New! Reading Anything Thread 2.0

[Sitting Duck]

Just put



in the bathroom.

Rev, do you know why that pic from The Omen is on there?

You need to remember that, at the time it was released, most critics hated The Omen. Also, screenwriter David Seltzer wasn't especially proud of it. He is quoted to the effect that, while it was nice not having to worry about paying for groceries, he wished it happened with something he personally found more meaningful.

There are also five MST3K movies featured in it. They are Eegah, The Horror of Party Beach, Robot Monster, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, and Swamp Diamonds (under the title Swamp Women).

[FatFreddysCat]

I've been on a big comics/graphic novels kick of late thanks to my local library.

Just finished: The Rocketeer: The Complete Adventures by Dave Stevens

Currently reading:
Spider-Man Noir: The Complete Collection by David Hine, Roger Stern et. al.
...a cool "alternate timeline" Spidey collection set in the crime-ridden New York of the early 1930s. It's really quite clever how they managed to transplant Spidey and all of his supporting cast (Aunt May, J. Jonah Jameson, Norman Osborn, the Black Cat, etc.) into a totally different era and tweaked their back stories just enough to make it feel true to the time period. Neat stuff.

[pennywise37]

of that batch the only one to watch i think are Swamp women (1955) that one i think is a pretty good one at least when first watched it years ago and this wasn't the MSTK3000 version at that time i had no idea they even did that film at all or i had forgotten but i enjoyed it.

[Trevor]

Just put



in the bathroom.

Rev, do you know why that pic from The Omen is on there?

It's not his worst pick for Fifty Worst Films of All Time. He also picked "Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia," "Ivan the Terrible," and "Last Year in Marienbad."

Wow, those are all pretty good films IMO.

[Trevor]

Just put



in the bathroom.

Rev, do you know why that pic from The Omen is on there?

You need to remember that, at the time it was released, most critics hated The Omen. Also, screenwriter David Seltzer wasn't especially proud of it. He is quoted to the effect that, while it was nice not having to worry about paying for groceries, he wished it happened with something he personally found more meaningful.

There are also five MST3K movies featured in it. They are Eegah, The Horror of Party Beach, Robot Monster, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, and Swamp Diamonds (under the title Swamp Women).

Thanks: I didn't know that. The Omen was also banned in South Africa for a while.

[Rev. Powell]

Just put



in the bathroom.

Rev, do you know why that pic from The Omen is on there?

It's not his worst pick for Fifty Worst Films of All Time. He also picked "Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia," "Ivan the Terrible," and "Last Year in Marienbad."

Wow, those are all pretty good films IMO.

One thing I think he did is just feature the worst movie from major directors: Hitchcock also gets in for "Jamaica Inn." It's really not a very good (bad) list. But it was the first of its kind. And the writing is snarky.

[Trevor]

Just put



in the bathroom.

Rev, do you know why that pic from The Omen is on there?

It's not his worst pick for Fifty Worst Films of All Time. He also picked "Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia," "Ivan the Terrible," and "Last Year in Marienbad."

Wow, those are all pretty good films IMO.

One thing I think he did is just feature the worst movie from major directors: Hitchcock also gets in for "Jamaica Inn." It's really not a very good (bad) list. But it was the first of its kind. And the writing is snarky.

Ah, OK, I see.  He wrote another book about bad movies and he made mention of Inchon! (1982) and the lack of good food available in South Korea at the time, talking about the food staples of kimchi and barbecued dog, which he called "shish-ke-puppy" 

[Sitting Duck]

He wrote another book about bad movies and he made mention of Inchon! (1982) and the lack of good food available in South Korea at the time, talking about the food staples of kimchi and barbecued dog, which he called "shish-ke-puppy" 

That one is The Hollywood Hall of Shame. It concerns movies that ended up with bloated budgets and weak box office performance. The authors acknowledge that not all of the movies they cover in it are bad (though the vast majority are).

