Best of
Movies

1996

The Shawshank Redemption: The Shooting Script


Frank Darabont - 1996
    Based on the novella Rita Hayworth and The Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King, director/screenwriter Frank Darabont's film, starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, was nominated for seven Academy Awards®, including Best Picture and Best Screenplay and has been named one of the 100 Best Films of All Time by the American Film Institute.The Newmarket Shooting Script Series® book includes: Introductions by Stephen King and Frank Darabont Complete shooting script Analysis of script-to-screen changes Behind-the-scenes photos Storyboards Complete cast and crew credits "Memo from the Trenches" by Frank Darabont

Finding Nemo


Andrew Stanton - 1996
    Despite his fears of the open sea, Marlin embarks on a dangerous trek to find Nemo. Buoyed by the companionship of a friendly but forgetful fish named Dory, Marlin finds himself the unlikely hero of a thrilling journey to rescue his son.

Trainspotting: A Screenplay (Based on the Novel by Irvine Welsh)


John Hodge - 1996
    Set in the underbelly of Edinburgh, Trainspotting is a story inhabited by a galaxy of immensely colorful characters -- liars, thieves, junkies -- people whose habits, emotions, and stories will leave an indelible imprint on the reader's mind.

Toy Story 2: A Read-Aloud Storybook


Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld - 1996
    The complete retelling of favorite Disney movies in a true read-aloud style.

The Mystery Science Theater 3000: Amazing Colossal Episode Guide


Trace Beaulieu - 1996
    The answer, my friend, is right in this here official, 100%-MST3K-sanctioned book. Or maybe you know all about the adventures of Joel, Mike, and the 'bots in the not-too distant future. Then you can skip those pages. Really. We won't tell. You still need this book. Because it's got more cool stuff from the writers and performers of MST3K. More of what you'll find in the "Mystery Science Theater 3000 Amazing Colossal Episode Guide" * More than 120 synopses of the more than 120 episodes of the Peabody Award-winning show * More fascinating, outrageous facts and tidbits about the making of each episode * More photos than your average issue of "Tiger Beat" * More of the most disgusting things ever seen on-screen by the MST3K writers * More than 49 (50, to be exact) of the most obscure wisecracks * More quizzes, worksheets, and a ten-step plan to help you gain control of your finances and your life (well, not really...) * More about your Area and what it can do for you * More Beverly Garland! Miles and Miles O'Keefe! * And much, much more!

Directing Actors


Judith Weston - 1996
    Internationally-renowned directing coach Weston demonstrates what constitutes a good performance, what actors want from a director, what directors do wrong, script analysis and preparation, how actors work, and shares insights into the director/actor relationship.

Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner


Paul M. Sammon - 1996
    Dick's brilliant and troubling SF novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, still rules as the most visually dense, thematically challenging, and influential SF film ever made. Future Noir is the story of that triumph.The making of Blade Runner was a seven-year odyssey that would test the stamina and the imagination of writers, producers, special effects wizards, and the most innovative art directors and set designers in the industry.A fascinating look at the ever-shifting interface between commerce and the art that is modern Hollywood, Future Noir is the intense, intimate, anything-but-glamerous inside account of how the work of SF's most uncompromising author was transformed into a critical sensation, a commercial success, and a cult classic.

The Psychotronic Video Guide


Michael J. Weldon - 1996
    They almost always appear on videocassette.Among their kind are biker films, sci-fi series, quickie biopics, gimmick films, teen sex comedies, blaxploitation films, stalkers, slashers, snoozers, shrudderers, and anything starring Lynda Blair, david Carradine, Shannon Tweed or Drew Barrymore.And they're all here in the Psychotronic Video Guide.From Abby to Zontar, this book covers more than nine thousand amazing movies from the turn of the century right up to today's golden age of video, all described with Michael Weldon's dry wit. More than 450 rare and wonderful illustrations round out the book, making it a treasure trove of cinematic lore and essential for every fan of filmdom's finest offerings.

