If you've seen the Robert Altman film, "Gosford Park," and especially if you're sure you missed something critical but aren't sure just what it was, this is the book for you. Julian Fellowes' brilliant screenplay not only brings into the foreground all the dialogue and physical action that flowed through the film in typical Altman fashion, but it is accompanied by highly illuminating notes and photos identifying all the players and where they fit in the story. I bought it to use as an aid to my second viewing of the film, at home on DVD, but I found it so fascinating and well written that I read it long before the film was released on video. All screenplays should be this good.

This script is mesmerizing. The subtleties of the dialogue clearly define the constitution of the characters. It makes the film more enjoyable. I now understand more clearly what the actions on the screen represented and what many of the motivations were. So much went into this story that when you think about it, this was an incredible piece of filmmaking.

The "Self-Assessment Color Review" collection is very nice and I can recommend the avian one. In my opinion, this book is not intended to give you a profound and detailed picture of the diseases but it more or less tries to confront you with real-life situations. Excellent for students or clinicians who want to deepen or broaden their interest.

A creditable piece of work by Mr. Stuart. I would have liked a little more on the artistic process and a little less on the soap opera of the cast and crew. It IS interesting to see how people have such complete misapprehension of one another and the motives of others. I guess that's what "Nashville" is really about, too. Stuart also tells us what happened to the cast in subsequent years, which I've alway wondered about and was glad to know. You come away with a reality-tempered respect for Tewkesbury, the screenwriter, Altman, the director, and most of the cast -- who obviously threw themselves into the parts and did the best they knew how to do. For some, their best was transcendent, and Stuart gives us the story behind those moments. A fine book that was obviously a labor of love -- and just a lot of pains-taking labor -- for Stuart.

For any fans of this film, and indeed, for its detractors also, this is a must have guide to learning more about the behind the scenes gossip. I am glad this book was not written/published until the 25th anniversary of the movie, as enough time has passed for an objective view of the film to be made. There is no denying that this is a powerful, interesting and even disturbing film. I am espcially pleased that a great number of the actors took part in this book. I have always wondered what happened to Ronee Blakley, (who played the fragile Barbara Jean to a T in the film). Do not miss this book if you love the film.

I had no idea that there was so much anecdotal material to be had from the making of Robert Altman's country and western music opus, NASHVILLE but Jan Stuart has managed to interview nearly everyone involved. He traces the film's origins right up to what everyone involved (including country music insiders) thinks of it now. This is an exhaustive, detailed account of every aspect of how Altman's film was made but written in a very entertaining, engaging style.

If you're a fan of Altman's films then this is definitely required reading as Stuart provides fascinating insights into how the man works and collaborates with others. The best thing I can say about this book is that it makes you immediately want to watch NASHVILLE all over again and appreciate how much hard work went into it. Great reading.

Kolker's lengthy opinions sometimes suffer from tunnel-vision -- ideas that support his over-arching theories are stressed while other influnces on/aspects of the films are ignored. But his over-arching theories are penetrating nevertheless, and a lot of light is shed on the filmmakers he discusses. His treatment of Kubrick, whose work lends itself so well to intelluctual deconstruction, is especially good. The discussion of Spielberg is interesting but a little too high-minded for the relatively simple pleasures of Spielberg's movies. Most interesting of all are the author's comparisons of the filmmakers with each other, the culture of their times, and various narrative forms and goals. (Kubrick fans should also check out Michael Herr's "Kubrick", which reveals a human side to the legendarily chilly and cerebral director).

Although I missed the very first edition of this book in 1980, its second edition has been among my favorite film books for a decade. This is despite the fact that most of the film-makers discussed within (especially Scorsese & Altman) had made numerous films since the last ones featured in that edition. Now I have the joyful experience of catching up on their films with one of the finest writers on the topic of American film ever and his third edition of one of the finest books on American film ever published.

Kolker has gone back to his earlier editions and used the newer films to both confirm and refute his earlier evaluations. Many fans of film in general (and some of these directors, in particular) will not agree with many of Kolker's points. What makes this book so wonderful, though, is that you don't have to agree to enjoy it. Kolker understands that film criticism is meant to be a lively art, rather than a process of emalming great works of art. I may not agree with his assessment of each Scorsese picture but his analysis of Scorsese's significance is right on the money. At the same time, his newly added discussion of Oliver Stone is the first writing about the controversial director that gave a fair picture of his artistic strengths (there are many) and weaknesses (fewer but still significant).

Deserving of special note is the book's section on the late Stanley Kubrick. Kubrick's passing makes him the only film-maker in the book whose body of work is completely finished, a matter which Kolkee addresses in a special epitaph. It is indicative of both the quality and bold approach of the book that the author uses Kubrick's final film, "Eyes Wide Shut" as a springboard to ponder how Kubrick's work will fit into the history of cinema in the years to come. He does not make pat, easy judgements but rather admits that the still vital medium is ever shifting and even old works can take on new meanings in hindsight. It's almost enough to make me eager for the fourth edition.

I had a hard time staying interested when reading this book. The chapters are too long and dense. This book would be best used as a reference, not for enjoyment and learning.

A paradigm of intelligent film criticism. Kolker's astute and subtle formal analysis of the films puts many other so-called critics to shame, and his discussions of the political implications of cinematic form and style are excellent. It is a serious book about movies, and his arguments and insights need to be thought about and struggled with- they are not a meant to be easily digested.

Worth reading for the Kubrick chapter alone, this book considers the work of our finest directors and contrasts them with the conservatism and anti-intellectualism of 1980s cinema. Moreover, the author discusses community, alienation, dehumanization, and loneliness, all from a fresh, unpretentious standpoint.

