5 comments about Mike Nelson's Movie Megacheese.

1. I may have enjoyed this book a bit more if I was familiar with more of the subjects discussed inside. Several of the films I'd never even ehard of. The writing is funny, but it can get a bit old periodically, especially in the second to last segment which (haha) deals with "The Blair Witch Project." Mike Nelson's going on about how the witch trying to make friends with the students was trying. I have to say, his history of the names that the witch has been known as through the years was funny, especially since it addresses the differences in name between the actual town of the filming and the fictional area of the movie.
   
   Read the excerpt here on Amazon, which pokes fun at the movie "Volcano." The rest of this book is more of the same, looking at TV shows as well. Nelson even critiques "MST3K: The Movie" which is the best part of the book.
   
   There's some great moments here, but you really have to be familiar with the topics and, as I try to avoid a lot of bad television, do not.
   
   Check out Nelson's "Mind on Matters" and "Death Rat" before picking this up. I finished "Death Rat" last week. Thoroughly enjoyable.



2. "Movie Megacheese" is a perfect book for a rainy day:it's hilarious,and Mike Nelson has tried-heroically-to transfer his snarky remarks from his Mystery Science Theater 3000 to the book world.
   
   Mike Nelson provides insights into "The Saint" (why doesn't Val Kilmer's character use the alias St.John Eudes?),"Action Jackson" (explaining why the hero doesn't have the surname Paulson or Thibedeau),and "Star Trek:Generations" (the villain dresses like Sting&wants to get hit by a dryer spark). His comedic assessment of Food Network is as relevant as ever-though Rachael Ray and Bobby Flay are notable omissions. His digs at Emeril Lagasse are worth the price of the book. Bam!
   
   Mike Nelson's take on "Bridges of Madison County" is a disappointment,but his send-up of "Patch Adams" pretty much sums up the current state of Robin Williams' career (though "Happy Feet" and "Night at the Museum" weren't made yet). "Movie Megacheese" is mostly humorous,and it works as bite-size comedy. Unfortunately,it's too short. Considering how many awful movies have been made since the book first came out,it's time for an extended edition or a sequel.



3. Being a rabid MST3K fan, I must confess this book was a bit of a letdown. Maybe my expectations were too high. There is humor here, but there were way more half-smiles than hearty laughs, and some of the swing-for-the-fences jokes definitely ended up in the catcher's mitt. Whenever you can guess the punchline before finishing the sentence, things are a little stale. I couldn't recommend paying retail price, but if you find it used like I did, you'll get your money's worth.



4. Having watched Mike on "Mystery Science Theater 3000" for many years, I had an idea of what to expect. Yet, "Mike Nelson's Movie Megacheese" blew me out of the water with its laugh-out-loud reviews. Nelson is a gifted writer with a sharp tongue and an even sharper rapier wit. My only complaint is that he doesn't do enough of these! Who wouldn't pay $20 to see him tee off on "Gigli" or "Norbert"? We need another hit of the 'cheese, Mike! Overall, an enjoyable read from cover to cover!



5. Thanks in large part to my exposure to "Mystery Science Theater 3000", I am now a stark-raving-mad cheeseball cinema aficionado. So it was a no-brainer that I'd eventually get around to reading former MST3K host Mike Nelson's essays on several big-budget cheddar-fests that the show could never hope to afford licensing rights to. I figured buying a copy of Mr. Nelson's book (from Amazon, `natch) and reading it would be the best way for me to pay the guy back for making me laugh occasionally at his not-half-bad-or better quips and put-downs. Sure, it took me over five years to finally up and get the book, and used from one of the Amazon Marketplace dealers no less. But hey, better late than never...
   
   Most of the movies Nelson takes on go about as far back as the mid-80s to just before the tome's 2000 publishing date. He goes after a few of the usual suspects ("Anaconda", "Independence Day", and "Action Jackson" are but a few examples), as well as a few not-so-obvious flix ("The Bridges of Madison County", "DragonHeart"). He even goes so far as to use the horrid "Batman & Robin" (which he declares is "not the worst movie ever", but "the worst THING ever") as a springboard to rip into the entire Burton/Schumacher "Batman" franchise in one essay. In some cases he teams up two or more particularly cheddary flicks that are connected by a theme, like "Action Jackson" and "Stone Cold" because of the movies' main stars' former careers in pro football.
   
