Arts and Culture Books

Fun! I did my top 10 choices and I think the results described me perfectly. This will by my top gift for friends this year. Would be fun for a party, a book club, any gathering - or just to read through on your own. Addictive -- you also find yourself trying to categorize people you know. Only thing I will say that the results are slightly more appropriate for a single vs. married individual as romantic pursuit plays a part in some of the descriptions, but don't let that stop you from buying the book.

Cinescopes is entertaining and can keep a party going for hours. This book is totally fun and allows you to really understand personality traits just based on what you enjoy watching. Movies are great because we relate to them, and Cinescopes is fun because it ties our movie trends to our personalities. You will definitely laugh a lot and learn a lot from this book.

I most certainly recommend this work and it is a fun read!

We bought this for a gift but ended up taking to every gathering over the holidays that went to. We brought along a chart that we made up to go with it. It was a fun conversation starter!

The authors of this book have combined their educational credentials and film industry experience to create a unique, fun, and not-so-scientific analysis of personality type based upon favorite movies. I participated on the Internet before I bought the book, and to validate my "Charismatic Performer" profile, I entered another ten movies and obtained the same result. It appears that in some instances, your profile may not portray what you are as much as what you wished you could be (your alter-ego, as it were). In the last few days, I have encouraged many people to find their Cinescope and have enjoyed the feedback and discussion.

CINESCOPES has the potential for being the 21st Century's answer to Trivial Pursuit and will probably stimulate us to watch movies that we haven't seen in a while and view some from others' Top Ten (I have spent a lot of time on IMDb lately). My only criticism is that the list of movies in the back of the book is very incomplete. No White Christmas? No Interlude? Last night on Turner Classic Movies, The Sterile Cuckoo with Liza Minelli (nominated for two Academy Awards) was on, and that wasn't listed either. Because this book is so different and has provided me with a winter diversion, I forgave the omissions and awarded it Five Stars for originality.

"Movies are the mythic tales of today. They can make us cry, scream, or laugh. They can cheer us up or bring us down. And just like those ancient stories of humans struggling for the favor of the gods, movies tend to focus on a hero undertaking some kind of journey, whether it be physical, intellectual or emotional." - From Cinescopes

Quick: list your ten favorite movies.

Did Michael Clayton or Forrest Gump make the cut? What about Napoleon Dynamite, Hotel Rwanda, The Da Vinci Code, or Batman Begins? Did Toy Story, It's a Wonderful Life, or What the Bleep Do We Know make your list or perhaps No Reservations, Somewhere In Time, or E.T. is more to your liking?

No matter what cinematic fare you prefer, it is possible that your favorite movies can reveal intriguing aspects of your personality. In the clever new book Cinescopes, authors Risa Williams and Ezra Werb outline sixteen distinct personality profiles based on psychology, cinematic theory and mythology. All you need to do to find your unique profile is list your favorite movies, look them up in the index, record the appropriate Cinescope codes and determine which profile crops up the most by adding them together.

Do you enjoy Wayne's World, The Simpson's Movie or Airplane? According to Cinescopes, you would be an Invincible Optimist (IO). Having On Golden Pond, Mommie Dearest and Crash among your favorite movies would make you a Determined Survivor (DS).

Maybe you're a Destined Hunter (DH) like me, anticipating the thrills and chills of movies like Joy Ride, Misery and Saw. If you're an Existential Savior (ES) like my husband, you'd probably count The Matrix, The Mothman Prophecies, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Close Encounters of the Third Kind among your treasured films.

In addition to learning more about yourself (not to mention getting some great ideas for movies you'd enjoy based on your personality!), Cinescopes also offers each type's deepest secret, strengths and weaknesses--as well as behavior in the workplace, with friends and in romance. The author's also provide Quintessential Statements (corresponding movie quotes), most (and least) compatible Cinescope types, greatest nemesis, words of advice and much more.

I found my second highest Cinescope profile (Existential Savior) the most startling accurate and thorough, but my highest profile also gave some canny observations. However, my husband's highest profile (Existential Savior) didn't sound like him at all. The compatibilities were hit and miss, too, but hey...this is movie profiling we're talking about. Not all of our favorite movies were included in the book (e.g. Mr. Brooks, Prime, Red Planet, Kung Pow: Enter the Fist, The Magdalene Sisters, etc.), and I found a code error for the Ratatouille movie (DY and IS are listed. I assume they meant DI and YS?)

Engaging and accessible, this engaging 176-page book would make a perfect gift for movie buffs or personality junkies, as well as serving as an excellent icebreaker for groups. Cinescopes would also make fantastic entertainment for family reunions, parties and holiday get-togethers.

