Video Production Books

Genius advice about a finicky industry from a true insider, told in an inspirational, humorous tone.

It contains a lot of precious advices and more resources to find in internet too when you are searching for a job in the animation field.

This book is a fairly enjoyable read for someone interested in getting a job in animation, but it really doesnt tell you much. Its more or less the story of The author(Gene Hamm) and his experience in the animation field. If you can find it for under $5 get it.

Mr. Hamm provides an entertaining insight into the animation industry through his own life experiences while at the same time gives valuable information to help anyone seeking employment in the field of animation.

How to Make a Movie for Under $800 is a great buy for filmmakers, esepcially those whith dreams of theatrical distribution. Here Mr. Costanza lists theaters you can play your films at and how to do it on the cheap. He also gives us lists of distributors, in case you'd rather go the other way and have Hollywood get your movie out there to the world.

A very informative book and well worth the money. For me, it never got boring for a second, even in the chapter on legal contracts, and that's a rare one for filmmaking books. Well done to the author. I hope we can see his movies out soon.

I have to give at least that to the author. It will immediately become clear to you that he's very passionate about filmmaking as soon as you begin to read the first page, and it's hard to criticize his honest and down-to-earth effort at explaining the way things really are in Hollywood. In his opinion, you don't even need the 'Hollywood' machinery to make and distribute your movie.

I bought this book just over a year ago because, as an aspiring filmmaker myself, I was very curious to know how anyone could do a movie for under $800. Well Costanza did it, and he explains in detail how. I did have some issues with the quality of the book though. There are no photos or illustrations (except in the back of the book, where he plugs his movies), there were more than a few grammatical errors throughout, and the way the text is formatted on the pages gives the book the appearance of something that wasn't put together by professional editors. Those details aside, the author includes a lot of basic information that will be very useful to the microbudget filmmaker. Don't buy this book expecting it to be a 'how-to' manual for any technical stuff related to moviemaking. But, buy it if you're looking for a simple read about how to get started with the elementary stuff.

I absolutly loved this book. It has given me much direction for making my own movie. I never understood how to start, how to fund $$$ the movie, or where to find actors. Furthermore, it answers all the questions and fears I had. This books clearly explains what it takes to be the next Steven Spielberg or my favorite Quentin Tarantino. If you got the passion and the drive but need the direction GET AND STUDY THIS BOOK!!!

I didn't really know where to start to write my first movie. I received an email from Ken about his book. I wasn't sure about buying his book How To Make A Hollywood Movie For Under $800! His website helped me to understand how much I didn't know and so I ordered his book. I was very surprised when I started reading his book. It made me feel like I could really do this. He got me excited and I followed every step until my script was complete. Now I am half way through completing my film and I used his book like my film bible, and I keep it with me all the time. Great book, it really motivated me.

This is an amazing recollection of how movies became a business and magic happened with humble beginnings by the Mirisch family, especially Walter.

Enjoy your incredible reading journey.

This book contains some innaccurate references to films and people Mr. Mirisch worked with and my copy didn't contain an index. Very little is information is given about Mirisch's early childhood or his teenage years as a film usher. In one passage, he states that he turned down a teaching position at the University of Wisconsin because he thought the head of the department was anti-Semetic. Mirisch thought a remark that "there are very few other jobs open for an Academic like you" supported this idea. Often the reader can get lost in some very technical jargon about film financing and investing. In simple terms this could mean: If the film flops, the director and the cast take the blame and if the film is a success, the producer makes the most money and takes credit for it. A researcher should read this book to check the accuracy of film titles and names mentioned. Example: Monogram's film series was The Teenagers, not "The High School Kids."

Here is one of the most successful producers in the business who started from the bottom and worked his way up to having the biggest, best, independant company in the world. The Mirisch Company. I cannot say enough about reading this book, I was riveted, I received the book on a Sat.and couldn't put it down till I finished it. Wow, what an education I got. Can you imagine having the foresight to have on your regular staff.
Billy Wilder, Norman Jewison, John Sturges, Blake Edwards, Fred Zinnemann.

John Moio

Walter Mirisch may not be a household name to most of you, but it should be if you love movies like THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, WEST SIDE STORY, THE GREAT ESCAPE, IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT, THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR, MIDWAY and numerous other classics of 1960's & 70's cinema. Along with his brothers Harold and Marvin, the Mirisch Company was the most prolific producer of hit iconic movies in Hollywood history. Over 100 films, 67 of which were for United Artists alone. They were the definitive independent production company and Walter Mirisch was the definitive independent Hollywood producer.

