Something's Gotta Give

• Jack Nicholson is always a Key Feature
• Comedy Movie
• DVD

Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, Greg Kinnear and Cuba Gooding, Jr., star in James L. Brooks' hit comedy, As Good as it Gets. Nicholson gives a show-stopping performance as Melvin Udall, an obsessive-compulsive novelist with Manhattan's meanest mouth. But when his neighbor Simon is hospitalized, Melvin is forced to babysit Simon's dog. And that unexpected act of kindness, along with waitress Carol Connelly, helps put Melvin back in the human race.For all of its conventional plotting about an obsessive-compulsive curmudgeon (Jack Nicholson) who improves his personality at the urging of his gay neighbor (Greg Kinnear) and a waitress (Helen Hunt) who inspires his best behavior, this is one of the sharpest Hollywood comedies of the 1990s. Nicholson could play his role in his sleep (the Oscar he won should have gone to Rober! t Duvall for The Apostle), but his mischievous persona is precisely necessary to give heart to his seemingly heartless character, who is of all things a successful romance novelist. As a single mom with a chronically asthmatic young son, Hunt gives the film its conscience and integrity (along with plenty of wry humor), and she also won an Oscar for her wonderful performance. Greg Kinnear had to settle for an Oscar nomination (while cowriter-director James L. Brooks was inexplicably snubbed by Oscar that year), but his work was also singled out in the film's near-unanimous chorus of critical praise. It's questionable whether a romance between Hunt and the much older Nicholson is entirely believable, but this movie's smart enough--and charmingly funny enough--to make it seem endearingly possible. --Jeff ShannonHarry Sanborn (Jack Nicholson) is a perennial playboy with a libido much younger than his years. During what was to have been a romantic weekend with his ! latest infatuation, Marin (Amanda Peet), at her mother's Hampt! ons beac h house, Harry develops chest pains. He winds up being nursed by Marin's reluctant mother Erica Barry (Diane Keaton), a successful, divorced New York playwright. In the process, Harry develops more heart pangs -- the romantic kind -- for Erica, an age-appropriate woman whom he finds beguiling. However, some habits die hard. When Harry hesitates, his charming thirty something doctor (Keanu Reeves) steps in and starts to pursue Erica. And Harry, who has always had the world on a string, finds his life unraveling.As upscale sitcoms go, Something's Gotta Give has more to offer than most romantic comedies. Obviously working through some semi-autobiographical issues regarding "women of a certain age," writer-director Nancy Meyers brings adequate credibility and above-average intelligence to what is essentially (but not exclusively) a fantasy premise, in which an aging lothario who's always dated younger women (Jack Nicholson, more or less playing himself) falls for a succes! sful middle-aged playwright (Diane Keaton) who's convinced she's past the age of romance, much less sexual re-awakening. As long as old pals Nicholson and Keaton are on screen discussing their dilemma or discovering their mutual desire, Something's Gotta Give is terrific, proving (in case anyone had forgotten) that Hollywood can and should aim for an older demographic. Myers falls short with the sitcom device of a younger lover (Keanu Reeves) who wants Keaton as much as Nicholson does; it's believable but shallow and too easily dismissed. Myers also skimps on supporting roles for Frances McDormand, Amanda Peet, and Jon Favreau, but thankfully this is one romantic comedy that doesn't pander to youth. Mature viewers, rejoice! --Jeff Shannon

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My Sweet Mexico: Recipes for Authentic Pastries, Breads, Candies, Beverages, and Frozen Treats

• ISBN13: 9781580089944
• Condition: New
• Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!

After years spent traveling and sampling sweets throughout her native Mexico, celebrated pastry chef Fany Gerson shares the secrets behind her beloved homeland’s signature desserts in this highly personal and authoritative cookbook. Skillfully weaving together the rich histories that inform the country’s diverse culinary traditions, My Sweet Mexico is a delicious journey into the soul of the cuisine.
 
From yeasted breads that scent the air with cinnamon, anise, sugar, fruit, and honey, to pushcarts that brighten plazas with paletas and ice creams made from watermelon, mango, and avocado, Mexican confections are like no other.
 
