Fifty Contemporary Film Directors

Fifty Contemporary Film Directors

Author: Yvonne Tasker

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2010-10-04

Total Pages: 708

ISBN-13: 1136919457

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Fifty Contemporary Film Directors examines the work of some of today’s most popular and influential cinematic figures. It provides an accessible overview of each director’s contribution to cinema, incorporating a discussion of their career, major works and impact. Revised throughout and with twelve new entries, this second edition is an up-to-date introduction to some of the most prominent film makers of the present day. The directors, from differing backgrounds and working across a range of genres, include: Martin Scorsese Steven Spielberg Sofia Coppola Julie Dash Shane Meadow Michael Moore Peter Jackson Guillermo Del Toro Tim Burton Jackie Chan Ang Lee Pedro Almodóvar. With further reading and a filmography accompanying each entry, this comprehensive guide is indispensable to all those studying contemporary film and will appeal to anyone interested in the key individuals behind modern cinema’s greatest achievements.


Book Synopsis Fifty Contemporary Film Directors by : Yvonne Tasker

Download or read book Fifty Contemporary Film Directors written by Yvonne Tasker and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2010-10-04 with total page 708 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fifty Contemporary Film Directors examines the work of some of today’s most popular and influential cinematic figures. It provides an accessible overview of each director’s contribution to cinema, incorporating a discussion of their career, major works and impact. Revised throughout and with twelve new entries, this second edition is an up-to-date introduction to some of the most prominent film makers of the present day. The directors, from differing backgrounds and working across a range of genres, include: Martin Scorsese Steven Spielberg Sofia Coppola Julie Dash Shane Meadow Michael Moore Peter Jackson Guillermo Del Toro Tim Burton Jackie Chan Ang Lee Pedro Almodóvar. With further reading and a filmography accompanying each entry, this comprehensive guide is indispensable to all those studying contemporary film and will appeal to anyone interested in the key individuals behind modern cinema’s greatest achievements.

Pedro Almodóvar

Pedro Almodóvar

Author: Marvin D'Lugo

Publisher: University of Illinois Press

Published: 2023-02-03

Total Pages: 194

ISBN-13: 0252054717

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Perhaps the best-known Spanish filmmaker to international audiences, Pedro Almodóvar gained the widespread attention of English-speaking critics and fans with the Oscar-nominated Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown and the celebrated dark comedy Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!. Marvin D'Lugo offers a concise, informed, and insightful commentary on a preeminent force in modern cinema. D'Lugo follows Almodóvar's career chronologically, tracing the director's works and their increasing complexity in terms of theme and the Spanish film tradition. Drawing on a wide range of critical sources, D'Lugo explores Almodóvar's use of melodrama and Hollywood genre film, his self-invention as a filmmaker, and his on-screen sexual politics. D'Lugo also discusses what he calls "geocultural positioning," that is, Almodóvar's paradoxical ability to use his marginal positions—in terms of his class, geographical origin, and identity—to develop an expressive language that is emotionally recognizable by audiences worldwide. Two fascinating interviews with the director round out the volume. An exciting consideration of an arthouse giant, Pedro Almodóvar mixes original interpretations into an analysis sure to reward film students and specialists alike.


Book Synopsis Pedro Almodóvar by : Marvin D'Lugo

Download or read book Pedro Almodóvar written by Marvin D'Lugo and published by University of Illinois Press. This book was released on 2023-02-03 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Perhaps the best-known Spanish filmmaker to international audiences, Pedro Almodóvar gained the widespread attention of English-speaking critics and fans with the Oscar-nominated Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown and the celebrated dark comedy Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!. Marvin D'Lugo offers a concise, informed, and insightful commentary on a preeminent force in modern cinema. D'Lugo follows Almodóvar's career chronologically, tracing the director's works and their increasing complexity in terms of theme and the Spanish film tradition. Drawing on a wide range of critical sources, D'Lugo explores Almodóvar's use of melodrama and Hollywood genre film, his self-invention as a filmmaker, and his on-screen sexual politics. D'Lugo also discusses what he calls "geocultural positioning," that is, Almodóvar's paradoxical ability to use his marginal positions—in terms of his class, geographical origin, and identity—to develop an expressive language that is emotionally recognizable by audiences worldwide. Two fascinating interviews with the director round out the volume. An exciting consideration of an arthouse giant, Pedro Almodóvar mixes original interpretations into an analysis sure to reward film students and specialists alike.

