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Strictly Inspirational
by Camilla Sacre-DallerupCamilla Dallerup found fame and heartbreak as a dancer on Strictly Come Dancing, winning her way into British hearts as one of the original cast of professional dancers on the BBC programme, and which culminated in winning the coveted Strictly trophy with actor Tom Chambers. In this candid autobiography, Camilla shares the practical, motivational techniques she has used both personally and professionally to achieve success and happiness.
Strong Is The New Sexy: A Kick Ass Memoir
by Nicole PolizziA number of years ago, most people thought Nicole "Snooki” Polizzi was destined for either rehab or prison. When she rose to stardom on the MTV breakout series, Jersey Shore, she was twenty pounds overweight from her steady diet of nachos and alcohol. Today, not only is she a mother of two, but she’s as fit and trim as she’s ever been. She’s married to the love of her life and father to her children, but most importantly, she’s strong both in her body and sheer determination. In short, she’s got her life together and now shares with her fans how she’s transformed both her body and mindset--and shows how they can do it too! In Strong Is the New Sexy, Snooki gives her "formula for fierce” and inspires readers to tap their own deep wells of girl power.
The Studios after the Studios: Neoclassical Hollywood (1970-2010)
by J. D. ConnorModern Hollywood is dominated by a handful of studios: Columbia, Disney, Fox, Paramount, Universal, and Warner Bros. Threatened by independents in the 1970s, they returned to power in the 1980s, ruled unquestioned in the 1990s, and in the new millennium are again beseiged. But in the heyday of this new classical era, the major studios movies — their stories and styles — were astonishingly precise biographies of the studios that made them. Movies became product placements for their studios, advertising them to the industry, to their employees, and to the public at large. If we want to know how studios work—how studios think—we need to watch their films closely. How closely? Maniacally so. In a wide range of examples, The Studios after the Studios explores the gaps between story and backstory in order to excavate the hidden history of Hollywood's second great studio era.
Studios Before the System: Architecture, Technology, and the Emergence of Cinematic Space (Film and Culture Series)
by Brian JacobsonBy 1915, Hollywood had become the epicenter of American filmmaking, with studio "dream factories" structuring its vast production. Filmmakers designed Hollywood studios with a distinct artistic and industrial mission in mind, which in turn influenced the form, content, and business of the films that were made and the impressions of the people who viewed them. The first book to retell the history of film studio architecture, Studios Before the System expands the social and cultural footprint of cinema's virtual worlds and their contribution to wider developments in global technology and urban modernism.Focusing on six significant early film corporations in the United States and France—the Edison Manufacturing Company, American Mutoscope and Biograph, American Vitagraph, Georges Méliès's Star Films, Gaumont, and Pathé Frères—as well as smaller producers and film companies, Studios Before the System describes how filmmakers first envisioned the space they needed and then sourced modern materials to create novel film worlds. Artificially reproducing the natural environment, film studios helped usher in the world's Second Industrial Revolution and what Lewis Mumford would later call the "specific art of the machine." From housing workshops for set, prop, and costume design to dressing rooms and writing departments, studio architecture was always present though rarely visible to the average spectator in the twentieth century, providing the scaffolding under which culture, film aesthetics, and our relation to lived space took shape.
Studying Hot Fuzz (Studying Films)
by Neil ArcherBy the power of Greyskull! In their second big-screen collaboration after Shaun of the Dead (2004), with Hot Fuzz (2007) director and co-writer Edgar Wright and co-writer and star Simon Pegg took aim at the conventions of the Hollywood action movie, transplanting gratuitous slo-mo action sequences into the English village supermarket and local pub. In this first critical study of arguably the most influential British film-makers to emerge this century, Neil Archer considers to what extent a modestly funded film such as this can be considered 'British' at all, given its international success and distribution by an American studio, and how far that success depends upon what he calls its 'cultural specificity'. He considers the film as a parody of the action movie genre, and discusses exactly how parody works – not just in relation to the conventions of the action film but also in the depiction of English space. Exactly what and who is Hot Fuzz poking fun at?
