Movies Books

Everything from a Disney Nautilus to George Pal's Time Machine. Tons of tips and how to do casting, making molds, tricks for better details on models. If you like to scratchbuild, this books is chocked full of good information.

I picked up Cult's book at WonderFest with egar anticipation. What was contained in the book did not dissapoint. It was filled with great kits I never knew existed (& now want) as well as great ideas & tips on building them. I can't say enough about this book & how it will help me build a better kit.

If you love to build scale models from classic sci-fi movies, then this is the book for you. This book covers a wide range of subjects: plastic model kits that you would remember from your youth, some of the coolest offerings by the contemporary garage industry, and techniques for beginners and experts. Since no single project requires EVERY modelling skill (typical of the hobby), each chapter takes a classic movie robot or spacecraft and details the building process in its own unique way.

CultTVman's guide offers tips on building, painting, customizing, and displaying some of the more obscure kits out there - kits that are only offered in the "garage scene", never produced by a major plastic model company. It was a blast to see these familiar subjects built by some very talented people.

Few books devoted to science fiction modelmaking have punctuated the monotonous and predictable landscape of model building related books, and this one is a stand-out! "The Ultimate Modeling Guide..." covers a broad range of science fiction hardware and model making techniques. Excellent photography supports detailed and authoritative text. I've found it to be instructional and inspirational. This book is for anyone interested in modelmaking. And for the sci-fi specific modelmaker, you library is sorely incomplete until you get this book. I highly recommend it!

Reference books and how-to books for modelers are a small niche in the market, and they've been almost entirely oriented toward the military modeler. Now at last is an in-depth how-to book for the science fiction kit builder. We're not out in the cold any more! Steve Iverson has gathered a gaggle of the best sci fi modelers from around the CultTVMan internet community, and they've given us step-by-step articles on building and improving such kits as Polar Lights' Robbie the Robot and C-57D spaceship, Lunar Models' Proteus and Discovey, and many other mainstream and garage industry models. The book is capped off with a fascinating history of the filming model of the Starship Enterprise from Star Trek: The Motion Picture through its retirement, with some wonderful reference photos of the ship - worth the price of admission alone!

This book is a great book for young kids-- it is very durable with sturdy pages and has a convenient plastic handle for them to carry it around with them. It also has a plastic clamp on the side to hold the book closed while carrying it, but very easy to operate for little hands. This is a great book for toddlers and preschool-aged children who enjoy Toy Story and it's characters Buzz Lightyear and Woody. My son loved this book and carried it around everywhere.

My daughter loves the Toy Story movies. This book follows the story closely and has great photos. Since it is a board book the pages won't get ripped and it will last a long time.

This book has been a favorite to bring along in the car, whether it is for long trips or even short ones. The children get to read about their favorite movie, instead of watching the whole movie! It's been great! And the handle means they can carry it, one less thing for me to carry!

This book is great for the rough and tumble child. My son loves this book and since its super sturdy, I don't worry about him destroying it. The illustrations are incredible and the book is constructed really well. A great find for the buzz lightyear fan.

My son loves this book. The handle makes it super easy for him to carry and he loves to take it with him everywhere.

"Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!/Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd... Desires compos'd, affections ever ev'n,/Tears that delight, and sighs that waft to Heav'n." The original Alexander Pope poem suits the movie whose title it inspired, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," a unique, surreal film about memories, love and sorrow.

"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" deals with timid, conservative Joel, who bumps into ex-girlfriend Clementine at a store -- and finds she doesn't remember him. He finds a notice in his mail that she has had him erased from her memories, and angrily decides to have the same done. But during the procedure, Joel revisits the good times they had together, and finds that he doesn't want to lose his memories with Clementine.

This movie, by Michel Gondry and Charlie Kaufman, was one of the best of 2004, and one that isn't quickly forgotten. The screenplay is an excellent accompaniment; if there is a line or an image that didn't seem to make sense, it might make more sense here. "Eternal Sunshine" fans will also like the scenes that never made it to the final cut, and one scene got shuffled around.

Additionally, there is an interview at the end with Kaufman. In it, he describes his writing background, his collaborations with Gondry, clashes with Ben Affleck's horrific "Paycheck," memory, and that wonderful "Velveteen Rabbit" scene. Although, it could have used more of Kaufman's thoughts on the final product and the actors.