If you want to know what your favorite movies reveal about you--a Vivacious Romantic, Youthful Sage or Passionate Maverick at core, perhaps?--check out Cinescopes by Quirk Books. At the very least, it's fun and fresh--but you may also walk away discovering a heckuva lot about yourself in the process.

Janet Boyer, author of The Back in Time Tarot Book: Picture the Past, Experience the Cards, Understand the Present (coming Fall 2008 from Hampton Roads Publishing)

DEFINING VISION by Joel Brinkley is as comprehensive as any history behind the development of HDTV/DTV can ever possibly get. The text of this book will surely be required possessions for technological historians for at least the next 1000 years.

I'm reading this book a second time (a year later) because it's such a great introduction to players in the HDTV world. Brinkley chose a suspense style, and it really works well. I am excited about HDTV and turned each page holding my breath - hoping for a successful conclusion. Now I'm looking for more works that go beyond 1998, and can't find any more fulfilling...and the story isn't over yet!

Having had the opportunity to check the authenticity with several of the principles in the book, my hat's off to Joel Brinkley. He ties all the factions together that brought us DTV. It is a story with more twists and turns than you expect that comes mixing an industry that hates to change with new technology. Add in the governments of the U.S. and Japan, and it really becomes fun. Mr. Brinkley did a masterful job telling the story. This is a must read for anyone interested in television.

In the early 1980s US broadcasters faced two major headaches spawned by greed and jingoism. Their comfortable, tidy, oligopolistic-and profitable-broadcast world was about to be shaken by the digital revolution, where foes and friends were often indistinguishable. New York Times reporter and Pulitzer Prize winner Joel Brinkley takes the reader on a roller coaster through boardrooms, bureaucracy, technocracy, and hubris (individual and national) in "Defining Vision." It is a ride worth taking for broadcast students, educators, historians, and international political economists.

Represented by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), radio and television companies considered the broadcast band spectrum their personal property. This largesse suddenly came under assault from the land mobile industry that wanted more spectrum space for a variety of public interest broadcast services such as police, firefighters, ambulance, quick response units, and other emergency services. Broadcasters, too, saw a new threat from across the sea. The Japanese spent $300 million and hundreds of thousands of engineering man-hours developing high definition television (HDTV). NHK unveiled its Muse system in 1986 to US policymakers and consumers. The picture quality was superior to the current analog systems in the United Sates, and Japanese-made monitors were designed to fit the wider formatted movies without the annoying letterbox effect.

Brinkley chronicles the scrimmages involving development of HDTV in the US like a general writing his wartime memoirs-if that general had access to the thinking of his opposition, that is. First the grand alliance-RCA, Zenith, AT&T, Phillips, General Instruments and MIT-had to admit that a victory by any one of them in the costly race to develop HDTV would be a defeat for the others. They were able to convince a willing FCC Advisory Committee that cooperation was possible in building a single system. Committee chairman Richard Wiley's role in HDTV cannot be understated (and Brinkley doesn't). His single-minded pursuit of high definition television as the national (and, it turned out, international) standard most probably resulted in its acceptance.

US broadcasters had worried privately and publicly as well, that the future of television would be dictated by a consortium of Japanese electronics magnates and NHK, the world's second-largest broadcasting company. Across the Atlantic, the European Union was equally concerned, and promised up to a billion dollars to Europeans to come up for a system on its own or else adopt the Japanese HDTV, since the Americans seemed not to be players in the game as the century's ninth decade unfolded. But the European effort never got off paper. US broadcasters at first fretted about a new "yellow peril" that posed as great a threat to them as it did to the automobile industry a decade earlier. Ever opportunistic, however, broadcasters found the Japanese an unlikely ally in their fight to snatch the unused frequencies from land mobile companies. HDTV, as the Muse system showed, required additional bandwidth space. Obviously, they reasoned, Congress and the FCC could not allocate precious broadcast spectrum space to land mobile users when they, the "rightful frequency heirs," needed the frequencies for HDTV.

At the same time, MIT's Nicholas Negroponte, who Brinkley treats somewhat derisively, was telling anyone who would listen that "HDTV had to be digital," not analog, which would allow for signal compression that would fit into existing frequencies. One naysayer echoed a common broadcast engineering complaint at the time: "we will have digital HDTV when we have anti-gravitation machines." Broadcast engineers at the major manufacturers nodded in agreement: digital high definition television technologically could not be done. The NAB, in its attempt to protect its space band largesse, inadvertently kicked off a race to develop HDTV in the United States that took on the trappings of a crusade to "rescue" the future of television in the United States from the hands of foreign interests. Along the way, General Instruments research engineer Woo Paik invented digital television (because, as a non-broadcast engineer, he didn't know that "it was impossible").

