometimes do), you usually know what your are disagreeing about and why.

This book is another Bordwell's insightful contribution to the study of American and global cinema (styles in cinema are basically more international/global than in literature; probably less than in classical music or jazz), explaining how contemporary cinema develops from older stylistical patterns. From the era of silent movies or Slavko Vorkapic's experiments for Frank Capra to modern-era (greatly digitalized) blockbusters, Hollywood's manners and procedures of telling a story can be compared with quite a fruitfull result.
Ofcourse, simple description of stylistic trend or procedure does not directly serve as a proof of aesthetic value, but the subject of this book is, basically, style, not aesthetic value or anything else that can be connected to (and is intertwined on many levels with) style.
This book is equally useful for scholars, teachers and (thanks to his nice style and clear argumentation) students of cinema and all other educated art lovers.

Like the author's other works, this is a highly meticulous and empirical study of the way contemporary Hollywood films function. Paying close attention to selected films by intensive frame analysis, Bordwell calls into question many contemporary "sibboleths" concerning the status of "post-Hollywood" which he reveals as having more connections with its classical counterpart than most critics believe. His attention to fine detail and references to "American Cinematographer" and screenwriting manuals reveal that he has really done his homework. He challenges his contemporaries to do likewise before they engage in problematic "post" judgements whether they be on the realm of postmodernism, post-colonialism, and post- anything which may become academic equivalents of those formerly fashionable platform shoes or flared trousers that often date episodes of the 1970s British cop series THE SWEENEY.

The references to contemporary Hong Kong cinema and analysis of films such as Johnny To's A HERO NEVER DIES are also valuable components of this book. Like DRAGNET's Sergeant Joe Friday, Bordwell insists that we supply facts based on viewing the evidence ourselves. We should not ignore important empirical aspects before we begin to make meanings that may eventually prove to be non-substantial. Those who choose to avoid the well-researched findings of this book should be issued with speeding tickets and forced to attend a scholarly version of "community service" or "boot camp" involving the detailed viewings of as many films as possible, reading interviews with film directors, and studying important journals such as AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER. This is equally important for those newly converted "film experts" in English Departments of postmodernist persuasion who recently discover Laura Mulvey's 1975 essay on "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema" and regard it as a "gospel" truth which remains unaltered today! These feelings are more akin to non-linguistic theological studies and not the highly textual, linguistic based explorations of biblical and near eastern studies that relay on studies in pre-semitic studies, Canaanite, Aramaic, and Arabic studies to reveal key empirical structures influencing "holy writ."

This is another indispensable work by an important scholar that every serious professor and student should learn from even if it only involves better interpretation and a more professional "making of meaning."

"Whodunit - You Decide!" is a book of twelve mini-mysteries in a court room setting. The book is divided into four sections: An opening statement which explains how the book works; the court cases themselves which are short stories; jury deliberations (arranged alphabetically by story); and the verdicts (again arranged alphabetically by story). At the end of each story is a section called "Trial Witnesses and Evidence" which consists of five different pieces of evidence for each puzzle. Listed at the top of this section is a notation saying how many clues are needed to solve the puzzle. After reading each puzzle, the evidence section, and jury deliberation section readers are to decide whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty.

Although there are only twelve mini-mysteries in "Whodunit - You Decide!" each puzzle is complex and challenging enough to keep you busy for hours. The courtroom setting is a unique idea and a great way of giving readers just enough clues to help solve the mysteries. The puzzles range from easy to difficult and extremely clever. The easiest puzzles are "Our Man in the Field", "The Haunted House Murder", "The Lady in the Dumbwaiter" and "Will-O'-The-Wisp". "Death and the Single Girl" is easy but extremely clever while "Trial of the Black Widow" is a puzzle that has been done in various forms in mini-mysteries which makes it very easy to solve for long-time fans of mini-mysteries. "A Witless Eyewitness" and "No Brake for the Wearys" are tough and very clever puzzles. "The Vanishing Verrocchio" is also very clever with some nicely placed clues. "One Strike You're Out" is also very clever but relies too much on coincidence. Only two of the puzzles didn't work for me: "The Hot Designer" was not very believable and "A Family Feud" was an odd puzzle. I really liked the fact that the jury deliberation and verdict sections are arranged alphabetically by story which makes it impossible to accidentally see the clues or solutions to the puzzles following the one you are working on.

"Whodunit - You Decide!" is an excellent book of mini-mysteries.

The problem with the trial format is that it makes the book predictable plotwise: person A is always innocent, and a person B always has some crazy plan to frame person A. However, the crimes are just as challenging as the last edition. This work is still a far cry from a half-baked whodunit, where a case is "solved" when a suspect blurts out a lie. It's got me hooked and I'm 21, which is quite an achievement.
"The Haunted House murder" is the best case in this book.

