Movies Books

Every Step a Struggle is an anthology of interviews recorded and put together by Frank Manchel that date back to the 1970s. Manchel captures a tumultuous time in filmmaking, interviewing folks who were in film during its early years and still passionate about film, filmmaking and the African-American role in film during the 1970s. The generational gap between filmmakers who made their mark between the 1920s and 1930s and those who were coming up in the 70s is examined, as well as civil rights era concerns. Manchel and his interviewees dug deeply into those concerns and how they tied into the films and the cultural reactions to the films made featuring black artists.

The seven artists Manchel interviewed are:

-- Lorenzo Tucker, a mulatto actor (the first generation offspring of a black person and a white person;
-- Lillian Gish, a white actress who worked closely with D.W. Griffith and who was in Birth of a Nation;
-- Clarence Muse, a brilliant black character actor;
-- King Vidor, who directed "plantation" movies;
-- Woody Strode, a professional football player signed to the Los Angeles Rams in 1946 who then became an actor featured in more than 60 films;
-- Charles Edward Gordone who was the first African-American playwright to win the Pulitzer Prize; and,
-- Frederick Douglass O'Neal who was both an actor and an activists.

The interviews are comprehensive and lively as sometimes more than the interviewer and interviewee were talking. Concise explanations are offered when a point of fact needs clarification or when Manchel becomes concerned about whether or not the reader is still with the conversation.

NOTE: Frank Manchel is a professor Emeritus who has taught about silent, sound, andcontemporary film as well as film criticism and genres. He has written When Movies Began to Speak, An Album of Modern Horror Films and An Album of Great Science Fiction Films. He is a highly respected expert on film history and his primary fields of research, in addition to list above, are: cultural film geography, and African-American history.

Armchair Interviews says: A worthwhile read for those interested in Film History, Filmmaking and Civil Rights.

Like the other decade books in this series Film Posters of the 50's is a sensational buy. You could either keep it intact as a collection of posters in a book to show and discuss with friends, or cut the book up and actually have a vast number of posters up on your wall. This book is about a third the size of your standard film poster and most movies are full page colour. Any of them would look great up on the wall. Don't know what the previous reviewer is complaining about, must have confused this book with a similar title or something because this ain't like he describes.

The 50's decade has films by Bogart, Cary Grant, James Dean and Grace Kelly. Alfred Hitchcock made some gems as well. You'll find them all here along with your 50's movies like I Married a Monster From Outer Space, Attack of the 50ft Woman, Creature From the Black Lagoon and The War of the World's.

I wasn't even alive back then but I recognise most of these movies. They're classics. This is a sensational book to own.

If I were only measuring this book by the 250+ images of movie posters in it, I would say it deserved more than five stars. Unfortunately, the layout has two flaws. Many of the images are reproduced in unnecessarily too small sizes. Some of the two page spreads have the key point of interest right in the middle of the crease. The book also would benefit from a much more thorough discussion of the techniques used in the posters.

This book is the third in a series that also covers the 60s and 70s in earlier versions.

This volume could have been entitled "The Movies Strike Back at Television." The posters emphasize new technologies (like 3-D glasses), lurid promises for the dying "B" pictures, and lush designs to help attract people away from their TV trays. Attractive new stars like Marilyn Monroe and James Dean helped.

Photographic reproduction in these posters is uniformly grim, so those posters which only feature drawings are the best. The most abstract ones appear in European and Japanese versions, and are usually the most outstanding.

A movie poster can help set the mood for the movie experience, and enhance the emotional impact much like music does on the film track. In some cases, these posters seemed to go beyond the movie itself. The poster for War of the Worlds seemed clearly more forbidding and overwhelming than anything I remember from the movie itself.

You will also enjoy recollecting your memories of these movies from looking at the posters.

What was most impressive to me was the way that a poster used a gesture, a moment in a scene, a character, or a design to capture the essence of the whole motion picture. This is the ultimate test of the old saw, "a picture is worth a thousand words." In this case, the best posters are worth many tens of thousands of words, and speak more eloquently than any words could.

Here are some of my favorites: La Dolce Vita; Sunset Boulevard (Polish version); The Bad and the Beautiful (Italian version); A Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Japanese version); Vertigo; The Man with the Golden Arm; Anatomy of a Murder; Attack of the 50 Foot Woman; The War of the Worlds; The Ladykillers; The Man in the White Suit; Monsieur Hulot's Holiday (French version)(2); Mon Oncle (French version); Moulin Rouge (Polish version); French Can-Can (French version); Casque D'Or (French version); Lust for Life (British version); Kanal (Polish version); The Steel Helmet; The Dam Busters (British version); Reach for the Sky (British version); The Bridge on the River Kwai (British version); From Here to Eternity (French version); Bio Bravo; High Noon; Carmen Jones (Italian version); Gigi; Jailhouse Rock; and On the Waterfront (Italian version).

