5 comments about How to Talk Dirty and Influence People.

1. This book is just as relevant now as it was in the age it was written. If you don't "get it" then it wasn't meant for you.



2. I first read this book at the tender age of fourteen, and even then it had an impact on my perceptions. Now, over thirty years later, it has remained one of the strongest influences of my life! I would not be the wise and compassionate Spiritual teacher that I am without having read about Lenny's life of pushing the boundaries and comedic concepts far ahead of his time. He was and still is the most profound comic Spiritual visionary America has ever seen...and most likely will ever see. Long live Saint Lenny!



3. I found this book to be thoroughly enjoyable. Lenny Bruce is an interesting guy and I think it's very insightful just of life and society in general and of all their inconsistencies. Though today, I'm sure, is much different than Lenny's era, most of what he has to say still applies. He can be really funny at times, but I'd say its a darker humor. I remember thinking it dragged just a bit when he gets deep into his legal battle near the end of the book but overall it kept me entertained.



4. You could be forgiven for thinking that this book is by Eric Bogosian. Although generally okay, the Fireside edition spends more time talking about Bogosian on the front cover than it does talking about Bruce himself.
   
   Too bad. But luckily for the reader, this book is pure Lenny.
   
   More readable than the transcripts of his performance (since he intended this to be read)-- How To Talk Dirty and Influence People is part autiobiography and part diatribe. Bruce explains, jokes, cajoles and convinces as he writes. This is the story of his life from his birth until 1963 when it was written.
   
   Lenny Bruce is a very important figure in the histories of performance and free expression. This book is a little bit sketchy to be a final remembrance, but is still worth the time and effort that it takes to read. In particular, the beginning sections of the book are magical-- funny, wry and moral. It loses the thread a little bit towards the end, as Bruce is more and more obsessed with the legal wars that he was then fighting on every front. Certainly understandable, but the latter chapters are much less open for the reader and seem to have been written in a much bigger hurry than the rest of the book.
   
   If you are interested in Bruce, this book is a must-read. The Fireside edition is bound with an introduction by the aforementioned Bogosian and with a preface by Kenneth Tynan.



5. You don't have to be a fan of Lenny Bruce to love this book, you don't have to really know who he is (I really only know him from a few recordings and by reputation). This book is funny. This book is still a valuable piece of social satire and criticism. This book is an interesting story. This book is a piece of history. This book is great. This book should be read.

1 comments about Public Speaking Handbook (2nd Edition) (MySpeechLab Series).

1. The book was excellent. Definitely the one if you want to learn to be a better public speaker. The price is even better!

2 comments about Voice and the Actor.

1. Some years ago, I developed an interest in voice and diction. I had noticed how well-spoken many actors were, and then later I noticed that successful people in general tended to be well spoken. The opposite also held true, I noticed even college educated individuals with poor speaking habits.
   
   I took voice and diction lessons from a local teacher, and then moved on to the classic book in the field, Edith Skinner's, "Speak with Distinction". "Speak With Distinction" is a monolithic work, and many of the great actors of American theatre and movies regard it as the bible of speech training.
   
   Edith Skinner refers to "Voice and the Actor", as a suggested book for further study. In many ways, I think "Voice and the Actor" functions as the perfect companion piece to "Speak With Distinction". This is because whereas "Speak With Distinction" focuses on proper pronunciation and enuciation, "Voice and the Actor" focuses on the processes of vocal production, i.e., breathing, diaphram, and the elusive process of "setting the voice free".
   
   Also, "Voice and the Actor" goes into great detail about the need and proper use of a device called a "bone prop", which is used to prop the mouth open during voice training exercises. This isolates certain muscles, and is an old school voice training technique which is quite helpful.
   
   Highly recommended for actors and serious students of voice and diction.



2. Ciss Berry is actin

5 comments about Good Will Hunting: A Screenplay.

1. This script is sheer perfection, brilliant in its simplicity. My goal is to learn to write like that!



2. This is a great story--a tale about guys in their early twenties living in working-class Boston. One of them, Will, just happens to be a genius, with a photographic memory. He is also an abused orphan who doesn't trust anyone but his friends and seems content to do construction and janitorial work. When an M.I.T. professor of mathematics catches him solving a nearly impossible proof one evening after all of the students have left, he is intrigued.
   