This book is a sequel to "Almost Perfect Crimes : Mini-Mysteries for You to Solve". Once again you'll need to fire up all of your little gray cells to solve this new set of 12 clever whodunits! Note that some of the puzzles in this book have also appeared in a slightly altered form at "The Case" website. Buyer beware!

Instead of mindlessly watching TV tonight, why not try a Whodunit mystery? These mysteries are fun and challenging -- think Encyclopedia Brown for an older crowd. Each one has clever twists and it's great fun to exercise your power of deduction.

Each mystery is set up like a court case where the reader puts herself in the shoes of a juror. The general information about the case is given, followed by a set of clues (you don't need all of the clues to figure them out), and the answers are given in the back of the book.

This book would be great on a long road trip, or as an alternative to the mundanity of watching television. I'd recommend it to parents of teenagers, or anyone who wants to sink his teeth into a mystery.

This is a charming little book which is lovely in its presentation and soothing in its lyrical vignettes. It makes an excellent gift for someone who lives outside the frenetic energy of suburbia... or for those who wish they did....

Read this from our library then had to buy 2 to have - one for a gift, one to keep. Like it so much have given both as gifts! Each chapter is a gem, a story of woman in nature with the meaning of the interaction subtly displayed but left up to the reader to interpret for her own life.

Even better than the author's Animals as Guides for the Soul, this is an elegant little book to savor and to come back to. The insights drawn from the author's observations of the nature around her and of her life give meaning to the seasons of the year and the seasons of life. Buy one for youself and one for a friend.

WHY BUFFALO DANCE: ANIMAL AND WILDERNESS MEDITATIONS THROUGH THE SEASONS offers a lovely set of nature appreciations musing on everything from the lessons of eagles in 'The Right Timing' to a Spring celebration in 'The True Nature of Things'. These aren't the one-line meditations you've come to anticipate in such celebrations of life, but thought-provoking essays linking observations of nature with seasonal inspiration.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This is a very complex play although it seems simplistic at first. There were a lot of changes going on in society when Ibsen wrote this play in 1884 And not everyone was adapting to these changes. Some still tried to cling to the old way of doing things, and others were trying to force changes within their own sphere. (Is that so different than now?) Anyway, Ibsen portrays these varying degrees of acceptance with his characters in this play. And he does a masterful job of it. How can so much be depicted about the heartache and pathos of the human psyche within the limits of a five-act play? That is Ibsen/s genius.

so hilarious, so poignant, so daring, and so dense - teeming with life - the characters speaking their characterization - and such beautiful characters - and so wacko

Ibsen's philosophical "message" in this play disturbs me. I don't think I agree with Dr. Relling that each of us needs his own brand of self-deception to cope with life. Certainly Hialmar Ekdal is content enough, and hilariously funny as an lazy fool who thinks he's a creative genius in photograhy, a breadwinner to his wife and daughter, and a martyr to his father's scandalous past. Alas, his friend Gregers Werl points the way to the truth, that Hialmar is deceived about everything in his life. It would all be comical but for the fact that Hialmar's daugher Hedvig, who is probably not his daugther at all, shoots herself as proof of her love for Hialmar. So, Ibsen seems to say, here the truth has cost a young girl's life, an unbearable tragedy but for the fact that she was going blind. Well, no doubt there is cost in knowing the truth about oneself and about others, no doubt there are things we prefer not to know, and no doubt there are people like Hialmar who are impervious to truth. But there are also people like Hialmar's wife Gina, and Dr. Relling himself, who know the truth and who hold up nobly and well. For at least these, I think Ibsen should recommend truth in large doses, and perhaps he does.

Many find Ibsen difficult to understand. I certainly did. However, by reading The Wild Duck, I was introduced to an entire new world of symbolism and creative writing. Like the master he was, Ibsen paints a portrait of a family, representing all of us, living on a lie. Cruelty in our midst, innocent victimes and pragmatists losing to the vindictive, it's all there. The touches of comedy and tragedy just increase the impression that it does concern us, that really, he's looked into our lives and seen our lies, although hopefully in a less extreme version. And don't we all know a Hedvig, a Gina, a Hjalmar and a Gregers? Maybe there's something of the all in all of us... The book sucks you in, creeps under your skin and stays there, along with the horror, the anger and the sympathy you feel while reading. In my opinion, one of the best examples of Ibsen's less romantic period of writing.

This book was awarded the 2004 Gold Medal "Book of the Year Award" in the Adventure/Recreation Category by Foreword Magazine. It was also a finalist at the prestigious Banff International Mountain Book Festival, a Silver Medal winner at the annual Publisher's Marketing Association Ben Franklin Awards, and Runner Up in the Travel Category at the Publisher's Association of the West Book Design and Production Awards. Thanks for your interest.

