MBR: The Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf

The Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf

Understanding Screenwriting
Tom Stempel
Continuum
80 Maiden Lane, New York NY 10038
9780826429391, $23.42 www (dot) continuumbooks (dot) com

UNDERSTANDING SCREENWRITING: LEARNING FROM GOOD, NOT-QUITE-SO-GOOD,
AND BAD SCREENPLAYS is more than just another 'how to write' guide for
aspiring film writers: it uses actual productions to analyze what
makes a screenplay successful - or not. Stories highlight writers'
works and juxtapose short takes with longer analysis of key works in
the industry, making it the perfect guide for any library strong in
screenwriting and drama.

The Legs Are the Last to Go
Diahann Carroll
Amistad
c/o HarperCollins
10 East 53rd Street, New York NY 10022
9780060763268, $24.95 www (dot) amidstadbooks (dot) com

Hollywood has no use for a woman over forty - but actress Diahann
Carroll isn't conventional and her career defied the norm. Any who
have followed her films will find her autobiography The Legs Are the
Last to Go is a gripping story of her career, her professional and
personal relationships, the lessons she's learned from Hollywood and
life, and racial politics in Hollywood. Any comprehensive film library
needs this.

Mythic Plays
Conrad Bishop & Elizabeth Fuller
WordWorkers Press
c/o The Independent Eye
502 Pleasant Hill Rd., Sebastopol, CA 95472
0974566438, $19.95, www (dot) independenteye (dot) org

Classics are classics for a reason, and interpreting them to theater
doesn't make them lose much of their impact. "Mythic Plays: From
Inanna to Frankenstein" is a collection of four fully-scripted plays
of historical purpose reworked for the modern era. The four tales are
based off the classics, but have a twist injected into each of them.
The stories are Descent of the Goddess Inanna, Medea/Sacrament,
Ragnarok: Doom of the Gods, and Frankenstein. All are intriguing
reading, making "Mythic Plays" a solid acquisition.

Deep Cinema
Mary Trainor-Brigham
Michael Wiese Productions
3940 Laurel Canyon Blvd., #1111, Studio City, CA 91604
9781932907506, $19.95, www (dot) mwp (dot) com

Movies can have more meaning than eye-candy, explosions, and cheap
laughs. "Deep Cinema: Film as Shamanic Initiation" takes a look at
serious storytelling with a message through the art of film. Mixing
ancient shamanic tradition with today's top of the line film-making
techniques, Brigham discusses symbolism, cultural meaning, and much
more and their relevance to films. Dissecting some of today's most
spiritual films, "Deep Cinema" is worth reading for those who want
their films to mean more than just being pop culture.

The Best American Short Plays
Barbara Parisi
Applause
c/o Hal Leonard
19 West 21st Street, Suite 201, New York, NY 10010
9781557837127, $16.95, www (dot) applausepub (dot) com

There are more plays than just Shakespeare. "The Best American Short
Plays: 2004-2005" is a collection of short plays to use in a classroom
or theater to give a more modern edge to acting and drama than just
the flowery language and plots of the seventeenth century bard. The
plays all present a modern viewpoint with modern topics from
contemporary writers, giving it a very different blend from most
plays. "The Best American Short Plays: 2004-2005" is a must for any
drama teacher who wants to expand their students' horizons.

The Monster Hunter in Modern Popular Culture
Heather L. Duda
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jerrson, NC 28640
9780786434060, $35.00, www (dot) mcfarlandpub (dot) com

The character of the monster hunter has made a come back in recent
years. "The Monster Hunter in Modern Popular Culture" takes a survey
of the genre with TV Shows and movies such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer
and Van Helsing. Discussing why the genre has gotten as popular as it
has and the common themes among them, it gives new perspective on this
media and expands one's understanding of why such things are as
popular as they are. A critical dissection of the genre, "The Monster
Hunter in Modern Popular Culture" is highly recommended.

The Twilight Zone
Martin Grams, Jr.
OTR Publishing
PO Box 252, Churchville, MD 21028
9780970331090, $49.95, www (dot) amazon (dot) com

When it debuted in October 1959 on CBS television, Rod Serling's
science fiction and fantasy show 'The Twilight Zone' became a part of
America's popular culture and continues to this day to be an
enduringly popular classic of the Golden Age of television, brought
back to new generations of viewers in what seems like perpetual
reruns. This seminal and groundbreaking series has influenced
Hollywood producers, screenwriters, directors, actors, comics books,
magazines, and even major motion pictures. Now in "The Twilight Zone:
Unlocking The Door To A Television Classic" Martin Grams has compiled
and written a 798-page history of the show, including a detailed
episode guide for all five seasons. Of special note are the appendices
providing Production Notes and a bibliography of Twilight Zone books,
comic books, and station list. Enhanced for the reader with a
comprehensive Index, "The Twilight Zone" is highly recommended for
community and academic library Television History and American Popular
Culture reference collections, and a 'must' for the legions of
Twilight Zone fans.

You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story
Richard Schickel & George Perry, author
Running Press
2300 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103-4371
9780762434183, $50.00 www (dot) runningpress (dot) com 1-800-345-5359

Featuring a foreword by Clint Eastwood, You Must Remember This: The
Warner Bros. Story is the jam-packed, coffee-table book history of the
media giant Warner Bros. Studios, from the decisions that made them
stand out from competitors such as MGM, Paramount, and 20th Century
Fox, to the shift that had Warner Bros. create grittier and more
socially conscious movies during Hollywood's golden era, to what
Warner Bros. stands for in today's multi-media conglomerates. Filled
with black-and-white and color photographs, movie stills and posters,
and more on virtually every page, You Must Remember This balances the
wealth of illustrations with a deep and thoughtful analysis,
accessible to lay readers yet sure to be appreciated by film studies
students and scholars as well. Highly recommended.

Continuum
80 Maiden Lane, New York NY 10038
www (dot) continuumbooks (dot) com

Libraries strong in international film and culture need Houstin Wood's
NATIVE FEATURES: INDIGENOUS FILMS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
(9780826428455, $24.95), the first book to examine films made by
indigenous people. It analyzes over fifty such films now in
circulation, considering cultural stereotypes, and impact of both well-
known and seldom-seen films, and considering the careers of major
actors and directors. Both a regional and world-wide approach allows
for an outstanding series of perspectives. Keith Cunningham's THE SOUL
OF SCREENWRITING: ON WRITING, DRAMATIC TRUTH, AND KNOWING YOURSELF
(9780826428691, $29.95) offers an unusual survey inspired by the
mythic approach of Joseph Campbell and tinged by the psychology
background of Jean Jouston, providing a survey of the act of
screenwriting and how the writer's brain and experience juxtaposes to
influence technique, character development, scene dynamics and
results. It's a scholarly analysis recommended for any film or drama
collection.

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