Films, cinema Books

Book Synopsis The funny and insightful first-person story of the trailblazing movie director of the 80s and 90s whose fearless punk drama, Smithereens became the first American indie film to compete at Cannes, and smash hit Desperately Seeking Susan led to a four-decade career in film. Starting out in the mid-70s, a time when few women were directing movies, Susan was determined to become a filmmaker. She longed to tell stories about the unrepresented characters she wanted to see on screen: unconventional women in unusual circumstances, needing to express themselves and maintain their autonomy. Her genre-blending films reflect a passion for classic Hollywood storytelling, mixed with a playful New Wave spirit, informed by her years living in downtown NYC. Seidelman continued to shape American pop culture well into the nineties, directing the pilot of the iconic TV series Sex And The City, focusing her sharp lens on the changing place of women in American socie

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Book SynopsisSam Rohdie's insightful and compelling analysis of Luchino Visconti's 1960 epic of modern urban life provides reveals the film as one of the greatest masterpieces of Italian cinema. Rocco tells the story of a family of peasants uprooted from their village in southern Italy, and forced to battle for existence in the industrial metropolis of Milan. Though fascinated by the social reality of modern Italy, Visconti had by this time thrown off the influence of the neorealist movement. He had developed a style all his own, enriched by his experience of directing opera for the stage. As a result, the characters in Rocco are no longer held in check by the naturalistic conventions of neorealism. Instead, they erupt on the screen with all the emotional power of heightened melodrama. The violent sexuality projected by stars Alain Delon, Annie Girardot, Claudia Cardinale and the rest of Visconti's impressive cast was too much for the Italian censors, who cut several scenes. Rohdie discusses the film in terms of its 'passionate splendid realism', arguing that these two apparently opposing moods are held in balance rather than contradiction in the film, part of 'the very condition of the film's power - and grace.'Table of ContentsForeword to the 2020 Edition Acknowledgements Introduction Rocco and His Brothers Notes Credits Bibliography

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Book Synopsis"A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..." For more than five decades, the Skywalker saga has thrilled generations of fans who have grown up with one of the greatest stories in cinematic history. This sprawling epic of nine episodic films covers 67 years of unforgettable action, featuring thousands of iconic characters, from Star Wars: A New Hope to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. And the Star Wars Insider magazine has been there every step of the way, gaining exclusive access to cast, crew, and creators. Now, collected together for the first time, this movie companion chronicles the story behind the making of the Skywalker saga, as told by the writers, directors, designers, and crafts people who built and shaped a legend. From George Lucas' thoughts on embarking on the making of A New Hope to Ewan McGregor on stepping into the shoes of the late Sir Alec Guinness to play Obi-Wan Kenobi to Daisy Ridley taking on the role of Rey in the final trilogy, this is a must-have for anyone touched by this incredible story.

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Book SynopsisThe tales collected in The Nose and Other Stories are among the greatest achievements of world literature. They showcase Nikolai Gogol’s vivid, haunting imagination: an encounter with evil in a darkened church, a downtrodden clerk who dreams only of a new overcoat, a nose that falls off a face and reappears around town on its own.Trade Review[A] first-rate collection . . . Admirers of Gogol and his odd sensibilities will devour this excellent gathering. * Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review *While they deal in subjects including witchcraft, demonic influence, and madness, Gogol’s stories are as humorous as they are bizarre . . . The Nose and Other Stories is filled with ill-fated characters, strange happenings, and satirical commentary. * Foreword Reviews *Since much of Gogol’s humor depends on linguistic play, he has proven resistant to adequate translation. . . Fusso’s ear for humor makes all the difference. * New York Review of Books *Crazy, colorful, delightful, and sad, Gogol’s short stories are among the great gems of Russian literature. Susanne Fusso’s scholarly and stylish new translations bring them alive once again and make this selection a pleasure to read. -- David Bellos, author of Is That a Fish in Your Ear?: Translation and the Meaning of EverythingThe first major English translation of Gogol’s stories in more than twenty years, The Nose and Other Stories captures his humor and complexity brilliantly. This volume will prove to be a great read for students and Russian literature enthusiasts alike. -- Bruce Holl, Trinity University[A] really wonderful collection of Gogol’s writings, and essential for any lover of his work. * Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings *An erudite, modern translation of [Gogol’s] work that shows clearly how this strange writer became a defining influence on Russian literature and beyond. * Paperback Paris *In a move that preserves a sense of foreignness in the English translation, Fusso employs something closer to a literal translation than the more idiomatic one used by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky in their 2011 rendering of Gogol’s stories. Fusso maintains the pacing and eeriness of Gogol’s narrative flow while also stretching out some of the language . . . Such choices in translation create a subtle nod to the linguistic distance Russian readers would have experienced reading Gogol’s prose. * The Nation *Susanne Fusso does excellent work making the Russian-to-English prose accessible, readable, and unfussily poetic. * Jason Half's Blog *[Fusso's] translation captures all of Gogol’s magic. * Evilcyclist's Bookshelf *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction, by Susanne FussoNotes on the TranslationTable of Ranks1. The Lost Letter2. Viy3. The Portrait (1835 version)4. Nevsky Avenue5. Diary of a Madman6. The Carriage7. The Nose8. Rome (A Fragment)9. The OvercoatNotes

