Ever see those BMW commercials on TV that were continued on the internet? They kind of had a story tying together the car chases and action and were about a minute long. Well this movie like them but 90 minutes too long.

I like Seagal and he did make fun, interesting action packed movies. Unfortunately this one, along with so many other of his recent movies just plain sucks.

The story is muddled and worthless and the ridiculous violence is just stupid. I like Seagal for action but this is beyond awful. The villians seem to kill everyone with a speaking part except their target, Seagal!

2 typical scenes -

Man to Hotel Clerk
Man: I'm looking for a friend (shows pic)
Clerk: He's upstairs I'll ring him. There's no answer.
Man: Alright then (Bang,Bang shoots clerk)

2 Men in Gas Station:
Man 1: Hey You!Where'd you get that car, it's not yours!
Man 2: Yes it is I bought it from some guy about an hour ago!
Man 1: You dumb Mutha (Bang, Bang!)

Regarding the stylish and slick cinematography and the music, I quote the Great Philosopher Butthead, "You can't polish a turd".

The Rogue Warrior novels are predictable sure, but they have a quality that makes them difficult to put down. At least they used to.

This installment is not all that bad compared to other spy/spec-op fiction, but not when compared to previous RW novels.
Here Demo Dick, Fearless Shark Man of the Delta, has been reduced to a cartoon character and not a very interesting one.
The end result is that as you read you really don't care about any of the characters. The story line is adequate but the detail, the spy craft that makes all the other novels work is missing. It's been replaced with descriptive gore and a focus on matters that are uninteresting, making this a tedious read.

True RW fans will just have to see for themselves no matter what they see in these reviews. Anybody new to the work of Marcinko would best start off with Red Cell or Rogue Warrior and never touch this novel. Like most of the other reviewers I hope the next installment brings back some familiar characters and gets away from the "I must be getting old" musings of the Sharkman.

One of the great things about fiction is that heroes never have to grow old, weak or frail. To those of us who look up to the Rogue Warrior as a larger than life hero Demo Dick will always be THE toughest hombre on the planet, always able to out muscle, out shoot and out think any bad guy that's dumb enough to cross his path. Marcinko doesn't seem to appreciate that his character in his novels has the potential to be as enduring as James Bond. Let's hope we see the RW we all know and love make a triumphant return in his next adventure.

This book is a great parody of all the thousands of self help books that promise the world but never deliver. They all tell you exactly what you want to hear (you deserve success, fame, riches, beautiful mates etc) but never what it takes to get all those things. This book takes a different tack and tells you how to get anything you want in life and what's really required ( most of the time ), in gruesome detail.

For those seeking academic insights into Machiavelli, keep looking. This is a book better sold in the humor section rather than business sections of book stores. It is exremely light on history or scholarly detail.

If you want a sarcastic, funny view of office politics try this book. For those readers who claim this is an "evil" book, get real. This book is meant for humor, not as a guide book on how to behave in Corporate America.

First, the title may mislead some. Some readers understand "streetfight" to mean a confrontation. Many envision a showdown by someone on the street ala those 1970s kung fu movies. " I hear your Kung Fu (Karate, BJJ etc) is very good! FIGHT ME THEN! "

They then believe what they see in a tournament or NHB competition is effective in a real life encounter. Sadly for those individuals it won't be. So far I have yet to see any competitions where one or several of the competitors friends can jump in with a pipe or knife or gun and help out. So much for realism.

Second, this book is probably better for someone with little or no martial arts background since they are usually more receptive
to practical advice.

This book introduces the basics of Vunaks' R.A.T. system. It is not a martial art per se but a self defense system. It is about as effective (due to its basic nature) in a street assault as you can get. Key word is assault. Criminals ASSAULT. They don't spar, there's no tapping out. They want your money, car, dignity as easily and safely to THEM as possible. What you need are simple, quick, effective moves that require no thinking under stress and the right attitude. Vunaks system has just that. Techniques are nothing that any white belt in any art hasn't seen.

Is this book for you?

Try this scenario:
You visit an ATM late at night and don't see someone come up behind you. The robber demands money and begins reaching under his coat, do you:

A) Go for a takedown and an arm bar while another unseen accomplice walks up and shoots you or

B) Jab the robber in the eyes, hit him in the throat, knee him in the groin and flee before he or his accomplice knows what happened?

Which option do you believe affords you the best chance of survival?

If you chose B then try this book.

Let's face it, most of the Ground Fighting books available are pretty expensive. If it has "Gracie" on the cover it'll cost you, so a book like this is very welcome!

This is an excellent book on Ground Fighting. It manages to give good instruction with surprising detail. It's organized logically and goes from basics to takedowns to pins to submissions to escapes. It is a Submision Fighting text and has no self defense section per se. Profusely illustrated with black and white photos it covers plenty of material. Note: if you are a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu enthusiast the material here is familiar. If you train in a striking art or in some form of stand up jiu jitsu this is one of the best intro's you'll ever find to ground fighting. Also recommend Rigan Machados' book (costs a little bit more money and not much on takedowns) and Renzo Gracies' book (costs a lot more money, although it has excellent photos).

