Author: Christopher J. Olson Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield ISBN: 1442211040 Category : Performing Arts Languages : en Pages : 351
Book Description
The term “cult film” may be difficult to define, but one thing is certain: A cult film is any movie that has developed a rabid following for one reason or another. From highly influential works of pop art like Eraserhead and Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! to trash masterpieces such as Miami Connection and Fateful Findings, thousands of movies have earned recognition as cult classics over the years, and new movies rise to cult status every year. So how do viewers searching for the best or most important cult films decide where to start? In 100 Greatest Cult Films, Christopher J. Olson highlights the most provocative, intriguing, entertaining, and controversial films produced over the last century. The movies included here have either earned reputations as bona fide cult classics or have in some way impacted our understanding of cult cinema, often transcending traditional notions of “good” and “bad” while featuring memorable characters, unforgettably shocking scenes, and exceptionally quotable dialogue. With detailed arguments for why these films deserve to be considered among the greatest of all time, Olson provides readers fodder for debate and a jumping-off point for future watching. A thought-provoking and accessible look at dozens of cinematic “treasures,” this resource includes valuable information on the films, creators, and institutions that have shaped cult cinema. Ultimately, The 100 Greatest Cult Films offers readers—from casual cinephiles, film scholars, and avid fans alike—a chance to discover or re-discover some of the most memorable films of all time.
Author: Ernest Mathijs Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing ISBN: 1838714006 Category : Performing Arts Languages : en Pages : 659
Book Description
Some films should never have been made. They are too unsettling, too dangerous, too challenging, too outrageous and even too badly made to be let loose on unsuspecting audiences. Yet these films, from the shocking Cannibal Holocaust to the apocalyptic Donnie Darko, from the destructive Tetsuo to the awfully bad The Room, from the hilarious This Is Spinal Tap to the campy Showgirls, from the asylum of Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari to the circus of Freaks, from the gangs of The Warriors to the gangsters of In Bruges and from the flamboyant Rocky Horror Picture Show to the ultimate cool of The Big Lebowski, have all garnered passionate fan followings. Cult cinema has made tragic misfits, monsters and cyborgs, such as Edward Scissorhands or Blade Runner's replicants, heroes of our times. 100 Cult Films explains why these figures continue to inspire fans around the globe. Cult film experts Ernest Mathijs and Xavier Mendik round up the most cultish of giallo, blaxploitation, anime, sexploitation, zombie, vampire and werewolf films, exploring both the cults that live hidden inside the underground (Nekromantik, Café Flesh) and the cult side of the mainstream (Dirty Dancing, The Lord of the Rings, and even The Sound of Music). 100 Cult Films is a true trip around the world, providing a lively and illuminating guide to films from more than a dozen countries, across nine decades, representing a wide range of genres and key cult directors such as David Cronenberg, Terry Gilliam and David Lynch. Drawing on exclusive interviews with some of the world's most iconic cult creators and performers, including Dario Argento, Pupi Avati, Alex Cox, Ruggero Deodato, Jesús Franco, Lloyd Kaufman, Harry Kümel, H. G. Lewis, Christina Lindberg, Takashi Miike, Franco Nero, George A. Romero and Brian Yuzna, and featuring a foreword by cult director Joe Dante, 100 Cult Films is your ultimate ticket to the midnight movie show.
Author: Christopher J. Olson Publisher: ISBN: 9781442208223 Category : Performing Arts Languages : en Pages : 350
Book Description
This volume features the most provocative, intriguing, entertaining, and controversial films produced over the last century, providing readers fodder for debate and a jumping-off point for future watching. This resource includes valuable information on the films, creators, and institutions that have shaped cult cinema.
Author: Jennifer Eiss Publisher: Ilex Press ISBN: 9781905814886 Category : Cult films Languages : en Pages : 383
Book Description
There are distinct qualities that make a movie a cult: a devoted and niche following, popularity based on word-of-mouth enthusiasm, and a tendency to remain in fans memories years after release, as well as many other intricacies, often hotly debated by film buffs. 500 Essential Cult Movies sifts through the greatest movies ever made, to bring together a list of the best cult classics that ever graced the cinema screens or didnt, in some cases! From Carpenter to Lucas, Cronenberg to Lynch, Scorsese to Spielberg the big names in cult are all there, as well as the more obscure films that may have sneaked below the radar. Sorted into chapters based on genre, this vast collection includes plot synopses, reviews and further viewing recommendations for each title. 500 Essential Cult Movies is a must-read for all film aficionados and aspiring buffs alike.
