Book Description
“'You will do foolish things' said the great writer Colette, 'but do them with enthusiasm!' And that, my darlings, I have done! So put your feet up, relax, and let me take you on one woman's journey through the beguiling, bewildering wilderness of romantic encounters, replete with puppy love, Latin love, smoldering lust, stardust, obsession, high comedy, high camp, and all manner of peccadilloes and misadventures. A rollicking, madcap ride through the wide-open countryside of love. Just watch out for land mines.”
--From My First Five Husbands . . . And the Ones Who Got Away
People always ask me if I'm like Blanche. And I say, 'Well, Blanche was an oversexed, self-involved, man-crazy, vain Southern Belle from Atlanta -- and I'm not from Atlanta!’” -- Rue McClanahan
Who can forget Rue McClanahan as the sexy Southern vixen, Blanche Devereaux, on the Emmy-award winning series The Golden Girls? With her breezy sex appeal and sharp comedic timing, Rue infused her character with a sassy joie de vivre that captured the hearts of audiences around the world. Now, the actress behind the magic reveals her life in and out of the spotlight in a laugh-out-loud funny memoir about love, marriage, men, and getting older that is every bit as colorful as the characters she plays.
Raised in small-town Oklahoma in a house “thirteen telephone poles past the standpipe north of town,” Rue developed her two great passions—theater and men—at an early age. She arrived in New York City in 1957 with two-weeks worth of money in her pocket, hustled her way into a class with the legendary Uta Hagen, and began working her way up in the acting world against the vibrant, free-spirited backdrop of the sixties. That’s when she met and married Husband #1—a handsome rogue of an aspiring actor who quickly left her with a young son. Still, she was determined to make it on the stage and screen—and in the years that followed, rose to the top of the entertainment world with a host of adventures (and husbands) along the way.
From her roles on Broadway opposite Dustin Hoffman and Brad Davis, to her first television appearances on Maude and All in the Family, to the Golden Girls era and beyond, My First Five Husbands is the irresistible story of one woman’s quest to find herself. Now happily married to Husband #6, Rue is proof that many things can and do get better with age—and that with tenacity, talent, and a little help from Saint Dymphna, even a small-town girl can make it big.
Told with Rue’s saucy wit and Southern charm, My First Five husbands is a deliciously entertaining take on life and love from an irrepressible star.
Customer Reviews:
Light hearted reading.......2007-08-23
I love Rue McClanahan and couldn't wait to get her book. It was a fun read and I did enjoy it but don't look for too much depth.
"Frippery combined with fierceness".......2007-07-14
I love "The Golden Girls" and couldn't wait to read Rue McClanahan's autobiography. She writes in a manically bubbly style, gushing over the highs and lows of a long show-biz career and a love-life so hot it would make even Blanche Devereaux blush.
Eddie Rue McClanahan was born into a conservative Oklahoma family during the Depression, and from an early age wanted desperately to be popular. Popular, to Rue, meant being loved and adored by men, and she was always falling in love too easily. She was a struggling stage actress in New York with two quick marriages and divorces under her belt when she met Norman Lear who began casting her in TV sitcoms. Two more divorces later, she landed the role of the man-hungry Blanche on "Golden Girls," The Golden Girls" The Golden Girls - The Complete First Season and world-wide fame. Breast cancer and husband number 5 bring her story up to date.
I was fascinated with Rue's unfailing optimism, her gritty determination to succeed as an actress, and her abysmally poor decisions when it came to men. I gave up counting how many affairs she had, and was appalled at how quickly she married and then lost interest in her husbands. Some were physically and emotionally abusive and some were just weird. Now in her seventies, Rue is still the ageless coquette, the belle of the ball. She names names and doesn't pull any punches in this book; Rue's fans won't be able to put it down.
Delightful.......2007-07-05
Excellent book to read for fun. I found this book very enlightening and couldn't wait to read in the evenings. Ms. McClanahan writes a totally honest and unbiased book and I'm amazed at all the twists and turns that she experienced in her career and person life. She tells the story like a true Golden Girl would tell it. However, she must have been busy constantly because 'The Golden Girls' show is only a small part of her career.
So much to love!.......2007-06-13
As someone who is 21 years old, I'm sure a lot of people are wondering why I'd be interested this book, but I absolutely adore Rue McClanahan and always have since I was little girl watching Golden Girls. This was a wonderful book. I enjoyed hearing about all of her experiences and revelations. She has a brilliant writing style and as someone mentioned before it is definitely like listening to great girl talk from one of your girlfriends! This was such a fun read and I'm sad I finished it in two days. I wish there was more to read!!! It deserves more than 5 stars. Thanks Rue for making me laugh for the past 18 years of my life!
