Arts and Culture Books

This book is really a gold mine for those who look for concept art, drawings, sketches, paintings about the movie. You will find some beautiful artworks from Eyvind Earle, the guys behind every tree of the movie. Dense, full of great artworks, great book !

I bought this book prior to watching the movie. It's slightly better than all of my Pixar artbooks. Mine was bought off amazon.com.

The hardcover book was housed in a protective cardboard cover box with two holes cut into it. Boog and Elliot peeked out the holes.

When you pull the book out of it's cover box, you'll notice that there's something different about this book from other artbooks. Goodies were packed everywhere in the book. They were post cards, posters, mini booklets and even stickers!

Tons of original sketches, movie stills and story boards filled the pages. The content was so vibrant and full of life. Captions and write up were short and nice to read. A scrapbook, of top notch quality, is perhaps a better description.

There are some pictures of the book on my blog. Just do an Internet search on "parka blogs open season"

Pixar may want to review their delivery of any future art books now that Sony is delivering books like Open Season, chocked with goodies. This book is so packed full of art you would think the film was traditional. I enjoyed Open Season and wondered why since I cant stand most CG films except for Pixar's (excluding Cars). I know why now I see all the pre-production that went into it...for me Im a colour and environment lover and I was so happy to see Sony included colour scripts and beat boards! I really think this one is a great investment! The presentation is a real treat, I am looking forward to the Aardman art of books now that they are partners with Sony...keep it up.

Great artbook. really relly great!!! with lot of little details, postcards and beautiful sketches, backgrounds and3D modellings, etc and a really beaituful and perfect edition, with a "2nd cover" (I don't know how it's called in english)

I have seen the movie and wanted to walk out on it within the fist five minutes. NOT because the animation was bad, or the art direction awful, simply because the pacing and the main character's voices were just getting in the way of the experience I look for in a movie, any movie : The escape.

When I picked up the book, I was almost shocked to see that the exact oposite was happening. I found myself flipping through the pages, being brought in to this magnificent world inspired by the older Disney designers, and really enjoyed the book.
I would recommend it as a standalone Art Book, rather than a complement to the movie. In fact, you might like the movie better if you just go through the book.

Another book that was required for an Intro to Film class. This no-nonsense approach to film is definitely for serious students. It explains everything about film and films and filming that I really never wanted to know, but it is well laid out and perfect for the class I took. Rather dry - so what? You will learn the fundamentals of film using this book. It helped me ace the course.

Bought it for a college course because I had to. Fell in love with it because it's well written, well thought out and full of more information than I thought I could possibly learn about films. The beautiful color photos contained within also help to keep one's interest.

Yes it's pricey, but it's also worth it!!

This book provides insight into the many aspects of movies. It focuses on the details that you don't consciously think about when viewing movies. Any beginning film student (or anyone interested in getting more out of the movie watching experience) will find this book very helpful. I also enjoyed the references to movies young and old.

This textbook was purchased to fulfill a required "humanaties" course, while attending college. It's informative, easy to read, and guides you into becoming a "trained observer" in the art of watching films. As part of the curriculum I was instructed to watch several films selected by my professor. Some of the assigned films I would have never viewed by choice, including classics. However, this textbook has definitely given me a whole new perspective when attending a movie theater or at home watching a DVD. I've also acquired a deeper appreciation and understanding for all the hard work that goes into film making. Buy it for school or as a guide to help you enjoy your next movie experience.

product was exactly how seller describe. the book gives great insight to understanding all the components and theatrical elements of a film. Every element in a film is purposely selected in order to catch the audience attention and emotions. Highly recommend this book.

Being a Final Cut pro I took a class on the other end of the editing world through Avid and the program has a lot of differences compared to Final Cut. The book really helps and is Mac friendly as well. I recommend it.

I bought this book in a rush when I got a job editing on an Avid. I had limited Avid experience, but I am extremely proficient on Final Cut Pro. I used this book to learn some very basic skills in the week before my job started. The book is simple and good for beginners, and only suffers slightly because of this when intermediates try to use the book. Reading the book front to back before ever touching an Avid definitely works. But if you're not a beginner, the order of chapters can be quite frustrating. The few words of wisdom on actual editing technique were unexpected but a nice break from the technical lessons.