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Book SynopsisFocusing on the cultural and philosophic conflation between the oriental and the ornamental, Ornamentalism offers an original and sustained theory about Asiatic femininity in western culture. This study pushes our vocabulary about the woman of color past the usual platitudes about objectification and past the critique of Orientalism in order to formulate a fresher and sharper understanding of the representation, circulation, and ontology of Asiatic femininity. This book alters the foundational terms of racialized femininity by allowing us to conceptualize race and gender without being solely beholden to flesh or skin. Tracing a direct link between the making of Asiatic femininity and a technological history of synthetic personhood in the West from the nineteenth to the twenty-first century, Ornamentalism demonstrates how the construction of modern personhood in the multiple realms of law, culture, and art has been surprisingly indebted to this very marginal figure and places Asian femininity at the center of an entire epistemology of race. Drawing from and speaking to the multiple fields of feminism, critical race theory, visual culture, performance studies, legal studies, Modernism, Orientalism, Object Studies and New Materialism, Ornamentalism will leave reader with a greater understanding of what it is to exist as a person-thing within the contradictions of American culture.Trade ReviewCheng's scholarship affectivizes theoretical approaches to subjectivity, to objectivity, and to their relation, by showing how...the ornaments ...of modernity are not additions to (adornment on) pre-existing subjects and objects, but instead bring these elements into ontological and phenomenological tangibility. * M. Gail Hamner, Syracuse University *Cheng offers no less than a thorough reworking of the dichotomies that have thus far structured racial thinking--self/other, subject/object, surface, depth, agency/injury. * Los Angeles Review of Books *What Anne Cheng looks to offer in her new monograph Ornamentalism is a heretofore-missing theory of Asiatic femininity ... Ornamentalism offers an alternative vision of agency as not resistance but resilience, of forms of living produced under impossible conditions -- providing, too, a much-needed concretization of post-humanism's rhetorical gestures. * Chalay Chalermkraivuth, Brink *Through a constellation of mesmerizing scenes- from the courtroom to the museum to the sushi bar, from early photographs to cyberfiction film- Anne Anlin Cheng reveals the drama of ornamentalism in Anglo-American culture: the ontological force with which Asiatic femininity resides in an aesthetics of ornamental personhood. Within the dynamics of this drama- conflating the abstract and the corporeal, the figural and the real- personhood and objecthood ineluctably converge. Above all Ornamentalism tracks new and essential questions for the study of racialized gender. * Bill Brown, University of Chicago *A worthy successor to Edward W. Said's Orientalism, Cheng's Ornamentalism contours the breadth of ornamentation's enmeshment with orientalist logics and poses socially pertinent questions regarding the distinctive ways in which Blackness and Asianness are visualized and adorned. * Rachel Lee, University of California, Los Angeles *This bold and astonishingly original book is many things at once. Attending to the ways in which race and beauty troublingly but also pleasurably intertwine, it begins as a study of comparative racialization that shows how the dehumanization of persons transpires differently: some by being reduced to flesh and biology, others, by being turned into artificial shells. A much needed theorization of Asiatic femininity in the Western imagination that thinks without moralizations, Ornamentalism is a brilliant, groundbreaking book that shows how the ideology of race renders subjects excessively visible but also simultaneously hard to see. * Sianne Ngai, University of Chicago *This is a stunning critical-historical unpacking of the figure of the 'Asiatic yellow woman' as a peripheral person/object, exotic/erotic, she/it. This haunted 'theory of being' nudges and advocates a fuller critique adding to #MeToo universalism and the shorthand of 'black and brown' women and fem bodies- opening a more decolonizing internationalist theory of raced, gendered, and sexualized intimacies, differentiation, and power. * John Kuo Wei Tchen, Rutgers University-Newark *Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1: Borders and Embroidery Chapter 2: Gleaming Things Chapter 3: Blue Willow Chapter 4: Edible Pets Chapter 5: Dolls Coda: Chokecherry Credits Notes Index

