Film guides and reviews Books

Book SynopsisExamines the work of Turkish director, Nuri Bilge CeylanTrade Review"An intriguing collection of essays on the work of the celebrated Turkish film director, Nuri Bilge Ceylan. A rewarding read for anyone interested in world cinema, it succeeds in placing Ceylan within his cultural context and analysing his wider significance within Film Studies." -Oliver Leaman, University of Kentucky

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Book SynopsisBring the study of Herbology into your garden, with this comprehensive activity book inspired by the Harry Potter films. Packed with 25+ projects, gardening tips, wizarding world-inspired terrarium ideas, and enchanting uses for a wide range of plants, Harry Potter Herbology is an indispensable guide that would make Professor Sprout proud. From Mandrakes to Dirigible Plums, from the Devil's Snare to the Venomous Tentacula, the Harry Potter films are filled with colourful enchanting plant life. Now, you can bring the magic of the wizarding world into your own home and garden, with this comprehensive, one-of-a-kind guidebook. Harry Potter Herbology contains helpful gardening tips, instructions for creating unique Harry Potter-inspired terrariums, and charming uses for everyday plants. Alongside the projects are step-by-step instructions and full-colour photos to ensure success, as well as behind-the-scenes facts, concept art, and film stills showcasing how plants from the wizarding world were brought to life onscreen for the Harry Potter films. Practical and unique, Harry Potter Herbology is the perfect guide for gardeners and wizarding world fans alike.

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Book SynopsisPicasso apparently said, "when critics get together, they talk about theory. When painters get together, they talk about turpentine.' That has been my experience, as far as film and film studies are concerned. Critics, academics, and theoreticians talk theory. That is what they know. Artists talk about their processes in making art. This is my attempt to apply what I know to a beginning study of film. Emerging filmmakers need to know the basics of their art form: the language of the camera, and lenses, the different crew roles, the formats, the aspect ratios. They also need to know some bare-bones theory: what an auteur is, what montage is, what genres are. Words like these are our currency: they must be known. But, even more urgently, young filmmakers need answers to their questions -- what lens was used? how did they do that effect? who paid for that picture? how did they get it past the censor? Most important, all filmmakers require serious grounding in film. You cannot be a great artist if you aren't versed in great art. And this doesn't just apply to the cinema. I believe 100% that a reasonably educated and intelligent person in any country of the world should be able to have a conversation about Luis Buñuel, about Akira Kurosawa, about Stanley Kubrick, about Fellini or Bergman, and talk knowledgeably about at least one of their films. Read this book, watch the films, and you can!Trade ReviewThis book by Alex Cox will give you great insights into the filmmaking process, from idea to production to cinema * Lock and Load, Brides of Christ *A thought-provoking and thoroughly enjoyable read -- Colin Odell and Michelle Le BlancAN INTRODUCTION TO FILM is setting out to reinvent film studies -- Simon Kennedy

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Book SynopsisI Know Where I'm Going! (1945) is widely regarded as one of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's most remarkable achievements and a cinematic tour de force. A simple moral tale set in the wild Scottish Highlands, it follows the journey of a headstrong young woman forced by her encounter with this magical, mythic world and its exotic customs to revise her materialistic priorities. Pam Cook traces the film's production history, exploring its place in Powell and Pressburger's canon and showing how it wove into its narrative the memories and aspirations of an international group of film-makers working in 1940s Britain. Focusing on the extensive use of special effects, she reveals a technologically ambitious masterpiece. I Know Where I'm Going! is, for Cook, a multilayered work rich in allusions whose emotional power reaches beyond boundaries of time and place to touch profound human desires. In her foreword to this new edition, Cook argues that I Know Where I'm Going!'s ability to be both of its time and timeless is what ensures that it continues to captivate successive generations of viewers.Table of ContentsAcknowledgments 'I Know Where I'm Going!' Notes Credits Bibliography and Sources

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Book SynopsisJohn Ford's masterpiece The Searchers (1956) was voted the seventh greatest film of all time in Sight & Sound's most recent poll of critics. Its influence on many of America's most distinguished contemporary filmmakers, among them Martin Scorsese, Paul Schrader, and John Milius, is enormous. John Wayne's portrait of the vengeful Confederate Ethan Edwards gives the film a truly epic dimension, as does his long and lonely journey into the dark heart of America. Edward Buscombe's insightful study provides a detailed commentary on all aspects of the film, drawing on material in the John Ford archive at Indiana University, including Ford's own memos and the original script, which differs in vital respects from the film he made, to offer new insights into the film's production history.Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Foreword to the 2022 Edition 'The Searchers' Notes Credits Bibliography