It's obvious that the author has perused plenty of climbing books and learned from the successes and failures of others. This is a gorgeous book, with concise route descriptions that are informative without wrecking the adventure of the climbs themselves. The photos are clear and useful and the book is well-organized. I have climbed a few of the longer routes in Cody as well as several in Montana and have yet to find any inaccuracies. 99% of the book is about routes - the obligatory stuff about local ethics and history is interesting but brief, unlike some guidebooks that fill half their pages with Leave No Trace advice.

Highly recommended for all ice climbers interested in seeing the Yellowstone ecosystem from high on an ice climb!

for any outdoor enthusiast, not to mention 'climber',this is a striking book. the paper quality and photos would in itself be a great addition to your library. the read is well done and in the true climber lingo, would recommend highly.

This guide book is well written, thought out, and has some reall really nice photos. All routes are photographed, making finding them alot easier. They could almost slap a hard cover on it and sell it as a coffe table book.

This is an excellent reference and manual for voice-over artists. It's a particularly good buy when combined with the companion audio casette.

I always recommend this book. Susan Blu has the credentials: she's an accomplished voice talent, a casting director and a voice acting teacher. Along with tips and tricks, there's a great regional listing of agencies, schools and studios with addresses and phone numbers. She knows her stuff and you'd be doing yourself a favor by following her advice in this book.

Here in Los Angeles the streets are lined with people who can "read copy," but the choice voiceover assignments go to the select few who add something more to the work - believability, personality, and a strong one-on-one connection with the audience. "A camera does not lie," say the authors, "and neither does a microphone."

That's why this book is so valuable. Although trying to teach voiceover skills through a book is inherently challenging -- sort of like trying to teach driving, or violin-playing, that way -- this book is the most successful one I am aware of. It is without doubt the best single resource on voiceover work in print today.

The key is the authors' relentless focus on the internal process of creating great readings, which they call "The Basic Process."

"Ad copy is more than just a bunch of words strung together to promote a product," they write in Chapter 2. "It is very much like a miniature play, with a beginning, a middle, and an end. One or more characters are involved, and it takes place at a particular time and place. You need to discover all those elements and more to act out the copy."

To get in touch with the reality of the copy, the authors detail their Basic Process: "Focus - Visualize - Commit." Using this process "allows you to make the copy your own little drama or comedy with its own life and vitality." Without it, "all your readings will sound alike -- and that sound will be mechanical and lacking in conviction." I don't know how anyone could lay out this crucial principle more clearly. The detailed suggestions for how to follow the Basic Process are both helpful and understandable.

The book offers a wealth of other information as well, including discussions about refining your reads, developing other voices and characters, preparing for animation work, producing a demo tape, finding an agent, handling auditions, and promoting yourself in your market. Throughout the book, voice actors, casting directors, advertising writers, and other industry experts are quoted extensively with helpful advice and entertaining war stories. Practice copy in various genres is provided. And the appendices contain numerous listings of workshops, agencies, and other resources of interest to voice talent. Every chapter offers tremendous value, all of it written with charm, elegance, and a sense of humor.

Anyone serious about a voiceover career should get this book and devour it.

I recommend this book to anyone looking to get into this biz. Even if you are already IN this biz, you can never know too much. Susan keeps on track and winds you through the proper elements of building a career and knowing "how to" when it comes to the basics, demo tapes, agents, auditions and more. Susan & Molly also list many contacts with agencies, workshops, etc.

A must have guide to voice work!

Johnny George
VO guy

www.johnnygeorge.com

One of the things that I have always liked about Joe Lansdale is that he dares to be different. His tales tend to have plotlines that you will not find in other writers' stories, and he has a dark sense of humor that will make you feel almost guilty for finding some of the bits funny. Not all of these stories are actually horror stories, but those that are will probably still disturb you even after you have put down the book. Almost all of the stories in this collection stood out to me for one reason or another, but the stories that made the deepest impression on me were "Love Doll: A Fable," "Bubba Ho-Tep," "Drive-in Date," and "In the Cold Dark Time." These four stories stand out to me as being the most exemplary of Lansdale's unique voice. However, "Godzilla's Twelve Step Program" is the story that is the most "fun" in the book.

Is Texas life really like Joe Lansdale portrays it? If so, I'll stay away. The characters in his stories make the guests of Jerry Springer seem classy in comparison. Nonetheless, his stories make for very enjoyable reads.

