Tension. Fear. Exhilaration. Atmospheric synthesizers. You're in John Carpenter territory. This book explores his films and his work as a director, composer, writer and producer. It examines Carpenter's influences and style and the films that have, in turn, been influenced by him. An indispensable guide to the ultimate cult auteur.
The animations of Japan's Studio Ghibli are among the most respected in the movie industry. Their films rank alongside the most popular non-English language films ever made, with each new eagerly anticipated release a guaranteed box office hit. Yet this highly profitable studio has remained fiercely independent, producing a stream of...
Internationally renowned, David Lynch is America's premier purveyor of the surreal; an artist whose work in cinema and television has exposed the world to his highly personalized view of society. Examining Lynch's entire body of work—from the cult surrealism of his debut feature Eraserhead to his latest mystery Inland Empire — this book considers the themes, motifs, and stories behind his incredible works. In Lynch's world the mundane and the fantastical collide, often with terrifying consequences. It is a place where the abnormal is normal, the respectable becomes sinister, where innocence is lost, redemption gained at a terrible price, and where there's always music in the air. From the deserts of a distant world to an ordinary backyard, at the breakneck speed of Lost Highway or the sedate determination of The Straight Story , readers will experience amateur sleuths, messiahs, giants and dwarves, chanteuses, psychopaths, cherry pie, and damn fine coffee.
Successful in both Japan and the West, Akira had a huge impact on the international growth in popularity of manga and anime. Closely analysing the film and its key themes, Colin O'Dell and Michelle Le Blanc assess its historical importance, its impact on the Western perception of anime, and its influence on science fiction cinema.