Film Art

By 1920, the movies had suddenly become America's new favorite pastime and one of the nation's largest industries. Never before had a medium possessed such power to influence; yet Hollywood's glittering ascendancy was threatened by a string of headline-grabbing tragedies - including the murder of William Desmond Taylor, the popular president of the Motion Picture Directors Association, a legendary crime that has remained unsolved until now.

In 2001, Ian McKellen put on the robe and pointed hat of a wizard named Gandalf and won a place in the hearts of Tolkien fans worldwide. Though his role in the film adaptation of Lord of the Rings introduced him to a new audience, McKellen had a thriving career a lifetime before his visit to Middle Earth. He made his West End acting debut in 1964 in James Saunders's A Scent of Flowers, but it was in 1980 that he took Broadway by storm when he played Antonio Salieri in Peter Shaffer's Tony Award-winning play Amadeus....

Shooting Midnight Cowboy is not only the definitive account of the film that unleashed a new wave of innovation in American cinema but also the story of a country (and an industry) beginning to break free from decades of cultural and sexual repression.

Her agent told her not to get on the plane. The male leads weren't even cast. The financing was shaky at best. The script had been rewritten countless times. And yet something about Wild Oats lured Shirley MacLaine to the film's location shoot in the far-off Canary Islands - and straight to the center of one of the most thrilling and paradigm-shifting adventures of her life.

Rolling Stone contributing editor Steve Knopper delves deeply into Michael Jackson's music and talent. From the artist's early days with the Jackson 5, to his stratospheric success as a solo artist, to "Beat It" and "Thriller", "Bad", and "The Man in the Mirror", to his volatile final years, his attempted comeback, and his untimely death, Knopper explores the beguiling and often contradictory forces that fueled Michael Jackson's genius.

Part autobiography, part master class, Living the Braveheart Life invites us to explore five major archetypes in Braveheart that resonate not only in Randall's life but in the modern-day lives of both men and women: the father, teacher, warrior, sage, and outlaw. Join blockbuster film director Randall Wallace on the journey of his creative and personal life.

Is the Dude a bowling-loving stoner or a philosophical genius living the good life? Naturally, it's the latter, and The Big Lebowski and Philosophy explains why. Enlisting the help of great thinkers like Plato and Nietzsche, the book explores the movie's hidden philosophical layers, cultural reflection, and political commentary.

From the creators of the hit podcast Again with This comes a hilarious and substantive 90210 book that is perfect for celebrating the 30th anniversary of the show's first episode. Join Tara Ariano and Sarah D. Bunting as they journey through the top 100 episodes of the series, covering everything from episode rankings to season overviews, character spotlights, and listicles. You'll rediscover what you've forgotten and perhaps learn what you never knew.

In Westworld and Philosophy, philosophers, filmmakers, scientists, activists, and ethicists ask the questions you're not supposed to ask and suggest the answers you're not supposed to know. There's a deeper level to this game, and this book charts a course through the maze of the mind, examining how we think about humans, hosts, and the world around us on a journey toward self-actualization.

Famously a playboy, Warren Beatty has also been one of the most ambitious and successful stars in Hollywood. Several Beatty films have passed the test of time, from Bonnie and Clyde (which confirmed for him the importance of controlling the projects he was involved in) to Shampoo, Heaven Can Wait, Reds (for which he won the best director Oscar), Bugsy, and Bulworth.

Dark Shadows: Return to Collinwood presents a look back at four decades of the successful, spooky soap opera that made sympathetic vampire Barnabas Collins a pop-culture phenomenon and prompted the big-budget big-screen Warner Bros. revival starring longtime fan Johnny Depp, directed by Tim Burton, that premiered May 11, 2012. With the ongoing fascination for all things vampiric, this audiobook about the making of the new film and the history of the original series will be an enticing volume for new and old fans alike.

You don't have to miss out just because you don't like to be frightened! Stop trying to read nonsensical Wikipedia plot summaries (we know you're doing it), and let an expert tell you everything you need to know about the most influential horror films of the past sixty years—without a single jump scare or a drop of gore.

Want to sell a screenplay, but figure there’s no chance it’ll ever happen? I mean, you don’t know a soul in Hollywood, right? You don’t have James Cameron on your speed dial. Christopher Nolan isn’t in your yoga class. Quentin Tarantino doesn’t shop at the same Whole Foods that you do. I mean, who’s going to take a chance on you? There’s no way you could ever sell a screenplay. Right? Well…

Having saved virtually every letter her father wrote to her between the years 1938, when she was 11 years old, and 1967, Miriam Marx' letters from her famous father Groucho show an extraordinary father-daughter relationship.

How to Write a Screenplay is the guide you need! We will teach you how to write a screenplay in seven easy steps. This guide is designed to provide you with all the tools you need in a concise, easy-to-understand format that will answer all your burning questions and get you on your way to successful screenplay writing.

Sausages: The Making of Dog Soldiers is a celebration of Neil Marshall’s debut soldiers versus werewolves movie. To coincide with the 20-year anniversary, it takes a deep dive look behind the scenes at the cult classic. As well as a full retrospective, you will find interviews with the cast and crew, original shot list, excerpts from the script and more. Encompassing the tone of Dog Soldiers, Sausages is the perfect companion to this fan-favourite film. Includes a foreword from genre icon Joe Dante and afterword from legendary director John Landis.

Among a crop of fresh filmmakers including Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, and Francis Ford Coppola revolutionizing Hollywood in the ’70s, Brian De Palma—a director from Philadelphia with a few social satires under his belt—charted a cinematic path unlike any of his peers. At times he was unfairly dismissed as a Hitchcock copycat; other times he was misunderstood for his peculiar mix of sexuality, humor, music, and violence. But, over the course of ten years, he created a new cinematic language.

The Unofficial F-R-I-E-N-D-S Trivia Book: The One with All the Quotes includes over 200 quotes all neatly sectioned to make it easier to understand who the quotes are from; a section for nothing but the most famous one-liners the show is known for; a section of quotes only between the main six characters: Monica, Ross, Phoebe, Chandler, Rachel, and Joey; and more.

The Thin Man films are one of the most highly regarded and successful series of films from Hollywood's classic era. This book looks at the people who populated the films, including full chapter profiles of its stars, William Powell and Myrna Loy, whose chemistry together was a huge reason for the success of the films. As Nick and Nora Charles, they knocked the stereotypes of on-screen marriage out of the park and replaced the stiff and formal with fun and sexy.

Do you watch movies with your eyes open? You buy your tickets and concessions, and you walk into the theater. Celluloid images flash at 24 frames per second, and the hypnotic sequence of moving pictures coaxes you to suspend disbelief and be entertained by the implausible. Unfortunately, many often suspend their beliefs as well, succumbing to subtle lessons in how to behave, think, and even perceive reality.