Out of print for more than 30 years, now available for the first time as an eBook, this is the controversial story of John Wooden's first 25 years and first 8 NCAA Championships as UCLA Head Basketball Coach. This is the only book that gives a true picture of the character of John Wooden and the influence of his assistant, Jerry Norman, whose contributions Wooden  ignored and tried to bury.

Compiled with more than 40 hours of interviews with Coach Wooden, learn about the man behind the coach. The players tell their stories in their own words.

Click the book to read the first chapter and for ordering information. Also available on Kindle.

Force Majeure (5/10)

by Tony Medley

Running time 118 minutes.

OK for children.

I must admit I was looking forward to this, skiing and beautiful scenery and a good story (I thought). But the only action occurs near the beginning when a bunch of skiers lunching on the top of a ski resort think they are about to be victims of an avalanche.

Among the skiers is a couple with their two young children, Tomas (Johannes Bah Kuhnke), his wife Ebba (Lisa Loven Kongsli), their children, Vera and Harry (Clara & Vincent Wettergren). When the avalanche appears to be bearing down on them, Tomas quickly grabs his things and skedaddles, abandoning his wife and children. Turns out it’s a controlled avalanche that doesn’t reach them so they are never really in danger but the damage is done. Ebba is so bothered by her husband’s cowardice that she feels compelled to tell everyone about it, including an old friend of Tomas’, middle-aged Mats (Kristofer Hivju) and his 20 year-old girlfriend Fanni (Fanni Metelius), who are on the skiing excursion also.

Apparently writer/director Ruben Öslund became fascinated with a friend’s tale of her husband running away from her when accosted by a gunman, so he did research and found that it’s not uncommon in emergencies (like the Titanic) of men sacrificing concern for their families to save themselves. Writing this movie was the result.

The movie is filled with allegories if you’re looking for them, and the ending has all sorts of interpretations one could make. The main problem with the film is that it is too long, a victim of what arises when a writer directs his own script. Everything seems so wonderful to him he can’t bear to cut anything.

There are some funny lines in the film, mainly by Fanni and some by Mats, and there are some beautiful scenes of people skiing, and it is interesting to a certain extent, but the story doesn’t justify a film of almost two hours duration. However, for those who spend most of their days in nighttime, like the Swedes, maybe this is an action film. Cut thirty minutes and this is a winner. In Swedish and English.