Customer Reviews:
THE ART OF WAR.......2001-02-13
This is arguably the finest entry in the Bruce Hershenson published series of film genre graphics books. Though all of his volumes are impeccable in style and presentation, this book approaches film advertising illustration not only as art, but as world history. Instead of compiling war film posters in order of their release year, they are here presented chronologically by the time of the actual war itself, adding profound depths of sociological and psychological perspective to the long sad history of hell on Earth. I write this review not for all the film buffs out there or poster collectors or illustrators, but to historians, to all teachers and students of the human journey. Here, from flag waving to burning, are the images of war as hope, promise, necessity, waste and despair. More than the films themselves with all their shooting and shouting, these posters silently command and provoke our senses all the way to the last shreds of wonder.
Par Excellance.......2000-12-17
This is the eighth book of Movie Posters that I have purchased from Bruce Hershenson and each time I remark on the extremely high quality of the reproductions. This is obviously a job done from the heart but the visual aspects of the book strikes something in the sub-conscious and suddenly you are back in some cinema watching that movie again. More than just a coffee-table book but a reference source and one to take to work and get a discussion going as an alternative to football. A great read and highly recommended.
Bang!! Boom!! Another Winner.......2000-12-12
Bruce has done it again. In one book he has included the best and most graphically appealing posters from the greatest WAR movies of all times. Not only does he have the U.S. posters but many times he has selected the foreign poster that has better graphics. When you view this book you will be "transported" back to the films that you loved. I had forgotten about many of the great WWII films that I saw as a kid until seeing Bruce's book. How will he top this??
Customer Reviews:
The Art of the Serial..........2001-09-04
There is surprisingly little overlap between this book's contents
and the contents of the previous (and sold out) SERIAL MOVIE
POSTERS. One reason is that this new book is based on an
incredible collection assembled by Frank Gutierrez.
What we have are posters from sound serials dating from about 1931 to about 1954, the end of the serial era.
The best of the serial posters are reminiscent of the best pulp magazine covers from the 1920s to the 1950s, and often
are rendered in somewhat the same style. My favorites in the
present volume tend to use a subdued palette, such as
5, for THE GALLOPING GHOST, which is a striking study in
grey, orange and red, or 28, for the orginal FLASH GORDON,
chapter 4, which uses shades of grey, orange, and a few touches
of red. Also lovely is the poster for TIM TYLER'S LUCK, which
uses reds, flesh tones, olive grey and cream shades.
As the 30s wear into the 40s the painted artwork becomes increasingly crude
and amateurish. An exception is 107,
for BRENDA STARR, REPORTER. Artwork tends to become a frame
for a tinted still from the film, and the frames get thinner
and thinner. Still, there are points of interest. The poster
for BRICK BRADFORD (112) is almost as wild as this wildest of
all movie serials.
Serial posters are far rarer than movie posters in general, and
this is a very worthy compilation of images most of us have
never seen, and will never see any other way!
Book Description
Why did the youthful optimism and openness of the sixties give way to Ronald Reagan and the spirit of conservative reaction--a spirit that remains ascendant today? Drawing on a wide array of sources--including tabloid journalism, popular fiction, movies, and television shows--Philip Jenkins argues that a remarkable confluence of panics, scares, and a few genuine threats created a climate of fear that led to the conservative reaction. He identifies 1975 to 1986 as the watershed years. During this time, he says, there was a sharp increase in perceived threats to our security at home and abroad. At home, America seemed to be threatened by monstrous criminals--serial killers, child abusers, Satanic cults, and predatory drug dealers, to name just a few. On the international scene, we were confronted by the Soviet Union and its evil empire, by OPEC with its stranglehold on global oil, by the Ayatollahs who made hostages of our diplomats in Iran. Increasingly, these dangers began to be described in terms of moral evil. Rejecting the radicalism of the '60s, which many saw as the source of the crisis, Americans adopted a more pessimistic interpretation of human behavior, which harked back to much older themes in American culture. This simpler but darker vision ultimately brought us Ronald Reagan and the ascendancy of the political Right, which more than two decades later shows no sign of loosening its grip. Writing in his usual crisp and witty prose, Jenkins offers a truly original and persuasive account of a period that continues to fascinate the American public. It is bound to captivate anyone who lived through this period, as well as all those who want to understand the forces that transformed--and continue to define--the American political landscape.
