Customer Reviews:
A Short History with snoring.......2005-11-04
This was a required text for an Intro to Cinema class I took at college. To put it bluntly Gerald Mast is a bore. I've never met the guy so I'm not going to comment on what I haven't seen but I have attempted to read his writings and fell asleep before I could finish the first paragraph. I'm an avid reader and have no indications leading me to believe I have ADD or ADHD but this was simply put the worst text I have ever seen about film. The author's subject matter is not only unappealing but at times also irrelevant. For example, Mast dedicates numerous pages to many shallow commercial filmmakers and leaves one paragraph for Stanley Kubrick. I'm sorry but Stanley Kubrick's impression on the medium is worth more than a paragraph. All in all a very boring read.
Extremely valuable.......2002-07-22
My accidental encounter with an earlier edition of this book was the catalyst for my taking up film studies. The book is a clear, well written and systematically organized history of movies. It has a comprehensive and up to date bibliography and filmography. Chapters are chronological in sequence, but are organized around a particular theme. The authors introduce major influences in the cinema (whether directors, 'schools', actors or events), identify principal directors and films, and analyse major issues and advances. It is an excellent introduction to the history of movies and great jumping off point for further, more specialised study. It is refreshingly free from post-modernist jargon and abstractions. If you want a comprehensive introduction which is also a good read, I recommend this book most highly.
Extremely valuable.......2002-07-22
My accidental encounter with an earlier edition of this book was the catalyst for my taking up film studies. The book is a clear, well written and systematically organized history of movies. It has a comprehensive and up to date bibliography and filmography. Chapters are chronological in sequence, but are organized around a particular theme. The authors introduce major influences in the cinema (whether directors, 'schools', actors or events), identify principal directors and films, and analyse major issues and advances. It is an excellent introduction to the history of movies and great jumping off point for further, more specialised study. It is refreshingly free from post-modernist jargon and abstractions. If you want a comprehensive introduction which is also a good read, I recommend this book most highly.
too much information!!!.......2002-05-08
This book should only be read by master level film students highly interested in every single director, film and plot summary of every movie ever made. There are no summaries of the main points and this book should NEVER be used as a college core classroom book. I have never been so bored and overwhelmed by such trivial and useless information in my life!
Still the definitive film history text........1999-10-18
As a writer, Mast is without equal as a teacher, historian, and critic. The most readable, valuable film history text, in my opinion. Thank goodness it's still in print.
Book Description
The essential core of Mast and Kawin’s classic in a streamlined volume: the most accurate, carefully updated account of cinema today in a clear and lively text.
Building on Mast’s astute and lively history of cinema, Kawin has refined and updated the fascinating story of cinema’s evolution from its earliest beginnings to the digital age. Probing deeper than most movie books, he takes us into the studio vaults, corrects the record, discloses what goes on inside the industry, clarifies the mysteries of movie technology, and offers a precise, thoroughly researched account. Kawin's analysis is witty and engaging, rich in instructive insights and entertaining illustrations of the art, history, technology, business, and fun of film. Now the essentials of Mast and Kawin’s classic book are available in a compact version, judiciously streamlined at an even trimmer price.
Customer Reviews:
nice seller.......2007-03-12
it is really nice to receive the book that soon, if the seller wasnt live the same state as u do, and the book is in wonderful quality, so u guys no need to worry about it.
Book Description
Teen Movies: American Youth on Screen is a detailed look at the depiction of teens on film and its impact throughout film's history. Timothy Shary looks at the development of the teen movie -- the rebellion, the romance, the sex and the horror -- up to contemporary portrayals of ever-changing youth. Films studied include Rebel Without a Cause (1955), Splendor in the Grass (1961), Carrie (1976), The Breakfast Club (1985), and American Pie (1999).
Book Description
Stephen Spignesi, the world's leading expert on Stephen King (Enertainment Weekly) ranks 101 greatest creations of the man he calls "our greatest living author."
Working from a body of King's work numbering more than 550 individual creations, Spignesi lists all of King's writings in every genre and then determines the top 101. Each chosen work is synopsized and reviewed.
The Essential Stephen King provides an unbiased, uncompromising review of King's work by an acknowledged King authority. As such, it is a must for all serious and casual Stephen King fans as well as all lovers of superb contemporary literature.