This book will appeal to more dedicated movie fans, consisting as it does of 38 interviews with folks who are largely unknown outside the movie community. These include assistant directors, set designers and builders, publicity men, actors' agents, sound recordists, and extras. We get insight into the lives of artisans, most of whose names do not crop up in fan mags, gossip columns, or in Oscar balloting. But these people harbor a great affection for the movie business and their part in it. They express pride in their accomplishments, unsung though they may seem. Where outsiders may consider an Oscar the only valid reward available to members of the movie community, an assistant director, camera operator, or sound recordist can treasure a compliment from a film's director at the end of a hard day's shooting just as much as a more public award. The moral of this book is that the Hollywood life need not be lived in the public eye or on the grand scale to be satisfying. My main quibble with the book is that I would have liked the interviews to be longer and more numerous.

This book is a good starting point for the newly revised Windows 95 (70-064) exam. I just took it and scored 857 (minimum passing score is 632). The book goes into detail on topics that are heavily covered on the exam (networking with NT and NetWare, printing, system policies), and this makes it a great place to start studying. However, the 95 exam is full of nitpicky questions that are NOT covered in this book; you need additional sources to be completely prepared. In addition to buying this book, I'd recommend downloading the Win95 Resource Kit from Microsoft's Web site and spending some time going through it, especially troubleshooting. Also search the web for "70-064" to turn up helpful links. This is one of the hardest exams in the MCSE sequence, but if you use these sources you should be in good shape.

.... to pass the Win95 exam. This book is like all others in this series: Each test objective is examined in a seperate section while numerous fairly difficult questions test your knowledge. In addition, there are hands on exercises to reinforce the material. There are no pretty pictures here but this obviously helps keep the price at a very reasonable $25.00. The other recommended references would be the win95 resource kit and your hands on experience. A highly recommended book.

The 70-64 Windows 95 exam is tricky, but this book provides a very good foundation for the success. It does cover much more than is actually on the exam, and as such serves as a reference for the OS. I do think you will need to supplement study with the Windows 95 resource kit, but all the objectives on the exam are covered in the book. While the sample questions are sometimes lame (and really do not mimic the exam) there is an appendix which provides GREAT last minute study tips. The section on troubleshooting is fantastic, written by a person who obviously has spent time in the field wrestling with the same kind of problems administrators see every day. All in all, it is well worth the money I spent.

Daniel O'Brien puts together an outsider's version of the great director's life in film. O'Brien is obviously a faux-critic/fan of the director that can get no closer to his subject than to have seen each of his films repeatedly. Basically this amateurish drivel reviews each of Altman's films with a weak eye while dropping vague and incidental biographical info along the way. The first edition that I unfortunately labored through featured numerous misprints and spelling errors to boot. This book delivers no insight or clear perspective on the enigmatic director whatsoever.

Daniel O'Brien's book on Robert Altman is a fascinating insight into the workings of the director's films. I found it particularly interesting the way O'Brien leads the reader through the journey from Altman's beginings in television through to his more commercial successes. For the first time, I could understand what it's like to start from nothing and make your way as a director. Hope for all us film students. I thouroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to film students and anyone interested in the film industry. Excellent.

How delighted I was that I stumbled across this biography of America's original humorist, Robert Benchley. And how disappointed I was when I finished it. Benchley lived a fascinating life, and Altman managed to make it dry as dust.

What did we learn of Benchley thanks to Altman's hard work? We learned that he was devastated by the loss of his older brother in a war; we learned that he had an unusual relationship with an older, spiteful woman who funded his Harvard education and asked him for repayment when he was a famous writer; we learned that he was almost universally beloved as a wit and as a loyal friend; we learned that he had a loveless marriage and some affairs later in life; and we learn that he went from teetotaler to alcoholic, which ultimately contributed to the end of his life. What we never learn from Altman is how any of these things affected Benchley's life, or contributed to the making of the man.

The book earns one star, however, and that is because it assembles a handful of the ur-Benchley essays and short films. The few genuine chuckles -- and not coincidentally, the few moments of insight -- came from Benchley's own mouth, not Altman's. The episode at the end of Benchley's Vanity Fair career, when Benchley risks his career for his friends, including Dorothy Parker, was probably the only true insight into the man with which I walked away from the book. And the best guffaw I had out of the book was Benchley's later Life magazine review of Billie Burke's performance. That was the only nutritious morsel from a book I had hopes of being a feast. I am still hungry.

After reading Marion Meade's "Dorothy Parker: What Fresh Hell Is This?", I bought this book to learn more about Robert Benchley, which I did.

Meade, who spared little if anything when writing about Parker (which made for an excellent read) pulled no punches with Benchley, either. Described in detail are his good and bad (i.e., womanizing) qualities.

Altman definitely takes a gentler view of Benchley, which from what I've read here and elsewhere, is what the world in general seemed to do; Benchley's messy personal life never seemed to detract from his image, with the public as well as with friends, of a genial, kind, sweet and funny family man.

Other reviewers have criticized Altman for not going more into depth about what kind of person Benchley was and what made him that way, but in this age of trashy, spare-no-detail celebrity biographies, I didn't think that was always a negative attribute.

All in all, I enjoyed this book, in large part for the good quantity of Benchley's work featured therein. You may not get all the dirty details, but in the case of Robert Benchley, I didn't really want them.

I just ran a search on Robert Benchley at Amazon and when this book came up I was surprised to see that it only got two and a half stars (based on 5 votes). I read this book when it first came out a few years ago. I remember thinking it was interesting and well-written. It seems like some of the negative reviews given to the book here, came from the reviewers being disappointed that this is a biography of the man, and not a critical breakdown/dissection of his work and writings.

And this book is primarily a biography, so, knowing that going in, I think you will not be disappointed.