We are indeed fortunate that Mr. Nourmand has shared his taste and collection with us in this volume.

After you have finished enjoying these images, I suggest that you take a look at the logo for the organization, project, or company you work for. How well does it establish what you are trying to accomplish? You can use these posters as a guide to what is possible.

Be sure to make your visions vividly available to all!

Vaux presents an excellent study book for groups or individuals, focusing on themes from life which can influence getting more from movies than simply entertainment. Each chapter focuses on a single theme, with several related films (and many more listed in an appendix). Faith reflections come from the author's knowledge of the Bible and experience as a professor of theology. At the end of each chapter are questions for group discussion. Dr. Vaux gives brief synopses without giving anything away. Although she inspires thinking about a film's spiritual meaning and life values, she wants viewers to find this in ordinary or extraordinary street stories, not religious films where we might expect it. I found this book awakened me to a new appreciation of films I had seen, and also to films new to me, foreign as well as American, from the 'sixties and 'seventies, as well as the 'nineties.

Vaux' thoughtful commentary on a number of popular and award-winning films is refreshing in its heavy emphasis on "values" and critical "issues" (and its avoidance of preaching and dogma).

Typical of the entire book is her handling of Riddley Scott's BLADE RUNNER: she's not afraid to tackle this excellent and boxoffice-drawing (but also "mature") science fiction film head on, guiding readers point-by-point through its highlights in pursuit of key subject matter and possible discussion topics. Actually, the result is a better/deeper appreciation of the film itself, whether or not the reader originally was only looking for dramatic illustrations of values!

Liberal-to-moderate and/or "mainstream" Christians should enjoy and benefit from this intelligent, well-reasoned guidebook -- and should be pleased by its freedom from religious doctrine and dogma. Protestants and Catholics alike should be able to make good use of the stimulating, conversation-starting notions she shares, while enjoying the subject films themselves as both art and entertainment. (Nor is there any reason that Jews or Muslims, or persons of other or no religious orientation, should not benefit, as well.)

More conservative/fundamentalist readers, however, may find Vaux's book personally disturbing in its tolerance of several "pop" movies (including adult themes, language, partial nudity and at least suggested sexual behavior and sometimes graphic violence), and dissapointed in its lack of direct one-to-one correlations with openly "religious" subject matter. Those readers wishing to be "preached at" or to find a guide to so-called "religious movies" will need to look elsewhere.

Personally, I found Vaux' approach both refreshing and enlightening, and I thank her for this step forward in recognizing the deep commitment to critical values that runs through the majority of modern art -- including The Movies!

This is seriously the best book on movies I've ever read. With a few exceptions--"White Zombie," "Murder by Television"--these films are totally unknown. Until now.

Every movie in here was put out by the lesser-known studios--Monogram,Mascot,Chesterfield,ect. The book covers a wide range of sub-genres, from jungle exploitation films to action serials to sinister westerns, so long as there are vague horror elements.

The authors have done a great service, and their writing style is very eloquent. By all means purchase this and seek out some of these films.

If you love obscure ,low budget movies,this is the book for you.It's obvious that the authors have a great deal of affection for these movies.My only complaint is they include a few too many movies that aren't really horror in my opinion-westerns with some spooky touches,etc.All in all,though,this is an excellent book.

In this little book, two of film's most visible critics, Roger Ebert and the late Gene Siskel, interview three of the most influential film directors of the last 30 years: Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and George Lucas. (Scorsese is interviewed by both Ebert and Siskel. Spielberg is interviewed by Siskel; Lucas by Ebert.)

Much of the focus of this little book is directed toward film preservation, although the title of the book also refers to trends in filmmaking. It is interesting to see the predictions that all three directors made for the future of film when these interviews were conducted in 1990. Along the way, we gain a bit of insight into the passion these three directors (and these two critics) have for films and their future. An interesting look for the casual fan or the serious film lover.

116 pages

A must-have for film fans. In what other book can one get so intimate about films with acclaimed film makers Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and George Lucas, along with prominent film critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert. Simply put, facinating, and a pure joy to read. Plus, the proceeds go to restoring films, such as JAWS, that are literally disappearing.

Sniegoski has got this down, I think.

