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Thinking about going to film school? Don't send in that application just yet--first read this book, the definitive guide to film schools around the country. The 26 institutions reviewed are rated according to the quality and accessibility of their equipment, the kind of films their faculty encourage students to make ("industry," "independent," "experimental"), and cost. The authors discuss the schools' programs in detail, advise readers about whether film school is the right choice for them, provide tips about getting into the programs, and describe what to expect once film school begins. Karin Kelly and Tom Edgar's prose is spirited and their entertaining introductory portrait of the state of American filmmaking will interest anyone who cares about contemporary movies. An informative and amusing glossary closes the volume, which explains why no one should try to lift an ARRI kit by the handle, why "experimental film" is just another word for "cinematic masturbation," and why no good movie script ever contained the line, "you just don't get it, do you?"
Book Description
Now completely revised-all there is to know on getting into the right schools and making the experience count.
This completely revised edition of Film School Confidential continues to offer the inside scoop on every major film school program in the country. A must-have guide for students who are considering applying to film school, this book provides more than 20 profiles of the best film school programs across the country. Covering such key areas as curriculum, student body, reputation, and employment options for film school grads, the authors provide solid, objective information on each program as well as snippets from interviews with students and faculty members.
Customer Reviews:
Book worth it, film school...?.......2007-09-25
Excellent- great discussion of the value proposition of film school. One thing I found odd though- they estimated one year rent and living expenses in New York at $20k. Living where, in a cardboard box, eating ramen noodles? Anyway, I highly recommend the TV reality show series "Film School," on DVD. As for the question of whether to go, I think it says a lot that the #1 reason to go is the contacts you'll make. Do you need to spend three years and god only knows how much money to make some friends/contacts? Anytime that's used as a justification for the cost of grad school, watch out! They say the same thing about business school, and I don't know a single person who wouldn't be where they are today if it weren't for b-school.
i'm glad i bought this.......2007-08-12
I am actually looking for undergraduate programs and this book seems to focus more on graduate degrees but it was useful anyway.
Can a book be encouraging by being discouraging?.......2007-06-27
I plan to go to film school to get a Master's in screenwriting. After reading this book, I almost changed my mind. The book is a blunt dose of reality and gives you straight talk on what you get for your money. It also tells you how much money you'll need to beg, borrow, or steal in order to pay for film school. I appreciated the honesty once I got past the shock of it all. The book helped me narrow down the schools that I feel would be a best fit for me-some were a surprise. For example, did you know that at FSU, they will pay for your film to be made? Did you know that Chapman University in pleasant Orange, California, has practically brand new facilities? If you want to make animal or insect documentaries (don't laugh, they pay!) then Montana is the right school. For me personally, I know that New York, while being a great city, is not going to work for me due to expense and the hyper-competitive nature of the schools. You'll find what you need to know. The book is primarily for film makers, not writers, but there is an attempt to give a good review of the writing programs. Do not apply to film school until you read this book and the sooner the better.
Film School Confidential.......2007-05-15
This updated edition gives you a very good insight of some of the biggest names of film schools. It also gives you an idea what you should look for when you get out of a film school. As film making is only centered in NYC and LA, graduates will have hard time finding work if the schools do not have good internship and connections. Even though this book only covers grad schools, general information should apply to undegrades as well. Unfortunately, the book did not cover more quality films schools such as SVA, RIT or Emmerson. Nontheless, this is the only book on this subject. It is a must for students and parents. Bottom line: If you would want a career in films, stay away from schools that emphasize on experimental films such as Ohio University, UW Milwaukee or some of remotely located state universities regardless how they are ranked by US News & World Report or Entertainment Weekly. The other tip is to look for their famous alumni. If most of them end up doing underground experimental films in the film festivals only, you probably will be one of these starving artists upon graduation. In general, this book teaches a lot beyond rating film schools. It gives you a perspective of how tough this business is and how you can prepare for it. My son is planning to apply to a film school next year. I went through the web sites of almost 100 film schools in the nation and reach the same conclusion of the author of this book. But not anyone can go to NYU & USc. With that being said there is still good hope going other solid schools as long as you don't end up doing experimental films which are mostly incomprehensible. But once again, if you enjoy taching or being a starving artist without thinking about earning a decent living, then it is perfectly fine going to schools like UW Milwaukee. In addition, if you want to be a film critic, you probably can go anywhere. Roger Ebert was majored in literature at Urbana-Champagne. This book is for students who want to take a shot at careers such as directors, producers, editors, etc.,
The Inside Scoop.......2005-09-16
This book was amazing. It helps you plan and think more seriously about how you plan what school you go to. It gives you information on how many students really get excepted and how much your going to be in the whole financially when your actually graduate. The only criticism I have is that it was published in 1997 but still it a great book to have for someone who is serious about grad school in film.
