The Megahit Movies by Richard M. Stefanik is the alternative to the traditionally structured screenplay. If you are interested in the principles of story design and construction, the Megahit Movies is the book to read. I found it to be interesting how he structured his book because I have actually seen movies that complied to a similar pattern. Stefanik starts off the body of his book by introducing the protagonist-the hero, the antagonist-the villain and then the love interest-the girl. Once he establishes who the major players are, he begins to expound on audience empathy. He is detailed in expressing that the filmmaker must get the audience to love the protagonist and absolutely loathe the antagonist. Although the villain is shown as having more power than the hero and as the one who creates dangerous obstacles, Stefanik alerts the reader to the importance of establishing supportive emotions in the audience for the protagonist. He touches on the motivation, objectives, decisions, codes of behavior and personality of each character. The Megahit Movies teaches you how to establish plot, subplot, events, action and scene structure. He substantiates his argument by making reference to the blockbuster movies such as Batman, The Wizard of Oz, Star Wars, Jurassic Park and Forrest Gump, which seem to employ this particular method. I highly recommend this book to all filmmakers, screenwriters and novelists. It is a healthy alternative the the Three Act structure. Megahit Movies is indeed a megahit. Kudos!

Rush Hour starring Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan is the new breed of all action packed and humorous police films. This film will keep you laughing from start to finish. Chris Tucker is too funny for words and Jackie Chan still has the quickest hands of any martial artist I have ever seen-other than the great Bruce Lee. It is a great story of how two cops from two different worlds and with two completely different personalities join up under the premise of steering clear of an FBI investigation involving the kidnapping of a Chinese dignitary's daughter. Of course, Detective Carter (Tucker) eventually fails in his attempt to keep Inspector Lee (Chan) out of the investigation. The two, however, ultimately bond and join forces to crack the kidnapping case without the help of the FBI. Rush Hour is full of explosive action and comic wit. I especially enjoy the feature on this DVD that allows the viewer to see those scenes that were deleted from the film and the feature that allows you to jump to a particular scene. Rush Hour is a must have for all movie lovers. Kudos!!

Believer's Bible Commentary by William MacDonald is a very easy but concise maxim for the diligent student of the scriptures. It serves as a wonderful compliment to the Bible by turning complex study into functional and constructive comprehension. Its precepts are practical & down-to-earth expressions of general biblical truths and fundamental principles. By reading the Believer's Bible Commentary, one can understand the scriptures within his or her own experience. Some say that this commentary is too empty but I beg to differ. Careful analysis of this marvelous literary work will give the reader a transparent look into the Holy Scriptures, which will put his or her mind at ease. This is possible because MacDonald does a superb job keeping the interpretation simple and straightforward. I highly recommend this book to all students who enjoy the study of God's Word. Kudos!!

Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary is an incredibly powerful word search tool. It is a perfect reference guide to assist you in writing and speaking precisely. As a fiction and non-fiction author, I have found the comfort and ease of the Merriam Webster's CDR to have the same effect that "the blanket" had to Linus in the Charlie Brown cartoons. I personally own the Electronic Edition that has the Thesaurus with it, so any word that I may need a synonym for, I have it right at my disposal! With over 215,000 definitions, 340,000 synonyms and related words and 1,000 color illustrations, (electronic edition w/Thesaurus) Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary is the ultimate source for all reference affiliated work. I cannot find a more exhaustive dictionary available. It is the most perfect and complete information tool you will ever use. I personally recommend this item for all screenwriters and novelists. It will certainly help you to master the art of word usage. Kudos!!

Spider-Man starring Tobey Maguire is definitely one of my all-time favorite superhero movies. I wasn't certain what to expect of the film, particularly being a huge Spider-Man fanatic as a kid who was hooked on the cartoon. This film pleasantly met all of my expectations as a Spider-Man fan and as a novelist and screenwriter. It is a wonderful story about young Peter Parker who is bitten by a high powered genetically enhanced spider, which transforms him from a nerd into the crime fighting, web spinning Spider-Man. The main storyline is accompanied by a touching subplot that involves the childhood love of Peter's heart, Mary Jane(MJ) played by Kirsten Dunst. As these two storylines interweave, Peter expresses his long overdue affection for MJ in dramatic fashion by springing to her rescue as the high flying superhero. As in all superhero stories, it would not be a good story without a formidable adversary. No one could have played the role of the "Green Goblin" better than Willem Dafoe, who gave an absolutely superb performance. This film pulls the viewer into a nail-biting conclusion as the Goblin and Spider-Man clash in the finale, bringing the audience to a breathtaking and satisfying climax. I recommend this feature to all Spider-Man fans and to those who enjoy a good story. Kudos!