The stumbling blocks? Don't try reading the screenplay BEFORE seeing the movie, or you will be hopelessly lost. The script cuts wildly from the past, the present, inside and outside the characters' heads. It works wonderfully on the screen, but on paper it's hard to visualize just by the words alone. That, and this richly visual film is only represented by some murky black-and-white photos.

"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is a wonderful script, which spawned a wonderful film. And for fans of that film, this is an excellent accompaniment and resource.

this is a brilliant affecting screenplay..like much of kaufman's work it combines inventivness and originality with the creation of well drawn poignant complex characters trying to make sense of and live as best they can in this world we live in. amidst all the craziness and surreal aspects of his work there's a real humanism that shines through...i once read in an interview charlie did that he consider's himself primarily a book person not a film person..i loved that...the world needs more screenwriters who look at themselves as primarily book people particularly when they can team up with such visual artists as michel gondry or spike jonz..no wonder these collaboratons produce such great films..these artists perfectley complement each other..nonetheless this screenplay stands on it's own as a work of art..

This is a truly beautiful movie. I seriously think it is one of Jim Carey's best films. The cinematography is provocative and intelligent. The acting is flawless. And the plot is a well devised mesh of fantastical conception and blatant realism mixed with subtle humor. It should have one an award. It was certaintly better than Million Dollar Baby.

A Hollywood film script book from Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (whose previous credits include "Being John Malkovich" and "Adaptation"), for the very highly acclaimed film "Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind", this provides the reader with a 165-page shooting script in book form and will prove to be a welcome addition to the growing library of Hollywood film scripts and "must" reading for aspiring film students. Enhanced with a Q&A with Kaufman, black/white movie stills with commentary, and complete cast and crew credits, Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind will also prove of great interest to the legions of Jim Carrey fans who enjoyed his performance as Joel, a young man who wants to have the painful memories of his girlfriend Clementine (played by Kate Winslet) erased from his mind.

This was a movie I didn't expect to like. I hadn't heard that much about it and wasn't all that enthusiastic about seeing another Jim Carey movie. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised.

First of all, this movie is truly original. That's rare these days. It revolves around the premise that you can erase someone from your memories. In this case, the "someone" to be erased is Kate Winslet's character of Clementine. She is wacky and artsy, and plays against Carey's straightlaced character Joel perfectly. I had just seen an interview with Winslet before this movie and was amazed at her accurate American accent. Very well done.

And Carey is brilliant. His toned down, not over the top portrayal of Joel was delightful and wonderful. This is the first time I actually thought of Carey as a very good actor. Both Carey and Winslet deserve an Oscar for this film.

In addition, the film is beautifully shot as well. This could have been a very goofy movie, with a premise that was hard to actually get into and believe, but this film worked perfectly on all accounts: writing, cinematography, acting. I would recommend this film to anyone that wants to see a thoroughly enjoyable, funny, sweet, interesting, wonderful film that is unlike any you've seen before.

From the author of The Difference Now, A New Dish, and At the Coffee Shop. (www.thedifferencenow.com).

Carney's book is scientific writing at its best. The book, despite the level of abstraction, is totally captivating. A lot of connections to sociological theories (pragmatism) are used to penetrate the characters and C:s way of filming (as well as interesting observations about Hitchcock and Orson Welles). Also, this is a book about being human as much as it is about the films of Cassavetes. The book is well structured with one film and analysis per chapter. I'm not a film student but I learned a lot from reading this. Highly recommended!

I doubt that I can say anything about this book that hasn't been said before but this is, by every measure, an outstanding examination of Cassavetes amazing body of work.
I go back to this book every six months or so and have for a number of years. It is a very thorough, reverent, and insightful reference book but it goes well beyond that. Though very full of information, it is personal enough that it has allowed (and encouraged) me to go and evaluate the films myself without the feeling that there is a "law" or an agenda already set with these films.
The greatest beauty of Cassavetes' films is that each one belongs to the individual; meaning that every person who chooses to lend his or her heart to the characters, stories, and subject matter(s) can get something out of it that belongs solely to that person. The films can excite, enrage, entertain, and rattle you in ways that films seldom do.

