Danny Peary

Cult Movies

Cult Movies 2

Shannon Miller

The most decorated gymnast in American history discusses her recent recovery from cancer, as well as her miracle pregnancy. Illustrations.

Competing for My Country and Fighting for My Life

It's Not About Perfect

The author of Guide for the Film Fanatic provides film fans with a complete credit listing, a detailed plot synopsis, and a long essay illusrated with rare movie stills ranging from silent classics to oddball modern films. An invaluable reference source.

50 More of the Classics, the Sleepers, the Weird, and the Wonderful

Cult Movies 3

A film critic presents his choices for who should have won the Oscars and did not, including Citizen Kane for Best Picture, listing the actual nominees and winners and explaining why the wrong person or picture is frequently honored.

One Critic's Defiant Choices for Best Picture, Actor, and Actress from 1927 to the Present

Alternate Oscars

Cult Movies 2 ; 50 More of the Classics, the Sleepers, the Weird, and the Wonderful

"When the odds were against me, I was always at my best." When she retired at age 19, Shannon Miller did so as one of the most recognizable gymnasts in the country. The winner of seven Olympic medals and the most decorated gymnast, male or female, in U.S. history, Shannon tells a story of surviving and thriving. A shy, rambunctious girl raised in Oklahoma, Shannon fell in love with gymnastics at a young age and fought her way to the top. In 1992 she won five Olympic medals after breaking her elbow in a training accident just months prior to the Games. Then, in 1996, a doctor advised her to retire immediately or face dire consequences if she chose to compete on her injured wrist. Undeterred, Shannon endured the pain and led her team, the "Magnificent Seven," to the first Olympic team gold medal for the United States in gymnastics. She followed up as the first American to win gold on the balance beam. Equally intense, heroic and gratifying is the story of her brutal but successful battle with ovarian cancer, a disease from which fewer than fifty percent survive. Relying on her faith and hard-learned perseverance, Shannon battled through surgery and major chemotherapy to emerge on the other side with a miracle baby girl. Her story of trial, triumph and life after cancer reminds us all that its life's bumps and bruises that reveal our character. From early on in her career, Shannon knew that life wasn't about perfection. In this incredible and inspirational tale, Shannon speaks out so as to be seen and heard by thousands as a beacon of hope.

Kiss Me, Deadly to Nightmare Alley to The Honeymoon Killers to The American Friend—any fan of crime films will tell you there’s a palpable excitement in living vicariously through the corrupt, seductive, and often downright evil characters that inhabit these shadowy worlds. In this collection of 35 essays drawn from his revered Cult Movies series, cult film specialist Danny Peary examines, dissects, defends, and exalts crime films from his unique and engaging perspective. His writing is a cornerstone of the cult film culture that continues to flourish today. New to this ebook series are Danny Peary’s cult movie checklists for each genre. Every crime fan will walk away with newly discovered gems to watch, and a newfound appreciation of his or her favorites.

Discover the 35 Best Dark, Dangerous, Thrilling, and Noir Cinema Classics

Cult Crime Movies

Tom Clavin

Examines the life of the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball player during the "Boys of Summer" era in 1955 who later went on to manage the Mets, turning them from a losing team into world champions in 1969.

The Brooklyn Bums, the Miracle Mets, and the Extraordinary Life of a Baseball Legend

Gil Hodges

Gerald Peary

An Anthology of Animation. When you think about animated cartoons, you may think "Walt Disney" and call it a day. But if animation is a day, then Walt takes up just a few hours in the late morning. A lot came before, a lot came after.

A Critical Anthology

The American Animated Cartoon

A survey of science fiction films features essays by Isaac Asimov, Robert Bloch, Sigourney Weaver, Sidney Lumet, Robert Scheckley, Nicholas Meyer, and others on the films, filmmakers, themes, and other topics.

The Future According to Science Fiction Cinema

Omni's Screen Flights/screen Fantasies

Baseball players from the 1947-1964 era share their firsthand oral histories, remembrances, opinions, and gripes, from pitching no-hitters to alcoholism, groupies, race problems, and fights on and off the field

65 Players Remember Baseball's Greatest Era, 1947-1964

We Played the Game

Sixty essays by a mix of sportswriters and celebrities. . . all writing about their all-time favorite baseball players.

Baseball's Finest

A legend during the Golden Era of the 1950s, Brooklyn Dodgers baseball player and New York Mets manager Gil Hodges is at the center of this masterful sports biography, which delves into the life, achievements, and sterling character of one of baseball’s most overlooked stars. Gil Hodges was the Brooklyn Dodgers’ powerful first baseman who, alongside Jackie Robinson, helped drive his team to six pennants and a thrilling World Series victory in 1955. Dutifully following the Dodgers to Los Angeles in 1958, Hodges longed to return to New York City, and in 1962, joined the original Mets. He took over the manager’s spot on their bench in 1968 and transformed the team from a joke to World Champions in 1969—thus creating the Miracle Mets. Yet behind his stoic demeanor lay a man prone to anxiety and scarred by combat during World War II. His sudden death in 1972 shocked his friends and family and left a void in the hearts of baseball fans everywhere. Acclaimed authors Tom Clavin and Danny Peary deliver a thoroughly researched and poignant view of one of baseball’s hidden treasures, shedding light on a fascinating life and career that even his most ardent fans never knew.

The Brooklyn Bums, the Miracle Mets, and the Extraordinary Life of a Baseball Le gend

Brief essays discuss more than a thousand films, look at what makes each film interesting, and list main cast and credits

Guide for the Film Fanatic

Tom Clavin and Danny Peary chronicle the life and career of baseball’s “natural home run king” in the first definitive biography of Roger Maris—including a brand-new chapter to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of his record breaking season. Roger Maris may be the greatest ballplayer no one really knows. In 1961, the soft-spoken man from the frozen plains of North Dakota enjoyed one of the most amazing seasons in baseball history, when he outslugged his teammate Mickey Mantle to become the game’s natural home-run king. It was Mantle himself who said, "Roger was as good a man and as good a ballplayer as there ever was." Yet Maris was vilified by fans and the press and has never received his due from biographers—until now. Tom Clavin and Danny Peary trace the dramatic arc of Maris’s life, from his boyhood in Fargo through his early pro career in the Cleveland Indians farm program, to his World Series championship years in New York and beyond. At the center is the exciting story of the 1961 season and the ordeal Maris endured as an outsider in Yankee pinstripes, unloved by fans who compared him unfavorably to their heroes Ruth and Mantle, relentlessly attacked by an aggressive press corps who found him cold and inaccessible, and treated miserably by the organization. After the tremendous challenge of breaking Ruth’s record was behind him, Maris ultimately regained his love of baseball as a member of the world champion St. Louis Cardinals. And over time, he gained redemption in the eyes of the Yankee faithful. With research drawn from more than 130 interviews with Maris’s teammates, opponents, family, and friends, as well as 16 pages of photos, some of which have never before been seen, this timely and poignant biography sheds light on an iconic figure from baseball’s golden era—and establishes the importance of his role in the game’s history.

Baseball's Reluctant Hero

Roger Maris

Cult Sci-Fi Movies is a collection of 10 essays that examine, dissect, defend, and exalt the greats of classic cult sci-fi films. Film geeks, cinema snobs, VHS collectors, and anyone else who likes their entertainment a little on the weird side will appreciate author Danny Peary’s in-depth approach to their favorite sci-fi films ranging from Barbarella to Liquid Sky.

Danny Peary

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