Titanic: James Cameron's Illustrated Screenplay


James Cameron - 1996
    An invaluable reference for film students and fans, this book details the evolution of the epic romance from script to screen, including scenes and dialogue cut from the final film, as well as annotations explaining footage seen in the final cut, yet not contained in the screenplay. Never-before-seen photographs of the stars, storyboards for sequences never filmed, and an in-depth interview with Cameron make Titanic: James Cameron's Illustrated Screenplay an essential companion to the #1 bestseller James Cameron's Titanic.

The Amazing Spider-Man


Dirk Maggs - 1996
    Peter Parker is bitten by a radioactive spider during a college experiment and finds he has acquired the proportional strength and agility of a spider! The amazing Spider-Man is born - but will Peter learn that with enormous power comes enormous responsibility?Smilin' Stan Lee's much-loved Marvel Comics creations come to life as never before - including heroes created dramatically for the first time ever - in thrilling Dolby Surround! First broadcast on BBC Radio 1 FM over 50 episodes on week days between January 15, 1996 and March 24, 1996 with theme music by Brian May, a full original orchestral score and sensational sound effects, look out - it's clobberin' time!A MOVIE WITHOUT PICTURES - YOU WON'T BELIEVE YOUR EARS!

Killing for Culture: Death Film from Mondo to Snuff


David Kerekes - 1996
    Including: Feature film, Mondo film, Death film, and a comprehensive filmography and index. Illustrated by rare and stunning photographs from cinema, documentary and real life, Killing for Culture is a necessary book which examines and questions the human obsession with images of violence, dismemberment and death, and the way our society is coping with an increased profusion of these disturbing yet compelling images from all quarters.

David Lean


Kevin Brownlow - 1996
    Furthermore, Lean's family and friends - from the son from whom he was estranged, to the women who loved him - talk frankly about his complex personality: a man who was charming, self-deprecating, autocratic and ruthless, and yet surprisingly generous. Brownlow's definitive biography of Lean leaves the reader with an understanding of the man and an appreciation of his cinematic achievement.

The Dread of Difference: Gender and the Horror Film


Barry Keith Grant - 1996
    Indeed, in this pioneering exploration of the cinema of fear, Barry Keith Grant and twenty other film critics posit that horror is always rooted in gender, particularly in anxieties about sexual difference and gender politics.The book opens with the influential theoretical works of Linda Williams, Carol J. Clover, and Barbara Creed. Subsequent essays explore the history of the genre, from classic horror such as King Kong and Bride of Frankenstein to the more recent Fatal Attraction and Bram Stoker's Dracula. Other topics covered include the work of horror auteurs David Cronenberg, Dario Argento, and George Romero; the Aliens trilogy; and the importance of gender in relation to horror marketing and reception.Other contributors include Vera Dika, Thomas Doherty, Lucy Fischer, Christopher Sharrett, Vivian Sobchack, Tony Williams, and Robin Wood. Writing across a full range of critical methods from classic psychoanalysis to feminism and postmodernism, they balance theoretical generalizations with close readings of films and discussions of figures associated with the genre.The Dread of Difference demonstrates that horror is hardly a uniformly masculine discourse. As these essays persuasively show, not only are horror movies about patriarchy and its fear of the feminine, but they also offer feminist critique and pleasure.