For anyone vaguely interested in Hollywood history, this is a must-read. From "behind-the-scenes" trivia to the everyday struggles of getting so many great pictures to the screen, Walter gives us a rare and honest insight into working with such iconic talents as Billy Wilder, John Sturges, Norman Jewison, Steve McQueen, Sidney Poitier and so many others. The Mirisch Company thrived in the vacuum left by the declining Hollywood studio system. They were a streamlined, highly efficent, low overhead operation that attracted the biggest directors and stars. From humble poverty-row beginnings at Monogram with "Bomba The Jungle Boy", Walter Mirisch like his brothers learned everything there was to know about the movie business. Unlike today's Hollywood, where it's all about the deal and the bottom line. The Mirisch brothers were the very model of dignity and style. They cared about the quality and it earned them three oscars for best pictures alone. Walter won two honorary Academy Awards, he was a distinguished head of the Academy as well. Always the Hollywood statesman and champion, he has well earned the respect of the industry he has served so well. The next time whether on TV or DVD, you see the Mirisch name during the opening credits of any of his great movies. This book will be like having the man himself sitting right there beside you, answering all those questions as only he can!

As a historian, I wish this book was the first of many from a man I very much admire. But at 87, Walter Mirisch can be forgiven for not having to write a full volume set. What he does write is precious though and sadly to borrow an old Hollywood cliche line -"we shall not see his like again".

A fascinating look at the work of this remarkable director whose horror films are among the great films of the genre. The book is well researched and nicely wirtten with good photos.

Jacques Tourneur has long been a favorite of horror fans, French critics, and a few sensible American observers like Manny Farber as a creator of some of cinema's most subtly potent effects, particularly in his trio of B-horror films for Val Lewton at RKO in the early 1940s and his Lewtonesque Curse of the Demon in 1958. His most famous film noir, Out of the Past, is also widely considered one of the genre's greatest. Fans who have wished to better understand Tourneur have had to cobble together a biography, production histories, and analysis from widely scattered sources -- obscure academic journals like Film and Psychoanalysis, zines like FilmFax and Photon, French-language studies for those who can read them, and one of the several books devoted to Val Lewton. The Edinburgh Film Festival issued an anthology of essays in English devoted entirely to Tourneur, but that book was aimed squarely at academics. It's Chris Fujiwara's book Jacques Tourneur: The Cinema of Nightfall, which straddles the academic and popular, that will likely be the standard reference in English for the foreseeable future.

Fujiwara begins by persuasively rescuing Tourneur from one of Sarris' gulags: the dreaded third ranking in American Cinema. Sarris' backhanded praise in phrases like "subdued, pastel-colored sensibility" and "a certain French gentility" has been seconded by many critics, who attributed the virtues of the Lewton-produced films to Lewton and the brilliance of Out of the Past and Night of the Demon to Tourneur's "intelligent" manipulation of prosaic generic elements. Fujiwara argues that the things that distinguish Cat People, I Walked with a Zombie, and Leopard Man -- narrative ambiguity, lyrical mise-en-scene, understated dramatics -- are also present in such unjustly forgotten thrillers, westerns, and historical dramas as Experiment Perilous, Stars in My Crown, Way of a Gaucho, and others. By examining Tourneur's early French features and many MGM shorts, he shows decisively that the director's stylistic maturity occurred before his first widely acclaimed feature, Cat People, and only grew from there.

Fujiwara devotes meaty individual chapters to each of the features, with a close reading and critical analysis leavened with production data and contextualizing commentary. True to the author's missionary zeal, some of the best material is the most polemical, as when he effectively articulates the minority view that Leopard Man is not the mess that many (including Tourneur) have claimed, but a major work of "precise and inexhaustible poetry" that presaged the anti-narrative cinema that would be de rigeur in Hollywood two decades later. Fujiwara is also strong on the visual beauty of Stars in My Crown, the sense of personal conviction in Night of the Demon, and the connection between the underrated Experiment Perilous and the Lewton films. Overall, a worthy, well-written and -researched tribute to an auteur who deserves a higher ranking than Sarris, and too many other critics, has given him. Included are a detailed bibliography and filmography, along with photos.