"Howdunit" is an exceptional tool for the mystery and suspense writer. The information on investigative procedure, profiling, forensic psychology and so on, will assist the fiction writer with the reference material needed to make his or her story factual. It is imperative for the screenwriter or novelist not to just brilliantly structure a story but to add "realism" in his or her craft. Howdunit has helped me to affix genuineness to my storytelling by presenting the pure facts about crime, law enforcement techniques and the criminal justice system. I personally enjoyed the segment on the con. Howdunit provides a concise glimpse of the con's master art. This makes for good drama within the novel and screenplay. (It will also help you to spot one in real life!) I firmly recommend "Howdunit" and the complete "Howdunit" series for the writer who is serious about producing quality material. Excellent choice of books. Kudos!!

Grammatically Correct, the Writer's Essential Guide to punctuation, spelling, style, usage and grammar is not only an indispensable read for all writers but I believe it is imperative. Anne Stillman does a superb job in teaching the writer the basic fundamentals of word usage. Many writers can sometimes become casual in their writing style and inadvertently misuse grammar, punctuation and style. I personally have had that problem until I started thoroughly studying Grammatically Correct. Anne Stillman directs our attention to some things that we may take for granted, such as the most frequently misused words, plural formations and negative formations. As one other reviewer stated, it compares to the Elements of Style in many respects but goes above and beyond to further indoctrinate the reader to become a better writer. Grammatically Correct is just what the title says-Correct. Anne Stillman has helped me to curve my writing according to the proper usage of punctuation, spelling, grammar and style. She is extremely knowledgeable and every writer should own her book, Grammatically Correct. Kudos!!

The Matrix starring Keanu Reeves and Lawrence Fishburne is the absolute epitome of "the" science fiction thriller. Neo (Reeves) is the reigning computer hacker in search of what is called the Matrix. He has been trying to make contact with a man by the name of Morpheus (Fishburne) to get clarity on the search. What Neo discovers, however, is that the Matrix is something that he was always a product of and never knew it. It is not until he is "unplugged" that he discovers he has been living in a dream world. He uncovers the gruesome truth that the Matrix was plugged into his brain and was sending images to make him believe that life existed as it was. He then becomes a superhuman machine with all sorts of sensational abilities and powers after adapting to a "new" system that was not based on rules. This is an exciting film with superb action sequences. The martial arts in this movie are absolutely explosive! I must reiterate that this film is "the" empitome of a classic science fiction thriller. It takes our fantasy to a higher level with pure ecstasy as its climax. The Matrix should secure a slot in everyone's DVD collection. Pure excitement! Kudos!!

John Q starring Denzel Washington is a very touching story about a man who would sacrifice his own life to save the life of his son. His young boy has a heart that is about to explode and he is in severe need of a transplant. After getting the run around due to a lack of adequate healthcare, he does what any normal and loving parent would do. Denzel's character goes to the extreme in his attempt to save his little boy's life. It is a riveting story about a man who risks everything to challenge the healthcare system that aimed to push him aside. The movie touches on the growing problem that our country is facing in regards to proper healthcare. I was personally moved, however, by the "spiritual" typology displayed through Denzel's character. John Q was prepared to die so that his son could live... It only shows the deep love that a parent has for a child who is facing certain death. John Q was a terrific film and I recommend that everyone view this piece. Kudos!

A Primer for Preachers by Ian Pitt-Watson is an excellent tool that would help prepare the "proclaimer" to deliver a foundationally sound sermon. It helps the reader to focus on the aspect of what preaching is all about. What is preaching? Preaching is about what God has done and not about what we ought to do. Watson takes the reader through steps on how to make a sermon grow and how to present correct language and delivery. The deep rooted focus of A Primer for Preachers is the story of Christ. The preaching of the Word of God is the Word of God. Watson allows the reader to see that if the scripture is correctly interpreted, the scripture will preach itself! It also helps us to see the comparison between the text of the scripture and the text of life. For every concept in preaching, there should be a simile. When Jesus taught, He pointed to some shared commonplace of human experience. A Primer assists the preacher in the same kind of development. It sheds light on the real life experience. This is an excellent training apparatus that is fully loaded and ready to prepare God's preacher to deliver His Word. I highly recommend this book for all preachers and teachers. Kudos!