Review of What's That From?: The Ultimate Quiz Book of Contemporary Movie Lines (Paperback)

Very entertaining and educational for us wannabee movie buffs. It reminds me of the many times spent sitting around after work in the restaurant where I waitressed, trying to identify similar movie quotes, while playing pass the pigs, and doing shots. Wonderful book, when is the next edition.

Product Description
Do you know what films have given us the following quotes?
"What we have here is a failure to communicate."
"Excuse me while I whip this out."
"Would somebody get this walking carpet out of my way?"
"I don't know why they call this stuff Hamburger Helper, it does just fine by itself."

And how are you at movie trivia?
In The Blues Brothers why are Jake and Elwood "puttin' the band back together"?In Airplane!, which dinner was poisioned: the fish or the chicken? True or False: Diane Keaton won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Annie Hall.

For the movie buff and video hound, What's that From? provides hours of entertainment.You can test your knowledge with more than 1,000 quotes and questions from more than 250 contemporary films--from Academy Award winners to cult classics.Also included are bonus questions on actors and directors, special categories on individual actors, movies, and themes (Wester, baseball, sequels), plus a section devoted exclusively to Academy Award-winning performances.

It's all here in the ultimate tribute to the great movies of the seventies, eighties, and nineties from National Lampoon's Animal House to When Harry Met Sally... So the next time you hear someone say, "It's just a flesh wound, " you won't have to ask "What's that from?"


About the Author
Jai Nanda, an avid moviegoer and graduate of the University of Michigan, lives in New York City.


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Review of American Film Institute Desk Reference: The Complete Guide to Everything You Need to Know about the Movies (Hardcover)

"In Hollywood, anything can happen. Anything at all." ~Raymond Chandler

If you are looking for a one-volume source containing the information about movies and the people who produce them, this is an excellent reference manual. If information makes you high, this book will make you feel slightly heady. There is information on everything from film history to the biographies of major players. I enjoyed the hundreds of photos, quotes and factoids.

This desk reference is divided into five main sections:

1. Movie History - Take a journey from 1830-2002, decade by decade.

2. Movie Basics - An outline of who, what, when and where. This includes information on studios, creative people, how to break into the movies, buzzwords and coveted salaries.

3. Movie Crafts - The hands-on aspects of movie making. Producing, directing, writing, acting, cinematography, production design, costumes, makeup, hair, special effects, sound and music, editing, distribution and critiquing films.

4. People in Film - Profiles of historical and contemporary film-industry producers and players.

5. Films - Dream lists for the movie lover in you! See if you agree with the AFI's 100 Funniest movie list or read about the top 50 all-time box office hits. The movies are listed, then listed again with additional information. You can also read about the movies again in various parts of the book and page numbers are given for easy reference. Like "Some Like it Hot" is listed in AFI's Top 100 American Movies and while it is listed under AFI's 100 Funniest American Movies, they save space by referring you to pg. 383 for the detailed information.

This section also has a collection of "movie quotations" like: "I'd love to kiss you, but I just washed my hair." ~Bette Davis (Madge), Cabin in the Cotton (1932)

If you enjoy watching Foreign Films, this chapter has information about films around the globe. There are lists of films from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Greece, India, Iran, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Senegal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Sources - Addresses, phone numbers and websites for every facet of the film world. If you want to know about film projects in development, there are places you can find this information online.

You can find out information on:

What you have to do to sell your screenplay to Hollywood.
Where you can rent cameras if you wanted to make a film.
Why films get chosen for the Cannes Film Festival.
How the Oscar got its name.
The stars names found on the Holly wood Walk of Fame.

The main features in this book include: Lists of movies, essays, articles giving information about who's who, detailed cinema history, fascinating anecdotes, gossip, trivia and quotes from film personalities in side columns. Information on "screenplay formats and terminology" is a real bonus. It is pretty amazing to find all this information in one book! If there is another book out there that can compete, I haven't seen it.

Essential reading for any film critic and movie lover. If you are looking for movies to add to your must-see list, this book will have you adding hundreds of movies to your list. The Index is very helpful for finding movie information super fast (although I think they should consider expanding the index even further in future editions) and the AFI has gone out of their way to make this book a dream to read.

The perfect gift for anyone who loves movies.

~The Rebecca Review



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Review of King Kong Is Back!: An Unauthorized Look at One Humongous Ape (Smart Pop series) (Paperback)

Well 2005 was truly the year of King Kong with Peter Jackson's wonderful remake of the classic 1933 epic.In King Kong is Back, part of Benbella Books' Smart Pop series, a score of luminaries share their thoughts on Kong in a wildly diverse array of essays spanning from the 1933 original, right up to Jackson's remake, and everything in between, including the Japanese Kong films.While perhaps a bit uneven in their tone and scope, these essays are at worst passionate and at best, often brilliantly considered.