   After Will gets into trouble with the law, which is a fairly common occurrence for him, the professor steps in and agrees to work with him and get him counseling if the judge will agree not to send him to jail. Will reluctantly agrees, not really willing to see a therapist. It proves to be difficult to find a therapist who can handle Will; he has read their books and mocks them during therapy sessions. Finally an old college friend of the professor's has a breakthrough and becomes someone that Will can trust.
   
   This is a story about a person learning to take risks in relationships and with his future. The movie was excellent, and the screenplay is very interesting. I hadn't realized that a screenplay has so little direction; it gives me new respect for a film's director as well as the actors and actresses who create three-dimensional characters out of the words ont he page.



3. The lines such as "How do you like them apples" are classics already. The movie was brilliant and I own the screenplay. A terrific insight into the anatomy of the film.



4. Having seen the movie and read the screenplay, I can never fail to understand how something like this was ever taken seriously. There is absolutely nothing original here; the writing is shallow, tedious and unbelievably hackneyed and I marvel that such mediocre talent could be so hyped, so gushed over and can only wonder how such 'writing' could ever have been made into a movie let alone win an Academy Award! It baffles me completely.
   
   Incidentally, there is much whispering in industry circles that Affleck and Damon didn't really even write this screenplay. Instead it was the result of a collaboration between Gus Van Zant, Robin Williams, William Goldman and Rob Reiner. As a matter of fact much of William's comedic dialogue was actually improvised, yet authorship was, strangely, still credited to Affleck and Damon - probably for unknown publicity and marketing reasons.
   
   The fact that these two have not produced any screenplays worthwhile since tends to verify suspicions about their real and minimal contributions to Good Will Hunting.



5. I didn't think this was that great. I read this in one night and I was not impressed at all.

No comments about Antony and Cleopatra (Folger Shakespeare Library).

5 comments about The Film Director's Intuition: Script Analysis and Rehearsal Techniques.

1. I took a class many years ago from Judith Weston. She was always prepared, well-spoken and focused. Her book is the same. This book is critical in working with actors - a much underutilized skill in today's world of technology emphasis. If you want to create a great film or great media, then working with the actors and other participants is critical. They will appreciate your understanding and efforts. That will go a long way toward gaining critical performances - and recognition. Judith's book will help get you there.



2. The title of this book implies an offering of specific techniques for script analysis and rehearsal. However, it's really more of a general discussion on the craft. It's certainly interesting (although somewhat densely written). But I can't say it's really what I was expected. The bulk of the text reviews thoughts on acting and directing by people in the industry. I found it a bit too abstract to apply to practical filmmaking. If you dress in black and attend film school you'll probably eat this book up with a spoon, though.



3. I don't have a personal review for this book , but it was puchased as a recommended gift for a friend of mine who will be an assistant stage director with a local Nationally recognized opera company. Talking to him after Christmas , he considered this book a valuable item that would be very useful.



4. Judith's book is simply an invaluable resource for anyone aspiring to direct actors. Her methods and approach to educing subtext within script are wholly applicable and comprehensive. Her insights in communicating with actors are truly inspiring and offer directors a genuine path to forge an honest, true and creative relationship. Regardless of genre, this book is an essential asset for all directors who wish to be true to their craft. Highly recommended.
   
   Denis McArdle



5. The author is a higher regarded teacher of acting and directing actors, but I found the material in this book, and her other book, inaccessable. I'm certain she knows what she is talking about, but I just couldn't get into the material, which seems to be written in a stream of consciousness manner. It lacks the meat I was looking for.

4 comments about Towards a Poor Theatre (Theatre Arts (Routledge Paperback)).

1. For any theatre professional, student or enthusiast. Highly recommend watching "My Dinner With Andre" as well. It's a film by Wallace Shawn.



2. Comprehending this book is no small feat. Sure, you start with the premise that competing with the technical spectacle of movies and TV is a fruitless pursuit. That's not difficult. Neither is the idea of embracing poverty in theatre and making the human being the only center of performance. That's dead easy. Spare costumes, little or no makeup, no sound effects, as few light effects as possible. Who can argue with that?

