Book Description
You Lose Some, You Lose Some authors Lou Harry and Eric Furman continue their preoccupation with failure with In the Can — a look at fifty major movie stars and their biggest critical and box office duds. Some stars’ lowest moments may be obvious, while others take a bit more digging. Sections include:
• Bury It (or, Go Directly to Video/DVD): Including Jerry Lewis’s legendary (and never released) The Day the Clown Cried and Jim Varney and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in Slam Dunk Ernest.
• Out of the Vaults: Forgotten movies that get dragged into the spotlight when a star hits it big, like Kevin Costner’s Sizzle Beach U.S.A. and Sylvester Stallone’s Party at Kitty and Stud’s.
• Oscar Jinx: You’d think an Oscar would lead one to better projects. Sometimes you’d be wrong. Think Jane Darwell after The Grapes of Wrath or Marisa Tomei after My Cousin Vinny.
Customer Reviews:
Disappointning, underresearched effort.......2006-06-03
This book sounded good: An alphabetical listing of nearly all recent movie stars with a discussion of each star's worst film. To qualify, a film had to be both a commercial and critical disaster. Only problem is the authors appear to have written the book over a long weekend. The entries are very short -- usually a page, sometimes less -- and contain almost no background on the films, apart from their box office take and, occasionally, quotes from reviewers. We all know Halle Berry's a fine actress and Catwoman was a bomb. Why not tell us how she came to make the film, what problems the film encountered in production that made it so bad, and so forth? The authors did essentially no research that might have enabled them to discuss these issues. Instead they provide a brief summary of the actor's career before and after the bomb under consideration and make a few smart remarks about the movie itself. They would have to be far wittier than they are to pull this off. In short, if you are movie fan, you probably already know everything you will read in this book. For a much better book on the same subject, check out James Robert Parish's Fiasco.
A great idea...and a fun, informative read.......2005-10-06
The authors seem to have had a very rough job while researching this book--it consists of nothing but big, big Hollywood bombs. I never thought it would be this fun reading about Battlefield Earth, Surviving Christmas, Mary Reilly and other tanks by Hollywood's biggest stars. Lots of interesting information. It's a page-turner.
Customer Reviews:
A continual source of reference.......2005-09-14
When I moved to LA to start an acting career, this was the first book that I bought. Written with humor, and straight forward, to the point info, it answered all of my questions, and then some. 12 years later, I am still working in Los Angeles, and still using "Your Film Acting Career" as my reference guide. Over the years, Lewis's updated editions have carried me from black and white proof sheets into the digital era of the Hollywood business. Before you leave home to head west, as soon as you arrive, or in your 12th year in LA, this book is as essential to any actor and their career, as the Thomas Guide is to any driver and their destination.
good.......2004-02-21
Vey helpful. Also check out Twelve Step Plan to Becoming an Actor in LA. The combo is a nice start for those getting started
THE best book for actor's!!.......2004-02-12
I am reading this in my acting class and it reminded me of a story my acting teacher told. I'll share it now. In the 60's Dustin Hoffman, who represented the New kind of acting was in a movie with John Wayne, or somebody who represented the Old acting. In one scene Hoffman's character stays up all night running from Wayne (or whoever) and so he (Hoffman) stays up all night, too. He says to the old actor "My character didn't sleep, so neither did I. You should try this style of acting". To wich the Old acor replyed "No thanks. I prefer to ACT." Pretty funny, eh, although the way my teacher told it it was even better.
Just get this book it will really help yo're acting!!
O.K. but clearly for people with no experience.......2003-04-08
Hi - this book is great for someone who has almost no experience. If you have been acting for any period of time at all, you will know most of what is in the book. Not to mention, some of the information is a little outdated. But that being said, it does have good info. in it for those just stepping into the business.
Sometimes the truth hurts.......2000-10-10
M.K. Lewis does a great job of getting you to understand the complexity of trying to make it in L.A. He gets you thinking about your commitment to acting by giving you a lot of truthful, upfront information about what it is really like trying to "survive in Hollywood". Having studied with M.K. in Santa Monica for 9 months, I can honestly say that he wants nothing more than success for those who read his book. Well worth a look!
