5 comments about What's That From?: The Ultimate Quiz Book of Contemporary Movie Lines.

1. This was not at all what I expected. The format is a bit confusing at first, and the the fact that not one line listed under Mel Brooks was ever spoke by him in a movie just set me off. He wrote the lines, but that's not the point.
   
   In addition, many of the lines are so generic/obscure as to be pointless, uninteresting and thus no fun. There is some interesting stuff, but when we played guessing games from it over the holidays, we quickly lost interest. I would not recommend this book and hope that there is something better out there.



2. For many of us, the quoting of movies is second nature. We do it all the time, often without realizing it. And often times we know of movie quotes that are familiar even if we've never seen the movie. The book brings all of this to bloom in a wonderful book asking you to recognize quotes both general and specific to an actor, theme or movie. As the book progresses the quizzes become more difficult, and provide a real challenge to even a movie geek. Just the kind of book to have fun with some friends over a few beers. No lofty ambitions here, just a hope to make you think, and be entertained.



3. What a great idea! "What's That From?: The Ultimate Quiz Book of Contemporary Movie Lines" is a wonderful compilation of movie quotes that bring you back to great movie moments. The book is fun to read on one's own and even more fun when quizzing friends with trivia questions that tickle the corners of the brain. This book is wonderful for any movie buff!



4. 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.



5. The must read sleeper of the year! Every movie fan of Generation X will thoroughly enjoy this unique, hilarious compilition of movie quotes. My friends and I sit around the diner and quiz each other all the time on movie quotes. Now we have a resource to settle our late night cinematic disputes. From the old standards to the most obscure funny lines, Jai has them all

2 comments about Mary Poppins: Anything Can Happen If You Let It.

1. An absolutely amazing book on the creation of the musical Mary Poppins.
   
   It is full of information, facts, photos and even the design folio is included! A beautiful, incredible book that will definitely be kept forever.



2. Though the musical of Mary Poppins was no masterpiece, its production values were certainly enchanting and this well put together volume includes a multitude of color production photos, scenic models and concept sketches from the stage show as well as photos and concept sketches from the much better 1964 Disney film starring Julie Andrews.
   I'd recommend this book to any fan of this musical (which I wasn't all that keen on) or fan of the film (which I certainly am) or anyone interested in studying stage design.

2 comments about How to Improvise a Full-Length Play: The Art of Spontaneous Theater.

1. As a long time improvisor, teacher and author of a book myself (101 improv games for Children and Adults), I try to read everything I can on improv. I feel that you can never learn from one source and should try and get as many sources as you can and take away somethng from each. That is how I developed my improv style. That being said, I was very excited to see this book.
   
   As the title of my review indicates, this book is really for writers. It's actually only about 150 pages of content and almost all of them detail the story structure, or Story Spine, as Kenn calls it. And, in truth, it is very good. I've written over two dozen plays and several screen plays and he has it right on the money. If you are looking for a direct, step by step, book on show to set up a story, this is a great one.
   
   But I think it failed on teaching how to actually move it to the stage. That's a big problem with improv teaching. When this is just something you've gone on stage and "done", it's hard to remember to teach it, especially in words. Kenn obviously has a great deal of experience and passes my 14 years by quite a few, but that should have helped this book.
   
   I wanted to read about how he got his first cast to agree to this, what they went through in the original rehearsals, and the mistakes they made along the way. I wanted to know how they knew to improve and the different steps they took to get there. I wanted more than a one paragraph bit on "Practice".
   
   I also had many questions. I've run all sorts of improv and have never done a full play. I wanted to know thngs like "what suggestions do you get at the beginning?", "How many people make up an ideal cast?", "Is it good to have a 'clock' in mind when doing this so you know you're on pace?", "How do you know that you're at the end of Act One?"... and many more. And those are just the "performance" questions. I had many more about the rehearsal process. Saddly I found myself not getting that with this book.
   
   Kenn does add his email address at the end of the book and invites questions. I think this is great, and I would have done it if I just had a few questions left. Right now I have so many that it would take a book to answer them all -- and that's more or less what I thought I was getting here.
   