   But this doesn't mean everybody can embrace Grotowski's vision of Poor Theatre. His is one that involves stripping away all preconceived notions of theatre from the early Modern period on. This will never fly in commercial theatre, dependent as it is on technology, nor will it satisfy many recent playwrights, who depend on technical do-funnies to make their shows work.

   Grotowski also takes a funny view of plays, playwrights, and theoreticians who don't agree with him. Among other things, he considers playwrights as hired talent and plays as essentially malleable. He also suggests that the only way the writings of Artaud are useful in theatre is if they are taken elementally rather than globally - a position sure not to sit well with many avant-garde directors.

   Because this book isn't a straight-ahead statement of principles, ideas, and practices, it yields its secrets only with difficulty. Parts of it aren't even written by Grotowski, but are interviews by other authors, or even observations that don't include quotes from the man himself. It was basically compiled to provide an overview of the ideas and products of the Polish Laboratory Theatre up to that time, and it encourages experiment and development by the reader.

   This isn't to say that it isn't actually useful. There are exercises for actors; there are statements of theory for directors; there are even sketches, diagrams, and photos for designers. However, expect to wrestle with this book if you're going to unlock its secrets. Once you elect to start down this path, you have a long row to hoe




3. "Towards A Poor Theatre" by Jerzy Grotowski is probably the most important book written on acting since Stainslavsky's three famous character books. There is so little known about Grotowski and many people have tried to fake his work and people need to read the man's original words. Grotowski's vision of theatre has had the greatest effect on me more than any other person in theatre. He saw acting as a Holy experience where both the actor and spectator were transformed after the performance. Grotowski expanded from where Stainslavsky left off and drew his ideas everywhere from modern art to religious rituals to primitive theatre. Any one interested in theatre must read this book somehow and be changed forever like I have.



4. There is no better book that I have read on the theory and practice of theatre. As Peter Brook says in the preface, "Grotowski is unique. Why? Because no-one else in the world, to my knowledge, no-one since Stanislavsky, has investigated the nature of acting, its phenomenon, its meaning, the nature and science of its mental-physical-emotional processes as deeply and completely as Grotowski."

   Grotowski argues effectively that the split of the stage and the screen necessitates that the stage redefine its focus. The screen with its higher budget and countless retakes will always beat the stage in richness. So, Grotowski posits "If it [the stage] cannot be richer than the cinema, then let it be poor." The rest of the book illustrates what such a poor theatre means in practice. Brilliant.

3 comments about Angelina Jolie: The Biography.

1. I liked this because it enlightened me to her past and how she is different from everyone else. Right from the beginning.



2. Loved this!!! Great pictures and great insight into a wonderful person's world. Being a fan I had heard most of the stories from Angelina interviews in the past, but there were some things that surprised me. It also offered a lot of information on her marriages and why they didn't work out.



3. I bought this book as my Christmas present to myself and I was not disappointed. I couldn't put the book down. Very well written and well-rounded. I feel like I know Angelina now as if I'd grown up with her. I respect and love her even more after reading this book. She literally transformed herself and morphed into the amazing woman she is now. This book is a must for all Angelina Jolie fans everywhere.

5 comments about Breakfast with Sharks: A Screenwriter's Guide to Getting the Meeting, Nailing the Pitch, Signing the Deal, and Navigating the Murky Waters of Hollywood.

1. This book is a great insider's guide to the inner-workings of the Hollywood machine. I found it not only enlightening and helpful, but entertaining as well. The author often illustrates a point or principle with personal anecdotes that brings the issue to life. In fact, I wish he'd done this with virtually every subject he discussed. He also dwells heavily in the world of pitch meetings: how to get the meeting, how to prepare, what to do, even what to wear (not a suit) and how to sit (not on the couch if possible).
   
   Lent goes into great detail on the function of all the major cogs in the movie-making wheel: producers, directors, actors, agents, managers, creative executives, and more. For those of us with a script to sell but little in the way of industry know-how this is an invaluable course.
   