Five Husbands and She Kept trying!.......2007-06-12
I am happy for Rue McClanahan who finally found happiness with number six, Morrow Wilson. They are happily living in New York City with their cat, Bianca. Rue's autobiography is touching as revealing. I never cared for Blanche as much as I cared for Vivan on Maude and Aunt Frances Crowley on Mama's Family. The book explained that Rue was having health problems which explained her absence from Mama's Family. Lucky for millions of others, they got to see her in the role of a lifetime playing Blanche Deveraux for eight seasons on the golden hit, The Golden Girls. It brought her international fame. It's a popular show around the world especially in England where even British sitcom stars like the late John Inman and Frank Thornton sing it's praises. I love Rue's almost tell-it-like it is biography. Her love for Brad Davis and many other lovers as well as the gay following of the Golden Girls which I didn't know there was until I read the book. She writes about her difficult labor with her only child, Mark, who she writes fondly and dedicates the book too. She doesn't mention Wicked on Broadway. She does not slight or offend any of her co-stars of the past. I wished there was a photo of her as Aunt Fran and Vivian on Maude. To me, she'll always be one or the other. I have seen Golden Girls enough and while I admire it's writing, acting, and the sensation that it caused on television. I still think Rue rather as Aunt Fran, the old maid journalist and aspiring writer. If Mama's Family hadn't been cancelled, Rue would still be playing Aunt Fran to Betty White's Ellen but I think the funniest thing was when Vicki Lawrence sent a male stripper to her hospital room when she was recovering as a present. It was something more of Blanche than of Aunt Fran.
Customer Reviews:
Great guidebook, a must read.......2007-09-23
If you are going to make a video which tells a story (even if you are gonna just post it on youtube), please read this book. You'll benefit a whole lot from it and your video will look better and will make more sense to the audience.
The best book available for learning Classic Film Storytelling skills.......2007-08-03
When I was just starting out as an animation storyboard artist, this book was recommended as "THE BOOK" for learning the language of film storytelling. It is clear and well-organized--with no fluff or nonsense. The principles are timeless, and since it was written at the tail end of the Hollywood studio system, it does not fall into any of the bad filmmaking traps that started to pop up in the late sixties. The photo illustrations are perfectly-suited to communicate the important points of clear storytelling.
In 1994 this book was long out of print, and I paid about $150 for a used copy...so be very happy that this is once again available, and at a reasonable price!
Some thought on Five C's.......2007-05-23
I find it absurd and utterly ridiculous that some reviewer were disappointed of this book because it doesn't contain "cutting edge 21st century" imagery from the latest hollywood blockbusters. What those people would expect? That the book is filled with tons of star wars production shot? I'm glad that the pictures are B&W, at least they don't distract the concentration.
I cant say more on behalf of this book more that others didn't say before me. The book is great. A must have for everyone interested in cinematography. For those lacking "better" pictures I suggest the various comic books and the kind of "how star wars was made" type books.
Great stuff simple and effective.......2007-01-17
I don't see how anyone could be disappointed with this book. The pictures are dated, but the techniques are as up to date as ever. If you film you should have the 5 C's memorized and they will become second nature to you. This book is inexpensive enough that everyone should have it in their collection. After I read this book I thought maybe I should sell it, and then decided no, this is one of those classics worth keeping and is a handy reference. It's packed with lots of tib bits of information. Well worth the money, worth reading, and worth highlighting and worth it as a reference.
Read and heed for better production.......2007-01-17
Written more than forty years ago, you can only add to this book. The techniques discussed are classic, timeless, and undisputed. That which can be added to the book is a result of having a solid grasp of the book. In other words, break the rules with a purpose that works.
Read the book then read it again, and again. If you are an experienced filmmaker, use it for reference and as a reminder. The book creates an awareness of what works, what doesn't, and why. A thorough understanding of the principles will allow you to side-step many pitfalls in pre-production, production, and post-production.
Because of the amount of information presented, I think the book would work well as a curriculum textbook. Setting up the techniques in a lab/studio situation would be to the benefit of almost everyone entering the motion-picture/video field. Until then, get the book, read it, and heed it.
