A film blog about all aspects of filmmaking: screenplay, directing, editing, acting…
How a Few Eccentric Outsiders Gave Us Nightmares, Conquered Hollywood, and Invented Modern Horror. Jason Zinoman‘s Shock Value is a seminal book on modern horror films if ever there was one. In the same way that I would recommend you…
Continue reading SHOCK VALUE, the Essential Book about America’s 70s New Horror Films
Like the books they are based on, the film adaptations of Frank Herbert’s Dune are an ever-expanding story in themselves. At the very beginning, they were a few mild shots at adapting Dune, which involved names like David Lean (because…
Continue reading All DUNES before DUNE (TV and Movies, from Jodorowky’s to Villeneuve’s)
Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Peter Mayhew rehearsing a scene on the Star Wars‘ set, aboard The Millenium Falcon, and having a laugh. Alec Guiness, our beloved Obi-Wan, is there too, but he seems to be thinking “What the hell…
Continue reading Fantastic Material from the Original STAR WARS + Great Parody Stuff
How the Sex-Drugs-and-Rock ‘n’ Roll Generation Saved Hollywood. This must be THE book about American movies from the 60s to the 80s. We are not technically dealing with a “Making Of” book here, but this marvellous piece of work tells…
Continue reading Best “Making Of” Books: EASY RIDERS, RAGING BULLS
The tension that raised between the master of horror Stephen King and the master of film Stanley Kubrick about the movie The Shining is a well-known story. Let me summarise here the basic tale. This story starts at the end…
Continue reading King Vs Kubrick: From THE SHINING to DOCTOR SLEEP
….Blowing the Bloody Doors Off. My Life in Cult Movies, by Michael Deeley. Imagine that you are a film producer whose credits include The Italian Job (1969), The Man who Fell to Earth (1976), The Deer Hunter (1978, for which…
Continue reading Best “Making Of” Books: BLADE RUNNERS, DEER HUNTERS &…
The Creation of Dino De Laurentiis’ King Kong is a great account of how this super-production came to be in the mid-70s. “Making Of” books tend to be either about big successes (The Jaws Log, which we reviewed here; Alfred…
During the filming process, the First AD is the guy in charge. Or the woman. He/she organises the shooting, what will be filmed and when. His/her mission, to harmonise the production requirements with the director wishes, which is never easy,…
In 1975, Jaws was a Monstrous Success. It quickly grew into an iconic piece of filmmaking, made Spielberg a star and it became the first blockbuster summer movie ever. Obviously, a lot has been written about it, but there are three main…
William Goldman (1931-2018) is one of the best screenwriters Hollywood has seen. He was the author of “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” (an original script that won him his first Oscar), “All The President’s Men” (maybe the most difficult…
Continue reading Best Screenwriting Books: ADVENTURES IN THE SCREEN TRADE