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Book SynopsisMost Hollywood biographies are little more than 500-page musings on the ‘ when-I-met… ’ theme, filled with famous names, love affairs and cliché s of a ‘ meteoric rise’ or ‘ tragic fall’ . Bruce Campbell’ s If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor is the boisterous antidote to such convention. Campbell is the ultimate ‘ B’ Movie actor. Star of the cult Evil Dead trilogy, with a CV that ranges from buddy Sam Raimi’ s Spider-Man, through The X-Files and Xena: Warrior Princess, to the less-than-glamorous Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters, you’ ve probably never heard of him. But his is one heck of a story! The popularity of Bruce, the cult hero of cable TV and Hollywood’ s second rung, is burning brighter than ever, his legion of fans undiminished after over thirty years. Insightful, encouraging and brilliantly funny, If Chins Could Kill! is a brilliant place to start for those unfamiliar with his work. For everyone else, it acts as a wonderful reminder for just why they fell in love with him in the first place.Trade Review‘An insightful and rant-filled guide to being almost famous'‘[an] entertaining and witty Hollywood memoir…[with] enough insights and smarts to appeal to readers with a serious interest in popular culture.’‘This engaging memoir offers much more than the standard, glamorous "and then I did..." show business autobiography… it succeeds as an evocative memoir that allows the reader to know Campbell. High recommended’‘ An insightful and rant-filled guide to being almost famous' ‘ [an] entertaining and witty Hollywood memoir… [with] enough insights and smarts to appeal to readers with a serious interest in popular culture.’ ‘ This engaging memoir offers much more than the standard, glamorous "and then I did..." show business autobiography… it succeeds as an evocative memoir that allows the reader to know Campbell. High recommended’

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Book SynopsisThe Great Wall: The Art of the Film chronicles the making of this landmark East-meets-West production, accompanied by insight and interviews with key cast and crew, including a foreword by director Zhang Yimou. Packed with fascinating storyboards, sketches, final film frames and behind-the-scenes shots from the set, The Great Wall: The Art of the Film is a stunning celebration of an epic movie that no fan should miss.Trade Review“an impeccably designed, content-rich item that is certainly a great complement to the movie” - Film Pulse“a beautifully hard-bound coffee table book” Retrenders “this is one of the best looking art books I’ve reviewed” Entertainment Buddha“ The superb showcase of the film’s incredible artwork, its style, and its design, make this book among the decade’s best books about the making of a film.” Borg.com “so rich with details that putting the book down is a difficult decision” Gamers Sphere “flipping through this art book is a treat for those who enjoy seeing the craft and care put into production.” - Midroad Movie Review“a beautiful publication” The Film Stage “straight up one of the most purely beautiful and elegant art books you’ll lay eyes on” - VG Blogger

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Book SynopsisWakanda forever! Celebrate the flavors of Africa with this cookbook inspired by over fifty years of Black Panther comics. Create meals fit for a king with this cookbook featuring over seventy delicious recipes from Wakanda and the African continent. Whether you're welcoming Wakandan envoys, or simply hosting a watch party with friends, the 70+ African cuisine-inspired recipes in Marvel's Black Panther: The Official Wakanda Cookbook make it a must-have volume for any kitchen.

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Book SynopsisWeave magic into your knits with the first-ever Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas knitting guide, featuring more than 25 patterns inspired by the strange and creepy characters of Tim Burton’s beloved classic.Become your own mad scientist and knit to life the quirky characters and creepy costumes inspired by Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. Inspired by the characters of Jack Skellington, Sally, Dr. Finkelstein, Zero, Oogie Boogie, the Mayor, Sandy Claws, and more, these patterns feature a mix of dark and vibrant knits and glow-in-the-dark yarn in celebration of the melding of Halloween and Christmas in this classic film. Oogie Boogie and Zero stuffies come to life with the help of your knitting needles, and clothing, home décor, holiday decorations, and more will transport you to the moonlit hills, dark cemeteries, and eerie cobblestone streets of Tim Burton’s stop-motion world. Featuring more than 25 wickedly creative knits pictured in stunning full-color photography, this book includes patterns suited for beginner and advanced knitters alike. Patterns for Sally’s slouchy socks and Sandy Claw’s Christmas stocking are ideal for new knitters, while more advanced projects like Sally’s patchwork dress will satisfy longtime crafters. Plus, this book includes original sketches, film stills, and other behind-the-scenes goodies that are sure to satisfy the most die-hard of Tim Burton fans.

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Book SynopsisAn illustrated volume that offers a behind-the-scenes look at Academy Award-winning director Ang Lee's most ambitious film, an adaptation of Yann Martel's international bestseller and Man Booker Prize-winning novel. It includes a foreword by Martel and an introduction by Lee.

