Publisher: Tales of Terror
This book contains 66 reviews of horror films written and ranked by critic and blogger Steve Hutchison. Each description includes five ratings (stars, story, creativity, acting, quality), a synopsis and a review. All 66 movies present a plausible threat. How many have you seen?
Discover the riveting life journey of Ash Jackson, an award-winning musician who turned her pain into powerful music. From her childhood dreams of fame, struggles with self-esteem, and experiences of bullying, to her pro wrestling career, battles with mental health, and remarkable courage in navigating her gender affirmation, her story is one of resilience, self-discovery, and redemption. Ash's music is more than an expression of art; it is a raw portrayal of her life, encapsulating themes of loneliness, love, and trauma. Yet, Ash's life is not solely confined to the realm of music. Her involvement in the anti-lockdown movement in Melbourne, and her subsequent defection and fallout are just some episodes of her multifaceted tale.Show book
The Velvet Underground and Nico has influenced the sound of more bands than any other album. And remarkably, it still sounds as fresh and challenging today as it did upon its release in 1967. In this book, Joe Harvard covers everything from Lou Reed's lyrical genius to John Cale's groundbreaking instrumentation, and from the creative input of Andy Warhol to the fine details of the recording process. With input from co-producer Norman Dolph and Velvets fan Jonathan Richman, Harvard documents the creation of a record which - in the eyes of many - has never been matched.Show book
Cliché-verre is a technique of etching and painting directly on photographic negatives. The term means “glass negative” in French and is as old as photography itself, dating to the 1840s and earlier. The first successful photographic process involved coating glass plates with light-sensitive chemicals from which reversed (positive) prints could be made. Artists experimented with drawing, etching, and combining images directly on the glass, resulting in fanciful black-and-white prints. But few artists were inspired to develop the idea further until the advent of color photography in the early 20th Century. The Magic Lantern, long predating photography, was invented by Christiaan Huygens, a Dutch astronomer and physicist, in the 1600s. It is a simple device for projecting images, based upon the centuries-old principles of the “camera obscura” or “darkened room.” When the photographic process evolved to film rather than glass plates, the technology spread. Color film arrived in the 1930s. There were now both film negatives and positives (slides). Brian Allan Skinner is the author of six volumes of illustrated fiction. His experiments with cliché-verre began in the 1960s. Here are 50 examples of his work from the past half-century, in brilliant color. In the epilogue, he explains his process in detail.Show book
Two classic filmmaking books in one box set: "Fast, Cheap and Under Control: Lessons Learned from the Greatest Low-Budget Movies of All Time" Learn the tricks and pitfalls of low-budget filmmaking from 33 successful independent films and the filmmakers who created them. Includes never before published interviews with low-budget mavericks such as Steven Soderbergh, Roger Corman, Jon Favreau, Henry Jaglom, and many more. "Fast, Cheap and Written That Way: Top Screenwriters on Writing for Low-Budget Movies" Hollywood's top screenwriters look back at their early low-budget efforts and provide valuable tips, tricks, and advice on how to create a solid screenplay for a low-budget movie. Includes in-depth interviews with: Tom DiCillo (Living in Oblivion), Whit Stillman (Metropolitan), Richard Glatzer (Grief), Henry Jaglom (Venice/Venice), Dan Futterman (Capote), John McNaughton (Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer), Coleman Hough (Bubble), Rebecca Miller (Personal Velocity), Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator), Joan Micklin Silver (Hester Street), Ali Selim (Sweet Land), Stephen Belber (Tape), Eric Bogosian (subUrbia), George Romero (Martin), Bob Clark (Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things), Roger Nygard (Suckers), Alex Cox (Repo Man), Amy Holden Jones (Love Letters), Kenneth Lonergan (You Can Count On Me), Dylan Kidd (Roger Dodger), LM Kit Carson (Paris, Texas), Kasi Lemmons (Eve's Bayou), and Miranda July (Me and You and Everyone We Know). "We never put out an actual textbook for the Corman School of Filmmaking, but if we did, it would be Fast, Cheap and Under Control." — Roger Corman, Producer, New Horizons "This terrific little book explains how to make every penny count on the often arduous journey from script to screen." — John Carpenter, Director, Halloween, Starman, Escape from New YorkShow book
After performing with Ronnie Hawkins as the Hawks (1957–1964), The Band (Rick Danko, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel, Robbie Robertson, and Levon Helm) eventually rose to fame in the sixties as backing musicians for Bob Dylan. This collaboration with Dylan presented the group with a chance to expand musically and strike out on their own. The Band's fusion of rock, country, soul, and blues music—all tinged with a southern flavor and musical adventurousness—created a unique soundscape. The combined use of multiple instruments, complex song structures, and poetic lyrics required attentive listening and a sophisticated interpretive framework. It is no surprise, then, that they soon grew to be one of the biggest bands of their era. In Rags and Bones: An Exploration of The Band, scholars and musicians take a broad, multidisciplinary approach to The Band and their music, allowing for examination through sociological, historical, political, religious, technological, cultural, and philosophical means. Each contributor approaches The Band from their field of interest, offering a wide range of investigations into The Band's music and influence. Commercially successful and critically lauded, The Band created a paradoxically mythic and hauntingly realistic lyrical landscape for their songs—and their musicianship enlarged this detailed landscape.Show book
The story of China's imperial unification represents one of history's most consequential political transformations. "Imperial Chinese Foundations: Uniting the Land" explores the three dynasties that forged China's imperial system—a political structure that would endure for over two millennia. The brief but revolutionary Qin Dynasty (221-206 BCE) ended centuries of warring states by conquering all rivals under the leadership of the First Emperor, Qin Shi Huang. Through military might, standardized writing, currency, measurements, and a unified legal code, the Qin created China's first centralized bureaucratic empire—though their harsh Legalist policies triggered rebellion after the emperor's death. The Western Han Dynasty (206 BCE-9 CE) consolidated imperial rule through a more pragmatic blend of Confucian ideology and centralized governance. Under Emperor Wu's dynamic leadership, the Han expanded Chinese territory, opened the Silk Road, established the civil service examination system, and created cultural and political institutions that would define Chinese civilization for millennia. As power shifted to the Eastern Han (25-220 CE), the dynasty initially flourished before facing mounting challenges from natural disasters, court intrigues, and the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Yet even as political cohesion weakened, this period saw remarkable innovations—including paper, the seismograph, and advances in mathematics and medicine—while Buddhism began its profound influence on Chinese civilization. Through examining these three foundational dynasties, we witness the birth and evolution of the imperial Chinese state that would serve as a template for governance across East Asia and continue to influence Chinese identity into the modern era.Show book
