Film & Media
The Philosophy of Joss Whedon Cover
Format: Hardback
Pages: 248
ISBN: 9780813134192
Pub Date: 27 Jan 2012
Series: The Philosophy of Popular Culture
Description:
Every generation produces a counterculture icon. Joss Whedon, creator of the long-running television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, is famed for his subversive wit, rich characters, and extraordinary plotlines. His renown has only grown with subsequent creations, including Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse, and the innovative online series Dr.
Interdisciplinary Approaches to Twilight Cover
Format: Hardback
Pages: 304
ISBN: 9789185509638
Pub Date: 31 Oct 2011
Description:
The Twilight novels by Stephenie Meyer have developed from a book series into a powerful phenomenon with an astonishing impact. Not only have the books been adapted for the screen, but they have also spawned a huge number of works by fans, readers, reviewers, and scholars. The multi-faceted "Interdisciplinary Approaches to Twilight" brings together scholars from a variety of disciplines in order to address the key themes in the complex global phenomenon that is Twilight; a phenomenon that transcends the boundaries between continents, generations, and producers and consumers, and not least between different genres and media.
A Voice in the Box Cover
Format: Hardback
Pages: 236
ISBN: 9780813134505
Pub Date: 14 Oct 2011
Illustrations: 36 b&w photos
Description:
The host of The Bob Edwards Show and Bob Edwards Weekend on Sirius XM Radio, Bob Edwards became the first radio personality with a large national audience to take his chances in the new field of satellite radio. The programs' mix of long-form interviews and news documentaries has won many prestigious awards.For thirty years, Louisville native Edwards was the voice of National Public Radio's daily newsmagazine programs, co-hosting All Things Considered before launching Morning Edition in 1979.

Paul on Mazursky

Format: Hardback
Pages: 348
ISBN: 9780819571434
Pub Date: 01 Aug 2011
Illustrations: 38 illus.
Description:
Paul Mazursky's nearly twenty films as writer/director represent Hollywood's most sustained comic expression of the 1970s and 1980s. But they have not been given their due, perhaps because Mazursky's films-both sincere and ridiculous, realistic and romantic-are pure emotion. This makes films like Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, An Unmarried Woman, and Enemies, A Love Story difficult to classify, but that's what makes a human comedy human.
The Philosophy of Spike Lee Cover
Format: Hardback
Pages: 264
ISBN: 9780813133805
Pub Date: 22 Jul 2011
Series: The Philosophy of Popular Culture
Description:
Over his twenty-plus year tenure in Hollywood, Spike Lee has produced a number of controversial films that unapologetically confront sensitive social issues, particularly those of race relations and discrimination. Through his honest portrayals of life's social obstacles, he challenges the public to reflect on the world's problems and divisions. The innovative director created a name for himself with feature films such as Do the Right Thing (1989) and Malcolm X (1992), and with documentaries such as 4 Little Girls (1997) and When the Levees Broke (2006), breaking with Hollywood's reliance on cultural stereotypes to portray African Americans in a more realistic light.
Raoul Walsh Cover
Format: Hardback
Pages: 528
ISBN: 9780813133935
Pub Date: 17 Jun 2011
Series: Screen Classics
Illustrations: 51 b&w photos
Description:
Raoul Walsh (1887--1980) was known as one of Hollywood's most adventurous, iconoclastic, and creative directors. He carved out an illustrious career and made films that transformed the Hollywood studio yarn into a thrilling art form. Walsh belonged to that early generation of directors -- along with John Ford and Howard Hawks -- who worked in the fledgling film industry of the early twentieth century, learning to make movies with shoestring budgets.
The Philosophy of Charlie Kaufman Cover
Format: Hardback
Pages: 344
ISBN: 9780813133911
Pub Date: 27 May 2011
Series: The Philosophy of Popular Culture
Description:
To many, Kentucky means the greatest thoroughbreds in the world. To others, it is the home of the finest bourbon. But the obvious success of burgoo, Owensboro barbeque, and Harlan Sanders's Kentucky Fried Chicken carries the state's reputation for excellence to a wider audience.

Soul Searching

Format: Paperback
Pages: 280
ISBN: 9780819571335
Pub Date: 02 May 2011
Illustrations: 29 illus.
Description:
The sixties were a tremendously important time of transition for both civil rights activism and the U.S. film industry.
Arthur Penn Cover
Format: Hardback
Pages: 344
ISBN: 9780813129761
Pub Date: 01 Apr 2011
Series: Screen Classics
Illustrations: 29 b&w photos
Description:
Arthur Penn: American Director is the comprehensive biography of one of the twentieth century's most influential filmmakers. Thematic chapters lucidly convey the story of Penn's life and career, as well as pertinent events in the history of American film, theater, and television. In the process of tracing the full spectrum of his career, Arthur Penn reveals the enormous scope of Penn's talent and his profound impact on the entertainment industry in an accessible, engaging account of the well-known director's life.
The Philosophy of David Lynch Cover
Format: Hardback
Pages: 258
ISBN: 9780813129914
Pub Date: 25 Mar 2011
Series: The Philosophy of Popular Culture
Description:
From his cult classic television series Twin Peaks to his most recent film Inland Empire (2006), David Lynch is best known for his unorthodox narrative style. An award-winning director, producer, and writer, Lynch distorts and disrupts traditional storylines and offers viewers a surreal, often nightmarish perspective. His unique approach to filmmaking has made his work familiar to critics and audiences worldwide, and he earned Academy Award nominations for Best Director for The Elephant Man (1980), Blue Velvet (1986), and Mulholland Drive (2001).