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Book SynopsisFirst published in 1969, Signs and Meaning in the Cinema transformed the emerging discipline of film studies. Remarkably eclectic and informed, Peter Wollen's highly influential and groundbreaking work remains a brilliant and accessible theorisation of film as an art form and as a sign system. The book is divided into three main sections. The first explores the work of Sergei Eisenstein as film-maker, designer and aesthetician. The second, which contains a celebrated comparison of the films of John Ford and Howard Hawks, is an exposition and defence of the auteur theory. The third formulates a semiology of the cinema, invoking cinema as an exemplary test-case for comparative aesthetics and general theories of signification. Wollen's Conclusion argues for an avant-garde cinema, bringing post-structuralist ideas into his discussion of Godard and other contemporaries. Published as part of the BFI Silver series, this fifth edition features a new foreword by film theorist David Rodowick and brings together material from the four previous editions, inviting the reader to trace the development of Wollen's thinking, and the unfolding of the discourse of cinema.Table of ContentsForeword to the 5th Edition.- D. N. Rodowick.- Introduction.- 1: Eisenstein's Aesthetics.- 2: The Auteur Theory.- 3: The Semiology of the Cinema.- Conclusion (1972).- Appendices.- The Writings of Lee Russell: New Left Review (1964–7).- Conclusion (1969).- Style and Aesthetics (1969).- Pantheon Directors (1969).- Afterword (1997): Lee Russell Interviews Peter Wollen.- Booklist (1972).- Acknowledgments (1969).- Editorial Note (2013).- Index.

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Book SynopsisThese authors knowledge of the nuances of movie and television accounting shines through the pages of this book, which is sure to become a standard reference in this field. -- Harold L. Vogel, author, Entertainment Industry Economics. The distribution of a motion pictures profits is, for most filmmakers, a murky, labyrinthine domain ruled by studio/distributor accountants and lawyers. Movie Money -- a must-read for all film producers, directors, writers, and actors -- unravels, demystifies, and explains the film industrys unique, arcane, creative accounting practices. It examines a films various revenue-generating and revenue-consuming components and presents numerous film industry definitions and calculations of gross and net profits. It also provides in-depth coverage of the various aspects of profit participation -- its terminology and accounting and deal practices -- along with chapters on audits, claims, and negotiating tips and tricks. The Third Edition adds a wealth of all-new material on New Media, a chapter on film distribution and production in todays China, written by Tracy Liang (a CPA with Green Hasson Janks), as well as a thorough updating of every section of the book.

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Book SynopsisA behind-the-scenes guide to the long-awaited return of one of cinema’s most iconic aliens: The Predator! Go behind the scenes of the epic new movie The Predator with interviews with the cast and crew, rare interviews in a step-by-step guide to the blockbusting movie. Along with a gallery of rare images and concept art, this title also features a detailed synopsis of the movie. An essential companion to the film and for all fans of the saga.

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Book SynopsisStar Wars returns, as the hotly anticipated sequel to The Force Awakens takes us to new planets where we will encounter all-new aliens and creatures, along with some old favorites. Re-encounter old friends like Finn, Rey, Luke Skywalker and General Leia, and terrifying enemies such as Snoke, Kylo Ren and Phasma, and discover more about the movie everybody is talking about!

