Book picks similar to
The Cabin in the Woods: The Official Visual Companion by Joss Whedon
horror
non-fiction
movies
art
Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The Watcher's Guides
Christopher Golden - 2001
Crammed with details from every show, quotes, dialogue, plots summarized and discussed, the guides are complete with behind-the-scenes information which can be found nowhere else.
The Most of Nora Ephron
Nora Ephron - 2013
Everything you could possibly want from Nora Ephron is here—from her writings on journalism, feminism, and being a woman (the notorious piece on being flat-chested, the clarion call of her commencement address at Wellesley) to her best-selling novel, Heartburn, written in the wake of her devastating divorce from Carl Bernstein; from her hilarious and touching screenplay for the movie When Harry Met Sally . . . (“I’ll have what she’s having”) to her recent play Lucky Guy (published here for the first time); from her ongoing love affair with food, recipes and all, to her extended takes on such controversial women as Lillian Hellman and Helen Gurley Brown; from her pithy blogs on politics to her moving meditations on aging (“I Feel Bad About My Neck”) and dying. Her superb writing, her unforgettable movies, her honesty and fearlessness, her nonpareil humor have made Nora Ephron an icon for America’s women—and not a few of its men.
Movies (And Other Things)
Shea Serrano - 2019
One of the chapters, for example, answers which race Kevin Costner was able to white savior the best, because did you know that he white saviors Mexicans in McFarland, USA, and white saviors Native Americans in Dances with Wolves, and white saviors Black people in Black or White, and white saviors the Cleveland Browns in Draft Day? Another of the chapters, for a second example, answers what other high school movie characters would be in Regina George's circle of friends if we opened up the Mean Girls universe to include other movies (Johnny Lawrence is temporarily in, Claire from The Breakfast Club is in, Ferris Bueller is out, Isis from Bring It On is out...). Another of the chapters, for a third example, creates a special version of the Academy Awards specifically for rom-coms, the most underrated movie genre of all. And another of the chapters, for a final example, is actually a triple chapter that serves as an NBA-style draft of the very best and most memorable moments in gangster movies. Many, many things happen in Movies (And Other Things), some of which funny, others of which are sad, a few of which are insightful, and all of which are handled with the type of care and dedication to the smallest details and pockets of pop culture that only a book by Shea Serrano can provide.
Behind the Scenes at Downton Abbey
Emma Rowley - 2013
Step inside the props cupboard or the hair and make-up truck and catch a glimpse of the secret backstage world. In-depth interviews and exclusive photos give insight into the actors' experiences on set as well as the celebrated creative team behind the award-winning drama. Straight from the director's chair, this is the inside track on all aspects of the making of the show.
Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth
Mark Cotta Vaz - 2016
Written in close collaboration with the director, this volume covers everything from del Toro’s initial musings, through to the film’s haunting creature designs, the hugely challenging shoot, and the overwhelming critical and fan reaction upon the its release.Including exquisite concept art and rare unit photography from the set, Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth gives readers an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at how this modern classic was crafted for the screen. The book also draws on interviews with every key player in the film’s creation, including stars Ivana Baquero, Sergi López, Maribel Verdu, and Doug Jones; producers Alfonso Cuarón and Bertha Navarro; and director of photography Guillermo Navarro, to present the ultimate behind-the-scenes look at this unforgettable cinematic classic.
I'll Be There for You: The One about Friends
Kelsey Miller - 2018
Through its decade-long run, the show maintained an uncanny connection to its audience, who saw it both as a reflection of their own lives and an aspirational escape from reality. I’ll Be There for You is a deep dive into Friends history and lore, exploring all aspects of the show, from its unlikely origins to the societal conditions that amplified its success. Journalist and pop culture expert Kelsey Miller relives the show’s most powerful moments, sheds light on its sometimes dated and problematic elements and examines the worldwide trends that Friends catalyzed, from contemporary coffee culture to the wildly popular ’90s haircut The Rachel. I’ll Be There for You is not only for fans of the series, but for anyone who’s ever wondered what it is about this show—and television comedy—that resonates so powerfully.
