Reviewed by Maxine E. Thompson
http://www.maxinethompson.com
There is an old saying, "Tell me and I might forget." "Show me, and I may remember." "Involve me, and I will learn." That maxim summarizes the meaning that runs between these two books, My Movie Collection and My Book Collection, written by Dale Adams.
Both of these books, a series of logs, were designed by the author to help you squeeze more pleasure out of your movie going and your book reading. These books will not only make you understand the magic you experience when you've seen a good film or closed the final chapters on a wonderful book, but they will help you capture your feelings in words. It also helps you to remember more about the book or movie by writing down what was your favorite line, what was the most memorable scene, and even new words you have learned. In addition, the guides help you to write down the funniest part of the movie/book, and what you learned about life that you did not know. You do this by writing down what you didn't know before you saw the film.
These books are for both young and old. My Book Collection is a good guide to encourage the young to read more. Moreover, it is a good book for adults, who are often too busy to enjoy a book. This book helps encourage literacy because it helps the reader set goals and rewards for finishing books. It helps readers figure out who are the protagonist and the antagonist in a book. It helps them to understand the different themes and genre of books, ie. fiction, non-fiction, romance.
There are many ways you will benefit by using these books. For one, they will increase your vocabulary, help you remember more about both books and movies, and will point out what you have gained or learned from them. When your friends are stumbling to remember the name of a character in a movie - you will be able to answer quickly. There are two words at the end of a book or movie that are so disappointing; THE END. With these two books, you will still enjoy the movie or book with friends and family even after it is over.
It will also help you understand who you are and what you like. For example, as you flip through the movie logs you may notice a repetition, in what types of movies you watch, or your favorite actor will be evident if they are listed in most of the flicks you watch. As the author points out, always remember that variety is the spice of life. The author encourages you to watch different types of movies and read different genres of books. This will give you balance and broaden your horizons. What is unique about these books is that they will soon be available in e-book form on www.booklocker.com.
Although there is a lot of negative publicity around movies, Dale Adams' My Movie Collection will help you weed out what you like and don't like about movies today. Once you know what you like and dislike about a movie, you will be able to select your movies with care.
Recently, I applied what I learned from My Movie Collection to two movies I've seen. For instance, today, after seeing "The Hurricane" with consummate actor, Denzel Washington, I noted the following line, which struck a deep emotional chord with me. Near the end, of the movie, the protagonist, Rueben "Hurricane" Carter, has an emotional scene with the young boy who saved his life. To paraphrase the line, Hurricane said,"This (our meeting) was no accident. In the Bible, Lazarus means to rise from the dead. Your name is Lesra, short for Lazarus. My name is Rueben, which means 'A son is born.' That is what this (our paths crossing) has meant. 'A son is born who is raised from the dead.'" Of course, that will remain my favorite line in that movie. Furthermore, having this guide helped me decipher some of the themes about injustice in this country, as well as the contrasting theme about the goodness of man overcoming evil.
I was also able to see what worked for me in another movie I recently saw, The Green Mile. By applying some of the questions in My Movie Collection, I learned many of the reasons the critics loved this movie with Tom Hanks and Michael Clarke Duncan. I, too, now count it as one of my favorite movies.
In My Movie Collection, you are asked to write down something you didn't know before you saw the movie. In The Green Mile, you will learn that back in the 1930s, the guards on Death Row euphemistically called the old-fashioned electric chair, "Sparky." In addition, you learn that the guards used a sponge on top of the condemned person's head when they electrocuted them. This was a practice that was used to help make "capital punishment" more merciful and more "palatable" for the executioners. When the sponge wasn't used, the death by electrocution was slow and tortuous, as we, the viewers, are to find out. Also, applying some of the questions in My Movie Collection, I discovered that the theme in The Green Mile is about the last steps a man takes on Death Row. Actually, universally, it was the last steps of any man's life. Of course, since it's a movie based on a Stephen King story, The Green Mile takes on a macabre and sinister twist. Without giving too much of the story away for those who haven't seen the movie yet, this particular "Green Mile" comes to represent a curse, a curse that afflicts both the main character, and a very minor character. It is only at the end of the movie that the minor character, who seems insignificant, is shown to have a very significant role.
This is exactly what Dale's Adams books will help you to do -- using retrospect, you discover and write down the important details of a movie or book. Details are the heart and soul of any good book or movie. It's because of the chaining together of different details, characters, and events that something almost mystical happens. It is that meeting of spirit, mind and understanding that makes you say when you leave a movie or close a book: "Yes. That's how life is."