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewWill twenty-first-century social media technologies finally liberate organizations from stifling bureaucratic hierarchies? After spending ten months closely observing a software firm, Catherine J. Turco, one of sociology's brightest young stars, surprises with fascinating and nuanced answers. Brimming with vivid examples, The Conversational Firm will not only shape scholarly debate but also engage general readers interested in corporate life. -- Viviana A. Zelizer, author of Economic LivesThe Conversational Firm opens a new chapter in the study of workplace democracy by analyzing how social media enable a new balance between workers' autonomy and productivity in high-tech corporate settings. With a particularly keen ethnographic eye, the author reveals a brave new world in which some of the bars of the bureaucratic iron cage are pried open while others remain in place for the pursuit of corporate goals. While millennials gain a more personalized and empowering work environment in the bargain, business leaders gain fuller access to their inner thoughts and creativity. This book will have a lasting impact on the study of corporate cultures and new organizational forms. -- Michèle Lamont, author of The Dignity of Working MenWith The Conversational Firm, Turco uses the role of social media to challenge our fundamental assumptions about how modern organizations function. In this masterful work, she uncovers a new way of organizing where openness and hierarchy complement, rather than contradict one another. I'm putting this book next to my copies of Weber, Barnard, and Chandler. -- Damon Phillips, Columbia Business SchoolIn The Conversational Firm, Turco argues that organizations can transcend bureaucracy, but still they are held in check by certain workplace demands for reproduction and stability. These checks seem to prevent the organization from becoming complete anarchy. Yet perhaps just as important, The Conversational Firm is a rich and delightful organizational ethnography of how work is being transformed in the era of social media. -- Brayden King, Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern UniversityWith a book that is as readable as it is wise, Turco makes a powerful case for the depth of insight that can only come from the best ethnographies—and is unavailable from the 'big data' analyses currently in vogue. Practitioners and scholars alike will come away with their understanding of firm hierarchy, culture, and communication transformed and enriched. -- Ezra Zuckerman Sivan, MIT Sloan School of Management[A] well-written, insightful ethnographic study. -- Theodore Kinni * strategy+business *The right book just at the right time in the right place. . . . An excellent ethnographic account of organizational life. * Organization Studies *Turco does an excellent job....In part, this is the result of the method she chose: ethnographic research of a company that is at the forefront of the social media revolution. In part, it is the result of her accessible writing style; last but not least, it is the result of her deep knowledge of organizational theories. * American Journal of Sociology *A rare and wonderful empirical example of life in a digital startup. * Contemporary Sociology *This book is an excellent addition to the field of publications. . . . Turco accompanies this emotional analysis with rigorous academic context, but this does not impede accessibility. * Isreal Book Review *[Turco's] efforts greatly contribute to shaping the academy's understanding of millennial impact on corporate culture. . . . Highly recommended. * Choice *Table of ContentsPreface Introduction1. The Social Revolution2. Open Communication3. Open Control4. Openness Controls5. Open Culture6. A Conversation About Bureaucracy7. Conversational Spaces8. The Conversational Firm: Implications for Theory9. The Future of the Conversational FirmMethodological Appendix Acknowledgments Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisMeir Zarchi’s I Spit On Your Grave (1978) is of the most controversial films ever made—both condemned as misogynistic and praised for raising uncomfortable issues about sexual violence. David Maguire investigates the historical, social, and political landscape of the film's release and how it has become ground zero for the rape-revenge genre.Trade ReviewA retrospective book. -- John Squires * Bloody Disgusting *It's a fascinating read . . . it's concise and clear in its purpose. * Cinepunx *Maguire comes across as bright and personable, clever and focused without ever wallowing in jargon, and perhaps most importantly of all, aware that ISOYG is not a perfect film whilst still eminently worth of a closer look. A well-written piece of work, the book could easily reward fans as much as students and it’s well worth a place on the shelf. -- Keri O'Shea * Warped Perspective *ISOYG’s careful research and analysis makes for an insightful and enjoyable read throughout, and Maguire’s clear-sightedness enables him to pull off the difficult feat of treating the subject matter seriously (as one would expect) without the book ever becoming dry and humourless. -- Jon Towlson * Starburst Magazine *Table of ContentsAcknowledgementsIntroduction1. History and Herstory in the 1970s and 1980s2. ‘Only Women Bleed’: Filth or Feminist?3. I Spit on Your Grave and its LegacyNotesFilmographyBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisOffers documented accounts of Disney's childhood and young adulthood in rural Missouri and Kansas City. This book sheds light on such episodes in Disney's life as the devastating 1941 