I was familiar with editing, but had never used Avid software before. When I installed Avid Express Pro software on my home computer I immediately started a new project. I thought that since I knew editing I would easily figure out the Avid software. Wrong. I muddled through it and finished the project, but it took longer than forever, and I seriously simplified the project because I couldn't figure out many of the functions. This book does a great job of explaining the Avid interface in easy to understand language. The book also included a CD-ROM with practice projects.

There are a lot of reference books out there but this is one that you can tell has been written not by a sales person but by a user of Avid who knows what to say and how to say it in a language that is easy to understand and with examples that can be followed simply.

When I purchased my Avid Express DV software I had zero video editing experience. I knew the software was fairly complex, had a lot of capabilities, and the learning curve would be steep, so I also purchased the Avid turorial DVDs. However, with no editing background, after viewing these DVDs I just wasn't "getting it."

Kauffmann's book was perfect for me. It starts with the fundamentals (video formats, hooking up the hardware and turning the system on, etc.) and goes on from there to cover everything though fine tuning audio and doing color correction.

By reading the book (mostly) though once then using it as a "cookbook" while editing, in just a few days I was up and running and capturing, editing, and fine tuning my videos. Admittedly, Kauffmann does not go into great depth in some areas (which he acknowledges) but for someone who's just getting started this is an excellent book and will get you well on the road. I would highly recommend it to anyone just getting started and trying to learn Avid.

This is a beautiful and very informative book; I was very pleased with it. I really enjoyed all the behind-the-scenes pictures and the addition of the script is an added bonus.

If you're a Spider-Fan, you need this one. You will not be disappointed.

I think this book has excellent descriptive as well as graphic content which will help me with my coursework.

A comprehensive look at the making of the SPIDER-MAN legend, from comic-book to film. It's an excellent and interesting story to tell, although Behind The Mask didn't deliver in the graphics department. There just aren't enough illustrations, but there is enough to give the reader a feel of being on the set in the midst of the movie-making magic!

Mark Cotta Vaz is the best "Making Of" author in the world and Behind the Mask of Spider-Man: The Secrets of the Movie has everything a discerning film fan could ask for. Without the material entering the annoying world of overkill, this pleasing and informative book breezes along with its fascinating insights into how Spider-Man went from comic to silver screen. With enough inside info and graphic content to satisfy the most info-hungry geek, this is extremely satisfying and also is possibly one of the best film books ever written. It's that simple. Vaz has so many impressive book-writing credits under his belt already, but this is surely his best work. Containing info on the cast and crew, this never fails to interest and Vaz thankfully differs from other authors with a pre-determined un-pretentious standpoint. The early chapters focus on abandoned ideas about a team up of the Green Goblin and Doc Ock, and numerous costume changes for the first movie, where every little detail is spread out in a well-plotted format. Candid interviews with comic and film boys wraps up a nice package that keeps a very special place on my bookshelf. Highly Recommended.

BEHIND THE MASK OF SPIDER-MAN by: Mark Cotta Vaz is one of the best "making of" movie books I have ever read. Fair warning though, this book is so thorough that if you have not already seen Spider-Man then DO NOT READ THIS BOOK! Upon viewing some of the great color photos and reading the indepth information, you'll be completely robbed of any true movie surprises.

With that said...

In 205 pages, Vaz manages to provide tons of background on the characters, history, and production stages of Spider-Man. You'll find everything from pictures of original comic page art to step-by-step photos on the various concept sketches of both Spider-Man and the Green Goblin (Goblin in particuar is all over the place in the various designs). Vaz clearly did his homework as there are numerous interviews and sound bytes from everyone from Stan Lee to Sam Raimi to Willem Dafoe to producers, stunt people, and FX coordinators.

Rarely do "Behind the Scenes" books read as fast and as enjoyable as this one. Now granted, I am a HUGE Spider-Man fan, but I believe that anyone who enjoyed the movie will find lots of insight to be gained from this informative and entertaining book.

