Along with such familiar titles as The Devil Wears Prada and Remember the Titans, Stratton introduces readers to lesser-known gems like Diplomatic Courier, The Narrow Margin, Prime Cut and Under Fire. The selections represent every major genre of film: domestic drama, musical, film noir, Western, science fiction, comedy, biopic, war, espionage, sports, superhero and horror. Among the acting careers examined are those of Cary Grant, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland, Greer Garson, Burt Lancaster, Meryl Streep, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Denzel Washington, Daniel Craig and many others. Covering over ninety years of film history, this is a book for the casual fan as well as the seasoned student. Easy to read and to navigate, it is a must-have reference.
Fans of offbeat cinema, discriminating renters and collectors, and movie buffs will drool over this checklist of the best overlooked and underappreciated films of the last hundred years. In Son of the 100 Best Movies You’ve Never Seen, Richard Crouse, Canada AM film critic and host of television’s award-winning Reel to Real, presents a follow-up to his 2003 book with another hundred of his favorite films. Titles range from the obscure, like 1912’s The Cameraman’s Revenge, to El Topo’s unusual existential remake of the classic western, and little-seen classics like The Killing. Each essay features a detailed description of plot, notable trivia tidbits, critical reviews, and interviews with actors and filmmakers. Featured interviews include Billy Bob Thornton on an inspirational movie about a man with his head in the clouds, Francis Ford Coppola on One from the Heart, and Mario Van Peebles on playing his own father in Badasssss! Sidebars feature quirky details, including legal disclaimers and memorable quotes, along with movie picks from A-list actors and directors.
There have been iconic moments in the action movie genre over the years, but nothing has come close to matching the kinetic, balletic gun-fu of the John Wick films. In They Shouldn’t Have Killed His Dog: The Complete Uncensored Ass-Kicking Oral History of John Wick, Gun-Fu and The New Age of Action, bestselling authors Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross take you behind the scenes of a franchise that includes three films with more on the way, while exploring the action classics that led to John Wick as well as the films it inspired, like Atomic Blonde. They bring you right into the middle of the action of the John Wick films, detailing how the seemingly impossible was achieved through exclusive interviews with the cast, writers, directors, producers, stuntmen, fight choreographers, cinematographers, studio executives, editors, critics, and more. Together, they break down key action sequences while also providing a look back at the road the action genre has taken that led to John Wick, and a look at the character itself, an anti-hero who carries on the grand tradition of Clint Eastwood’s Man with No Name, but with a twist — and a never-ending supply of ammo — while showcasing the enduring appeal of the action movie as well as John Wick’s unique reinvention of the genre.
A comprehensive guide to science fiction films, which analyzes and contextualizes the most important examples of the genre, from Un voyage dans la lune (1902), to The Road (2009).
The book that follows contains one hundred Christmas themed movies and television specials that you should certainly consider watching during the festive season. The qualification for entry here is that each film should at least contain a Christmas scene or be set at Christmas. There are many perennial Christmas viewing staples like The Wizard of Oz and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory but films like this don't qualify for our book because they aren't set at Christmas. Films like On Her Majesty's Secret Service and Night of the Hunter DO qualify though because they have references to Christmas. That's how our list works. You'll find a very eclectic mix in the book that follows. Beloved television cartoons, comedy specials, obscure horror films, art house movies, action classics, stop-motion animation, anthology segments, and even a few bizarre or cheesy guilty pleasures. The list that follows is truly a case of the sublime and the ridiculous at times. The connective tissue though is always Christmas. So, put another log on the fire, get yourself a mince pie, and prepare to dive into the 100 Greatest Christmas Movies!
Suffering from superhero fatigue? Superhero films are ten a penny these days and often disappoint with their cardboard characters and tiresome CGI destruction. Though this genre is increasingly the object of snooty disdain from film industry royalty there have been many great superhero films which are simply great films period - irrespective of genre. This book will hopefully remind you that not all superhero films are the same. Let's attempt to separate the wheat from the chaff and count down the 100 best superhero movies of all time.
From Oscar-winning British classics to Hollywood musicals and Westerns, from Soviet epics to Bollywood thrillers, Shakespeare has inspired an almost infinite variety of films. Directors as diverse as Orson Welles, Akira Kurosawa, Franco Zeffirelli, Kenneth Branagh, Baz Luhrmann and Julie Taymor have transferred Shakespeare's plays from stage to screen with unforgettable results. Spanning a century of cinema, from a silent short of 'The Tempest' (1907) to Kenneth Branagh's 'As You Like It' (2006), Daniel Rosenthal's up-to-date selection takes in the most important, inventive and unusual Shakespeare films ever made. Half are British and American productions that retain Shakespeare's language, including key works such as Olivier's 'Henry V' and 'Hamlet', Welles' 'Othello' and 'Chimes at Midnight', Branagh's 'Henry V' and 'Hamlet', Luhrmann's 'Romeo + Juliet' and Taymor's 'Titus'. Alongside these original-text films are more than 30 genre adaptations: titles that aim for a wider audience by using modernized dialogue and settings and customizing Shakespeare's plots and characters, transforming 'Macbeth' into a pistol-packing gangster ('Joe Macbeth' and 'Maqbool') or reimagining 'Othello' as a jazz musician ('All Night Long'). There are Shakesepeare-based Westerns ('Broken Lance', 'King of Texas'), musicals ('West Side Story', 'Kiss Me Kate'), high-school comedies ('10 Things I Hate About You', 'She's the Man'), even a sci-fi adventure ('Forbidden Planet'). There are also films dominated by the performance of a Shakespearean play ('In the Bleak Midwinter', 'Shakespeare in Love'). Rosenthal emphasises the global nature of Shakespearean cinema, with entries on more than 20 foreign-language titles, including Kurosawa's 'Throne of Blood and Ran', Grigori Kozintsev's 'Russian Hamlet' and 'King Lear', and little-known features from as far afield as 'Madagascar' and 'Venezuela', some never released in Britain or the US. He considers the films' production and box-office history and examines the film-makers' key interpretive decisions in comparison to their Shakespearean sources, focusing on cinematography, landscape, music, performance, production design, textual alterations and omissions. As cinema plays an increasingly important role in the study of Shakespeare at schools and universities, this is a wide-ranging, entertaining and accessible guide for Shakespeare teachers, students and enthusiasts.
Most Batman fans have enjoyed the Dark Knight in comics or on the big screen and are eagerly anticipating the release of the new Justice League movie. But only real fans know the other characters who have donned the cowl in place of Bruce Wayne, or know the full origin stories of those who make up the rogues gallery. 100 Things Batman Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die is the ultimate resource for true fans, whether you're a comic book collector, an aficionado of Christopher Nolan's films, or both! Joseph McCabe of Nerdist.com has collected every essential piece of Dark Knight knowledge and trivia, as well as must-do activities, and ranks them all from 1 to 100, providing an entertaining and easy-to-follow checklist as you progress on your way to fan superstardom. Contains exclusive interviews with Batman creators!