   I still give it four stars because it is well written, it's a great book for any playwrite looking to get story structure down, and because I know how much work and personal worth you put into a book. Also, as I stated at the beginnng, I believe you take somethng from everything. I found a few great warm up exercises and I love that one of his three rules of improv is "Always make your partner look good".
   
   Now... go out and support improv and live theatre where ever you can!



2. For the experienced improvisor, this book is essential. Adams lays out a concise, doable, rational and fun approach to creating a full-length, improvised play. I have already been exposed to some of Kenn's techniques through word-of-mouth, and can't wait to get to rehearsal to start applying the great stuff I am learning with this book. Buy it! Heck, buy more--I just bought six to share with my company!
   Michael Burns, The Mop & Bucket Co.

4 comments about The Cut of Men's Clothes: 1600-1900.

1. This book is the only one I've found that gives decent cutting diagrams for men's garments. I love it and have successfully made a few of the garments in it.
   
   This book is not for beginners. Don't expect to be able to just scale up one of the patterns and get sewing. Waugh assumes you know how to sew, make and alter patterns. The only techniques mentioned are ones we don't use commonly in modern sewing and those are really only touched on out of curiosity's sake.
   
   The only real downside is the lack of back views of many garments. Some of the coats have back views, but many of the breeches and other garments are forgotten--possibly because they're not normally fancy--but for someone who is trying to get the fit right on a pair of breeches it would be very helpful!
   
   I recommend it to historical costumers who are interested in accurate recreation and also to theatre costumers as a visual reference for a stage interpretation. Not for someone who wants a quick costume for the weekend or for a novice sewer.



2. This has been a standard work since first publication and it is excellent to see it republished in company with its sister work The Cut of Women's Clothes



3. I never thought I would ever sew. However, my brother and I got the grandiose idea that we would make ourselves leather buff coats to wear during re-enactments with our 17th century living history group. We needed a pattern and started with research at the local college library and found this book. Although neither one of us had ever sewn before, we were able to take the coat pattern from this book, adapt it to fit our bodies and sew a coat for ourselves out of buff leather. There is a whole chapter on 17th century clothing which has patterns for breeches, doublets, cassacks and sword hangars. It also has photos of actual museum pieces. If I could use the patterns in the book, than anyone with any skill will have no problems. This book is an good resource for those wishing to sew their own period clothing.



4. I was a little surprised when I recieved this book that it is not quite as beefy as Norah Waugh's _Cut of Women's_ clothes. I was however very pleased with it's cotent. About half of the patterns seem to be taken from pre-1780s and the other half from 1840 on. This was a little disappointing as I was looking for some good Regency Jackets for my husband. There are how ever several frock coats that I can easily ajust the cut to to get the look I want. This is a great book as far as I can tell but I am still undecided as to whether it is worth the steep price tag.

5 comments about The Essential Guide to Planets and Moons (Star Wars).

1. The information on websites such as Wookiepedia is much better. It dosn't go in depth, and right now is quite outdated. I was expected maps of the galaxy and planets, but there were none, just a very small section of the planet. I would wait until the Star Wars Atlas (Which I'm extremely excited for) comes out.



2. This book can be helpful to hard core fans, but it is woefully incomplete and I was not impressed with the tiny artwork. One reviewer here hit it spot on when they said that this book should have focused more on what the planets were like (climate, ecology, civilizations,cultures, mini-history) rather than rehashing the stories from those worlds. It would have been nice if they had explained the meaning of "Agriworlds" And "Industrial Worlds" and their roles in the SW Galaxy. It would have been nice if they'd done the obvious and updated the book to include the Prequel worlds too. And while they were at it, some of the more intrieguing worlds from the obscure corners of the universe like Togoria, Renastasia, Dellallt, Grizmallt,Taris, Or Malachor V.(Heck- since they could included Rafa IV, they could have included some of these) Of corse if they expanded this in the way I'd like to see, it would be a huge richly illustrated tome indeed. But I'd buy it.