Author: Steven Jay Schneider Publisher: ISBN: 9780733324956 Category : Science fiction films Languages : en Pages : 416
Book Description
Can you tell your Dagobah from your Delos and your Ming from your Morlock? Do you need help understanding 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY? From the classic low-budget Flash Gordon tales to the slick CGI-realised world of THE MATRIX, science-fiction films have long pushed the boundaries of the visually and dramatically fantastic. 101 SCI-FI MOVIES YOU MUST SEE BEFORE YOU DIE is your perfect one-stop guide to them all. Science fiction allows every other movie genre to leap - quite literally - into another dimension. Take a classic police chase and set it on Mars. Create a haunted house story, then add the robots. Take the classic boy-meets-girl story, then make them mutants. Great sci-fi movies turn the known world onto its head, play with the laws of physics and all the while hold the viewer spellbound with a gripping vision of future worlds. With insight from critics, film historians, and academics, 101 SCI-FI MOVIES YOU MUST SEE BEFORE YOU DIE, applies knowledge and passion to a century of close encounters, distant planets, time travel, black holes, strange outfits, futuristic technology, inexplicable forces, fantastic spaceships, fluorescent drinks and subterranean societies. Strap yourself in: you′re set for a rocket ride to sci-fi heaven.
Author: Ian Haydn Smith Publisher: White Lion Publishing ISBN: 0711240264 Category : Performing Arts Languages : en Pages : 147
Book Description
What makes a cult filmmaker? Whether pioneering in their craft, fiercely and undeniably unique, or critically divisive, cult filmmakers come in all shapes and guises. Some gain instant fame, others instant notoriety, and more still remain anonymous until a chance change in fashion sees their work propelled into the limelight. Cult Filmmakers handpicks 50 notable figures in the world of cinema and explores the creative genius that earned them the 'cult' label, while celebrating the movies that made their names. The book features both industry heavyweights like Tim Burton and David Lynch to the strange and surreal imaginings of filmmakers such as Alejandro Jodorowsky and Ana Lily Amirpour. Discover the minds behind such beloved features as Melancholia, Easy Rider, Lost in Translation and more. From little knowns with small, devout followings, to superstars walking the red carpet, each is special in their individuality and their ability to inspire, antagonise and delight. Cult Filmmakers is an essential addition to any film buff's archive, as well as an entertaining introduction to the weird and wonderful world of cinema. The filmmakers: Ana Lily Amirpour, Kenneth Anger, Gregg Araki, Darren Aronofsky, Mario Bava, Kathryn Bigelow, Anna Biller, Lizzie Borden, Tim Burton, John Carpenter, Park Chan-Wook, Benjamin Christensen, Vera Chytilova, Sofia Coppola, Roger Corman, Alex Cox, David Cronenberg, Claire Denis, Amat Escalante, Abel Ferrara, Georges Franju, Lucio Fulci, Terry Gilliam, Lucile Hadzihalilovic, Dennis Hopper, King Hu, Jim Jarmusch, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Harmony Korine, Barbara Loden, David Lynch, Guy Maddin, Russ Meyer, Oscar Micheaux, Takashi Miike, Gaspar Noe, Gordon Parks, George A. Romero, Ken Russell, Susan Seidelman, Seijun Suzuki, Larisa Shepitko, Quentin Tarantino, Melvin van Peebles, Lars von Trier, John Waters, Nicolas Winding Refn, Edward D. Wood Jr., Brian Yuzna.
Author: Mathijs, Ernest Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education (UK) ISBN: 0335219233 Category : Performing Arts Languages : en Pages : 577
Book Description
"An invaluable collection for anyone researching or teaching cult cinema ... The Cult Film Reader is an authoritative text that should be of value to any student or researcher interested in challenging and transgressive cinema that pushes the boundaries of conventional cinema and film studies." Science Fiction Film and Television "A really impressive and comprehensive collection of the key writings in the field. The editors have done a terrific job in drawing together the various traditions and providing a clear sense of this rich and rewarding scholarly terrain. This collection is as wild and diverse as the films that it covers. Fascinating." Mark Jancovich, Professor of Film and Television Studies, University of East Anglia, UK "It's about time the lunatic fans and loyal theorists of cult movies were treated to a book they can call their own. The effort and knowledge contained in The Cult Film Reader will satisfy even the most ravenous zombie's desire for detail and insight. This book will gnaw, scratch and infect you just like the cult films themselves." Brett Sullivan, Director of Ginger Snaps Unleashed and The Chair "The Cult Film Reader is a great film text book and a fun read." John Landis, Director of The Blues Brothers, An American Werewolf in London and Michael Jackson's Thriller "Excellent overview of the subject, and a comprehensive collection of significant scholarship in the field of cult film. Very impressive and long overdue." Steven Rawle, York St John University, UK Whether defined by horror, kung-fu, sci-fi, sexploitation, kitsch musical or ‘weird world cinema’, cult movies and their global followings are