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Book SynopsisFederico Fellini's masterpiece 8 1/2 (Otto e mezzo) shocked audiences around the world when it was released in 1963 by its sheer auteurist gall. The hero, a film director named Guido Anselmi, seemed to be Fellini's mirror image, and the story to reflect the making of 8 1/2 itself. Whether attacked for self-indulgence or extolled for self-consciousness, 8 1/2 became the paradigm of personal filmmaking, and numerous directors, including Fassbinder, Truffaut, Scorsese, Bob Fosse and Bruce LaBruce, paid homage to the film and its themes of personal and creative ennui in their own work. Now that 8 1/2's conceit is less shocking, D.A. Miller argues, we can see more clearly how tentative, even timid, Fellini's ground-breaking incarnation always was. Guido is a perfect blank, or is trying his best to seem one. By his own admission he doesn't even have an artistic or social statement to offer: 'I have nothing to say, but I want to say it anyway.' 8 1/2's deepest commitment is not to this man (who is never quite 'all there') or to his message (which is lacking entirely) but to its own flamboyant manner. The enduring timeliness of 8 1/2 lies, Miller suggests, in its aggressive shirking of the shame that falls on the man – and the artist – who fails his appointed social responsibilities.Trade ReviewD.A. Miller's study of the film suggests that we can now see more clearly how tentative Fellini's groundbreaking incarnation always was, and its enduring timeliness, he argues, lies in its determined shirking of the shame that falls on the man – and the artist – who fails his appointed social responsibilities. -- Sight & Sound...an excellent addition to one of the finest collections of film criticism ever collated...[Miller] makes an interesting and persuasive argument for his theory and, like much great criticism, sheds new light on a classic film. -- Laurence Boyce * Netribution *Table of ContentsForeword to the 2022 Edition Prologue 1. From No One to Someone 2. From Auteur to Person 3. From Substance to Style Finale Acknowledgments Notes Credits

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Book SynopsisThis guide is a collection of reviews for the 1,000 most important, popular, and influential films of nearly a century of cinema from the first talkies to modern blockbusters and indie sleepers.

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Book SynopsisFeaturing production art and photography from the eagerly anticipated new film Chappie, starring Hugh Jackman with Sigourney Weaver! Chappie is an upcoming film directed by Neill Blomkamp (District 9, Elysium), written by Neill Blomkamp & Terri Tatchell. The film stars Sharlto Copley (Elysium, The A-Team), Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire), Ninja and Yo-Landi Vi$$er, Jose Pablo Cantillo (The Walking Dead).Trade Review"Most of the book is dedicated to this kind of almost happy-go-lucky customization that the artwork evolves through, and it’s pretty awesome flipping the pages as different pieces of the project take shape." - Midroad Movie Review"You won't regret reading it, because it's something different and beautifully dark for adult readers. It's one of the best and most fascinating retellings of Snow White available." - Artbook Passion"Very well put together." - City of Films"If you are like me, fascinated with the art of filmmaking, and behind the scenes information from character design to set design this is one you will want to pick up." - Watch Play Read"If you want further exploration into the movie and interested in the world building aspects, the way cool mech designs and shooting locations of Chappie, then Chappie: The Art of the Movie should be picked up and added to your library shelf." - Retrenders"It’s hard to believe that there’s any piece of information about the production of “Chappie” that isn’t included here." - Roger Ebert.com

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Book SynopsisWelcome to the jungle. The origin of one of cinema's most beloved and most fearsome monsters is explained in Kong: Skull Island. This official companion to the blockbuster movie features the breath-taking art, storyboards, designs, and set photos that conjure King Kong's world. Interviews with the crew and all-star cast explain how they brought the beast to life.Trade Review“great coffee table book read that is beautifully presented with thick pages and vibrant images that just scream from the page.” Impulse Gamer“recommended for the impressive art and the skills of the artists it showcases” - Cinema Sentries “A great coffee table book, you don’t have to be a fan of the film to appreciate the work that took Skull Island from concept to the big screen. Simon Ward and Titan Books put together a great companion to the movie” - Project Fandom

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Book SynopsisBeginning with early trailblazers like Different from the Others, Kyle Turner has selected 100 of cinema’s greatest queer films to guide you through the eras. From Hitchcock’s Rope and cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show through the New Queer Cinema movement of the 90s to the present day, where LGBTQIA+ narratives have increasingly made their way into the mainstream and dominated award seasons with films like Carol, Tangerine, and Moonlight. From scrappy auteurs to Academy Award winners, The Queer Film Guide celebrates LGBTQIA+ stories and artists, offering a fresh take on what defines great cinema, and lending a voice to the diverse creators and characters who have shaped the artform.

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Book SynopsisJoin Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Black Widow, and the Guardians of the Galaxy on a stunning journey through the Marvel Cinematic Universe! DK is bringing its expertise in creating beautiful illustrated non-fiction to this modern pop culture phenomenon; Marvel Studios: The Visual Dictionary shows the world of the Avengers as it has never been seen before.Iron Man''s armour, S.H.I.E.L.D.''s helicarriers, the soaring towers of Asgard, Hawkeye''s bow, Thor''s hammer, mighty Thanos and the Infinity Stones, Star-Lord''s quad blasters - each subject is shown using beautiful movie stills and stunning prop photography, accompanied by engaging text explaining their key features and role in the Marvel saga. A unique and captivating showcase of the first ten years of Marvel Studios, this is the book that every Marvel movie fan has been waiting for! 2018 MARVELTrade ReviewDK is bringing its expertise in creating beautiful illustrated non-fiction to this modern pop culture phenomenon * Books Monthly *

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Book SynopsisExplore the Wars in Star Wars as never before!Enter a galaxy ravaged by conflict and discover the complete story of the epic struggles that define the Star Wars movies. This ambitious book presents major galactic conflicts from an in-world historical perspective: each battle is depicted with captivating imagery, explored with newly commissioned maps, and explained through detailed analysis of tactics, famous commanders, legendary warriors, key moments, and its impact on wider galactic history.This is the perfect book for any Star Wars fan, budding military historian, or would-be rebel hero! AND TM 2021 LUCASFILM LTD.

