Kieslowski on Kieslowski


Krzysztof Kieślowski - 1993
    Kieslowski was notoriously reticent, and even dismissive of his work and talent, but these frank and detailed discussions show a passion for film-making and a career which was often threatened by political and economic change within Poland. In the book he talks at length about his life: his childhood, disrupted by Hitler and Stalin; his four attempts to get into film school; and what Poland and its future meant to him at the time of writing, before his death in 1996.

Universal Horrors: The Studio's Classic Films, 1931-1946


Tom Weaver - 2007
    Trekking boldly through haunts and horrors from The Frankenstein Monster, The Wolf Man, Count Dracula, and The Invisible Man, to The Mummy, Paula the Ape Woman, The Creeper, and The Inner Sanctum, the authors offer a definitive study of the 86 films produced during this era and present a general overview of the period. Coverage of the films includes complete cast lists, credits, storyline, behind-the-scenes information, production history, critical analysis, and commentary from the cast and crew (much of it drawn from interviews by Tom Weaver, whom USA Today calls ?the king of the monster hunters?). Unique to this edition are a new selection of photographs and poster reproductions and an appendix listing additional films of interest.

Cassavetes on Cassavetes


John Cassavetes - 2001
    Having already established himself as an actor, he struck out as a filmmaker in 1959 with Shadows, and proceeded to build a formidable body of work, including such classics as Faces, Woman Under the Influence, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, and Gloria. In Cassavettes on Cassavettes, Ray Carney presents the great director in his own words--frank, uncompromising, humane, and passionate about life and art.

The Hellraiser Chronicles


Clive Barker - 2004
    The Cenobites soon returned, and their leader, the chilling Pinhead (played by Doug Bradley), became an worldwide icon.The Hellraiser Chronicles is a beautifully produced, full colour photographic companion to Hellraiser, Hellbound: Hellraiser II and Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth. It features stunning, specially shot portrait photography unavailable elsewhere, plus script extracts, design sketches, behind-the-scenes stills and interviews. The only official Hellraiser book, it is a must for all fans of the series.Time to play"

The Silent Clowns


Walter Kerr - 1975
    It covers such characters as Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd and Laurel and Hardy.

The Cinema, or The Imaginary Man


Edgar Morin - 1956
    Yet, French critic and social theorist Edgar Morin perceived in the cinema a complex phenomenon capable of illuminating fundamental truths about thought, imagination, and human nature - which allowed him to connect the mythic universe of gods and spirits present within the most primitive societies to the hyperreality emanating from the images projected on the screen. Now making its English-language debut, this audacious, provocative work draws on insights from poets, filmmakers, anthropologists, and philosophers to restore to the cinema the sense of magic first enjoyed at the dawn of the medium. Morin's inquiry follows two veins of investigation. The first focuses on the cinematic image as the nexus between the real and the imaginary; the second examines the cinema's re-creation of the archaic universe of doubles and ghosts and its power to possess, to bewitch, to nourish dreams, desires, and aspirations. "We experience the cinema in a state of double consciousness," Morin writes, "an astonishing phenomenon where the illusion of reality is inseparable from the awareness that it is really an illusion."

The Celluloid Closet: Homosexuality in the Movies


Vito Russo - 1981
    Praised by the Chicago Tribune as "an impressive study" and written with incisive wit and searing perception--the definitive, highly acclaimed landmark work on the portrayal of homosexuality in film.

Bread Therapy: The Mindful Art of Baking Bread


Pauline Beaumont - 2020
    As the world feels ever more dangerous and unreliable, there is something soothing and grounding about basic human activities such as baking.   Breadmaking provides an ideal opportunity to develop mindfulness skills by forcing you to concentrate on what you can see, hear, feel, and smell. Escape your mind and connect with your body by kneading a classic sourdough, or even just by tasting fresh bread straight out of the oven.   Featuring delicious recipes and how-tos that will inspire everyone from the bread baking beginner to a seasoned pro, this book is part guide, part cookbook, and the perfect gift for anyone that has discovered the joy of bread (or still needs to!). This delightful meditation on the intrinsic power of baking will fill your stomach and calm your mind.

The Art of Star Wars: Episode V—The Empire Strikes Back


Deborah Call - 1980
    At the same time, these new editions of THE ART OF STAR WARS books will arrive in stores, packed with all-new material, including new "Special Edition" text in The Empire Strikes Back by Mark Cotta Vaz, author of the Industrial Light & Magic: Into the Digital Realm and The Secrets of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire.

Rafael Nadal: The Biography


Tom Oldfield - 2009
    He was 19 years old when he won the 2005 French Open in his very first appearance at the event. A left-hander with a booming forehand, Nadal had been known as a clay-court specialist since playing his first pro tournaments in 2001. His aggressive style, flowing hair, and muscular build have made him a fan favorite as well. He won his first singles title in 2004, and had a breakout season in 2005, winning at Monte Carlo, Rome, Barcelona, and Stuttgart as well as at Roland Garros. He won the French Open again in 2006, 2007, and 2008, defeating rival Roger Federer in the final each time. In 2008 he broke through at Wimbledon, beating Federer to win the men's singles title in a spectacular fashion. No Nadal fan will want to be without this comprehensive biography.

Quentin Tarantino: The Man and His Movies


Jami Bernard - 1995
    The first comprehensive biography of the writer/director of the Academy Award-winning "Pulp Fiction" who, in only a few short years, took the film industry by storm and became a critical and commercial phenomenon.

Stanley Kubrick: American Filmmaker


David Mikics - 2020
    From a young age he was consumed by photography, chess, and, above all else, movies. He was a self‑taught filmmaker and self‑proclaimed outsider, and his films exist in a unique world of their own outside the Hollywood mainstream. Kubrick’s Jewishness played a crucial role in his idea of himself as an outsider. Obsessed with rebellion against authority, war, and male violence, Kubrick was himself a calm, coolly masterful creator and a talkative, ever‑curious polymath immersed in friends and family.   Drawing on interviews and new archival material, Mikics for the first time explores the personal side of Kubrick’s films.

The Sound of Music Story: How A Beguiling Young Novice, A Handsome Austrian Captain, and Ten Singing von Trapp Children Inspired the Most Beloved Film of All Time


Tom Santopietro - 2015
    Rarely has a film captured the love and imagination of the moviegoing public in the way that "The Sound of Music" did as it blended history, music, Austrian location filming, heartfelt emotion and the yodeling of Julie Andrews into a monster hit. Now, Tom Santopietro has written the ultimate "Sound of Music" fan book with all the inside dope from behind the scenes stories of the filming in Austria and Hollywood to new interviews with Johannes von Trapp and others. Santopietro looks back at the real life story of Maria von Trapp, goes on to chronicle the sensational success of the Broadway musical, and recounts the story of the near cancellation of the film when  the "Cleopatra" bankrupted 20th Century Fox. We all know that Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer played Maria and Captain Von Trapp, but who else had been considered? Tom Santopietro knows and will tell all while providing a historian’s critical analysis of the careers of director Robert Wise and screenwriter Ernest Lehman, a look at the critical controversy which greeted the movie, the film’s relationship to the turbulent 1960s and the super stardom which engulfed Julie Andrews. Tom Santopietro's "The Story of 'The Sound of Music'" is book for everyone who cherishes this American classic.