   But it's not just movies this former Satellite of Love co-denizen takes apart with his usually straightforward but occasionally rambling manner and incendiary wit that occasionally enters the realm of naughtiness, but rarely in a particularly overt manner. As opposed to, say, a subtly overt manner. Or (horror of horrors) an overtly overt manner. About the worst you can expect from him is the reason he is now "(unable) to eat any smoked pork products" since seeing Kevin Bacon's goods in "Wild Things." And I can't say I blame him. Kinda makes me wonder if he swore off loaves and fishes after seeing Graham Chapman lettin' it all hang out in "Monty Python's Life of Brian", doesn't it?
   
   The second-worst you can expect from Mr. Nelson is his description of the cast-off crud coming offa Clint Eastwood's character during a shower scene in "The Bridges of Madison County." While the words he uses to describe the "soupy gray runoff" of shower water that contains "all manner of skin oil, dirt, dander, and body hair" aren't particularly nasty or obscene in and of themselves, their overall arrangement and vivid power of description meshed together in a hellish literary tag-team kept me from finishing off the steak dinner I was eating whilst reading that particular passage. Eh, I could stand to lose several dozen pounds, anyway...
   
   Also hit are notable TV shows that were running at the time, like "Xena", the Kvin Sorbo "Hercules" series, and "Savannah". The latter show has Mr. Nelson visualizing the anguish that producer Aaron Spelling's going through with the show's relative lack of success compared to the Spelling-produced contemporaries "90210" and "Melsrose Place". An anguish he tries to eliminate by tossing a few more additions to his obscenely opulent estate. "Do you realize how many rooms he has to build on the South Wing to begin to stanch the wound?", Mr. Nelson asks the reader. Quite frankly, I don't think I can even begin to realize such emotional torture, nor would I want to...
   
   Also given their just desserts (so to speak in the former case) is the Food Channel and Cartoon Network. It's pretty apparent from his writings that Mr. Nelson actually enjoys the Food Channel, but isn't too keen with Cartoon Network, which had a lotta Hanna-Barbera shows on heavy rotation at the time the book was published. Although he cites "Speed Racer", "Woody Woodpecker" and "The Smurfs" as examples of the CN's crappiness, I'm pretty sure it was the Hanna-Barbera stuff that really pushed him over the edge. Mainly `cuz just about alla Hanna-Barbera's `toonage sucks razor blade-studded hot coals smothered in Tabasco sauce. Well, that and he lets the reader in on the lameness of "Scooby-Doo", "The Flintstones", and "The Jetsons." `Course, in the five-plus years since this book came out, CN's line-up hasn't really improved all that much; I'd much rather endure Yogi's umpteenth insipid pic-a-nic basket pilferage than watch five seconds of "Aqua Teen Hunger Force"...
   
   Anyhoo, Mr. Nelson also takes it to several notable Hollywood personalities whose contributions to film have made many folks rather cynical and jaded about the moviegoing experience, myself included. The woodenness of Jean-Claude Van Damme and Keanu Reeves (his response to Reeves' role in "Speed": "... (a) member of the L.A. bomb squad?! I wouldn't trust this man to sell me a stamp."), the hilarious yet awful screenplays of Joe Eszterhas, and the existence of Carrot Top are but three among a crop of (usually) rather obvious, riffed-on-to-death targets that even the most third-rate of third-rate standup comics abandoned years ago for fresher material. Like William Shatner's infamous method acting for example.
   
   On the upside: at least the author admits in his bash of Carrot Top that the pastime of Carrot Top-bashing has become a rather hackneyed and tiresome one... but after viewing "Chairman of the Board", he just can't help it. And I can't say I blame Mr. Nelson, though I must admit his shots at the fire-tressed prop comedian are ironic in a way, seeing as how he ("he" as in "Mike Nelson", not as in "Carrot Top") replaced Joel Hodgson on MST3K, who was himself a prop comedian, and took advantage of his mad skillz to assemble those silly doo-dads he'd show off to Dr. Forrester and Boob-Tube Francis during those "invention exchange" sketches. `Course, it'd be more ironic, not to mention downright hypocritical, if Nelson were a prop comedian himself while ripping on Mr. Top. Thankfully, his parents ("his parents" as in "Mike Nelson's parents", not as in "Carrot Top's parents") apparently gave him enough hugs and applied a tiny bit of corporal punishment on him when he was a lad, thereby sparing the world the agony of another Gallagher-wannabe...
   