HDTV uses a compressed digital broadcast signal that not only remained within a single frequency but allowed broadcasters additional capacity to sell secondary services such as pager services, email, Internet connections, digital music, and pay-per-view movies. With such an entrée to new revenue flows, the reader would be surprised to learn the depth of NAB's animus to HDTV. Simply put, broadcasters used the HDTV concept to wrest away additional public airwaves spectra and then, among themselves, grumbled that they were unwilling to invest in new high definition cameras, monitors, and other equipment that would allow them to broadcast signals in both progressive scan (favored by the computer programming and manufacturing sector) and interlaced (favored by broadcasters) modes. Another opponent of a high definition television standard was the fledgling computer manufacturing industry in the mid-1990s, which didn't want the additional expense of adding interlacing decoding to what essentially was a dedicated proscan system.

After seven years of ups and downs in a process that often threatened to sputter, splinter, and spin totally out of control, HDTV in a digital form arrived in the US shortly after Thanksgiving in 1997. Despite all predictions to the contrary, the HDTV "turkey" arrived fully stuffed with enough goodies to ease its transition into the marketplace. The result was acceptance of the Americanized international standard by the European Union and the final, if not sad, acknowledgment by NHK that its analog Muse system was outmoded before it even got much beyond a toehold in its native land.

In "Defining Vision," Brinkley has crafted a highly readable, almost techno-mystery story with well-defined characters: heroes, villains, and rascals alike. At times he seems to get into the heads of the key players, which he explains as a literary device borne from extensive interviews with the principals who told him what they were thinking at the time. The effect rounds the edges of what could have been a highly technical, heuristic, and sloggish recitation of engineering reports, public hearings, and dreary diary entries from the participants. To his credit, the author explains his process to readers in an epilogue, thus enhancing the book's credibility. Furthermore, in this paperback edition, the author has updated and expanded several sections over the hardcover version, including an appendix and FAQ that are instructional.

I work in the television broadcast industry and this is a must read if you want to learn about the origins of HDTV, the players who made HDTV a reality, and how the standards for HDTV were defined. The author is an authority on the subject and provides an excellent description of the systems, history, etc. that both technical and business professionals can understand. At my company this has become required reading. I highly recommend this book.

This book is very interesting, part cookbook part Hollywood scandles.

Laurie Jacobson delves into some of Tinsletowns most interesting stories.
From the murder trial of Spade Cooley (who killed his second wife in the 1940's) to the untimly death of the orginal Edna Turnblat (Divine) Lauie Jacobson tells about the scandals and then shows a recipe connected to that person (After talking about Roman Polanski she shares a recipe for the nachos he at before fleeing to Europe during his rape trial.)

A very interesting book.

I fortuitously fell into this little gem the day after xmas.....a belated "BEST" present to myself.
While I already own Jacobson's two other books and hold her in high regard, this book proves that she is only getting better as a film historian and writer.
She assumes a slick, quasi-cinema noir persona in her narrative and mixes in a Sandra Lee-like easy 'recipe' that takes a not too subtle slam at each of the scandals/stories she relates. The vanity of the 'dish' (aka scandal/tragedy/hard luck story) only enhances the general readability of this book. This is a novel approach that makes an already interesting product even more appealing. I kept thinking that the author did a terrific job with the material she was presenting.
Aside from the kidding around, this book is really rather fair and factual. The author knows her stuff and relies on knowledgeable sources to substantiate or refute claims made in the book.
My only criticism of this book is that I wish it had been longer and had covered some other stories that I find interesting and want to know more about. Hopefully there will be a follow-up to this book which will do that.
Anyway, this is a very good read and worth the $ and time spent reading it.

I had so much fun reading this book! The stories are great and Miss Jacobson clears up a lot of false Hollywood rumors. The best part about this book is that it includes chapters about some forgotten stars like Carole Landis, Dorothy Kilgallen, and Lupe Velez. Anyone who is a fan of classic Hollywood and loves juicy gossip will want this book.

I love Laurie Jacobson's books and this one is the best yet!!! I love her "juicy little tidbits" about the stars of yesteryear. The stories are very entertaining and I love the fact that she also included recipes to match the stories. A very clever thing to do!!! It's almost like 2 books in one, a gossipy book and a cookbook! I hope she continues to research Hollywood and to write wonderful books about the stars!!!! My only complaint---it's not long enough!!! I am ready for a "Dishing Hollywood II".

I highly recommend Dishing Hollywood The Real Scoop on Tinseltown's Most Notorious Scandals. Laurie Jacobson really knows her stuff and serves up heaping portions of scandal and intrigue of Hollywood's most notorious stars. I have read all of the author's books and Dishing Hollywood is Jacobson at her best. Jacobson brilliantly spins tale after sordid tale, "sprinkles" famous film quotes throughout each chapter and "tops" off with a recipe of the star's favorite dish (or, in some cases, their last meal!). Dishing Hollywood is a tasty treat, and I can't wait for Jacobson's next book!