Book Description
This user-friendly workbook, including a two hour DVD, features the best practical information on making it in the entertainment business from Christina Ferra-Gilmore, the founder of one of Hollywood's leading acting schools, and produced by Wink Martindale, the legendary host of 19 TV game shows. Included is vital information on: - How to network - Finding an agent and avoiding scams - Making a living while looking for acting jobs and creating a budget - Taking appropriate headshot photos, with examples of good and bad - Writing an actor's resume - The business side of acting - Developing your skills.
Customer Reviews:
A "must-have" for anyone contemplating or getting started in a profitable career in acting.......2006-09-09
Co-written by founder and president of "The Acting Edge", one of Hollywood's leading acting schools for 15 years, The 7 Steps To Stardom: How To Become A Working Actor In Movies, TV, And Commercials is an easy-to-use workbook-and-DVD set that gives the practical advice on earning success in the entertainment business. Printed in color with photographs and a number of consumable pages, the workbook covers how to network and find an agent, avoiding scams, taking appropriate headshot photographs, writing an actor's resume, the business side of acting, honing one's acting skills and more. The two-hour DVD is divided into seven lesson segments: You are the Product, Acting Skills, Your Photograph, Your Resume, Your Agent, Your Unions, and Networking. Written in a direct, no-nonsense instructional, The 7 Steps To Stardom is a "must-have" for anyone contemplating or getting started in a profitable career in acting.
The most affordable acting tips ever.......2006-06-12
Usually, when one is looking for information on what you need to really make it in Hollywood costs a lot of money. This little book with a 2-hour DVD is amazing for what it costs! Sure, the production is a bit cheesy, but the content is amazing.
Now that I have redone my headshot, and worked out my resume, I feel that I am much better prepared to deal with what I will be up against at my next audition.
Thanks Christina!
Great Tips.......2006-05-22
This book is a very quick read yet its pages contain some very helpful, specific tips to enhance your resume, headshots and acting skills.
I am grateful that Ms. Ferra-Gilmore is willing to share her expersites with up and coming actors.
So you want to move to LA..........2006-05-03
This book is really well put-together - easy to use. Some of the tips and suggestions may seem like no-brainers, but there are a lot of little things you may not think of when marketing yourself in the entertainment industry. Resumes, agents, your photo, Ferra-Gilmore breaks it all down and gets you to rack your brain for other attributes you can use. A reference/workbook in one, with a two hour DVD.
Customer Reviews:
unbelievable!!!!!.......2000-09-01
This book is the most informative book I have ever read about getting your child into Television. Aggie Gold is amazing!
Average customer rating:
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Ronald Reagan in Hollywood: Movies and Politics (Cambridge Studies in the History of Mass Communication)
Stephen Vaughn
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
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Book Description
Ronald Reagan in Hollywood explores the relationship between the motion picture industry and American politics through the prism of Reagan's film career at Warner Bros. During the Depression, World War II, and the early Cold War era, the film industry served as a ‘grand, world-wide propaganda base’ using movies to influence attitudes about patriotism, national defence, communism, the welfare state, race, sex, and civil liberties. Ronald Reagan thrived in this environment. During his years in Hollywood from 1937 to 1952 he formed many of the ideas which were later carried into his presidency. Not merely a star, Reagan also became an articulate industry spokesperson and skilled propagandist, playing an important role in the battle to ‘capture the minds’ of humanity in the struggle against communism. By the time he left Warner Bros. in 1952, Reagan had abandoned his New Deal liberalism and had become a militant anti-communist. Based on hundreds of interviews (including some with Reagan himself), formerly secret FBI files, and material from more than 150 archival collections, this is the most comprehensive book on this subject to date, providing incisive analysis of Reagan’s formative years in Hollywood.
Customer Reviews:
Have my people call your people........2003-03-02
Some of you may have seen my earlier review of his newer book, Confessions of a Cineplex Heckler. That was a very funny, vicious look at Hollywood and the movie business. This is an earlier book, collecting essays from the early 1990s written for Movieline, Rolling Stone, and one article for the Washington Post, and contains many of the same elements. However, while Heckler was chock full of hilarity, insults, wisecracks and the like, this one doesn't have as many of these. Instead, there are some very fine articles analyzing movies and the careers of certain stars (Jessica Lange, Sean Young, Keanu Reeves, for example). Thus, while I found Heckler much more entertaining than this book, I found this one much more interesting.