3. When it comes to science fiction, the Star Wars saga is the best. However, the films themselves give very little information regarding the locales that our beloved characters find themselves exploring. This is a shame, because the planets that occupy everyone's favorite galaxy far far away are nothing short of fascinating. Finally, a book entitled Star Wars - The Essential Guide To Planets And Moons was released! Now, fans would be able to learn about the ever-so awesome places characters in the films travelled to! Read on for my review of this book.

   PROS:
   -If you're a fan of the Star Wars films, and you're interested in reading about the worlds explored in the classic trilogy, this book will have more than enough information to make you happy. From Luke Skywalker's desert homeplanet of Tatooine to the icy world of Hoth, they're all here.
   -The book covers the expanded universe! This means places from the novels, comic books, and video games appear in this book! Even if you're just a fan of the films, the information on the expanded universe will fascinate you.
   -This book is readily available in most major bookstores (B. Dalton, Barnes And Noble, Borders, etc.) You shouldn't have any trouble finding it.
   -The price for this book is very good, considering all the information it has to offer. This is a worthwhile purchase if you're a Star Wars fan.

   CONS:
   -The major problem with this book is that it was released circa 1997. This means it came out before 1999, and accordingly the locales exclusive to the prequel films, Episode I and Episode II, don't appear in here. That kind of bites, because I wanted to read up on Naboo and Kamino.
   -The only pictures in the book are black-and-white sketches. I would have liked to see some more detailed pictures, preferably in color.

   OVERALL:
   If you're a Star Wars fan, I guarantee this book will fascinate you. If you're not a fan of the Star Wars series but know somebody who is, this makes a great gift. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.




4. Although it is not officially a supplement, I found this book indispensable for gamemastering in the Star Wars Roleplaying Game. The fact is, there really isn't a better resource for finding new places to visit in the Star Wars Universe. Even if you're not into the RPG scene, however, this member of the 'Essential Guide' series is an excellent read.

   For some of those, namely the hardcore fans that have read every single Star Wars thing ever published (I cannot claim this title, as I've only read about half of it all) this book might seem a bit redundant. All of the locations are taken from either film or literature, so if you've read all the literature it follows that you'll have seen all of the 100 worlds depicted here at least once. Nevertheless, it is useful to have all of this information in one place, in case you forgot just which world the Ugnaughts come from (Umgul) or how to spell "Mrlsst." The Star Wars Encyclopedia and Guide to the SW Universe have all of this information as well... somewhere. The problem is you have to remember what you were looking for to find it. This book simplifies matters if you just have to know, but can't recall any of it.

   For those who are NOT hardcore fans or could care less that Wild Boetays can be found on Garos IV, you probably won't find this guide more than moderately amusing. The other ones in the series (Characters, Vehicles and Vessels, and Weapons and Tech, to name a few) might be more diverting. But for those who are serious about Star Wars (you know who you are) the Guide to Planets and Moons is a really cheap thrill.




5. This book is very cool.There are 200 planets in this book.But there are way more planets then this.

5 comments about Teaching Genius: Dorothy DeLay and the Making of a Musician.

1. Teaching Genius is is an amazing opportunity for musicians, teachers and parents of aspiring musicians to get a glimpse of the world of developing a serious violinist. Dorothy Delay played some part in the development of most well known violin soloists living today. She had to have something amazing and the author of this biography does an amazing job of bringing you into Ms. Delay's world. I know that my teaching style was profoundly affected just by reading this book. I feel that Dorothy Delay's ability to motivate and inspire her students still continues through the hands of a new generation of teachers who have been able to get to know her.



2. This is, I think, the rare book about psychology of teaching violin. A teacher like Mrs. Dorothy De Lay is one among the millions. We could saw it from the former students of her whom accomplished the most prestigius positions in classical music. How I wished there is teacher like her here in Indonesia. How I wished that a lot ! Violin teachers should buy this book.. very insightful.