My wife wanted this book to find out Marilyn Monroe's makeup secrets. I'm not complaining.

Devon Cass takes celebrity impersonators (who run the gamut from looking somewhat like the celeb to being virtually identical) and shows how they create the look. I was surprised by the detail that goes into every makeup job; sometimes it's not the gross features but the little things -- tiny birthmarks, dimples, the line of the lower lip -- that bring out the similarity.

I found it useful (I've worked as a Fergie lookalike in the past) and also entertaining. Highly recommended

This book is an incredible photographic documentation of the power of makeup, etc; and you will understand how much you can transform yourself when you see Devon Cass turn himself into Cher. Many of the transformations are just incredible--in particular my jaw dropped at Cher, the guy who did Marilyn, and the woman who did Mariah Carey. And there is lots of information on how to get there, with fascinating half-face makeup shots, advice on wardrobe, and even famous lines of the stars to give you something to say once you've gotten there. I dare say, though, that this book is, for most people, going to be something to gawk at rather than a guide to a halloween costume. Too often necessary details are missing--you are told what to get, then sometimes it is kind of "then go ahead and put it on the way Cher does"....not all that helpful all the time. But still, there's tons here, and lots of people will enjoy this book--I'd heartily recommend it for all you crossdressers out there; buy two and give one to a friend!

This book is an amazing compendium of information and inspiration. The photos are remarkable, as are the effects of the makeovers on every model! Devon Cass REALLY knows his stuff, and he shows and demonstrates it ALL in this book! He's elevated celebrity impersonations into an artform, and chronicled every single step for the reader. Buy this book and be AMAZED at the transformative powers of makeup, clothes, hair, etc. to create indelible images.

Devon takes you on a journey through transformation at its finest!You can learn all new and exciting make-up tips to better improve your everyday make-up ability.As well as being privy to make-overs that will blow your mind.Cher'Madonna and Liz would be proud! Either become your favorite star or create your own with Double Take you wont be dissapointed!

I finally got my hands on a copy of this amazing book. It has lived up to everything I've heard about it from my fellow Elvis fans. First of all it's huge. It's 626 oversized pages of nothing but Elvis. It has over 500 photos ( I stopped counting at 500). Many of the photos were completly new to me. If you were from another planet and didn't know anything about Elvis this book would bring you up to speed. I predict this book will become "the bible" of Elvis fans all over the world.

The book is divided into 33 chapters. Each chapter focuses on one aspect of Elvis and his fans. Some of the chapter titles: Elvis music, Elvis and family, Elvis and the Army, Elvis and romance, Elvis and the martial arts, Elvis and food, Elvis impersonators, Elvis and animals, Elvis in person, Collecting Elvis, Elvis in cyberspace - It's sort of a "how to" book on being an Elvis Fan. It's like a Peter Guralnick book with a sense of humor and a lot more photos.

Not only does it tell you everything you want to know about Elvis himself, it tells you about what has emerged in the 25 years since he's been gone. At the end of every chapter is a section called " The Elvis and You Experience." This is where the author's suggest things to do to enhance your enjoyment of Elvis. The suggestions are a lot of fun. Some are really silly. Just like Elvis!

My favorite chapter is "The Pilgrimage". It lists all the important places to see in Memphis during tribute week. A lot of stuff only Elvis insiders know. I'm studying up to get ready for Tribute week 2002. If you're going to the 25th anniversary Elvis week in Memphis this August. I have one thing to say about this book. Don't leave home without it!