That's not to say there aren't hilarious articles dealing with the categorization of movies by various odds and ends included in them (such as the opening essay, which deals with older men falling love and having sexual relations with jailbait in the movies). Some of the funniest articles I've read from Queenan are in this book, such as his attempt to "be Mickey Rourke for a day." In this article, he details how he went four days without bathing, dressed up all in black, and determined to travel throughout New York acting like Mickey Rourke, doing and saying things that he has said in his movies or in interviews. This includes trying to find a prostitute who will fondle a blond woman like the prostitute Rourke makes do this to Kim Basinger in 9 ½ Weeks, smoking tons of cigarettes, and repeatedly telling complete strangers that "sometimes, you just gotta roll the potato." He also swears a lot.
The funniest article in the book has to be his list of 25 of the most senseless movies ever made. These are not movies that are just plain stupid, because usually even stupid movies are easy to follow. No, these are movies that make no sense whatsoever. Included in this list is Joe vs the Volcano, The Night Porter, The Two Jakes, and King David. He goes on to describe just why these movies have made the list. In this essay, he reaches the heights of vicious humour and commentary as he savages these films. Even if you disagree with him (as my wife does on a couple of them), you will still find this article worth reading and laughing at.
Other categorization essays include bad clerics in movies, musicians in movies (and why they usually are terrible), the first installment of "Don't Try This at Home" (where he tries various things that happen in movies and see if they are even remotely realistic), and a complete castigation of the use of bad accents in movies. These articles vary between wonderful and passable, with most being toward the former. "Don't Try This at Home" is the only one that is a letdown. Queenan's at his funniest when he lists movies by category and shows why it is a bad thing that they are in this category.
I was quite surprised, however, to find some truly introspective articles in this book as well. No, Queenan doesn't let his trademark wit leave him, but these articles are tempered by some true compliments and compassion. These articles were written before most of Hollywood started avoiding him, so there are some articles with actual interviews. Queenan uses these interviews as starting points to analyze the careers of the actor or actress in question, and he does a surprisingly fair job of it. The article on Sean Young is very fair to her, even though it does tend to emphasize the fact that she was taking high school algebra lessons right before the interview. Even so, he sounds quite impressed that she'd be willing to do this. Other interviews with Keanu Reeves and Jessica Lange, while perhaps showing them in not the best light, are extremely complimentary of their work, even in bad films. I found these articles very interesting and I'm glad I read them. They showed me a side of the stars that you normally don't see (and that is probably why nobody will talk to him anymore).
He is a bit less compassionate when he is analyzing a career without the input of the celebrity in question, such as when he questions Barbra Streisand's move away from light comedies to the pretentious and disastrous movies she's made since. He also has a brilliant analysis of Alfred Hitchcock movies (or at least brilliant-sounding, since I have never seen one of his movies) and how they represent some of Hitchcock's true feelings about things. It's very insightful, and will take the reader past the surface of his films and dig deep into how these movies reflected his own neuroses. I found it fascinating. Even in these articles, though, he finds some good things to say about the subjects, and that's what made them even more interesting.
The only real misses in this book are the shorter articles. I don't know if it's because Queenan needs time to really delve into his subject to make it interesting, or if he just needs time to get himself going, but the shorter articles inevitably fall flat. Thankfully, that shortness makes them easy to digest before moving on to the meatier, far better essays.
The book is still sprinkled with vulgar language and some of the articles are on the sharp side, so if you don't like biting humour and quite a few f-words, this book probably isn't for you. But if you don't mind that stuff and you like movies, this book is definitely worth reading. You may not always agree with Joe Queenan, but you will definitely enjoy the ride.
Damn Funny Stuff.......2001-10-30
Just blew threw this is 2 days, one of those 'couldn't put it down' books. Rarely do I laugh, or even chuckle but Mr. Q provided 2 days worth of jollies. Interesting to see how some of these movie moguls have progressed (or degressed) in the few years since the books has been published. If you too feel insulted by what Hollywood offers us as 'entertainment' get this book. Enjoy!!
Mostly the latter.......2000-11-18
I picked this up at the library after reading Queenan's My Goodness (2000), a very funny book in which he pretends to seek redemption for his many journalistic sins.
Anyway, I was talking to Joe Queenan the other day and ventured the opinion that he is the undisputed king of snide remarks and deprecating asides. He responded, "I am the king," a line he stole from a mattress retailer out of L.A. He repeats that line to himself aloud every once in a while because he likes the way it sounds. "I am the king." There is a certain quick tempo to the "am" as though he is realizing as he says it that he is indeed the king.