   As for Nelson's writing style: in some ways, it's reminiscent of the stuff he'd come up whilst locked in the SOL's screening room with his AI-endowed compatriots. While both Crow and Tom Servo had the ability to throw out an intellectual and/or esoteric reference or two, Mr. Nelson's references were by far the most intellectual and/or esoteric. Which is the main reason why I laughed at the robots' put-downs far more often than I did Mr. Nelson's. Fortunately, I was able to grok about 92.34% of these sometimes-laugh-out-loud-funny MENSA-level put-downs... which was about the rate of grokkery I had when I came across similar sometimes-laugh-out-loud-funny MENSA-level put-downs in this tome. Still, that 7.66% that I needed Google to figure out-- and had me letting out a staccato "D'oh!" whilst smacking the palm of my right hand to my forehead when I finally figured it out-- has been playin' hell on my self-esteem for a few days now...
   
   But seriously: while I got a pretty good laugh at times from "Movie Megacheese", there were a few areas where Mr. Nelson's efforts at humor read like a cross between Larry King's insipid USA Today columns, and something Dave Barry would come up with whilst trying to overcome a really bad case of writer's block. Which is almost as corny and unfunny as Dave Barry withOUT writer's block. I mean, okay, every once in a while he'll will toss out a quip in his weekly column that gets a light chuckle from me. And his annual "Stupid Christmas Gift Guide" is kinda amusing in its own dumb little way. And that Harry Anderson sit-com that was loosely based on Barry's columnar ramblings had a few cute moments. But is he really all that and a side of curly fries? I think NOT! I will admit, however, that he's a little bit funnier than the Sunday comics... but that's only if the Sunday comics doesn't carry "Garfield." Otherwise, all bets are off.
   
   But, I'm getting away from the main subject matter at hand, sorry about that. I go on weird tangents some times... which is something Mr. Nelson also does on occasion in "Movie Megacheese", albeit not to nearly the lengths that I do in some of my product reviews. He also throws out an agonizingly drawn-out (albeit usually amusing) analogy on occasion, like Dennis Miller without the smarm, and with only a small fraction of the obnoxious pomposity. Fortunately, the book's truly laugh-out-loud bits-- of which there were more than a few-- more than made up for the groan-inducing corny parts.
   
   Bottom line: if you're into trashy movies & TV shows, as well as the personalities who have made those movies and TV shows so memorable (no matter how hard you try to forget), and you actually enjoy watching "Road House" for its cheeseball appeal whilst believing that Adam Sandler and Jim Carrey are demons set forth by Satan to destroy the genre of slapstick comedy as we know them, you might do well to pick up a copy of "Mike Nelson's Movie Megacheese." And may be even read a few pages while you're at it...
   
   `Late

1 comments about The Actor's Script: Script Analysis for Performers.

1. If you are unable to take Mr. Waxberg's Script Analysis Class at Stella Adler in Hollywood, California, then the next best thing would be to buy this book (I was lucky enough to do both). This really did open my eyes, whether the scripts are from the stone age or up to present day. This book is an easy read and Mr. Waxberg's humor and insight really breaks everything down word for word. I wanna call him 'Dr.' Waxberg the way he disects a script to pieces then brings it all together so an actor can understand the truthfulness behind the playwright's words. It's all about making the strongest choice as an actor, and this book will help you on the way.

1 comments about Actor's Choice: Monologues for Teens (Actor's Choice).

1. 
   This volume of highly entertaining monologues is gleaned from previously produced one-act and full-length plays allowing for full characters with interesting stories.
   
   The book is organized well with monologues divided by gender including a section with monologues that would work with either gender. Pieces range from one to five minutes in length and cover a wide range of emotions. Characters run the gamut from historical to modern, literary to supernatural. While the age range of characters is 5-18, most of the characters are written as straight Caucasians. Dialogue in the book is realistic giving the teen actors opportunity to use strong voices.
   
