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Essential books...

post #1 of 63
Thread Starter 
I' like to read...a lot. Particularly about cinema (obviously), ancient history, and everything having to do with baseball. However, I'd like to know what some of the more informative books having to do with cinema that you've read. I'm not talking about general cinema history bullshit, I know that, but the more specialized stuff. This includes directors, genres, etc. What have you read that's really stuck with you and either enhanced or taken away from your cinematic interests?
post #2 of 63
It might seem obvious, but Robert Rodriguez' "Rebel Without a Crew" is pretty awesome.
I have a stack of books about making films, I'll have to track them down. I'm not a big reader(offline), and it's been a while sine I've read them.
I had a few books on specific directors as well, but I'm not 100% sure what you're after.
post #3 of 63
Fuck Rebel Without a Crew.
post #4 of 63
I have It's Only a Movie: A Personal Biography of Alfred Hitchcock, which I haven't started yet. I'd read a bio about him some years ago, which seemed fairly sensationalized. This one got some fairly good reviews, so as soon as I have a minute to read it, that's next on my list.
post #5 of 63
Read Michael Herr's Kubrick. That should make you salivate.
post #6 of 63
Akira Kurosawa's Something Like An Autiobiography. Essential reading for fans of mankind's greatest director.
post #7 of 63
Down and Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance, and the Rise of Independent Film, by Peter Biskind.

A fascinating look at the evolution of independent cinema in the 1990s and some great insight into folks like Tarantino, Kevin Smith, and has a chapter on Matt Damon and Ben Affleck called "Ace and Gary." It's brutal, but a fun read.
post #8 of 63
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nexus-7 View Post
It might seem obvious, but Robert Rodriguez' "Rebel Without a Crew" is pretty awesome.
Giving this a big seconding (sorry Rath). Loved this book, but I guess I'm one of 5 people around here who don't hate RR for one reason or another. It does sort of cater towards -his- success story with Mariachi rather than being a how-to book, but it's pretty inspirational to someone like me who's about as far away literally from the Hollywood scene as possible. Though, I haven't read many similar books for comparison, so I guess take my approval with a grain of salt.
post #9 of 63
Nightmare Movies by Kim Newman, which covers the horror genre from 1968 to 1988 is one of the best I've ever read.
post #10 of 63
I'm not the kind of guy to read books on movies, but the few that I have read (see: these) were great reads.

1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die is the ultimate compendium if you're looking for something along those lines. Not just for the selection, but for the accompanying essays as well. $30 Film School helped me shoot my first short (the title comes from the price of the book, which sells for $29.95, naturally). Film Art is kinda obvious, but it's a tremendous asset if you wanna learn about technique. Fatal Subtraction: The Inside Story of Buchwald v. Paramount was the first book I read about the industry itself, so there's always that.

And anything else that got mentioned above I can vouch for or can at least say that I've heard it's good. Also, I just found a copy of Fellini on Fellini and it's got a peculiar introduction but the rest seems to be aces.
post #11 of 63
Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew Eaton View Post
Also, I just found a copy of Fellini on Fellini and it's got a peculiar introduction but the rest seems to be aces.
I was just going to recommend several entries in the "on" series. I've read Gilliam on Gilliam and Burton on Burton, but the best was Cronenberg on Cronenberg. Even without the filmmaking genius, Cronenberg is just an interesting guy.

Also, Sex & Zen and a Bullet in the Head is a great guide to Hong Kong cinema in its heyday.
post #12 of 63
Scorsese on Scorsese
Making Movies by Sidney Lumet
Hitchcock/Truffaut
Hollywood Gothic by David Skal
On Film Editing by Edward Dmytryk
On Film Directing by Edward Dmytryk
On Screen Writing by Edward Dmytryk
post #13 of 63
If you're going to read Down and Dirty Pictures you have to start with Easy Riders, Raging Bulls by the same author.

The one I gotta recommend is Spike, Mike, Slackers and Dykes (Spike, Mike, Reloaded is the new edition's title I believe). I know you indicated you weren't much into cinema history but it's a must-read all the same. It covers some of the same ground as Down and Dirty Pictures but from the perspective of its author John Pierson, a producer's rep who essentially started the careers of Spike Lee, Richard Linklater, Michael Moore, Kevin Smith and many more.