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Book SynopsisUncover the secrets of the Skywalkers: the family that shaped a galaxy far, far away...The Skywalker story has everything: passion, intrigue, heroism, and dark deeds.This revelatory biography explores every twist and turn of the Skywalker dynasty: the slow seduction to the dark side of Anakin; his doomed marriage to Padmé Amidala; the heroics of Luke and Leia; the fall and redemption of Han Solo and Princess Leia''s son, Ben; and the struggles of his dyad in the Force, Rey.Leaving no stone unturned in tracing the dynasty''s trials and tribulations, this definitive biography of Star Wars'' first family explores and explains the deeper, more personal story of the Skywalkers, their characters, motivations, and, against seemingly impossible odds, their ultimate triumph. AND TM 2021 LUCASFILM LTD.

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Book SynopsisFor film buffs and literature lovers alike, Turner Classic Movies presents an essential guide to 52 cinema classics and the literary works that served as their inspiration. I love that movie!But have you read the book?Within these pages, Turner Classic Movies offers an endlessly fascinating look at 52 beloved screen adaptations and the great reads that inspired them. Some films, like Clueless-Amy Heckerling''s interpretation of Jane Austen''s Emma-diverge wildly from the original source material, while others, like One Flew Over the Cuckoo''s Nest, shift the point of view to craft a different experience within the same story. Author Kristen Lopez explores just what makes these works classics of both the page and screen, and why each made for an exceptional adaptation-whether faithful to the book or exemplifying cinematic creative license. Other featured works include:Children of Men The Color Purple

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Book SynopsisFor well over a century, those who create motion pictures have touched our hearts and souls; they have transported and transformed our minds, intoxicated and entranced our senses. One artist''s vision is the single most prominent force behind the scenes: the director. The Essential Directors illuminates the unseen forces behind some of the most notable screen triumphs from the aesthetic peak of silent cinema through the New Hollywood of the 1970s. Considering each artist''s influence on the medium, cultural impact, and degree of achievement, Turner Classic Movies presents a compendium of Hollywood''s most influential filmmakers, with profiles offering history and insight on the filmmaker''s narrative style, unique touches, contributions to the medium, key films, and distinctive movie moments to watch for. The work of these game-changing artists is illustrated throughout by more than 200 full-color and black-and-white photographs.In The Essential Directors you''ll read how Cecil B. DeMille revamped religion to define an era, and how Oscar Micheaux broke barriers to become the most influential Black filmmaker of the 1920s. You''ll marvel at the efficient artistry of One-Take Woody Van Dyke and fall in love again with the sophisticated studio-era classicsof George Cukor. You''ll gain insight into how women like Dorothy Arzner and Ida Lupino built thriving careers in an industry ruled by men and discover what drove Mike Nichols to mix comedy with tragedy, becoming the highest-paid director of his day in the the process. The Essential Directors presents the work of these game-changing artists and dozens more in this stunning volume.

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Book SynopsisThis revised and expanded edition of Eddie Muller's Dark City is a film noir lover's bible, taking readers on a tour of the urban landscape of the grim and gritty genre in a definitive, highly illustrated volume. Named by The Hollywood Reporter one of the '100 Greatest Film Books of All Time!'Dark City expands with new chapters and a fresh collection of restored photos that illustrate the mythic landscape of the imagination. It's a place where the men and women who created film noir often find themselves dangling from the same sinister heights as the silver-screen avatars to whom they gave life. Eddie Muller, host of Turner Classic Movies' Noir Alley, takes readers on a spellbinding trip through treacherous terrain: Hollywood in the post-World War II years, where art, politics, scandal, style -- and brilliant craftsmanship -- produced a new approach to moviemaking, and a new type of cultural mythology.

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Book SynopsisBringing together Murdoch's moral philosophy and contemporary cinema to build a dialogue about vision, ethics and love, author Lucy Bolton encourages us to view cinema as a way of studying other worlds and moral journeys.

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Book SynopsisThe official behind-the-scenes companion to Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, featuring cast and crew interviews, photos, and insights about making the filmFor fans of Dungeons & Dragons and the upcoming fantasy adventure film Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, this gorgeous tome showcases the storytelling, worldbuilding, and creativity behind the movie.Join in the adventures across Faerûn with stars Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Hugh Grant, Justice Smith, Regé-Jean Page, Sophia Lillis, and the rest of the dedicated cast and crew on their journey to bring the world of Dungeons & Dragons to life. With sections that highlight fan-favorite characters, monsters, and settings, plus explorations of key scenes from the film, this book is packed with production photos, concept art, storyboards, interviews, and more.Experience the film like never before in this visual feast that takes you behind the scenes of bringing Dungeons & Dragons to the big screen.

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Book SynopsisThroughout the making of the Harry Potter movies, designers and craftspeople were tasked with creating fabulous Feasts, flying brooms, enchanted maps, and much more, in addition to all the magical items necessary for everyday wizarding life. Harry Potter: The Artefact Vault chronicles the work at the graphics and prop teams in creating lovingly crafted items; and the stunning inventiveness used to create a rich, filmic universe.

