The Cinema of Robert Zemeckis

The Cinema of Robert Zemeckis
Author: Norman Kagan
Publisher: Taylor Trade Publishing
Total Pages: 266
Release: 2003-04-09
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1461699053

Robert Zemeckis has risen to the forefront of American filmmaking with a string of successes: Romancing the Stone, Back to the Future I, II, & III, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Forrest Gump, and Castaway. Herein, Norman Kagan unlocks the mind behind the making of these diverse and groundbreaking hits—appraising each work’s public and critical appeal while placing the films in the context of Zemeckis’s career.

A Critical Companion to Robert Zemeckis

A Critical Companion to Robert Zemeckis
Author: Adam Barkman
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 311
Release: 2020-10-15
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1793623465

A Critical Companion to Robert Zemeckis offers a comprehensive, academic and detailed study of the works of Robert Zemeckis, whose films include successful productions such as the Back to the Future trilogy (1985-90), Forrest Gump (1994), Contact (1997), Cast Away (2000) and The Polar Express (2004), but also lesser known films such as I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978), Used Cars (1980), and Allied (2015). Most of Zemeckis’ major productions were not only successful when they were first released but continue to enjoy popularity—with critics and fans alike—even today. This volume investigates several distinct areas of Zemeckisʼ works and addresses the different approaches: the philosophical, the artistic, the socio-cultural, and the personal. The methodologies adopted by the contributors differ significantly from each other, thus offering the reader a variegated and compelling picture of Zemeckisʼ oeuvre, which includes nineteen films. Contrary to the few volumes published in the past on the subject, the chapters in this volume offer specific case studies that have been previously ignored (or only partially mentioned) by other scholars. A Critical Companion to Robert Zemeckis offers a great variety of interdisciplinary approaches to Zemeckis’ films, illuminating, re-reading and/or interpreting for the first time the entire career of the director, from his first films to the most recent ones.

The Last Great American Picture Show

The Last Great American Picture Show
Author: Alexander Horwath
Publisher: Amsterdam University Press
Total Pages: 395
Release: 2004
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 9053566317

This publication is a major evaluation of the 1970s American cinema, including cult film directors such as Bogdanovich Altman and Peckinpah.

Forrest Gump

Forrest Gump
Author: Winston Groom
Publisher: Vintage
Total Pages: 209
Release: 2012-02-21
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0307947408

The modern classic that inspired the beloved movie starring Tom Hanks. Six foot six, 242 pounds, and possessed of a scant IQ of 70, Forrest Gump is the lovable, surprisingly savvy hero of this classic comic tale. His early life may seem inauspicious, but when the University of Alabama’s football team drafts Forrest and makes him a star, it sets him on an unbelievable path that will transform him from Vietnam hero to world-class Ping-Pong player, from wrestler to entrepreneur. With a voice all his own, Forrest is telling all in a madcap romp through three decades of American history.

Movie Towns and Sitcom Suburbs

Movie Towns and Sitcom Suburbs
Author: Stephen Rowley
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 457
Release: 2015-10-21
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1137493283

Media depictions of community are enormously influential on wider popular opinion about how people would like to live. In this study, Rowley examines depictions of ideal communities in Hollywood films and television and explores the implications of attempts to build real-world counterparts to such imagined places.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
Author: Kate DiCamillo
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Total Pages: 225
Release: 2009
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 076364367X

Edward Tulane, a cold-hearted and proud toy rabbit, loves only himself until he is separated from the little girl who adores him and travels across the country, acquiring new owners and listening to their hopes, dreams, and histories. Jr Lib Guild. Teacher's Guide available. Reprint.

American Cinema in the Shadow of 9/11

American Cinema in the Shadow of 9/11
Author: Terence McSweeney
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
Total Pages: 352
Release: 2016-12-05
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1474413838

American Cinema in the Shadow of 9/11 is a ground-breaking collection of essays by some of the foremost scholars writing in the field of contemporary American film. Through a dynamic critical analysis of the defining films of the turbulent post-9/11 decade, the volume explores and interrogates the impact of 9/11 and the 'War on Terror' on American cinema and culture. In a vibrant discussion of films like American Sniper (2014), Zero Dark Thirty (2012), Spectre (2015), The Hateful Eight (2015), Lincoln (2012), The Mist (2007), Children of Men (2006), Edge of Tomorrow (2014) and Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), noted authors Geoff King, Guy Westwell, John Shelton Lawrence, Ian Scott, Andrew Schopp, James Kendrick, Sean Redmond, Steffen Hantke and many others consider the power of popular film to function as a potent cultural artefact, able to both reflect the defining fears and anxieties of the tumultuous era, but also shape them in compelling and resonant ways.

Directors Close Up

Directors Close Up
Author: Jeremy Paul Kagan
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
Total Pages: 364
Release: 2006
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 9780810857124

From script development through pre-production to production and post-production, famed directors offer personal insights into every step of the creative process. They also reveal their candid takes on the best and worst aspects of their profession. This second edition features personal materials from many of the directors, including storyboards, script notes, sketches, and on-set photos. Directors Close Up will be of interest to both professional and aspiring directors; as well as to film fans that will enjoy this inside look into making movies.

The Polar Express

The Polar Express
Author: Chris Van Allsburg
Publisher: Andersen Press
Total Pages: 40
Release: 2014-10-02
Genre: Christmas stories
ISBN: 9781783441815

Late on Christmas Eve, after the town has gone to sleep, a boy boards a mysterious train that waits for him: the Polar Express bound for the North Pole. When he arrives there, Santa offers him any gift he desires. The boy modestly asks for one bell from the reindeer's harness. It turns out to be a very special gift, for only believers in Santa can hear it ring. "Magical glowing double spread pictures . . . an original and memorable book." - Guardian "Evocative, realist pastels and atmospheric text." - Sunday Times "A thrilling tale." - Independent