Apparently this is the kind of book that many people hate on principal alone.

Getting past that who should read this book? It depends. If you already know the importance of dressing well and have the confidence to start conversations with women you don't know then pass on this book, you don't need it. Otherwise, what can you look forward to? Pretty much common sense advice on many topics from developing confidence to grooming to how to approach women. The authors use plenty of humour to drive home these points.

Watch guys who seem smooth and charming with women and you'll realize they use the same principles in this book. It's just that they've practiced them more than you, a lot more.

If you're looking for some tome on infallable pick up lines forget it, there's no such thing. What the authors offer you is something better: confidence and common sense. That's right, common sense! Can you get the girl of your dreams? Think! Is she obssessed with Designer Handbags and the newest Mercedes, because if she is and you're broke forget it. Same goes if she's into male models or bodybuilders and you're not in either of those categories. So what do you do? Find yourself someone else! This book will explain why and how.

If you have an open mind and would like advice on how to approach a normal woman try this book. How you use the information in this book and how far you go with a woman after the initial few moments is up to you.

Will this book turn you into a successful seducer and user of women? You should be so lucky! Those other reviewers who think it will also probably believe reading a book on karate will turn any reader into a deadly killing machine.

Bottom line - if you lack confidence and want some brotherly advice on women then try this book.

Excellent text on handling stand up aggresion with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Note: you DO NOT need to go to the floor! The book is divided into 103 sections or positions as the authors call them, each section on facing pages, so you don't need to turn the page to see the continuation of a technique. The grouping of the techniques is not really sequential.

The instructors wear colored clothing so that the pictures are clear and instructive (usually white gi clad instructors make it hard to see who's doing what).

The techniques are clearly explained with any subtlety noted. From the basics, palm and elbow strikes, how to fall, to advanced like club, knife and gun disarms (Yikes!) the book is fairly all inclusive (although the order of the techniques does leave much to be desired). This is a BJJ text on basic Standing Self Defense, so don't expect to see any new floor grappling techniques! The headlock escapes were novel though!

If you've studied traditional Japanese Jiu Jitsu the techniques are familiar. Note: if you ever read Combat Jiu Jitsu by D'arcy Rahming then this is nothing new.

These are techniques, epecially the restraints, that every martial artist should know. If you're from a striking art these locks are especially useful since striking may not always be appropriate. As your primary means of self defense though, relying on these techniques could be tricky. Just keep in mind it takes skill to use them and that requires diligent practice and good instruction from a qualified teacher.

Now to the real question, are the techniques practical and effective? It depends. If an opponent is of equal or lesser size and strength then yes, WITH proper training and GOOD JUDGEMENT on when to use these techniques. If the opponent is larger then most likely no. Not without exceptional skill. These are not moves that anyone can learn and apply just from reading a book, ESPECIALLY WHEN DEALING WITH WEAPONS. The authors clearly state that timing and speed are important, not to mention skill and practice. Don't believe that if the authors can make these techniques work then you can too! They've been training for decades, most likely you haven't.

So what are the chances that this really is the only Statistics book you'll ever need? Depends on who you are.

If you are an adult who's been out of school for a while and never took a course in statistics and won't be needing to take one in the foreseeable future this really is the only book you'll probably ever need. It starts off explaing basic arithmetic and moves to decimals,percents and eases into the basics of statistics.

If you're a college student who hasn't taken any statistics classes before but will be soon this is a good primer. It will give you the necessary basics to remove any stumbling blocks during those first weeks of classes but you will move beyond the scope of this book quickly.

If you've already taken some statistics courses this is not the book for you. This book is not meant for someone with any background already, it will be far too basic.

The title is accurate in that it is meant for the average person not the math professional. Should the latter be looking for a comprehensive tome on statistical analysis this isn't it.

You know how sometimes you reflect on things you did when you were growing up and feel embarrased but still laugh, ever wonder if anyone else did the same or worse? Lost in Place will answer that question. Mark Salzman is a great story teller and this work, his own personal "Wonder Years" will delight you! From his childhood desire to be an astronaut to his fascination with Eastern philosophy and martial arts inspired by the TV series "Kung Fu" you will find yourself engrossed. From the hilarious moments to those that are bittersweet you will read along and enjoy. Don't look for some deep, symbolic tale of adolescence. Instead, consider this as time spent with a friend who shares some of his most interesting childhood moments.

Great entertainment. Before you begin reading, a caveat. This book was written in 1997 so don't expect cutting edge insider views. Other reviewers wanted to see something highly technical and up to date, not going to happen.
Here's what to expect: a delightful and amusing tale of what happens to a group of dedicated and somewhat naive High Techies after they get set adrift from their cushy,ivory tower jobs and find themselves navigating the seas of the real world (circa 1996). Enough character development to allow you to sympathize with Team Plaid.
Are there stereotypes of engineers? You bet! Not depicted in a mean way, the iron men of high tech are portrayed as all too human. If you are not in the industry (or don't tend to be overly critical)and actually like to laugh out loud while you're reading you'll enjoy this novel!