Book Description
For Ethan Mordden, the closing night of the hit musical, 42nd St. sounded the death knell of the art form of the Broadway musical. After that, big orchestras, real voices, recognizable books and intelligent lyrics went out the window in favor of cats, helicopters, yodeling Frenchmen, and the roof of the Paris Opera. Mordden takes us through the aftermath of the days of the great Broadway musical. From the long-running Cats to Miss Saigon, Phantom, and Les Miserables, to gems like The Producers, he is unsparing in his look at the remains of the day. Not content to scold the shows' creators, Mordden takes on the critics, too, splaying their bodies across the Great White Way like Sweeney Todd giving a close shave. Once more, it's "curtain going up," but Mordden is not applauding.
Customer Reviews:
The truth hurts.......2007-05-20
I recommend this almost as highly as the others in this series. There's nobody better at giving an overview of the Broadway Musical; his musical literacy alone is probably unique among writers on the subject.
That said, you should read one of the earlier books first, because he's naturally using earlier decades as referents. This book is also a little darker than its predecessors, but don't blame the messenger for the bad news. He finds some good in almost every season, and never actually indulges in the despair that the titls promises.
Yes, there are a few jokes that fall flat. Yes, his 'political' opinions are ignorant and cold-hearted -- the exact opposite of his theatre criticism -- but they total perhaps a page or two out of three hundred, and don't seem to influence his theatrical judgement. For example: you may not agree with his take on 'Ragtime', but he doesn't use his deep dislike of one aspect of the story to dismiss the overall production. (Actually, he does do that to 'Zorba', but that's in his book on the 60s.)
Trying too hard.......2005-11-30
Granted, I haven't read Ethan Mordden's series of books on musical theatre...and they have been well-reviewed on this site. I chose this book primarily because I wanted a book that examines the last 25 years of Broadway musicals and is fairly recent. This book surveys the period from 1978 - 2003 on Broadway (and off).
Although I did agree with many of Mr. Mordden's views on various musical projects throughout the last 25 years, I have several misgivings about recommending this book.
1). Mr. Mordden tries too hard to be witty and many of his jokes (witticisms) push too hard to be funny. Some are downright tasteless...example: when he refers to a musical based on "Our Town" that, due to Mary Martin's fatal cancer the project was "killed".
2). Mr. Mordden regularly insults his readers and Broadway audiences, regaling them for their "stupidity" while making numerous factual mistakes of his own in research. He refers to only "four original songs" from the movie Footloose that transferred to the stage version. Wrong! A couple of times, he also assigns roles to the wrong actor in his synopsis of the shows.
3). Mr. Mordden, in attempting to be witty and funny, is quite often just downright mean and bitchy.
4). His pretentiousness is on full display in the use of numerous references to Broadway as "The Street". I've never heard it called this...is this his own invention to try to coin a term and be hip and trendy? Several times, he also get tied up in the syntax of his sentence structure and the overuse of his thesaurus in order to impress. Thus, his meaning becomes muddled and difficult to understand.
5). Mr. Mordden decides that, in writing this book, he has good reason to throw in right-wing political propoganda here and there. I'm not sure why, but he does it regularly which weakens his arguments as he analyzes the shows. He rips "Ragtime" for glorifying terrorism...not only is this analysis ridiculous, but totally out of context for a musical set in the early 20th century.
Although Mr. Mordden is quite astute and dead on in many instances...his insistence on writing in the manner and style he does makes reading the book a disappointing experience in the long run.
A fine writer shoots himself in the foot.......2005-10-02
As other reviewers have noted, Mordden's decade-by-decade series on the Broadway musical has been superb to this point. His wit and genuine love of the form, together with an encyclopedic knowledge of social and cultural history, made his earlier books treasures -- "Coming Up Roses" was the best of a choice lot.
What a disappointment that "Happiest Corpse" turned out so bitter and screed-filled. Specious politics aside, by indulging himself in extended rants against Burt Lancaster, the movie version of "The Producers", "Ragtime", stupid audiences, and so on ad nauseam, Mordden clouds the fact that he's really not reporting on a corpse at all. It's easy to miss among the political outbursts, but Mordden finds many recent shows to praise and wonderful scores to extol. Yet the reader can hardly appreciate the good news when the overall tone of the book is so nasty. It's sad, not to mention ironic, that Mordden has become as humorless and bombastic as the Left he so thoroughly despises.
Two final comments: (1) Mordden's reference to "Patty Lu" is not a mistake but a joke from a previous Mordden footnote, in which he pretends that Robert and Patty's family name is Lu, and Jubilation T.'s last name is Corn. It's a lame joke but Mordden seems more prone to these lately. (2) Mordden can't have seen "Bat Boy" or "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" to dismiss them so snottily. Both were terrific musicals in the classic form, even if their subject matter was outre. Mordden falls all over himself praising "Urinetown" (no Barbara Cook there either, by the way), a good show but not the equal of either "Bat Boy" or "Hedwig".
