The Mysteries of Cinema: Movies and Imagination

The Mysteries of Cinema: Movies and Imagination
Author: Peter Conrad
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Total Pages: 470
Release: 2021-04-20
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 0500776385

Ranging from the late nineteenth century to the present day, this exhilarating survey by cultural critic Peter Conrad explores the ways film has changed how we see the world. This is a thematic roller-coaster ride through cinema history, with film expert Peter Conrad in the seat beside you. Thoroughly international, this book ranges from Fay Wray to Satyajit Ray, from Buster Keaton to Kurosawa, from westerns to nouvelle vague. Conrad explores the medium’s relationship to speed, technology, fantasy, horror, dream, color, sound, light, and shadow with reference to scores of films, from the earliest nineteenth-century silent experiments to the latest multisensory Hollywood blockbusters. The author’s insights are amplified by voices from inside and outside the industry: directors and critics are included alongside artists, writers, philosophers, and historians ranging from Leo Tolstoy to Salvador Dalí, Theodor Adorno to Philip Roth. Arranged by topics, such as “Meta-Movie” and “The Physics of Film,” rather than chronological events, The Mysteries of Cinema focuses on film’s otherworldly, hypnotic, and magical qualities. Perfect for both movie fans who will discover new films and directors, and for students of film who will see familiar classics in a new light, this volume is full of unique insights into the genre. Combining his vast knowledge with a forensic eye for a director’s every quirk and mannerism, Conrad offers a fascinating and thrilling exploration of film.

Mysteries of Cinema

Mysteries of Cinema
Author: Adrian Martin
Publisher: UWA Publishing
Total Pages: 551
Release: 2020-04-01
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1760801305

The major essays of the distinguished and prolific Australian-born film critic Adrian Martin have long been difficult to access, so this anthology, which collects highlights of his work in one volume, will be welcomed throughout film studies. Martin offers in-depth analysis of many genres of films while providing a broad understanding of the history of cinema and the history of film criticism and culture. These vibrant, highly personal essays, written between 1982 and 2016, balance breadth across cinema theory with almost encyclopedic detail, ranging between aesthetics, cinephilia, film genre, criticism, philosophy, and cultural politics. Mysteries of Cinema circumscribes a special cultural period that began with the dream of critique as a form of poetic writing, and today arrives at collaborative experiments in audiovisual essays. Throughout these essays, Martin pursues a particular vision of what cinema has been, what it is, and what it still could be.

Silent Mystery and Detective Movies

Silent Mystery and Detective Movies
Author: Ken Wlaschin
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 293
Release: 2009-10-21
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 0786454296

The silent film era was known in part for its cliffhanger serials and air of suspense that kept audiences returning to theaters week after week. Icons such as Douglas Fairbanks, Laurel and Hardy, Lon Chaney and Harry Houdini were among those who graced the dark and shadowy screen. This reference guide to silent films with mystery and detective content lists more than 1,500 titles in one of entertainment's most popular and enduring genres. While most of the films examined are from North America, mystery films from around the world are included.

Murder at Hotel Cinema

Murder at Hotel Cinema
Author: Daniel Edward Craig
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide
Total Pages: 433
Release: 2011-10-08
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0738720275

In this star-studded sequel to Murder at the Universe, Daniel Edward Craig pokes good-humored fun at the celebrity-crazed Los Angeles culture. Dedicated hotelier Trevor Lambert takes a job at Hotel Cinema, a multi-million dollar rejuvenation of an Old Hollywood motor inn. It's a fabulous opening party until Tinseltown's hottest star, Chelsea Fricks, takes a fatal dive from her penthouse balcony. Was it a reckless publicity stunt or did fame drive her to suicide? Chelsea's stab wounds tell another story. Suddenly Hotel Cinema is the setting of a hilarious Hollywood murder mystery, starring Chelsea's former pit bull publicist; a star-struck detective; tasteless tabloid reporters; and Trevor's incompetent boss, who breaks every rule in the hotel handbook. Cristal champagne is flowing. Business is booming. But when the hotel staff are targeted as murder suspects, the party turns into a publicity nightmare.