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Book SynopsisImmerse yourself in the art and making of Aquaman, the movie chronicling Arthur Curry's path to a future reign as King of the Seven Seas. The Art and Making of Aquaman takes readers behind the scenes of the 2018 Warner Bros. Pictures film based on the popular DC character. Featuring previously unseen photographs and breathtaking concept art, this book is a must-have for any fan. Witness the epic journey of Aquaman, a Super Hero who struggles to accept his heritage as undersea royalty, in his first solo film. Follow along with the production team as these skilled artists create a unique undersea world for the big screen. Exclusive interviews highlight a comprehensive narrative that flows through this stunning collection of concept sketches, storyboards, set and costume photography, and effects imagery, giving readers an unparalleled look at the making of the film. Directed by James Wan, Aquaman features an all-star cast, with Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, Dolph Lundgren, Ludi Lin, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Temuera Morrison and Nicole Kidman.

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Book SynopsisKinoSputniks closely analyse some key films from the history of Russian and Soviet cinema. Written by international experts in the field, they are intended for film enthusiasts and students, combining scholarship with an accessible style of writing. Ira Österberg's KinoSputnik on Aleksei Balabanov's cult film Brother (1997) examines the production history, context and reception of the film, and offers a detailed reading of its key themes. Balabanov’s Brother made a mark on the new Russia’s film history as its hero Danila Bagrov quickly gained cult status and the nostalgic rock soundtrack hit the nerve of the young post-Soviet generation. This study unravels the film’s effective and ingenious mixture of genre elements, art narration and almost documentary-style realism, which would become trademarks for Balabanov’s oeuvre. Primary readership will be among film studies students and film enthusiasts, but will also be of interest to anyone researching or studying film soundtracking. A list of all books in the series is here on the Intellect website on the series page KinoSputnikTable of ContentsList of Illustrations vii Note on Transliteration ix Acknowledgements xi Production Information xiii Plot Summary xv Introduction 1 1. Cinematic Context and Production History 7 2. Film Analysis 33 3. Reception 137 Conclusion: Brother over Twenty Years Later 159 Notes 163 References 171

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Book SynopsisImmerse yourself in the thrilling world of Star Wars: The High Republic with this incredibly illustrated guide to the golden age of the Jedi! Set centuries before the Skywalker Saga, this book is the ultimate in-universe guide to the Jedi Knights of Star Wars: The High Republic, providing fascinating insight into a time of valiant heroes, terrifying monsters, and daring exploration. You will also uncover the mysteries of the Force and learn about the technology of the Jedi Order, including its starfighters and the unique lightsaber designs of this incredible era. Featuring stunning original illustrations and exclusive new revelations, this striking book is an essential collectible that will transport you to the galaxy's gilded age.

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Book Synopsis'The ultimate guide to every apocalypse movie ever made' - David Quantick The 1980s. A time of fear: fear of the unknown, fear of your neighbours, fear of drugs, fear of sex, fear of strangers, fear of videos, and the very real fear that the world would end at any moment in an awful, and very sudden, nuclear attack. However, in those times of turmoil and worry, there was a comfort that soothed the mind, and acted as a quiet balm: action movies. Video shops were bursting at the seams with rampant gunfire, sex, drugs, rock, roll, cars on fire, people on fire, guns, bombs, and people dressed in army fatigues (and that was just the staff). Heroes were born shrouded in fire and violent revenge, they were not only armed with guns, but also red-hot quips, that served as a muscly arm around the shoulder, and a wink that everything was going to be okay. So thank you Arnold, Sylvester, Sigourney, Bruce, Eddie, Charles, Patrick, Mel, Chuck and everyone else that made it happen. You saved the world, in your own inimitable way. Join John Rain, the author of the critically-acclaimed Thunderbook: The World of Bond According to Smersh Pod, as he examines a choice selection of the greatest action movies from the decade when the explosion was king.Trade Review'Weapons. Wounds. Warlords. Watford! Explodobook is a hilarious, gripping and muscular flex through every bulge and bruise of 80s action cinema, and a truly heartfelt paean to the lost joys of VHS culture. I LOVE this book' -- Séamas O'Reilly'Funny, hilarious, comic and very well-informed, Explodobook is the ultimate guide to every apocalypse movie ever made' -- David Quantick'John Rain’s hilarious new book is a laugh-out-loud, impeccably detailed nostalgia trip through the golden era of action movies. It’s like watching these films again with an old friend. I loved it' -- Jim Howick'In shades and a bloodied vest, bogies everywhere, John Rain kicks down the doors and gloriously celebrates the great action movies of the 1980s. Pulse-pumping, hilarious and deeply affectionate, I fell in love with those films all over again. Yippee-ki-yay, motherf*****' -- Alistair Petrie