Industrial Light & Magic: Into the Digital Realm


Mark Cotta Vaz - 1996
    These award-winning special effects have one thing in common: Industrial Light & Magic (ILM).For more than twenty years, George Lucas and the technical wizards at ILM have literally changed the face of movie-making with their stunning, often unbelievable, visual effects.  Industrial Light + Magic: Into the Digital Realm chronicles ILM's second monumental decade--from 1986 through the mid-nineties--and includes a special discussion on the latest groundbreaking visual effects in the soon-to-be released Special Edition of Star Wars: A New Hope.During this seminal period, ILM virtually redefined visual effects and blazed a trail into the digital realm.  With more than six hundred lavish full-color photographs, this fascinating book takes you behind the camera and into the rarely seen workshops, offering an amazing look at the men and women who create movie magic.  We follow the intricate crafts of matte painting, model making, and optical compositing as they are transformed into digitally driven systems, and we track the contributions of model and creature makers, animation specialists and optical technicians, and the unsung stage hands and pyrotechnic experts.Packed with astounding information about ILM's technical innovations and remarkably clear explanations--including a revealing look at ILM's work with TV commercials and theme park attractions, a comprehensive glossary of essential terms, and detailed screen credits for all the company's film projects--this volume will enchant and enlighten all of us who have ever marveled at what we've seen on the screen and wondered: how did they do that?

Roger Ebert's Book of Film: From Tolstoy to Tarantino, the Finest Writing From a Century of Film


Roger Ebert - 1996
    Here are the stars (Truman Capote on Marilyn Monroe, Joan Didion on John Wayne, Tom Wolfe on Cary Grant, Lauren Bacall on herself), the directors (John Houseman on Orson Welles, Kenneth Tynan on Mel Brooks, John Huston on himself), the makers and shakers (producer Julia Phillips, mogul Daryll F. Zanuck, stuntman Joe Bonomo), and the critics and theorists (Pauline Kael, Graham Greene, Andrew Sarris, Susan Sontag). Here as well are the novelists who have indelibly captured the experience of moviegoing in our lives (Walker Percy, James Agee, Larry McMurtry) and the culture of the movie business (F. Scott Fitzgerald, Budd Schulberg, Nathanael West). Here is a book to get lost in and return to time and time againat once a history, an anatomy, and a loving appreciation of the central art form of our time.

Whatever Happened to Baby Peggy?: The Autobiography of Hollywood's Pioneer Child Star


Diana Serra Cary - 1996
    She was the original child star produced by Hollywood and her amazing journey set the pattern for all those who followed. Discovered when she was only nineteen months old, Baby Peggy with her angelic face and expert mugging for the camera entertained audiences across the nation and around the world. She starred in a series of short two-reel comedies, completing 150 of them by the time she turned three. By her fifth birthday, Baby Peggy's films were earning as much as Charlie Chaplin's, and she herself was a millionaire, having signed a three-film $3.5 million contract. Establishing a disgraceful tradition for the parents of child performers, Baby Peggy's mother and father, emotional children themselves, squandered her fortune. In What Ever Happened to Baby Peggy? Diana Serra Cary (as Baby Peggy is now called) looks back over her incredible life as a child superstar. She reveals the awesome burdens she carried. Seen through her memories, the turbulent lives of child stars such as Gary Coleman, Michael Jackson, and Drew Barrymore make much more sense.

Richard III


Ian McKellen - 1996
    I never want it to stop.' Sir Ian McKellen, one of the great Shakespeare actors, spent the glorious summer of 1995 fulfilling that wish. The result is a breathtaking piece of cinematography, starring Ian McKellen and written by him with Richard Loncraine, the director. In both his introduction to the screenplay and the extensive notes which run parallel to the text, Ian McKellen describes the genesis of the film, how the Royal National Theatre's highly praised stage production of Richard III was transformed into two hours of celluloid magic. He explains why this Richard III is set squarely in the 1930s and comments on the advantages as well as the pitfalls of trying to make Shakespeare more accessible to a general cinema audience. And finally he gives an insight into the way an actor prepares himself, both physically and mentally, to play one of Shakespeare's greatest villains. Illustrated with stunning black-and-white stills from the film, this book provides a fascinating and intensely personal view of the creation and filming of a masterpiece of modern cinema.