Customer Reviews:
Far less partisan than its title.......2006-07-06
It's a very good history, but I was still a bit disappointed -- Jenkins stayed on the surface of the grimy realities of the 70's, showing us the cultural phenomena and how that phenomena served to create public reaction, but failing to ask to what extent the political revolution of the 70's served to deliberately and callously exploit that public reaction. Any statesman (or aspiring statesman) is aware of the responsibility to educate the public and to ignore its less enlightened notions. The political hack, on the other hand, panders to the public and pretends to do its bidding (passing outrageous legislation, waving the flag, and often doing the bidding of certain moneyed interests).
Jenkins gets the facts straight -- yes, the U.S. was in a crisis (Johnson and Nixon, both approximately equal parts statesman and hack, left a very mixed legacy). Yes, Carter was idealistic and, under the circumstances, politically inept. Yes, a variety of manic causes, from imaginary rape statistics to 'the breakdown of traditional values' hit the headlines; Jenkins recounts both the real fears and the hyperbolic reactions. (Contemporary panderers in the media and political office seem to have discovered the trivial issue of obesity; it's the same kind of phenomena Jenkins recounts.) And Jenkins explains how the rhetoric of toughness seemed so desirable under the circumstances.
All excellent -- then Jenkins refuses to pass judgment. He does not suggest the possibility of alternative political reactions. The phenomena just 'is' (or was). I suppose I should not complain -- I like reading a work of history rather than a rant. However, I find myself asking if Jenkins is that much of a cultural determinist, and concluding that he may well be. It appears to me Jenkins considers Carter, Reagan, and everything the 70's served to create as inevitable.
Again, great summary of the decade, but seems a rather frozen response to what I would see as still 'live' issues.
Making sense of the birth of an era (for better or worse!).......2006-05-21
Actually this book seems to me as more of a cultural than a political study - - (viewing politics as part of and a reaction to cultural trends) - - hence in describing the transition from the "radically liberal" sixties to the "reactionary conservative" 80's, Jenkins draws not only from the political events of the era, but also pop culture from movies to TV coverage... The overall arguement being is that the transition was sort of a national hangover. Things seemed out of control - - with the economy in the dumps, and a perception of society breaking down, a wave of domestic and international terror and America feeling isolated on the national stage and on the verge of losing the Cold War. - - The book seems to argue both ways the realities of the national crisises, and at the same time media exploitation of issue made to make people scared as well as identify with a culture of "macho" and "shoot 'em up" vs. the cheery idealistic anti-hero. From this perspective we see how Reagan in the eyes of many offering sobering and decisive hope - - whether or not you feel he was the great uniter and saviour of the country or the guy who took from the poor and gave to the rich.
All in all, the image of the 70's as being a "big hang-over from the 60's" has long been a commonly held belief to explain the transition... this is the first book to offer a detailed study of the era beyond mere "oil crisis/inflation/hostages" - - compared to most the images we have of the 70's - - either in our own memories or by watching VH1, this is the first book to really go into detail.
As for what I got out of it -- two words really - - DEJA VU...
which in some ways is reassuring (times of trouble may always feel like the end of the world) and other ways scary.
Regardless of where you stand on the coin politically, this book will definitely prove interesting, especially if you are old enough to remember some of the events and are now ready to look at them in a (of course debatable!) historical perspective.
From Liberal to Conservative: the 70's Explained.......2006-05-17
Decade of Nightmare chronicles the transformation on 60's liberalism to 80's conservatism. Beginning roughly with the Watergate scandal and continuing through the election of Reagan and into the 80's, Jenkins's sweeps broadly over many of the period's memorable and now forgotten events. The failure of Desert One, Soledad Brother, George Wallace, The Bourne Identity, Anita Bryant, the Wonderland Murders, Granada, Starhawk, NAMBLA, the Scottsboro Boys, and The Illuminatus Trilogy are a mere few of what is touched on. In Jenkins's view other accounts of this time period have not been broad enough focusing on either the political or social histories but not mixing the two, not showing, for example the influence of both conservative politician Daniel Patrick Moynihan and porn star Linda Lovelace had on the growth of conservatism. The public, he says, perceived sexual liberation as leading to porn and snuff films; LSD as leading to the horrors of angel dust; and spiritual experimentation leading to brain washing cults. Far from being the Smiley Face decade, portrayed in films like Dazed and Confused and TV show's like That 70's Show, Jenkins portrays the 70's as a time of stress where the Cold War resurfaced and serial killers were everywhere. This was a decade where Ronald Reagan went from being perceived as an extremist to winning the Presidency. Jenkins provides a context in which to view the major events of the era by reminding us of the forgotten events. For example, the patriotism associated with the US Hockey Team victory against Russia is shown in context with the Iranian hostage crisis, the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan, best selling apocalyptic novels, rising inflation, and the unchecked growth of leftist guerillas in Latin America. He also explains how liberals became their own worst enemies by, for example, condemning the Israeli's for their raid into Entebbe, Uganda to rescue a hundred Jewish hostages. The book is a fast and easy read and refreshingly non-partisan. For a subject as loaded as this one, it would be easy to demonize one side or the other, the liberal or conservatives, but Jenkins avoids this trap and doesn't editorialize - with a few possible exceptions that Reagan conservatives may find unappealing. Sometimes it is too easy for Jenkins to draw parallels between the 70's and today although he never blatantly makes such comparison. Considering the subject matter the book could be called breezy since I found myself Googling even Jenkins's barely touches on to find a more detailed account. Overall this is an exceptional book and highly recommended to anyone interested the recent history or understanding the origins of today's politics.
