The Osterman Weekend

The Osterman Weekend PDF

Author: Robert Ludlum

Publisher: Bantam

Published: 2015-06-30

Total Pages: 322

ISBN-13: 0345539273

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In Zurich . . . in Moscow . . . in Washington, D.C. . . . the machinery has already been set in motion. In a quiet suburb, an odd assortment of men and women gather for a momentous weekend. At stake is nothing less than the very existence of the United States of America—and, with it, the future of the entire free world. Praise for Robert Ludlum and The Osterman Weekend “Shattering . . . [The Osterman Weekend] will cost you the night and the cold hours of the morning.”—The Cincinnati Enquirer “Ludlum stuffs more surprises into his novels than any other six-pack of thriller writers combined.”—The New York Times “Powerhouse momentum . . . as shrill as the siren on the prowl car.”—Kirkus Reviews “A complex scenario of inventive double-crossing.”—Chicago Sun-Times

The Parsifal Mosaic

The Parsifal Mosaic PDF

Author: Robert Ludlum

Publisher: Bantam

Published: 2015-06-02

Total Pages: 722

ISBN-13: 0345539222

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Michael Havelock’s world died on a moonlit beach on the Costa Brava as he watched his partner and lover, double agent Jenna Karas, efficiently gunned down by his own agency. There’s nothing left for him but to quit the game, get out. Then, in one frantic moment on a crowded railroad platform in Rome, Havelock sees Jenna. Racing around the globe in search of his beautiful betrayer, Havelock is now marked for death by both U.S. and Russian assassins, trapped in a massive mosaic of treachery created by a top-level mole with the world in his fist: Parsifal. Praise for Robert Ludlum and The Parsifal Mosaic “[Robert] Ludlum’s narrative imagination is a force of nature.”—The New York Times “As fast-paced and absorbing as any he’s written.”—Newsday “The suspense never lets up.”—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution “A crackling good yarn.”—Los Angeles Times Book Review

The Matarese Circle

The Matarese Circle PDF

Author: Robert Ludlum

Publisher: Bantam

Published: 2012-08-14

Total Pages: 558

ISBN-13: 030781386X

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An international circle of killers, the Matarese will undoubtedly take over the world within just two years. Only two rival spies have the power to stop them: Scofield, CIA, and Talaniekov, KGB. They share a genius for espionage and a life of explosive terror and violence. But though these sworn enemies once vowed to terminate each other, they must now become allies. Because only they possess the brutal skills and ice-cold nerves vital to their mission: destroy the Matarese. Praise for Robert Ludlum and The Matarese Circle “A blockbuster . . . Ludlum’s best.”—The Wall Street Journal “A spellbinder.”—The Dallas Morning News “Ludlum stuffs more surprises into his novels than any other six-pack of thriller writers combined.”—The New York Times “Don’t ever begin a Ludlum novel if you have to go to work the next day.”—Chicago Sun-Times BONUS: This edition includes an excerpt from Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Identity.

Justified Lives

Justified Lives PDF

Author: Michael Bliss

Publisher: SIU Press

Published: 1993

Total Pages: 372

ISBN-13: 9780809318230

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In the first book to critically examine each of the fourteen feature films Sam Peckinpah directed during his career, Michael Bliss stresses the persistent moral and structural elements that permeate Peckinpah’s work. By examining the films in great detail, Bliss makes clear the moral framework of temptation and redemption with which Peckinpah was concerned while revealing the director’s attention to narrative. Bliss shows that each of Peckinpah’s protagonists is involved with attempting, in the words of Ride the High Country’s Steve Judd, "to enter my house justified." The validity of this systematic method is clearly demonstrated in the chapter devoted to The Wild Bunch. By enumerating the doublings and triplings of action and dialogue found in the film, Bliss underscores its symbolic and structural complexity. Beginning the chapters treating Junior Bonner and The Getaway with analyses of their important title sequences, Bliss shows how these frequently disregarded pieces present in miniature the major moral and narrative concerns of the films. In his chapter on The Osterman Weekend, Bliss makes apparent Peckinpahs awareness of and concern with the self-reflexive nature of filmmaking itself. Bliss shows that like John Ford, Peckinpah moved from optimism to pessimism. The films of the director’s early period, from The Deadly Companions to Cable Hogue, support the romantic ideals of adventure and camaraderie and affirm a potential for goodness in America. In his second group of films, which begins with Straw Dogs and ends with Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia, both heroes and hope have vanished. It is only in The Osterman Weekend that Peckinpah appears finally to have renewed his capacity for hope, allowing his career to close in a positive way.

Trevayne

Trevayne PDF

Author: Robert Ludlum

Publisher: Bantam

Published: 2015-09-29

Total Pages: 498

ISBN-13: 080417959X

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Fearless and incorruptible, Andrew Trevayne is a self-made millionaire, former undersecretary of state, and current head of one of the nation’s most prestigious foundations. Now, at the express wish of the president, Trevayne undertakes an investigation into the “secret government”—and is soon swept up in a tidal wave of intrigue and danger. Beyond the corridors of official power he discovers a nightmare maze where billionaires mingle with Mafia dons, where sinister forces are poised to enact a chilling conspiracy, where Congress and even the presidency itself can be bought and sold, where survival hinges on a hair trigger. In this world, a man like Trevayne can easily become a pawn, an enemy—or a king. Praise for Robert Ludlum and Trevayne “A taut novel that spares no one.”—The New York Times “Brilliant . . . a story of power, intrigue, ambition, greed, corruption, and horror.”—King Features Syndicate “Don’t ever begin a Ludlum novel if you have work the next day.”—Chicago Tribune “A fascinating, meaty spine tingler.”—Library Journal