The Art of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Josh Kushins - 2016
A thrilling endeavour for the Star Wars franchise, Rogue One is the first instalment in the Star Wars Story series, a collection of stand-alone tales set in the same beloved universe fans have called home for decades. The plot follows an unlikely band of rebel fighters, led by the intrepid Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), who must unite to resist the evil machinations of the evil Galactic Empire. Their mission is a desperate one: prove the existence of the Empire’s new super weapon and steal the plans for this Death Star before it can be used to obliterate all who stand in the Empire’s way. Directed by Gareth Edwards – from a script by Gary White and Chris Weitz – the film also stars Diego Luna, Forest Whitaker, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, Riz Ahmed, Ben Mendelsohn, Jiang Wen, and Donnie Yen.The Art of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is an invaluable visual chronicle of the Lucasfilm art department’s development of the fantastical sets, otherworldly machinery, and unforgettable characters found in this first Star Wars Story. This book will take you from the earliest gathering of artists and production designers through production, with unprecedented access to the filmmakers’ creative process.Bursting with exclusive interviews and imagery, fans can revel in hundreds of stunning works of art, including production paintings, concept art and sketches, storyboards, and matte paintings. This rich visual journey is sure to delight Star Wars fans and cineastes for decades to come. The Art of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will stand as a definitive guide to the art behind the newest tale in the Star Wars franchise.
MAD About Trump: A Brilliant Look at Our Brainless President
Various - 2017
Bush and visitors included)! In these 128 pages, President Trump is mercilessly mocked, relentlessly ridiculed and savagely satirized. The book features MAD's best reprinted material with the sharpest satiric shots at "The Donald," comically chronicling his rise from obnoxious businessman to really obnoxious reality show host to uber obnoxious "Commander-in-Tweet." Please note: MAD will not offer refunds on this book when Trump is impeached!
The Alchemy of MirrorMask
Dave McKean - 2005
Animated by Dave McKean and written by Neil Gaiman, MirrorMask combines animation and live action with a compelling storyline to take the cinematic experience to a stunning new level. MirrorMask is the story of Helena, a fifteen-year-old girl who works for her family's circus. She juggles, sells popcorn, and longs to run away and join the "real world." Helena also dreams, and one day she wakes up to find herself in a strange new world populated by mysterious creatures…a dream world where she embarks on an amazing journey. Each chapter in The Alchemy of MirrorMask begins with an introduction by McKean and Gaiman and then guides readers through the different types of visuals used to create the film, including sketches, paintings, storyboards, 3-d models, photographs, texture maps, frame blow-ups, and more. Also included are photos taken on the set and during McKean's travels to Venice, Prague, Trieste, Warsaw, and other places that provided inspiration for MirrorMask. Gaiman and McKean's insightful commentary sheds light on the film's journey from concept to screen. Gaiman and McKean fans, cinema buffs, and visual art enthusiasts will all delight in The Alchemy of MirrorMask, a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the making of an extraordinary film.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Illustrated Screenplay
George Lucas - 1999
Revisit your favorite characters . . . encounter new heroes and villains . . . journey back to familiar places . . . and enter strange, exciting new worlds . . .From the page to screen, this beautiful volume unveils the origins of the world's greatest space epic--starring young Anakin Skywalker, the Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi, the plucky droid R2-D2, the ever-efficient C-3PO, and all of their daring and exotic allies as they face the growing threat ignited by political intrigue and the decay of the Galactic Republic.As a bonus, this special volume is lavishly illustrated with pages of original line-art storyboards pulled from the legendary Lucasfilm archives. These sequential drawings whisk you through the wondrous events of the movie itself, transporting you behind the scenes and revealing a vital part of the creative process--one in which filmmaker George Lucas choreographs every shot of the action from the opening titles to the final roll of the credits.Whether you're a serious collector or a new STAR WARS fan, this book allows you to experience the wonder of EPISODE I firsthand--today and for years to come.