Probably because the book is this massive it is printed on very thin paper. Especially because this guide will function as a reference book often, this is a pity. We bet there will be only a few in perfect condition after a couple of weeks. Also a lot of the pictures used in the book deserve more than the exposure they get now, also due to the poor paper-quality. On the other hand: this work on quality paper might hardly be affordable for a lot of people, so the choice is understandable. Let's see if the content is good enough to hope for a "deluxe version" someday.As we always do with new books, we thumbed through it looking for new pictures. On first sight it looked a little complex, with a lot of repeats, we thought. Well, we weren't completely wrong about that, but starting from the beginning we soon found out it has a reason, and a well considered one. All chapters are build in the same way: a more or less short essay about the subject, facts ("Essential Elvisology"), references ("Your Elvis Education") and tips how to enrich your own experiences regarding the subject ("The Elvis And You Experience"). This consistent design makes it pretty easy to find what you want, most of the time. Unfortunately there is no index to this guide, so when you are looking for something really specific... it can be a very hard job.During the acknowledgements it becomes clear that the book has "a heavy Internet base". The reader familiar with the Elvis-scene on the Internet will recognize a lot of the names. Of course this results in a lot of references to the Internet throughout the book.The book is split up in 33 chapters, starting with the man himself: a short biography, mainly a time-line of important dates, his death, his records, his movies, his TV-work, his shows and his personal interests. There are a couple of chapters that are devoted mainly to the fans: Collecting, The Pilgrimage, Your Elvis Shrine, Impersonators and such. As stated before, all chapters start with an essay. Those essays are very well written, and even though nothing new comes up, the point of view from the authors makes them very enjoyable. The guide part of these chapters is very good, directing the reader towards the more important available works. Because the Internet-addresses (the so-called URL's) are often very long and hardly readable, the references to the sites look pretty cluttered. A better solution would have been to list just the site-names, with an alphabetic overview including the URL's in the back of the book. Since this book has its own site (that is: they are constructing the site, so far it looks like they only registered the URL), it might be a nice idea to include all links used in the book on that site, if possible per chapter. Since the Internet is evolving constantly, this might be a good idea anyway. Before such a list returns from the printer it may be outdated already.In general we can say the Elvis part of the guide is reliable, there are some mistakes, but they are in every book it seems, and we didn't find real major misses. The "You"-part is often going towards the ridiculous, especially the chapters we mentioned before. This certainly doesn't mean you can easily skip them. Again, the essays are well written, including a lot of wit and the "tips" are often so ridiculous it gets really funny (e.g. the "Dos and Don'ts of Impersonation" and "How to get started impersonating"). Having met all kinds of people ourselves (especially on the Internet), we know it's not complete nonsense written in those chapters, but sometimes we can't help but think it's too crazy to be true. In opposition to the main media, that love to use those exceptions to stereotype the average Elvis fan, this book shows it in a light-hearted, funny way. Probably the poor souls suffering the "handicaps" in these chapters won't even recognize it and take it seriously, so they'll be happy too.  Our conclusion is that this guide is really what it claims to be: "the guide to the pleasure of being an Elvis fan". Interesting, well researched and very enjoyable, thus it gave a lot of pleasure. We can only say that supported by a well maintained website it certainly deserves a "deluxe edition". "So now let's have a tremendous hand for a very nice book"

"Elvis & You", A comprehensive book like this deserves just a short review as it contains within it vast scope it's own recommendation. Elvis fans will be delighted with it's in-depth research, and the less scholastic will enjoy the eccentric humorous nature of the book as a whole. A work to explore at leisure and delve into for those important links to all things Elvis. A bargain for the photos alone!

As a discerning fan of the late Elvis Presley since 1957 yours truly has read a library of Elvis books-this one is amongst the very best.

This book is by far the absolute best book that will ever be written about Elvis. The authors are sincere Elvis fans who have done their homework, and it truly shows in this masterpiece. Whether you are a lifelong Elvis fan, or an "outsider looking in", this book is a must read. If you are an Elvis skeptic, read this book and you will be smitten for good. Kudos to the authors!!!

One of the most useful, fun and interesting Elvis books around. A must-have for Elvis fans and scholars because of the breadth and depth of its information. The photos are great as well. This book will be read and used for a long time. I only wish it had been around when I wrote my Elvis book - would have made my work much easier!

This book is a must buy for anyone intersting in the millennium. The works are provoking and the accompanying text is informative and entertaining. Great coffee table material.

"The End is Near" makes you yearn for Divine inspiration regardless of its source or circumstance. The artwork is stunning, the artist bios are awe-inspiring and the essays are thought provoking, empowering and spiritually comforting. This is an amazing gift to give to others...but do yourself a favor and give it to yourself first. And then go out and pick up a paintbrush, a pencil, or a piece of coal and create. This book will make you realize that the best art you ever see could be just below the surface of your own consciousness.

I was completely blown away by the beauty of the visions contained in this book. I am an art student, and i feel the artist in this book are never self indulgent, their vision isn't cluttered by desire of fame and recognition. they are the last american heroes. roger manley did an incredible job of editing only the most incredible pieces, of discovering new talents( paul laffoley,grant wallace) and also bringing new pieces from overexposed outsider art favorite (howard finster). the printing job is excellent and the design lively.i can't wait to see what this publishing company is gonna do next.

By showing the amazing collection of the American Museum of Visionary Art, this book provokes the reader to re-think the distinctions our society draws between genius and madness. I've actually been to the Museum in Baltimore and am thrilled that this artwork is now available on a large scale. This book may not be for everyone, but those willing to expose themselves to its often disturbing imagery will be rewarded.

