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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. |
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Mafia Mamma (3/10): 101 Minutes. R. Anything you can do, I can do better. I can do anything better than you. Irving Berlin; Annie Get Your Gun, 1946 Irving beat director Catherine Hardwicke to this story 77 years ago, and did it better. This movie epitomizes why everyone acknowledges that comedy is hard and requires unique talent for both director and actors. Toni Collette, a normal, if unconfident, American mother who works at an advertising agency where she is unappreciated due to her sex, goes to Italy to attend her grandfather’s funeral. But this is no ordinary grandfather. He was a Mafia Godfather, unbeknownst to her. From a screenplay by Michael J. Feldman and Debbie Jhoon, what follows is a silly screwball comedy attempt with Collette giving an inept Lucille Ball imitation as she fumbles her way into reluctantly replacing her grandfather as the Godfather. It is so implausible with so many unlikely events that it’s more pitiful than humorous. I didn’t even smile once, much less laugh. Worse, it has a twist that strains credulity. The one thing that made this mildly watchable (ergo my 3/10 rating) was the location with beautiful shots of Rome and Italy. Even with talent, it would take a thaumaturge to make something of this bunkum.
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