Stalwarts like Churros, Amaranth Alegrías, and G! aribaldisâ€"a type of buttery muffin with apricot jam and sprinklesâ€"as well as Passion Fruitâ€"Mezcal Trifle and Cheesecake with Tamarind Sauce demonstrate the layering of flavors unique to the world of dulces. In her typical warm and enthusiastic style, Gerson explains the significance of indigenous ingredients such as sweet maguey plants, mesquite, honeys, fruits, and cacao, and the happy results that occur when combined with Spanish troves of cinnamon, wheat, fresh cow’s milk, nuts, and sugar cane.
 
In chapters devoted to breads and pastries, candies and confections, frozen treats, beverages, and contemporary desserts, Fany places cherished recipes in context and stays true to the roots that shaped each treat, while ensuring they’ll yield successful results in your kitchen. With its blend of beloved standards from across Mexico and inventive, flavor-forward new twists, My Sweet Mexico is the only guide you need to explore the delightful universe of M! exican treats.

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No Description Available.
Genre: Feature Film-Comedy
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 8-JAN-2008
Media Type: DVDDelta Farce takes its cue from John Kerry's ill-advised 2006 joke to university students that they should get a good education lest they wind up in Iraq. Case in point, Larry (Larry the Cable Guy), Bill (Bill Engvall, Larry's Blue Collar Comedy costar), and Everett (D.J. Qualls, geek first class from RoadTrip), who take respite from their failed relationships, jobs, and lives in their once-a-month stint as "weekend warriors" in the Army Reserve. Delta Farce's one great inspiration was to literally drop these clueless sad sacks into Mexico instead of Fallujah. After much confusion, they become the! not-so-magnificent three, helping besieged villagers fend off a gang of bandits led by the dread Carlos Santana (insert your own guitarist jokes). Delta Farce belongs to a mostly proud tradition of morale-building military misfit comedies, but it ranks closer to Ernest in the Army or Pauly Shore's In the Army Now than to Buck Privates or Stripes. Delta Farce, dedicated to "the real men and women" who are serving our country, has no political agenda. It is content to engage in name-calling ("carpet-flyers" and "turds" are two we can print here), broad slapstick, decidedly un-PC ethnic stereotypes and epithets ("retarded" is used as a punchline on several occasions), and the occasional gross-out gag (the always reliable urine-in-a-canteen bit). The usually menacing Danny Trejo (Con Air) steals the film outright (which in this case is petty theft) as the karaoke-singing Carlos. But for Larry the Cable guy fans, and those who mi! ss the sophisticated good ol' boy humor of Smokey and the B! andit (whose theme song is to this movie what Wagner's "Flight of the Valkyries" was to Apocalypse Now), Delta Farce may just "git r done." --Donald LiebensonDown on his luck after losing his job and his girlfriend on the same day, Larry decides to join his neighbor, Bill (Bill Engvall), and his combat-happy buddy, Everett (DJ Qualls), for a relaxing weekend of drinking and target practice. But when the three hapless guys are mistaken for Army Reservists by the hard-nosed Sergeant Kilgore (Keith David), they're loaded onto an army plane headed for Fallujah, Iraq - and mistakenly ejected in a Humvee somewhere over Mexico. Convinced they're actually in the Middle East, the clueless wannabe soldiers save a rural village from a siege of bandits and become local heroes. But when Carlos Santana (Danny Trejo), a ruthless, karaoke-loving warlord, strikes back, Larry, Bill and Everett have to lay down their beers and take up their arms - and prove they just might be ! real soldiers after all...Delta Farce takes its cue from John Kerry's ill-advised 2006 joke to university students that they should get a good education lest they wind up in Iraq. Case in point, Larry (Larry the Cable Guy), Bill (Bill Engvall, Larry's Blue Collar Comedy costar), and Everett (D.J. Qualls, geek first class from RoadTrip), who take respite from their failed relationships, jobs, and lives in their once-a-month stint as "weekend warriors" in the Army Reserve. Delta Farce's one great inspiration was to literally drop these clueless sad sacks into Mexico instead of Fallujah. After much confusion, they become the not-so-magnificent three, helping besieged villagers fend off a gang of bandits led by the dread Carlos Santana (insert your own guitarist jokes). Delta Farce belongs to a mostly proud tradition of morale-building military misfit comedies, but it ranks closer to Ernest in the Army or Pauly Shore's In the Army No! w than to Buck Privates or Stripes. Delta! Farce, dedicated to "the real men and women" who are serving our country, has no political agenda. It is content to engage in name-calling ("carpet-flyers" and "turds" are two we can print here), broad slapstick, decidedly un-PC ethnic stereotypes and epithets ("retarded" is used as a punchline on several occasions), and the occasional gross-out gag (the always reliable urine-in-a-canteen bit). The usually menacing Danny Trejo (Con Air) steals the film outright (which in this case is petty theft) as the karaoke-singing Carlos. But for Larry the Cable guy fans, and those who miss the sophisticated good ol' boy humor of Smokey and the Bandit (whose theme song is to this movie what Wagner's "Flight of the Valkyries" was to Apocalypse Now), Delta Farce may just "git r done." --Donald LiebensonDown on his luck after losing his job and his girlfriend on the same day, Larry decides to