My wife and I just bought the hardcover and recommend it highly. We loved the reading the background of the authors. It proves that you do not have to be a celebrity or athlete or CEO to be "considered successful". Some of the world's greatest talent are never heard from. We have Dilettante Press to thank for bringing us this fine collection of artists. I work with libraries and recommend this book to all of them.

this book is great.Very happy to included this one in my collection.Already have a tattoo planed of bride of frankenstein.

I'm in agreement with another reviewer that mentioned the book could have been better written. That being said, it is well worth the price for all the fantastic paintings and drawings. A must for every fan of horror and sci-fi art.

Even without text, this book would've earned 4 stars, just for the impressiveness of Gogos' work. Within this book are large, crystal-clear repros of his most famous monster cover paintings, as well as samples of his illustration work.
The only setback for this book is its lack of depth in the text. It seems that whoever was sent to interview Basil didn't ask too many questions, didn't want to really know too much about him except for his general acheivements, and didn't ask him for a demonstration of how he works. Among all of the great pics, some candid ones of the artist would've been nice, most notably a pic of his studio.
Still, the images are so rich in color and character. Worth it!

First of all...Like so many reviewers before me have said; almost every boy that grew up in the '50s & '60s anxiously collected our 35 cents every month so we could go to the local candy store & buy the latest issue of Famous Monsters of Filmland. This magazine became our bible & 4E Ackerman became our surrogate father. More than 45 years have passed; but I can still remember those magnificent covers as though it were yesterday. Basil Gogos painted the cover of the Gorgo issue which had a blue background & also the Vincent Price issue which had a white background,etc. This Book displays all of Basil Gogos outstanding cover art which graced the cover of FM for so many years. Don't take my word for it...ask Stephen King, Rick Baker, George Lucas, Stephen Spielberg, John Landis, Rob Zombie & a host of others..This book is an absolute delight for the senses & like fine art is meant to be treasured,

If you were fortunate to have been born between 1950 and 1970 or so, you're lucky to be a part of a wonderful fraternity. Like me, you are a "monster kid". Monster Kids are the generation that grew up with Shock Theater and campy horror movie hosts, old Aurora model kits, classic Universal horror films on 8MM, and...a fantastic magazine called Famous Monsters of Filmland. Famous Monsters was edited by legendary collector and Sci-Fi sage Forrest Ackerman and one of the great attractions throughout the years were the magnificent magazine covers painted by Basil Gogos. From Vanguard Productions comes "The Famous Monster Movie Art of Basil Gogos." Basil Gogos has rightfully been called, "The World's Most Famous Monster Artist." His bold, expresionistic use of color is what caught the eye of little ghouls like myself and my friends. Edited by Kerry Gammill and J. David Spurlock and with an introduction by Rob Zombie, the book provides a dazzling display of Gogos' art not only from Famous Monsters, but from many other magazines, books, and films.

In fact, his first professional sale was not a monster, but rather a cover for a western paperback (reprinted in the book) in 1959. Gogos did numerous covers in many different genres including westerns, war, jungle adventures, spicy adventures, and more. Dozens of examples of his work from this period are included. His first cover for Famous Monsters of Filmland appeared on the cover of issue #9 from November, 1960, depicting Vincent Price from "The House of Usher". For the first time, kids who were used to only knowing them from black & white films now saw their monster heroes in bold color thanks to Gogos. In all, Gogos did 48 covers of Famous Monsters and they are among the most popular issues for collectors. Everyone has their favorite Gogos Famous Monster cover...for me it was his rendition of Boris Karloff as the Mummy from issue # 58. The fine detail of the withered, dead-eyed mummy still mesmerizes me. Issue #56 featuring Gogos painting of Karloff as the Frankenstein's monster for the Karloff tribute issue is another favorite. Basil provides valuable insight to his legions of fans by discussing the various paints, styles, and techniques that he's employed over the years.

Gogos would eventually move into doing fine art as well as non-monster commercial illustration including work for many years at a New York advertising agency. But much like the victims of those classic monster films, Gogos found he could not, for long, escape his beloved creatures. The 1990's brought a renewed interest in Gogos' monster art and soon he was back doing new paintings for trading card companies, CD cover art for The Misfits and Rob Zombie, and a whole new generation of monster magazines such as Monsterscene, making him more popular than ever. Gogos even did the concept art for a series of U.S. Postage stamps in 1997 that featured the classic monsters. The book features comments and tributes from such luminaries as Sara Karloff, Ken Kelly, Forrest Ackerman, Roger Corman, and Rick Baker. In all there are over 150 color and 50 black & white illustrations in the 160 page book. For monster kids like myself, who are all "grown up" now, Basil Gogos will always have a special place in our hearts. His Famous Monsters of Filmland covers take us back to a simpler time of true chills and thrills and I can think of no other book that would please a monster fan more than "The Famous Monster Movie Art of Basil Gogos." Like many of the books from Vanguard Productions, it is available in several different editions: There is a softcover, a hardcover, and a deluxe hardcover that is signed by Basil Gogos and includes a 16 page bonus folio and comes in a slipcase. The Deluxe, signed, slipcased edition was an instant sell-out and is already selling for big bucks on the collector's market. My highest recommendation!