Chris Fujiwara is one of the world's best film critics. (Look for his soon-to-be-published work on Otto Preminger.) "The Cinema of Nightfall" is specifically about the great(and vastly underrated) Jacques Tourneur, but it is much more than that. It is one of the best books ever written about how to see and experience movies. Fujiwara goes inside the process of just how a film creates meaning, using Tourneur's very subtle genius as his base. The chapters on the more famous works("Cat People", "I Walked with a Zombie" and the immortal "Out of the Past") are the best analyses ever written on those titles. However, perhaps the most impressive part of Fujiwara achievement is his coverage of the more obscure Tourneurs: "Stars in My Crown", "Canyon Passage", "Berlin Express", the shorts. (His chapter on "Nightfall" is worth the price of admission -- a whole film theology in miniature.) "Cinema of Nightfall" is a model of film understanding and film love.

Jacques Tourneur was a uniquely talented director with a string of distinctive films to his credit, including Cat People, Canyon Passage, I Walked With a Zombie and Out of the Past. Tourneur's best films look and sound like no one else's, stylish, subtle and strangely...quiet. At last there is an intelligent, discerning book on the subject of the talented Frenchman. Perhaps a bit more background on the making of the films would have been appreciated, otherwise this is an excellent and eye-opening bit of original film scholarship.

I REALLY ENJOYED THIS BOOK ABOUT ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL DIRECTORS OF LAST 2 DECADES. JAMES CAMERSON IS AN EGO MANIAC, PERFECTIONIST, WORKAHOLIC,SLAVE DRIVER. HE IS SELF CENTERED AND AROGANT. HE HAS HAD 4 MARRIAGES AND FAILED IN EACH. HE ALSO IS A TALENTED, SELF MOTIVATED, INTELLIGENT, AND CREATIVE PERSON. HE SEEMS TO STRIVE ON STRESS, PRESSURE, AND CHAOS. THIS BOOK CONTAINS MANY INTERESTING AND AMUSING TALES OF HIS DARK SIDE (MIJ). THE TELLING OF HIM GOING DOWN IN A MINI SUB TO DO SOME FILMING OF THE WRECKAGE OF THE TITANIC HIMSELF IS IN ITSELF A GREAT STORY. THIS IS A MUST FOR ANYONE WHO LIKES TO READ ABOUT BEHIND THE SCENES ABOUT MOVIE MAKING AND LIKES TO READ ABOUT GOSSIP CONCERNING SO CALLED HOLLYWOOD STARS. THE AUTHOR HAS A REALLY GOOD READ HERE.
VERY RECOMMENDED.

This book is amazing. It explains all of James Cameron's movies, in detail. As well as the process he went through in making them, writing them, directing them, pre-production, production, and post-production. Not to mention the reviews critics gave the film, and it's popularity in the box office. And it explains his life and interest in moviemaking from the age of 10 to where he is now.

Over my life the "unauthorized" biographies are usually books with sorted details of sex, drugs and other scandals. Those books are usually a real turnoff for me. However, Marc Shapiro has written a book that I found both fascinating and enlightening at the same time.

What Shapiro gives you is an inside look at the Filmmaker who is responsible for films like Titanic, The Terminator, True Lies and Terminator 2. Read and learn how Cameron got his start working for another film genius, Roger Corman.

While this book leaves you to ponder the question of whether or not Cameron was the power hungry, controlling and manipulating filmmaker some have claimed or is Cameron just another Hollywood Movie flake or possibly the film industry's greatest genius.

The quick and interesting read makes this book a real pleasure. If you like to read about how the movie industry moves and shakes than this book is one you'll want to add to your collection. Overall an excellent job and well worth the time to read!

I picked up this book over the week-end, and finished it in a day. Being "unauthorized" it is actually a very well put together piece of work. The author has obviously used alot of reference material (he quotes Starlog alot) but reinforces this material with his own cast and crew interviews.

Unfortunately the sections on the films that preceed "The Abyss" are relatively light reads. The section on "Aliens" does however bring in some very interesting details about the production that I have never seen in print before...it does not however go quite far enough, I put it down wanting to know more.

Overall 3 out of 5...this book could have done more with the earlier period of this directors career.

If one is searching for a biography of John Ford, this is not the book. (A suggestion--Scott Eyman's "Print the Legend" Another, with a slightly different emphasis but still with insightful observations--"John Wayne's America" by Garry Wills.) But as an analysis of specific Ford films as well as the themes he used throughout his career, this book is invaluable. Gallagher's style is a bit too academic at times, but he offers some interesting observations (His examination of the structure of "The Searchers" is particularly memorable).