Customer Reviews:
Utterly uncritical, and duller than dishwater..........2005-05-24
The problem with the book is that it's utterly uncritical of the entirety of Stephen King's work - it's simply a basic recounting of the novel's plot, followed up with a few bits of trivia and the author's "What I Liked" section.
The problem is that the author of this book likes everything about Stephen King, even when he's talking about King's weaker material. You could write the words "I love Stephen King and everything he's ever done!" on an index card, then post it next to the Amazon search results for Stephen King and you'd have this book in a nutshell.
Plus, he refers to the Gor novels as "wildly popular". Uh, no.
-Darren MacLennan
Great book, entertaining, interesting.......2003-04-23
This book is good. It has a lot of interesting facts about the worlds greatest authors books. Things you might have missed when reading. It's worth the money.
Wonderful!.......2002-10-16
This book is a great resource. It has a vast amount of information on King's books that you won't find elsewhere in one collection. I found this little gem at a bookstore and spent about a half hour reading through it. I finally broke down and bought it on Amazon and I'm really glad I did.
I'm already a Stephen King fan and have read many of his books. But it was great to read synopsis's on his other works that I havn't gotten to yet. The author made a break-down of each book, gave the character's names, and a movie adaptation of the book if applicable.
If you are already a Stephen King fan, you will no doubt enjoy this book. You can see which books made which spots on his '100 list' and perhaps argue, but I found myself agreeing with the author on most of his choices.
If you arn't a Stephen King fan yet, but are thinking about reading a book of his and are not sure which one to pick first, this is a great choice for you to read, so you get an idea of what your headed for. :)
9.......2001-12-27
Spignesi is a great fan(atic) of King's and his enthusiasm shows in this listing of the top 101 King writings. He includes a wide variety of King's material from across his career. Anyone who is a fan will enjoy remembering the great stories already read and will be inspired to read ones Spignesi mentions that haven't yet been read.
Not all of Spignesi's opinions are correct, of course, but he is well-informed enough to make a strong case for each of his picks.
A Good Ranking, Even Better Writing.......2001-09-03
Spignesi is probably the biggest King fan out there. He knows every book, novella, short story and essay the man has written in and out. There isn't one work he isn't totally familiar with. I actually wonder if he knows more about King's writing than King does himself.
In The Essential Stephen King, Spignesi tries to rank the 101 best things king has ever written. And although every major King work is featured (all of the novels are there, so are the novellas), many of King's best short stories didn't make the cut (where are The Night Flyer and Lawnmower Man?). And I was disappointed when I saw some of my favorite King novels ranked so high up the list (Dolores Claiborne, The Dark Half, Needful Things and Storm Of the Century aren't even near the top 10!). Of course, this is a fan ranking his favourite works. No two fans will think alike.
The reason the book is so powerful is because of the author's writing skills. Spignesi writes with passion and dedication. Every sentence is like a love confession for the King of horror. And I also enjoyed the articles written by King fans/experts at the end of the book. This books makes you want to revisit King's best writings. It's a book every King fan will enjoy and will use time and time again as a reference manual.
Average customer rating:
- Dr Zhivago a disaster-movie ?!?
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Disaster Movies: The Cinema of Catastrophe (Short Cuts)
Stephen Keane
Manufacturer: Wallflower Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
History & Criticism
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
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Dying for a Laugh: Disaster Movies and the Camp Imagination
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Disaster Movies: A Loud, Long, Explosive, Star-Studded Guide to Avalanches, Earthquakes, Floods, Meteors, Sinking Ships, Twisters, Viruses, Killer Bees, ... Fallout, and Alien Attacks in the Cinema!!!!
ASIN: 1905674031 |
Book Description
Stephen Keane's history of the disaster genre offers a detailed analysis of films such as The Towering Inferno, Independence Day, Titanic, and The Day After Tomorrow. He looks at the ways in which disaster movies can be read in relation to both contextual considerations and the increasing commercial demands of contemporary Hollywood. In this second edition, he adds new material regarding cinematic representations of disaster in the wake of 9/11 and an analysis of disaster movies in light of recent natural disasters. Keane continually reworks this previously unexplored genre.