Cassavetes films make you more than an audience member as they make you more aware than ever that you just might still be human.

Great book and highly reccomended.

I originally got this book and read the whole thing, before i had seen any of cassavetes movies. This is not a recommended route. I have now seen all of his films, except for husbands, and i can't tell you how amazing i think the importance of this book is. I wonder what the ratio is between the people who disagree and agree with it's context, in respect to it's attitude towards american cinema. the book really does rewire your brain. The people who i am friends with, who are also interested in film are dumb founded when ever i casually undermine 2001 or citizen kane in a conversation. More importantly though, this book, like Cassavetes films, extends into life and actually opens you up to knew spiritual territory
you didn't think about. One last point: Does any one notice how suprisingly objective Carney is when he mentions his most hated film makers like Spielberg ? Get this book. It may feel too intellectual, but it really isn't. If you think that then you are reading it too quickly and not thinking about what it's actually saying.

I'm not sure what book the reviewer below this read, but I don't know how many times I'd have to read about films that completely re-imagine the way I (and our popular culture) see the world and my own experience before I'd feel "bored" or anything less than inspired and envigorated. In fact, I read this book very often - not just to gain information, like a dictionary or an encyclopedia, giving me facts and figure data I didn't have before, but as mental calethenics, or something like spiritual openess training. This is a much more meaningful and important activity than thematic comparison and contrsating, no matter how technically interesting that is. As the concepts and points of view on the world process thru my brain as I read them off the page, I gain new abilities to understand and see - and this takes work, and often repetition. So I reccomend anyone who reads this book and hopes to gain insight, not just into Cassavetes and his films, but into their own personal attitudes, to keep themselves OPEN, as Cassavetes explicitly did in every frame of film he exposed, and to always give the artist (or author) the benefit of the doubt before passing judgement based on arbitrary ulterior motives (which, naturally, we all have). This isn't easy (especially to the greatly film cultured), but I dare say you'll enjoy this book, and your life, a lot more.

Almost everything Carney says, you tend to utterly hate him for at first. His most recent article seemed so pessimistic that I spent an hour in my apartment, sitting in front of the TV depressed by it all.

Everything Carney writes tends to be tough at first, because, like Cassavetes, he mentions truths about life that very few people wish to confront. There is no evasion of reality in this book. People can be horrible to each other. We all die in the end. That's life.

Carney doesn't analyse Cassavetes' work in relation to other movies and cultural trends (as most film professors tend to do), but prefers to focus entirely on the performances of the characters on screen. Like Cassavetes, he never really explains the characters' motivations, but instead focuses on how they react to their environments. Everything he writes is about life -- you'll find nothing about tendentious compositions, popular culture, or auteur theory. The only important thing here is Carney's love for the characters and their creator.

One of the greatest books ever written on American film.

If you haven't read this all-time best adventure story, do so. You're in for a treat (it beats the movie versions hands down). During World War II, a plane crashes in the North African desert, and the survivors reconstruct it to fly again. That's enough to tell. Read a longer review after you read the book.
I hope you find the following suggestions useful. All great African adventures:

Also read "Cry Wolf," by Wilbur Smith--another great African story (set in Ethiopia in the 1930s): Cry Wolf

And don't miss "The Sands of Kalahari" (a plane crashes in the Kalahari desert): The Sands of Kalahari

"The Sapphire Sea" (a modern adventure in Zanzibar), by Ben Robinson.
The Sapphire Sea

With yet another movie treatment of this clever and accomplished novel about to explode onto our screens, it's even more to readers' advantage to check out Elleston Trevor's original story.

The 1965 Robert Aldrich version was a worthy effort but nevertheless held back from tackling the undercurrent of menace and sheer adult writing that made the novel such a triumph in the first place. The 2004 Hollywoodization, with Dennis Quaid. G Ribisi and Miranda Otto, barely seems to pay lip-service to the title before galumphing off in good old 'Indiana Jones-meets-Hidalgo' fashion towards lowest common denominated Phantasia-in-the-Sands.

Read quick to avoid disappointment.