More irritating than entertaining.......2005-03-06
While I find Ethan Mordden often erudite and highly entertaining,I find his comments often irritating and inaccurate. His new book, THE HAPPIEST CORPSE I'VE EVER SEEN contains inaccurate information on productions which involved both of us, from placing the New Amsterdam Theatre Company's final presentation, Jerome Kern's SALLY, before producer Bill Tynes' death to a cryptic "all was well till someone claimed to have found the Bennett parts at the St Louis Muny" about my restoration of Cole Porter's lost show JUBILEE. If Mr Mordden can't keep the information accurate on matters in which I was involved, I question the accuracy of other areas in his expertise.
To my knowledge, Ethan and Bill Tynes were good friends and it's my memory that Ethan was on the board for The New Amsterdam Theatre Company. Bill's health in 1986 delegated the March production of JUBILEE to Sally Hassenfelt, who became the New Amsterdam Theatre Company's producer at Bill's death in January 1987. SALLY was the only show produced under her regime in January 1988; the late Bill Tynes was still credited as producer.
Bill had wanted to use the March 1986 performances of JUBILEE as a backer's audition to present a major revival, but his health limited his time as producer and Ms Hassenfelt, who had been brought in to assist Bill, asserted her power over casting and director by bullying everyone, from me to the Cole Porter Trust. One "period musicals" authority tried to sabotage my working on JUBILEE by attempting to locate the original scores and parts, but nothing was located. In his latest book, SING FOR YOUR SUPPER, Mr Mordden's comments on JUBILEE, removing Tommy Krasker and me from any reconstruction or revival comments, show that he's been studying the photocopy of my vocal score that I gave him in 1986.
One of the most frustrating reads in quite some time.......2005-02-10
I reviewed this book for Talkin' Broadway [...] I have never been so frustrated reading a book as I was reading this one. While there is no doubt that Mordden is a knowledgeable aficionado of Musical Theater, he also comes across as bigoted, hypocritical and even homophobic (and considering that he is a gay man himself, this is more than a little appalling).
When he sticks to simply writing about the shows, he can be clear and incisive. At those moments he ranks with the best writers of theatrical criticism. Then on a dime he will sideswipe the reader with an absurd blanket statement, such as dismissing "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" and "Bat Boy" due to the fact that "...the farther we get from shows with a valid role for Barbara Cook, the farther we get from what is enjoyable" yet extolling Michael John LaChiusa's "Hello Again" and "Marie Christine" or William Finn's "Falsettos," neither of which contain roles truly suitable for Cook. Comments like "...those who truly love the musical - basically gay men and Frank Rich..." and "The Full Monty tells of married couples and teaches homo tolerance" go beyond eye-rolling into purely offensive. And the inclusion of "The Tap Dance Kid" into a chapter entitled "Why Can't Susan Smith and Timothy McVeigh Have a Musical? Hitler Has One" that explores shows like "Capeman" and "Assassins" is even worse (and including "Movin' Out," constantly called "Movin' On," and "The Full Monty" into a chapter on musicals on the disenfranchised, since he believes that the white working-class male is a minority due to actions by "... special interest groups, lone-ranger spoilers and the ACLU [that] make war on everything from the Pledge of Allegiance to Christmas..." is just plain head-scratchingly wrong.
Most disturbing of all, however, is a frothing rant against "Ragtime" that ends the chapter. While it is perplexing that Mordden can consider "Ragtime" an exultation of terrorism due to Coalhouse's targeting of firehouses but can equate the `losers' in Assassins with "Islamists killing the symbol of the success they can not have," his statement that "Ragtime" "reveals how slavishly Broadway buys snake oil from the wreckers and stooges of the hard left" belongs more in a treatise by Rush Limbaugh or Bill O'Reilly than in a critical essay on an art form.
Book Description
The Seven Addictions and Five Professions of Anita Berber is the first contemporary biography of a notorious actor/dancer/poet/playwright who scandalized sex-obsessed Weimar Berlin during the 1920s.
In an era where everything was permitted, Anita Berber's celebrations of "Depravity, Horror and Ecstasy" were condemned and censored. She often haunted Weimar Berlin's hotel lobbies, nightclubs and casinos, radiantly naked except for an elegant sable wrap, a pet monkey hanging from her neck, and a silver brooch packed with cocaine. Multi-talented Anita saw no boundaries between her personal life and her taboo-shattering performances. As such, she was Europe's first postmodern woman.