strike at his studio, when his ambitions as artist and entrepreneur first came into serious conflict.Table of ContentsPlates Preface Acknowledgments Introduction: "It's All Me" 1 "The Pet in the Family" On the Farm and in the City, 1901--1923 2 "A Cute Idea" The Self-Taught Filmmaker, 1923--1928 3 "You've Got to Really Be Minnie" Building a Better Mouse, 1928--193 4 "This Character Was a Live Person" The Leap to Feature Films, 1934--1938 5 "A Drawing Factory" Ambition's Price, 1938--1941 6 "A Queer, Quick, Delightful Gink" On a Treadmill, 1941--1947 7 "Caprices and Spurts of Childishness" Escaping from Animation, 1947--1953 8 "He Was Interested in Something Else" Escaping from Film, 1953--1959 9 "Where I Am Happy" Restless in the Magic Kingdom, 1959--1965 10 "He Drove Himself Right Up to the End" Dreaming of a Nightmare City, 1965--1966 Afterword: "Let's Never Not Be a Silly Company" Notes Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Herbert effectively traces a genealogy of movies from the strip malls of yesteryear to today's rootless culture of moving-image consumption." -- Benjamin Schultz-Figueroa Film Comment "Videoland: Movie Culture at the American Video Store is an unusual and often unusually compelling study of the emergence and disappearance of American movie-rental stores." -- Clayton Dillard Slant "Videoland...offers an outstanding analysis of film as material object embedded within a specific cultural moment, and it is, I believe, a must-read for students of media history." -- Linnie Blake Times Higher Education "Daniel Herbert's fascinating new study, Videoland, recalls a time that seems impossibly remote, even though it barely ended a decade ago." -- Michael S. Gant SantaCruz.com "Herbert's attention to the interlopers and improbable pioneers who helped propel movie culture forward in the 1980s and 1990s is a welcome addition to other recent examinations of home video as well as the emerging field of media industries." -- Kevin McDonald Discourse "In juxtaposing media industry studies with a specific eye toward Americana and regionalism, Videoland offers a loving tribute to the video store as a significant space in media history." -- David Lerner Spectator "Written in a clear, clean, accessible style, this is a masterful study of a cultural moment whose time has come and gone." -- Wheeler Winston Dixon CHOICE "Through [his] interviews, he creates a richly textured sense of the culture that existed in many video stores, of the way the stores were woven into their local communities, and of the economic challenges the stores confronted in a shifting technological landscape." -- Brian L. Ott Journal of American History "Herbert's interdisciplinary methodology is one of the book's chief achievements. Comprised of excellent historical research and cultural analysis, Videoland also makes an important contribution to a range of subfields within film and media studies, including media distribution, media history, taste cultures, film criticism, and ethnographic audience research." -- Maureen Rogers Velvet Light Trap "An accessible history of the video rental store and its impact on media consumption." -- Kristopher Purzycki Film CriticismTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction: Video Rental and the "Shopping" of Media Part I. The History and Culture of Video Rental 1. A Long Tale 2. Practical Classifications Part II. Video Stores and the Localization of Movie Culture 3. Video Capitals 4. Video Rental in Small-Town America Part III. Circulations of Video Store Culture 5. Distributing Value 6. Mediating Choice: Criticism, Advice, Metadata Coda: The Value of the Tangible Notes Selected Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisSo convinced is Francis Ford Coppola that "live cinema" will become a powerful medium within the larger film industry that he has crafted this instructional book, filled with lively anecdotes and invaluable lessons—a boon for cinema addicts, film students and teachers alike. As digital film-making can now be performed by one director or by a collaborative team working across the Internet, it is a matter of time before cinema auteurs will create "live" films of the highest creative quality that will be sent instantly to be viewed in faraway theatres. Whether recounting his boyhood obsession with film, tracing the origins of "live cinema" through a history of early film and 1950s television or presenting state-of-the-art techniques on everything from rehearsals to equipment, Coppola demonstrates that the spontaneity of "live cinema" will transport film-making into a new era of creativity previously unimaginable.Trade Review"Live Cinema is packed with detailed diaried notes as well as other, directorial, observation, as Coppola outlines the concept-to-reality. Worth a skim through, whatever your present industry role." -- Screentrade"Part technical manifesto, part riveting history of live movies and TV, and part freewheeling artistic reflection, Live Cinema compactly presents Coppola's innovative ideas, depth of knowledge, and enduring passions in the live cinema space." -- Entertainment Weekly"... the ideas conjured in this brief, filmy volume will interest any movie nut." -- Jonathan Dean, Stage & Screen Books of the Year 2017 - The Sunday Times"Live Cinema and its Techniques is a short, accessible, vividly personal, defiantly oddball and fascinating book." -- Viewfinder"Part manifesto, part instruction manual, Live Cinema is a melange of film theory, professional advice, personal history, television history, work notes and Coppola’s assorted thoughts on live film production." -- Times Literary Supplement