Book Description
This book is about using art as an instrument of personal transformation, enabling us to move from an inherited to a chosen state of being. Peter London offers inspiration and fresh ideas to artists, art students, and art teachersâas well as to people who think they can't draw a straight line but want to explore the joys of creative expression. Inside every person, he believes, there is an original, creative self that has been covered over by secondhand ideas, borrowed beliefs, and conditioned behavior. By freeing the capacity for visual expressionâa natural human language possessed by everyoneâwe can awaken and release the full powers of that original self. Among the topics and exercises included are: How to increase the ability to visualize, fantasize, and dream Obstacles to the creative encounter and what to do about them Experimenting with art media as true mediators between imagination and expression Making masks to reveal the hidden self Painting with "forbidden" colors Arranging found objects as metaphors for one's life
Customer Reviews:
CLASS TOOL .......2005-10-29
ANOTHER ART TEACHER HAD RECOMENDED THIS BOOK TO ME. I HELP TEACH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. I LOVE THE VARIETY OF LESSONS, THE IN DEPTH TEACHING AND EXAMPLES GIVEN. (THEIR ARE A FEW LESSONS THAT ARE TOO ADVANCED FOR SOME OF THE STUDENTS, BUT I MYSELF HAVE FUN WITH THOSE.)
If you like The Artist's Way ..........2005-10-03
-this is a good companion to it. He's a bit verbose occasionally but gives you difference insights on the same material. The "creative encounters" are exercises to increase creativity and can be used alone or with a group. This is an old book, but I'd seen it cited several times. Still well worth a read if you're interested in creativity and how to open people to being creative.
No No Secon-Hand Art.......2005-02-01
This is one of the most inspiring books you can read if you are an art student or just interested in art. Peter London tells the artists to go out and find themselves, make their own art, an experiment with encounter. Encounters are excises that are designed to help you know yourself and find out maybe unknown things about you. Since, he is an art therapist, the exercises are very creative and geared to giving you incite into how you can go out and create your own art based on what you have learned from encountrs with self.
This may be a very unique approach to art-making but it's a journey through your own soul and I believe you need to make that journey to make your artwokd say what you want it to say.
London's title is roughtly based on a book by Buckmaster Fuller, who wrote "No More Second-Hand God". Fuller states that if you want to know God, go out and find him for yourself. Don't just except whar yu've been told. That is someone else's experience. Peter London also suggest that other aqartist's work is about them, not about you. Go out and find yourself , then you will be able to communicate visually your unique fellings and deepest thought. Presuasive and inspiring,would recommend you pick it up today.
"Art is a response to a call...".......2003-03-10
Having studied with Peter London over the past ten years I can assure readers that as a teacher he lives what he writes. He embodies what every teacher should bring to students: careful listening, respectful attention, thoughtful questioning. His writings have won the deserved respect of his educator and artist colleagues nationwide. Treat yourself to a fine book.
Teachers Listen.......2002-07-13
I've read this book three times from cover to cover in the past ten years; every now and again for just certain sections. I wish every teacher taught with the respect and care that comes through in the words of this book; won't you try? It is an invaluable resource for the teacher; covering subjects such as setting up classroom environments, critiques, media, and even giving art experience ideas. If you listen carefully to his words you will be given precious pieces of knowledge for your classroom and your studio, from someone who undoubtedly practices and believes in what he knows to be good. It's that real; and that important.
Average customer rating:
- Excellent book!