"It was a near perfect day up till now. But zombie cyborgs...Hellboy sighed. "I'm not sure I deserve so much fun."

This novel has the right combination of humor, horror and pathos for Hellboy, as a group of spirit-mediums attempt to incorporate and raise a god they worship.

All the crazy weird crap is there, too, along with Director Manning's Uncle Steve's ghost, undertakers, storage facilities for excess paranormal artifacts, and other oddities.

His time working on BPRD comics certainly seems to have assisted the writing for this book.

It appears this a series that it will continue to be worth getting.

It started out slow developing the characters, but then built to a climax and ended really well.

I remember seeing this one in the Walden's Books locations here in Omaha and in the Kansas City, MO area, around the time I was in college(mid 80s). It was still kicking around some years later, for a discounted price, at the time I received it for a Christmas gift from a girlfriend. At the time, I had just considered it a coffee table book: good size, lots of pictures, a conversation piece. It seemed like a decent gift, especially considering my love for film. Whether I looked upon it with much merit or not, the girlfriend had obviously put some thought into the topic and I'd appreciated that. Now, a decade and a half later, I still have it, making this one my longest-owned books.
I have probably used this text nearly as often as my thesaurus, dictionary, and several film guides and encyclopedias(good thing it was a hardbound). If you're a serious film student,or self-proclaimed critic, I'm not going to say this book is a necessary addition to the short list of any personal library, however, this will definitely be more than useful when it comes to a quick reference on film genres-which is the real use of this book. Every chapter is broken down to the most important films of the given genre. For example, "The Sound of Laughter: Great Comedy Movies" begins with brief examples of film comedies by the decade. This is followed by two pages of Charlie Chaplin(perhaps a little long), followed by Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, the Marx Brothers, WC Fields, and Mae West.
Then, it goes into the films themselves: "It Happended One Night", "Bringing Up Baby", "The Philadelphia Story", etc. Now, although no actors, directors, or films are dealt with in much depth, the true charm here is, as in most coffee table books, the pictures. If you only use the book for pictures, it's still worthwhile, for these offer the big titles that typify each of the genres. Whenever I'm referring to a genre, I usually grab this book first, for its quick overview. Genres covered: comedy, musical, romance, western, war, mystery, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, crime, the lower depths(includes some noir), great book and theater adaptations, the "great" movies(Gone With the Wind, the 2 big DW Griffith epics, Citizen Kane, and Greed), and a chapter on the "American" movie, which seems fairly trivial-as a genre, anyway. If you love film, this will be a handy source.

While I was walking down the street,I decided to take a look at the books.And seen Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable's romantic picture which's taken from the classical hollywood movie 'Gone With The Wind'.Without stopping,I've decided to buy it.When I came home,I started to read the whole book.It was perfect.As I want to be a part of Hollywood,I learn new things from this book about classics.From my personal star Gene Kelly to Bette Davis all the stars are in this book.I recommend it to everyone.Just open the book,and you'll be a part of it then understand the glorious feeling!

One of the best works on the martial arts film genre. An absolute essential guide for genre buffs.

Well, after the original publisher going under and a new one taking up the slack, the long-promised book is finally out with the full story from China, Hong Kong, Japan, and America. As promised, the new book takes the tale full circle, from its auspicious Wong Fei Hong beginnings to the worldwide triumph of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Not just one actor, one director, and one era, but a whirlwind tour of them all, through the Venoms, Master Killer, and women warriors to Sammo, Jet, Yuen, and all the rest. There's even a color photo section with some incredibly rare images. Perfect? Well, no. I wish there had been more from the HK independant producers, the lesser known Shaw Brothers directors, an index, and a "worst of" list (to go along with the "best of" one). But considering what the book went through on the long road to publication, it held up remarkably well. Enjoy!

Another great read, as always, in the CSI: MIAMI series.

In this book, there are actually three seprate storylines: one involving a Santicon gathering that turns deadly for one jolly St. Nick; one dealing with the discovery of a headless, handless corpse in the Everglades; and one dealing with a simple case of an attack at a convenience store that quickly turns into something much more strange.

This was a quick, fun read -- highly recommended!

Mr. Cortez has kept the characters, plot, and plot development true to the TV series. If the book were an episode, I would consider it at or slightly above the average episode.

This book challenges any pianest to bring Harry's world to life. Original or near origanl music takes you to each scene, inviting you in. With a bit of practice, you can hear the notes form the world of magic, invite you into it, and experiance it all. Easily readable music and clear titles let you know just how to play and what to play. Ingenious work for you to play right at home.

Harry Potter and the chamber of secrets is the coolest book ever!