Un des livres sur le cinéma qui m'a le plus enthousiasmé. Une écriture très divertissante et des réflexions sur les films et leurs artisants qui captent notre intérêt au point de ne plus pouvoir arrêter notre lecture.

I can't say enough good things about this book. It has ended the difficult search for movies that please both the kids and the adults. It has inspired my family to get at least one pre-70s movie every week to watch together. It's been an education. Through this book, we've found a few movies that we all unequivocally adore, and others that we enjoy but have sparked some important deeper conversations. His ideas on why older movies are good for our children are very thoughtful.

My daughters are nearly the same age as his daughters were when he wrote the book (9 & 11), so the book is particularly on target for us. I love how Burr describes his daughters' and their friends' reactions to old movies. I am surprised by how much negativity about older movies he says has received from some of his children's friends and their parents, because my children and their friends have always been completely receptive to older and black & white movies. But we don't move in mainstream circles (we are secular homeschoolers), so I will take his word for it.

If you enjoy watching movies with your children, you need to own this book.

Excellent Book--I have given it to all of my grown up children. Just reading through it is a trip down memory lane.

Our family enjoyed this book--we got lots of ideas for movie nights, and we also got a kick out of reading the author's entries on movies we've already seen with our kids. It also kick-starts your memory for movies that Burr didn't write about--we were surprised that John Wayne's "True Grit" didn't make the cut for tween girls, and that the Julie Andrews' "Cinderella" wasn't mentioned in little girl musicals. Altogether, this is an engaging and fun book that I would also recommend for adults who are looking to educate themselves about classic cinema.

I came across this book in my local library, and after reading it, am going to purchase a copy for myself, and perhaps give it out as gifts for friends that have young children. This is an amazing movie resource. Ty Burr writes in such a familiar, easy-to-read style, and despite his motives [trying to get us to expand our young ones' movie viewing experiences through old movies/classics], never once comes across as condescending or snobbish.

The fact is that children these days are really being fed a steady, and not so healthy diet of the same type of movies that have spawned sequels, mass merchandising, and dare I say movies that don't really promote great role models [I have had enough of those tween movies with young Hollywood starlets in them]. Ty Burr provides great tips and ideas on overcoming this problems by suggesting old movies, or rather classics that will appeal to the toddler set[Meet Me in St Louis], the tween set[The African Queen], and also teenagers[Metropolis]. There are also old movies he doesn't recommend you watch with your children. The best part of the book is the comprehensive list of old movie titles in the different categories such as comedy, drama, musicals, action, adventure & westerns, horror, sci fi and fantasy, & foreign movies.

All in all, I'd highly recommend this book to readers who are interested in expanding the movie viewing experiences of the young children in their lives, and even for one's own viewing pleasure [there were titles in here that I had never come across and plan to check out!].

This is a really effective authoritative publication of Hunter's lyrics. Robert Hunter had a big impact on the lyrical imagination of 60's rock, and this book bears witness to that fact. It presents the lyrics with minimal distractions, which causes my only complaint with this book. Hunter's notes/comments are sparse and usually very brief. Some additional explanations and background information, while perhaps being somewhat distracting from the lyrics, would make this more interesting.

Hunter's words, the inspiration, soul, and backbone of the Grateful's Dead's songs, are here collected in all their subtle grace. His songs read like poems, and his poems burst like songs. Vital reading for dead-heads and poetry lovers alike.

Driving around a curve on a mountain backroad, I saw what looked to be a book lying in the middle of the road ahead. I stopped, opened the door and reached down to pick it up. Must have fallen out of someone's car and then been run over: the cover pockmarked by gravel, the pages loose.

The title instantly grabbed my awareness: A Box of Rain - Almost 40 years of a prodigious poetic output, the sculpting of over 250 songs.

This collection of lyrics represents most of what the Grateful Dead performed - along with many songs either done by other groups or sung by Hunter himself. This book is a superb fusion of the mystical and the mundane - If Garcia's music was the skeleton of the Dead, these lyrics surely must be the flesh.

Would the Dead have acheived anything near their anointed state without these lyrics? I truly doubt it. Robert Hunter and Bob Dylan are in a class by themselves; these writings bear witness to that fact.