Magic Hour: A Life in Movies


Jack Cardiff - 1996
    The 'Magic Hour' is the special light that occurs just at twilight, and a very special light is what cameraman Jack Cardiff brought to films such as The Red Shoes, The African Queen, and Black Narcissus for which he won an Oscar. In Magic Hour Jack Cardiff details the adventures of his life: on tour on the music-hall circuit with his parents; acting in silent films; being chosen by Technicolor as the first British cameraman to be trained in colour photography; filming with British convoys in the Atlantic during World War II; his big break when Michael Powell asked him to photograph A Matter of Life and Death; his rambunctious expolits with Errol Flynn; and his triumph at the Cannes Film Festival as the director of Sons and Lovers.As a master of light, Cardiff came to photograph some of the most beautiful women in cinema history: Marilyn Monroe, Ingrid Bergman, Sophia Loren, Audrey Hepburn and Ava Gardner, to name but a few.Cardiff's bold and imaginative photography enhanced not only the work of Powell and Pressburger, but also that of Alfred Hitchcock and John Huston. Told with modesty and charm, Magic Hour is the personal journey of an extraordinary craftsman of cinema.

Before the Animation Begins: The Art and Lives of Disney's Inspirational Sketch Artists


John Canemaker - 1996
    Now, for the first time ever, noted animation historian John Canemaker chronicles the lives and work of these artists, from the 1930s to the present, situating them in the history of modern art and analyzing their influence on the form. 300 illustrations.

The Aristocats


Richard M. Sherman - 1996
    Features beautiful full-color illustrations.

Kicking the Pricks


Derek Jarman - 1996
    Shortly after the filming began, Jarman also began work on this volume of his journals, which contains diary entries and interviews, notes on the script, stills from the filming, and photographs of Derek, his family and friends.

VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever 2008


Jim Craddock - 1996
    It contains capsule reviews of more than 22,000 movies, written with wit and good humor; the films are rated in a range from "four bones" to "WOOF!" Each entry notes the year the film was released; its running time; its availability on videocassette, laserdisc, and DVD; its chief credits; and whether the film was made in black and white or color. Unlike many rival guides, the Retriever includes made-for-television movies, straight-to-video releases, miniseries, and television shows that are currently available on video. But that's not all: the second half of the volume is an enormous book of lists, making it a valuable film encyclopedia as well. The award index covers not only the Oscars, the BAFTA Awards, and the Cannes Film Festival winners, but also the Golden Globe, the Canadian Genie, the Independent Spirit, and the MTV Movie Awards. VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever 1998 categorizes films by their country of origin and by director, star, writer, cinematographer, and composer. If you want to find information on the World Wide Web, check out the directory of the best film Web sites. Best of all is the category index, which catalogues movies according to conventional genres ("Comedy," "Film Noir," "Romance") and also under topics as wild and diverse as "Murderous Children," "Flatulence," "Satire and Parody," "Cyberpunk," "Marriage," "L.A." and "Nuns with Guns." VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever 1998is a lively and entertaining guide that will point you toward new experiences in film and strengthen your cinematic expertise.

A Talent For Trouble: The Life Of Hollywood's Most Acclaimed Director, William Wyler


Jan Herman - 1996
    His great ability to conceal his directorial presence in order to better serve his material, coupled with the variety of genres in which he excelled, have earned his films 127 Academy Award nominations, winning Wyler three best-director Oscars. Based on his previously undiscovered papers, and hundreds of interviews, this perceptive, spellbinding biography reveals both the director and the private man in startling close-ups as he lived his turbulent life at a bit more than twenty-four frames per second.

It's a Wonderful Life


Jimmy Hawkins - 1996
    This scrapbook of more than 100 photographs and Hawkins's own priceless memories and interviews with the other stars will delight movie fans and anyone who believes in the difference one person's life may make on earth.

Conversations with Pauline Kael


Will Brantley - 1996
    Collectively, the interviews provide rewarding perspectives on Kael's aesthetics, her politics, and her perceptions about what it is she does as a critic. They also contain discussions of films that Kael did not have the chance to review or that were released after her retirement in 1991.This collection of her interviews will provide new and renewed pleasures for readers who have valued Kael's critical voice and her challenges to consensus during the second half of the twentieth century.