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Book SynopsisWriter, producer, and director Wes Craven has successfully tapped into the horror vein for over forty years, serving up scary, funny, cutting-edge thrillers that have become classics in the genre. His films have been both critical and commercial successes, most notably Nightmare on Elm Street, which spawned a series of sequels and made Craven (and his creation, Freddy Kruger) an international sensation. He then created a second indelible series in the horror movie trope with Scream. In Screams & Nightmares, Brian J. Robb examines Craven's entire career, from his low-budget beginnings to his most recent box office hits, from the banned thriller The Last House on the Left and the cult classic The Hills Have Eyes to the outrageous Shocker and The People Under the Stairs. Through exclusive interviews with Craven, Robb provides in-depth accounts of the making of each of the films – including the final instalments of the Scream series – Craven's foray into writing novels, and his numerous television projects.Trade Review'Brian J Robb focuses on the films, including the obscure ones. He writes engagingly and with detail . . . As Craven once said, “I’m a person who understands how people are afraid.” And Robb understands how he transferred that fear to the screen' -- Ed Potton * The Times *'definitive . . . info-packed and exceptionally well written . . . there is no writer better qualified to chronicle the life and work of a remarkable talent' -- Barry Forshaw * The Dark Side *'a remarkably addictive and easy-to-read guide to Craven’s work, piling in juicy snippets and lesser-known background . . . a comprehensive picture of Craven and his output' -- Nick Joy * Si-Fi Bulletin *

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Book SynopsisFrom Turner Classic Movies, this fun and challenging game offers film lovers 400+ questions to test their movie knowledge! The perfect game to accompany your next  movie night. Set includes: 104 Card Trivia Deck: 104 full-color printed cards filled with trivia questions (4 per card) Broad Range of Questions: Questions encompass behind the scenes details as well as the stars and stories that have lit up the screen from the silent era through modern times; cards measure 3 x 5 inches Keepsake Box: Cards are house in a deluxe full-color printed keepsake box with magnetic closure Entertain like a Pro: This game works for solo play as well as groups of 2, 3, or more Perfect Gift: A movie lover's dream game Officially Licensed: Trivia from the film buff's network Turner Classic Movies

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Book Synopsis"You Talkin' to Me?" is a fun, fascinating, and exhaustively reported look at all the iconic Hollywood movie quotes we know and love, from Casablanca to Dirty Harry and The Godfather to Mean Girls. Drawing on interviews, archival sleuthing, and behind-the-scenes details, the book examines the origins and deeper meanings of hundreds of film lines: how they've impacted, shaped, and reverberated through the culture, defined eras in Hollywood, and become cemented in the modern lexicon. Packed with film stills, sidebars, lists, and other fun detours throughout movie history, the book covers all genres and a diverse range of directors, writers, and audiences.

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Book SynopsisAn extra-terrestrial alien, capable of replicating any living form it touches, infiltrates an isolated research base in the Antarctic, and sows suspicion and terror among the men trapped there. Which of them is still human, and which a perfect alien facsimile? John Carpenter’s The Thing, the second adaptation of John W. Campbell’s 1938 novella Who Goes There?, received overwhelmingly negative reviews on its release in 1982, but has since been acknowledged as a classic fusion of the science fiction and horror genres. Now a regular fixture in lists of the greatest movies of all time, it is acclaimed for its inspired and still shocking practical special effects, its deftly sketched characters brought to life by a superb cast, elegant widescreen cinematography, ominous score, and a uniquely tense narrative packed with appropriately ever-changing metaphors about the human condition. Anne Billson’s elegant and trenchant study, first published in 1997, was one of the first publications to give the film its due as a modern classic, hailing it as a landmark movie that brilliantly redefined horror and science fiction conventions, and combined them with sly humour, Lewis Carroll logic and disturbingly prescient metaphors for many of the sociopolitical, scientific and medical upheavals of the past three decades. In her foreword to this new edition, Anne Billson reflects upon The Thing's changing fortunes in the years since its release, its influence on film-makers including Tarantino and del Toro, and its topicality in an era of melting ice caps and with humanity besieged by a deadly organism.Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction 1. Back story 2. The set-up 3. The legend 4. 'I don't know what the hell's in there, but it's weird and pissed off.' 5. First blood 6. Breaking the rules 7. 'You've got to be fucking kidding' 8. Endgame Notes Credits Bibliography

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Book SynopsisReleased in 1990, The Silence of the Lambs is one of the defining films of late twentieth century American cinema. Adapted from the Thomas Harris novel and directed by the late Jonathan Demme, its central characters are now iconic. Jodie Foster is Clarice Starling, an FBI trainee investigating ‘Buffalo Bill’, a serial killer who flays his victims. Anthony Hopkins plays Hannibal Lecter, a serial killer and former psychiatrist who assists Starling in exchange for personal details. With its pairing of a perverse, invasive anti-hero and a questing, proto-action heroine, The Silence of the Lambs unfolds as a layered narrative of pursuit. In this study, Yvonne Tasker explores the film’s weaving together of gothic, horror and thriller elements in its portrayal of insanity and crime, drawing out the centrality of ideas about gender to the storytelling. She identifies the film as a key genre reference point for tracking late twentieth century interests in police procedural, profiling and serial murder, analysing its key themes of reason and madness, identity and belonging, aspiration and transformation. A new afterword explores the legacies of The Silence of the Lambs and its figuring of crime and investigation in terms of gender disruption and spectacular violence.Table of ContentsDedication Acknowledgments 1. Birds, Lambs and Butterflies 2. The Sum and the Parts: Horror, Crime and the Woman’s Picture 3. Detection and Deduction 4. The Female Gothic 5. Under the Skin 6. Afterword to the 2021 Edition Credits