Brutal Intimacy

Format: Paperback
Pages: 304
ISBN: 9780819568274
Pub Date: 15 Mar 2011
Illustrations: 40 illus., 3 tables.
Description:
Brutal Intimacy is the first book to explore the fascinating films of contemporary France, ranging from mainstream genre spectaculars to arthouse experiments, and from wildly popular hits to films that deliberately alienate the viewer. Twenty-first-century France is a major source of international cinema-diverse and dynamic, embattled yet prosperous-a national cinema offering something for everyone. Tim Palmer investigates France's growing population of women filmmakers, its buoyant vanguard of first-time filmmakers, the rise of the controversial cinema du corps, and France's cinema icons: auteurs like Olivier Assayas, Claire Denis, Bruno Dumont, Gaspar Noé, and stars such as Vincent Cassel and Jean Dujardin.
The Tube Has Spoken Cover
Format: Paperback
Pages: 275
ISBN: 9780813133881
Pub Date: 01 Feb 2011
Series: Film and History
Illustrations: 10 b&w photos
Description:
Featuring ordinary people, celebrities, game shows, hidden cameras, everyday situations, and humorous or dramatic situations, reality TV is one of the fastest growing and important popular culture trends of the past decade, with roots reaching back to the days of radio. The Tube Has Spoken provides an analysis of the growing phenomenon of reality TV, its evolution as a genre, and how it has been shaped by cultural history. This collection of essays looks at a wide spectrum of shows airing from the 1950s to the present, addressing some of the most popular programs including Alan Funt's Candid Camera, Big Brother, Wife Swap, Kid Nation, and The Biggest Loser.
The Philosophy of Steven Soderbergh Cover
Format: Hardback
Pages: 328
ISBN: 9780813126623
Pub Date: 28 Jan 2011
Series: The Philosophy of Popular Culture
Illustrations: none
Description:
Widely regarded as a turning point in American independent cinema, Steven Soderbergh's sex, lies, and videotape (1989) launched the career of its twenty-six-year-old director, whose debut film was nominated for an Academy Award and went on to win the Cannes Film Festival's top award, the Palme d'Or. The Philosophy of Steven Soderbergh breaks new ground by investigating salient philosophical themes through the unique story lines and innovative approaches to filmmaking that distinguish this celebrated artist.Editors R.

Kazan Revisited

Format: Hardback
Pages: 244
ISBN: 9780819570840
Pub Date: 15 Jan 2011
Illustrations: 52 illus.
Description:
A groundbreaking filmmaker dogged by controversy in both his personal life and career, Elia Kazan was one of the most important directors of postwar American cinema. In landmark motion pictures such as A Streetcar Named Desire, On the Waterfront, East of Eden, and Splendor in the Grass, Kazan crafted an emotionally raw form of psychological realism. His reputation has rested on his Academy award-winning work with actors, his provocative portrayal of sexual, moral, and generational conflict, and his unpopular decision to name former colleagues as Communists before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1952.
Letterboxed Cover
Format: Hardback
Pages: 304
ISBN: 9780813126517
Pub Date: 14 Jan 2011
Illustrations: 255 b&w photos
Description:
When widescreen technology was introduced to filmmaking in 1953, it changed the visual framework and aesthetic qualities of cinema forever. Before widescreen, a director's vision for capturing beautiful landscapes or city skylines was limited by what could be included in the boxy confines of an Academy Ratio film frame. The introduction and subsequent evolution of widescreen technology has allowed directors to push the boundaries of filmmaking.
The Essential Cult TV Reader Cover
Format: Hardback
Pages: 414
ISBN: 9780813125688
Pub Date: 15 Dec 2010
Series: Essential Readers in Contemporary Media and Culture
Illustrations: 10
Description:
The Essential Cult TV Reader is a collection of insightful essays that examine television shows that amass engaged, active fan bases by employing an imaginative approach to programming. Once defined by limited viewership, cult TV has developed its own identity, with some shows gaining large, mainstream audiences. By exploring the defining characteristics of cult TV, The Essential Cult TV Reader traces the development of this once obscure form and explains how cult TV achieved its current status as legitimate television.