join his neighbor, Bill (Bill Engvall), and his combat-happy buddy! , Everett (DJ Qualls), for a relaxing weekend of drinking and target practice. But when the three hapless guys are mistaken for Army Reservists by the hard-nosed Sergeant Kilgore (Keith David), they're loaded onto an army plane headed for Fallujah, Iraq - and mistakenly ejected in a Humvee somewhere over Mexico. Convinced they're actually in the Middle East, the clueless wannabe soldiers save a rural village from a siege of bandits and become local heroes. But when Carlos Santana (Danny Trejo), a ruthless, karaoke-loving warlord, strikes back, Larry, Bill and Everett have to lay down their beers and take up their arms - and prove they just might be real soldiers after all...Delta Farce takes its cue from John Kerry's ill-advised 2006 joke to university students that they should get a good education lest they wind up in Iraq. Case in point, Larry (Larry the Cable Guy), Bill (Bill Engvall, Larry's Blue Collar Comedy costar), and Everett (D.J. Qualls, geek first ! class from RoadTrip), who take respite from their failed relat! ionships , jobs, and lives in their once-a-month stint as "weekend warriors" in the Army Reserve. Delta Farce's one great inspiration was to literally drop these clueless sad sacks into Mexico instead of Fallujah. After much confusion, they become the not-so-magnificent three, helping besieged villagers fend off a gang of bandits led by the dread Carlos Santana (insert your own guitarist jokes). Delta Farce belongs to a mostly proud tradition of morale-building military misfit comedies, but it ranks closer to Ernest in the Army or Pauly Shore's In the Army Now than to Buck Privates or Stripes. Delta Farce, dedicated to "the real men and women" who are serving our country, has no political agenda. It is content to engage in name-calling ("carpet-flyers" and "turds" are two we can print here), broad slapstick, decidedly un-PC ethnic stereotypes and epithets ("retarded" is used as a punchline on several occasions), and the occasional gros! s-out gag (the always reliable urine-in-a-canteen bit). The usually menacing Danny Trejo (Con Air) steals the film outright (which in this case is petty theft) as the karaoke-singing Carlos. But for Larry the Cable guy fans, and those who miss the sophisticated good ol' boy humor of Smokey and the Bandit (whose theme song is to this movie what Wagner's "Flight of the Valkyries" was to Apocalypse Now), Delta Farce may just "git r done." --Donald LiebensonStudio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 11/16/2010Larry The Cable Guy plays a big city health inspector who's happy with his usual beat of greasy spoon diners. His easygoing life is turned upside down when he's saddled with a straight arrow rookie partner. When his unorthodox methods cost him his job, Larry has to go undercover to bring the conspirators to justice and "Git-R-Done!"The redneck rube from the Blue Collar Comedy Tour franchise plays a character much like himself in! this feature, which balances Larry the Cable Guy's occasional! excesse s in toilet humor with strong comic performances from the supporting cast. Larry plays a dedicated health inspector who gets in over his head when the city mayor (Joe Pantoliano) personally appoints him to investigate a rash of food poisonings at five-star restaurants. Larry's ignorance of anything cultural that doesn't involve his truck or MoonPies proves a handicap, but his knowledge of vermin and disarmingly unabashed way of interviewing witnesses and suspects slowly gets him where he needs to go. For the most part, the movie gives the comedian plenty of room to indulge his gross-out shtick. But it helps to have some other talent on board, notably Tom Wilson as Larry's exasperated boss, Iris Bahr as a dreary new partner Larry thinks is a man, David Koechner as a halfwit friend, Joanna Cassidy as a restaurant owner, and Megyn Price as Larry's shy but headstrong girlfriend. --Tom KeoghLarry the Cable Guy returns for another comic misadventure as a small town sheriff ! who unwittingly gets involved in a high profile FBI case. Larry single-handedly "rescues" a sophisticated woman from the men who are actually protecting her. The hilariously mismatched duo must grapple with angry FBI agents, quack doctors and Chicago high society in his funniest, most unpredictable adventure yet.It's official; Larry the Cable Guy is the new Ernest, and critics be damned. You want smart and sophisticated? Buy The Noel Coward Collection. Larry's a populist from the "I'd rather keep my fans happy" school, and his loyal following will be ecstatic with this film's broad slapstick, what one initially offended character calls "feeble, juvenile, and bigoted" humor, and gross-out bodily function gags (nude body-cavity search, anyone?). Larry portrays a small-town deputy with dreams of becoming an FBI special agent. "I know a criminal when I see one, a rat when I smell one, and a bad moon when it rises," he drawls. When he spies a woman (Ivana Milicevic) in th! e company of sinister-looking, Men in Black types, he r! escues t he "damsel in dee-stress." However, she is a government-protected witness en route to Chicago to testify in a sensational trial of Enron proportions. "Are you insane?" she asks him. "No," he replies, "I'm Larry." The film gets plenty of mileage out of their odd coupleness. Her cell-phone ringtone is classical music; his is the theme from Green Acres. She eats salads; he gorges himself on sausage. She's a liberal (who gets off an "impeach Bush" joke) and he bleeds U.S. Red (at one point, the action pauses for a small-town "Support Our Troops" parade).