- The Useless Muse
- The write stuff (especially for first-timers)
- for a reader who does not do a lot of writing
- Inspiring and pragmatic, just like the title
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The Clockwork Muse: A Practical Guide to Writing Theses, Dissertations, and Books
Eviatar Zerubavel
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Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day: A Guide to Starting, Revising, and Finishing Your Doctoral Thesis
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Professors As Writers
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Writing for Social Scientists: How to Start and Finish Your Thesis, Book, or Article (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing)
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The Craft of Research, 2nd edition (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing)
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Content Analysis: An Introduction to Its Methodology
ASIN: 0674135865 |
Book Description
For anyone who has blanched at the uphill prospect of finishing a long piece of writing, this book holds out something more practical than hope: it offers a plan. The Clockwork Muse is designed to help prospective authors develop a workable timetable for completing long and often formidable projects.
The idea of dashing off a manuscript in a fit of manic inspiration may be romantic, but it is not particularly practical. Instead, Eviatar Zerubavel, a prolific and successful author, describes how to set up a writing schedule and regular work habits that will take most of the anxiety and procrastination out of long-term writing, and even make it enjoyable. The dreaded "writer's block" often turns out to be simply a need for a better grasp of the temporal organization of work.
The Clockwork Muse rethinks the writing process in terms of time and organization. It offers writers a simple yet comprehensive framework that considers such variables as when to write, for how long, and how often, while keeping a sense of momentum throughout the entire project. It shows how to set priorities, balance ideals against constraints, and find the ideal time to write. For all those whose writing has languished, waiting for the "right moment," The Clockwork Muse announces that the moment has arrived.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent book!.......2007-07-12
This book is short and to the point! I am currently engaged in writing my MBA thesis and I believe that I found the guidance that I am looking for in this book. I highly recommend this book for its basic yet effectual approach to thinking about/writing your thesis or dissertation. The book may be too basic for seasoned writers/scholars but for a novice scholar like myself, I find it extremely useful.
The Useless Muse.......2007-05-23
For a guide to effectively organizing one's writing, it is curious how poorly written and organized this book is. There is some potential here for a practical guide for the academic or professional writer rather than the creative artiste, particularly in regards to scheduling your time or managing multiple drafts of your work. But such possibilities are washed away by the severely padded presentation of this book, with a very loose layout and repetitive prose that are highly evident even in the mere 96 pages of text here. For instance, there are eight different space-consuming versions of Zerubavel's own outline, while the chapter on scheduling is padded to the point of absurdity with repetitive author testimonials and an endless parade of cheesy non-breakthroughs like "learn to identify the best times for your writing." The material covered here could be much more useful and believable in a journal article of less than ten pages in length. But of course, then a publisher wouldn't be able to charge full book price for this ridiculously padded pamphlet.
The most curious thing about this so-called writing guide from a so-called writing expert is its pathetic obviousness. Pronouncements like sticking to your deadlines and monitoring the progress of your drafts will not be enlightening to anyone in the only possible market demographic for this book - practitioners who already know enough about writing to seek out a guide far more advanced than this. Those who might actually be enlightened by this book's shallow and obvious recommendations have probably never written anything in their lives, and hence would never think of buying this book in the first place. Ironically, even Zerubavel recommends here that you should spend your budgeted time writing rather than engaging in pursuits that do not further your goals - such as wasting your time on useless books like this. This insubstantial and ineffective guide is a non-entity. [~doomsdayer520~]
The write stuff (especially for first-timers).......2007-02-27
When you are faced with the daunting task of a major writing project (a book, a thesis) it can be nice to know how others have done it--especially your first time around. 'The Clockwork Muse' offers two things for those in that situation: structure, and examples. The first of these (structure) helps with the practical necessity of breaking the project down into its executable elements: a writing schedule, outlines and drafts, timetables, and monitoring and ensuring progress. The second of these (the examples) are helpful to those of us who, in our own fits of self-doubt, need to know that another human has met similar obstacles and has overcome them.
'Clockwork Muse' manages to do both of these pretty well. It is stronger on the first, the structure. It reminds us that the overall job of a major writing project is taken one sentence, one page, one chapter at a time. In just about 100 pages, this book provides a basic, workable structure that can be modified by most writers to suit their individual needs. As far as examples and anecdotes go--how actual writers fare under the proposed structure, the author mostly offers examples from his own experience. While this is certainly interesting, it is one-dimensional; it would have been nice to have a wide variety of examples of how different authors, grad students, or journalists cope with the day-to-day prospect of writing a book or dissertation or long article. (And really, how helpful--or bizarre--is it to know that the author of `Clockwork Muse,' Evitar Zerubavel, sits in different chairs to write different drafts of a paragraph? To each his own....)
