Match Point For Murder

The games are tennis and murder … and private eye Max Roper has a bevy of beautiful tennis competitors to turn his head when he goes after the murderer of lovely Aussie tennis star Wendy Cliff. It was set up to look as if it was one of her opponents in the Los Angeles ladies pro tournament who did it—Wendy was garroted by a piece of tennis stringing. These include all the lovely women athletes who are taking part in the international competition. In addition to the local aspirants, the usual collection of current and ex- champions, there is the Italian start who boasts the most devastating-looking legs Roper has ever seen, the cuddly young Russian doubles pair, the beautiful French star, and their various friends and countrymen who hate to see them lose. Just to complicate Max’s problem, there is a fighting liberal senator from California threatened by a fanatic guerilla group of international assassins with whom Roper is waging a long-time personal vendetta. In the course of his investigation (as usual, filled with risk and violence), other murders follow. And Roper, pursuing the blood trail, quickly has his own life to worry about. Max has to go to the limit with his special brand of endurance and fighting character before he can come up with the winner and bring the murderer along. "

A little white lie never hurt anyone.Especially when it's in the name of love.Taking a crash course in tennis to conceal the fact you lied about being a pro to the person you were trying to impress in the name of love might be taking things too far.But Serena Perry has a track record of taking things too far.Just ask the local police.And with a history like hers, when a tennis player is murdered, Serena is tipped to win the not-so-coveted title of prime suspect.Has the killer aced the crime?Serena needs to figure out the murderer's game plan - and fast - or she could be serving time rather than tennis balls. If you love uplifting cozy mysteries, quirky cats, and snarky humour, you'll love this series. Pick up this page-turning cozy cafe mystery today!*Includes recipe for coffee and walnut cake!*

Edited by two renowned Allen experts, A Companion to Woody Allen presents a collection of 26 original essays on the director’s films. Contributions offer a number of divergent critical perspectives while expanding the contexts in which his work is understood. A timely companion by the authors of two of the most important books on Allen to date Illuminates the films of Woody Allen from a number of divergent critical perspectives Explores the contexts in which his work should be understood Assesses Allen’s remarkable filmmaking career from its early beginnings and investigates the conflicts and contradictions that suffuse it Discusses Allen’s recognition as a global cinematic figure

In this fascinating insight into the artistic process, longtime Woody Allen biographer Eric Lax follows the legendary director through the making of a movie—from start to finish. Charting the production of Allen’s forty-sixth directorial feature, Irrational Man—starring Joaquin Phoenix and Emma Stone—from inception to premier, Lax takes us onto the set and behind the scenes, revealing the intimate details of Allen’s filmmaking. We see the screenplay being shaped, the scenes being prepared, and the actors, cinematographers, editors, and other participants at work. We hear Allen’s colleagues speak candidly about working with him, and Allen speaking with equal openness about his career. An unprecedented insight into one of the foremost filmmakers of our time, Start to Finish is sure to delight not only movie buffs and Allen fans, but everyone who has marveled at the magic of the movies.

Sex and Violence examines the history and social dynamics of film censorship in the United States. It examines censorship controversies throughout film history, from the beginning of cinema in the 1890s to the present. The book focuses both on formal censorship systems, including state and local censorship boards and industry self-regulation efforts, to unofficial censorship rendered by pressure groups and powerful social movements. It probes beneath the official rhetoric and explanations, revealing sensitive, festering controversies. The book critically examines dozens of Hollywood's most controversial (and interesting) movies, focusing on recurring issues and censorship themes. The book reveals the social and political processes of vetting films and their effect on film form and content. In addition, it examines the use of sexuality and violence in movies and the effects of movie censorship on those issues. Finally, it analyzes and makes recommendations for dramatic changes in motion picture ratings.

The comic archetype of the Little Man--a "nobody" who stands up to unfairness--is central to the films of Woody Allen and Charlie Chaplin. Portraying the alienation of life in an indifferent world with a mix of pathos, irony and slapstick, both adopted absurdist personas--Chaplin's bumbling yet clever Tramp with his shabby clothes, and Allen's fool with his metaphysical witticisms and proclivity to fall in love too quickly. Both men were auteurs who managed to retain creative control of their work and achieve worldwide popularity. Both suffered from scandals regarding their attraction to younger women. Drawing on psychoanalysis and gender studies, this book explores their films as barometers of their respective historical moments, marking cultural shifts from modernism to postmodernism.

Filmmakers' fascination with opera dates back to the silent era but it was not until the late 1980s that critical enquiries into the intersection of opera and cinema began to emerge. Jeongwon Joe focusses primarily on the role of opera as soundtrack by exploring the distinct effects opera produces in film, effects which differ from other types of soundtrack music, such as jazz or symphony. These effects are examined from three perspectives: peculiar qualities of the operatic voice; various properties commonly associated with opera, such as excess, otherness or death; and multifaceted tensions between opera and cinema - for instance, opera as live, embodied, high art and cinema as technologically mediated, popular entertainment. Joe argues that when opera excerpts are employed on soundtracks they tend to appear at critical moments of the film, usually associated with the protagonists, and the author explores why it is opera, not symphony or jazz, that accompanies poignant scenes like these. Joe's film analysis focuses on the time period of the post-1970s, which is distinguished by an increase of opera excerpts on soundtracks to blockbuster titles, the commercial recognition of which promoted the production of numerous opera soundtrack CDs in the following years. Joe incorporates an empirical methodology by examining primary sources such as production files, cue-sheets and unpublished interviews with film directors and composers to enhance the traditional hermeneutic approach. The films analysed in her book include Woody Allen’s Match Point, David Cronenberg’s M. Butterfly, and Wong Kar-wai’s 2046.

In 'The Ultimate Woody Allen Film Companion', film writer Jason Bailey profiles every one of Allen's films through essays, behind-the-scenes interviews, full cast lists, production details, and full-color images and artwork