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Book SynopsisIn Seven Samurai (1954) a whole society is on the verge of irrevocable change. Akira Kurosawa’s celebrated film, regarded by many to be the major achievement of Japanese cinema, is an epic that evokes the cultural upheaval brought on by the collapse of Japanese militarism in the 16th century, but at the same time echoes also the sweeping cultural changes occurring in the aftermath of the American Occupation that followed Japan's defeat in the Second World War. The plot is deceptively simple. A village of farmers is beleaguered by a horde of bandits. In desperation, the farmers decide to hire itinerant samurai to protect their crops and people and defeat the bandits. There had never been a Japanese film in which peasants hired samurai, or an evocation of the social transformation that made such an idea credible. There are six samurai and one who is accepted as such. Together they reflect the ideals and values of a noble class near the point of extinction. Seven Samurai may be the greatest action film, a technical masterpiece unmatched in its depiction of movement and violence, but running beneath the sound and fury is a lament for a lost nobility, ‘a dirge for the spirit of Japan,’ writes Joan Mellen, ‘which will never again be so strong.’ Mellen's study contextualises Seven Samurai, marking its place in Japanese cinema and in Kurosawa’s film-making career. She explores the film’s roots in medieval history and, above all, the astonishing visual language in which Kurosawa created his elegiac epic.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Foreword to the 2022 Edition Seven Samurai Credits Biography

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Book SynopsisSofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation (2003) brings two Americans together in Tokyo, each experiencing a personal crisis. Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), a recent graduate in philosophy, faces an uncertain professional future, while Bob Harris (Bill Murray), an established celebrity, questions his choices at midlife. Both are distant — emotionally and spatially — from their spouses. They are lost until they develop an intimate connection. In the film’s poignant, famously ambiguous closing scene, they find each other, only to separate. In this close look at the multi-award-winning film, Suzanne Ferriss mirrors Lost in Translation’s structuring device of travel: her analysis takes the form of a trip, from planning to departure. She details the complexities of filming (a 27-day shoot with no permits in Tokyo), explores Coppola’s allusions to fine art, subtle colour palette and use of music over words, and examines the characters’ experiences of the Park Hyatt Tokyo and excursions outside, together and alone. She also re-evaluates the film in relation to Coppola’s other features, as the product of an established director with a distinctive cinematic signature: ‘Coppolism’. Fundamentally, Ferriss argues that Lost in Translation is not only a cinema classic, but classic Coppola too.Trade ReviewFerriss finds precision amid ambiguity in her acute study of Sofia Coppola's second feature. . . . Sharp on the movie-wise banter between Bob and Charlotte, she's equally sensitive to the film's unspoken, unresolved feelings: in Ferriss' reading, Lost unfolds like a pop song, its fragments charged with lingering feeling. * Total Film *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction 1. Trip Planning 2. Arrivals 3. Accommodations 4. Sights 5. Departures 6. Reception Notes Credits Bibliography

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Book SynopsisThis study offers a fresh approach to the remarkable German film The Lives of Others (2006), known for its compelling representation of a Stasi surveillance officer and the moral and ethical turmoil that results when he begins spying on a playwright and his actress lover. Annie Ring analyses the film's cinematography, mise-en-scène and editing, tracing connections with Hollywood movies such as Casablanca and Hitchcock’s Torn Curtain in the film's portrayal of an individual rebelling against a brutal dehumanising regime. Drawing on archival sources, including primary research from the Stasi files themselves, as well as Enlightenment philosophies of art and Brecht’s theories on theatre dating from his GDR years, she explores the film's strong but much-disputed claims to historical authenticity. She examines the way the film tracks the world-changing political shift that took place at the end of the Cold War – away from the collective dreams of socialism and towards the dreams of the private individual, arguing that this is what makes it at once widely appealing and fascinatingly problematic. In doing so, she highlights why The Lives of Others is a crucial film for thinking at the horizon between film and recent world history.Trade ReviewA considered study of the 2006 Oscar-winner. -- James Mottram * Total Film *What makes a classic film? Annie Ring offers intriguing answers to this question in an accessible and engaging volume with breath-taking range and intriguing depth. From surveillance to melodrama and from Brecht to Hitchcock, she covers the myriad facets of a modern-day classic, The Lives of Others. -- Barbara Mennel, University of Florida, USAThis original and fascinating analysis makes a compelling case for including The Lives of Others in the canon of contemporary classic cinema. Anyone who has watched von Donnersmarck’s Stasi melodrama will profit from reading Annie Ring’s well-researched and accessible book. -- Daniela Berghahn, Royal Holloway, University of London, UKTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction 1. A Contemporary Classic - and a Conservative One? 2. The Authenticity of a Very Hollywood Film Mode 3. Depicting the Stasi's Surveillance Regime 4. The Good Spy of East Berlin: Captain Gerd Weisler 5. Brecht, Performance, and the Politics of an Aesthetic Education 6. 'Sister Art Is/Coming on Stage': Christa- Maria Sieland 7. Success? Georg Dreyman and German Unification Conclusion Notes Credits Bibliography

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Book SynopsisA legendary fusion of science fiction and horror, Ridley Scott''s Alien (1979) is one of the most enduring films of modern cinema its famously visceral scenes acting like a traumatic wound we seem compelled to revisit.Tracing the constellation of talents that came together to produce the film, Roger Luckhurst examines its origins as a monster movie script called Star Beast, dismissed by many in Hollywood as B-movie trash, through to its afterlife in numerous sequels, prequels and elaborations.Exploring the ways in which Alien compels us to think about otherness, Luckhurst demonstrates how and why this interstellar slasher movie, this old dark house in space, came to coil itself around our darkest imaginings about the fragility of humanity.This special edition features original cover artwork by Marta Lech.