I used to recommend Rebels on the Backlot, but I hear a lot of that is bullshit and rumors.
post #14 of 63
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil View Post
Hitchcock/Truffaut
I haven't read too many books on film, but if I had to pick one, I'm pretty sure I could read a thousand more and this would still be my pick.


I recently read The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film. That one is pretty much completely awesome, too.
post #15 of 63
Reminded me: In The Blink of An Eye, by Murch.
post #16 of 63
Nightmare Movies was the book that made me want to write about movies, and Down and Dirty Pictures was the last book I read. I also recommend Killing for Culture and See No Evil, if you have interest in cult and horror movies. Neither is too well written, but the information is fantastic.

Oh yeah, and I also second Sex and Zen.
post #17 of 63
Thread Starter 
Many thanks for the recommendations. The reason I ask is I'm tired of renting and borrowing books, and would like to purchase some soon. I'm looking at Easy Riders, Raging Bulls, as well Down and Dirty Pictures. I'm definitely going after Scorsese on Scorsese, also. I'd also like to pick up at least two books on Peckinpah (one of my favorite directors), and several on film-noir (I've read a couple but nothing I'd want to buy). So I keep looking. Feel free to keep chiming in.
post #18 of 63
Making Movies by Sydney Lumet. Should be the first book required in film schools.

After that you have a lot of great suggestions here already.
post #19 of 63
Lumet's MAKING MOVIES is a good call. And I dunno if it's what you're after, Tarkovsky, but Danny Peary's three CULT MOVIES books are really interesting and entertaining. His GUIDE FOR THE FILM FANATIC is terrific as well.
post #20 of 63
Also, since it probably is one of the more influential film history books of the last decade, Easy Riders, Raging Bulls.
post #21 of 63
If They Move...Kill 'Em by David Weddell is a wonderful biography-cum-carer-dissection of Peckinpah. Paul Seydor and the other guy that's not Nick Redmond who does those fantastic Warner Peckinpah commentaries is also a worthy pickup.

More Than Night (I can't remember the author/editor) is a great read for noir fans but utterly, completely indispensable are any of Alain Silver and James Ursini's The Film Noir Reader series -- or their hefty encyclopedia which a bible for fans of dark cities.

Also The Hitchcock Murders by Peter Conrad is one of the more lively and unique examinations of the great man - more subjective than biographically authoritative, which is only a benefit I think.

Let's see, what else clutters my bookshelf.

The Aurum Horror Encyclopedia
The Crowded Prairie (great westerns book)
As mentioned before the phenomenally compelling Nightmare Movies
Neconomicon
series of analytical UK genre collections
Adventures In The Screen Trade and What Lie Did I Tell?
Peter Bogdanovich'sWho the Hell Made It?

all good.
post #22 of 63
I always recommend The Battle of Brazil by Jack Mathews, although if you have the three-disc Criterion set, a lot of this ground is already covered.
post #23 of 63
Agitator: The Cinema of Takashi Miike by Tom Mes is a really fascinating insight not only into Miike as a director but the entire Japanese V-Cinema scene. It kind of explains why Miike's films are so ridiculously transgressive and the last chapter is essentially a production diary by Miike as he works on Ichi the Killer.

Rebel Without A Crew
did the impossible and made me hate Robert Rodriguez even more.
post #24 of 63
Quote:
Originally Posted by Spike Marshall View Post
[B]Rebel Without A Crew did the impossible and made me hate Robert Rodriguez even more.
RE: Rebel...: that kind of 'unhindered, smooth ride to the big time' fable I guess dated quite alongside the rest of Four Rooms. I think it's kind of inspiring if you're young, boundlessly enthusiastic and utterly naive about the way the industry works -- which is when I read it. But looking back on it, it makes Easy Riders, Raging Bulls seem realistic.

I'm sure Rodriguez wrote it from a very altruistic and genuine place -- he seems to err toward disbelief in the book rather than hubris, which is encouraging and refreshing -- but with hindsight, it's a bit like an overly-enthusiastic blog post. It's DIY message is sincere, but its lack of the realistic pitfalls of the industry seem a bit sanitised for anyone wanting to get a real handle on a filmmaker's journey.
post #25 of 63
Don’t Try This At Home! The Physics of Hollywood Movies

Takes a look at the way movies handle Physics in actions sequences. A fun read, but gets a bit technical. Great for math geeks.
post #26 of 63
Quote:
Originally Posted by Spike Marshall View Post
Agitator: The Cinema of Takashi Miike by Tom Mes is a really fascinating insight not only into Miike as a director but the entire Japanese V-Cinema scene. It kind of explains why Miike's films are so ridiculously transgressive and the last chapter is essentially a production diary by Miike as he works on Ichi the Killer.
I must now track this book down at any expense. Thanks for the heads up
post #27 of 63
The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror by David J. Skal.