Among those Anita Berber claimed as members of her vast sexual harem were Marlene Dietrich, Magnus Hirschfeld (the founder of modern sexology and gay liberation), Klaus Mann, Conrad Veidt, Lawrence Durrell, and the King of Yugoslavia. Berber acted in Fritz Lang's Dr. Mabuse: The Gambler and starred in the silent epic, Lucifer. Even Leni Riefenstahl credits Berber for inspiring her controversial career. After sated Berliners finally tired of Anita Berber's libidinous antics, she became a "carrion soul that even the hyenas ignored," dying in 1928 at the age of 29.
The Seven Addictions and Five Professions of Anita Berber chronicles a remarkable career, including over 150 photographs and drawings that recreate Anita's enduring "Repertoire of the Damned."
Customer Reviews:
The career story of actor, dancer, poet, and sex culture icon Anita Berber.......2006-09-12
The Seven Addictions And Five Professions Of Anita Berber: Weimar Berlin's Priestess Of Depravity is the career story of actor, dancer, poet, and sex culture icon Anita Berber, who scandalized Weimar Berlin by appearing naked in nightclubs and casinos save for a sable wrap. Her performance in Expressionist films, her disregard of all taboos and her drug habits all contributed to a life devoted to casting off restraints. Dozens of black-and-white photographs and drawings recreating Anita's "Repertoire of the Damned" illustrate this one-of-a-kind tell-all of Europe's first postmodern woman.
"She was the most remarkable spirit that I ever met in the weird underworld of human sexuality.".......2006-09-10
Author Mel Gordon details a glittering, decadent Weimar Berlin in the book, "The Seven Addictions and Five Professions of Anita Berber: Weimer Berlin's Priestess of Depravity." Post WWI Berlin "became the world showcase of nude dance and the erotic revue-sketch", and with the catastrophic devaluation of the German Mark, "moral degeneration" reigned in a city that rapidly became a metropolis of exotic, erotic cabaret performances. During her brief, explosive career Anita Berber was Weimar Berlin's "most widely discussed female personality." She performed to packed theatres, outraging her audiences, sharply dividing critics, and shocking society with the scandals that surrounded her both on and off stage. With her perfect, lithe body, dancer and performance artist Anita Berber reigned supreme.
Gordon charts the meteoric rise and tragic fall of the notorious dancer. During her short, brilliant, and self-destructive life, she earned many names, and was called a "totally perverted woman", the "Madonna of Dresden", the "Countess of Sin", "a living embodiment of sin", and "an incarnation of the perverse." Gordon offers the reader a portrait of a difficult life--fraught with public scandal, private demons, and an avant-garde approach to dance that brought Berber the wrong sort of audience. Gordon argues that the very audience who flocked to Berber for her scandalous naked dances could not appreciate the artistic relevance of her performances, and thus heckled--and ultimately abused her.
Gordon tracks Berlin's long-standing tradition with Naked Dance as an art form and traces Berber's career from her early dance training to German Expressionist Richard-Oswald films. But it was Berber's ability to dance that brought Berlin--at least temporarily--to her feet.
The book examines Berber's disastrous relationship with petty criminal, con man, and fellow dancer--Sebastian Droste. Included are details of Droste's post-Berber career in America and his membership in a notorious New York sex cult. The major scandals in Berber's life are examined--her three husbands, her affairs with the sexually obsessed Gerda and her daughter Elsa, and the "lovesick" Baroness Leonie Puttkamer-Gessmann. Berber's health steadily declined as her various addictions grew uncontrollable, and she rapidly became a "creative liability" on stage--even whacking a businessman over the head with a bottle of champagne one evening.
The book also serves as a glimpse into artistic life of Weimar Berlin--and there are mentions here of many notables--including Leni Riefenstahl (she was Berber's understudy for one engagement), Conrad Veidt, Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, Marlene Dietrich, and Fritz Lang. The text is peppered with marvelous photographs, posters and graphics depicting various Berber routines (including the Dances of Depravity, Horror, and Ecstasy). Additional materials follow the text--including poems by Berber and Droste, synopses of Berber's dance performances, and a bibliography. It's sadly ironic that Anita Berber--who once was so infamous--has now almost disappeared, and it is a particular joy for those interested in Berber (me) that Mel Gordon wrote this work on a much-neglected artist. For more on the life of Anita Berber, I recommend the film "Anita: Dances of Vice" by Rosa von Praunheim--displacedhuman
Book Description
A collection of five screenplays by this Academy Award-winning writer. Includes: All the President's Men * Magic * Harper * Maverick * The Great Waldo Pepper. Also features essays by Goldman: "Getting Even or Creative Accounting," "Sneak Previews, or Why Did She Have to Die?," "Hype or Consequences: A Brief History of the Future," "Shooting from the Hip: Don't You Know Anything About Screenwriting?," and "Nothing for Me to Steal: The Secret Life of an Adaptation."