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Book SynopsisThe making of the Star Wars saga, as told by the cast and crew. The very best features and interviews from Star Wars Insider--the official magazine of the Star Wars saga! Adam Driver discusses the making of The Force Awakens and his performance as Kylo Ren. Joel Aron, the lighting and effects supervisor on Star Wars: The Clone Wars Star Wars Rebels shares some tricks of the trade and Harrison Ford talks about playing Han Solo for the last time."

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Book SynopsisThe League of GentlemenPart sitcom, part sketch show, part 'Kitchen Sink', part 'Northern Gothic', The League of Gentlemen is one of British television's most innovative and enduring comedy series. Set in the northern town of Royston Vasey, the series introduced viewers to homicidal Local Shop keepers Tubbs and Edward, vindictive training officer Pauline, demonic butcher Hilary Briss, and the nightmarish circus owner Papa Lazarou. Such was the series' effect that the word 'local' would never seem the same again.The majority of these grotesque characters were played by Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, who created and wrote the series with Jeremy Dyson. In addition to creating a unique world, where the mundane collided with the macabre, the League showcased a versatility in its performers rarely seen in TV comedy. Leon Hunt's entertaining and illuminating study offers the most sustained analysis of the series. Drawing on original interviews with Dyson and Gatiss, he traces the League's evolution, from fringe theatre to radio to television, from sketch-based material to the longer narratives of the Christmas Special and the contentious third series. Hunt contextualises the series as a 'cult classic', discussing its place within traditions of British comedy, its references to horror and fantasy and its creation of a grotesque and self-contained world. Leon Hunt is Senior Lecturer in Film and TV Studies at Brunel University. He is the author of Kung Fu Cult Masters: From Bruce Lee to Crouching Tiger (2003) and British Low Culture: From Safari Suits to Sexploitation (1998).Trade Review'Throughout, Hunt balances fannish enthusiasm, which requires a witty tone, with academic rigour, which requires respectable footnotes.' - Kim Newman, Sight& SoundTable of Contentstbc.

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Book SynopsisWelcome to Jurassic Park! Discover the cinematic evolution of the Jurassic Park trilogy, with this deluxe book celebrating the saga’s massive impact on pop culture.Director Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park unleashed an island of awe-inspiring dinosaurs, captivating audiences worldwide. Grossing over $900 million worldwide, the film ushered in a whole new age of digital visual effects and would go on to enthrall generations of moviegoers. The most comprehensive book about the Jurassic Park trilogy to date, Jurassic Park: The Ultimate Visual History begins with an in-depth account of the making of Spielberg’s original film, including rare and never-before-seen imagery and exclusive interviews with key creatives. Readers will then unearth the full history of the trilogy, from The Lost World: Jurassic Park to Jurassic Park III, through unprecedented access to the creative process behind the films. Fans will also find a fascinating look at the wider world of the saga, including video games, toys, comics, and more, exploring the lasting legacy of the movies and their influence on pop culture. Jurassic Park: The Ultimate Visual History will be the last word on the most epic saga in movie history—the definitive behind-the-scenes book that fans have been waiting for.

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Book SynopsisPeter Bondanella is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Comparative Literature, Film Studies and Italian at Indiana University, USA. He is the author of many celebrated books on Italian literature and cinema, and former president of the American Association for Italian Studies (1984-87). In 2009, he was inducted into the European Academy for Sciences and the Arts for his contributions to Italian cinema and literature.

