OPEN WIDE: HOW HOLLYWOOD BOX OFFICE BECAME A NATIONAL OBSESSION

Book Description

Variety editors Dade Hayes and Jonathan Bing expose the blockbuster factory that lies beyond Hollywoods red carpet as they trace the trail of blood, sweat, tears, and hundreds of millions of dollars at stake on opening weekend at the multiplex. Open Wide gives a behind-the-scenes look at how movies have become products of instantaneous mass consumption, no more enduring than popcorn and soda.

Customer Reviews:

Engrossing, comprehensive read........2006-10-31

This book was simply a gem. It smoothly interweaved the present state of the film business with its historical foundations and developments.

Fun read about movie marketing.......2005-09-14

Lightweight and superficial, but a fun book and easy read about the movie business and movie marketing -- not about the art of actually making movies. The authors focus on how the making of "big" or "blockbuster" movies are driven by pseudoscience and marketing forces, and on the relationships between the theater business and movie making and promotion.

Great for Film Buffs.......2005-02-23

Open Wide is much more than a mere analysis of the state of today's Hollywood. It also give its readers a very generous lesson on the history of the box office take, going from the very early days up until today. What the authors have done is to give the readers an inside-look into the Hollywood machine so that we can all understand better what constitutes a hit.

The authors have decided to study the three films that opened on the 4th of July weekend in 2003; Terminator 3, Legally Blonde 2 and Sinbad. From their moment of conception up to their release, the authors study the various stages the films went through before finally arriving to the Silver Screen. Through this, they also give us history lesson on firms like EDI Nelson, Technicolor, some studio anecdotes and a great, detailed history of the movie theatre itself.

The book never sides with one studio or one person. The authors remain impartial throughout, something that seems fresh, especially since this book is discussing Hollywood. Although the authors give a bit more attention to Terminator 3 (the biggest film of the three) and very little to Sinbad, what they do give us is very detailed and informative.

This is a great book about the Hollywood machine. Ever wondered why some movies flop, while others are a success? Ever wondered how a film is created, how various test screenings can help change a film and the marketing behind it, how word of mouth can make or kill a film? Then this one will probably answer most of your questions.

MUST READING FOR MOVIE BUFFS.......2004-11-30

This is a fascinating look at the marketing of major motion pictures, focusing on the summer 2003 releases of TERMINATOR 3, LEGALLY BLOND 2, and SINBAD. I picked this book up after reading about it in People magazine and in the local newspaper book review. This book explains the nuts and bolts of hyping movies and mega-box office returns.

It was interesting to learn that focus groups and test audiences have a lot to do with what ends up on the final silver screen. The process of movie by committee seems to take a lot of the creative air out of a movie's sails.

Stars and trailer placement generate a lot of return later. Extremely informative and insightful with every page. I learned a lot about the motion picture industry that does not usually make it into the news.

I was especially interested in the panic that goes on behind the scenes when the suits get an inkling that their film isn't going to do well. Movie buffs interested in the marketing will find this very interesting reading.

Reveals the nitty gritty of clashing titans .......2004-11-09

Open Wide: How Hollywood Box Office Became A National Obsession is the tell-it-like-it-is story of how the millions of dollars and literally years of work behind Hollywood summer movies finally all come down to a fierce popularity competition -- a competition whose success is measured by the size of the opening weekend box office gross. Focusing especially on the elaborate case study of one weekend's box office face-off between Terminator 3, Legally Blonde 2, and Brad Pitt's Sinbad in thousands of theaters across America, Open Wide reveals the nitty gritty of clashing titans and the individuals who put so much of their heart, soul, and reputation into movies. Movie buffs and film fans are treated to a fascinating peek behind the curtain where the power struggles resemble the royal intrigues of antiquity.

Open Wide: How Hollywood Box Office Became a National Obsession.(Book Review): An article from: Cineaste

Average customer rating:

Open Wide: How Hollywood Box Office Became a National Obsession.(Book Review): An article from: Cineaste
Saul Austerlitz
Manufacturer: Cineaste Publishers, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000976V8O
Release Date: 2006-07-14

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Cineaste, published by Cineaste Publishers, Inc. on March 22, 2005. The length of the article is 1131 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Open Wide: How Hollywood Box Office Became a National Obsession.(Book Review)
Author: Saul Austerlitz
Publication: Cineaste (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 22, 2005
Publisher: Cineaste Publishers, Inc.
Volume: 30 Issue: 2 Page: 71(1)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

An artist more opposed to the plastic radio divas much in evidence today in modern R&B could hardly be imagined. Her history and musical roots are charted in this detailed biography.