   On the downside, I'm sure most people reading this book are relatively new to the business and the first questions on their mind are: "Do I need an agent, and how do I get one?" Lent, in my opinion, wrote the book in the wrong order. I would have addressed this point up front, but instead you have to wait 123 pages for your answers. And it's not just burning curiosity that would serve this order, Lent often speaks about 'your agent' in the first 100 pages as if he's assuming you've got one and I don't think that's a fair assumption. My second fault with the book is his exceedinly sparse coverage of the screenwriting contest world. This is a vital topic for new screenwriters, one he devotes an astonishingly petite 4 pages to. The topic is well represented online, but we turn to Lent, again, for an insider's view on this milieu and are very disappointed with the lack of coverage.
   
   Overall, a quick and easy read that provides loads of useful and applicable information.



2. First a disclosure - I am not a screenwriter. I am an avid reader. So the fact this book didn't thrill me may mean nothing. If you're in pursuit of this dream you may have the background to assess the advice proffered.
   
   From purely a readers point of view I think the book could flow better. I have a keen interest in most things Hollywood, and those chapters dealing with Hollywood as town were intriguing. Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need



3. I read this book expecting to find a lot of Hollywood gossip. Instead, it was a down to earth 'how to' guide for becoming a star-screenwriter.
   
   Some of the suggestions are very specific to the industry. For example, how to decide when to move to Hollywood or how to get across the San Fernando valley for an interview when you don't own a car. Most of the advice is fairly general, though. Ben Franklin would approve.
   
   The text is fast paced and entertaining. It doesn't quite read like a novel, but you will start watching for the author's name to appear on your local cinema.



4. Wow! Full of sound advice from experience. Michael Lent is clearly someone who pays attention to the whole process. The best part is he shares it with the rest of us! This book is fun to read from start to finish. Lent constantly encourages the reader (screenwriter) to adopt an attitude of, what I would call, "strategic humility" in their business dealings. How rare!!! This stuff helps in life too! I've never written a feature length screenplay, but I still found this book efficacious in learning the ins and outs of this goofy industry. And I know goofy - www.chrismundell.com



5. I'm on my third reading of Michael Lent's "Breakfast with Sharks" (2-7-05), and I highly this book to any screenwriter making serious go of trying to sell his/her work.
   
   Micheal Lent doesn't make things up. His book is filled with real life "lived" experiences.
   
   This book is a godsend if you've a written a screenplay and have started your foray into the next scary step-selling!! "Breakfast with Sharks" will help you disciminate information and buzzwords used at screenwrinting seminars and help decode the Hollywood Creative Directory.
   
   My favorite section in the entire book is "Studio Notes: What They Are and How to Handle Them".
   
   Overall a great book, insprationaly it ranks right up there with Karl Iglesias' "The 101 Habits of Hightly Successful Screenwriters".
   
   - Review given by Eric C.Henrikson Febuary 7, 2005

1 comments about I'll Think about That Tomorrow.

1. Not as interesting as her previous memoir SCARLETT O'HARA'S YOUNGER SISTER, This book still manages to make some thought-proviking observations about aging and the difference between men and women. It is particularly notable for its insights into the home life of Stanley and Christiane Kubrick in London during the 1960s and 1970s.
   
   Evelyn undergoes some truly trying times, including trying to prop up the failing life of her former husband Artie Shaw, as well as being privy to some of the alarming physical setbacks endured by her other famous husband, John Huston. Meanwhile she attracts a young gay admirer and revisits many of the old sites and people from her past, the whole thing taking on a very very Proust, Past Regained semblance of deja vu. Kirk Douglas behaves badly towards her, as is to be expected. She appears in an episode of Steven Spielberg's TV series, directed by Joe Dante, co-starring an old face from the 1940s, pal Eddie Bracken. She stars in the national tour of No, No, Nanette, with Don Ameche, who comes off like a prince. While her glow of stardom was never as great as that of say, Lana or Marilyn, Evelyn gave off some good performances and was always a trouper. We don't often think of her but when we do, it's with great affection and nostalgia. She was, as they used to say when they didn't know what else to say, a pistol all right.