3. Some have criticized this book for giving an overly-fawning portrayal of Dorothy DeLay. However, this book contains an excellent chapter devoted solely to DeLay's critics, and it doesn't shoot the critics down; it discusses the criticisms in a fair way.
   
   Dorothy DeLay died in 2002 but her legacy lives on. This is the woman responsible for teaching Perlman, Sarah Chang, Midori, Salerno-Sonnenberg, Nigel Kennedy, Cho-Liang Lin, Mark Kaplan, Shlomo Mintz, Gil Shaham, Simon Fischer, and too many more to mention.
   
   I never played for her, but did watch a lesson she taught once. Admittedly, it was rife with many of the things of which her critics complain: She arrived about three hours late (Getting "DeLayed"), and once the lesson began she was constantly answering the knock at the studio door, the phone ringing, etc.
   
   However, knowing that many people sought to play for her at least once, so they could then put her name on their resume, she didn't always take these occasions seriously, especially given the hundreds and hundreds of violinists she heard in her life.
   
   Those special musical geniuses that DeLay *did* take a special interest in, though, she took a long way. While some violin teachers like to focus only on developing technique through scales and exercises, DeLay never failed to emphasize the musical, expressive, artistic side of the violinist's development. Whereas her contemporary Ivan Galamian would say "I don't teach music," meaning he only taught technique, musical interpretation notwithstanding, Dorothy DeLay would constantly ask her students things like "Where do you think this phrase is going?" and "What do you think is the most important note in this phrase?" and "What do you think Beethoven might have been thinking when he composed this passage?" So many music teachers today, of all instruments, neglect this area of development as they view performance as an olympic sport of technique. Yes, the profession is extremely competitive, but in such competition, when there are 1000 violinists that can hit the notes, the ones that stand out are the ones with a superior *artistic* finish.
   
   This book is an excellent survey of the inner world of Dorothy DeLay's studio; her philosophy, her former students, and much more. She was the single most influential violin teacher of the 20th century.



4. It's very interesing to know the inner workings of Juliard and business part of the classical world. It is sad but true that after so much hard work, the student may end up with no job (if you have no clout/connections)!
   But have to agree that the book has a "fawning" tone abt it. Also, the almost "out of this world" (lack of a better word) praises it heaps on some of Delay's star students makes parts of it difficult to read.
   But taking apart all these, it is still a pretty good read.



5. Being a violinist, I found it utterly foolish to not read a book about one of the best teachers of the instrument in the 20th Century. The first day I purchased it I read almost 200 pages, literally unable to put it down.
   The relationships Ms. Delay had with her students were not only educational ones, but personal friendships. How unreal that despite the graduation of many students, they still went back to her for lessons after landing their professional solo careers! Many times a violinist is too hard-headed and full of himself to get advice from another person, but such is not the case with the students of Ms. Delay.
   I felt, as I read the book, that I could not only relate to some of the technical issues the students had, but that I was actually receiving a private lesson from Delay without ever touching my violin.
   I definitely intend on reading this book again, and again, and again, with highlighter in hand. I have a completely different outlook on how I not only listen to the phrasing of music but in creating my own phrasing as well.
   The world has lost a teacher, but more importantly a wonderful woman, which many could call a friend and mother-figure.
   This was a fabulous book and I recommend it to every musician, no matter what instrument you play.

No comments about Projections of War.

3 comments about The Art of Teaching Ballet: Ten Twentieth-Century Masters.

1. This is a wonderful addition to the literature on ballet. The auther makes her apologies in the beginning for not being able to include some noteworthiy teachers, but the ones she was able to cover are great. The information provided gives us valuable insight into the aesthetic principles of these great dancers and teachers. This should be useful to all dancers, whether they teach or not. Some very esoteric facts can be found here as well, such as why Balanchine likes the fingers and hands held the way he does and why many don't like it that way. I had taken some classes with a Mr. Schabel and discovered his claim to fame in these pages. The Great Jean Babilee is even discused. You might also get some good ideas for further reading in this book as I did.