Not all of the suggestions offered here will work for all authors. For examples, some of us do write multiple drafts of a book straight through from start to finish. Others of us write more haphazardly, bouncing around from section to section and chapter to chapter, but still producing a solid, finished product. Zerubavel himself prefers one method over another, but in the end, his practical advice on structuring a writing project is this book's real strength. It offers sound practical help, regardless of one's writing style, and makes a good quick reference to lean upon for some comfort during those late-night moments of doubt when chapter four just isn't coming together.
for a reader who does not do a lot of writing.......2006-01-29
The book is useful for those who often procrastinate, or otherwise need a structured method for writing. The title says Clockwork. I would call it more Cookbook. Rather mechanistic. But for some of you, that framework will provide a necessary self-discipline for writing up a large project or thesis.
Having done a fair amount of writing myself, including a thesis and many provisional patents, I found that this book is personally unnecessary. But for you, it can depend on how used you are to regularly writing. It is a skill that can be honed with repetition. Zerubavel's book is directed towards those who do not do a lot of writing.
Inspiring and pragmatic, just like the title.......2004-06-11
When I was writing my dissertation, a hard-working and prolific colleague recommended this book to me. I borrowed it from my university library. It had an almost instant effect on my work, and I finished my opus quickly and relatively painlessly. Recently, I found myself procrastinating and meandering again, so I decided to buy the book!
Things I like about the Clockwork Muse: it's very short. It gives very specific, pragmatic advice. It is light on molly-coddling psychobabble, unlike Joan Bolker's "Write Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day." The latter is useful in its own way, but it didn't do anything for my work habits.
Average customer rating:
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What Else Should I Read? Guiding Kids to Good Books, Vol. 2
Matt Berman
Manufacturer: Libraries Unlimited
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philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer
ASIN: 1563084198 |
Book Description
In answer to the perennial question "What else should I read?" these innovative resources go beyond linear listings of suggestions to help students find books through a variety of directions, including subject, author, and genre. Each guide contains approximately 30 displayable bookwebs that can be used as posters, with reproducible bookmarks that list related titles and fit into pockets on the posters. Each web leads users to 8 to 14 related topics that have lists of relevant books with their authors and brief LC descriptions. Detailed author, title, and subject indexes make further exploration easy. Hundreds of the best fiction books for young readers, titles commonly found in school library collections, are covered in the webs. The visual, nonlinear features of these books make them unique and user-friendly tools for educators and students alike. Perfect for the bulletin board, the bookwebs are a great way to stimulate reading!
Book Description
In the classroom, the workplace, and the home, more and more teachers, professionals, teaching assistants, peer tutors and parents have need of a practical, hands-on guide to helping their students, associates and teen-agers improve their composition skills. Designed to meet the needs of those who lack formal pedagogical training in composition, The Practical Tutor is an invaluable tool for writers at various levels in both formal and informal educational settings. The book alerts its readers to issues that frequently arise in the writing process, explores typical writing problems and their causes, summarizes recent research and thinking in the field of composition, and suggests strategies for helping writers overcome their difficulties. By analyzing samples of writers' compositions, and by including sample dialogues between tutors and writers, the book suggests, in the most practical terms, how to formulate questions that will spur writers to make their own corrections, and how to help them write critically and independently. Appropriate as both a course text in the training of peer tutors, or as a reference book for home or office, The Practical Tutor includes exercises and bibliographies for getting acquainted with writers, helping them generate ideas, shape essays, master basic writing mechanics, and even use computers to improve their work.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent resource.......2001-04-26
As a tutor at a university Writing Center, I have found this book very useful. The sample tutoring sessions are very realistic and can teach new tutors to gently and skillfully direct a student to come up with his or her own answers. Also useful are the brainstorming and organizing techniques. A person with no teaching or tutoring experience can pick up this book and learn how to tutor effectively.
Helpful!.......2000-01-28
I had to read this book for a class entitled "Teaching Writing." It contains a lot of useful information on tutoring-I applied some of the principles to the students I tutored, and our sessions became much better! I highly recommend it!