It's, in my humble opinion, an interesting overview of the horror film in America from the silent film era through the late '90s. It addresses the cultural phenomenon that inspired various films and the impact of such films on society. I'm actually reading it right now and the portions dealing with Tod Browning and, especially, Freaks are excellent. If it has a failing so far, it's that it doesn't address in great detail some films you might wish it to (King Kong, I'm looking at you). Still, as an overview, I'm digging it.
post #28 of 63
How about an obvious one: Hollywood Babylon. I read that in high school ... it was loads of sleazy, sleazy fun.
post #29 of 63
The Emperor And The Wolf: The Lives And Films Of Akira Kurosawa And Toshiro Mifune

Sadly out of print, but terrifically informative and thick as hell to boot.
post #30 of 63
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alan "Nordling" Cerny View Post
The Emperor And The Wolf: The Lives And Films Of Akira Kurosawa And Toshiro Mifune

Sadly out of print, but terrifically informative and thick as hell to boot.
I'll trade you my girlfriend for this book.

Honey, you'll do as you're told.
post #31 of 63
I keep hoping I'll find Agitator for five bucks in some used bin. No luck so far. I'm poor, you see.
post #32 of 63
The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: Horror by Phil Hardy
The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: Gangster Film by Phil Hardy
The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film by Michael Weldon
The Psychotronic Video Guide to Film by Michael Weldon
Mario Bava: All the Colors of the Dark by Tim Lucas
Herzog on Herzog by Paul Cronin
Cassavetes on Cassavetes by Ray Carney
Accidental Genius: How John Cassavetes Invented the Independent Film by Marshall Fine
Sergio Leone: Something to Do with Death by Christopher Frayling
Branded to Thrill: The Delirious Cinema of Suzuki Seijun by Simon Field & Tony Rayns
Getting Away With It Or: The Further Adventures of the Luckiest Bastard You Ever Saw by Steven Soderbergh
Pursuits of Happiness: The Hollywood Comedy of Remarriage by Stanley Cavell
Endless Highway by David Carradine
The Zombies That Ate Pittsburgh: The Films of George A. Romero by Paul R. Gagne
post #33 of 63
Quote:
Originally Posted by MSO Major Domo View Post
How about an obvious one: Hollywood Babylon. I read that in high school ... it was loads of sleazy, sleazy fun.
I had this and Hollywood Babylon II. Sick, twisted shit - but you're right, loads of fun. Lost 'em both in a move.
post #34 of 63
Quote:
Originally Posted by S.P. Collier View Post
Mario Bava: All the Colors of the Dark by Tim Lucas
Could you really afford a copy of this? I'm sure it's a great book, but goddamn is it not in my price range.
post #35 of 63
Midnight Movies by J. Hoberman and Jonathan Rosenbaum
Lynch on Lynch (the best of the "on" books, in my estimation)
The Films in My Life by Francois Truffaut
Anything by Pauline Kael
The American Cinema by Andrew Sarris

A couple of the better academic texts in my collection, that I think are fairly accessible to the general reader:

Men, Women and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film by Carol J. Clover
From Caligari to Hitler: A Psychological History of the German Film by Siegfried Kracauer
post #36 of 63
Spaghetti Nightmares, a must for all fans of Italian horror movies.
post #37 of 63
Yeah, Spaghetti Nightmares is a good one, even if the ESL 'reviews' in the back are shit.

I didn't finish Men, Women and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film (I read it in the store), but it struck me as surprisingly uninformed.
post #38 of 63
No, no, no -- Carol J. Clover's one of the good ones. Alongside Barbara Creed (The Monstous Feminine), Linda Willams and Laura Mulvey.

It's a fabulous book, that. The 'Final Girl' analysis is all her doing, pretty much -- sprung from an article she wrote in the 1980s.
post #39 of 63
Cameron Crowe's Conversations with Wilder is a really entertaining, informative read. I'd only seen a couple of Wilder's films when I read it, but I've become kind of a fanatic since.
post #40 of 63
REBEL WITHOUT A CREW: "Hey kids, put off the Citizen Kane, don't put any effort into your writing and you will be rewarded for it. I'm not the one lucky exception, it could happen to you!"