Book Description

The gorgeous black and white line art inside this hefty little book instantly caught my eye. These linocut drawings were not the regular loteria images. They were modern adaptations, made with painstaking detail (think of a turn-of-the-millenium, wired Posada) and showing a distinctive sense of humor and pathos. The poetry, commissioned especially for the drawings, also showed a fresh and modern take on the icons of Mexicanismo and Chicanismo."-Frontera Magazine

Table of Contents

Introduction
The Lottery
The Hunchback
The Armadillo
Death
The Fly
The Bell
The Horse
The Press
The Smokers
The Pear
The Guitar
The Little Saint
The Rooster
The Bicycle
The Archangel
The Palm Tree
The Hermit
The Bat
The Witch
The Friends
The Cactus
God
The Hand
The Fruit
The Pig
The Glutton
The Flight
The Ostrich
The Fall
The Virgin
The Tree
The Star
The Bottle
The Drunkards
The Scorpion
Corn
Fire
The Clown
Vengeance
The Prodigal Son
The Soldier
The Hunter
The Mermaid
The Lion
The Wrestler
The Wetback
The Immigration Officer
Feet
The Railroad
The Ladder
The Serpent
The Dancer
The Scissors
Eve
Adam
The Plague
Hell
The Giant
The Musicians
The Poet
The Devil
The Goat
The Victim
The Flag
The Canoe
The Circus
The Camel
Bad Government
Sadness
The Sun
The Fish
The Wound
The Chair
The Worker
The Airplane
The Trap
The Heart
The Sword
The Comet
The Beggars
The Cat
The Horseman
The Cow
The Magician
Torture
The Absent One
The Crab
Heaven
The Lizard
The Sandals
The Knife
The Hen
The Inspired One
The Deer
The Zapatista
The Dog
The Old Man
The Monkey
The Hanged One
The Eagle
The Bath
The Guardian Angel
The World
The Rose

Customer Reviews:

Terrific Dueling Aesthetics.......2001-10-18

Cutting edge Chicano poet Juan Felipe Herrera and young master print maker Artemio Rodriguez of Michoacan Mexico combine as a dynamic duo to produce a book that is more than the sum of its gifts. The two share an obvious affinity of irrepressible hilarity in their work, a Mexican aesthetic of living with and laughing at death present in the darkest issues, the grittiest subjects, simultaneously celebrating in florid imagery in both picture and word the sometimes desperate, sometimes exhilarating vivacity of Mexican American immigrants. At the same time there's enough aesthetic difference between Herrera's hip Bay Area surrealism and Rodriguez's more folkloric technique to exercise friction between the gritty and the sublime, between the dreamlike and the quotidian that depicts well the sometimes dangerous, often moving human drama of exile, immigration and restttlement. Out of the maelstrom of the experience of millions flies this piercing poetry combined, each poem, with a striking print.

"A book about innovation and tradition".......2001-06-07

"A book about innovation and tradition" is how Rupert Garcia describes this book in the useful introduction. I recommend that this is read first, because it helps one to understand the history of Loteria Cards in Mexico and the traditional iconography associated with them. They are actually the fusion of two games, Patolli a game of chance the Aztecs played, and Loteria a European Version of Bingo. In the game the name of the Loteria card is called out rather than the number. It may be a type person, an element or feature of nature, or something elses, and it is often accompanied by a phrase or poem by the caller to further identify the picture on the card. This is origin of the cards, a fusion like so many things in Mexico, has been put into a contemporary setting in this book.

Artemio Rodriguez uses a mixture of traditional iconography and modern images to produce beautiful Linocuts for the images of the Loteria Cards. They look both traditional Mexican and old (they remind me of woodcuts by Dürer), yet contemporary and modern at the same time. Each is distinct and unique.