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Book SynopsisY Tu Mamá También (2001), an intelligent and sensual road movie directed by Alfonso Cuarón and co-written by him and his brother Carlos, is both an acclaimed feature by a director who would go on to win Oscars and a box office success abroad and in its native Mexico, where it was the biggest grossing local film of all time. Its teenage protagonists Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna went on to be major stars of global cinema. Yet on its release the film was vilified by established Mexican critics as a coarse comedy and ‘Penthouse fantasy’ of youthful lust for an older woman. Paul Julian Smith's lucid study of the film argues that Y Tu Mamá También not only addresses with playful seriousness such major issues as gender, race, class, and space, which are yet more urgent now than they were on its release; but that the film’s apparently casual aesthetic masks a sophisticated audiovisual style, one which brings together popular genre film and auteurist experiment. Smith suggests Y Tu Mamá También remains an example for world cinema of how a very local film can connect with a global audience that is ignorant of such niceties. Combining production and distribution history, based on unexplored material held in Mexico City archives, with close textual analysis, Smith makes an argument for Cuarón’s film as an enduring masterpiece that hides in plain sight as an ephemeral teen movie.Trade Review[An] illuminating study. -- Miranda France * Times Literary Supplement *Smith writes with the fluency of an award-winning journalist and the analytical sharpness of the leading academic that he is. This is an essential and highly readable book for anyone who wants to learn the story of Y tu mamá también and understand how it has become a classic film of Mexican and international cinema. -- Deborah Shaw, University of Portsmouth, UKPaul Julian Smith combines a breadth of knowledge of Mexican film with insights from online fan cultures in this broad ranging, distinctive, and highly readable book. It is a must for those studying both Y tu mama también and Mexican film culture. -- Niamh Thornton, Liverpool University, UKPaul Julian Smith has written the essential book on what I consider to be Mexico’s best film of the century so far. With a deep knowledge of its production and circulation, this book provides readers not only with a comprehensive study of Y tu mamá también, but also with a model on how to write a book that is at the same time rigorous and readable. -- Ignacio M. Sánchez Prado, Washington University in St. Louis, USA.Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction: Still Charolastras 1. Pop Kills Poetry? 2. Alternative Routes 3. Sound and Vision 4. Sweat and Stardom 5. Afterlives Notes Credits

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Book SynopsisFeaturing a host of unpublished interviews, this is the first book to explore the greatest year in Hollywood's history - 1971

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Book SynopsisJohn Rain is a Bond fanatic, and the host of the cult podcast Smersh Pod. He lives in Sussex in an abandoned volcanoTrade Review'An affectionately droll Bond-by-Bond stroll through the films we know and love, whether we like them or not' -- Al Murray'Beautifully observed and a laugh-out-loud joy' -- Kathy Burke'A book full of Bond love and occasional bewilderment' -- Samira Ahmed'Nobody does it better. John Rain delivers his love letter to Bond with a raised eyebrow that would do Roger Moore proud' -- Joel Morris

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Book SynopsisThis fully updated edition includes the 25th Bond film,No Time To Die,and also features a chapter coveringNever Say Never Again, which starred Sean Connery as Bond but was not an official Eon film.The Bond films have entertained annoyed, excited, bored, aroused and invigorated cinemagoers (and ITV4 viewers) for more than fifty years. Who hasn't wanted to kick a big bloke with metal teeth in the groin? Fly a small plane out of a pretend horse's bottom? Or push a middle-aged man into space? No one, that's who.Thunderbook: The World of Bond According to Smersh Pod affectionately examines Bond with tongue firmly in cheek and elbow dug in ribs. Join John Rain as he goes film-by-film through the Bond saga as he points out all the good, the bad, and the double-taking pigeons contained within Bond's half-century of world domination.With one chapter for each of the twenty-five films, Thunderbook examines all the moments that are funny, silly, rubbish, nonsensical, bizarre and interesting, with Trade Review'An affectionately droll Bond-by-Bond stroll through the films we know and love, whether we like them or not' -- Al Murray'Beautifully observed and a laugh-out-loud joy' -- Kathy Burke'A book full of Bond love and occasional bewilderment' -- Samira Ahmed'Nobody does it better. John Rain delivers his love letter to Bond with a raised eyebrow that would do Roger Moore proud' -- Joel Morris

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Book SynopsisA comprehensive study of Channel 4's film production, distribution and broadcasting activates from 1982 to 1998

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Book SynopsisFeaturing more than 6,500 articles, including over 350 new entries, this fifth edition of The Encyclopedia of British Film is an invaluable reference guide to the British film industry. It is the most authoritative volume yet, stretching from the inception of the industry to the present day, with detailed listings of the producers, directors, actors and studios behind a century or so of great British cinema. Brian McFarlane's meticulously researched guide is the definitive companion for anyone interested in the world of film. Previous editions have sold many thousands of copies, and this fifth instalment will be an essential work of reference for universities, libraries and enthusiasts of British cinema.Trade Review'A massive achievement.'The Observer'Superbly done – comprehensive, eclectic and compulsively readable ... a delight to browse as well as an indispensable tool.'Sight & Sound'A fantastic achievement.'Professor Charles Barr'The Encyclopedia is astonishing – I learn things from it every time I open it.'Kevin Brownlow -- .Table of ContentsIntroduction to the Fifth EditionIntroduction to the Fourth EditionIntroduction to the Third EditionIntroduction to the Second EditionIntroduction to the First EditionEntries A–ZAwardsSome title changesSelect bibliographyThematic entries