Studying Indian Cinema (Auteur)
by Omar AhmedThis book traces the historical evolution of Indian cinema through a number of key decades. The book is made up of 14 chapters with each chapter focusing on one key film, the chosen films analysed in their wider social, political and historical context whilst a concerted engagement with various ideological strands that underpin each film is also evident. In addition to exploring the films in their wider contexts, the author analyses selected sequences through the conceptual framework common to both film and media studies. This includes a consideration of narrative, genre, representation, audience and mise-en-scene. The case studies run chronologically from Awaara (The Vagabond, 1951) to The Elements Trilogy: Water (2005) and include films by such key figures as Satyajit Ray (The Lonely Wife), Ritwick Ghatak (Cloud Capped Star), Yash Chopra (The Wall) and Mira Nair (Salaam Bombay!).
Studying Talk to Her
by Emily HughesTalk to Her (2002) is a hugely rich and interesting, but ambiguous, film which met with both popular success and critical acclaim. The film won the 2003 Oscar for best original screenplay and has been hailed by some critics as Pedro Almodóvar's masterpiece. But like most of Almodóvar's films, little is clear cut; the characters are complex and our affinity and empathy for them shifts throughout the film. In Studying Talk to Her, Emily Hughes provides an in-depth analysis of both the formal elements of the film (narrative, genre, auteur study) and the themes and issues that arise, including the social context of modern Spain and the old traditional iconography, the shifting attitudes towards gender, and, crucially, the uneasy, morally ambiguous depiction of rape and the spectator's reaction to it.
Studying Talk to Her (Studying Films)
by Emily HughesTalk to Her (2002) is a hugely rich and interesting though ambiguous film that met with both popular success and critical acclaim. The film won an Oscar for best original screenplay and has been hailed by some critics as Pedro Almodóvar's masterpiece. Yet like most of Almodóvar's films, little is clear cut. The characters are complex and our affinity and empathy for them shifts throughout the film. In Studying Talk to Her, Emily Hughes provides an in-depth analysis of both the formal elements of the film (its narrative, genre, and auteur study) and the themes and issues it raises, discussing the social context of modern Spain and its old, traditional iconography; shifting attitudes towards gender; and, crucially, the film's uneasy, morally ambiguous depiction of rape and the spectator's reaction to it.
Style and Form in the Hollywood Slasher Film
by Wickham ClaytonStyle and Form in the Hollywood Slasher Film fills a broad scholastic gap by analysing the elements of narrative and stylistic construction of films in the slasher subgenre of horror that have been produced and/or distributed in the Hollywood studio system from its initial boom in the late 1970s to the present.
The Subject of Torture: Psychoanalysis and Biopolitics in Television and Film
by Hilary NeroniConsidering representations of torture in such television series as 24, Alias, and Homeland; the documentaries Taxi to the Dark Side (2007), Ghosts of Abu Ghraib (2007), and Standard Operating Procedure (2008); and "torture porn" feature films from the Saw and Hostel series, Hilary Neroni unites aesthetic and theoretical analysis to provide a unique portal into theorizing biopower and its relation to the desiring subject. Her work ultimately showcases film and television studies' singular ability to expose and potentially disable the fantasies that sustain torture and the regimes that deploy it.
Supercinema
by William BrownDrawing on a variety of popular films, including Avatar, Enter the Void, Fight Club, The Matrix, Speed Racer, X-Men and War of the Worlds, Supercinema studies the ways in which digital special effects and editing techniques require a new theoretical framework in order to be properly understood. Here William Brown proposes that while analogue cinema often tried to hide the technological limitations of its creation through ingenious methods, digital cinema hides its technological omnipotence through the use of continued conventions more suited to analogue cinema, in a way that is analogous to that of Superman hiding his powers behind the persona of Clark Kent. Locating itself on the cusp of film theory, film-philosophy and cognitive approaches to cinema, Supercinema also looks at the relationship between the spectator and film that utilizes digital technology to maximum, 'supercinematic' effect.