Customer Reviews:
To love screenwriting, is to love William Goldman.......2003-09-06
Just go ahead and try to write a screenplay like William Goldman and you'll get slammed!
Yet despite the "flowery phrasing" the author of some of cinema's greatest screenplays is a master at getting you to play the movie in your head! It's the great ones that get to break the rules.
Every script is an enjoyable read, instantly and visually compelling, and a real lesson for writers on how to use language to give Actors, Directors, Cinematographers, and Script supervisors what they need to know as poetically and economically as possible.
I particularly enjoyed reading about the decisions that went into the making of The Great Waldo Pepper. As a kid, this movie really turned me around. It was a life affirming tragedy and it painted an emotional picture of a man's life using every color on this writer's pallette. Worth the price for this one alone!
All the essays prefacing the screenplays are a fascinating read, and a window into a facet of film history.
Product Description
So you want to be a film critic and review movies for a living? Veteran film critic Christopher Null teaches you, step by step, how to break into the business with the lessons he's learned from more than a decade in the industry. Five Stars! will teach you all you need to know!
- Understand movie history and the mechanics of filmmaking --
without the film snob jargon!
- Learn how to write a review,
step by step
- Get into every movie
for free and never pay to go to the movies again!
- Get
free DVDs -- before anyone else!
- Break into
professional writing in newspapers, magazines, and online
- Launch a movie review website, recruit staff, and
start your own business as a critic
- Learn how to
approach editors -- from the experts themselves
-
Build an audience for your work
- Interview celebrities and
hang out with the stars!
Five Stars! is
the only book on the market that shows you
exactly how to become a
professional movie reviewer, step by step! It's an absolute must-read for any aspiring film critic!
256 pages -- packed with essential information!
Customer Reviews:
Obviously a great book, but wrong topic.......2006-10-03
I love movies. I love to criticize movies. But I really just want to share my criticism with my friends, and I really don't care to be eloquent about it. Take the movie "Four Brothers" for instance. My review would run something like this: "WTF??? I gotta see that again!"
Now, if Christopher Null had written about how to become a food critic, I'd be all over that. I wonder if it would work to just replace words like "film" and "movie" with "food" and "eats", or "actor" and "actress" with "meat" and "potatoes". But then I would have to come up with all kinds of substitutes, and that would get complicated. Would I pick "flambe" or "brussel sprout" to replace "director", "chef" or "gourmet" for "producer", or "curry" or "whip cream" for "writer"? No I guess it wouldn't work.
Hopefully, Mr. Null has a food critic friend who will write a similarly great book entitled "Five Stars! How to Become a Food Critic, The Galaxy's Greatest Job." Let's face it, film critiquing may be great, but food critiquing, what could be better than eating for a living?
The definitive book on movies and being a film critic.......2005-10-04
Other reviewers have gone into great detail about what's in this book so I won't repeat their efforts. Simply put, this book is written by a critic, Christopher Null, which knows movies and can put that knowledge on paper in an informative and still entertaining way. Each point he makes in this book includes at least one movie as an example and it's obvious by the movie titles he lists that he has watched thousands of them. This is a must buy for anyone that wants to be a film critic (or already believe they are one) and a highly recommended purchase for those of you, like me, that simply love watching movies.
kudos.......2005-08-17
normally, i wouldn't want to be a film critic but christopher null makes you really think about it. a great critic...he's interesting and inventive--and has an appreciation for the out of the ordinary... just check out his wacky website. [...]
Five Stars makes it easy.......2005-08-11
If you're one of the millions who dream of turning your love of cinema into a lifelong vocation, you need to read Five Stars. This is the only book on the market today that tells you, step by step, exactly how to break into this business.
Without weighing you down with a bunch of worthless theory that means nothing in the real world, Five Stars quickly gets down to the nitty gritty. In this book, Christopher Null, one of the most widely published and respected movie critics on the internet, walks you through every phase of your personal development on the path to a successful career.