2. Every ballet teacher must own this book. You will gain enormous insight into how 10 master teachers pass on the art of ballet to their students. You may not be drawn to the teaching styles of each teacher but you will learn something from everybody. Each chapter begins with a short essay in which Ms. Warren weaves what she learned from interviewing the master teachers about how they developed their method of teaching with specific accounts of what she observed in their classes. Each chapter concludes with "Classroom Quotes," the order of exercises in a technique class, and the pedagogical lineage of the master teacher. At the end of the book, Ms. Warren includes several exercises constructed by each of the master teachers. For non-teachers, this book will give you renewed appreciation for the work that goes into making a dancer.



3. Two years ago, we purchased this book for our son for his 16th birthday for several reasons. The major two were that his own ballet teacher -- Larry Long -- was one of the teachers written about in the book. Also, he had taken classes with the author one summer, loved her as a teacher, and continually referred to her previous book -- Classical Ballet Technique. After we purchased the book, he discovered that several teachers with whom he had either taken classes or about whom he had heard were also covered in the book. He enjoyed the book because of the biographies of each of the teachers and because of the descriptions of their techniques and classes. He assumes that if he ever teaches he will enjoy rereading the book to see the information from a different perspective. We, his parents, have enjoyed it because we have little knowledge of the world of ballet and it gave us more insight into it. Of course, our favorite chapter was the one about his teacher as we learned more of his background, many of the people we knew were mentioned, it gave us greater insight into his teaching style, and the pictures were great. However, the other chapters were very informative and helpful to parents of a serious ballet student. (Since we had no background in ballet, it helped us understand the field a little more.)

No comments about Closer: Performance, Technologies, Phenomenology (Leonardo Books).

5 comments about The Light in the Piazza.

1. Oh my gosh, half my through I just wanted to scream
   " I don't care just get me out of here"



2. Reiterating Daniel F. Pinkerton "danpink", THIS IS NOT THE PIANO-REDUCTION SONGBOOK. This is only the libretto, dialogue only, NO MUSIC.
   
   I didn't catch danpink's proviso in the midst of these other reviews, and have spent money on a book which isn't what I wanted.



3. This book is exquisitely faithful to the original score. If you have not yet heard the Light in the Piazza, go buy the soundtrack and get this book if you're a piano player. The music from this production truly captures the beauty and romance of Italy and the lyrics give heart to a simple story of love and loss. I'm 18 and I've played piano my whole life and I find a few of these pieces challenging, if you are a beginner you won't be able to play this. A novice will have to work at them, and a more advanced player will still have some rhythms to work out. Overall a perfect addition to a lover of music's library.



4. The American musical in the past few years has often been
   of the "jukebox" type(Mama Mia, Good Vibrations)or
   featured music that hearkens back to a particular period (Hairspray)
   or verges on contemporary pop. There is a lot of
   tongue-in cheek out there (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,
   Urinetown), and much of it is excellently crafted.
   What has often been lacking are
   musicals where genuine emotion is allowed to be expressed,
   with all the risks that that entails, by a composer with a definitive sound of his/her own.
   
   The Light in the Piazza is an admirable attempt to craft
   a musical where the scenes and songs aren't drawn from a
   pool of pre-packaged emotions. And Adam Guettel's 'sound'
   blows like a fresh breeze. His simple yet subtle lyrics
   allow the characters to display themselves as individuals,
   not stereotypes. His harmonic and formal choices,
   characterized respectively by comparatively
   frequent modulations and subtle departures from strict
   AABA convention, allow melodies to soar and sweep in
   a manner that never sounds old-fashioned, only human.
   
   This CD is worth buying for listeners interested in hearing
   the sound of a composer/lyricist whose range encompases both
   gravity and levity; who is willing to let characters express
   themselves and reveal their weaknesses and vulnerabilities
   without being subjected to the composer's superior oversight.



5. The simplified arrangements in this book gut the harmonic resonance of almost all the songs. Numbers like "Dividing Day" and "The Beauty Is" are very nearly unrecognizable.
   
   Thank you for the performance edition of "Light in the Piazza," now please,
   
   release the Vocal Score, Mr. Guettel.