Well... he did give us FROM DUSK TILL DAWN.
post #41 of 63
It doesn't really need to be pointed out, but I just thought I'd say this thread is awesome. I'm making a trip to the library today.
post #42 of 63
Quote:
Originally Posted by Matt M View Post
Lynch on Lynch (the best of the "on" books, in my estimation)

I personally liked Cassavetes on Cassavetes myself. Should be somewhere on everyone's list.
post #43 of 63
A Hundred Years of Japanese Film by Donald Richie
All I Need to Know About Filmmaking I Learned from the Toxic Avenger by Lloyd Kaufman and James Gunn
Hitchcock/Truffaut interviews with Hitchcock conducted by Francois Truffaut

Oh yeah,

I have to agree with whoever said Lynch on Lynch and Cassavetes on Cassavetes. I'd also like to add Herzog on Herzog, and Scorsese on Scorsese.

Book of the Dead by Jamie Russell is an awesome book on zombie cinema history.

Digital Filmmaking by Mike Figgis is a quick interesting read if you're into making films as well as watching.
post #44 of 63
Quote:
Originally Posted by Straxboy - An Anthony Hickox Film View Post
No, no, no -- Carol J. Clover's one of the good ones. Alongside Barbara Creed (The Monstous Feminine), Linda Willams and Laura Mulvey.

It's a fabulous book, that. The 'Final Girl' analysis is all her doing, pretty much -- sprung from an article she wrote in the 1980s.
Ok, maybe I was reading something else. I'll take your word for it, and pick it up if I ever find it used.

Eaten Alive!: Italian Cannibal and Zombie Movies by Jay Slater is actually more of a collection of various reviews then a historical glimpse at the phenomenon, but some of the reviews are remarkable (ironically enough, editor Jay Slater is the weakest writter of the bunch).
post #45 of 63
Bear in mind that Clover's not approaching the genre as a fan (though it becomes clear that she really digs some of the films)...the book's not so much an appreciation of horror films as a sociologist's deconstruction of the gender roles.
post #46 of 63
Quote:
Originally Posted by Frankenheimer View Post
REBEL WITHOUT A CREW: "Hey kids, put off the Citizen Kane, don't put any effort into your writing and you will be rewarded for it. I'm not the one lucky exception, it could happen to you!"


Well... he did give us FROM DUSK TILL DAWN.
I enjoy the book, but it must be kept in mind that I haven't read it since I bought it, when it came out. I have no idea how old you guys are, but to a 16 year old aspiring filmmaker, that book is 500 types of awesome.

I may read it again and come back here to agree with all the negativity, but I still stand behind it at the moment.
post #47 of 63
Bruce Campbell's first book may not be that technical, but it gives a good view on the struggling of a (b movie) actor. Plus, it's a damn good read.
post #48 of 63
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gabe Powers View Post
Could you really afford a copy of this? I'm sure it's a great book, but goddamn is it not in my price range.
My brother pre-ordered Mario Bava: All the Colors of the Dark for me at half-price about six years before it was actually published (!) so I never felt the $$$ sting.

If it's too much just order a copy through ILL at your local library. This is a must-read, even at over 1,000 pages.
post #49 of 63
I'm reading John Huston's AN OPEN BOOK right now and it's pretty good so far.
post #50 of 63
THE DEVIL'S CANDY Julie Salamon
THE JAWS LOG Carl Gottlieb
THE WHOLE EQUATION David Thomson
OUTRAGEOUS CONDUCT Stephen Farber
WHAT JUST HAPPENED? Art Linson
KILLER INSTINCT Jane Hamsher
PLACING MOVIES Jonathan Rosenbaum
SPIELBERG, TRUFFAUT AND ME Bob Balaban
FINAL CUT Steven Bach
PROFOUNDLY DISTURBING/PROFOUNDLY EROTIC Joe Bob Briggs
SLEAZOID EXPRESS Bill Landis
A CINEMA OF LONELINESS Robert Phillip Kolker
SEARCHING FOR JOHN FORD Joseph McBride
THE BIG PICTURE Edward Jay Epstein
AMERICAN MOVIE CRITICS Philip Lopate
RECONSTRUCTING WOODY Mary P Nichols and WOODY ALLEN by Richard Schickel
I also recommend tracking down all of Spike Lee's script books - there's some very interesting, no-holds barred 'making of' stuff in them
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