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Book SynopsisReads the autobiographical and biographical writings of one of the few Tibetan Buddhist women to record the story of her lifeTrade ReviewFascinating and compelling, this is a rare autobiography of a Tibetan female religious master. Jacoby combines pioneering research with high scholarly standards and delivers in a readable style a sensitive narrative rich in social, cultural, and psychological detail. -- Hildegard Diemberger, University of Cambridge You will laugh, but more often you will cry when reading this first-ever study of a nonmonastic woman who wrote a Tibetan-language autobiography and a biography of a man. Sarah H. Jacoby's study of gender and sexuality is pathbreaking in the field of Tibetan studies. Because the main research materials were authored by a noncelibate woman, this book gives rich insight into one woman's conception of the complex social, political, and even medical aspects of tantric consort practices. Jacoby grounds Buddhist theory in the lived experience of an actual practitioner and illuminates this topic based on her fieldwork in Tibet. Her work reveals modern Tibetan history like never before-not by tracking political or institutional history, but through attention to the life of a runaway girl who transforms herself from lowly servant to famous teacher through her extraordinary vision of her life. -- Gray Tuttle, Columbia University A detailed picture of the world of Tibetan Buddhism, particularly the tantric variety, in the early twentieth century. It explores questions long in the mind of students of Tibetan Buddhism about how the arcane practices of tantric Buddhism actually figure in the lives-and loves-of real historical people, particularly women. A great contribution worthy of close attention. -- Janet Gyatso, Harvard Divinity School A complex work, rewarding in many ways... this is a rare window into a world so different, and yet so historically recent... Jacoby brings lots of food for thought and fresh new ways of seeing the familiar. Sumeru: Buddhist Books, Art, & News Jacoby's book gives us a big infusion of data regarding what many of us have been wondering about with respect to sexuality and gender relations in Tibetan Buddhism, particularly in tantric communalities. Journal of the American Academy of Religion [An] outstanding study of the extraordinary autobiography of Sera Khandro (1892-1940). -- Janet Gyatso The Journal of Asian Studies With this original study of one remarkable woman's life writing, Jacoby illuminates questions about renunciation, desire, and love in tantric Buddhist practice and opens the way for further study. Tulsa Studies in Women's LiteratureTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Preface and Acknowledgments Technical Note on Tibetan and Sanskrit Words Abbreviations Chronology Maps Introduction 1. The Life and Times of Sera Khandro 2. A Guest in the Sacred Land of Golok 3. Dakini Dialogues 4. Sacred Sexuality 5. Love Between Method and Insight Epilogue: Love After Death Spelling of Key Tibetan Names and Terms Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisArouses memories of black-and-white movies from the 1940s and '50s - melodramas about private eyes, femmes fatales, criminal gangs, and lovers on the run. This book discusses these pictures, and also shows that the central term is more complex and paradoxical than we realize. It also includes a chapter on film noir in the twenty-first century.Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Preface to the 2008 edition Acknowledgments Introduction: This Is Where I Came In 1. The History of an Idea Noir Is Born: Paris, 1946–1959 Darkness Everywhere 2. Modernism and Blood Melodrama: Three Case Studies Believing in Nothing Sympathy for the Devil The Death Chamber 3. From Dark Films to Black Lists: Censorship and Politics Bourbon with a Bourbon Chaser The Snakes Are Loose After 1947 4. Low Is High: Budgets and Critical Discrimination B Pictures versus Intermediates Post-B Pictures 5. Old Is New: Styles of Noir Black and White and Red Parody, Pastiche, Fashion 6. The Other Side of the Street Asia Latin America Africa 7. The Noir Mediascape 8. Noir in the Twenty-first Century Legends and Lists Further Research More Styles of Noir Noir Never Dies Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisCelebrate the holidays with Hogwarts''s most iconic characters, creatures, and objects with this enchanting advent calendar filled with more than 25 surprises! It’s Harry Potter: The Official Seasonal Surprises Advent Calendar.Harry Potter: The Official Seasonal Surprises Advent Calendar celebrates the magic of Hogwarts with 25 days of exclusive surprises, keepsakes, and collectibles delivered in a stunning keepsake calendar format. DISCOVER MORE THAN 25 HARRY POTTER SURPRISES: Discover a new holiday surprise every day! Each of the 25 doors features a well-known relic of Hogwarts, from the Wizarding School''s most iconic ghosts to the sorting hat and more! COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS: With 25 days of all-new items themed to the Harry Potter films, countdown to Christmas by opening the door to a surprise each day from December 1st through 25th. COMPLETE YOUR HARRY POTTER CHRISTMAS COLLECTION: Pair with Harr

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Book SynopsisFor a time, "Dell Comics Are Good Comics" was more than a slogan - it was a simple statement of fact. This book tells the story of the most popular American comic books of the 1940s and 1950s, those published under the Dell label.Trade Review"Comics historian Barrier sets off like Scrooge McDuck in search of gold. He pans out the criteria of artists including Walt Kelly, John Stanley and Carl Barks, and stakes a claim for their work as deserving the same respect as classic literature." -- Ron Wolfe Arkansas Democrat-Gazette "In 'Funnybooks,' Mr. Barrier, whose previous works include a history of the Hollywood animated film as well as an excellent biography of Walt Disney, has set out to write a business history of Dell Comics... For his study, Mr. Barrier draws on interviews, archives and his own astute knowledge of comics." -- Will Friedwald Wall Street Journal "Barrier re-immerses himself in classic comic books and emerges impervious to nostalgia." -- Paul Gravett Times Literary Supplement "Funnybooks is the crowning achievement of Barrier's illustrious career... Written with clarity, expressiveness, and enthusiasm, this is a book for scholars, historians, practitioners, and fans old and new." -- J. A. Lent CHOICETable of ContentsList of Illustrations Preface Acknowledgments Introduction: "The Very Good Ones" 1. Mickey in a Magazine 2. Oskar Lebeck Meets Walt Kelly 3. Whitman, K.K., and Dell 4. Learning on the Job in L.A. 5. A Feel for Walt Kelly's Stuff 6. Animal Magnetism 7. Cartoon Conundrums 8. Carl Barks Makes His Break 9. Barks Becomes the Duck Man 10. The Workman: Gaylord DuBois 11. The Observer: John Stanley 12. "I Am a Backwoods Bumpkin" 13. "Pure Corn" at Disney's 14. Special Talents 15. Barks Masters His Medium 16. An Arena for All the Passions 17. Animal Kingdoms 18. Walt Kelly Branches Out 19. Strong-Handed Friends 20. Carl Barks: The Virtuoso 21. Walt Kelly Escapes 22. Oskar Lebeck in Exile 23. Manifest Destiny 24. Uncle Scrooge: Play Money 25. Carl Barks in Purgatory 26. The Slow Fade 27. Disasters Epilogue: Can These Bones Live? Abbreviations Notes Index

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