Reviewed by Tim Janson

I had the privilege of being Amos Vogel's student back in the early 1980s, and was therefore fortunate to see a number of the 'unobtainable' films mentioned in this book. Vogel is an encyclopedia of film knowledge, and the often pithy accounts of various 'subversive' films -- including some you might not guess would warrant the label -- are both entertaining and intelligent. The image selection is great though, as others (including Vogel) have noted, a still frame stands for a film in an inadequate but nevertheless allusive way.

This book by Amos Vogel is a reference like no other. He explains why these films need to be seen. The photographs are a treasure themself and the book is abound with them. I have refered to this book constantly through the past 30 years. I'ts great to see it is back in print. My film library of over 1000 art, surrealist, avant guard cinema was largely do to Mr. Vogel's knowledge and explanation of film. I'm only sorry that it has not been updated to show the 1970's to 2006. A must have for sure, get the book while they last.

I agree with other reviewers. This is a great, indispensible book. I've spent the past twenty-five years or so trying to see all the films mentioned. I've made pretty good progress, but I still have a lot to go. My copy is all dog-eared and falling apart and I came here hoping to find one for my half-brother, who is just starting out in the movie biz and needs to know what's in this book. I hope it gets itself back into print. I'd love to see it updated to include subversive films created since 1974.

I picked this up for a quarter at a book sale at our local library. I have read it straight through several times, and i still pick it up quite often and thumb through.

I don't know why it is out of print, but a good number of the films discussed in the book are just as difficult to find as the book itself. If you ever see this book anywhere, and can afford it, you have to buy it.

I've had this book half of my life and am still working on seeing all of the films. That said some of the films reviewed in it have dated badly (even Jean Luc Godard has dismissed his Maoist films which never show today). In addition, some of the countercultural (aka hippie) terminology such as "consciousness 3" will leave modern readers scratching their heads. That said it is an essential discussion of films that break film conventions, whether it be through the language of film, political subversion (suddenly relevant again) or sexual politics. The one positive note is that at the end of the book the author states in bold, "But the real question remains: how to reach the masses 'out there' with five heavy cans of 35 mm film and nowhere to show them". The answer is that through video and especially dvd films mentioned in this book that were impossible to find are suddenly resurfacing and being re-evaluated. Though some films are best shelved (I pity anyone who watches all 8 hours of Andy Warhol's "Empire" just to say that they saw it), others especially from world cinema such as the Iranian film "The Cow" and the Senegal made film "The Money Order (Mandabi)" show film makers who now have recieved acclaim. Though some reviewers wanted an update of this book I think that it was written and speaks for a certain point in time, before the co-option of underground films into indie films, when foreign films were still ahead of the times, before garbage like Jackass broke almost all visual taboos while actually taking film a giant leap backward and before the vcr, when hunting down experimental films showing in theaters or libraries was a religion onto itself.

Here is Sinatra stripped of everything who leaves me knowing he has deserved my love and admiration all these years. With Sinatra, he drove himself through life going after whatever he wanted and risking the consequences. We get to look at his ups and downs and his prides and his falls. We see him suffer at love and sing about it. We see him finally, after all the aborted tries, finally sink himself into a relationship with his last wife that kept him happy until he died.

Life for Sinatra was all or nothing at all and he did life his way and fell into lots of tender traps and led some into his own tender traps, like one famous movie star I will let you discover on your own.

What so special about Nancy's book is that she is amazingly organized and objective in her account of her father's life. And the CD, well the CD is everything. You get to hear Sinatra on Sinatra, unabashed.

Everyone on the planet needs to buy and read this book to learn what life can be when you go for it all every day!

Kudos to Nancy for a biography well, well done.

This book has excellent pictures with the most vital information for a biography project. A great buy and great read for interested fans of Ol' Blue Eyes.

No wonder this book is so thick- it's filled with numerous photos of Frank Sinatra, his family, and friends over the years. I love looking at these pics, and so will any other Sinatra fan. There is detailed info throughout the book as well. This is one worth having in your collection.

