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Full of Secrets: Critical Approaches to Twin Peaks (Contemporary Film and Television Series)
Manufacturer: Wayne State University Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0814325068 |
Book Description
A collection of essays on "Twin Peaks" and the postmodern mediascape.Customer Reviews:
Essential Reading for the Peaks Freak.......2007-06-30
full of revelations.......2007-05-14
Leaves no owl unturned.......2003-09-03
On the other hand, if you want fun reading about a fun show, Agent Cooper's
Autobiography or Welcome to Twin Peaks: Access Guide would be a better bet. ;-)
A dozen in-depth analyses of the unique TV series, written by a raft of PhD's,
including professors from leading universities. No matter how many times you've
watched the programs, I guarantee that this book will tell you things you've
never noticed . . . or even imagined. There's a complete listing of characters,
a calendar/timeline, and 50 pages of scene-by-scene descriptions of all the
episodes, plus the movie.
The last chapter is a sort of free-for-all panel discussion (or, as the eight
co-authors describe it, "a writing strategy that privileges the dialogic
interchange rather than the monologic pronouncement"). Here are the concluding
remarks:
REEVES: Maybe David Lynch is possessed by BOB so he is not responsible
for his actions.
ALL: Hmmmm . . .
In my opinion, this book's sometimes pompous, sometimes far-fetched, sometimes
incomprehensible attempts to dissect the products of David Lynch's wild creativity
are--if one takes a step back--wryly appropriate to Twin Peaks' own blending of
the mundane and the weird.
1/2 Simplistic garbage, 1/2 Pseudo-intellectual nonsense.......2003-01-04
The above sentence comes from arguably the best of the twelve essays contained within this book, Christy Desmet's "The Canonization of Laura Palmer." She makes some extremely insightful points, but to reach them, you have to wade through pretentious written-with-thesaurus-in-hand idiocy like the preceding paragraph.
In general, those expecting to find opinions on what the Red Room really is, or whether coffee and cherry pie are a metaphor for something deeper, will have to parse through endless masturbatory babble, and for the most part will be ultimately disappointed by the lack of any revelations about the show itself (one notable exception is Angela Hague's interesting "Derationalization of Detection," which delves briefly into what actually happened to Cooper in the Black Lodge).
Some essays, such as Jonathan Rosenbaum's "Bad Ideas..." might simply be re-titled "Why I liked Twin Peaks," as it comes off more like high-brow film criticism than anything else, revealing nothing about the show other than why the writer thought it was good. Ditto Marc Dolan's essay "The Peaks and Valleys...", which contains only speculation as to why the show might have lost its audience. Henry Jenkins' is awful, doing nothing more than chronicling ultimately irrelevant discussions on alt.tv.twinpeaks while the show was airing.
A few of the feminist writers are equally terrible for different reasons. Martha Nochimson's "Desire Under the Douglas Firs..." had potential to be very interesting, but went on a "phallocentric" tangent, and from her we read insights like "The phallic nature of the thumbs up sign, and the phallic incapacity of the Old Bellhop, who cannot stand up straight, are complemented by the visionary presence of The Giant, a phallic presence, as emphasized by the visual foregrounding of The Giant's crotch. (153).
In addition, I fear, some of these writers seem to be a little out of their depth, and readers who are specialists in any of the fields contained within might be able to find numerous mistakes. For instance, in the essay about music (my own area of specialty) Kathryn Kalinak misidentifies leitmotifs, writes musical examples in the wrong key AND mode, and generally reveals herself to be musically illiterate. She also assigns import and symbolism to things that deserve none. She notes that in one scene, "a country and western selection on the jukebox mysteriously disappears for Shelley and Norma's entrance only to reappear a few moments later," citing this as proof that Lynch is trying to make us aware of the line "between illusion and artifice." Nonsense. It was an editing mistake. I could wax philosophical that the chess game between Cooper and Earle (which contained impossible positions/illegal moves) was Lynch trying to symbolically demonstrate any number of things, but it was really just Lynch being lazy, and that's fine.
The essays alone really only merit two stars, but following them "Full of Secrets" has several excellent appendices which contain writing/directorial/acting credits, a Twin Peaks calendar of events, and a complete scene breakdown from the pilot through FWWM, all very well done and useful.
For the rest of the book, well, you've been warned.
Full of Delight.......2002-09-27
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American Cinema and Hollywood: Critical Approaches
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0198742819 |
Book Description
'The contributors supply skilful overviews of the major critical approaches' Sight and Sound May 1998 Top international contributors Emphasis throughout on critical concepts, methods and debates Learning aids include chapter summaries, critiques of individual films and further reading This text is perfectly tailored to meet the needs of students taking a course in Hollywood cinema as part of a degree in film, media studies, or cultural studies.