Films of Sam Peckinpah

Films of Sam Peckinpah PDF

Author: Neil Fulwood

Publisher: Batsford Books

Published: 2014-11-12

Total Pages: 401

ISBN-13: 1849942544

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A detailed look at the work of one of America's great film directors. Sam Peckinpah helped to redefine the Western, clearing the board of genre cliches in order to present an intelligent examination of the motivation behind, and effects of, violence. The accusations against Peckinpah for making violent films, both Westerns and non-Westerns, for the sake of it as well as misogyny have become cliches themselves. Like their creator, the men who walk or ride through Peckinpah's films are deep, complex and often flawed. Technical accomplishment and the ability to draw out great preformances from his actors are only part of what sets Peckinpah's Films apart. It is their depth and intensity that make them unique. This book takes an in-depth look at the man, his early work for television, and all his films. It covers the critical reception of his films, Peckinpah's approach to film direction, his on-set behaviour, and studio interference during editing. An Appraisal of the iconography of his films plus an analysis of recurring themes and pre-occupations show that his best work was the most personal.

Chainsaws, Slackers, and Spy Kids

Chainsaws, Slackers, and Spy Kids PDF

Author: Alison Macor

Publisher: University of Texas Press

Published: 2010-02-22

Total Pages: 393

ISBN-13: 0292778295

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During the 1990s, Austin achieved "overnight" success and celebrity as a vital place for independent filmmaking. Directors Richard Linklater and Robert Rodriguez proved that locally made films with regional themes such as Slacker and El Mariachi could capture a national audience. Their success helped transform Austin's homegrown film community into a professional film industry staffed with talented, experienced filmmakers and equipped with state-of-the art-production facilities. Today, Austin struggles to balance the growth and expansion of its film community with an ongoing commitment to nurture the next generation of independent filmmakers. Chainsaws, Slackers, and Spy Kids chronicles the evolution of this struggle by re-creating Austin's colorful movie history. Based on revealing interviews with Richard Linklater, Robert Rodriguez, Mike Judge, Quentin Tarantino, Matthew McConaughey, George Lucas, and more than one hundred other players in the local and national film industries, Alison Macor explores how Austin has become a proving ground for contemporary independent cinema. She begins in the early 1970s with Tobe Hooper's horror classic, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and follows the development of the Austin film scene through 2001 with the production and release of Rodriguez's $100-million blockbuster, Spy Kids. Each chapter explores the behind-the-scenes story of a specific movie, such as Linklater's Dazed and Confused and Judge's Office Space, against the backdrop of Austin's ever-expanding film community.

The Road to Omaha

The Road to Omaha PDF

Author: Robert Ludlum

Publisher: Bantam

Published: 2014-10-28

Total Pages: 596

ISBN-13: 0345539192

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Robert Ludlum’s wayward hero, the outrageous General MacKenzie Hawkins, returns with a diabolical scheme to right a very old wrong—and wreak vengeance on the [redacted] who drummed him out of the military. Discovering a long-buried 1878 treaty with an obscure Indian tribe, the Hawk, a.k.a. Chief Thunder Head, hatches a brilliant plot that will ultimately bring him and his reluctant legal eagle, Sam Devereaux, before the Supreme Court. Their goal is to reclaim a choice piece of American real estate: the state of Nebraska, which just so happens to be the headquarters of the U.S. Strategic Air Command. Their outraged opposition will be no less than the CIA, the Pentagon, and the White House. And only one thing is certain: Ludlum will keep us in nonstop suspense—and side-splitting laughter—through the very last page. Praise for Robert Ludlum and The Road to Omaha “A very funny book . . . No character is minor: They’re all hilarious.”—Houston Chronicle “Don’t ever begin a Ludlum novel if you have to go to work the next day.”—Chicago Sun-Times

"If They Move . . . Kill 'Em!"

Author: David Weddle

Publisher: Open Road + Grove/Atlantic

Published: 2016-03-29

Total Pages: 453

ISBN-13: 0802190081

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“A probing biography of the enfant terrible of 1960s and 1970s film-making . . . exhaustive and endlessly intriguing.” —Booklist Written by the film critic and historian David Weddle, this fascinating account does critical justice to an important body of cinema as it spins the tale of David Samuel Peckinpah’s dramatic, overcharged life and the turbulent times through which he moved. Sam Peckinpah was born into a clan of lumberjacks, cattle ranchers, and frontier lawyers. After a hitch with the Marines, he made his way to Hollywood, where he worked on a string of low-budget features. In 1955 he began writing scripts for Gunsmoke; in less than a year he was one of the hottest writers in television, with two classic series, The Rifleman and The Westerner, to his credit. From there he went on to direct a phenomenal series of features, including Ride the High Country, Straw Dogs, The Getaway, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, and The Wild Bunch. Peckinpah was both a hopeless romantic and a grim nihilist, a filmmaker who defined his era as much as he was shaped by it. Rising to prominence in the social and political upheaval of the late sixties and early seventies, Peckinpah and his generation of directors—Stanley Kubrick, Arthur Penn, Robert Altman—broke with convention and turned the traditional genres of Western, science fiction, war, and detective movies inside out. No other era in Hollywood has matched it for sheer energy, audacity, and originality; no one cut a wider path through that time than Sam Peckinpah. “Groundbreaking.” —Michael Sragow, The Atlantic