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.

Neighbors (1/10)

by Tony Medley

Runtime 96 minutes.

Not for children.

If you aren’t funny and can’t write or direct, put in lots of scenes that will appeal to 15 year old boys to try to make them titter in embarrassment with sexual themes. That makes them feel sexually wise and adult. That’s what  writers (Andrew J. Cohen and Brenden O’Brien) and director (Nicholas Stoller) do here which telegraphs their lack of confidence in their talent by relying on cheap sex jokes and foul language as a substitute for humor.

Aimed at a high school intellect that has just discovered sex, this has little appeal for anyone who can qualify as an adult. Everyone throws F-bombs in virtually every sentence, but that should come as no surprise to followers of Seth Rogen who apparently won’t read a script unless it’s loaded with the F-word. But it seems especially inappropriate when Rose Byrne, who looks like a sweet young mother, populates her vocabulary with the word almost constantly, also.

There are a lot of disgusting rutting scenes as well as hordes of college kids partying. How many times can a director put shots of a naked man on top of a naked woman highlighted by his rear end going up and down? This is entertainment?

But it’s not just stupid, it’s irresponsible. It’s about a young couple, Rogen and Byrne, who live in a house with their infant daughter next to a fraternity house whose president is Zac Efron. In one segment Rogen and Byrne are so upset that they leave their daughter alone in their house and go next door to the fraternity and party all night. Never is it shown how their daughter got along at home alone, or is it brought out that this is a criminally negligent thing to do. In fact the abandonment of their infant daughter is never referred to again.

The older Efron gets, the worse his roles. He’s been in at least one good film, but, maybe because of his appearances in the High School Musical trilogy, apparently the only roles he can get now are those that portray him as a hunk (the film takes pains to have him appear shirtless). He’s really gone downhill since he made such an auspicious appearance in Me and Orson Welles (2008) when he was 21.

This unfunny film has no redeeming value, a complete waste of time.

April 30, 2014