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Film Studies: Critical Approaches
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0198742800 |
Book Description
'The contributors supply skilful overviews of the major critical approaches' Sight and Sound, May 1998 covers all the significant theories, debates and approaches to the subject chapter authors are international experts emphasis throughout on critical concepts, methods and debates includes material from important new fields such as film audiences and reception, queer theory, film and psychoanalysis, and poststructuralist approaches contains learning aids such as chapter summaries, critiques of individual films, and lists of further reading This text is the most up-to-date critical guide to the study of film. It is an ideal course companion for undergraduates taking courses in film criticism and textual analysis, and for students taking course options in gender, race and sexuality in film.
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Film Music: Critical Approaches
Manufacturer: Continuum International Publishing Group ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Similar Items:
ASIN: 0826413560 |
Customer Reviews:
Important film music book.......2007-01-04
A scholarly and introspective selection of essays.......2002-09-09
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The American West in Film: Critical Approaches to the Western (Contributions to the Study of Popular Culture)
Jon Tuska Manufacturer: Greenwood Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: 0313246033 |
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Studies in Entertainment: Critical Approaches to Mass Culture (Theories of Contemporary Culture)
Manufacturer: Indiana University Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: 0253355664 |
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Film Studies: Critical Approaches
Pamela Church Gibson, Richard Dyer, E. Ann Kaplan, Paul Willemen John Hill Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: B000OLKKUA |
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Film: Critical viewing approaches
Barbara Ziminski Manufacturer: Carle Place Public Schools ProductGroup: Book Binding: Unknown Binding ASIN: B0006P88QW |
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Haydn the Years of "the Creation" 1796-1800: Chronicle and Works : The Years of Creation, 1796-1800 (Haydn : Chronicle and Works)
H. C. Robbins Landon Manufacturer: Thames & Hudson ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: 0500011664 |
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Haydn: The Years of "The Creation" 1796-1800 (Haydn Chronicle and Works,Volume IV)
Manufacturer: Thames & Hudson ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: 0253370043 |
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Japanese Prints Coloring Book (Dover Coloring Books)
Ed Sibbett Manufacturer: Dover Publications ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 048624279X |
Book Description
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Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss what Matters Most
Douglas Stone , Bruce Patton , Sheila Heen , and Roger Fisher Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics) ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 014028852X Release Date: 2000-04-03 |
Amazon.com
We've all been there: We know we must confront a coworker, store clerk, or friend about some especially sticky situation--and we know the encounter will be uncomfortable. So we repeatedly mull it over until we can no longer put it off, and then finally stumble through the confrontation. Difficult Conversations, by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen, offers advice for handling these unpleasant exchanges in a manner that accomplishes their objective and diminishes the possibility that anyone will be needlessly hurt. The authors, associated with Harvard Law School and the Harvard Project on Negotiation, show how such dialogues actually comprise three separate components: the "what happened" conversation (verbalizing what we believe really was said and done), the "feelings" conversation (communicating and acknowledging each party's emotional impact), and the "identity" conversation (expressing the situation's underlying personal meaning). The explanations and suggested improvements are, admittedly, somewhat complicated. And they certainly don't guarantee positive results. But if you honestly are interested in elevating your communication skills, this book will walk you through both mistakes and remedies in a way that will boost your confidence when such unavoidable clashes arise. --Howard RothmanBook Description
Members of the Harvard Negotiation Project--which brought you the mega-bestseller Getting to YES--show you how to handle your most difficult conversations with confidence and skill.Download Description
"What is a difficult conversation? Asking for a raise. Ending a relationship. Saying ""no"" to your boss or spouse. Confronting disrespectful behavior. Apologizing. Conversations we dread, and often handle clumsily as a result, are part of all our lives: in boardrooms and family rooms, across the negotiation table and the dinner table. Now, Difficult Conversations teaches us how to handle these dialogues with more success and less anxiety. How does it work? Based on fifteen years of research and consultations with thousands of people, Difficult Conversations pinpoints what works. The authors discovered that regardless of context, the same small but crucial errors are what trip us up--and a few key adjustments can make all the difference. * The role of emotions--ours and theirs * The impact of what is said and what is not said * Why admitting our mistakes will put us in a stronger position * The truth behind the myth that women are better at expressing their emotions than men * How to respond productively in the face of personal attacks Who is this for? Filled with examples from everyday life, Difficult Conversations is certain to be an instant and lasting classic for families, neighbors, bosses, employees, customers, tenants, landlords, psychologists, teachers, and more. Who are the authors? Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen teach at Harvard Law School and at the Harvard Negotiation Project. They have consulted to countless businesspeople, governments, organizations, and communities including all parties to the negotiations on constitutional transition in South Africa; school teachers in Medellin, Colombia; and community leaders and the police department in Springfield, Massachusetts. They lecture throughout the world and have written on negotiation, conflict resolution, and communication. Bruce Patton is co-author of Getting to Yes."Customer Reviews:
Will you ever have a hard conversation? Sure, you will! Read this book first........2007-09-21
Difficult converations.......2007-09-17
great read.......2007-08-27
Best Book on Communication.......2007-08-24
Quality of Life Must Read.......2007-08-04
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Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most
Manufacturer: Tandem Library ProductGroup: Book Binding: Unknown Binding ASIN: 1417663103 |
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