Witless Protection also benefits from some oddball casting. Yaphet Kotto costars as FBI Agent Alonzo Mosely (the name of his character in the classic Midnight Run). Peter Stormare, the silent, creepy kidnapper in Fargo, portrays a corrupt businessman with an unaccountable British accent. In a baffling cameo, Joe Mantegna seems to be channeling Strother Martin, while Jenny McCarthy serves up some sa! ss as Larry's waitress girlfriend, nuff said, and a game Eric Roberts is a goon who butts heads with Larry in an epic fight scene. Some jokes are stale (Larry dredges up Regis Philbin's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire catch-phrase), while others are current enough to reference Michael Vick and Angelina Jolie. It is a sign of artistic growth that Larry does not utter his own signature catch-phrase, so we won't either. Witless Protection was released theatrically during Oscar weekend, when Hollywood celebrates supreme achievement in film. This is what is known in the business as counter-programming. --Donald LiebensonStudio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 09/02/2008 Run time: 85 minutes Rating: PgBait Shop stars the eternally affable yet exasperated comedian Bill Engvall as Bill Dugan, owner of a homey but smalltime bait shop. Bill's job and self-respect are threatened when arrogant fishing celebrity Hot Rod Johnson (Billy Ray Cyrus, better k! nown as Miley's dad) opens a massive fishing superstore right ! next doo r. Only by challenging Hot Rod in a bass fishing tournament can Bill set things right! Bait Shop is a bundle of clumsy cliches made somewhat tolerable by a likable cast (including outlaw country music singer Billy Joe Shaver as Bill's mentor) and an enthusiastic performance by Cyrus, who clearly enjoys being the bad guy for once. High points include Bill having a bar fight while dressed in a fish costume and Bill wrestling an obviously rubber bass into his boat. There are many declarations about how fishing used to be more pure and how friendship is the most important thing in life. Extras include a standard-issue making-of documentary, some beautiful shots of the local landscape (which, inexplicably, never got used in the movie itself), some understandably deleted scenes and some scenes of the cast goofing around. All in all, not much effort was put into making either the movie or the DVD. --Bret Fetzer