This scrapbook is a real treat to any true SINATRA fan.It is full of pictures of everybody who was important in his life from his parents to collaborators like arrangers NELSON RIDDLE; all his wifes from NANCY to BARBARA;the legendary LOUIS B. MAYER etc.Better than most biographies because it is based on facts not rumours.The early pictures from his beginnings are alone worth the price.I was fortunate enough to get this book at the third of it's price and i went through it very fast because once you open it, you simply can't take your hands out of it.If FRANK became the singer of the past century, it's not by accident, he worked hard at it.I was particulary touched by his loyalty to his true friends.FRANK SINATRA is a mirror of his country. He was the son of immigrants who lived the AMERICAN dream to the fullest.Where is the AMERICAN dream today now that it's last legend is gone?Let's not complain too much ,because everything that FRANK SINATRA ever recorded is now available on cd.Nostalgia when you think of it is a very good thing.SATURDAY is not the loneliest night of the week anymore thanks to the chairman of the board.If you are not already a fan, this book should do the trick.

I had to get this book after seeing how low the price came down.The original price was 40 dollars. Nancy Sinatra's book on her Father has everything in here.I couldn't believe Frank weighted 13and a half pounds when he was born on December 12,1915.The Doctor ripped and scarred his ear,check,and neck,plus puncturing his eardrum.Frank wasn't breathing,so his grandmother Rose held the baby under cold running water until he gasped his first breath and cried.This book is like a Diary.It goes from year to year,sometimes month to month.All of Franks movies,records,concerts,TV shows,songs,and the name of the songwriters are in here,plus hundreds of pictures,starting with Frank's baby photo, ending with a touching family photo taken in 1996.There's a wonderfull picture of Marilyn Monroe taken with Dean Martin sitting ringside at the Sands..All of the stars are in here,and family pictures we've never seen before.If you are a Frank Sinatra fan,you have to get this Book.Its huge,and the pictures are fantastic.

Took a workshop with a teacher of the Linklater method. I was hooked. A former singer and actor, a car accident left me with a permanent trach and very little speaking voice. These exercises are helping me to recover volume and expression in my voice. I watched the effects of the exercises on "normal" participants and was blown away.

Don't try to reinvent the method- give it a real try as is. I think it would be extremely valuable when working with new actors. Teaching projection can be tough but this leads right to it.

While nothing can compare to the real deal of a professional Linklater voice instructor, this freshly updated and expanded 2nd edition (from the 1976 inaugural printing) brings with it 20 years of Kristin honing her voice exercises, and it truly shows in the meticulous explanation, improved illustrations and the careful word choice.

And when the book cover says expanded, it isn't kidding. Many warm-ups have been extended with additional exercises, and one useful feature is the commentaries at the end of exercises, which manage to put the exercises into a real world perspective that makes easy sense.

This book's language never gets caught up in intellectual logic. Instead, the text is so well laid out that exercises move from explanation to actual practice, and then to the next exercise before you realize it. The text is a definite improvement from the 1st edition, and that says a lot considering that when it first came out in the 70s, Freeing the Natural Voice became a staple in the voice acting industry and in many American acting curriculums.

When read, the text feels like Kristin is there having a conversation with you, and that is impressive considering that it is an exercise book, though so much more than that. It should be used as a helpful reminder and refresher for every instructor and student of acting (not just voice), as I myself intend to refer back to it on a regular basis.

Another thing that should be said that the text and exercises make the whole warm-up purpose simple by breaking down the body-emotion-voice connection to its most basic level. If you pay half-attention, you'll learn more that you could possibly be prepared for about not just your voice, but more importantly about your body, and how common habits of tension and emotional restraint truly affect everything you are.

This book is about the deconstructing of the physical and mental self-made blocks that inhibit the natural voice and the natural body - seeking to instead rebuild a direct emotional impulse essential for great acting.

This new and expanded second edition is a gem. Hundreds of pages of clear, easy to follow exercises and commentary are presented in a step-by-step format that allows actors (and speakers in general) to progress at their own pace no matter what their level of experience. The vocal exploration is made even more enjoyable by the lighthearted and effective drawings found throughout. This is required reading for anyone interested in developing a more free and expressive vocal instrument.

As a teacher, I
find this new edition invaluable for students of all levels. It is complete, available and thorough. After working with many different books on voice, this book is the one I keep coming back to. My students love it.
The exercises are specific and continually return the student to the purpose of developing their voice- communication and the revelation of thought and feeling.

As a theatre director, I have read a lot of books about other directors and stagecraft, and far fewer about the intimate work of the actor. I never got around to making a close study of voice until now, and FTNV has been a wonderful revelation for me.

Not only is Linklater's work imagistically strong and physically clear, but the thoughtful and careful way she approaches "release" seems a metaphor that extends well beyond the borders of the voice. It has inspired me in all facets of my artistic work. Wonderful, insightful, highly recommended.