The poems by Juan Felipe Herrera go very well with the Linocuts, and they too are a mixture of traditional Mexican, Chicano and modern subject-matter. They show that beliefs, feelings, and emotions carry over in time, space, language and culture. Some remain the same, while others change. The mix they create is in a constant state of metamorphosis, becoming undefinable, yet staying distinct.

The presentation of the book is beautiful, the cover, binding, paper, and printing are al well-done. Each page has a Loteria Cards and a poem that accompanies it. I really recommend this book. It is a thoughtful and beautiful present to give to someone who appreciates the combination of tradition, modernism, art, poetry...

amazing -- the ideal collaboration.......2000-11-08

I bought this book last year to give to a friend and after leafing through it, decided I couldn't part with it. Rodriguez's prints are rich, beautiful, terrifying -- but it is Herrera's words I fell in love with. Each poem is it's own mystery. These are perfect pieces, perfectly married to their accompanying images, and make one incredible poetic whole.

If you like poetry, you'll love this book.......2000-01-09

This is a brilliant collaboration between Herrera and Rodriguez. Herrera's poems, as always, are thought provoking and innovative, linguistically and intellectually, and they are a perfect match for Rodriguez's linocuts, which are also innovative and thought provoking. This is a book that you'll want to read over and over again for years to come. WOW!

Playing Loteria / El juego de la loteria

Average customer rating:

Playing Loteria / El juego de la loteria
Rene Colato Lainez
Manufacturer: Rising Moon Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

No ficción | Infantil y juvenil | Libros en español | Formats | Books

Look Inside Children's Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
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ASIN: 0873588819

Average customer rating:

A book worth reading that will give insight on chicanos.

Spilling the Beans: Loteria Chicana
Jose Antonio Burciaga
Manufacturer: Joshua Odell Editions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Essays | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1877741116

Customer Reviews:

A book worth reading that will give insight on chicanos........1999-01-06

When i opened up the book I had zero expectations because i had never heard of this author. As I started reading I found myself laughing out loud. I nervously looked around to check if anyone was around. Its that kind of book. As a mexican I found I had alot of things in common with many parts of this book. I feel very strongly that all latinos will be able to relate with some or most of this book's content. I really recommend this book to everyone. If you are not a latino or chicano you will be able to enjoy a slice of my culture as well as the culture of chicanos. I would frequently show tidbits of the book to my friends. This book has the right mixture of humor, inside jokes, facts, and deals with some serious issues. A book to be read more than once.

Average customer rating:

An intriguing presentation indeed

Loteria
Ilan Stavans , and Teresa Villegas
Manufacturer: University of Arizona Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0816523533

Book Description

For the uninitiated, it might seem like bingo played with a riddling tarot deck. But Lotería, the Mexican game of chance, captures the joys and sorrows of the Mexican people. American artist Teresa Villegas created a new set of Lotería cards, 54 of which are reproduced in full color in this delightful book. Accompanying the cards are insightful, humorous riddles written by award-winning author Ilan Stavans, recreatinge sort of poetry jam that often accompanies Lotería contests wherever they might take place.

Customer Reviews:

An intriguing presentation indeed.......2004-10-10

The concept of luck and lotteries is explored in Loteria! with special insights on its popularity and effects in Mexican culture. Writer Ilan Stavans discusses La Loteria experiences from his Mexico City childhood, using riddles and cards to explain the ritual of chance in both Spanish and English text, while artist Teresa Villegas provides the colorful embellishments. An intriguing presentation indeed.

1968 Federal Lottery Ad from Brazil - Vintage Advertisement

Average customer rating:

1968 Federal Lottery Ad from Brazil - Vintage Advertisement
Loteria Federal Do Brazil
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ILFOGQ

Average customer rating:

Como sacarse la loteria
Sergio Espinosa
Manufacturer: Editorial Agata
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Spanish | Foreign Language Nonfiction | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Desvelos de las combinaciones maquiavelicas de la loteria La Moderna de Cordoba. Dedicado al Exmo. Sr. Presidente de la Republica D. F. Sarmiento. Cordoba 1870

Average customer rating:

Desvelos de las combinaciones maquiavelicas de la loteria La Moderna de Cordoba. Dedicado al Exmo. Sr. Presidente de la Republica D. F. Sarmiento. Cordoba 1870
L. F. Thiriot
Manufacturer: Ediciones de la Imprenta de Pablo E. Coni
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000MEERPI