Customer Reviews:
Dr Zhivago a disaster-movie ?!?.......2001-12-12
well, well there are not to many filmbooks about disastermovies. They certainly had there best time in the seventies with films like "Airport", "Earthquake" oder "Towering Inferno" but also the following decades brought us films like "Volcano" or "Twister". The books describes the genre starting in the 1910's, with detailed analyses of the 70's films. I miss a filmographie with detailed informations - instead you'll find a list of disastermovies including "Batman", "Ben Hur" or even "Dr. Zhivago"... not very helpfull.... A few more pictures (5 on 133
Average customer rating:
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Kafka Goes to the Movies
Hanns Zischler
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
20th Century
| British
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
German
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
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Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
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Historical
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
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General
| Criticism & Theory
| History & Criticism
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German
| European
| History & Criticism
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
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All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Entertainment
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
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Literature & Fiction
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0226986713 |
Book Description
"Went to the movies. Wept. Matchless entertainment." So wrote Franz Kafka in one of his diaries, giving us but one hint of his little-known passion for the cinema. Until now, Kafka aficionados have been left to speculate about which films moved Kafka so powerfully and how those films might have influenced his writing. With Kafka Goes to the Movies, German actor and film director Hanns Zischler draws on years of detective work to provide the first account of Kafka's moviegoing life.
Since many of Kafka's visits to the cinema occurred during bachelor trips with Max Brod, Zischler's research took him not only to Kafka's native Prague but to film archives in Munich, Milan, and Paris. Matching Kafka's cinematic references to reviews and stills from daily papers, Zischler hunted down rare films in collections all across Europe. A labor of love, then, by a true man of the cinema, Kafka Goes to the Movies brims with discoveries about the pioneering years of European film. With a wealth of illustrations, including reproductions of movie posters and other rare materials, Zischler opens a fascinating window onto movies that have been long forgotten or assumed lost.
But the real highlights of the book are those about Kafka himself. Long considered one of the most enigmatic figures in literature, the Kafka that emerges in this work is strikingly human. Kafka Goes to the Movies offers an absorbing look at a witty, passionate, and indulgently curious writer, one who discovered and used the cinema as a place of enjoyment and escape, as a medium for the ambivalent encounter with modern life, and as a filter for the changing world around him.
Average customer rating:
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Movies, The: A Short History, Revised Edition (Trade Version)
Gerald Mast , and
Bruce F. Kawin
Manufacturer: Allyn & Bacon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
History & Criticism
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Performing Arts
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
| Dance
| Magic & Illusion
| Theater
General
| Foreign Languages
| Reference
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General
| Performing Arts
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ASIN: 0205196705 |
Book Description
From Footlights to "The Flickers" is the long awaited fourth book in the collectible sheet music series by Marion Short. Two of the most popular collecting categories are covered in this colorful book-the music of the Broadway stage, and silent screen movie music. Over 560 full color photographs of sheet music covers from musical shows and silent movies accompany the informative text. The movie songs are arranged alphabetically by cover personality, and the section becomes a compendium of all the major silent screen stars from the earliest days of the "flickers" to the sound revolution in 1929. From Footlights to "The Flickers" follows the success of Mrs. Short's other books about sheet music, The Gold in Your Piano Bench (tearjerkers, black songs, rags, and blues), More Gold in Your Piano Bench (inventions, wars, and disasters), and Covers of Gold (sports, fashion, illustration, and the dance).
Average customer rating:
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The Great jazz pianists: Speaking of their lives and music
Manufacturer: W. Morrow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Instruments & Performers
| Music
| Entertainment
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| Books
General
| Music
| Entertainment
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| Books
ASIN: 0688019218 |
Book Description
Written by World Champion players T. J. Cloutier and Tom McEvoy (8 titles between them), this is the definitive guide to winning at two of the world's most exciting poker games! All the answers to players most important questions are here: How do you get inside your opponents' heads and learn how to beat them at their own game? How can you tell how much to bet, raise, and reraise in no-limit hold'em? When can you bluff? How do you set up your opponents in pot-limit hold'em so that you can win a monster pot? What are the best strategies for winning no-limit and pot-limit tournaments, satellites, and supersatellites? Rock-solid and inspired advice from two of the most recognizable figures in poker.
Customer Reviews:
Meh.......2007-08-10
I'm not sure who this book is intended for. The down home, folksy style of writing makes it easy and accessible, like a good beginners book. But some topics that beginners absolutely need to learn, like pot odds and implied odds, are skimmed over and barely touched on. Other times, they'll simply repeat the same thing over and over again, with different ways of phrasing it. I get that you need "iron balls" to play hold 'em; no need to word it 5 different ways in the span of two pages.