Superstar in a Housedress: The Life and Legend of Jackie Curtis
by Craig B. HighbergerA vivacious, rollicking tribute to one-of-a-kind Warhol superstar Jackie Curtis Based on author Craig Highberger's documentary of the same name, Superstar in a Housedress is a striking oral biography of avant-garde, cross-dressing performer Jackie Curtis. Even among Andy Warhol's orbit of dramatic personas and colorful characters in the sixties and seventies, Curtis stood out. Whether done up in drag or portraying James Dean--to whom he bore an uncanny resemblance--he dazzled in films, plays, and cabarets. Friends fondly recall how he brought his onstage eccentricities to everyday life, holding court in the backroom of the iconic nightclub Max's Kansas City wearing tattered thirties housedresses, torn stockings, fabulous wigs, and glittering makeup. Curtis died of a drug overdose in 1985, but not before leaving an indelible mark on New York City's underground art scene. More than just a performer, Curtis translated his fixation on fame and its trappings into his own poetry and outrageous plays, such as Glamour, Glory and Gold and Vain Victory. With snippets of his work alongside colorful recollections from his friends and acquaintances--including Lily Tomlin, Michael Musto, Holly Woodlawn, Harvey Fierstein, and Paul Morrissey--this is a fitting and touching tribute that evokes the spirited, creative energy that radiated from Jackie Curtis.
Suspiria (Devil's Advocates)
by Alexandra Heller-NicholasAs one of the most globally recognisable instances of 20th century Eurohorror, Dario Argento’s Suspiria (1976) is poetic, chaotic, and intriguing. The cult reputation of Argento’s baroque nightmare is reflected in the critical praise it continues to receive almost 40 years after its original release, and it appears regularly on lists of the greatest horror films ever. For fans and critics alike, Suspiria is as mesmerising as it is impenetrable: the impact of Argento’s notorious disinterest in matters of plot and characterisation combines with Suspiria’s aggressive stylistic hyperactivity to render it a movie that needs to be experienced through the body as much as through emotion or the intellect. For its many fans, Suspiria is synonymous with European horror more broadly, and Argento himself is by far the most famous of all the Italian horror directors. If there was any doubt of his status as one of the great horror auteurs, Argento’s international reputation was solidified well beyond the realms of cult fandom in the 1990s with retrospectives at both the American Museum of the Moving Image and the British Film Institute. This book considers the complex ways that Argento weaves together light, sound and cinema history to construct one of the most breathtaking horror movies of all time, a film as fascinating as it is ultimately unfathomable.
Swan
by Laurel Snyder Julie MorstadThe world is big.Anna is small.The snow is everywhere and all around.But one night . . .One night, her mother takes her to the ballet, and everything is changed. Anna finds a beauty inside herself that she cannot contain.So begins the journey of a girl who will one day grow up to be the most famous prima ballerina of all time, inspiring legions of dancers after her: the brave, the generous, the transcendently gifted Anna Pavlova. Beautiful, inspirational, and triumphant, Anna Pavlova's life is masterfully captured in this exquisite picture book.
Swan: The Life and Dance of Anna Pavlova
by Laurel SnyderThe world is big.Anna is small.The snow is everywhere and all around.But one night . . .One night, her mother takes her to the ballet, and everything is changed. Anna finds a beauty inside herself that she cannot contain.So begins the journey of a girl who will one day grow up to be the most famous prima ballerina of all time, inspiring legions of dancers after her: the brave, the generous, the transcendently gifted Anna Pavlova. Beautiful, inspirational, and triumphant, Anna Pavlova's life is masterfully captured in this exquisite picture book.
Tacoma's Theater District
by Kimberly M. DavenportThe history of Tacoma's Theater District is nearly as long as that of the city of Tacoma itself, spanning from the opening of the Tacoma Theater in 1890 to the present day, with restored historical facilities anchoring a renewed cultural district. This telling of the district's history reflects a range of engaging topics, including the boundless enthusiasm of the initial residents of Tacoma (the "City of Destiny"), the changing ways in which culture was shared and experienced over the decades of the 20th century, and a community working together through difficult times to save and restore historical buildings as gathering spaces for the benefit of future generations. The story is told through historical photographs of the theater venues themselves, as well as images capturing a myriad of cultural and community events taking place in those facilities and in the surrounding district.