   This is an excellent monologue book for middle and high school students with applications for competition as well as use in drama, speech, or English classes. Drama instructors can also get an idea of tone and pace of the plays from which these pieces come, making it easier to select a school play.

5 comments about Thinking Like a Director: A Practical Handbook.

1. I've read about a dozen books on directing, and this is my favorite because it gets to the essence of what a director must do to bring out the most from a script and the actors. Sure, other books are breezier, but if you're serious about creating a great play, reading this book should be Job One, especially if you're not dealing with top-of-the-line professional actors. Yes, Bill Ball's book gives you a great sense of the kind of persona that works well as a director but his largely "less-is-more" advice works far better with the top actors he directed at American Conservatory Theatre than the solid but not magnificent actors that serious community theatre directors like myself work with.



2. This book does a great job communicating to a first-time director what it is like to direct a show. It demonstrates common thought processes of the author using clear examples as well as giving details that one needs to know without being overly prescriptive. Unlike some other books on the subject, it does not dictate what one must do to be a director, but rather accepts that there are many different approaches that might work well for different directors, and does an excellent job outlining the potential advantages and pitfalls of each.
   
   It truly does teach you to think like a director.



3. I picked up this book when it was first published. Since there are so few books on the subject, any new book is a welcome addition. That is, until you actually read it. I've had college textbooks that were more fun to read.
   
   Apparently, this title sells very well. Perhaps it's the curtain on the cover or the whimsical thought bubbles that lead people to believe the secrets of directing are within this book.
   
   If you want a book on directing that is uninspiring, lifeless, and an all-around chore to read, this is your book.
   
   If you're still looking for the straight-forward approach to directing you thought would be within this book, "A Sense of Direction" by William Ball will ultimately be more helpful.



4. I was required to read this book for a directing class on the Masters level. I read the back, there was a nice quote from Donald Margulies: "It is smart and lucidly written and should prove to be an invaluable guidebook for students and emerging directors." I thought that it would be a good idea to read the book with that in mind, as a potential textbook.

   As a student of the graduate level, even one who has never directed, this was pretty easy reading. There is something to be said for going back to the basics. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the theoretical that we forget the fundamentals, and it's good to go back and review and recall things we had forgotten. With that in mind, the book did open my thoughts to different ways of thinking about a scene or a play. As primarily an actor and playwright, I found that the book illuminated examples of how my own work can be improved by thinking about things in a new way. I have to feel that the book would have the same effect for a director. Yes, it covers basic things that have already been covered in various classes, but it offers a different side to thinking. If I were to start on a directing career, I would take away two very important lessons from the book. First, I would concentrate on creating an "approach" to a play, rather than a "concept." "Approach" offers a path that can potentially change and accommodate the needs of the production, whereas "concept" locks the ideas in a narrow vision and forces the play to accommodate the concept. Secondly, I would attempt to see the production from two different viewpoints: the internal view and the external view. Bloom believes that maintaining this balance is the key to successful directing.

   As a teacher I would recommend this to an undergraduate. I find that the book takes complex concepts and manages to define them in clear, concise terms, something that I have come to appreciate this semester. Bloom takes the time to specify his terms and define them in non-confusing ways. A lot of the time the lessons serve as reminders. "Don't forget to do this..." These terms reinforce ideas that may have been taught to them and may enable students to have a basic understanding in which to facilitate a classroom discussion to further illuminate the point

   Once again, I liked Bloom's substitution of the work "approach" for "concept." Essentially the idea is the same but the phrase "concept" gives a feeling on some esoteric idea that every aspect of the production must accommodate. "Approach" suggests a method of dealing with the production, but doesn't force conformity. It denotes a direction and has a connotation of flexibility. Also as I mentioned before Bloom suggests a duel-perspective approach: external and internal. What Bloom gives the reader is a basic process of creating a production while at the same time allowing a flexible approach to the production itself, for no two plays require the same approach. Bloom gives suggestions to deal with different situations or problems that may crop up, but not a rigid methodology. He also suggests ways to prevent problems from arising by dealing with them in pre-production before they explode into a crisis.




5. Having seen so many copies of this book being tossed around on campus, I was surprised to see that no one had stopped to review this book, yet. And in keeping with the practical, no nonsense approach of the book, I will keep it brief.

   This book is quickly catching on, and is becoming a textbook for many graduate classes in directing.
   