The authors also like to make grand pronouncements and hold fast rules, as if they're reading from a stone tablet or something; "Thou shalt not draw to a flush unless ye have the nut flush draw AND two overcards!" Ignore, for a second, the absurdity of that statement; I just hate it when poker players say things like that as if they're the gospel truth. There are going to be times where you should put money into the pot with a non-nut flush draw or even simply two overcards, let alone both of them. The overall strategy described in this book is uber-tight, to say the least. They're much more concerned with protecting their own chips then taking them from others. At a table full of weak players (i.e. your average home or online poker game), I'm not sure why you would want to play in this manner.
This book is not without it's highlights. The discussion on how to play small pairs is refreshing, if only because two dissenting viewpoints are discussed. T.J. doesn't really like them, Tom will play any pair. Personally, I agree with Tom, especially if the stacks are deep. The implied odds you get from hitting a set make it a very profitable hand to play, as long as you can get some action when you hit it. If you're at a table full of nits who don't pay off (players like T.J., for example), you probably shouldn't waste your money with the small pairs unless you're simply trying to steal the pot pre-flop (basically playing it like a semi-bluff.)
Overall, I was very disappointed with this book. I think the main problem is it's target audience. It seems like the authors wrote this with serious poker players in mind, but it reads more like a beginners book at times. If I had read this a few years back when I played ATC (any two cards) this would have been exactly what I needed. Now that I know how to play the good kind of loose, this book does nothing for me. If you're a real tight player, you may find this book comforting. Everyone else should move along, there's nothing to see here. If this is "the bible of poker", as the back cover claims, then call me an atheist, cause I ain't buying it.
I was hoping for more..........2006-05-11
This book contains many stories and not that much poker-tips.
The tips are pretty basic and many of them are told repeatedly throughout the book. The result of that is a book with 304 pages that contains a net total of maybe 100 pages of poker-lessons. Not good. Sure, the stories are very entertaining to read and the authors both have a LOT of experience, but I got this book to get better at tournaments. Not for entertainment reading.
I regret that I bought this book. Recently I threw myself into Dan Harrington's vol.1 and vol.2 and they're great. I highly recommend them. Actually I can't even think of a single bad thing to say about them.
Sorry T.J.!
Great book for reference!.......2006-05-10
I must admit this is one essential poker book that should be in every poker player's library. Tj and Tom give you expert analysis on the proper way to play particular hands. I really value their experience given all the bracelets and tournaments they've both won. Tj Cloutier gives great advice on knowing your opponents and tendencies to make your decisions at the poker table. Even though much of the advice in this book at first look can be interpreted as conservative, its really the best book on tournament poker strategy. Tj stresses no limit holdem is all about survival and making smart decisions where you don't have to take too many chances will ensure you do survive. For example Tj states "In the first round of the World Series, as well as in the first round of the smaller buy-in events at the WSOP, a pair of kings is not a big enough hand to get broke with. The only hand that is big enough to get broke with before the flop is two aces." Who'd a thought that at first glance!
Not the best available.......2006-04-11
As the title implies, the authors discuss every hand that [they] think is playable in a tourney and describe how to play them in limit, no-limit and pot-limit events. There's also a discussion of some important hands that were played in past WSOP championship events. However, I found the information and discussion to be a bit shallow.
McEvoy and Cloutier seem to take a cookie cutter approach when describing how to play the hands. When you have hand X you do action Y. While they [somtimes] modify the action to be taken based on position, there is almost no discussion of the changes that your stack size would dictate. Nor is there much discussion of how hands play differently early in the tournament at full tables vs. late at short tables.
Discussion of how to play various hands on the flop and later are seldom given much in-depth discussion.
Anyone following the advice would be fairly predictable.
Lastly it should be noted that the authors are two long-time successful players. While overall I was disappointed, there were a few points that struck me as very useful. Hence the two stars instead of one.
championship no limit&pot limit hold/em.......2006-02-25
there is some good stuff in this book and written in simple terms
Book Description
Championship No-Limit & Pot-Limit Hold'em is the definitive guide to winning at the world's most exciting and most profitable poker games. This is the book that James McManus, author of Positively Fifth Street, credited with teaching him how to win more than a quarter-million dollars at the World Series of Poker in 1998. The authors emphasize how to win no-limit hold'em tournaments with specific advice on winning the World Series of Poker
Customer Reviews:
Essential NLHE reading.......2005-07-26
A truly great book for some of the reasons below:
Shows and illustrated how a great player like TJ Cloutier plays and thinks about the key hands. If you agree that preflop play is key then you will agee that which cards to play preflop and how to play them after the flop are the key issues.