Take-2: 50 Films That Deserve a New Audience
by Deepa GahlotAn essential resource for scholars, connoisseurs and serious fans of Indian cinema, Take-2 makes for an entertaining, informative and nostalgia-filled read In the last few years there has been a glut of books on Indian cinema but most of them focus on the life and times of famous stars or celebrate popular film classics. Even though information and film trivia are now easier to access than ever before, some films have completely disappeared with not even a single print available due to reasons both tragic and strange. Also lost in time are some filmmakers and actors who once added their bit to the history of Indian cinema but have now simply vanished from our collective memory.In Take-2, Deepa Gahlot reacquaints or introduces us to 50 films (and many artistes) that merit our attention. While some on this list were chosen because they were the first Indian films of their kind, or were obscure films by well-known directors, others deserve mention because they were by creative talents whose contribution to Hindi cinema has been overlooked. Gahlot’s mission to rescue and preserve these forgotten gems should inspire us to go back and take another look.
Taking Exception to the Law: Materializing Injustice in Early Modern English Literature
by Edited by Donald Beecher Travis Decook Andrew Wallace Grant WilliamsTaking Exception to the Law explores how a range of early modern English writings responded to injustices perpetrated by legal procedures, discourses, and institutions. From canonical poems and plays to crime pamphlets and educational treatises, the essays engage with the relevance and wide appeal of legal questions in order to understand how literature operated in the early modern period. Justice in its many forms – legal, poetic, divine, natural, and customary – is examined through insightful and innovative analyses of a number of texts, including The Merchant of Venice, The Faerie Queene, and Paradise Lost. A major contribution to the growing field of law and literature, this collection offers cultural contexts, interpretive insights, and formal implications for the entire field of English Renaissance culture.
Taking Fame to Market
by Barry KingThis book explores, from a sociological perspective, the relationship between acting as symbolic work and the commercialization of popular culture. Particular attention is paid to the social conditions that gave rise to stardom in the theatre and cinema, and how shifts in the marketing of stars have impacted upon contemporary celebrity culture.
Talkin' Guitar: A Story of Young Doc Watson
by Robbin GourleyArthel "Doc" Watson (1923–2012) was a Grammy-winning guitarist, singer, and songwriter, high in the pantheon of bluegrass and country music greats. This picture book tells the story of a country boy, born blind, who found music in the sounds around him and learned to play that music on his guitar. Minimal text and breathtaking illustrations pay tribute to Doc's early determination, imagination, and musicianship. Includes additional biographical information.
Tallulah's Tap Shoes
by Marilyn Singer Alexandra BoigerIt's summer, and Tallulah is excited about going to dance camp. She'll get to take plenty of ballet classes. She'll have to take tap, too, and she's NOT excited about that. She's never taken tap before, so she'll be a beginning beginner. And she's right--tap class is not much fun. Plus there's a girl her same age who's maddeningly good at tap dancing. But that same girl isn't very good at ballet . . . could it be that she and Tallulah have something in common?
Taylor Swift: This Is Our Song
by Tyler ConroyListen up Swifties! Ten years ago, an unknown sixteen-year-old released a self-titled debut country album. A decade later, Taylor Swift has reached record-breaking, chart-topping heights. She's been hailed for her songwriting talent, crossed effortlessly from country to pop, and established herself as a musician who can surprise, delight, and inspire! Amazingly, after all these years, there is still no great, comprehensive book about Swift for her fans. This book will change that by collecting the best writing and images that have been produced about Taylor over the past decade in one gorgeous volume. Simon & Schuster asked fellow Swifties to be part of the book and fans around the world have entered competitions to choose the book's title, design its cover and become its honorary author! It also includes submissions from the likes of Tavi Gevinson and Chuck Klosterman. This is an oversized, beautifully illustrated scrapbook that tells the story of Swift's first ten years as an artist in intimate detail. Use the hashtag #SwiftFanBook to join the conversation online.
