Category: Movie books
The Science Of Sci-Fi Cinema edited by Vincent Piturro (book review).
In the introduction to ‘The Science Of Sci-Fi Cinema’, author Vincent Piturro points out that since 2010, at a Denver SF show, he had been bringing in scientists to discuss their specialty related to SF films. For this book, 10 films have been selected. He gives the plot synopsises, the directors and other film history […]
Vivid Tomorrows: On Science Fiction And Hollywood by David Brin (book review).
Looking through Eurospan’s catalogue of American books, I tend to use the search engine to pin-point to ‘Science Fiction’ and seeing one by SF writer David Brin doing non-fiction was a no-brainer to want to have a look at. ‘Vivid Tomorrows: On Science Fiction And Hollywood’ gives him an opportunity to rant over 23 chapters […]
Grande Illusions: The Art And Technique Of Special Make-Up Effects Original Books I & II by Tom Savini (book review).
On a whim, I thought to look up Tom Savini’s ‘Grande Illusions’ book and came across this volume, ‘Grande Illusions: The Art And Technique Of Special Make-Up Effects Original Books I & II’ featuring both of them together, although I didn’t know the second one existed. I might not have seen many films Savini has […]
Alien Invasions!: The History Of Aliens In Pop Culture edited by Michael Stein (book review).
Looking at the picture on the cover of ‘Alien Invasions! : The History Of Aliens In Pop Culture’, it should quickly become apparent to you that those two humanoid aliens hiding behind the wall are going to pounce out and attack those alien emissaries on their goodwill tour coming down from their spaceship. No? Then […]
Directing Great Television: Inside TV’s New Golden Age by Dan Attias (book review).
What I like about the books from Michael Wiese Productions is how they get people from inside the business to talk about the subject of the film and TV industry who actually work there so it all comes from experience. Dan Attias is no exception to this, having directed the likes of ‘Homeland’, ‘The Americans’, […]
Editing For Directors: A Guide For Creative Collaboration by Gael Chandler (book review).
Once I started reading ‘Editing For Directors: A Guide For Creative Collaboration’, it became apparent that Gael Chandler’s book extended beyond its brief. Not only is this book going to fill in background information for directors but also as a teaching aid for editors and certainly outsiders who think all editors do is reduce the […]
Stephen King: Dollar Baby: The Book by Anthony Northrup (book review).
If proof were needed that Stephen King is a god of some sort, consider this. In the 1970s, he decided that he would allow filmmakers to make movies of his short stories for a dollar. These were then shown around the world at film festivals. Anthony Northrup has undertaken the not inconsiderable task of compiling […]
Smoke And Mirrors – Special Visual Effects B.C. (Before Computers) by Mark D. Wolf (book review).
This book, ‘Smoke And Mirrors – Special Visual Effects B.C. (Before Computers)’ by Mark D. Wolf, lives up to its name. Wolf says in his introduction that he isn’t that keen on digital simply because there’s so many people are doing it than having any real stars of special effects anymore. He’s probably right. Name […]
You Won’t Believe Your Eyes! by Mark Thomas McGee (book review).
The sub-title of Mark McGee’s book, ‘You Won’t Believe Your Eyes!’ is ‘A Front Row Look At The Science Fiction And Horror Films Of The 1950s’ should affirm what this book is about. It’s also a revised second edition. If you don’t usually read introductions then the two hilarious introductions by Don Glutz and McGee […]
The Hollywood Standard: The Complete And Authoritative Guide To Script Format And Style 3rd Edition by Christopher Riley (book review).
Now ‘The Hollywood Standard: The Complete And Authoritative Guide To Script Format And Style 3nd Edition’ by Christopher Riley will teach you the ropes on how to present a manuscript in Hollywood and not to make silly let alone obvious mistakes that distinguishes the amateur from the professional if you want to be taken seriously. […]
