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The iluvcinema Reading List

March 26, 2012 By 7 Comments

I would never declare myself an avid reader. But I do make a deliberate effort to read several books in a given calendar year. In fact, I end up at various stages of a collection of books which are in varying stages of completion. As always, they will get read – it is just a matter of WHEN. The answer is always EVENTUALLY.

My current “book du jour” is Stephen Fry’s autobiography, The Fry Chronicles, which I started this morning on my way into the office.

As I make my way through this and a few other titles over the next couple of months, waiting, in a pile on my desk, in my Amazon.com wish list and sundry other forms, is a collection of cinematically-oriented texts whose pages are ready to unfurled. Here is a sampling of that collection:

      

With any luck, throughout the remaining 8 months of the year, I will be updating iluvcinema readers as to what I think about these and any other titles I come across.

In the meantime, now it’s your turn, what are some of your favorite movie-related books? They can be fiction or non-fiction.

 

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What I’ve Been Reading

February 16, 2012 By 18 Comments

This Thursday, I decided to change things up a bit and discuss my most recent accomplishment: FINALLY completing a book.

Over the past week, the voice in my head has been that of esteemed British film critic Mark Kermode.

As any regular listener to the program he and Simon Mayo co-present on BBC’s Radio 5 knows, Mark is a man of very marked opinions. For those you who are not familiar with The Good Doctor, I refer you to his BBC Blog and his and Simon Mayo’s Radio Show website, where you can subscribe to and download their weekly podcasts.

In his most recent book, The Good, the Bad and the Multiplex: What’s Wrong with Modern Movies?, he has the opportunity to go on a series of no-holds-barred rants about what he feels is wrong in behind the scenes of today’s Hollywood films. In his book he waxes poetic about:

  • The advent of digital projection and the disappearing projectionist;
  • Why 3D is NOT here to stay;
  • The daftness of modern blockbusters, and most crucially,
  • Exactly what are film critics for?

Although I have heard many of these arguments, in the full expanse of the written word, Kermode’s stories take on another dimension. He backs up many of his arguments with a combination of hilarious, unbelievable personal anecdotes and some well-researched data. And you may not totally agree with his positions, but he gets props in my book for calling out some of the unspoken things many of us are probably are wondering. The one that sticks out in my head is: If blockbusters make money no matter what (including poor critical response), why make crappy ones? It is the classic Transformers vs. Inception argument.

This is Dr. K.’s second book; his first book It’s Only a Movie is also on my bookshelf and yet to be read. I promise to get to it … eventually.

For my readers in the UK, stay tuned for Kermode’s announcement of the annual Kermode Awards; for the uninitiated, these are posited as an “alternative Academy Award.” Previous winners of the award include Andy Serkis, Andrew Garfield, Christopher Nolan, Kristin Scott Thomas, David Cronenberg and this guy.

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A Fantastically Breezy Read

August 30, 2010 By 2 Comments

Everyone loves a freebie or a little swag. At this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, I picked up a few things; among them was a copy of City Secrets Movies: The Ultimate Insider’s Guide to Cinema’s Hidden Gems. After sitting on my bookshelf for several months, this morning I decided to throw it in my bag and read it during my morning commute into NYC. Am I glad I made that decision! The editor of the City Secrets series of books (which are primarily travel books) decided to create a special guide to satisfy his quest for what movie to rent. He has gathered a collection of actors, directors, writers, academics, etc. to reveal to him (and us) some of their favorite films both big and small. So far I am only in the B’s of the A-Z guide and it is so much fun! I even enjoy reading about those movies I have already seen (Americanization of Emily stands out early on).

This book is a MUST-HAVE for folks, like me who are will to broaden their cinematic horizons. This is equally relevant as, last week, I declared a “Call to Action” for my readers to participate in a little blogging project I am working on (see previous post). Think of this recommendation as my gift to you in thanks for your recommendations!

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