Movies

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8-There is no depth or distinction in these three slender volumes, but they do contain a number of colorful pictures and a smidgen of useful information. Movies tells readers what a boom operator does, and why Hollywood is called Tinsel Town; however, it fails to discern the difference between a close-up, a medium shot, and a long shot. Newspapers explains that the "desk editor" is one of the most important people in the newsroom, and spends an entire page outlining the difference between classified and important ads. By trying to cover too much information, the writing and the layout are occasionally sloppy and extremely busy. A note in Theater, under a half-page picture of Stephen Sondheim, informs readers that he has "created some of the most successful and musically moving productions of all time." What on earth does "musically moving" mean? Film buffs should look instead to David Parkinson's The Young Oxford Book of the Movies (Oxford, 1997) and Lisa O'Brien's Lights, Camera, Action!: Making Movies and TV from the Inside Out (Firefly, 1998).-Herman Sutter, Saint Agnes Academy, Houston, TX Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.