This is a good book, even though not what I was looking for. The title says "The man and his films", but this book is mainly about the films. That means, if you are looking for the definitive Ford bio, this book isn't it.

That said, this book does has its advantages. It explores Ford's movies in depth, revealing new facts and a lot of insight. It also has a lot o photos.

If you want research on his movies, this is the book for you. If you want a biography, I suggest you read "Hollywood's Old Master" by Davis.

T. Gallagher has written an outstanding book on the films of John Ford from his primitive Westerns of the silent era through his last film "7 Women" in 1965.
Gallagher includes biographical information on the enigmatic Mr. Ford-tough guy; closet intellectual; painter of superb movie landscapes and all around genius!
Gallagher's main focus, however, is a close study of all the John Ford movies. His commentary is to be read slowly (a dictionary to look up the abstruse words he likes to use can also prove handy!). Gallagher's writing is often academic (using big words and jargon of film scholars), pedantic and obscure.
However, overall he does a good job at getting at the essence of a film's worth. Gallagher helps you to "read a Ford film" giving you new insights into the neglected genius of the fiery Irishman who made the best American movies of his time.
If you want a biography of John Ford turn to the excellent biographies by Joseph McBride or Scott Eyman among others. If you
want primarily a scholary study of the movies made by Ford then
Gallagher is for you.
I enjoyed the book and recommend it to fans of Ford or for anyone wishing to know more about this legendary director of such classics as "Rio Grande"; "Fort Apache" "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" "The Grapes of Wrath"; "Drums Along the Mohawk"; "Young
Mr. Lincoln"; "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence" and countless other classics! Well recommended.

I don't think customer Lee Kane is quite right when he says that Tag Gallagher's labour-of-love book is mainly about the films. Gallagher's writing is spare and lean but he gives at least as much biography as the purely biographical books.

The book is readable in as much as trash pop and pulp fiction is watchable and readable.No matter what is said,at the end of the day,this producer is yet another example of someone grandfathered into the industry ,with a production loan to get her started.A lump sum equvalent of about USD 100 000 today.There were a handful of active indie female producers operating in those times(most without that financial leg up.)Vachon is but one story.For that reason this is an ill researched book.
A few other women may not have stood on others toes as much as Vachon is capable of, nor claimed as much public or industry credit for themselves, but this book is but one story from the nineties,and it is in that context only it is best read.There were a small handful of extremely strident indie and studio women in Hollywood at the time,who broke significant paths for other women,not just themselves- in the choosing of projects they developed and the actions they took.The book is readable but indulgent insider name dropping. In one aspect a shallow take on a very political hollywood film business at the time.

This book is riveting reading for the fan or the filmmaker. Vachon has a talent for balancing intensive amounts of details with storytelling skills. You really will want to know how a distribution is made before the first frame is filmed. Her personality -- tough, passionate, centered -- also makes the book a compelling read. Even when her foes are completes a-hats, Vachon does not descend into bitterness, but rather, makes another compelling lesson.

...which kind of gets me wondering--why the heck don't *even more* aspiring producers and D-boy and D-girl wannabes get their hands on this amazing compendium of production experiences, take them to heart, and learn themselves a whole lot about the global film game in the process. If you've got the answer to that question, let me know. I'm still scratching my noodle.

Okay, so you're going to totally dig this book. Christine Vachon and her Killer Films outfit in N-Y-C, using that well-known convention of theirs--break the bounds of traditional (read: boring) publishing with a rather unconventional approach to bookwriting. Prepare for a wild wooly ride of a read...Christine's deft collaborators (egs. directors, financiers, and studio consigliatores) have chimed in here in various sections, offering up sage advice on the pit- and prat-falls of the indie and studio sides of the filmmaking biz, and what it's generally like working with Christine and her able band of brothers and sisters. That, for this here reviewer, was a right privilege...live recordings of Christine's conversations with her colleagues wouldn't have been richer. And like I tell you in my title...you couldn't pay Vachon enough to give this course. For a couple of Lincolns, this was a gold mine.

By the way, I think I've tattooed my entire Netflix wish list with every single Killer title known to Movieland. As luck would have it, ONE HOUR PHOTO was one of the better films of 2002, and little did I know that Christine was even responsible for getting this one made. Small world, baby.