Customer Reviews:
Art Without Artifice.......2004-08-09
'Practical Art Criticism' by Edmund Burke Feldman is informative and highly readable, principally because the author addresses his subject without the befuddling, esoteric jargon usually associated with art criticism. Indeed, this is a practical book that gives the reader percipience into modes of interpretation, rubrics for 'visualizing', sentience of demiurgic intent, apperception of myriad praxes and validation of aesthetic conation.
To quote Paul Simon's brief review on the book's back cover, 'I don't know a lot about Art (since the break-up), but I do know a load of old garfunkel when I see it.'
Excellent resource for educators........2001-09-22
This was one of the most useful books on art criticism that I have come across. One of my concerns as an art education student is the question of how to critique works of art, and furthermore, what methods may be used to pass on this knowledge to my future students? This book, since it was written for practical purposes to be used by art critics, artists, educators, and students alike, supplies its reader with very valuable information regarding the concept of art criticism, the various types of critical review, how criticism is used and applied, and the various "problems" and issues involved in art criticism. Feldman was able to make the issue of criticism easier for his reader to understand, through his use of examples of established artwork, illustrating his thoughts and ideas with easy-to-understand language, and identifying what is perceived in each work of art using various methods of interpretation. Through a variety of ways, Feldman instructed his reader as to how to interpret, judge, and defend their criticism.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable and relatively easy read. I would highly suggest this book for anyone interested in understanding works of art -especially teachers and students. The illustrative examples and explanatory writings relate to the art world of today, but also aids us in our understanding of how to interpret art of the past. In combination with other art criticism books, it is my belief that anyone may learn to interpret, judge, and defend their art and art criticism. Edmund Feldman is a wonderful author and teacher; able to guide his audience through the complex issues surrounding art and its criticism.
Book Description
With great power comes great responsibility so if you want to be like Spider-Man, you'd better read the instructions first. The Spider-Man Handbook describes everything you need to live the Super Hero life. You'll discover:
How to Crawl up a Wall
How to Design and Build a Costume
How to Swing from Building to Building
How to Stop a Getaway Car
How to Negotiate the Release of a Hostage
How to Take On a Gang of Henchmen
Plus a few skills that would benefit all the Peter Parkers of the world (such as How to Deal with a Nightmare Boss, How to Live on a Meager Income, and so on). Complete with colorful step-by-step illustrations by a top Marvel artist, The Spider-Man Handbook is essential reading for all your web-slinging needs!
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I know this is a good movie guide because it took up residence next to my remote control and gets consulted on a near-nightly basis. John Stanley, who inherited Bob Wilkins's famous Bay Area show called "Creature Features," does a bang-up job of reviewing thousands of movies through the end of '96 that fall in a general grab-bag category of being spooky or fantastic. This is the fifth edition of Stanley's guide and the first to come out in a handy mass-market size. As Joe Bob Briggs puts it, "I keep this reference work by my bed at all times. Never has so much worthless information been gathered together in one place. I'm in awe of the man."
Book Description
A new updated edition of the ultimate midnight movie guide...
With smash-hit films like The Blair Witch Project, The Sixth Sense, and The Phantom Menace breaking Hollywood records, it's obvious that sci-fi, fantasy and horror films are back--and bigger than ever before.
Updated to include the most recent movie mega-hits, Creature Features has it all--the shockers, schlockers, blockbusters, bombs, cult faves, rare gems, classics, groundbreakers, gorefests, space operas, sorcery, Euro-splatter, and everything in between. From features, made-for-televsion, and straight-to-video, here are all the films you love and hate; the films you forgot about and never knew existed. Horror and science fiction fans will find films that matter and films that splatter in one critical and humorous guide.
Featuring
Thousands of capsulized reviews
A five-star rating system
Hundreds of obscure and rare titles
Video distribution informaton (including mail order)
Cross-references to secondary titles, sequels and tricky retitlings
And more.
"I keep two reference works by my bed at all times. One is Eric Weber's How to Pick Up Girls. The other is John Stanley's Creature Features Movie Guide. Never has so much worthless information been gathered together in one place. I'm in awe of the man." --Joe Bob Briggs
"A Must." --Leonard Maltin
"The Leonard Maltin of horror." --Fangoria
Customer Reviews:
Creature Features: The Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Movie Guide.......2007-08-06
This is a great movie guide - put together with lots of thought and humor.
very useful!.......2006-01-14
I loved it!!!got alot of info,that i never knew of.get it,if a huge horror sleaze fan!=D
Good as a reference for forgotten films, but not much else........2006-01-13
Reading the forward, it's pretty clear that John Stanley is very pleased with himself as a horror expert. However, as you read through his reviews, you'll start to wonder why you didn't think of putting one of these guides out yourself. As a handy reference guide for those moments when recalling a forgotten film from your childhood, it's serviceable. As a trusted review guide, I'd look for something else.