Taylor Swift: This Is Our Song
by Tyler ConroyA book about Taylor. Made with love. By fans. For fans.Ten years ago, an unknown sixteen-year-old released a self-titled debut country album. A decade later, Taylor Swift has reached record-breaking, chart-topping heights. A ten-time Grammy winner, Swift has been hailed for her songwriting talent, crossed effortlessly from country to pop, and established herself as a musician who can surprise, delight, and inspire, all while connecting with her fans in a way that only she can. Amazingly, after all these years, there is no great, comprehensive book about Swift for her fans. Until now. This book, a fan-generated celebration of Swift's first decade as an artist, collects the best writing and images from the past ten years in one gorgeous volume. From prefame interviews with Swift in local Pennsylvania newspapers to major profiles in The New Yorker and Rolling Stone; from album reviews by top critics such as Robert Christgau, Sasha Frere-Jones, and Ann Powers to essays by beloved novelists like Maggie Shipstead; from Tavi Gevinson's classic ode to Swift in The Believer to Q&As with Chuck Klosterman and humorous analysis from McSweeney's and The Hairpin; from album-themed crossword puzzles and adult coloring pages to profiles of Taylor's biggest fans; from an excerpt of the soon-to-be-published novel Taylor Swift: Girl Detective to a "book within a book" of Swift's most inspiring quotations titled (naturally) The Tao of Tay, this book is the vital collection of all things Taylor. Here, finally, is the must-have book for every Swiftie and every music lover. For, as Klosterman wrote in GQ, "If you don't take Swift seriously, you don't take contemporary music seriously." * This book is a tribute to Taylor Swift, but she was not involved in its creation. *
Teaching, Learning, and Schooling in Film: Reel Education
by Ian Renga Daniel ListonFilms about education provide many of the most popular interpretations of what teaching and learning mean in schools. An analysis of this medium reveals much about the historical, cultural, political, and philosophical dimensions of education. Timely and engaging, this book fills a gap for scholarly and informed public commentary on the portrayal of education in film, offering a wide range of conceptual and interpretive perspectives. Teaching, Learning, and Schooling in Film explores several key questions, including: What does it mean to be a good teacher? How do these good teachers instruct? When is and what makes teaching complex? What constitutes learning? Do educational reforms work? The book’s interdisciplinary group of contributors answers these important questions in essays highlighting Hollywood, independent, and documentary films. Prospective and practicing teachers will engage with the thought-provoking educational issues raised in this book and gain insight into the complexities of teaching and learning portrayed in film.
Techno-Orientalism
by Jinny Huh Catherine Fung Abigail De Kosnik Seo-Young Chu Dylan Yeats Kathryn Allan Julie Ha Tran Aimee Bahng Jason Crum Tzarina T. Prater Douglas S. Ishii Greta A. Niu Kenneth Hough Betsy Huang Se Young Kim Warren Liu Victor Bascara David S. Roh Steve Choe Charles ParkWhat will the future look like? To judge from many speculative fiction films and books, from Blade Runner to Cloud Atlas, the future will be full of cities that resemble Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Shanghai, and it will be populated mainly by cold, unfeeling citizens who act like robots. Techno-Orientalism investigates the phenomenon of imagining Asia and Asians in hypo- or hyper-technological terms in literary, cinematic, and new media representations, while critically examining the stereotype of Asians as both technologically advanced and intellectually primitive, in dire need of Western consciousness-raising. The collection's fourteen original essays trace the discourse of techno-orientalism across a wide array of media, from radio serials to cyberpunk novels, from Sax Rohmer's Dr. Fu Manchu to Firefly. Applying a variety of theoretical, historical, and interpretive approaches, the contributors consider techno-orientalism a truly global phenomenon. In part, they tackle the key question of how these stereotypes serve to both express and assuage Western anxieties about Asia's growing cultural influence and economic dominance. Yet the book also examines artists who have appropriated techno-orientalist tropes in order to critique racist and imperialist attitudes. Techno-Orientalism is the first collection to define and critically analyze a phenomenon that pervades both science fiction and real-world news coverage of Asia. With essays on subjects ranging from wartime rhetoric of race and technology to science fiction by contemporary Asian American writers to the cultural implications of Korean gamers, this volume offers innovative perspectives and broadens conventional discussions in Asian American Cultural studies.