Make My Day: Movie Culture in the Age of Reagan


J. Hoberman - 2019
    Hoberman's masterful and majestic exploration of the Reagan years as seen through the unforgettable movies of the era The third book in a brilliant and ambitious trilogy, celebrated cultural and film critic J.Hoberman's Make My Day is a major new work of film and pop culture history. In it he chronicles the Reagan years, from the waning days of the Watergate scandal when disaster films like Earthquake ruled the box office to the nostalgia of feel-good movies like Rocky and Star Wars, and the delirium of the 1984 presidential campaign and beyond.Bookended by the Bicentennial celebrations and the Iran-Contra affair, the period of Reagan's ascendance brought such movie events as Jaws, Apocalypse Now, Blade Runner, Ghostbusters, Blue Velvet, and Back to the Future, as well as the birth of MTV, the Strategic Defense Initiative, and the Second Cold War.An exploration of the synergy between American politics and popular culture, Make My Day is the concluding volume of Hoberman's Found Illusions trilogy, of which the first volume, The Dream Life, was described by Slate's David Edelstein as "one of the most vital cultural histories I've ever read." Reagan, a supporting player in Hoberman's previous volumes, here takes center stage as the peer of Indiana Jones and John Rambo, the embodiment of a Hollywood that, even then, no longer existed.

Marlon Brando


Patricia Bosworth - 2001
    Following its subject from the moody Oklahoma teenager to the Method-trained star to the eccentric recluse of his later years, Marlon Brando offers a penetrating look at the actor's evolving persona: the volcanic Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire, the sensitive rebel in The Wild Ones, the iconic Don Corleone in The Godfather. Bosworth probes Brando's alcoholic parents' influence on his acting, his decades of psychoanalysis, and his tumultuous personal relationships. Here, from rebellious unknown to reluctant idol to falling star, is the complex charismatic genius who changed the face of acting.

The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made


Greg Sestero - 2013
    Described by one reviewer as “like getting stabbed in the head,” the $6 million film earned a grand total of $1,800 at the box office and closed after two weeks. Now in its tenth anniversary year, The Room is an international phenomenon to rival The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Thousands of fans wait in line for hours to attend screenings complete with costumes, audience rituals, merchandising, and thousands of plastic spoons.Readers need not have seen The Room to appreciate its costar Greg Sestero’s account of how Tommy Wiseau defied every law of artistry, business, and interpersonal relationships to achieve the dream only he could love. While it does unravel mysteries for fans, The Disaster Artist is more than just an hilarious story about cinematic hubris: It is ultimately a surprisingly inspiring tour de force that reads like a page-turning novel, an open-hearted portrait of a supremely enigmatic man who will capture your heart.

So You Want to Know About Economics


Roopa Pai - 2017
    Why doesn’t the government simply print more money so that everyone has enough? Who decides that seventy Indian rupees equal one American dollar? How do you figure out what to price a glass of lemonade at the Diwali mela? Are economists really as boring as they look? For answers to these and other mystifying questions, look no further than this fun book! (Psst! You may even catch your adults sneaking a peek inside!).

Complete Horse Riding Manual


William Micklem - 2003
    Now revised and updated, the "Complete Horse Riding Manual" covers dressage, show jumping, and cross-country riding, detailing everything you need to know to compete in these events, whether you are a beginner or more experienced rider."Complete Horse Riding Manual" is brimming with advice on finding the best horse for you, training a young horse, forming the ultimate horse-and-rider team, boosting and maintaining your own physical fitness and suppleness, and building the fitness and stamina of your horse.

Masters of Cinema: Tim Burton


Aurélien Ferenczi - 2008
    1958) is the youngest of Hollywood's most successful directors. He has the knack of making films with a very broad appeal, taking the silliness out of the representation of children, while remaining in touch with the child within himself and his audiences. Burton emerged as a director and storyteller after working as an animator for Disney. His meeting with Johnny Depp enabled him to give physical form to the heroes of his imaginary worlds, where fear is mixed with laughter, strange is normal and those who are not normal, such as "Edward Scissorhands" (1990), must be preserved. After "Beetlejuice" (1988) and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (2005), the resolutely boyish Burton, now in his fifties, presents his version of "Alice in Wonderland" (2010).

