Two For the Price of One: A Movie A Day by Steve Uhler and Cult Flicks and Trash Pics by Carol Schwartz

I like movies, and both of these books are chock full of suggestions for an evening of entertainment. First we will take "A Movie A Day"

A Movie A Day by Steve Uhler:

The premise of this book is quite simple. For every day of the year from January 1 thru December 31, the author suggests at least one movie, with emphasis on how it relates o the day in question.

Sometimes a particular historical event happened that the movie covers. March 5, for example, you should watch Sweet Dreams because it's about the life and career of patsy Cline who died on this day.

Other times it has to do with the actor or actress playing in the movie, birthdays being the prominent theme. Dustin Hoffman was born on August 8, so you should watch a D. H. movie that day.

The style of Uhler's writing make this a very readable book, even if you choose to only read it a day at a time. i read the whole book in two sittings myself, because I found it fascinating, not only from a movie buff position, but also as a history buff. For instance, I didn't know that the Empire state Building was only a couple of years old when the original King Kong was filmed. Watch this movie on May 1 to celebrate the anniversary of its grand opening.

My image for the second book doesn't appear to be uploading, but you can find it on the book sites in the sidebar here.

Cult Flicks and Trash Pics by Carol Scwartz:

This book is a bit more esoteric than the first one. Here you will find an encyclopedia of movies that range from the wierd to the downright bizarre. It was published under the Invisible Ink Press company under the "Videohound" name. For those of you unfamiliar with it, Videohound publishes an annual book of movies, kind of like Leonard Maltin and others, which gives a short review and a rating of woof! to 5 bones (stars).

This book gives a review of the more bizarre movies out there, some of which you have heard of, like the Star Wars and Star Trek series, and some of which you may not even have known existed. Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla, for example.

It's not a book for people whose usual fare is Brokeback Mountain or Walk the Line. The movies here are mostly sci-fi and horror, the kind that usually have a "cult" following.

Both books can be interesting on their own level, but I found both books to be very interesting just for the sheer joy of reading them.

Rate "A Movie A Day" 7 stars.

Rate "Cult Flicks and Trash Pics" 8½ stars

Winthrop

"Read free while you still can."