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Book SynopsisAndy Warhol’s The Chelsea Girls had its premiere at the Film-Maker’s Cinémathèque on 15 September 1966. It sold out a 200-seat theatre and went on to become the first film to move from the underground to commercial cinema. Since 1972, when Warhol pulled all of his films out of distribution, the public has had extremely limited access to The Chelsea Girls , outside of museum screenings. In honour of the 20th Anniversary of The Andy Warhol Museum and what would have been Warhol’s 85th birthday, hundreds of Warhol’s films – some never seen before – have been converted to a digital format with the partnership of The Andy Warhol Museum, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the Moving Picture Company (MPC), a Technicolor Company. This book is an in-depth look at Warhol’s most famous film. It includes all newly digitized film stills, never-before-published transcripts, unpublished archival materials, and expanded information about each of the individual films that comprise the three- plus hour film. As the film alternates sound between the left and right screens, the book reproduces the transcript in complete form as one hears it, with imagery from the corresponding reels. There is also a full transcription of the unheard reels in the back of the book. This is a substantial contribution to the scholarship on Warhol’s complex and most commercial film.

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Book SynopsisFrancis Ford Coppola's The Godfather, Part II (1974) is a magisterial cinematic work, a gorgeous, stylized, auteur epic, and one of the few sequels judged by many to be greater than its predecessor. This despite the fact that it consists largely of meetings between aspiring 'Godfather' Michael Corleone and fellow gangsters, politicians and family members. The meetings remind us that the modern gangster’s success is built upon inside information and on strategic planning. Michael and his father Vito’s days resemble those of the legitimate businessmen they aspire or pretend to be. Jon Lewis's study of Coppola's masterpiece provides a close analysis of the film and a discussion of its cinematic and political contexts. It is structured in three sections: “The Sequel,” “The Dissolve,” and “The Sicilian Thing” – accommodating three avenues of inquiry, respectively: the film’s importance in and to Hollywood history, its unique, auteur style and form; and its cultural significance. Of interest, then, is New Hollywood history, mise-en-scene, and a view of the Corleone saga as a cautionary capitalist parable, as a metaphor of the corruption of American power, post-Vietnam, post-Watergate.Table of ContentsAcknowledgments 1. The Sequel 2. The Dissolve 3. The Sicilian Thing Credits

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Book SynopsisA comprehensive encyclopedia of film. It features more than 8,000 entries on the artistic, technical, and commercial aspects of moviemaking, including: directors, producers, stars, screenwriters, and cinematographers, styles, genres, and schools of filmmaking, motion picture studios and film centers; and film-related organizations and events.Trade Review"Wow! What a book!" -- Katharine Hepburn "Recommended for any reference collection in need of a world view of film." -- Booklist "The best movie reference book, hands down." -- Newsweek

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Book SynopsisTo coincide with the 50th anniversary of the original Star Trek TV series, CBS Consumer Products have commissioned a series of art pieces to celebrate moments, characters, storylines and episodes from the Franchise. Artists from around the world as well as famous fans have contributed lovingly made posters, photos, sculptures, comic strips, textiles and much more to commemorate this beloved show. Foreword by Nicholas Meyer.Trade Review“Perfectly scheduled to wrap up the fiftieth anniversary of the original Star Trek television series, this is the perfect gift for the Trekkie on your list.” - Joblo gift guide“An amazing tribute book” - Atomic Moo“The next best thing to going to the exhibit” - Trek Today"Just reading about the affection that most of the artists share for Star Trek, and their favorite moments or characters from the show or the films was almost as entertaining for me as the art was." - Beyond the Marquee “A colorful, beautifully illustrated guide for the Star Trek fan that appreciates artists interpreting the franchise.” - Borg.com“’A beautiful looking book that would make any Star Trek fan drool” - Entertainment Buddha“Forgive me for saying this, but this book is out of this world.” - Adventures in Poor Taste “About as perfect a collection of Star Trek art as you could hope for.” - The Fandom Post“As a huge new-generation Star Trek fan, I can say I loved every second of getting the chance to review this art book.” - Gamers Sphere“Inspiring” - Omnivoracious“Star Trek: 50 Artists 50 Years offers up beautiful artwork for fans and makes a great read for those who’ve also loved what Star Trek has had to contribute all these decades.” - Geeks of Doom“This art book is a true labor of love and with every turn of its pages, the more inspired and contented you’ll feel while drinking in every detail." - Project Fandom"As Wrath of Khan director Nicholas Meyer puts it in the foreward, “What you are about to see surely merits an occasion for display.” - The Film Stage“This Holiday season, if you have a “Trekkie” fanatic, this book will do the trick. I had a smile of my face looking at the pages of artwork and reading the Star Trek insights. Star Trek 50 Artists 50 Years will make a wonderful gift for Star Trek fanatics.” - Retrenders“Any Trekkie will love it.” - Entertainment Buddha gift guide"An excellent addition to your library or the library of your favorite Trekker" - Geekstronomy

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