   Most directing textbooks I have read don't deal with certain areas of directing that I find to be most important. Bloom also adresses this in the book, that many books and graduate training programs do not deal with some of the most practical aspects of directing. Old texts have since become museum pieces, restricting the job of director to staging, pace and rhythm issues. One has the idea of a director reading his newspaper in the back row letting the actors magically discover their performance without any help.
   
   Bloom quickly destroys this myth, and presents the director as a crucial link in the process. His internal/external approach, which is a little difficult to sum up in a short review, is an efficient and effective way of approaching a set text, ensuring truthful, committed work from the actors, without sacrificing the requirements of pacing, staging, and clear storytelling. Bloom suggests many practical means for finding one's way into the work, and developing an effective storytelling technique, through common terminology that most actors and directors can respond to. As a graduate student in acting, I certainly wish more directors had a chance to pick up and peruse this book.
   
   Included are also sections on working with designers, structuring your rehearsal space and time, developing rehearsal strategies, approaches for technical rehearsals, etc. It covers everything, even after the show is up and running and you are moving on to the next project.
   
   A simple, no nonsense guide. It covers area missed by the others. Applause to Michael Bloom for such a great book.

1 comments about Taken by Surprise: A Dance Improvisation Reader.

1. Collaboratively compiled and ably co-edited by Ann Cooper Albright and David Gere, Taken By Surprise: A Dance Improvisation Reader collects together under one cover some twenty-one essays by well-known dancers, scholars, and historians. Discussing improvisation in dance within contexts and traditions ranging from Yoruban masked dance to Indian Bharatanatyam, flamenco, and more, Taken By Surprise offers an informed and insightful exploration into the art of impromptu dance, as well as the changing emotions expressed within its many forms.

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.

No comments about Making Short Films: The Complete Guide from Script to Screen, Second Edition.

No comments about Human Communication: Motivation, Knowledge, Skills.

5 comments about Group Improvisation: The Manual of Ensemble Improv Games.

1. This book is great for teaching the support and trust actors need to perform any form of theatre...invigorating games with levels of difficulty so they can be used for most any group. I've used it for aged 7 to 18 but it is great for adults as well, especially the more challenging games. Bravo!



2. Great, thorough descriptions of lots of great group warm-ups and scene exercises. It's not a vast new continent of never-before-seen improv, but it's the clearest map I've ever seen of the very tricky terrain of group dynamics, which can make or break a performance group (or any group, for that matter). Peter Gwinn writes in a fun and playful conversational tone and the accompanying retro-tastic photos of improvisers at play are, frankly, adorable. I have met folks who trained with Gwinn, and now I join them in their wish to hug him for this contribution to the craft. Gracias!



3. For anyone coaching/directing or if you're playing on a team where you need to break into new territories and develop new forms, these games are a perfect start. This book explains what the important parts of each game are so that you bring the actual lessons to stagework, not just horse around and forget. I highly recommend the book.



4. ...to Charna Halpern's "Truth and Comedy." Gwinn takes an actor-centric approach to long-form improvisation, developing characters the way Del Close intended them to be. He grounds his games in terminology befitting any advanced acting technique, exploring emotion and motivation over the tricks and gimmicks synonymous with shows like "Whose Line is it Anyway?"

   Gwinn has been performing and teaching at Chicago's Improv Olympic for nearly a decade, so he knows his stuff. That being said, as articulate as this book is, it should serve as a supplement, not a substitute, for first-hand experience or training in long- or short-form comedy improvisation.




5. I really wanted it to be 0 stars. but that is not an option.

   I thought this book was really bad. I wanted to learn more about improv, and this didn't tell me anything new, and it's pretty basic stuff. There are better books out there....I also do not reccomend Truth in Comedy by C Halpern.

   Improv is more about feeling and being in the moment, and not going by the "book."

   Both of these books must have been written by people who did a lot of watching, and not a lot of doing.

2 comments about Acting is Believing.

1. The book got to me super fast, it was new and in perfect conditions. These people really try hard to make the customer happy.



2. This was our assigned text in beginning acting. I was first skeptical about how much one could learn about from a book. The answer is, "quite a bit." The book, in spite of its slim appearance, holds a good amount of information and is packed with acting exercises. All in all, a good supplement to anyone's shelf.