David Cronenberg - Interviews

David Schwartz

Publisher: University Press of Mississippi

Summary

From his early horror movies, including Scanners, Videodrome, Rabid, and The Fly—with their exploding heads, mutating sex organs, rampaging parasites, and scientists turning into insects—to his inventive adaptations of books by William Burroughs (Naked Lunch), Don DeLillo (Cosmopolis), and Bruce Wagner (Maps to the Stars), Canadian director David Cronenberg (b. 1943) has consistently dramatized the struggle between the aspirations of the mind and the messy realities of the flesh. “I think of human beings as a strange mixture of the physical and the non-physical, and both of these things have their say at every moment we’re alive,” says Cronenberg. “My films are some kind of strange metaphysical passion play.” Moving deftly between genre and arthouse filmmaking and between original screenplays and literary adaptations, Cronenberg’s work is thematically consistent and marked by a rigorous intelligence, a keen sense of humor, and a fearless engagement with the nature of human existence. He has been exploring the most primal themes since the beginning of his career and continues to probe them with growing maturity and depth.Cronenberg’s work has drawn the interest of some of the most intelligent contemporary film critics, and the fifteen interviews in this volume feature remarkably in-depth and insightful conversations with such acclaimed writers as Amy Taubin, Gary Indiana, David Breskin, Dennis Lim, Richard Porton, Gavin Smith, and more. The pieces herein reveal Cronenberg to be one of the most articulate and deeply philosophical directors now working, and they comprise an essential companion to an endlessly provocative and thoughtful body of work.

Available since: 03/15/2021.

Other books that might interest you

America's Favorite Teenager

Carl Amari, Various Authors

Archie Andrews moves from the comic books to your radio on this week's episode. You'll also hear Gregory Peck on a episode of Family Theatre. Plus, Hollywood news, trivia, and movie reviews.

Show book

Why Karen Carpenter Matters

Karen Tongson

A Pitchfork Best Music Book of 2019: A look at what the beloved pop singer meant to fans, written with “nostalgic affection and astute critical thinking” (Los Angeles Times). 
 
In the ’60s and ’70s, America's music scene was marked by raucous excess, reflected in the tragic overdoses of young superstars such as Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. At the same time, the uplifting harmonies and sunny lyrics that propelled Karen Carpenter and her brother, Richard, to international fame belied a different sort of tragedy—the underconsumption that led to Karen’s death at age thirty-two from the effects of an eating disorder. 
 
In Why Karen Carpenter Matters, Karen Tongson (whose Filipino musician parents named her after the pop icon) interweaves the story of the singer’s rise to fame with her own trans-Pacific journey between the Philippines—where imitations of American pop styles flourished—and Karen Carpenter’s home ground of Southern California. Tongson reveals why the Carpenters’ chart-topping, seemingly whitewashed musical fantasies of “normal love” can now have profound significance for her—as well as for other people of color, LGBT+ communities, and anyone outside the mainstream culture usually associated with Karen Carpenter’s legacy. This hybrid of memoir and biography excavates the destructive perfectionism at the root of the Carpenters’ sound, while finding the beauty in the singer’s all too brief life.

Show book

What You Are Now

Sam Chanse

Are we stuck with our memories – or can we fix them? Pia is a neuroscientist whose research focuses on changing the way we process traumatic experiences. Will Pia’s emotionally distant mother - who survived the Khmer Rouge in 1970’s Cambodia – benefit from her daughter’s work? Or are some things just too terrible to remember?

Includes a conversation with Dr. Daniela Schiller, a Professor of Neuroscience and Psychiatry at the Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.

“What You Are Now” is part of L.A. Theatre Works’ Relativity Series of science-themed plays. Lead funding for the Relativity Series is provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, bridging science and the arts in the modern world.

Recorded at The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood in November 2022

Directed by Anna Lyse Erikson
Producing Director: Susan Albert Loewenberg

An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast recording starring:

Carie Kawa as Pia
Tess Lina as Chantrea
Joe Ngo as Darany
Samantha Quan as Siobhan
Mark Jude Sullivan as Evan
Greg Watanabe as the Narrator.

Senior Producer: Anna Lyse Erikson
Prepared for Audio by Mark Holden for The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood
Recording Engineer, Editor and Mixer: Charles Carroll
Sound Design by Charles Carroll and David Wilson
Senior Radio Producer: Ronn Lipkin
Foley Artist: Jeff Gardner

The original song “What You Are Now” is by Him Sophy, founder of the Him Sophy School of Music in Pnomh Penh.

Special thanks to Professor Craig Woodson and Dr. Terry Miller for their recording of “The Sorrowful King” from “Roots of Rhythm.net.”

Show book

Meeting of Minds - Volume VII

Steve Allen

By “             assembling”              some of the most fascinating figures in world history, Meeting of Minds provided a groundbreaking opportunity for audiences to be exposed to ideas by way of a medium not normally known for its intellectual vigor. Portrayed by actors, panelists engage in stimulating round-table discussions that were conducted like any other talk show but featured prominent influencers from bygone generations—             not just philosophers and politicians, but poets, playwrights, and presidents. From activists and artists to international leaders—             both famous and infamous—             these conversations are unfailingly witty, thought-provoking, and genuinely entertaining. An innovative series, Meeting of Minds remains one of the most delightful ways of gaining historical perspective ever devised, and these original soundtrack recordings capture the intellectual and spirited debates of the episodes hosted by Steve Allen. The panelists featured in this volume are theologian St. Augustine of Hippo, Byzantine Empress Theodora, American President Thomas Jefferson, and British philosopher Lord Bertrand Russell.

Show book

Music - Essential Tools to Boost...

Woody Morgan

Here’s the Perfect Solution If You Want to Step Up Your Songwriting Game or Venture Into the World of Music Production!
Do you want to learn how to write the next big hit song?
Maybe you want to become a music producer and set up a studio right in your home?
If that’s the case, we’ve got you covered!
Of all the arts, music has always been the most mysterious and enchanting one. While there are some people who just have a natural talent for music and a great ear to recognize that perfect melody, the truth is, a lot of musicians had to study for years to get there. So if you’re still at the beginnings of your career, don’t despair! As they say, success is 5% talent and 95% work and studying!
So if you’re a songwriter looking to finally learn all the tips and tricks of great melody, rhythm, and lyrics, this would be a perfect choice. You will also learn what to look for in a music producer! And those of you who want to become a studio master, this will be the guide to take you to that next level!
Here’s what you’ll learn in this book:What are melody, rhythm, and harmony and how to craft the perfect verse-chorus and a bridgeHow to use lyrics to hit the right spot with listeners and how to put together rhythm and rhymeWhat’s the best songwriting software and how to build a home studio to record your songsHow to choose the best music equipment for your home production studio and learn the most important production softwareWhat is song mastering, how to work with vocals, and how to use digital sound effects to the greatest effect
If you want to learn all there is to know about music business, this is the book for you!

Show book

The Matter of Vision - Affective...

Peter Wyeth

A filmmaker draws on the fields of neuroscience and evolutionary biology to focus on cinema’s visual nature. 
 
Cinematic analysis has often supported the notion that cinema can be understood by drawing parallels with language. Peter Wyeth contends that this analytical framework often fails to consider the fundamental fact of cinema’s visual nature. 
 
In The Matter of Vision, Wyeth seeks to redress this oversight by grounding his analysis in neuroscience and evolutionary biology, finding herein the potential for a qualitatively superior understanding of the cinematic medium.

Show book