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Blue Tooth Virgin

• BLUE TOOTH VIRGIN, THE (DVD MOVIE)

When David, a magazine editor, gives his best friend’s latest screenplay a negative review, he hilariously learns that sometimes the truth isn’t always the best policy. Starring Bryce Johnson, Amber Benson, Karen Black and Roma MaffiaA writer asks a writer friend for his honest, truthful, no-holds-barred opinion on a newly-completely screenplay. This can only end badly. The Bluetooth Virgin is the concentrated tale of this dire situation, rolled out in a series of discrete scenes that (appropriately enough for a movie about writing) highlight the word above all else. Sam (Austin Peck) is the author looking for feedback, and David (Bryce Johnson) is his pal, a magazine editor; the script in question has the frankly terrible title of The Bluetooth Virgin. One high point comes early, on the golf course, as David's initial encouraging reactions to the piece ! gradually give way to admitting that, well, the script had a lot of problems. Primarily a batch of two-person dialogues, the movie also gets boosts from Lauren Stamile and a formidable Karen Black. Writer-director Russell Brown arranges the movie around the Mamet-esque exchanges of his characters, who are generally not really wanting the thing they say they're wanting. This sort of assertively "written" dialogue can be exciting to listen to, especially in an age that values a lax naturalism in movie dialogue, and Brown has a fine ear for self-delusion. The danger in such an approach, and Brown doesn't elude it, is that such a movie can feel like a self-contained system, without room for breath or uncertainty. But it's an undeniably clever system. --Robert Horton

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Duma (Full Screen Edition)

• Carroll Ballard (The Black Stallion, Fly Away Home) directs the exciting story of 12-year-old Xan (Alexander Michaletos), who decides to return the cheetah he raised from a cub to the wild instead of allowing pursuers to place it in captivity. Harsh South African landscapes, stalking lions, crocodiles, river rapids and a mysterious drifter (Eamonn Walker) who may intend to turn the big cat in for

Carroll Ballard (The Black Stallion, Fly Away Home) directs the exciting story of 12-year-old Xan (Alexander Michaletos), who decides to return the cheetah he raised from a cub to the wild instead of allowing pursuers to place it in captivity. Harsh South African landscapes, stalking lions, crocodiles, river rapids and a mysterious drifter (Eamonn Walker) who may intend to turn the big cat in for cash - all will test Xan's courage and resolve. Join him in this tale of growing up and letting go. It's ! a journey you won't want to miss.This African tale follow the rhythms of director Carroll Ballard's earlier films The Black Stallion and Fly Away Home, namely a child is drawn into the mysteries and magic of an animal. Xan (newcomer Alexander Michaletos) is a 12-year-old living in South Africa with his parents (Campbell Scott and Hope Davis, who appeared as a much different couple three years earlier in The Secret Life of Dentists) when they find an abandoned baby cheetah. They bring it up as their own and name it the Swahili word for cheetah, Duma. After some time, the creature is too big to stay domesticated and Dad tells the boy they will have to journey back to Duma's home to set him free. A sickness makes the family pull up stakes and head to the city where Xan and Duma don't fare well. Xan must take Duma on his own to set him free. To tell more would be a crime. As with any Ballard film, the story is subtext, the visuals rule. First-time cinemato! grapher Werner Maritz fills the screen with the desert landsca! pe and i s able to capture the magnificent speed of the cheetah. Ballard's films seem to build on their own inertia, creating scenes that seem to be simply happening instead of scripted, although this often suffers in the balance of wonderment versus all-too-lucky occurrences. Based on the children's picture book/memoir How It Was with Dooms by Xan and Carol Cawthra Hopcraft, this is a film worth seeking out, especially for families and kids above 5 years old. --Doug Thomas

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The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters

• In this hilarious, critically acclaimed arcade showdown, a humble novice goes head-to-head against the reigning Donkey Kong champ in a confrontation that rocks the gaming world to its processors! For over 20 years, Billy Mitchell has owned the throne of the Donkey Kong world. No one could beat his top score until now. Newcomer Steve Wiebe claims to have beaten the unbeatable, but Mitchell isn't re