Extracts: A Field Guide for Iconoclasts

... one of the greatest poets ever. in my opinion. reading his poems as oposed to listning to them on a album is a vastly differnet experiences. his words touch me like no other. this book is absolutly amazing, especially reading the things the dead never played. "jack o roses" the seventh section of "terrapin station" is the most beautiful thing iever read ( you can hear hunter sing it by going to the hunter archive at dead.net". everyone should read this, and for the few that really get it, it will be a transcendant experinece.

...and my tunes were played on the harp unstrung would you hear my voice come through the music would you hold it near as it were your own?' Part of the experience of a Grateful Dead concert (and now The Other Ones, Ratdog, Phil Lesh and friends, and Mickey Hart's band) was listening to the words of Robert Hunter dance and twirl in your head. Hunter probably isn't the greatest American poet of the second half of the 20th Century, but he does know how to turn a phrase, borrow a line, and mix a metaphor. And his strange mix of phrases went well with the strange mix of American music written by the late Jerry Garcia. Box Of Rain is a must reference for anyone interested in the lyrical end of rock and roll. The book will clear up many an on going debate on just what Jerry was singing all those nights so long ago. And for all those people who can't understand why the Grateful Dead was so successful, this book will let you in on part of the secret. 'If you get confused, just listen to the music play....'

This was a very good read, masterfully told and researched. This is the only book that tells the COMPLETE history of indie movies. Highly recommended.

This book blew me away. I love the way it covers the whole spectrum of indie film, not just "art" but "exploitation" as well. The story of how these films came to be against great odds makes for great reading. I learned something knew on every page. Highly recommended for fans of non-Hollywood films.

This was a great read. Very well-written. It covered more than any other film book. I especially liked the exploitation stuff and how it mixed with art films: the yin and yang of indie cinema.

This is the best book ever written on independent film. I wish I could give it move than 5 stars, because Celluloid Mavericks is a pure pleasure to read: witty, informative and always extremely entertaining. No other book comes close to its breadth and detail, especially in regards to the previously uncharted territory between 1896 and 1960. This is my all-time favorite film book, well deserving of its many raves reviews.

from the New York Press 3-29-2000 - copyright Matt Zoller Seitz

Merritt's book covers a century's worth of off-center cinema, including 1890s nickelodeons, 1940s chitlin-circuit black films, Sam Fuller's genre-busting work in the 50s and 60s, blaxploitation and hardcore porn in the 70s and the Sundance wave of the 80s and 90s. The central idea of free spirits bucking the system unifies waht might have been a too-broad historical text, and Merritt's tart wit enlivens the fact-packed narrative. His prose isn't merely amusing; it's lovingly polished, a real pleasure to read. He's honest enough to admit that most 70s blaxploitation films were garbabe, "rarely as much fun as their posters or soundtracks." He coins a wonderful new phrase to describe the hillbilly flicks that flooded rural drive-ins around the same time: "Whitezploitation." He describes Tom Laughlin's "Billy Jack" as a movie about pacifists who "come to worship a man of violence," and declares, "the real hoot is seeing the messiah take off his boots and kick the grins off rednecks."

This isn't one of those fuzzy, ruminative books where the author writes whatever strikes his fancy and crams it into a bulging thematic suitcase after the fact. The preface carefully defines "independent" to mean any movie "financed and produced completely autonomous of all studios," and "semi-indie" as a movie that received studio funding at some point. The definitions cast certain well-known American films in a fresh light. I didn't know, for example, that the Oscar-winning "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" didn't get a dime's worth of funding from any studio.

Chapter to chapter and page for page, "Celluloid Mavericks" is an indespensable book, as entertaining as it is informed.

I am a big Larry David fan. So I bought this book to hear what he had to say about creating Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm. The interview with Larry was really great. The book is very well done.

This book blew me away. It's the single best book on television writing I've ever encountered. This should be required reading for every college course on television. The interviews with television's A-List are insightful, humorous, and inspiring. Anybody interested in breaking into television writing would benefit highly from this book.