This book has a fairly simple overall plot. A plane crashes in the desert, and when dealing with dire conditions the men who survive the crash try to find a way to survive the desert. The writing is gripping, and the personalities of the characters build through the book. The descriptions of the harsh conditions of the desert on the men, leave the reader disturbed, but wanting to read more. Themes that include the power and beauty of nature are intertwined throughout the book. Survival for these men is presented almost as a complicated puzzle which must be solved to avoid deadly consequences. It was a page turner for me- the writing is excellent!

The Flight of the Phoenix by Elleston Trevor is an excellent story that has spawned two very good movies. Pilot Frank "Shut It Down" Towns is sent to shut down an oil rig that has gone dry in the middle of the Libyan desert. On the way home, the plane crashes in a horrific sandstorm, killing two of the passengers. The survivors of the crash must band together to survive. Their original plan is to sit tight and wait for someone to come and rescue them until one of the passengers, a young aircraft designer named Stringer, proposed building a new plane out of the wreckage and flying to safety. What follows is a race against time as the survivors must battle the elements with limited supplies as they try to survive.

Elleston Trevor's novel is a well-told character study of what happens when people are placed in horrific conditions. Much of the novel centers around the fight for authority between Towns, the experienced yet self-doubting pilot, and Stringer, the young, obsessed aircraft designer. By the end of the novel, Trevor has fleshed out all the characters so the reader legitimately cares whether they survive or not. If you enjoy this novel, check out the 1965 classic starring Jimmy Stewart and Richard Attenborough and the exciting 2004 remake starring Dennis Quaid and Giovanni Ribisi. For a well-told story with believable characters and an unexpected twist, check out Elleston Trevor's Flight of the Phoenix!

"Flight of the Phoenix" held my attention, as an adventure novel should. What makes this book stand out is a character who is ignored for the first half of the book, because he's quiet and keeps to himself. In the middle of the book he becomes the most important character. In the penultimate chapter the plot twists around this character in what has to be most unexpected surprise I've ever seen in a novel. The character is a young engineer with Asperger's Syndrome, although the book was written thirty years before Asperger's Syndrome was discovered. Individuals with this form of autism are extremely intelligent but have poor social skills. They're ability to focus on a task can be their greatest strength or their downfall. In "Flight of the Phoenix" this is what saves the men, but then...well, I won't give away the plot! I listened to the audio download, which was very good except you really need to see what a Skytruck looks like, as the characters talk about different parts of the airplane wreckage. A quick Google search will find you photos of this type of aircraft.

This book's a prefect exmaple of how a "making of ..." book should be written. It's choke full of conceptual designs, screen tests, screen shots, comaprison between the comic books and the film's visuals. Plus the script. I find it extremely worth the price. If you are a fan of movies with great visuals and comic book-based movies, this one is a can't miss.

One of the most informative and professionally layed out books about a movie I have ever read. Usually you would have to pay top dollar to buy a book of such high quality. Definately recommend to any film enthusiast or maker!

Simply all you could ask for. Detailed journey through the entire movie with quotes from the director and the author. Excellent quality pictures. Great behind the scenes information and gossip. Can't wait for the sequels!!!

Frank Miller is a comic book god, rejuvenating classic stories like Batman and Daredevil while simultaneously conjuring up well-written and provocative tales of sinister film noir and graphic novel impressionist avant-garde violence. One of the most impressive and original movies I've seen for years, SIN CITY blew me away with its knowingly malicious nature, razor-edge script and frenetic action. To have such revolutionary geniuses like Miller and Quentin Tarintino collaborate on a film like this, it's more than welcome for American audiences looking for a non-traditional event that shakes the rule book, rips out all the pages and burns them. This behind the scenes tome, penned by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez is filled to the brim with all the essentials that make a great backstage look at the absorbing world of filmmaking. Containing the entire screenplay for Sin City, a widespread behind the scenes photo collection, cast and filmmakers feelings on the film, nicely presented publicity material for the marketing, and so much more. Lavishly presented and with enough info to satisfy the most ardent fan, what more could you want? This is indispensable material for any film fan, and a great value, it makes this even more appealing. If you don't already have this enthralling manuscript, buy it now!

