Tim Johnson

I learned a lot about film making and movies after reading this book, The Making of Dual Mania. After watching several independent movies I had noticed how different they were from big blockbuster movies and I wondered why. Well, now I know. Aside from the obvious facts like big budgets and big name actors, independent movies tackled subjects quite differently than studio fare and how indie filmmakers tell their own stories (even taboo issues involving race, interracial sex, madness, etc.) that studios normally won't dare touch. The author (Joseph Strickland who also wrote, produced and directed the movie Dual Mania) does a good job in showing the many challenges he and his film team faced as they tackled their first movie: casting unknown actors, raising funds, location scouting, obtaining an experienced film crew and shooting in a big city like Chicago. Included is a great screenplay and graphic storyboards as well as behind the scenes photos were a plus. Funny, educational and revealing, The Making of Dual Mania was a good read. Nice.

"I just like my coffee the way I like my coffee: sometimes black, sometimes creamy, but always sweet." --Cat Ellington A great quote from a great book, I would say, after reading this wonderful and charming, although sharp-tongued, collection of poetry that reveals the author's observations on a number of topics such as her own personal struggles,societal oppression, same-sex relationships, social media, racism in America and much, much more. Not for the faint-hearted, but only for those brave souls who choose to dive into these waters and discover some profound truths about the world we live in today.

Wow! This is a very nice follow-up to Reviews by Cat Ellington: The Complete Anthology, Vol. 1. An excellent range of reviews that cover a variety of literature,including The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, Red Dragon by Thomas Harris, The Face of Fear by Dean Koontz, Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard and The Grifters by Jim Thompson. If you like your whiskey spiked, this is a good read.

Oh,yeah!!! I really enjoyed this book, Reviews by Cat Ellington, because many of my favorite books from famous novelists were in this edition. I especially liked the insightful and funny examination of each classic work which I thought was very helpful, because the author delved deep into each character's back story, motivation, psychological profile, and plot line. Ms. Ellington sure has a dark sense of humor and that made reading these exciting reviews that much more entertaining. Great read!