The tips in Five Stars clearly show you how to:
-Educate yourself about the larger world of cinema
-Become a smarter and more active movie goer
-Communicate your thoughts coherently
-Write lively, entertaining movie reviews
-Find outlets to publish your work
Even with the best guidance in the world, becoming a successful film critic isn't easy. But Five Stars will arm you with the knowledge you need to roll up your sleeves and put your talent to work. Whether you're a young upstart with a passion for movies or an established critic with years of experience, this book is a must-have for your personal library.
What other rating could you give it?.......2005-07-02
"Five Stars" deserves five stars.
I read an early edition from Sutro Press, and "Five Stars" is truly a marvelous guide to making your dreams a reality, without any film school snobbery to weigh it down. The book surveys all the stuff you need to know to write credibly about movies, coaches you through the writing process, and even provides excellent tips on how to get your words published.
The author is a web entrepreneur, a seasoned magazine editor, and even a novelist, so he really knows what he's writing about, and that really comes through in the book. Whether you want to pursue film review as a career or even as an occasional hobby, or you just want to go see a lot of new movies and DVDs for free, this book is a fabulous way to start.
Average customer rating:
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Five Romantic Plays, 1768-1821 (Oxford World's Classics)
Paul Baines
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
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Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Comedy (Norton Critical Editions)
ASIN: 0192833162 |
Book Description
During the period of European revolutions the British Romantic theatre found itself reexaming the whole cast of social and sexual relations. The five plays grouped here represent some of the most radical and unusual examples of Romantic drama: Horace Walpole invented gothic melodrama with his incest tragedy, The Mysterious Mother (1768), and Robert Southey imagined the theatre as a site of revolutionary protest in Wat Tyler (1794). Joanna Baillie's psychological case study in aristocratic hatred, De Monfort (1768) was thought too alarming to have been written by a woman, while Elizabeth Inchbald's hugely successful Lovers' Vows (1798) was sufficiently subversive for Jane Austen to analyse some of its illicit potential in Mansfield Park (1814). Byron's strenuous tragedy The Two Foscari (1821) explores an inescapable conflict between parental love and political authority. The stage imagined by these writers is an arena of tense and embattled desires, with sexual and political claims mapped onto the same conflicts of power. This exciting edition is the only one of its kind and provides the first authorized texts of the plays complete with fully-researched reference to major authorial revision.
Product Description
On September 26, 1968, Hawaii Five-O premiered on CBS. The show's exotic locale and quality writing and acting made it a fixture in the network's line-up for the next 12 years. Today the detective series continues to be very popular in syndication. The show's history is covered first, focusing on its development and its stars. Complete casts and credits for all regulars are provided for each season; the episode guide gives the title, original air date, director, producer, guest stars, a detailed synopsis of each show, and information on Honolulu residents who appeared in it.
Customer Reviews:
A mediocre book.......2007-07-15
I've had the hardcover for quite awhile. It reads like a self-published fan book, which it probably is. It lacks real insight into what made the show special. The episode reviews are amateurish. Lots of "fan" comments and observations sprinkled throughout. Very little substance about the history and making of the show. Not recommended. If you want an ep. guide, get one online.
Great companion to the series DVDs (at last!!).......2007-04-22
Now that they are finally releasing the TV series on DVD (faster please!) this book is a great companion-the background stories, trivia and tidbits are terrific. It's fun watching the episodes to look for the things Ms. Rhodes mentions-the "looks", exchanges, dialogue, relationships, the music. It's also interesting to consider, as Ms Rhodes does, the issues that were raised by the series and how characters were treated, given the era and the nature of the show. There are summaries about the trials and tribulations of the series production and scheduling for each season, as well as for some significant episodes.
I remember some of the episodes from my childhood but have not seen the show in decades. I'm looking forward to reading up on the episodes, then watching them as more seasons are released in the future. I enjoyed reading Ms. Rhodes opinions and commentaries and am looking forward to comparing her throughts to mine.
As an episode guide the material is kind of sketchy; there is a very general description of each episode, and sometimes there are spoilers. A careful reader can intuit most of the episode plots, and there is more detailed plot information available elsewhere on-line.
I wish there were more photographs, especially candid ones and better quality reproduction. I would also love more anecdotes from the set (the cast and crew "talk story") and about life in the islands during production. But then maybe someone should write a history of production and pictorial guide; this is not that book. It is an episode-by-episode critical commentary (most a page or less in length), with an introduction to each season, and information about the cast of each episode and the crew for each season.