DECADE OF NIGHTMARES: Was I reading a different book?.......2006-03-22
I just don't understand the negative first review here. In contrast, I thought this book was a sophisticated piece of writing with a lot to say about a period I remember well. I learned a lot from it. It was particularly good on the continuity between the Carter and Reagan administrations, which really surprised me, but the argument did convince me.
Does history mean studying the present to define the past?.......2006-03-05
Do Americans truly reject "a return to the starry-eyed nonjudgmental optimism of the 1960s" as Jenkins asserts in his conclusion, or was the 1960s a time of "Camelot" later destroyed by the politics of innuendo, fear and attack?
In the 1950s, President Eisenhower presided over peace, prosperity and progress; in the 1960s. Kennedy added vision, ambition and courage. It was Nixon who shattered this optimism in 1968, and the nation has yet to recover its spiritual soul. The underlying cause is the crushing American defeat in Vietnam, the second time the US suffered such a debacle. Americans lost the War of 1812; then, as now, the response was an inward retreat and a series of devastating wars against isolated and weak enemies. Americans began a systematic destruction of Native American nations and seized more than half of Mexico. After 1975 and the rooftop escape from Saigon, Americans watched US troops storm ashore in countries such as Grenada -- the triumph of the Reagan military build-up -- and watched, with total mystification, the collapse of the Soviet empire.
After 1815, the American sense of community based on citizen democracy was lost. Instead, the new focus became a hatred and destruction of outside terrorists, aka Native Americans. Such xenophobia offers a powerful sense of national unity and pride for some; but it doesn't solve internal conflicts. Since 1975, a similar xenophobia has magnified a handful of Islamic terrorists into an international threat. Americans financed IRA terrorists for decades; but are now shocked when facing similar politics of terror.
It took almost 50 years for the politics of defeat to blossom into the US Civil War; now, the Iraq debacle, inept domestic policies and a contempt for human rights are leading to equally sharp divisions.
The 1960s in America produced a revolution as dynamic as the 1920s in Russia. The legacy of 1815 eventually produced Jefferson Davis who almost destroyed democracy in America. In Russia, Stalin utterly crushed all social reform and innovation. Now, the final casualty of Vietnam may be Bush repressing social reform, justice and equality.
It didn't start with Carter, although Jenkins, "identifies 1975 to 1986 as the watershed years." Carter kept America at peace, during his presidency America never dropped a bomb, launched a missile strike, started a pre-emptive war or implemented a policy of torture. After 66 hostages were seized, he could have destroyed Iran; instead, he waited even though it cost him the presidency. All hostages came home alive and well. It's worth noting the first oil embargo was during the Nixon years, not during Carter's time.
The years of hate came later after Carter. His post-presidential efforts won him the Nobel Peace prize in 2002, an honor Bush is unlikely to ever receive.
Jenkins offers a rich feast of events from the past 40 years, but he's a thoroughly selective historian, brilliantly recalling history to prove his case past but not offering a clue about the future. He cites the rise of MADD in the 1970s, ignoring the crackdowns of the 1960s. For some, history is a study of the past to comprehend the promise, hopes and perils of the future; for Jenkins, it is a study of the present to understand the past.
It makes interesting reading, especially for those who think Eisenhower was the pinnacle of American politics. Like many Americans, Jenkins can't comprehend defeat; this lack of acumen has produced some of the greatest American triumphs, but can also produce decay. To understand modern America, consider the two decades from John Quincy Adams to Millard Fillmore and the accompanying rise of religious cults, certainties and charlatans.