I am a television writer who has seen a lot change in this business over the years. Because of the rapid popularity of reality television, it is harder than ever to break into the TV writing game. There are a lot of books out there that claim to show you how to get a job as a sitcom or drama writer. However, in my opinion this book is the best ever written on the subject. You get to hear from the TV show creators themselves how to write a spec script, rewrite a script, get hired on a show, pitch a network, market a show, hire talent, and much more. The author did his homework and rounded up some of the top TV show creators in this business. I found the questions asked and the stories told to be very interesting as well as encouraging. I tip my hat to the author. This is a must buy!

I had an idea for a TV pilot brewing for quite a while. I spent a few months working on the concept. Then I spent another few months writing and rewriting it...trying to make the script the best I could. Then, when I was done I had the realization -- How Am I Going To Sell It? That question has troubled writers since the beginning of the fountain pen. So, I began to read script writing magazines and bought some books on the subject. None were hitting the core or practical enough for me to relate to. Well, that was until I opened Created By.

I have to say that this book showed me "the light at the end of the tunnel." I started reading advice from industry professionals that seemed real. I learned that many of the top TV show creators were once just like me -- a struggling writer with a script and a dream. I got some good solid and priceless advice on how to get my script read. I have just sent my pilot out to some agents!!!!

If you have a script just sitting in your hard drive with no idea how to sell it this book is your resource. Wish there were more books like this out in the marketplace.

Created By is NOT just another one of those "how to" books that show struggling writer's how to go from crashing on their friends couch in Hollywood, to magically landing into the writers room of a top-rated sitcom. This book offers a lot more than that. It has depth and substance. It is a journey into the minds of some of the greatest television writers of our time.

Don't get me wrong, it surely gives you some great insight on how to make it. But it offers much more. I felt I really connected with the showrunners interviewed. I showed me that no one is an overnight success story. It also demonstrated that everyone has their own journey and road to success. It also taught me about what happens when the business side of the entertainment industry interacts with the creative side. Some of the stories made me laugh and some made me reflect. What a positive book!

I was not sure what I would get out of this book when I originally bought it. But I was pleasantly suprised and very inspired.

It's a toss-up as to which of Mick LaSalle's great pre-Code books (his previous is COMPLICATED WOMEN) is superior. COMPLICATED WOMEN is a work of advocacy, in a sense -- he wants to rescue the women of pre-Code from obscurity and critical neglect, and he does so ably. This book is more cool-headed amd critical. It's also funnier. It feels more grounded in the real politics and culture of the early 1930s. The research goes deeper. The book is longer. I think they're both essential reading, demonstrating a passion for film and an understanding of history that's impressive, rare and indispensable.

The Golden Age of movies is sometimes taken as the glorious silent era. However, it can be argued that the films made right after the advent of sound provided more realism and more to think about than movies before or since. In a vital and entertaining study, _Dangerous Men: Pre-Code Hollywood and the Birth of the Modern Man_ (Thomas Dunne), Mick LaSalle lovingly analyzes the films and movie heroes from around 1929 until 1934 when censorship took over. Those interested in the history of film, and in learning more about giants like Cagney and Gable, as well as about important but forgotten former stars like Richard Barthelmess and Warren William, will find this book irresistible. After 1934, it was a long while before American films were made without a censor able to clip scenes, and LaSalle demonstrates that the pre-censorship (or "pre-Code") era was a time for realism as well as idealism in the movies.

LaSalle demonstrates that silent films were really productions of the Victorian era; men were expected to have sobriety and character. World War I, Prohibition, and the Great Depression changed all that. There was a deluge of pre-Code gangster movies, and every major actor played a gangster, even Spencer Tracy and Boris Karloff. The gangster movies, and the war movies, provided a new look at how a person might live in the world and live with himself; there was a good deal of introspection within the characters displayed on screen that would vanish when the Code came into force. Along with serious evaluation of such moral matters, pre-Code movies were full of pacifism. Repeatedly the young idealistic heroes go into battle only to be shocked at the destruction they themselves have wrought. These movies exalted individuality and distrust of governments that led citizens into pointless wars. Pre-Code films emphasized the heroism of getting wise and taking care of oneself, not the heroism of battles and bugles. There is a good brief history of Code censorship here, showing the role of the Catholic Legion of Decency and its regrettable effects. Not only did the Code enforcers impose wholesomeness on future movies, they insisted that when the pre-Code films were re-released they be re-cut into more acceptable form. Sadly, sometimes the censored version of a pre-Code film is all that remains. It was not until the ratings system came in 1968 that the Code was dismantled.