If you know a decent movie when you see one, you'll love this book on the making of Sin City. It explains how the movie was taken from graphic novel to screen. It has quotes from the cast and crew, the screenplay in it's entirity, as well as some awesome pictures. It goes into detail about the wardrobe and cars in the movie, and how they achieved the comic-book style that they were going for. Plus, almost every page has a page from the graphic novel in the background, so if you've never read the original Sin City you pretty much can by buying this book (If your eyesight's good enough, that is).

I have always loved this series. it starts out in our current day and then travels, By means of a well back to the feudal era of Japan. Back in the day of Monsters and Magic with Demons (Good and Bad)According to Inuyasha himself "Don't kid yourself, They're ALL bad".

Not the typical hero here. Inuyasha Grudgingly at first, saves Kagome (the modern Schoolgirl who falls in the well) from a monster after the Jewel of the four souls.
Upon saving her declares he is after the jewel himself. After a mishap with the jewel they go on search together to recover it.
Here begins thier journey.
The calendar has most of the characters here. Inuyasha, Kagome, Shippo, Miroku (the monk)and Sango. these make up Inuyasha's team of experts and friends, for one reason or another all want the same thing. The Jewel.
On the other side is Inuyasha's Brother Lord Seshomoru, Kikyo (The Priestess) and others. A few pages in here Show the possibility that Inuyasha loves Kagome more than he lets on to her.
The all time bad guy Naraku is in this as well, Kagura and others he has created or turned to his uses all after Inuyasha Kagome and the Jewel with hopes of ultimate power.

The colors are amazing in this beautiful calendar, Showing different seasons along with different scenes of the conflict on going in the show.
If you love the amazing show you're going to love this calendar.

I bought this calendar for my 11 year old daughter who is enthralled in anime in general and has a particular fascination of the InuYasha series that she shares with the friends. I largely discounted her interest in anime until I ran across the adult anime series "Hellsing". The vivid colors and fast action gave me an entirely different prospective on this genre of animation.

My daughter was bouncing off the walls with excitement when she received this calendar and I felt that I received more than my monies worth because of the beautiful colors and high quality of the paper and printing. This calendar is an excellent choice of gift for the teenager in your life; and you might want to order a second one for yourself. Order quickly before the year gets to far past.

I love Inuyasha so its really cool to wounder what day it is and look at my calendar.. But I think that they should have just put inuyasha in human form by him self and not the words new moon because if you watch the series you know what it means... Other then that its awesome.

Love it!!! I'm a huge fan of Inuyasha, and I was glad to see that the calendar focused on ALL the characters in the saga.Great pictures!

I bought the 2005 InuYasha calendar last year and couldn't wait for this one. I wasn't disappointed. The pictures are great! This isn't one of those calendars that just recycles images from the series. These pictures are unique. Some look like they are based on the movie versions of the characters, but that's fine with me. Almost all the characters have an appearance here, and human InuYasha marks every new moon for you. If you like InuYasha, and want to look at him every day, then buy this calendar!

This book is really awesome!!!!! Its a great guide for It Girls. I am a teenager and I love old movies and this book was a great guide for me! The book has 100 classic must see movies. The book is divide into sections for example, some are called Pure Romance, Marriage, the look, get the kleenex, getting the guy, royalty, weddings, and musicals to name a few! This is a great book to take w/ you to the video store. All the movies have a little description. I really love this book!! I really hope Meredith Alexander comes out with another book because this is a really good book! It would be awesome if she made a volume 2!

LOVED IT! GOT IT AS A GIFT. BEST BOOK OF IT'S KIND OUT THERE. BOUGHT THREE FOR MY FRIENDS. MEREDITH ALEXANDER IS A GENIUS. I HOPE SHE COMES OUT WITH A GUIDE TO GETTING THE IT MEN OUT THERE.

Make this your winter of content by curling up on the couch with the It Girl's Guide to Video, and then pressing the power button on your VCR. Meredith Alexander has done us all a huge favour by "screening" the movies that define glam. No more need to hesitate over what to rent at the video store. The must-see films are all there in this must-have book. The It Girl's Guide to Video is not only a great resource, it's a great read.