Best. Movie. Year. Ever.: How 1999 Blew Up the Big Screen


Brian Raftery - 2019
    The Matrix. Office Space. Election. The Blair Witch Project. The Sixth Sense. Being John Malkovich. Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. American Beauty. The Virgin Suicides. Boys Don’t Cry. The Best Man. Three Kings. Magnolia. Those are just some of the landmark titles released in a dizzying movie year, one in which a group of daring filmmakers and performers pushed cinema to new limits—and took audiences along for the ride. Freed from the restraints of budget, technology (or even taste), they produced a slew of classics that took on every topic imaginable, from sex to violence to the end of the world. The result was a highly unruly, deeply influential set of films that would not only change filmmaking, but also give us our first glimpse of the coming twenty-first century. It was a watershed moment that also produced The Sopranos; Apple’s Airport; Wi-Fi; and Netflix’s unlimited DVD rentals. Best. Movie. Year. Ever. is the story of not just how these movies were made, but how they re-made our own vision of the world. It features more than 130 new and exclusive interviews with such directors and actors as Reese Witherspoon, Edward Norton, Steven Soderbergh, Sofia Coppola, David Fincher, Nia Long, Matthew Broderick, Taye Diggs, M. Night Shyamalan, David O. Russell, James Van Der Beek, Kirsten Dunst, the Blair Witch kids, the Office Space dudes, the guy who played Jar-Jar Binks, and dozens more. It’s the definitive account of a culture-conquering movie year none of us saw coming…and that we may never see again.

Entertainment Weekly the Ultimate Guide to Supernatural


Entertainment Weekly - 2017
    Combining elements of horror, thriller, drama and comedy, this fan favorite explores the world of the paranormal, with brief forays into heaven and hell-and family relationships-every week. As the longtime hit from the CW enters its lucky 13th season, now is the time to time to catch up with an all-new special edition from Entertainment Weekly, The Ultimate Guide to Supernatural. Packed with photographs from each season, a who's who of heaven and hell, and a full episode guide to 12 seasons-plus exclusive interviews with stars Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki and Misha Collins, along with a guide to the guest stars, the top 10 guests, and our expert ranking of each and every episode, this is a must-have for all Supernatural fans. There's even a superfan set-visit diary from S.E. Hinton.

Inside Oscar: The Unofficial History of the Academy Awards


Mason Wiley - 1985
    Wiley and Mr. Bona have found just the right tone for writing about this most particular of American phenomena.

Tim Burton's Corpse Bride: An Invitation to the Wedding


Mark Salisbury - 2005
    Corpse Bride carries on in the dark, romantic tradition of Tim Burton's classic films Edward Scissorhands and The Nightmare Before Christmas, Set in a 19th century European village, this stopmotion, animated feature follows the story of Victor (Johnny Depp), a young man who is whisked away to the underworld and wed to a mysterious Corpse Bride (Helena Bonham-Carter), while his real bride, Victoria (Emily Watson), waits bereft in the land of the living. Though life in the Land of the Dead proves to be a lot more colorful than his strict Victorian upbringing, Victor learns that there is nothing in this world, or the next, that can keep him away from his one true love. It's a tale of optimism, romance and a very lively afterlife, told in a classic Tim Burton style. Like Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, this official visual companion showcases spectacular movie stills, sketches, paintings, and Tim Burton's own drawings. Covering preproduction, production, and post-production, sections detail character realization, set development and construction, puppet fabrication, costuming, and stop-motion filming. The book's final part retells the film's story in images with synopsis, storyboards, and lyrics. 140 color illustrations.

In the Blink of an Eye: A Perspective on Film Editing


Walter Murch - 1995
    

Believe: What Life and Cricket Taught Me


Suresh Raina - 2021
    

The Twilight Zone Companion


Marc Scott Zicree - 1982
    Zicree's account of the series from inception to cancellation, through syndications and sunbsequent offshoots and remakes, is fascinating reading for even the mosts casual fan. Coverage of each episode includes a plot synopsis, Rod Serling's narrations, critical commentary, behind-the-scenes stories and anecdotes from the original artist who created the series, a complete list of cast and credits, and over 200 production photographs.This second edition also has an addendum covering the Twilight Zone movie and the CBS program from the 1980s.

Star Wars


Will Brooker - 2009
    Though at first Star Wars seems a simple fairy-tale, it becomes far more complex when we realize that the director is rooting for both sides, creating a tension unsettles the saga as a whole and illuminates new sides of Lucas' masterpiece.

Negative Space: Manny Farber on the Movies


Manny Farber - 1971
    His witty, incisive criticism later worked exacting language into an exploration of the feelings and strategies that went into low-budget and radical films as diverse as Michael Snow's Wavelength, Werner Herzog's Fata Morgana, and Chantal Akerman's Jeanne Dielman. Expanded with an in-depth interview and seven essays written with his wife, artist Patricia Patterson, Negative Space gathers Farber's most influential writings, making this an indispensable collection for all lovers of film.