Spike Lee

Spike Lee

Author: Todd McGowan

Publisher: University of Illinois Press

Published: 2014-02-15

Total Pages: 185

ISBN-13: 0252095405

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Since the release of Do the Right Thing in 1989, Spike Lee has established himself as a cinematic icon. Lee's mostly independent films garner popular audiences while at the same time engaging in substantial political and social commentary. He is arguably the most accomplished African American filmmaker in cinematic history, and his breakthrough paved the way for the success of many other African Americans in film. In this first single-author scholarly examination of Spike Lee's oeuvre, Todd McGowan shows how Lee's films, from She's Gotta Have It through Red Hook Summer, address crucial social issues such as racism, paranoia, and economic exploitation in a formally inventive manner. McGowan argues that Lee uses excess in his films to intervene in issues of philosophy, politics, and art. McGowan contends that it is impossible to watch a Spike Lee film in the way that one watches a typical Hollywood film. By forcing observers to recognize their unconscious enjoyment of violence, paranoia, racism, sexism, and oppression, Lee's films prod spectators to see differently and to confront their own excess. In the process, his films reveal what is at stake in desire, interpersonal relations, work, and artistic creation itself.


Book Synopsis Spike Lee by : Todd McGowan

Download or read book Spike Lee written by Todd McGowan and published by University of Illinois Press. This book was released on 2014-02-15 with total page 185 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since the release of Do the Right Thing in 1989, Spike Lee has established himself as a cinematic icon. Lee's mostly independent films garner popular audiences while at the same time engaging in substantial political and social commentary. He is arguably the most accomplished African American filmmaker in cinematic history, and his breakthrough paved the way for the success of many other African Americans in film. In this first single-author scholarly examination of Spike Lee's oeuvre, Todd McGowan shows how Lee's films, from She's Gotta Have It through Red Hook Summer, address crucial social issues such as racism, paranoia, and economic exploitation in a formally inventive manner. McGowan argues that Lee uses excess in his films to intervene in issues of philosophy, politics, and art. McGowan contends that it is impossible to watch a Spike Lee film in the way that one watches a typical Hollywood film. By forcing observers to recognize their unconscious enjoyment of violence, paranoia, racism, sexism, and oppression, Lee's films prod spectators to see differently and to confront their own excess. In the process, his films reveal what is at stake in desire, interpersonal relations, work, and artistic creation itself.

Richard Linklater

Richard Linklater

Author: David T. Johnson

Publisher: University of Illinois Press

Published: 2012-03-30

Total Pages: 202

ISBN-13: 0252078500

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This title provides an incisive analysis of popular American filmmaker, Richard Linklater.


Book Synopsis Richard Linklater by : David T. Johnson

Download or read book Richard Linklater written by David T. Johnson and published by University of Illinois Press. This book was released on 2012-03-30 with total page 202 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This title provides an incisive analysis of popular American filmmaker, Richard Linklater.

Dario Argento

Dario Argento

Author: L. Andrew Cooper

Publisher: University of Illinois Press

Published: 2012-11-30

Total Pages: 203

ISBN-13: 0252094387

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Commanding a cult following among horror fans, Italian film director Dario Argento is best known for his work in two closely related genres, the crime thriller and supernatural horror, as well as his influence on modern horror and slasher movies. In his four decades of filmmaking, Argento has displayed a commitment to innovation, from his directorial debut with 1970's suspense thriller The Bird with the Crystal Plumage to 2009's Giallo. His films, like the lurid yellow-covered murder-mystery novels they are inspired by, follow the suspense tradition of hard-boiled American detective fiction while incorporating baroque scenes of violence and excess. While considerations of Argento's films often describe them as irrational nightmares, L. Andrew Cooper uses controversies and theories about the films' reflections on sadism, gender, sexuality, psychoanalysis, aestheticism, and genre to declare the anti-rational logic of Argento's oeuvre. Approaching the films as rhetorical statements made through extremes of sound and vision, Cooper places Argento in a tradition of aestheticized horror that includes De Sade, De Quincey, Poe, and Hitchcock. Analyzing individual images and sequences as well as larger narrative structures, he reveals how the director's stylistic excesses, often condemned for glorifying misogyny and other forms of violence, offer productive resistance to the cinema's visual, narrative, and political norms.