Queenan is actually an entertainment biz critic who came up the hard way, a man who has mastered the fine art of the gratuitous put down and the non sequitur character assassination. He is a kind of like a low rent George Sanders from All About Eve (1950)--a film I know he saw as a kid because I can see his unconscious self still striving to emulate the Sanders character because, after all, the guy's girl of the evening was Marilyn Monroe in her cinematic debut. Ah, how the unrealized dreams of our youth do so guide our wayward path! Although he tries to keep hidden which babes he really likes in the movies, usually insulting one and all, especially the young and fetching ones (slyly kissing it up to his nonexistent female readership), it can be seen that he goes for those blond bombshells, but apparently doesn't want somebody, perhaps his wife, to know.
Our hero, for all that, does have a certain brassy felicity with words that commands attention, the same way a loud highschool band outside your bedroom window might. And the indefatigable choir boy from the mean streets of Philly really has seen more movies, especially bad ones, than I could ever sit through, and so has picked up a little bit of the art of cinema, enough anyway to qualify as a couch potato afficionado. Reading his rude lectures to semi-admired directors and his haranguing of actors he doesn't approve of (that appears to be ALL actors with the exception of David Bowie (yes!)and perhaps John Gielgud on a good day, and certainly NOT, e.g., Olivier, whom he refers to as "Lord Larry"), reminds me of a beer league basketballer critiquing the state college coach's substitution patterns. You have to sort carefully through all the snide remarks and deprecating asides to sift out a kernel of evidence that Queenan actually liked something he saw. My lord, what a life, to spend a significant part of your waking hours watching films you hate. But apparently somebody has to do it. Occasionally in a campy aside on a very bad film, Queenan will pretend to like something. He's like the tough kid who can't allow that he likes anything other than blood and guts for fear of losing face and looking like a wuss.
Anyway, this collection of his work ("essays" is what he calls them) from mostly Movieline Magazine and Rolling Stone in the early nineties will afford one a few chuckles and some real delight if he is lambasting one of your bêtes noires. Otherwise you might find that our boy grates rather annoyingly on the nerves. But, hey, that was the idea.
sharp biting fun.......2000-02-25
Queenan has an incredible knack to cut straight to the chase and give you wonderful fodder for thought and laughter. His scathing attack on Barbra Streisand ranks as one of the best and most merited public diatribes ever written. His Mickey Rourke piece also manages to blend pop culture, anger and the surreal in a brilliant manner. This book is truly a gem and I recommend it heartily to anyone with an interest in Hollywood and the idolisation of celebrities in general.
Quintessential Queenan.......2000-01-14
The skewering of Barbra Streisand in "Sacred Cow" would be worth the price of the book alone; however, Joe Queenan's other Hollywood targets (his observation of Melanie Griffith having "the most inexplicable career in the history of motion pictures"is one of his kinder moments) hardly fare much better. I never laughed so hard at other's people's expense in my life - amazing when once considers that Queenan never goes into depth regarding the alleged acting abilities of Sly Stallone. But his musings on John Goodman ("the American Gerard Depardieu"), Keanu Reeves ("His name 'Keanu' comes from his grandfather, and supposedly it's Hawaiian for 'cool breeze over the mountains', although since Keanu's the one supplying the information, it might actually be the Hawaiian word for 'Keanu'"), and Laurence Olivier ("Who can forget Olivier's odd squawking in 'The Betsey', in which his attempts to capture the inflection of an American auto tycoon end up sounding like a cross between Jed Clampett and Scrooge McDuck?") all draw blood. And I haven't even gotten to gems like "Mickey Rourke for a Day" and "It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World", a look at Oliver Stone's work where Queenan confesses not to believe the conspiracy theory presented in 'JFK' because of Joe Pesci's wig.
Read and laugh.