Nick Mamatas and Paul Levinson share similar memories on growing up in New York in the 1970's when the running of King Kong on WOR was as much a tradition on Thanksgiving Day as the Macy's parade or Detroit Lions football. Don DeBrandt's piece tries to make the argument that the 1976 remake is actually better written and acted than the original, almost dismissing it as an airy fantasy.He makes the point that the remake was more socially conscious and more complex, pointing out that the search for Skull Island wasn't about making a film but rather finding oil.That may be, but people don't go to see Kong for social relevance, they go to be entertained.

Rick Klaw's essay "Thirty Three" delves in the colorful history of the two men who brought King Kong to the screen, Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack.These two have a backround that you'd think had to be written by Hollywood.Both served during WWII and both aided Poland in their fight for independence with Russia.Cooper was a pilot for the Polish Air Force and was made a squadron commander in 1920.He was shot down and captured by the Russians and held in a prison camp until he escaped along with two Polish prisoners and traversed 500 miles to freedom into Lativa.A remarkable history.

Another great essay is from Bob Eggleton who discusses the making of the 1933 film, focusing on stop-motion animation whiz Willis O' Brien, and a man whose name has been nearly lost to the sands of time, Marcel Delgado, who actually made the various Kong models used in the animation process, not to mention the various dinosaurs and other beasties.

Robert A. Metzger's "Dragons Teeth and Hobbits" supposes a true history to Skull Island, King Kong, dinosaurs, and a long lost forgotten race of little people thousands of years old.Metzger hypothesizes about not only Kong's origin, but the origin of the great wall.Seeing as how Kong easily climbed the Empire State Building, this wall would have posed little problem to him...so just who built it and why?Fascinating stuff!

Some of the essays are a little on the dry side but all in all its wonderfully done and a great book for any King Kong fan.

Reviewed by Tim Janson




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Review of Kaiju Big Battel: A Practical Guide to Giant City-Crushing Monsters (Paperback)

This book is a clever parody of three silly genres all at once: Japanese monster movies, the Manga craze, and professional wrestling. Largely I think it works well as a satirical piece of humor and social commentary, but mostly it is just good old fashioned fun.

The basic premise is that the evil Dr. Cube has created giant monsters that fight each other in the "Kaiju Big Battel" arena for entertainment of the masses. There are good and evil Kaiju, and some rogues that can change allegiances at the drop of a hat. The monsters here are not your typical Japanese Godzilla copycats, but rather creative originals such as Call-Me-Kevin (my personal favorite), the ridiculous looking Sky Deviler, and the heroic tuber, Silver Potato.

The book is broken down into a biography section, a section of famous Kaiju bouts, and assorted other features such as "How Sky Deviler's Digestive System Works" and "Silver Potato's Holiday Miracle". There is even a color spread that has very amusing faux-Japanese translations like: "Who is the sphincter mouth of depth-perception irrelevant monster? Sky Deviler most high ugliness the dive bomb swoop. Special appetite skill combine with brain lentil size create the deadliest!"

I found the book quite entertaining and diverting. I particularly love old Japanese monster movies, and seeing this pay homage to them while concurrently mocking Manga and wrestling made this book totally worthwhile for me.


Product Description
Kaiju Big Battel, a series of live events that revolve around tournament-style performances, is a tongue-in-cheek hybrid of Japanese-monster-movie mayhem and lowbrow pop-culture. These sold-out events feature a roster of over thirty monsters battling in a modern conflict of epic proportions.

Kaiju Big Battel, the official guide, will provide an overview of the Kaiju universe, principally the key monsters and the epic battles, for devoted fans and new readers alike. In addition to a 16-page full-color insert of Kaiju studio photographs and a glossary, Kajiu Big Battel will be ornamented with a safety manual, weapon profiles and a guide to the inner workings of the Kaiju world. A crash course in everything Kaiju, readers would be well-advised to pay careful attention as those uneducated in monster mayhem could be imperiled next time Kaiju Big Battel erupts in their neighborhood!

The Big Battel Rages on in the Kaiju Universe!

Planet Earch is under threat. Scattered throughout the galaxy is a monstrous mob of maniacal villians, alien beasts, and city-crushing monsters that are waging a war against one another. In a recent New Year's Eve Kaiju Big Battel, Kung-Fu Chicken Noodle defeated RoBox:

"Kung-Fu Chicken Noodle couldn't wait for the ball to drop to avenge his shocking loss to the newest Kaiju Hero, RoBox, at Kaiju Rampage New York. As Louden Noxious counted down to the stroke of midnight, the killer klucker burst into the Danger Cage and began to lay waste to the snow-covered cityscape. Seeing this wanton destruction, newly constructed Kaiju Hero, RoBox rushed the Cage to put a shop to the terror. This was perhaps the robotic Hero's biggest mistake of the night.

Fresh from an extended stay in China with his sensei, Mr. Wong, Soup unleashed a barrage of devastating new maneuvers upon Kung-Fu Chicken Noodle. High-flying flips and crushing corkscrews quickly overloaded RoBox's circuts and the new Hero was unable to mount any signifigant counter attack. Finally Soup delivered the Bouillion Back Flip for the pin, earning the right to fufill his new year's resolutions: to kill again!"