AMERICAN MOVIE - DVD MovieStruggling filmmaker Mark Borchardt is the subject of American Movie, and he may also be the most determined man you'll ever meet. The straggly haired, fast-talking, Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, native lists his greatest influences as Dawn of the Dead, Night of the Living Dead, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. He began making horror movies as a gangly adolescent, and is now set on finishing Coven (which he pronounces like "woven"), the "35-! minute direct market thriller" he has worked on for two years. In the process, he steadfastly battles immense debt, the threat of losing his kids, and birds chirping gleefully through scenes set in the dead of winter. His mother would rather do her shopping than be an extra, his brother contends he's best suited for factory work, and his father just wants him to "watch the language."

Standing by him through it all is Mark's childhood buddy, Mike Schank, who is the strongest weapon against drug use a task force could ever hope for, and Uncle Bill, begrudging financier of Coven, who appears to be wasting away before our very eyes. In less perceptive hands these two could easily become caricatures--the burnt-out stoner and the crotchety old coot--but through director Chris Smith's lens we see why Mark loves them, why they love Mark, and why each of these stories is uniquely compelling.

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival, the film h! as been compared to Spinal Tap and Waiting for Guffm! an-- two unquestionably hilarious mock-documentaries--and, indeed, American Movie has plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. But in the spoofs, we feel encouraged to point and giggle at the poor slobs trying to get a piece of the action. Smith, however, offers us a funny and overwhelmingly affectionate portrait; you may sit down expecting to laugh at Mark's pie-in-the-sky hopes, but you soon find yourself bursting with admiration. "The American dream stays with me each and every day," Mark says, and by the end, we want nothing more than for it to come true. (The DVD version includes the complete short film "Coven.") --Brangien Davis This limited edition, special collectors' DVD set celebrates 25 years of the Sundance Institute. It contains ten ground-breaking films that embody the sprit of independence, creative risk-taking, and diversity that define the Sundance Film Festival. Bonus materials include a booklet and an 11th disc with behind-the-scenes footage from the Sun! dance Institute Labs and never-before-seen interviews with filmmakers and founder Robert Redford.In this hilarious, critically acclaimed arcade showdown, a humble novice goes head-to-head against the reigning Donkey Kong champ in a confrontation that rocks the gaming world to its processors! For over 20 years, Billy Mitchell has owned the throne of the Donkey Kong world. No one could beat his top score until now. Newcomer Steve Wiebe claims to have beaten the unbeatable, but Mitchell isn't ready to renquish his crown without a fight. Go behind the barrels as the two battle it out in a vicious war to earn the title of the true King of Kong. The stuff of gladiatorial battle is here: good versus evil, right versus wrong, nerd versus... super-nerd? At any rate, it's a more entertaining showdown than most fictional movies can muster. The King of Kong is the saga of Steve Wiebe, a Redmond, Washington dweeb who sets a new record in the video game Donkey Kong, only t! o see his accomplishment challenged by the grand poobahs of th! e gaming establishment. And if you don't know how pernickety the grand poobahs of the gaming establishment can be, well, one of the pleasures of this movie is finding out about this collection of oddballs. It seems Wiebe has toppled a score that has stood since 1982, when eminent "Gamer of the Century" Billy Mitchell set it, and Mitchell isn't too happy about being overthrown. A black-mulleted showboat, Mitchell provides the perfect counterpoint to Wiebe's mild-mannered family man, and the smaller fish around him are no less colorful. This is one of those movies you watch in delighted disbelief, marveling that such people exist--and that they gladly allowed themselves to be filmed. Director Seth Gordon does an important thing in presenting this world of eccentrics: he doesn't mock them, or provide editorial nudging; he simply lets them be. The result is an ingratiating classic. --Robert Horton

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Ed Gein: The Butcher of Plainfield

• Actors: Kane Hodder, Adrienne Frantz, Michael Berryman, Priscilla Barnes, Shawn Hoffman.
• Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC.
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0), English (Dolby Digital 5.1 EX). Subtitles: Spanish.
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only).
• Rated R. Run Time: 90 minutes.

The truth behind the twisted crimes that inspired the films Psycho, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and The Silence of the Lambs...