BUT SERIOUSLY, HOW DID WE MANAGE AT THE VIDEO STORE WITHOUT THIS REFERENCE GUIDE? THIS BOOK IS VERY WELL DONE AND THE AUTHOR HAS AN ASTOUNDING KNOWLEDGE OF THE BEST MOVIES OF OUR TIME. IT MAKES THE PURRRRFECT COFFEE TABLE BOOK, THE COVER IS HOT PINK SO WE KNOW THAT IT WILL "WORK" IN ANY IT GIRL'S LIVING ROOM!

A wonderful guide to the classics that every It Girl needs to see. Take the book with you to the video rental store and start at page 1. The book includes great stills from the films, and fun descriptions of each. I love it. Just grab your box of kleenex and popcorn and you're set. Would love to see a second volume!

This book is great for teaching kids about colors. My 2 year old loves it and after only 2 weeks of reading this book at bed time, she is starting to recite the story with me as I read it. Yes, we read this book every night. I wish she would mix it up some, but it is one of her top 3 books right now.

I can rarely find Backyardigans merchandise for my son who just loves these guys! This book is really colorful and he just adores it! I highly recommend it for all Backyardigan fans!

My grandson loves anything backyardigans so I had to buy this book. It's small enough to fit in a diaper bag very colorful and there are enough details in the pictures that you can sit and point things out. Great for when you are stuck waiting someplace.

"Jungle Colors" is a simple but fun board-book featuring your backyard friends, The Backyardigans. In this book, the Backyardigans are on a jungle adventure, much like some of the ones seen on TV. But this jungle adventure is especially colorful. They encounter various colors as they make their journey, from brown to fabulous red rubies.

The colors are bright and cheerful. The illustrations go well with the fairly simply text. A nice book for basic learning about colors or for Backyardigans fans.This is a "Super Chubby" board-book by Simon Spotlight. That means that the front and back covers have a sort of squishy feel to them and the book won't easily slip out of little kids' hands.

Jungle Colors, feauring the Backyardigans, is a fun adventure. The Backyardigans explore the jungle, and the colors brown, purple, blue, white, yellow, green, black, orange, pink, red and gray. The book is well made and sturdy, a fun read for both adult and child.

Superb book.

No really, this may very well be the book I have enjoyed the most, ever (though principally these kind of judgements are bollocks and nothing more, of course).

If you have the slightest acquaintance with psychoanalysis (the Lacanian field, preferably), the book should be read with Zizek's "The Fright of Real Tears". Here Zizek has some really perceptive discussions on Kieslowski the filmmaker and on charachters in the Colour Trilogy - without too many forced obscene jokes, I might add.

He wanted his audience to be interested in his films....and so we are. He wanted to stir people to something...he does. He wanted to inspire us...and that he did. Fans of Krzysztof Kieslowski, film buffs and aspiring filmmakers alike will get as much out of his story told in "Kieslowski on Kieslowski" as through his cinematic works of art.

Although not a very long career, due to his untimely death, it certainly was an illustrious one. And how fortunate we are to have had the filmmaker who brought us the beautiful and moving films "The Double Life of Veronique", the "Three Colours Trilogy" and the unbelievably intuitive "Decalogue", tell us in his own words his views on life and what he was thinking during the filming of these works.

The book, wonderfully edited by Danusia Stok, takes in Kieslowski's early years as a child, his film school years, his early short films and finally the feature films. Kieslowski is open and frank about his life and his work. He didn't see himself as a genius at all(we fans may tend to disagree on that point),quite the contrary he tends to point out what he feels were mistakes and his shortcomings. He talks of working in Poland, having to skirt around the political upheaval around him, films he made that were never shown to the public, and his quest for trying to make the stories as authentic as possible.

He discusses each and every film. He gives much of the credit to the cast and crew and although he touches on what the films meant to him,he usually speaks more of the technical aspects of each than the analytical.He talks of what was going on in the world, his life and his mind during the making of each film. The feature films are given more time and one whole chapter is devoted soley to "Three Colours"(these films were still in the editing stages at the time this book was written).

Included are many still photos of working on the sets, and personel pictures with his family, the actors and his collaborators. There is a section devoted to notes on many of the names and events, and also a complete filmography with a brief summary and list of credits for each film.