Book Description
"A tasty confection that is both fun to read and though-provoking. Clemens and Wolff have crafted and engaging book that illustrates the entire gamut of good and bad leadership behavior. I recommend it especially to young managers who are growing into or aspiring to leadership roles." -- George R. Stephan, Former Chairman Kollmorger Corporation "Readers of this book should be allowed to go to the movies on company time. The flicks take on a whole new meaning." -- Roy Rowan, Author of The Intuitive Manager Movies do more than just entertain. A good film can also teach. Charles Foster Kane, the tragic protagonist of Citizen Kane, is the perfect example of how hoarding power can lead to chaos in business and personal matters. Dead Poet Society's John Keating is the archetype of the employee who has affected change downward but has not solicited the support of superiors who may later stonewall other projects. And Norma Rae (in the movie of the same name), a seemingly powerless factory worker, shakes up the plant's male-dominated management and becomes the company's most influential leader. In this entertaining and instructive book, you will discover that film is indeed an untapped source of leadership wisdom for businesses, large and small. You will see your own organization--as well as your own management and leadership challenges--mirrored here in the examination and analysis of nine compelling and highly accessible film narratives. John K. Clemens, professor of management at Hartwick College, is the founder and executive director of the Hartwick Humanities in Management Institute, an organization that conducts leadership seminars for emerging leaders in Fortune 500 companies. He is also the coauthor of The Classic Touch: Lessons in Leadership from Homer to Hemingway. Melora Wolff is an essayist, poet, and playwright who teaches workshops and seminars in film, literature, and creative writing. She is the writing consultant for the Hartwick Humanities in Management Institute.
Customer Reviews:
Insights from the Silver Screen.......2000-03-01
What a terrific concept! Select a number of movies and then analyze what they reveal about "lessons in leadership." Specifically, here are the themes:
"Following Your Hunch" (The Hunt for Red October)
The Importance of Improvisation (Apollo 13)
The Failed Promise of Heroic Leadership (Dead Poets Society)
Turning Around a Faltering Team (Hoosiers)
Socratic Leadership (12 Angry Men)
Turning Around a Troubled Organization (Twelve O'Clock High)
When Leadership Fails (Citizen Kane)
Morality and Leadership (Wall Street)
This is a book which I wish I had written. The authors are to be commended, first for thinking about writing such a book and then for doing it. The result is a brilliant piece of work. The writing style has snap, crackle, and pop. The insights are of great value as we are helped to correlate the circumstances in each movie with the daily circumstances in which most of us are obliged to function each day.
After you read this book, you will perhaps think of other movies which also could have been discussed by the authors. For me (what great fun!), I would nominate Paths of Glory, Zulu, Executive Suite, Command Decision, Tunes of Glory, Braveheart, Jeremiah Johnson, Pork Chop Hill, Pale Rider, and Patton.
If you are a movie buff, if you are looking for a great read, and if you agree with me that much of value can be learned about leadership from the movies, obtain a copy of this book ASAP.
Very useful and interesting.......1999-11-19
What a fun read this is! Business books tend to be so boring, so it was great to read something original and different. And the link of movies to management is not a stretch at all. Just good sensible advice presented in a really engaging writing style. I liked this very much.
Useful guide for those that don't get much outside training.......1999-10-27
In preparing for an annual management seminar that I was leading, someone suggested this book. It was a great help in being able to illustrate easily some useful take away management points for my group. Showing film clips as part of the day's events was a great way to break up the monotony and I found the participants sat up and listened to each segment, obviously interested. I would recommend this book for those who don't work for large companies who are always sending you outside for training. The book gives you all the items for you to do it yourself!
Creative guide to leadership principles.......1999-10-27
A useful guide for business management courses, offering students creative insight into basic leadership principles. In "Movies to Manage By" John Clemens and Melora Wolf creatively utilize film as an instructive tool to convey leadership in a unique approach. A great book to be used in any graduate or college business program
Cool book.......1999-10-09
Movies to Manage By uses film in the right way. Clemens and Wolff are wonderful writers, and their approach to film and leadership is insightful, meaningful, and entertaining. I have a small business and so am dealing with a lot of the dilemmas that the authors raise, and their observations are right on key. The subject matter seemed kind of light when I first saw the book, but reading it I see that it really is a book of substance with helpful information for people like me. Thank you.
Books:
- Its All Your Fault: How To Make It As A Hollywood Assistant
- Its All Your Fault: How To Make It As A Hollywood Assistant
- James Dean: Fifty Years Ago
- Kate: The Woman Who Was Hepburn
- Later Novels and Other Writings: The Lady in the Lake / The Little Sister / The Long Goodbye / Playback /Double Indemnity / Selected Essays and Letters (Library of America)
- Lawrence Sanders: Three Complete Novels
- Magic Lantern Guides: Nikon D80 (Magic Lantern Guides)
- Markov Random Field Modeling in Image Analysis (Computer Science Workbench)
- Maya Character Animation
- Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts
Books Index
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