"Writer of the purple rage" is a collection of 15 short stories, most of them likely to be weirder than anything you've ever read. Here's what some of the stories focus on:

-A plastic love-doll comes to life
-Godzilla grows a conscience and enters a rehab program

-A baby's diaper gets possesed by aliens
-An old man in a rest home who thinks he's Elvis hops in his
wheelchair and battles a swamp monster.

I know some of this sounds a little cheesy, but don't worry, Lansdale somehow manages to pull it off. The only reason this does not get 5 stars is that like just about every short story collection, there are a couple of duds, like "the diaper", which plays like Robert McCammon's "Pin" on speed. But 2 bad stories out of a collection of 15 is nothing to crow about.

Oh, and for those of you who enjoy low-budget horror and b-movies, you'll get a real kick out of "Hard-on for horror", a non-fiction short where Lansdale explains his fascination with the b-movie.

Now that I've read this, I can't wait to get my hands on "High Cotton", another short story collection by this great author.

There's no other way to say it: Joe R. Lansdale is Hemingway with balls.

Dark psychology and over-the-top stories characterize most of the stories in Writer of the Purple Rage. Lansdale is a combination of James Ellroy, Clive Barker, and K.W. Jeter. Everyman is confronted with death, decay, and a sociopathological society in stories that range from a blow-up sex doll which becomes a victimizer to two psychopaths with a taste for necrophilia to Godzilla on a twelve-step program. Lansdale twists and screws plots to make the supermarket horror writer look like a children's book writer

Prepare yourself for a treat! This book of Karel's essays address the many issues of his complicated mind. You will laugh and cry and learn!
I was particularly touched by his poignant apology to Mrs. Reagan!
Gay or straight,this book is a must read!
Interested? Try listening to the man on KGO 810 radio weekends 7-10pm. Computer feed available! Listen and Learn and Laugh even!

I have listened to Karel for about 3 years now, and he calls it like he sees it. I agree with 98% of his views, I love him for who he is and how he shares his life openly with us.

Karel is a very entertaining host and I respect the fact he says what he thinks-- which too many people today haven't the guts to do. Nevertheless, I have at least one caveat-- if you have any training in economics, cover your ears when he starts going off on such issues. Here he is quite clueless, simply follows the typical liberal line and displays a fundamental ignorance of the basic principles of the subject.

Laugh (out loud), cry, think, talk. This book says it all. It will make you laugh. Crisp dialog and quick wit on every page. This book will make you cry. Read about about Karel's bond with his mother. This book will make you think. Karel writes about everyday topics, news, and cultural happenings from a gay man's prespective. But don't think of it as a "gay" book or you'll miss the boat. Because you'll often find yourself in that "ah-ha" moment when you realize that you agree with his point of view; that it all makes sense. But most of all "You Can't Say That" will make you want to talk. To talk about society, fitting in, loving and leaving, life and death. So read it. Share it with your friends. Then get ready for the dialog to begin. Karel has a lot to say, indeed.

What a great find! The short monologs in this collection are right on target for middle and highs school kids. Student readers will find the voices fresh and the issues pertinent. Teachers and parents can use the monologs to develop speech and drama skills, as well as a stepping stone to engage kids in meaningful conversations. The monologs' short length make them easy to use any time, but the issues could be expanded for lengthier discussions. Not only that, but they're FUN!

I found this book to be a great tool for any kind of speech/audition preparation by teens. Subject matter is age appropriate and well written. Makes a good read for anyone interested in current teenage concerns.

The monologs in this book are real and can be used in many ways. It is clear that the writer used many real stories and situations.

I bought this book for 99 cents figuring I had nothing to lose. I was shocked at the reading pleasure it brought to me!

This book is extremely entertaining for readers of all kinds. It provides basic information for well over 100 different television series as well as little-known facts and a look at how the television programs influenced culture.

Also not to be missed are the photographs included. While many of the photos are well-known, they are all beautifully displayed with vibrant color. Most intriguing were photographs of Lucille Ball and Mary Tyler Moore, although there are great photos from shows such as The X-Files, Star Trek, The Simpsons, and many others.

I also like how, in addition to the "100 Greatest Shows Ever," the reader is also treated to the top 10 shows in other various genres. The book really makes you rethink the entertainment that television can provide. Buy it -- you won't regret it!

I totally love this book! It is so entertaining, and just a terrific way to spend time. You can see everything you want to know about the top shows, and it's just terrific to read through, especially if you want to know about the top shows.

If you love TV then this is the book for you. Contains beautiful color and black and white photos and just enough information on all of the shows featured. All sidebars contain: Years on the air, top nielsen charting, and # of emmys won, as well as other interesting goodies like quotes from critics trashing great shows like Seinfeld, All in the Family, The X-Files,and Everybody Loves Raymond when they first aired. Go buy this book!