emerging as a distinct subject of film and media theory, dedicated to dissecting the world’s unruliest images. This book is the world’s first reader on cult film. It brings together key works in the field on the structure, form, status, and reception of cult cinema traditions. Including work from key established scholars in the field such as Umberto Eco, Janet Staiger, Jeffrey Sconce, Henry Jenkins, and Barry Keith Grant, as well as new perspectives on the gradually developing canon of cult cinema, the book not only presents an overview of ways in which cult cinema can be approached, it also re-assesses the methods used to study the cult text and its audiences. With editors’ introductions to the volume and to each section, the book is divided into four clear thematic areas of study – The Conceptions of Cult; Cult Case Studies; National and International Cults; and Cult Consumption – to provide an accessible overview of the topic. It also contains an extensive bibliography for further related readings. Written in a lively and accessible style, The Cult Film Reader dissects some of biggest trends, icons, auteurs and periods of global cult film production. Films discussed include Casablanca, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Eraserhead, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Showgirls and Ginger Snaps. Essays by: Jinsoo An; Jane Arthurs; Bruce Austin; Martin Barker; Walter Benjamin; Harry Benshoff; Pierre Bourdieu; Noel Carroll; Steve Chibnall; Umberto Eco; Nezih Erdogan; Welch Everman; John Fiske; Barry Keith Grant ; Joan Hawkins; Gary Hentzi; Matt Hills; Ramaswami Harindranath; J.Hoberman; Leon Hunt; I.Q. Hunter; Mark Jancovich; Henry Jenkins; Anne Jerslev; Siegfried Kracauer; Gina Marchetti; Tom Mes; Gary Needham; Sheila J. Nayar; Annalee Newitz; Lawrence O’Toole; Harry Allan Potamkin; Jonathan Rosenbaum; Andrew Ross; David Sanjek; Eric Schaefer; Steven Jay Schneider; Jeffrey Sconce; Janet Staiger; J.P. Telotte; Parker Tyler; Jean Vigo; Harmony Wu
Author: Paul Simpson Publisher: Penguin ISBN: 1405386169 Category : Performing Arts Languages : en Pages : 689
Book Description
The Rough Guide to Cult Movies offers a blend of essential trivia and informed opinion as it takes you on a tour of the most compellingly weird - and weirdly compelling - films in the world. Whether you're a paid-up member of The Big Lebowski fan club or just looking for a night in with an interesting DVD, The Rough Guide to Cult Movies is the ultimate guide to the world's most memorable films. The Rough Guide to Cult Movies selects cinema's most compelling triumphs: films that are brilliant, intriguing or just plain bizarre; from action flicks to zombie films, by way of nuns, yakuza, musicals and mutations. You'll find expert, pithy reviews of over 1500 movies, with forgotten legends like Charlie Chan and the Opera or contemporary classics like There Will Be Blood, plus filmmakers' picks of their favorite cult movies, in their own words. There are good movies and there are bad movies and then there are cult movies.
Author: Christopher J. Olson Publisher: Lexington Books ISBN: 1498519091 Category : Social Science Languages : en Pages : 217
Book Description
Since the release of The Exorcist in 1973, there has been a surge of movies depicting young women becoming possessed by a demonic force that only male religious figures can exorcise, thereby saving the women from eventual damnation. This book considers this history of exorcism cinema by analyzing how the traditional exorcism narrative, established in The Exorcist, recurs across the exorcism subgenre to represent the effects of demonic possession and ritual exorcism. This traditional exorcism narrative often functions as the central plot of the exorcism film, with only the rare film deviating from this structure. The analysis presented in this book considers how exorcism films reflect, reinforce or challenge this traditional exorcism narrative. Using various cultural and critical theories, this book examines how representations of possession and exorcism reflect, reinforce or challenge prevailing social, cultural, and historical views of women, minorities, and homosexuals. In particular, exorcism films appear to explore tensions or fears regarding empowered and sexually active women, and frequently reinforce the belief that such individuals need to be subjugated and disempowered so that they no longer pose a threat to those around them. Even more recent films, produced after the emergence of third wave feminism, typically reflect this concern about women. Very rarely do exorcism films present empowered women and feminine sexuality as non-threatening. In examining this subgenre of horror films, this book looks at films that have not received much critical scrutiny regarding the messages they contain and how they relate to and comment upon the historical periods in which they were produced and initially received. Given the results of this analysis, this book concludes on the necessity to examine how possession and exorcism are portrayed in popular culture.
Author: Christopher J. Olson
Author: Ernest Mathijs
Author: Danny Peary
Author: Christopher J. Olson
Author: Jennifer Eiss
Author: Steven Jay Schneider
Author: Ian Haydn Smith
Author: Mathijs, Ernest
Author: Paul Simpson
Author: Christopher J. Olson