Slimetime: A Guide to Sleazy, Mindless Movies


Steven Puchalski - 1996
    Many of the motion pictures in "Slimetime "have never had a major release, some were big hits, others have simply "vanished." Complimenting the wealth of reviews are detailed essays on specific sleaze genres such as Biker, Blaxploitation, and Drug movies.Steven Puchalski is editor/publisher of the cult-movie magazine "Shock Cinema," and a frequent contributor to "Fan--goria," and "Sci-Fi," the official magazine of the Sci-Fi Channel.

The Complete Films Of Audrey Hepburn


Jerry Vermilye - 1996
    

Michael Collins: Screenplay and Film Diary


Neil Jordan - 1996
    In addition to Neil Jordan's complete screenplay for Michael Collins, this book includes the writer-director's personal journal of the making of the movie from its initial conception through its development, on-the-set-shooting and first triumphal screening.

The Wild Life of Sailor and Lula


Barry Gifford - 1996
    As Elmore Leonard said of him, "Gifford cuts right through to the heart of what makes a good novel readable and entertaining . . . the way Barry Gifford does it, it's high art."

Monsters, Mutants and Heavenly Creatures: Confessions of 14 Classic Sci-Fi/Horrormeisters!


Tom Weaver - 1996
    Monsters, Mutants and Heavenly Creatures: Confessions of 14 Classic Sci-Fi/Horrormeisters! [Paperback]

I Was That Masked Man


Clayton Moore - 1996
    He was mysterious and mythic at the same time, the epitome of the American hero: compassionate, honest, patriotic, inventive, an unswerving champion of justice and fair play.

Marx Brothers Encyclopedia


Glenn Mitchell - 1996
    Featuring hundreds of entries and photos, new facts and essential trivia, entertaining stories and anecdotes, a full filmography, and a new Foreword by film critic and historian Leonard Maltin.

Tex Avery: The Mgm Years, 1942-1955


John Canemaker - 1996
    The career of this legendary director, who created Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Droopy, among others, spanned fifty years and took him to most of the major cartoon studios, including Walter Lantz, Warner Bros., MGM, and Hanna-Barbera. His formative years were at Warner Bros., where, in the mid-1930s, his innovative directorial spark dazzled and inspired colleagues such as Chuck Jones, Bob Clampett, and Frank Tashlin, all of whom went on to become industry stars themselves. Avery had a long tenure at MGM's cartoon unit where his high-octane, uninhibited, joyously cartoon-y ideas flowered into some of the greatest (and funniest) animated film shorts ever made. Avery's body of work during the Golden Era of the Hollywood cartoon is a creative legacy that continues to impact contemporary directors of animation and live action, in feature films such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit and The Mask, as well as in television. Although warmly admired as a film genius by colleagues in the industry and adored by the international cartoon cognoscenti, Avery never shared in the tremendous expansion of the animation industry into television or feature films in a studio of his own, nor did he own the licensing/merchandising rights to the cartoon characters he created and brought to vital life. Original storyboards, character sketches, and animation cels highlight the career of this important artist, who created sixty-five classic films and numerous unforgettable characters in his fourteen-year stint at MGM.

Trainspotting & Shallow Grave


John Hodge - 1996
    "Trainspotting" is based on Irvine Welch's novel about heroin addicts and the underbelly of Edinburgh life. In "Shallow Grave" three young people discover a dead body and a suitcase full of money in their flat.

Hard to Imagine: Gay Male Eroticism in Photography and Film from Their Beginnings to Stonewall


Thomas Waugh - 1996
    This comprehensive work explores a vast, eclectic tradition in its totality, analyzing the aesthetics of the visual imagery, its production, circulation, and consumption, and broad social and legal implications.

Gun Crazy


Jim Kitses - 1996
    This book teases out the effects of the Production Code, and the contributions of director Joseph H Lewis, writers MacKinlay Kantor and the blacklisted Dalton Trumbo, and stars, Peggy Cummins and John Dall.