Packed with more bad jokes than a week-long Carrot Top marathon, more spelling mistakes than you can shake a spellchecker at, and enough factual errors to make George Bush seem on the ball, Stanley's 'Creature Features' becomes a very irritating read rather quickly. Having a sense of humor about the genre is required, but you'll be tired of the lame, endless puns by the time you hit Page 10. If there's a plant involved in the film, expect a million 'stump' and 'limb' jokes. If animals are involved, expect the obivious 'all bark no bite' or 'udder nonsense' quips to come fast and furious. The author comes off as a guy who thinks he's much funnier than he really is.
As far as the meat of his capsule reviews goes, he's seems to have no idea how to rate films properly. Using the common 0-5 stars rating system, he often gives a particular film three stars and follows with a review that tells you he's thinking one star. In turn, he'll praise a film while giving it a 1.5 or 2-star rating. It renders his ratings rather useless, since the amount of stars seems to mean very little in terms of film quality.
There are too many spelling and factual errors to list. There were several instances where he generically claimed a monster was a "tentacled beast" when it wasn't the case, as well as gender gaffes, wrong plot lines, and other technical errors. It's hard to tell if this was caused by incompetence or just sheer laziness. His statement that "a blood-soaked psycho killer named Jason is knocking off his victims" when describing the original 'Friday the 13th' is a gross, unforgivable mistake for a guy who implies he's a horror expert. Any fan of the genre knows Jason's mother was the killer in the original film. That's like making a speech in front of WWII veterans and talking about the Swiss bombing Pearl Harbor.
His opinion of the genre is more of the tired, old-school way of thinking (more exposition and character development than we often get, although we're talking about a visiual medium that gets more visiual by the day), often falling in line with popular thinking, but he did suprise me quite a few times. While it goes without saying that no-budget borefests like 'The Blair Witch Project' and the original 'The Haunting' are praised as "less-is-more atmoshpheric masterpieces", Stanley actually praises some good films that have been panned by most ('Galaxy of Terror', 'Conan the Destroyer' are good examples). Still, you're left scratching your head when he gives a tedious snoozer like 'Atom Age Vampire' three stars. He also includes far too many films that have no business in a creature feature guide (Woody Allen films, 'It's a Wonderful Life')
Stanley also seems to have a personal problem with some people, and his venom-coated fangs are bared many reviews. For whatever reason, he seems to despise Sean Cunningham ('Friday the 13th' producer-director-writer), Wes Craven ('Nightmare on Elm Street'), and the boys and gals of Mystery Science Theater. He takes shots at Cunningham and Craven whenever he has a chance, and completely shreds the very talented people behind MST3K. It comes off as either petty professional jealousy, or maybe they just snubbed Stanley at some point in his career. Whatever the case, the fact is Craven & Cunningham have more talent in the creative end of the genre than Stanley does, and the folks at MST3K are light-years funnier than Stanley could ever be. What do they say about music critics? Failed, talentless musicians who go on to trash the successful ones? Could be the case with Stanley.
In conclusion, if you can find the book for under two bucks like I did, it's worth the chump change as a reference guide for obscure horror films. As a comprehensive review guide, to use Stanley's own words, 'Creature Features' is a "dud of a turkey-flop". The cover features a blurb from Fangoria stating that John Stanley is "The Leonard Maltin of horror!". To me, that's kinda like saying somebody is the Daniel Baldwin of acting.
Give it a miss and buy 'Keep Watching the Skies' instead.......2005-09-25
I'm a huge sf and horror fan, and have been since I was a kid. So I had high hopes when I bought this book. Unfotunately, despite the research that's been done here the style is dry, boring and humourless.
Anyone who has a lopsided affection for this genre knows you have to take a lot of it with a large grain of salt and have a sense of humour about the wooden acting, silly plots and lame effects. That's part of the joy of it all.