[pennywise37]

i'm reading Ogre,Orgre Xanth #5 (1982) by Piers Anthony i'm about #120 pages or so into it

[indianasmith]

HITLER: ASCENT 1889-1939 by Volker Ullrich

The first volume of a two part biography of the 20th century's most infamous dictator contains some remarkable insights into Hitler's life and character.  A compelling read from start to finish!

[indianasmith]

I just finished reading Nancy Spannaus' book, HAMILTON VERSUS WALL STREET, and posted this review on Amazon:

Alexander Hamilton was an economic genius - friends and foes alike were dizzied by his understanding of all things related to finance and banking.  I, on the other hand, am emphatically NOT gifted in that way - I understand supply and demand, and the basic principles of mercantilism, but when you start juggling Keynes against Adam Smith and talking about interest rates, sinking funds, etc, etc, I get lost pretty quickly.
   "Well, then, Mister Author," you might say, "How do you KNOW Hamilton was an economic genius and not just a con man with a big vocabulary?"
    It's really very simple - Hamilton's ideas WORKED.  When Hamilton took office as the first Treasury Secretary, the USA was some $55 million in debt, with another $22 million in foreign debt owed by individual states.  The government had no stable source of income with which to meet its financial obligations, and Europe had effectively "cut up our credit cards."  But Hamilton's four-point plan - funding the debt at full value, assuming the foreign debt of the states, a series of excise taxes to establish a revenue stream, and a national bank to handle the nation's debts - were so effective that within a few short years American notes would carry in any bank in the world.  His "Report on Manufactures" encouraged the government to protect American industries and fund "internal improvements" - what we would call infrastructure today.  Hamilton's ideas launched America's national economy and placed it on a firm footing that survived his death, and his enemies' attempts to dismantle the systems he created.
   What Spannaus argues in HAMILTON VERSUS WALL STREET is that throughout American history, the country has experienced real substantive economic growth when it has followed Hamilton's ideas, and has suffered economically when it has abandoned them.  Far from being the "Father of Wall Street," as he is often hailed, she claims that Hamilton's plans were opposed to the predatory, profit-driven banking systems of today, while favoring a carefully controlled, growth-driven lending system that would expand prosperity for all citizens instead of lining the pockets of the rich while leaving Main Street USA to rot.  She also points out that many other nations have employed, and benefited from, Hamiltonian economic systems in the 217 years since Hamilton's life was cut short by Aaron Burr's pistol.  Lastly, Spannaus argues that a re-created Bank of the United States, dedicated to promoting economic growth and rebuilt infrastructure, would be a boon to the country today, lifting large segments of the population from poverty to prosperity, and rebuilding our crumbling national infrastructure.  Short, well-written, and easy to follow, Nancy Spannaus' book is a fascinating look at how the ideas of Alexander Hamilton are still applicable and beneficial today, even as they were in his own time.  An excellent read!

Lewis B. Smith, author of PRESIDENT HAMILTON: A NOVEL OF ALTERNATIVE HISTORY

[pennywise37]

well i finished Ogre, Ogre (1982) by Piers Anthony Book #5 in the Xanth Series and it's like the 3rd time i've read it and it's one of my favorites so of course i'm gonna give in a good rating.

[jimpickens]

The Chemistry of Powder & Explosives

[Rev. Powell]

Jean Cocteau, "The Art of Cinema"

[indianasmith]

THE LAST ORACLE by James Rollins -

    Rollins' books are fun for anyone who likes adventure stories with a strong background in history, archeology, and legend.  His Sigma Force is a secret branch of the US Government that deals with threats all over the world.  This fast-paced story begins when a homeless man is gunned down, literally falling into the arms of Sigma's director Painter Crowe on the National Mall in Washington.  As he dies, he passes an ancient Greek coin with an odd inscription to Crowe, triggering an adventure that leaps from India's Taj Mahal to Chernobyl to the most polluted lake in Russia, with ties to the ancient oracle at Delphi, the origin of the Gypsies, and possibly ending in the destruction of humanity!   A fun read that was hard to put down.   4/5