Baked Potatoes: A Pot Smoker's Guide to Film & Video


John Hulme - 1996
    From elusive Unsung Heroes to risky Risky Calls. Complete with an easy-to-use five-pot-leaf rating system, incisive self-indulgent babble, troubleshooting procedures for the Bad Seeds gone berserk, and much much more, Baked Potatoes arrives in a blaze of glory, rating and reviewing over 150 films and videos for the discerning high.Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Blade Runner, Bambi, Repo Man, Superfly, Time Bandits, Highlander, 2001, Evil Dead II, Ganjasaurus Rex, Freaks, Cheech and Chong's Up in Smoke, The Maltese Falcon, Ronald Reagan's 1984 State of the Union Address, Gates of Heaven, Story of Ricky, The Blizzard of Aahhhs, Meet the Feebles!Why say "No" when you can just say "Fine, I have a problem" and be done with it? Why read fiction when you can read strange but easily digestible sound-bite reviews written by marijuana users? There is no reason.Join us for a picnic on the fried cinematic playground.John Hulme and Michael Wexler are the editors of Voices of the Exiled and creators of the nationally syndicated radio drama Vanishing Point. Writers, filmmakers, and radio producers, they have been friends since high school.

Your Dog Plays Hockey?


Charles M. Schulz - 1996
    During an ice hockey game, Snoopy hurts his knee and has to be taken to the hospital for surgery, but while sitting in the waiting room, Charlie Brown and Marcie discover something very interesting.

The Films of Harrison Ford


Leo Pfeffer - 1996
    Jack Ryan ... Indiana Jones ... President of the United States ... Harrison Ford has played celluloid's greatest heroes, en route to becoming the biggest box office draw in history. The Films of Harrison Ford celebrates Ford's career, from his early work, when he toiled in obscurity for a dozen years, to his famous roles in such films as American Graffiti, Star Wars, Blade Runner, Clear and Present Danger, The Fugitive, and Air Force One.This pictorial celebration provides a detailed, behind-the-scenes look at and analysis of every Ford film and includes hundreds of photographs, many of them rare and never before published. The book was written with Ford's approval, and therefore is an official chronicle of his life and career.

Bruce La Bruce: Ride, Queer, Ride!


Bruce LaBruce - 1996
    Included are LaBruce's diary from the making of Hustler White, a letter from the late Kurt Cobain, LaBruce's interview with performance artist Vaginal Creme Davis, and essays by filmmaker Gus Van Sant and David McIntosh of the Toronto International Film Festival. Fully illustrated with film stills and candid behind-the-scenes snapshots.

The Carry On Companion


Robert Ross - 1996
    This exuberant look at Britain's most hilarious comedy team contains everything you need to know about Carry On, including:· All 31 films featured· Full cast lists and production details· Best scenes and best jokes for each film· TV specials and stage shows· Complete Carry On Chronology· Carry On filmography of all 120 key personnel· 100 illustrations, including 36 in color· Exclusive interviews with the stars

Nick at Nite's Classic TV Companion: The All Nite, Every Nite Guide to Better Living Through Television


Tom Hill - 1996
    With a flip of the page, the inside scoop on America's favorite TV sitcoms is at your fingertips. "Nick at Nite's Classic TV Companion" offers capsule descriptions of every episode of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, I Love Lucy, Bewitched, The Bob Newhart Show, I Dream of Jeannie, The Munsters, Taxi," and "Welcome Back, Kotter." Featured are such vital nuggets as:Classic guest stars: cameos by famous actors Classic quotes: TV's classic catchphrases and unforgettable one-linersAwards and critical commentsPlus, the answers to all the important questions, such as: Did Lassie really appear on an episode of "Taxi?"Why did Lucy's fight in the chocolate factory look so real?Which episode of "Welcome Back, Kotter was written by Garry Shandling?"Nick at Nite's Classic TV Companion" is the most delightful way to explore the hidden secrets of your favorite series and a book you'll want to keep as handy as your remote control.