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Author Topic: How About A discussion of 5 Best Books On Cinema  (Read 26494 times)

swellcraft

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How About A discussion of 5 Best Books On Cinema
« on: August 04, 2006, 12:43:15 PM »
As some examples off the top of my head

Who The Devils In It
Who The Hell Made It
Easy Riders,Raging Bulls
Conversations With The Great Movie Makers of the Golden Age
Among The Mansions of Eden


Thanks, Swellcraft
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sdedalus

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How About A discssion of 5 Best Books On Cinema
« Reply #1 on: August 04, 2006, 01:35:18 PM »
My Top 5:

Placing Movies by Jonathan Rosenbaum
The Films Of Akira Kurosawa by Donald Richie
More Than Night: Film Noir and Its Contexts by James Naremore
Hitchcock by François Truffaut
For keeps by Pauline Kael
The End of Cinema

Seattle Screen Scene

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CSSCHNEIDER

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How About A discssion of 5 Best Books On Cinema
« Reply #2 on: August 09, 2006, 09:53:33 AM »
The New Cinematographers:  

Young and prominent DoPs discuss their craft through their own work.  Lance Accord talks about shooting Lost in Translation, Being John Malcovich, and others while Darius Khondji discusses The Beach, City of the Lost Children and others.  

The Projections Series:

Edited by director John Boorman and a few friends this series compiles articles, interviews, script excerpts, and diary selections from history's most prominant filmmakers.  There are 14 volumes, I couldn't pick just one.

BFI Modern Classics/Classics

A series of critical analysis on modern and classic films.

Blade Runner:  The Inside Story

CineFX Magazine's most popular issue is out of print and hard to find.  The issue dealt with the movie magic of Blade Runner.  Since there was a high demand for a reprinting this book was released.  It is the Blade Runner issue in hardback.  Outstanding stuff.

The Invisible Art:  Legends of Movie Matte Painting

Matte paintings are a nearly dead art.  They saw a huge surge in the 1980s but digital mattes have taken over.  The problem is that Digital mattes are mostly crap when compared to the hand painted and photographed work the came before.  This book collects some of the greatest matte paintings in one place with descriptions and also discusses the artists that created them  You would do multiple double takes when you realized how many shots in films were faked by a painting.
Taste is discerning, not all encompassing.

It's Not What You're Like, It's What You Like

Know the Difference Between Arts and Crafts

"Pain is Temporary, Film is Forever..." --John Milius

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Wowser

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How About A discssion of 5 Best Books On Cinema
« Reply #3 on: August 09, 2006, 01:42:32 PM »
I have David Thomson's The New Biographical Dictionary of Film: has anyone read this? It's said to be indispensible.

BFI's Rio Bravo book is amusing, but a little too gay-focused.

smarcus_aurelius

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How About A discssion of 5 Best Books On Cinema
« Reply #4 on: August 09, 2006, 09:07:07 PM »
Making Movies by Sidney Lumet is an interesting read.

CSSCHNEIDER

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How About A discssion of 5 Best Books On Cinema
« Reply #5 on: August 10, 2006, 09:44:44 PM »
Oh yeah, that's a truely excellent read.  Lumet goes into great detail on the job a director has through all phases of production and details his daily routine on set.
Taste is discerning, not all encompassing.

It's Not What You're Like, It's What You Like

Know the Difference Between Arts and Crafts

"Pain is Temporary, Film is Forever..." --John Milius

Winner! BFCS Iconoclast Award 2007

Adam

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How About A discssion of 5 Best Books On Cinema
« Reply #6 on: August 11, 2006, 11:21:31 AM »
Cinecast Mailbag - 9/7/05

Hey guys, I love the show. I've listened since Itunes 4.9. I've got a question for you. Are there any books you recommend reading to learn more about what makes good movies good? I took classes on film in college but I must not have learned the right stuff cuz I'm sometimes clueless as why "the great movies" are so great. Thanks guys. --Zach Swee, Orlando, FL

Zach, I hope you don't mind that I used your email for this Mailbag -- not that you have anything to be ashamed of. Just because everyone else seems to think a movie is "great" doesn't necessarily make it so. Just ask Sam about his top 5 overrated list. On second thought... don't.

I'm not sure my suggestions will help solve your "problem" -- since none of them are specifically about film criticism -- but these are some of the books that have had a significant influence on the way I watch movies. And I'm highlighting these because they aren't really academic -- not necessarily a bad thing, of course -- but these are all entertaining reads that don't require a film degree to enjoy.

Rebel Without a Crew: Or How a 23-Year-Old Filmmaker With $7,000 Became a Hollywood Player by Robery Rodriguez -- The Sin City director's tale of how he made his first movie, "El Mariachi." Inspiring for anybody who wants to make movies; illuminating for anybody who doesn't know that good movies can be made for less than $100 million if the filmmaker has a clear vision and plan to execute it. For what it's worth, Rodriguez considers film school a waste of time and money. And he might be right. But that's a discussion for another time...

On Directing Film by David Mamet -- Mamet isn't the greatest director, and certainly not the most subtle, but he's got fascinating ideas about making movies and how to lift something off a page and enact it on screen in a very precise way.

In the Blink of an Eye by Walter Murch -- Among many others, Murch edited Apocalypse Now and did the sound design for both Apocalypse and The Godfather Part II. In other words, he knows what he's talking about. It's billed mainly as a book for editors, and it does address many practical editing issues, but Murch takes a really insightful approach that extends beyond editing to philosophical questions about how/why to make and watch movies.

Adventures in the Screen Trade by William Goldman -- From the screenwriter of The Princess Bride, Butch Cassidy and All The President's Men... Goldman's got an acerbic wit and has some great "inside" stories from the various sets and projects he's worked on. Best lesson here is that a good screenplay isn't about dialogue; it's about structure.

Hope that helps a little.

Adam

**I'd have to add Lumet's Making Movies in there as well.
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Wowser

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How About A discssion of 5 Best Books On Cinema
« Reply #7 on: August 11, 2006, 01:36:37 PM »
You've also mentioned the Michael Caine book before, Adam. Is that worth a look?

Adam

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How About A discssion of 5 Best Books On Cinema
« Reply #8 on: August 11, 2006, 02:12:14 PM »
I've never read it... only seen parts of the Michael Caine acting video...
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Wowser

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How About A discssion of 5 Best Books On Cinema
« Reply #9 on: August 11, 2006, 02:39:21 PM »
I hear the Richard Linklater interview book with Billy Wilder is worth checking out if you're a Wilder fan. And if you're not, why not?

 

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