It's an unsung job, the producing game can sometimes be, but mark it--without Christine's valuable input at various stages of the process, many of these so-called little pictures mightn't have been made, languishing in that purgatory of "development hell" (or turnaround) like 98% of the projects out there are in (according to every single statistic known to the filmmaking poobahs). One of the most inspiring statements from the entire book which I triple underlined, dogeared, and highlighted in tri-colour was her frank admission that producers must maintain "eternal optimism." They are the ones who are enthusiastic at all times, oftentimes when there's no reason to be, and oftentimes when there's no production necessarily to speak of. The equivalent to selling short on the stock market. If your sources' predictions are bang on, chances are you're going to make a "buchta" of cash.

Such boundless enthusiasm the mark of a truly gifted deal-maker, and in the trenches which is the modern-day studio system (read: the business of making movies), and the relatively recent advent of the "mini-majors" (or classics divisions of the major Hollywood studios), this brand of relentlessness has become all the more critical. Remove one element from the positivity puzzle, strip away a single grain of that much-needed goodness which is a key ingredient of the all-encompassing feelgood--by definition, a must towards smooth functioning on the film set--and off your high film concept goes into the grey ether.

Just for the rekkid, listening to podcasts helps, kids! I'd heard about this title after listening to Claude Brodesser Ackner's THE BUSINESS on NPR (goo-search it). I was so intrigued by Christine's outspokenness, that I simply couldn't curb my enthusiasm to hop on over to my favourite online book purveyor and pick up the nearest copy of her A KILLER LIFE.

Where is that extra star when I need it? Five estrellas, kids. Count 'em. Cinco.

--ADM in Prague

As an aspiring producer, I have long looked up to the indie queen Christine Vachon, and I was interested to read this book after having read her excellent SHOOTING TO KILL. I read that book when I was back in college, but this book is better. It's definitely more personal - in a way it reads like a memoir.

You feel like you are going through all the trials and tribulations with her. There's a lot of exciting stuff here - she battles the MPAA over Boys Don't Cry -- the bond company takes control of Far From Heaven-- she has interactions with big stars like Jude Law and Julia Roberts.
I have never been to Sundance, but Vachon's Sundance diary takes you through that festival with her.

All this makes for a book that's immensely readable; I couldn't put it down. I really liked the spotlights from other industry figures, agents, studio heads and directors like John Cameron Mitchell (who did my favorite film, HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH!) If you are in the industry, want to learn about the industry or are just plain curious about how movies get made, go out and get this book now!

Lots of great large pictures and plenty of information. A good book to ad to your collection of movie related books.

My dad loves Master and Commander (and so do I), so I got him this book for Christmas. He loves it and said it was his favorite present this year! He says he's also reading the books by Patrick O'Brian (the author of the books that inspired this movie) and he said he sometimes goes back to this book for reference after reading the novels.

This book is divided into sections - stuff about the crew, the doctor, the captain, etc. It has quotes from the actors and stuff about the novels and the author.

Well, all I can say is my dad loves this book and is still looking at it from Christmas and I look at it all I can. If you love the Master and Commander movie, you'll love this book!

If you love the O'Brian series and the movie, this book is not only full of colour photos but also contains much information about the movie and its actors. Any interested in the 19th century British Royal Navy will find it intersting, also. A great book!!!

I'm a great fan of O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin novels and of Napoleonic era naval fiction in general, and I looked forward to this film with a certain apprehension. I mean, how could they possibly do justice to O'Brian's extremely detailed world? Would they just crank out a superficial action film? I'm not sure any devotée was entirely pleased with the result, but it was, in fact, a pretty damn good movie. And all the background information and photos in this book help explain why. Peter Weir, the director, was a fanatic on accurate historical detail, including small items you never see on camera (but the crew knows they're there). He kept the entire cast together for the full five months of filming at the big tank in Baja, the same way a ship's crew would be together every day of their lives. And he instituted hierarchy (with Russell Crowe at the top, naturally) even during the "boot camp" phase at the beginning of the project. And on and on. A fascinating look behind the scenes and into the minds of all the people responsible for the film. I winced every time they talked about the "cannon," though.