Book Synopsis Dario Argento by : L. Andrew Cooper

Download or read book Dario Argento written by L. Andrew Cooper and published by University of Illinois Press. This book was released on 2012-11-30 with total page 203 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Commanding a cult following among horror fans, Italian film director Dario Argento is best known for his work in two closely related genres, the crime thriller and supernatural horror, as well as his influence on modern horror and slasher movies. In his four decades of filmmaking, Argento has displayed a commitment to innovation, from his directorial debut with 1970's suspense thriller The Bird with the Crystal Plumage to 2009's Giallo. His films, like the lurid yellow-covered murder-mystery novels they are inspired by, follow the suspense tradition of hard-boiled American detective fiction while incorporating baroque scenes of violence and excess. While considerations of Argento's films often describe them as irrational nightmares, L. Andrew Cooper uses controversies and theories about the films' reflections on sadism, gender, sexuality, psychoanalysis, aestheticism, and genre to declare the anti-rational logic of Argento's oeuvre. Approaching the films as rhetorical statements made through extremes of sound and vision, Cooper places Argento in a tradition of aestheticized horror that includes De Sade, De Quincey, Poe, and Hitchcock. Analyzing individual images and sequences as well as larger narrative structures, he reveals how the director's stylistic excesses, often condemned for glorifying misogyny and other forms of violence, offer productive resistance to the cinema's visual, narrative, and political norms.

Paul Schrader

Paul Schrader

Author: George Kouvaros

Publisher: University of Illinois Press

Published: 2008-05-23

Total Pages: 186

ISBN-13: 0252075080

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A searing study of an important American writer-director


Book Synopsis Paul Schrader by : George Kouvaros

Download or read book Paul Schrader written by George Kouvaros and published by University of Illinois Press. This book was released on 2008-05-23 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A searing study of an important American writer-director

Todd Haynes

Todd Haynes

Author: Rob White

Publisher: University of Illinois Press

Published: 2013-02-06

Total Pages: 195

ISBN-13: 0252037561

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Rob Whites highly readable book, which includes a major new interview with Haynes, is the first comprehensive study of the directors work.


Book Synopsis Todd Haynes by : Rob White

Download or read book Todd Haynes written by Rob White and published by University of Illinois Press. This book was released on 2013-02-06 with total page 195 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rob Whites highly readable book, which includes a major new interview with Haynes, is the first comprehensive study of the directors work.

John Sayles

John Sayles

Author: David R. Shumway

Publisher: University of Illinois Press

Published: 2012-03-15

Total Pages: 202

ISBN-13: 0252094085

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John Sayles is the very paradigm of the contemporary independent filmmaker. By raising much of the funding for his films himself, Sayles functions more independently than most directors, and he has used his freedom to write and produce films with a distinctive personal style and often clearly expressed political positions. From The Return of the Secaucus Seven to Sunshine State, his films have consistently expressed progressive political positions on issues including race, gender, sexuality, class, and disability. In this study, David R. Shumway examines the defining characteristic of Sayles's cinema: its realism. Positing the filmmaker as a critical realist, Shumway explores Sayles's attention to narrative in critically acclaimed and popular films such as Matewan, Eight Men Out, Passion Fish, and Lone Star. The study also details the conditions under which Sayles's films have been produced, distributed, and exhibited, affecting the way in which these films have been understood and appreciated. In the process, Shumway presents Sayles as a teacher who tells historically accurate stories that invite audiences to consider the human world they all inhabit.