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Review of The Psychotronic Video Guide To Film (Paperback)

I'll freely admit my admiration for Michael Weldon's work, this book, his previous, and his magazine. Even when I disagree with his assessment, he's always honest and straight-forward.

I read some other reviews complaining about the content, or lack thereof, in this book. I think there's a misundserstanding as to what this is. It is a continuation of Michael's previous book, the Psychotronic Encylcopedia. There may be references in the reviews to movies not listed here, but that's because those movies are listed in the Encyclopedia. The two books have very little common content.

I also read a complaint about inclusion of some mainstream pictures such as Basic Instinct. In defense, I would say that Michael's content covers exploitation films of all genres and budget levels, whether made for $26,000 or $26,000,000.

I also like Michael's editorial inserts in this volume, such as his favorite movies of each decade.

Both books are essential, though admittedly his first covers most of the classics. This volume, thankfully, is not only more up-to-date, but stretches back into the silent era as well.

I say...buy them both.



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Review of Violent Screen: A Critic's 13 Years on the Front Lines of Movie Mayhem (Expedition Series) (Paperback)

Stephen Hunter is a talented prolific novelist, who also writes insightful movie reviews. It's always interesting to see if you agree with the opinion of a writer you enjoy. But here Hunter has given us himself. There is an epilogue that appears out of place, until you understand just how willing Hunter is to invest himself in his writing.

Excellent and unforgetable.

Product Description
Baltimore Sun movie critic Stephen Hunter takes aim at 13 years (1981-94) of popular movies, from film noir to teenage slashers, gangster flicks to sci-fi pics, and examines the current, and often violent, culture of modern cinema. Organized by topic, this book is a fascinating chronicle of today's increasingly violent and alienating culture.

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Review of The goth Bible: A Compendium for the Darkly Inclined (Paperback)

This is actually the very first charming Goth book. We have had a few Goth epics in recent years, from my Net-based tome, to Paul Hodkinson's academic study, Gavin Baddeley coming from a Metal perspective, and Dave Thompson rummaging through the eighties. What is unusual here is that Nancy Kilpatrick hasn't any ego-driven agenda, and has actively sought out Goth opinions to decorate each chapter with. 95 Goths answered 125 questions each to form an alternative spine to this work and it makes it a very different book to the rest. Nancy is best known as a Horror writer but she is a Goth, and clearly delighted to be writing the book, as she also wants this book to help others understand Goth.

You get serious contributions on sex/relationships/Fetish/marriage/Goth children/Corporate Goth/Goth homes, Art and Literature (Old and New), and it ends with a chapter on the Future, even if that felt a little skimpy.

Basically, she goes through things that effect Goth life, from clothes to accoutrements, to relationships, religion, cemeteries, architecture, music and all the expected areas, with quotes and photos from her Goths interviews draping pages like curtains, as their comments go down the outer columns to most spreads. Those interviewed within the chapter text tend to be business-related individuals pertinent to the topic in question. So, in the Fashion or Lifestyle sections you have many a Goth contribution, but also meet Morpheus of Siren, R. Hunter Gough of `Gother Than Thou', Fred H. Berger of Propaganda, Terri of Ipso Facto, Natasha of Meltdown, Steven Of Gothic Beauty, Trish & Snooky of Manic Panic, Sonia (Hair Police), AntiSally (Goth Rosary), the Alchemy boys, Batty (Azrael's Accomplice), Mirabai (Tenebrae) Doktor Joy (Pennangalan Dreams), piercer Pierre Black and those lovely X-tra-X people. You can find a proper analyses of Absinthe, then on a similar vein find the weird story of how Michael Marchet finally got Vampire wine onto the market. Out of one area another little bubble will pop, making it a very pleasant read with unexpected dalliances emerging.

The only disappointing part of me was a curious lack ofmusical coverage but Nancy has admitted the music side of thing isn't her strong point. She looked for willing musical contributors and some of what they say is unusual.

Oh Hell, you get Clubs, and zines, net.goth, net habits, comics, gardening, Goth sub-species, and so on. It's a big book, commendably detailed in its travels to the heart of Goth and it is, without doubt, the most naturally jubilant, Goth-friendly, book which has so far been printed.


Product Description
What you don't know about goths could fill a book!

An artistic culture that revels in the Victorian romantic movement, The goth Bible brings to light the traditions and history of all that is goth.The goth culture has been one of the most controversial and maligned in media history. Presented as homicidal, suicidal and socio-pathic, in the national consciousness goths are coupled with everyone from Marilyn Mason to the murderers of Columbine.But this is not who the goths are.The goth Bible will help bridge the understanding between goths and non-goths.

From their historical origins as a Germanic tribe in the sixth century who fought along side the Romans against the Huns to their current incarnation as creatures of the night, The goth Bible presents the most complete and broad perspective of this society, culled from hundreds of interviews with bands, artist, designers, and goths from all walks of life.


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