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Writer, producer, and director Wes Craven has successfully tapped into the horror vein for over forty years, serving up scary, funny, cutting-edge thrillers that have become classics in the genre. His films have been both critical and commercial successes, most notably Nightmare on Elm Street, which spawned a series of sequels and made Craven (and his creation, Freddy Kruger) an international sensation. He then created a second indelible series in the horror movie trope with Scream. In Screams & Nightmares, Brian J. Robb examines Craven's entire career, from his low-budget beginnings to his most recent box office hits, from the banned thriller The Last House on the Left and the cult classic The Hills Have Eyes to the outrageous Shocker and The People Under the Stairs. Through exclusive interviews with Craven, Robb provides in-depth accounts of the making of each of the films – including the final instalments of the Scream series – Craven's foray into writing novels, and his numerous television projects.
Hailed as the best actor of his generation when he was only 20 years old, Leonardo DiCaprio has repeatedly shocked the Hollywood establishment by turning down roles he felt were "too commercial" or "too mundane". This revealing book at this talented young star covers DiCaprio's fascinating life and successful film career. 40 photos.
River Phoenix: A Short Life is the first biography of this talented but tragic young star. It explores the contradictions of a life that encompassed the hippy philosophy of his unconventional parents, the abnormal pressures of child stardom on TV, leading inevitably to the big time as a brat pack hopeful in Hollywood. However, there was real talent in this young actor which was recognised by up-coming directors and established names. His performance in Sidney Lumet's Running on Empty and his role as a male prostitute in My Own Private Idaho established his credentials as a serious actor with the potential for greatness.
Keanu Reeves' combination of authority, forthrightness, and sexy good looks has made him one of the most popular and bankable modern stars. In this revised and updated biography, Brian J. Robb explores Reeves on- and offscreen, including his rock 'n roll career with the band Dog Star, and the twin tragedies that took the lives of his unborn daughter and his former partner Jennifer Syme. This new edition contains 130 photographs and a 48-page coverage of The Matrix and its sequel including location reports, plot previews, and a glimpse of the trilogy's breathtaking climax.
Examines artistic interpretations of Tolkien's fantasy world, including movie stills, theatrical performances, games, and comic books, and features the lost art of Mary Fairburn, whose paintings were favored by Tolkien himself.
This updated glimpse into the life and career of Brad Pitt offers additional photos and 32 new pages of biographical information. 100 photos, some in color.
A gorgeously illustrated history of the literary, film, and arts counterculture--now in paperback! Simultaneously a literary movement, ultra-hip subculture, and burgeoning cottage industry, steampunk is the most influential new genre to emerge from the late twentieth century. Spinning tales populated with clockwork leviathans, cannon shots to the moon, and coal-fired robots, it charts alternative histories in which the British Empire never fell and the atom remained unsplit. Spectacularly illustrated and international in scope, this comprehensive history explores steampunk's many intricate expressions in fiction, cinema, television, comics, and video games, and traces its evolution into a truly global aesthetic that has made its mark on art, architecture, fashion, and music. From the classic science-fiction of Jules Verne, H. G. Wells, and Mary Shelley, through the dystopian futurescapes of Cyberpunk, to the otherworldly imaginings of Hayao Miyazaki, Alan Moore, and China Miéville, author Brian J. Robb sets the key works of steampunk squarely under the lens of his brass monocle and ventures into a world where airships still rule the skies.
Silent cinema was never truly silent as performances were more often than not accompanied by live music and the noise of enthusiastic audiences. Yet silent cinema is regarded as a specific era in the history of the medium, and often as a separate art form in its own right. New York Times-bestselling author Brian J. Robb's lively resource traces how, from the origins of cinema onwards to the coming of sound in 1929 with The Jazz Singer, many of the ground rules of cinema were laid and filmmaking techniques developed, including editing and special effects, styles of acting, and filming on location. Studying the earliest origins of cinema, including the stars, comedians, and directors who became popular from the late-Victorian era to the end of the 1920s, including D. W. Griffiths, Cecil B. DeMille, and Sergi Eisenstein, this book also includes a look at the Hollywood scandals of the time. The accompanying DVD includes lengthy excerpts from films such as The Perils of Pauline, Phantom of the Opera, Salomé, and Son of the Sheik.
PERFORMING ARTS/Film/Guides & Reviews
Heath Ledger was one the most charismatic and powerful screen presences of his generation. Having established a high-profile acting career by the age of 21 with the lead in 'A Knight's Tale', the young Australian went on to pursue a succession of increasingly diverse and often subversive roles that challenged the film industry's initial impression of him as a mere teen-idol. While a limited number of his early roles would hint at the greatness of which he was capable, it was not until his melancholy, Oscar-nominated performance in Ang Lee's modern classic 'Brokeback Mountain' that Heath proved beyond question the blistering extent of his abilities and secured his place amongst the Hollywood ...