Landis, John. ed. The best American movie writing 2001.Avalon, Thunder's Mouth, dist. by Publishers Group West. 344p. illus. index. c2001. 1-56025-344-4. $15.95. JSA JSA - Japanese Standards Association. It doesn't take a serious cineaste cin·e·aste also cin·e·ast or cin·é·aste n. 1. A film or movie enthusiast. 2. A person involved in filmmaking. to appreciate the diverse writings in this intriguing and highly accessible collection of film-related writings. Guest editor John Landis's directorial credits include Animal House, Blues Brothers, and Michael Jackson's Thriller, so it comes as no surprise that his choices are not governed by some high-brow aesthetic meant to befuddle be·fud·dle tr.v. be·fud·dled, be·fud·dling, be·fud·dles 1. To confuse; perplex. See Synonyms at confuse. 2. To stupefy with or as if with alcoholic drink. Verb 1. the ordinary reader; rather, these delightful essays, drawn from such diverse sources as The New York Times, The New York Times, The Morning daily newspaper, long the U.S. newspaper of record. From its establishment in 1851 it has aimed to avoid sensationalism and to appeal to cultured, intellectual readers. Atlantic Monthly, and MonsterKid Magazine, are consistently informative, well-written, and sure to be of keen interest to any reader with even the slightest interest in the art of telling stories on film. Landis has gathered over 30 such essays and grouped them into eight broad and rather quirky categories: Actors, Censorship, Writers, Directors, Nazis, Technology, Genre, and Shangri-La, each of which is introduced by a brief explanatory essay by the editor. Among the topics addressed are the vagaries of Hollywood's rating system, the arts of directing and screenwriting, the blacklisting of talented artists in the 1950s, the potential effects of digital technology on film production, the legacy of Stanley Kubrick Noun 1. Stanley Kubrick - United States filmmaker (born in 1928) Kubrick , the controversies surrounding the filming of Gone With the Wind and American Psycho American Psycho is a 1991 novel by Bret Easton Ellis. It is a first-person narrative of the life of a wealthy young Manhattanite and self-proclaimed serial killer. The graphic violence and sexual content was widely commented upon at the novel's release. , and even the amazing career of Charlie Gemora, Hollywood's pioneering master designer of gorilla costumes. It would be a very dull reader indeed who could not find at least a few must-read essays to enjoy among the many gems included in this fine anthology. Jeffrey Cooper, Writer/ Editor, Long Island, NY |
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