Instruccion Expedida por S. M. para el manejo del ramo de la Real Loteria

Average customer rating:

Instruccion Expedida por S. M. para el manejo del ramo de la Real Loteria
(IMPRESO)
Manufacturer: Manuel Martin, Impresor de la Real Loteria
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ME85R4

Average customer rating:

La Loteria de la Condesa
Moy Volcovich
Manufacturer: Grupo Industrial Feld
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UJN6H0

La salvacion de los pueblos. Desvelos de la combinaciones maquiavelicas de la Loteria La Moderna de Cordoba. Dedicado al Exmo. Sr. Presidente de la Republica D. F. Sarmiento. Cordoba 1870

Average customer rating:

La salvacion de los pueblos. Desvelos de la combinaciones maquiavelicas de la Loteria La Moderna de Cordoba. Dedicado al Exmo. Sr. Presidente de la Republica D. F. Sarmiento. Cordoba 1870
L. F. Thiriot
Manufacturer: Ediciones de la Imprenta de Pablo E. Coni
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000MEC0SO

Amazon.com

Susan Scott believes that interpersonal difficulties--at work and at home--are a direct result of our inability to communicate well. Fierce Conversations is based on principles from her international consulting practice, in which she teaches executives how to conduct such exchanges more dynamically and ultimately more effectively, thereby improving the relationships they enjoy with their various dialogue partners "one conversation at a time." Using identifiable anecdotes from her experience to inspire and inform, along with a series of practical exercises designed to impart the requisite skills, Scott walks readers through the individual steps she's developed to build better associations through more robust and honest discourses. Addressing all aspects of the process, from several methods for listening more attentively to specific ways she's fashioned to confront and resolve issues "that stand between you and success," Scott offers the type of concrete advice and confidence-building counsel that should help even the most reticent improve their communication skills dramatically. --Howard Rothman

Book Description

The Wall Street Journal bestseller, now with new material.

The master teacher of positive change through powerful communication, Susan Scott wants her readers to succeed. To do that, she explains, one must transform everyday conversations employing effective ways to get the message across. In this guide, which includes exercises and tools to take you step by step through the Seven Principles of Fierce Conversations, Scott teaches readers how to:

€ Overcome barriers to meaningful communication
€ Expand and enrich conversations with colleagues, friends, and family
€ Increase clarity and improve understanding
€ Handle strong emotions-on both sides of the table

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding.......2007-08-24

Extremely useful in both personal and professional life. I've attended many classes & seminars in the last 30 years but still learned a host of valuable info. Highly recommended.

Very Engaging .......2007-08-14

I settled in for an average book with and interesting title about communication. What I recieved was an invitation to look in my life and my business for fierce conversations. As a trainer and a business coach communication is my my tool.Fierce Conversations gave me tools that work,ways to assess my progress and stories that assist me in seeing what would be possible in my business and in my life if I had authentic, direct conversations with people.If you have to pick one communication book this year, it's this one!

An Insightful and Very Informative Approach to Communicating.......2007-08-08

Fierce Conversations provides an opportunity for the reader to gain information while participating in a self-discovery process. It takes the idea of communicating thoughts and ideas to a new level and challenges us to think before speaking by considering the ramifications of what others will hear. We are reminded that any "single conversation can change the trajectory of a business, a career, a marriage or a life." This is an awesome statement and the author proved her point repeatedly through examples.

I am determined to address my most challenging "Mineral Rights conversation (you'll have to read the book to know what I mean) in the very near future. I will also recommend my writers' group members review this book as an example of quality writing that captures the audience, propels them to action, and encourages completion of task.

Transformational .......2007-05-19

Susan Scott has a way of getting to the heart of the communciations problem. People say what they think you want to hear, and they are rarely authentic because they are afraid to be. They are even afraid to be honest with themselves. An excellent read.

Connect Better.......2007-05-12

It is rare that I read a book cover to cover. I read lots of books; however, I find most books contain little or nothing new. Susan's book is different.

In my line of work, I am only as successful as my ability to connect with others. Having an arsenal of powerful questions and a strong framework for presenting are key to my success. Susan's book contains the best tools I have found to connect deeply with others.

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