Introduces key concepts of tourney play and splitting up how you approach the beginning , middle and late stages of a tournment.
The colourful road stories are all a bonus.
Several winners have mentioned this book as being piviotal to thier success including Mcmanus's 5th place at the WSOP main event.
With many newer books on NLH including the two books by Harrington taking a more detailed scientific approach to which hands to play this book is getting a bit dated.
However for ease of learning and its relatively small size which means you can implement your knowledge faster it makes a great primer to the more detailed newer texts.
Also you will learn and understand TJ's style of conservative tight/aggresive play.
Who is TJ Cloutier? The most winning NLHE tournament player. Placed 2nd twice at the WSOP main event (Came 2nd to Chris Ferguson) Holds 6 WSOP bracelets.
Who is his co author Tom Mcevoy?- Former wsop Main event Champion
This was one of the key books that I used to win the weekly Thursday NLHE tourney at the Shara Las Vegas. A $2000 return on my $20 book.
pretty poor book.......2004-04-14
This book is pretty poor relative to other poker books.
It's not that the book doesn't have anything to teach, it's just that I felt that for the cost of the book compared to the material versus the value of other poker books is poor.
Not the bible.......2004-01-21
I would not consider this to be the bible on no-limit. The book starts with an interview of T.J.Cloutier and ends with a few of his road stories. In between there are a couple of examples of how to play certain hands. But in general i found litlle basic big bet poker advice. The tournament section i felt was pretty good. Overall i wouldn't adivce this book to a beginning big bet player. I think they would be better off buying Pot-limit & No-limit poker by Ciaffone/Reuben. If on the other hand you're an somewhat advanced player, then you might find some usefull information in this book.
the best.......2003-09-11
This is the best book on poker from the best player. A great companion to 'Super/System' poker fans will enjoy this hands on gear turning read. Truly a neccesary book for the poker library. In contrast to Sklansky this book will not hold your hand so if your a begginer or your weak you need not pick it up. THis book is for the serious player looking to notch himself up. THis book helped an amateur take 5th in the WSOP and it can help you too!
Don't Leave Home Without It!.......2002-12-10
Probably the best book on "big bet" Hold 'Em available. Written in an easy-to-read, "down to earth" style, making it very easy to understand, with reasons why to and NOT to make certain moves in different situations. Achieved my very first top finish in a "no limit" tournament after reading this book. Part luck, yes, as in all of Poker, but not a total coincedence, in my opinion. Also contains some very colorful and entertaining stories, told by T.J. Cloutier, about his days as a "road gambler".
Average customer rating:
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Writing for the Medium: Television in Transition (Amsterdam University Press - Film Culture in Transition)
Thomas Elsaesser ,
Jan Simons , and
Lucette Bronk
Manufacturer: Amsterdam University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Television
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
| Classics
| Comic
| Contemporary
| Literary
General
| Criticism & Theory
| History & Criticism
| Literature & Fiction
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Play & Scriptwriting
| Writing
| Reference
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Writing Skills
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General
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General
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ASIN: 9053560548 |
Book Description
This collection of essays, by well known writers on the subject of writing for television, is divided into three sections, with the first one devoted to the debates on quality television. The second one focuses on literature and television. The final section examines 'Science on television', with series editors from Britain and Germany giving first-hand accounts of the scope for serious science reporting on television.
Books:
- Acting in Animation: A Look at 12 Films
- Adaptations: From Short Story to Big Screen: 35 Great Stories That Have Inspired Great Films
- Adobe Premiere Elements for Dummies
- All About Oscar: The History and Politics of the Academy Awards
- American History And Contemporary Hollywood Film
- Blade Runner: The Inside Story
- Brando: Songs My Mother Taught Me
- Bright Boulevards, Bold Dreams: The Story of Black Hollywood
- Channels of Desire: Mass Images and the Shaping of American Consciousness
- Cinema Nirvana: Enlightenment Lessons from the Movies
Books Index
Books Home
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- A Year In the Life of an ESL
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Film Art: An Introduction with Tutorial CD-ROM
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