Book Synopsis John Sayles by : David R. Shumway

Download or read book John Sayles written by David R. Shumway and published by University of Illinois Press. This book was released on 2012-03-15 with total page 202 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: John Sayles is the very paradigm of the contemporary independent filmmaker. By raising much of the funding for his films himself, Sayles functions more independently than most directors, and he has used his freedom to write and produce films with a distinctive personal style and often clearly expressed political positions. From The Return of the Secaucus Seven to Sunshine State, his films have consistently expressed progressive political positions on issues including race, gender, sexuality, class, and disability. In this study, David R. Shumway examines the defining characteristic of Sayles's cinema: its realism. Positing the filmmaker as a critical realist, Shumway explores Sayles's attention to narrative in critically acclaimed and popular films such as Matewan, Eight Men Out, Passion Fish, and Lone Star. The study also details the conditions under which Sayles's films have been produced, distributed, and exhibited, affecting the way in which these films have been understood and appreciated. In the process, Shumway presents Sayles as a teacher who tells historically accurate stories that invite audiences to consider the human world they all inhabit.

Wong Kar-wai

Wong Kar-wai

Author: Peter Brunette

Publisher: University of Illinois Press

Published: 2005-03-22

Total Pages: 175

ISBN-13: 0252095472

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Called the leading heir to the great directors of post-WWII Europe and lavished with awards, Wong Kar-wai has redefined perceptions of Hong Kong's film industry. Wong's visual brilliance and emphasis on atmosphere over action have set him apart from peers while earning him an admiring international audience. In the Mood for Love regularly appears on lists of the twenty-first century's greatest films while critics and filmgoers recognize works like Chungking Express and Happy Together as modern classics. Peter Brunette describes the ways in which Wong's supremely haunting visual films create a new form of cinema by telling a story with stunning, suggestive visual images and audio tracks rather than character, dialogue, and plot. As he shows, Wong's early background in genre film offers fascinating insights on his more studied later works. He also delves into Wong's perennial themes of time, love, and loss and examines the political implications of his films, especially concerning the handover of former British colony Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China.


Book Synopsis Wong Kar-wai by : Peter Brunette

Download or read book Wong Kar-wai written by Peter Brunette and published by University of Illinois Press. This book was released on 2005-03-22 with total page 175 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Called the leading heir to the great directors of post-WWII Europe and lavished with awards, Wong Kar-wai has redefined perceptions of Hong Kong's film industry. Wong's visual brilliance and emphasis on atmosphere over action have set him apart from peers while earning him an admiring international audience. In the Mood for Love regularly appears on lists of the twenty-first century's greatest films while critics and filmgoers recognize works like Chungking Express and Happy Together as modern classics. Peter Brunette describes the ways in which Wong's supremely haunting visual films create a new form of cinema by telling a story with stunning, suggestive visual images and audio tracks rather than character, dialogue, and plot. As he shows, Wong's early background in genre film offers fascinating insights on his more studied later works. He also delves into Wong's perennial themes of time, love, and loss and examines the political implications of his films, especially concerning the handover of former British colony Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China.

Contemporary Film Directors

Contemporary Film Directors

Author: Celestino Deleyto

Publisher: University of Illinois Press

Published: 2010-09-23

Total Pages: 176

ISBN-13: 0252035690

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This study of Mexican film director Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu explores his role in moving Mexican filmmaking from a traditional nationalist agenda toward a more global focus. In studying the international scope of Iñárritu's influential films Amores Perros, 21 Grams, and Babel, the authors trace common themes such as human suffering and redemption, chance, and accidental encounters. The authors also analyze the director's visual style and his use of multiple characters and a fragmented narrative structure. The book concludes with an interview of Iñárritu that touches on the themes and subject matter of his chief works.


Book Synopsis Contemporary Film Directors by : Celestino Deleyto

Download or read book Contemporary Film Directors written by Celestino Deleyto and published by University of Illinois Press. This book was released on 2010-09-23 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study of Mexican film director Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu explores his role in moving Mexican filmmaking from a traditional nationalist agenda toward a more global focus. In studying the international scope of Iñárritu's influential films Amores Perros, 21 Grams, and Babel, the authors trace common themes such as human suffering and redemption, chance, and accidental encounters. The authors also analyze the director's visual style and his use of multiple characters and a fragmented narrative structure. The book concludes with an interview of Iñárritu that touches on the themes and subject matter of his chief works.