Partly LaSalle's book is a warning, and one especially pointed now that certain forces within the government find censorship in various forms appealing. LaSalle has enormous admiration for the films described here, but says, "Even vitality such as this can be squelched if a close-minded faction is obsessed, pernicious, and willing to organize." He has seen a lot more of these pre-Code pictures than his readers have, but anyone who enjoys the movies will be eager to take a look at these films after reading this book. Pre-Code films showed war brutality, governmental corruption, and harnessing courage to subvert the system. LaSalle writes, "These may be healthy things for individuals to know, but they aren't what governments like to see pumped into the public consciousness."

I wish I could have given this book 5 stars, but Mr. LaSalle had made a minor mistake. In the book's first chapter, he made the mistake of comparing most of the major actors of this era - especially Clark Gable - to the recent film star, Tom Cruise. In some attempt to put Cruise at a disadvantage, he described the actor as being "amiable" and youthful in compare to Gable. One, Cruis is more than an "amiable" actor. He has made a career of portraying some rather ambiguous and/or dark characters during the past twenty-five years. And two, he stopped being youthful a long time ago. I think that Mr. LaSalle may have been blinded by Cruise's famous smile and failed to give a more accurate portrayal of the actor's career.

Mick LaSalle has done a fine job in recording the accomplishments of actresses before the pre code "censorship" era (1929-1934 or thereabouts!) . If you are at all interested
in films of the thirties this is a MUST! And if you are just interested in films in general this will surely be "of interest". And if you are a Norma Shearer fan it is a MUST!

I guess it's too early to have a favorite book of the year, but I can say with certainty that, had I completed it in 2002, Dangerous Men would qualify as one of my top two or three -- and probably the best non-fiction book I've read: So smart, so authoritative and, as some other readers have pointed out, so funny -- funny, even as you're learning something fascinating on every page.
It is hardly the usual sort of film book. Rather it's a brilliant investigation into the nature of manhood in the twentieth century, using these films as markers along the way. At the same time, it is a movie book in the sense that you come away dying to see the movies. I'm going to be using the list that the book provides to help make my video choices in the coming months.
What a wonderful Christmas gift. I already ordered Complicated Women, because now I can't get enough of the subject. You'll probably feel the same way, too. By all means, this is a book to get.

It's Friday night, you're tired after a long work week, and you're wandering the aisles at Blockbuster looking for a good family film. No need to go through the brain damage of reading millions of obscure DVD sleeves when you have Michael Booth's fine book, which recommends some little-noticed but still-great films appropriate for the schoolkids in your house. Screenit.com is OK if you have a specific idea for a rentable movie, but Booth's book is much better when you need recommendations (and for the fun writing, too).

This book is both helpful and enjoyable to read. The commentary addresses its audience with insight and intelligence. Best Family Films has been really helpful - particularly with concerns on the wide range of whether PG-13 movies are more of a PG or an R rating. This book has taken away parental angst.

Booth has a great feel for which movies work for which audience/age group. His recommendations have been 100% when selecting movies for our family.

Michael Booth is the thinking person's alternative to that other Michael (Medved) who professes an interest in family films. Booth's reviews are informative, helpful, witty, and a real pleasure to read. Highly recommended!

This guide's succinct reviews are really useful. Every review is on one page, with an entertaining tidbit, age-appropriateness and run-time on the facing page. I found several of my all-time favorites, but what's better is that I found a few gems that weren't on my list yet.

I don't normally write reviews, however in this case I felt compelled to do so. If you're looking into the topic of family films, let me save you some time. Get this book. As others have noted, Mr. Booth's reviews are entertaining, informative and spot on. His selections include films off the beaten path. Good stuff!