From "America's principal chronicler of its greatest psychopathic killers" (The Boston Book Review) comes the definitive account of Ed Gein, a mild-mannered Wisconsin farmhand who stunned an unsuspecting nation -- and redefined the meaning of the word "psycho." The year was 1957. The place was an ordinary farmhouse in America's heartland, filled with extraordinary evidence o! f unthinkable depravity. The man behind the massacre was a slight, unassuming Midwesterner with a strange smile -- and even stranger attachment to his domineering mother. After her death and a failed attempt to dig up his mother's body from the local cemetery, Gein turned to other grave robberies and, ultimately, multiple murders. Driven to commit gruesome and bizarre acts beyond all imagining, Ed Gein remains one of the most deranged minds in the annals of American homicide. This is his story -- recounted in fascinating and chilling detail by Harold Schechter, one of the most acclaimed true-crime storytellers of our time.Harold Schechter is a historian: he takes old files and yellowed newspaper clippings, and brings their stories to life. Deviant is about everyone's favorite ghoul, Ed Gein--whose crimes inspired the writers of Psycho, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and The Silence of the Lambs. Schechter deftly evokes the small-town 1950s Wiscons! in setting--not pretty farms and cheese factories, but infert! ile soil and a bleak, hardscrabble existence. The details of Gein's "death house" are perhaps well known by now, but the murderer's quietly crazy, almost gentle personality comes forth in this book as never before. As Gary Kadet wrote, in The Boston Book Review, "Schechter is a dogged researcher [who backs up] every bizarre detail and curious twist in this and his other books ... More importantly, he nimbly avoids miring his writing and our reading with minutiae or researched overstatement, which means that although he can occasionally be dry, he is never boring."
Also recommended: Schechter's books about Albert Fish (Deranged) and Herman Mudgett a.k.a. Dr. H. H. Holmes (Depraved).The story of the killer Ed Gein is one of the weirdest, most disturbing ever, one that has inspired horror stories as diverse as Psycho and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. His crimes, which were committed in and around Plainfield, Wisconsin, included exhuming corpses from! local graveyards and making trophies and keepsakes from their skin and bones.

The Murder Files is a series of individual titles, giving condensed accounts of some of the most appalling and notorious killers of all time.The story of the killer Ed Gein is one of the weirdest, most disturbing ever, one that has inspired horror stories as diverse as Psycho and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. His crimes, which were committed in and around Plainfield, Wisconsin, included exhuming corpses from local graveyards and making trophies and keepsakes from their skin and bones.

The Murder Files is a series of individual titles, giving condensed accounts of some of the most appalling and notorious killers of all time.This is the true story of America’s first famous serial killer. Everyone in small Plainfield, Wisconsin thought Ed was just a little different, a local oddity. But Ed was tormented and haunted by years of family abuse and repression which led him to the bruta! l murders and mutilations of countless victims and corpses. In! a remot e farmhouse filled with the stench of death, Ed is driven to do unspeakable acts to his victims, acts that have become legend and the basis for future films like "Psycho" and the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre." This film will shock you with its unflinching horror and unforgettable performances from Steve Railsback and Carrie Snodgrass. No one will ever forget the true story of "Ed Gein."

America may have had its fill of psychos for the last forty years, but none of them has inspired so many books and films (Pyscho, The Silence of the Lambs, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) as Wisconsin's cannibalistic handyman, Ed Gein. None of them has been used as the ultimate ogre in countless children's stories and off-color jokes, and none of them has been found guilty of as many unspeakable atrocities as Ed Gein.

This is his story. This is his legend.

The gruesome murders shocked the world, the grisly remains told a terrifying story of pain, brutality and torture. Now, years! after inspiring PSYCHO's Norman Bates, SILENCE OF THE LAMBS's Buffalo Bill and THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE's Leatherface, the story of real-life, serial killer Ed Gein is finally told. Nicknamed "The Butcher of Plainfield," Gein was responsible for a rash of gory murders that sent shock waves through his rural Wisconsin town, and across America, in the late 1950s. Prepare to enter the evil mind and twisted world of "The Butcher of Plainfield" in this dark and disturbing thriller.

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