Jenkins doesn't, but the 1820 - 60 period may offer the relevant example he's looking for in terms of mixing theology, history, polemics and the rise of cults.
It's a disappointing book, unenlightening and bitter. He could have done much better.
Average customer rating:
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Moral panic.(Books)(Conned: How Millions Went to Prison, Lost the Vote, and Helped Send George W. Bush to the White House)(Book review) : An article from: The Progressive
Anne-Marie Cusac
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This digital document is an article from The Progressive, published by Thomson Gale on May 1, 2006. The length of the article is 2404 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: Moral panic.(Books)(Conned: How Millions Went to Prison, Lost the Vote, and Helped Send George W. Bush to the White House)(Book review)
Author: Anne-Marie Cusac
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The Progressive (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 70
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Chess Endgame Quiz
Larry Evans
Manufacturer: CARDOZA PUBLISHING U
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K2TMXE |
Book Description
Based on more than two years of surveys of more than 2,000 senior executives and managers, Tough Management may be one of the most important and practical business books of our time. Bestselling author, weekly columnist, and sought-after speaker Chuck Martin has tapped into his research firm's vast network of business connections to discover that 80 percent of executives and managers are experiencing increased levels of work stress.
On the bright side, Martin has found that tough times have brought out the best in the world's most successful leaders and managers. And now, in his groundbreaking new book, he offers a refreshing bottom-line approach to what really matters in today's difficult market--and what really works in today's demanding workplace.
The seven skills every manager should know:
1. Focus on Results
2. Force the Hard Decisions
3. Communicate Clearly
4. Remain Flexible
5. Prove Your Value to the Company
6. Force Collaboration
7. Don't Be a Tough Guy
Using these practical, powerful, and proven techniques, Martin reveals how other business leaders have met the demand to do more, deliver more, and increase more--without raising stress levels. By focusing on actual results and forcing the hard decisions, you can learn to communicate and collaborate while remaining flexible. It's one of the few business books available that provide real solutions to real challenges. Because when the going gets tough, smart managers get Tough Management--and get real results.
Customer Reviews:
Tough Management ... Easy Results?.......2006-06-08
It is no secret that work today is more demanding than ever. With the bottom-line orientation of budget-constrained organizations as the new way of life, the increasing need for output without a proportionate increase in personnel is driving shareholders, executives and managers to demand more from those who work for them, as well as from themselves.
Getting recharged and tackling tough decisions in these tough times requires a new, hardened approach by managers, with an eye toward pragmatically achieving results. Everyone in businesses of all types and sizes faces this new reality: the requirement to do more with less, deliver more and increase more without a total emotional drain. The work environment of today requires what Chuck Martin calls tough management, which is a way to approach work in a practical, reasonable and organized way to get to decisions more easily, make the numbers on a consistent basis, have those around you understand where you stand and increase the business. There are seven steps to practice tough management:
1. Communicate clearly. Though many senior executives and managers feel they communicate well, the message does not always get through. Tough management requires an abundance of communication that is clear, concise, timely and truthful. Clear communication that is clearly received aligns those creating strategy with those executing throughout the ranks.
2. Force the hard decisions. The majority of executives and managers say their superiors do not deal with tough decisions right away. Managers need to collect all the necessary information available at the time, make the decision, communicate it and then move on. Forcing the hard decisions also requires forcing office politics out of the equation.
3. Focus on results. Every manager must identify exactly the results that matter most at any given time, and determine actions that produce those results. This requires focus, working smarter and harder, increasing productivity and delegating. It also means being more realistic about what results are being demanded by those doing the demanding as well as those who are being demanded to execute.
4. Remain flexible. Managers need to be organized so they can change directions quickly to keep pace with the changing needs of their organization and customers. Executives and managers are under increasing stress at work, especially because there is more to do than there is time to do it. This means pushing back and saying no at times. It also requires stopping something, such as institutionalized tasks, projects or meetings at work.
5. Prove your value to the company. It is essential that you align with your company's values so that you can prove your value inside the enterprise. This means accepting even more new challenges and becoming the person everyone turns to for solutions. However, there is a fine line between proving your value and having the organization take advantage of you.
6. Force collaboration. Teamwork is required at every level. You can force collaboration by mapping vision statements specifically to members of the management team, with integrated results. This requires a high level of information sharing and a willingness to learn.