WORST "episode guide" I HAVE EVER SEEN!.......2006-08-10
Beware! This is NOT an episode guide. It is only commentary on all of the episodes. An episode guide SHOULD give a synopsis, or at least 2 or 3 lines describing the episode. This book lists each episode title with credits. Then it makes commentary on each episode and only in a rare few cases does it describe the episode. It assumes that you already know each episode. Descriptions of most of the episodes just don't exist in this book. What an expensive disappointment! Save your money and use internet episode guides for this great TV series.
A Very Good Effort of Karen Rhodes and we Hawai'i Five-0 fans are grateful.......2006-01-07
I could pick bones with some minor errors in here.
I think I know a bit more than Karen does on some
things, but overall (since I lived in Hawai'i and
attended U/H) it's a very thorough effort. Good
job Karen!
LET'S GET THE EPISODES ON DVD!!.......2004-12-23
Of all the Amazon releases I have been looking for, HAWAII FIVE-O, THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON, is without a doubt, the one DVD set I have been looking for over the years.
WHEN IS IT COMING TO DVD?, IT'S LONG OVERDUE!!
Book Description
From the 1950s through 1997, Louis "Studs" Terkel, bestselling author of Working, The Good War, Coming of Age, and eight other books, hosted a daily one-hour show on WFMT radio in Chicago. This nationally syndicated, Peabody Award-winning program was an ideal showcase for his curmudegeonly wit, his maverick opinions, and his genius as an interviewer. With his singular blend of intellect, grit, and intuition, Studs draws his guests into spirited dialogues about their accomplishments, their setbacks, and their most enduring dreams. Each individual interview is a unique portrait of one of the key personalities of our time; taken together, the interviews provide unparalleled insights into the ideas and events that have shaped our lives.
Customer Reviews:
THANK GOD FOR STUDS TERKEL!.......2007-02-07
Having grown up in Chicago and spent a chunk of my adult life there as well, perhaps the thing I miss most is Studs Terkel and WFMT, the best
FM station in the country. I learned as much about life and the never-ending struggle for human rights from Studs' interviews as I did from any
professor or priest. Hearing these wonderful chunks of those conversations again fills me with nostalgia and recharges my batteries for my own twilight struggle against the world's ills.
A pleasure.......2006-11-12
Memorable interviews with the most affable interviewer. A lovely way to spend some time.
OUTSTANDING LISTENING PLEASURE.......2005-06-26
Even today, when celebrity revelations droppeth like the gentle rain, Studs Terkel stands head and shoulders above other interviewers. He had a knack. He could get people to say things they hadn't planned on saying. Terkel knew precisely what to ask, and how to ask it. Those are my words - the Chicago Sun Times said it better:
"Studs Terkel (gets) people to say things in such a way that you know at once they have finally said their truth, and said it better than they ever believed they could say it."
Trained as a lawyer, experienced as an actor, and a best-selling author, Terkel spent half a century on his Chicago based Peabody Award winning syndicated radio program. He brought together people from all walks of life, artists, writers, philosophers, inventors, and visited with each of them as they recounted their triumphs and failures.
Now, 48 of these original interviews have been gathered for our enjoyment - it's a treat to hear the stories of those who influenced our world in their own voices. We hear R. Buckminster Fuller, Woody Allen, Gore Vidal, Eudora Welty, Dorothy Parker, Bertrand Russell, Leonard Bernstein, and a host of others.
Exemplary listening pleasure!
- Gail Cooke
Voices of Our Time.......1999-12-05
Studs Turkel is a wonderful interviewer, and over the past five decades he has interviewed many of the great thinkers, writers, and doers of our time. The ones he chose for this collection include Aaron Copland, Oliver Sacks, Margaret Mead, Daniel Ellsberg, Maya Angelou, Pete Seeger, John Kenneth Galbraith, and dozens of others. All together, they provide a fascinating portrait of the last half of 20th century. Highly recommended!
Book Description
This four audio CD program covers material not included in either of Chekhov's books, On the Technique of Acting or the new edition of To the Actor. The highlights include: The Art of Characterization; Short Cuts to Role Preparation; How to Awaken Artistic Feelings and Emotions; Avoiding Monotony in Performance; Overcoming Inhibitions and Building Self-Confidence; Psycho-Physical Exercises; and Development of the Ensemble Spirit.
Customer Reviews:
Michael Chekhov Speaks.......2001-05-08
Thsi set of tapes is wonderful. If you are a fan of the Michael Chekhov Technique, or merely curious, the tapes are an opportunity to hear Michael Chekhov share the elements of his technique with a group of professional actors. I have a set just for drive time in my car - they keep me very connected to the technique and Chekhov's artistic vision.
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- Soundscapes
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Books Index
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