Out of print for more than 30 years, now available for the first time as
an eBook, this is the controversial story of John Wooden's first 25
years and first 8 NCAA Championships as UCLA Head Basketball Coach.
This is the only book that gives a true picture of the character of John
Wooden and the influence of his assistant, Jerry Norman, whose
contributions Wooden ignored and tried to bury.
Compiled with
more than 40 hours of interviews with Coach Wooden, learn about the man behind the coach.
The players tell their their stories in their own words.
Click the book to read the first chapter and for
ordering information. Also available on Kindle.
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Thumbnails
Jul 12
by Tony
Medley
People Like
Us (9/10): This passed the
watch test with flying colors as I never was cognizant of time passing.
While part of that is the sheer enjoyment of looking at Elizabeth Banks'
remarkable beauty, most of it is the excellence and tenderness of the
story and the wonderful acting by the principals, Banks, Chris Pine,
11-year-old Michael Hall D'Addario, and Michelle Pfeiffer, who plays
Pine's mother, directed with sensitivity by writer Alex Kurtzman, who
created the intriguing story from his childhood experiences.
To Rome With
Love (8/10): Woody Allen's
refreshing European renaissance continues with this beautifully
photographed homage to Rome and its people. At the same time he skewers
actors, the paparazzi-Kardashian creation of ill-deserved fame of
mediocre, talentless people, the insincerity of actors, the folly of
youthful infatuation, and lots more in a rollicking kaleidoscope comedy.
Follow Me:
The Yoni Netanyahu Story (8/10):
Binyamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is Prime
Minister of Israel and Chairman of the Likud Party. This is the
little-known story of his older brother, Yoni, who was the leader of the
heroic raiding party that flew 2,600 miles from Israel to Uganda to
rescue hostages taken by militant Islamics on July 4, 1976 with only one
casualty, Yoni. The actual raid itself takes up a mere 10 minutes of the
film. Rather, this is a fascinating, in-depth examination of the
charismatic man himself, about how he thought and felt, how he lived his
life, how he came to make the decision to devote his life to his country
told through his letters and interviews with friends and relatives.
Snow White
and the Huntsman (7/10):
Kristen Stewart's dispiriting, lackluster performance as Snow White is
more than overcome by Charlize Theron's sparkling turn as the evil
queen. While this is a good entertainment, it's disappointing that the
dwarfs are not played by little people. When MGM made The Wizard of
Oz (1939), all the munchkins were played by people who were
legitimately little. Here, the dwarfs are played by regularly-sized
people who were digitally shrunk in post production.
Men in Black
3 (7/10): I had no desire
to see this. The first two were ridiculous, populated by bizarre aliens,
and less than involving. This started out he same way. But then, after
about a half hour, it segued into a time travel film with Will Smith
going back to 1969 to find a young Tommy Lee Jones in the body of Josh
Brolin to try to save his life, becoming a film with real people looking
to find the bad guy and reverse history.
Your Sister's
Sister (Women 7/10; Men 3/10):
This is chick flick city. I wanted to like it. I tried to like it. But
the thing that kills most chick flicks is the annoying, slice of life
dialogue. And that's what killed this flick for me. It was agonizing to
watch poor Emily Blunt laugh uproariously at contrived, "everyday"
conversation with her sister.
Rock of Ages
(1/10): If this movie is
not the worst film I've ever seen, it is at least the most disappointing
I've seen this year. Director Adam Shankman's conversion of the hit
stage play is apparently a satire about 1980s hard rock bands. But what
he has concentrated on is making it in as poor taste as possible. Even
considering that the two young lovers, Diego Boneta and Julianne Hough,
are vaguely reminiscent of Grease (1978), they don't come close
to the appeal of John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. Without even one
likeable character, the engaging production numbers and '80s music
aren't enough to make it worthwhile.
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