"You make films to give people something, to transport them somewhere else and it doesn't matter if you transport them to a world of intuition or a world of the intellect"....Krzysztof Kieslowski

Kieslowski lets us know in this book that we don't have to analyze each scene...just enjoy it for what it is. This book is a must read for fans and filmmakers alike!...So...enjoy...Laurie

Kieslowski is one of my favorite film directors, maybe because I can identify with so much of what he shows in his films... So I was very happy to read "Kieslowski on Kieslowski" and learn about his years in the Film School and the events and memories connected with the making of many of the movies. The autobiography, edited by the director's friend, Danusia Stok, is very good and a must-have for his fans, but it is an autocreation, not a katharsis! It cannot be forgotten that Kieslowski was an artist also in his life so this book is not just a collection of facts.

The book also contains sharp comments and a very good background on the situation in Poland and how difficult it was to push one's own vision. The collection of photos is a valuable addition as well.

In his own words, Krzysztof Kieslowski tells you about the agony and the ecstacy of the independent filmmaking process.

The late Polish filmmaker is up to the challenge, delivering his characteristic frankness nestled within the pages of this short retrospective work, narrated in his own words, and magnificently edited (translated, too?) by Danusia Stok.

The book is tailor-made for "idie" filmmaking buffs, and supplies a glimpse into the enticingly magical personality which was Kieslowski's. Eschewing a typical rote autobiographical style, Kieslowski divulges key details about himself via the device of his extensive filmography -- revealing things about his thinking process and the high value he places upon delicate human emotionality through a step-by-step examination of his long filmography.

Spanning his early years as a prominent documentary filmmaker during the stifling years of Polish Communism and state censorship -- especially during the imposition of Marshal Law in Poland during 1980-1 when Kieslowski couldn't work for half a year -- and ending with his magnificent trilogy "Barwy" (Three Colours: Blue, White, Red), we're subjected to a feast of Kieslowski-isms regarding his thoughts pertaining to such diverse notions as:

** casting for acting talent.
** Kieslowski's penchant for making his ENTIRE crew a part of the idea-generating process for his films.
** the nature of artistic filmmaking in Europe compared to commerical filmmaking in the US.
** the demands of time on a filmmaker's personal life.
** the differing range of skills between Western and Polish filmmaking crews.

A right pity Krzysztof Kieslowski is no longer with us to share to a burgeoning generation of up-and-coming filmmakers what might very well some none-too-optimistic viewpoints on the state of today's "international" filmmaking.

The book is written in Kieslowski's typical unassuming style -- par for the course from the Polish master. The late director doesn't bowl you over with how much he knows about film history, or about the complicated craft of filmmaking. Kieslowski doesn't tell you that he's better than you or me. Rather, through a detailed accounting of his past achievements, Kieslowski's emphasis is always upon that which is most human: the wellspring of all his works, and the central reason why filmmakers must indeed make films, in his esteemed opinion.

Still, I found the book ended suddenly.

Not shockingly so, just that the work might have gone on for much longer than its seemingly scant 227 pages. There's so much to know about this magnificent paragon of the film community, and if anything, it will be a primer for further reading on the man, the legend, and his favourite subject: films.

Five-stars.

-- ADM in Prague

Reading the book was like watching another wonderful Kieslowski film. His casual authentic narrative throughout the book gives it a touch of a documentary almost.

I appreciated every page of his life story, as he tells it so that his personal story as a director - from his childhood through filmschool, his first films right to the Three Colours trilogy - is combined with the situation in Poland, with the Communist times, the censorship, the hopes and the fights with the system, the fears, the communication with the public through hidden messages, and the victories when succeeding to outsmart the censors.

All wrapped up in one, sprinkled with wit and natural story-telling style, the book is all you ever wanted to know about Kieslowski and the background of his life and filmmaking.

In the interviews throughout the book, he not only talks about the films, he also explains why he had to do them the way he did - both, the story and the style - about his personal beliefs, about his life and work in the Communist Poland (in which I could see similarities with the former Czechoslovakia, where I was born, as well), and about how it shaped his views.

Real reading pleasure, educational and entertaining, this book is one of the best I have read lately! And, I believe it gives another dimension in understanding of his films as well.