The Silence of the Lambs
Yvonne Tasker - 2002
In this study, Yvonne Tasker explores the way the film weaves together gothic, horror and thriller conventions to generate both a distinctive variation on the cinematic portrayal of insanity and crime, and a fascinating intervention in the sexual politics of genre.
The Revolution Was Televised: The Cops, Crooks, Slingers and Slayers Who Changed TV Drama Forever
Alan Sepinwall - 2012
An experimental, violent prison unit. The death of an American city, as seen through a complex police investigation. A lawless frontier town trying to talk its way into the United States. A corrupt cop who rules his precinct like a warlord. The survivors of a plane crash trying to make sense of their disturbing new island home. A high school girl by day, monster fighter by night. A spy who never sleeps. A space odyssey inspired by 9/11. An embattled high school football coach. A polished ad exec with a secret. A chemistry teacher turned drug lord.These are the subjects of 12 shows that started a revolution in TV drama: The Sopranos. Oz. The Wire. Deadwood. The Shield. Lost. Buffy the Vampire Slayer. 24. Battlestar Galactica. Friday Night Lights. Mad Men. Breaking Bad.These 12 shows, and the many more they made possible, ushered in a new golden age of television — one that made people take the medium more seriously than ever before. Alan Sepinwall became a TV critic right before this creative revolution began, was there to chronicle this incredible moment in pop culture history, and along the way “changed the nature of television criticism,” according to Slate. The Revolution Was Televised is the story of these 12 shows, as told by Sepinwall and the people who made them, including David Chase, David Simon, David Milch, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, Vince Gilligan and more.
B^F: The Novelization Of The Feature Film
Ryan North - 2012
He was supplied with a screenplay still in flux, writing his novelization even as the movie itself was being rewritten and as major roles were being recast (Michael J. Fox was not the first person to play Marty McFly). Partially because of this, and partially because of Gipe's natural writing style, the novelization is coo-coo bananas. It is totally insane. It's... kind of awesome?I feel like I should mention that after he submitted his manuscript, George Gipe was stung to death by bees.This book is the page-by-page reading guide to Gipe's novelization of Back to the Future, pointing out where things are different from the movie (often!) why and how they're worse (even more often!) and even when they're better (it happens, like, twice). It is written by Ryan North who writes the online strip Dinosaur Comics and the Adventure Time comic book. There are lots of pictures and lots of jokes and you will have a fun time reading (EVEN MORE SO THAN YOU NORMALLY DO).
The American Cinema: Directors and Directions, 1929-1968
Andrew Sarris - 1968
Sarris's The American Cinema, the bible of auteur studies, is a history of American film in the form of a lively guide to the work of two hundred film directors, from Griffith, Chaplin, and von Sternberg to Mike Nichols, Stanley Kubrick, and Jerry Lewis. In addition, the book includes a chronology of the most important American films, an alphabetical list of over 6000 films with their directors and years of release, and the seminal essays "Toward a Theory of Film History" and "The Auteur Theory Revisited." Over twenty-five years after its initial publication, The American Cinema remains perhaps the most influential book ever written on the subject.
The Best Film You've Never Seen: 35 Directors Champion the Forgotten or Critically Savaged Movies They Love
Robert K. ElderGuy Maddin - 2013
Among these guilty pleasures, almost-masterpieces, and undeniable classics in need of revival are unsung noirs (Murder by Contract), famous flops (Can’t Stop the Music, Joe Versus the Volcano), art films (L’ange), theatrical adaptations (The Iceman Cometh), B-movies (Killer Klowns from Outer Space), and even a few Oscar-winners (Some Came Running). In these conversations, the filmmakers defend their choices. These films, they argue, deserve a larger audience and for their place in movie history to be reconsidered. But the conversations’ tangents, diversions, and side trips provide as much insight into the directors’ own approach to moviemaking as into the film they’re discussing. The filmmakers are the perfect hosts, often setting the tone, managing expectations, and giving advice about how you should watch each movie. They’re often brutally honest about a film’s shortcomings or the reasons why it was lost in the first place. The Best Film You’ve Never Seen is not only a guide to some badly overlooked movies but a bold attempt to rewrite film history.