7. Don't be a tough guy. You can deliver quantitative results without being brutal to subordinates in the process. This means that executives and managers should take pause at work, since workload and hours worked are getting out of control, potentially causing lost perspective. It means breaking away, improving employee morale and taking steps to protect the talent. It involves recognizing people for doing a good job and providing what's necessary for them to do their jobs better.
Tough management is about working smarter, not necessarily harder and, as such, it is not a new idea. Martin suggests that successful management is about using time and energy more effectively, rather than allowing it to be diverted into office politics and `fire-fighting' decision-making -- where the `urgent' takes over from the `important'.
Sound, Practical, and Eloquent .......2006-01-26
Martin's seven "ways" are actually admonitions. As he would be the first to point out, they are much easier said than done. In fact, he wrote a book to explain how to "make tough decisions easier, deliver the numbers, and grow business in good times and bad." Here are the admonitions:
1. Communicate clearly.
2. Force the hard decisions.
3. Focus on results.
4. Remain flexible.
5. Prove your value to the company.
6. Force collaboration.
7. Practice tough management without being tough.
There are no head snappers among the seven. The substantial value of this book is derived, rather, from responses by more than 2,000 senior executives and managers in 50 countries who participated in an NFI Research survey. They completed a brief survey segment every two weeks over a period of 24 months. That is a key point because, over time both circumstances and respondents' reactions to them change. The final survey results thus have much greater credibility. Martin operates a global idea exchange and research engine with a network base of more than 2,000 senior executives and managers from more than 1,000 companies in more than 50 countries, including half of the Fortune 500. Those who read his book are invited to visit his Web site: www.nfiresearch.com or info@nfiresearch.com.
Martin devotes a separate chapter to each of the seven admonitions. I especially appreciate the provision of a survey summary and a "Voices from the Front Lines" section in each chapter. For example, in Chapter 3 ("Focus on Results"), survey respondents were asked:
"In general, how well does your supervisor delegate to you, in relation to enabling you to execute against your organization's strategy and direction?"
The results:
Very well 54%
Somewhat well 30%
Not very well 9%
Not at all well 3%
"In general, how well do you delegate to your subordinates, in relation to enabling them to execute against your part of your organization's strategy and direction?"
The results:
Very well 50%
Somewhat well 47%
Not very well 3%
Not at all well 0%
Then four "voices" from the "front lines" are provided. There is comparable material within each of the other six chapters. Credit Martin for succeeding brilliantly with the organization and presentation of so much survey information within an eloquent and brisk narrative. Well done!
Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out David Maister's Practice What You Preach, Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee's Resonant Leadership, Michael Ray's The Highest Goal, and James O'Toole's Creating the Good Life.
Highly Recommended!.......2005-08-26
Chuck Martin has written a straightforward book predominantly based upon data gathered by his company, NFI Research, in two years of research involving 2,000 managers and executives worldwide. The business world portrait he paints isn't rosy: companies continually ask managers to do more with less. Most managers and executives work more than 50 hours a week, and the marketplace constantly heats up the pressure to perform better. Under such difficult circumstances, Martin advises managers to get tough by exercising a solid set of seven specific skills. Ironically the list ends with, "Don't be a tough guy," meaning that stressed-out managers should strive for work-life balance. The book would be even stronger if it cited prior work on the pros and cons of being tough in the workplace. Douglas McGregor's Theory X and Y, and William Ouchi's subsequent Theory Z are two classics that come to mind. We find that this book provides useful - albeit bleak - insights into contemporary corporate management, and recommend its sound advice to managers.
Books:
- West of Everything: The Inner Life of Westerns
- Whoopi Goldberg: Her Journey from Poverty to Megastardom
- 50 CLASSIC MOTION PICTURES THE STUFF THAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF VINTAGE FILMS FROM HOLLYWOOD'S GOLDEN AGE
- A History of Shakespeare on Screen: A Century of Film and Television
- A Variable Harvest: Essays and Reviews of Film and Literature
- America's Songs: The Stories Behind the Songs of Broadway, Hollywood, and Tin Pan Alley
- American Screenwriters / the Insider's Look at the Art, the Craft, and the Business of Writing Movies
- Angel Sanctuary, Vol. 2: The Crying Game
- Animating Culture: Hollywood Cartoons from the Sound Era
- ART OF THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, THE
Books Index
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60 Great Horror Movie Posters (Illustrated History of Movies Through Posters, Volume 19)
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Not Nominated: Movie Poster (The Illustrated History of Movies Through Posters Series)
Crime Movie Posters (Illustrated History of Movies Through Posters)
