Archive for the ‘Books’ Category

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05-01-2013

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Book Review: ‘Peter Cushing: A Life in Film’

Book Review: ‘Peter Cushing: A Life in Film’

May 26th marks what would’ve been the hundredth birthday of Peter Cushing, and the prolific British actor left behind a sprawling filmography for his many admirers to rediscover. A number of Cushing’s most iconic horror films have found their way onto Blu-ray overseas, among them ‘Dracula’ and ‘The Curse of Frankenstein’. As I write this, ‘The Vampire Lovers’, ‘The Brides of Dracula’, and the Dalek double feature of ‘Invasion Earth 2150′ and ‘Dr. Who and the Daleks’ are weeks away from debuting on Blu-ray on one side of the pond or the other. Be it his coldly malevolent turn as Grand Moff Tarkin in ‘Star Wars’ or his countless Gothic horror films, there’s no shortage of ways to honor the life and work of Peter Cushing on the year of his centennial. Rather than stop at merely watching some of the actor’s most beloved movies, author David Miller instead celebrates with the release of his book ‘Peter Cushing: A Life in Film’.
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04-18-2013

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Bond in Books: ‘Moonraker’

Bond in Books: ‘Moonraker’

Ian Fleming’s 1955 novel ‘Moonraker’ shares precisely three things in common with its 1979 film adaptation: 1) the lead character James Bond 007, 2) the name of the villain, and 3) the title. Those are the only similarities between the two works.
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04-03-2013

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Bond in Books: ‘Live and Let Die’

Bond in Books: ‘Live and Let Die’

I recently decided to revisit the original Ian Fleming novels that introduced world to the legendary international secret agent known as James Bond. Unfortunately, while Fleming’s first 007 book, ‘Casino Royale’, still holds up as a pretty exciting spy adventure, the second, ‘Live and Let Die’, is much harder to get through.
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03-20-2013

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Mid-Week Poll: How Do You Read Books?

Mid-Week Poll: How Do You Read Books?

This week, we have a poll for all the book readers out there. Do you still buy books in print, or have you moved on to an eReader, tablet or other electronic reading device? Which do you prefer?
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03-13-2013

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Bond in Books: ‘Casino Royale’

Bond in Books: ‘Casino Royale’

One of the consequences of my home theater construction setback is that I’ve fallen hopelessly behind in reviewing the remaining titles in last year’s ‘Bond 50‘ Blu-ray box set. Since I’m completely unable to watch Blu-ray discs at the moment, I thought that I might fill the time by revisiting the original James Bond novels by author Ian Fleming that started the 007 phenomenon. Because there’s no better place to start than at the beginning, I’ve already dug right into the first Bond book, ‘Casino Royale’, which was first published in 1953.
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12-26-2012

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Book Review: ‘Dark Shadows: The Visual Companion’

Book Review: ‘Dark Shadows: The Visual Companion’

Tim Burton’s gothic comedy ‘Dark Shadows‘ wasn’t exactly the box office hit its makers had hoped for. At best, the movie is middle-of-the-road for both Burton and star Johnny Depp. In my estimation, it hardly warrants a companion book, but here we have one nonetheless. ‘Dark Shadows: The Visual Companion’ is a large and rather elegant-looking hardcover by Mark Salisbury that gives fans a behind-the-scenes look at the film’s production.
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12-18-2012

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Book Review: ‘The Great Showdowns’ by Scott C.

Book Review: ‘The Great Showdowns’ by Scott C.

If you love movies, and if you enjoyed the recently reviewed ‘Silhouettes‘ book by Olly Moss, you’ll definitely want to check out this other fun little collection of pop culture art by Scott Campbell. This particular book features Scott’s take on some of the most memorable confrontations in cinematic history.
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11-07-2012

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Book Review: ‘Silhouettes’ by Olly Moss

Book Review: ‘Silhouettes’ by Olly Moss

As many of you know, I’m a huge fan of movie posters. I find myself specifically drawn to original movie art created by poster boutiques like Mondo. One of Mondo’s mainstays for creating original, minimalist poster art for movies is artist Olly Moss. He has a book out now. It’s awesome.
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10-24-2012

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Book Review: ‘Jaws: Memories from Martha’s Vineyard’

Book Review: ‘Jaws: Memories from Martha’s Vineyard’

Lord only knows how many books I’ve read on filmmaking or about the making of particular movies over the last couple of decades. While some are fairly mundane and straightforward, many more are intriguing and can offer insight into a specific production. No matter what, the approach and theme of these books are generally the same. They always take the perspective of the movie’s creators or those intimately involved with behind-the-scenes knowledge. I can say, with confidence, that ‘Jaws: Memories from Martha’s Vineyard’ is perhaps the most memorable that I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. This one does the opposite of other making-of books. It looks at a major Hollywood production from the point of view of those outside the Hollywood system.
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08-28-2012

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Auteur Theory: ‘Diane… The Twin Peaks Tapes’

Auteur Theory: ‘Diane… The Twin Peaks Tapes’

As I found myself digging through my collection of old ‘Twin Peaks’ merchandise for my ongoing David Lynch marathon, I stumbled upon an interesting piece of memorabilia that I’d forgotten that I had – an audio cassette recording known as ‘Diane… The Twin Peaks Tapes of Agent Cooper’. The fact that I no longer own a tape player that I might use to listen to the cassette presented a small but fortunately not insurmountable obstacle to my nostalgic enjoyment.
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