Mel Gibson's depiction of Christ's Passion has stirred a vertiginous array of reactions. Some lovingly praise the movie's moving depiction of Jesus' gift to humanity while others condemn it as a perversion of Christianity, a racist diatribe, or a form of [...]. Not only that, the film's influence, ubiquity, and controversy seem to preclude any rational discussion amongst its supporters and detractors. Film reviews supply the most salient evidence of this. Neutral or middle of the road reviews rarely appear, and most reviews get crammed with overbearing for or against hyperboles. This book, intended for the general reader, attempts to remedy this seemingly hopeless situation. It brings together the viewpoints of Christians (Roman Catholics, Evangelicals and Protestants), Jews, Mormons, and even Atheists into one non-inflammatory volume. It succeeds greatly in this task. The book does not sell or indoctrinate one viewpoint on Gibson's film. Nor does it ever try to impose on the reader a "correct" stance. Each of its 20 essays of course has a specific point of view on the film and the issues it raises, but the book as a whole is balanced. Some essays read like theology, others like Cultural Theory, even others like philosophy. A virtual salad of styles awaits.

The topics covered by the book are as diverse as the authors. Five main sections divide the essays. The first deals with the horrific violence portrayed in the film; the second with charges of anti-semitism; the third with the film's accuracy to scripture; the fourth with the "why?" of the passion; the fifth with ethical questions surrounding the Passion. Each section presents level headed for and against positions on the issues. Some of the issues discussed include: Is the violence justified? How does the movie deal with atonement? Does the movie distort Jesus and scripture? What motivated the making of the movie? How do Christians and Jews view the film differently? Can we forgive Judas, and if so, how? What influences did Gibson draw from in making the movie? Did Christ receive due process? What can the Passion teach us about our own mortality? How are women depicted in the film? How do Christ's and Socrates' deaths appear similar or different? Is the Passion anti-semitic? Could Jesus have chosen differently? What theory of nonviolence did Jesus subscribe to? The book also elucidates some of the devices and Biblical references Gibson utilized to make his point (and just what his point was gets debated throughout the book). Those who have seen the movie and are not familiar with scripture will learn a lot. Those seeking elucidation of the principles of Christianity portrayed in the film will also learn much. Open minded readers of any bend will likely finish the book with their extreme viewpoints dulled somewhat. The book simply does a great job of presenting the good arguments on all sides. If the book does have a unifying message it's that "I'm right, you're wrong" is not the best attitude to take towards this film. The book won't make one love the film if one hates it or hate the film if one loves it, but it will make one think more deeply about the issues it raises.

Along the way, many big names and concepts get introduced. Some are theological, some philosophical, some ethical. Apart from the obvious Biblical names that appear, many other big names appear, such as Aristotle, Plato, Nietzsche, Boethius, Augustine, Hegel, Aquinas, Heidegger, Socrates, C.S. Lewis, Buber, Tolkien, Elaine Pagels, and even Dan "The Da Vinci Code" Brown. Probably the best time to read this book is after seeing the movie at least once and before viewing it again. This book will open up new interpretations and perspectives on the movie whether it inspires or repulses. Highly recommended reading for anyone interested in any aspect of Mel Gibson's "Passion".

With a movie as controversial as The Passion of the Christ (Widescreen Edition),it was just a matter of time before Open Court's "Popular Culture and Philosophy" series got their hands on it. As with public opinion about the movie, the opinions within the book are likewise mixed, though with a more thoughtful response.

The book itself deals with the movie in 20 essays in 5 sections. They deal with everything from the alledged anti-semitism, the violence, Christ's suffering and so on. The contributors come from a variety of backgrounds, including theologians and philosophers from various stances. With such a good mix, the views presented are as wide and varied, while maintaining a consistently high level of thought and expression.

The book goes some way to make the shock of the film itself more understandable and somewhat less of a brutalisation of the senses. Putting the excessive gore and blood of the movie into a wider philosophical context is an important function of the book.

As per usual, I have thoroughly enjoyed this installment from the "Popular Culture and Philosophy" series. Once again, a big thumbs up to this volume. It is very good and recommeded to people from all walks of life.

This series of books, popular culture and philosophy is fantastic. It seems that any popular movie, or TV series immediately generates a backlash. Two recent examples include the Harry Potter books and movies, and Me. Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. In the case of Harry Potter, fundamentalist Christians have lamented that the books are teaching witchcraft. In Passion, the movie is being charged as being anti-Semite.

In this series of books, prominent philosophers are being asked to comment on these charges and on the story contained in the movie. In contrast to the shrill, loud, emotionally loaded comments being made primarily to get attention to the commenter, here are thoughtful, reasoned essays that challenge the reader to think about and decide for himself about these charges.