How a Film Theory Got Lost and Other Mysteries in Cultural Studies

How a Film Theory Got Lost and Other Mysteries in Cultural Studies
Author: Robert B. Ray
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Total Pages: 196
Release: 2001-04-22
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 9780253214386

He is a member of The Vulgar Boatmen, whose records include You and Your Sister, Please Panic, and Opposite Sex.ContentsForeword by James NaremoreImpressionism, Surrealism, and Film Theory: Path Dependence, or How a Tradition in Film Theory Gets LostThe Bordwell Regime and the Stakes of KnowledgeSnapshots: The Beginnings of PhotographyTrackingHow to Start and Avant-GardeHow to Teach Cultural StudiesThe Best Way to Understand PostmodernismThe Mystery of Edward HopperFilm and LiteratureConclusion

The Movie Book

The Movie Book
Author: DK
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 781
Release: 2016-01-05
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1465450629

Learn about the visual and performing arts in The Movie Book. Part of the fascinating Big Ideas series, this book tackles tricky topics and themes in a simple and easy to follow format. Learn about Movies in this overview guide to the subject, great for beginners looking to learn and experts wishing to refresh their knowledge alike! The Movie Book brings a fresh and vibrant take on the topic through eye-catching graphics and diagrams to immerse yourself in. This captivating book will broaden your understanding of Movies, with: - More than 100 of the best movies ever made worldwide - Packed with facts, charts, timelines and graphs to help explain core concepts - A visual approach to big subjects with striking illustrations and graphics throughout - Easy to follow text makes topics accessible for people at any level of understanding The Movie Book is the perfect introduction to the rich history of cinema like never before - from the golden age of black-and-white films to international art-house and 21st-century sci-fi, aimed at adults with an interest in the subject and students wanting to gain more of an overview. Here you’ll discover more than 100 of the best movies ever made, uncovering the key themes and big ideas behind the world's most celebrated cinematic gems. Your Movie Questions, Simply Explained This book brings cinema to life with iconic quotes and film stills, posters, biographies of directors, actors, and actresses, along with narrative timelines and infographics exploring key themes. If you thought it was difficult to learn about the best cinematic masterpieces, The Movie Book presents key information in an easy to follow layout. Learn everything about your favorite movies, as well as celebrated classics and the films to watch before you die, through iconic quotes and stills, posters, biographies, memorabilia and narrative timelines, through fantastic mind maps and step-by-step summaries. The Big Ideas Series With millions of copies sold worldwide, The Movie Book is part of the award-winning Big Ideas series from DK. The series uses striking graphics along with engaging writing, making big topics easy to understand.

The Cinema of David Lynch

The Cinema of David Lynch
Author: Erica Sheen
Publisher: Wallflower Press
Total Pages: 220
Release: 2004
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 9781903364857

This is a study of one of Hollywood's most popular and critically acclaimed directors. Films discussed include 'Blue Velvet', 'Wild at Heart', 'The Straight Story' and 'Mulholland Drive'.

The Film Book

The Film Book
Author: Ronald Bergan
Publisher: DK Publishing (Dorling Kindersley)
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2021
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780241484838

Story of cinema -- How movies are made -- Movie genres -- World cinema -- A-Z directors -- Must-see movies.

The Nolan Variations

The Nolan Variations
Author: Tom Shone
Publisher: Knopf
Total Pages: 401
Release: 2020-11-03
Genre: Art
ISBN: 0525655336

An in-depth look at Christopher Nolan, considered to be the most profound, commercially successful director at work today, written with his full cooperation. A rare, revelatory portrait, "as close as you're ever going to get to the Escher drawing that is Christopher Nolan's remarkable brain" (Sam Mendes). In chapters structured by themes and motifs ("Time"; "Chaos"; "Dreams"), Shone offers an unprecedented intimate view of the director. Shone explores Nolan's thoughts on his influences, his vision, his enigmatic childhood past--and his movies, from plots and emotion to identity and perception, including his latest blockbuster, the action-thriller/spy-fi Tenet ("Big, brashly beautiful, grandiosely enjoyable"--Variety). Filled with the director's never-before-seen photographs, storyboards, and scene sketches, here is Nolan on the evolution of his pictures, and the writers, artists, directors, and thinkers who have inspired and informed his films. "Fabulous: intelligent, illuminating, rigorous, and highly readable. The very model of what a filmmaking study should be. Essential reading for anyone who cares about Nolan or about film for that matter."--Neal Gabler, author of An Empire of Their Own: How the Jews Invented Hollywood and Walt Disney, The Biography

Why Popcorn Costs So Much at the Movies

Why Popcorn Costs So Much at the Movies
Author: Richard B. McKenzie
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 332
Release: 2008-04-17
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0387770011

This entertaining book seeks to unravel an array of pricing puzzles from the one captured in the book’s title to why so many prices end with "9" (as in $2.99 or $179). Along the way, the author explains how the 9/11 terrorists have, through the effects of their heinous acts on the relative prices of various modes of travel, killed more Americans since 9/11 than they killed that fateful day. He also explains how well-meaning efforts to spur the use of alternative, supposedly environmentally friendly fuels have starved millions of people around the world and given rise to the deforestation of rainforests in Malaysia and Indonesia.