But review after review here shows the author's lack of joy or understanding about these often trashy films. Frankly, someone who can't see the fun side of cheesy B-grade horror films (or the fun in Mystery Science Theatre 3000 when they play around with the genre) shouldn't bother. This is the kind of book that ends up putting you off the subject it's meant to be promoting.
Save your money and instead buy Bill Warren's indipensable 'Keep Watching the Skies'. It's everything this book is not and much more. Bill Warren's love for these films comes off in in every review and it's a joy just to dip into for the pleasure of reading, let alone the incredible amount of research he's done.
Give 'Creature Features' and John Stanley a miss.
Amateurish but entertaining.......2004-03-23
I've owned this book for several years now, and it's good fun to page through the capsule reviews (some 3000) every now and then. However, as a serious guide to genre films, the book is sadly lacking.
What we have here is a work that has been hastily produced, on a low budget, by a writer light on talent, but heavy on respect: ironically enough, that actually sums up most of the films inside. Stanley rarely has any special insight into the films he reviews; entries are often very poorly written; he often misspells words, or actually uses words incorrectly; and his cutesy sense of humor becomes grating very quickly. He obviously knows a lot about the subject of genre films, but knowledge simply doesn't equate with discernment. (His petulant review of "Mystery Science Theater" (though I agree that the show is much overrated) is a classic example of a horror-geek's intolerance.
Worst of all is the total lack of indices. These should be included as a matter of course, but Stanley, or his publisher, couldn't be bothered to do the work.
If what you want is a mildly entertaining bathroom book, then by all means buy "Creature Features." Otherwise, look elsewhere.
Customer Reviews:
For college-level students seeking to hone their skill.......2003-09-13
The collaborative effort of Joanna M. Burkhardt (Associate Professor and Head Librarian, University of Rhode Island, Providence), Mary C. MacDonald (Assistant Professor, Library Reference Unit, University of Rhode Island, Kingston), and Andree J. Rathemacher (Assistant Professor, Library Reference Unit, University of Rhode Island, Kingston), Teaching Information Literacy: 35 Practical, Standards-Based Exercises For College Students is a professional level resource and supplement to study-skills improvement curriculum (or self-instruction for the highly motivated) for college-level students seeking to hone their skill in efficiently ferreting out the necessary information for research papers and projects. From issues specific to the Information Age and the Web, to the basics of sorting through books, periodicals, indexes, and more, Teaching Information Literacy is an practical and confidently recommended instructional manual with exercises that reinforce its information.
Book Description
Adding graphic novels to your library collection is a surefire way to boost circulation and build customer loyalty. But with thousands of graphic novels being published annually and no sign of a slowdown, how do you determine which graphic novels to purchase, and which to recommend to teen and adult readers? This guide is intended to help you start, update, or maintain a graphic novel collection and advise readers about the genre. It covers more than 2,400 titles, including series titles, and organizes them according to genre, subgenre, and theme-from super-heroes and adventure to crime, humor, and nonfiction. Reading levels, awards/recognition, and core titles are identified; and tie-ins with gaming, film, anime, and television are noted. Grade 6 through adult. In addition, it will cite resources for learning more about the genre, and provide information on awards. Hundreds of images illustrate the guide.
Books:
- First Aid for the USMLE Step 1: 2007 (First Aid for the Usmle Step 1)
- First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind
- Gender, Race, and Class in Media: A Text-Reader
- Go Put Your Strengths to Work: 6 Powerful Steps to Achieve Outstanding Performance
- Healthcare Informatics and Information Synthesis: Developing and Applying Clinical Knowledge to Improve Outcomes
- Hidden Track: How Visual Culture Is Going Places
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Books Index
Books Home
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- The Pregnancy Bible: Your Complete Guide to Pregnancy and Early Parenthood
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- All About Techniques in Illustration
- Samurai Sword: A Handbook
- Bark: The Formation, Characteristics and Uses of Bark Around the World
Television, Film, and Digital Media Programs: 556 Outstanding Programs at Top Colleges and Universities Across the Nation (College Admissions Guides)
Complete Guide to American Film Schools and Cinema and Television Course
Film School & Beyond
Hollywood 101: The Film Industry
Career Opportunities in the Film Industry (Career Opportunities)