These books make for absolutely delightful reading. It is a way to bring philosophy to the public in connection with a story that is familiar to a broad range of people.

_Mel Gibson's Passion and Philosophy: The Cross, the Questions, the Controversy_ in the Popular Culture and Philosophy series, edited by Jorge J. E. Gracia, is a relatively interesting collection of essays detailing the responses of various philosophers to the movie. Mel Gibson's movie _The Passion of the Christ_ recounts the last days of Jesus Christ before his death and resurrection, detailing on the screen his passion, torture, and Crucifixion. The movie has been all-too-predictably criticized by atheists and secularists of all sorts as a "tool in the hands of the religious right" and as "anti-Semitic". On the other hand, some Christians have joined in this criticism claiming that the movie is too violent and distorts the true message of Christ. Gibson, a devout Roman Catholic, bases his movie on the Gospel accounts of Christ's suffering and death and upon the visions of the Roman Catholic seeress Anne Catherine Emmerich. These essays attempt to deal with some of the issues surrounding the movie and offer up philosophical thoughts on various aspects of the Christian revelation and on the person and teachings of Jesus Christ. My only complaint is that so few of them are actually written by Catholic scholars and that some are written by those with no obvious relation to the movie or Christianity in particular other than as chronic bashers. The essays presented in this book touch on the following themes: did Christ have to suffer violently, is the movie anti-Semitic, what is the truth (a detailing of Pilate's question put to Christ), why was Christ killed, and who is morally responsible. Mention is made of many different philosophers and philosophical schools of thought throughout. Each essayist seems to be coming from a unique point of view which can be both refreshing and frustrating at the same time. As someone who found hope in the movie, I was encouraged by reading many of these essays into reflective thought; however, some of them I found to be particularly odious. That said, I would hesitantly recommend this book for those looking to reflect deeper on the mysteries of Christ and his Crucifixion in a philosophical manner. However, ultimately it is probably better to turn to the source material itself, the Bible and the writings of the saints.

I really enjoyed this book. There are some new filmmakers on my radar.

This book is a really good book! My only complaint is that he had to cut some of the interviews down. The book is really well constructed and has a lot of interesting interviews which show you how hard it really is to get into the moviemaking industry. My favorite interviews were Richard Kelly and the Weitz twins. As an aspiring film maker, I recommend this to anyone who wants to go into the movie business or anyone who likes movies. It's really like getting a back stage pass into the lives of some of today's hottest directors.

Enjoy!

Budding filmmakers looking for inspiration should check out Josh Horowitz's interview anthology, "The Mind of the Modern Moviemaker: 20 Conversations With the Next Generation of Filmmakers" (Plume, $15).
Horowitz, a writer and TV producer, takes a simple concept - sit down with some of cinema's emerging directorial greats - and elicits eloquent, investigative pieces that truly provide glimpses into some fascinating storytellers.
Interviewing the likes of Michel Gondry, Kevin Smith, Richard Kelly and Neil LaBute, Horowitz has each filmmaker explain his big break, work process and philosophy. He asks surprisingly blunt questions, querying the subjects about significant failures and insecurities.
The author isn't in search of an overwhelming zeitgeist. The interviewees emerge as disparate personalities, all after distinct goals. Brett Ratner ("Rush Hour," "X-Men 3"), for instance, proves to be a business-oriented company man who cares most about making money, while Smith ("Clerks," "Chasing Amy") seems to be content with catering to his small yet devoted audience with his uncompromising fare.
The book is an excellent specimen of entertainment journalism, and the thoughts, hopes and fears expressed by the directors in the book will make for just as interesting a read 10 years from now, when some will be giants while others will surely have faded into obscurity.
Phil Villarreal

If you have even a passing interest in film then this book is a must-have. I collect books on television and film and this one is as good as anything I've read in recent years.

An interesting mix of storytelling, humor, and info for wannabe filmmakers, the author of this book does a fine job of asking informed questions that both fans and students of film want to have answered. What made it really stand out, in my mind, was the selection of filmmakers interviewed. Specifically, it's a group of men and women just reaching the top of their craft. This isn't a book full of old timey Hollywood stories from Robert Evans or even Martin Scorsese - these are the people making films that people are talking about today, and will be talking about for the next fifty years.

I just finished reading it and then ordered another copy for my nephew in film school. A really fun book. Hope this helped.